《My Husband and I Brought Hundreds of Millions of Supplies to Farm》


 Chapter 1 - 1 Transmigration

    <h4>Chapter 1: Transmigration</h4>


    "Knock, knock ..."


    Curses followed a series of rapid knocks on the door." Jinx, where''s the food? What time is it already? Why aren''t you getting up to cook? You''ll suffer if the old Madam is hungry."


    After Zhou Ying was woken up, she sat up and wanted to retort back. But when she saw the pile of firewood in front of her and the frozen fat little hand in front of her, she was stunned. She then panicked and directly swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.


    She clearly remembered getting into a car ident while driving with her husband to Food City. It was a city built under her name, and they went there to attend the anniversary celebration.


    But where was this ce... And who was the person shouting outside ...?


    At this time, her body couldn''t help but shiver, and her stomach also felt a burst of pain. That feeling of extreme cold and extreme hunger tormented her until she felt dizzy and felt like she had almost lost her life again.


    In a daze, memories shed through her mind like a movie, and she realized she had transmigrated into another world.


    She transmigrated into the body of a new bride, Zhou Ying, who had the same name as her. She was married to bring luck to the groom''s family, a custom to bless someone deathly sick with good luck in hopes they would recover from their illness.


    The target to bring blessings from her marriage was the Imperial merchant Gu family''s sick matriarch, who was also her current husband''s mother. She was the respected Noble Princess, Ping Yang.


    The tragic thing was that the princess passed away on the night her original self married.


    The next day, after the princess''s death, the Gu family was sent to prison for smuggling salt. Ultimately, all their assets were confiscated, and they were sent back to their original hometown.


    In the end, the Gu family pushed all the me onto her host. They med her, saying she was a jinx and a disaster ma. Since then, she became the most despicable person in their household, who was required to wake up earlier than chickens, sleepter than dogs, and eat less than cats.


    Although her husband, Gu Chengrui, had the same name as her original husband, their personalities were the exact opposite.


    He clearly knew that his family was taking their anger out on her, but he had never protected her. He had always been cold to her and always ignored her.


    He would always order her around if he weren''t condemning her, and he didn''t have any self-awareness of being her husband.


    However, as a concubine''s son whose mother had died, his situation was not much better than the original her. Two days ago, he had suffered from a cold and didn''t even get a single copper coin for his treatment.


    Thinking of this, she couldn''t help but think of her husband, a military doctor, Gu Chengrui.


    He was not good at sweet-talking, but he would cook for her. He would study hard to learn all kinds of skills and protect her in times of danger.


    "Jinx, get up and cook. Are you looking for a beating..." At that moment, the knocking on the door was getting louder and louder, as if the person was going to rush in at any moment.


    "I hear you. I''ll be right there." At this moment, a hoarse male voice rang out from her side. At the same time, it was apanied by the sounds of coughing and wheezing. She could tell that there was inmmation in his lungs.


    "Then hurry up. Why aren''t you getting up at this time? "You''re sozy." The person replied with dissatisfaction, then turned around and left.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying turned her head and looked at the man sitting next to her in shock. He was her "husband" who had never helped the original her at all.


    No, he was not a man. He looked more like a 17 or 18-year-old boy. He was tall and handsome and looked quite simr to her original husband.


    However, the boy''s face was ashen, and he was as thin as a matchstick. He squinted his eyes and leaned against the firewood, looking like he was about to die at any moment.


    Regardless, his upper body was standing straight up against the wall, as determined as a soldier who was determined to defend his position.


    As she thought of this, she couldn''t help but tear up.


    After sensing that she was looking at him, the boy immediately raised his eyes and looked at her. At first, he was alert, with a glint of sharpness in his eyes. But soon, his eyes were full of kindness.


    This was because his original wife was a traditional newly-wedded woman who was named a jinx and rejected by others after failing to bless their family with her marriage.


    After nearly a month of torment, she had be numb and self-abased, so it was impossible for her to look at him so daringly.


    Especially when he saw the tears of excitement in her eyes, he was even more confident in his guess.

 Chapter 2 - 2 Reuniting

    <h4>Chapter 2: Reuniting</h4>


    The two of them shouted excitedly at the same time. "Brother Rui!" "Baby!"


    Then, Zhou Ying threw herself into his arms and cried, "You fool, you could have dodged it. Why did youe to save me?"


    "If I hadn''t, how else would we be fated to be husband and wife again in this life?" Gu Chengrui hugged her back and chuckled.


    However, tears also started to well in his eyes. He had thought they would be separated after death, but he did not expect they would be fated to continue to be together in this life. When he thought of this, he hugged her tightly, turning his head and gently kissing her cheek.


    But his kiss fell on nothing because Zhou Ying had already raised her head and reached out to his head and neck. "It''s so hot. I have to lower your temperature immediately. "


    After saying that, she left his arms and tried to contact her interspace.


    It was a space that had followed her since she was young, a space that she couldn''t see the end of.


    It was surrounded by seawater, and there was only an ind in the middle that was about 1000 square kilometers in size.


    There were mountains, water, and fields on the ind, like a heavenly garden.


    As long as the interspace was still there, she would not have to worry about food and clothing no matter where she went.


    After confirming that the connection was still there, she was overjoyed and said, "Brother Rui, wait a moment. I''ll go to the interspace to get special fever medicine, food, and clothes."


    Gu Chengrui''s eyes lit up. "Okay, remember to take some medicine yourself. Just in case."


    Zhou Ying nodded in response and immediately shed into her interspace.


    She did not stay after confirming the realm was still full of life, along with the cattle and sheep. She immediately went to the river that ran through the entire interspace to wash her hands.


    Then, she went to a warehouse inside a pce and took two cups of millet porridge, four veggie buns, a stack of cold medicine, and a few tablets of fever medicine. Finally, she also found two sets of thermal wear.


    After leaving the space, Zhou Ying put the food and medicine aside and said, "Put this on to keep warm first. It''s too cold today. "


    After saying that, she took out a men''s sweater and helped him put it on. She then covered him with the old quilt and handed him the porridge.


    Gu Chengrui took it and said, "You should eat quickly too. Don''t go starving."


    Zhou Ying nodded and quickly changed her clothes. She had a cup of millet porridge, a bun, and four cold medicine tablets. After that, she said, "I''m going to cook now. We''ll discuss further when you''re a little better."


    "Alright, we''ll leave after I recover. We can''t stay in this house any longer." Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.


    Otherwise, he would only be a burden if he went out in his current state.


    The key was that, based on the current situation, he was the only one who could bring up the matter of splitting up with the family. If Zhou Ying was the one bringing it up, not only would it not solve the problem, but she might also be viewed with hostility and even get beaten up.


    Zhou Ying responded, turned around, and walked out of the woodshed with a bunch of firewood. When she saw the standard double-door courtyard with ck tiles and green bricks outside, she really felt bad for the original couple. It seemed that they really had to leave this family as soon as possible.


    After that, she turned around and entered the kitchen next to them. After looking at the prepared ingredients, she couldn''t be bothered to do something different. Instead, she cooked a pot of millet porridge, a tray of white steamed buns, fried cabbage in vinegar sauce, and mixed it with a te of shredded salted vegetables ording to how the original her cooked.


    When she was almost done with her work, everyone got up one after another.


    At the same time, she also recognized that the one who had woken her up before was the new wife of the Gu family''s household, Mrs. Liu, and she had been promoted from a concubine.


    She was a middle-aged woman with beautiful looks.


    Perhaps it was because she had been suppressed too much by the princess in the past. Once promoted, she became arrogant and wanted to show off her authority everywhere. Instead of appearing dignified, she seemed to be copying thete princess.

 Chapter 3 - 3 The situation

    <h4>Chapter 3: The situation</h4>


    At the same time, she also realized that the Gu family wasrge. First of all, was the eldest matriarch of the Gu family, Gu Chengrui''s biological grandmother, Mrs. Qiao.


    The main family branch that the couple was staying in now had one wife and one concubine, four children consisting of two boys and two girls, and her, their daughter-inw.


    There were even more people in the second family branch. They had one wife and two concubines, with five children, consisting of two boys and three girls. There was also Mrs. Yang, the wife of the eldest son, Gu Chengzhi, and the child in her stomach.


    As far as she knew, this was not all of them. After leaving the capital, all the concubines in the two family branches who did not bear children were dismissed on the spot.


    Therefore, she and Gu Chengrui were the only children his father disliked and had no mother. Naturally, they were bullied.


    After the meal was ready, a group of women quickly helped her to ce the food in the dining hall.


    They sat at two tables, one for the men and one for the women.


    The dishes on the table were the same, but there were more steamed buns on the men''s table.


    After everyone sat down, Zhou Ying found that there was no seat for her. At this time, she also remembered that the original her had not eaten at the table since she entered the Gu family.


    When she thought of this, she felt a burst of anger. Seeing that there were still three steamed buns in the basket, she picked them up and turned to leave.


    "Jinx, what are you doing? You can''t eat steamed buns. Put them down." Mrs. Liu stood up and said.


    "Aren''t the steamed buns there for people to eat? Why can''t I eat them?" Zhou Ying turned her head and asked with a smile.


    Then, she grabbed a steamed bun and took a bite. She even chewed a few times, loudly on purpose. She didn''t look like she was eating a steamed bun, looking as if she was chewing them up on purpose.


    "You... You jinx. It''s already good enough that you have something to eat. How dare you eat those steamed buns?" Mrs. Liu raised her hand and pointed at her angrily.


    After she finished speaking, she stood up and wanted to grab it, but the old Madam Qiao saw Zhou Ying''s abnormal attitude and immediately stopped her. "Alright, she''s been busy the whole morning. It''s just a steamed bun. Just let her eat it. She can just put the other two down."


    Everything in and out of the house depended on her, especially in the kitchen. If she really made a fuss and shirked the responsibility, it would be troublesome for them.


    "Madam, Chengrui hasn''t eaten yet. He''s sick and can''t survive without staple food. So, I have to take these two steamed buns with me." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she got ready to head out again.


    At that moment, her older brother-inw, Gu Chengzhi, stood up and stopped her. "Sister-inw, you''re going too far. You and your husband don''t work, so you two can just share one bun. We still have to work in the workshop after dinner. We can''t take it if we don''t have enough."


    "Not working?" Zhou Ying turned her head and asked with a faint smile.


    Then, she waved her hand in front of his eyes and said, "We, husband and wife, do all the dirty and tiring work in this house. You should be very clear about this."


    Gu Chengzhi looked at her hands, which were rougher and redder than his own, and he didn''t know what to say.


    "Jinx, how could you speak like this to your older brother-inw..." When her second aunt, Mrs. Yao, heard her words, she immediately mmed the table and stood up.


    Without waiting for her to finish, Zhou Ying immediately said, "Stop. I think you know better than I do why the princess died and why the Gu family was raided.


    Don''t push everything on me, and don''t call me a jinx. I don''t think I am worthy of being called that. "


    "Where''s your upbringing? Is this how the Zhou family taught you to speak to your elders?" The old madam put down her chopsticks and shouted angrily.


    "Respect is mutual. We''re about to die, so who cares about being polite?" Zhou Ying turned her head and looked straight at her.

 Chapter 4 - 4 Abandoned

    <h4>Chapter 4: Abandoned</h4>


    The old madam was at a loss for words when she saw Zhou Ying''s calm and sharp eyes. She asked, in confusion, "What do you mean you two are going to die? Aren''t you still alive and well?"


    "Really? I was considered slightly chubby when I married into the Gu family. But look at my face now. I''ve lost so much weight in less than a month that I''m only left with ayer of skin." When Zhou Ying said this, she deliberately pulled the skin on her face.


    She then continued, "The nights these days are cold and long. Who could stand eating just porridge and doing heavy work every day?


    "Last night, if it weren''t for the warm water left on the stove, we would''ve frozen to death in the woodshed.


    "Also, my husband''s illness has been dragged on by the cold wind to be a lung inmmation. I''m afraid it will endanger his life if it''s not treated. "When Zhou Ying said this, she lowered her head and looked at the steamed bun in her hands. "So, not only does he need the steamed buns, but he also needs medical treatment. Look..."


    Everyone was shocked after hearing this. Although lung inmmation wasn''t an incurable disease, the medicine used wouldn''t be cheap.


    "It''s just a cold. It''ll pass soon. It''s not that serious." Mrs. Liu unhappily said, not waiting for the old madam to open her mouth.


    "Cough, cough ..." Gu Chengrui lifted the curtain and slowly walked in, apanied by a series of heart-wrenching coughs.


    Everyone immediately looked at him. When they saw his ashen face and skinny body, they were all shocked.


    Especially the old madam. She really didn''t expect that in just two days, the young man would be like this.


    It was no wonder Zhou Ying, who had always been silent and submissive, was full of thorns today. She was even dissing whoever she could.


    "Good morning, old madam, father, mother, second uncle, and second aunt." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he gave a simple bow. Then, ording to the original him''s attitude, he looked at Zhou Ying andined, "Why didn''t you call me when it''s time to eat?"


    "It''s my fault. Your body is weak. You should sit down first. "Zhou Ying''s lips curved up as she immediately helped him to the men''s seats.


    Mr. Gu quickly raised his hand to stop them. "Since you''re sick, go back to your room and eat. Don''t give everyone else your sickness."


    Gu Chengrui raised his head and looked at him coldly. He coughed and said, "You''re right, but I''m afraid I can''t get through this illness. Father, please give me some money to go to town and get some medicine. "


    "Money, money. How can we still have money at home? It''s just a cold. After dinner, you can ask your wife to make you a bowl of ginger soup and sweat it out." Mrs. Liu didn''t wait for Mr. Gu to speak and directly replied.


    Gu Chengrui did not even look at Mrs. Liu after hearing this. He wasn''t born from Mrs. Liu''s womb, so her attitude was unimportant. How he would get along with them in the future would ultimately depend on his father, Mr. Gu''s, attitude.


    Unfortunately, Mr. Gu had no feelings for him to begin with. In addition to the recent series of blows, he subconsciously avoided the truth and decided to put all the me on the couple. Otherwise, Mrs. Liu would not have dared to target and torment them like this.


    Therefore, he only nced at him indifferently and said, "Listen to your mother, we really don''t have any money."


    "Is that so? Let''s ignore that our rtives and friends gave us silver when we left the capital, a total of 50 taels of silver that we passed to the family.


    After returning to the vige, the family received a hundred taels of dividends from the family''s oil mill. Was it all spent in less than ten days? "Gu Chengrui sneered.


    "After we returned, we spent on food, clothes, beds, and furniture. Do you think we could do much with a hundred taels of silver?" Mrs. Liu counted with her fingers.

 Chapter 5 - 5 Splitting Up (1)

    <h4>Chapter 5: Splitting Up (1)</h4>


    "That''s right. On the way home, the officers exploited us a great deal. There was nothing left of the silver others gave us." Second Aunt Mrs. Yao agreed.


    Gu Chengrui''s heart turned cold, but at the same time, he was happy. The more ruthless they were today, the less guilt he would have in the future.


    As they were at an impasse, he swept his gaze across the room. Other than a teenager from the second branch, Gu Chengxi, who had no say in this and cast a sympathetic look at him, the others were either indifferent, ignoring him, or straight up disdainful. In short, nobody cared about him, let alone spoke up for him.


    After another bout of coughing, Gu Chengrui looked at his father and said, "Since this family can''t amodate the two of us, let''s just separate. We''ll ept our fate, dead or alive."


    "Third brother, what are you saying? We''re all family. Why are you splitting up?


    "Besides, who says this family can''t amodate you two?" The old madam quickly said.


    Gu Chengrui turned to look at the olddy and said, "Old madam, does the family really not even have the money to treat your grandson''s cold?


    "Do you really not know what we''ve been through in the past half a month?


    "Who here treats us as a family? Our treatment is probably even worse than that of a servant. "


    "You ..." The three questions made the old madam lost for words.


    She knew that even she had some spare money, let alone her two daughters-inw.


    However, things were different now, so she had to keep some just in case.


    Thinking of this, she could only look at Mrs. Liu, hoping she could take out some silver to keep them.


    But Mrs. Liu met her eyes and avoided them.


    Her son and daughter were already of marriageable age.


    Their family didn''t have a decent ie, so how could they give money to others?


    Not to mention, if Gu Chengrui stayed at home, he would get a share of the family property if Mr. Gu died early. It was better to take advantage of this and directly shoo him away to save the trouble.


    Seeing Mrs. Liu''s reaction, Mr. Gu naturally understood what she meant, so he directly said, "Then let''s split. But other than the things in your house, there''s nothing else for you."


    "It seems my father doesn''t want me as a son anymore. That''s fine. In the future, whether we live or die will be our fate." At this point, Gu Chengrui coughed twice and took two deep breaths before saying, "However, words need to be written as proof. I''ll have to trouble you to go with me to the family leader to write a written proof and the vige chief to separate our household registration."


    "You ..." Mr. Gu was furious after hearing that.


    At the same time, his expression was a little unnatural.


    A few days ago, he almost had a fall out with the family leader because he wanted to get back a hundred acres ofnd that he had entrusted to the n to look after in the early years, as well as the dividends from the workshop and the two officers'' positions.


    If the family leader knew that he had separated his son from the family without giving a thing, who knows how he wouldugh at him?


    However, he felt increasingly ufortable when he met Gu Chengrui''s firm eyes. In addition, Zhou Ying had already started to rebel. Thus, he felt it was better to kick them out of the house now. Therefore, he returned to the house to get the household registration book and said, "Then hurry up. The family leader will be going out in a while."


    Gu Chengrui responded and gently patted Zhou Ying''s hand away. "Pack up our things and wait for me at home."


    Zhou Ying nodded. She quickly ate the steamed bun in her hand. Then, she put down the lunch box and went to the kitchen to drink the remaining millet porridge. After that, she went back to her room to pack up.


    However, there wasn''t much to pack. They each had a change of clothes, an old quilt, and a piece of coarse cloth curtain used to block the window. A bag was enough for them to pack it all up.

 Chapter 6 - 6 Splitting Up (2)

    <h4>Chapter 6: Splitting Up (2)</h4>


    There were also two paper cups and the remaining medicine that Gu Chengrui had hidden. She put them away in her interspace.


    As for the people in the dining hall, they were eating and drinking as they should. No one came to greet them.


    Mrs. Liu, on the other hand, looked out from time to time. She was looking concerned, guarding against Zhou Ying for fear that she would steal things from the house.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui coughed non-stop when he came out of the door after catching a cold breeze. By the time he reached the family leader''s house, his face and neck were already red from coughing.


    When the family leader saw this, he looked at him with disdain and asked them to sit down. He asked, "What''s the matter,ing here with you and your father?"


    "Big brother, my third son wants to be separated. Please help me write a record." Mr. Gu said.


    Seeing this, the family leader looked at Gu Chengrui in dissatisfaction and said, "Chengrui, right? Your grandmother and parents are both still alive and well. It''s against the rules for you to suggest splitting up at this time. "


    "Uncle, please do it for your nephew." Gu Chengrui raised his head and looked at him hesitantly. In the end, he sighed and shut his mouth.


    However, he quickly turned his head and bent over to cover his mouth as he coughed non-stop. He coughed so violently that it was as if he wanted to cough out his lungs at any moment.


    The family leader frowned. "Why didn''t you find a doctor to take a look at him? He''s coughing so much. Don''t drag it out any longer."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Gu only nodded nonchntly and did not reply.


    Gu Chengrui, on the other hand, had a bitter look on his face, but he had no intention of speaking.


    The leader could tell from their reactions that something was amiss. In addition to the rumors that circted in the vige, he did not try to persuade them any further. Instead, he asked, "Have you discussed what to give your third son?"


    "Just the things in his room." Mr. Gu said vaguely.


    After the family leader heard this, he looked at the father and son in surprise. However, seeing that Gu Chengrui had no intention of fighting for it, he was toozy to care. He got up and returned to the room to take out some stationery and draft the documents for their separation.


    At the end of his writing, he raised his head and asked the father and son, "Then what do you say about filial piety after the separation?"


    "If he has some, then give some. If he doesn''t, then forget it." Mr. Gu said.


    Gu Chengrui heard his vague words and quickly said, "Although I didn''t get any of the family property, my father raised me, so I will give my dues ording to the normal customs of the vige.


    "I will share the medical expenses with my second brother if my father is sick. But I will not be giving him the usual filial piety dues.


    Of course, Mrs. Liu is an exception to this. "


    Although he and his girl didn''t have any assets on the surface, they were undoubtedly rich just from the things in the interspace. Also, it was only a matter of time before they became the wealthiest people in the region. He didn''t want them totch themselves onto him in the future.


    Mr. Gu was stunned for a moment, but then he looked away as if nothing had been said.


    On the other hand, the family leader looked at Gu Chengrui and nodded in satisfaction. "That''s reasonable. But you can''t just stand by and watch if your father is sick and bedridden. "


    "I will." Gu Chengrui nodded heavily.


    After the family leader wrote this down, he made two copies. Then, the three signed and stamped their thumbprints, each holding one copy.


    After leaving the family leader''s house, the father and son went to the vige head''s house to talk about the household registration. This time, it was unknown whether Mr. Gu wanted to save face or was really that eager to get rid of them, but he took the initiative to pay the processing fee.


    After Mr. Gu left, Gu Chengrui looked at the vige chief and asked, "Grandpa Qian, is there any house in the vige that I can rent?"


    After a moment of hesitation, the vige chief replied, "I don''t know about this. I''ll ask around for youter, but you have to pay more attention to it."


    "I''m sorry to trouble you." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he bowed and turned to leave.


    Just as he arrived back at the Gu family, he met Zhou Ying, who was carrying arge bag and was driven out by Mrs. Liu.

 Chapter 7 - 7 Temporarily Staying At The Mother God Temple

    <h4>Chapter 7: Temporarily Staying At The Mother God Temple</h4>


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui coldly nced at Mrs. Liu. After seeing her retreat, he took Zhou Ying''s bag from her and left.


    Zhou Ying immediately followed him. When she saw him coughing non-stop, she quickly took out a small bottle of cough syrup from her interspace and handed it to him. "Rui, you should drink a bottle of cough syrup first."


    Gu Chengrui looked at the small medicine bottle in front of him. He grabbed her hand and scanned their surroundings.


    After making sure that no one was paying attention, he whispered, "Hurry up and put it away. I can still hold it in. After we have settled down, I''ll just get two bottles of IV into me."


    Hearing this, Zhou Ying put the cough syrup back into her interspace and said, "Alright then, don''t force yourself."


    "Don''t worry. I''m much better after taking medicine this morning. "


    "By the way, where are we going?"


    "You know about the Mother God Temple halfway up the mountain, right?"


    Zhou Ying nodded and said, "Yes, I''ve seen that before. Although it''s a little shabby, it''s a good ce to stay for the time being after some simple cleaning."


    Thus, the two of them helped each other up the mountain.


    When they arrived at the Mother God Temple, Gu Chengrui was coughing so much that he could not stand up straight.


    Zhou Ying nced around, and after making sure that there was no one nearby, she said, "Rui, you can''t dy your illness any longer. I''ll send you into my interspace to get two IV bottles into you."


    After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she immediately looked around to ensure no one was nearby. Then, she helped him into the Mother God Temple.


    She helped him to the back of a statue and brought him into the space, reaching the vi they had built by the river.


    After helping Gu Chengrui lie down on the bed, Zhou Ying asked him for a list of his needed medicines. Then, she went to the warehouse to prepare the medicines, put him on an IV drip, and made him a cup of honey water as he requested.


    After his condition had stabilized, she took a bucket of water and a broom from the space.


    After that, she cleaned up the Mother God Temple, which was close to a hundred square feet in size, and sprayed arge amount of disinfectant.


    After cleaning up, Zhou Ying looked at the statue of the Mother God that had been weathered, all shabby looking. She didn''t know why, but she suddenly felt sad and thought the statue looked dear to her.


    "I have no choice but to stay here. Sorry for the disturbance," she bowed respectfully.


    Afterward, she took a rope from her interspace and went outside to pick up some firewood. Otherwise, it would be hard to exin if someone found out that there were no signs of them living in the temple.


    After she came out, she realized that the river running through the vige was right below the Mother God Temple. This was a good ce, with a mountain next to a river.


    Then, she went directly up the mountain but did not get much firewood. Instead, she found a small nest of licorice, which she dug out and tied up.


    After she was done digging, her stomach began to growl. She carried the licorice on her back and returned to the Mother God Temple.


    After putting down the firewood, she walked behind the statue and stayed there for a while. After making sure that no one was nearby, she entered her interspace with the licorice.


    As soon as she arrived at the vi''s entrance, she smelled the fragrance of cooking meat. She quickly put down the licorice and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.


    Then, she turned around and walked into the kitchen. When she saw the busy figure inside, she walked over and put her arms around his waist from behind. "Why didn''t you wait for me toe back? You''re still coughing so badly. You shouldn''t be inhaling the smell of smoke."


    "I had nothing to do, so I stir-fried a te of veggies and pressure cooked some pork ribs along with corn soup." Gu Chengrui smiled and turned his head.


    Then, he looked up, picked up a dead leaf on her head, and said, "Hurry up and set up the table. We''ll be eating soon."


    "Yes, sir." Zhou Ying responded, turned around, and took two sets of bowls and chopsticks. She carried the garlic-vored veggies to the dining room.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui had also finished cooking. He ced the ribs into the soup and followed her.


    After that, they sat down and had a good meal. After the meal, Gu Chengrui took a tissue from the side and handed it to her. "Baby, did you get anything from the mountain?"

 Chapter 8 - 8 Interspace

    <h4>Chapter 8: Interspace</h4>


    "I was going to pick up some firewood, but there really wasn''t much to pick up in the outer area. I did find a small nest of licorice and brought it back."


    "Licorice?" Gu Chengrui''s eyes lit up, and he continued, "This ce is about five miles away from town. Let''s go to town in the afternoon.


    "Take the licorice you dug up and some red sage and astragalus from the mountains in your interspace.


    "Buy a pot or a crock when you return, and some food as a cover. "


    "But your body..." Zhou Ying was concerned.


    "I''m fine. The medicine has already taken effect. I can handle it."


    "Alright, then you can boil a kettle of water to drink. I''ll go wash the dishes." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she put away the bowls and chopsticks on the table.


    After washing the dishes, she went to the warehouse again to get more medicine. But this time, it was an amountrge enough for him to use for three days.


    After that, the two drank some water and rested for a while. After he drank his medicine, the two took their tools and went up the mountain.


    Then, ording to Gu Chengrui''s instructions, she dug out about two pounds of red sage and five pounds of astragalus before stopping.


    They stopped in front of an apple tree. Zhou Ying reached out and picked two, then handed one to Gu Chengrui. She turned around and sat on a big rock, eating the apple while scanning the entire ind with her mind.


    To the east of the ind was a group of mountains, covering an area of nearly 100 square kilometers. However, it had been slowly transformed by the two of them.


    Now, in addition to some precious medicinal herbs and trees, they had also nted all kinds of fruit trees, dried fruit trees, tea trees, and all kinds of medicinal herbs.


    Of course, they also raised a batch of bees, which could produce arge amount of honey every year.


    The river flowing down the mountain divided thend at the foot of the mountain into two, but it was not even. One side wasrger than the other, about a two-to-one ratio.


    There were all kinds of freshwater fish and prawns in the river. Because of the rapid flow of the river at the foot of the mountain, they had also built a small hydraulic power station, which could supply electricity for the entire interspace.


    On the smaller side of the in, she had plowed it into a field and nted sweet potatoes and taro. Now, there were herds of cattle and sheep on it. In the middle, there were also donkeys, deer, pigs, and various kinds of livestock, such as chickens.


    At the same time, they also nted some trees in the fields, such as coconuts, olives, bayurel, and some other oil-based trees, which were just enough to separate the various groups of animals.


    Something worth mentioning was that there were also some sea ducks and swallows herding near the grass on the beach. In the past, just the sea duck eggs and birdnests were a significant ie.


    On therger side of the in next to the river, was their small two-story vi at the foot of the mountain. Below it was an industrial area of about 100 acres and a drying area of 100 acres.


    They were all factories with extremely low pollution for processing agricultural products and food.


    Behind the industrial area was the pce that was initially present in the interspace that covered an area of ten acres. There was a warehouse with no end in sight, storing arge number of materials that they had prepared for a possible apocalypse.


    They couldn''t enter any of the other rooms except for the study room, which was one of the reasons why they had built another vi.


    The rest of thend was nted with all kinds of crops.


    Because the interspace was simr to a subtropical climate, they could nt three seasons in a year, giving them an impressive annual output. Of course, thebor needed was quiterge.


    Fortunately, the interspace had a user-friendly option when it came to farming. She could control her interspace with her mental power, and the river water could fertilize the fields. Otherwise, she really wouldn''t be able to manage all of these.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui, who had sat down with her, finished an apple and bumped into her. "You are surveying the mountains and rivers again. Have there been any changes?"


    "Yes, the crops are almost ripe. We''ll be busy tonight."

 Chapter 9 - 9 Selling Medicine (1)

    <h4>Chapter 9: Selling Medicine (1)</h4>


    "Then I''ll extract some peanut oil forter." Gu Chengrui helped her up after he finished speaking.


    After that, the two brought the medicinal herbs down the mountain and packed them separately into a broken sack. Gu Chengrui carried them on his back and left the interspace to rush to town.


    When they met other people on the way, the two greeted them politely regardless of their attitude.


    The first was to win the vigers'' favor so they could integrate into the vige as soon as possible.


    The other reason was to let them know they went to town to sell medicinal herbs. It was an excuse for their money source so that Mrs. Liu would not frame them for stealing money in the future.


    When they arrived in the town, Zhou Ying found that this small town was really lively. It was especially so at the pier outside the town, which was densely packed with all kinds of people.


    "I heard that the Gu family used to rely on river transportation to make a fortune, right?" she turned to ask Gu Chengrui.


    "Yes, at first it was river transportation, then it developed into sea transportation. It can be said that transportation is the Gu family''s pir industry.


    This small town is really a good ce with connections. As long as you have the brains, you can still make a living even if you don''t make a fortune. "


    "It seems like we have to make a good n."


    "Yes, but we have to do it slowly. Otherwise, it''ll be troublesome if we get targeted." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he pulled her hand and walked forward.


    On the way, they found a tea stall and inquired about the various medicine shops in the town. The two went directly to the poorest medicine shop owned by the Luo family.


    Because one of the other two shops was owned by the Gu family''s rival, the Qiao family, and they had been suppressing the Gu family during this period of time. If they were recognized, they would only be humiliated.


    The other family that owned the other shop had connections with the capital, so they naturally didn''t want to go there.


    "Dear guests, do you want to see the doctor or get medicine?" As soon as they entered, a boy grinding medicinal herbs at the counter immediately stood up and greeted them.


    "I''m here for the doctor to get medicine but also to sell medicine." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he ced the sack against the counter.


    When the boy saw this, he opened the sack and took a look. When he saw the medicinal ginseng inside, he immediately greeted them warmly and asked them to sit down. "Wait a moment. I''ll go find my master."


    After he finished, he ran to the back door and shouted, "Master, there''s a patient."


    After that, he sat down and started to grind the herbs again.


    Not long after, a white-haired old man walked out and sat in front of a table. "Young man,e over and sit."


    Gu Chengrui stood up, walked over, and sat down. He stretched out his hand and said, "You''re amazing. You could tell at a nce that I''m the one who needs treating."


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also perked up her ears to listen.


    "Although the Luo family''s medical skills are not well-known, they have been passed down for a hundred years. Somemon diseases should not be a problem for me." Doctor Luo replied, then closed his eyes and took Gu Chengrui''s pulse seriously.


    After a moment, he looked at him with a surprised face and said, "Have you taken any medicine? The effect is quite good."


    Gu Chengrui was convinced of his skills now. He then nodded and said, "An elder gave it to me, but I''ve finished it."


    "Do you know the prescription? The medicine is very effective." Doctor Luo hurriedly asked.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. "I don''t know. But I heard it''s a pill made after concentrating some essence."


    After Doctor Luo heard this, he nodded thoughtfully. Then, he wrote a prescription for him and said, "Take three of them and let''s see how it would go."


    After he finished writing, he handed the prescription to his apprentice.


    Gu Chengrui stood up and called Zhou Ying over. "Doctor Luo, I''ll have to trouble you to take a look at my wife."

 Chapter 10 - 10 Selling Medicine (2)

    <h4>Chapter 10: Selling Medicine (2)</h4>


    Doctor Luo nodded and took Zhou Ying''s pulse. "Mental and physical fatigue, malnutrition, and a chilly body.


    "You will have to be more careful in the future. Otherwise, it''ll beplicated to get pregnant."


    "Then I''ll have to trouble you to prescribe two doses of medicine for her to recuperate." Gu Chengrui said.


    "I''ll prescribe her two doses of cold-expelling medicine. As for the rest, it will have to rely on her to rest to heal."


    "Understood." Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After the doctor finished writing the prescription, Gu Chengrui carried the sack over and said, "There are also some wild medicinal herbs here. Please help me take a look."


    "Oh," Doctor Luo replied, with curiosity. When he saw the sage, which was a type of red sage, his eyes lit up excitedly. "Red sage, a good quality red sage!"


    "Ahem." The apprentice coughed and reminded him.


    He was reminding the doctor that he was overly excited. Wouldn''t this clearly tell them that theycked this medicine?


    Gu Chengrui nced at him, then asked Doctor Luo curiously, "Why? Is this red sage very rare?"


    The growing conditions for red sage were not harsh, so it should not be that rare.


    At this time, Doctor Luo also realized that he had lost hisposure and had even revealed his bottom line. He could onlyugh dryly and reply, "The red sage is not hard toe by, but there is a drought in the northern part of the country, so the production is low, and the quality is poor."


    "A drought in the north? Why didn''t I hear about it?"


    "It''s not too serious, so it hasn''t spread yet, but the reduction in production is certain."


    "Then what is the price of this red sage?"


    "Although your red sage is good, it''s a fresh one, so I can only give you 100 copper coins." Doctor Luo rubbed his chin and pondered.


    Gu Chengrui heard the high price and nodded. "Then, please take a look at the astragalus and licorice," Wang Yao said.


    Doctor Luo opened it and took a look. As the quality wasn''t bad, he directly said, "The price of the astragalus is 20 copper coins per pound, and the price of licorice is only 5 copper coins per pound."


    "Sure, please weigh it."


    "Sure, wait a moment." After Doctor Luo finished speaking, he went to the back and took a scale, weighing them one by one.


    Two pounds of red sage, five pounds of astragalus, and 15 pounds of licorice. In total, they got 375 copper coins. After deducting the 75 copper coins for the medicine money, the two of them had 300 copper coins left.


    When Doctor Luo sent them out enthusiastically, he said, "If the two of you have time, you can find more red sages. If the quality is good, I will take them all."


    "Alright, I''ll remember this." Gu Chengrui cupped his hands in salute and left the medicine shop with Zhou Ying.


    Gu Chengrui turned his head when they were outside and said, "Babe, think about what we should buy."


    Zhou Ying pondered and replied, "A pot, rice, salt, and vegetables are just what we need. We''ll think about the restter."


    "You''re right. Let''s take a look at the rice and noodles first." Gu Chengrui pointed at the grain store not far away after he finished.


    Zhou Ying nodded and followed him.


    "What would you like to buy, dear customers?" The shop assistant said politely after letting them in.


    "What''s the price of this refined rice?" Gu Chengrui pointed at the rice in the best condition and asked.


    "The polished rice is 8 copper coins. The crushed rice and unpolished rice are 6 copper coins." The shop assistant replied.


    "What about white flour?" Zhou Ying asked, pointing at the yellowish-white flour.


    "8 copper coins on the polished flour, 5 copper coins on the unrefined ones." The shop assistant turned his head and said. Then, he saw her walk to the millet section and said, "Both millet and long grain rice are 5 copper coins each, river nted rice is 10 copper coins, and sorghum rice is 3 copper coins."


    After Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui looked at each other, they were both astonished. It seemed that the prices here were not low. No wonder Mrs. Liu had to calcte their food expenses.


    "Then give us five pounds of polished rice and two pounds of millet," Zhou Ying said. "As for the bags, we''ll buy them from the shop."

 Chapter 11 - 11 Concern

    <h4>Chapter 11: Concern</h4>


    "Alright, please wait a moment." The shop assistant replied and turned around to weigh the items.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui walked around the shop seriously and found that all the grains were processed quite crudely.


    Take the polished rice, for example. There were still some rice grains with broken shells inside.


    The refined flour couldn''t even be held up to the standards they had in their world in the 80s. It seemed that he would have to change the standard of their flour when he processed them in the future.


    After the two of them left the grain shop, they went to buy a pot and some salt.


    These two were even more expensive. The salt was 20 copper coins per pound, and it was arge grain salt. Thus, they only asked for half a pound to put up a front.


    A three-liter double-handle cast iron pot actually costs 150 copper, and a hatchet costs 50 copper coins.


    They did not have many copper coins left after leaving the cksmith shop.


    Therefore, the two had to go back. On the way, they spent fifteen copper coins to buy a pound ofrd, five copper to buy a bamboo chopping board, and finally two copper to buy two small cabbages.


    By the time the two of them returned to the Mother God temple, the sun was about to set. Gu Chengrui put down his things and said, "Babe, take out the pot and knife. I''ll go and get some firewood."


    "Alright,e back soon." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took a bucket of water from her interspace, then found two stones to prop up a stove. She then used hot water to wash the pot, knife, and chopping board.


    Then, she squeezed out some hot oil and soaked the pot, knife, and chopping board with it before letting them dry.


    Then, she took out a piece of tofu, two handfuls of vermicelli, and a ypot from her interspace. She made a ypot of tofu and cabbage.


    At this moment, she realized that they hadn''t prepared any bowls or spoons, so she had to take one from her interspace.


    When she was almost done with her work, Gu Chengrui returned with a small bundle of firewood.


    Zhou Ying immediately went up and reached out to take the firewood.


    Gu Chengrui dodged." I''ll do it. Don''t get your hands dirty."


    After he finished speaking, he put the firewood aside and threw a few logs into the fire." I remember that there was a lot of firewood stored in the space. I will take out some moreter. The wind outside is quite cold, and the fire should stay lit."


    "Okay, wash your hands, and let''s eat first. We''ll talk after dinner." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took out six fist-sized steamed buns from her space.


    After the two of them had a hot meal, they sat around the fire to boil the medicine.


    After finishing their medicine, Zhou Ying put the ypot, bowls, and utensils back into her interspace. She turned her head and saw Gu Chengrui staring at the moon through the window. She pursed her lips and walked over to sit on the stone beside him. "Are you homesick?"


    Gu Chengrui lifted his hand and pulled her into his arms. "That''s right. I wonder how things are at home. Will that kid, Chengjun, be able to take over?"


    "Don''t worry, don''t be fooled by that kid''s flippant attitude. He''s pretty intelligent and filial. Without you in front of him, he''ll definitely take over.


    "As for money, with the ecological farms and Food City we left behind, as long as he manages it well, he can live without worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life. "


    Gu Chengrui grunted softly. He turned his head and kissed her forehead gently. He hugged her tightly and did not say anything else.


    Zhou Ying also cooperated by leaning into his arms, finding afortable position, and closing her eyes.


    At the same time, she felt a little mncholic because she had no one else to worry about other than him.


    In her previous life, her parents divorced when she was three years old and left her to her grandfather, who was a chef.


    In the second year of middle school, her grandfather suddenly passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. Her father even took back the old house and savings under the urging of her stepmother.


    If not for the interspace, she would not even be able to survive, let alone go to school.


    It was not until she met Gu Chengrui in the martial arts club in college that she felt truly alive.

 Chapter 12 - 12 Can’t Eat

    <h4>Chapter 12: Can''t Eat</h4>


    Her current life wasn''t any better. Although her father was the head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, it was said that when she was born and her mother died from a difficult birth, he didn''t even show his face.


    As such, she had grown up in the kitchen with her mother''s good friend, who was her adoptive mother in this life.


    It was only when he heard that the Gu family was going to give the princess a marriage blessing that he remembered her. However, after receiving their betrothal gift, he kicked her out of the house with a shabby dowry.


    So, if she really had someone to worry about, it could only be her adoptive mother.


    The two of them sat in silence for a while until the temperature in the temple dropped. They got up and walked around outside. After making sure no one was around, they returned to the interspace.


    Then, Zhou Ying first took out a bag of whole wheat flour from the warehouse and made 50 pounds of noodles. Then, she began to harvest various matured crops in the space with her mental power.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui drove a modified electric car across the river and began feeding the various animals they raised. He also checked their health and pregnancy status.


    After Zhou Ying finished harvesting, she turned around and went into the workshop to use the dough press, oven, and blender to steam 400 whole wheat buns and 200 beef and scallion buns.


    Finally, she returned to the vi and cooked a pot of purple rice porridge with a pot of assorted vegetables.


    After finishing her work, she took a hot shower, put on her pajamas, and dried her hair. When she sprayed on her skin lotion, she carefully sized up her appearance in this life.


    She looked at least 80% simr to her previous life. She had an oval face, squinty eyes, a straight nose, and a slightly thicker, cherry-like mouth. In a way, her looks were more refined than those of her previous life.


    However, her pasty and dry skin made her overall look dull. It seemed that she had to take good care of it.


    As for her body, it was well-developed. She was about 1.65 meters tall, and it would be perfect if she could grow another three to five centimeters.


    After Gu Chengrui finished his work, he put away the peanuts she had dried and went to the oil mill to squeeze about 100 pounds of peanut oil.


    When he returned to the house, he saw her looking smugly in front of the mirror. He smiled and walked over to her, sizing her up. "You still looked beautiful, but a little young. I can''t eat you up. "


    Zhou Ying''s lips curved into a naughty smile. She leaned in and kissed his ear. "Are you sure?"


    Gu Chengrui felt the familiar, gentle, feather-like teasing and the breath that blew into his ear. His ear suddenly felt itchy, and he subconsciously turned his head.


    At the same time, a sense of lust rushed into his head, causing his mind to buzz and go nk. His ears also turned red.


    However, he reacted quickly. He turned around and quickly kissed her on the neck, then quickly took off his clothes and rushed into the bathroom.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment, then touched the ce where she was kissed with a face of dissatisfaction. But she suddenlyughed when she turned her head and looked at his back.


    After a while, she finished applying her toner and put away their clothes. She washed them in the washing machine and dried them before bringing them to the bedroom.


    Then, she washed a few sets of underwear that were suitable for their current figures.


    Soon, Gu Chengrui came out in his sleeping robe and twisted his long hair with a depressed look.


    Zhou Ying quickly stepped forward and said, "You can''t twist your long hair like this. You have to wipe it gently. Otherwise, it will easily be damaged. That''s why we can only use the hairdryer to dry it quickly. "


    Then, she took the towel and started to rub it gently.


    "I used to do your hair smoothly," Cheng Chengrui said gloomily. "It''s awkward when I''m doing it to my hair."

 Chapter 13 - 13 Dream

    <h4>Chapter 13: Dream</h4>


    "That''s because I usually dry to a certain extent. Besides, you will get used to it slowly." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she was almost done drying his hair.


    Then, she brought him to the mirror and started to blow dry his hairyer byyer.


    After cleaning up, the two of them each had a bowl of purple rice porridge with some side dishes and went back to their bedroom to rest.


    As soon as Zhou Yingid down, she saw Gu Chengrui holding a pillow, nket, and clothes while he walked out. She was stunned for a moment and asked, "What are you...?"


    "You''re 16 now, and I''m 17. We are both too young. For the sake of our physical and mental health, we should sleep separately for the time being." Gu Chengrui looked at her deeply and walked out after he finished speaking.


    After Zhou Ying heard it, she was taken aback shortly. In the end, she approved of that notion. They shouldn''t take it too hard with their current bodies. It was better to avoid that kind of suffering.


    After lying down, she thought she would have to get used to her new bed, but she didn''t expect to fall asleep the instant her head touched the pillow.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui, who was in their study,id down after setting the rm for six o''clock. He turned over a few times, got up, and drank two bottles of cough syrup before he fell asleep.


    The rm clock rang the following day, and Gu Chengrui woke up instantly. He looked at his thin and weak arms, stunned for a moment, but quickly remembered that they had transmigrated.


    Thinking of the current situation, he quickly got up and changed his clothes to go downstairs to find Zhou Ying.


    They had to get out as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be hard to exin if they were found out that they were not in the Mother God Temple.


    When he arrived at the master bedroom, he saw that Zhou Ying was still asleep. He didn''t know what kind of sweet dream she was having, but she had her mouth wide open, smiling, and her drool was flowing out.


    Even though he couldn''t bear to wake her up, he still went up to the bed and pinched her little nose.


    "You''re so annoying. Go away. "Zhou Ying pped his hand away and shouted subconsciously, and she woke up after that.


    When she saw him, she paused for a moment before she quickly regained her senses. However, she still yawned and asked, with a tired expression, "What time is it now? I just fell asleep."


    After she finished speaking, she threw herself into his arms and closed her eyes.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. He rubbed her stomach and said, "Get up. If you''re tired, we can go to the mountains and return for a nap."


    When Zhou Ying heard this, she immediately remembered that they should be living in a broken temple with no doors or windows. She immediately sat up and said, "You''re right. We can''t let anyone steal our stuff. "


    After the two of them quickly washed up, they went out of the interspace. When they just got out, they shivered from the cold while Gu Chengrui started coughing.


    "Rui," Zhou Ying was worried. "You should go back to my interspace first. You cane out after I start the fire."


    "Let''s do it together. I''m worried about you being alone outside."


    Zhou Ying didn''t try to persuade him anymore. Instead, she took a bundle of ordinary firewood from her interspace. She also took out some alcohol and a hand blower to start a fire quickly.


    Then, the two of them worked together and soon started the fire.


    Zhou Ying took out the small pot and heated the remaining purple rice porridge fromst night. She also took three beef buns and two cucumbers.


    When they were almost done eating, Gu Chengrui asked curiously, "Baby, what dream did you have this morning? You were smiling so wide that you were drooling."


    Zhou Ying suddenly felt embarrassed, but when she remembered the dream, she smiled and replied, "I dreamed that I had be a fairy, and I didn''t have to work so hard to harvest the crops in my space anymore. I could do it with a wave of my hand.


    "With a wave of my hand, I could speed up the growth of our crops and instantly stir up arge area of the sea. I felt my power was boundless, just like the mighty beings in fantasy novels. "


    Gu Chengrui thoughtfully asked, "Are you tired from rushing to work yesterday?"


    "No, maybe I just wanted to bezy. It''s just a dream. Don''t take it seriously." Zhou Ying shook her head.

 Chapter 14 - 14 Going Up The Mountain

    <h4>Chapter 14: Going Up The Mountain</h4>


    "We should be more careful in the future. We don''t have to worry about food and clothing, so there''s no need to tire ourselves this much."


    "That''s right," Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. "Do you have anything you want to nt next?"


    "You can make the arrangements. I don''t mind."


    Gu Chengrui paused briefly and said, "Babe, do you want to nt some sweet potatoes?


    "The production of sweet potatoes is usually high and provides a good filling. We can spread the seeds to help our descendants when we have the opportunity. "


    "This is possible. Maybe it can solve the food problem of the country." Zhou Ying asked curiously, "That''s right, do you have any information on the Ming Dynasty''s imperial family? How is the current emperor?


    "If he''s a vile character, we''ll have to be careful."


    After Gu Chengrui heard this, he tried his best to recall the original owner''s memories. After a moment of silence, he replied thoughtfully, "It''s hard to say. I heard that a few years ago, the emperor was diligent, loved the people, and also kind.


    "However, in recent years, he has be increasingly suspicious of his court. Everyone else attributed it to the fact that the princes had grown up and the Imperial court had begun to form factions.


    "However, ording to my analysis, this emperor is probably an untrustful person by nature.


    "The few families that supported him to the throne back then were either far away from the central Imperial court or had gradually declined, including the Gu family that had once given him financial support.


    "Most importantly, the princess did not have a child in her entire life. No one knew the specific reason.


    "Oh right, the third prince is in charge of the navy of this ce. His reputation is quite good, so it is possible that we can get to know him better. "


    "Then we''ll wait and see."


    "Yes, there''s no rush."


    After the two finished their meal, they began to boil their medicine. When they were almost done, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching.


    Zhou Ying immediately put away the things that should not have appeared in her space, while Gu Chengrui got up and walked to the door.


    The second branch''s illegitimate son, Gu Chengxi, saw hime out and was stunned for a moment. He quickly walked over and asked, "Third brother, you and your wife are really staying here?"


    "Yup. Are you going up the mountain to collect firewood?" Gu Chengrui asked after he saw the basket on his back and nodded.


    "Yeah, I''ll be the one to chop the firewood in the house from now on." After Gu Chengxi finished speaking with a bitter smile, he sized him up seriously and asked, with some worry, "How are you doing? Is your body getting better?"


    "I''m much better. I was lucky to find some medicinal herbs when I went up the mountain yesterday. I went to town to exchange them for two sets of medicine and food."


    "No wonder I could smell the strong smell of medicine at the foot of the mountain."


    "Do you want toe in and sit down?"


    Gu Chengxi hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "Forget it. I still have to go gather firewood. Do you want toe along?"


    "You go first. I''ll go up the mountain after I''ve finished my medicine."


    "Then I will take his leave first." After Gu Chengxi finished speaking, he turned around and walked toward the dense forest on the mountain.


    Gu Chengrui''s eyes softened as he watched him disappear into the distance. No matter what the reason was, at least this little guy was sincere with them.


    As long as he could maintain that, Gu Chengrui might be able to help him out in the future.


    After that, they turned around and returned to the temple. The two put away all their belongings and went deep into the mountains.


    However, they went in the opposite direction of Gu Chengxi. After entering the mountain, the two of them made marks as they looked for medicinal herbs and collected firewood.


    When they arrived at a ce where people rarely came, Zhou Ying sent Gu Chengrui into her interspace to get an IV drip.


    Meanwhile, she continued to look for firewood and medicinal herbs nearby.


    While she was tying the firewood, she suddenly heard the cry of a chickening from above her head. Then, something hit her body, giving her a big fright.

 Chapter 15 - 15 Tian Jiawang

    <h4>Chapter 15: Tian Jiawang</h4>


    As a result, she lost her bnce and fell to the side. Although a small tree stopped her, her head still hit the tree. She saw stars, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.


    The hatchet in her hand also flew out of her hand and into the grass not far from the hillside.


    At this time, a burly man wearing a rabbit-skin vest and carrying a basket of arrows on his back quickly scuttled out from the side. When he saw her, he was stunned for a moment and said apologetically, "I''m sorry, miss. Are you hurt?"


    "Maybe not a concussion, but there''s definitely a big bump on my head." After Zhou Ying stood up, she rubbed the back of her head and red at him.


    The burly man was taken aback. Although he didn''t understand what a concussion was, he understood that she must have hit her head.


    "I''m sorry, miss. I really didn''t see you. Do take this wild chicken as an apology." He scratched his head with a dry smile.


    After he finished speaking, he picked up the wild pheasant that had been shot to death by an arrow, pulled out the arrow, and handed the pheasant to her.


    Zhou Ying turned her head and looked at the pheasant in his hand. Although it was not big, it was beautiful with its colorful feathers.


    Then, she looked at the man. Although he had a big frame, he was skinny. The clothes he wore were full of patches. It appears that his family''s condition was not good.


    She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "Forget it. I''m not really hurt. Keep it for yourself."


    The burly man looked at her in surprise. After taking a closer look, he found her somewhat familiar. Then, he asked with uncertainty, "You''re a new member of the Gu family, right?"


    Zhou Ying looked at him warily and said, "Who are you?"


    The burly man quickly confirmed her identity, but he did not expect her to lose so much weight.


    Then, he handed the wild chicken to her again and said, "My name is Tian Jiawang, and I live at the foot of the mountain at Shanghe vige. Do take this wild chicken as my apology.


    "By the way, don''t go further into the mountains. There are wild boars in there."


    After he finished speaking, he quickly left.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying no longer refused the pheasant. She threw the pheasant and firewood into her interspace and then went to the tall grass to find her hatchet.


    She didn''t expect to find a nest of Gastrodia roots as well. She immediately put away her hatchet, took out a military shovel, and started digging.


    After she finished digging, she realized that she had dug up a total of half a sack of Gastrodia roots. She was instantly overjoyed. With these Gastrodia roots, they would have enough money to rent a house.


    She looked up at the sky and realized that it was already midday. After making sure no one was around, she brought the Gastrodia roots into the interspace.


    Gu Chengrui, anxiously waiting in the interspace, immediately stepped forward to greet her when he saw her. When he saw the blood on her clothes, he quickly asked, "Why is there so much blood on your body? Did you hurt yourself?"


    When Zhou Ying heard him say this, she suddenly felt her head start hurting again. She immediately lowered her head and pointed at her wound. "I''m injured. Hurry up and take a look at the back of my head."


    Gu Chengrui immediately took her hand away and checked it. When he saw the wound, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, it''s just a bump. It''ll be fine after a few days of careful nursing."


    After he said that, he took out some safflower oil from the first-aid kit and applied it to her before asking, "What happened? Why are you injured?"


    Zhou Ying didn''t hide anything. She told him directly about how Tian Jiawang shot the pheasant and scared her. "By the way, do you know him? I think he''s a good guy, so I didn''t make things difficult for him."


    "I have some impressions of him. He''s a pretty good person, but his life is tough." Gu Chengrui nodded and replied.


    When the original owner of his body went up the mountain to chop firewood, he came into contact with him. He had even helped the original owner carry firewood down. He could be said to be one of the few people in the vige who did not discriminate against the two of them.

 Chapter 16 - 16 Regret

    <h4>Chapter 16: Regret</h4>


    "A tough life?"


    "Yes, I heard that his parents passed away when he was young, and he grew up with his sister.


    "He had finally married, but his wife died in childbirth.


    "Soon after, his brother-inw was killed by a wild boar, and his sister and her two daughters were out of their inw''s home.


    "With a situation like this, unless he has a fortuitous encounter or his sister remarries with the two children, his remarriage will be even more difficult."


    "He sounds like a person who values rtionships and loyalty." Zhou Ying said, while her stomach began to growl. Her face turned red when she heard that.


    Gu Chengrui paused for a moment and put away the first-aid kit. "Go and wash your hands. I made your favorite duck blood rice noodles."


    "Really? I love you so much." After Zhou Ying said that, she pounced on him and kissed him. Then, she turned around and washed her face.


    After the meal, the two left the interspace together and followed the markings back. On their way back, they found some wild angelica.


    When they reached the edge of the mountains, they saw that the number of people had gradually increased. The two of them each carried a bundle of firewood and a sack as they walked toward the Mother God Temple.


    Back in the temple, Zhou Ying took out the pheasant and let Gu Chengrui kill it while she peeled some chestnuts for herself.


    They stewed a small pot of chestnuts, roasted the pheasant, and had a good meal.


    While they were eating happily, the Gu family''s residence was a mess. It was because when it was time for dinner, they realized that the water in the tank had already reached the bottom.


    The main wifeined about the second wife''sziness, asking why she didn''t refill the water after cooking.


    The second wifeined that the main wife was being sly. Sheined that the first wife should have refilled the water tank after she cooked and deliberately left it empty to me her.


    When old Madam Qiao heard the noise outside, she was so angry that she knocked her walking stick on the ground and said, "Stop quarreling. What are you all doing? You''re acting like a bunch of shrews."


    "Mother, you have to help me. The main wife is clearly bullying me." Mrs. Yao said with an aggrieved expression.


    "Sister, you''re wrong. You''re the one on duty today. How can you me it on us?" Mrs. Liu said indignantly.


    "But yesterday, you guys ..." Mrs. Yao still wanted to argue, but the old madam impatiently interrupted. "Shut up, all of you. Look at what you two are doing.


    "In the future, divide the work into different categories, and whoever gets their turn will be the one to do it. Whoever can''t finish is not allowed to eat. "


    "But the second household has one more person than our first household." Mrs. Liu said, with a face full of grievance.


    "The first household had more. But who was it that forced the third son and his wife to leave?" The old madam red at her and said.


    "That''s right. If Chengrui and his wife were here, we wouldn''t even need to do something like this." Mrs. Yao immediately agreed.


    At the same time, she was a little regretful. If she had known that the housework would be so tedious, she would have asked the young couple to stay.


    However, the old madam rolled her eyes at her. What''s the point ofmenting about it now? It was toote to regret it now...


    Mrs. Liu retorted, "You acted as if you had tried to make them stay when they wanted to leave.


    "Why didn''t you ask them to stay when they discussed paying for their medicine? If you were willing to pay for it ..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, the old madam interrupted her, "Alright, what''s the use ofining now? Go and do whatever you need to do."


    However, she also remembered that their family was short of money. She then looked at the concubine of the second branch, Mrs. Huang, and asked, "Mrs. Huang, I remember that your embroidery is not bad, right?"


    "It''s alright. I learned it from an old nanny in the pce. "Mrs. Huang was astonished by the question for a moment before she replied.

 Chapter 17 - 17 Ideas (1)

    <h4>Chapter 17: Ideas (1)</h4>


    "That''s good. You will go to the embroidery workshop tomorrow and take some work back. Bring your five sisters to do some embroidery work to earn money for food.


    "As for the work at home, you and your daughter should not interfere in the future."


    "Yes, old madam. I will go and get a job tomorrow." Mrs. Huang hesitated for a moment. Although she was worried that it would tire her eyes, she thought of the heavy physical work she would have to do otherwise and finally nodded.


    Although Mrs. Liu and the others were jealous, they knew they were not cut out for it. This was why they didn''t say anything since this would bring in more ie for the family.


    "Since no one has any objections, it''s settled then. You guys will take turns in the future. Whoever messes up again can forget about eating.


    "In addition, tell the five of them to learn embroidery properly when you go back. Whoever doesn''t want to work will have to work in the fields."


    "Yes." They immediately responded in unison.


    "Alright, you guys can cook dinner together tonight. Hurry up and get back to work." After the olddy finished speaking, she got up and returned to her room.


    Although Mrs. Liu and the others had their thoughts, their stomachs were unbearably hungry, so they didn''t dy any longer and started to work.


    The old madam thought that the problem had been solved in time but didn''t know that her neighbor on the right, the sixth sister-inw of Mr. Gu''s generation, who was also the n leader''s sister-inw, Mrs. Qian, had heard it.


    "What a group of spoiled youngdies. So many people can''t even cook a meal. "She said with disdain.


    After she finished speaking, she quickly thought about how they had chased the third son out of the house. She wanted to gossip, so she didn''t even eat and went directly to the family leader''s house to ask around.


    After getting the news, she immediately spread it around.


    They also quickly discovered that Gu Chengrui and his wife had moved to the Mother God Temple. They looked down on the Gu family even more.


    Almost the entire Shanghe vige instantly knew that Gu Chengrui and his wife had been driven out to the Mother God Temple.


    However, although most of them sympathized with them, they didn''t intend to get involved. After all, the two of them were considered an unlucky bunch.


    Moreover, Zhou Ying was considered a jinx, so they only pitied them but didn''t do anything.


    However, it did not stop them from watching the fun andughing at the women of the Gu family, who were so spoiled that they could not even do the housework well.


    Of course, after the news spread, some people also had ideas about Zhou Ying. After all, when the Gu family returned to the vige, none of the women were bad-looking.


    At night, Zhou Ying and her husband sat around the fire and boiled a pot of iced pear to drink. After drinking it, they were about to enter the interspace when Gu Chengrui noticed someone loitering nearby. He immediately made a shushing gesture to Zhou Ying.


    After Zhou Ying understood, she bent down to pick up two big pieces of firewood and gently walked over, handing one to him.


    After that, the two of them stood on both sides of the door, quietly waiting for the people outside toe in so that they could trap them before they beat them up.


    About 15 minutester, the footsteps gradually approached. The two immediately raised arge piece of firewood and readied themselves.


    After a while, they saw two short men, one in front of the other, cautiouslye in. They were stunned when they saw both husband and wife standing on both sides with firewood.


    Then, the two of them looked at each other and pounced on Gu Chengrui simultaneously. As long as they could take him down, Zhou Ying would be nothing to worry about.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui was amused. Then, he swung the stick and hit the shoulder of the man on the left.


    The man screamed and fell to the ground, holding his arm and screaming.


    The other one was so frightened that he turned around and wanted to run. Seeing this, Gu Chengrui immediately jumped and kicked the other person in the back.

 Chapter 18 - 18 Ideas (2)

    <h4>Chapter 18: Ideas (2)</h4>


    The man staggered and fell to the ground. He screamed and covered his nose.


    When he saw the blood dripping to the ground through the gaps between his fingers, he immediately got up and tried to run away.


    Zhou Ying, who was already blocking the door, kicked him on the shoulder before he could get up. She took two steps forward and stepped on his back, making him unable to get up.


    Then, she bent over and patted his face with the firewood. She asked with a smile, "Who are you? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?


    "Remember to tell the truth; I''ve heard that there are wolves on this mountain, so no one should be able to find out if you disappear, right?"


    "Whoever speaks first will suffer less. The other can enjoy being my punching bag." Gu Chengrui said, and he picked up the man who had been knocked down and ced the two of them side by side.


    The two of them cried out for mercy simultaneously because they clearly realized that this young couple were not pushovers but wolves in sheep''s clothing. They were really ruthless.


    "Spare your life? You would need to give us something in return, right? We will spare whoever says it first." Zhou Ying said as she exerted more force on her feet.


    "Cough, I''ll talk, I''ll talk. We heard you were driven out to this broken temple, so we thought ofing over to steal some silver." The man at Zhou Ying''s feet immediately replied.


    The other one nodded and said, "Yes, yes, we just want to steal some silver."


    "Really? Why doesn''t it look like it? If you''re a thief, there''s no need to hurt us, right? You guys obviously want to kill me aftering in." Gu Chengrui squatted down and looked at the two of them with a faint smile.


    Of course, he was also trying to test if the two were lying. He didn''t expect the two to really avoid looking at him. This proved that they had other motives.


    However, he didn''t press them any further. Instead, he asked, "What are your names? Which vige are you from?"


    "I''m Qian Zhuang, from Dahe Vige. My nickname is Hu Zi. "The person under Zhou Ying''s feet hesitated but still reported his name with a bitter face.


    The other one, afraid of being killed, also quickly followed and signed up, "I''m Gu Erjiang, nicknamed Leopard."


    Gu Chengrui looked at the two of them in surprise and mocked, "So it''s the vige''s famous brothers of the Tiger and Leopard. I''ve been disrespectful."


    "No, no. Can we get up now?" Gu Erjiang smiled apologetically.


    Gu Chengrui''s face turned cold, and he punched him in the face. Then, he punched him five or six times in a row, making him cry out. His thin face was instantly swollen into a pig''s head.


    Then, he gave Qian Zhuang two ps and said, "Are you trying to fool me? Don''t think I don''t know what you''re up to. I won''t be satisfied even if I kill you a hundred times."


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and stepped between the two of them. He picked them up by their cors and carried them out.


    After they left the temple, they pushed the two of them up the mountain.


    Looking at the pitch-ck forest and thinking about what Zhou Ying had just said about feeding them to the wolves, the Tiger and Leopard brothers suddenly felt their legs begin to go weak.


    They immediately begged, "Mr. Gu, please spare our lives. We were wrong. We won''t do it again. Please spare us this time."


    Gu Chengrui did not answer them. Instead, he pushed them forward even harder. He knew very well that they would not let this slide if he did not teach these hooligans a lesson.


    Seeing that he was insistent on pushing them to their deaths, the two men wanted to put up a final struggle. After exchanging a nce, they pounced directly on Gu Chengrui.

 Chapter 19 - 19 Oath

    <h4>Chapter 19: Oath</h4>


    However, Gu Chengrui had already expected that they would resist. So, when they turned around, he opened his arms and held their heads in each hand, mming them into the middle.


    The two of them immediately cried out in pain, then shook their heads out of pain.


    The slightly taller Qian Zhuang was in a miserable state. He immediately covered his injured nose and started crying.


    "You''re a big man. How do you have the cheek to cry when you''re injured? Hurry up. You can cryter when you are up against a wolf." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he went forward and pushed them forward again.


    "I''ll fight it out with you. At most, we''ll die together." Qian Zhuang returned to his senses and threw a punch at him.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui immediately raised his leg and kicked his stomach. Qiang Zhuang fell on his butt and happened to sit on a small sharp stone. He immediately jumped up while shouting in pain.


    Her heart-wrenching look made Gu Chengruiugh.


    Seeing this, Gu Erjiang quietly lifted a stone and tried to sneak an attack on him.


    Gu Chengrui''s ears twitched when he heard the whoosh of the wind. He dodged to the side and raised his hand to hit the joints on Gu Erjiang''s arm simultaneously. The stone in his hand fell to the ground instantly.


    Then, Gu Chengrui kicked his leg. The man screamed and knelt on the ground.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui picked up the two of them again and said, "It seems that we can''t settle this peacefully. Then, I won''t be polite to you guys anymore."


    After he finished speaking, he pushed and shoved again. But this time, he used more force. He would kick them a few times if any of them didn''t behave.


    Just like this, the three of them kept moving and stopping. After a few rounds of fighting, the Tiger and Leopard brothers had be entirely meek.


    They werepletely under Gu Chengrui''s control, they could not evenst three moves against him, and they were now even more injured.


    In the end, Qian Zhuang knelt down and kowtowed, "Brother Gu, Mr. Gu, please spare our lives. We were wrong. Please spare us this once. We won''t dare to do it again."


    "Yes, yes, we will definitely avoid you in the future." Gu Erjiang immediately chimed in.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui sneered. "I can''t trust you. You two should die."


    The two of them were startled when they heard that. They looked at each other, then crawled two steps forward, one of them grabbing onto one of his legs and saying, "We swear that if we have any evil thoughts in the future, we will be struck by lightning and die a terrible death."


    "No, it''s a fate worse than death." Gu Chengrui said.


    "Yes, yes, a life worse than death." The two of them immediately nodded in agreement.


    "Then I''ll believe you this once.


    "But remember, you only have this one chance. If there''s a next time, I''ll definitely make you regret being born into this world. "After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he raised his hand and jabbed their vicle acupuncture points.


    The two of them immediately felt a tightness in their chests and couldn''t help but let go. They remembered his fighting skills. Every time he hit them, it would be excruciating, and he would especially hit the ces that hurt.


    At that moment, Qian Zhuang thought of something and asked, "Brother Gu, do you perhaps know medical skills?"


    "A little. Although I can''t treat any serious illness, it''s more than enough to deal with you and even make you wish you were dead."


    "I understand, I understand. Then... Then, can we go now?" Qian Zhuang nodded and stood up.


    "Remember the oath you took. Also, remember, you only have one chance."


    "Definitely, definitely. If we have any other devious thoughts, we''ll be better off dead." After Qian Zhuang replied solemnly, he quickly helped Gu Erjiang up and walked down the mountain.


    When Gu Chengrui and his group of three had just left the Mother God Temple, a wild dog rushed over after smelling blood.

 Chapter 20 - 20 A Worthy Friendship

    <h4>Chapter 20: A Worthy Friendship</h4>


    Zhou Ying immediately retreated to the side to guard against the dog. At the same time, she took out a bottle of pepper spray from her interspace. Although it wouldn''t do much to it, it wouldn''t be a problem to choke from the pepper spray and run away.


    After walking around, the wild dog didn''t find anything to eat, so it went to their temporary stove. In the end, it barked a few times in grievance and helplessness, crawled to the side, and closed its eyes.


    Looking at its listless appearance, Zhou Ying remembered the feeling of cold and hunger she felt when she first transmigrated. It was really pitiful.


    However, she didn''t want it to live here. After all, this kind of wild animal might have lice, fleas, and other pests, so she had to be careful.


    Ultimately, she took out a piece of rib about two pounds in weight from her interspace and tried to lure it out of the Mother God temple.


    Sure enough, the dog stood up immediately when it smelled the blood from the rib, staring at the meat in her hand with an eager look.


    Zhou Ying was happy to see this. She deliberately waved the rib in her hand to lead it out. After leaving the Mother God Temple, she threw the rib into the grass not far away.


    When the wild dog saw this, it immediately barked and rushed over. It picked up the ribs with its mouth and quickly ran into the forest.


    After Zhou Ying returned, she put everything into her interspace and sprayed the Mother God Temple with pesticide.


    Because the smell was too bad, she could only turn around and walk out.


    As soon as she stood still, she saw a figure running up the mountain. When the person got closer, she saw the person clearly. She eximed in surprise, "Mr. Tian, what are you...?"


    "Mrs. Gu, are you all right? I heard someone screaming on the mountain earlier and was afraid that something might have happened to you, so I came to take a look." Tian Jiawang asked while panting.


    "There were two crooks, but my husband chased them away. Those screams came from the two crooks."


    "Those crooks, do you know who they are?"


    "One is called Qian Zhuang, and the other is called Gu Erjiang."


    "It''s these two scoundrels again. This isn''t a ce to stay for long, you have to make ns as soon as possible. "


    As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two figures supporting each other and limping down the mountain.


    Behind him was a thin and weak figure. Zhou Ying saw him and immediately waved her hand, "Rui."


    Tian Jiawang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw him. At the same time, he waved his hand and said, "It''s good that Mr. Gu is fine. Then it would be best if you guys rested early. I''ll be going back now."


    "Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Tian. Doe in for a while." Gu Chengrui said as he jogged over.


    "Another day. I''m worried as my house is not locked." After Tian Jiawang finished speaking, he turned around and ran down the mountain.


    "Sure, let''s meet up some other day." Gu Chengrui quickly replied.


    "Ay, we''ll talk about itter." Tian Jiawang waved his hand and ran down the mountain.


    "Mr. Tian is really a warm-hearted person. Just because he heard a scream from the mountain, he ran up in the middle of the night to help." Zhou Ying said as she looked at his back.


    "This person is indeed honest and worth befriending." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he frowned. He wrinkled his nose and looked at Zhou Ying. "Babe, how much pesticide did you spray? The smell is too strong."


    "I had no choice. A wild dog ran in just now. I was afraid it would leave fleas, so I sprayed more."


    "Wild dog? It seems that after selling the medicinal herbs we got this time, we''ll have to find a house as soon as possible."


    "Well, I think it''s better to rent a house in town and start a small business. Then we can slowly get by."


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I''m afraid it''s not appropriate. With the Qiao family here, we have to avoid them temporarily.


    "It''s better to find a house in the vige and stay there first. When we have enough connections topete with the Qiao family, then only we can start our business."

 Chapter 21 - 21 Dreaming Once Again

    <h4>Chapter 21: Dreaming Once Again</h4>


    When Zhou Ying heard him say this, she remembered that the Qiao family had repeatedly sabotaged Mr. Gu and his uncle''s business. She had no choice but to keep quiet.


    After that, they talked about the Tiger and Leopard brothers. Zhou Ying knew they would settle down for the time being, so she did not ask much.


    When the smell in the temple was almost gone, it was tranquil on the mountain. Then, the two returned to her interspace after walking behind the Mother God statue.


    After entering the space, Zhou Ying nted two hundred acres of sweet potatoes and all kinds of rice seedlings.


    Next, she nted winter wheat, millet, beans, and sesame seeds.


    After Gu Chengrui finished feeding the animals, he ughtered some mature roosters and asked Zhou Ying to put them in the warehouse.


    The following day, the two of them decided to go up the mountain again to pick some herbs after dinner. They would sell them together when they collected enough herbs.


    After they set off, Gu Chengrui saw that Zhou Ying had been listless all this time after she woke up. He turned his head and asked worriedly, "Something on your mind? Let''s talk about it together."


    "It''s nothing much. I just dreamed that I became a fairy again.


    "I dreamt that I was living in the empty pce. Apart from nting, I was bored and yed with all kinds of small animals or tried to find something to do. I felt very lonely.


    "It made me think of the years after my grandfather passed away. I was almost cut off from the world, which was really hard."


    After Gu Chengrui heard this, he still could not figure out what was happening.


    However, his heart ached for her, so he said half-jokingly, "You heartless little thing, why didn''t you dream of me? I will always be with you no matter what."


    After saying that, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He smiled evilly and said, "Did you miss me because we haven''t slept together for the past two days?"


    "It''s not the same thing at all, okay?" Zhou Ying pushed his head away and said.


    "I think it''s the same thing. I think I should move back and sleep with you tonight, so you won''t have to worry."


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment, but finally gave in.


    She felt that her dreams for the past two nights were a little weird. An inexplicable feeling in her heart made her feel a little uneasy. Sleeping back together would be an excellent time to try and see what was going on.


    Then, the two of them chatted while cutting firewood and digging up herbs.


    With Gu Chengrui leading the way, the two of them dug up a lot of good specialties in one day. There were high-quality red sages, some angelica roots and bitter sages, tworge pieces of Poria, more than 30 pounds of fresh ginger, and more than 50 pounds of wild yam.


    It was already dark after they went down the mountain. As soon as they entered the Mother God Temple, Zhou Ying saw the wild dog that hadest night.


    Seeing here in, it immediately jogged over, stood a meter away from her, wagged its tail, and barked twice in a low voice.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui immediately thought of what she had said about feeding the wild dogs yesterday. He could not help but smile. "Alright, it''s most likely going to stick to you from now on.


    "However, this dog is quite beautiful. Judging from the color of its fur, it should be fine. It will be a good thing for us if we can tame it. "


    After he finished speaking, he took the sack he was carrying and ced it by the wall, taking the one from her as well.


    "Then let''s see if it''s fated. It''s used to being wild, so it might not be able to stay in one ce." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she stuck her head out and looked around. After making sure no one was nearby, she took out a ready chicken from her interspace and threw it at the dog.


    When the wild dog saw this, it went forward and circled around her happily. Then, it picked up the chicken and ran away quickly.

 Chapter 22 - 22 Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 22: Nightmare</h4>


    After the dog left, Zhou Ying sprayed some pesticide, then sat on a stone to rest for a while. She then took up the kitchen utensils and started cooking.


    She cooked a pot of millet congee, steamed five buns, and stir-fried some mushrooms with meat.


    After the meal, the two cleaned up the medicinal herbs they had dug out.


    After the vige quieted down, the two of them returned to the interspace with the items.


    Later that night, the two of them ughtered five sheep, two cows, and a donkey. They washed up and went to bed together.


    In the middle of the night, Gu Chengrui heard Zhou Ying''s fearful sleep-talk and immediately shook her awake. "Baby, wake up. You''re dreaming. There''s nothing to be afraid of."


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment when she woke up. She returned to her senses and hugged him. She responded by nestling into his arms to calm her emotions.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui hugged her in his arms. After tidying her messy hair, he patted her back and asked softly, "What did you dream of just now? Tell me. It''ll be fine once you say it out."


    "I dreamed of a great disaster. At one moment, there were a thousand miles of barrennd with starving people everywhere. Another moment, it was the roar of a huge flood. In short, it was very terrifying.


    "In the end, I even dreamt of people exchanging children for food. It was so frightening to see. " Zhou Ying replied with a heavy tone.


    Gu Chengrui''s heart skipped a beat when he heard that. He remembered that Doctor Luo had mentioned the drought in the North.


    Could it be that she was receiving some sort of warning from the strange dreams she had?


    If it was in the past, he might have found this ridiculous. But with their transmigration and the inexplicable interspace she had, he couldn''t help but think more about it.


    "Don''t overthink about it too much. It''s just a dream. If you''re feeling uneasy, just nt more sweet potatoes," he said in a rxed tone.


    "Well, it''s better to be prepared." Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. At the same time, she was nning to nt all the white sweet potatoes in any avable space in her interspace.


    After this discussion, neither of them could fall asleep. It was almost 5:30. The two did not lie down again, instead getting up and going outside for some exercise.


    After thoroughly stretching their muscles and joints, the two packed up the medicinal herbs they had dug up in the past two days and carried them out of the interspace.


    After a simple breakfast, the sky was bright, and the two of them carried their things down the mountain.


    When they reached the foot of the mountain, they happened to see Tian Dawang pushing an empty cart into town.


    "Mr. Tian!" Gu Chengrui immediately went forward to greet him. "What are you doing so early in the morning?"


    "Haven''t we started harvesting cabbages recently? I''ll go to the farm at the edge of the town to help out for two days." After Tian Jiawang finished speaking, he looked at the sackcloth bags on their backs and said, "You guys are going to town too? Put your things in the cart. I''ll give you a ride on the way."


    "Thank you, Mr. Tian." After Gu Chengrui thanked him, he put his sack into the cart. Then, he took the sack from Zhou Ying''s and put it on the cart as well.


    Of course, they didn''t just stand there and watch but helped him push the cart on each side.


    The three of them chatted as they walked into town.


    At the same time, the couple also found that only two rooms were avable in the vige.


    One was a house owned by a widow with a child that was not suitable for rent.


    The other household was the sixth uncle of the Gu family, which was the neighbor of the Gu family house they left. The two of them immediately rejected the idea.


    First, it was too close to the Gu family, and there might be conflicts.


    The other one was because of the sixth aunt of the Gu family, Madam Qian. She was a famous gossip in the vige. Even a fart from them would spread throughout the vige if they lived with her.


    As for the other empty houses, they were all so worn down that no one could live in them.


    When they arrived at the town''s entrance, the couple carried the medicinal herbs on their backs and bade farewell to Tian Dawang before heading to the Luo''s Clinic.

 Chapter 23 - 23 Arrogant Servant

    <h4>Chapter 23: Arrogant Servant</h4>


    Doctor Luo saw them carrying two big sacks and immediately weed them into his backyard. He asked his apprentice to make them tea before asking Gu Chengrui, "Young man, it looks like yourplexion looks much better."


    "Thank you, Doctor Luo. Other than a slight cough, there''s nothing serious."


    "To put it bluntly, it''s because you are still young. However, taking two more doses of medicine is better to prevent it from happening again. "


    Gu Chengrui nodded and said, "I will. By the way, we''ve dug up some red sage in the mountains these past two days, but there''s not much. In addition, there are some other medicinal herbs. Can you help us take a look?"


    After he finished speaking, he opened the sack and began to take out the medicinal herbs one by one.


    "Don''t worry about it. I''ll take them all as long as the herbs are good." After Doctor Luo finished speaking, he bent down and started to help. He also carefully examined the quality of the herbs.


    When he saw the superior Gastrodia roots, he had a bright smile on his face.


    After he was done, he stood up and said, "Pretty excellent quality overall. The Gastrodia roots and bitter sage are 150 copper per pound. The red sage is 100 copper, and the angelica roots and poria are 50 copper each.


    "As for the yam and wild ginger, ten copper each. What do you think?"


    "Sure, you can just weigh them directly."


    "Please wait a moment." After Doctor Luo finished speaking, he went to his warehouse to get a scale and weighed the medicinal herbs one by one.


    In the end, they received nine taels and seven maces of silver. Of course, it was mainly because they had a lot of Gastrodia roots, which weighed nearly fifty pounds in total.


    After that, they grabbed two more doses of medicine and left the clinic.


    Then, they went to the grocery store to buy five sets of bowls and chopsticks, a copper spoon for scoping rice, an earthen jar, and a wooden bucket.


    After they left the grocery store, Gu Chengrui handed Zhou Ying a wooden hairpin with a cloud pattern and asked, "See if you like it?"


    "What a beautiful carving. When did you buy it?" Zhou Ying took it and looked at its vivid pattern with a face of surprise.


    "When you''re picking out the bowls. It''s good that you like it." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he paused and pulled her to his side.


    Following that, a two-horse carriage carrying sheep in it quickly drove over. The coachman was even arrogantly waving his whip to drive away the passersby on both sides of the road.


    He didn''t even greet them. He just whipped away whenever he saw someone in front of the carriage, which caused a lot of wailing andints.


    After the carriage passed, a girl standing at the side said resentfully, "The Qiao family is getting increasingly arrogant. They''re even more condescending than the Gu family."


    "Alright, stop talking. We can''t afford to offend these people. If we meet them in the future, we''ll just hide." A woman at the side pulled her away after she finished speaking.


    Zhou Ying had a better understanding of the Qiao family after hearing that.


    She was sure that there was someone powerful supporting the Qiao family. Otherwise, a servant from a wealthy family couldn''t be so arrogant.


    It seemed that they really shouldn''t ce themselves in a situation against them. Otherwise, although it wouldn''t be life-threatening in their current situation, it would definitely not be good.


    Then, she saw Gu Chengrui staring thoughtfully at the passing carriage. She raised her hand and shook it in front of his eyes. "What are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed in it?"


    Gu Chengrui grabbed her hand and said, "Seeing those goats reminds me of something. The country specifically raises cattle andmb for meat, but their prices are much higher than pork."


    When Zhou Ying heard him say this, she remembered that there were unique breeds but most of them were provided to wealthy families or sold to restaurants. It was difficult to encounter them in the countryside except during the Lunar New Year or festivals.


    She thought about it and asked him, "You want to sell the meat we ughteredst night?"

 Chapter 24 - 24 Saving Someone

    <h4>Chapter 24: Saving Someone</h4>


    "I am nning to, but I am not rushing to.


    "I''m thinking that maybe we can set up a farm in the future. First, it''s more convenient to exin our meat; second, it''s much better than farming nts." Gu Chengrui turned around and asked, "By the way, is there anything else you want to buy? If not, we''ll head back."


    "Let''s buy a pair of shoes each. I remember that the soles of your shoes are almost worn out. "After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she pulled him directly into the shoe shop and spent thirty coppers on two pairs of ordinary cloth shoes.


    Finally, the two bought a stick of radish and a cabbage to cover their meals and walked back.


    It was almost noon when they arrived in the vige. Zhou Ying took out the ready-made stewed beef in her interspace and stewed it together with half a white radish, eating them with a hot ck steamed bun.


    After the meal, she hid the pots and bowls behind the Mother God statue. Zhou Ying returned to her interspace and wrapped two pounds of cakes in oil paper.


    After that, the young couple carried their gifts and went down the mountain. They thought about whether they could find a house in the vige or maybe build a simple house to stay in for the winter.


    When they were about to reach the foot of the mountain, they suddenly heard children crying for help. The two of them looked at each other and immediately ran over.


    Then, they saw some children running into the vige while some were shouting anxiously by the river shore.


    When they arrived at the river, they found a child struggling in the water, and he soon disappeared underneath it.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui immediately jumped into the river and swam toward the child who had fallen into the water.


    Zhou Ying called out to a child who was scared out of his wits with half of his legs wet. She asked, "Hey, how many children fell in?"


    "Just, just Tieniu." The child replied with reddened eyes.


    "Okay. Quickly inform Tieniu''s family and ask them to bring a change of clothes."


    "I''ll go now." The child nodded in response, then turned around and ran into the vige.


    At this time, Gu Chengrui dragged out a seven or eight-year-old boy who had passed out. The boy had some nts tied to his feet.


    Once they reached the shore, Gu Chengrui immediately performed first aid. After a while, the little boy spat out the water and started crying. He cried loudly, showing that he was pretty frightened.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It''s good that he''s fine. Do you want to head back to the temple or vige?"


    "Let''s go back to the temple. We have the medicine to expel the cold. We must change our clothes and drink medicine quickly, or we might fall seriously ill." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he carried the little boy and rushed back quickly.


    When Zhou Ying heard him mention the medicine, she immediately understood and said, "Then I''ll head back first to start brewing the medicine."


    After she finished speaking, she quickly ran up the mountain.


    After arriving at the Mother God Temple, she took out everything she had bought thest two times and prepared a set of clothes for Gu Chengrui. She also relit the fire and took out arge y pot from her interspace to boil the medicine.


    After hesitating for a moment, she took out some straw andid it next to the fire.


    When she was almost done with her preparations, Gu Chengrui walked in with Tieniu, who was shivering from the cold.


    Zhou Ying quickly pointed behind the statue and said, "Rui, quickly bring him over to take off his wet clothes."


    Gu Chengrui immediately walked over with Tieniu. He immediately understood when he saw that there were only his old nket and clothes from his old home.


    After that, he took off Tieniul''s clothes and put his original clothes on him. Then, he wrapped him up with the nket and finally twisted his clothes to dry his hair.


    After making sure he wasn''t dripping wet, he said to the kid, "You go over there and warm yourself up by the fire. I''ll change my clothes."

 Chapter 25 - 25 The Village Chief’s Grandson

    <h4>Chapter 25: The Vige Chief''s Grandson</h4>


    Tieniu shivered from the cold. When he heard that there was a fire, he immediately wrapped himself in his nket and ran over.


    When Zhou Ying saw himing out, she immediately called for him to sit on the straw bed she had prepared. She lit the fire for him and said, "Slowly dry your hair. Otherwise, you''ll get a headache from the cold wind."


    "Okay," Tieniu replied. He immediately stretched his head out and fanned his hair before slowly drying it.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying had to go forward and help him dry his hair.


    At that moment, Gu Chengrui had also finished changing his clothes. He came out with his wet clothes in his hand and handed them to her. "Baby, I''ll stoke the fire. You can wring the clothes and hang them outside."


    "Alright," he said. When Zhou Ying felt the thermal underwear hidden under the clothes, she immediately got what he meant and turned to go out.


    She saw three people rushing up the mountain when she left the temple. After wringing the water out, she immediately walked to the side and put the thermal underwear into her interspace.


    Then, she hung the wet clothes on arge rock next to the temple.


    Just then, the three people also came up. Noticing the woman in the lead carrying arge bag, Zhou Ying wanted to go forward and greet her. But the three people had already walked into the temple.


    When they saw the tightly wrapped Tieniu sitting by the fire, the three finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    The woman carrying the bundle was Tieniu''s mother, Mrs. Bai. When she saw Tieniu''s trembling appearance, she scolded him with tears flowing down her face, "You stupid kid! How many times have I told you not to go into the water? Never go into the water! You never listen! This time ..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, Tieniu immediately opened his mouth and started crying.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Bai cried too and said, "Don''t cry anymore. Mom won''t scold you anymore. But you also have to ..."


    The man beside her, who was Tieniu''s father, Qian Jiaxi, immediately stepped forward and took the bag from her. He walked forward and lifted Tieniu along with his nket. Then, he turned around and used the nket as a cover to change his clothes.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she stepped forward and took over brewing the medicine.


    At the same time, the vige chief walked to Gu Chengrui and cupped his hands in salute. "I would like to thank the two of you. Otherwise, my stubborn grandson, Tieniu, would have been in deep trouble."


    Gu Chengrui quickly stopped him from saluting. "Grandpa Qian, you''re too courteous. No one would ignore it if they saw it."


    At the same time, he was very surprised. He really didn''t expect to save the grandson of the vige chief by chance.


    It seemed that their luck was pretty good. There was a high chance that they could get a house now.


    "It is fate that we meet." Gu Chengrui sneezed three times in a row right after the vige chief finished speaking.


    The vige chief hurriedly said, "You will catch a cold. Hurry over and warm up by the fire. I already had someone get a doctor. Later, the doctor will take a look and prescribe some medicine for you."


    "I have some cold-dispelling medicine here. It''s already been boiled. When the doctores, just let him take a look at Tieniu. I don''t need it. " After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he immediately went to the fire to warm himself up.


    Seeing this, the vige chief also followed. He sat on the bed of straws at the side and chatted with him.


    Only then did he remember that the couple had been staying here for the past few days. It was already starting to freeze at night, and they couldn''t stay here any longer.


    He looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, "That''s right. I remember you talking about looking for a house two days ago. Have you found a suitable one?"


    "We''ve asked around, but there really isn''t a suitable house in the vige."


    "What are your ns next?"


    "Do you think you can give us a piece ofnd? We''ll build a house to stay in for the winter and make further ns after spring."


    "Do you have money to build a house?"

 Chapter 26 - 26 House Visiting

    <h4>Chapter 26: House Visiting</h4>


    "Both of us know a little about medicine, so we dug up some medicinal herbs in the mountains thesest two days and exchanged them for a few taels of silver in town. I think it should be enough to build a mud house in the vige."


    The vige chief was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise, "If you know about medicines, do you know how to treat diseases?"


    "When I was studying in the capital, I learned some simple medical knowledge from the doctors in the academy. Somemon minor illnesses should not be a problem." Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ording to his memory, although the original him had not officially studied medicine, he had a good rtionship with the doctors in the academy. As long as he was free, he would go over and help them.


    His second brother, Gu Chengye, who was his ssmate, knew about this. This was why he could make this im without fear of the Gu family exposing him.


    "That''s great. It turns out that Doctor Xia, from our vige, fell down a hill and passed away at the end ofst spring when he went to the mountain to pick herbs.


    "If any viger is sick, they have to run to town. So if you can cure them, it will be convenient for everyone."


    "Then I''ll go and prepare some medicinal herbs. I''ll try my best to treat the vigers, and it can be considered an extra ie for us."


    "Yes, that''s right. It''s a win-win situation." When the vige chief said this, he realized that he had gone off-topic. He said, embarrassedly, "As for thend you mentioned building a house on, I think you should consider it carefully. Although you can build a house now, it will take at least one or two months."


    At that point, he hesitated for a moment and said, "If you don''t mind, I have an old house that I can pass to you, but it has to be renovated."


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment and nodded in agreement. "You''re right. When can we go and look at the house?"


    "The house is at the vige entrance, near the foot of the mountain. When your hair is done drying, we can go over and have a look. If you like it, I''ll find someone to renovate it as soon as possible."


    "Thank you so much. If there''s anything we can do for you in the future, this is part of my job anyway. When you''re free in the future, doe over and visit." The vige chief smiled and nodded.


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while longer.


    When his hair was almost dry, the medicine was ready.


    Zhou Ying gave each of them a bowl of medicine.


    After the two of them finished drinking the medicine, Qian Jiaxi and his wife thanked them and went home with Tieniu.


    The vige chief took the couple to the foot of the mountain to have a look at the house.


    They didn''t expect that the house was built about 30 meters from the river, and the Tian family''s house was next to it.


    The vige chief opened the door and walked in. "You guys go in and see if you''ll like it."


    "Don''t mind if we do." After Gu Chengrui said that, he went in with Zhou Ying to take a look.


    The house wasn''t big. Walking in, there was ample open space of about 30 square feet. There was a table on the opposite side of the room, allowing the room to be used as a living room. On the east side of the house was a brick bed that could be used as a bedroom. On the west side was a small room of less than 20 square feet.


    The easternmost end of the house was connected to a small room of about ten square feet. Two connected stoves were in the room, allowing the room to be used as a kitchen.


    After turning around, Gu Chengrui looked at the wall. If he wasn''t wrong, the supporting wall was made of a three-in-oneposite soil. He was delighted with its hardness and smoothness.


    However, the roof was full of holes, and the beams looked rotten. It seemed that they really had to ask the vige chief to renovate it before they could live in it.


    As for the few window frames left barely intact, they had to be changed entirely.


    After looking around, he turned to Zhou Ying and asked, "Babe, do you like it?"

 Chapter 27 - 27 Settle Down

    <h4>Chapter 27: Settle Down</h4>


    "It''s alright. It''s enough for us to live in for the time being." Zhou Ying said.


    "Then it''s decided."


    After that, the two of them walked toward the vige chief, who was looking around the house, and said, "Grandpa Qian, how much does this house cost?"


    "There are only a few walls left intact in this broken house. How can I ask for money?


    "However, the size of thend is one acre total. So you have to pay two taels of silver for thend itself. "After the chief finished speaking, he led them to the backyard.


    He pointed at arge piece of cabbage patch and said, "This is a vegetable garden upying less than 80% of thend. We have been nting in it for the past few years. You can plow them over and nt on them directly in spring."


    "Thank you, Grandpa Qian." Gu Chengrui sped his hands and thanked him.


    "So it''s decided?" the vige chief turned his head and asked.


    "Yes, I''ll have to trouble you to help us gather some people to fix the house as soon as possible."


    "Sure, let''s talk about it in detail." After the vige chief finished speaking, he brought Gu Chengrui to the front to discuss how to renovate the house.


    As for Zhou Ying, she returned to the mountain. She heard a faint dog bark from afar, so she hastened her steps and rushed up the mountain.


    When she arrived outside Mother God Temple, she realized it was the wild dog she had previously fed. It was currently facing Gu Chengxi, who was carrying a basket on his back at the temple entrance.


    "Chengxi, you are here. Take a rest inside." She quickly stepped forward and greeted him.


    After she finished speaking, she waved at the wild dog and waited for it to leave before she brought Gu Chengxi into the Mother God Temple.


    Gu Chengxi followed her in with lingering fear and asked, "Third sister-inw, since when did you have such a big dog?"


    After saying that, he put the basket aside and sat on a rock by the fire.


    "I didn''t purposefully rear it. I just leave some food aside for it every day."


    "This dog sure is loyal." He quipped.


    "Why else would they say dogs are loyal?" After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took out a new bowl, poured some water into it, and handed it to him.


    Gu Chengxi took it and drank half a bowl before saying, "You have be much more cheerful aftering out."


    "At least I''m feeling morefortable now that there''s no one pressing on me constantly."


    Gu Chengxiughed dryly and did not reply. Instead, he asked, "I just heard that my third brother went into the river to save the vige chief''s grandson, Tieniu, in the afternoon. Is he alright now?"


    "He''s fine. We''ve been digging up some medicinal herbs in the mountains these past two days. We''ve exchanged them for a few doses of medicine for your third brother in town. He''s much better now." Zhou Ying said.


    Gu Chengxi was stunned for a moment. He really did not expect them to make a living by relying on medicinal herbs. He was happy for them and was piqued by the notion at the same time.


    He opened his mouth, wanting to say something. However, he changed his mind. "It''s good that my third brother is okay. If you need any help, just ask. Well, I have to go and collect firewood now. "


    After he finished speaking, he drank the rest of the water, picked up the basket, and walked out.


    "Alright,e over when you''re free." Once Zhou Ying said that, she sent him off.


    Afterward, she put the clothes she had hung outside into her interspace.


    After a while, Gu Chengrui rushed back and asked for three taels of silver for the timber needed for the renovation. He then went down the mountain again once he got them.


    When he returned, it was already around eight o''clock in the evening. Seeing that the rice was still warm in the pot, he raised his head and asked, "Babe, have you eaten?"


    "I''ve eaten. I was afraid you hadn''t eaten, so I left some for you. "


    "I''ve eaten at the vige chief''s house, and the matter of the house''s renovation has been settled. Other than the cost of the materials, their sry is ten copper a day, and we''ll have to provide them with a meal at noon.


    "Do we still have to provide food?" Zhou Ying was a little miffed when she heard that. There is nothing here. How could they provide the food?


    "I didn''t want to at first, but the vige chief suggested it. He said we could integrate into the vige faster if they are happy with the food." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he grabbed her hand and said, "It''s been hard on you these past two days. We''ll ovee any difficulties together."

 Chapter 28 - 28 Repairing The House (1)

    <h4>Chapter 28: Repairing The House (1)</h4>


    Zhou Ying knew she couldn''t avoid it, so she asked, "Then how many people''s meals do we need to take care of?"


    "There are ten people in total, four carpenters and six handymen. They don''t need anythingplicated. Some steamed buns or tbread and a big pot of vegetables would be enough.


    "As for the pot, we''ll go to town tomorrow morning to buy a big one. We''ll be able to use it in the future anyway."


    Zhou Ying nodded and told him about Gu Chengxi''s visit.


    Gu Chengrui nodded at her, too, letting her know that he understood.


    After entering her interspace that night, Gu Chengrui gave himself two more IV bottles just in case.


    At dawn, Zhou Ying was once again awoken by the disaster in her dream. This feeling of being overwhelmed by her dreams didn''t give her a good feeling.


    She turned around, picked up the ss of water on the bedside table, and gulped it down in one go. Only when the cool water entered her stomach did she really wake up.


    Her moving about in bed woke up Gu Chengrui too. He did not know what to say after knowing that she had had the same dream again. He could only hold her in his arms and silently apany her to calm her emotions.


    "Let''s move out after tonight," he said. "Let''s see whether you would still have this dream after we leave the Mother God Temple."


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment and finally nodded. The only change in her habit was staying in this Mother God Temple. Perhaps it was because of the location that she had constant bad dreams.


    But if it was really because of this location, could it mean that those disasters would really happen?


    Gu Chengrui saw that she was deep in thought and gently patted her back. "We need to be strong as forged iron. No matter what the future holds, we must be in an advantageous position simr to our previous lives as soon as possible."


    Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. Then, the two got up and began to exercise.


    When it was almost time, the two of them ate their breakfast in the interspace.


    After breakfast, the two packed everything up to prepare to move into their new home. Then, they hurried to town.


    First, they bought a huge pot, ten sets of bowls and chopsticks, five pounds of pork belly, and ten pounds of tofu.


    On her way back, while there was no one nearby, Zhou Ying took 20 pounds of ck noodles and 5 pounds of peanut oil from her interspace.


    When they went to their new home, Qian Jiaxi had already brought his men to fix the roof.


    Gu Chengrui stepped forward and greeted them politely. Then, he went to the backyard to find an open space in the vegetable field and set up two simple stoves for Zhou Ying, one big and one small.


    Then, he took a bucket of water from the well in the vige and went to the front to help.


    After Zhou Ying had prepped the big pot, she heated two pounds of peanut oil using their small pot and began deep frying the ten pounds of tofu.


    Just as she finished, Qian Jiaxi''s wife, Mrs. Bai, came over with two basins and said, "Good Morning, Zhou. You''re hardworking, already this busy early in the morning."


    "Morning, Missus. I started early because I feared it would take a long time to prepare the meals."


    "I thought so, so here I am." After Mrs. Bai finished speaking, she ced the two basins she had brought on the ground and said, "Girl, what are you nning to cook for lunch?"


    "I was just about to ask Mr. Jiaxi. I nned to go to the field and pick a few cabbages, then stir fry the meat slices with stewed cabbages and tofu. They would go well with a fewrge baked tbreads."


    "What''s there to ask about? Just pick them and eat." When Mrs. Bai said this, she saw therge strip of streaky pork on the side and said, "I got to say, girl, you''re sure generous to buy so much meat."


    "Once everyone is content with the meal, only then will they have the energy to fix our house as soon as possible."


    "That''s true."


    When Mrs. Bai heard her say this, she didn''t say anything more. She was quite satisfied with her honesty.


    Unlike some of the Gu families, they deducted their family''s meals until they were worse off than the vigers when they were in trouble.

 Chapter 29 - 29 Repairing The House (2)

    <h4>Chapter 29: Repairing The House (2)</h4>


    "Oh right, Auntie, how''s Tieniu doing? Did he have a fever?"


    "You don''t say. He really did have a fever before he went to bedst night. Fortunately, it subsided in the middle of the night. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to leave."


    "I can handle this on my own. Why don''t you ..."


    "No need, my mother-inw and second sister-inw are both at home."


    "That''s good." When Zhou Ying heard this, she thought of her dream and probed, "Auntie, is the Mother God Temple an urate ce for prayers toe true? I noticed the statue of Mother God had been weathered out of shape. Why is no one taking care of it?"


    Mrs. Bai hesitated for a moment. "How should I put this? I heard from the older generation that the Mother God temple used to be quite urate. Otherwise, every town wouldn''t have a Mother God temple."


    "I don''t know when it started, but whatever the people asked for, it didn''te true anymore. As time passed, no one worshipped her anymore, so naturally no one repaired it. "


    Zhou Ying saw that she couldn''t get the answer she wanted from her, so she didn''t ask anymore. Instead, she asked her about the vige.


    There were two surnames in the vige, Qian and Gu, whichprised nearly 80% of the vige''s poption. They shared one ancestral hall and one school.


    Therefore, despite some internal conflicts between the two families, they were still very united as a whole.


    The rest were the refugees their vige had received intermittently over the years.


    As soon as she started talking, Mrs. Bai couldn''t stop and began gossiping about the vigers, such as which family was on bad terms with which family, which family''s young man liked which family''s youngdy, etc.


    She even mentioned the Gu family, especially what they had done after they returned to the vige.


    Zhou Ying didn''t respond or interrupt her but listened to her very patiently.


    Of course, she also knew that her sixth aunt-inw had spread the news throughout the vige and caused the Gu family to be embarrassed.


    The food was ready at about 11:30 in the afternoon.


    Zhou Ying saw that there were a lot of dishes, so she directly filled a y pot full of food and handed it to Mrs. Bai. "Auntie, I''ve prepared more than enough food today. Take these home and let Grandpa Qian and the others try my cooking."


    "How can I do that? I..."


    "Take it. You''ve been busy helping me for half a day. Don''t I have to pay you for your work?"


    "No, I ..."


    "Take it. I''ll have to trouble you toe over and help tomorrow. Otherwise, I really can''t do it alone." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she directly stuffed the food into her hand.


    "Well... alright, but only this once."


    "Alright, just this once."


    After Mrs. Bai left, Zhou Ying went to the front and called everyone for lunch.


    After washing their hands, they went to the kitchen and saw the scrumptious stew in the pot. They were so happy that they couldn''t close their smiles.


    Qian Jiaxiughed. "Everyone, don''t just watch. Quickly help yourself."


    After speaking, he picked up the bowl beside him and scooped himself a bowl.


    "Yes, yes," Gu Chengrui echoed. "Everyone, please don''t be shy. Eat up."


    After he finished speaking, he handed Qian Jiaxi a pair of chopsticks.


    At that time, Zhou Ying also finished cutting the tbreads and ced them next to the pot. "Just eat as much as you want until you''re full."


    "Missy, if we eat until we are full, we won''t be able to do work in the afternoon." Qian Jiaxi said happily as he took out two pieces of tbread.


    "Indeed, this is a tasty meal. It will not be easy to work after eating this." An old man in his forties chimed in with a smile.


    "I''ve never had such a delicious meal before. I''ll work if you don''t pay me based on this meal alone."


    "Indeed, I think I won''t be hungry for a day after eating this meal."


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying saw that they were all delighted and also felt relieved.


    After they had filled their bowls, only then did the two of them fill their bowls and start eating.

 Chapter 30 - 30 Repairing The House (3)

    <h4>Chapter 30: Repairing The House (3)</h4>


    Although everyone ate as much as possible, there was still arge portion of vegetables, and nearly one-third of the tbread was unfinished.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying washed the dishes and boiled a pot of Hawthorn tea. Each of them drank a bowl and rested for half an hour before returning to work. They were obviously more hardworking than they were in the morning.


    As for Zhou Ying, she went to the front with Gu Chengrui to use sorghum stalks and hemp rope to weave the mat used for building the roof.


    At the Qian family''s house.


    The vige chief was sitting in the house drinking his tea. When he saw Mrs. Bai bring back arge y pot of meat and vegetables, he asked in surprise, "Is this the lunch prepared by Gu Chengrui and his wife?"


    "Yes, and she made quite a lot. She had asked me to bring some back for you to try her cooking." Mrs. Bai said happily as she ced it in front of him.


    "I don''t even need to taste it to know it''s tasty by just smelling it. I''m feeling full just by looking at it. What a lovely couple. By the way, what do you think of her after talking to her this morning?" The vige chief asked.


    "At the very least, she''s a capable girl. Most importantly, she''s sensible. We''ve been chatting for a long time, but she didn''t say a single bad thing about the Gu family. "


    "Then it''s definitely worth being friends with her just based on these two points. In the future, we should hang out more and introduce her to the people in the vige." The vige chief decided.


    "I understand, father. I''ll go help out in the kitchen." After Mrs. Bai finished speaking, she turned around and walked out.


    At the Gu family.


    After everyone was seated, Mrs. Qiao looked at Mr. Gu and said, "Darling, I heard that your third son bought an old house from the Qian family''s fourth son. Is that true?"


    "It''s true. They started to fix the house this morning." Mr. Gu replied.


    "Let''s not talk about the house. Thend alone will cost a lot of money, not to mention renovating the ce will cost at least five taels of silver.


    "Where did they get the silver from? Could it be that they secretly hid it back then? "Mrs. Liu angrily said.


    "Do you even believe what you just said?" Mrs. Qiao rolled her eyes at her.


    When Mrs. Liu heard this, she immediately shut her mouth in embarrassment. To be honest, she knew that they didn''t have any money on them when they left their family. She was just a little curious about the origin of their money.


    "I heard my third brother and his wife have been digging up medicinal herbs in the mountains for the past two days. They have earned some money from selling them." Gu Chengxi said.


    "If you hadn''t mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Zhou Ying is Imperial physician Zhou''s daughter. It''s no wonder she recognized some herbs.


    "If they dug up some ginseng or Lingzhi, wouldn''t they be rich? "Mrs. Yao said with a regretful expression.


    She then looked at Gu Chengxi. "Chengxi, go find them to guide you. Maybe you can really dig up something good."


    "What are you thinking about? Let''s not talk about how hard it is to find precious medicinal herbs. The season for a good harvest has already passed. Unless you are fortunate, how can it be so easy to find them?" Second uncle Gu red at her and said.


    "Let''s start eating. No matter what, they finally have a ce to stay. We can also breathe a sigh of relief. "After Mrs. Qiao finished speaking, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.


    When the others heard this, they also shut their mouths and heaved a sigh of relief.


    The rumors spreading throughout the vige were really terrible. If the couple did not have a ce to stay, their family n might have to intervene in this matter.


    On the other hand, the Gu family''s leader put down his bowl and said to his eldest son, Gu Chengen, "You''ve heard about Gu Chengrui and the others repairing his house, right?"


    "I heard Gu Chengrui saved the vige chief''s eldest grandson, Tieniu, from the river yesterday afternoon. The vige chief then sold his old house to him and helped to find materials for him to renovate the house." Gu Chengen put down his bowl and chopsticks and replied.


    After a moment of hesitation, he asked with uncertainty, "Father, do you want us to go over and help? But the workshop ..."

 Chapter 31 - 31 Repairing The House (4)

    <h4>Chapter 31: Repairing The House (4)</h4>


    The family n leader nodded and said, "It''s not like the workshop is short of a person for a day or two. We can''t let the Qian n take care of our Gu n''s people. Isn''t this a p in the face of our Gu n?


    "Besides, I heard that Gu Chengrui has medical skills. In the future, if we are sick and urgently need medical attention, we might need to look for him. Don''t ruin our rtionship.


    "We didn''t do anything when they were separated from their family. Even if we do something now, they might not be grateful for our help." The patriarch''s wife, Mrs. Wang, spoke at this time.


    "That''s right. If we had helped them before this, that would have been the help that they so desperately needed. Helping them now would only be like adding flowers to a bouquet." Gu Chengen agreed.


    The main thing was that he could not stand Gu Chengrui''s indifferent attitude, as if he owed him a hundred taels of silver.


    "It''s better to add flowers to a bouquet than to watch and not care." The n leader said unhappily, then paused for a moment, "By the way, don''t we still have some wood in our house? Although it can''t be used as a beam, it''s not a problem to use it as rafters.


    "We also have some sorghum stalk. Although it''s not much, it''s a kind gesture."


    "Okay." Gu Chengen responded unwillingly. After eating, he took his younger brother, Gu Chengsi, and got busy.


    The patriarch stood up and said to Mrs. Wang, "Bring some dishes overter and see if there''s anything you need help with."


    After he finished speaking, he went out and took some sorghum stalks from the storage room, then used them to make a broom and a curtain.


    Although these things were not valuable, they were essential in life.


    Mrs. Wang came out and saw how busy he was. She sighed, picked up the basket, and went to the cer behind them. She took out more than ten long radishes, a big melon, two small pumpkins, and some dried vegetables.


    She ced them on an ox cart that Gu Chengen and his brother had packed and said, "Let''s go. Let''s go together and see if there''s anything else we can help with."


    "Then mother, do get in the cart." Gu Chengen nodded and said.


    "It''s a good day today. Let''s walk." After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she walked out.


    Seeing this, the two brothers had no choice but to follow as they drove the cart.


    When they arrived, everyone had just started to get busy.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned when he saw them bringing something over. He quickly stood up and greeted them, "Aunt, brother Chengen, brother Chengsi, you''vee."


    Zhou Ying also stood up and greeted everyone.


    "Your uncle heard you bought a house and wanted to renovate it. He was afraid there wouldn''t be enough materials, so he sent some over." Mrs. Wang said with a smile.


    "Do give him my thanks. We really dock wood at the moment, so don''t mind if I do. "Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before epting it.


    Because regardless of whether the other party wanted to save their dignity or had ulterior motives, he had no reason to refuse at the moment. Otherwise, they would definitely be on bad terms.


    However, as far as he knew, the n leader was a good person. Otherwise, he would not have given the 100 acres ofnd and the oil mill''s dividends to the Gu family.


    Therefore, he decided to try to be on good terms with them. He immediately walked toward the ox cart with enthusiasm.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengen and his brother looked at Gu Chengrui, who had changed from his usual enigmatic tone to a warm and weing one. They looked at each other and greeted each other happily. The three of them then started to unload the cart.


    On the other side, Zhou Ying invited Mrs. Wang to sit and said, "Auntie, please sit down. Let me pour you a bowl of water."


    "Don''t worry about it. I came over after drinking enough water at home. Let''s hurry up and make a mat so you can move in earlier." After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she took over Gu Chengrui''s position and busied herself with weaving the mat.

 Chapter 32 - 32 Repairing The House (5)

    <h4>Chapter 32: Repairing The House (5)</h4>


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying could only respond. "Ah, then I''ll have to trouble you. Later, I will invite you and uncle to eat dumplings at our new home."


    Mrs. Wang paused and said, "If there''s a chance, I''ll definitely try your cooking. However, for now, you should start getting your life in order as soon as possible."


    "I definitely will."


    "By the way, I heard that Chengrui has medical skills. Who did he learn from?"


    Zhou Ying paused for a moment before smiling and nodding. "He sure knew a little, but I heard that he only learned a little from the doctors in the academy. He can cure somemon minor diseases but is not sure about the rest."


    "That''s already good enough. At least you two can have a stable ie with this skill." Mrs. Wang said happily. Her smile was much more sincere than it was at the beginning.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she understood why they were here.


    However, she also understood that people were creatures of profit. As long as there was something to gain, there would only be opportunities to interact. As for how things would develop in the end, it would depend on the sincerity of both sides.


    Then, she learned about their family''s situation.


    The patriarch and his wife had three children. The eldest one was a girl. She had married a schr from a low-ie family in her early years, and now their family was working as government officials in other ces.


    He had two sons. The older one, Gu Chengen, had just gotten married two years ago. The woman was Fang Fang, a daughter of andlord. They already had a son.


    The younger Gu Chengsi had been studying outside the family. He had been striving to be a schr since middle schoolst year, but unfortunately, his path to the imperial examination had been cut off when the Gu family was in trouble. He was now helping to teach at the family school.


    After they unloaded the car, Gu Chengen looked at Gu Chengrui curiously and asked, "I didn''t expect you to be so cheerful after the separation."


    "One must always look forward. Some things should be put down, and some responsibilities should be taken up." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking with a smile, he turned his head and nced at Zhou Ying.


    "It''s good that you can get over it, but I have to say that you''re pretty lucky. Your wife is not only beautiful, but also capable and kind. In the future, live your life well. "Gu Chengenughed and replied after hearing that.


    "Indeed, fortune and misfortunee together, but no one can say for sure." Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    Gu Chengsi snorted coldly and turned to leave.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengenughed and said, "This kid has a one-track mind. Don''t mind him.


    "Let''s go. Let''s cut out the wood together and try to repair this house as soon as possible."


    "Thank you, brother Chengen." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he helped the carpenter cut the wood.


    At night, after everyone had left, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying did a simple sweep of the yard.


    Just as the two finished their work, Tian Jiawang pushed in half a cart of cabbage and said, "You two are still busy? These are some cabbages that their owner doesn''t want. I thought you guys would have no vegetables to eat, so I brought them over. Please don''t mind them."


    "How could we mind? You''ve solved our pressing problem. Come in and sit for a while." Zhou Ying said.


    "No, I still have to go home for dinner. Let''s meet up again after you guys have finished repairing the house." After Tian Jiawang finished speaking, he slowly lifted the cart.


    Gu Chengrui quickly went forward to help push all the cabbages down and sent Tian Jiawang out.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying looked at the vegetables on the ground. They were all small vegetables and mostly leaves. No wonder the owner didn''t want them.


    However, she could still prepare a lot from these vegetables, saving her the trouble of shamelessly picking vegetables nted by the vige chief.


    Then, the two took out their kitchen knives and cleaned up all the vegetables. They then put them in the kitchen, the only room covered with a roof.


    After that, she cooked a pot of millet porridge, heated the remaining tbread and dishes from lunch, and had a simple meal.

 Chapter 33 - 33 Completion

    <h4>Chapter 33: Completion</h4>


    "Babe," Gu Chengrui asked after the meal, "Are we using the heated brick bed or building a floor heater?"


    "Floor heating?"


    "Yes, it''s the floor heating. It''s too troublesome to build a wall heater, so we can build it to go underground."


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment. "We''ll do whatever''s convenient. We won''t be staying in this house for long anyway."


    "Alright, then I''ll see to it." Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while, then closed the door and entered her interspace. After they finished working, they took a shower and slept.


    This time, Zhou Ying slept until dawn. She only woke up when Gu Chengrui had prepared breakfast.


    Then, the two of them looked at each other and smiled. It seemed that in the future, it would be better not to live in the temple.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying took advantage of the fact that no one hade yet and went to her interspace to use the noodle press machine to press 30 pounds of noodles. She took five pounds of streaky pork, some mustard, and some sweet sauce.


    She made fried sauce noodles and a side dish of shredded radish for lunch.


    However, on this day, not only did Mrs. Baie to help with the cooking, but even Mrs. Wang had rushed over early.


    At the front, the father and son of the n had also brought three disciples from the Gu n to help. Even Gu Chengxi came over to help weave mats.


    When it was almost noon, the vige chief and Qian Jiale transported the tiles over.


    Three dayster, the house waspletely renovated. Even the wall was built with some mud bricks bought from the vige.


    That night, Zhou Ying made fried sauce noodles again at everyone''s request. At the same time, she braised a pig''s head, ten pig''s trotters, mixed them with a pot of cabbage shreds, cooked a pot of five-spice peanuts, and bought ten pounds of wine.


    After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Gu Chengrui gave everyone their wages, and this was considered aplete end to their renovation.


    Zhou Ying saw that there was still some meat sauce left, so she scooped out two bowls and handed them to Mrs. Bai and Mrs. Wang, "Aunties, many thanks for your help these past two days. This is just a small gift, and I hope you won''t reject it."


    "If you give me something else, I might not ept it. But I really wanted more of this sauce after I tried it, so I definitely won''t reserve myself." Mrs. Bai took it with a smile.


    "Yes, yes, this sauce is the best I''ve ever had. You have to teach me how to make itter." Mrs. Wang nodded in agreement.


    "Sure,e over when you''re free. I''ll teach you how to blow it up step by step." Zhou Ying said.


    "Then it''s decided. After you''ve cleaned up the house, we''lle over and learn how to make this fried sauce." After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she invited Mrs. Bai to go out with her.


    After sending them off, Zhou Ying cleaned up the kitchen, added more firewood, and returned to the house.


    She took a good look at the neat and tidy house. It really looked no different from a new one.


    It was just that the mat on the roof that was exposed outside looked very ugly. It seemed that she had better cover it. Otherwise, it would be terrifying if insects or mice fell on her while sleeping at night.


    Also, the construction of the floor heating was canceled. It would be a pity to hack away the foundation made of three-in-one soil and bluestone.


    Gu Chengrui returned after sending off the n leader and the rest. He saw her staring at the roof and immediately thought of something. "Don''t worry. I scattered a lot of chemical powder on the beam. I guarantee there won''t be any snakes, rats, insects, or ants. "


    "Then we''ll just leave it exposed like this?"


    "It''s like this over here. Let''s not do anything special. At most, we can put a mosquito on a branch or make a cover."


    "That''s fine. By the way, when will the furniture be delivered?"


    "It''s in five days, but should we buy the nket or take it from the space?"


    "I''ll buy it. I still have some silver. We can buy a small portion tomorrow to avoid being caught."


    "That''s right. Let''s buy two more sets of cotton-padded clothes and some food."


    After that, they cleaned the house carefully again and entered the interspace when night fell.

 Chapter 34 - 34 Probing

    <h4>Chapter 34: Probing</h4>


    The following day, after a simple meal, they went to the patriarch''s house to borrow an ox cart and went straight to town.


    They met the Huang mother and daughter on the way, who was going to town to deliver embroidery work.


    The two of them had initially wanted to just ignore them.


    However, when Mrs. Huang saw them, she greeted them warmly. "Chengrui, are you two going to the town to buy stuff?"


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to reply to them. "That''s right. Aunt Huang, you are...?"


    "You all know the situation at home. I am going to town to get some embroidery work to supplement the family''s ie." Mrs. Huang replied with an aggrieved expression.


    Gu Chengrui did not agree with what she said andined about the Gu family together. Instead, he said, "That''s good. Since we''re going the same way, let''s go together."


    After that, the ox cart slowly came to a stop.


    "Then we don''t mind if we do." Mrs. Huang immediately responded and pulled her daughter, Gu Ziqiong, onto the ox cart.


    After sitting down, Mrs. Huang looked at Zhou Ying and asked, "Yingying, I heard that you two made a lot of money by digging up medicinal herbs. Is that true?"


    "Who did you hear this from? If we''re wealthy, wouldn''t we be able to buy a house in town?" Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    "But I heard you guys spent a lot of money building your house?" Gu Ziqiong said.


    "Not really. It''s all thanks to the help of the n leader and the vige chief. Otherwise, we wouldn''t have enough money to eat after the house is repaired." Zhou Ying shook her head with a worried look.


    Gu Ziqiong wanted to ask more, but Mrs. Huang pulled on her sleeve and interrupted her.


    She knew they wouldn''t be able to get anything out of her, so she changed the subject and asked, "What are you going to buy in town? Do you need our help?"


    "The weather has been getting colder recently, so I thought of buying a bed and two sets of cotton-padded clothes to get through winter. We would only buy the rest slowly."


    "That''s true. Frost falls every morning now. I really can''t do without cotton-padded clothes." After Mrs. Huang finished speaking, she nced at the clothes on Zhou Ying''s body and then remembered that the family had not given them anything to spend the winter with.


    Therefore, they didn''t probe further and started to chat.


    However, Zhou Ying just grunted andughed in response. She didn''t give a reply, nor did she express her opinion.


    But she listened with great interest to the stories of the two women about their wits and courage in trying to get the housework done.


    When they arrived in town, Mrs. Huang got out of the cart and said, "The embroidery workshop I am going to sells cotton and cloth. Do you want to go and take a look?"


    "No, Aunt Huang. We have to take a look at buying a water tank and other big items first. We''ll consider the rest when wee back." Gu Chengrui said.


    "Alright then, we''ll head over first." Mrs. Huang turned around and left after she finished speaking.


    After they parted ways, the young couple went to buy one big and two small tubs, followed by ten pounds of millet and fifty pounds of ck flour.


    When they passed by the market, Zhou Ying went around to see what kinds of vegetables were avable in the current season.


    She didn''t expect that there were only radishes, cabbages, and winter melons avable. Furthermore, the winter melons were quite expensive. They cost two coppers per pound. It seemed that the gift from the n leader was worth quite a bit.


    The most popr goods sold were eggs and all kinds of dried vegetables. There was also a ce that sold pickled vegetables.


    Zhou Ying saw that the stall''s business was quite good, so she spent ten coppers on buying a pound of pickled cucumbers. After that, she met up with Gu Chengrui.


    Finally, the two of them went to the cloth shop. They didn''t expect to see the Huang mother and daughter still waiting inside.


    Seeing them looking over, Zhou Ying stepped forward and asked, "Aunt Huang, Ziqiong, you haven''t handed over your work yet?"


    "Not yet. The manager is currently serving two important clients, so we can only wait for them to finish." Mrs. Huang said as she pointed to a ce not far away.

 Chapter 35 - 35 A Reminder

    <h4>Chapter 35: A Reminder</h4>


    Zhou Ying looked in the direction she was pointing at. Sure enough, the female shopkeeper was serving a woman in her forties who looked very strict.


    Two employees were serving a well-dressed mother and daughter.


    It just so happened that she didn''t want to have too much contact with the Huang mother and daughter, so she simply took the opportunity to say, "Aunt Huang, it seems that they won''t be able to finish in a short time. You wait here then. I''ll go to the other shop to take a look."


    "Don''t. There are only two cloth shops in town. The Qiao family owns the other one. If they recognize you, they''ll definitely humiliate you." Mrs. Huang quickly stopped her and whispered.


    "The Qiao family...?"


    "Yes, the Qiao family. I heard that the shop they are using now used to belong to the Gu family''s shop."


    "Thank you for your reminder, Aunt Huang. Please wait here for a while. We''ll go and shop around."


    "That''s fine, but don''t take too long. They should be almost done."


    "Alright," she said, and she turned around. She walked toward Gu Chengrui, who was guarding the ox cart, and said, "Husband, it''s busy inside. Do you have anything else to buy? We''lle backter."


    Gu Chengrui lifted his head and tugged at her slightly nted top. "We don''t have much money left, so let''s buy a quilt and cotton-padded clothes first."


    "You''re right." Zhou Ying responded, sat on the ox cart, and talked to him about their following ns. After all, it was not a long-term n to go into the mountains to dig herbs.


    In the end, the two of them discussed and decided to go into the mountains two more times. After winter, Gu Chengrui would officially start practicing medicine, while Zhou Ying would sell bean sprouts at home.


    In a short while, the shopkeeper sent the old woman off.


    After sending the mother and daughter off, Zhou Ying got out of the cart and walked in.


    The waiter immediately approached her and asked, "Missus, what do you want to buy?"


    "Do you have ready-made quilts and cotton-padded clothes here?"


    "Yes, but because of the size difference, it has to be custom-made. It''s scheduled for half a month now. What do you think..."


    "Zhou Ying, in my opinion, you''d better buy cotton and cloth and go home to make it yourself. Otherwise, you''ll have to wait." Mrs. Huang, who was handing over the work, said at this time.


    However, after she finished speaking, she remembered that Zhou Ying had grown up in the kitchen. Although she was ster in terms of cooking, she shouldn''t be proficient in needlework. So, Mrs. Huang immediately shut her mouth.


    The employee didn''t try to persuade her again but waited for Zhou Ying''s decision.


    Zhou Ying hesitated momentarily and asked, "Then how much is cotton?"


    "Red cotton is 50 copper a pound, and high-quality white cotton is 80 copper a pound."


    Zhou Ying was shocked. She didn''t expect cotton to be so expensive. She would be rich if she nted cotton in her interspace for just a season. Then she asked, "The red cotton you''re talking about is the kind that''s dug out from a cotton peach?"


    "It''s about the same, but it''s not as warm and fluffy."


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment before asking again, "How much for a whole piece of cotton cloth?"


    "A 23-foot-long white cloth is 350 copper per batch, and the one with the id pattern is 400 copper."


    "What about sackcloth?"


    "300 copper per batch."


    "Then give me 15 pounds of white cotton, a roll of coarse white cloth, and a roll of coarse cloth with checkered patterns."


    "Please wait a moment." After the young man finished speaking, he turned around and walked to the back.


    "Zhou Ying, if you want to make two quilts and two cotton-padded clothes, I''m afraid 15 pounds of cotton is not enough." Mrs. Huang reminded her at this time.


    "There is a heated brick bed at home; coupling this with our old clothes should be enough. If it''s not enough, we can add moreter."


    When Mrs. Huang heard this, she only thought that Zhou Ying didn''t have enough money and didn''t say anything more.


    The shop assistant quickly brought out the two rolls of cloth he had prepared.


    Then, he took out a sack of cotton and weighted it in front of her. "White cotton is 80 copper per pound. 15 pounds is 1200 copper. In addition to the 400 copper and 350 copper worth of cloth, the total is 1950 copper."

 Chapter 36 - 36 Penniless

    <h4>Chapter 36: Penniless</h4>


    "Wait a moment." After Zhou Ying said that, she took out her money pouch. Counting the exact amount, she looked at the only two copper coins left in her hand and secretly broke into a sweat.


    Fortunately, she had listened to Gu Chengrui''s words and did not buy anything else. Otherwise, she would have made a fool of herself today.


    In the end, she simply gave the extra two coppers to the little shop assistant and asked him to give two medium-sized needles for the quilt.


    When she was done buying here, Mrs. Huang was almost done too. Finally, the mother and daughter each helped her carry a piece of cloth out while she took the sack of cotton.


    After putting the things in the cart, Gu Chengrui looked at the Huang mother and daughter and asked, "Aunt Huang, do you want to go back together or...?"


    "You guys go on ahead. We have to buy something else." Mrs. Huang waved her hand and said.


    They were ordered to buy meat today, so it was inconvenient to be with them.


    "Alright, then we''ll take our leave first." Gu Chengrui didn''t think much about it. After speaking, he drove the ox cart back with Zhou Ying.


    After returning home, Zhou Ying put the cloth and cotton into the house and then moved the rest of the stuff to the kitchen with Gu Chengrui.


    Then, she took out the three water tubs, only using thergest one to store water. She nned to store food in the remaining two small tubs; otherwise, their food would easily attract rats.


    After she was done, Zhou Ying turned her head and said, "By the way, Rui, I have to tell you that we are penniless again."


    "I got it, so we have to go into the mountains two more times. At least it will ensure that we have food and clothing this winter.


    "You can go make the quilt. I have to return the ox cart." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he drove the ox cart and left.


    Zhou Ying returned to the main room and looked at the cloth and scattered cotton on the bed. It seemed that she could only take the ready-made vest from her interspace.


    After making up her mind, she took a pair of scissors and a ruler from her interspace and began cutting the quilt and mattress covers.


    Just as she started, she heard Mrs. Wang shouting from outside. "Chengrui, are you home?"


    "Yes, Aunty, pleasee in." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she looked at the empty bed. She quickly took out the old quilt and threw it at the head of the bed.


    Just then, Mrs. Wang came in with a pile of woven goods. There was a broom, a curtain, a woven pot cover, a wooden steamer, a bamboo dustpan, a basket, and a few steamed buns. "These are some things that your uncle personally made. Although they look ordinary, they are quite durable. You guys can use them first."


    "Thank you so much! These things are what we need the most at the moment." Zhou Ying quickly stepped forward to take it and put it aside.


    "That''s why people say that a new house is worth thousands. There are a lot of things that need to be added after moving. If you need anything, just let me know."


    "Aunty, you are the best. If there''s anything I really need help with, I''ll let you know."


    "That''s right. You can''t do everything on your own. " When Mrs. Wang said this, she saw many things on the bed and asked, "Oh, you''re nning to make a new quilt?"


    "Yeah, otherwise it''ll get cold." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she invited her to sit on the bed.


    Mrs. Wang shook her head. "It''s fine. I''m going to harvest the cabbages at home. Chengrui said that you want to keep them for the winter. I wonder how many you n to take."


    "How many are there avable in your house?"


    "Don''t worry. I''ve nted more than 20 acres ofnd. It''s definitely enough for your family. "


    "Then I''ll take 300 pounds. I''ll also buy some radishes, dried vegetables, and the like to go with it." Zhou Ying continued, "But I''m afraid you''ll have to wait a few more days for this money."

 Chapter 37 - 37 Going Up The Mountain Again

    <h4>Chapter 37: Going Up The Mountain Again</h4>


    "You''re being too polite. Just give it whenever you have it." Mrs. Wang waved her hand.


    "By the way, Chengrui has driven the ox cart to the field to help with the cabbage harvesting," she said. "He won''t be back for lunch and dinner. You shoulde overter so you don''t have to cook alone."


    "Thank you for the offer, but I can''t. I have to make the quilt as soon as possible. Otherwise, I won''t be able to use it in time." Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment but still refused.


    "That''s true. Then, I''ll leave you to your work." After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she turned around and walked out.


    After Zhou Ying sent her away, she immediately closed the door and returned to the house to get busy. After cutting the cloth, she took it to her interspace and used the sewing machine to make two five-foot seven-inch quilts and two bedding covers.


    After it was done, she washed it in the washing machine, soaked it in an odorless softener for 15 minutes, and finally dried it on the side.


    Then, she went to the warehouse and found two cotton quilt covers that weighed five pounds each and were five-foot seven-inch long, a mattress cover and cut it into two. Finally, she found two silk cotton quilts six-foot seven-inch long and stacked them together. She nned to use them as a cover for the brick bed.


    After she prepped all of them, she hung them to dry on the vi''s roof in the interspace.


    As for the pillows, they had two already made from sorghum stalk. She just made two pillow covers with the coarse cloth.


    After she was done, she immediately left the interspace.


    Seeing it was gettingte, she immediately took out a bag of frozen dumplings with a vegetarian filling from her interspace and cooked them.


    After resting for a while, she began to make cotton-padded clothes, but she couldn''t make it to work no matter what. She had to find two sets of fitting clothes in her interspace and try to patch them to look like she had made them.


    However, even after Gu Chengrui returned at night with the cabbage, she only made her cotton-padded jacket.


    Fortunately, they had a bed for the night, and the two of them were finally considered to havepletely settled down.


    Over the next two days, Gu Chengrui went to the patriarch''s house to help with the collection of cabbages, while Zhou Ying continued to make the two sets of cotton-padded clothes.


    At the same time, she also made two sheepskin waistcoats by hand, chopped the various kinds of wood leftover when the roof was repaired into firewood and piled them under the wall.


    The vige chief''s family also took the opportunity to collect all the cabbages in their backyard.


    When everything was ready, the two of them went up the mountain for five days in a row. While digging for medicinal herbs, they also collected more firewood. Suddenly, the pile of firewood in their house was almost enough for them to burn through the winter.


    Of course, they had also collected a lot of medicinal herbs, but nothing was precious. Thus, they could only dig out two 50-year-old Chinese knotweeds from the interspace.


    At the same time, they called back the dog that they had fed previously. After Gu Chengrui checked and cleaned it, it was officially a pet at their home.


    After breakfast, Gu Chengrui asked, "Babe, you''re really not going to town?"


    "Aren''t you with Mr. Tian? I won''t go over to join in the fun. Remember to buy five pounds of green beans, five pounds of soybeans, and two small water tubs when youe back."


    "Alright then. Then you should rest at home for half a day. Don''t go up the mountain again." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he took the two bags of medicinal herbs and walked out.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying picked up the small bag containing the Chinese knotweed and followed. After sending the two off, she was about to turn around and go home. Suddenly, someone behind her said, "You''re the Gu family''s wife, right?"


    This sudden question startled Zhou Ying. When she turned her head, she saw a woman with a tired face. She was looking at her with a smile worse than someone crying.


    "Yes, I''m Zhou Ying. Are you Mr. Tian''s sister?" Sheughed dryly.


    "Yeah, you''ve moved in for a few days, but we haven''t had a chance to talk. Come and visit when you''re free." Sister Tian nodded.

 Chapter 38 - 38 Treating Guest

    <h4>Chapter 38: Treating Guest</h4>


    "I will." When Zhou Ying said this, she looked at the basin of clothes in her hand and asked, "Sister Tian, did you just wash your clothes?"


    "Yes, there are two children at home. Their clothes are getting dirty very quickly." As she walked in, she asked, "Do you want toe in for a seat?"


    "Maybe another day. We''ve been going up the mountain for a few days, so I have to clean up the house and wash my clothes."


    "Sure,e over when you''re free." After she finished speaking, Sister Tian walked straight home.


    Zhou Ying also returned home. First, she tidied up the house inside and out. Finally, she threw the clothes she had changed out into the washing machine in her interspace.


    However, she didn''t dry it inside her interspace this time. Instead, after washing it, she wrung it with her hands and hung it on the rope outside her house.


    As soon as the clothes were hung up, the carpenter, Tian Jiaxing, came in with a cart of furniture. Zhou Ying immediately greeted him, "Uncle Jiaxing, you have done it this quickly?"


    "I knew you were in a hurry, so I made a bedside table and a stool as quickly as possible.


    "However, you will have to wait a few more days for the dining table, chairs, and desk." After Tian Jiaxing finished speaking, he pushed the cart to the door and began to unload it.


    Zhou Ying immediately came forward to unload the things and asked, "How many more days will it take?"


    "No matter what, it''ll take about ten days."


    "I understand. Then shall I pay you the wages in one go after that?"


    "No problem. I''ll leave you to your work then." After Tian Jiaxing finished speaking, he pulled onto his cart and left the house in a hurry.


    Zhou Ying took all the furniture into the house and wiped it clean.


    After that, she transformed the original torn quilt into a cotton curtain for the living room.


    When she was done, it was almost noon. She took a pound of prawns from her interspace and made a pot of fried prawns. Then, she made a serving of cabbage in vinegar sauce and heated ten beef buns.


    When she was almost done, Gu Chengrui pushed his cart in, followed by Tian Jiawang.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. She immediately put the pot of fried shrimp into her interspace.


    Of course, it wasn''t that she didn''t want to let him eat it, but she had never seen anyone in town sell suchrge prawns before. It would be hard to exin.


    "Hubby, Mr. Tian, you''re back."


    After greeting them, she looked at the cart full of things and asked, "Why did you buy so many?"


    "Not much. Besides what you asked me to buy, I just bought somemonly used herbs." After Gu Chengrui said this, he handed one of the jars to her and said, "I bought a few fish on my way back. Cook two of them as you see fit. I want to have a drink or two with Brother Tianter."


    "No problem. Then you guys go in, drink some water, and rest for a while. The food will be ready soon." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she weed Tian Jiawang and carried the water tub into the house.


    Gu Chengrui immediately brought in the other tubs and the beans and weed Tian Jiawang into their living room.


    Zhou Ying looked at the fish and found that there was a bass, so she steamed one.


    Then, she picked up a giant carp and braised it.


    After that, she felt it was a little shabby with only three dishes, so she fried a te of peanuts and made a dumpling soup.


    After it was done, she brought the food to the living room.


    However, she didn''t stay. Instead, she cleaned up and went back to the kitchen. She ate a serving of prawns with a bottle of Coke.


    In the living room, Gu Chengrui invited Tian Jiawang to eat and drink while thanking him for his help.


    When the two were almost full, Gu Chenrui said, "I''ll have to ask Brother Tian for help tomorrow with building the shed."

 Chapter 39 - 39 Modification

    <h4>Chapter 39: Modification</h4>


    "Brother Gu, you''re being too polite. We''re neighbors, so this is a small favor that I should do.


    "Besides, with a doctor like you staying by my side, my heart will feel much more at ease. "When Tian Jiawang said this, he immediately thought of his deceased wife and child. His nose twitched, and tears flowed down.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui could guess what had happened. But it would be useless to try tofort him now, so he could only say, "In the future, if you need my help, just say the word. I will definitely do my best."


    "I''m sorry for showing my ugly side." Tian Jiawang wiped his tears and replied with a dry smile.


    "That''s not true. A man doesn''t cry easily, but that just means that he hasn''t reached a certain point.


    "Besides, I don''t think it''s embarrassing to cry for your wife and child. Instead, it shows that you value rtionships.


    "However, the dead have already passed, and I hope you can look forward. I think that your wife wouldn''t want you to be immersed in the past."


    Tian Jiawang nodded his head and raised his ss to him.


    After Gu Chengrui drank up, he refilled their sses and changed the topic. "Brother Tian, why don''t I teach you how to recognize some medicinal herbs? This way, when you go hunting in the mountains in the future, you can pick some medicinal herbs and sell them to me. It''s much more of a stable ie than if you just go hunting."


    "Will it be difficult?"


    "It won''t. Picking herbs isn''t studying medicine. Of course, if you want to make a living out of this, there''s a lot to learn."


    "Alright, I''ll listen to you. Let me know when you go up the mountain again."


    "I will." After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he invited him to eat two buns.


    After the two of them had eaten and drunk their fill, they pushed the cart and sent Tian Jiawang back.


    He began to pack up the medicinal herbs after he returned.


    When he was almost done, Zhou Ying finished washing the pots and came in. He immediately got up and asked, "Babe, I remember I collected five sets of second-hand medicine cabs in the interspace. Do you still remember?"


    "There seems to be a medicine cab. Are you nning to take it out directly?"


    "Yes, let''s take a set first. No one will notice if it''s second-hand and not eye-catching."


    "Sure, wait a moment. I have to go look for it." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she entered the small room on the west side of the house.


    Then, she shed into her interspace and searched the warehouse with her mental power for almost a quarter of an hour before she found the medicine cab he mentioned. She took it out and immediately ced it in the west room.


    Gu Chengrui heard noises and walked in. "Yes, this is it. 88 drawers in total. It''s enough for now."


    "Then let''s put it in this room. This will be your consultation room and study room in the future." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she stuck the medicine cab to the west wall.


    "Alright, take some quicklime powder and put it in the room to absorb the water vapor." After Gu Chengrui said that, he began arranging the medicinal herbs ording to his habits.


    At the same time, he told her he had made an appointment with Tian Jiawang toe over tomorrow to help build the woodshed. "Babe, do you want to build another chicken coop?"


    "No, I don''t want to keep chickens at home. They smell terrible in the summer.


    "However, we can rebuild the toilet. The squatting hole of a toilet is so awkwardly positioned. Not only do we have to clean it from time to time, but we can also get water on our bodies if we''re not careful. "


    Gu Chengrui paused. He stopped what he was doing and turned his head. "Do you still remember the earliest type of public toilet? It''s the kind where the pit is inclined downward, and whatever we flush could directly rush into the cesspit."


    "Sure, it''s still better than what we have now."


    Gu Chengrui nodded and got to work.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying took out quicklime and stacked it around the base of the wall. Finally, she took out the necessary stationeries and some glue for him. She turned to the kitchen and ced the remaining two big fish into a bucket.

 Chapter 40 - 40 Distributing The Eggs

    <h4>Chapter 40: Distributing The Eggs</h4>


    Zhou Ying carried the two newly bought water tubs into her interspace and used an electric drill to drill a few holes under each of the water tubs.


    After she was done, she took out two pounds of soybeans and green beans and soaked them in the water. She then covered them with a doubleyer of wet cloth. Once that was done, she moved it out of her space and ced it beside the stove.


    Finally, she wanted to start a fire on the stove. She carried a basket and a sickle, thinking of cutting some withered grass at the foot of the mountain and using them as a firestarter.


    Unexpectedly, when she reached the foot of the mountain, she faintly heard a familiar sound of suppressed crying. Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment and looked for the source of the sound. Then, she saw Gu Chengxi sitting behind a stone, holding his head and crying pitifully.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment, but she still walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Chengxi, what''s wrong? Why are you crying?"


    Gu Chengxi stiffened for a moment and turned his head with a smile. "Third sister-inw, it''s you."


    "Have you been bullied at home?"


    "No, no, I just..." Gu Chengxi stammered.


    Zhou Ying didn''t ask any more questions, but looking at his obviously thinned face, she still reminded him, "A crying child will get his milk, but you have to find the right person to cry to so that that person knows you''ve been wronged."


    Gu Chengxi looked at her in shock.


    Zhou Ying knocked his head and said, "Isn''t that right? Who would know if you were crying here? You might as well chop some wood to vent the anger inside you."


    After saying that, she turned around and walked toward the withered grass.


    Gu Chengxi raised his head and looked at her back thoughtfully. However, as children of a concubine, they were born half servants.


    Weren''t they the same in the past? So what if it was tough and tiring? No one would feel bad for them.


    No, he still had his mother. But he quickly shook his head; his mother''s life was even more difficult than his.


    What about his father and matriarch? It appears he needed to find someone toin to and think of a way. Otherwise, with his small body, he would copse from exhaustion sooner orter.


    Zhou Ying didn''t know what he was thinking, but she started cutting the grass seriously. However, she found a nest with more than ten wild eggs before she could harvest enough.


    She thought of Gu Chengxi''s small and thin face. She turned around and waved at him. "Chengxi,e here."


    Gu Chengxi was startled when he heard her calling him, but he still ran over and asked, "Third sister-inw, what''s wrong?"


    Zhou Ying pointed to the nest of wild eggs and said, "Since we''re both here, we''ll split these in half. Each person gets five."


    "You''re really giving it to me?" Gu Chengxi''s eyes lit up.


    Although he could eat his fill under the protection of his mother, he was really short on protein. There was no share for him of the eggs at home, so he was starving.


    Moreover, there was still his mother, who was eating worse than him, so he needed these eggs.


    "Of course, why else would I call you over? But whether you can eat it or not depends on your ability." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she picked out five big ones for him.


    Gu Chengxi calmed down after he took it from her. He was afraid that if he brought it to those people back home, he and his mother would not have a share.


    "Third sister-inw, can I cook it in your house before bringing it back?" she asked Zhou Ying.


    "Sure,e back to get it when you go back tonight.


    "However, if you want to eat by yourselves for the long run, you have to think of a way, such as roasting whatever you get. "After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she asked him to put the wild eggs in the basket.


    Gu Chengxi''s eyes brightened even more after hearing this. He nodded excitedly and said, "I understand."


    "Okay, but be careful. Also, you have to clean up your trail." After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she continued to cut the withered grass while Gu Chengxi turned around and happily went to gather firewood.

 Chapter 41 - 41 Repaying The Kindness

    41 Chapter 41 Repaying The Kindness


    A momentter, Zhou Ying finished harvesting a basket full of grass and went home.


    The sky had just turned dark, so she went straight to the kitchen, boiled the eggs, and left them to cool aside.


    Then, she made dinner. She made millet porridge, steamed ck bread, and shredded pork meat stir-fried with wild eggs.


    When she was almost done with her work, Gu Chengxi quietly walked in and sniffed. ¡°Third sister-inw, your cooking is still the best.¡±


    ¡°Then stay and eat with us before we go back.¡±


    !!


    ¡°If there¡¯s a chance in the future. I have to head back now, or else there won¡¯t be any food for me if I amte.¡±


    ¡°Alright, be careful on your way back.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took out five wild chicken eggs and handed them to him together with a steamed bun.¡± You¡¯ve been working hard the whole afternoon. Have this to line your stomach.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, third sister-inw. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± Gu Chengxi hesitated for a moment but still took it. Then, he bit into the steamed bun and left the kitchen.


    After he left, Gu Chengrui walked in and asked, ¡°Did my seventh brothere over just now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I prepared some food for him.¡± Zhou Ying said as she recapped the story of the little guy crying in secret in the afternoon and how she shared the wild chicken eggs with him.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s normal. How would a young master used to living like a prince stand the hard and poor life now?¡±


    ¡°If you can help, then do so in the future. But we have to limit the help we provide to prevent getting us in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s eat.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and began to scoop up a bowl of rice.


    After their meal, the sky waspletely dark. Gu Chengrui took out a money bag from the west room and handed it to her. ¡°Babe, this is the remaining money after buying the medicine we needed today. It¡¯s a total of eight taels and three coins.


    ¡°I still have 200 coppers here. 100 coppers for the chief¡¯s food, and the other 100 coppers for the furniture.¡±


    ¡°Rui, you should keep these 300 coppers as pocket money.¡± After Zhou Ying said that, she returned the money to him.


    ¡°Thank you, my wife.¡± Gu Chengrui took it with a smile.


    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s no need to rush the money for the furniture. I¡¯ve already told Uncle Tian that we¡¯ll settle the bill in one shot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll deliver the money for the food first.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, I also have to give out some fish. One is for the family patriarch, and the other is for the vige chief, to thank them for their help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Oh yeah, there are still quite a lot of desserts in the space. Let¡¯s give them two pounds each.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she disappeared.


    When she came out again, she had two bags of peach crisps and two bags of date cakes in her hands.


    Gu Chengrui took the bags of dessert and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the patriarch¡¯s house first. Be careful.¡±


    After saying that, he put the coins into the west room and went out with the snacks and fish.


    When he arrived at the patriarch¡¯s house, the family was eating dinner. When they saw himing in with some things in his hand, the patriarch immediately stood up and said straightly, ¡°Chengrui, what are you doing? Why did you bring something here?¡±


    Mrs. Wang also stood up and agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not easy for you two. Take them back to nourish your bodies and strive to have a child as soon as possible.¡±


    After saying that, Gu Chengrui set aside the items in his hand and said, ¡°Although I¡¯m not well off, I can still afford to show my respect to my elders.¡±


    He took out 100 coppers and said, ¡°Auntie, here¡¯s the money for the cabbage.¡±


    ¡°You are being too calctive,¡± Mrs. Wang said with a smile.


    ¡°Since I said that we were buying them, of course, I would pay.¡±


    ¡°As for the knitted goods that you gave us, I know that it¡¯s a weing gift. Naturally, I won¡¯t hesitate to receive them.¡±


    ¡°Not bad; you¡¯re well-mannered and polite. It seems that your studies weren¡¯t in vain all these years.¡± The n leader nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and eat together,¡± he offered.

 Chapter 42 - 42 Explanation

    42 Chapter 42 Exnation


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, uncle. I¡¯ve already eaten beforeing. You guys should hurry and eat your dinner.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he cupped his hands in a salute and turned to leave.


    Seeing this, the n leader apanied him out of the house and turned to Mrs. Wang, ¡°Keep and remember to store the fish well. Don¡¯t let the wild cat get it.¡±


    ¡°I know. This child sure has changed. If he didn¡¯t look exactly the same, I would have thought that he was a different person.¡±


    ¡°I heard that he passed the elementary schr¡¯s testst year, which shows that he¡¯s not stupid.


    ¡°His strange personality from before must have been from being unable to take the series of blows to his life and having his mind in a dark ce.


    !!


    ¡°In addition to the bullying from his family, he endured it until he couldn¡¯t and naturally had to change.


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t be worse, which means he¡¯s a determined person.¡± The n leader concluded.


    ¡°A reverse in personality after reaching an extreme?¡± Gu Chengsi asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Rather than saying it was just him, haven¡¯t you also been depressed ever since you were stripped of your position?


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we¡¯ve always let you have your way, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about the couple¡¯s life before.


    ¡°To be honest, I admire him for being able to survive.


    ¡°So, you must get out of your depression as soon as possible. The imperial examination is not the only path in this world.¡± After saying this in a serious tone, the n leader sat down and continued to eat.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui did not know that the n leader had made a series of exnations for his change. After he came out, he returned and again took the same gifts to the vige chief¡¯s house to thank him for their help.


    The next morning, Tian Jiawang rushed over with a shovel when the two had breakfast when the two were having breakfast.


    After the two of them finished their meals quickly, Gu Chengrui and Tian Jiawang started to get busy.


    Zhou Ying quickly went to the town and bought five pounds of pork shoulder. She called Sister Tian and her daughter over and used two pounds of meat and five cabbages to start making dumplings.


    Everyone had a good meal at noon, and Sister Tian helped out for the rest of the afternoon.


    It was not until after dark that the woodshed and toilet werepletely renovated.


    Zhou Ying asked them to stay for a big meal.


    After they were done with a whole day of work, Zhou Ying also found that, in addition to being frugal due to being poor, sister Tian was quite warm-hearted and did her job quickly and cleanly.


    Therefore, when she sent her off during the night, she asked, ¡°Sister Tian, when will you be free? Can you teach me how to make clothes and shoes?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow afternoon will do. I¡¯m free every afternoon.¡± Sister Tian said after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle to see you tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but I don¡¯t have spare cloths at home, so you have to bring them yourself.¡± After saying that, she turned around and brought the two children home.


    Next, Gu Chengrui took a ringing bell from the space and spread the news throughout the nearby viges that he would be avable to treat illnesses. When he was free after that, he went to the mountains with Tian Jiawang.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying bought another few water tanks, drilled some holes in them, and started growing bean sprouts. Whenever she had time, she would take some rolls of cloth to Sister Tian to learn how to make clothes and shoes.


    Of course, she would let them teach her for nothing. She would bring snacks for the two girls every time she went over.


    Since Gu Chengxi ate the wild chicken eggs and no longer had to go hungry at night, he became more and more daring. Every time he went up the mountain, he began to look for food to fill his stomach.


    In the blink of an eye, the first batch of bean sprouts had grown and could be sold.

 Chapter 43 - 43 Promoting Bean Sprouts

    43 Chapter 43 Promoting Bean Sprouts


    After breakfast, Gu Chengrui borrowed Tian Jiawang¡¯s cart and pushed the two pots of bean sprouts to town.


    When they arrived in town, Gu Chengrui pushed the bean sprouts directly to a restaurant not far from the pier.


    Zhou Ying looked at the red building not far from the restaurant and looked at Gu Chengrui in surprise. ¡°Are you sure you want to sell it to Hongyun Restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, when I went to town with you to sell the wild game, I had already inquired about it.


    ¡°Among the four restaurants in this town, only manager Liu of Hongyun restaurant gave the fairest and most trustworthy prices.


    !!


    ¡°The key was that Hongyun Restaurant is a chain restaurant, and there are rumors that there is a bigshot behind it.


    ¡°Even if the Qiao family finds out, they won¡¯t dare go too far.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished exining, he pushed the cart and turned it into a small alley.


    When they arrived at the back door of Hongyun restaurant, they saw a few other vendors in front of them delivering ingredients, so the two of them had no choice but to line up obediently.


    Soon, it was their turn. Gu Chengrui stepped forward and greeted the middle-aged man in a long robe. ¡°Manager Liu, Gu Chengrui is here with the bean sprouts we discussed.¡±


    Manager Liu was stunned for a moment. He turned his head, looked at him seriously, smiled, and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. I¡¯ll have to take a good look at the rare thing you spoke of.¡±


    After saying that, he walked to the front of the cart. Zhou Ying immediately lifted the wet cloth from the two water tanks and pointed at them. ¡°These are green bean sprouts, vegetables suitable for stir-frying.


    ¡°These are normal bean sprouts. Although they can also be stir-fried, they will taste better if they go with pork. Of course, they are also delicious with fish.¡±


    Manager Liu looked at Zhou Ying in surprise and asked, ¡°You must be Mrs. Gu. Can you cook all the dishes you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made them before. That¡¯s why I rmend them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then I wonder if I would be able to try your cooking?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please bring your things and follow me to the kitchen.¡± After Manager Liu finished speaking, he gave a few instructions to the waiter beside him and led them to the kitchen.


    He entered the kitchen. Because it was still early, there were only two kitchen helpers prepping vegetables inside.


    ¡°Please go out and wait for a while,¡± Manager Liu said to the helpers.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two assistants immediately put down their work and looked at the two of them curiously before turning to leave.


    Manager Liu turned around and looked at Zhou Ying expectantly, ¡°Mrs. Gu, you can take a look. If you need anything else, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Zhou Ying walked around the kitchen and found that the cooking skills of this era had developed well. At least themonly used spices wereplete.


    It was a pity that she was missing the main ingredient she would use today. The original her had it in her memory too. She turned to look at Manager Liu and asked, ¡°Manager Liu, do you have chili? It¡¯s as long as a finger, red in color, and tastes spicy.¡±


    Manager Liu was stunned for a moment before he said, ¡°You¡¯re talking about peppers, right? That thing is usually used in colder ces, so we don¡¯t eat much of it here.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to use it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    ¡°Then wait a moment.¡± After Manager Liu said that, he turned around and walked out. A momentter, he returned with a handful of chili and handed it to her. ¡°Is this enough?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sufficient.¡± After Zhou Ying took it, she hesitated momentarily and said, ¡°If you¡¯ve never eaten chili before, please wait outside. You¡¯ll choke when I¡¯m cooking.¡±


    ¡°Please do as you please.¡± Manager Liu turned around and left after that.


    Gu Chengrui knew her n, so when Manager Liu went out, he immediately picked up a carp and began to gut it.


    Zhou Ying prepared the bean sprouts she needed and then diced some meat forter use.

 Chapter 44 - 44 Taste Test

    44 Chapter 44 Taste Test


    Zhou Ying prepared all the ingredients she needed but couldn¡¯t find any numbing pepper, so she could only grab some more peppercorns forter use.


    After everything was prepared, Gu Chengrui¡¯s fish was also ready. Zhou Ying went forward to marinate the fish.


    She then asked Gu Chengrui to help keep the fire going while she started to cook.


    The first dish was green bean sprouts stir-fried with vinegar, followed by green bean sprouts stir-fried with chives, and yellow bean sprouts stir-fried with diced meat.


    After she finished filling the tes, she started to steam the fish.


    !!


    Because the peppercorns and chilies had to be fried in advance, half of the restaurant was instantly filled with a spicy fragrance, making others choke and cough.


    However, the smell was very inviting. Therefore, when Manager Liu smelled it, he couldn¡¯t wait to rush over, even though he was choking with tears and snot flowing out.


    Naturally, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui were choking on the spicy air. However, Gu Chengrui was used to spice, so he adapted to it quickly, and it lured out the hunger in his stomach.


    So after Zhou Ying finished ting them, Gu Chengrui pulled on her clothes and asked, ¡°Babe, shall we have steam fish for lunch?¡±


    Zhou Ying saw his face and nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go find a ce to buy fishter.¡±


    Afterward, he saw Manager Liu hiding at the door and sneezing non-stop. ¡°Manager Liu, it¡¯s all done. Do you want to try it while it¡¯s hot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. But let¡¯s talk in a private room. It¡¯s too choking here.¡± After saying that, Manager Liu turned around and left.


    He sneezed as he walked, looking very embarrassed.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui looked at each other. Then, the two took the four dishes and informed the servers watching to help them with the bowls and chopsticks. They soon followed Manager Liu into a private room on the second floor.


    After cing the dishes down, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui sat opposite him and smiled at Manager Liu.


    When Manager Liu saw this, he knew they were waiting for his reply after tasting it. However, when he saw the redyer of chili on the spicy steamed fish, he didn¡¯t dare to eat it and could only ask the waiter to help him taste it.


    As for himself, he taste-tested the other three dishes. Although the stir-fried yellow bean sprouts with diced meat dish were creative, they weren¡¯t particrly outstanding, so it was just a refreshing change of a meal.


    The stir-fried chives with bean sprouts were delicious, and his eyes lit up immediately.


    Thest dish was green bean sprouts with vinegar, which he had thought would be very pungent.


    He nodded and asked, ¡°Did Mrs. Gu put white vinegar in it?¡± He didn¡¯t expect that there would only be a faint spicy fragrance when it entered his mouth. The key point was that the faint vinegar allowed the green bean sprouts to be crisp and delicious.


    ¡°Manager Liu is undoubtedly a restaurant owner; you can tell with one bite.


    ¡°There are two reasons for adding white vinegar. One is that the color is clearer, and the other is that white vinegar has a simple taste and can improve the freshness of the vegetables.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°The ingredients used are right.¡± Manager Liu nodded in agreement and looked at the young man wearing a conflicted expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a dish? It¡¯s not that scary.¡±


    The waiter rolled his eyes secretly. If Manager Liu wasn¡¯t afraid, why wasn¡¯t he eating it?


    However, at the urging of Manager Liu, the waiter picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth.


    After a short while, his eyes lit up, tasting it earnestly. The fish meat didn¡¯t have any fishy taste but instead had a numbing spice.


    The most important thing was that it didn¡¯t affect the freshness and tenderness of the fish meat. It was simply the most delicious fish meat he had ever eaten.


    He couldn¡¯t help but pick up another piece and put it into his mouth, wolfing it down.


    Seeing this, Manager Liu knew that the dish¡¯s taste wasn¡¯t bad. After seeing that the waiter didn¡¯t react to the spice, he picked up a small piece of fish and put it in his mouth.

 Chapter 45 - 45 Selling Recipes

    45 Chapter 45 Selling Recipes


    Although the spicy taste was hard to ept when it first entered Manager Liu¡¯s mouth, he soon realized that the fish meat was fresh and delicious.


    With one mouthful, he felt that all the pores on his body had opened up, making him superfortable. The best thing was that it also whet his appetite.


    After eating two more fish pieces, he picked up the bean sprouts and put them in his mouth. This time, the bean sprouts had not only the fish¡¯s freshness but also a spicy taste. There was no fishy smell at all.


    Both husband and wife looked at Manager Liu¡¯s expression and knew he was delighted with the steamed fish and the vinegar-fried bean sprouts. At the very least they didn¡¯t have to worry about the sales of the bean sprouts.


    After eating two more pieces of fish, Manager Liu said to the young waiter, ¡°Bring them down and let everyone have a taste.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Yes.¡± The waiter tidied up the room and brought in a pot of tea.


    When Manager Liu saw this, he stood up and poured a cup of tea for the two of them. ¡°Mr. Gu, what¡¯s the price of your bean sprouts?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, bean sprouts are a new dish, so it¡¯s not appropriate to sell them at a low price at the beginning. Moreover, these bean sprouts can be sold for the whole winter, so they are one of the few greens avable in winter.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can supply it all winter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s a limited amount. Growing bean sprouts also requires heat, so it can only be done in-house.¡±


    Manager Liu pondered for a moment and offered, ¡°How about five coppers per pound?¡±


    ¡°Eight coppers.¡± Gu Chengrui raised his hand and countered.


    ¡°Eight coppers it is, but you can only supply Hongyun Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s not difficult to grow these bean sprouts, so other people will likely catch on to them very quickly. We¡¯ll re-discuss the price then.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Half a month. Half a month is enough. How about we change the price then?¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal then. Let¡¯s go over and weigh them.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    ¡°Wait, can I have the recipes for the four dishes¡­?¡± Manager Liu pointed at himself and looked at Zhou Ying hesitantly.


    Although he didn¡¯t like to eat heavy meals, many people had rich tastes, especially in the winter. He believed that once the spicy steamed fish wasunched, it would definitely sell very well.


    ¡°Oh, then I wonder how much is Manager Liu willing to pay?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously.


    To be honest, she didn¡¯t n to sell the recipe before. After all, she didn¡¯t think the recipe was a secret; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have gone up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs. However, since the business was being offered to her, she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to reject it.


    ¡°100 taels for four dishes.¡± Manager Liu hesitated for a moment before offering.


    ¡°Deal. Please prepare a piece of paper to write it down. Then, find a chef you can trust. I¡¯ll teach him step by stepter.¡± Zhou Ying replied readily.


    After all, the dishes contained no technicalities other than the steamed fish.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± After Manager Liu finished speaking, he turned around and went outside to get a pen and paper.


    Zhou Ying started to recite the recipe, and Manager Liu recorded it. Soon, he had written down the four recipes.


    In the end, Zhou Ying reminded him, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know about numbing peppers. It¡¯s a kind of green pepper with a strong numbing taste. The taste will be better if you change the peppercorn to numbing pepper.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I¡¯ve never really noticed them, and I¡¯ll try to look for themter. Let¡¯s go to the kitchen for now.¡± After Manager Liu finished speaking, he brought them down to weigh the bean sprouts, which totaled about fifty pounds.


    Manager Liu paid them a cheque worth a hundred silver and four copper coins.


    After waiting, a chef in his thirties walked in while humming a tune.


    Manager Liu beckoned him over and said, ¡°Mr. Zhou, I¡¯ve received four recipes today. You can learn them from Mrs. Gu.¡±


    After seeing Zhou Ying¡¯s young face, Chef Zhou showed a dubious look. However, looking at Manager Liu¡¯s serious expression, he finally nodded and took her into the kitchen.

 Chapter 46 - 46 Treatment

    46 Chapter 46 Treatment


    After they were done teaching Chef Zhou, the couple happily pushed the cart out the door. They first went to the bank to convert the check worth one hundred taels of silver into real silver and put it in the interspace.


    Then, Zhou Ying looked at Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rui. We¡¯re in luck today. We¡¯re going to be able to go shopping once.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go buy some clothes first.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at the patched sackcloth clothes on her body and said.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll also buy you a long robe. If you¡¯re going to treat patients, you can¡¯t be looking too shabby.¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    !!


    Gu Chengrui smiled and nodded. Then, the two of them walked toward a clothes shop.


    However, the two did not dare to be too eye-catching and only bought two sets of coarse cloth each.


    Lastly, they spent one silver on buying Gu Chengrui an ordinary satin robe. Afterward, they went to the grain store to buy more green beans and soybeans. Of course, the quantity was notrge, but it could be used as a cover.


    Not long after leaving the grain store, he saw Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao each carrying a bag of snacks. They walked over while talking andughing and quickly turned to go to the nearby jewelry store.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying said indignantly, ¡°These two people really have the same bad taste and are equally shameless.¡±


    ¡°What else could it be? When we left the capital, our rtives and friends sent us a lot of money, so our family wasn¡¯t supposed to be in such a problematic state as it seemed.


    ¡°It was just that there were not many wives who could tolerate the children of concubines.


    ¡°So when we split up, I told the patriarch that I wouldn¡¯t care for Mrs. Liu in her old age, and my so-called father also had nothing to say.¡±


    ¡°In this feudalistic society where filial piety is more important than the heavens, I can¡¯t believe you dare to say such treasonous words.¡± Zhou Ying tilted her head and whispered, but gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°That¡¯s because Mrs. Liu went too far.


    ¡°Moreover, she was promoted to wife from concubine. She shouldn¡¯t receive any gratitude for not raising my original body, nor did she teach me a single thing.


    ¡°Also, she has a son of her own, so why should we take care of her when she¡¯s old?¡±


    ¡°So, this is a pretty good oue.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Otherwise, our days wouldn¡¯t be so peaceful. Let¡¯s go; it¡¯s gettingte. I want to go home and eat that steamed fish.¡± Gu Chengrui pushed the cart and walked forward after saying that.


    Zhou Ying saw this and immediately rushed over.


    On the way, they ran into Qian Jiale, driving an ox cart.


    Just as Gu Chengrui was about to greet him, Qian Jiale jumped off the bullock cart and said, ¡°Chengrui, we¡¯re looking for you. Brother Jiaxing broke his leg when he was carrying wood.


    ¡°If you think you can treat it, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately let go of the cart in his hands and went forward to give Qian Jiaxing a thorough check. ¡°He¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a fracture in his calf bone. After bandaging it, he¡¯ll just need to take some anti-inmmatory medicine and rest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can treat it. Let¡¯s head back now.¡± After Qian Jiale said this, he looked at the cart and said, ¡°You guys head back in our cart; I¡¯ll push your cart back for you.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t mind if we do. Zhou Ying can help me when she goes back.¡± Gu Chengrui immediately turned the ox cart around and let Zhou Ying sit in it, and they immediately rushed to the vige.


    After returning home, Zhou Ying went into their house and tidied up the brick bed. After Gu Chengrui carried Qian Jiaxing to the brick bed, the two entered the west room.


    Then, Gu Chengrui requested Zhou Ying to bring out some anesthetic, many bandages, and two splints.


    Afterward, Zhou Ying went to the kitchen to get some hot water and handed it to Gu Chengrui. Then, she stuffed a clean bandage into Qian Jiaxing¡¯s mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue due to the pain.


    Gu Chengrui wrung a towel with hot water and waited until it was half-chilled before he cleaned Qian Jiaxing¡¯s leg and gave him some local anesthesia. Finally, Qian Jiale came over and helped put on the splint.

 Chapter 47 - 47 Instructions

    47 Chapter 47 Instructions


    After everything was done, Gu Chengrui brought a stool over and gently ced Qian Jiaxing¡¯s injured leg on it.


    Finally, he washed his hands and turned to Qian Jiale, sitting limply by the brick bed. ¡°Uncle Jiale, where are uncle Jiaxing¡¯s family members? Do you need me to give them some instructions on cleaning his wounds?¡±


    ¡°He should be here soon. He was injured on the mountain and I¡¯ve already sent someone to inform his family.¡±


    Just as Qian Jiale finished his words, a dog¡¯s bark came from outside, and Zhou Ying immediately turned around and headed out.


    !!


    When she went out, she saw a burly wild dog they had taken in, raising his tail and barking at the two men at the door. They were Qian Jiaxing¡¯s father and brother, the carpenter who had helped repair their roof.


    ¡°Er Zhuang, go back to the shed,¡± Zhou Ying immediately shouted.


    Although Er Zhuang didn¡¯t bark out again, he didn¡¯t intend to step aside. She had no choice but to walk over and pat him on the head. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯ll make you something deliciouster.¡±


    Er Zhuang lowered his head and whimpered twice. The dog turned around and ran into the small nest in the woodshed.


    Without waiting for Zhou Ying to speak, Mr. Qian¡¯s father asked, ¡°Ying, I heard that your uncle Xing is here for treatment. How¡¯s his injury?¡±


    ¡°Fourth Grandpa Qian, Uncle Jiaqiang, don¡¯t worry. Uncle Jiaxing¡¯s bone fracture will be healed in two to three months.¡± Zhou Ying said as she led them into the house.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Fourth Grandpa Qian heaved a sigh of relief.


    After entering the house, Gu Chengrui greeted them and brought them to the brick bed. ¡°Fourth Grandpa Qian, Uncle Jiaqiang, don¡¯t worry. Uncle Jiaxing¡¯s injuries are not severe.


    ¡°However, he has to take good care of himself for about a month, and it would be best if he didn¡¯t do any heavy work before the new year.


    ¡°Also, although the injury is not severe, it will still be very painful for the next three days. You have to take good care of him and don¡¯t let him get injured again.


    ¡°In addition, it¡¯s best not to walk for half a month.


    ¡°It¡¯s best to hang his leg as high as possible to reduce the pain and speed the recovery.¡±


    ¡°Does he need to take any medicine?¡± Fourth Grandpa Qian nodded and asked.


    ¡°Take some medicine for the first three days. It can stabilize the injury and reduce the pain at the same time.


    ¡°If he has a fever, remember to inform me.¡± Gu Chengrui said after he was done with the treatment. ¡°Have a seat, and I¡¯ll get the medicine now.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and went to the west room.


    Zhou Ying handed over two stools and said, ¡°Fourth Grandpa Qian, Uncle Jiaqiang, please take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Ying, you go and do your stuff. We will return after getting the medicine as there are still many things to do at home.¡± Fourth Grandpa Qian said.


    ¡°Sure. Then you guys can have a chat with Uncle Jiaxing.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and went to the kitchen.


    For lunch, they had steamed fish, which Er Zhuang couldn¡¯t eat. So, she went to the kitchen, took half a pound of minced meat from her interspace, and cooked a small bowl of meat porridge with crushed rice.


    At the same time, she took out a three-pound carp from her interspace, sliced it, and marinated it.


    When she was almost done, Gu Chengrui walked in and said, ¡°Babe, you¡¯re pretty fast.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. By the way, what else do you want to eat other than the steamed fish?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you to arrange. I¡¯ve been eating too clean during this period of time, so I¡¯m craving something rich.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you watch the fire. I¡¯ll get the ingredients ready.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took out a giant blue crab, about a pound in weight, and some crispy lotus roots from her interspace.


    After they were washed, the blue crab was steamed in the pot, and a dipping sauce was made by mixing purple peri leaf and ginger.


    After the crisp lotus roots were soaked in water, she stir-fried them with scallion, ginger, garlic, red pepper, salt, soy sauce, and white sugar.


    Finally, when the porridge was ready, she asked Gu Chengrui to bring the porridge to the shed and give it to Er Zhuang.


    Then, the two of them worked together to make the steamed fish.

 Chapter 48 - 48 Increase Volume

    48 Chapter 48 Increase Volume


    After setting up the table, the two of them looked at the dishes on the table and drooled. They had been here for half a month but had not had a good meal.


    Zhou Ying took out a bottle of red wine and said, ¡°Come on, Rui. Let¡¯s celebrate our new life today.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Oh, right, take out the eight crab legs for me. I¡¯m going to clean up the crab remains.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll eat the ready-made ones.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took out the crab¡¯s eight legs and handed them to him. Then, she found a bottle opener and popped the red wine open.


    Then, she took out a decanter and two wine sses.


    After they were done, the two clinked their sses with a smile, picked up their chopsticks, and ate eagerly.


    After the meal, both of them were so full that Zhou Ying felt dizzy. She was toozy to wash the dishes, so she simply put them into her interspace.


    Then, she thought of Er Zhuang¡¯s fierce look when he barked at their guests. She turned to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Rui, tie Er Zhuang up during the day in case someonees over. Don¡¯t let him bite someone.¡±


    ¡°This is indeed a problem. Later, I¡¯ll wedge a stake in the woodshed and let him guard the woodshed during the day. I¡¯ll let him free at night to watch our house.¡±


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying got up and made a pot of ck tea to drink. After their feelings of fooda subsided, the two started working on separate things.


    The following day, after sending the bean sprouts to Hongyun Restaurant, Gu Chengrui bought another batch of seven small water tanks. Their supply of bean sprouts could not meet the demand of Manager Liu, who had requested to double the amount.


    After Zhou Ying used an electric drill to drill holes in the water tank, she looked at the row of full water tanks. She turned to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Rui, we must dig up a ditch. Otherwise, moving so many water tanks back and forth every day is very tiring.


    ¡°Also, if we flush the water outside when it gets cold, the bean sprouts will probably freeze.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. But it¡¯s too troublesome to build a ditch. Why don¡¯t we make a small pond and build a pipe to let the water flow out? It¡¯ll also be more convenient to wash vegetables in the future.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and walked out after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Build a pond?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember we have a glue-like material in the interspace that can rece cement.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and began to pick beans to soak.


    Gu Chengrui took the opportunity to go to Qian Jiaxing¡¯s house. After confirming that he did not have a feverst night, he reminded them of a few things to take note of and did not pay any more attention to him.


    After returning, he went to the mountain with Zhou Ying and brought back a few stone bs. They quickly built a tform that was only half a meter high.


    He also used thick bamboo as a water pipe, which led directly to the sewer in the courtyard.


    The next morning, the two used it when they rewashed the bean sprouts. It was quite convenient, and they didn¡¯t even need to carry more water to wash their vegetables.


    Following that, as Gu Chengrui mended Qian Jiaxing¡¯s leg, more and more people came to see him for their illnesses.


    Zhou Ying also finished making four sets of clothes for them.


    One day, Zhou Ying saw the sun shining brightly outside, so she went up the mountain to chop some firewood.


    After all, the fire must not be put out with the bean sprouts around, or it would be troublesome if they froze.


    She didn¡¯t expect to see Sister Tian walking out with a basket as soon as she went out. Zhou Ying was amazed and asked, ¡°Sister Tian, are you going out?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that Sister Hua has hatched a new batch of chicks, so I¡¯m nning to take two of them. Sister Zhou, do you want some?¡± Sister Tian turned her head and offered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve never raised one before, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t keep it alive. Let¡¯s wait until spring when it¡¯s easier.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll go over then. We¡¯ll talkter.¡± After Sister Tian said that, she left in a hurry.


    As for Zhou Ying, she rushed up the mountain.

 Chapter 49 - 49 A New Source Of Wealth

    49 Chapter 49 A New Source Of Wealth


    Just as Zhou Ying reached the foot of the mountain, she heard someone calling her name. She had no choice but to stop and look in the direction of the voice. Then she saw Mrs. Bai waving a basket at her from a distance.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment, but she still trotted over and asked, ¡°Auntie, are you also going up the mountain?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to go up the mountain to look for pueraria. My mother likes to drink pueraria powder, and it¡¯s a kind thought to bring it back for the new year.¡± Mrs. Bai replied.


    ¡°The pueraria powder is sure a good thing. It can clear away heat, remove phlegm and stop coughing, and beautify the skin.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Granny Bai¡¯s health will improve after drinking them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I heard from the doctor that drinking some pueraria powder asionally is good for a woman¡¯s body. When my mother was young, she was a servant for arge family.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s not easy to buy it. Even if there is some for sale, it¡¯ll be bought by the big families, so we can only go into the mountains and look for it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Your filial piety ismendable. Let¡¯s go together then. At least we will be there for each other.¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    At the same time, she found a new way to make money. She had a lot of pueraria and pueraria powder in her interspace and could try to sell a batch of themter.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s going to be cold soon.¡± Mrs. Bai replied with a smile and lifted her legs to walk up the mountain.


    Zhou Ying saw this and immediately followed.


    However, Zhou Ying soon discovered that Mrs. Bai was not aimlessly searching but had an urate destination. She couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, ¡°Auntie, do you know where to find them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I found it near a spot herest year. I think there should be some nearby.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right; these medicinal herbs do grow in spots.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    After that, she didn¡¯t say anything more and just followed her.


    After crossing a mountain, the two arrived at another hill on the sunny side. Mrs. Bai stopped and said, ¡°I found it herest year. Let¡¯s look around the area; whoever finds it will have it.¡±


    She paused and looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°By the way, do you know what pueraria looks like?¡±


    ¡°I know the ones that are dug out. I¡¯ll try to look for them.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After that, the two separated and began to search all over the mountain fields. Soon, Mrs. Bai found one of them and showed it to Zhou Ying, and the two went separate ways again to look for more.


    Needless to say, there were lots of pueraria here. In a short time, Zhou Ying found two big roots. Just as she was feeling happy, she suddenly heard a scream from Mrs. Bai.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment and quickly looked for where the voice came from. When she saw Mrs. Bai sitting on the ground in a sorry state, she quickly went forward to help her up. ¡°Auntie, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just missed a step and fell. It hurts a little, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Mrs. Bai replied with a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a clean ce to sit for a while.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she helped her over to sit on a clean stone.


    After this, Zhou Ying also sat down beside her. She realized that Mrs. Bai had already found four, but they were not as big as hers.


    ¡°I heard that people have recently beening to Chengrui¡¯s ce to seek medical treatment?¡± asked Mrs. Bai.


    ¡°I was afraid that no one would have dared toe to our house if it hadn¡¯t been for the rmendation of Uncle Jiale and Uncle Jiaxing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also because Chengrui is capable. In the future, you will have a stable ie and no longer need to pick herbs on the mountain on a cold day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Otherwise, if it snowed, our livelihood would be over.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of snow, you should store more food at home. We have heavy snow here yearly, and it will be difficult to walk out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, auntie. I¡¯ll remember it.¡±

 Chapter 50 - 50 Being Lectured

    50 Chapter 50 Being Lectured


    The two of them chatted for a while before they got up and looked for more pueraria. It was not until the sun was about to set that the two of them supported each other and headed back to the vige.


    However, no matter how fast they rushed, the sky was already dark when they returned to the vige.


    When they were about to reach the vige entrance, they suddenly saw someone walking over with a torch.


    Before they could see who it was, they heard a series of dog barks. They saw Er Zhuang running over happily. He came to the front of the two and circled three times before stopping.


    ¡°What a young couple you two are,¡± Mrs. Bai teased with a smile. ¡°It seems that Chengrui hase to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Auntie, you only know how to tease me.¡± Zhou Ying pouted.


    At that time, Gu Chengrui also walked over. He was stunned when he saw Mrs. Bai and said, ¡°Auntie, so you guys were together. Just now, Tieniu was looking for you everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll have to hurry back.¡± After Mrs. Bai said that, she picked up her basket and jogged back.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying was relieved. At least she was not injured on the mountain. Then, she handed Gu Chengrui the pueraria tied with a rope and said, ¡°Rui, it¡¯s time to go home.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Chengrui took the pueraria, called on Er Zhuang, and they headed back home together.


    When they reached home, Zhou Ying prepared warm water and washed up, while Gu Chengrui went to the kitchen to te their food.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying stretched her back and was about to lie down when Gu Chengrui pulled her up and said, ¡°Don¡¯te back sote in the future. It¡¯ll be dangerous if you encounter a bad guy.¡±


    Zhou Ying, who thought she had dodged a bullet, immediately sat up and replied earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°The mountains here are much more dangerous than the mountains in modern times. Don¡¯t becent.¡± said Gu Chengrui helplessly as he tapped her nose.


    However, his eyes were filled with gentleness and worriedness.


    ¡°I definitely won¡¯t.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she leaned her head on his shoulder and said, ¡°By the way, I heard from Auntie Jiaxi that the wealthy families here like to drink pueraria powder. We seem to have quite a lot of it in our interspace. Let¡¯s sell a batch of themter.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of value, the silver ear nt sells the best. Thest time I went to doctor Luo¡¯s ce to sell medicine, I saw him sell two for one tael of silver.¡±


    ¡°That expensive?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the growing environment of the silver ear is rtively harsh. The main point is that there is no artificial cultivation here, so that¡¯s why it¡¯s expensive. Unfortunately, our city does not produce silver ears.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the interspace is a treasure mountain.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but no matter what we sell, there must be a limit. After all, the production of wild herbs is limited.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so sleepy?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at her face and turned to ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but my waist feels ufortable. My stomach feels cold too.¡± Zhou Ying paused and said, ¡°Oh no, maybe I¡¯m about to get my period?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 80% confident. Take a hot shower in the interspace, and I¡¯ll make you a bowl of grass herb drink.¡± Gu Chengrui said as he turned around and walked toward the west room.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying turned around and took off her coat. She got the bed ready, entered her interspace, and took a hot bath in her bathtub. When her hair was almost dry, she put on her pajamas and went out of the space.


    When she came out, Gu Chengrui had already boiled the medicine and was sitting in front of the bedside table, reading a book.


    When he saw here out, he pointed at the medicine and said, ¡°Drink it quickly. After you drink it, go to bed and rest. I¡¯ll do all the work inside the interspace.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. She picked up the medicine, tried it, and found it almost chilled. She downed it and asked, ¡°When will you enter the space?¡±

 Chapter 51 - 51 Advice

    51 Chapter 51 Advice


    ¡°I will finish this chapter before entering,¡± said Gu Chengrui as he lowered his head and continued reading.


    Zhou Ying saw this, and she took a tablemp out of her interspace, reced the oilmp in front of him, and then closed the red curtains on their windows.


    This way, no one would notice the abnormality of their lights.


    About an hourter, Gu Chengrui put the book in his hand down and said, ¡°Babe, you should rest. Send me in.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhou Ying responded, took his hand, and sent him into her interspace.


    When she came out, she looked at the booklet on the table curiously, wondering if she had be illiterate after transmigrating.


    When she saw the old words and characters on it, she finally heaved a sigh of relief. At least she could recognize 70% to 80% of it.


    Then, she found it was a history book, so she got under her nket and read it with curiosity.


    However, she quickly realized that it was not a proper history book but a brief history snippet written by a person. It was just what she wanted, so she began to read it.


    After two hours, she finally finished reading it, and she realized that this continent was utterly unfamiliar to her. The Ming Dynasty had no connection with the Ming Dynasty in their original world.


    The only simrity was that, because of the rtive richness of thend, enemies on all sides surrounded them, and there would berge and small battles every year.


    The location of Dongyang Prefecture was simr to that of Shandong, the ce they were in. The only difference was that Dongyang had more mountains and rivers and was more prosperous.


    Then, she put the book back in its original ce and went into the interspace to boil a pot of water for herself, nning to make two cups of milk.


    Then, she looked outside and saw that Gu Chengrui was already drying the herbs. She walked over and said, ¡°Rui, do you need any help?¡±


    ¡°Why did youe in? Is your waist still ufortable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still a little sore, but it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°I can finish this little work very quickly. Why don¡¯t you go and cook something to eat? We can go to sleep after a small bite.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. Zhou Ying responded and turned back to the vi. Just as she was about to cook some small wontons to eat, she suddenly felt difort and immediately took a sanitary towel to the toilet.


    When she came out again, she felt her back was sorer than ever, with her stomach ufortable. Soon, she was covered in a cold sweat.


    This was new to her, as she always had smooth-sailing periods in her past life.


    She just sat at the side and started to cook the wontons.


    Gu Chengrui returned from work and saw her head full of cold sweat. He quickly washed his hands and came over. ¡°Babe, are you feeling ufortable?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s already here.¡± Zhou Ying replied absent-mindedly.


    ¡°Give me your hand,¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he grabbed her left hand, took her pulse, and checked her right hand as well.


    Finally, he wiped her sweat and said, ¡°Your body is still young, and your period is unstable. In addition, you still have a slight cold, so that is why you feel so ufortable.


    ¡°You¡¯ll feel better next month if you take a few more doses of cold medicine.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not allowed to eat ice cream because it¡¯s cold, and try not to eat oily and spicy food.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°What? If you don¡¯t listen, you¡¯ll suffer the next time you have your period.¡±


    Zhou Ying immediately shut her mouth after hearing that. After all, she didn¡¯t want to experience the feeling she had now again.


    Afterward, Zhou Ying drank a cup of milk, and Gu Chengrui ate a bowl of wonton. The two of them went out of her interspace to sleep after they were filled.


    However, once Zhou Yingy down, she felt ufortable no matter her position. Her waist was in such difort that it might well be broken, and she couldn¡¯t sleep at all.


    Gu Chengrui saw that, but there was nothing he could do. She was on a period, and he could not give her any drugs for this. He could only reach out and gently rub her stomach.

 Chapter 52 - 52 House Call

    52 Chapter 52 House Call


    Although Zhou Ying didn¡¯t feel the slightest relief, she didn¡¯t dare to move again. Otherwise, neither of them would be able to get up tomorrow.


    Sure enough, Gu Chengrui fell asleep soon after she quieted down.


    However, Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t sleep. She tossed and turned for half the night and changed her sanitary napkin twice. She didn¡¯t fall asleep until it was almost dawn.


    When she woke up the next day, the sun had already risen. She could hear running water outside and knew he was tending to the bean sprouts.


    Then, she quickly went into her interspace to wash up, came out, put on her clothes, and went to the kitchen. She took water from her interspace and washed the bean sprouts with him.


    After they were done, Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, right? Your eye bags are heavy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I never thought that menstruating could be so torturous.¡±


    ¡°I can only say that you were lucky in your past life. So, you must be more careful from now on, understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Zhou Ying was persuaded this time.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made red date millet porridge. You can take out some bok choy and stir-fry them, and it¡¯ll go well with the steamed buns.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Zhou Ying took out the things he had mentioned, then sat aside and started a fire.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui borrowed a small cart and was about to go to town to deliver the bean sprouts when a woman suddenly ran in, causing Er Zhuang to bark loudly. The woman immediately retreated in fear.


    Zhou Ying quickly stepped forward to stop him and asked the woman, ¡°Hi, is there something you need?¡±


    ¡°My, my husband went hunting in the mountains and was bumped by a wild boar. I¡¯m here to ask Doctor Gu for help.¡± The woman patted her chest in fear.


    ¡°How are his injuries?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but there¡¯s a cut on his stomach, and his intestines seemed to be flowing out.¡±


    Gu Chengrui replied, after a moment of hesitation, ¡°That¡¯s very serious. I¡¯m only 30% confident in treating him, so why don¡¯t you go to the town and get a doctor.¡±


    Such a severe injury could only be sutured. More importantly, it might still not be enough to save the patient.


    However, no suturing technique was learned in the original Gu Chengrui¡¯s memory, so even if he wanted to make a move, he had to get their guarantee. Otherwise, if something really happened, he would be unable to bear the responsibility.


    The woman¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°No, no, my husband was dragged back from the town. Let alone 30%, even a 10% chance is fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say the worst case is that I can¡¯t guarantee anything.¡±


    ¡°I know. Do treat him as long as there¡¯s a chance.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wait a moment. I¡¯ll go pack my medicine box.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he nced at Zhou Ying, and they walked into the house together.


    When the woman saw this, she immediately retreated to the door and began to walk around uneasily.


    After Zhou Ying entered the house, she immediately took out the first aid box from their previous life and handed it to him.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he only took out a suture needle, strings made from animal guts, a silver needle, a bottle of iodophor, and cotton. He did not take out anything else.


    Then, he looked at Zhou Ying.¡±You look for Brother Tianter and ask him to send the bean sprouts over. You don¡¯t have to go.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After he left, she put away the first aid kit. However, she did not intend to trouble Tian Jiawang. Instead, she locked the door and pulled the cart to town.


    However, she regretted it halfway through. At first, she didn¡¯t think much of it, but the long distance was sure to be tiring physical work. This also gave her the idea of buying an animal to pull their cart.


    Manager Liu, waiting at the town¡¯s entrance, was stunned when he saw her from afar. He immediately went up to her and asked, ¡°Mrs. Gu, why are you the one here to deliver the goods today?¡±


    ¡°My husband had an emergency, so I had toe. I hope I didn¡¯t dy your business?¡± Zhou Ying raised her head and asked with a dry smile.

 Chapter 53 - 53 Take On The Job

    53 Chapter 53 Take On The Job


    ¡°I see. Let me take over it since you¡¯re sweating heavily.¡± After saying that, Manager Liu went forward and took the cart.


    Zhou Ying epted his offer after hearing this, as her waist was really sore.


    After the two arrived at the restaurant, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t even take the money and ran straight to the bathroom.


    When she came out, she saw Chef Zhou scolding a waiter with a gloomy face.


    Zhou Ying listened for a while and knew that the quality of the tofu was too poor. She went up to look and found it was still okay. It was just that the filtering wasn¡¯t done well, and the taste would be off.


    Chef Zhou didn¡¯t have the mood to continue scolding when he saw Zhou Ying. Instead, he said, ¡°Alright, go to the market and see if you can buy good tofu.


    ¡°Also, remember to tell Mr. Zhang that if something simr happens again in the future, our restaurant will no longer use his tofu.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Mr. Zhang is not here anymore. His nephew sent over this tofu.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone. How?¡±


    ¡°I heard that he fell in his yard at dawn. It was toote when anyone else realized that, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s change to another store in the future?¡±


    ¡°Can I take over?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    She asked because there was nothing to do at home besides washing those bean sprouts. She could kill time if she took over making their tofu, and it didn¡¯t matter how much she could profit from this.


    Chef Zhou looked at her in surprise and asked, ¡°Then tell me why I don¡¯t want this tofu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because the filtering process is too sloppy, and it¡¯s a little overcooked. It will make the tofu hard and rough, which will affect the taste.¡±


    Chef Zhou nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Then make one for me to try tomorrow. I¡¯ll let you take over the work if it¡¯s good.¡±


    At this point, he handed her the money bag in his hand and said, ¡°Oh right, this is the money for the bean sprouts. Also, Manager Liu wanted me to pass you a message. He wants you to deliver the vegetables earlier if possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to your work then.¡± Zhou Ying took the money bag, nodded, then turned around and pushed the small cart out.


    After leaving Hongyun Restaurant, Zhou Ying went straight back. On the way, she bought a pound of salted pork from the grocery store. When she saw someone selling dried preserved vegetables, she purchased two pounds of them and nned to make some steamed porkter.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui followed the woman to her house and found out they were of the same n and had the surname Gu. However, they were almost five times removed and distant rtives at best.


    He greeted the people guarding the door and went straight into the patient¡¯s room. After carefully examining the injured man, he found that although the injury was severe, it was not fatal.


    It was just that he had lost too much blood, and it looked scary. He had to be treated as soon as possible, or he would die of blood loss.


    He retreated and said, ¡°I¡¯ll say the same thing. I¡¯m only 30% confident. If you want me to proceed, I will try my best, but if¡­ just don¡¯t me me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, please treat him as long as there¡¯s a glimmer of hope.¡± The woman hurriedly nodded.


    ¡°How much silver do you need?¡± A middle-aged man asked worriedly.


    ¡°We¡¯re from the same n, so the treatment fee is free, but you¡¯ll have to pay for the medicine.¡± After saying this, Gu Chengrui pondered for a moment and said, ¡± If everything goes well, one tael of silver will be enough. Of course, you¡¯ll still have to buy more medicine for his recovery.¡±


    ¡°We are in debt to you, Chengrui. We¡¯ll proceed with the treatment.¡± The older man sitting in the middle, who had been frowning, spoke.


    ¡°Alright, get me a pot of boiled water as soon as possible. Remember to wash the pot clean and not leave a single oil stain in it.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he asked for an oilmp and entered the room to stop the bleeding with his silver needles.

 Chapter 54 - 54 Treatment

    54 Chapter 54 Treatment


    After the hot water was ready, Gu Chengrui carefully cleaned the external part of the wound.


    After cleaning up, he carefully treated the wound with iodophor. After repeatedly checking to ensure that there was no dirt left, he used his silver needles to stimte the patient¡¯s acupoints to achieve the effect of local paralysis.


    He got two men toe in and hold the patient down. Then, under the dumbfounded gazes of everyone, the wound was quickly and carefully stitched together.


    After he was done, he sat at the side and said, ¡°You can cover the patient with a nket now. Remember, the nket must be clean. It¡¯s best if it has been exposed to the sun, or it¡¯ll be easy to get the wound infected.¡±


    ¡°We know about this. We just hung the nket to dry.¡± One of the men said. Then, he went and brought a new nket over.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui took a pen and paper from his medicine box and wrote down a prescription. ¡°Go to Luo¡¯s Pharmacy to get some medicine as mine isn¡¯tplete.¡±


    After speaking, he handed the prescription to one of them and gave a few more instructions to the people present. After chatting for a while, he turned around and walked out.


    At the same time, he also understood that this family¡¯s seniority was the highest in the Gu n. Although the older man from before was about the same age as the patriarch, he was one generation older.


    Even the patriarch respectfully addressed him as his ninth uncle, while Gu Chengrui addressed him as his ninth grandpa.


    He had to address the injured patient as his thirteenth uncle.


    When he reached the house door, he saw Zhou Yinging back with a small cart. His face suddenly turned dark, but he didn¡¯t lose his temper. Instead, he took the small cart and returned it to the Tian family.


    When the two of them returned home, Gu Chengrui helped her to her seat and said, ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch? I¡¯ll make it.¡±


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t reject his offer. She took a piece of tofu and half a pound of pork from her interspace and said, ¡°You can make anything you like. There are still a few steamed buns in the interspace, and it¡¯s enough for us to eat.¡±


    Gu Chengrui took the two ingredients and turned to leave. Zhou Yingy t on the brick bed, and suddenly her waist felt much better.


    Honestly, she had never thought lying t on a hard surface would be sofortable. It seemed that she would have to be more careful in the future.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui that she had epted the tofu business.


    Gu Chengrui frowned.¡±There are three hardships in life. Riding a boat, forging iron, and selling tofu.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯tck money, so I think we should just forget it.


    ¡°Besides, I suspect that the old-fashioned tofu mentioned by Chef Zhou needs to be ground with a stone mill. It¡¯s definitely not possible to use a fully automatic one.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just give it a try. We¡¯ll see if we can take it or not. Anyway, it¡¯s not a big deal to make two tes of tofu a day.¡± Zhou Ying suggested.


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s a mill in the vige. I¡¯ll go and buy er.¡± Gu Chengrui answered.


    ¡°By the way, should we buy a donkey or a cow? It¡¯s too tiring to pull a cart to town every day.¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a big fair tomorrow. Let¡¯s go to town and see if there¡¯s anything for sale.¡± Gu Chengrui thought of his thirteen uncle¡¯s condition and asked her for a few more tablets of fever medicine and anti-inmmatory medicine.


    Then, he went out to buy a stone mill and brought it back. He then took the first aid box and hurried out the door.


    As soon as he left, Mrs. Bai came to their house again, wanting to dig for more pueraria roots, but Zhou Ying declined by saying that she was not feeling well.


    After she left, Zhou Ying took out 20 pounds of soybeans and weeded the bad ones. After that, she washed them twice and soaked them in a bucket.


    After dinner, Gu Chengrui was worried about his thirteenth uncle, so he had to go there again.


    Zhou Ying freed Er Zhuang and went straight into her interspace. She then collected the ripe fruits, eggs, and duck eggs.


    After she was done, she ate a big apple, went out to light the fire, and went back to her interspace to sleep.

 Chapter 55 - 55 Buy A Donkey

    55 Chapter 55 Buy A Donkey


    Zhou Ying woke up early the following day. After washing the bean sprouts, she started the stone mill to grind the beans.


    However, just as she set it up, Gu Chengrui rushed back to take it and said, ¡°Leave this to me. Go back and sleep for a while before you catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I slept in the interspacest night and feel much better now.¡± Zhou Ying said this, then changed the topic, asking, ¡°Oh right, what¡¯s the situation? Is he better now?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I gave him a special anti-inmmatory pill before bedst night. Otherwise, he would have been in danger.


    ¡°But when I went back, he was already stable. I¡¯ll take a look when Ie back from town. If the fever doesn¡¯te back, he should be fine.¡± Gu Chengrui said as he started to push the mill.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t say anything after hearing that. Instead, she took a spoon and began to scoop up the beans.


    However, ording to Chef Zhou¡¯s request, she only managed to make one te of tofu. After boiling the soy milk, she skimmed it to make a few pieces of dried yuba, and the rest was pressed into dried beans.


    After everything, there were two bowls of soy milk left. Zhou Ying took a bag of half-finished deep-fried dough sticks from her interspace, fried them, and the two had a warm breakfast.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying marinated the dried tofu and stamped out the firece. She went to town with Gu Chengrui to see if the tofu could pass the chef¡¯s test and buy a donkey cart.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s tofu-making skills were quite good, so Chef Zhou happily handed the work to them and ordered two tes of tofu daily.


    However, the price was one copper cheaper than the outside, four coppers for one pound. Fortunately, the couple were satisfied as they didn¡¯t have to peddle their goods.


    After leaving Hongyun Restaurant, the two went to the market and bought 10 pounds of ribs. Then they went to the livestock market.


    As soon as she entered, a man in his 20s approached her and asked, ¡°Do the two of you want to buy an ox? An ox that came of age two years ago only cost fifteen taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°A yellow ox?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a yellow ox. We can¡¯t raise buffaloes with the weather here.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a donkey or mule?¡±


    The man¡¯s enthusiasm immediately dropped, but he said, ¡°There¡¯s a donkey. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    After speaking, he brought the two of them to a corner. When he arrived, he said to the old man feeding a donkey, ¡°Uncle Sun, I¡¯ve brought you someone looking for donkeys.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you, Erzi. I¡¯ll treat you to beef noodles for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± After the man finished speaking, he pointed at Gu Chengrui and his wife, then turned and left.


    Gu Chengrui nodded at Uncle Sun and observed the three donkeys in front of him. Finally, he chose the one on the far left and went forward to check the donkey¡¯s mouthpart. After confirming that it was younger than two years old, he asked, ¡°Uncle Sun, how much are you selling this donkey for?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to know your stuff. To be honest, this donkey has just been bought. It has juste of age and is fat and strong. If you want it, it¡¯ll cost ten taels of silver, but I¡¯ll give you an elmwood cart to go with it.¡± Uncle Sun indicated a direction after he finished speaking.


    Gu Chengrui turned his head and saw a brand new donkey cart.


    He walked up and took a look. Besides the wheels being made of wood, he was satisfied with everything else. Even the saddle was fitted.


    ¡°Then do you have a whip? Give me one, and it¡¯ll save me the trouble of making it.¡±


    ¡°The whip is not a problem. I¡¯ll give you one.¡± Uncle Sun pulled a whip from the side and threw it to him.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gu Chengrui took it and thanked him.


    After that, he looked at Zhou Ying. Zhou Ying handed over five taels of whole silver with a pained expression, and the other five taels consisted of broken silver and copper coins.

 Chapter 56 - 56 Seeking Advice

    56 Chapter 56 Seeking Advice


    After settling the bill, Uncle Sun taught Gu Chengrui how to set up the cart and drive it. The two lifted their small cart onto the donkey cart and went home.


    When Zhou Ying returned the cart, she took five pounds of pork ribs and handed them to Sister Tian. ¡°Sister Tian, give these ribs to Da Hua and Er Hua to improve their diets.¡±


    ¡°How can we ¡­¡± Sister Tian wanted to decline, but Zhou Ying stopped her and said, ¡°Sister Tian, you don¡¯t have to be so polite with us. We¡¯re neighbors, and you¡¯ve helped us a lot. Please take it.¡±


    Sister Tian replied, ¡°Oh, then don¡¯t hesitate if you need us for something.¡±


    !!


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and was about to return when she saw Sister Tian¡¯s face full of hesitation. She paused and asked, ¡°Sister Tian, is there anything you need? Just let us know. If it¡¯s within our means, we will definitely help.¡±


    ¡°Did your family buy a donkey cart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s embarrassing to borrow your cart every day.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys earn a lot of money by selling bean sprouts?¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright, but the money for buying the donkey is mainly from picking herbs.


    ¡°However, I can teach you if you want to learn how to grow bean sprouts.


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t sell them to a restaurant, the price of this new vegetable will not be low in the market.¡±


    Tian Dahua¡¯s eyes brightened up. She felt that her return with her kids had dragged down her brother. If they could have a stable ie, they could move out and let their brother quickly marry another wife.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back and discuss it with my brother before making a decision.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you cane over at any time.¡± Zhou Ying assured her before turning around and heading home.


    In the afternoon, Tian Jiaxing¡¯s family sent over the remaining furniture and an additional single bed, saying it was for Gu Chengrui to use as a patient bed.


    Before dinner, Gu Chengrui was about to lock the door and let the dog out when he saw the Tian siblings walking over.


    Gu Chengrui paused for a moment before warmly weing them into the house.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying heard themotion outside and immediately nced at the dishes on their dining table. There was braised tofu, pork ribs, fried cabbage, and rice. After confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary, she got up and went out to wee them.


    ¡°You guys are having dinner? Why don¡¯t wee backter?¡± Sister Tian looked at the food on the table and smiled awkwardly before getting ready to leave.


    Zhou Ying quickly stopped her. ¡°No, you came at the right time. Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    ¡°No, no, we¡¯ve already eaten beforeing here. Besides, we also had pork ribs for dinner.¡± Sister Tian shook her head and said.


    ¡°Yeah, you guys eat. We¡¯ll just sit at the side and wait.¡± Tian Jiawang replied.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying went to the kitchen and brought back two pairs of bowls and chopsticks. She also gave each of them a small bowl of braised ribs and braised dried tofu. ¡°Do try the pork ribs and dried tofu that I made.¡±


    ¡°This, well, don¡¯t mind if we do.¡± Tian Jiawang smelled the rich meat fragrance and finally couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and took it.


    When Sister Tian saw this, she also epted it. However, she only tasted a bite and gave most of it to Tian Jiawang.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying immediately returned to their seats and quickly ate.


    After they finished eating, Tian Jiawang asked curiously, ¡°Sister Zhou, what is this red thing made of? It doesn¡¯t taste any different than meat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dried tofu. It¡¯s made of soybeans, but it¡¯s been pressed and stewed with spices.¡± Zhou Ying replied as she cleaned up the dishes.


    After saying that, she took the bowl and chopsticks and went to the kitchen.

 Chapter 57 - 57 Teaching The Techniques

    57 Chapter 57 Teaching The Techniques


    After she left, Gu Chengrui remembered that Zhou Ying had previously mentioned that Sister Tian wanted to learn how to grow bean sprouts. He looked at the Tian siblings and said, ¡°Brother Tian, Sister Tian, you¡¯re here for the bean sprout, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about bean sprouts, but not about growing them. I want to take some of your stock from you and sell it in the market.¡± Tian Jiawang quickly replied.


    All these recipes were family secrets, and he didn¡¯t want to pry into them. How else would they get along in the future?


    Gu Chengrui was astounded for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint you then. Our kitchen has limited space, and it¡¯s already difficult to provide the bean sprouts for Hongyun Restaurant, so you should grow them yourself.¡±


    !!


    ¡°This, how can I ept this?¡± Tian Jiawang waved his hand and said.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about. After all, growing bean sprouts can be figured out with a bit of thought.


    ¡°The first step is to pick out the beans that could germinate, soak them for ten hours, then put them in a container with water leaking at the bottom and cover them with a wet cloth. After that, you just have to flush them with water every morning and night.


    ¡°You need to pay attention to the time when you soak the beans. Eight hours in spring and autumn is enough, and ten hours minimum in winter. To put it bluntly, it is to ensure that the beans have enough water.


    ¡°Also, the water used every day must not be too cold, or the beans will freeze.


    ¡°Oh right, there¡¯s also the temperature. The room can¡¯t be too cold, or the bean sprout will grow very slowly.¡±


    ¡°A leaking container?¡± Sister Tian asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, like a broken pot, bucket, or even a woven basket. As long as the beans are always wet, it will be fine.


    ¡°Of course, good ones are fine too, but flushing the beans is a little troublesome.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he saw the two looking thoughtful. He stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll remember everything I said here. Let¡¯s go to the kitchen and take a look. It¡¯s time to water the bean sprouts.¡±


    He brought the two to the kitchen and exined it to them after getting some water to demonstrate it to them. After they were done, he said, ¡°Just like this. It¡¯s not difficult, just a bit of effort.¡±


    ¡°Your stove fire has to stay on the whole day?¡± Sister Tian asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It can¡¯t be extinguished at all, especially at night. That¡¯s why we only open half of the air vent near our brick bed.


    ¡°This is also why we can¡¯t grow bean sprouts inrge numbers.¡±


    The siblings understood the workings and went home after sitting for another short while.


    On the other hand, at the Gu family¡¯s residence, after dinner, everyone was about to leave when Mrs. Liu suddenly said, ¡°I heard from Aunt Liu next door that Chengrui bought a donkey cart. Did any of you see it? Is it true?¡±


    Second uncle Gu said, ¡°It seems to be true. I also heard Chengrui would push two urns to town every day after breakfast and bring them back when he returned. But, I don¡¯t know what they are doing.¡±


    ¡°Xi, do you know what they are doing?¡± he asked Gu Chengxi.


    Gu Chengxi raised his head. ¡°Chengrui hasn¡¯t been going up the mountain much recently, so I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    He thought, ¡°Even if I knew, I wouldn¡¯t tell you. Since you¡¯ve already chased them out, you shouldn¡¯t disturb them.¡±


    ¡°It seems the couple has earned at least twenty taels of silver during this time. Otherwise, they could not afford to buy a donkey cart.¡± Mrs. Yao said unhappily.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. They¡¯ve already split up, and it¡¯s a good thing that they can earn their living. You can think of more ways to earn money if you¡¯re jealous.¡± Mrs. Qiao unhappily rolled her eyes at her. After saying this, she got up and returned to the east side of the house.


    ¡°Go and do what you should be doing.¡± Father Gu got up and returned to his room after he finished speaking.

 Chapter 58 - 58 Persuasion

    58 Chapter 58 Persuasion


    When Mrs. Liu saw this, she immediately followed up and said excitedly, ¡°Darling, since Chengrui earned so much money, do you think we should go and ask them to pay their dues?¡±


    ¡°Filial piety dues? Did you give them a house ornd? Besides, I¡¯m not old enough that I can¡¯t walk.¡± Father Gu turned his head and replied in an unpleasant tone. He flicked his sleeves and went directly to one of his concubines, Mrs. Guo.


    ¡°What do you mean? They¡­¡± Mrs. Liu said indignantly, but before she could finish her words, she saw Father Gu enter Mrs. Guo¡¯s room, and she was so angry that she snorted hot air.


    ¡°Mother, you should know better than me how Chengrui left the family.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t have any ideas about Chengrui in the future. Otherwise, you will likely hit the ho¡¯s nest instead of getting the honey you want, causing more trouble than it¡¯s worth.


    ¡°Besides, Chengrui knows medical skills. We might need him in the future, so it¡¯s better not to make things too ugly between us.¡±


    The second son, Gu Chengye, walked in and continued, ¡°Otherwise, if father¡¯s affection for you is gone, our days here will be difficult.¡±


    ¡°How could that be? Your father and I were childhood sweethearts. All these years, he has never left me.¡± Mrs. Liu said indifferently.


    ¡°You, too, know that it¡¯s been so many years, but don¡¯t forget that no matter how deep a rtionship is, it will fade.


    ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten the once-famous Mrs. Qiu. She was born an actress, deeply loved by father, and even you had to give in to her.


    ¡°But she was still left behind when we left the capital.


    ¡°Even though the existence of us siblings can protect your position, we can¡¯t protect father¡¯s feelings for you.¡± Gu Chengye reminded her.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Your father doesn¡¯t like Chengrui and his wife. Why would he fall out with me for them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he doesn¡¯t like Chengrui, but father loves his dignity, especially in front of the patriarch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that he was the number one person in the n a few years ago and was the subject of others¡¯ ttery. His calls would always be heard, and he would always be in a glorious state of mind.


    ¡°But aftering back, he had to ask for the patriarch¡¯s help, especially for the hundred acres ofnd and the official job for me and big brother.


    ¡°When Chengrui was chased out, he didn¡¯t get any of the family¡¯s assets and lost even more face before the patriarch.


    ¡°Now that the patriarch and Chengrui¡¯s rtionship is getting closer and closer, do you think father will be happy about that?


    ¡°If you ask father to go over to demand Chengrui for money, not only will he lose face before Chengrui, but would father have any more dignity if the patriarch hears about it?


    ¡°Moreover, I¡¯ve seen the family separation agreement. It clearly states that since Chengrui isn¡¯t getting any of the family assets, he¡¯s not responsible for father¡¯s retirement.


    ¡°However, they will pay for father¡¯s medical expenses ording to the vige¡¯s rules.¡±


    Of course, what Gu Chengye didn¡¯t say was that it indicated that it didn¡¯t include Mrs. Liu.


    But he wasn¡¯t afraid of this. After all, the family property of the first household would all belong to Gu Chengye. If he couldn¡¯t afford to care for his mother, others would look down upon him.


    After Mrs. Liu heard it, her anger subsided a little, but she still said, ¡°He¡¯s also his son. Why shouldn¡¯t he take care of his parents?¡±


    Gu Chengye saw that she was still not listening and immediately said impatiently, ¡°Although a concubine¡¯s son¡¯s share of the family property is small, he is supposed to get 30%. But when he split up with us, he only took two sets of clothes and an old quilt.


    ¡°Forget about him. I wouldn¡¯t have given any money, either, if it were me.¡±


    After Mrs. Liu heard it, she looked at him with a startled expression. Seeing his firm eyes, she didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.


    Gu Chengye didn¡¯t want to say it like this. After all, everything his mother did was for him.


    After that, he helped her to sit down and said, ¡°Mother, now that Chengrui has been separated, there¡¯s no one to fight with me for the family inheritance. So, you should return to your previous attitude toward the family. Otherwise, father might stay away from you.¡±

 Chapter 59 - 59 Regretting Their Actions

    59 Chapter 59 Regretting Their Actions


    After Mrs. Liu heard this, she turned her head and looked at him. Although she didn¡¯t say anything, she gradually calmed down and reflected on her life after returning.


    Since she was promoted to wife, their life as a couple seemed to have remained the same. Her husband had always respected her, but because of some disagreements, he reduced the time he stayed over at her ce.


    She suddenly felt a sense of crisis, thinking of the rtively young Mrs. Guo. She hated that a younger one came and threatened her position after driving away the elder one. It seemed that she had to pay more attention to the things over there.


    As for Chengrui, it seemed she had to find a way to co-exist. Otherwise, it would really look ugly if she continued this, and she and her sons would not be in a good position.


    !!


    The main issue was that her children were nning to find a partner, so she could not ruin their reputation.


    ¡°Chengye, you¡¯re not young anymore. What kind of girl do you like? I¡¯ll help you arrange a marriage before the new year,¡± she said.


    ¡°Mother, here we go again. I don¡¯t want to look for a girl now. Let¡¯s wait until the situation at home haspletely stabilized. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to find a good wife.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re half a year older than Chengrui, but he¡¯s already ¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t say anymore. But you have to put in more effort too. Otherwise, finding a suitable partner will be difficult after you¡¯ve missed the prime of your life.¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing, but you can also go out and look for potential candidates in the nearby families, as marrying is a big matter that can¡¯t be taken lightly. At the very least, she must have good character, respect our parents, and have a good appearance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, this is basic, or else she wouldn¡¯t be worthy of my son.¡±


    ¡°Then have a good rest. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Gu Chengye turned around and walked out after he finished speaking.


    After he left, Mrs. Liu looked at the empty house and suddenly felt a burst of loneliness. Her heart was filled with hatred toward Mrs. Guo. It seemed that she shouldn¡¯t mess around in the future.


    On the other hand, Mrs. Yao was washing Second uncle Gu¡¯s feet as she asked, ¡°Darling, why do you think Chengrui goes to town every day? Does he really earn that much money? ¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even ask. How would I know?


    ¡°However, I heard that Chengrui¡¯s medical skills were excellent. He was the one who treated Qian Jiaxing¡¯s broken leg, and he¡¯s now able to walk with a walking stick.


    ¡°What about ninth uncle¡¯s thirteenth son? Didn¡¯t he get hit by a wild boar? I heard that his intestines fell out, and I didn¡¯t expect Chengrui to be able to save him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard about that. Didn¡¯t they say that he couldn¡¯t leave his bed? Could he really survive?¡±


    ¡°I heard this from the person who apanied them in the past two days. Do you think they¡¯re bluffing? So in the future, we must soften our tone toward them and improve our rtionship. We might need their help in the future.¡±


    ¡°Now, big brother and Mrs. Liu are probably regretting their actions.¡± Mrs. Yao said with a gloating expression.


    Second uncle Gu looked at her intensely and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. I don¡¯t want to regret the same thing one day, so you¡¯re not allowed to deduct the expenses of the Sun mother and son again.¡±


    After hearing this, Mrs. Yao paused and said, with a dark face, ¡°Did Mrs. Sun make up stories about me in front of you?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m blind? I only have two sons, and I¡¯ll be counting on them to take care of me when I¡¯m old. So, you¡¯d better put away your little thoughts. Don¡¯t go too far. ¡±


    Hearing this, Mrs. Yao did not retort as she held back her anger and walked out with the tub of feet water.


    Just in time, she saw Mrs. Sun sneakily go out of the back door. After being stunned for a moment and making sure she didn¡¯t see wrongly, she put the tub of water aside and quietly followed.

 Chapter 60 - 60 Eavesdropping

    60 Chapter 60 Eavesdropping


    When Mrs. Yao arrived at the outer courtyard, she saw Mrs. Sun enter Gu Chengxi¡¯s room and quietly followed her.


    Just as she walked to the window, she heard Mrs. Sun ask,¡± Son, do you know what kind of business your third brother has been doing recently?¡±


    ¡°Did my father ask you toe and ask?¡± Gu Chengxi raised his head and asked in surprise.


    ¡°It is me who wanted to ask. Most of them have their own ie, and we are the only ones who can¡¯t even earn a copper coin.


    !!


    ¡°I even have to depend on the madam¡¯s mood to get money for some needles and threads. These days are getting hard on us.¡± Mrs. Sun sighed.


    She knew this wasn¡¯t a good move, but she had no other choice. In the past, she still had some monthly allowance for living.


    But her monthly sry had stopped since they came back here, but she still had to buy the daily necessities. If she didn¡¯t want to depend on Mrs. Yao¡¯s charity, she had to think of a way herself.


    Gu Chengxi did not immediately reply to her because he knew that Mrs. Sun was loyal to his father. If he told her now, his father would learn in two days.


    Once his father found out, the entire Gu family would know about it too. He would be ungrateful and would be harming his third brother if he exposed their secrets.


    On the other hand, Mrs. Yao could not hear the answer she wanted from Gu Chengxi and thought that he had deliberately lowered his voice. She immediately straightened her body and leaned toward the window.


    She didn¡¯t expect to meet a lizard, and it might have felt threatened as it immediately raised its head, ready to attack.


    Mrs. Yao was so frightened that she screamed and took several steps back. Although she quickly covered her mouth, the mother and son in the room still heard her.


    The mother and son looked at each other and rushed out, and they happened to see Mrs. Yao¡¯s back as she ran away in a sorry state.


    Mrs. Sun couldn¡¯t help but clench her fists.¡± How despicable, actually eavesdropping on us.¡±


    Gu Chengxi pulled her back into the house and said, ¡°There really isn¡¯t any secret to speak of when we live in the same courtyard.


    ¡°As for the money, if you don¡¯t want to depend on Mrs. Yao¡¯s mood, you can ask Father. You can ask her before father, too.


    ¡°If it really can¡¯t be done, when I learned some tricks from Brother Tian. I can catch prey and exchange them for money, and I will give them to you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say that he had recently learned to recognize some medicinal herbs from Chengrui and the others, but he didn¡¯t want to tell her. It was also to leave a way out for them in case anything happened.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young, so you¡¯re not allowed to go up the mountain to hunt. As for money, your mother will think of a way, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Mrs. Sun¡¯s nose couldn¡¯t help but sting after hearing this as she turned around and left.


    After she had walked far away, Gu Chengye, who lived next door, walked out. He looked at Gu Chengxi¡¯s room thoughtfully before finally retreating into his room.


    On the other hand, after Mrs. Yao returned to her room, Second uncle Gu was already snoring. She angrily pushed him before turning off the lights and lying down.


    However, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. She kept thinking of how Gu Chengrui and his wife were earning money, and her heart felt like it was on fire, burning her with anxiousness.


    The point was that she¡¯d had enough of living a frugal life. Even if she couldn¡¯t go back to her previous life of luxury, at least she didn¡¯t have to be so conservative about her meals.


    However, when she thought of Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills and her husband¡¯s instructions, she knew she could not go against the couple. Otherwise, if they fell out, they would be the ones to suffer.


    It seemed that she could only urge Mrs. Liu to do something. After all, Mrs. Liu¡¯s situation was direr than hers.

 Chapter 61 - 61 Conspiracy

    61 Chapter 61 Conspiracy


    The following day, after eating breakfast, Mrs. Yao put on the silver hairpin she had just bought a few days ago and went out to find Mrs. Liu, who was drying the nkets in the courtyard. She bobbed her head and said, ¡°Sister-inw, do you think my silver hairpin looks good?¡±


    Mrs. Liu nced at it and said, ¡°I was the one who picked it for you. Why are you still asking me that?¡±


    Then, she patted the nket.


    ¡°Look at my memory. How could I have forgotten about this?¡± Mrs. Yao said annoyedly, but it quickly turned into a face of showing off.


    !!


    After Mrs. Liu noticed something was wrong, she turned her head to look at her and just happened to see her showing off. Her face suddenly sank, but she no longer paid attention to her and pretended not to see it, busy with the work in her hands.


    She thought, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a silver hairpin? What¡¯s there to show off? In the past, it was something that I bestowed on my servants.¡±


    But¡­


    When she thought of the wooden hairpin on her head, she was really envious.


    However, she had to save money for her children¡¯s wedding, so she didn¡¯t dare squander it. She wanted to give Mrs. Yao a kick when she thought of this.


    When Mrs. Yao saw Mrs. Liu¡¯s dark face, she knew that Mrs. Liu¡¯s heart was unhappy and that she had poked at her sore spot.


    She was overjoyed. After all, their second family branch had finally suppressed the first branch.


    ¡°Sister-inw, do you really want to live your life like this?¡± Mrs. Yao asked.


    Mrs. Liu was stunned for a moment and turned her head to look at her vigntly. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°What else can I do? We all know how much money our family earns every month. I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t even have enough money to buy food at the end of the month, let alone other things.


    ¡°If we want to live a good life, we have to find a way to earn more money. I remember that little sis-inw likes to enjoy white mushroom soup, but you don¡¯t even have the money to enjoy it even once since we came back.¡± Mrs. Yao said with a smile.


    After Mrs. Liu heard it, she finally understood what she meant. Mrs. Yao was goading her to find Gu Chengrui and his wife to find ways to earn money.


    However, she was not stupid. Through her son¡¯s analysis, she knew Gu Chengrui was no longer a stubborn donkey with no one to rely on. She couldn¡¯t do much.


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, do you have a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Chengrui already have one?¡±


    ¡°Chengrui is different now, and I don¡¯t want to make a joke of myself in the vige. If you want to go, you can go by yourself. I¡¯m not going. ¡±


    When Mrs. Yao heard this, she was shocked. Before, Mrs. Liu had almost taken the lives of the young couple. Why had she suddenly changed her tone now?


    Was it also because of Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills?


    However, even if she changed now, the couple might not necessarily forgive what she had done in the past.


    Even though she looked down on Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Yao still had to make use of her. Otherwise, how would she get her cakes, beef, and mutton?


    Suddenly, the sound of a henying eggs could be heard. She immediately turned her head and looked at the next door unhappily.


    ¡°I heard that Sixth Aunt would go to the haystack at the vige entrance every day to make shoes and bask in the sun.¡±


    After Mrs. Liu heard it, she paused for a moment. She quickly understood what Mrs. Yao meant, that they could ask someone else.


    ¡°Do you know how to make shoes?¡± Mrs. Liu asked.


    ¡°Who would¡­¡± Mrs. Yao understood the meaning of her words halfway through, and the two went to Mrs. Huang¡¯s room. Each of them found a shoe that had not beenpleted, took a needle and thread, and left.


    However, they didn¡¯t go there directly. Instead, they waited until Sixth Aunt had left and went to her house for confirmation. Only after that did they go to the vige entrance after her.

 Chapter 62 - 62 Sewing Shoes

    62 Chapter 62 Sewing Shoes


    The women sitting on the straw piles at the vige entrance and basking in the sun were all shocked to see the twoing over. Then, the lively atmosphere immediately cooled down.


    Sixth Aunt Gu saw the shoes in their hands and oiled her needle slightly. Then, she looked at the shoe sole in her hands, found the proper position, and stabbed it hard.


    At the same time, she asked curiously with a bit of contempt, ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you the two nobledies of the third and seventh son? Why are you also making shoes like us country bumpkins? How rare.¡±


    ¡°Oh, look at what you are saying. Now that we have the same identity, we naturally have to do as the Romans do.¡± Mrs. Yao smiled as she stepped forward.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re learning how to make shoes. This is our first time, and we¡¯re afraid of ruining something. This is why we¡¯re asking for your advice.¡± Mrs. Liu echoed.


    ¡°Ask for guidance? Mrs. Huang from your family is good at it. Why do you need to ask us for guidance?¡± The sixth aunt of the Gu family pouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard your family¡¯s concubine can even get work from the shop in town. If so, do you still need to ask us for help?¡± A woman said sourly.


    ¡°Mrs. Huang knows some embroidery and sewing, but she has never done shoe soles. This is why we can onlye and ask for your advice.¡± When Mrs. Yao said this, she turned her head and said with a smile, ¡°Sixth Aunt, I heard that the soles you make are the strongest in the vige. Can you teach us?¡±


    Sixth Aunt heard her craftsmanship being praised and felt happy. She immediately moved her seat and said humbly, ¡°I can¡¯t say I sew the sturdiest shoes, but I do add one or two more elements to them. If you want to learn, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you, Sixth Aunt.¡± Mrs. Yao responded by sitting down next to her. Mrs. Liu hesitated and finally sat on a stone on the side.


    The crowd smiled when they saw this, but no one reminded her that sitting on a rock at this time of the day was just asking for trouble.


    Sure enough, as soon as Mrs. Liu sat down, she felt a bone-piercing cold under her butt and immediately stood up. In the end, she sat on the straw pile with a look of disgust.


    Sixth Aunt rolled her eyes at her but still stopped what she was doing and taught them how to sew the soles of their shoes. After she had taught them how to sew, she continued to sew her own.


    ¡°By the way, third sister-inw, did you guys know that Gu Chengrui and his wife bought a donkey?¡± She asked curiously.


    In fact, she was gloating about it as they should be regretting their decision now. The young couple¡¯s lives had gotten better after they left, but their old family was in nothing but chaos.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, but I¡¯ve never seen it in person. Have you seen it?¡± Mrs. Liu replied as she struggled to adjust the soles of her shoes.


    ¡°Yes, I saw him this morning when I came out to dispose of some waste. That donkey is sure fat and strong.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s true. It¡¯s good that they can live well. We can rest assured.¡±


    Sixth Aunt gave her a disdainful look and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Yao was somewhat anxious. Since they knew that Chengrui¡¯s family had be rich, why didn¡¯t anyone ask how they had be rich? When had the vigers be so generous?


    However, she didn¡¯t ask any further. Instead, she carefully sews the soles of her shoes. She was learning how to make it for her grandson, as she didn¡¯t dare let others do it. It would be troublesome if anyone did something terrible.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Liu did not say anything. Since Gu Chengrui had to pass through here to return to the vige, she would bring up the topic again when the time came.


    A few more olddies came in one after another. Because of their dazed silence, the others began to gossip again.


    However, the gossip voices were low, but some people were even pointing at them. After all, they still remembered how the Gu family had chased Gu Chengrui and his wife to live in Mother God¡¯s temple.

 Chapter 63 - 63 New Ingredients

    63 Chapter 63 New Ingredients


    Of course, some people didn¡¯t like Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao. Seeing that they stayed, they immediately got up and left.


    Gu Chengrui did not know someone was waiting for him at the vige entrance. After he entered Hongyun Restaurant and unloaded the bean sprouts and tofu, he opened a bamboo basket and said, ¡°Uncle Zhou, do you want to take these?¡±


    Chef Zhou looked inside the basket. There were two yellow objects, one ck, and one red. He asked, ¡°What are these things?¡±


    He picked up a piece of braised tofu and asked, ¡°Why does this look like tofu?¡±


    Gu Chengrui was secretly happy. ¡°You have good eyes. This is braised dried tofu. Try it.¡±


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t expect that there would be tofu here, but no other tofu byproducts. It seemed that this tofu business of theirs could continue.


    After Chef Zhou heard that, he put it under his nose and sniffed it carefully. He didn¡¯t expect the lovely fragrance from it. Then, he broke off a piece and put it in his mouth.


    He was surprised that the more he chewed, the more fragrant it was. It was much more vorful than the regr stir-fried tofu. He nodded and said, ¡°If we were to take it, how much would you sell it for?¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, this is something that my wife made. You are the expert, so why don¡¯t you offer me a price?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make the decision myself, as I need Manager Liu¡¯s permission.¡± After Chef Zhou finished speaking, he asked the waiter at the side to call for the manager.


    He looked at the other two items curiously and asked, ¡°Are these two also bean products?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is tofu skin, and this is dried yuba. You can stir-fry them, mix them with food, or stew them.


    ¡°However, the yuba are dried, so you must soak them in warm water before cooking them.¡±


    Chef Zhou nodded and looked at each of them carefully. Then, he began to think about how to cook them. If he coulde up with one or two new dishes, he would be able to have an excellent new year.


    When Manager Liu came down, he saw Chef Zhou standing at the side in a daze. He went up and gave him a push.¡± What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here. Mr. Gu and his wife have sent two new ingredients, and I¡¯m thinking about what to do with them.¡± Chef Zhou said this after he came back to his senses.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Manager Liu looked at the items in the bamboo basket curiously and asked, ¡°Are they all made of soybeans?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Chengrui nodded, then briefly exined their methods.


    Manager Liu also tried a piece of braised tofu and nodded. ¡°Not bad. This tofu tastes simr to meat. However, our restaurant doesn¡¯t ept half-seasoned products, so we will ept them only if you produce them in their original vor.


    ¡°As for the price, how about eight coppers per pound?¡±


    ¡°The braised dried tofu and tofu skin can be sold at eight coppers, but dried yuba must be 20 coppers per pound.¡±


    ¡°20 coppers per pound. Isn¡¯t that too expensive?¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, three pounds of soybeans could only produce almost one pound of dried yuba. With the addition of firewood needed, we will only earn ourbor.


    ¡°If it were another person, we would sell it to them for at least 25 coppers per pound.¡±


    Manager Liu picked up the dried yuba and looked at it carefully under the sun. It was very fine and dry, and it could be transported over long distances, being able to be stored for a long time. It was indeed a rare good food item.


    Then, he remembered that a pound of soybeans sold for five coppers in the grain store, so he hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll ept your prices. I will take these for now, and we¡¯ll decide how much we want tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright. As for the braised tofu, you guys can keep it for drinking snacks.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he moved the ingredients into the kitchen, received his payment, went to buy some medicinal herbs, and rushed back.

 Chapter 64 - 64 Blocked

    64 Chapter 64 Blocked


    After Gu Chengrui left, Manager Liu looked at Chef Zhou and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to work hard today and study these three things thoroughly.


    ¡°With these few things, we can let those who don¡¯t like to eat meat have a taste of meat.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll start now.¡± After Chef Zhou was done speaking, he took a piece of braised dried tofu and chewed it slowly, trying to find out what spices had been added to make it so delicious.


    Mrs. Yao saw Gu Chengrui driving the donkey cart at the vige entrance. She immediately stood up and said, ¡°Chengrui, did your family really buy a donkey?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Auntie. Nice to see you basking in the sun.¡± Gu Chengrui replied politely and drove the cart forward.


    ¡°Eh, why did you buy three broken water tanks?¡± After Mrs. Yao saw the hole at the bottom of the water tank, she asked curiously. At the same time, one of her hands tightly grabbed the side of the carriage.


    Gu Chengrui looked at her intensely. He understood what she implied without her asking.


    This was because Gu Chengxi had made a special trip to his house before he left in the morning. Gu Chengxi told him their family had been eyeing Gu Chengrui¡¯s wealth source. However, he had not expected them to act in full view of everyone.


    ¡°What did he buy? Chengrui brings a water tank in and out every day. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± At this time, Sixth Aunt stood up and walked over. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Mrs. Yao¡¯s hand holding the carriage¡¯s side.


    She knew what was going on now. How else would these twodies suddenly want to learn how to sew shoes from her? It turned out that was a lie, and what they really wanted was to stop Gu Chengrui.


    However, she was also quite curious about what kind of business they were doing, so she asked, ¡°Chengrui, what are you doing here every morning? ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just sending some bean sprouts to Hongyun Restaurant and stocking up on some medicinal herbs.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°Bean sprouts? What are bean sprouts?¡± Hearing this, Sixth Aunt Gu became even more curious. She had never heard of bean sprouts before.


    ¡°Chengrui, are you referring to the new bean sprouts dish from Hongyun Restaurant? I heard their vinegar-fried bean sprouts are crunchy and refreshing, with a hint of spiciness. They¡¯re very delicious.¡± At that moment, a woman spoke up.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I heard of that too. Two days ago, when I was at the market, I heard there was a new bean sprout dish that was delicious, and I had to line up in advance. Anyter, and it will be gone.¡±


    ¡°Is that true? We have to line up to enjoy a dish?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of it, but I¡¯ve never eaten it before.¡±


    ¡°Chengrui, the bean sprout you¡¯re talking about, is it the same dish they¡¯re talking about? ¡°Sixth Aunt asked Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s just a vegetarian dish. There¡¯s ack of vegetables in winter, so that¡¯s why everyone else is interested in it for now.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s already very impressive. We¡¯ve lived our entire lives without even thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the praise. We¡¯ll treat you to some bean sprouts when youe over.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, I¡¯ll go when I¡¯m free.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Chengrui, I heard that these vegetables are quite expensive. Can you teach us how to grow them? We can also earn some money to celebrate the new year. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s such a good way to get rich. You shouldn¡¯t keep quiet about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve been affected by your family one way or another. You can¡¯t just keep it to yourselves. ¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Sixth Aunt Gu felt guilty when she realized they were going too far. She wouldn¡¯t have been curious if she had known this would happen.


    She waved her hand and said,¡± Alright, alright. Are you trying to rob him or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. These people have been affected, so why don¡¯t you mention the benefits you got from it?¡± Mrs. Liu said indignantly.

 Chapter 65 - 65 Can’t Hide Anymore

    65 Chapter 65 Can¡¯t Hide Anymore


    ¡°You should stop speaking too.¡± When Sixth Aunt Gu heard this, she looked at Mrs. Liu in a bad mood. She was obviously fanning the mes, and she would be the one who suffered if they got into an argument.


    Then, she red at Mrs. Yao and pushed the donkey cart.¡± Chengrui, you should go home.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sixth Aunt.¡± Gu Chengrui thanked her, then turned around and drove the cart home.


    However, he also knew that they could no longer hide the matter of the bean sprouts. It seemed that he had to go back and discuss countermeasures.


    !!


    On the other hand, Sixth Aunt Gu saw that the crowd still wanted to ask more questions, so she roared again, ¡°Alright, all of you, shut up. Growing bean sprouts is their family¡¯s specialty. If you want to learn, go to their door with sincere requests.


    ¡°Besides, when they were chased out, who among you helped them? Now here you are, demanding the recipe for growing bean sprouts. You all sure have the nerve to ask for it.¡±


    ¡°Sixth Aunt, what do you mean chased out of the house? We separated in peace.¡± Mrs. Liu said at this time.


    ¡°We¡¯re neighbors. Do you really think I¡¯m deaf?¡± Sixth Aunt Gu snorted coldly and walked into the middle of their bickering. She directly pushed them aside and rushed to the patriarch¡¯s house.


    She had caused such big trouble, so no matter what, she had to let the patriarch know. Otherwise, it would be ugly if things got out of hand.


    When Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Liu saw this, they wanted to chase after her and stop her, but when they saw the direction she was heading, they looked at each other and immediately went home.


    As for the others, after looking at each other for a moment, they immediately dispersed and returned to their respective homes.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying, drying yuba in the courtyard, saw Gu Chengrui return and asked, ¡°Rui, how is it? Did you sell the tofu? ¡±


    After speaking, she hung the yuba in her hand to dry and went forward to help him unload the cart.


    ¡°They have epted it, but I¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow to know how much they want.


    ¡°Oh right, about the dried tofu. They said they only wanted the original vor, not the braised variety.¡±


    ¡°Right, they have a chef. It will increase the cost if they buy half-seasoned products. Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Well, no matter what, it¡¯s fine as long as it can be sold.¡± After Gu Chengrui briefed her about the restaurant matters, he told her about the incident at the vige entrance. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t hide the bean sprouts anymore. What are your thoughts on this?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    Then, she looked at the donkey, who was sniffling and leisurely eating the withered grass by the shed. It seemed that it was all because of the donkey.


    But it was only a matter of time. Even if she knew it would turn out like this, she would still buy him for convenience.


    ¡°We¡¯ll only teach them and not involve ourselves in anything else. What do you think?¡± Gu Chengrui replied after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I think as well. Also, let¡¯s make it clear. After teaching them, we don¡¯t care if they can sell them or not.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s decided.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he tied the donkey and put the cart to the side. Finally, he carried arge bag of medicinal herbs and walked into the house.


    Zhou Ying went back to the house to pick out the tofu skin.


    On the other hand, when Sixth Aunt Gu arrived at the patriarch¡¯s house, only Mrs. Wang was at home making their children¡¯s clothes. When she saw hering in, she paused and asked curiously, ¡°Sixth Aunt, why are you here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at the vige entrance chatting?¡±


    Then, she lowered her head and continued sewing her clothes.


    ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t mention this anymore. It¡¯s precisely my chatting that¡¯s caused trouble.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu said as she sat on the brick bed with a peeved expression.


    ¡°Trouble? What trouble?¡± Mrs. Wang stopped what she was doing and asked.


    Sixth Aunt Gu did not hide anything and told her about what happened at the vige entrance. ¡°The third and seventh sons¡¯ wives are really horrid.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t act as Chengrui¡¯s elders at all.


    ¡°It seems like they have used me.¡±

 Chapter 66 - 66 Spreading The News

    66 Chapter 66 Spreading The News


    ¡°They definitely used you. Otherwise, why would the two of them, who have always disliked us, take the initiative to find us?¡±


    ¡°Two shameless women, you just watch how I deal with them in the future.¡±


    ¡°You should stay away from them. No matter what, they¡¯ve crawled their way out of the capital. In terms of schemes and means, we¡¯re not their match.¡±


    Hearing her words, Sixth Aunt Gu felt indignant, but she calmed down. Then, she asked, ¡°Sister-inw, now everyone in the vige knows about Gu Chengrui and his wife selling sprouts. What should we do? Should we tell big brother? ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. I¡¯ll let your brother know when he¡¯s back.¡± Mrs. Wang paused for a moment and said in a bad mood, ¡°You too, in the future, you should keep your mouth shut, or else everything will be ruined by your bbering.¡±


    ¡°I know, sister-inw. I¡¯ll go back now.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu stood up and left.


    Mrs. Wang looked at her back and shook her head, but she was also a little curious about Gu Chengrui¡¯s bean sprouts.


    On the other hand, the women on good terms with Mrs. Bai immediately went to her house to report after dispersing from the vige entrance.


    Therefore, by noon, when the vige chief and patriarch knew about this, they couldn¡¯t even enjoy eating lunch.


    The people from the two ns, especially those who had financial difficulties, came to visit. They asked them to go to Gu Chengrui¡¯s house and see if they could get Gu Chengrui to teach them how to grow bean sprouts.


    In the Gu family¡¯s old mansion, after lunch, Mrs. Yao told the others about Gu Chengrui¡¯s selling bean sprouts. ¡°I heard these bean sprouts have been selling well at the Hongyun Restaurant in town. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be cheap.


    ¡°Chengrui and his wife are sure good at scheming. They didn¡¯t even tell us about such a good deal. If I had known¡­¡±


    Mrs. Qiao interrupted her with a dark face. ¡°If you knew, what could you have done? You¡¯ve been bullying them so much, so how could you expect them to tell you anything?¡±


    After she finished speaking, she fiercely red at Mrs. Liu.


    ¡°No, mother, didn¡¯t you not care before?¡± Mrs. Liu met her resentful eyes and said aggrievedly.


    She was disgruntled. Everyone clearly didn¡¯t object to the separation of their family, so why did they me her now?


    Especially the old woman. Don¡¯t think she didn¡¯t know that this old hag had more silver than any of them. She didn¡¯t even help Gu Chengrui and his wife back then.


    ording to the changes in her expression, Mrs. Qiao knew what she was thinking and suddenly felt short of breath. Finally, she simply picked up her walking stick, hit it on the ground, and then hobbled back to the house.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengxi immediately put down his chopsticks, turned around, and ran out.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Yao said unhappily, ¡°What a sponge.¡±


    ¡°Madam, Chengxi is just tired from chopping firewood the entire morning.¡± After Mrs. Sun finished speaking, she lowered her head and silently ate the rice in her bowl.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mrs. Yao still wanted to speak, but Second uncle Gu directly interrupted her, ¡°Enough, what¡¯s all the noise? Can you all shut your mouths when eating?¡±


    ¡°Brother, do you want to go out for a walk?¡±


    When Father Gu heard that, he knew what was up. He hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and walked out.


    Because the family¡¯s ie was minimal, they could only watch as their wealth decreased if they didn¡¯t find something to do.


    Most importantly, two grown menzily living off the women at home was not a good impression.

 Chapter 67 - 67 Visit

    67 Chapter 67 Visit


    After they left the house, the two went straight out. When they were outside, Second uncle Gu said, ¡°Brother, look¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look. As long as we don¡¯t touch their sales channels, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡± Father Gu nodded. After he finished speaking, the two of them walked toward the end of the vige.


    However, they were so frightened by Er Zhuang that they didn¡¯t dare go in.


    Gu Chengrui heard the dog barking and walked out. A cold smile shed in his eyes when he saw the two people standing outside the door. He hesitated for a moment, but still walked over and invited them in.


    When Second uncle Gu saw yuba being dried in the courtyard, he asked curiously, ¡°Chengrui, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Bean products.¡± Gu Chengrui did not reply after that as he led them into the house.


    Zhou Ying, who was eating dumplings, was shocked when she saw theme in. She really didn¡¯t expect them toe to her house shamelessly.


    But she still got up and brought them two stools. ¡°Father, second uncle, I have some dumplings. I¡¯ll make a bowl for each of you. ¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and walked out.


    ¡°Father, second uncle, have a cup of water.¡± Gu Chengrui poured a ss of water for each of them.


    ¡°You guys seem to be living quite a good life now.¡± Second uncle Gu said as he looked at the white dumplings on the table.


    ¡°I was just lucky,¡± Gu Chengrui said as he sat in the center seat.


    When Father Gu heard him say this, he knew that Gu Chengrui still held a grudge against him for the separation of the family. He immediately turned around and wanted to leave.


    However, when he thought of all the looks of disdain and ridicule he had received during this period of time, as well as his family¡¯s situation, he finally decided to stay. However, his expression was not good.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui did not provoke him anymore. Instead, he asked, ¡°Did youe here today for the Beat sprouts?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not afraid of youughing at us, but we haven¡¯t found a job yet.


    ¡°You know the situation at home. There are a few mouths waiting for food. We can¡¯t just sit there and do nothing.¡± Second uncle Gu said.


    ¡°Did you know that Mrs. Liu and second aunt blocked me at the vige entrance?¡±


    ¡°We only learned about it when we were having dinner, and I understand they are in the wrong. How could they spread this news? They¡¯re diluting our source of ie.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and looked at him, waiting for the verdict.


    Second uncle Gu was at a loss for words and had no idea what to say. He could only look at Father Gu.


    Father Gu only looked at Gu Chengrui and did not say anything. The two of them looked at each other for a while, but neither had the slightest intention of backing down.


    ¡°How about we get your mother and second aunt toe and apologize to youter?¡± Second uncle Gu spoke up right away.


    ¡°Mrs. Liu.¡± Gu Chengrui corrected.


    Second uncle Gu was stunned for a while before he understood what Gu Chengrui meant. Gu Chengrui did not acknowledge Mrs. Liu¡¯s position as the first wife. Then, he looked at Father Gu with a weird expression.


    Seeing this, Father Gu clenched his fists, got up, and walked out.


    ¡°No, big brother, you¡­¡± Second uncle Gu immediately chased after him, and the two avoided Er Zhuang.


    At that time, Zhou Ying, hiding in the kitchen, saw they had left and immediately returned to the living room. She saw Gu Chengrui eating dumplings with his chopsticks and smiled. While eating the dumplings, she sat down and asked, ¡°Rui, what did they say?¡±


    ¡°Second uncle meant to have Mrs. Liu and second aunt apologize. In the end, because I didn¡¯t acknowledge Mrs. Liu¡¯s identity as my stepmother, the two of them left in anger.¡±


    ¡°No way. When did they be so submissive?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that they are submissive; it¡¯s just that the old man is too prideful. It¡¯s already his limit to lower his pride ande. It¡¯ll be interesting to see if he can hold back now that he¡¯s being made fun of in front of second uncle.¡±

 Chapter 68 - 68 Purpose

    68 Chapter 68 Purpose


    Zhou Ying nodded thoughtfully, then said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait for Mrs. Liu¡¯s apology?¡±


    ¡°With Mrs. Liu¡¯s character, I doubt she will. Moreover, the old man wouldn¡¯t let here over to apologize to a youngling like me. ¡°Gu Chengrui paused for a moment and said, ¡°Babe, if they dare to make things difficult for you, don¡¯t be soft-hearted, or there will be endless trouble in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just based on the fact that they owe me two lives, I won¡¯t be soft-hearted toward them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Don¡¯t fight with force. If there¡¯s anything, let¡¯s discuss it. ¡±


    !!


    ¡°Alright, hurry up and eat. Otherwise, these dumplings will turn into a lump.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she continued eating the dumplings.


    On the other hand, the two Gu brothers went out one after another. Second uncle Gu still wanted to persuade his brother, but Father Gu did not give him a chance. He just rushed home in a rage.


    ¡°Third brother, what¡¯s wrong with you two? Are you two fighting?¡± The patriarch, who was walking towards them, asked.


    The vige chief, following behind him, chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s talk it out. We¡¯re all family, and no obstacle can¡¯t be ovee. ¡±


    ¡°Sigh, don¡¯t mention it. We went to Chengrui¡¯s ce just now¡­.¡± Second uncle Gu exined.


    But before he could finish his words, Father Gu interrupted him, ¡°Stop talking, aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡±


    After he said that, he greeted the patriarch and the vige chief before rushing home.


    Second uncle Gu helplessly shook his head at the two of them and followed Father Gu.


    After they had walked far away, the vige chief looked at the patriarch and asked, ¡°Qingzhi, do they have the same goal as us?¡±


    ¡°It should be, but it looks like he struck a nail.¡± The patriarch replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°Otherwise, Seventh brother would not have looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look first. There are conflicts between them, and some things are easier for us to discuss. But of course, we wouldn¡¯t let the young couple take the short end of the stick.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. It¡¯s not easy for them either.¡±


    After that, they walked toward Gu Chengrui¡¯s house. When they reached the entrance, they shouted and avoided Er Zhuang as they entered the house.


    Gu Chengrui happened to meet the two at the door. The vige chief pointed at the yuba and asked, ¡°Chengrui, what are you guys making? The yellow ones look pretty good. ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bean product that Ying made. It¡¯s cold outside, Uncle and Grandpa vige chief, you shoulde inside. ¡°Gu Chengrui let them into the house.


    The vige head looked at the yuba thoughtfully. If the couple had a new source of ie, it would be easier for them to ask for the bean sprouts.


    When Zhou Ying saw theming in, she naturally knew their purpose. She greeted them and went to the kitchen with their bowls and chopsticks. After washing up, she made a pot of chrysanthemum rock candy tea for them.


    It just so happened that they were almost done with the small talk, so the patriarch asked, ¡°I think you and your wife more or less know the purpose of our visit today. ¡±


    ¡°I guess. It¡¯s about the bean sprouts, right?¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here with our thick skin to ask for your opinion.¡± The patriarch nodded.


    ¡°But, it¡¯s not something forced.¡± The vige chief added.


    ¡°As you know, even though our vige is better off than the other viges, that¡¯s when it¡¯s considered as a whole.


    ¡°Nearly half of the families here are still living a bitter life, so it¡¯s best to teach them.


    ¡°Of course, even if you did teach them, I wouldn¡¯t let you do so for free. You can state any conditions you want. If they ept, then go ahead. If they don¡¯t, then it¡¯s their own business.¡±

 Chapter 69 - 69 Condition

    69 Chapter 69 Condition


    As soon as the vige chief finished speaking, the donkey outside brayed. Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying looked at each other, and Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Since they¡¯vee to you to ask for a favor, I¡¯m sure they really need a job. We can¡¯t just stand by and do nothing.


    ¡°We must say this in advance; we will only teach them. The way they sell, the price drops, and the amount they earn has nothing to do with us. Don¡¯t look for us if there¡¯s any trouble.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. That¡¯s their own business.¡± The vige chief said, surprised.


    ¡°What do you want in return?¡± he asked.


    ¡°How about this? Whoever learns it has to send a strongborer who cane here and help build a shed for the donkey in the backyard for two days. Or providing some y and wood will do.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    The patriarch and the vige chief exchanged nces and immediately nodded, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. We¡¯ll go and tell them.¡±


    After a few polite words, they drank their cup of tea and left in a hurry.


    That night, the two elders sent a letter. Everyone who epted their conditions could start work tomorrow.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also promised them that she would teach the people who came how to grow bean sprouts.


    Of course, the Gu family¡¯s old mansion had also received the letter, which made Father Gu and Second uncle Gu quite angry. If the entire vige was learning to grow bean sprouts, how could they still make money?


    Thinking of this, Second uncle Gu growled, ¡°What an ingrate. He would rather give the vige a way to make money than us. ¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve gone too far. No matter what, we¡¯re still a family. How can they help an outsider?¡± Gu Chengye immediately echoed that indignantly when he heard that.


    ¡°I told you, they¡¯re¡­¡± Just as Mrs. Liu opened her mouth, Father Gu red at her and said, ¡°You shut up.¡±


    ¡°No, brother¡­¡± just as Mrs. Yao was about to plead, Father Gu red at her and said,¡± You shut up too.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Mrs. Yao still wanted to retort but was directly pulled to the side by Second uncle Gu.


    ¡°Uncle, father, you can only me Chengrui for this matter. How can you me aunt and mother?¡± Gu Chengzhi said indignantly as he supported Mrs. Yao, who had almost been pulled down.


    ¡°Brat, do we look like we can¡¯t tell right from wrong? Do you know what your mother and aunt did this morning?¡± Second uncle Gu mmed the table and said in a bad mood.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± After Gu Chengzhi heard this, he looked confused and then looked at Mrs. Yao.


    When Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao heard this, they immediately retreated to the side with guilty expressions.


    Suddenly, Mrs. Qiao said in a neutral tone, ¡°Chengrui nting bean sprouts were spread by the two at the vige entrance. Otherwise, how would the vige know about it?


    ¡°What they¡¯re doing is equivalent to cutting off Chengrui¡¯s source of ie. Do you think that he will teach you now?¡±


    ¡°But Chengrui shouldn¡¯t teach everyone else.¡± Mrs. Yao said unhappily.


    ¡°Hmph, if they won¡¯t teach them, the entire vige will be jealous and find trouble with them.


    ¡°Ultimately, it¡¯s all because of your stupid and terrible decisions.¡± Mrs. Qiao rolled her eyes at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to face reality,¡± she continued. ¡°This is Shanghe Vige, not the capital. Without the royal merchant¡¯s title, and no one respecting you on behalf of the princess, no one will care about you. ¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s already good enough that they didn¡¯t bully us.¡± Second uncle Gu paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°Actually, Chengrui didn¡¯t say that he wouldn¡¯t teach us. He just wants sister-inw and your mother to apologize to her. ¡±


    ¡°An apology? Can he bear taking my apology? Isn¡¯t he afraid of shortening his lifespan?¡± Mrs. Liu immediately shouted angrily.

 Chapter 70 - 70 Rare Guest

    70 Chapter 70 Rare Guest


    Father Gu sneered and immediately turned to leave.


    Gu Chengye saw that his father was about to give up and quickly chased after him. ¡°Father, why don¡¯t I apologize to Chengrui on behalf of my mother and second aunt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote. Forget it.¡± Father Gu shook his head and turned to walk into Mrs. Guo¡¯s room.


    Gu Chengye immediately reached out to stop him and said, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s toote. The whole vige is growing bean sprouts, so it might be an opportunity for us.¡±


    ¡°An opportunity?¡± Father Gu paused for a moment, but his eyes immediately lit up.¡± You mean to sell the sprouts?¡±


    ¡°Yes, think about it. If the vigers sell them alone, they won¡¯t find a good market. They can only peddle in towns or nearby viges because of the cold. They can¡¯t sell for any good price at all.


    ¡°But if we organize ourselves and use the oil mill¡¯s ships and channels to ship it out, it¡¯ll be different.¡±


    Although Father Gu disagreed with using the oil mill ships to sell goods, he had to admit it was a good idea.


    At that moment, he thought of someone he had once helped. It seemed that it was time for him to go over and take a look. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to develop on this small piece ofnd with the Qiao family suppressing him.


    ¡°Then you can make a trip there when you have the time, ¡°he said. ¡°But if it doesn¡¯t work out, don¡¯t make it too awkward. ¡±


    Gu Chengye¡¯s expression froze for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°I know, Father. I¡¯ll go over now.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he walked out.


    However, his face was getting darker and darker. He initially thought that after the failed attempt to wash away the bad luck and the separation of their family, his father wouldpletely hate Chengrui.


    Now, it seemed things weren¡¯t too simple. Now that Chengrui¡¯s ability was revealed, his father clearly intended to reconcile.


    It seemed that he had to be more careful of Chengrui in the future.


    Father Gu did not care about his feelings. He was only thinking about how to restore the Gu family¡¯s past glory. As long as anyone was helpful to him, he would make use of them.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengye walked to Gu Chengrui¡¯s house. He paused for a moment before he walked over and knocked on the door.


    Hearing the dog¡¯s barking, Gu Chengrui, who hade out to wee their guest, was stunned when he saw him. ¡°Chengye, what a rare guest,¡±


    After saying that, he waved at Er Zhuang and brought him into the house.


    When Gu Ghengye entered, he saw the patriarch and vige chief sitting in front of the dining table, drinking tea and peeling peanuts. He was startled for a moment before addressing them, ¡°Uncle, Grandpa vige chief.¡±


    ¡°Chengye, you are here. Have a seat and try these five-spice peanuts cooked by Miss Zhou. It¡¯s really fragrant. ¡°The patriarch smiled and waved at him.


    After that, he even moved his chair to make room for him.


    ¡°Thank you, uncle.¡± Gu Chengye thanked him as he took a stool and sat down.


    ¡°Chengye, drink some water. ¡°Gu Chengrui handed him a cup of chrysanthemum tea.


    ¡°This is a chrysanthemum?¡± Gu Chengye took the teacup and asked in surprise when he saw a small chrysanthemum blooming in the water.


    ¡°Yes, wild chrysanthemums can dispel cold, clear heat, cleanse the liver, improve eyesight, and have detoxification and anti-inmmatory properties.¡±


    ¡°It works exceptionally well in the case of dry mouth, heatiness, dry eyes, limb pain, and numbness caused by wind, cold, and moisture.


    ¡°Therefore, drinking a cup or two of them asionally is good for your body.¡± Gu Chengrui before sitting back down.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would really learn some real skills from Doctor Sun.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to be influenced by what you see and hear all day, so I can¡¯t help but remember some of it. But fortunately, I was paying attention back then and can have a skill of my own to make a living.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just to make a living. Your skills are equal to the doctors in town.¡± The patriarch said with a smile.

 Chapter 71 - 71 Everyone Changes

    71 Chapter 71 Everyone Changes


    ¡°Not only that, didn¡¯t the thirteenth son of our Qian family get rejected by the doctor in town? Chengrui still saved him in the end. ¡°The vige chief said.


    ¡°Two elders, please stop with the praising. Let¡¯s see how it goes in the future.¡± Gu Chengrui said with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, yes, we look forward to it.¡± The patriarch agreed.


    He then looked at Gu Chengye and asked,¡± By the way, Chengye, why did youe here today?¡±


    !!


    ¡°I¡­¡± Gu Chengye looked at Gu Chengrui hesitantly, but he could not say the words of apology he had prepared.


    ¡°Is it because of the bean sprout?¡± The vige chief asked.


    ¡°Yes and no, there are other things.¡±


    ¡°Then you guys can chat. It¡¯s gettingte, and we should go back.¡± The patriarch looked at his stammering appearance and knew that it was something hard to say before them. He grabbed a handful of peanuts and immediately stood up.


    ¡°Right, right, you young people can chat. We¡¯ll be going back now.¡± The vige chief stood up and agreed.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui did not ask them to stay. After sending them to the gate, he turned around and returned to the house.


    After he sat down, he looked at Gu Chengye, who was drinking his tea and said, ¡°Chengye, there¡¯s no one else here. If there¡¯s anything you need, just say it.¡±


    Gu Chengye put down his cup and stood up. He bowed deeply and said, ¡°I¡¯m here today to represent my mother and second aunt and apologize to you for what happened this morning.¡±


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui was shocked. At the same time, he admired Chengye for his personality. Chengye was able to be flexible with his standing. Based on this, he had to be more careful with him in the future.


    ¡°Chengye, please have a seat. To be honest, I¡¯m really disappointed in mother and second aunt¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m still my father¡¯s son, but they treat me less than an outsider.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that their ruckus has forced me against the rest of the vige? I have no choice but to tell them how to produce bean sprouts.¡±


    Gu Chengye¡¯s expression froze on his face because he could not refute what he had said. If it were him, he would not even let him in.


    ¡°Yes, I also know that they have indeed gone too far, so I hope you can forgive them on behalf of father.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve forgiven them. I just hope that they¡¯ll remember this in the future. I won¡¯t tolerate this forever. ¡°Gu Chengrui¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°If there¡¯s a next time, I won¡¯t let it go so easily.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to¡­¡±


    ¡°What if this happens to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Chengye, do you still remember what kind of life we had at home? Do you still remember the circumstances under which we separated?


    ¡°If it were you, what would you do?¡±


    Gu Chengye clenched his fists and mumbled, ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡±


    ¡°At a certain point, people will change. Didn¡¯t father change? Has your mother not changed? Even Chengxi isn¡¯t as lively as before, and has be a hardworking and bitter person.¡±


    Gu Chengye looked at him deeply after hearing that. He was shocked when he saw the tenacity, confidence, and faint deterrence in his eyes.


    At the same time, he quickly understood that Chengrui had grown up quickly into a man with a truly strong heart.


    He was no longer the pitiful, helpless wretch, nor was he the person they could bully whenever they wanted.


    When he thought of this, he panicked slightly. It seemed that his third brother was going to break away from their controlpletely.

 Chapter 72 - 72 Recipe In Exchange For Roast Chicken

    72 Chapter 72 Recipe In Exchange For Roast Chicken


    After a few polite words, Gu Chengye left. Gu Chengrui sent him to the door and said, ¡°If you want to learn how to grow bean sprouts, let Chengxi do it. It¡¯s straightforward. ¡±


    ¡°See you.¡± Gu Chengye was stunned for a moment before he nodded and turned around to leave.


    After Gu Chengrui sent him off, he went to the kitchen and started to work with Zhou Ying.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengye returned home and saw that the lights in his room were still on. He paused for a moment, turned around, pushed the door open, and walked in.


    !!


    Seeing Father Gu sitting before the candlelight reading a book, he remembered what Gu Chengrui had said before and sized him up thoughtfully.


    Ignoring his other aspects, even just his appearance, had changed. His father had aged more than ten years, and his face had be much thinner.


    After sensing his gaze, Father Gu raised his head and saw him staring at him for a while. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just found that father¡¯s sideburns are full of white hair.¡± Gu Chengye said as he sat down.


    ¡°I¡¯m old. No matter what, I¡¯m already in my forties. Since I¡¯ve stopped taking all sorts of supplements, it¡¯s normal that I¡¯ll look my age. How did your discussion go?¡± Father Gu asked.


    Gu Chengye shook his head and briefly told him about their conversation. ¡°Father, he haspletely changed.¡±


    After hearing this, Father Gu pondered for a moment. He looked up at the window with empty eyes and said, ¡°He¡¯s right. We¡¯ve all changed. It¡¯s just that some of us have be stronger, some of us have be weaker, and most of us are still living in dreams. ¡±


    Gu Chengye looked at him in shock after hearing that. All kinds of emotions surged through him, making him feel like crying.


    Especially when he thought about working in the workshop, suffering from pain he had never experienced. His back would always be sore, but in order to survive, he had to grit his teeth and persist.


    ¡°Sleep early and take it slow. You¡¯ll find your way out.¡± After Father Gu sensed that Chengye was not in a good mood, he patted him on the shoulder, got up, and walked out.


    After leaving the house, Father Gu turned around and looked for Gu Chengxi. Father Gu informed him that he would learn to grow bean sprouts the next day. Then, he told Second uncle Gu that he was going to the main hall to chat with their mother.


    As for what they talked about, no one knew. The next day, Mrs. Qiao personally watched as Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao worked, so they couldn¡¯t ck off.


    After Gu Chengrui delivered the goods to Hongyun Restaurant and received his pay, he found Manager Liu and determined the amount of tofu skin and dried yuba needed. He told him that they were going to spread the recipe for growing bean sprouts, ¡°Manager Liu, I estimate that in less than ten days, there will definitely be a lot of peopleing to the town to sell bean sprouts. I hope you can make preparations early. ¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter since our bean sprout cooking recipe has beenunched.¡± Manager Liu hesitated and continued, ¡°Since you n to spread the method of growing bean sprouts, I wonder if you could let me know what you think of me distributing the cooking recipe to other branches.


    As for the price, you can decide.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can. As for the price, I heard that your restaurant¡¯s roast chicken is the best. Why don¡¯t you give one to me?¡±


    Manager Liu was stunned for a moment before heughed out loud. ¡°No matter what, I should at least give you two. How about tomorrow? I¡¯ll save two for you tomorrow. ¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and told him seriously about the things to take note of when growing bean sprouts. ¡°When you start growing your bean sprouts here, just let me know, and I will stop providing you with any more bean sprouts.¡±


    After exchanging a few more polite words, he turned to leave Hongyun Restaurant. Then, he bought some mustard, sweet noodle sauce, and streaky pork before going home.


    When Gu Chengrui left town, the patriarch brought a bunch of people carrying mud bricks and wood over.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect Tian Jiawang to buy six huge wooden pirs over. Although they were rough and thin, they were more than enough to build a donkey shed.

 Chapter 73 - 73 A Question

    73 Chapter 73 A Question


    Zhou Ying greeted the crowd. After choosing the spot for the shed, she left them to their things and returned to the front yard.


    After a short while, the women who wanted to learn to grow bean sprouts came over one after another.


    After everyone had arrived, Zhou Ying started her lesson. She told them the whole process of growing bean sprouts and the things to pay attention to.


    In the end, she even took them to the kitchen for a visit. The whole process took less than 15 minutes, and the women were in disbelief.


    !!


    ¡°If I knew it was so simple, I wouldn¡¯t havee to learn,¡± someone said regretfully.¡± I¡¯ve just thrown in a hundred y bricks for nothing.¡±


    ¡°No one forced you toe.¡±


    Mrs. Bai turned her head and scolded the person. ¡°Besides, everyone knows how to cook, but the same dish will taste different when cooked by different people. If you want to sell your food for money, you have to learn how to cook, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, no matter how easy it is to grow bean sprouts, we¡¯ve lived half our lives without anyone discovering it.


    Sixth Aunt Gu agreed. ¡°I think it¡¯s better to go home early and try to grow bean sprouts.¡±


    Everyone immediately shut up when they heard that. Those who confirmed that they had remembered everything immediately went home to work. Those who weren¡¯t confident asked Zhou Ying a few more questions and only left after they remembered everything.


    When most of them had left, Gu Chengxi walked in with a half-carried basket of firewood and said, ¡°Third sister-inw, uncle said that Chengrui asked me toe and learn how to grow bean sprouts. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. Follow me.¡± Zhou Ying brought him to the kitchen and taught him about it. Just as she finished, Gu Chengrui walked in with some things. He looked at Gu Chengxi and said, ¡°Chengxi, you are here. Help your sister-inw cook, and let¡¯s have lunch here. ¡±


    He handed two pounds of streaky pork and their sauces to Zhou Ying as he said that.


    Gu Chengxi¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the food.¡± Third sister-inw, are you nning to eat zhajiangmian for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, zhajiangmian is simple to cook, and everyone loves it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll help you start the fire.¡±


    ¡°Then you guys go ahead; I¡¯m going to the back.¡± Gu Chengxi said as he led the donkey cart to the backyard.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengxi cooked in the kitchen. When they were almost done, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Have you been eating well at home recently?¡±


    ¡°Still the same, but I asionally find some wild game on the mountain to eat. Plus, you guys give me some snacks sometimes, so it¡¯s okay. ¡±


    ¡°I see. Growing bean sprouts is an opportunity, so you better seize it. ¡±


    Gu Chengxi paused before he smiled and nodded.¡± Thank you, third sister-inw. I understand.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. Not only had the patriarch helped to build a spacious donkey shed, but he had also helped to build a chicken pen.


    When they were finally done, Zhou Ying brought two pounds of tofu for each of them to express her gratitude.


    Following that, the vige was quite harmonious. On the seventh day, Sister Tian was the first to grow her batch of bean sprouts. Following that, everyone seeded one after another, and there were more people selling bean sprouts everywhere.


    Therefore, in less than two days, many people suffered a blow due to the oversupply.


    In the end, Father Gu and Second uncle Gu bought over their bean sprouts at the price of two coppers and then sold them to the neighboring county by boat. Their business was going well.


    However, Tian Jiawang didn¡¯t sell his bean sprouts to them. Instead, he pushed his cart to town and the viges to sell them, having quite a good business.


    That afternoon, Zhou Ying collected the dried yuba when Tian Jiawang passed by. He saw and greeted her, ¡°You sure are busy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Brother Tian, you¡¯ve sold them out so quickly?¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and asked.


    ¡°I supplied some to a small tavern, so it was a quick day.¡± Tian Jiawang paused for a moment and pushed his cart into her garden.¡± Sister, do you still make the braised dried tofu you made before?¡±

 Chapter 74 - 74 Jealous

    74 Chapter 74 Jealous


    ¡°Why?¡± Zhou Ying was stunned and asked, ¡°Brother Tian, do you want to buy them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m out every day anyway, and it¡¯s too nd for me just to sell bean sprouts, so I wanted to sell them together.


    ¡°By the way, if you have extra tofu, you can also share a te with me to try to sell it.¡±


    Zhou Ying replied, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll give you ten pounds of tofu and five pounds of dried tofu to try. If it sells well, we¡¯ll increase the quantity.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, sister,¡± Tian Jiawang nodded and asked,¡± I wonder about the price¡­?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see how it goes tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t cheat you. ¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to your work.¡± Tian Jiawang said as he pushed the cart and walked out.


    After Zhou Ying finished her work, she quickly picked up 10 pounds of soybeans and soaked them.


    After that, she used a pressure cooker to make a pot of beef soup. She nned to eat them with noodles when Gu Chengrui returned.


    What she didn¡¯t expect was to wait until midnight. She had fallen asleep on the bed until Er Zhuang¡¯s cries woke her up.


    After suddenly waking up, she was confused for a moment before she came to her senses. She stood and walked out.


    Seeing it was Gu Chengrui, she heaved a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°Why did youe back sote today?¡±


    ¡°I was in the neighboring vige. I met a pregnant woman who was having a difficultbor, so I came backte. ¡°Gu Chengrui strode in after exining.


    ¡°You delivered a baby?¡± Zhou Ying asked with a worried look.


    This wasn¡¯t the modern world. If he, as a man, delivered a baby, his reputation might be ruined.


    ¡°No, I just prescribed some medicine to inducebor and guided the midwife to give birth.¡± Gu Chengrui pinched her nose and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what the situation here is like. I won¡¯t help deliver a baby unless I have no other choice.¡±


    Zhou Ying was relieved and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Go wash your hands first. I¡¯ll go make some noodles and we¡¯ll have ramen tonight. ¡±


    ¡°Give me two more pieces of meat; I¡¯m really hungry today.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying replied and went directly to the kitchen. She stoked the firece and closed it up.


    Then, she went into her interspace and cooked two big bowls of ramen. She picked out the beef and put it into one big bowl, then brought the bowls out.


    After a warm meal, Gu Chengrui took a money bag from his medicine box and handed it to her. ¡°By the way, this is the silver we earned today, a total of three taels and two coins.


    The two taels of silver were given by Thirteenth Uncle when I did a follow-up examination.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for money back then, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t. The medicine that cameter was also something they bought from town. They felt embarrassed for me treating him for free, so they gave me two taels of silver.


    I saw they were sincere in giving it to me, so I epted it. ¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and left him two copper coins, putting the rest into her interspace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep in your interspace tonight. I need to make a box of e cream with aloe vera for a patient.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Female?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a little girl.¡±


    ¡°Make me a box of moisturizer then, but I have to feed Er Zhuang first.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking sourly, she put the rest of the bones into the bowl. She scooped a big bowl of hot soup and threw two ck steamed buns into it, giving them to Er Zhuang.


    After that, the couple took the dirty bowls into the interspace and continued their business.


    The following day, when the two came out early to grind soybeans, Zhou Ying remembered that she had promised to provide some tofu and dried tofu for Tian Jiawang. She hurriedly told Gu Chengrui about this.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated momentarily and said, ¡°Just do as you see fit, but don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±

 Chapter 75 - 75 Taking Orders

    75 Chapter 75 Taking Orders


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Zhou Ying promised, and she started to get busy.


    However, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect that before noon, Tian Jiawang came with a cart and asked, ¡°Sister, do you still have any more dried tofu and tofu? Especially the dried tofu; I delivered all the ones you gave me to the tavern, and I don¡¯t have any more to sell.¡±


    Zhou Ying replied, ¡°I really don¡¯t have any more; you can only wait until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Then can I order one huge te of tofu and 50 pounds of dried tofu for tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°So many?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    Then, she thought of the various things stored in her interspace and asked, ¡°Brother Tian, what is the size of the tavern you are talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small tavern on the dock, specially opened for the hardborers, so they can¡¯t afford anything expensive. This dried tofu is a delicious side dish with a little mix, so the boss wants to order more.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a new dish tomorrow to try selling it at the tavern. See if the others want it. ¡±


    ¡°What dish?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret for now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle over tomorrow morning.¡± Tian Jiawang turned around and left.


    After he left, Zhou Ying soaked another 20 pounds of soybeans and prepared a set of pig heads and pig intestines.


    After cleaning them up quickly, she put them into her interspace to stew.


    In the evening, she went into her interspace on time and took the pork out of the stew,pleting her braised pork intestine dish.


    At night, Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the braised pork intestine. ¡°Babe, I thought you never ate intestines. Why did you make these braised pork intestines today? ¡±


    ¡°Because you like to eat it? I¡¯ve made it just in time to satisfy your craving.¡± Zhou Ying said as she told him about her n to sell the intestines while serving him some rice.


    ¡°It¡¯s good, but you¡¯ll be too tired.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I have nothing to do anyway.¡±


    ¡°You can go out and chat around. It¡¯s not good to be cooped up at home all the time, right? ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after the new year. Everyone is busy growing bean sprouts; who has the time to chat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. There are fewer people out and about in the vige now.¡± Gu Chengrui saw that she was insistent and did not try to persuade her anymore, so he decided not to make house visits for his patient again.


    He would wait for his patients toe to him and stay at home to help her with her business if there weren¡¯t any.


    Unexpectedly, Gu Chengrui again received arge order from Manager Liu the next day. He asked the couple to provide them with as many dried yuba as possible, and they would take them all.


    Therefore, after returning home, Gu Chengrui stayed at home. He helped Zhou Ying dry the yuba, filling up the kitchen, living room, and courtyard.


    In the afternoon, Tian Jiawang ordered a serving of braised pork intestines.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying felt it was impossible to stew them in her interspace. The two simply used the mud bricks left from the donkey shed to make two small stoves in the kitchen, bought two big pots, and ordered a few tofu moulds.


    After that, she hired Da Hua to help keep the kitchen fire going at the price of 100 coppers a month with lunch provided. She even told others that she would be buying more soybeans and firewood.


    It wasn¡¯t until five dayster that the two of them started to get busy openly.


    Elder Qiao had just returned from purchasing the Gu family¡¯s business on this day. When he heard that the restaurant¡¯s business had taken a dive, he immediately looked for the manager of Dongxing Restaurant, Wang Quan. He asked, ¡°Mr. Wang, I heard that the restaurant¡¯s business hasn¡¯t been good recently. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Sir, there are two main reasons. Over the past month, Hongyun Restaurant has been releasing new dishes one after another, snatching away many of our high-end customers.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a small tavern on the dock that has introduced a lot of new dishes. More than half of the customers in the middle and lower-end have left too, so¡­¡± Wang Quan replied in a trembling voice.

 Chapter 76 - 76 A Young Girl In Love

    76 Chapter 76 A Young Girl In Love


    Elder Qiao stood up angrily and threw the teacup at him. ¡°You useless bastard! We can¡¯t touch Hongyun Restaurant because they have a strong backing, but can¡¯t you deal with that small tavern? What are you doing?¡±


    Wang Quan was so scared that he trembled and wanted to hide but didn¡¯t dare to. Fortunately, the teacup fell short of his feet.


    After that, he took two steps back and knelt down. ¡°Master, please calm down. The people in the tavern aren¡¯t the problem.


    ¡°It¡¯s the person who supplied them that ruined our business, so I¡¯ve been investigating that person for the past two days.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did you find out?¡± Elder Qiao finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I did, but, but they¡¯re also supplying Hongyun restaurant, so¡­¡±


    ¡± Oh, it seems that they¡¯re quite capable. Get up and tell me in detail.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After Wang Quan got up, he silently wiped his sweat. Then, he talked about Zhou Ying and her husband¡¯s business and mentioned that Father Gu and Second uncle Gu were reselling bean sprouts in the neighboring county.


    ¡± What? Have the Gu brothers found a job? What are you guys doing?¡± Elder Qiao mmed his fist on the table and roared.


    ¡°I¡­ I found it when I was investigating the couple. It¡­ it hasn¡¯t been dealt with yet.¡±


    ¡°How long have they been doing this?¡±


    ¡°About half a month,¡±


    ¡°Qiao Mu,e in.¡± Hearing this, Elder Qiao turned his head and shouted outside.


    The Qiao estate¡¯s housekeeper, Qiao Mu, standing guard outside the door, felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Elder Qiao¡¯s furious roar. However, he still quickly walked in and greeted him. ¡°Master, do you have any orders?¡±


    ¡°Orders? How would I dare to order you? You¡¯re so busy that you¡¯ve forgotten the most important thing I tasked you with, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare. I don¡¯t dare, I¡­¡±


    ¡± Alright, let me ask you. Do you know that the Gu brothers have found a job? ¡±


    Qiao Mu was at a loss when he heard this, and his heart skipped a beat. He thought that he was done for this time due to his negligence.


    Then, he bowed and said, ¡°Please forgive me, master. I have been checking the autumn ounts recently, so I didn¡¯t notice what happened to the Gu brothers. But, of course, it was my negligence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making excuses. I think you just don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, your humble servant¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it. Ask Mr. Wang to tell you about the Gu brothers and quickly settle this matter.¡± Elder Qiao said to Wang Quan at this point, ¡°By the way, send someone to give me a taste of the new dishes at Hongyun restaurant and that small tavern. You should also devise a new recipe as soon as possible and try to turn the situation around. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, master. I¡¯ll do it now.¡± Wang Quan turned around and left after he finished speaking.


    When Qiao Mu saw this, he bowed to Elder Qiao and withdrew. Then, he found Wang Quan to understand the Gu brothers¡¯ matter. He turned around, called two people over and instructed them on something.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying and her husband were busy making yuba. Then, suddenly, they heard Er Zhuang¡¯s barking. Gu Chengrui immediately stopped what he was doing and walked out.


    Seeing someone with a servant standing at the door, shocked by Er Zhuang, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he walked out and said to the veiled girl, ¡°Miss Liu, you¡­ you¡¯ve used up the ointment?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Doctor Gu, aren¡¯t you going to invite me in for a seat?¡± Miss Liu bowed and said.


    At the same time, she looked at him with a pair of wandering eyes, shyly and timidly, like a young girl in love.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s scalp went numb, so he directly refused, ¡°Miss Liu, it¡¯s a bit inconvenient inside. If you have anything to say, you can say it here.¡±

 Chapter 77 - 77 A Warning

    77 Chapter 77 A Warning


    ¡°Doctor Gu¡­¡± Miss Liu looked at him with a sad expression and tears in her eyes.


    Gu Chengrui did not give her another chance to show her ¡®charm¡¯ and rejected her again, ¡°Since Miss Liu isn¡¯t here for a consultation, please leave.¡±


    After that, he turned around and went home.


    Seeing this, Miss Liu wanted to stop him, but Er Zhuang once again bared his teeth and barked at her.


    Seeing this, the maidservant at the side said, ¡°Young miss, in this servant¡¯s opinion, we should leave. We can send Doctor Gu for a follow-up examination when the ointment is gone.


    ¡°Otherwise, it would be troublesome if the vigers recognized us.¡±


    Miss Liu looked around and saw many children and women staring at them curiously.


    Then, she looked at Er Zhuang, who was still trying to rush at her, and a malicious look shed in her eyes. She looked like apletely different person from her weakling self just now.


    But in the end, she nodded, turned around, and left in her carriage.


    After they left the vige, Miss Liu looked at the maidservant and said, ¡°Cui ¡®er, go back and find someone to poison that vicious dog of theirs to death.¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss.¡± Cui ¡®er nodded. She was obviously used to this.


    After that, she hesitated before saying. ¡± Young miss, how should we deal with thatdy Gu? She is the wife of Doctor Gu. Furthermore, she is the daughter of the imperial physician Zhou. I¡¯m afraid she is not easy to deal with. ¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Hasn¡¯t my father always been suppressing the Gu family? When the time is right, he¡¯ll give the Gu family a way out. By then, there¡¯ll be plenty of people who can help me.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Miss, as expected of your smarts.¡± After Cui ¡®er finished speaking, she obediently poured Miss Liu a ss of water.


    When they arrived in town, they took a detour and entered the back door of the Qiao family¡¯s residence.


    Gu Chengrui did not know about Miss Liu¡¯s scheme, but he would not take it to heart even if he did. He did not want to cause trouble all this time because they just wanted to live a simple and warm life.


    However, he would not let it be if trouble came knocking on his door.


    Therefore, when he returned to the kitchen, he smiled at Zhou Ying, who was still busy. Then, he turned around to get busy as well.


    Two dayster, Tian Jiawang came to pick up the goods. After that, he pulled Gu Chengrui aside and said, ¡°Brother Gu, you guys should be more careful these days.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tian, did you hear something?¡± Gu Chengrui paused, turned his head and asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but someone asked for the recipe for the braised intestines, and I also saw strangers wandering around the vige these two days. I can¡¯t guarantee anything, but I just feel uneasy.¡±


    ¡°Who is it? When did he ask you for the recipe for the braised intestines?¡±


    ¡°When I started delivering the braised pork intestines, the tavern owner asked. But after I said it was troublesome, he didn¡¯t ask again.


    ¡°Yesterday, I heard from the tavern owner that someone had been asking about the recipe for the past two days, and they¡¯ve been going there to buy the pork intestines for the past two days. Every time they go, they¡¯ll buy everything.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you for telling me this, Brother Tian. You should take care of yourself too.¡±


    ¡°I will. Sorry to bother you.¡± Tian Jiawang said his goodbyes and pushed the small cart away.


    Gu Chengrui stood in ce and pondered for a moment. Those interested in the recipe for braised intestines were most likely in the food business.


    It was more likely to be the restaurants in town.


    Of course, the possibility of it being Hongyun Restaurant wasn¡¯t high, as they could have just looked for them directly.


    Who would it be¡­?


    His heart stopped as he remembered that the Qiao family also had a restaurant. It seemed that he had to investigate it carefully, or he would be in a disadvantageous position.


    Afterwards, he returned to the kitchen to load the goods he had prepared for Hongyun Restaurant and drove the donkey cart back to town.

 Chapter 78 - 78 Poisoning

    78 Chapter 78 Poisoning


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t know about this. After Gu Chengrui left, she continued to dry the yuba as usual.


    However, when she was moving the drying frame into the yard today, she found a giant dead rat at the foot of the wall. She was disgusted and put the yuba aside to find a shovel to throw it away.


    When she walked to the shed, she found a white bun on the ground. It was stuffed with meat.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying had a bad feeling in her heart. Because she never made pure meat buns, this must have been from someone else. Looking at the position, it was obvious that it was aimed at Er Zhuang.


    However, Er Zhuang was a dog. So who did he get in the way of that the person had to kill a dog? Was it a thief?


    However, she quickly recalled that dogs had a sharp nose and that Gu Chengrui had trained it to sniffmon poison just in case. Hence, she directly kicked the steamed bun to Er Zhuang¡¯s hut and shouted, ¡°Er Zhuang, sniff.¡±


    Sleeping with his eyes closed, Er Zhuang woke up immediately when he heard her call. He looked at the bun before him and kicked it away without even sniffing. Then, he wagged his tail and squatted in front of her, looking like he was waiting for her to praise him.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying rubbed his head, then took a fresh chicken from her interspace and gave it to him.


    Then, she threw the steamed buns into a corner. Finally, she threw the rat away using a shovel and returned to work.


    After Gu Chengrui had delivered the goods and left Hongyun Restaurant, he had not walked far when he met the Tiger and Leopard brothers, each holding a chicken leg and gnawing on it. After gnawing on it, they were still unsatisfied and even licked the oil off their hands.


    In his eyes, a light shed. Then, he cracked his whip and drove the donkey cart over. ¡°My two brothers, you¡¯re going home? It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you. ¡±


    When the two of them heard his familiar voice, they immediately froze. Then, they turned their heads andughed dryly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Doctor Gu. You¡­¡±


    When Gu Erjiang said this, he looked at the unfamiliar donkey cart and asked, ¡°This cart is yours?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just bought it a few days ago. Come on up if you are heading back too. ¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind if we do.¡± After Gu Erjiang finished speaking, he immediatelyughed and climbed into the cart. Qian Zhuang pouted when he saw this but still followed.


    After they left the town, Gu Chengrui asked again, ¡°My two brothers, what have you been busy with recently?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. I just stayed at home to recuperate for a few days and went to town to do my old profession. Today is the day I get paid, so I n to return home to visit.¡±


    ¡°Your old profession?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s to help the gambling den urge others to pay their debts.¡± Gu Erjiang replied with an awkward smile.


    This was their main job, and they would do some sneaky things when they were free. But, of course, they would never say these things out loud.


    ¡°I see. However, this job is not only dangerous, but it is also not a long-term solution. Have the two of you ever thought of finding a proper job?¡±


    ¡°Doctor Gu, please don¡¯t mock us brothers. Who would want to hire us?¡±


    ¡°That will depend on whether you have the determination to start over.¡±


    ¡°Of course there is. No one wants to be chased around and berated every day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Why don¡¯t you two follow me?¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, please don¡¯t tease us. We can¡¯t help you with anything.¡±


    ¡°Why would I tease you guys? I¡¯m serious.¡±


    After hearing this, Gu Erjiang and Qian Zhuang looked at each other and saw the disbelief in each other¡¯s eyes. However, the two of them quickly shook their heads.


    They hadn¡¯t forgotten how he had quickly dealt with the two of themst time. If they worked under him, they would be tightly restrained by him.

 Chapter 79 - 79 Recruitment

    79 Chapter 79 Recruitment


    When Gu Chengrui saw the resistance on their faces and the fear in their eyes, he quickly understood. They were afraid of him after he beat them up on the mountain.


    It seems that ying with them in the dark was worth it back then.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you even have the heart to correct yourself?¡± He said with a look of disdain.


    ¡°Or do you want to live like this for the rest of your life? Not only would you not be able to experience the warmth of having a wife and child¡­


    ¡°When you are old, you won¡¯t even have anyone to serve you tea. After you die, you will be wrapped in a straw mat and buried in a pit. There wouldn¡¯t even be anyone to burn you money.


    ¡°Or maybe even worse, there won¡¯t even be a corpse of you to collect. You will leave yourself to be fed to the crows and dogs, unable to leave behind an intact corpse.¡±


    At that moment, the faint cry of a crow could be heard, causing the two of them to shiver in fear.


    They didn¡¯t care if they had a wife or children or not since they couldn¡¯t afford to raise them anyway.


    However, they couldn¡¯t stand it when they thought about how their corpses would be exposed in the wilderness and how they would end up being eaten.


    Then, the two of them looked at each other again and asked in unison, ¡°Doctor Gu, are you really willing to give us a job?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m free to talk so much nonsense with you?¡±


    ¡°Then, I wonder, what do you want us to do?¡± Qian Zhuang asked.


    Gu Erjiang quickly followed and nodded.


    ¡°You guys should know that I¡¯m also making tofu and dried yuba in addition to practicing medicine.


    ¡°Your work is also simple. When I deliver my goods daily, you will drive the donkey cart to help pick out and collect the soybeans. You should be able to do this, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, definitely. But the sry¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ten coppers a day. I¡¯ll increase it when you do a good job. Just tell me if you¡¯re doing it or not.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it, let¡¯s do it, we brothers will do it.¡±


    ¡°Doctor Gu, aren¡¯t you afraid we¡¯ll drive the donkey cart out and leave?¡± Gu Erjiang asked at this time.


    ¡°Unless you want to wander around for your entire life. Besides, you all have your own homes. Although they¡¯re a little run-down, they¡¯re still worth more than a donkey.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Doctor Gu,¡± the two men promised immediately. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best.¡±


    ¡°By the way, when do we start?¡± Qian Zhuang asked again.


    ¡°In five days. In the next few days, help me keep an eye on the strangers whoe to the vige and see who they are.


    ¡°Also, find out who¡¯s asking about the recipe for braised pork intestine in town.


    ¡°Remember, just find out who it is. You don¡¯t have to take the risk.


    ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll pay you your sry for the next five days.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s such a good thing?¡± Hearing this, Gu Erjiang was immediately happy. It was their strength to get information through the grapevine.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, do you mean that there have been strangers in the vige these two days and have been looking for trouble with you?¡± Qian Zhuang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. Do you guys dare to do it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. Take this money and get a pot of alcohol. Consider it my treat.¡± Gu Chengrui gave them some money after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, you¡¯re sure generous. Since you think so highly of us, we¡¯ll follow you.¡± Qian Zhuang said as he took the money.


    When they arrived at the vige, the three of them parted ways. However, Qian Zhuang met a stranger not far away. He immediately followed him quietly, thinking of the sry he had just received.


    After Gu Chengrui returned home and tied up the donkey, Zhou Ying told him that someone had tried to poison their dog.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Where¡¯s the bun?¡± He asked, ¡°Let me see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in this corner of the shed,¡± Zhou Ying pointed out, pointing to the corner closest to the house.


    Gu Chengrui immediately walked over.

 Chapter 80 - 80 Something Happened

    80 Chapter 80 Something Happened


    Seeing the remaining half of the bun, Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes immediately narrowed.


    Because he could tell that this kind of steamed bun with lots of ingredients was definitely not bought.


    The main issue was that there weren¡¯t many houses in the vige that made this kind of bun, and it was impossible for them to use it to harm a dog. This meant it was most likely done by an outsider with decent family wealth.


    After that, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and scooped out a small part of the meat filling. When he returned, he said in a low voice, ¡°Babe, I¡¯m going to go into the interspace to do some tests to see what kind of poison was used. Look after the Da Hua.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Follow me.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she returned to the living room and sent him into her interspace.


    When she came out, she had a small bottle of pepper spray in her hand. Then, she put it in her apron and went back to the kitchen to get busy.


    It wasn¡¯t until lunch was ready that Zhou Ying let Da Hua eat first. She entered the west room and closed the door before entering the vi¡¯s second floor in her interspace.


    Seeing Gu Chengrui still busy in theboratory, Zhou Ying walked over and asked, ¡°Is the result not out yet? Your meal is ready.¡±


    ¡°You guys eat first. Pick me up in half an hour.¡± Gu Chengrui said without turning his head.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying retreated. After keeping a portion of his food, she started lunch with Da Hua.


    After lunch, the sky turned dark, and a northwest wind blew. Obviously, the yuba couldn¡¯t be dried anymore. Zhou Ying gave Da Hua arge bowl of tofu pudding and asked her to go home and rest.


    She brought food into her interspace. Gu Chengrui had just finished his work, so she heated it in the microwave and passed it to him.


    After he finished eating, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, do you know what poison it is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s arsenic. It¡¯s not difficult to determine that.


    ¡°However, I used traditional medicine to make some disinfectants and anesthetics to rece iodophor and our modern anesthetics. Otherwise, the stock in your interspace wouldn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve also made some high-concentrate knockout powder for self-defense. Just in case, I¡¯ll bring a bag with me when I go out in the future.¡±


    ¡°Then who do you think is trying to harm Er Zhuang? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an ordinary thief.¡± Zhou Ying asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head. He hesitated but still told her what Tian Jiawang had told him. He then told her about how he had hired the Tiger and Leopard Brothers. ¡°If it¡¯s really the Qiao family, we have to be careful. They¡¯re not merely after us for the recipe.¡±


    ¡°I will. By the way, it¡¯s getting cloudy outside. Let¡¯s hurry up and clean up the house.¡± After saying that, she took him out of her interspace.


    They didn¡¯t expect that it was already drizzling outside. The two immediately took the yuba from the yard into the house.


    After that, Gu Chengrui fed the donkey and returned. The two of them went into the kitchen and made the remaining soy milk into dried tofu and braised two sets of pig intestines.


    After the two finished their work, they took out a bag of coal from the interspace and added it to the stove. Then, they sealed the firece and returned to the living room.


    They cooked dinner in the interspace that night.


    After dinner, the two drank a pot of tea, and each took out a book to read.


    Of course, Gu Chengrui was reading medical books, while Zhou Ying was reading cooking books.


    Just as the two added more fire and were about to enter the interspace, Er Zhuang suddenly barked out, followed by a knock on the door.


    The two listened to the heavy and urgent knocking on the door. After looking at each other, Zhou Ying immediately put away the tablemp, books, tea set, and other things that should not appear in the room into her interspace.


    Gu Chengrui put on his coat and walked out while shouting, ¡°Who is it? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Chengrui, it¡¯s your second brother. Father and Second uncle are seriously injured. Hurry and bring the medicine to the house. I have to go back first.¡± Gu Chengye ran back in a hurry after he finished speaking.

 Chapter 81 - 81 Rescue

    81 Chapter 81 Rescue


    Gu Chengrui was stunned after hearing this. He cursed inwardly as he remembered the strangeness in the vige these two days.


    Not only were they being watched, but they also discovered their old family was selling bean sprouts, and the person had taken action.


    Thinking of this, he immediately turned around and returned to the house. He said to Zhou Ying, ¡°Babe, something happened over there, and I have to go over. Do you want toe with me or wait at home? ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. If I don¡¯t go, who knows what rumors they¡¯ll spread.¡± Zhou Ying also began to put on her clothes.


    !!


    After that, the couple hurriedly packed up the first aid kit, locked the door, and walked to their old house together in the drizzling rain.


    When they arrived, they found the old house was in a mess. Some were wailing, and some were carrying buckets of water back and forth. However, all that came out of the main house was blood.


    When Gu Chengye saw Gu Chengrui enter, he immediately brought him into the main house and said, ¡°Chengrui, hurry up and look at Father and Second uncle. You have to save them.¡±


    After entering the room, Gu Chengrui was shocked to see the two lying on arge bed. It was obvious that they had been soaked, and their faces were as pale as paper. Under the light, a faint gray hue was on their faces, making them look like dead people.


    Then, he quickly went over to listen to their heartbeats. After confirming that the two of them were still alive, he said to Gu Chengye and Gu Chengzhi, squatting at the side and starting a fire, ¡°Big brother, don¡¯t start a fire. You and Chengye should wash your hands and help me deal with their wounds.¡±


    After he finished, he looked at Mrs. Qiao, who was sitting on the chair nervously and said, ¡°Grandmother, take all the women out first. Remember to prepare a set of clean clothes and bedding for Father and Second uncle.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, I¡¯ll leave this ce to you. If you need anything, just let me know.¡± After Mrs. Qiao finished speaking, she sat up and then walked out with the help of Mrs. Huang.


    When Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao saw this, they did not want to go out but knew that now was not the time to make a fuss and followed quietly.


    Aftering out, everyone saw Zhou Ying¡¯s rosy and chubbier face. But they only nced at her and didn¡¯t have the mood to find fault with her.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying naturally did not look for trouble. She turned around and pulled Gu Chengxi into the kitchen to help boil some water and stoke the fire.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Chengxi, do you know what happened? How did they get so badly injured? ¡±


    ¡°I heard that the cargo ship encountered water bandits on the way. Not only had they robbed father¡¯s money, but they also sank the boat. So, not only did we lose all the money we earned recently, but I also heard that they had to pay for the medical expenses of the crew and reimburse the boat.


    More importantly, two people died. I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡± Gu Chengxi¡¯s face fell as he said this.


    ¡°Someone died? How many people are there on the ship?¡±


    ¡°I heard that there are eight of them. Besides uncle and my father, there are six other crew members?¡±


    ¡°Are they all from the n?¡±


    ¡°No, there are some from other viges.¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she knew that the Gu family was in big trouble this time. It was likely that the family coffers would be emptied, and she had a headache just thinking about it.


    After that, she didn¡¯t ask any more questions. Instead, she asked about his recent lifestyle and was relieved to know that he was doing well.


    About two hourster, the light rain turned into light snow. Gu Chengrui and his two brothers had worked together to treat the wounds of the two elderly.


    After they were finally carried back to their rooms, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Remember not to start a fire in the house. Instead, use the method of rubbing the palms of your hands and feet to let them slowly warm up.


    ¡°For the next seven days, they must eat light food, or else it will be troublesome if their wound festers.¡±


    ¡°Father is already injured to this extent. You can¡¯t possibly still want to go back, right?¡± Gu Chengye turned his head and asked.

 Chapter 82 - 82 Blocked

    82 Chapter 82 Blocked


    ¡°I won¡¯t, but I must go back and get more medicine now.


    ¡°Someone has to go to town tomorrow to buy some warm and nourishing herbs for me to make a medicinal meal, so I guess I have to trouble Chengye.¡± Gu Chengrui said with a slight nce.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I write a list?¡± He said. ¡°Chengye, you can go to town to buy medicine tomorrow.¡±


    Gu Chengye looked a little embarrassed when he heard that. Then, he quickly shook his head and said, ¡°You know medicine better, so you should go.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help father rub his hands and feet.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he went to a second room to give Gu Chengzhi some instructions. Then, he brought Zhou Ying home and said, ¡°Babe, I¡¯m going to keep watch over there. If you¡¯re afraid, you can sleep in the interspace. ¡±


    ¡°Alright. You should be careful too.¡± Zhou Ying took a pure wool military coat from her interspace and handed it to him.


    Gu Chengrui paused for a moment after receiving it. After hesitating, he took off the leatheryer and put it on. Then, he returned to the west room to grab two doses of fever and anti-inmmatory medicine, turned around, and left.


    However, when Zhou Ying thought of Father Gu¡¯s appearance, she couldn¡¯t stop worrying. She took the pepper spray and followed him out.


    She stood at the main entrance until she saw him turn into the door of their old residence. Then, she locked their door and went back to her bedroom to sleep.


    At his old house, Gu Chengrui had just boiled some medicine, and the four people who had sent Father Gu and Second uncle Gu back earlier returned.


    After Gu Chengrui learned they were injured, he immediately bandaged their wounds.


    Then, he fed the two elderly men medicine and stood guard.


    The two of them still had a fever in the middle of the night. In the end, he had to use an alcohol rub to suppress it.


    The following day, Gu Chengrui went home for breakfast and was about to drive the donkey cart to town to deliver the goods when Zhou Ying followed him and said, ¡°Rui, I¡¯ll go with you to deliver the goods today.¡±


    Gu Chengrui knew that she was afraid that he would be in danger. However, he also knew that it would be no help even if the two of them went together if he were really in trouble.


    Just as he was about to refuse, Zhou Ying continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go, then none of us should go. I¡¯ll have someone pass a message to Manager Liuter and have theme over to collect.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Rui, just bring me along.¡± Zhou Ying held his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder, ¡°You forgot that I have the interspace. If something really happens, we still have a way out.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at how she was holding on to him tightly and knew he had to take her along. He said, ¡°I can bring you along, but you must take out two bags of knockout powder and prepare an air gun for me.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Ying prepared the things ording to his request and brought the pepper spray she had taken out before.


    Then, the two of them untied Er Zhuang and locked their house. They then rushed to town in the donkey cart.


    When they arrived at the restaurant, the two wanted to ask Manager Liu if he knew someone had asked about the braised dishes, but he was not there.


    The two had no choice but to turn around and buy the medicinal herbs for warming and nourishing purposes. Also, they sold five pounds of pueraria powder to Doctor Luo at a price of a hundred coppers per pound.


    Zhou Ying used a basket as a cover after exiting the pharmacy and took out a pound of golden jujubes, a pound of longans, and a pound of goji berries.


    When they reached the main street, they were about to return when five people suddenly jumped out of the alley and blocked their way. ¡°Gu Chengrui, right? Our master would like to see you. Pleasee with us.¡±


    After saying that, one of them went forward to lead the donkey.


    His attitude was arrogant, with a posture that didn¡¯t seem like he was inviting them but more like he was kidnapping them. The couple had to go even if they didn¡¯t want to, having no say in their choice.

 Chapter 83 - 83 Intent To Kill

    83 Chapter 83 Intent To Kill


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui immediately stepped forward and pulled the reins. ¡°So, who is your master?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you know when you get there? Hurry up. Our master is waiting for you.¡± The man looked at his empty hand and stared at Gu Chengrui with embarrassed anger.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you dare to say your names? Why do I feel that you don¡¯t look like someone decent?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it doesn¡¯t look like an invitation to me and more like a kidnapping. Could it be that you are robbing us?¡± Zhou Ying deliberately shouted loudly when she saw this.


    !!


    If the Qiao family wanted to make trouble for them, she would ruin their reputation and see if they would still dare to be so arrogant in the future.


    Then, she thought of something and shouted, ¡°Just who are you people? You¡¯re sure bold, robbing in broad daylight before so many people. Do you still have any respect for thew?¡±


    The moment she shouted, the people around her immediately hid far away. However, they did not leave, just stood not far away, watching from a distance.


    Seeing this, the five people were quite angry. The leader immediately said, impatiently, ¡°Hurry up. Don¡¯t me us for using force if you dare to dawdle.¡±


    ¡°Still the same question, Who is your master?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t even dare to say his name, we won¡¯t dare to go. What if you¡¯re a bandit?¡±


    After saying that, someone on the side echoed, ¡°That¡¯s right. With your fiendish looks, who would dare to go with you if you don¡¯t make things clear?¡±


    ¡°Are they really bandits?¡±


    ¡°What? Look at the clothes they¡¯re wearing. Aren¡¯t those the clothes of the Qiao family¡¯s servants? ¡±


    ¡°The Qiao family is sure getting more and more arrogant.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it. Since the Gu family was pulled down, the Qiao family has been left unchecked.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what people often say? Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king.¡±


    ¡°Be careful with what you say and not to get caught.¡± When the man said this, he shook his head and looked at Gu Chengrui and his wife with sympathy. ¡°It seems that the young couple is doomed today.¡±


    More than half of the crowd immediately dispersed. After all, the Qiao family was acting pompous recently. It would be troublesome if they targeted them.


    The voices of the people around them were not loud but not soft either. The seven people who were surrounded in the middle naturally heard them.


    Seeing this, the five servants blocking the road knew they couldn¡¯t dy any longer. Therefore, the leader directly grabbed the donkey¡¯s reins and pulled them into an alley.


    Gu Chengrui knew he could not avoid this, so he nodded and turned to Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying understood and took out the things she had prepared before. She then quietly handed him a pack of knockout powder while she hid the pepper spray in her sleeve.


    Soon, the group stopped at the courtyard entrance, leaving one person to look after their things while the other four led the young couple in.


    When they arrived at the living room entrance, the leader went in to report before bringing them in.


    After the young couple entered, they saw a middle-aged man sitting in the middle, drinking tea and ying with prayer beads in his hand.


    The two of them looked at each other and stood still, waiting for him to speak.


    Elder Qiao, sitting opposite them, looked at the calm andposed couple and was very surprised. At the same time, he also had some respect for them.


    Because even he couldn¡¯t be so calm in such a situation.


    However, it was a pity that they were destined not to be friends, and he intended to get rid of them. After all, this young couple would definitely be his obstacles in the future.


    After that, he put down his teacup and sized up the two of them. ¡°When did the Gu family be so unruly, not even greeting when meeting someone else?¡±

 Chapter 84 - 84 Bravery

    84 Chapter 84 Bravery


    ¡°Is this how you treat your guests?¡± Gu Chengrui asked with a smile.


    After hearing this, Elder Qiao¡¯s eyes narrowed, and then he calmly said, ¡°You¡¯re quite bold, aren¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll kill you?¡±


    ¡°If you wanted our lives, I don¡¯t think we would be here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re brave.¡±


    ¡°As someone who has died once, what else can¡¯t he ept?¡±


    Hearing this, Elder Qiaoughed. He knew he would not be able to gain any advantage with his words, so he said directly, ¡°I heard that you have a braised recipe. If you hand it over, I can spare your lives and let you continue to sell tofu.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one who¡¯s been asking for the recipe for the braised intestines? May I know your name?¡± Gu Chengrui asked him back on purpose to test his temperament.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Interesting, you don¡¯t even recognize your enemy. It seems that your father really doesn¡¯t care about you.¡± After Elder Qiao said this, he stood up and said, ¡°In that case, how about youe under my wing? I guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to live a good life.¡±


    ¡°A person who doesn¡¯t dare to say his name is not worth my loyalty.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± When Elder Qiao said this, he remembered that the recipe was Zhou Ying¡¯s. Then, he flicked his sleeves and walked over to her with a smile. ¡°Miss Zhou, if you follow this stubborn and silly boy, you won¡¯t have a day where you can make a name for yourself. Why don¡¯t youe with me and be my fourth wife?


    ¡°With your craftsmanship and my connections, we can make huge profits from our cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Since you know who we are, you should know that although our marriage was to wash away bad luck and married by imperial edict.¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and said with a nk expression.


    In other words, their marriage was registered with the Emperor. Unless one party died, it would be valid for life.


    This was also the main reason why the Gu family, including Gu Chengrui¡¯s original body, insisted on keeping her even if they hated her.


    When she looked at his oily, fat face, it was so disgusting that she had to look away after only one nce.


    When Elder Qiao noticed the disdain in her eyes, he was furious, but he knew that she was telling the truth. His face darkened when he thought of this, and he said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you, I won¡¯t waste my breath on you. As long as you hand over the recipe, I¡¯ll let you go. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that Elder Qiao has be arrogant and tyrannical. It seems that¡¯s your true nature.¡± Gu Chengruiughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re really bold.¡± Elder Qiao said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Men!¡± He shouted. ¡°Tie them up and interrogate them. Let them go only after they tell us the recipe.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the man who had brought them in immediately rushed towards Gu Chengrui. However, as soon as he got close, Gu Chengrui threw him over his shoulder and mmed him to the ground. He grabbed his leg and dislocated his ankle to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.


    At that time, the remaining three people also rushed in. After pausing for a moment, they all ran toward Gu Chengrui. Gu Chengrui was delighted when he saw this.


    As long as they didn¡¯t harass Zhou Ying, he would go easy on them. He didn¡¯t hit them where it hurt, just avoided them and dislocated their arms and legs.


    In the blink of an eye, only one of the three people was still standing, but he didn¡¯t dare move forward.


    Seeing this, Elder Qiao was also quite frightened. ording to his investigation, Gu Chengrui should have been only a weak schr. Elder Qiao did not expect him to know martial arts and, more importantly, to be so good at fighting.


    Then, while his men were confronting Gu Chengrui, Elder Qiao turned his eyes to Zhou Ying, who was also watching the show. He quickly ran over and was about to grab Zhou Ying¡¯s neck to threaten her.

 Chapter 85 - 85 Ruckus

    85 Chapter 85 Ruckus


    Zhou Ying smiled, turned, and took out her pepper spray, spraying it directly on his face.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Elder Qiao screamed. He covered his face and retreated a few steps, screaming non-stop.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui stepped forward and kicked thest person¡¯s chin. While he was in a daze, Gu Chengrui dislocated his arm and pushed him to the side. Then, he turned around and pulled Zhou Ying out.


    When they rushed out of the house, they ran into the person guarding the entrance and a woman with a rolling pin.


    Gu Chengrui immediately rushed to the man. Zhou Ying was afraid of getting injured, so she did not fight the woman head-on. She took her pepper spray and sprayed it at her three times. The woman could only cover her face and blindly wave the pin in her hand.


    Zhou Ying saw this and went behind her with a smirk on her face. She kicked her butt, causing her to fall into the mud.


    Gu Chengrui was also done. He smiled and shook his head. ¡°Babe, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Zhou Ying responded and immediately ran out.


    However, the two of them did not go home. Instead, they returned to Hongyun Restaurant and informed Chef Zhou of what had happened. They also exined that the goods might not be able to arrive on time tomorrow.


    After returning home, the two gave Tian Jiawang his goods. They took two old hens and the medicine they bought from the interspace and went to their old house after locking up.


    At the entrance, they found that it was full of people and could faintly hear the sound of women crying.


    Soon after, they saw Sixth Aunt Gu standing on adder from her house, watching themotion. The young couple went up to her, and Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Sixth Aunt, what happened? Why are there so many people around?¡±


    When Sixth Aunt heard his voice, she turned her head and looked over. She immediately came down thedder when she saw the two of them. Then, she made a shushing gesture at them and pulled them into her house before saying, ¡°Something happenedst night. Did you guys know?¡±


    ¡°I know. I was the one who bandaged and stitched up my father¡¯s and second uncle¡¯s woundsst night.


    ¡°But what¡¯s going on now?¡±


    ¡°Someone died. You know about the shipwreck, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at Gu Chengrui in surprise, as this was the first time she had heard of this. It seemed that their old family was going to go broke this time.


    She didn¡¯t know why, but she suddenly felt a little happy. She wouldn¡¯t have invented growing bean sprouts if they hadn¡¯t mistreated the original couple. They might have been living mediocrely, but they wouldn¡¯t be in such a big disaster.


    She would like to see if they could continue hiding their money this time.


    ¡°The two families of the dead havee to demand an exnation,¡± said Sixth Aunt, ¡°They are demanding a hundred taels each.


    ¡°Your mother and second aunt are crying about how poor they are.


    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think they can avoid it this time. No matter what, they have to pay arge sum of money to solve it.


    ¡°And that boat, it¡¯s a good mahogany-made boat, and they have to pay at least a hundred taels for that.¡±


    Sixth Aunt looked at the things they were carrying and said, ¡°I think you two should go back and onlye back after this matter is over. Otherwise, Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao will definitely not let you off.¡±


    The young couple looked at each other. They were really in a dilemma.


    If they were to hide like this, what would their reputation be in the future?


    But if they didn¡¯t leave, Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao might demand something from them.


    In the end, the couple nodded simultaneously and decided to go over. Because no matter whether they hid or not, if Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao chose to cling to them, they would not be able to dodge it.


    It would be better to be on the higher ground so that they would have a good reputation. Thinking of this, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Sixth Aunt, is the vige chief and patriarch inside? ¡°

 Chapter 86 - 86 chapter 86 Facing The Problem

    86 chapter 86 Facing The Problem


    ¡°They are. They went over as soon as the people over there came. Otherwise, they would have already started fighting instead of just crying and making a scene.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu replied.


    ¡°Thank you for telling us, but we still have to go.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯re still going there even after this? Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting entangled in it? ¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t avoid it, be it a blessing or a disaster. Since it has already happened, we have to face it.¡± Gu Chengrui bowed to her and picked up the hen, walking out with Zhou Ying.


    Sixth Aunt Gu looked at their backs and shook her head. At the same time, she despised Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao even more. They were such a good young couple, but they were almost driven to death by them.


    ¡°No, I have to go and take a look. I can¡¯t let them be bullied again.¡±


    Thinking of this, she poured herself a ss of cold water and gulped it down. After that, she locked the door and hurriedly followed.


    After the young couple managed to squeeze in, they realized that the number of people in the house was no less than the number outside. They were all sitting there with small stools, as if they were nning to live here if they weren¡¯t reimbursed.


    Gu Chengxi carried a copper pot and shuttled between the crowds, pouring water for them and carefully serving them.


    The two looked at each other and then walked into the house.


    When the patriarch saw theming in with their things, he stood up and said disapprovingly, ¡°Why are you guys here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be making tofu?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can continue.¡± Gu Chengruiughed dryly. He did not hide the fact that they had been stopped and threatened to hand over the recipe for the braised intestine.


    ¡°What, the Qiao family has set their sights on you?¡± Mrs. Qiao said with anger.


    When Mrs. Liu and the others heard that, they gradually weakened their crying and perked up their ears to listen.


    ¡°Well, if I didn¡¯t know some fighting skills, maybe you would have to collect our bodies tomorrow.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    The patriarch¡¯s face turned extremely ugly after hearing this. This Qiao family was getting increasingly excessive and was nning to continue opposing their ns for more generations. Then, he asked, ¡°So what do you n to do? You can¡¯t keep hiding like this. They¡¯ll definitelye to you. ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for my father and second uncle to wake up first.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengye and asked, ¡°By the way, have Father and Second uncle woken up yet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the two men shook their heads in unison.


    After that, Gu Chengye continued, ¡°But their body temperatures have returned to normal, so they should wake up sooner orter. You two should have a seat, don¡¯t just stand. ¡±


    After saying that, he asked the women to squeeze out a bench for them.


    ¡°Thank you, Chengye.¡± Gu Chengrui carried the things in his hands to the foot of the wall and then sat on the bench with Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Uncle, Grandpa vige chief, did the vige investigate yesterday¡¯s incident? Do you know who did it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± The patriarch asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s the Qiao family. If the robbers really did it, they wouldn¡¯t hurt the hostage. ¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have any evidence, so you must be careful.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Gu Chengrui paused for a moment and nodded. They seemed to have also guessed that the Qiao family had done it but just had no evidence.


    However, even if there were enough evidence, it would be useless. The Qiao family must have someone to rely on since they dared to be so arrogant. The person backing them was not someone the Gu family could deal with in their current state.


    There seemed to be only two ways to solve the Qiao family¡¯s problems; either they secretly snuffed them out or they found a more powerful backer to oppress the Qiao familypletely. Otherwise, they would never have another peaceful day in their life.

 Chapter 87 - 87 Compensation (1)

    87 Chapter 87 Compensation (1)


    ¡°We can discuss the Qiao family¡¯s matterter. Let¡¯s hurry up and think about thepensation. It¡¯s not good to let your doors be blocked like this anyway.¡± The vige chief urged.


    ¡°Indeed. Second Aunt, tell us what we should do about this.¡± After the patriarch finished speaking, he looked at Mrs. Qiao.


    However, the way he looked at her wasplicated, but most of it was filled with hatred.


    At that time, Zhou Ying only remembered that the old madam¡¯s surname was Qiao. Could it be that the enmity between the two ns was because of her?


    !!


    Then, she raised her head and looked at the olddy seriously. However, because she was too old, she really could not see anything other than the vicissitudes of life and embarrassment.


    After Mrs. Qiao was called out, she sighed deeply. ¡°You all know my family¡¯s situation. Their request is too high, and we really can¡¯t afford it.


    ¡°Can you guys discuss and ask them to lower it slightly, at leaste up with apromise?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, even if an employee in the capital were to get into an ident, it wouldn¡¯t cost 100 taels of silver. They are clearly extorting us.¡± Mrs. Liu said as she wiped her tears.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Imperial Court only gives each family a death gratuity of ten taels of silver aspensation. ¡± Mrs. Yao agreed.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you guys give us a number? We can sit down and discuss it. If you guys keep crying like this, you won¡¯t be able to solve the problem.¡± The vige chief said impatiently.


    ¡°Indeed, just say a number that you can agree on. At least we¡¯ll have a better idea of your lower limit, right?¡± The patriarch agreed.


    After hearing this, Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao looked at each other and said simultaneously, ¡°Ten taels each.¡±


    ¡°Then you guys can talk among yourselves.¡± The vige chief immediately stood up to leave.


    ¡°Uncle Qian, don¡¯t lower yourself to their level,¡± the patriarch quickly stopped him.


    After he finished, he looked at the two women angrily and scolded, ¡°What are you thinking? Even buying a strongborer at the market can cost twelve to fifteen taels.


    ¡°If you¡¯re still so insincere, then we won¡¯t bother anymore.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ve lost the goods, the ship is gone, and even my husband is still lying in bed. We really can¡¯t afford that much money.¡± Mrs. Liu said with a face full of grievance.


    The patriarch¡¯s expression turned even moreplicated when he heard this. That¡¯s right, there was still a ship. That ship belonged to the oil mill and was the public property of the n. They had to reimburse that too.


    He was speechless and regretful. It seemed that he should not have been soft-hearted and lent it to them.


    However, the only thing he could do now was to reduce thepensation as much as possible.


    The vige chief looked at hisplex expression and also thought of the boat. For a moment, his head hurt even more.


    Mrs. Qiao saw their faces getting ugly, and she was afraid they would leave them alone. At that time, their house was likely to be raided.


    She sighed and asked, ¡°Vige chief, how ispensation usually given when something like this happens?¡±


    ¡°This mainly depends on the family¡¯s situation. We would naturally give more if the deceased had elderly or young children.


    ¡°If they are single, you can help buy a good coffin to bury them in and give some money for the burial to the n.¡± The vige chief sighed, ¡°Today, the situation of these two families is not looking good.


    ¡°One of them is from another vige. Not only did he have a lot of elderly people and children, but he was also the only child in the family.


    ¡°Although the other one is from our vige and has a lot of family members, they are very poor, so they won¡¯t easily give in.¡±


    After Mrs. Qiao heard it, she gritted her teeth. It seemed that it was really not that easy to deal with this.


    The problem was that it would be difficult to find help in the future if they made a scene.


    After pondering for a moment, she replied, ¡°Now, the best quality drynd is eight taels of silver per acre. We will pay fifty taels of silver, equivalent to five acres ofnd to support the family, with the remaining ten taels of silver as a burial fee.¡±

 Chapter 88 - 88 Compensation (2)

    88 Chapter 88 Compensation (2)


    ¡°Mother, that¡¯s too much.¡± When Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao heard this, they retorted at the same time. 50 taels for one family; two families would be 100 taels, equivalent to two years¡¯ output of 100 acres ofnd.


    ¡°You guys shut up.¡± Mrs. Qiao¡¯s sharp eyes red.


    ¡°Sister-inw, if you¡¯ve made up your mind, then we¡¯ll call the person to discuss it.¡± The vige chief said.


    ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± Mrs. Qiao nodded.


    When the patriarch saw this, he immediately got up and went out. He called in two men who were in charge of the two families.


    After they sat down, the vige chief said a few polite words before talking about thepensation.


    Of course, the other side couldn¡¯t agree at the beginning. However, under the tearfulints of Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Yao, and the other women, it was finally set at sixty taels of silver for each family.


    After confirming, the patriarch said, ¡°There¡¯s also the matter of the boat. Since it¡¯s not easy for your family, you can pay it off in two years. 30 taels a year, and the end of the year. ¡±


    ¡°What? A broken boat costs sixty taels of silver?¡± Mrs. Yao eximed.


    ¡°That¡¯s an excellent mahogany-made boat. You can calcte how much the wood alone costs.¡± The patriarch said in an unpleasant tone.


    ¡°Mother, let¡¯s just listen to the patriarch.¡± Gu Chengzhi gave Mrs. Yao a look at this time.


    He had seen that boat, and it was a medium-sized boat that needed at least four people to row. 60 taels of silver weren¡¯t considered expensive for that.


    ¡°Sob, I really can¡¯t continue living like this.¡± When Mrs. Liu saw this, she knew the patriarch was not extorting them. This time, she cried for real.


    With such arge sum of money out, they would have to wait ten years before they could recover if their family had no substantial business.


    When Mrs. Yao saw her crying, she also began to cry. Mrs. Huang and the other concubines also immediately began to cry.


    ¡°Alright, stop crying. Hurry up and get the silver.¡± The patriarch mmed the table impatiently.


    He had asked them to cry because he wanted to save them some money. But now that it had been decided, what was the point of crying? It was better to take out the silver and settle the matter quickly.


    ¡°Sixty taels per family; hurry up and take it.¡± Mrs. Qiao said at this time.


    ¡°Mother!¡± Mrs. Liu turned her head and shouted with a face of unwillingness. The old thing also had silver in her hands. Why did she ask them to take theirs out?


    ¡°Hurry up.¡± Mrs. Qiao shouted with a straight face.


    Mrs. Yao knew she couldn¡¯t avoid it and could only slowly walk out.


    Mrs. Liu looked at Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Chengrui, you know what¡¯s going on at home. You and your wife should at least contribute something, right? ¡±


    Without waiting for Gu Chengrui to speak, the patriarch and Mrs. Qiao shouted simultaneously, ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Of course, the reasons for the two people stopping her were different. The former was unhappy about Mrs. Liu¡¯s tone and stood up for the young couple.


    Thetter was more concerned about their dignity. Previously, the husband and wife had left the family with nothing. If they were forced to pay up now, they would really lose their remaining dignity.


    Mrs. Liu was startled by their repeated attempts to stop her and could only obediently return to her room to get the silver.


    Fortunately, the two of them weren¡¯t stupid. The silver they took out was in small broken amounts, and they added in strings of copper coins.


    Mrs. Yao had even taken out the silver hairpin she had bought earlier, giving off the feeling that she was at the end of her rope.


    Regardless of whether the people believed it or not, the two families felt much better after the patriarch helped them increase the amount of silver they had received.


    As soon as they left, the people who were watching the show gradually left as well. The patriarch stood up and said, ¡°Aunt, since we¡¯re done here, we¡¯ll be leaving now. Let me know in advance if you need anything in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle to thank you when the two brothers wake up.¡± Mrs. Qiao said as she stood up and sent him and the vige chief out.


    After they were sent off, Gu Chengrui went to see Father Gu and Second uncle Gu. After ensuring their condition had stabilized, he asked Mrs. Liu to prepare some millet porridge and went home.

 Chapter 89 - 89 The Feud Between Gu And Qiao (1)

    89 Chapter 89 The Feud Between Gu And Qiao (1)


    When they came out, they saw the patriarch waiting outside their door not far away. The couple immediately jogged over and asked, ¡°Uncle, were you waiting for us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let me tell you about the Qiao family.¡± The patriarch nodded.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk at home.¡± Gu Chengrui brought him home after that.


    When they reached home, Gu Chengrui brought him directly into the living room while Zhou Ying tied Er Zhuang up. She then went to the kitchen and started the fire. She boiled some water, made a pot of ordinary Longjing tea, and brought it back to the house.


    She then poured a cup of tea for each of them and sat on the brick bed.


    ¡°Since Ying is also here, tell me your thoughts.¡± The patriarch suggested as he picked up the teacup and blew on it while slowly drinking the tea.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and nced at Zhou Ying. ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ve discussed this with Ying before. I¡¯d rather give the recipe for the braised intestines for free to someone else than to the Qiao family.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a phrase called ¡®insatiable¡¯.


    ¡°If wepromise this time, they might be even more demanding in the future.


    ¡°When that timees, we only have two choices. One is to continue topromise, be their ves, and be their dogs.


    ¡°Since we are going to resist sooner orter, why don¡¯t we start now? We¡¯ll let him know that the Gu family isn¡¯t easy to deal with.¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    ¡°Insatiable, that¡¯s an apt way to put it. We really can¡¯t back down on this matter. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that there won¡¯t be a ce for the Gu n in Shanghe Vige.¡± The patriarch said in agreement.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hide it from you,¡± he continued. ¡°The oil mill hasn¡¯t been stable recently. If I hadn¡¯t found out in time, something might have happened to it.¡±


    ¡°What happened? They want to destroy the oil mill?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in surprise.


    ¡°You can say that. Our n¡¯s oil mill has persisted until today because of Master Wan¡¯s skills. The oil he can produce is fragrant, clean, and clear. Even the county headquarter uses our oil.


    ¡°About half a month ago, he was almost kidnapped. If it weren¡¯t for the people from the oil mill who found out in time, our oil mill wouldn¡¯t have been able tost.


    ¡°Recently, I asked your brother Chengen to send someone to investigate and finally found out about Dongxin Building, which is the Qiao family¡¯s business.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Then, Uncle, you mean that we should unite and resist together?¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Since the Qiao family doesn¡¯t want us to live a peaceful life, we don¡¯t have to be afraid of them.¡±


    ¡°May I ask, how did the Gu and Qiao families be enemies?¡±


    The patriarch froze for a moment. He sighed and continued, ¡°Speaking of which, I have to start from the generation of your great grandfather, who is my grandfather.


    ¡°A hundred years ago, my grandfather and the older generation of the Qiao family were brothers who fought together.


    ¡°After their business gradually started to build up, the two families got married and had children one after another.


    ¡°When your grandmother, the eldest daughter of the Qiao family, was born, she was engaged to your grandfather.


    ¡°Unfortunately,ter on, the great-grandfather of the Qiao family had some other thoughts and took in a concubine. That concubine was ambitious and took advantage of the time when old master Qiao was out to harm your great-grandmother.


    ¡°As the saying goes, with a stepmotheres a stepfather. Your grandmother suffered a lot at hometer. Fortunately, your grandfather grew up and liked your grandma, so they got married smoothly.


    ¡°However, after they got married, your grandmother¡¯s step-sister, also your great-aunt, had her eyes on your grandfather. She even almost caused your grandmother to have a miscarriage when she was pregnant.


    ¡°Later on, your great-aunt was tricked by your grandmother into marrying a drunkard and was beaten to death.


    ¡°When that concubine found out, she wanted to exact revenge, but old master Qiao stopped her and imprisoned her in the estate.¡±

 Chapter 90 - 90 The Feud Between Gu And Qiao (2)

    90 Chapter 90 The Feud Between Gu And Qiao (2)


    The patriarch took a sip of water and said, ¡°Originally, this matter should have ended here. Who knew that the concubine would die in the courtyard for some unknown reason, and all kinds of signs pointed to your grandmother.


    ¡°Although it waster found out that the concubine died of sickness, the concubine¡¯s son, who is your great-uncle, still med it on your grandmother and grandfather.


    ¡°Later on, your great-uncle schemed against your grandfather, but he didn¡¯t expect your grandfather to turn the tables against him. Not only did your grandfather make a fortune, but he also got in touch with a noble. Since then, his business has been growing bigger and bigger.


    ¡°What they didn¡¯t expect was that the fight between them caused your great-grandfather to lose his life, and since then, the two families havepletely broken off.¡±


    !!


    Gu Chengrui did not know what to say for a moment.


    ¡°Concubine is the root of all evil,¡± Zhou Ying said.


    The patriarch was stunned for a moment. ¡°Although it¡¯s an exaggeration, it makes sense. Nothing good happens when there are too many women.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, without huge benefits, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no possibility of reconciliation between the two families,¡± he said. ¡°You must be careful in the future.


    ¡°Also, if the situation doesn¡¯t look good, let me know. The entire Gu n must unite.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Then the Qian n ¡­¡±


    The patriarch pondered a moment and said, ¡°We¡¯ve lived together for so many years, so they¡¯re worth trusting. Besides, you¡¯ve saved the Qian family members¡¯ lives twice in a row, so they shouldn¡¯t stab us in the back.


    ¡°However, ck sheep are also among them, so we still have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°Yup, that old coot from the Qiao family is a sinister and grudge-holding person. Don¡¯t be careless.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, uncle.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a family. Don¡¯t be so polite. You guys go ahead as I have to go to the oil mill.¡± After the patriarch finished speaking, he stood up and walked out.


    After he left, the couple drank a ss of water and told Da Hua they were going up the mountain.


    When they reached the mountain, they each took a saw and began to cut some dead wood. They kept the big ones forter use while turning the small ones into firewood and storing them in the interspace.


    Otherwise, the firewood stored at home would not be enough if they were to make Yuba every day.


    On the other hand, as soon as Manager Liu returned, Chef Zhou told him how the Qiao family had threatened Gu Chengrui and his wife. ¡°Manager, what do we do now? Do we buy tofu from another shop, or do we just drop in to collect the goods?¡±


    ¡°Braised intestine recipe? It¡¯s the one that you bought from the dock, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve tried it. It¡¯s simr to braised dried tofu. It should be the same recipe.


    ¡°But yeah, Miss Gu¡¯s cooking skills are excellent. I still haven¡¯t figured out what spices were used in it.¡± After saying that, Chef Zhou hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Why don¡¯t we buy the recipe?¡±


    Manager Liu shook his head. ¡°We could¡¯ve asked if it was before.


    ¡°Now that the Qiao family has made a move, it would be akin to looting a burning house if we asked now. Let¡¯s wait for them to offer.


    ¡°As for the tofu, it¡¯s better to go to them and get the goods. Yuba is our main dish at the moment, and no one can make it. ¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send someone over tomorrow morning.¡± After saying that, Chef Zhou turned around and walked out.


    ¡°Remember to bring some silver when you go.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The Qiao family.


    After Elder Qiao had recovered from his treatment, he used a cold towel to cool his eyes and gritted his teeth as he said to his butler, ¡°Qiao Mu,ter on, find someone to teach that pair of little bastards a lesson properly.


    ¡°Since they refuse my kindness, then I¡¯ll make them kneel and beg me to take their recipe.¡±

 Chapter 91 - 91 Something Bad Happened

    91 Chapter 91 Something Bad Happened


    ¡°Yes, sir. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll definitely get the recipe. ¡°Qiao Mu quickly nodded in agreement.


    At the same time, he was already thinking about how to deal with the couple.


    ¡°By the way, how are the two brothers from the Gu family? Are they still alive? ¡±


    ¡°Master, I heard they are still alive but haven¡¯t woken up yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re really lucky. Who treated them?¡±


    ¡°I heard that it was Gu Chengrui. They bought a lot of supplements this morning. ¡±


    ¡°What a bitch. He¡¯s already been chased out of the house, yet he still helps them out. ¡±


    Although Qiao Mu disagreed with what he said, he did not refute him and only nodded in response.


    ¡°Alright, you can leave now. Keep an eye on the Gu family. We can¡¯t let them rise up again. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡± After Qiao Mu finished speaking, he turned around and left the study room.


    After he came out, he immediately called a servant over and gave him a few instructions, asking him to do something.


    However, as soon as the two separated, the servant was stopped by Cui ¡®er for some questioning before he could leave.


    Cui ¡®er hurriedly ran back to the backyard and said, ¡°Miss, miss, it¡¯s bad. Something bad happened.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t you know how to speak? Nothing bad will happen to me.¡± Miss Liu, whose real name was Miss Qiao, knocked on her head and said.


    ¡°Yes, yes, me and my stupid mouth.¡± Cui ¡®er quickly apologized.


    ¡°Alright, hurry up and tell me what happened out there.¡± Miss Qiao said after sitting down.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Cui ¡®er replied. She then told her everything about how Elder Qiao had tried to forcefully demand Gu Chengrui and his wife for their recipe, how they had counterattacked, and how Qiao Mu had finally decided to deal with them.


    ¡°What? How did they get into a fight so quickly?¡± Miss Qiao said in a panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s all Zhou Ying¡¯s fault. If it weren¡¯t for the braised intestine recipe in her hands, they wouldn¡¯t have attracted the master¡¯s attention this quickly.¡±


    ¡°No wonder the vigers call her a jinx; she¡¯s really unlucky.¡± At this point, Miss Qiao paused and said uneasily, ¡°But what should we do now? Brother Gu is definitely not Uncle Qiao¡¯s match.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and beg master, youngdy?¡± Cui ¡®er hesitated for a moment before raising her head.


    ¡°Are you stupid? My father wants nothing more than the death of the Gu family. How can he let them go? ¡± Miss Qiao expressed her displeasure.


    ¡°It looks like the only way out now is for Doctor Gu to marry into the family,¡± she said shyly.


    ¡°But, but Doctor Gu, now ¡­¡±


    ¡°So, we can¡¯t wait any longer. There¡¯s not much ointment left. Go and ask him to send the ointment to the manor tomorrow. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will give out orders immediately.¡±


    ¡°Remember, you must avoid my father¡¯s people.¡±


    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, miss.¡± Cui ¡®er ran out with a smile after she finished.


    Miss Qiao blushed and smiled. She got up, walked to the dressing table, and examined her face.


    Although there were still some red pimple marks on her face, it was much better than her swollen face from before. It also revealed her round, sweet, and lovely face.


    When she saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the handsome, slender, serious, and highly skilled Gu Chengrui.


    However, her expression immediately froze when she thought of his attitude towards her.


    She couldn¡¯t understand how she couldn¡¯tpare to Zhou Ying.


    In terms of status, although Zhou Ying was a youngdy of a political family, she was not favored at all. She was not as pampered as she was, the legitimate daughter of a merchant.


    However, in terms of appearance¡­


    She had never seen her before. So, it seemed like she had to meet her.

 Chapter 92 - 92 Report (1)

    92 Chapter 92 Report (1)


    In the evening, it was already dark when Zhou Ying and her husband returned home. They were exhausted after a day on the mountain.


    When they returned home, Gu Chengrui still had to head to their old house to see how the two patients were doing. If they were awake, he would be entirely at ease.


    Zhou Ying moved some firewood out of her interspace and stacked it in the shed. Then, she simply washed her face and started a fire to cook dinner.


    The meal was simple. She stir-fried a te of cabbage with vinegar, mixed it with a te of mustard and fungus, and finally took out a roasted chicken from her interspace. She cut it up and put it on a te. Finally, she cooked a small pot of rice and mung bean congee.


    !!


    When she was almost done, Gu Chengrui returned. She turned and asked, ¡°Rui, how¡¯s it going over there?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all awake but still weak and need to recuperate. I¡¯ve brought them some medicine; you don¡¯t have to worry about the rest. I¡¯ll find some time tomorrow and remove their stitches. ¡±


    ¡°Okay, go wash your hands. I¡¯ll set the table.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m so hungry that my chest is sticking to my back.¡± Gu Chengrui said as he turned around to wash up.


    Zhou Yingughed and shook her head. She used to hear the old people say that youngsters would usually eat until they were poor.


    At that time, she had thought it was an exaggeration, but now she understood.


    He had eaten a big bowl of ramen at noon and half a pound of beef. She didn¡¯t expect him to be this hungry so soon.


    She looked at the food she had prepared as she thought of that. Finally, she took out three big steamed buns, cut them into pieces, and ted them after deep frying.


    After dinner, Gu Chengrui cleaned up the kitchen while Zhou Ying entered her interspace and used her mental power to pick out 100 pounds of soybeans to soak in. Then, she braised two sets of pig offal.


    After they were done, the two of them were about to lie down and sleep when they suddenly heard Er Zhuang¡¯s bark and a faint knock on the door.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. He put on his wool coat and walked out.


    When he came out, he heard a clear knock on the door, but it was not loud. He paused before walking over and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Doctor Gu, it¡¯s us Tiger and Leopard brothers. We¡¯re here to report to you.¡± Qian Zhuang said in a low voice.


    Gu Chengrui recognized his voice, so he opened the door and let them in. He closed the door and led them into the house.


    When Zhou Ying saw theme in, she stopped for a moment and said, ¡°Please have a seat.¡±


    She then poured a ss of warm water for each of them.


    The two of them looked at Zhou Ying and smiled awkwardly. After taking the cup and sitting down, they drank it in one gulp.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated and said, ¡°Ying, can you go make a bowl of noodles for each of them?¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded, turned around, and walked out. She went to the kitchen and made two big bowls of noodles for them with poached eggs.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui refilled their sses of water and asked, ¡°Brothers, tell me, what did you find?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve investigated the strangers you mentioned in the vige. They came from other viges to learn how to grow bean sprouts, and one of them was really into monitoring the people in the vige.


    ¡°They mainly go back and forth between the oil mill and your house.


    ¡°However, this evening, we discovered that a servant girl from the Qiao family went to Widow Hua¡¯s house.¡± Qian Zhuang said.


    ¡°A servant girl from the Qiao family? Are you sure she¡¯s a servant girl from the Qiao family?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s basically no one in this area that we don¡¯t know.


    ¡°That maidservant is from the manor on the other side of the river. She¡¯s the wet nurse of the Qiao n¡¯s eldest daughter and has a very good rtionship with her. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Widow Hua¡¯s daughter, Chunhong, is a servant who cooks in their manor.¡± Gu Erjiang chimed in.

 Chapter 93 - 93 Report (2)

    93 Chapter 93 Report (2)


    ¡°So that peach garden on the other side of the river belongs to the Qiao family and not the Liu family?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in shock.


    After Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang looked at each other, they both looked at him in surprise. However, when they remembered he had just returned from the capital and rarely went out, they understood his surprise.


    Gu Erjiang replied, ¡°It¡¯s right to say it belongs to the Liu family. Miss Qiao¡¯s mother¡¯sst name is Liu. That manor is her mother¡¯s dowry. ¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded thoughtfully.


    !!


    Then, Miss Liu, whom he had seen before, was most likely Miss Qiao. Thinking of this, his eyes flickered.


    ¡°Did you find anything else?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the matter of people eyeing the braised intestine recipe you mentioned. The Qiao family is just one of them.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the Yui Inn, and their people have also inquired about it.¡±


    Gu Chengrui quipped, ¡°By the way, do you know what¡¯s going on with the Qiao family? Why does no one take action when they are being so ridiculous?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve asked the right person.


    ¡°About a month ago, we met the Qiao¡¯s butler son, Qiao Yuan, in the casino.


    ¡°At that time, he was drunk and told us that the Qiao family had be rich and someone was protecting them. This time, the tables have turned, and it¡¯s the Gu family¡¯s turn to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did he say who it was?¡±


    ¡°No, he just made a slip of the tongue. He refused to say it when I asked himter.


    However, I heard that the Qiao family sent generous gifts to the county mayor, and the mayor¡¯s wife has someone above her.¡±


    ¡°The wife of the county mayor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the wife of the mayor. I heard that even the mayor has to listen to her.¡±


    ¡°Is there any more?¡±


    ¡°We have limited time, so¡­¡± Qian Zhuang said with an awkward smile.


    ¡°Alright, you can continue to ask around.


    ¡°In addition, pay attention to any major movements of the Qiao family and remember to let me know in time.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he got up and went to the west room to take out a string of money and give it to them. ¡°Go to ces like tea houses and taverns where there are many more people gossiping. Listen more and ask less. Safety first.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we two brothers will definitely get this done for you.¡± Qian Zhuang immediately smiled and put away the money.


    At this time, Zhou Ying also came in with two big bowls of noodles and handed them to them. ¡°Do eat up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, thank you, thank you.¡± The two of them nodded and took the food, then began to eat it.


    Gu Chengrui told Zhou Ying the news he got from them after they left. ¡°Babe, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve encountered a honey trap this time. You must protect me. ¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Zhou Ying red at him, then said thoughtfully, ¡°Elder Qiao can¡¯t wait to destroy the Gu family, so do you think he will let his daughter marry you? Isn¡¯t he afraid of inviting a wolf into his house?¡±


    Gu Chengruiughed after hearing that. He raised his head and flicked her nose. ¡°Smart. We¡¯ve thought of the same thing, but we can make good use of this. It might give us a chance to catch our breath. Anyhow, we¡¯ll make our move after we find out who¡¯s behind the Qiao family.¡±


    ¡°Then you will be the honey trap.¡±


    ¡°If I have to use the honey trap, it should be on you. She¡¯s not worthy.¡±


    ¡°Be careful not to fall into her trap instead,¡± Zhou Ying said, rolling her eyes.


    Afterwards, she took the two bowls to the kitchen to wash them.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui smiled. For the sake of a peaceful life in the future, he had to be wary of Miss Qiao.


    The following day, just as Hongyun Restaurant had finished collecting their goods, Widow Hua¡¯s daughter, Chunhong, came to their house and said, ¡°Doctor Gu, Miss Liu asked me to bring you a message. She said that her ointment has been used up, and she wants you to go to the manor for a follow-up examination today.¡±

 Chapter 94 - 94 A Warning

    94 Chapter 94 A Warning


    After speaking, she turned her head and looked at Zhou Ying. When she saw her appearance, she was stunned. She had looked at her in a hurry before, and her first impression of her was of a timid, dark, and thin girl. Other than her height, there was nothing special about Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying was now fair and slender. Not only did she be beautiful, but she also had an indescribable aura that made others feelfortable and a little scared. She was slightly more afraid of her than when she faced Miss Qiao.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, remember to go,¡± she said, quickly looking away.


    After saying that, she ran away in a hurry.


    !!


    ¡°I¡¯m that scary?¡± Zhou Ying touched her face in surprise.


    ¡°She¡¯s the one who¡¯s weird.¡± Gu Chengrui replied, then instructed, ¡± I¡¯ll go there in a while and see what she¡¯s up to. You be careful at home. ¡±


    ¡°I know. You be careful too.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and went back to pack his medicine kit.


    This time, he didn¡¯t only bring themon medicine but also a pack of knockout powder, a bag of powder mixed with devil pepper and mustard, as well as an air gun. Then, he walked out.


    After he left, Da Hua and Tian Jiawang came in. Zhou Ying and Da Hua helped Tian Jiawaang pack the goods he wanted.


    Then, Zhou Ying called Tian Jiawang to the side and told him they had been stopped by the Qiao family yesterday. ¡°If someone tries to cause you trouble, you don¡¯t have to help us. Just say what you must, and don¡¯t force it.¡±


    ¡°How can we do that?¡± Tian Jiawang shook his head repeatedly. Although he was a nobody, he was not an ungrateful person.


    If it weren¡¯t for the help of the couple, he would still be risking his life looking for wild animals on the mountain. How could he betray them?


    ¡°Then, does Brother Tian know the recipe for braised meat?¡±


    Tian Jiawang was at a loss for words. It seemed that she was right. The things he knew were just on the surface level. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Yup, safety first,¡±


    ¡°Da Hua, help your Aunt Zhou with her work. Uncle is leaving.¡± After Tian Jiawang finished speaking, he pulled the small cart and went out.


    Zhou Ying took Da Hua to the kitchen and continued to make yuba.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui had not gone far from the vige when he was stopped by six people who came out of the small forest by the roadside.


    Gu Chengrui saw that they were all holding sticks in their hands and immediately knew they were not friendly. Then, he turned sideways and quietly took out the bag of knockout powder and the air gun. At the same time, he asked, ¡°What do you all mean by this?¡±


    ¡°What do we mean?¡± The leader sneered and shook the stick in his hand, saying, ¡°You know what you did yesterday, but you still dared to leave the vige. You sure have guts. ¡±


    ¡°The Qiao family sent you?¡± Gu Chengrui deliberately took two steps back in fear.


    ¡°As expected of someone who passed the schr¡¯s exam, seeing through it so quickly. Since you know who we are, obedientlye with us, and save us the trouble of beating you up. ¡±


    ¡°You guys, you guys are absolutely unruly.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and ran away. At the same time, he turned back to look at them.


    When they caught up and gathered together, Gu Chengrui immediately threw the powder bag in his hands and shot through it with his air gun. Suddenly, the powder fell down like scattered flowers.


    The few of them heard the sound and immediately looked up, and the powder just happened to fall on their faces.


    A momentter, they fell to the ground like dumplings.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui went forward to check and ensure they were all unconscious.


    He rolled on the ground, staining his clothes with bits of grass and dust. Then, he messed up his hair and ran toward the manor over the river.

 Chapter 95 - 95 Discord

    95 Chapter 95 Discord


    Cui ¡®er, who was waiting outside the manor, saw his sorry state and hurriedly greeted him, ¡°Doctor Gu, what¡¯s wrong? Did you fall down?¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not answer her. Instead, he asked in an unfriendly tone, ¡°Your family¡¯s youngdy¡¯s surname isn¡¯t Liu, but Qiao, right?¡±


    Cui ¡®er was shocked when she heard this. She thenughed dryly and replied, ¡°Who told you that? My young miss¡­¡±


    Gu Chengrui snorted coldly when he saw her avoiding his gaze. Then, he walked straight into the manor.


    Cui ¡®er saw this and immediately chased after him, feeling uneasy. It seemed that the youngdy¡¯s identity had been revealed.


    The two of them entered the main courtyard one after another. Miss Qiao happened toe out of the kitchen with a pot of iced pear juice.


    When she saw Gu Chengrui enter, she quickly greeted him warmly, ¡°Doctor Gu, you¡¯re here. I¡¯ve just made a pot of dessert for you to try.¡±


    ¡°Cui ¡®er, go get a bowl,¡± she said to Cui ¡®er.


    After speaking, she called Gu Chengrui into the house with her.


    As soon as the two sat down, Cui ¡®er hurriedly followed them with a bowl in her hand. Seeing that the two of them were still politely talking, she heaved a sigh of relief and went forward to get some dessert.


    Gu Chengrui ced the aloe vera cream on the table and looked at Miss Qiao. ¡°Miss Liu, what¡¯s your surname?¡±


    Miss Qiao¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked at Cui ¡®er, who was also stunned.


    Cui ¡®er immediately shook her head with a bitter face. She was still puzzled about this matter, and didn¡¯t know who leaked it.


    ¡°My surname is Qiao. I was afraid¡­¡± Miss Qiao gritted her teeth.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anything. The ointment has been delivered, so please pay the medical expenses.


    ¡°As for your illness, it¡¯s not really an illness. It¡¯ll be fine if you pay attention to your diet and personal hygiene. I¡¯ll be going back now.¡± Gu Chengrui said with a straight face after he got up.


    When Miss Qiao heard his cold and emotionless words, her aggrieved eyes suddenly welled up with tears.


    ¡°The grudges of the previous generation are between them, and it has nothing to do with us¡­¡±


    Without waiting for her to finish, Gu Chengrui raised his hand and interrupted her. He said sarcastically, ¡°Who would believe your words? Didn¡¯t you ask me toe here?


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect that you would send someone to attack me on the way when I was kind enough to send you the medicine.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡­¡± Miss Qiao immediately started to exin in a panic.


    However, Gu Chengrui had no intention of listening. Even after encountering that group of people today, he still riskeding here. To put it bluntly, he was rifying his position and trying to sow discord between the father and daughter.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to exin anymore. Anyway, it¡¯s impossible between us. We don¡¯t have to meet again in the future. Pay up.¡±


    ¡°I¡­?¡±


    ¡°What, you even want to skimp out on the money for the medicine?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up.¡± Gu Chengrui said impatiently.


    Cui ¡®er took out a piece of silver from her purse and said, ¡°That should be enough.¡±


    Gu Chengrui took the silver, carried the medicine kit on his back, and walked out. The speed at which he left was as if a dog was chasing him.


    Miss Qiao wanted to chase after him, but Cui ¡®er immediately stopped her. ¡°Please don¡¯t chase him, Miss. You won¡¯t be able to catch up.¡±


    Miss Qiao immediately remembered that Cui ¡®er had taken the initiative to pay. She turned her head and raised her hand to p her. She roared, ¡°Who told you to make the decision and give him the silver?¡±


    Cui ¡®er covered the half of her face that had been pped and said aggrievedly, ¡°Young miss, I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Doctor Gu is obviously in a fit of anger. He won¡¯t listen to anything you say, and it¡¯s better to let him leave first.¡±

 Chapter 96 - 96 A Bunch Of Idiots

    96 Chapter 96 A Bunch Of Idiots


    When Miss Qiao heard her say this, she remembered Gu Chengrui¡¯s attitude toward her just now, making her angry and annoyed.


    She was rushing to please him as a youngdy, yet he was this insensible. It was really irritating.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cui ¡®er. I hit you in a moment of anger. Please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Although Cui ¡®er knew that her apology wasn¡¯t sincere, she also knew that she had no right to argue with her. She could only say. ¡°Miss, Doctor Gu just said someone tried to attack him on the road. Could it be Master had made a move, so he mistakenly thought it was your arrangement?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s most likely true. It seems that we have to go back to the residence so you can find out what happened.¡± Miss Qiao nodded in agreement.


    At the same time, she was also anxious. She had not even developed a close rtionship with Doctor Gu, and now this had happened. She was afraid it would be more difficult to get close to him in the future.


    She thought about this and got a headache. Then, she said, ¡°Also, send someone to keep an eye on Uncle Qiao. If they do anything, remember to let me know immediately.¡±


    Cui ¡®er knew what she was up to. She shook her head and said, ¡°Young miss, please spare me. If Master finds out that we leaked the information, he will definitely beat me to death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here. What are you afraid of? I won¡¯t give you up when the timees. ¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. When have I ever mistreated you? If you continue to be like this, you don¡¯t have to serve me anymore.¡± Miss Qiao said with a dark face.


    Cui ¡®er was immediately afraid. Her youngdy usually looked soft and weak, but she was a ruthless person deep down. Cui ¡®er didn¡¯t want to be sold to those dirty ces.


    After that, they packed up and took the ointment back to town.


    Not long after Gu Chengrui left, Qiao Mu arrived with his men. He was shocked to see them lying on the ground and quickly walked over to check on them. After confirming that they were only unconscious, he pped each of them a few times before they woke up.


    When the six people woke up, they were in a rage but immediately became well-behaved when they saw Qiao Mu. Each and every one of them drooped their heads and said, ¡°Chief Qiao.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s the person I asked you to kidnap?¡± Qiao Mu asked in a bad mood.


    ¡°We¡­ didn¡¯t expect him to have drugs and hidden weapons, so¡­¡± The leader replied in a low voice.


    When Qiao Mu heard this, she pointed at them with her finger and said resentfully, ¡°A bunch of idiots. I already warned you to be careful, but you still fell for it. Really¡­¡±


    ¡°Chief Qiao, why don¡¯t we just kidnap that woman?¡± The leader immediately smiled apologetically.


    ¡°But the vige¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go around the mountain. Didn¡¯t ckie say they were staying at the foot of the mountain?¡±


    Qiao Mu¡¯s eyes brightened when she heard this. Capturing that littledy was the right thing to do. Most importantly, she was easy to deal with as a woman. Finally, she nodded and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s end this quickly. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be troublesome if the vigers block us. ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; we¡¯re all men. If we can¡¯t deal with a little girl, we¡¯re better off dead.¡± After the leader finished speaking, he turned around and led his men to the mountain.


    Meanwhile, Qiao Mu also followed after hesitating for a moment. It would naturally be best if he could ask for the recipe right there on the mountain.


    The group of people quietly went around to the back of the mountain. Seeing there were not many people in the vige, they boldly ran to the Gu couple¡¯s house.


    However, before they reached the door, Er Zhuang barked loudly. His bark was urgent and loud. Obviously, something was wrong.

 Chapter 97 - 97 Ill-Intentioned

    97 Chapter 97 Ill-Intentioned


    Zhou Ying, who was busy in the kitchen, heard Er Zhuang¡¯s abnormal barks and immediately rushed out. She was met by six big men with sticks, three of whom even surrounded Er Zhuang.


    This made her immediately realize that the other party hade with ill intentions, so she didn¡¯t even say a word and immediately took out a pepper spray and hid it in her sleeve.


    When the leader saw Zhou Ying, he was stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes lit up with an evil smile. ¡°You must be Mrs. Gu, right?¡±


    ¡°If you have nothing else, please leave.¡± Zhou Ying said vigntly.


    !!


    ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re as pretty as a flower, we won¡¯t make things difficult for you. Come with us.¡± After the leader finished speaking, he sized her up and ensured that there was nothing in her hands. Then, he walked toward her with a stick in his hand.


    Zhou Ying stared at his stick. Seeing that he didn¡¯t instantly make a move, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    It wasn¡¯t until he grabbed her hand that Zhou Ying suddenly aimed the pepper spray at his face and sprayed it three times. At the same time, she took two steps back and jumped out of his stick¡¯s range.


    The leader let out a blood-curdling screech and immediately covered his face with the hand about to grab her. With his other hand, he swung the stick at the spot where she had been standing.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she turned around and sprayed at the others. However, when they saw their leader¡¯s miserable state, none dared to step forward.


    However, they didn¡¯t retreat. They immediately surrounded her and said, ¡°You¡¯ll run out of the things in your hands sooner orter. You¡¯d bettere with us; otherwise, don¡¯t me us for being rough with you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhou Ying snorted coldly and ignored them.


    She approached Er Zhuang as she sprayed the pepper spray. She removed the leash on his neck when she got to his side and let him out.


    Because she clearly knew that even if nothing happened to her after being captured by them, she would be gossiped about when she returned. At that time, how could she have a foothold in the vige?


    Therefore, she could only persevere. As long as she could hold on a little longer, she would be saved when the people from the vige came.


    Then, she retreated to the shed and simply grabbed the sticks of firewood to throw at them.


    Especially the leader, because he couldn¡¯t use his eyes anymore and could only wave the stick in his hand blindly.


    Therefore, Zhou Ying deliberately threw it at his lower body, making him flustered. He even hit his people with his stick from time to time.


    When the others saw this, they were all furious. After looking at each other, they decided to attack together. After all, no one would die from this. As long as one of them could catch her, it would be over.


    After Zhou Ying saw through their intentions, she remembered the knockout powder that Gu Chengrui had left for her. She immediately took out a packet and crushed the paper packet when they came over, throwing it at them.


    When the few of them saw the powder, they subconsciously withdrew it. Nheless, two of them were still knocked out.


    Zhou Ying smiled when she saw this. Then, she retreated to the front of the woodpile and used the woodpile as a cover. She took out arge bag of dried limestone powder from the corner, scooped up a small pile, and threw it above them.


    Seeing this, the remaining three people didn¡¯t dare approach her, but they weren¡¯t stupid. They separated and surrounded her in three directions.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying prepared a bag of lime powder, opened it, and held it in her hand. At the same time, she aimed the pepper spray in one direction.


    But someone still rushed into the shed from behind. Zhou Ying immediately threw the lime powder out, turned her head, and sprayed the pepper spray at him to scare him away.


    However, this gave the other side a chance.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying took an air gun from her interspace under the cover of her coat. She turned around and shot it at his eyes.


    ¡°Bang!¡± The man let out a heart-wrenching scream.

 Chapter 98 - 98 More Discord

    98 Chapter 98 More Discord


    In the vige, Er Zhuang¡¯s barking did not initially attract any attention. After all, dogs have very sharp ears and will bark at the slightest sound.


    However, when they heard human screams, they finally realized something was wrong.


    In particr, Sister Tian heard it and immediately ran over. When she saw the scene in the courtyard, she was so scared that her legs turned jelly.


    She finally regained some strength after thinking of her daughter, who was still inside. However, she also knew she wouldn¡¯t be of help even if she went in, so she turned around and ran to the oil mill, telling the patriarch what had happened here.


    !!


    When the patriarch heard this, he knew that things were bad and immediately called out, ¡°All workers, carry your tools and go to Gu Chengrui¡¯s house to help.¡±


    Most of the people here were from the Gu n. When they heard this, they each found their tools and rushed out without a word.


    He greeted some vigers as he ran out. Not long after, he ran into Er Zhuang, who was barking on the street.


    ¡°Er Zhuang,¡± the patriarch called out.


    Er Zhuang heard the familiar voice and immediately ran over. He circled around him and bit his sleeve, wanting to drag him home.


    Seeing this, the patriarch patted his head and ran toward the Gu couple¡¯s house.


    Everyone immediately ran after him.


    When Qiao Mu, who was waiting halfway up the mountain, saw the people suddenly gathering in the vige, he knew that something had gone wrong.


    However, it was toote to save his people now, so he just rushed back to town with his remaining men.


    On the other hand, when the patriarch and the others arrived, only the man who had dodged Zhou Ying¡¯s limestone powder was left standing.


    However, after seeing the endless variety of tools in Zhou Ying¡¯s hands, he didn¡¯t dare to take another step forward. He only confronted her with a stick.


    When he heard the hurried and messy footsteps outside, he knew something was wrong. People wereing, and there were quite a number of them. His legs suddenly went soft, and he almost dropped to the ground.


    Then, he looked at Zhou Ying with her pepper spray and then at hispanions, who were in a sorry state. He hesitated for a moment, turned around, and ran out.


    However, as soon as he stepped out of the door, he was blocked by two young men and pushed to the side.


    The patriarch came in with his people. When he saw Zhou Ying holding limestone powder in her hand, he was stunned and asked, ¡°Miss Zhou, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve made sufficient preparations. ¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    After that, she felt relieved as her legs gave out, leaning against the pile of firewood.


    Er Zhuang scuttled out at this moment and ran in front of her, nuzzling his head against her leg tofort her.


    Zhou Ying smiled and patted his head.


    At the same time, the patriarch saw that she was not injured and immediately waved his hand, ¡°Tie them up and take them to the ancestral hall.¡±


    The crowd immediately rushed forward and tied them up.


    ¡°Chief, are these two dead about to die? Why aren¡¯t they moving?¡± Someone pointed at the two unconscious men and said.


    The patriarch looked at Zhou Ying after hearing this.


    Zhou Ying walked over. ¡°No, they are just drugged. The others were stung by the chili-infused water.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. What do you n to do with them next?¡± The patriarch asked with a sigh of relief.


    ¡°These are the people sent by the Qiao family. Why don¡¯t we exchange them for silver and let everyone have a good new year?¡± Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment and said with a smile.


    The patriarch was stunned for a moment, then suddenlyughed and said, ¡°I also want to know how much these servants of the Qiao family are worth in the eyes of their master.¡±


    ¡°With Elder Qiao¡¯s character, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t admit it, and he won¡¯t risk losing his dignity for a few servants.¡± Gu Chengye exined on purpose after he understood what they meant.


    It was fine if Elder Qiao was willing to redeem them, but otherwise, he would publicize it and make others hesitant to work for him in the future.

 Chapter 99 - 99 Psychological Issues

    99 Chapter 99 Psychological Issues


    ¡°Do you think the Qiao family is like your Gu family? Master will definitely pay to redeem us.¡± The leader roared.


    ¡°Haha.¡± Zhou Yingughed sarcastically. ¡°Then let¡¯s wait and see. We won¡¯t ask for too much. We¡¯ll set it at 100 taels of silver per person. You guys should also take a good look at how much you¡¯re worth in Elder Qiao¡¯s heart. ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re clearly trying to extort money.¡±


    ¡°How is this extorting money? You know what you¡¯ve done, or why don¡¯t we go to court?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯re right. Trespassing on private property is a serious matter. You¡¯ll be sentenced to more than five years if you get a heavier sentence.¡± Gu Chengye said at that moment.


    ¡°What if we add kidnapping and robbing attempts?¡±


    ¡°Then at least 20 years. If your master abandons you, you¡¯ll be sentenced to death. ¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± The leader didn¡¯t have much confidence after hearing what they said, so he didn¡¯t dare to talk back.


    Otherwise, if they were really abandoned, they would be skinned alive even if they didn¡¯t die.


    ¡°Bring them to the ancestral hall to kneel and repent to the ancestors.¡± The patriarch waved his hand.


    After everyone had left, he looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Be careful. If something happens, make some noise. Everyone will definitelye to help. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you, uncle. I understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Tell Chengrui not to go out if there¡¯s no need to.


    ¡°By the way, it was Tian Jiawang¡¯s sister who informed us this time.¡± After speaking, the patriarch put his hands behind his back and walked out in a good mood.


    He had to hurry over and get their confessions, which would be helpful in the future if something happened.


    After he left, Zhou Ying saw the ruined yuba in the courtyard and felt a burst of anger inside her. Then, she thought of Da Hua, who was still in the kitchen. She quickly turned around and went back to the kitchen.


    As soon as she entered the door, she saw Da Hua shivering at the door. She was about tofort her when Sister Tian rushed in. When she saw Zhou Ying, she paused and asked, ¡°Sister, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that Da Hua¡­¡± Zhou Ying looked at Da Hua, hesitating to speak.


    Sister Tian immediately squatted down and hugged Da Hua. Don¡¯t be afraid, Da Hua. Mother is here.¡±


    Towards the end, her voice started to choke up.


    However, Da Hua didn¡¯t say anything and continued to tremble.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying knew that Da Hua had some psychological issues, so she could only ask, ¡°Sister Tian, did Da Hua go through some kind of shock?¡±


    When Sister Tian heard this, tears immediately flowed down her face. After a moment of silence, she wiped her tears and said, ¡°After her father died, we were beaten and scolded a lot, so ¡­¡±


    After she finished speaking, she hugged Da Hua and started crying.


    Zhou Ying was upset after hearing that, but she knew she couldn¡¯t let Da Hua be immersed in her terrifying emotions. Then, she pinched one of Da Hua¡¯s hands and pinched it hard.


    ¡°Ah,¡± she cried out. The intense pain woke Da Hua up instantly. At the same time, she raised her hand and pushed her hard, then started crying.


    Fortunately, Zhou Ying was prepared. She directly grabbed the door frame and didn¡¯t fall to the ground.


    However, Sister Tian was displeased. She raised her head and questioned, ¡°Sister, what are you doing? How can you do that to a child?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just letting here to her senses. If she keeps being in a nightmare, she¡¯ll break down eventually.¡± Zhou Ying exined patiently.


    ¡°What do you mean by breaking down?¡±


    ¡°It means that she would be mentally unstable, go crazy, ormit suicide. It¡¯s hard to say.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Sister Tian¡¯s expression changed drastically when she heard that.


    Zhou Ying just looked at her quietly without saying anything.

 Chapter 100 - 100 Causing Trouble (1)

    100 Chapter 100 Causing Trouble (1)


    Her silence made Sister Tian feel uneasy. Then, she looked at her elder daughter, who was crying and trembling in her arms. She hugged her tightly and started crying too.


    At the same time, she also thought of her daughter¡¯s silence and reserve.


    She also quickly realized that her daughter might have a psychological issue, as Zhou Ying said. She quickly raised her head and asked, ¡°Then what should I do? Should she take medicine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and not only does she need to take medicine but also undergo psychological counseling. We¡¯ll talk about this when Chengruies back.


    !!


    ¡°No matter how busy you are, you have tomunicate with her more, let her feel your love, let her feel a sense of security, and then she will gradually get better.¡±


    Although Sister Tian did not fully understand, she knew she had to apany her more in the future.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go back first. We¡¯lle backter,¡± she said as he carried Da Hua.


    ¡°Alright, thank you for today, sister.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and made way for them.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± After Sister Tian finished speaking, she carried her child home.


    When Zhou Ying smelled a burning smell, she quickly walked to the stove and put out the fire. Then, she turned around and went to the courtyard to clean up the fallen yuba. She saved the ones that could be salvaged and threw away the ones that were damaged.


    When she was almost done, Gu Chengrui ran back in a hurry. Seeing the mess in the yard, he immediately ran to Zhou Ying. He pulled her up and looked her up and down before asking, ¡°Babe, you¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright; it¡¯s just my knee that knocked on the firewood. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    Then, she saw the marks on his clothes and elbow and asked, ¡°You fell?¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not hide anything from her and told her everything that had happened along the way. He said with self-me, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. If I had drugged them more, they wouldn¡¯t have woken up so quickly.¡±


    ¡°You saw them? Are you sure they¡¯re a group of people?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I met the two who were being carried.¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she squinted her eyes and smiled. ¡°Rui, go and make some more knockout powder. Remember to make the kind with high concentration.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at her expression and knew that she would cause trouble. He guessed, ¡°Are you going to the Qiao family¡¯s house tonight?¡±


    ¡°Smart. Otherwise, he will be more than just a thorn in our side.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she snorted coldly and said, ¡°Is it because he¡¯s rich that he could hire others tomit murder? I¡¯d like to see if he can still be so arrogant without money.¡±


    ¡°I can do any kind of investigation. But we can¡¯t just rob him, or else we¡¯ll be no different from him.¡± Gu Chengrui frowned.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference; he¡¯s taking the initiative while we¡¯re responding to his advances.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she directly raised her hand to cover his mouth and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about principles. You don¡¯t need to talk about morality and righteousness with bandits.


    ¡°Besides, if we don¡¯t make a big deal out of this, how can we divert his attention and make him reveal his faults?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Chengrui hesitated momentarily and finallypromised, ¡°Alright, but safety first.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she told him about Da Hua.


    ¡°I originally thought that she was just an introvert and didn¡¯t like to talk. I didn¡¯t expect it to be a psychological issue. I¡¯ll go take a look now.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and went to their neighbors.


    After a detailed diagnosis, Gu Chengrui gave her acupuncture to put her to sleep. Then, he gave Sister Tian a few instructions and gave her a few doses of calming medicine for free.


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui went to work in the interspace at noon, while Zhou Ying continued to dry the yuba.

 Chapter 101 - 101 Causing Trouble (2)

    101 Chapter 101 Causing Trouble (2)


    On the other hand, after the patriarch went back and interrogated the few people and got their confessions. He sent a beggar with a letter to the Qiao family, asking them to pay the ransom with silver or else they would send these people to the county officials.


    Qiao Mu couldn¡¯t make up his mind after receiving the letter, so he took the letter to find Elder Qiao.


    After reading it, Elder Qiao¡¯s face turned green. He immediately grabbed the teacup on the side and threw it at him angrily, ¡°Idiot. You can¡¯t even handle such a small matter. You even left such big leverage on us from the Gu family. ¡±


    The teacup just so happened to hit Qiao Mu¡¯s head, and the tea spilled all over him.


    However, Qiao Mu didn¡¯t dare to retort and could only obediently stand there with his head drooped. He cautiously asked, ¡°Master, what do we do now? Are we going to pay them?¡±


    After hearing this, Elder Qiao hesitated for a moment. He threw the letter aside and asked, ¡°Are these people reliable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright; they¡¯re all veterans who have followed us quite a few times.¡±


    ¡°Then we won¡¯t bail them out. Isn¡¯t this just telling everyone we are the ones responsible? What can they do if we don¡¯t acknowledge them?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Send someone with a letter and tell them to hold on for two days. We¡¯ll save them when they let down their guard.


    ¡°I¡¯ll personally wee them back when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Then I will make the arrangements right away.¡± Qiao Mu affirmed.


    ¡°Be careful this time, don¡¯t let anything go wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Qiao Mu responded, turned around, and walked out. Then, she had someone pass the letter to ckie and have him think of a way to deliver the letter to those people.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui also knew that the ransom would not go smoothly. Thus, after a meal, he went to the patriarch¡¯s house to tell him about the matter and asked him to send more people to watch over those people.


    When it was close to midnight, the moon was barely seen in the western sky, and the whole night sky was dark. It was a good time to do anything sneaky.


    Zhou Ying and her husband changed into ck sportswear and smeared their exposed skin with ck ash so that other than the white of their eyes and teeth, there was no color other than ck.


    After that, they quietly left the vige and went straight to the town. Then, they went to the wealthy district and found the Qiao estate.


    However, looking at the two-meter-high wall, the two of them were in a dilemma.


    After that, they split up and circled the Qiao estate before finally meeting up outside the stables.


    Because there was arge pagoda tree outside the wall, although it was a certain distance from the wall, it was enough for them to climb up.


    Just as Zhou Ying wanted to climb up with a rock climbing hook, Gu Chengrui pulled her to the side and said, ¡°Give me a hand. There might be people guarding the stables. ¡±


    ¡°Then wait for me before you go down.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she handed him a half-dried piece of tissue that had been soaked in knockout powder.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and quickly went up the tree.


    After he went up, Zhou Ying also quickly climbed up and took out a tranquilizer gun from her interspace, just in case.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui tied the rock climbing hook to the tree, grabbed the rope, and gently swung across the branches and walls into the courtyard.


    He quietly walked to the stables. Sure enough, there was a person on duty sleeping soundly inside. Gu Chengrui covered his nose with his hand and made him sleep deeper.


    Then, he walked out and waved to Zhou Ying. Zhou Ying put the tranquilizer gun back into her interspace and followed the rope into the courtyard.


    After getting down, the two found a side door and walked around. They went in and made sure that there was no one inside. Later, they turned around and headed further into the mansion.

 Chapter 102 - 102 Causing Trouble (3)

    102 Chapter 102 Causing Trouble (3)


    When they passed by the servants¡¯ room, the couple blew over the knockout powder to knock everyone out.


    Then, they almost encountered a patrol team when they walked to the central courtyard. Afterward, the two hid in a rock decor and observed the surroundings.


    In the end, it was confirmed that there were two teams of five people, and the interval between each group rotating was quite long.


    The two of them stayed in the rock decor and waited for the patrol team toe over. They blew some knockout powder and carried the fainted people into the decor.


    They proceeded to knock everyone out in the manor. ording to theyouts of the manor, they found a study in a courtyard in the northeast.


    Gu Chengrui stepped forward and used a wire to open the lock. The two of them put on shoe covers and gloves respectively before quietly walking in.


    Seeing that the curtains inside were down, Zhou Ying took out two small thumb-sized shlights and carefully looked for the Qiao family¡¯s ount book containing evidence of the crime.


    Very quickly, the couple found the ount book. However, it was apparent that it was just a surface-level ounting book. But it was not difficult to see that the business of all the Qiao family restaurants wasn¡¯t doing well, especially the restaurants in this town. They basically maintained a level of neither profit nor loss.


    ¡°No wonder he¡¯s willing to risk so much on our recipe,¡± Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but say.


    ¡°The taste of his food is part of it. I think it also has something to do with his character.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head and returned the things to their original positions.


    Then, the two started to look for a secret room in the house. They finally found a secret underground room about five square meters in size, hidden behind a bookcase.


    There were tworge boxes and a small bookcase inside.


    He opened one of the boxes and saw gold ingots.


    There were four ornaments in the other box. A Jade Guanyin statue, a hanging cypress sculpture with three sheep, a red coral tree sculpture, and a green jade scepter. They were so exquisite that even the couple who did not know much could tell they were precious.


    Zhou Ying put them all into her interspace, and the two looked at the small bookshelf. On it were the real ount books.


    She realized that the Qiao family had been in contact with the county governor for a long time, and they would send many gifts to them every year.


    The two boxes of things from before were most likely this year¡¯s New Year¡¯s gifts.


    Finally, there were a few letters between them. Gu Chengrui read through them and realized that no other people were mentioned in the letters.


    He didn¡¯t know who the county governor backing Elder Qiao was, but he still put down the letter.


    After the two of them left the study, they were a little depressed when they saw that they hadn¡¯t gotten many results.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui continued looking for the manor¡¯s various storehouses. First, she found a storehouse of about 100 square meters beside the kitchen. Inside, there was all kinds of food; cured meat, frozen meat, dried vegetables, pots, bowls,dles, and so on. She put all of them into her interspace.


    Then, they went to the warehouse in the front yard. Because it was where they kept their money, two people were left to guard it. When they went over, the two guards were chatting in low voices.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying directly took out a tranquillizer gun, put the two people to sleep, and then stepped forward to take back the needles.


    Looking at the big lock on the door, Gu Chengrui immediately went forward to unlock it. He pushed the door open and walked in.


    However, the Qiao family was not as rich as they had imagined. They had only received less than ten thousand taels of silver from the warehouse.


    There was also a small chest of silver pieces and arge chest of copper coins.


    Finally, they found about five thousand taels of silver in a paper form inside a drawer. Seeing that they had got what they could, the two of them wiped away their traces and retreated.


    After they left the manor, they went straight home and fell asleep.

 Chapter 103 - 103 Fainted

    103 Chapter 103 Fainted


    At dawn, they got up and started to make tofu again. After sending Tian Jiawang away, the couple finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    Just as they were about to go back to their rooms to sleep, the patriarch walked in with an excited face. When he saw them yawning, he was stunned for a moment and asked, ¡°Were you guys outst night being thieves? Why are you so sleepy?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t even guard against the thieves targeting us. How could we be one?¡± Gu Chengrui said without batting an eyelid. He then yawned and said, ¡°Well, I was afraid that the Qiao family would send people over again, so I didn¡¯t dare sleep much the entire night.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say. At dawn, we really did catch one in the ancestral hall. It was the one who had been watching us vigers.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Then I can rest assured in the future. Doe in, ¡± Gu Chengrui invited. ¡°Have a seat. ¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m here to tell you a piece of good news.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what good news?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear? The Qiao family was robbedst night. They didn¡¯t even leave a pot or bowl for them. It was so tragic.¡± The patriarch said with a gloating expression.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been robbed? Who did it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard that Elder Qiao was so angry that his face turned green. However, they didn¡¯t find anything else besides knowing that they used knockout powder.¡± The patriarchughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know which person did it. If I knew, I would pray for his safety for the next three years. This is just so satisfying.¡±


    After speaking, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, you guys go ahead. However, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t leave the vige for the time being, in case that old brat takes his anger out on us.¡±


    Then, with his hands behind his back, he hummed a little tune and walked out.


    After he left, Gu Chengrui went up and locked the door. He alsoughed.


    Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him and went back to her room.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui knew that she wasughing at his behavior for stopping her from robbing them. After all, he had received many years of education and grown up in a morally decent ce. He could not ept that he was doing a thief¡¯s job.


    However, when they entered the house and thought of Elder Qiao¡¯s angry face, they couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    Ultimately, the two entered the interspace and packed up the things they had stolen.


    The chest of gold was exactly 1000 taels, and the silver ingots of various sizes totaled 9000 taels. Zhou Ying felt that she could not use them at the moment, so she simply put them away in the warehouse.


    She ced the remaining 800 taels of silver and copper coins on the vi¡¯s second floor.


    Then, it was food and utensils.


    They didn¡¯t expect to receive tworge jars of mustard seed and sauced vegetables. It tasted delicious.


    Zhou Ying smacked her forehead at the end of all this, saying, ¡°We should have gone to the storeroom with all kinds of clothes and jewelry.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s exposed, then so be it. It¡¯s enough as long as it serves as a warning. Elder Qiao must rest for a while before recovering from these losses.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Qiao family shouldn¡¯t be this poor. Why is there only so little silver? Could it be that it¡¯s all with his wife? ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. When I was in the silver vault, I looked through the ount books and saw that the Qiao family had recently purchased a lot of shops and fields. I think they have used them to buy more property.¡±


    ¡°No wonder Elder Qiao¡¯s face turned green from anger. It¡¯s good enough that he didn¡¯t faint.¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile.


    What she didn¡¯t know was that after Elder Qiao realized something was wrong, he immediately ran to his study room. When he saw that the gifts he had prepared were gone, he really fainted and was now being treated by doctors.


    Three days have passed in the blink of an eye. The patriarch noticed the Qiao family didn¡¯te to redeem these hooligans, so he simply sent them to the county officials with their confessions, then left them alone.


    On the fourth day¡¯s evening, Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang came to visit in a good mood.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¡± Gu Chengrui asked directly. ¡°Is there good news? ¡°

 Chapter 104 - 104 A Big Move (1)

    104 Chapter 104 A Big Move (1)


    ¡°There really is one, and it¡¯s big news.¡± Qian Zhuang said with a mysterious look.


    ¡°Is that so? Brothers, pleasee inside.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he led them into the house and shouted to the kitchen, ¡°Ying, help me make a pot of tea and get some snacks.¡±


    After they entered the house and sat down, he asked, ¡°Brother Qian, what did you guys find this time?¡±


    ¡°You should have heard about the Qiao family¡¯s house being robbed, right?¡±


    ¡°I heard that they haven¡¯t found the thief yet. ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Constable Li brought more than ten officers with him, but they didn¡¯t get any clues except for the knockout powder.


    ¡°Right now, everyone in town is saying that the Qiao family must have offended some big shot. Otherwise, how could their manor get robbed out of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Some even said that they might have offended a deity. Otherwise, how could there not be a single track mark left behind after so many things were stolen?¡± Gu Erjiang added. Then, he gloated and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Qiao family¡¯s days of arrogance areing to an end.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely quieting down. Don¡¯t you see that the people of the Qiao residence don¡¯t really dare go out now?¡± Qian Zhuang affirmed.


    At this time, Zhou Ying came in with a pot of ordinary Longjing tea and arge te of snacks. There were mung bean cakes, chestnut cakes, thin slices of yam, and a few spicy dried tofu.


    After putting down the te and pouring a cup of tea for each of them, Zhou Ying sat down and asked, ¡°Why is the Qiao family being so well-behaved now?¡±


    ¡°Well, think about it. Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of being knocked out of nowhere?


    ¡°If they intended to kill, the entire Qiao estate would be finished. Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid?¡± Gu Erjiang curiously pinched a piece of spicy dried tofu.


    At first, he couldn¡¯t get used to the taste but soon couldn¡¯t stop eating one piece after another.


    Seeing this, Qian Zhuang quickly grabbed two pieces and tasted them.


    Then, he remembered the purpose of their visit. He pinched a piece of mung bean cake and ate it while saying, ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you ask us to keep an eye on the Qiao family and see if they¡¯ve made any big moves recently? We did manage to find out about something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is the Qiao family making any big moves?¡± Gu Chengrui asked curiously.


    ¡°This morning, the butler of the county governor¡¯s residence went to the Qiao family. After he left, Elder Qiao gathered all the servants and long-term workers.


    ¡°After they left, we asked a long-time worker and found out they seemed to have some major work ongoing tonight.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what it¡¯s for?¡±


    Qian Zhuang shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ve asked two servants, but they didn¡¯t know either. Since we were afraid of arousing suspicion, we didn¡¯t dare to ask anymore. ¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded thoughtfully and asked, ¡°Is there any more news?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, have you heard about the release of thugs you sent to the county jail?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how did they get released? Did someonee and get them? ¡±


    ¡°No, I heard that each of them was given 20 canes. As for whether there was a private deal, we don¡¯t know. ¡±


    ¡°Do you know where they¡¯re staying?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re in a small courtyard near the dock. The woman there even hired a doctor for them. ¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the owner?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too chaotic there. Many of them are rented houses, so I couldn¡¯t find out anything. ¡±


    ¡°Alright. You guys can help pick up the soybeans from tomorrow onwards while collecting information.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll start tomorrow.¡±


    Gu Chengrui stood up and gave them a hundred copper coins. ¡°This is your sry for the past few days.


    After that, he gave them 500 coppers and said, ¡°This is the money for the soybeans.¡±


    ¡°Doctor Gu, you¡¯re so generous. We¡¯ll take our leave then.¡± Qian Zhuang stood up and said.


    ¡°Wait a minute, you two. I can see that you like the spicy dried tofu. I¡¯ll get you some to go with your drinks.¡± Zhou Ying stopped them and went to the kitchen. She used some oil paper to pack two pounds of snacks for them before sending them out.

 Chapter 105 - 105 A Big Move (2)

    105 Chapter 105 A Big Move (2)


    After they left, Zhou Ying looked at Gu Chengrui, who was frowning, and asked, ¡°Did you think of something?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think something¡¯s wrong? What good can they do by gathering so many people in the middle of the night?¡± Gu Chengrui pondered for a moment before adding, ¡°No, I have to go out tonight and see what the Qiao family or the county governor are up to. Maybe I can find something to use against them. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on your offer this time. I¡¯ll go by myself as it¡¯ll be inconvenient for you to follow me. ¡±


    ¡°But ¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. I promise you I won¡¯t do anything I¡¯m not confident about. Also, I¡¯ll definitely bring something for self-defense when I go out. ¡±


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment and finally gave up. After all, her current body was still a littlecking in physical strength and endurance.


    After that, the two of them quickly made dinner. When the vige quieted down, Gu Chengrui changed into ck clothes. He took a few bags of knockout powder, an anesthetic gun, and a pair of binocrs and left quietly.


    Zhou Ying went to the back of their house, prepped a hundred pounds of soybeans to soak, and then braised some pig intestines.


    When she was done, she saw that Gu Chengrui had still not returned. Thus, she took out a book on mushroom cultivation from her interspace and started reading.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui walked along the river and hunkered down as he left the vige. After ensuring no one was on the road, he quickly ran toward town.


    When he arrived near the Qiao family¡¯s residence, he saw Elder Qiao hurriedly leaving in a carriage. So, Gu Chengrui quietly followed.


    However, he lost them halfway but still managed to follow the route of the carriage.


    He did not expect that when he followed them all the way to the river, he would find about a hundred or so people transporting goods down from arge ship. The destination of these goods happened to be the mountains.


    This made him immediately sense that something was amiss. He followed them from a distance and found the cave where they stored their goods.


    For the sake of safety, he retreated to a cypress tree about a mile away and quietly observed everything with his binocrs.


    Based on the weight and shape of the things they were carrying, he quickly determined that they were either consisting of grains or sand. However, it was impossible for them to be busy with a ship full of sand in the middle of the night, so it had to be grains.


    After the goods were transported, a team of well-trained people quickly came to guard the cave.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s expression became serious looking at all this. If these were not private soldiers, they must have been provided by someone behind the governor with military power. This was not a joke.


    The issue was where such arge amount of grain came from and where it was about to transport.


    It seemed that this matter was getting big, and it was not something that a small fry like him could get involved in. He could only silently remark and see if he could find the owner of these lost items.


    Thinking of this, he got down from the tree and quietly went down the mountain. After the workers at the foot of the mountain hadpletely left, he walked along the river bank in the direction of his home.


    When he reached a turn, he tripped over something and almost fell. Then, he heard a muffled groan.


    Gu Chengrui was shocked, turning around hurriedly and looking down. He realized that he had tripped over a human arm.


    Looking at the arm, it was someone with noble status, wearing a jade crown on his head. However, looking at his half-dead appearance, it was obvious that his injuries were severe. After hesitating, Gu Chengrui squatted down and carefully examined him.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t expect to meet someone so unlucky. Not only was the person seriously injured, but also poisoned. If the person weren¡¯t treated in time, he wouldn¡¯t be able to live past tonight.

 Chapter 106 - 106 Unlucky Man

    106 Chapter 106 Unlucky Man


    Gu Chengrui saw that there were thick calluses between the thumb and the palm of this person¡¯s right hand. One look and Gu Chengrui could tell that he was used to holding a sword.


    He thought of this as he remembered the ship with grains. He wondered if there was any connection between the two.


    After struggling for a while, he finally decided to save him.


    If it was a descendant of the Qiao family, he could just kill himter. If it were the Qiao family¡¯s sworn enemy, this would be a sharp sword delivered to their door. It would be a waste not to use it.


    Then, Gu Chengrui searched the nearby area and ensured he didn¡¯t leave anything behind. After scrambling up their traces, he quickly rushed home with the unlucky guy on his back.


    Zhou Ying, who had been studying mushroom cultivation, immediately put down her book and walked out when she heard Er Zhuang¡¯s bark. Just as she reached the gate, she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Babe, open the door.¡±


    After Zhou Ying confirmed it was Gu Chengrui, she immediately opened the door. She was surprised to see a person on his back, but she quickly let him in and closed the door.


    After entering the house, she asked, ¡°Rui, who is this person?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, as I saved him on the way. Take us into the interspace. His injuries are too severe, and he needs an operation. ¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and brought them into her interspace. Then, she sent them to a small operating room on the vi¡¯s first floor.


    After Gu Chengrui put the person down, he gave her a list of medicines to prepare. He sat at the side and panted heavily.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying took a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him. Then, she turned around and went to the warehouse to prepare the medicines.


    After she returned, Gu Chengrui did not dare to dy any further. The two of them worked together to start preparing for this operation. When Gu Chengrui took off the poor man¡¯s wet clothes, he realized that there were many wounds on his body, knife and arrow wounds both.


    ¡°I think this person¡¯s identity is not simple,¡± Zhou Ying quipped.


    Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes,¡± he confirmed. ¡± He should be from the military.¡±


    Then, he saw that the knife wound on the person¡¯s back had extended into his pants. He looked up and said, ¡°Babe, go and find him some clean clothes. Leave this to me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, call me if you need anything.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and walked out. Then, she took a new set of Gu Chengrui¡¯s undergarments, disinfected them in the washing machine, and hung them outside the operating room with a hook.


    At this time, her stomach growled, and she remembered that it was almost dawn. Zhou Ying went to cook a pot of pork and century egg porridge and drank a bowl of it.


    After about two hours, Gu Chengrui finally left the operating room, exhausted.


    Zhou Ying quickly went forward to help him into the kitchen and said, ¡°Have a bowl of porridge first.¡±


    ¡°Babe, you¡¯re always so considerate.¡± Gu Chengrui spoke weakly as he took the porridge and drank it in big mouthfuls.


    Only after Gu Chengrui rxed did he realize that his legs were as heavy as lead. He couldn¡¯t even lift them.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying put the empty bowl aside and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been busy the whole night. Hurry up and go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay, one of the medicines I gave him is a rxant so that he won¡¯t wake up for a while. You should go out and sleep too.


    If anyone asks about me, just say I went up the mountain.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°Oh right, make as much tofu as possible, but don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±


    ¡°I know. You should go to sleep.¡± Zhou Ying reminded as she helped him to their bed. She then prepared a ss of water for him and turned to go out.


    To her surprise, she heard his snoring before stepping out of the vi. Then, she gently closed the door and left the interspace.


    Seeing that the sky in the east had already brightened, she didn¡¯t dy any longer and immediately went to the kitchen to get busy.

 Chapter 107 - 107 Messenger

    107 Chapter 107 Messenger


    Fortunately, no one else came to visit in the morning except the two usual parties. Qian Zhuang came to pick up the donkey cart, and the other was Da Hua, who came to light the firece.


    In the afternoon, Zhou Ying had just started work when Chunhong, Widow Hua¡¯s daughter, came to visit her in a hurry. Zhou Ying remembered that she was rted to Miss Qiao, so she didn¡¯t let her in. Instead, she asked with a calm expression, ¡°Miss Chunhong, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Chunhong looked at her nonchnt attitude and replied in a bad mood, ¡°Someone told me to tell you that when someonees to search the vige in the afternoon, they will take the opportunity to cause trouble for your family. So, you should be careful. ¡±


    ¡°Who gave you the information? What are they searching for?¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment and asked in disbelief.


    ¡°I heard that all the clinics, including the houses of the doctors in the countryside, will be searched. I don¡¯t know the specific reason.


    ¡°As for who gave me the information, it¡¯s none of your business. Believe it if you will.¡± After Chunhong finished speaking, she turned around and left in a huff.


    Zhou Ying turned around, and her face became serious. If her guess was correct, the person they were looking for was probably the young man that Gu Chengrui had savedst night.


    Since the Qiao family sent the news, this person was most likely not on good terms with the Qiao family. Otherwise, they would not have the mood to find trouble with the couple if they were searching for someone.


    She didn¡¯t have the mood to continue making her yuba after this since it would most likely be ruined.


    She went into the kitchen, brought a big bowl of soy milk for Da Hua, and asked her to go home.


    She squeezed the rest of the soy milk into tofu skin and dried tofu before putting them into her interspace. She then entered the interspace after closing their door.


    She did not see Gu Chengrui on the first floor when she entered the vi. She had no choice but to go up to the second floor and finally found him in theboratory.


    Seeing that he was concentrating on an experiment, she turned around and went downstairs to the kitchen. When she found the thick green bean soup in the kitchen, she knew that he had not eaten yet. She went to the warehouse to get a piece of rib and two corns, and used the pressure cooker to make a pot of soup for him.


    Finally, she went outside and picked two big tomatoes to make a te of tomato scrambled eggs.


    When she was done, Gu Chengrui came downstairs. When he saw her busy in the kitchen, he went up to hug her and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you, babe. Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten. So you hurry up and eat too.¡± Zhou Ying said as she pushed him away to begin setting up the food. After she was done, she asked, ¡°How is he? When will he wake up? There should be a search in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Search? What¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Chengrui asked after he sat down.


    Zhou Ying did not hide anything and told him the news that Chunhong had sent.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and said, ¡°Come and eat with me.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that unlucky guy was poisoned by Crow¡¯s poison. Although he was fed some green bean soup, he still needed an infusion. He probably wouldn¡¯t be able to recover in a short time.


    ¡°Before he wakes up, let him stay in the interspace so that he won¡¯t be discovered.¡±


    ¡°Crow¡¯s poison has no antidote and can only rely on your body to slowly expel the poison. It seems that someone wants his life.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go out and gather more people in a while. Since Miss Qiao handed us the information, we have to use it well. I don¡¯t believe that Elder Qiao will just watch his daughter marry an enemy. ¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded in agreement and added, ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s best to make both father and daughter fall out.¡±


    Then, she picked up a piece of corn and happily munched on it.


    It was impossible for her to feel guilty. Miss Qiao knew they were already married but still wanted to snatch her husband away. Zhou Ying knew that Miss Qiao was not someone decent, so she did not feel any sympathy for her.


    If she understood the reality of things earlier, it might have helped her find a good man sooner.

 Chapter 108 - 108 Search

    108 Chapter 108 Search


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui changed the unlucky man¡¯s wound dressing, and the couple left the interspace.


    Gu Chengrui said to Zhou Ying when they came out, ¡°Go to the west wing and rest for a while. I¡¯ll go and gather some people.¡±


    After saying that, he locked the door from the outside and walked to the patriarch¡¯s house.


    Zhou Ying was quite sleepy initially, but she didn¡¯t sleep in the end. First, she feared it wouldn¡¯t look good when others came. Second, she was afraid she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep at night if she slept too much.


    !!


    Therefore, she went to the kitchen, boiled a pot of hot water, and made a pot of tea. Then, she washed some cups and prepared them.


    After that, Zhou Ying took out the soybeans she had bought from the grain shop and started sifting them while sitting in the courtyard.


    After a while, Gu Chengrui came over with arge group of people. He began to serve them tea and also brought out some small snacks.


    About an hourter, three officers rushed in. Er Zhuang immediately barked at the three of them and blocked their way.


    Seeing that the leader of the three was about to sh at Er Zhuang, Zhou Ying immediately got up and walked over to stop him. ¡°What business do you all have here?¡±


    ¡°This littledy looks pretty good. Since we¡¯ve been tired of running around, why don¡¯t you apany us for a few drinks?¡± The leader of the group saw Zhou Ying¡¯s appearance and smiled.


    After speaking, he raised his hand and wanted to touch Zhou Ying¡¯s face.


    However, just as she raised her hand, Gu Chengrui rushed out and stopped him. ¡°If you have something to say, say it. There¡¯s no need to make things difficult for a woman.¡±


    ¡°Kid¡­¡± The leader still wanted to say something, but when he saw more than ten strong mening out of the house, he immediately swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue.


    ¡°What are you all doing here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Officer, we are all people from the Gu n. The n¡¯s ship sank some time ago, so we came over to discuss buying a ship.¡± The patriarch stepped forward and greeted him.


    ¡°I wonder why three officers havee. Do you want toe in and sit?¡± he asked.


    Seeing this, although the leader was unhappy, he knew he could not force his way anymore. He said, ¡°Forget it. We¡¯re here to look for bandits. Have there been any strangers in your vige recently? ¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Our Gu n¡¯s ship was robbed a few days ago.


    ¡°As for the strangers you mentioned, there are some. They made a scene in the vige a few days ago and wereter sent to the county officials. You¡¯ll know when you go back and investigate.¡±


    The leader¡¯s mouth twitched when he heard that. He was impressed that they tried to rte two different batches of people.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same thing. We still have to go in and search.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Please.¡± The patriarch hesitated for a moment but still stepped aside to let them into the house. At the same time, Gu Chengrui also brought a few people and followed them in.


    The three officers, who had wanted to take the opportunity to search the house and take some things, had no choice but to search the house obediently when they saw them follow them in.


    After making sure that no one else was around, he looked at Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°You are the doctor of this vige, Gu Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know some arts of medicine.¡± Gu Chengrui answered respectfully.


    ¡°One of the criminals we are searching for is seriously injured. If anyonees to treat his wounds, remember to report it in time.


    ¡°In addition, don¡¯t simply prescribe your medicine for now. Once we find out, you¡¯ll be treated as a traitor.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Seeing this, the leader waved his hand, and two of his men went to the medicine cab and searched for all medicines for external injuries. Ultimately, they even took away the most expensive bag of ginseng slices.


    ¡°Um¡­ What if the vigers are injured after these have been taken away?¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and said hesitantly.

 Chapter 109 - 109 Worry

    109 Chapter 109 Worry


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to cause trouble, don¡¯t butt your head in. Remember to report to me immediately if you see anyone with knife wounds.¡± The leader red at him coldly.


    Then, he turned around and left with his men and medicinal herbs.


    After they left, the patriarch instructed, ¡°Chengrui, it hasn¡¯t been peaceful recently. You must be careful. Don¡¯t let the Qiao family get hold of anything.¡±


    ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry, uncle.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    !!


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be going then. Remember to call us if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°I will, but you guys should sit for a while longer. It¡¯s still early.¡±


    ¡°No, there are many things to do at the workshop.¡± The patriarch turned around and left after he finished speaking.


    After the three officers left the vige, the youngest among them, carrying the medicinal herbs, said with a smile, ¡°That youngdy from the Gu family is really attractive.¡±


    ¡°You dunderhead. Let¡¯s hurry up with our search. Otherwise, we won¡¯t even be able to keep our jobs.¡± The leader said in an unpleasant tone.


    ¡°Do you think the Gu n received a notice in advance?¡± one of them asked thoughtfully. ¡°Otherwise, why would they just happen to be gathered there? ¡±


    ¡°No way. After we arrived in town, we took action straight after lunch. How could anyone leak the news? ¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just overthinking it.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I stay behind to investigate and see if the person is hiding in someone else¡¯s house? ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get any funny ideas. That ce is nearly fifty miles from here. How could he have gone so far with such serious injuries? Let¡¯s hurry and visit all the nearby vige doctors.¡±


    On the other hand, after everyone left, Zhou Ying sent Gu Chengrui to her interspace. Then, she locked the door and entered the mountain with Er Zhuang. She nned to cut some withered grass and shrubs to start a fire.


    Gu Chengrui entered the operating room in the interspace and saw that the IV drip was all used up. He immediately pulled out the needle and carefully checked the patient¡¯s condition. After confirming that his condition had stabilized, Gu Chengrui finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    He then checked the ureter.


    After ensuring he wouldn¡¯t wake up for a while, Gu Chengrui went out of the vi to feed the animals in the interspace.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying had just returned home when Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang returned with the donkey cart.


    Seeing the pitiful amount of soybeans in the car, she asked in surprise, ¡°My two brothers, why did you only get so few soybeans?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Haven¡¯t there been a lot of bean sprouts recently? There are no soybeans or green beans in the nearby viges.


    ¡°Some of them also wanted to sell them at a high price.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re thinking of visiting the neighboring town tomorrow.¡± Qian Zhuang shook his head.


    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll have to bother you to search in the distance.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took the soybeans, weighing less than ten pounds.


    Then, she gave them a tael of silver.


    After Qian Zhuang took the silver, he returned the donkey cart and turned to leave.


    Zhou Ying stared at the soybeans in her hand and was a little worried. It seemed that she had to prepare a batch of soybeans in advance from her interspace.


    Then, she made dinner and entered her interspace.


    Gu Chengrui saw hering in and stepped forward. ¡°Babe, you¡¯re finally here. He might wake up soon. We have to bring him out of the interspace quickly. ¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up. I¡¯m done cooking. He¡¯ll be able to eat after we¡¯ve settled him down. ¡±


    ¡°By the way, I made dried pot fish. Remember to serve it. ¡± Gu Chengrui said as he carried the unlucky fellow on his back.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying sent them out and took the dried pot fish out.


    After their meal, Gu Chengrui and the unlucky guy slept on the brick bed while Zhou Ying went to the west room. She burned some charcoal, took out a single bed from her interspace, and slept.


    In the middle of the night, the unlucky guy was woken up by his urge to urinate. He was stunned when he saw where he was. Just as he wanted to get up to relieve himself, he pulled on the wound on his back. It was so painful that he gasped.

 Chapter 110 - 110 Waking Up

    110 Chapter 110 Waking Up


    Gu Chengrui was purposely sleeping lightly. When he heard themotion, he immediately woke up and lit the oilmp on the bedside table. He looked at the unlucky man and said, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°Who are you? Where is this ce?¡± The unlucky guy asked warily.


    ¡°This is my house, and I found you by the river the night before. Who are you?¡± Gu Chengrui asked. ¡°Yesterday afternoon, someone came over to search the vige for bandits.¡±


    ¡°Bandits, huh.¡± The unlucky guy¡¯s eyes flickered after hearing this, and then he sneered. He thought, ¡°Like master, like servant, distorting the truth as always.¡±


    !!


    Gu Chengrui looked at his disdainful expression and knew that this person was most likely the owner of that batch of grains.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten anything for a day and a night. I¡¯ll go get you something to eat first.¡±


    ¡°That, um, can I use the toilet for a moment?¡± The unlucky guy blushed and stammered.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he went outside and brought in the chamber pot he had prepared earlier. Then, he helped him turn over so that he could relieve himself.


    After the person was done, Gu Chengrui put the chamber pot outside and went to the kitchen to bring him the warm millet porridge and steamed tofu with cabbage. ¡°It¡¯s a littlete; just make do with it.¡±


    ¡°This is already more than enough.¡± The unlucky guy began to eat in big mouthfuls.


    However, his movements weren¡¯t crude or ugly in the slightest, but bold and elegant.


    This reminded Gu Chengrui of the silk clothes this person had worn and the jade crown on his head. His identity must not be simple.


    After he finished eating, Gu Chengrui asked while cleaning up, ¡°Do you still want more?¡±


    ¡°No, maybe tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°By the way, may I know your name? I¡¯m Gu Chengrui. ¡±


    ¡°My surname is Zhou, Zhou Huaiming. I should be older than you, so you can just call me Brother Zhou.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Brother Zhou. Your injuries are too serious for you to move now, so you should lie down quickly.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± After the unlucky man finished speaking, he carefullyid down on the bed while Gu Chengrui ced the bowl and chopsticks on their dining table.


    After lying on the brick bed, the two chatted for a while. However, it was mainly Gu Chengrui who was talking, while Young Master Zhou only said he was from the capital and nothing else.


    Gu Chengrui did not mind because he knew that Zhou Huaiming would not tell him his identity if he couldn¡¯t trust him.


    However, Gu Chengrui also revealed what was on the surface. It was information that could be found with a simple check.


    When Young Master Zhou heard that he was from the Gu family in the capital, he was stunned for a moment and did not ask any more questions.


    Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t expect Gu Chengrui to work with Uncle Liu and didn¡¯t expect that the bean sprouts and dried yuba were the work of this young couple.


    Thinking of them as a couple, he felt a little guilty. Because of him, the young couple had to sleep in separate rooms. It seemed that he had better switch ces tomorrow.


    The following day, Zhou Ying began to make breakfast after ting some tofu.


    Breakfast was simple. It was millet porridge, mustard greens in sauce, sweet and sour radishes, and some ck steamed buns with cabbage and pork mince.


    After breakfast, Young Master Zhou said guiltily, ¡°Miss, I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your lives with my arrival. I think I¡¯ll stay in the west room.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say that you disturbed us.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I was just about to tell you about this. It¡¯s not safe here as peoplee and go in the outer wing, so it¡¯s better to move to the west wing ande out as little as possible. If you¡¯re discovered, we can¡¯t protect you, right?¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you so much. I¡¯ll leave as soon as I can move.¡± Young Master Zhou nodded.


    Zhou Ying nodded and cleaned the dishes before returning to the kitchen.

 Chapter 111 - 111 A Smell

    111 Chapter 111 A Smell


    Gu Chengrui helped him change the bedsheets and arranged for him to stay in the west room. He left him a chamber pot, water, and some charcoal before locking the door of the west room and going to the kitchen.


    Everything was as usual, besides going over to ask him if he needed anything from time to time.


    In the evening, when Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang returned, they had collected half a cart of soybeans. After Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui unloaded the cart, it weighed just a little under 300 pounds.


    ¡°Brother Qian, what¡¯s the price of these soybeans? Are they easier to purchase?¡± asked Zhou Ying.


    !!


    ¡°Five coppers, the same as the grain store. Otherwise, no one would be willing to sell.


    ¡°However, there seems to be someone else there who is also buying soybeans, so I can¡¯t guarantee how much we can buy a day.¡± Qian Zhuang replied.


    Zhou Ying gave him five taels of silver and said, ¡°Collect as much as you can as soon as possible since we won¡¯t be able to go out once it snows.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will spread out as far away as possible.¡± Qian Zhuang took the silver and said.


    He turned and asked Gu Chengrui, ¡°By the way, Doctor Gu, who has the Qiao family and the government been searching for these two days? They¡¯re being quite thorough.


    ¡°The most important thing is that they keep a close eye on pharmacies. They banned the sale of medicine or antidotes, and someone who sells them will be executed on the spot. You must be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about this too. They said they were looking for some water bandits.¡±


    ¡°What water bandits? The authorities in this area are so strict that there are no water bandits. They might be looking for someone else.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then you guys see if you can find out more and see what the Qiao family is up to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll keep an eye on this.¡±


    After sending off Qian Zhuang, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui had dinner.


    After dinner, Gu Chengrui went to the west room to get the empty dishes. Young Master Zhou looked up and asked curiously, ¡°Are you interested in the Qiao family¡¯s affairs?¡±


    ¡°How do I put it? Because of some grudges between our ancestors, the Qiao family has been suppressing us. They even sank my father¡¯s ship some time ago, causing my father and Second uncle to be bedridden.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the Qiao family?¡± Young Master Zhou¡¯s eyes flickered as he asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m keeping an eye on them, but more like guarding against them. The main problem is that without the Gu family¡¯s control, the Qiao family has been arrogant recently. ¡±


    ¡°Arrogant? How so?¡±


    Gu Chengrui was overjoyed when he heard that. In a grumbling tone, he told Young Master Zhou about what the Qiao family had been doing recently and their behavior, including the incident of kidnapping them because of the braised intestine recipe.


    ¡°Braised intestine, is it delicious?¡± Young Master Zhou pursed his lips and asked.


    Gu Chengrui was shocked to see him in such a daze. He then said, with a troubled expression, ¡°Ying will braise itter, you can have a smell.¡±


    ¡°Smell? Couldn¡¯t you let me have a taste?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a pepper in it that can help with blood cirction, so you can only eat it when your injury is almost fully recovered. ¡±


    Young Master Zhou¡¯s face was full of pity after hearing this, and he didn¡¯t have any good reasons to ask for more.


    ¡°Brother Zhou, you can get off the bed and take a few slow steps if you¡¯re not tired.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he took the bowl and chopsticks and left.


    Young Master Zhou looked at his back with a thoughtful expression.


    He couldn¡¯t tell if Gu Chengrui was really justining or if he knew something and was deliberately sending him a message.


    However, saying he was delivering a message was not entirely correct. After all, other than getting kidnapped, the culprit regarding the shipwreck incident was only his guess. He couldn¡¯t help Gu Chengrui even after telling him.


    Or maybe Gu Chengrui wanted to borrow his power¡­


    But how did Gu Chengrui know who he was, or maybe he really knew something?


    It seemed that he had to observe Gu Chengrui carefully to see what kind of person he was and his purpose.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui naturally knew that after saying so much, Young Master Zhou would definitely have some thoughts, so he didn¡¯t care much after that.


    In the evening, besides giving him two story books, helping him to the toilet twice, and asking about his condition, he didn¡¯t say anything else.

 Chapter 112 - 112 Clue

    112 Chapter 112 Clue


    On the other hand, after Elder Qiao had finished entertaining the officers, he turned around and went to his study.


    The county governor waiting in the study saw him and immediately asked, ¡°Brother Qiao, how is it? Do you have any news about Zhou Huaiming? ¡±


    ¡°No, nothing was left except the blood near the shore.


    ¡°Oh right, wasn¡¯t he poisoned? Could he have died in the river?¡± Elder Qiao asked while shaking his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. All the other bodies have been fished up, and he¡¯s the only one missing. He should have resurfaced or crashed onto the shore if he¡¯s really dead. ¡±


    ¡°Then could it be that his boy was entangled by the seaweed or blocked by something?¡±


    The county governor looked at him thoughtfully and said, ¡°That¡¯s for the best. Tomorrow, gather some men to go into the water and search around again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look around and see if I can find any other clues.¡±


    Elder Qiao replied, ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡±


    The county governor reminded, ¡°Remember to investigate carefully. Whether he¡¯s alive or dead, we have to get confirmation and or control him if he¡¯s alive. Otherwise, we¡¯ll all die.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back now.¡± After the county governor finished speaking, he turned around and left the study. Then, he left the Qiao estate through the nearest exit and rushed to town.


    The couple stayed at home for the next two days to make tofu as usual.


    Other than taking care of Young Master Zhou, Gu Chengrui would cook some porridge to nourish his body from time to time. Other than them, he would sometimes send some to Father Gu and the rest.


    All of a sudden, the couple¡¯s poprity in the vige rose.


    Back to Elder Qiao, he was so anxious that he had a mouth full of blisters.


    One day, when he saw the officers return empty-handed again, he became increasingly impatient as his anger grew.


    However, he also knew now was not the time to be angry. So after everyone finished eating, he asked, ¡°Officers, did you find anything unusual when you went out to look around thesest few days? Please think about it carefully. ¡±


    ¡°Something unusual?¡± The constable thoughtfully replied.


    ¡°Yes, anything that you think is strange. Otherwise, a living person wouldn¡¯t have disappeared into thin air, right?¡±


    Constable Li looked at the other officers andmanded, ¡°Brothers, think about it carefully. Think about anything out of the ordinary.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, everyone began to recount the ces that had felt wrong or where their searches hadn¡¯t been smooth.


    Some mentioned viges with too many dogs, and it was impossible to hide their tracks.


    Someone lost their clothes in a vige.


    All sorts of news in one of the viges


    Elder Qiao¡¯s head was about to explode, but he could not find any helpful information.


    The leader who had gone to Gu Chengrui¡¯s house said, ¡°There¡¯s something that I find suspicious, but I can¡¯t find anything wrong with it.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything, say it. We¡¯ll make a judgment together.¡± Constable Li said.


    ¡°On the first day, when we were informed to investigate the vige doctor, we met more than ten people at Doctor Gu¡¯s house in Shanghe vige.


    ¡°At that time, they said they were discussing buying a ship for the n.


    ¡°However, after we entered the house, we found that there was tea and all kinds of snacks in the house. It didn¡¯t seem like they were talking about business.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m thinking that they might have received some news in advance, waiting there.¡±


    ¡°Received news in advance? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. We basically acted together that day.¡± Constable Li stated uncertainly.


    After he finished speaking, he looked at Elder Qiao. After all, he was the only one in the town who had received the news in advance.


    Elder Qiao was abnormally irritated by his distrustful gaze. Still, he quickly recalled his previous instructions and turned to find Qiao Mu to ask, ¡°Did you pass down the order I previously told you to find trouble with Gu Chengrui during the search?¡±

 Chapter 113 - 113 Searching

    113 Chapter 113 Searching


    Qiao Mu naturally heard the conversation and nodded repeatedly. ¡°I did. I asked Qiao Yuan to inform the officers who were assigned there personally. They also brought back a lot of medicinal herbs.¡±


    ¡°Go and call Qiao Yuan over. See if he told anyone else.¡± Elder Qiao said thoughtfully.


    Although Qiao Mu felt that his son would not reveal anything, he still turned around and called him.


    After Qiao Yuan found out why Elder Qiao was looking for him, he had a troubled expression on his face.


    !!


    When Elder Qiao saw this, he knew that he had most likely leaked the news because he was the kind of person who would spit out the truth after drinking two mouthfuls of wine. He stepped forward and kicked him in the stomach angrily, ¡°Tell me, who did you leak it to? Otherwise, I¡¯ll break your legs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, hurry up and say it. This matter is very important.¡± Qiao Mu said as he stepped forward and helped Qiao Yuan with a pained expression.


    Qiao Yuan panted heavily as he clutched his stomach. Then, he said hesitantly, ¡°Yes, I told the youngdy¡¯s maidservant Yu ¡®er.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, how could it be her?¡± Elder Qiao denied it immediately.


    Then, he looked at Qiao Yuan coldly and asked again, ¡°Speak, who is it?¡±


    Qiao Yuan¡¯s neck involuntarily shrank back when he met his cold gaze. He took two steps back and said, ¡°Master, I would never dare lie to you. I only told the youngdy¡¯s maidservant, Yu ¡®er.¡±


    When Qiao Mu saw Elder Qiao¡¯s frighteningly dark expression, he hurriedly said, ¡°Could it be that Yu ¡®er identally leaked it, or someone bribed her?¡±


    Although Elder Qiao didn¡¯t say anything after hearing that, his expression was clearly much better. Then, he pointed at Qiao Yuan and said, ¡°Come with me.


    ¡°Qiao Mu, please help me entertain Constable Li and the others.¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Qiao Mu said and looked at Qiao Yuan worriedly. ¡°Do a good job with master and say what you know. Understand?


    ¡°I know, father.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Elder Qiao as he turned around and walked toward the backyard.


    He didn¡¯t expect to see a figure sh past before entering the second gate.


    Elder Qiao was stunned for a moment. He chased after her and didn¡¯t expect to chase her to Miss Qiao¡¯s courtyard.


    Then, he raised his head and shook at Qiao Yuan, quietly walking over.


    ¡°Miss, master seems to be heading to the backyard.¡±


    ¡°So what if he¡¯s here? Isn¡¯t it normal for my father toe to the backyard?¡±


    ¡°But, but¡­ I just heard that the master and the others are investigating something unusual. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Coward, it¡¯s already been a few days. Who would still pay attention to such a small matter?


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s going on in the front yard? When can we leave? I¡­¡± Before Miss Qiao could finish her sentence, Elder Qiao lifted the curtain and walked in with a dark face.


    When Miss Qiao saw him enter, she was stunned for a moment. Then, she gave Yu ¡®er a look, got up, and quickly rushed toward Elder Qiao to hug him.


    However, she was pped to the side by Elder Qiao.


    Yu ¡®er and Qiao Yuan were shocked. They had seen how much the elder doted on the young miss. This was also why the people in the manor were so amodating to Miss Qiao and the people around her.


    He had never thought that Elder Qiao would one day hit her. More importantly, pping so ruthlessly.


    As for Miss Qiao, she was at first stunned, then in disbelief. When she returned to her senses, she felt a burning pain in her face and teeth.


    A mouthful of blood-stained drool instantly flowed out when she opened her mouth. Drop by drop; it dripped onto the ground. In just a moment, the blood had covered the ground, scaring Miss Qiao silly.

 Chapter 114 - 114 Confirmation

    114 Chapter 114 Confirmation


    Elder Qiao¡¯s heart twitched when he saw this. This child was his only daughter and also his legitimate daughter.


    So all these years, he had always pampered and protected her in all aspects. He had not even lightly hit her once.


    He didn¡¯t expect he would one day p her to the point of bleeding.


    However, when he thought about what she had done, he was so angry that he wanted to p her again. Then, he turned to Yu ¡®er and asked, ¡°Tell me the truth. Three days ago, who incited you to try and get information from Qiao Yuan? Who did you give the information to?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Yu ¡®er¡¯s body trembled when she heard this. Then, she knelt on the ground with a plop and secretly looked at Miss Qiao.


    However, Miss Qiao was still in a daze and didn¡¯t receive her signal for help.


    Seeing her reaction, Elder Qiao already had an answer, but he refused to believe that his daughter was the one who stabbed him in the back.


    He then raised his leg and kicked Yu ¡®er in the chest. He gritted his teeth and demanded, ¡°Speak. Who did you give the information to?¡±


    Yu ¡®er fell to the ground from the kick and spat a mouthful of blood. However, she did not dare to tell the truth. After all, in the Qiao estate, a servant who betrayed their master would be sold to the mines. She did not want to go to the mines and suffer that kind of pain.


    ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? Otherwise, I¡¯ll invite your entire family.¡± Elder Qiao stepped forward and threatened.


    Yu ¡®er looked at the shadow beside her and panicked. In the end, she still confessed everything honestly.


    At the same time, she hated Miss. Qiao, as she had promised to protect her after the incident. She didn¡¯t expect that her master wouldn¡¯t even say a word when it came to it.


    ¡°Good, very good.¡± Elder Qiao clenched his fists tightly and turned to Qiao Yuan, ¡°Send her to the Cuihong building.¡±


    Yu ¡®er was stunned, as she knew the Cuihong building was every man¡¯s favorite ce. Then, she quickly shook her head and shouted, ¡°No, no, miss, save me. I don¡¯t want to be sold!¡±


    ¡°Take her away.¡± Elder Qiao said as he turned around to walk out.


    At this moment, Qiao Yuan also stepped forward and pulled the crying Yu ¡®er out.


    When they reached the door, Yu ¡®er clung to the door frame and shouted at Miss Qiao, ¡°Young miss, young miss, save me! Save Yu ¡®er! ¡±


    Miss Qiao finally came back to her senses. When she saw that Yu ¡®er was about to be pulled away, she immediately stepped forward and grabbed Qiao Yuan¡¯s arm. ¡°Brother Qiao, let go of Yu ¡®er. I did it. It has nothing to do with her.¡±


    Qiao Yuan ignored her and looked at Elder Qiao.


    Hearing his daughter admit it, Elder Qiao¡¯s mind went nk. After a while, he turned around and said, ¡°I really raised such a good daughter. Not only is she a traitor, but she¡¯s also helping the enemy deal with her father.¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Miss Qiao knelt down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I can¡¯t be called ¡°father¡± by you. You actually don¡¯t care about your father¡¯s life in exchange for a man. Do you know that if this matter really goes wrong, the head on this old man¡¯s shoulder will be gone?¡±


    ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t¡­ I¡­¡± Miss Qiao shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Qiao Yuan, release her and arrange for people to guard the young miss¡¯s courtyard. Without my permission, no one is allowed to take a step out of this courtyard.


    ¡°Also, no one is allowed to approach this courtyard, including Madam.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Qiao Yuan said as he retreated to the side.


    ¡°Guard it well to atone for your crime. You¡¯ll be going up the mountain to mine stones if there¡¯s any more trouble. ¡± After Elder Qiao finished speaking, he turned around and left.


    When Miss Qiao saw this, she fell to the ground. Qiao Yuan immediately gave Yu ¡®er a look, telling her to take care of the youngdy while he went out to call the guards.

 Chapter 115 - 115 Caught

    115 Chapter 115 Caught


    As for Yu ¡®er, she looked at the dejected Miss Qiao, whose face was swollen. The resentment in her heart finally subsided a little.


    Then, she went forward to help her return to the room and applied some medicine to her face. Yu ¡®er also took some ice and wrapped it with a towel for her face.


    After the burning pain on her face subsided, Miss Qiao returned to her senses and grabbed Yu ¡®er¡¯s hand. ¡°Yu ¡®er, please go to Shanghe vige and send a letter to Doctor Gu. By tomorrow morning soonest, my father will definitely send someone to find trouble with them. ¡±


    ¡°Young miss, you¡¯re crazy. Didn¡¯t you see how angry the master was just now?


    !!


    ¡°Besides, our courtyard has already been guarded, so I can¡¯t go out anyway.¡± Yu ¡®er shook her head.


    She wasn¡¯t the youngdy and was lucky to have survived this time, but if she did it again, she would be better off dead.


    ¡°If you go, I can give you a hundred taels of silver.¡±


    Yu ¡®er was stunned for a moment, but she still shook her head and said, ¡°Young miss, don¡¯t make things difficult for this servant. I really don¡¯t have the ability to leave here.


    ¡°I will add on, returning you your contract of service,¡± added Miss Qiao


    After Yu ¡®er heard this, she handed the towel to Miss Qiao. She turned around and said, ¡°You should rest. I have to boil some medicine.¡±


    After saying that, she ran out of the house as if escaping the ce.


    Seeing this, Qiao gritted her teeth in anger. She really raised an ungrateful wolf.


    However, she also knew that her father would not let Gu Chengrui off this time.


    She turned around and put her precious jewelry, silver notes, and other things into a small box. Then, she put on a change of clothes and went out.


    However, she didn¡¯t go through the main door. Instead, she walked to thedder usually used to collect dates on the west side of the courtyard. She quickly climbed thedder, reached the top of the wall, and jumped.


    Then, she walked to a horse shed. She didn¡¯t expect to meet a patrol team and immediately hid inside the rock mountain decor.


    However, the patrol team still found her.


    With the previous incident of the mansion being robbed, they did not dare to show even the slightest bit of carelessness. The five guards immediately found her in the rock decor.


    Seeing this, Miss Qiao walked out with a dry smile. ¡°Brothers, it¡¯s me, Qiao Lan. I want to go to the manor to find my mother.¡±


    ¡°Miss, please go back. We can talk about it tomorrow. It¡¯s toote now.¡± said the captain expressionlessly.


    He had already heard that the young miss was grounded. If they let her go now, none of them would meet a good end. They might even get their families involved.


    ¡°It¡¯s notte, notte at all. I will be sleeping in the manor,¡± Miss Qiao then turned around and walked towards the stables.


    ¡°Young miss, you shoulde with us to see the master. If the master allows you to go, it¡¯s not toote then.¡± After the captain finished speaking, he gestured to the people behind him, and they immediately spread out to surround Miss Qiao.


    ¡°You guys, let me go.¡± Ms. Qiao struggled.


    However, just as she opened her mouth, she was interrupted by the captain. ¡°Miss, please.¡±


    Seeing this, Miss Qiao knew there was no chance, so she simply said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back to sleep.¡±


    She turned around and walked back to her small courtyard.


    The captain immediately sent two people to escort her back while he went to the front yard to find Elder Qiao and informed him that Miss Qiao wanted to go out.


    Elder Qiao, who had just sent people out, was immediately enraged. He then jogged all the way into Miss Qiao¡¯s courtyard.


    After entering the room, he paused when he saw his daughter lying on the bed. Then, his eyes fell on a bundle on the bedside table.


    He opened it and took a look. When he saw what was inside, he was furious.


    Was his daughter nning to elope?

 Chapter 116 - 116 Coming Here

    116 Chapter 116 Coming Here


    At this thought, he grabbed Miss Qiao¡¯s arm and pulled her out. He pointed at the things on the table and said, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Father, be gentler. It hurts.¡± Miss Qiao pouted.


    ¡°Tell me, or I¡¯ll strangle you to death, so you don¡¯t embarrass me.¡± After Elder Qiao finished speaking, he clutched her vital spot in anger.


    At the same time, his eyes were red, his nostrils were erged, and his hair was almost standing up.


    Seeing his fierce look, Miss Qiao was so scared that she didn¡¯t dare move or speak.


    Seeing this, Elder Qiao felt helpless and infuriated. He threw her onto the bed and said, ¡°I thought you were still young and wanted to stay for two more years, but it seems like I can¡¯t.


    ¡°From today on, you can embroider your dowry in your room. Father will help you find a good family to marry into as soon as possible.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.


    When Miss Qiao heard this, she was stunned momentarily and immediately chased after him. ¡°Father, don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to get married.¡±


    However, this time, Elder Qiao did not pay any attention to her. Instead, he walked faster.


    When he came out, he looked at Qiao Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground. He said, ¡°Watch carefully this time. If you make another mistake, I¡¯ll take your life.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll definitely look after the young miss.¡± Qiao Yuan quickly nodded.


    After Elder Qiao left, he immediately called two of his brothers to the small courtyard to put away anydder, high stool, rope, and other things that could be used for climbing.


    He also instructed Yu ¡®er to keep her knives, scissors, and other things in case of emergencies.


    While this was happening, Qiao Mu personally led more than ten skilled servants to Shanghe vige in order to atone for his son¡¯s sins.


    However, what he didn¡¯t see was that one of them quietly left the line after they went out. When the person was near the dock, he turned to find Manage Liu and told him about the matter.


    ¡°Doctor Gu¡¯s house? Are you sure? Our people from the restaurant went there every day to pick up goods, but they didn¡¯t see General Zhou. ¡± Manager Liu looked at the man in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it looks like it should be the deal.


    ¡°As for the fact that we didn¡¯t see him, it could also be that General Zhou¡¯s injuries are too severe, and he simply can¡¯t go out. Or rather, he doesn¡¯t dare go out. You have to make a decision quickly,¡± the man urged. ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯ll be really dangerous if they get there first. ¡±


    Manager Liu finally nodded and went to a small courtyard not far away to call for more than ten people. The group of people set off at top speed after covering their faces.


    Finally, they met near Xiahe vige. After the two parties fought for a short while, Qiao Mu and his party were knocked down to the ground.


    ¡°Take them to the manor and lock them up,¡± Manager Liu said. ¡°Interrogate them properly, especially since Qiao Mu knows a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± One of them responded and then escorted Qiao Mu¡¯s group to a manor outside the town. They detained them in the dungeon and started interrogating them.


    On the other hand, Manager Liu brought two men with him and sneaked into Shanghe Vige to find the Gu couple.


    As soon as they got close to Er Zhuang, he started barking. This woke up the three people in the house.


    When Zhou Ying woke up, she gave Gu Chengrui a bottle of pepper spray and said, ¡°Rui, try not to open the door before asking clearly who it is.¡±


    ¡°I know. You should get up as well. If something goes wrong, hide Brother Zhou well.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he quickly put on his clothes and coat before leaving.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also quickly got up and prepared a small bag of knockout powder. If their visitors came with bad intentions, she would knock Young Master Zhou unconscious and put him in her interspace.


    After she was done with her preparations, she stood guard at the west wing door and waited for Gu Chengrui¡¯s signal.


    Young Master Zhou, who was in the west room, also slowly put on his clothes. If the people out there really came with ill intentions, he would escape to avoid bringing a fatal disaster to the couple.

 Chapter 117 - 117 Leaving

    117 Chapter 117 Leaving


    Gu Chengrui walked to the door and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s there? ¡°What¡¯s the matter in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, I¡¯m Manager Liu of Hongyun Restaurant.¡± Manager Liu whispered.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned when he heard that. He thought he had heard wrong and quickly asked again, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Manager Liu of Hongyun Restaurant, please open the door, Brother Gu.¡± Manager Liu smiled and tried to speak at his usual volume.


    !!


    Gu Chengrui finally heard it clearly this time, and it was really Manager Liu. Then, he opened the door and weed them into the house. ¡°Manager Liu, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here to find me.¡± At that moment, Young Master Zhou walked out of the west room and said.


    ¡°Young Master, I¡¯mte, and I¡¯ve caused you to suffer.¡± Manager Liu immediately stepped forward and bowed.


    Young Master Zhou went forward to help him up. ¡°You came at the right time, and I was just careless back then. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been in this situation.¡±


    After Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui looked at each other, she looked at them in surprise and said, ¡°You, you two¡­ know each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right; this is the second owner of Hongyun Restaurant.¡± Manager Liu hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the second owner. I¡¯m sorry for not taking better care of you.¡± Gu Chengrui greeted and said.


    As for whether he had another identity, they would pretend not to know if they weren¡¯t told about it.


    In any case, he heard that the owner of Hongyun Restaurant had a unique identity, so it should be more than enough to deal with the Qiao family.


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m afraid I would have turned into a ghost if I hadn¡¯t met you.¡± Young Master Zhou waved his hands.


    Manager Liu looked at the two of them calling each other brothers, and a strange look shed in his eyes. He then asked, ¡°Doctor Gu, where did you save our second owner?¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not hide anything. He told them about how he followed Elder Qiao after receiving the news and how he saved Young Master Zhou.


    ¡°There are still some residual toxins in Young Master Zhou¡¯s body. It¡¯s best to find a skilled doctor to recuperate better,¡± he instructed seriously.


    ¡°I will,¡± Young master Zhou nodded, then turned to Manager Liu and asked, ¡°Uncle Liu, how did you find me? I don¡¯t think we left a trail?¡±


    ¡°I found you through the spies I arranged in the Qiao family. Qiao Mu originally nned to bring people over to capture the couple, but I received the news and captured them before rushing over. ¡±


    ¡°Then we can¡¯t stay here any longer. Let¡¯s go.¡± After Young Master Zhou finished speaking, he bowed to Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Thank you for saving my life. I¡¯ll visit you to thank you after I¡¯m done with this matter.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need toe and thank us. If the Qiao family finds out, we will both be dead.¡± Gu Chengrui waved his hands.


    Young Master Zhou smiled meaningfully and did not say anything more. He looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Sister-inw¡¯s cooking skills are sure great, especially the braised intestine. When I recover, I will definitelye to taste it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind. Braised intestine takes a long time, so you can tell me half a day in advance when you want to eat it. ¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll take my leave then,¡± said Young Master Zhou as he turned around and walked out.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Gu Chengrui shouted. He turned around and went to the west room to get some anti-inmmatory medicine. He handed it to him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if these medicines can be bought outside.


    ¡°In addition, regarding the thread on the wound on your back, find a doctor who you trust early in the morning, two days from now, to remove it. It will be troublesome if it regrows into the flesh after leaving it there.¡±


    After saying that, Gu Chengrui put his sheepskin coat on him.


    Young Master Zhou was stunned. He lifted his hands to touch his back and said, ¡°The day after tomorrow, right? I¡¯ve noted it down. We¡¯ll be leaving now. ¡±


    After saying their goodbyes, he led Manager Liu and the other two out.


    Not far from the vige, they met a carriage picking them up, and then the group rushed to town.

 Chapter 118 - 118 Wiped Out

    118 Chapter 118 Wiped Out


    Gu Chengrui and his wife waited for them to leave and started tidying up the west room. Once they were done, they entered the interspace.


    After drinking a ss of water, Zhou Ying said, ¡°Let¡¯s go up the mountain tomorrow after we deliver the goods to Brother Tian. First, we can cut some firewood for winter, and second, we can avoid the Qiao family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I don¡¯t think avoiding the Qiao family is necessary. Since Manager Liu dared arrest the Qiao family¡¯s butler, I don¡¯t think this matter will be over easily. I think the Qiao family will be finished soon.¡± Gu Chengrui said thoughtfully.


    ¡°A centipede won¡¯t stop moving even in death. We should be careful.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    !!


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no harm in being careful.¡± Gu Chengrui did not refute her after hearing her words.


    So the next day, after they were done with their work, the two of them put their valuables into the interspace and took Er Zhuang into the mountain.


    After Manager Liu and Young Master Zhou returned, they interrogated Qiao Mu and the others overnight.


    Because they had learned from Gu Chengrui the location of the batch of military rations in advance, they quickly broke through Qiao Mu¡¯s line of defense, and he spilt everything he knew.


    In addition, there was also some information that Manager Liu had gathered.


    So, the following day, he sent people to restrain the entire Qiao family.


    After that, Young Master Zhou and Manager Liu went to the county and restrained the county mayor and governor. Of course, the wife of the county governor, Mrs. Jiang, was also under control.


    After that, they interrogated the mayor. Because he was just a cowardly puppet and had not done anything terrible, he readily confessed.


    As expected, when the county mayor found out that Young Master Zhou was a third-ranked general on the Third Prince¡¯s side, he told him everything he knew and even took the initiative to resign from his position as county mayor.


    However, it did not go smoothly when they interrogated the county governor and his wife.


    Fortunately, they found a lot of evidence in the manor. In addition to their previous investigation, they beheaded the two and sent the rest of their family members to the mine.


    Elder Qiao and Qiao Mu were simrly beheaded in the Qiao family, and the other family members were exiled to the North.


    When Gu Chengrui and his wife came down from the mountain and received the news, they were in disbelief. One was Young Master Zhou¡¯s identity, and the other was the speed of their action.


    They were still on guard against the Qiao family when the Qiao family had already been wiped out.


    ¡°It seems like the Third Prince has already started investigating this county government,¡± said Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Yeah, to dare have ideas about the army provisions; they are sure something else.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s not something we should be concerned about. Our days will be much easier now that the Qiao family doesn¡¯t keep an eye on us.


    ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you want to do business in town before? Let¡¯s n what we can do after the new year.¡±


    ¡°The dried yuba is selling well and with a decent profit. It¡¯s a pity to give it up, so I think we should set up a workshop in the vige.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. We¡¯ll have to find a reliable person in the vige to manage it. ¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave this matter to you.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± he affirmed.


    As the saying goes, ns can¡¯t keep up with changes. Just as the two of them were looking for candidates, on the morning five dayster, the assistant of Hongyun Restaurant came to pick up the goods and told them, ¡°Doctor Gu, Mrs. Gu, Young Master Zhou is hosting a banquet at Hongyun Restaurant to thank you. Please remember to go.¡±


    After seeing the assistant off, the two of them waited for Tian Jiawang to pick up his goods. Once he was off, the couple packed up and walked to the town to attend the banquet.


    When they arrived in town, especially when they passed by the market, he found that there were more people with smiles on their faces. Even the number of people doing mom-and-pop businesses was much higher than before.


    Gu Chengrui curiously asked an olddy who was smiling, ¡°Granny, is there any good news in town recently?¡±

 Chapter 119 - 119 Attending The Banquet

    119 Chapter 119 Attending The Banquet


    ¡°There¡¯s good news, excellent news, and it¡¯s not just one.¡± The olddy replied with a smile.


    Then, she pointed to a small shed not far away and said, ¡°Young man, haven¡¯t you noticed that the people collecting protection fees in this market are gone?


    ¡°I heard that the county governor has also changed, and some of the previous misceneous taxes will be waived from next year. Wemoners can finally live a good life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. In the past, there were various taxes that we had to pay. Now, we finally get to catch a breather, ¡± said a middle-aged woman selling pickled vegetables.


    !!


    ¡°It¡¯s such a pity for my eldest daughter. I don¡¯t know where she¡¯s been sold to.¡± She wiped her tears as she continued.


    As soon as she finished speaking, the lively atmosphere in the market dropped to the freezing point.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying looked at each other and then walked away silently.


    At the same time, they finally realized how deep the waters in this county were. At least, it was much deeper than what they had seen. If they had not saved Young Master Zhou by chance, their lives would definitely not have turned for the better.


    When the two arrived at the restaurant, Manager Liu was already waiting at the entrance. When he saw them, he immediately came up to them and greeted them warmly, ¡°Doctor Gu, Mrs. Gu, you¡¯re here. Pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Liu, you¡¯re too polite.¡± Gu Chengrui greeted him. Then, the couple followed him into the restaurant and entered a luxuriously decorated private room on the second floor.


    Manager Liu invited them to sit and said, ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and have a drink first; the second owner will be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Please do what you need to do. We¡¯ll just wait.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true; we¡¯re acquaintances now. Tell me if you need anything, and don¡¯t be polite.¡± Manager Liu turned around and left after saying that.


    Zhou Ying stared at a te of date-paste cakes on the table. At first nce, she could tell it was an excellent artisan-made cake. She pinched a piece and put it in her mouth, tasting it. ¡°It¡¯s delicious. There are no impurities in it at all.¡±


    ¡°If you like it, eat more. These old-fashioned snacks are really tasty when they¡¯re made fresh.¡± Gu Chengrui pushed a te of spring rolls in front of her as he said that.


    Zhou Ying looked at the crispy golden snacks in front of her and replied, ¡°To be honest, seeing these spring rolls reminds me of many different fried snacks. It¡¯s a pity I never learned how to make them, always missing something special.¡±


    ¡°Is it those snacks that were deep fried in beef fat?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s always so fragrant, crunchy, and delicious.¡±


    ¡°We can try making themter. Maybe I can reproduce it.¡±


    ¡°What are you two talking about? You seem to be having a good time.¡± Young Master Zhou smiled as he walked in, followed by a waiter.


    ¡°We¡¯re just talking about some food. Brother Zhou, please take a seat.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    Young Master Zhou nodded his head and raised his hand to signal for him to sit down too. He sat on the main seat and said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you guysughing at me, but I¡¯m also a glutton. Tell me what you guys want to eat, and we¡¯ll have a good meal this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t mind if we do. Let¡¯s have Hongyun restaurant¡¯s signature dishes, sauced beef, and red braised pork,¡± suggested Gu Chengrui.


    Young Master Zhou nodded and told the waiter. Then, he asked Zhou Ying, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    Zhou Ying wanted to say ¡°poached fish,¡± but she remembered that Young Master Zhou was still injured. So she changed her words, ¡°Stir-fried white prawns and some cold shredded tofu sd.¡±


    ¡°Shredded tofu sd, do we have it here?¡± Young Master Zhou couldn¡¯t remember the dish no matter how hard he tried, so he looked at the waiter.


    The waiter nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a new dish. It¡¯s only served after getting some advice from Mrs. Gu.¡¯


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have one.¡± After Young Master Zhou finished ordering, he looked at the two of them and asked, ¡°What else do you want to eat? Continue ordering. The three of us have to order at least ten dishes and a soup, right?¡±

 Chapter 120 - 120 Restaurant

    120 Chapter 120 Restaurant


    ¡°You¡¯re the owner here, so you must be more familiar with the menu than us. I think you should order,¡± said Zhou Ying.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Young Master Zhou nodded his head and looked at the waiter. ¡°Steamed yellow croaker, sea cucumber with scallion, four happiness meatballs, chrysanthemum tofu, stir-fried ck fungus, sweet and sour radish shreds, and finally, a serving of duck soup.¡±


    ¡°What kind of wine would you like to drink, Brother Gu?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t drink now.¡± Gu Chengrui replied seriously.


    !!


    Young Master Zhou¡¯s expression immediately changed. He had forgotten that Gu Chengrui was a doctor. If he had remembered, he would not have asked. Now, he could not even drink a sip even if he wanted to. He finally waved his hand at the waiter.


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± The waiter politely told them and filled the teapot with hot water before leaving.


    Young Master Zhou then said, ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize to you first. My identity was a little sensitive before, so I didn¡¯t dare tell you the truth.


    I¡¯m General Zhou¡¯s second son, Zhou Huaiming. I am here to transport grains this time, but I didn¡¯t expect to be backstabbed by the people around me.¡±


    ¡°Are those grains really military rations?¡±


    ¡°Yes, otherwise, that group of people wouldn¡¯t have been convicted so quickly.¡± Zhou Huaiming looked at Gu Chengrui in surprise and asked, ¡°How did you know that¡¯s military rations?¡±


    ¡°Just an afterthought. After all, ordinary merchants would not transport so much dry grain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. By the way, do you guys fancy the Qiao family¡¯s Dongxing Restaurant? How about giving it to you two to run it?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll steal Hongyun Restaurant¡¯s business?¡± Zhou Ying asked after a moment of surprise.


    ¡°Having apetitor is good for improvement and innovation.


    ¡°Besides, this town is so prosperous; it¡¯s impossible for just us to monopolize the restaurant business.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to give it to sister-inw. I think it¡¯s not a problem with your skills if you want to upy half the customer base here.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll ept your offer. By the way, how much does this restaurant cost?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I said I¡¯d give it to you, so I¡¯m going to give it to you.¡± After Young Master Zhou finished speaking, he took a contract and a key from his sleeve and handed them to her.


    ¡°I know a little about the Gu family¡¯s situation, so it¡¯s better to put it under sister-inw¡¯s name,¡± he exined.


    When Gu Chengrui heard him mention the Gu family, he immediately remembered that his father had asked them for the recipe for bean sprouts. He nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Thank you, Brother Zhou. Why don¡¯t you change the way you announce it? You could say that you liked Ying¡¯s cooking so much that you asked her to be the manager. How about it? ¡±


    Young Master Zhou jokingly said, ¡°Then I can¡¯t bear this name for nothing. In the future, I hope I can eat for free in your restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Even if there were no such thing, we wouldn¡¯t take your money anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡±


    Suddenly, Zhou Ying thought of the Qiao family and the county governor, who had their houses confiscated. She looked at Young Master Zhou and asked, ¡°Brother Zhou, are you going to sell all the manors and shops you have seized?¡±


    ¡°Yes, is there anything you want?¡±


    ¡°Since we n to open a restaurant, we must have something to sell. I¡¯m thinking of buying a small manor to grow some vegetables, raise some cattle and sheep, or something else to supply the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back and look into this matter, checking which manor is suitable.¡± Young Master Zhou nodded.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to thank Brother Zhou in advance. A manor worth less than two thousand taels of silver will do.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Young Master Zhou affirmed.


    Soon, the food was served. Zhou Ying tasted each dish carefully and found they were all well-made, except for the fatty oil inside the red braised pork. She only ate one piece and couldn¡¯t eat anymore.


    However, she didn¡¯t have the heart to pick on it, so she thought of taking another time to mention it to Manager Liu.

 Chapter 121 - 121 Planning

    121 Chapter 121 nning


    When they finally came out of the restaurant after having their fill, Zhou Ying realized that Manager Liu was not there, so she could only keep this matter in mind.


    After leaving the restaurant, they both asked around and found Dongxin Restaurant. Looking at the que that had been thrown to the ground and trampled on, as well as the broken window, the two looked at each other. Not only did they not feel the slightest bit of heartache, but they felt happy instead.


    It could be seen that the Qiao family had angered the public. Therefore, there wouldn¡¯t be many people who would reject them taking the restaurant over.


    Zhou Ying took out her key and went to open the entrance. There were also two floors here, with the lobby on the first floor measuring about 100 square meters, which is very spacious indeed.


    !!


    However, the room was a mess now. Although the tables and chairs were not broken, they were overturned, with all kinds of dishes and tes everywhere. There was no ce to stand at all.


    After that, the two of them spent two hours tidying and cleaning up the ce.


    The couple sat down after all that. Gu Chengrui turned his head and said, ¡°Babe, what do you want to sell after opening up? These tables and chairs are all made of the best quality elm wood. If we use them, we can save some money.¡±


    Zhou Ying pondered and said, ¡°Although General Zhou said that he¡¯s not afraid of us affecting Hongyun restaurant¡¯s business, we can¡¯t be that thick-skinned. So I n to sell hot pot and barbecue with a few signature dishes, just like our original world¡¯s north-western restaurant. This way, there won¡¯t be any conflict.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Not only will we avoid shing with Hongyun Restaurant, but we¡¯ll also have an easier time with our business.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    After that, the couple discussed how to arrange the seats and tools.


    They went straight to the second floor when they were almost done with their discussion. The second floor was a much simpler design, with eight private rooms. There were even three tables with dishes still on them.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying picked up the undamaged ones and packed them up, putting them aside. Then, she cleared the tables and cleaned up the utensils in the back kitchen.


    She didn¡¯t expect the kitchen to be even more chaotic. What could be taken away had been taken away, and what couldn¡¯t be taken away had been smashed.


    Seeing this, the two of them were toozy to clean up. In the end, the two of them found the warehouse, but there was not even a single vegetable leaf.


    Gu Chengrui looked at the messy footprints on the ground and said, ¡°It seems that when those guys left, they took away the rest of the things.¡±


    ¡°Most likely. But I have to say, Elder Qiao is such a failure, owning such a big restaurant but doesn¡¯t even have a single loyal worker.¡± Zhou Ying added.


    Gu Chengrui said, ¡°That¡¯s why we must be cautious when choosing our workers in the future. We have to treat them well too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I think buying a few core servants with death contracts is better. I don¡¯t want to be stabbed in the back in the future.¡±


    ¡°Then we will go with your suggestion. The Ming Dynasty is very strict about managing servants with death contracts, which will definitely put us at ease.¡±


    After that, the two of them went outside and hired twoborers to remove all the garbage from the restaurant.


    Once finishing up their work, the two were about to go home when a middle-aged man with a bag on his back walked in.


    ¡°Uncle, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Chengrui went up to him.


    ¡°Young man, are you the new owner of this building? I¡¯m a specialist in renovating, and I have more than 20 people working under me. Do you want us to renovate the ce? ¡± The middle-aged man proposed as he scanned the restaurant.


    ¡°Of course, but I haven¡¯t decided what to do yet. Why don¡¯t you tell me your contact address, Uncle? I¡¯ll look for you when I¡¯ve decided.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too. My name is Zhang Daniu. I live near the main street in the No. 4 courtyard in the second alleyway. You¡¯ll know once you get there and ask around.¡± The uncle turned around and left after giving his address.


    ¡°The renovation here will cost at least 50 taels of silver,¡± he added before leaving.

 Chapter 122 - 122 Paying In Another Way

    122 Chapter 122 Paying In Another Way


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying had a n when they heard this. The two gave a pack of food to the beggar, which helped them, and went to the cksmith¡¯s shop. They ordered 30 copper hotpots, an ordinary oven, several iron skewers, a few barbecue tongs, and a fine-toothedb.


    Then, they went to a porcin shop and ordered many tes and bowls.


    When they returned home that night, they were craving some barbeque. Thus, they went to the interspace to skewer some meat and had a good dinner.


    The next day, when the waiter of Hongyun Restaurant came to pick up the goods, he handed Zhou Ying a red contract and said, ¡°Mrs. Gu, Young Master Zhou asked me to give this to you.


    ¡°He mentioned that this manor is in the neighboring Xiaohe vige and has 120 acres of fertilend and 500 acres of grasnd. It was originally the Qiao family¡¯s manor, mainly for rearing cattle and sheep.¡±


    ¡°How much is this manor worth?¡± Zhou Ying took the red contract and asked.


    ¡°Young Master didn¡¯t say. But ording to what I know, the manor, the cattle, and the sheep are worth at least 5000 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you, brother. I¡¯ll personally give the silver to Young Master Zhou.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Young Master Zhou has been very busy recently. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t have the time to see you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡±


    After sending him off, Zhou Ying gave the title deed of the manor to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡± Rui, do you think that Brother Zhou has misunderstood and thinks that we want the manor for free?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. After capturing the county governor and mayor, he must have left behind a big mess and had to sort them out one by one.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out how much this manor is worthter and pay him the silver.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head and said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but he might not ept the money if we give it to him directly.


    ¡°I think we should give the recipe for the braised intestine to Hongyun Restaurant and the method of making yuba. This way, we just have to manage our restaurant in the future.¡±


    Gu Chengrui replied, ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to part with it, I have no objections. I just want you to live a carefree life.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. I¡¯ll write it down and give it to Manager Liu.¡±


    After seeing Brother Tian off, Zhou Ying turned her head and asked, ¡°Rui, what do you think about letting Brother Tiane to the restaurant to help us?


    ¡°Brother Tian is a good person, and I can see that his small business is doing quite well. I don¡¯t know if he is willing to part with it, but I will ask himter.¡±


    Zhou Ying suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. I heard that bean sprouts are selling for a copper per pound now, and there¡¯s not much profit in it now.¡±


    After lunch, Zhou Ying took out a pen and paper and wrote down the recipe for the braised intestine, writing it in detail.


    For example, the ingredients needed for braised pig trotters, chicken, duck, and others were all written clearly.


    Honestly, without Young Master Zhou¡¯s benevolence, she wouldn¡¯t have been willing to give up on this series of prescriptions.


    After all, these recipes alone were enough to support a hundred-year-old restaurant.


    The makings of yuba were simple, too; it¡¯s just no one had thought of it yet.


    Finally, she mentioned the technique of not being greasy with red braised meat.


    She handed it to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Rui, can you copyright it for me since I can¡¯t write in traditional words?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t regret giving all these recipes away?¡± Gu Chengrui took it and nced at it. Then, he looked at her in shock.


    ¡°I don¡¯t regret it. I have plenty of recipes in my head.¡± Zhou Ying replied boastfully, then turned around and left the room.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui smiled and shook his head. He knew that she was reluctant, but since she had already written it, it meant that she had already thought about it. Therefore, he did not hesitate and went to his study to copyright it with a small pen.


    After they were done, the two went straight to the town to find Manager Liu. Manager Liu had just finished his work when he saw the couple. He immediately approached them and asked, ¡°Doctor Gu, Mrs. Gu. Pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you, but we¡¯re here today to pay for Young Master Zhou¡¯s manor and to ask you who would be better at helping us to renovate it.¡± Gu Chengrui said.

 Chapter 123 - 123 Taken Advantage

    123 Chapter 123 Taken Advantage


    ¡°Young Master Zhou said the manor is a gift to you two, and we will not take any payment for it.


    ¡°As for the renovation, the one who renovated Hongyun Restaurant was Zhang Daniu from the main street. If you like his skills, you can also go to him. He¡¯s an honest person,¡± said Manager Liu.


    ¡°Oh, we know Zhang Daniu.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    Then, he gave the letter with the recipes to Manager Liu and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to pass this to Young Master Zhou. Consider it as payment for the manor.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Young Master Zhou said he didn¡¯t want it.¡± Manager Liu waved his hand.


    ¡°Since we said we bought it, we can¡¯t pay with nothing. Please help us give it to him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but I¡¯ll just hand it over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you; we¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and went to the main street with Zhou Ying. They found Zhang Daniu and went to Dongxing Restaurant with him to discuss the renovation work.


    On the other hand, Manager Liu took the letter to the county office after a short rest. He finally found Zhou Huaiming in the county government office, busy dealing with official documents.


    After seeing Young Master Zhou was done with a document in his hands, he came forward to hand over the envelope. ¡°Master, Doctor Gu gave this to you. He said it¡¯s the money for the manor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, where did he get the silver from?¡± Young Master Zhou asked curiously after receiving it.


    Manager Liu shook his head after hearing this. As far as he knew, the couple¡¯s money was all provided by him. At most, it did not exceed 150 taels.


    He didn¡¯t know where they had gotten a stack of silver notes.


    That¡¯s right. From the thickness of the envelope, he had thought it was a stack of banknotes.


    Zhou Huaiming opened it curiously and was stunned when he read the recipes. He quickly looked down and smiled when he saw thest reminder, ¡°You previously said that I was too soft-hearted and should not give them a manor.


    ¡°Look, these recipes alone are more than enough to cover the cost of the restaurant. We¡¯ve taken advantage of them.¡±


    After finishing speaking, he handed the letter to Manager Liu.


    Manager Liu took it and read it carefully, and he couldn¡¯t stop reading. The more he read, the more fascinated and excited he became.


    The key was that many of the ingredients in the recipes were medicinal herbs, which he had never thought of. No wonder Chef Zhou couldn¡¯t figure out the recipe for the braised intestines.


    He dared say that these recipes could definitely maintain Hongyun Restaurant for another hundred years.


    He thought of this and said excitedly, ¡°I can¡¯t believe Mrs. Gu is willing to part with these.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but this also shows that she has a talent for cooking.¡± As Zhou Huaiming said this, he thought of the sweet and sour shredded radish that Zhou Ying made once. ¡°Tell me, why is it that even her shredded radish tastes better than others?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t she be born a man? ¡± He mumbled regretfully. ¡°What a pity.¡±


    The corner of Manager Liu¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°So what should we do with these recipes? Keep them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keep them, and just take care of the couple when they open for business. Also, estimate how much these recipes are worth. At the end of the year, we can deduct them from our costs and use them as payment for the given restaurant.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll leave you to your work then.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what kind of people do you think the couple are?¡±


    Manager Liu hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°To be honest, I haven¡¯t had much contact with them, but I can be sure they¡¯re very trustworthy.


    ¡°I remember that there was one time when Doctor Gu couldn¡¯te, so Mrs. Gu sent us the bean sprouts. At that time, I was sure she was not feeling well, but she still gritted her teeth and sent them to us.


    ¡°Also, when Elder Qiao kidnapped them, they didn¡¯t think of leaving immediately after they escaped. Instead, they reported it to our restaurant. Otherwise, we would have been lost in the dark the next day.¡±

 Chapter 124 - 124 The Manor (1)

    124 Chapter 124 The Manor (1)


    Manager Liu paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Also, he knows his manners, knowing when to advance and when to retreat.


    ¡°Just like today¡¯s matter. To be honest, with your kindness, they could have silently epted this manor without saying a word.


    ¡°If I were pushed out of the family, I would never help them again, let alone treat their illness for free.


    ¡°Of course, he might have been forced to help because of his identity, but it¡¯s rare for him to help sincerely.¡±


    Young Master Zhou quipped in, ¡°It seems you have a very high opinion of this couple.¡±


    ¡°For now, yes. But I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then, let¡¯s try these recipes out.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Manager Liu replied and put away the recipes, treating them like treasures. He then hurried back.


    After the restaurant¡¯s renovation was settled, Zhou Ying and her husband went to the manor.


    At the entrance of the second courtyard, she was stopped by a man in his thirties. ¡°Who are you two looking for?¡±


    ¡°We are the new masters of this manor. Who are you?¡± Zhou Ying asked as she shed the title deed to him.


    ¡°So it¡¯s the new owner. Pleasee in; I¡¯m Chang Shun, the temporary butler of this manor.¡± After the man finished speaking, he turned around and led them into the courtyard.


    Gu Chengrui looked at his familiarity with the manor and asked, ¡°Chang Shun, right? Where¡¯s the previous butler of the manor?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been taken away. Anyone rted to the Qiao family was taken away, and I heard they were sold to other ces.¡±


    ¡°Then you are¡­?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°The rest of us are either tenants or long-term workers.¡±


    ¡°Long-term worker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the long-term workers are mainly those who help raise cattle and sheep. The livestock here needs more care than us.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then do you know how many livestock are in here?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t give you the full details, but the grasnd over there is full of cattle and sheep. I heard it produces about 300 cattle and 2000 sheep yearly, and it¡¯s much better than farming.¡±


    Zhou Ying was happy to hear that. If they could produce this much every year, it would be more than enough to supply the consumption of their restaurant.


    She replied, ¡°Then please take us to see them.¡±


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Chang Shun led them to the fields after that. They could see rows of livestock sheds from afar and more than a dozen piles of hay covered with oilcloth on the side.


    When the group arrived, more than ten people were busy cutting grass.


    Chang Shun stepped forward and introduced them. ¡°There¡¯s a total of 30 people here, with 15 of them mainly in charge of the fodder.


    ¡°Ten people are in charge of cleaning up the sheep pens.


    ¡°Three women who usually helped deliver newborns, taking care of the calves andmbs.


    ¡°There¡¯s a doctor who treats the sick livestock.


    ¡°Finally, a manager who is in charge of everything here.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Nian,¡± he shouted, ¡°the new owner is here. Come and meet them!¡±


    After a while, a middle-aged man in a sheepskin coat came out while carrying a tobo pipe and a pot. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying, and he said indifferently, ¡°Are the two of you the new owners?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Uncle Nian. We¡¯re here to understand the situation.¡± Gu Chengrui greeted him and replied.


    ¡°Do look around. But be careful when you go in, don¡¯t scare the little ones inside.


    ¡°Right, there are 1082 cows now. Before the new year, 200 of them will be ready for ughter.


    ¡°There are fewer than 4,000 sheep, and we can prepare about 800 before the new year.¡± The old man pointed at the rows of sheds behind him.


    ¡°You are very knowledgeable.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at his lukewarm attitude and was satisfied, sincerely praising him.

 Chapter 125 - 125 The Manor (2)

    125 Chapter 125 The Manor (2)


    Seeing this, Chang Shun quickly led the couple to the cowshed. Zhou Ying thought it would be dirty and messy inside, but she was surprised to find it neat and tidy. Except for theck of modern facilities, it was as good as a modern farm.


    Although the ground in the shed was not made of cement, it was still paved with stone. The ground was covered with straw, and some lime powder was also sprinkled on it to disinfect and dispel moisture.


    The key was that there was no other animal smell besides the smell of dry grass, and this was rare.


    When Gu Chengrui came in, he observed the cow¡¯s health. He did not expect to find two sick bulls, which looked like they were injured.


    !!


    He called over a worker who was cleaning the shed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on with these two bulls? Were they fighting?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they did fight. I didn¡¯t expect them to go into heat suddenly, and since they didn¡¯t have the time to breed, so¡­¡± The employee said with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°Then inform the doctor here to treat it quickly. Look at the wound; it¡¯s starting to rot. If you don¡¯t treat it soon, they will be dead.¡± Gu Chengrui pointed at the wounds.


    ¡°This¡­ This is indeed our negligence. We¡¯ll go and find a doctor now.¡± The employee¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°Yes, go.¡± Gu Chengrui waved his hand and checked the rest. He was pretty satisfied with the results.


    They went to the sheep pen after that. The environment was simr, but more sheep were injured. Fortunately, they were all treated quickly, and the overall situation was decent.


    After the two walked around, they saw Uncle Nian sitting on the side and directing the grass-cutting. Zhou Ying came forward and asked, ¡°Uncle Nian, can I have a word with you?¡±


    Uncle Nian nodded, then brought them into his small house. ¡°Have a seat. It¡¯s a little shabby, but don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Have you been living here all this time?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise as she looked at the tiny house of less than ten square meters.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an old bachelor, so it¡¯s fine as long as I have a ce to stay. I don¡¯t have many needs .¡± Uncle Nian nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, and living in a morefortable environment is better.


    ¡°It¡¯s freezing now, so construction work can¡¯t start. When springes next year, we¡¯ll build a row of dormitories nearby so whoever is tired can have a ce to stay.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. This way, they¡¯ll be able to enjoy a good life even when they¡¯re on duty at night. The old man nodded and said.


    At the same time, the way he looked at them also turned more friendly.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. Please take care of it and see where it is more convenient to build. We¡¯ll start work after spring.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave it to me. But how do you n to build it? How big a ce is your estimate?¡±


    ¡°The single dormitory being the size of this house is enough.


    ¡°If they wanted to settle down here, they could inform us in advance, and we would build them ording to their family¡¯s poption.


    ¡°However, we will have to make it clear in advance that it could only be their immediate family, which means it only includes the husband, wife, and child. Moreover, they have to guarantee to work at the manor.


    ¡°For a single person like you who has lived here for a long time, I was thinking of a ce with an inner and outer room. In terms of size, it should be about two and a half times the size of this house, and that should be enough.¡±


    Uncle Nian replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be that big. A small outer room will do, as we just need a ce for our guests.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the same. So, just take my suggestion.¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t say anything else.


    After that, Zhou Ying learned about the overall situation of the manor from Chang Shun and Uncle Nian, while Gu Chengrui went out to find the doctor. He wanted to know the cattle¡¯s physical condition; on the other hand, he also wanted to exchange his experiences as a doctor.


    In the end, Gu Chengrui told the doctor the form for traditional disinfection and sterilization. He suggested the doctor spray it in the sheds from time to time to prevent wounds from getting infected again.

 Chapter 126 - 126 The Manor (3)

    126 Chapter 126 The Manor (3)


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also learned that the main output of this manor was cattle and sheep.


    Although more than 100 acres of fertilend could grow wheat, millet, soybeans, and other grains, nothing was left after feeding the people in the manor and the livestock. If the year¡¯s harvest were terrible, they would need to buy some from outside to supplement the livestock feed.


    When Chang Shun saw them out, the couple went to the fields to look around. The wheat was growing well, but there were many cracks in the ground, and the legs of their pants had turned white.


    ¡°Uncle Chang, isn¡¯t this ce a little too dry?¡± Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little dry. In previous years, there were already two rounds of rain and snow at this time. However, there was only one huge rain this year, barely wetting the ground. So, thend is naturally dried.


    ¡°However, there is no need to worry too much as the wheat is hibernating now. Even if it doesn¡¯t snow before the new year, it wouldn¡¯t have much impact once we watered it in spring and spread enough fertilizer.


    ¡°That¡¯s good; I¡¯ll have to trouble you with that.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    However, Gu Chengrui felt that this was inappropriate. It would be toote to remedy the situation then, and the harvest would definitely decrease.


    However, the weather was so cold that it was unrealistic to water them. It seemed that he had to water them enough before winter came.


    ¡°By the way, do you two want to renovate the main courtyard?¡± Chang Shun asked when he saw the courtyard house not far away.


    Gu Chengrui looked at Zhou Ying after hearing that. To be honest, he felt a little ufortable since Miss Qiao had lived in that courtyard for a long time. But ultimately, he left this decision to Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look, ¡± Zhou Ying said hesitantly. ¡°We¡¯ll decide then.¡±


    After that, the three of them went to the courtyard house.


    Gu Chengrui and Chang Shun went to the house to understand the manor and asked him to give them a list of who would stay and who would leave. They would have to sign a long-termbor contract tomorrow if they stayed.


    Zhou Ying walked around the courtyard. Obviously, the courtyard was often upied, and it was well taken care of.


    Unexpectedly, she found a storage room in the east wing of the main courtyard.


    Most things inside were cloth-rted, and there was gorgeous silk with all kinds of cotton and sackcloth.


    She found a box of silver ingots and some broken silver pieces in the corner. She didn¡¯t count them and just put them into her interspace.


    Then, she carefully looked around and soon found a small cer near the small courtyard kitchen.


    It was mainly filled with various tonics, red dates, lotus seeds, longans, and white fungus.


    As for the central kitchen, she knew that it must have been ransacked after looking at the broken porcin pieces on the floor and the open cab door. Soo, she didn¡¯t bother to look there.


    After she was done, she returned to the main hall. ¡°I think this courtyard is well maintained. The main thing we need to do is to renovate the three rooms in the main courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to do it yourselves? Or do you want me to arrange for someone to do it?¡± Chang Shun stood up and asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it ourselves at the beginning of spring. During this time, you can just find someone toe over every three to five days to help clean it up.


    ¡°Also, I want the security to be tightened up. Don¡¯t let anyone take anything away from the courtyard.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she handed him two pieces of silver.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do a good job.¡± Chang Shun received the silver and smiled as he nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave this ce to you. Do your best. We¡¯ll officially appoint you as the butler here if we see that you are capable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words, master.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, and we should go back. If you need anything, you cane to Dongxing Restaurant or Doctor Gu¡¯s house in Shanghe Vige to find us.

 Chapter 127 - 127 Trampling On Her Dignity

    127 Chapter 127 Trampling On Her Dignity


    ¡°Doctor Gu¡­.¡± Chang Shun was stunned for a moment. He sized Gu Chengrui up thoughtfully and continued, ¡°I wondered why you looked so familiar. I didn¡¯t expect you to be that Doctor Gu.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you need anything, just say the word. We¡¯re family now.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I will.¡±


    ¡°Then I will leave you to your work. It¡¯s gettingte, so we¡¯ll go back now.¡± Zhou Ying said her goodbyes, and the two walked out.


    ¡°Alright, take care, you two.¡± Chang Shun stood up and sent them out of the manor after that.


    Then, he turned back, weighing the silver in his hand before happily walking back.


    In the evening, after the couple returned home, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the warehouse she found in the manor. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that there would still be things left behind after the house was ransacked.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t take it because it was too heavy. Don¡¯t forget that the main house¡¯s decorations, calligraphy, and paintings are all gone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but at least we won¡¯t have to buy fabric for the next three years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, please help me make another undershirt when you have time. Big brother Zhou took the previous one, and I don¡¯t have enough to change into.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make two more sets this time.¡±


    As soon as Zhou Ying¡¯s words fell, Er Zhuang barked twice. Gu Chengrui immediately turned around and walked out.


    Seeing it was Gu Chengxi, he paused for a moment before greeting him, ¡°It¡¯s you. Doe in quickly.¡±


    ¡°Third brother,¡± Gu Chengxi greeted and walked in.


    However, the previously talkative boy had be somewhat reserved.


    Gu Chengrui took a few green bean cakes and handed them to him. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You look like a frosted eggnt, wilted, too.¡±


    ¡°Do you know about the Qiao family that got raided?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I learned about it yesterday. Isn¡¯t this a good thing for the Gu family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. As a result, uncle and my father want to resume their old business.


    ¡°However, the family did not have enough money to buy a boat, so they thought of marrying sixth sister off.¡±


    ¡°Sixth sister? But Gu Ziqiong, Mrs. Huang¡¯s daughter, hasn¡¯t reached marriageable age.¡± Zhou Ying eximed in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, Aunt Huang disagrees since she¡¯s still five months away. She suggested that since fourth and fifth sisters were already of age, they should be the ones getting married.


    ¡°There was almost a fight happening at home, so I escaped.¡±


    ¡°Who are they marrying our sixth sister to?¡± Gu Chengrui asked, deep in thought.


    Mrs. Huang would not have had such a big reaction if her daughter¡¯s marriage partner were decent. Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao wouldn¡¯t let go of a good marriage partner either, so it could be seen that this wasn¡¯t an ideal marriage partner.


    ¡°It¡¯s Uncle Mi, who was in the bean sprout business with father.


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s turning 30 this year, and sixth sister is marrying him as his second wife.


    ¡°His ex-wife also left behind a son and a daughter. The older daughter is already eight years old, while the younger son is already six.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just trampling on her dignity?¡± Zhou Ying was speechless.


    A young girl who hadn¡¯t reached marriageable age was marrying an old man and bing the stepmother of two children. No sane person would be willing to do so.


    Gu Chengxi nodded his head in agreement. Then, he picked up the green bean cake and gobbled it up.


    Gu Chengrui was silent before asking, ¡°How many days have you not eaten? You look like you are starving.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Ever since the incident, the food reserve at home has been plummeting. I¡¯ve been staying hungry for a long time.¡± Gu Chengxi said as he ate, stretching his neck from time to time to swallow in big gulps.


    Zhou Ying quickly poured him a ss of water. ¡°Eat slowly. No one will snatch them from you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, third sister-inw,¡± Gu Chengxi thanked her as he took the ss of water and drank it in two gulps.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying shook her head and went to the kitchen to boil five eggs for him. She took a pound of braised dried tofu from her interspace and gave it to him. ¡°Have this to line your stomach for the time being. I will start cooking now, so you can eat with us tonight.¡±

 Chapter 128 - 128 Discussing

    128 Chapter 128 Discussing


    Gu Chengxi shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I can hold on for two days with the food you gave me. If they know I¡¯m here, they mighte after you.


    ¡°Oh right, uncle and father¡¯s injuries have almost recovered, so don¡¯t go there for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°Eat your food. You¡¯re still young, yet already this cunning. We know what we¡¯re doing.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he helped him peel some eggs and decided not to go over if he could.


    After eating some eggs, Gu Chengxi ate two more pieces of dried tofu and quietly returned with the food when the sky turned dark.


    After dinner, the two soaked some soybeans and braised more pig¡¯s trotters before entering the interspace.


    They finished whatever work was left in the interspace, and Gu Chengrui returned to his room to draft an employment contract. It emphasized their benefits and, of course, their responsibilities.


    After he was done, he made sixty copies with a brush.


    Zhou Ying took out the cloth she took and made two sets of undergarments and quilt covers, just in case.


    After they were done, they went out of the interspace and fell asleep.


    Zhou Ying and Da Hua continued to make tofu and dried yuba over the next few days.


    Gu Chengrui began to make house visits as a doctor, but he took some time off to go to the manor to sign the contracts. From the manor, only Chang Shun and a few others who nned to stay in the manor for an extended period of time signed the rest of the agreement. As for the people in the livestock area, they all signed the contract.


    At the same time, he would also go to his restaurant from time to time to supervise the ongoing renovation.


    One day, Gu Chengrui had just left the restaurant when he heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw Doctor Luo. So, he greeted, ¡°Doctor Luo, you¡¯re not busy today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Recently, the government has been selling the Qiao family¡¯s shop, and this old man was considering moving to another ce. The ce where I was is no longer suitable.¡± Doctor Luo sighed and said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve taken a fancy to the Qiao family¡¯s previous clinic, right? Did you get it?¡±


    Doctor Luo shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. That shop is too big, and it even has a big courtyard. The money I have on me is limited, so I really can¡¯t take out so much in a short time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the price for the shop?¡±


    Doctor Luo stretched out a finger and said, ¡°All empty inside, costing a thousand taels of silver. Adding to the renovation and herbs needed to fill the ce, I don¡¯t think I can pay for it, and it seems that I can only renovate my old clinic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed quite expensive.¡± Gu Chengrui replied thoughtfully.


    To be honest, he also wanted a nice clinic. It was not a good thing to be a house doctor all the time, and this was an excellent opportunity. He decided to return home and discuss it with Zhou Ying.


    After returning home, Gu Chengrui told Zhou Ying about the matter. ¡°Babe, what do you think about Doctor Luo and me being partners in opening a clinic?¡±


    ¡°If you think it¡¯s okay, then do it. It¡¯s a good idea to have a clinic too.¡± Zhou Ying replied without hesitation.


    She knew that although Gu Chengrui had learned many other skills, his favorite was still medicine. She hoped he could disy his strengths, live his own life, and create his own world.


    ¡°Thanks, babe.¡± Gu Chengrui went forward to hug and kiss her on the cheek.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. But you have to remember your main task. ¡± Zhou Ying kissed him back and reminded him.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m here to apany my wife, and I remember this clearly.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he looked at her face, which was bing more and more simr to her face in her previous life. He could not help but hold his breath.


    At the same time, her eyes darkened as he looked at her. However, when they remembered their current age, he could only hug her tightly and say, ¡°What do you want to eat tonight? I¡¯ll make it.¡±

 Chapter 129 - 129 Visiting

    129 Chapter 129 Visiting


    ¡°The grill you make is better than mine. So let¡¯s have grilled potatoes and chicken today.¡± Zhou Ying pondered for a moment and decided.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it in the interspace.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll just finish up the pig offal.¡± Zhou Ying said, and the two of them locked up and entered her space.


    When she went to get the pig offal, she realized that she had been using her existing stock in her interspace all this time, and it was almost gone.


    !!


    She needed to talk to Brother Tian as soon as possible to decide whether he would follow them.


    The following day, Gu Chengrui brought 500 taels of silver with him and Tian Jiawang to town.


    As soon as he left, Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao came to visit, but they were so frightened by Er Zhuang that they stood at the door and didn¡¯t dare to take another step forward.


    Zhou Ying watched from the kitchen and didn¡¯t make a sound. She hoped Er Zhuang could scare them away so they wouldn¡¯te here again.


    Unfortunately, her wish soon fell through because Mrs. Liu loudly called out her name.


    Zhou Ying had to put down her work and said to Da Hua, ¡°Da Hua, you can try to sift the beans. If it doesn¡¯t work, turn off the fire.


    ¡°I know, Aunt Gu.¡± Da Hua replied, eager to try.


    ¡°Be careful, and don¡¯t burn yourself.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and walked out. She stepped forward to stop Er Zhuang and said, ¡°Aunt Liu, Second Aunt, it seems you are quite free toe over. Come in and have a seat.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that? I¡¯m your stepmother. How can you call me aunt?¡± Mrs. Liu¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Zhou Ying. You should call her mom, or at the very least, you should call her mother.¡± Mrs. Yao echoed.


    ¡°Mother? I never recognized you as my mother. Father and the patriarch both know this.¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s expression straightened as she continued, ¡± If you¡¯re here to visit, I can invite you for a cup of tea.


    ¡°But if you¡¯re here looking for trouble, I won¡¯t entertain you.¡±


    After saying that, she let go of Er Zhuang, who immediately jumped and tried to bite them. If it weren¡¯t for the chain around him, he would have pounced on them and bit their necks.


    Luckily, this was enough to scare the two so much that they ran out of the courtyard screaming.


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡± The satisfyingughter of Sixth Aunt Gu sounded. She quipped, ¡°My little third sister-inw and seventh sister-inw¡¯s skin is sure thick.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the grace to raise her or even give her a decent upbringing.


    ¡°On the contrary, you bullied her and almost took their lives. Why should she ever acknowledge you as her mother?


    ¡°You sure are still in your dreams. Do they really think you two are still the same prestigious people you were?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sixth Aunt, you are here. Doe in for a seat.¡± Zhou Ying came out and greeted her enthusiastically.


    ¡°No, no. You¡¯ve been so busy, so I won¡¯t give you any trouble.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu shook her head.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t Zhou Ying; who are you?¡± Mrs. Liu pointed at Zhou Ying and questioned her.


    Mrs. Yao used, ¡°Yes, Zhou Ying was a timid and weak girl who never dared to speak loudly. Look at you; which part of you is like her?¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re here to frame me today.¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes turned cold as she stepped forward.


    ¡°What do you mean by framing? You¡¯re clearly apletely different person from before, so why shouldn¡¯t we say what we observed?¡± Mrs. Liu shouted in panic.


    However, she took two steps back as if she was facing something scary.


    ¡°Is that so? Didn¡¯t you behave like a timid cat before the princess? I heard you¡¯re also known as a gentle and virtuousdy.


    ¡°But look at you now. To put it bluntly, you are nothing but a crude woman now.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask your rtives and friends in the capital. Who would have thought that you would be like this?¡± Zhou Ying shook her head and said regretfully.

 Chapter 130 - 130 Gossip

    130 Chapter 130 Gossip


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Which part of them looks like a noble wife? She¡¯s not much better than a vige woman.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu agreed with a nod.


    No, ¡± she shook her head. ¡°They are less than a vige woman. At least us vige women don¡¯t torture people to death.¡±


    ¡°You ¡­¡± Mrs. Liu looked at Sixth Aunt Gu with anger.


    However, Sixth Aunt Gu ignored her and looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°Silly girl, hurry up and go back.


    !!


    ¡°To deal with people like them, you should be more assertive and shameless than they are. Otherwise, you¡¯ll definitely be bullied to the point where you won¡¯t even be able to eat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Sixth Aunt. Since you¡¯re here,e on in and have a chat.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she pulled her into the courtyard.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who¡­¡± Sixth Aunt Gu still wanted to say something, but Zhou Ying interrupted her. ¡°Come on; you haven¡¯t been to our house before, so how can you leave withouting in?¡±


    Hearing that, Sixth Aunt Gu¡¯s wife did not struggle anymore and happily followed her into the house.


    ¡°She, she¡­¡± Mrs. Liu saw that Zhou Ying had left them hanging here, getting so angry that she speechlessly pointed at her and couldn¡¯t even say aplete sentence.


    ¡°Sister-inw, I think we should go back.¡± Mrs. Yao pulled down her hand.


    Although she was angry, she could see Zhou Ying didn¡¯t take them seriously.


    So what if they make a fuss? At most, both sides would just be the joke of the vige.


    ¡°Are we just going to let her off like this?¡± Mrs. Liu said unwillingly.


    ¡°Then what can you do? I think it¡¯s better to let our husbande and find Gu Chengrui.¡± Mrs. Yao pursed her lips.


    To tell the truth, she looked down on Mrs. Liu. After so many years of hard work, she finally became the main wife but couldn¡¯t even outy a youngling¡ªwhat a stupid woman.


    She thought of Mrs. Huang, who had been making trouble for the past two days, and her face immediately sank.


    After that, she didn¡¯t pay her any more attention and turned around to return home.


    When Mrs. Liu saw this, she turned her head and nced at Er Zhuang, squatting at the door and staring at her. She immediately lifted her legs and trotted after Mrs. Yao.


    Sixth Aunt Gu, on the other hand, was weed into Zhou Ying¡¯s home and given a cup of sugary drink. She also grabbed half a te of fried beans from yesterday and handed it to her, ¡°Sixth Aunt, try it and see if it¡¯s to your liking.¡±


    ¡°Fried food will always be delicious,¡± said Sixth Aunt Gu with a smile. Then, she took one and popped it into her mouth. After swallowing it, she said in surprise, ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s crunchy, fragrant, and really delicious. But, it¡¯s a little salty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little salty, but it¡¯s perfect for tea snacks or with alcohol.¡±


    Sixth Aunt Gu paused before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    After that, the two of them ate and drank while they chatted.


    Zhou Ying also learned a lot about the situation in the vige from Sixth Aunt Gu.


    For example, Widow Hua¡¯s daughter, Chunhong, seems to have fallen in love with Gu Chengye. She went up to Mrs. Liu a few times in thest few days to get closer to her, but Mrs. Liu never paid her any attention.


    Another was that the heir of the patriarch¡¯s family had started finding candidates for marriage, but he had gone through a few families and had no intention of settling.


    Finally, Sixth Aunt Gu turned around to look outside, ensuring that Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao had left. She then looked at Zhou Ying with a mysterious expression and asked, ¡°Do you know why they are here today?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously.


    ¡°Have you heard about the fight between their family members these past two days?¡±


    ¡°I briefly heard they had found a marriage partner for their sixth daughter, Gu Ziqiong.¡± Zhou Ying mentioned.


    ¡°Yeah, but Mrs. Huang doesn¡¯t agree to this marriage, and they¡¯ve been making a fuss. It was the old madam who decided to ask everyone to gather funds so that Gu Ziqiong wouldn¡¯t need to marry if they gathered enough.¡±


    ¡°Then it should be Mrs. Huanging here. Why are they the ones instead?¡± Zhou Ying paused before asking in astonishment, ¡°They can¡¯t be thinking of cutting off Mrs. Huang¡¯s source of ie, right?¡±

 Chapter 131 - 131 Collaboration

    131 Chapter 131 Coboration


    ¡°I¡¯m 80% sure. Think about it; you will have to return the money you borrowed eventually, but it¡¯s not the same for your daughter¡¯s dowry. Once that money enters their family, it will belong to them.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu nodded and smiled in response.


    ¡°They have so many twists and turns in their heads.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am saying you must be on guard against them. Don¡¯t let them trick you; otherwise, the life you¡¯ve worked so hard to get will return to how it was before.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Sixth Aunt Gu. Come over and chat with us whenever you are free, you can give us more advice that way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t find me talkative.¡±


    ¡°No one is perfect. As long as you are kind, anyone will be friends with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s it. The most important thing about someone else is whether they are kind or not.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu agreed with a nod.


    The two of them chatted for a while longer, and Sixth Aunt Gu got up to leave after another drink.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t persuade her to stay. Instead, she packed a bag of fried beans in oil paper and apanied her out. She returned to the kitchen and got busy after that.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui arrived in town and first went to the restaurant to look. He then turned around and went to Doctor Luo¡¯s clinic.


    Doctor Luo, who was picking out medicine, was stunned when he saw him. ¡°Gu, you¡¯re here. Take a seat and wait for me. I¡¯ll be done in a minute.


    After he finished speaking, he continued to sort out some medicine. After sending two customers away, he walked to Gu Chengrui, sitting on a chair at the entrance, and said jokingly, ¡°Bringing a medicine kit to our shop; are you nning on challenging us?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. I came to find you today because I have some serious business to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Serious business? Follow me then.¡± Doctor Luo gave his helper a few instructions and then took him to the back.


    After he sat down, he poured him a ss of water and asked, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the matter today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the new clinic.¡±


    ¡°A new clinic? Are you also nning to buy that ce?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the money, I wouldn¡¯t have it either,¡± said Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°What about your restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Someone gave it to me, but don¡¯t tell anyone else. We are only telling the public that my wife is the manager there.¡±


    When Doctor Luo heard that, he knew it was prettyplicated, so he didn¡¯t talk more about the restaurant. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°So, you¡¯re here today to open a clinic together?¡±


    ¡°It seems that you are as wise as you are old.


    ¡°But yes, the clinic over there is much bigger than this one, and you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it alone.


    ¡°Although I¡¯m not talented, I do have some skills. Wouldn¡¯t it be good for us to coborate?¡±


    ¡°Then how do you want us to coborate?¡±


    ¡°How much silver can you take out?¡±


    Doctor Luo stretched his hand and said, ¡°1,000 taels; this is all I have.¡±


    ¡°Is another 500 from me enough?¡±


    Doctor Luo looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°Can you really offer 500 taels?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll split it two to one. You get two shares, and I get one.¡±


    Doctor Luo looked at his solemn expression and fell into deep thought.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui did not disturb him. Instead, he warmed his hands and drank some water.


    After about a quarter of an hour, Doctor Luo mmed the table and decided, ¡°Alright, but you have to listen to me in terms of management.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more experienced and have a widerwork. Of course, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s hurry up and draft the contract, then go to the county office and buy the ce. Otherwise, who knows who might take it?¡± Doctor Luo immediately stood up and said.


    After that, he turned around to get a brush and ink.


    When Gu Chengrui returned home in the evening, he gave the contract to Zhou Ying and said, ¡°The matter of the clinic has been settled. Keep this well.¡±


    Zhou Ying took it and directly threw it into the vi¡¯s study in her interspace. She then told him about Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao¡¯s visit.

 Chapter 132 - 132 Rejection

    132 Chapter 132 Rejection


    Gu Chengrui was silent for a moment before he asked, ¡°They didn¡¯t say what they came for?¡±


    ¡°With Sixth Aunt Gu helping out, I didn¡¯t give them a chance to speak.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good; ignore them. We won¡¯t be lending any money to anyone. If we can¡¯t reject them, just give them some tofu slices or dried yuba.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it. I¡¯m just afraid that they¡¯ll pester you non-stop.¡±


    !!


    Gu Chengruiughed and suggested, ¡°If we really can¡¯t say no, how about we buy somend from them?¡±


    ¡°Buynd?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t forget that they have 100 acres ofnd. If they want money, they can exchange theirnd for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but don¡¯t reveal that we have that much money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can buy a maximum of six acres ofnd with 50 taels of silver. That will be enough for us to nt some vegetables to supply our restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s up to you then. Wash your hands; the food is ready.¡± Zhou Ying said as she turned around and went to the kitchen.


    On the other hand, after Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengye returned home, Father Gu immediately stopped them. ¡°Chengzhi, Chengye, what did your uncle say? Can you borrow some silver from the oil mill?¡±


    ¡°No, Uncle said the oil mill business isn¡¯t doing well this year. Besides the n¡¯s expenses, the n also needs a new boat, and they definitely won¡¯t lend it to us again.¡± Gu Chengye shook his head.


    ¡°The problem is that most n members are unhappy with us because of that boat. They don¡¯t support the patriarch to lend us any silver as well.¡± Gu Chengzhi added.


    ¡°They¡¯re all a bunch of ingrates. Back when our family was in its prime, they basked in our glory too. Now, they are showing us this attitude when we need their help. Such a disappointment.¡± Mrs. Liu said indignantly.


    ¡°You shut up.¡± Father Gu replied in a bad mood.


    Although they had helped the n in those years, it was only on the surface level, and they barely helped anyone on an individual level, at most, just slightly more than other vigers.


    However, they took theirnd back after they came back. In addition to Gu Chengrui¡¯s incident and the shipwreck, there would definitely be many who had negative opinions about them.


    Their oil mill could only use ox carts or rent someone else¡¯s boat to transport oil after the shipwreck. How could they have any positive image of their family?


    ¡°Then what do we do now? Should we change our jobs? Our family really doesn¡¯t have enough ie.¡± Mrs. Liu wanted to say something but hesitated.


    The main issue was that there was little money left in the family. She didn¡¯t want to fork out any more of her personal savings, or else what would she provide for her children?


    Father Gu turned to look at her and asked, ¡°Change my profession? Do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Take your time to think about it. There will be something. Can¡¯t you see that Chengrui and his wife are selling tofu quite well? ¡±


    ¡°I recall that mother¡¯s snacks were delicious, as was second aunt¡¯s porridge. Why don¡¯t we open a small shop?¡± Gu Chengye suddenly suggested.


    ¡°Eateries? It¡¯s fine if we make it for ourselves, but we¡¯ll be dead exhausted if we sell it.¡± Mrs. Liu unhappily red at him.


    Father Gu disagreed with his idea too. He didn¡¯t want others to think that he was a man who lived off his woman. Also, the issue was that selling eateries would never make a fortune.


    He had to find another way to buy a boat.


    However, on second thought, selling eateries would temporarily relieve their financial issues. He nodded and said, ¡°I think you and sister-inw can give it a try. Didn¡¯t you manage a shop when you were in the capital? You can earn some pocket money this way.¡±


    ¡°But darling, managing an eatery shop is dirty and tiring. How can we do that kind of work?¡± Mrs. Liu said in horror.


    ¡°What do you mean that kind of work? Didn¡¯t you envy Chengrui and his wife selling tofu? Do you think it¡¯s easy to grind beans and cook tofu every day?¡± Father Gu snorted coldly at this point and reminded her, ¡°You used to think that cooking was difficult, but now you are used to it. Wouldn¡¯t it just be a thing to get used to? ¡±

 Chapter 133 - 133 Acceptance

    133 Chapter 133 eptance


    Mrs. Liu¡¯s face turned red when she heard this, but she couldn¡¯t say anything to refute it.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll try to rent a small shop in town. At least it¡¯s better than you guys fighting at home every day.¡± Father Gu immediately decided.


    ¡°Then why not Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Sun go? They are more skilled at cooking than us.¡±


    After hearing this, Father Gu looked at her deeply and said, ¡°So you¡¯re willing to carry water, gather firewood, and serve the whole family at home every day?


    ¡°Just go and try it for two days. I¡¯ll ask Mrs. Guo to try if you can¡¯t do it.¡±


    When Mrs. Liu heard this, she immediately thought of her shoulder, which had been swollen for several days from carrying buckets of water over her shoulders. She immediately shrank and replied, ¡°Al, alright, I will give it a try.¡±


    She then looked at Father Gu and suggested, ¡°By the way, darling, Chengrui should be back by now. Do you want to go and look for him? Maybe he has some silver in his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going. Don¡¯t you have any ideas about him.¡± Father Gu went back to his study after that.


    Previously, Gu Chengrui treated the two brothers¡¯ injuries and even gave them medicine for free. It would be worth quite a lot of money, and the young couple¡¯s small business couldn¡¯t even earn much.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything if he went now, and more importantly, he was too embarrassed to ask for anything else.


    Mrs. Liu still wanted to say something, but Gu Chengye¡¯s gaze stopped her.


    He knew well that although his father had rejected his third brother and his wife, Father Gu no longer had hostility toward them. If Mrs. Liu continued this, she would only cause trouble.


    The other family, who had been listening to themotion outside, was disappointed when they heard the final verdict.


    Especially Mrs. Yao. She had wanted her brother-inw to go over and avenge them, or at least, pester the pair of jinxes. Unfortunately, it ended with nothing.


    After that, she sighed and said to Second Uncle Gu, ¡°Big brother seems to be soft-hearted toward Chengrui now.¡±


    Second Uncle Gu didn¡¯t reply. After all, they couldn¡¯t treat the young couple the same way they did in the past since they had saved their lives. Besides, they hadn¡¯t done anything unforgivable.


    ¡°Darling, are we really going to open a shop in town?¡± Second Aunt asked again.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing bad about it. After all, we still haven¡¯t bought a boat.


    ¡°Also, one of our family members will be giving birth soon in the new year, and there will be many ces where we will need money. We can¡¯t always rely on this little bit of money, right?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Mrs. Yao wanted to speak but stopped. Ultimately, she thought of her brother-inw¡¯s reply and swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue.


    Since they were all working, why not do something in which she could make the decisions? At least the money would be in her hands if they fought over it.


    If it was someone else, with someone else between them, who knew if the other party would try to hide their profits?


    The next day, after Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao knew they could not borrow money from others, they went to the town to rent a shop.


    Gu Chengrui waited for two days and was relieved when he did not see his father.


    In the blink of an eye, another five days had passed. The young couple¡¯s new restaurant in town had been renovated, and they went to check it out.


    The decorations were straightforward. They just removed the older decorations inside, brushed the main hall with white paint, and painted a group of cattle and sheep leisurely on pasture on the walls.


    The second floor was even more straightforward. After the white paint was applied, pictures of their signature dishes were pasted on the wall. This was an oil-painted draft printed by Gu Chengrui. Although it was not as clear as conventional photography, the colors were bright, and they could still make customers drool.


    Then, he had several paintings with plums, orchids, chrysanthemums, and bamboo. There were even lovely paintings of tools, chess, books, and others.


    Finally, there was the kitchen. The pots and pans were all reced with white stones that were easy to clean, making them look clean and tidy.

 Chapter 134 - 134 Buying Labor (1)

    134 Chapter 134 Buying Labor (1)


    ¡°What do the two bosses think? Are you satisfied?¡± Zhang Daniu asked after they were done with the tour.


    ¡°Not bad. Who did you find to paint this? It¡¯s not half bad.¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°I discovered an academy schr who is also a nephew in our n. Because his family is poor, he wille out to do some work, such as writing letters, calligraphy, painting, and so on.


    ¡°This time, two big and four small paintings cost ten taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable, and it¡¯s worth the price. Help me pass on a message. Ask him toe over when he¡¯s free. I want him to draw something else.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, I¡¯ll thank you for your appreciation on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a total of 30 silver coins this time, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, only the stone b and the painting are worth some money. Honestly, I¡¯ve never seen this style of renovation before, but the way it turned out isn¡¯t bad. I think I will have to change my style more and can¡¯t just stick to the old way.¡±


    ¡°Simplistic is elegant, easy, and true.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you educated people sure have lively brains.¡± Zhang Daniu was stunned for a moment beforeughing out loud.


    After settling the bill, Zhang Daniu brought his men and left.


    Gu Chengrui turned his head. ¡°Babe, take a look and see if anything else needs to be changed. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll get someone to move the tables and chairs that have been changed.¡±


    ¡°No need. When you¡¯re on your way, ask if the bowls and tes have arrived. Also, it¡¯ll be three days before the pot and the signboard are ready. We have to find a fixed pce to provide us with smokeless coal.¡±


    Gu Chengrui smacked his forehead. ¡°I forgot to tell you that I got to know a charcoal maker through Doctor Luo. I¡¯ve already ordered 2,000 pounds, and it¡¯ll be here in two days.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re just short of workers. The backyard has been cleaned, so let¡¯s get some workers now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll head over after we¡¯re done here.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked out. Then, he went to thebor market and found a few people to help clean up.


    He also informed the porcin shop and didn¡¯t expect all kinds of tableware to be delivered in less than 15 minutes.


    After Zhou Ying checked them one by one, she made sure there were no defects and paid the bill. She was surprised that these porcin pieces cost nearly a hundred taels of silver.


    There was quite a difference in price between fine and coarse porcin.


    After arranging everything in the restaurant, Zhou Ying put all the tes and bowls into her interspace, washed them with the dishwasher, disinfected them, and then put them on the bowl rack.


    After that, the young couple found abor dealer with Manager Liu¡¯s rmendation.


    Zhou Ying was shocked when she saw a ghost-like woman sitting in the room, but she quickly restrained her emotions and asked, ¡°Are you Granny Ma?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­.¡± The woman raised her head and sized them up. Seeing that they were dressed in ordinary clothes, she couldn¡¯t figure out their purpose for a moment. She frowned and hesitated to speak.


    ¡°We were introduced by Uncle Liu from Hongyun Restaurant. We want to buy a few servants with till-death contracts.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°So you¡¯re here from Old Liu¡¯s rmendation. Please have a seat.¡± When the woman heard this, her attitude immediately changed, and she greeted them with a smile.


    Zhou Ying saw that she was about to pour them tea and stopped her. ¡°Granny Ma, don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re not thirsty, so let¡¯s see who you have first.¡±


    ¡°No problem. What kind of people do you want to buy? Or rather, what kind of people do you want to use?¡± Granny Ma immediately put down her cup and walked over.


    ¡°We want to open a restaurant, so we¡¯re looking for someone who can cook. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re male or female. Also, if there are young men avable, we will buy two of them.¡±


    Granny Ma chuckled when she heard that. ¡°What a coincidence; I have had a group of new people here recently. I¡¯ll call them all over, and you can choose whoever you want.¡±


    After that, she slowly hobbled to the backyard.

 Chapter 135 - 135 Buying Labor (2)

    135 Chapter 135 Buying Labor (2)


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Uncle Liu¡¯s introduction, I would¡¯ve thought we were at the wrong ce.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and shook his head.


    Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°You know it very well, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Television media left such a deep impression, after all.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly raised his hands and said.


    After hearing what she said, she also thought of the pimps in most TV dramas who tried to solicit customers, especially the women who stood on the street in war movies.


    Soon, Granny Ma led a group of people in. There were men and women, young and old, and even babies.


    It seemed that Granny Ma was a good person. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have kept a baby.


    Then, she realized something unusual. How could abor dealer sell babies? Thus, she asked, ¡°Granny Ma, what¡¯s the deal with them? Why are they bringing a baby with them?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. One of them was pregnant two months ago, but I have to take them in no matter what. They are officially enved people.


    ¡°Official ves?¡±


    ¡°Yes, from the South. The documents said they were illegal salt traders in their n, and I don¡¯t know any more details.


    When Zhou Ying heard this, she immediately remembered the Gu family¡¯s incident, and they seemed to have suffered the same fate of being exiled.


    Now that she thought about it, it was lucky that the Gu family was only raided and exiled. If they were made into officially enved people, they would never be able to see the light of day again.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui also realized that and suddenly felt a wave of fear.


    The Ming Dynasty¡¯s official ves were servants used by the officer¡¯s families and were people who were lower than the general till-death contract servants. They were the same as ves, animals, and people who were unimportant even if they died.


    The main takeaway was that they would be ves for generations without any freedom other than an official special pardon.


    ¡°Are they all official ves?¡± Zhou Ying asked after calming down.


    ¡°No, only this family of three. The rest are not.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and nced at the crowd. ¡°Regardless of whether you¡¯re a man or a woman, those who can cook, step forward. The cooking I¡¯m talking about is not just cooking normally; you must at least have some unique skills.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, only two women and a man stood out from the group.


    ¡°Is there no one else?¡± Zhou Ying asked again.


    Then, another man stood out from the crowd but was hesitant, and it was apparent that he was in a dilemma.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¡± Zhou Ying pointed at him and asked, ¡°Do you know how to cook or not? ¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was a chef before, but¡­.¡±


    ¡°You are hesitating about our employment, right? Tell me, where did you work as a chef?¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°I was a chef in a prominent family in the capital before, but I was sold because I offended someone.¡±


    ¡°We want to open a restaurant. Do you want to do it or not?¡±


    ¡°Open a restaurant?¡± The man¡¯s eyes immediately lit up.


    He didn¡¯t want to be a servant to a prominent family anymore. It would be fine if it were a harmonious family, but if it were a family with many disputes, he would have to live in fear every day for fear of being used by others.


    However, he feared his skills would be wasted if it was an average family. It would be best if he could enter a restaurant.


    ¡°Sure, but I¡¯ll have to bring my wife and children along.¡±


    After that, he pulled out a woman and a seven or eight-year-old boy from the crowd.


    ¡°Alright, stand to the side first.¡± Zhou Ying nced at the two of them and nodded after ensuring they were clean and tidy.


    With two men and two women, she didn¡¯t want to hire any more chefs. She went up and picked three neatly dressed young men and said, ¡°Granny Ma, just these few.¡±


    ¡°Old Liu introduced you, so I won¡¯t waste my time haggling. The three women are worth 10 taels each, the five-strongborers are worth 12 taels each, and the child is worth 5 taels.¡± At this point, Granny Ma counted with her fingers and concluded, ¡°95 taels in total.¡±

 Chapter 136 - 135 Signature Dish (1)

    136 Chapter 135 Signature Dish (1)


    ¡°Granny Ma, are you trying to do a one-time deal? If I remember correctly, a woman would only sell for 8 taels of silver at most, and only a young and beautiful virgin could be sold for 10 taels.¡± Zhou Ying said with a faint smile.


    The original her grew up with a group of servants. She couldn¡¯t guarantee anything else, but she was very clear about the price of buyingbor.


    ¡°Well, you know, they are all people with skills, so¡­¡± Granny Ma said with a smile.


    ¡°No matter how skilled they are, their age and physical condition are obvious. For Uncle Liu¡¯s sake, I won¡¯t haggle further. How about 90 taels?¡±


    !!


    Granny Ma hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright, then 90 taels it is. If you need more in the future, you have toe to me.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After Zhou Ying agreed, she immediately gave her nine silver ingots.


    Granny Ma took them and weighed them in her hands. Then, she turned around and took out their indenture contracts. ¡°If you need anything in the future, just let me know so I can prepare for you in advance.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Zhou Ying promised, and she took a group of people out of thebor dealer. First, she took them to a clothing shop and bought them two sets of ordinary clothes.


    At the same time, she bought a mattress for each of them, including the couple.


    After they came out, Zhou Ying gave their contracts to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Rui, go to the officers to register them under us.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go to the restaurant to find you.¡± Gu Chengrui answered and left with the contracts.


    As for Zhou Ying, she took a group of people back to the restaurant and said, ¡°Other than the main house, you can choose your room anywhere else in this courtyard.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you fifteen minutes to make your choice and gather back here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam,¡± The few of them immediately started discussing where they should stay.


    Zhou Ying saw they were harmonious, so she didn¡¯t care about them anymore. Instead, she turned around and went to the kitchen.


    Since they were going to live here, she should prepare some food.


    They didn¡¯t have much firewood left, but the remaining wood from the renovation should be more than enough to burn for three to five days.


    There was no food or vegetables.


    She took out 50 pounds of ck flour, 50 pounds of crushed rice, 10 pounds of millet, a bag of sorghum, and a bag of beans from her interspace.


    Also, there were cabbage, carrots, and some dried vegetables.


    She didn¡¯t have pots here yet, so she took out a set of five pots of different sizes from her interspace that she had stolen from the Qiao family¡¯s house.


    As for spices, she didn¡¯t take out any. Instead, she nned to give them some silver and let them buy it themselves. It could also be considered a test of their cooking skills.


    Then, she walked out and waited in the courtyard.


    After a while, the group of people came out of their living quarters and stood in a line, waiting for her orders.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she knew these people were probably trained and must have worked for a prominent family before.


    ¡°All of you, tell me your names and what you are good at,¡± she asked directly.


    The hesitating chef was the first to speak, ¡°My name is Li Sheng, and I¡¯m good at cooking. Stir-fried meat is my specialty.


    This is my wife¡­.¡±


    Zhou Ying interrupted him. ¡°Let her say it herself. She¡¯s here to work in a restaurant, so even if shecks skills, she needs to be able to speak and talk to people.


    When a customer asks her something, she will have to answer the question clearly.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she looked at the woman and said, ¡°Will that be a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I used to work in a sewing room and am good at cutting clothes.


    As for my name, it¡¯s a name that my master gave me in the past. Please give me a new name.¡± The woman answered as she bowed.


    ¡°Mistress, please give us a name.¡± The others echoed.


    Even the little boy chimed in with the others.

 Chapter 137 - 137 Signature Dish (2)

    137 Chapter 137 Signature Dish (2)


    However, Zhou Ying was not good at giving names, so she had to ask, ¡± Don¡¯t you have names? If you have original names, can you keep them?¡±


    ¡°My name is Fang Qing. I know some martial arts and was previously the coachman in my previous residence.¡± At that moment, the strongest-looking young man spoke.


    ¡°I am Zhao Cheng. Previously, I was in charge of my elderly master¡¯s food. I am good at making soup, especially herbal-type dishes.¡± A male chef stood out and said.


    ¡°Then why did you leave the residence?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously.


    Those who had served their elderly master usually had the benefit of seniority in their residence. Even if the elderly master didn¡¯t put them in an important position, he wouldn¡¯t sell them out.


    The man was stunned and replied, ¡°Do you still remember the official ves back there? I was in the same batch, sold after my previous master¡¯s family was in trouble.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and looked at the others, but they didn¡¯t speak up.


    After pondering for a moment, she pointed to the two young men and said, ¡°Then you will follow your new master¡¯s surname. The older one will be called Gu Wen, and the younger one will be called Gu Wu.


    As for the little boy, you will follow your father¡¯s surname, Li, and I will give you a first name, Yue. I hope you¡¯ll be happy with this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the name, Madam.¡± The three of them said at the same time.


    Gu Wen then introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m Gu Wen, and I¡¯ve learned how to write from a steward in a manor for a few years. As for what I¡¯m good at, it¡¯s probably running fast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Gu Wu, a ve. I was born into a peasant family. If I have to say something I¡¯m good at, it would be being diligent.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. Gu Wen looked younger than Gu Wu, but she could tell that Gu Wen was smarter than Gu Wu.


    Then, she looked at the three women with a troubled expression and said, ¡°Mrs. Li, I¡¯ll just call you Mrs. Li. and use your old name.


    As for the two of you, the older one will be called Chun Niang, and the younger one will be called Qiu Niang.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Chun Niang. I¡¯m good at making desserts and best at making silver silk rolls.¡±


    ¡°I, Qiu Niang, have opened a shop before. I¡¯m best at making dumplings, rolling noodles, and stir-frying vegetables.¡±


    Chun Niang was fair and clean, while Qiu Niang was dark and thin. After remembering their characteristics, she nodded and said, ¡°Is there anything else anyone wants to add? If you do, say it as soon as possible. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for not giving you face when things get out of hand in the future.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other for a moment, but no one spoke again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s confirm again. Is there really no one? ¡±


    Everyone shook their heads.


    ¡°Very good. In that case, I hope that everyone will work hard together in the future and run the restaurant well together.


    ¡°Whoever performs outstandingly, I can return your freedom to you in ten years.


    ¡°Of course, if you perform well and don¡¯t want to leave, I can take care of you in your old age. Is there anything else you want to add?¡± Zhou Ying asked after she finished.


    ¡°Will Mistress really give us our freedom?¡± Li Sheng asked nervously. Mrs. Li also looked at her expectantly after hearing that. Although they didn¡¯t have much hope, their son was still young, and they had hoped for him to lead a normal life.


    ¡°I¡¯m a person of my word, and I¡¯ll naturally fulfill my promise to you. Everyone can be a witness to each other.¡± Zhou Ying raised her hand and said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± When Li Sheng heard this, he and his son, Li Yue, knelt with a plop.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte, and it would be best if you guys cleaned up. I prepared some grains and vegetables in the kitchen in advance.


    ¡°Tomorrow, everyone will show off your skills, and I will start to assign tasks ording to your skills. Of course, I will also point out your shorings.¡±


    ¡°Um, may I ask what kind of special restaurant Mistress wants to open?¡± Zhao Cheng asked curiously.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have hotpot and barbecue as the main dishes, with some minor side dishes. So, you must bring out your unique skills tomorrow so that I can set the menu.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she gave Zhao Cheng five taels of silver and said, ¡°If youck anything, you can prepare it yourself, and just record the bill.¡±

 Chapter 138 - 138 Liu’s Dessert

    138 Chapter 138 Liu¡¯s Dessert


    ¡°Thank you for your trust, Mistress. We will do our best.¡± Zhao Cheng bent over and picked the silver ingots up with both hands.


    ¡°You guys go ahead. We won¡¯t stay here tonight, so you guys close the doors and windows.¡± Zhou Ying waved her hand.


    After that, she went to the cksmith¡¯s shop to ensure the work could bepleted on time. Then, she returned to the restaurant and happened to meet Gu Chengrui on the way. After Zhou Ying took the indenture contracts from him, the two discussed something and then separated ways again.


    Afterward, Gu Chengrui went directly to the new clinic, while Zhou Ying returned to the vige.


    !!


    When she passed the grocery store, she remembered that there was no more salt brine at home, so she went in and bought a pound.


    After she came out, she heard Gu Chengxi¡¯s familiar voice near her. She listened to his voice, shouting and selling his goods.


    She walked over curiously and didn¡¯t expect to see Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao selling desserts while Gu Chengxi invited customers to the entrance.


    She raised her head and looked at the shop¡¯s signboard, ¡°Liu¡¯s Desserts.¡±


    She stood and found that they were still selling high-end desserts, such as jujube paste shortbread and pine nut lily pastry. But business wasn¡¯t good, as not many people bought them.


    She shook her head, turned around, and walked back. Few people would be willing to buy such high-end snacks in this small town and in such a small shop.


    On the way, she collected two sets of fresh pig offal.


    After returning home, she began to sift through some soybeans, but this time she only sifted enough for Hongyun Restaurant. As for dried yuba, since the recipe had been given out, it was time to stop making it.


    Thinking of this, she took 100 copper and went next door. When she saw Sister Tian making clothes in the courtyard, she greeted her, ¡°Sister Tian, you are busy today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are here. Come in and have a seat.¡± Sister Tian invited her in as she rolled up the cloth and ced it into a bamboo basket.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need; you can continue your work as it¡¯s just a matter of a few words.¡± After Zhou Ying said that, she handed her the string of copper coins. ¡°This is for Da Hua¡¯s sry. I¡¯ve sold the yuba-making process, and Da Hua doesn¡¯t have toe to make more.


    ¡°Why did you sell it? I heard that yuba is selling nicely and quickly. Did someone bully you?¡±


    ¡°No, I promised to help someone run a restaurant, so I don¡¯t have time to do it.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s good to have a fixed job.¡± Sister Tian paused for a moment at this point before continuing, ¡°Da Hua hasn¡¯t worked for a month yet. I can¡¯t ept this money.¡±


    ¡°Sister Tian, just take it. She¡¯s quite capable, and we don¡¯t want to dampen her enthusiasm. We might need her help in the future.¡± Zhou Ying said hurriedly.


    ¡°By the way, when Brother Tianes back tonight, can you tell him toe over? We have something to talk to him about.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll tell him when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to stay and have a chat?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯lle again when I¡¯m free.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and went home.


    In the evening, Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang returned with the ox cart, but they didn¡¯te back with many soybeans.


    After unloading the cart, Qian Zhuang said, ¡°Mrs. Gu, we¡¯vee to an end. We really are unable to collect any more soybeans in this area.


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it with another increment of one copper per pound, and you guys might as well buy it from the shop.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still work to do, but you won¡¯t be collecting soybeans. You will collect carrots, cabbages, and winter melons from tomorrow onwards. Also, if you encounter a carrot with a red heart, you must buy them.


    ¡°You¡¯ll transport it directly to the original Dongxin Restaurant when the timees. I¡¯ll get someone to settle the bill for you.


    ¡°Remember, the vegetables you collect must be fresh. Don¡¯t take the frozen ones.


    ¡°If I¡¯m satisfied with your performance, this job will be permanently yours in the future.¡±


    ¡°You guys are going to open a restaurant? Did you strike gold?¡± Qian Zhuang asked in astonishment.


    Gu Erjiang was also so shocked that his jaw almost fell to the ground.

 Chapter 139 - 139 Recruiting

    139 Chapter 139 Recruiting


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t strike gold. Don¡¯t I have good cooking skills? Someone took a fancy to my skills and wanted to hire me to be a restaurant manager.


    ¡°I thought I could earn more there and wouldn¡¯t be as tired, so I agreed to their offer.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s still a good thing. Such a big restaurant manager would earn at least five taels of silver a month.¡± Gu Erjiang said with an envious look.


    ¡°Right, right. In the future, us brothers will follow you two around. You can¡¯t just leave us alone.¡± Qian Zhuang nodded in agreement.


    !!


    Recently, because they had been going out to collect soybeans every day, the vigers noticed they had started to work seriously and had begun to give off a better impression.


    There were even people who had started to matchmake them. Although they were all widows or women with issues, it was a good start.


    If they could continue to work steadily, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for them to marry a wife they liked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll repeat the same thing. As long as you do your best, we¡¯ll definitely continue to hire you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we can rest assured with your words. We¡¯ll start collecting vegetables from tomorrow onwards.¡±


    ¡°Remember to send them to the original Dongxing Restaurant. It doesn¡¯t have a new signboard yet.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be leaving then.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys still have enough money on you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s enough tost two more days.¡± Qian Zhuang said his goodbyes and walked out with Gu Erjiang.


    After they left, Zhou Ying put the 20 pounds of soybeans into her interspace and went into the kitchen to start cooking.


    After Gu Chengrui returned, the two had just ced food on the table when Tian Jiawang came over. When he saw them eating, he paused for a moment before turning to leave.


    Gu Chengrui quickly called out to him. ¡°Brother Tian, since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s eat together. We can have a drink together too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. You boys eat first while I go to the kitchen to finish cooking.¡± Zhou Ying told them as she turned around and returned to the kitchen.


    Tonight¡¯s dishes were pretty delicious. There was a te of twice-fried pork, a te of tofu with cabbage, a te of cold mixed shredded tofu sd, and millet porridge with ck steamed buns.


    After that, she fried a te of salted peanuts and another te of scrambled eggs with scallions.


    After returning, although the three of them were sitting at the same table, Zhou Ying did not participate in the drinking. She quickly finished eating and retreated to the side.


    After three sses of alcohol, Tian Jiawang looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Sister-inw, my sister said you were looking for me. Is there something you need? ¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something, but it¡¯s better if Chengrui tells you,¡± said Zhou Ying. Gu Chengrui told him why they were stopping their current business, then said, ¡°So, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t supply you with more goods when we are busy.


    ¡°However, the restaurant is still short of staff. I wonder if you would like toe over?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to help out in a restaurant.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s rtively easier to learn to make skewers. If you are willing toe over, you will be in charge of making skewers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the meat for skewers is marinated beforehand, and the ingredients are also prepared in advance. You just have to control the heat well.¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    ¡°Can I really give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you can stay, you¡¯ll get one silver a month.¡±


    ¡°Will you still be able to supply for tomorrow? I have a few regr customers, so I must inform them tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we will supply you one more day.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of mutual benefit.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the kitchen to make some braised intestines and dried tofu.


    Tian Jiawang finished his meal and went home to tell his sister about the matter. He said, ¡°Big sister, you should grow fewer bean sprouts from now on, as there¡¯s only a limited amount of time I have to send them out to a few regr customers.¡±


    ¡°This is great news! Not only will your ie stabilize, but you also don¡¯t need to be exposed to the elements while working. You don¡¯t have to worry about the bean sprouts; I can deliver them.¡± Big Sister Tian said happily.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better if I go. I can¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can do it.


    ¡°You have to work hard when you go there. This way, you might be able tond a wife in half a year.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if it¡¯s too hard to go over for the delivery, you better not force yourself.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±

 Chapter 140 - 130 Three Years

    140 Chapter 130 Three Years


    The next day, after Tian Jiawang collected the goods, Zhou Ying and her husband went to town with him.


    After they parted ways in town, the couple went to their restaurant. Gu Chengrui got to know everyone and then went to his clinic.


    Zhou Ying stayed behind and began to check everyone¡¯s dishes.


    When she arrived at the kitchen, she looked at the ingredients they had bought. The meat was fresh, and one could tell it was good-quality meat.


    The seasonings were all prepared, and she also found some medicinal herbs she had never thought of, such as rhizome and chuanxiong. These were great tonic herbs.


    ¡°Zhao Cheng, did you buy the herbs?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, I want to make a nourishing herbal soup today. I will use chicken, duck, cuttlefish, goose, pig¡¯s belly, pork ribs, and other tonic herbs.


    ¡°This soup is suitable for the elderly, pregnant women, and those with weak bodies.¡± Zhao Cheng added.


    ¡°It will probably take a lot of effort, so go ahead and start.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she looked at the crowd and said, ¡°Start when your ingredients are ready. Make everything yourselves as I want to test your skills.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± Everyone responded and turned around, each finding their own ingredients and busying themselves.


    Mrs. Li, on the other hand, helped to start the fire.


    As for the three young men, she sent them out to find a store sellingrge quantities of chili. This was the most important matter in their restaurant¡¯s opening, and it had to be settled as soon as possible.


    After that, Zhou Ying walked over to Li Yue, sitting on a small bench in the courtyard and practicing writing on the ground. She said, ¡°Little fellow, you can read?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress. I can read, but not much. My father and mother taught me what I know.¡± Li Yue quickly stood up and bowed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Just sit down.¡± Zhou Ying pulled him to sit down, and she looked down at the words he was practicing. They were all simple surnames of people.


    For example, Zhou, Wang, He, Hua, Shi¡­


    ¡°Do your father and mother know many words?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but my father can write down all themonly used names. My mother, on the other hand, is a littlecking.¡±


    ¡°Do you like to read?¡±


    ¡°I like it. When I was in a residence, I envied Brother Dongzi, who was a study attendant. He learned many words from the young master.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? How about I send you to school? I¡¯ll give you three years, and if you can get a rmendation letter from the headmaster after three years, I¡¯ll give you freedom and let you continue your studies.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Yue was overjoyed, but he shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m a servant, I have to work.¡±


    ¡°How much work can you do? At most, you will be keeping the fire from burning out.


    ¡°How about this? When youe home, you can help with the work while studying, and I won¡¯t give you a monthly sry. How about it?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡­¡± Li Yue was both surprised and delighted, not knowing what to say for a moment.


    ¡°Then, then I¡¯ll discuss it with my father,¡± he mumbled.


    After hearing her suggestion, he got up and ran into the kitchen. Li Yue excitedly told Li Sheng about Zhou Ying¡¯s offer.


    After Li Sheng heard this, he was so shocked that he almost cut his finger off. When he saw Zhou Ying, who followed Li Yue in with a smile, he asked in disbelief, ¡°Mistress, is, is what he said true?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s still young and can¡¯t do much. It¡¯s better to let him study for three years, and if the headmaster can rmend him to take the schr¡¯s exam, I¡¯ll let him take it.


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t get that rmendation, he¡¯ll be able to return to the restaurant to help with his writing and reading skills. But, of course, his monthly sry will be gone while he studies.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. Thank you, Mistress. Thank you so much. You¡¯ve given him a way out.¡± Li Sheng nodded repeatedly. At the same time, he bent his waist lower and lower, almost kneeling down.


    His wife, Mrs. Li, pulled Li Yue down to their knees and said, ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Mistress.¡±

 Chapter 141 - 141 Taste-Testing

    141 Chapter 141 Taste-Testing


    ¡°Mrs. Li, please get up. As I¡¯ve said before, anything is possible as long as you guys do your best.¡± Zhou Ying said as she helped her up.


    ¡°Mistress, you are too benevolent. This servant will definitely do a good job.¡± Chun Niang immediately replied.


    She wasn¡¯t young anymore, and she wasn¡¯t a free person. The possibility of getting married was almost zero, so it was better to show her loyalty early so that she could have a ce to retire.


    ¡°Yes, yes, we will definitely do a good job.¡± Everyone immediately echoed.


    !!


    At the same time, their faces were filled with joy and hope.


    ¡°I believe that, so hurry up and get back to work. I¡¯m still waiting to enjoy a delicious meal.¡± Zhou Ying reassured them, took Li Yue back to the courtyard, and taught him a ssic poem.


    She didn¡¯t expect the boy¡¯s brain to be this smart, being able to remember and recite it to her after being taught three times.


    However, she only taught him a little. After teaching him five sentences of the poem, she let him go to the side to y.


    She turned around and tidied up the main house.


    Although they did not intend to live in town, if something happened, or it rained, or especially if there were a heavy snowstorm Mrs. Bai once mentioned, the couple would have to have a ce to stay.


    By the time she was almost done with her work, the servants¡¯ signature dish was nearly done.


    First, it was Li Sheng¡¯s stir-fried meat. Red and green vegetables were bright yet distinct from each other amongst the meat sauce, as well as the thickness of the meat slices was just right. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the green chili had wilted andcked some sparkle to it, the appearance of this dish would definitely have been full marks.


    She picked up a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and put it into her mouth. The meat was tender, smooth, and with a hint of spiciness. It was refreshing, and it was indeed a good dish.


    Then, she gave him the recipe for twice stir-fried pork and said, ¡°Try to make this dish.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it now.¡± Li Sheng had a look of joy on his face as he turned around and started making it.


    Next was Qiu Niang¡¯s dumplings. It was fresh, fragrant, and chewy, stuffed with pork and scallions. It was delicious, and it seemed Zhou Ying could hand over making the restaurant¡¯s meatballs to her.


    After eating, she judged, ¡°The dumpling filling is well mixed, but the wrap is a little too thick. If you want to make dumplings in the future, you can use light salt water to mix with the flour or add an egg inside to increase the toughness of the flour.


    ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Mistress. I will remember it.¡± Qiu Niang replied thoughtfully.


    Next was Chun Niang¡¯s silver silk vegetable rolls. The rolls were yellow, probably roasted, and looked beautiful.


    After tasting one, shemented, ¡°It¡¯s sweet and delicious, with a hint of milk. Did you put milk in it? No, it¡¯s cream, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Mistress sure has sensitive tastebuds. I did put in some cream.¡± Chun Niang affirmed.


    ¡°Yup, in the future, make it smaller, the kind that can be eaten in two bites. Also, research five types of desserts and make a dessert tter.


    ¡°Oh right, there are also all kinds of bean and chestnut cakes. You can make them into a ter too.¡± Zhou Ying suggested and gave her the recipe for scallion pancakes and left the rest to her.


    When Zhao Cheng¡¯s soup was served, it was already noon. Gu Chengrui had just returned, so everyone took half a bowl and tried it.


    After Gu Chengrui finished drinking, he nodded and said, ¡°Babe, this soup is amazing. It¡¯s refreshing, fragrant, and without any medicinal smell. It¡¯s very delicious.¡±


    ¡°If you like it, we can have one from time to time in the future.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    After the meal, Zhou Ying went to Hongyun Restaurant and bought a bag ofmb bones from Manager Liu.


    However, Manager Liu didn¡¯t want the money, so Zhou Ying said, ¡°Uncle Liu, I¡¯m thinking of buying all themb bones here in the future. You can¡¯t keep giving them to me for free.


    ¡°However, leave a little more meat on the top. These bones are stripped too clean.¡±

 Chapter 142 - 142 Recruitment

    142 Chapter 142 Recruitment


    ¡°You¡¯re not considering selling bones in such a big restaurant, are you? That¡¯s not going to attract high-end customers.¡± Manager Liu said, shaking his head.


    I¡¯m not in the business of bones but of beef and mutton. But I¡¯m worried there won¡¯t be enough sheep for sale in my vige, so I can only take some from you.¡±


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s great. I¡¯lle and see what kind of restaurant you are opening soon.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re wee. The 28th is a good day, three dayster. You muste and support us when it opens.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I will. Then I will leave the bones for you from the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Deal. The mutton is 25 coppers per pound and 10 coppers for the bones. What do you think? ¡±


    ¡°No need, just five coppers will do. If you don¡¯t want it, we usually clean it and feed it to the dogs.


    ¡°Then you better not regret it when my business is doing well.¡±ughed Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you, Uncle Liu.


    ¡°By the way, why don¡¯t you go over there for dinner tonight? You can also try the taste of themb bones.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll wait until your opening. I have an important guesting over tonight.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be going back then.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and returned to her own restaurant.


    Then, she gave Zhao Cheng the recipe for making themb spine hotpot. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll leave themb spine hotpot andmb bone soup to you. As for the herbal cuisine, we¡¯ll decide the menu and make it after we¡¯ve decided.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll go and prepare now.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll be eatingmb spine hotpot tonight then.¡± Zhou Ying returned to the main house and saw Gu Chengrui reading a book. She paused and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be busy over there?¡±


    ¡°Not really. The main thing happening over there is the renovation, so there¡¯s no need to keep a close eye on it.¡± Gu Chengrui pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you. Why don¡¯t we hire another manager to help support the front, and you canmand from behind?


    ¡°Besides, there are some things that need to be done by you personally, and you might not be able to handle them.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but finding a suitable manager is not easy.¡±


    ¡°If we put up a notice, those interested will keep an eye on it. At that time, we¡¯ll just ask around about his character.


    ¡°Oh right, there are also the waiters, as three is not enough. We need at least six, or else we won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you should write a notice, and we¡¯ll put it upter.¡± Zhou Ying decided and took out the stationeries from her interspace.


    Gu Chengrui immediately got up and started to prepare.


    At that time, Zhou Ying added, ¡°By the way, we also need to add people in the kitchen. Find two to do odd jobs and two to wash the dishes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s quite a number of people we still need.¡± Gu Chengrui sighed.


    Then, he bent over and started writing the notice.


    While he was doing that, Zhou Ying designed the waistcoat and outfit for the restaurant staff. It could unify their clothing and keep them sanitary, especially with a cooking hat. It would be troublesome if any hair fell into the pot.


    People came to the door in the afternoon, not long after the notice was put up. The additional kitchen helper and dishwasher positions were quickly taken by four strong women.


    As for the waiters, Zhou Ying had picked those who were literate. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t even know how to write down customer orders.


    They didn¡¯t expect to recruit four at a time, and two were originally this Dongxing Restaurant¡¯s employees.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment before epting them, but she still warned, ¡°This isn¡¯t the original Dongxing Restaurant, and we¡¯re not doing what we did before. If you want to work here, then do it well. Otherwise, please don¡¯t me me for firing you when the timees.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss; we understand this, and we will definitely do our best.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You only have one chance. Cherish it.¡±

 Chapter 143 - 143 Sun Hongliang

    143 Chapter 143 Sun Hongliang


    While preparing themb spine hotpot in the evening, Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang arrived.


    Zhou Ying introduced them to everyone and told them to sit down and have dinner.


    After the meal, the four climbed into the donkey cart and left home together.


    Gu Erjiang smacked his lips in satisfaction as the wind blew, saying, ¡°Sister-inw, how did you think of cooking withmb bones? It¡¯s delicious, and I¡¯m sure stuffed.¡±


    ¡°Winter is the season to eat mutton, but sheep don¡¯t have much meat, to begin with. It would be a pity to throw away all the bones, so we had to think of a way to eat them¡±. Zhou Ying was ttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Sheep aren¡¯t pigs, and you really can¡¯t get much meat from one.¡± Gu Erjiang nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Hehe, since it¡¯s trying out the dishes over these two days, can we go over? You don¡¯t have to pay us our daily sry.¡± Qian Zhuang asked.


    ¡°Sure, but you can¡¯t just eat but give more suggestions.¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment and added, ¡°By the way, when you collect the vegetables, remember to collect some fungus, such as shiitake mushrooms, tea tree mushrooms, and other mountain products. Also, buy as many white sesame seeds as you can.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave this to us.¡±


    ¡°You can also buy winter bamboo shoots.¡± Gu Chengrui echoed.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Qian Zhuang nodded.


    In the evening, Tian Jiawang replied that he could start work the next day.


    Therefore, the next day, the three went to their manor and took a sheep to the restaurant.


    Over the next two days, Zhou Ying stayed in the restaurant during the day to guide them in serving new dishes and establishing the menu.


    At the same time, she gave a few simple training to the waiters and assigned them to wear red clothes and hats. Of course, the kitchen staff also had their uniforms, but they were all changed to white.


    In the meantime, the copper pot, skewers, and charcoal were delivered one after another. After Zhou Ying taught everyone how to use them, she focused on teaching Tian Jiawang how to make skewers and barbecue them.


    It was just that they had yet to find a suitable manager for the restaurant.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to do it herself, Manager Liu came in with a man in his 20s and said, ¡°Mrs. Zhou, have you found a suitable manager?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Do you have someone suitable to rmend?¡± Zhou Ying nced at the man behind Manager Liu.


    At the same time, she was also a little surprised, as she didn¡¯t expect such a young man to have frostbite scars all over his face.


    ¡°Smart, this is my nephew, Sun Hongliang. He used to be the assistant manager of another restaurant in the North. Now that there¡¯s a natural disaster happening, he came to me. But I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll want him.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a disaster in the North? What disaster?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    ¡°Snowstorm, giving snow that¡¯s one meter deep. Sigh, there was just a drought half a year ago. Who expected that it would suddenly snow this heavily? Wouldn¡¯t this kill the people in the North? ¡±


    ¡°The weather is abnormal, huh.¡± Zhou Yingmented and looked at Sun Hongliang. ¡°Mr. Sun, how¡¯s your ounting?¡±


    ¡°This is the ount book I made before. Please have a look.¡± Sun Hongliang took a book from his clothes and handed it to her.


    Zhou Ying opened it and took a look. The daily ie of the restaurant, all spending, and the overall amount were clearly stated.


    ¡°Alright, the manager here is mainly in charge of ounting and greeting guests. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with these two, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve done all these before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Your monthly sry is five taels of silver. Come over early tomorrow.¡± Zhou Ying paused and added, ¡°About the cold sores on your face¡­¡±


    ¡°No worries about that; I will get it treated as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Remember to change into new clothes tomorrow ande over early in the morning to prepare for the opening.¡± Zhou Ying reminded and looked at Manager Liu, ¡°Uncle Liu, I have to let him stay for a while to familiarize himself with the dishes in the restaurant.¡±

 Chapter 144 - 144 Grassland Taste

    144 Chapter 144 Grasnd Taste


    ¡°It¡¯s what he should do. You guys go ahead.¡± After Manager Liu finished, he looked at Sun Hongliang and said, ¡°Since Mrs. Zhou gave you a chance, you must do your best.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, uncle. I will do my best.¡± Sun Hongliang bowed.


    After the two of them sent off Manager Liu, Zhou Ying took Sun Hongliang to the kitchen and introduced him to the main dishes in the restaurant.


    Finally, she said, ¡°Bring a menu hometer and note the main points. Also, there will be a 30% discount event tomorrow.


    !!


    ¡°We¡¯ll only charge 70% of the total price, which is one of our publicity highlights. You must remember it well.


    ¡°In addition, we have a membership point system. If anyone spends ten taels of silver tomorrow, you will issue them a membership card until you have issued all 100 cards.


    ¡°After that, tell them they could get a 10% discount with the card. Of course, the points would not be recorded after the discount. The customer can get back 10 silver taels for every 100 silver taels spent.¡±


    ¡°That means there are two different ways to discount, which is a good way to attract customers.¡± Sun Hongliangmented.


    ¡°Yes, there are only 100 membership cards. I¡¯ll bring them back tomorrow.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, where¡¯s your hometown? How far is it from here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost near the Northern Territory, about 1200 miles from here. But don¡¯t worry, several counties are between us, so the refugees rarely reach here.


    ¡°I only came here because I have rtives here.¡±


    ¡°When do you n to go back?¡±


    Sun Hongliang shook his head. ¡°Our house has already copsed. If I can continue to make a living here, I will stay.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You don¡¯t have to be so polite to me; it sounds awkward. Just talk to me casually in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ alright, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Okay, dress up tomorrow ande early.¡± Zhou Ying then handed him a menu.


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Sun Hongliang bowed and turned to leave.


    After returning home that night, Gu Chengrui went to the vige to inform the guests he was nning to invite.


    After dinner, the two entered the interspace. Zhou Ying printed 100 cards on special printing paper used for business cards. The front of the membership card was printed with the traditional characters of ¡°Grasnd Taste Membership Card¡± in gold.


    There was also a picture of a grasnd shepherd in the background.


    The back was empty, and she nned to use a quill to add the member¡¯s information. This way, it would y an anti-forgery role to a certain extent.


    Finally, she used the same paper to print 100 copies of the menu.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do this as this paper isn¡¯t waterproof, and it¡¯ll be destroyed if the customers aren¡¯t careful. ¡± Gu Chengrui walked over and reminded her.


    ¡°Then what do you think we should do? We can¡¯t possiblyminate it, right? There will be problems if others see it.¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and asked.


    ¡°I remember we received a batch of transparent waterproof paint before, the kind used to paint furniture, so we can try that. If someone asks, just say that you used tree oil, and no one will look into it.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s try that.¡± Zhou Ying agreed and went to a warehouse to find the paint.


    After mixing the ingredients ording to the ratio instructed, she found a brush andthered it on a membership card. She didn¡¯t expect the effect to be so good, as even the handwriting wasn¡¯t affected.


    Then, she painted all the membership cards, dried them, and swiped the other side. She gathered them all after they dried.


    The next morning, because they no longer had to make tofu, the two carried the hotpot base ingredient Zhou Ying had prepared beforehand and went out in new clothes.


    After they reached the restaurant, Sun Hongliang and the rest were already prepared. They hung a red silk cloth on the signboard and went up and greeted them politely. They didn¡¯t stay long at the entrance and handed over the restaurant¡¯s opening to Sun Hongliang.


    In the backyard, Zhou Ying walked to Fang Qing, who was cutting meat, and asked, ¡°Fang Qing, have you done what I asked you to do yesterday?¡±

 Chapter 145 - 145 Opening (1)

    145 Chapter 145 Opening (1)


    ¡°Yes, Mistress, it¡¯s all done. They should be here soon.¡± Just as Fang Qing finished speaking, someone knocked on the back door.


    He immediately went to open the door and saw a few young beggars walking in. The group leader asked, ¡°Brother Fang, we¡¯re here. Do you mean what you said?¡±


    ¡°Of course, two pounds of polished rice per person.¡± Fang Qing affirmed and looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°Our boss is here. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We agreed on two pounds per person. Why don¡¯t we give it to you now? ¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°No need, but can you change it to ck noodles? That way, we can eat for a longer time.¡±


    ¡°No problem, three pounds of ck noodles each, and I¡¯ll give you one pound ofrd as a gift.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± The leader immediately agreed, then turned around and pulled Fang Qing to ask for the brochure, as if he feared she would return on her words.


    Zhou Ying smiled and didn¡¯t speak. Instead, she picked up the slicedrd and went to the kitchen to stir-fry the hotpot base ingredients. The locals here rarely ate spicy food, so she made a mild spice base.


    At the same time, she also boiled a pot of bones with mushroom soup.


    Together with Zhao Cheng¡¯smb spine hotpot, it should be enough. The remaining soup base had to be slowly pushed out, or there would be no surprises in the future.


    After she was done, she began to mix the sauce.


    As for Gu Chengrui, he took a look at the skewers. After ensuring they passed the test, he helped cut the mutton into pieces.


    Soon, a few beggars began shouting on the street with their brochures. They were also smart enough to find well-dressed people to distribute the flyers.


    In the afternoon, they even turned around and went to the Yunshan Academy in town. It was full of schrs and was also where rich people gathered.


    At the same time, Sun Hongliang came over and began to get busy with the waiters. Soon, Manager Liu came with a congrattory gift, followed by Doctor Luo.


    The patriarch, the n elders, the vige chief, Father Gu, and even the second uncle Gu were here.


    Finally, it was Chang Shun, the head of their manor. As for Uncle Nian, although he was invited, he didn¡¯te as he didn¡¯t like to stand out.


    Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu looked at the huge restaurant withplicated expressions. Who would have thought that the person they had abandoned would have the ability to support such a big restaurant?


    If they had known earlier, he would not have taken that step no matter what.


    After everyone in the vige sat down, Second Uncle Gu looked at the patriarch and asked, ¡°Brother, do you know who hired Zhou Ying? Such a big restaurant must have a powerful person backing it.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, how would I know? If there¡¯s good food, just eat it.¡± The patriarch warned.


    The opening was a big day. If they dared cause trouble, he would definitely teach them a good lesson.


    Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu were embarrassed, but they weren¡¯t stupid. It was obvious that Chengrui and his wife were going up thedder, so why would they find trouble with them?


    Even if there were something, they would discuss it in private.


    Next, a few neighbors on the same street came in. Zhou Huaiming came in with a few county and town officials when it was almost time to open.


    Seeing Sun Hongliang, he was stunned. ¡°Eh? It¡¯s you, where¡¯s¡­¡±


    When he said this, he suddenly remembered Gu Chengrui¡¯s request and immediately changed his words. ¡°Should I call for the head chef?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Manager Zhou, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Manager Zhou. I¡¯ve brought her a few distinguished guests today, so it¡¯s better for her toe out and get to know them.


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Sun Hongliang turned and ran to the back kitchen. He called Zhou Ying out, and Gu Chengrui followed.

 Chapter 146 - 146 Opening (2)

    146 Chapter 146 Opening (2)


    ¡°Mr. Zhou (Brother Zhou).¡± The couple stepped forward and saluted.


    ¡°Why are you acting like an outsider? We were family 500 years ago, so calling me Big Brother Zhou is much nicer.¡± Zhou Huaiming pointed at Zhou Ying and said.


    Then, he pointed to a middle-aged man with a mustache who was in his thirties and introduced him. ¡°This is our county¡¯s new county mayor, Mr. Kong. He is also this year¡¯s top schr.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Kong.¡± The couple immediately bowed.


    !!


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I am here with Mr. Zhou for a delicious meal, so I¡¯ll have to ask for your rmendations.¡± Mr. Kong smiled as he stepped forward to help them up.


    Zhou Huaiming then introduced them to the newly appointed county governor. He was a tall and thin man in his forties with a mustache. He was also one of the few top schrs in the county, and his name was Bai Jinping.


    Then it was the secretaries and the advisor.


    Thest was the town chief, Tian Jingzhong, who was also the constable of this town. He was a man in his forties, and his stomach was as big as a pregnant woman¡¯s.


    After the introduction, Sun Hongliang immediately walked over and said anxiously, ¡°Manager Zhou, it¡¯s time for the opening. So¡­?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start.¡± Zhou Ying decided and said to Zhou Huaiming, ¡°Big Brother Zhou, are you interested in attending the opening ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go together with Brother Gu then.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded and walked out with Gu Chengrui.


    Seeing this, the others also hurriedly followed.


    When Sun Hongliang saw this, he immediately arranged for the workers outside to start setting off the firecrackers. Zhou Ying scattered the fruit candies wrapped in oil paper she had prepared earlier into the crowd.


    At the same time, the sound of cannons rang out. Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming each pulled down the red silk on one side. In an instant, the ck and red characters of ¡°House of Grasnd Taste¡± were presented in front of everyone.


    There were also two cartoon figures of a cow and a sheep drawn on the banner¡­


    Everyone¡¯s eyes lit up, and the children cheered.


    After a while, Sun Hongliang stepped forward and thanked everyone. Then, he told them about the 30% discount and the membership card, ¡°There are different kinds of food with a unique experience here. Everyone is wee toe to the House of Grasnd Taste and try it.¡±


    ¡°So would the ingredients used be from the grasnd?¡± Someone in the crowd asked.


    It seems so, with mutton as the main selling point. Let¡¯s try them out and see how special they im to be.¡± The person to his left answered


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a 30% discount today, and in the future, it¡¯ll only be 10% at most. It¡¯s a waste not to take advantage of it.¡± The person on his right added.


    Afterward, the three walked into the restaurant together, and Sun Hongliang quickly weed them in.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui brought Zhou Huaiming and the others, including Manager Liu, into a private room on the second floor.


    Finally, at everyone¡¯s request, they were arranged to go to the chess-decorated room.


    Zhou Ying personally prepared a pot of the most expensive tea sold here, the Sparrow¡¯s Tongue. At the same time, she also prepared a te of snacks, fried broad beans with crispy peanuts.


    Finally, she warmed a pot of water for them on the stove and asked, ¡°Sirs, is there anything you don¡¯t like, maybe not too spicy or stimting?¡±


    ¡°Oh, are there so many options on your menu?¡± Manager Liu asked in surprise.


    ¡°I guess so. The mutton is slightly gamey to some, and so is the chili. So if you can¡¯t eat spice, we¡¯ll have to arrange other dishes,¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to taste the food anyway, so you can just arrange it for us. If there¡¯s a taboo, you can just tell uster.¡± Zhou Huaiming said.


    ¡°Alright, then I will go and make the arrangements.¡± Zhou Ying responded and turned to go out.


    She arranged a slightly spicy hot pot with cabbage, radish, winter melon, agarwood, blood tofu, white tofu, shrimp, fish, shredded pork, tofu, and vermicelli.


    The meat used in the hotpot was naturally mutton ribs.

 Chapter 147 - 147 Opening (3)

    147 Chapter 147 Opening (3)


    After much consideration, she arranged for some skewers and three light dishes, such as asparagus, tofu, and dried eggnt with garlic.


    They arranged three more side dishes, a te of Sichuan pickled vegetables, sweet and sour garlic, and a te of mixed radishes. The skin of the radish was crunchy, and the red color made it appetizing.


    At the other end, Gu Chengrui was carrying tea and snacks to the patriarch and the rest of the people sitting in the hall. ¡°Elders, shall we escort you to the private room upstairs?¡±


    ¡°No, there are limited private rooms. I think there will be more peopleing in, so it¡¯s better to leave it to the rich. Just give us more delicious food, and it¡¯s fine.¡± The patriarch shook his head.


    ¡°Have these as your starter; the food will be ready in about 15 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Chengrui, is that Lord Zhou, the second son of the general, Zhou Huaiming?¡± Second Uncle Gu asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s on an errand right now, so we¡¯d better pretend we don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How did you two meet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve treated his illness once. You guys eat up; I still have to prep more stuff in the kitchen.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and walked to the back kitchen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this restaurant is his?¡± Second Uncle Gu looked at Father Gu with uncertainty.


    Father Gu rolled his eyes at him. Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t reveal anything, so how would he know?


    However, even if it didn¡¯t belong to Zhou Ying, it might have been Gu Chengrui¡¯s. Otherwise, Zhou Huaiming wouldn¡¯t have brought other officials to support them.


    Oh, right, the Third Prince is guarding the Navy at Dongyang Town. Could it be that they¡¯ve gotten in touch with the Third Prince?


    The patriarch looked at them, exchanging looks, and hit the table in a bad mood. He warned vaguely, ¡°Do what you¡¯re supposed to do. You¡¯ve just sunk your ship, so it¡¯s better not to stick your heads out. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be beaten down.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t thought much about it before and assumed the Qiao family bullying the Gu family was because of an old grudge. However, this time, the Qiao family¡¯s incident implicated the former county governor and his wife¡¯s family.


    Thinking about it this way, this matter was much moreplicated than they thought. It was better to have their heads down for a few years.


    Father Gu nodded. He also knew something was wrong, but since General Zhou¡¯s son was here, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as they didn¡¯t overstep their boundaries.


    In a small noodle shop diagonally across, the previous manager of Dongxing restaurant, Wang Quan, respectfully said to the young man in his twenties, ¡°Young master, did you see them? It¡¯s the man standing with Zhou Huaiming and the woman giving out sweets who saved Zhou Huaiming.¡±


    ¡°I can see that. They¡¯re young, but they sure are capable.¡± Qiao Lansheng snorted coldly. The young man was Elder Qiao¡¯s son, previously studying abroad.


    ¡°What about the thing I asked you to do? Can my mother and Lan Lan be exchanged?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Constable Li said that we can only exchange for one of them. Otherwise, without restraint, it would be troublesome if rumors spread when they arrive.¡±


    ¡°I can only change one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can only change one. Besides, he¡¯s being watched closely by that Zhou guy. We can¡¯t do many things, so we have to exchange as soon as possible.¡±


    Qiao Lansheng hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Then let him do it ording to the situation. He¡¯ll get whoever he can.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± At this point, Wang Quan paused and continued, ¡°By the way, young master, there are two workers who were previously working in our restaurant working there now. Should we get in touch with them?¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? If even you know they used to be employees of the Dongxing Restaurant, how could they not know?


    ¡°Since they knew and still hired them, they would definitely be watched.


    ¡°We can¡¯t make any moves now, at least not before Zhou Huaiming leaves, or else all of us are dead.¡±

 Chapter 148 - 148 Opening (4)

    148 Chapter 148 Opening (4)


    Soon, Zhou Huaiming and the others were about to pay the bill. Zhou Ying walked out and said, ¡°Big Brother Zhou, you¡¯re treating me like an outsider now. Why are you paying at your restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Today is different as I¡¯m treating them. Otherwise, they¡¯ll think that I¡¯m not sincere.¡± Zhou Huaimingughed and looked at Sun Hongliang. ¡°Bill please. Also, give me one of those membership cards.¡±


    ¡°Sure, please wait a moment.¡± Sun Hongliang nced at Zhou Ying, and seeing that she didn¡¯t stop him, he lowered his head and got to work.


    Zhou Ying looked at them and said, ¡°Sirs, how do you like the food? If you have any suggestions, please let us know. We can improve it.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Yes, yes. Don¡¯t be polite. Just say what you have to say.¡± Zhou Huaiming turned his head and added.


    Soon after, he was the first to speak up. ¡°I like the food. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ll have to go back and change my clothes after this meal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯ll be good if it can be ventted.¡± County Mayor Kong shook his head and added, ¡°But the weather is too cold, so that will be difficult.¡±


    ¡°We have to think of a way to solve this. I¡¯ll think about itter.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. To be honest, she had forgotten about this.


    However, even if she did not forget, there was no venttion system in this period. It seemed that she had to find a carpenter to modify an exhaust fan.


    ¡°Does anyone else have more suggestions?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The dishes in your restaurant are indeed delicious, but the overall taste is slightly nd. The people in our area have a preference for a strong taste, after all.¡± Manager Liu said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but the numbing and spice are just to my taste. I¡¯lle and try the other pots when I¡¯m free.¡± Tian Jingzhong said with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee at any time.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    As for the others, they were all fine and didn¡¯t raise any opinions. They might have had nothing to say.


    After Zhou Huaiming got the VIP-looking membership card, the others also asked for one. Zhou Ying then sent them out after everything was done.


    Then, she sent the patriarch and the others out but didn¡¯t ept their money. The response he got was that the food was good, but the restaurant¡¯s interior was a little too stuffy.


    After a busy morning and four whole turnovers in the afternoon, everyone was exhausted.


    In particr, a few workers had run so much that their legs were jellified.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s hands trembled as he cut the meat, and Zhou Ying¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She stepped forward and held his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Rui. Let¡¯s not use a knife in the afternoon and switch to using a shredder.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll be troublesome if we¡¯re discovered.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the guillotine-like knife-cutting tool,¡±


    ¡°We can try that.¡±


    After lunch, they cleaned the kitchen and returned to their rooms to rest.


    Zhou Ying took out a guillotine meat cutter from her interspace. Then the husband and wife sliced the meat in the kitchen. Because of the cold weather, they were not afraid of the sliced meat sticking together.


    So, the two of them worked together for the entire afternoon.


    After finishing that, Zhou Ying stir-fried more base ingredients and mixed more dipping sauce. She didn¡¯t care about anything else.


    Most of the people who came in the evening were students at the academy. Some came to taste it after hearing the news, but there weren¡¯t many of them, so the overall number of customers was much lower.


    After sending off thest guest, Zhou Ying waited for Sun Hongliang to calcte the bill before asking, ¡°Brother Sun, how much is today¡¯s revenue?¡±


    ¡°778 taels, the total gross profit is 352 taels. Of course, the remaining five sets ofmb chops are not counted.


    ¡°If we count them in, we should be able to add another two taels.¡± Sun Hongliang said.

 Chapter 149 - 149 Specially Waiting For Them

    149 Chapter 149 Specially Waiting For Them


    ¡°It looks like our hard work wasn¡¯t in vain. I see that there¡¯s still somemb spine left, so let¡¯s have a hearty meal and finish all the remaining dishes. How about it?¡± Zhou Ying nced at the tired crowd and suggested.


    Li Yue, in particr, was nodding off. She was about to fall asleep.


    However, they immediately perked up when everyone heard Zhou Ying¡¯s offer. Then, everyone started to set the food up, and soon, the hot pot was served.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying spoke up, saying, ¡°Everyone looks tired, so remember to boil some water to soak your feet. You all can wake up a bitter tomorrow.


    !!


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to get the meat earlier tomorrow,¡± she looked at Fang Qing and added.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam. I won¡¯t dy anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be going back now.¡± Zhou Ying ended the discussion as she stood up.


    ¡°It¡¯s already sote. May I humbly suggest that you two stay here for the night?¡± Li Sheng suggested.


    ¡°No, I still have things to do at home. Remember to lock the doors and windows at night before going to bed.¡± After Zhou Ying finished reminding them, she walked home with Gu Chengrui.


    What they didn¡¯t expect was for Tian Jiawang to follow them. Gu Chengrui turned his head and said, ¡°Brother Tian, you don¡¯t have toe with us, and we¡¯ll just let your sister know that you won¡¯t being back for the night.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m worried about the three of them at home. It¡¯s alright since I have you two to apany me. Let¡¯s go.¡± Tian Jiawang exined as he headed forward.


    The couple could only follow behind him.


    In the vige, Zhou Ying could hear Er Zhuang¡¯s aggrieved whining from afar. She turned her head and asked, ¡°Rui, why don¡¯t we bring Er Zhuang along when we go out tomorrow? We shouldn¡¯t starve him anymore.¡±


    ¡°You can take him out if you want to. It¡¯ll be safer to have him with us on the way back, but don¡¯t leave anything valuable in the house.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tian, ¡± Gu Chengrui said when they arrived at his house. ¡°We will set off tomorrow at 11 am tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just call me when you¡¯re leaving,¡± Tian Jiawang walked home after saying goodbye.


    After the couple returned home, Gu Chengrui went to heat the brick bed while Zhou Ying entered her interspace and quickly made half a pot of ck noodle soup for Er Zhuang, adding two sticks of sausage to it.


    Er Zhuang only stopped whining after he had a hot meal.


    After that, the husband and wife went to the interspace to take a hot bath before going to sleep.


    The next day, the couple cleaned up the house and rushed to town with Tian Jiawang and Er Zhuang.


    It was another busy day, but because there was no discount, the number of people was smaller. But their daily ie was still more than 200 taels of silver, which relieved Zhou Ying. Otherwise, she was afraid she could not afford to hire this many people.


    They used up an average of four sheep and about half a cow, so 200 taels should be enough to cover their daily expenses.


    As things got more stable, Zhou Ying¡¯s daily tasks were reduced. She no longer needed to do anything besides cook the base ingredients and dipping sauce.


    Mrs. Li took over the task of slicing meat. Zhou Ying found an environmentally friendly ck paint to modify the meat-slicing machine to pass off as something normal to avoid attracting attention.


    In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. The restaurant¡¯s business was on the right track, and Gu Chengrui¡¯s clinic was getting busier.


    One evening, as Zhou Ying brought Er Zhuang home, they saw Father Gu wandering around their house as soon as they entered the vige.


    When he saw her, he stood still; this was how Zhou Ying knew he was waiting for her or Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Father, are you alright?¡± She walked over after a moment of hesitation.


    Father Gu nodded and smiled dryly. ¡°Why did youe back alone? Where¡¯s Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°He still has patients, and he might have to stay at the clinic tonight.¡±

 Chapter 150 - 150 Regret

    150 Chapter 150 Regret


    ¡°It¡¯s not safe for you to go back and forth on your own. If it¡¯ste, don¡¯te back.¡± Father Gu said.


    ¡°I understand, father. Then, I¡¯ll leave you to your work.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went home with Er Zhuang.


    Father Gu wanted to say something but stopped himself. In the end, he didn¡¯t call out to her.


    After Zhou Ying had gone far away, she wondered why Father Gu was looking for them this time. Could it be to borrow money?


    After that, she shook her head and tossed him to the back of her mind.


    When she got home, she went to the shed and let Er Zhuang go. Zhou Ying then went to her interspace to make some shredded chicken porridge. After giving Er Zhuang half a bowl, she ate hers with a fried tomato egg.


    After that, she started to work in the space.


    On the other end, after Father Gu returned home, Mrs. Liu hurriedly asked, ¡°Darling, how is it? Did they agree?¡±


    Father Gu shook his head. ¡°Only Zhou Ying came back, so I was embarrassed to ask.¡±


    ¡°Darling, Zhou Ying is the one who can cook, not Chengrui.¡± Mrs. Liu spoke with a speechless expression.


    ¡°You have the nerve to ask for something from your daughter-inw? I¡¯m not that thick-skinned.¡± Father Gu red at her.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we go to the clinic to find Chengrui tomorrow? Otherwise, our small shop won¡¯t be able to support itself any further.¡± Mrs. Liu said with a smile.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow, and let¡¯s have dinner.¡± Father Gu sat down at the main table after that.


    When Mrs. Liu saw this, she told Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Guo to set the table.


    The next day, Father Gu went to the clinic early in the morning but was told Chengrui was at the restaurant, so he had no choice but to go over.


    When he came over, the couple was having breakfast. Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment before asking, ¡°Father, have you eaten yet? If not, you can make do with it here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten. You guys hurry up and eat, and I¡¯ll wait for you in the front.¡± Father Gu said, and he went to the main hall.


    At the same time, Father Guined inwardly. ¡°This early in the morning, and he¡¯s eating millet porridge, baked biscuits, meat, and even some side dishes. If this is just ¡®making do¡¯, what did I eat for breakfast? Pig food?¡±


    It seemed that the young couple had gotten back on their feet. Perhaps they could resume their lives in the capital one day.


    Thinking of this, there was a burst of regret. Zhou Ying wasn¡¯t a jinx but a money-making girl. He couldn¡¯t help but start disliking Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao for their actions.


    He would not have acted so coldly against the couple back then if they hadn¡¯t been fanning the mes.


    After he left, Zhou Ying told him about Father Gu waiting for them yesterday. ¡°There must be something he wants to talk to you about. Be careful, and don¡¯t fall into his trap.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; he¡¯s not my biological father. I won¡¯t be affected by false kinship.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After that, the two of them finished their breakfast quickly.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui went to the front, while Zhou Ying took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen and started her work.


    Gu Chengrui went over with a pot of tea and a te of peanuts left over from yesterday.


    After sitting down, he poured his father a cup of tea and said, ¡°Father, have a cup of tea to warm your body.¡±


    ¡°Ay.¡± Father Gu responded, then pointed to the exhaust fan on the window and asked, ¡°What¡¯s that? Why is there a hole in the window? Wouldn¡¯t it make here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an exhaust fan. Previously, everyone felt that the smell of smoke was too strong, so we got a carpenter to make that.¡±


    ¡°Is it useful?¡±


    ¡°It works, but it can only move when someone is pulling it.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you have to recruit more people?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I hired a few beggars, and they wille over to help out during mealtimes. It didn¡¯t cost much.¡±


    As soon as he said that, Father Gu thought of the opening day when a group of beggars was giving out flyers on the street. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You¡¯re sure good at hiring. Beggars are much cheaper than normal people.¡±

 Chapter 151 - 151 A Good Idea

    151 Chapter 151 A Good Idea


    ¡°I guess you can call it that way, but it¡¯s not thatplicated to hand out flyers. These beggars can get a meal with their work too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Father Gu coughed twice and added, ¡°I came here today to ask for your help.¡±


    ¡°Do say, and we will definitely help if we can.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    Because he wasn¡¯t surprised, Father Gu knew that Zhou Ying had most likely told Gu Chengrui about him looking for them. He openly dered his request, ¡°Do you know that your Aunt Liu and Second Aunt are running a pastry shop?¡±


    !!


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them selling royal desserts and pastries.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s too expensive and hard to sell in this small town, so I¡­¡± Father Gu was a little embarrassed when he said this.


    But in the end, he continued, ¡°So, I am here to ask Zhou Ying if she has any ordinary dessert recipes. Otherwise, I¡¯m scared that the small shop won¡¯t be able to survive.¡±


    ¡°I can only discuss this with Zhou Ying, as I don¡¯t know the details.¡±


    ¡°Please hurry up. I¡¯ll head back for now.¡± Father Gu stood up and said.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you a reply tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you continue your work.¡± Father Gu turned around and walked out after he finished speaking.


    After sending him off, Gu Chengrui returned to the kitchen and told Zhou Ying about the matter.


    Zhou Yingughed. ¡°He still has the nerve to ask for this? So shameless.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s thick-skinned, but what do we do now? Are we giving it to him or not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple to make mung bean cakes and the like, so I don¡¯t believe they don¡¯t know those. They¡¯re most likely interested in the desserts Chun Niang makes.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s our signature dessert, and we can¡¯t give it to them. Alright, let¡¯s give them the mung bean cake, red bean cake, yellow pea cake, and chestnut cake recipes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll reply to them this evening.¡± Gu Chengrui went to his clinic after saying his goodbyes.


    After he left, Zhou Ying felt that the desserts they were offering were too little, so she taught Chun Niang the recipe for a series of rice cakes and steamed cakes, asking her to try making them when she was free.


    At the same time, she was also indirectly letting the Gu family know she wasn¡¯t someone they could bully.


    After she was done, she began to stir-fry two pots of hotpot ingredients.


    After she saw that the base ingredients were enough in the afternoon, she mixed the dipping sauce for the hot pot and went to the manor after telling Gu Chengrui in his clinic.


    Because the restaurant needed tofu and vermicelli, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to always make them in her interspace. She nned to build a workshop in the manor so that the people in the manor could have some ie and she could rx a little.


    When she arrived at the manor, she immediately found Chang Shun and told him about the matter. She asked, ¡°Uncle Chang, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. There¡¯s no work in the vige now, and the strongborers are going to thebor market daily for work.¡±


    ¡°But now that it¡¯s getting cold, there¡¯s not much work on the dock. If we can build a workshop, it¡¯ll solve a big problem. The best thing about this is that we can work all year round.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this matter is settled then.


    ¡°However, beans are scarce in our area because of the bean sprout hype this year. We¡¯ll use what we have in our own restaurant this year.


    ¡°We¡¯ll expand the production when the river opens tomorrow and import beans from other ces.¡±


    ¡°What about the beans for this year? Do we buy them from the grain shop?¡±


    ¡°We do have to buy some, but I¡¯ve saved some before. When the workshop is done, we¡¯ll use those beans first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, where should we set up the workshop?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s set it up in the second courtyard first. We¡¯ll build a workshop next year when we¡¯re renovating the house, so you have to maintain the house well for now.¡±


    ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all. I¡¯ll leave the recruitment to you, so remember to find someone who has difficulties at home but is clean and tidy.¡±

 Chapter 152 - 152 Do You Want It Or Not

    152 Chapter 152 Do You Want It Or Not


    After Zhou Ying got up and gave him a tael of silver, she told him about the tools he needed to buy, especially the grinding stone. The ones they had were shipped to the restaurant.


    As for the other tools they needed to make tofu, she could use the ones at home.


    After that, she went home.


    Seeing that it was still early, she wanted to go into her interspace to make a seafood feast. However, just as she was about to lock up, she saw Sister Tian walking over.


    She had no choice but to let her into the house. ¡°I haven¡¯t been here for a day, and it¡¯s rather cold in the house. Sister, please sit down first, and I¡¯ll start a fire.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need as it¡¯s just a few words. I¡¯ll leave after I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what is it?.¡±


    ¡°Well, Da Hua has been quieter than before and doesn¡¯t like to go out to y.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ I was wondering if you could let her help out in the restaurant. She doesn¡¯t need a paycheck; just two meals will do, and I just want her to be in contact with more people.¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she thought of the well-behaved and sensible Da Hua and then of Chun Niang, who was always physically exhausted. Finally, she nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s no problem, so just let her follow Brother Tian to work every day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, sister. I¡¯ve caused you trouble.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Also, I will give her a sry and arrange for her to work under a pastry chef. As for whether she can learn anything, it will depend on her.¡±


    After hearing this, Sister Tian¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. It was always a good thing to learn some craft; once she learned it, it would be her own. In the future, she would be confident when she married into her inws¡¯ house.


    Thinking of this, she nodded. ¡°I thank you on behalf of Da Hua. You and your husband are really saviors of our family.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating; you¡¯ve helped us a lot too. Just tell Da Hua to learn well when she gets there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course. I¡¯ll let you get back to your job and tell Da Hua the good news.¡± Elder Sister Tian thanked Zhou Ying and hurriedly walked back.


    After she left, Zhou Ying locked the door and then started a fire. After adding some firewood, she entered her interspace to make a feast.


    When she was done, she opened the door and waited for Gu Chengrui to return.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui was at the Gu residence. After telling Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao the recipes, he was about to leave when suddenly, Mrs. Liu called out to him, ¡°Chengrui, aren¡¯t you trying to fool us? These few recipes aren¡¯t difficult.¡±


    ¡°Take it or leave it. This is my wife¡¯s own recipe, and the rest is the craftsmanship taught to her by her master; those are our restaurant¡¯s signature desserts, and I can¡¯t give those to you.¡± Gu Chengrui stated firmly, and he returned home with Er Zhuang, who was ying with Gu Chengxi¡­


    ¡°Darling, look at him¡­.¡± Mrs. Liu turned her head and wanted toin about Gu Chengrui.


    However, Father Gu chided her. ¡°I think you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you. If you think the recipe is in, you can create one yourself.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Although these recipes are ordinary, they are suitable for selling in small shops. The Lotus Crisp you made is delicious, but how many customers bought it?


    ¡°Also, I¡¯ve told you about the date cake, which is delicious and cheap.


    ¡°You¡¯re justzy, reaching beyond your grasp and always thinking about making big money without doing any actual work.


    ¡°If you really can¡¯t do it, Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Sun will go to town, and you can stay here to do the housework.¡± Madam Qiao said this, shaking her head in disappointment.


    ¡°Mother, we¡¯ll listen to you and try it tomorrow. We so happen to have some green beans at home.¡± Mrs. Yao heard the anger in Madam Qiao¡¯s words and hurriedly assured her.


    But Madam Qiao didn¡¯t pay any more attention but looked at Mrs. Liu. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to take care of Chengye¡¯s marriage. So, stop looking for some wealthy youngdy.


    ¡°Just find a good-looking and capable farmer¡¯s girl with a tight-knit family.¡±

 Chapter 153 - 153 Angry

    153 Chapter 153 Angry


    ¡°But, Chengye is¡­¡± Mrs. Liu sternly retorted.


    The eldest son, Gu Chengzhi¡¯s wife, was the legitimate daughter of a fourth-rank official. Mrs. Liu knew she shouldn¡¯t expect a girl of that standard with their family¡¯s current situation, but at least a girl better than Zhou Ying.


    No matter what, she should at least be the daughter of andlord.


    She would rather die than find an illiterate farmer¡¯s daughter to be her daughter-inw.


    But before she could finish, Madam Qiao knocked the ground with her walking stick and scolded, ¡°Look at the situation clearly, will you? We are deemed guilty by the officials, any of our family members can¡¯t take the imperial examination for three generations, and can¡¯t be officials in court.


    ¡°Even if there is a wealthy youngdy who is willing to marry Chengye, aren¡¯t you afraid that he would suffer in his inws¡¯ family in the future? Did you think that you would hold the pants in this marriage?


    ¡°You sure you aren¡¯t afraid she¡¯ll order you around like a maid?


    ¡°The daughter of a good family might not even be willing to marry into the family and suffer the anger of a bastard like you.¡±


    ¡°Mother, calm down. She¡¯s just bad-tempered¡­¡± Father Gu saw his mother really get angry and quickly went forward tofort her.


    He didn¡¯t expect Madam Qiao to push him away. ¡°You¡¯re not any better, and don¡¯t keep thinking about restoring your former glory all day long. It¡¯s not so easy to achieve those without some luck.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to humbly settle our family¡¯s affairs and live a steady life.


    ¡°Down-to-earth, don¡¯t you even understand what that means?


    ¡°Look at Chengrui and his wife. It wasn¡¯t easy to go up the mountain to pick herbs and make tofu, but they still managed to get by.


    ¡°Look at you guys now.¡±


    Madam Qiao was so angry that she gasped for breath, shook her head, and wiped her tears. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.


    ¡°If I had known that this day woulde, I would have made you suffer more when you were young so that you wouldn¡¯t be so arrogant and have difficulty even making a living now.¡±


    After that, she trembled, returned to her room, and didn¡¯t even finish eating her meal.


    Everyone else in the room stared at each other, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat. Mrs. Liu will bring food to mother in a moment to apologize.¡± After being stunned for a while, Father Gu finally returned to his senses and replied.


    Mrs. Liu was unwilling when she heard this, so she said to Gu Chengye, ¡°Son, you go.¡±


    Gu Chengye hesitated for a moment but still agreed. He followed Mrs. Guo to get the food.


    ¡°Big brother, do you think mother is envious of Chengrui and his wife?¡± Second Uncle asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Father Gu said thoughtfully. ¡°Seeing Chengrui¡¯s family life getting better while our days are getting worse, she must be angry.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say. Chengrui and his wife are indeed capable.¡±


    ¡°Of course, they work every day from early morning untilte at night. Which one of us can take it?


    ¡°In the past, we always said that Mrs. Liu and the others couldn¡¯t see reality clearly, but we are the same. Our family really can¡¯t stand any more turmoil, not to mention that we still have to give the n 30 taels of silver for the boat at the end of the year.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re not buying a boat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not realistic. We¡¯ll rent a boat when the river opens.


    ¡°But for now, let¡¯s think about what to transport or what business we can do. Otherwise, it¡¯s useless to have a boat.


    ¡°Tomorrow, you can go to the shop and keep an eye on them to see how they do business. Otherwise, if we continue to lose money like this, we won¡¯t even be able to have a meal next year.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go to the shop and keep an eye on it tomorrow.¡± Second Uncle Gu nodded.


    On the other side, Qiao Lan and the others who were exiled had reached the ce of the snow disaster and met with many refugees who had fled.

 Chapter 154 - 154 Mother Qiao’s Death

    154 Chapter 154 Mother Qiao¡¯s Death


    Not to mention Qiao Lan and the others in exile, even the officers escorting them were unwilling to take another step forward.


    However, they couldn¡¯t exin themselves if they didn¡¯t send her to their destinations, so they could only vent their anger on Qiao Lan and the others.


    Especially Mother Qiao, whose health wasn¡¯t good, to begin with, and she hadn¡¯t done any vigorous exercise for many years. She had already reached her limit long ago in this journey.


    After she staggered and fell to the ground, an officer came forward and gave her twoshes with his whip. ¡°Hurry up. If you dawdle any longer, I won¡¯t be able toplete my mission before the new year.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Officer, officer, please stop. My mother really can¡¯t walk anymore. Why don¡¯t we take a break?¡± Qiao Lan kneeled and begged.


    When the others heard this, they immediately agreed. It was difficult to walk in the snow; they were all exhausted and couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Rest my ass. I want to rest but look at this cold weather. Is there any ce to rest? Or do you want to freeze to death in the snow?


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll fulfill your wish so we can go back and report our mission.¡± When the officer said this, he kicked Mother Qiao. ¡°Hurry up. We¡¯ll treat it as if you¡¯re dead if you don¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Let¡¯s go; I¡¯m ok.¡± Mother Qiao hurriedly got up.


    Seeing this, Qiao Lan could only support her mother and continue forward, while the others didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°What a bunch of ingrates,¡± said the officer. ¡°Never honest if they don¡¯t get whipped once or twice.¡±


    Qiao Lan gritted her teeth. He better not let her get an opportunity, or she would definitely kill him.


    She just didn¡¯t know if her big brother had managed to escape the arrest of the soldiers. If he did, why wasn¡¯t he here to save them?


    Mother Qiao fell to the ground and dragged her along just as she was thinking. Her entire body hurt from the fall, and she was whipped before she could make a sound.


    The tail of the whip hit her head, and her view darkened.


    She heard another gust of wind. Just as she was about to dodge, a body pressed down on her, and a storm of kicks came.


    Then, her mother spat a mouthful of blood on her face, which made her scream.


    Perhaps because her screams were too heartbreaking, the officers finally stopped.


    ¡°Cough.¡± Mother Qiao coughed violently, then her head tilted to the side as she vomitedrge mouthfuls of blood, shocking everyone.


    When Qiao Lan realized something was wrong, she quickly pushed Mother Qiao off her and pulled her into her arms. ¡°Mother, mother, don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    ¡°Lan, live well and wait for your brother. In the future¡­ remember..¡± Mother Qiao spoke intermittently, and she didn¡¯t finish her sentence.


    She choked on the cold wind, coughed violently, and spat out more mouthfuls of blood. After that, she raised her hand and touched Qiao Lan¡¯s face reluctantly.


    However, before Mother Qiao¡¯s hand could touch her face, it drooped down, and then her head tilted to the side. She stopped breathing.


    Qiao Lan immediately froze.


    The officer went forward to check Mother Qiao¡¯s nose because the situation wasn¡¯t good. After realizing she was no longer breathing, he had to call hispanions and pull her up.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of my mother! You murderers! Let go of my mother!¡± Qiao Lan roared in anger.


    However, the officers ignored her and even whipped her twice. They hastily dug a snow pit and buried her in it.


    Qiao Yuan, who was not far away, had looked at Qiao Lan with hatred, indifference, and even ridicule.


    She wouldn¡¯t have brought them such disaster if it weren¡¯t for her shamelessness.

 Chapter 155 - 155 Escape

    155 Chapter 155 Escape


    Now that she had caused her mother¡¯s death, he felt some sympathy for her.


    However, it wasn¡¯t that he sympathized with her, but rather if she would regret her previous betrayal. Would she regret doing it because of Gu Chengrui¡¯s charm despite knowing they couldn¡¯t be together and eventually harming others?


    Did she regret it? Of course, Qiao Lan regretted it long ago, but she didn¡¯t know Gu Chengrui had saved Zhou Huaiming, so she never felt that she had done anything wrong.


    However, after seeing what happened to her mother and having her mother die in her arms, she finally knew what she did wrong.


    Just like her father had said, they were enemies. Even if Gu Chengrui knew Zhou Huaiming would harm the Qiao family after he recovered, he wouldn¡¯t have said anything.


    At this thought, a glint of hatred shed in her eyes.


    The officer didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, so when he saw her eyes full of hatred, he thought she was targeting him. He went up and gave her a whip. ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. We can only be safe if we get out of the snow zone as soon as possible.¡±


    After that, he muttered a few words to the others, and they became wary of Qiao Lan. If she did anything aggressive, she would be beaten up immediately.


    Three days passed just like that. On the night of the third day, an officer quietly called Qiao Lan out.


    At first, Qiao Lan didn¡¯t want to go. She was afraid they would do something to her, but these few days, she had been beaten constantly, so, in the end, she obediently followed.


    After walking to some ruins not far away, the officer said, ¡°Go. Someone wants to see you.¡±


    Qiao Lan was stunned for a moment. She thought of her brother and immediately walked out.


    Under the light of the snow, she could vaguely see that it was a man who wasn¡¯t very tall. There was a person at his feet, or rather, a corpse.


    She realized something and quickly said, ¡°Mister, are you here to pick me up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that your mother is gone?¡± The man said in a deep voice.


    ¡°Yes, it was three days ago.¡± Qiao Lan said indignantly, ¡°Why did you onlye now? My mother would still be alive.¡±


    ¡°We can only save one. So, isn¡¯t that great? Or do you prefer that I make a choice?¡± The man said in a bad mood.


    ¡°Scream a few times; the more painful sounding, the better,¡± said the main.


    After saying that, he started to howl like a wolf.


    At first, Qiao Lan¡¯s face turned pale, but she quickly understood what he meant and started to scream.


    When the officer from before came over, he asked Qiao Lan to change her clothes quickly.


    She tore the clothes apart and threw them near the corpse. Then, Qiao Lan realized that the corpse had been bitten to the point that it no longer looked human.


    There was a wolf¡¯s corpse on the side, and she was so scared that she couldn¡¯t help but tremble.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, or do you really want to be eaten by wolves?¡± The man stepped forward to grab her, then immediately turned around and left.


    The officer also pretended to shout to attract others¡¯ attention to ¡°her¡± miserable state. Then he left in a hurry.


    Soon, another wolf arrived and tore the corpse into pieces, which were already beyond recognition.


    In the county office, Zhou Huaiming handed over the information about the 1000 troops stationed here to County Mayor Kong and said a few words, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you, Mr. Kong. I¡¯ll be returning to the camp tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Are you in a hurry? If not, why not leave a dayter? Tomorrow, let¡¯s go for another meal of hotpot.¡± County Mayor Kong suggested.


    Zhou Huaiming hesitated for a moment. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go then. I¡¯ll bring some back if it¡¯s convenient for my cousin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you this time.¡±


    ¡°No need; I¡¯ll pay. You just have to remember to take care of the couple in the future, as long as they don¡¯t break thew.

 Chapter 156 - 156 Farewell (1)

    156 Chapter 156 Farewell (1)


    ¡°No problem,¡± County Mayor Kong paused and asked some more, ¡°By the way, are you really going to keep Constable Li and Qiao Lanping alive? I heard they¡¯re nning to bring Qiao Lan and her mother back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because I discovered that an underground force is helping them. They can be used to lure those people out.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for all the underground forces here to gather before we capture them all in one fell swoop. Otherwise, once they¡¯ve settled down and grown, they¡¯ll cause us more trouble.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave you to your work. I have to go back and pack up as I¡¯ll leave town tomorrow.¡± Zhou Huaiming turned around and walked out.


    After he left, County Mayor Kong read the garrison¡¯s situation and shook his head. ¡°No wonder the previous governor acted like a king. How much did he spend bribing these people?¡±


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui returned and saw the seafood feast on the table when he entered the interspace. He was drooling, especially after noticing the steamed abalone with garlic vermicelli and lobster.


    ¡°Look at you,¡± Zhou Ying scolded with a smile. ¡°Hurry up and wash your hands.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for two months and haven¡¯t had any seafood other than crab. I¡¯m craving this so badly.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he saw a bottle of normal liquor on the table and paused. ¡°Babe, let¡¯s have the bottle of white wine, and that would be perfect to go with the seafood.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Let¡¯s have a feast then.¡± Zhou Ying said as she put the alcohol aside and went to the warehouse to open a bottle of high-end white wine.


    After they had their fill, Gu Chengrui told Zhou Ying about his visit to the Gu family. ¡°We don¡¯t have to give them anything more next time. Mrs. Liu is just insatiable, and the shamelessness of her attitude is unbearable.¡±


    ¡°True. Since they don¡¯t like it, don¡¯t even think about asking for more in the future.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    After that, the couple got up and went to do their things.


    The next day, as soon as Zhou Ying arrived at the restaurant, she saw Sun Hongliang entertaining Zhou Huaiming and County Mayor Kong. She paused for a moment before walking over and asking, ¡°Brother Zhou, Mr. Kong, why are you here this early?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m returning to the military camp today, so I came to say goodbye and have a hot pot while I¡¯m at it. By the way, can I take this pot with me?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked. ¡°I also want to take away two sets of ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll prepare the base ingredients for you, and you can buy the meat yourself.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll have to trouble Manager Zhou to prepare two sets for me too.¡± County Mayor Kong requested.


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll go and prepare now while you guys chat.¡± Zhou Yingter asked a worker to go to the clinic and call Gu Chengrui back.


    Meanwhile, she went to the kitchen and started to pack the base and dipping sauce for them in a can.


    After she was done, she wrote down the instructions and dosage.


    The rest was made into a hotpot and served to them.


    Zhou Huaiming saw hering over and pointed to the seat next to Gu Chengrui. ¡°Since the restaurant isn¡¯t busy right now, let your workers prepare the rest, and we should have a meal together.¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not. This meal is our farewell party for Brother Zhou. I wish you a safe journey.¡± Zhou Ying said as she sat beside Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m trying to escape from this meal.¡± Zhou Huaiming was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t this what we should do? If youe back, remember toe and find us.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly said. He ced half a te of mutton into the pot and continued, ¡°Thismb meat is tender and will be cooked as soon as it curls up. Help yourself.¡±

 Chapter 157 - 157 Farewell (2)

    157 Chapter 157 Farewell (2)


    ¡°Of course, I know about that.¡± Zhou Huaiming said as he picked up a piece of meat, ¡°To be honest, Zhou Ying¡¯s cooking skills are so good that I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be craving it in less than a month.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. It¡¯s cold, so why not I make some food now and then and have Manager Liu bring it over?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming nodded. ¡°No problem. But you have to make more, sister. Otherwise, there won¡¯t be enough for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    When they were almost done eating, she left and returned to the kitchen to wrap up the hot pot ingredients for them.


    Thinking of Zhou Huaiming¡¯s previous words, she picked up a food basket for him. There were all sorts of snacks, like veggie rolls and crunchy peanuts.


    She also packed more than ten meat biscuits in oil paper so that he could eat them after heating them on the way.


    After preparing, she ced the items on the counter and said to Sun Hongliang, ¡°Mr. Zhou and the others don¡¯t need to pay for this meal today, and it¡¯s on me.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Are these the same?¡± Sun Hongliang pointed at the things she had packed.


    ¡°This is a personal gift; you don¡¯t have to write it down in the ount books.¡± Zhou Ying spoke as Gu Chengrui brought them down.


    Zhou Ying handed the things to them and reminded them, ¡°Be careful; I put them in a y pot.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sister. How much is it?¡± Zhou Huaiming took it and asked.


    ¡°No need. I already said that today¡¯s meal is on us.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°Brother Zhou, let¡¯s go while the weather is still clear.¡± Gu Chengrui walked out with them after that.


    Seeing this, Zhou Huaiming and County Mayor Kong didn¡¯t mention paying again. After a few polite goodbyes, they went their separate ways.


    However, Zhou Huaiming didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, he went to talk to Manager Liu before he took his carriage to the military camp.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui followed Zhou Ying back to the kitchen after their guests had left. He turned his head and said to her, ¡°Brother Zhou just told me that Elder Qiao¡¯s son, Qiao Lansheng hasn¡¯t been captured. Qiao Lan might have also been rescued, so we should be careful.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they arrest her?¡± Zhou Ying was shocked. She thought the danger was over, but it seemed it was still around. She thought of something and asked, ¡°Could he be fishing for a bigger fish?¡±


    ¡°Most likely. This town is a transit station for the waterway, so it¡¯s an important strategic ce. It wouldn¡¯t be peaceful soon.¡± Gu Chengrui added.


    ¡°Keep an eye on the two workers from the old Dongxin restaurant in case they¡¯re used by someone else. I¡¯m going to the clinic.¡±


    ¡°Sure,e home early tonight if there¡¯s nothing much there.¡±


    After finishing her work in the afternoon, she went to the manor and taught them how to make tofu, its byproducts, and starch noodles. She only left after she guided them to make the finished products.


    Suddenly, Chang Shun chased after her. ¡°Mistress, I saw that the starch noodles are made from green bean starch. Taro might also be a possible recement, so can we change it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, but green bean noodles are the most suitable and delicious when cooked.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she thought of the taro noodles, and it should be fine if the taro noodles were used for shabu-shabu.


    ¡°Try it and see if you can make it. You must at least guarantee that it doesn¡¯t break down after being boiled in water constantly.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Let me try it, as we have quite a lot of taro in our vige.¡±


    ¡°If you seed, remember to tell me.¡± Zhou Ying reminded him, took Er Zhuang, and went home.


    In the evening, after dinner was ready, Zhou Ying waited until the food was cold, but Gu Chengrui still didn¡¯t return home. Thinking of him as a doctor, she did not wait any longer.


    Instead, she left half for him and started eating.


    After that, she went to her interspace to wash her dirty clothes, especially the nkets she had changed out of and dried them in the washing machine before hanging them in the vi.

 Chapter 158 - 158 New Year’s Gift (1)

    158 Chapter 158 New Year¡¯s Gift (1)


    She didn¡¯t expect that he still had yet to return when she finished her work. She was a little anxious, but she felt more at ease when she thought of his abilities.


    She would have to get an urate answer from him in the future regarding when he would return. Otherwise, it wasn¡¯t pleasant for her to keep waiting like this.


    She waited for another hour, but he still didn¡¯t return. She locked the door and left with Er Zhuang.


    They had not walked far from the vige when Er Zhuang broke free from her grasp and pounced on someone.


    !!


    Soon, Gu Chengrui¡¯sughter could be heard. She heaved a sigh of relief and waited in ce.


    When Gu Chengrui came over, Zhou Ying smelled the faint smell of blood on him and asked worriedly, ¡°Rui, you¡¯re injured?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, as it¡¯s not my blood. A seriously injured person came in the evening, and I stabilized him before rushing back. I¡¯m sorry for making you worried.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. I was just afraid that Qiao Lansheng was causing you trouble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if he¡¯s smart, he won¡¯t, at least not when the situation is unclear.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯ll only make a move after he knows most of General Zhou¡¯s men and where they¡¯re stationed.¡± Gu Chengrui added, ¡°By the way, today is the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, and I saw many on the streets preparing New Year¡¯s goods. Shouldn¡¯t we also prepare New Year¡¯s items and gifts for each family? ¡±


    ¡°New Year¡¯s gift? Oh, right, but not only for the vigers but also for Manager Liu, Doctor Luo, County Mayor Kong, and more. Since we are acquaintances, we should at least show our appreciation for the new year.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    If he had not mentioned it, she would have forgotten about it.


    After returning home, Zhou Ying heated dinner for him, then took out a pen and paper and wrote down a list of gifts.


    It was easy to prepare the vigers¡¯ gifts. They would bring some rice, noodles, meat, and more wine during the new year, which should be fine.


    The problematic parts were County Mayor Kong and some others. If they gave too much, it would seem that they were currying favor, and it would be ugly if they gave less.


    When Gu Chengrui returned, he saw her spinning her pen in a daze. He tapped her head and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°New Year¡¯s gift, what do you think should be given to County Mayor Kong and the others?¡± Zhou Ying raised her head and asked.


    Gu Chengrui looked at her pouting red lips and leaned in to kiss her. ¡°Wine and tea are a must; adding some dried fruits and meat will do.


    ¡°This way, it won¡¯t look like bribery, and it won¡¯t look shabby.¡±


    ¡°Fruits? ¡°Are they for sale in town now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re prepared for the new year. There are mandarins, oranges, apples, and pears, and I didn¡¯t see anything else.¡±


    ¡°Is it very different from the one in our interspace?¡±


    ¡°Huge difference. The ones in the interspace are too big and too fresh, so we can¡¯t use them. But if it¡¯s not fruit, it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s buy some tomorrow and send it out as soon as possible so that you won¡¯t keep thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave this to me.¡± Gu Chengrui patted his chest and said.


    After that, the two of them entered the interspace. Gu Chengrui immediately went to work while Zhou Ying took out two pots. One was filled with pig trotters, and the other had only three pork trotters.


    She took out arge pressure cooker and started making beef sauce.


    After she was done, she went to the factory area and used the blender to make three pots of meatballs. One pot of fish meatballs, one pot of beef meatballs, and thest pot being pork meatballs. She then proceeded to freeze them.


    She found homemade cured meat, sausages, chicken, and fish in a warehouse.


    After that, she prepared a bag of the dried fruits she got from the Qiao family, such as golden jujubes, longans, lotus seeds, raisins, walnuts, and so on. Finally, she added a bag of pine nuts and hazelnuts.


    After ensuring everything was ready, she hung the fruits outside and packed the rest.

 Chapter 159 - 159 New Year’s Gift (2)

    159 Chapter 159 New Year¡¯s Gift (2)


    When Gu Chengrui returned, only the smell of meat was left. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Babe, did you make more braised pig trotters?¡±


    ¡°Your nose is almost as sharp as Er Zhuang¡¯s,¡± Zhou Yingughed, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s braised pork trotters, and I made a pot of them. I put them outside, so if you want to eat, you can when we go outter.¡±


    ¡°A New Year¡¯s gift for Brother Zhou?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s our patron now, so since he loves good food, we will satisfy him on that front.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Do you think we should roast two ducks and send them over too?¡±


    ¡°The roast duck I made isn¡¯t authentic enough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a change of taste. It¡¯s not quite the same, but it¡¯s more than enough topete with. Oh right, roast one more, and we¡¯ll eat it tomorrow night.¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she turned and looked over teasingly. Why did it sound like he asked because he wanted to eat it?


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to ughter the ducks.¡± Gu Chengrui¡¯s face turned red, and he immediately ran away.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t say anything more. It wasn¡¯tte yet, so she yeasted 500 pounds of white flour and made some bread and buns.


    After that, she prepared the necessary seasonings for the roast duck. The most important was the jujube wood, the crucial ingredient in the roast duck. Although other wood could be used, it wouldck the fruity smoke vor.


    When Gu Chengrui brought the ducks over, he had already used a small stick to prop up the duck¡¯s cavity. After washing the duck¡¯s belly with boiling water, he seared the skin, added sugar, and hung it up to dry the skin.


    It would take a long time, so they cleaned up a little while waiting. When the steamed buns were cooked, they put them into a warehouse and went out of the interspace to sleep.


    After waking up, Zhou Ying went back into her interspace to plug the ducks and put them on the grill to roast slowly. She took the duck down when the fat was rendered.


    She kept the one with slightly broken skin in the storeroom to keep it warm and took the other two out of the interspace.


    Coincidentally, Gu Chengrui had also finished preparing breakfast. After the two of them finished eating, Gu Chengrui set aside a pair of pig trotters. After all, giving a gift as a pair was better.


    They wrapped the rest of the things in oil paper and ced them in two tubs. Theyter used Tian Jiawang¡¯s cart to send the stuff to Manager Liu. ¡°Uncle Liu, please help us give these to General Zhou. It¡¯s a New Year¡¯s gift from us.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ why didn¡¯t you guys give it to him personally yesterday?¡±


    ¡°He left in a hurry, and we didn¡¯t manage to make it in time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Leave it to me then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s full of food, so it would be to hurry up the delivery.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Do you have any extra vermicelli on your side? General Zhou said it was a pity that he forgot to get some from you yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Please wait a moment, and we¡¯ll return to get it now.¡± Zhou Ying said so and left Hongyun Restaurant with Gu Chengrui.


    However, Gu Chengrui went to his clinic, while Zhou Ying and Tian Jiawang returned to her restaurant.


    Zhou Ying went to the kitchen and used that as a disguise to take out five pounds of vermicelli from her interspace.


    After hesitating, she took another five pounds of spicy dried tofu and two jars of the restaurant¡¯s most expensive green bamboo shoots. She also wrote down the recipe and eating method for the roast duck and sent them back to Hongyun Restaurant.


    After leaving Hongyun Restaurant, she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to return. Instead, she strolled around the streets and realized that there were many hawker stalls along the streets.


    Not only were fruits around, but there were also stalls selling beef and mutton. Although the quantity was small, there were many people around.


    There were all sorts of dried fruits, various desserts, and snacks.


    There were also frozen fish, mainly small yellow croakers and pomfrets.


    She also didn¡¯t expect to see Second Uncle Gu and Gu Chengxi setting up a stall on the street to sell snacks.

 Chapter 160 - 160 New Year’s Gift (3)

    160 Chapter 160 New Year¡¯s Gift (3)


    They mainly sold the recipes she provided, along with some date cakes and yellow rice cakes. If she guessed correctly, they should also be millet cakes.


    Of course, there were also expensive desserts, but a cloth covered them.


    She had wanted to walk past them, but after seeing Second Uncle Gu looking over, she had no choice but to walk over. ¡°Second Uncle, how¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, much better than a few days ago. Howe you have time to go shopping?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost the new year, so I came out to buy some New Year¡¯s gifts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s already the 16th, and it¡¯s time to prepare for that. You haven¡¯t tried your Aunt Liu and Second Aunt¡¯s cooking, have you? ¡± Second Uncle Gu asked. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. You should keep it and sell it for money.¡± Zhou Ying quickly stopped him.


    Finally, she pointed at the yellow cake. ¡°This cake looks too in. You can try adding some raisins, dried dates, or red beans on top or in the middle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll bring it up to themter.¡± Second Uncle Gu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Alright, you guys continue.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she looked at Gu Chengxi, who was curled up in the cold. ¡°Chengxi, if you¡¯re cold, get up and move around. It will get colder sitting there.¡±


    ¡°I know, third sister-inw.¡± Gu Chengxi raised his head and said.


    Zhou Ying was stunned when she saw the cold sores on his face, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she ordered some dried fruits, small yellow croakers, and other fish.


    After making the reservation, she returned to her restaurant and got busy.


    In the afternoon, the dried fruits, frozen fish, and fresh fruits Gu Chengrui ordered arrived. Zhou Ying asked for them to be ced in the warehouse.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t tell Da Hua to go back. Instead, she asked her to go with Qiu Niang and Chun Niang to make as many desserts as possible so that she could gift them.


    The next day, after the gifts were prepared, she gave them to Sun Hongliang and Gu Chengrui. The men send the gifts in the name of Grasnd Taste Restaurant.


    Meanwhile, she carried two pounds each of desserts, dried fruits, beef, and mutton to send to the neighboring shops with good rtions.


    Of course, there were many returned gifts three dayster. The shops nearby gave away their own goods, plus some dried fruits.


    As for the county mayor and the others, they return with many gifts too. The county mayor gave aplete set of expensive stationery, two batches of silk cloth, two boxes of the most expensive desserts in the county, and a set of gold jewelry.


    The others were primarily rolls of cloth and different fruits; some gave sets of silver jewelry, and some gave makeup.


    Doctor Luo was the most pragmatic of all. He gave Gu Chengrui a set of silver needles, two boxes of snake oil ointment for hand protection, and a pair of gold bracelets.


    In the end, it was Manager Liu who gave the most.


    Arge bag of each of the following, dried fruit, fresh fruit, cured meat, and dried meat. Two jars of wine, eight pieces of high-quality cloth in different colors, two sets of stationery, two high-quality stamps, a collection of gold jewelry, and a set of white jade jewelry.


    Zhou Ying was speechless after receiving these. This was an exorbitant amount of gifts, and she felt rich just by receiving them.


    Sun Hongliangughed at her shocked expression. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised, as it¡¯s just a small gift from them. Their business has been doing very well since theyunched their braised meat products. Moreover, there are more than 30 Hongyun Restaurants in the entire country. So, who¡¯s the one getting rich here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because of their abilities. But since you¡¯ve said so, I¡¯ll ept it with peace of mind.¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile.


    After that, Manager Liu personally came in a horse carriage and said, ¡°Ms. Zhou,e here quickly. General Zhou¡¯s return gift has arrived.¡±


    ¡°You split the gifts into two waves?¡± Zhou Ying smiled and greeted him.

 Chapter 161 - 161 New Year’s Gift (4)

    161 Chapter 161 New Year¡¯s Gift (4)


    ¡°Of course. One of them represents Hongyun Restaurant, and the other is General Zhou¡¯s personal gift.¡± Manager Liu said with a smile.


    After that, he had people carry all the gifts into the backyard and said, ¡°Oh right, General Zhou requested that I ask you for more hotpot ingredients. There wasn¡¯t enough on his side, and they almost fought.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a littlete today. How about tomorrow? I¡¯ll send it to you tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Oh, right, this is the list of gifts. Keep it well.¡± Manager Liu said as he gave her the list of gifts and left with his men.


    Zhou Ying looked at the gift list and found it mainly seafood. They were mostly of the more precious big yellow croaker and seabass.


    There were also eight batches of silk, brocade, and other high-quality silks. Other than cloth, there were four ornaments, four small and four big vases, and some more jewelry. What puzzled her was that there were also a pair of daggers at the end.


    What was the meaning of this? Did he put these there to remind them that there was danger?


    After thinking it through, she went forward to take a look. The seafood was still frozen because of the cold weather, and she just nced at the rest quickly. Finally, she found the box where the dagger was kept.


    After opening it, she saw two daggers covered with a leather case. She casually picked up one dagger and pulled it out. Suddenly, a cold silver light shed, almost blinding her eyes.


    After getting used to it, she looked at it carefully. The appearance was ordinary, but it was not difficult to guess that this pair of daggers was precious based on the cold glint that shed. They were probably the most expensive of all the gifts General Zhou had sent over.


    She kept some seafood and put it in the warehouse for the restaurant¡¯s staff to eat for the new year, while the rest were all kept in her room.


    When Qian Zhuang came over, they loaded all the valuable things, as well as the gifts prepared for the vigers, onto the cart and brought them home.


    After returning home, Zhou Ying put all the valuable things, including all kinds of materials, into her interspace.


    She then began to prepare gifts for the elders in the vige. They preferred dried fruits, snacks, and meat. For the meat, she prepared two pounds of beef, mutton, and fish for each family.


    What was left were the patriarch and the vige chief. She added silk clothes and an extra big yellow croaker for them.


    In the end, she prepared two batches of ordinary satin for the Gu family. She threw in a set of dark gray satin with flowers and another batch of the oldest dark green satin. Of course, these were worn mainly by men.


    After hesitating, she threw in a huge piece of pig¡¯s hind.


    Gu Chengruiughed when he saw this. ¡°Are you trying to avoid giving anything to Mrs. Liu and the others?¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t mind, they can wear it too, right? Maybe they can wear it in a few years.¡± Zhou Ying said it in a weird tone.


    To be honest, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that she had given some expensive cloths to the patriarch and the vige chief, she wouldn¡¯t have given the Gu family anything.


    Since she had to give some, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to purposely not provide anything to Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao entirely, so she gave what she saw fit.


    ¡°You¡¯re so ¡®polite¡¯. Are youing with me or do I go by myself? ¡±


    ¡°You can send these to the four elders of the n by yourself. I¡¯ll go with you to the vige chief¡¯s ce, the patriarch¡¯s ce, and our old house.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go by myself first, then. We¡¯ll go to the three houses after dinner, so you go on ahead to start cooking.¡± Gu Chengrui suggested and went out with the gifts.


    Zhou Ying turned around and went to start cooking.


    After dinner, the couple put their stuff in the interspace and went out. The first ce they went to was the vige chief¡¯s house. When they arrived, the whole family was still having dinner, so they politely said a few words and put down the gifts before heading their way.


    Next, they went to the patriarch¡¯s house. The family had already finished their meal, and only the patriarch and Mrs. Wang were chatting in the living room. After the couple entered, Gu Chengrui immediately went up to them and greeted, ¡°Uncle, I am here to wish you a Happy New Year in advance.¡±

 Chapter 162 - 162 New Year’s Gift (5)

    162 Chapter 162 New Year¡¯s Gift (5)


    ¡°Come,e. Have a seat while I make some tea.¡± The patriarch looked at the things they were carrying and smiled happily.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t happy just because of their expensive gifts, and it was just that this was their first time visiting him for the new year. After noticing the expensive gifts, it showed him that they respected him a lot.


    ¡°Oh, you guys, take a seat.¡± Mrs. Wang stood up and greeted them with a smile.


    ¡°Auntie, you should take the food now, especially the meat. It might spoil if you wait any further.¡± Zhou Ying told her as she ced the clothes on the brick bed, giving her the rest.


    !!


    ¡°Sure, sure. Just have a seat, and I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Mrs. Wang took the things and went out of the living room.


    She quickly brought in a pot of tea and poured them a cup.


    After that, they greeted the couple politely, and the patriarch asked them about their lives or if they needed any help.


    The two of them answered that all was well.


    When they finished their tea and were about to leave, the patriarch smiled and said, ¡°Ying, your restaurant sells beef and mutton daily. On the 30th of the month, can you spare a cow¡¯s head to pay respects to our ancestors?


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you at the market price.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to the meat market for the past two days, and it was quite in demand and hard to get.¡±


    ¡°Only the head?¡± Zhou Ying shook her head after asking. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay, and we¡¯ll¡­¡±


    Before she could finish, the patriarch interrupted, ¡°As long as it¡¯s a cow¡¯s head, it¡¯s fine. I must pay for this as this is an important matter for the n, and it¡¯s not about favors.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll take a break on the 28th. I¡¯ll send it to you by the 29th at thetest.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been hard to get a hold of this.¡±


    ¡°You two have a good night. We still have to make a trip over there.¡±


    ¡°Go on, and have a good talk there. Let me know if they don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them and make unreasonable requests. I¡¯ll deal with them.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled but didn¡¯t reply. Instead, she walked out with Gu Chengrui.


    By the time they arrived at the Gu residence, they had finished their meal. Only Father Gu and Madam Qiao were left in the living room chatting.


    The couple put down their gifts and said, ¡°Grandma, dad, I wish you two a Happy New Year in advance.¡±


    Madam Qiao immediately got up. ¡°Good, good, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. Quickly sit down so I can chat with you two.¡±


    Father Gu stood up and made way for them when he saw this. He went outside and asked Mrs. Guo to prepare tea for them.


    Soon, everyone knew the couple was here to deliver New Year¡¯s gifts, and they all ran in one by one.


    They were all people who had seen all the luxury the world had to offer. If it were in the past, no one would be interested in such small gifts, but they were more than satisfied now.


    Especially the children, who were used to luxury.


    Therefore, all of them greeted the couple with smiles.


    Only Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao saw through their intentions. Even if they gave them the gifts, it wasn¡¯t something the twodies could use, and their faces darkened.


    But before they could open their mouths, Madam Qiao warned them with her eyes.


    Don¡¯t they know what they¡¯ve done before?


    It was already kind of them to bring so many gifts, especially cloth. What else could they be dissatisfied with?


    Thus, the entire room was quiet except for Madam Qiao¡¯s. She was asking how they had been these days.


    Naturally, Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t y it down. He emphasized the past when he lived on the mountain, and everyone was embarrassed to say anything. Even Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao¡¯s heads drooped.


    After seeing that it was effective, Gu Chengrui added, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, grandma. We¡¯re doing fine now.


    ¡°At the same time, this experience also made us understand the meaning of ¡®only through suffering can one rise above others.¡¯


    ¡°Only after suffering will you know how to cherish your current life, and only after suffering will you be able to move forward step by step.¡±

 Chapter 163 - 163 New Year’s Gift (6)

    163 Chapter 163 New Year¡¯s Gift (6)


    ¡°Well said. Only those who have suffered will know what is sweet.¡± Madam Qiao nodded in agreement.


    She then looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°Ying, I¡¯m sorry that you¡¯ve suffered in this family. Thank you for bringing Chengrui along and supporting your little family.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Madam Qiao had always thought that a young master who had never suffered wouldn¡¯t be enlightened that quickly. She could still see that her two sons hadn¡¯tpletely let go of their luxurious past.


    Only Zhou Ying, who had grown up at the bottom of society, could survive tenaciously and influence Gu Chengrui simultaneously.


    This was also why Madam Qiao suddenly asked Mrs. Liu to find a farmer¡¯s girl for Gu Chengye.


    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t understand that a small family couldn¡¯t live without a reliable and capable man to take care of it too.


    ¡°Thank you for the praise, grandma. We husband and wife are one, so it¡¯s necessary to support each other.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Husband and wife are supposed to be one. Since you¡¯ve both thought it through, you should be able to live your life well in the future.¡± Madam Qiao nodded in agreement.


    After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the couple left.


    After seeing them out, Father Gu said, ¡°Both of you are newly married this year, and it¡¯s Zhou Ying¡¯s first year in the family. So, you two cane here on the 30th to spend the new year together.¡±


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying looked at each other and replied, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be here on time.¡±


    No matter what their purpose was, they couldn¡¯t refuse him. After all, it was a custom here to spend the night together on the 30th.


    In addition, the whole vige would have a big New Year¡¯s greeting on the morning of the first day of the new year. If they didn¡¯t go, Mrs. Liu and the others would spread the news, and the good image they had crafted would drop.


    Of course, if they dared to find trouble, then don¡¯t me them for falling out.


    After the two returned home, they snuffed the fire and entered the interspace. Zhou Ying used a frying machine to stir-fry two pots of hotpot seasoning, cut them into small pieces, and mix arge jar of dipping sauce.


    Finally, she prepared 50 kilograms of vermicelli and 50 kilograms of spicy beef jerky. This should be enough for Brother Zhou.


    After they were done, Zhou Ying remembered the dagger. When Gu Chengrui returned, she handed him a dagger and said, ¡°This is from Brother Zhou, and we can keep one for each of us for self-defense.¡±


    Gu Chengrui opened it and took a look. ¡°This is really good stuff, and it¡¯s as good as a specially-made scalpel.


    ¡°But you should take it; I¡¯m better off using my scalpel.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too, so let¡¯s just leave it here. I also think that using a boning knife is easier for my daily tasks. Also, you¡¯re making us sound like executioners,¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile.


    ¡°Haha, but when it¡¯s time to act, don¡¯t hesitate. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be the ones to lose our lives.¡± Gu Chengrui continued, ¡°It seems that when we butcher pigs, cows, and sheep in the future, we should ughter them alive. This way, we can practice.


    ¡°Remember, no matter if it¡¯s a human or an animal, no matter where you attack from, you have to tilt it at about 45 degrees and stab it in the heart. Only then can you kill it in one stroke.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t need to use this advice in my life.¡±


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t force her. After all, she had her interspace and many ways to defend herself.


    The next day, under Manager Liu¡¯s astonished gaze, Zhou Ying put down the goods and returned to her restaurant.


    After Qian Zhuang and the others returned in the evening, Zhou Ying said, ¡°Tomorrow, you don¡¯t have to go collect vegetables for the next two days. Go to other towns or counties and sell the cow and sheep heads in our ice cer.¡±


    She thought of this after leaving the patriarch¡¯s house yesterday. The cow and sheep heads at the end of the year were much more expensive than usual, especially the sheep, and it would bring them a great profit if sold individually.

 Chapter 164 - 164 New Year’s Gift (7)

    164 Chapter 164 New Year¡¯s Gift (7)


    ¡°Cow and sheep heads.¡± After Qian Zhuang heard this, he and Gu Erjiang looked at each other and immediately understood what she meant. They nodded and continued, ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll sell the cow and sheep heads in stock.¡±


    ¡°By the way, you two can also keep an eye on the market price of the beef and mutton intestines. If the price is right, sell the ones we have lying around.


    ¡°As for the matter regarding money or taking them from the warehouse, you can look for Manager Sun.¡±


    ¡°No problem, leave it to us.¡± Qian Zhuang patted his chest and stated.


    !!


    Zhou Ying did not expect these to be sold out so quickly in two days, especially the cow heads. Zhou Ying even had to instruct Sun Hongliang to leave one for her especially.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the 28th day of the month.


    Zhou Ying gave Sun Hongliang, Tian Jiawang, Da Hua, and the two waiters who didn¡¯t stay in the restaurant five pounds of beef, the same amount ofmb, a big yellow croaker, a bass, and two pounds of snacks and dried fruits each.


    After that, Zhou Ying calcted that they had made a profit of 6,668 taels of silver in a month.


    Thus, she announced, ¡°Everyone, wait a moment. You¡¯ve all worked hard this month, and it¡¯s also the new year. Since the restaurant covers your meals, I won¡¯t bother giving you all more food.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an extra month¡¯s sry as a bonus. Everyone, please use this to buy some new year goods or new clothes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, mistress. Thank you so much.¡± Sun Hongliang smiled and bowed.


    The others immediately echoed this gratitude.


    Zhou Ying smiled. ¡°I also wish everyone good health in the new year and a happy life.¡±


    After that, she gave each of them an extra month¡¯s sry.


    When less than 200 copper coins were left, Zhou Ying took some extra copper from her purse and put it in a red packet. She handed 100 copper coins each to Li Yue and Da Hua. ¡°This is the new year¡¯s money for the two of you. Keep it and buy some candy to enjoy the new year.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, mistress. I wish you great fortune in the next year.¡± Li Yue took it with a smile.


    ¡°Haha, this blessing ismon, but I like it very much.¡±


    The crowd burst intoughter.


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie Gu,¡± Da Hua said, blushing. ¡°I wish you will get prettier as each year passes.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment, as she didn¡¯t expect her to say words of blessing.


    ¡°Auntie Gu loves this blessing, too,¡± she said, going up and ruffling her hair. ¡°I also wish my Da Hua would grow up to be a beautifuldy.¡±


    Tian Jiawang alsoughed when he saw this. His sister was right to send her here, as she finally learned to integrate into her surrounding environment.


    When Gu Chengrui reached the restaurant at night, they didn¡¯t go home. Everyone had a happy early New Year¡¯s Eve gathering dinner.


    Zhou Ying entrusted the restaurant to Zhao Cheng and Li Sheng the following day. Once that was done, she, Qian Zhuang, and Gu Erjiang delivered the gifts she had prepared to the manor¡¯s long-term workers.


    The gifts for them were different from the others. She prepared ten pounds of white flour and polished rice, two pounds of dried fruits, sugar cubes, desserts, and added two pounds of fish for each worker.


    However, the one prepared for Uncle Nian was different. He had two pounds of dried fruits and snacks, a big pork joint, two braised fish, a roasted chicken, two pounds of five-spice and spicy dried tofu, and finally, a hundred frozen dumplings that were especially left for him yesterday.


    With these things, he could have a scrumptious new year.


    After arriving in the vige, Zhou Ying ordered some vigers to ughter two more sheep and distribute the meat to everyone.


    However, she kept the bones and gave themb intestines to Uncle Nian because she heard that the old man was good at making a feast out of them.


    All the workers were naturally delighted after receiving the gifts, and they finally acknowledged Zhou Ying as their mistress.


    This was because Elder Qiao never once prepared New Year¡¯s gifts for them. At most, he would order a sheep to be ughtered for everyone to eat when he was happy.

 Chapter 165 - 165 New Year (1)

    165 Chapter 165 New Year (1)


    Amidst a warm farewell, Zhou Ying and the other two left the vige. Of course, Qian Zhuang and Gu Hanjiang also had their New Year¡¯s gifts, just like Tian Jiawang and the others.


    There was still the cow¡¯s head left.


    After arriving at the vige, Zhou Ying gave the cow¡¯s head to the patriarch and got a tael of silver as payment.


    She had also epted another job. The patriarch had asked her to prepare six types of fried offerings for tomorrow.


    !!


    In the afternoon, Zhou Ying cleaned the house from inside to outside, and Gu Chengrui rushed back with Er Zhuang when she was almost done.


    ¡°Why are you back so early?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be the 30th tomorrow, so we left early.¡± Gu Chengrui exined and handed her a silver note. ¡°This is the bonus from before the new year. Although it¡¯s not as much as the restaurant, it¡¯s still a decent chuck.¡±


    Zhou Ying took it and nced at it. It was a silver note worth 100 taels. She nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s quite the sum. By the way, I¡¯ve been cleaning the whole afternoon so you can cook dinner.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Let¡¯s have noodles and tomato egg soup today.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll prepare the ingredients for you.¡± Zhou Ying agreed, and she took out all the ingredients he needed.


    As soon as she came out of the kitchen, she saw Sister Tian walking in with a basket. ¡°I thought you guys should be back, and I prepared some New Year¡¯s goods. I brought some over for you because I assumed you didn¡¯t prepare anything. Do try out my cooking.¡±


    She handed the basket to her and turned to leave.


    ¡°Thank you, Sister Tian.¡± Zhou Ying quickly thanked her.


    She carried the basket into the kitchen and opened the cloth to take a look. In the middle was arge bowl of meatballs fried with minced meat and steamed buns.


    There were also cakes wrapped in straw paper, dumplings, and sesame seed goodies.


    After putting everything in her interspace, she washed the basket and returned it with a big bowl of fried yellow croaker.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui chatted for a while, then went to the interspace to cook more. They made a batch of everything fried, such as hemp leaves, small dough sticks, fried peas, and fried pancakes.


    The next day, Gu Chengrui went to the ancestral hall early in the morning with the fried food. Zhou Ying tidied up the house and put a big bowl of fried small yellow croaker, one whole pork shank, and two pounds of five-spice shredded tofu in a basket.


    This was the dish they would bring to the Gu family¡¯s house tonight.


    When they were almost done, they went to the ancestral hall. It was packed full of people. The men brought their children to pay respects to their ancestors, while the women set up a shed nearby to cook.


    This left her a little dumbfounded. As an ex-Northerner, she had only heard of these lively ancestral worship ceremonies but had never seen them in real life.


    ¡°Chengrui¡¯s wife,e and help us. We would love to try your cooking.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu stood in the shed and waved at her.


    ¡°Oh, hi, I¡¯ming.¡± Zhou Ying responded and walked over. She found that there was a lot of food inside, and it was no wonder they were busy here, even with so many people.


    ¡°Oh, you know how to make crispy pork, right? The patriarch alwaysined that we didn¡¯t fry it crispy enough.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu turned her head and asked.


    ¡°Yes. The key is in the flour if you want the crispy pork to be delicious. The meat has to be marinated thoroughly, and the meat has to be tenderized.¡± Zhou Ying washed her hands and began to get busy.


    After she marinated the meat, Mrs. Wang quietly walked over and said, ¡°Ying, didn¡¯t you bring anything when you came?¡±

 Chapter 166 - 166 New Year (2)

    166 Chapter 166 New Year (2)


    ¡°Bring what?¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and asked in confusion.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone tell you?¡±


    ¡°Please say what you want, as I do not understand what you mean?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Mrs. Wang didn¡¯t know what to say when she saw her confused look.


    After that, she pulled her aside and asked, ¡°You know that we need to burn paper money to pay respects to our ancestors, right? You¡¯ve already separated from your main family and are now independent, so you must prepare some paper money for each ancestor.


    ¡°There¡¯s also pork and noodles for the offering. Although they were bought with money from the n, each family would also prepare some more food when they came.


    ¡°Basically, just some simple cooking or offerings.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and said, ¡°The patriarch told us to prepare some fried goods, so we didn¡¯t prepare anything else.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s probably toote to buy paper money now.¡±


    ¡°How about this? I still have some paper money left at home, soe with me. No matter what, you need some.¡± said Mrs. Wang.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll let Sixth Aunt know.¡± Zhou Ying agreed, and she went to her, ¡°Sixth Aunt, I¡¯m going out for a while. I¡¯ll fry the crispy meat when Ie back.¡±


    After that, the two women hurried out. Zhou Ying quickly cut the paper money while Mrs. Wang helped arrange them. After 15 minutes, they had a stack ready.


    Mrs. Wang measured the thickness and said, ¡°It should be enough, so remember to give it to Chengrui. He¡¯ll have to go to the ancestral hall to burn these.


    ¡°Oh right, incense too. Chengrui will need these too.¡±


    Mrs. Wang said as she turned around, took out a small incense stick from the cab drawer, and handed it to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, Auntie,¡± said Zhou Ying after they went out. ¡°Otherwise, we would have made a fool of ourselves today.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be med for this since no one told you about it. You wouldn¡¯t know about this otherwise.¡± Mrs. Wang couldn¡¯t help but ridicule Madam Qiao and the others at this time.


    How could those elders not tell the younger generation about such an important thing? What an irresponsible bunch!


    She didn¡¯t know Madam Qiao and the others had long forgotten this rule.


    When they were in the capital, they only returned with gifts yearly and had never participated in ancestral worship.


    Paying respects to their ancestors in the capital was a simplified process. The servants had prepared those during the new year and festivals, and the masters were there just for formality. So they always assumed it was the same over here as well.


    Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu were stuck in a rut when the two women returned. The patriarch was going around and exchanging the things they needed and asking the other n members to give them a portion if they had any extra.


    Just as Gu Chengrui was thinking of asking someone else for some, Zhou Ying walked to his side. ¡°Crazy, right? These are for you. Later on, watch what others do and quickly learn. Don¡¯t make a fool of ourselves again.¡±


    Gu Chengrui saw the items in her hands and almost kissed her on the spot. He took it and eximed excitedly, ¡°You really are my savior.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t be here anymore. I have to go and cook.¡± After Zhou Ying clenched her fist to cheer him on, she turned around and returned to the shed to help with the cooking.


    The main dishes were crispy meat and stir-fried vegetables, most of which were almost finished.


    Just as she was about to start cooking, she suddenly heard a series of shouts, followed by amotion.


    Since she couldn¡¯t enter the ancestral hall, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to go over. Instead, she continued her cooking.


    When it was time to eat, she was dumbfounded again. After cooking all this time, no woman was allowed at the table, and they could only hide in the shed and eat.


    Also, they could only eat steamed buns with vegetables, which was frustrating to her.


    This also reminded her of the status of men and women in this society. No wonder Mrs. Liu didn¡¯t dare say anything to Father Gu, no matter how arrogant she was.

 Chapter 167 - 167 New Year (3)

    167 Chapter 167 New Year (3)


    After the meal, Zhou Ying went out to look for Gu Chengrui after helping to clean up the mess.


    She didn¡¯t expect to be surrounded by so many people. Some wereplimenting him, while others were trying to please him, almost treating him like an emperor.


    Gu Chengrui was trying his best to deal with them, so his eyes lit up brightly when he saw hering toward him. He immediately stood up and said, ¡°Uncles and brothers, please excuse me. I still have things to do at home, so let¡¯s talk another day.¡±


    After that, he bowed, cupped his hands, and then hurriedly walked to Zhou Ying.


    The crowd looked at him, immediatelyughed, and began teasing the two.


    However, the couple pretended not to hear them and quickly rushed home.


    When they arrived home, Zhou Ying looked at him, rubbing his cheeks, and asked curiously, ¡°Really? So happy until your face is stiff from all that smiling?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a fake smile.¡± Gu Chengrui was speechless.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Do you know that every household will burn incense?¡±


    ¡°I heard an aunt mention it, but I don¡¯t understand the customs.¡±


    ¡°I only found out after the event. Whoever¡¯s incense burned the brightest would have a better year.¡±


    At this time, Zhou Ying remembered the exmations she had heard while cooking. ¡°So, our incense burned the brightest?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, a bright and strong me. That¡¯s why they¡¯ve been pestering me, saying that if there¡¯s any more way I have to earn money next year, we¡¯ll have to bring them along.¡±


    ¡°What an old-way of thinking.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°But if theye to you again, you can tell them to nt more chilies and vegetables to provide for our restaurant,¡± she added.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid they wouldn¡¯t let us go this easily.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    Right now, the chilies they were using mainly came from her interspace. This wasn¡¯t a long-term solution, and this matter needed to be dealt with sooner orter.


    Afterwards, Zhou Ying turned on the fire and cooked for Er Zhuang. She boiled a pot of water and made a pot of chrysanthemum tea for the two of them, and they rested before carrying the things they had prepared to the Gu Manor.


    Gu Chengxi, waiting at the door, saw them and immediately came forward to greet them. ¡°Chengrui, third sister-inw, I knew you would be here soon.¡±


    Then, two little girls ran over and greeted sweetly, ¡°Third brother, third sister-inw,¡±


    Zhou Ying regretted that she had forgotten to prepare some snacks, so she had to use the basket as a cover to grab arge number of fruit candies from her interspace and divide them. ¡°Don¡¯t eat it all at once, or you¡¯ll have a toothache,¡±


    ¡°Thank you, third sister-inw,¡± The two girls immediately ran in with a smile after getting the candy.


    ¡°Third sister-inw, I¡¯ll help you carry the basket.¡± Gu Chengxi said as he took the basket.


    ¡°No need. I¡¯m going to the kitchen, so I¡¯ll need theseter.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and check how much you¡¯ve learned.¡± Gu Chengrui put his arm around Gu Chengxi¡¯s shoulder and walked in.


    ¡°Ah, Chengrui, maybe not during the new year.¡± Gu Chengxi immediately wailed.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying shook her head and went to the kitchen with her basket. She saw Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Sun busy inside and Gu Ziqiong sitting in front of the stove, quietly stoking the fire.


    ¡°Aunt Guo, Aunt Sun, Happy New Year, Sixth Sister,¡± she greeted.


    ¡°Nice, nice, you are here. Oh, you shouldn¡¯t have brought more food; there¡¯s really no need,¡± Madam Sun enthusiastically replied.


    She knew that the couple had been secretly helping her son, Chengxi. Otherwise, Chengxi wouldn¡¯t have been able to eat his fill at home.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, just two dishes. You guys can arrange it as you see fit.¡± Zhou Ying said as she handed her the basket and told her what to do with it.


    ¡°Is there anything else I can help you all with?¡± she asked.

 Chapter 168 - 168 New Year (4)

    168 Chapter 168 New Year (4)


    ¡°Not really. You can go inside and chat with them, as just us being here will be enough.¡± Mrs. Guo turned her head and spoke with a smile.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s status was different from before. Mrs. Guo might need to ask her for assistance in the future, so she couldn¡¯t order her around like before.


    ¡°Yes, yes, don¡¯t worry about it. If there are too many people here, it will hinder our movement anyway.¡± Mrs. Sun quickly echoed.


    ¡°Alright, if you need anything, just call me.¡± Zhou Ying reminded them as she turned around and walked back to the living room.


    ¡°Ying, you¡¯re here. Come and sit with Grandma.¡± As soon as Madam Qiao saw here in, she immediately waved her hands.


    Zhou Ying paused and sat next to Madam Qiao after greeting several other elders. She looked at the dark green top she was wearing and said, ¡°Grandma, you look lovely in this color.¡±


    ¡°Really? I do quite like this color, and it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± When Madam Qiao said this, she sized her up and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing any new clothes during the new year?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wearing new clothes too. As for my New Year¡¯s clothes, I¡¯m nning to wear them tomorrow, which is the actual day of the New Year.¡± She exined as she drew her Burgundy cloak.


    ¡°That¡¯s lovely. You¡¯re still young, so you should make more clothes to wear when you have the money. Otherwise, you¡¯ll look like a bucket no matter what you wear when you¡¯re old and out of shape. You won¡¯t look good in them then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you advise, then.¡±


    ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve been married for more than three months. Are there any movements in your body?¡±


    Her question stumped Zhou Ying. She quickly realized what she meant when she saw Madam Qiao¡¯s eyes staring at her stomach.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. We¡¯re still young and want to save up some money, so we¡¯ll wait until things havepletely stabilized before trying for one,¡± she said, smiling.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You wake up early and sleepte at night daily, so it¡¯s not suitable for you to have one now.


    ¡°However, you have to do it while you¡¯re still young. It¡¯ll be hard for you to have children when you¡¯re older.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that to heart, Grandma.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Mrs. Liu sneered as she ate melon seeds while looking at them happily chatting, especially at Madam Qiao. How could she not know that this old hag disliked the poor and favored the rich?


    If Madam Qiao had treated Zhou Ying like this back then, their family would be the ones getting wealthy.


    However, since her son and her husband had repeatedly warned her, she only treated them as background noise and continued eating her melon seeds.


    When Mrs. Yao saw this, she was happy about Mrs. Liu¡¯s loss but also didn¡¯t want to offend Zhou Ying again. Thus, she was happy enough to watch the drama between them.


    Father Gu, Second Uncle Gu, and Gu Chengzhi were all reserved and quiet on the men¡¯s side.


    Only Gu Chengye and Gu Chengxi kept Gu Chengruipany and chatted with him about all kinds of topics, from mathematics to food.


    Gu Chengxi thought of hotpot and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Chengrui, I haven¡¯t eaten hotpot before. When are you going to treat me to a meal? Father did say it¡¯s delicious.


    ¡°I heard good things, especially about the tripe. ¡°I heard it¡¯s numbing, spicy, chewy, and that anyone who eats it will want to eat more.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Second Uncle Gu coughed and quipped, ¡°If you want to eat it, just say you want to eat it. Don¡¯t drag me into the conversation.¡±


    Gu Chengxi secretly pouted. He had been taught to be honest, but in the end, the person who taught him didn¡¯t do the same¡ªthe hypocrisy.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui smirked internally and said, ¡°There¡¯s no problem if you want to eat a hotpot. How about we have lunch there tomorrow afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Chengxi was overjoyed. Then, as if afraid Gu Chengrui would regret his decision, he quickly turned his head to his father. ¡°Father, I¡¯ll go to third brother¡¯s house for lunch tomorrow. You don¡¯t have to wait for me for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Go, but don¡¯t cause trouble, understand?¡± Second Uncle Gu said it through gritted teeth.


    At the same time, he cursed inwardly, ¡°This little heartless brat. He isn¡¯t even going to suggest bringing his father along with him for such a good opportunity.¡±

 Chapter 169 - 169 New Year (5)

    169 Chapter 169 New Year (5)


    Soon, dinner was ready. Zhou Ying got up and helped to set the table.


    After the meal was served, they were divided into two tables, as usual, men and women.


    After the dishes were served, Madam Qiao instantly recognized the dishes Zhou Ying had brought and then said to Mrs. Yao on the side, ¡°Give me some of each of the three dishes Zhou Ying had brought. I want to see if her cooking has improved.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just sit tight.¡± Mrs. Yao stood up and handed her a portion of each dish. Of course, she also gave her and her daughter-inw a portion.


    When everyone saw this, they immediately took some too. It was mainly because Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Sun¡¯s dishes were ordinary, and everyone had long been tired of eating them. When they saw a more delicious option, they naturally didn¡¯t hesitate.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t join in the fun but ate the other dishes.


    Of course, another person did not participate in the snatching. It was the pregnant Mrs. Yang. However, she had a mother-inw to serve her, making her attitude high and mighty. It was as if she were no different from their previous lives.


    It was the same for the men¡¯s table with Zhou Ying¡¯s food finishing the fastest. Zhou Chengye picked up thest bit of yellow croaker and said, ¡°Chengrui is sure blessed. Sister-inw¡¯s dishes are getting better and better.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better than the meal we had at noon.¡± Second Uncle Gu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°To be honest, whether it¡¯s delicious or not is mostly due to the seasoning. The seasoning for lunch is simple, but these dishes are made in a restaurant with enough prep.¡± Gu Chengrui said so proudly.


    How could he not be proud? His wife started cooking when she was eight years old and could make all kinds of dishes. Maybe some dishes weren¡¯t as good as those prepared by professional chefs, as she hadn¡¯t obtained authentic recipes, but her skills were definitely at the level of a chef.


    Everyone was speechless after looking at his smug expression as they remembered his cold attitude towards her before.


    They hadn¡¯t expected that his attitude would take a turn after a few months. If they weren¡¯t sure that he hadn¡¯t been reced, they would have thought he was entirely someone else.


    They didn¡¯t know they had found the truth, but this truth waspletely buried in the ground.


    Among them, Gu Chengzhi was the one with the most mixed feelings. Honestly, he had looked down on the couple before, especially regarding status.


    He was the son of his father¡¯s first wife, and his wife was the daughter of a government official. They were the best in the family.


    On the other hand, one of them was an illegitimate son who had lost his biological mother, while the other was an illegitimate daughter the familypletely ignored. They were born with statues that were worlds apart.


    But in the end, Gu Chengzhi had to work hard daily to earn just 20 copper coins to support the family, while his wife stayed home to take care of the baby.


    As for the other couple, one was a respected doctor, and the other was raking in money. They were thriving andpletely different from before.


    Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but look at his wife, Mrs. Yang. As expected, she still looked aloof from the reality they were in.


    Gu Chengzhi thought about the child in her stomach, and he suddenly had a headache. He couldn¡¯t afford to have a child with just 20 copper coins daily, and he had to think of a way to start a business.


    ¡°Chengrui, do you have any ns after the new year?¡± Father Gu asked.


    ¡°You mean in that aspect?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the thing that the n members mentioned about bringing everyone along to do. This can be big or small, but you must handle it well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Even if you refuse, you have to be tactful about doing it. Otherwise, you will offend the others.¡± Second Uncle Gu chimed in.


    Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengye, originally unconcerned about their conversation, immediately perked up their ears and listened.


    ¡°Ying and I have already thought about this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how do you guys n to solve this?¡± Father Gu asked curiously. At the same time, he was also looking forward to their idea, hoping it would be useful to him.

 Chapter 170 - 170 New Year (6)

    170 Chapter 170 New Year (6)


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of the nt, chili? It¡¯s the main ingredient for hot pot.¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s the red and spicy one.¡± Second Uncle Gu nodded.


    ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t produce chili in this area, so it¡¯s 30% more expensive to import. So we were going to propose that they nt it, and we¡¯d supply the seeds.


    ¡°There are also various kinds of vegetables we need. If anyone can grow them, the restaurant will buy from them.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    !!


    ¡°Farming, huh.¡± Second Uncle Gu lost interest when he heard this.


    ¡°Chengrui, do you know about the production quantity of chili?¡± Gu Chengzhi asked curiously.


    He couldn¡¯t leave for an outstation trip for a year or two because his wife was pregnant. He could try it out if the ie from nting chili were good.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details, but I heard it¡¯s more cost-effective than growing normal grains and vegetables, and they don¡¯t need particrly fertilend.¡± Gu Chengrui replied vaguely.


    He only knew that chili in both the interspace and modern times was considered a high-yield crop, but he couldn¡¯t be sure since he had never nted it in these ancient times.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them before, and the output should not be low.


    ¡°When it ripens, the nt will be so filled with red chilis that you can¡¯t even see its leaves. The main point is that it can be nted in mountains or sand, so I think it¡¯s rtively drought-resistant.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good.¡± Second Uncle Gu said.


    ¡°Yup, if it¡¯s sessful, it¡¯ll be much better than nting a single crop.¡± Father Gu nodded.


    ¡°How many seeds do you have? Is it enough for everyone?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes. We peeled half of the seeds from the chili we bought earlier to nt them ourselves.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°But I don¡¯t suggest destroying the grain crop you have nted. After all, they are something to fill your stomach with, and that¡¯s much more important.


    ¡°The problem is that we can¡¯t say for sure what the yield will be after nting it, so we rmend using the vegetable garden or some extrand to nt it as a trial.


    ¡°If it¡¯s sessful, I¡¯ll give more seeds next year.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Don¡¯t go making empty promises and decisions for others.¡± Father Gu nodded in agreement.


    He felt gratified and sad at the same time.


    He was d that he had matured and was more tactful in his words and actions. He was no longer as stubborn as he used to be.


    The unfortunate thing was that he was forced to mature, which caused him to lose his good rtionship with them.


    After the meal, they sat down and chatted for a while. When Madam Qiao was tired, the young couple took their baskets and went home.


    Gu Chengzhi and his wife returned to their bedroom, and he told Mrs. Yang about nting chili. ¡°Darling, I think this is feasible. Let¡¯s buy two acres of barrennd and try it.¡±


    ¡°Barrennd? But that means we have to plow it up, right? You do know we don¡¯t have any servants now, and I can¡¯t do any work.


    ¡°Besides, you¡¯re doing a good job in the workshop; how will you have the time for this?


    ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work and you lose the workshop job, what will we do in the future?¡± Mrs. Yang said in disagreement.


    After hearing this, Gu Chengzhi hesitated momentarily and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do the job at the workshop anymore. It¡¯s tiring and only earns me a little.


    ¡°Now that the Qiao family is gone, I want to take a gamble. Otherwise, our lives will be stagnant like this forever.¡±


    Mrs. Yang fell silent upon hearing this. To be honest, she had had enough of this kind of life where she could neither eat her fill nor starve to death. However, the husband and wife had never suffered before, let alone farming.


    She hesitated for a moment. ¡°I think uncle and father will decide on this matter soon. Let¡¯s see what the family will do before we decide if we want to go on ourselves.¡±

 Chapter 171 - 171 New Year (7)

    171 Chapter 171 New Year (7)


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what happens then.¡± Gu Chengzhi nodded.


    Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu, who were on night duty in the main hall, also discussed this. However, their family only had 100 acres ofnd, and all of it was nted with wheat, so there was no morend to grow chili.


    In the end, Father Gu said, ¡°If we really can¡¯t do it, let¡¯s see if anyone hasnd to sell. If not, we can buy some barrennd to nt vegetables, as we can¡¯t keep buying them with our current ie.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Since there¡¯s no tax for the next five years, we can try it. If this chili thing doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll turn it into a vegetable garden.¡± Second Uncle Gu nodded in agreement.


    !!


    At that time, Mrs. Yao couldn¡¯t bear to listen anymore. The men only thought about how they could earn money by farming, but why didn¡¯t they think about whether they knew how to farm or not?


    At the thought of this, she asked, ¡°Brother, darling, you¡¯re both thinking about farming. But which one of you knows how to farm? You¡¯ve never even watered the flowers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no matter how high the ie from farming is, there¡¯s a limit. If we were to hire workers, we might as well not farm.¡± Mrs. Liu echoed.


    ¡°Who would know how to do anything when they were born? You didn¡¯t know how to grow bean sprouts before, but you¡¯ve learned it now.¡± Second Uncle Gu said indignantly.


    ¡°Speaking of bean sprouts, fewer people are selling them now. We can try that out.¡± Father Gu added.


    ¡°That¡¯s because there are no more cheap beans. The green beans in the grain shop have grown to seven coppers per pound now.¡± Mrs. Liu mentioned.


    ¡°One pound of beans grows to about ten pounds of bean sprouts. We won¡¯t lose money no matter what, as there will be no more vegetables for sale after the new year. This will be a good opportunity.¡± Father Gu insisted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it then. We can sell them for at least one or two months before the vegetables grow.¡± Second Uncle Gu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°You¡¯re not buying a boat?¡± Mrs.Yao saw that they were hard-bent on farming and hurriedly asked.


    ¡°You have the silver for that?¡± Second Uncle Gu retorted in a bad mood.


    Father Gu replied, ¡°Let¡¯s forget about buying a boat for now. Let¡¯s see if we can rent one after the river opens.¡±


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying returned home and gave Er Zhuang a pot of pork ribs to enjoy the new year.


    The two of them took a bath and changed into new clothes the next morning before going out to make their New Year¡¯s visits.


    The first ce they went was their old home. Later, Gu Chengrui and the other four brothers went for New Year¡¯s greetings.


    Zhou Ying went to the patriarch¡¯s home with Mrs. Liu and Mrs.Yao.


    The group went out, and after a round of visits, she felt her knees trembling. She hadn¡¯t expected she would have to kowtow in New Year¡¯s greetings. If she had known, she would have changed into thick cotton pants.


    After they visited the entire vige, the vige women gathered together to gossip.


    Finally, Ninth Aunt Gu looked at Mrs. Liu and asked, ¡°Sister, your son Chengye is turning 18 this year. What kind of girl are you looking for? Do you need our help to find one?¡±


    ¡°Ah, her standards are high, so it¡¯s impossible for her to take a liking to your niece. Don¡¯t bother asking.¡± At this point, sixth Aunt Gu spoke.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my niece? Why can¡¯t she make the cut?¡± Ninth Aunt Gu looked at her question.


    ¡°Does your niece know how to read? Gu Chengye used to be a schr, so no matter how low his standards are, he would never find a girl who couldn¡¯t read.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu responded by turning her head.


    Ninth Aunt Gu was angry after hearing this and wanted to hit her. Mrs. Wang saw this and immediately stepped forward and stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s the new year; let¡¯s not get angry and hurt each other¡¯s feelings.¡±


    After saying that, she red at Sixth Aunt Gu. ¡°You too. Why do you have such a foul mouth? His mother hasn¡¯t even said anything yet, and here you are answering for her.¡±


    ¡°I stopped her because I was afraid she would embarrass herself.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu mumbled, frustrated.


    ¡°You¡¯re still talking.¡± Mrs. Wang red at her.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go home and cook for our families.¡± Mrs. Liu said with a dry smile.

 Chapter 172 - 172 New Year (8)

    172 Chapter 172 New Year (8)


    ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ll talk another day when we¡¯re free.¡± Mrs. Yao echoed and immediately followed Mrs. Liu.


    Zhou Ying took this opportunity to leave but didn¡¯t go with them. Instead, she returned to her own home to prepare a hotpot.


    She didn¡¯t forget Gu Chengrui said that Gu Chengxi woulde for a hotpot meal today.


    So she got busy after she got home. She prepared some other dishes and knew Gu Chengxi needed to eat more, so she cooked two bags of rice noodles.


    !!


    When it was almost noon, she prepared a pot of charcoal. However, there was no copper pot at their home, so she had to use a small iron pot instead.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui couldn¡¯t leave as easily as she did. His n surrounded him, and he had to exin chili and vegetable nting to them.


    It wasn¡¯t until the smell of rice came from the patriarch¡¯s house that they took their leave.


    After he came out, Gu Chengxi immediately chased after him. ¡°Hi, hi, third brother.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I didn¡¯t forget you.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and rubbed his head.


    He then looked at Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengye and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you twoe together?¡±


    Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengye looked at each other and shook their heads, and they could tell he was just being polite. Besides, Zhou Ying wouldn¡¯t be able to sit at the table if they were all there, making them rude guests.


    ¡°Alright, another day then.¡± Gu Chengrui said as he brought Gu Chengxi home.


    He smelled a spicy fragrance wafting over him as soon as he entered the courtyard. Chengxi sniffed and eximed, ¡°It smells so good! No wonder the business of Grasnd Taste Restaurant is so good.¡±


    ¡°Come on, you glutton.¡± Gu Chengrui brought him into the house after that.


    It just so happened that Zhou Ying was almost done preparing. The three washed their hands and began to eat.


    Zhou Ying looked at Gu Cheng, who liked spicy food so much that he kept eating faster even though he struggled with the spice. She smiled and handed him a cup of herbal tea.¡±If it¡¯s too spicy, it¡¯ll be much better if you use the chopsticks to force the spicy soup out of the ingredients.¡±


    Gu Chengxi nodded repeatedly. ¡°I know, third sister-inw, but the mutton is just too delicious; not gamey yet tender. Also, the noodles are just splendid, chewy, and al dente.¡±


    The couple saw that he was eating happily and didn¡¯t try to dissuade him anymore. Instead, they tried their best to feed him.


    After he was full, the couple started eating.


    Once lunch was over, Zhou Ying was afraid that his throat couldn¡¯t withstand the spice, so she made him a pot of chrysanthemum tea with rock sugar.


    In the afternoon, the two brothers spent some time ying chess while Zhou Ying wrapped and froze some dumplings.


    Gu Chengxi didn¡¯t eat there that night. When he left, Zhou Ying gave him the remaining hotpot base and some dipping sauce for him to bring back.


    Fortunately, the people at the old mansion hadn¡¯t finished up their mutton, so everyone had a taste of the hotpot with vegetables and steamed buns.


    The next day was traditionally a day for the daughter to return to her mother¡¯s house. However, the woman who had married into the Gu family couldn¡¯t go back, and there wasn¡¯t anyone elseing over. Thus, the couple finally had a good night¡¯s sleep.


    They only got up when Er Zhuang was hungry and kept barking.


    After breakfast, they heard a burst ofughter from next door. The couple was startled, knowing Sister Tian didn¡¯tugh like this. Could they have guests over?


    Just as they were filled with curiosity, they saw Sister Tian sending a person dressed as a matchmaker past their house.


    ¡°It seems that Brother Tian¡¯s time hase.¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment and mentioned.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s about time. Brother Tian is a good and capable person. Now that he has a stable ie, finding a suitable partner in the vige wouldn¡¯t be difficult.


    ¡°Just watch. There will be lots of peopleing to visit them over the next few days.¡± Gu Chengrui replied with a smile.

 Chapter 173 - 173 Gu Ziyi

    173 Chapter 173 Gu Ziyi


    After lunch, the couple wanted to take Er Zhuang for a walk in the mountains.


    Just as they were about to leave, Mrs. Wang brought a haggard-looking but well-dressed young woman to their doors.


    Zhou Ying was stunned but still greeted her. ¡°Hello, auntie. Pleasee in.¡±


    She invited them into the house.


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to tie Er Zhuang back to his post and head to the kitchen to boil some water, which caused Er Zhuang to bark sadly.


    After they returned to the living room and sat down, Mrs. Wang introduced them to each other.


    Zhou Ying only realized that the young woman was Mrs. Wang¡¯s eldest daughter, Gu Ziyi. She quickly pushed some dried fruits she had prepared to them and said, ¡°Oh, big sister, it¡¯s you. When did youe back?¡±


    ¡°Just this morning. We¡¯vee to find Chengrui and request that he do a checkup for her.¡± When Madam Wang saw that Gu Chengrui wasn¡¯t around, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Does Chengrui have something to do?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s most likely in the kitchen boiling some water. Wait a moment while I¡¯ll take his ce.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she got up and walked out.


    When she reached the kitchen, she saw that Gu Chengrui had filled a pot with water and was about to light the fire. She quickly went forward to stop him. ¡°That young woman is your eldest uncle¡¯s daughter, Gu Ziyi. She¡¯s here as a patient today, so you¡¯d better go and take a look while I make tea.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go over then.¡± Before entering the living room, Gu Chengrui took adle of warm water from the stove pot and ced it in a basin.


    After he left, Zhou Ying entered her interspace and made a pot of boiling water with her electric kettle. She used this boiled water to make a pot of Longjing tea and returned to the living room.


    After pouring a cup of tea for everyone, Zhou Ying sat next to Mrs. Wang and waited with her for the results.


    After a few minutes, Gu Chengrui stopped and looked at Gu Ziyi thoughtfully. ¡°Big sister, when did you feel you were not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°About three months ago, but I can¡¯t remember the exact time. My problem was confirmed two months ago, as I¡¯ve visited a few doctors. They all said it was anemia, and no serious illness was diagnosed.¡± Gu Ziyi frowned and replied.


    She continued, ¡°Have you found out the reason for my sickness?¡±


    Gu Chengrui replied, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, you¡¯ve been poisoned by a slow-acting poison. However, I¡¯m not knowledgeable enough to confirm what kind of poison it is.¡±


    ¡°What? Poisoned? ¡± Mrs. Wang stood up in shock and looked at Gu Ziyi, asking, ¡°Is anyone bullying you? Who wants to harm you? Tell me, and mother will tear them apart!¡±


    ¡°Mother, let¡¯s go back.¡± Gu Ziyi was stunned before smiling bitterly. She went forward to help her mother up to leave.


    Gu Chengrui looked at her forbearing expression and knew she had something on her mind. She probably knew what was going on.


    But it was obvious that she didn¡¯t want to be treated, so he persuaded her, ¡°Big sister, if you don¡¯t get treatment in time, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t live for more than three months. You have to think about your children, too.¡±


    ¡°What? T-three months?¡± Mrs. Wang¡¯s legs went limp, and she looked at Gu Chengrui in shock. She staggered, pounced on him to grab his arm, and begged, ¡°Chengrui, can you cure her?¡±


    Gu Chengrui quickly helped her to sit down, but before he could speak, Gu Ziyi stated, ¡°Mother, there¡¯s no need for that and let¡¯s go back. Don¡¯t make things difficult for Chengrui.¡±


    ¡°You stupid girl, do you know something? ¡°Tell me, and mother will make the decision for you.¡± Mrs. Wang looked at her unworried appearance and demanded angrily.


    ¡°No, mother, I¡¯m¡­¡± Gu Ziyi hesitated.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui was certain that this wouldn¡¯t be a simple matter. He could only say, ¡°Big sister, would you be willing to leave a few drops of your blood here? I¡¯ll try to test to see if I can find out what kind of poison it is.¡±

 Chapter 174 - 174 Waiting For The Results

    174 Chapter 174 Waiting For The Results


    ¡°Of course, we will give you the blood! Your elder sister just turned 25, and she¡¯s in the prime of her life. She can¡¯t just die like this!¡± Mrs. Wang firmly nodded.


    After that, she dragged her daughter to Gu Chengrui.


    Seeing this, Gu Ziyi did not dispute further.


    Gu Chengrui immediately turned around and went to the west room. He took out a small porcin bottle and a small de to take three drops of blood from her finger. ¡°I¡¯ll try to find out what poison it is as soon as possible.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Alright, thank you. I¡¯ll leave now and wait for your news. Let us know as soon as you have any results.¡± Mrs. Wang turned to leave.


    ¡°Mother, let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Ziyi turned around and walked out with Mrs. Wang after saying their goodbyes.


    Zhou Ying saw they had something on their minds and didn¡¯t ask them to stay. Instead, she sent them out and ced Gu Chengrui in her interspace after returning to the house.


    She then brought Er Zhuang up the mountain.


    Although the mountain was pretty barren and deste, it shone a lovely golden color under the sun. Sparrows chirping could be heard from time to time, painting a picture full of vitality.


    When she and her dog arrived at the Mother God Temple halfway up the mountain, Zhou Ying immediately remembered her previous nightmares.


    She walked in and looked at the shabby Mother God Temple. She wet the ground with water and took a broom to clean up, cleaning up the cobwebs near the Mother God statue too.


    However, she didn¡¯t dare to touch the Mother God statue, as she was afraid she would break it into pieces if she did.


    Finally, she kept her cleaning tools in her interspace and bowed deeply three times before leaving the Mother God temple.


    She took Er Zhuang for another walk around the area, and finally, the two reached a river.


    Through the thinyer of ice, she could see that there were still plenty ofrge fish in the river.


    She suddenly got yful and made Er Zhuang step back. She then lifted arge rock and threw it into the river.


    Sure enough, the iceyer broke. The fish inside immediately leaped through the hole, and Zhou Ying was shocked to find that some of the big fish looked heavier than five pounds.


    However, after a few big fishshed their tails around, the ice around them broke. The fish fell back into the river and swam away.


    But more and more fish were jumping out of the hole, big and small.


    ¡°Woof woof.¡± Er Zhuang suddenly rushed out, which startled Zhou Ying. She quickly shouted, ¡°Er Zhuang,e back!¡±


    However, Er Zhuang had already rushed in. Perhaps it was due to its light body and quick speed, but it didn¡¯t break the fine iceyer and brought back arge fish weighing about three pounds.


    When Er Zhuang returned, it brought the fish to her feet and barked twice, wagging its tail and demanding praise.


    Zhou Ying patted its head. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to go in again. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be having dinner tonight.¡±


    She had all kinds of fish in her interspace, so she didn¡¯t want Er Zhuang to lose his life because of some fish.


    ¡°I never knew that you had such a mischievous side.¡± Qian Zhuang¡¯s voice sounded as he came down from the mountain, followed by Gu Erjiang, carrying a hatchet.


    ¡°It¡¯s the new year, and you two are going up the mountain to chop firewood?¡± Zhou Ying looked at the hatchet in their hands and asked.


    ¡°Yeah, there hasn¡¯t been enough firewood since the new year. So, I¡¯ve been staying at Brother Qian¡¯s house. Otherwise, I¡¯d freeze to death.¡± Gu Erjiangughed dryly.


    ¡°You just had to bezy, didn¡¯t you? You would have been frozen to death, so let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll still be thiszy next time. Also, take the fish.¡± Zhou Ying continued. ¡°Take this for another dish for tonight¡¯s dinner.¡±


    After that, she led Er Zhuang down the mountain. Otherwise, ugly rumors might spread if someone else saw them together on the mountain.


    On the other hand, Qian Zhuang and Gu Hanjiang had their eyes on the fish.


    As soon as Zhou Ying returned to the vige, she saw Tieniu and the other children ying a game of catch. Their happy voices lingered around the vige for a long time.


    Thinking about her own childhood, she couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. At the same time, she silently promised to give her future child a happy childhood.

 Chapter 175 - 175 Disapproved

    175 Chapter 175 Disapproved


    When she thought of her future child, she also remembered the child¡¯s father, Gu Chengrui. She realized he was still in her interspace and wondered how the test was going.


    She rushed home, tied Er Zhuang up, and entered her interspace after locking up.


    She saw Gu Chengruiing down from theboratory on the second floor and quickly asked, ¡°How is it? Did you find out what poison it is?¡±


    ¡°No, I can only confirm that the effect of this poison is simr to that of opium; they both ruin the body and corrode nerves.


    !!


    ¡°I must go to Doctor Luo to see if he knows what it is.


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t wait for me tonight. I¡¯ll just stay over in the clinic or our restaurant.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You should go early, then.¡± Zhou Ying said as she took him out of her interspace.


    Gu Chengrui left with his first aid kit, while Zhou Ying returned to her interspace and started making clothes for the next spring and summer. After all, she wouldn¡¯t have the time when they opened for business soon.


    On the other hand, Chunhong had just returned from Gu Zishan¡¯s ce, who was Gu Chengye¡¯s biological sister. When she heard that her mother, Widow Hua, was looking for a matchmaker to match her and Tian Jiawang, she immediately rushed in. ¡°Mother, if you want to marry him, you can do it yourself. I don¡¯t want to marry a man whose wife died.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that? This isn¡¯t what I taught you.¡± Widow Hua angrily scolded her.


    She red at her, signaling for her to restrain herself. However, Chunhong didn¡¯t want to marry Tian Jiawang, so she continued, ¡°It¡¯s true, and it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t get married. Why should I marry someone whose wife died?


    ¡°What if he¡¯s a jinx? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll die?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± As Widow Hua was about to say something, the matchmaker immediately smiled and said, ¡°Um, I think we should just forget about this. Mr. Tian has no shortage of attractive women pursuing him.¡±


    After saying that, she nced at Chunhong with a sneer and hurriedly left.


    ¡°Hey, sister, don¡¯t go.¡± Seeing this, Widow Hua knew this was bad and immediately wanted to chase after her.


    Chunhong immediately stopped her. ¡°Mother, why are you chasing after her? I already said I don¡¯t want to marry Tian Jiawang.¡±


    ¡°You shut up. Do you know why I haven¡¯t remarried in many years and have worked hard to maintain a good reputation? I want to leave a nice impression on us and find you a good family to marry into!


    ¡°But look at you! Do you know that your reputation has been ruined just because of those words you said?


    ¡°If she were to spread those around, how would you find a husband in the future?¡± At this point, Widow Hua¡¯s face grew stern.¡±You¡¯re not allowed to go near the Gu family anymore. Based on Mrs. Liu¡¯s difficult personality, I won¡¯t let you marry into their family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m marrying Brother Chengye, not Mrs. Liu.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what happened to Zhou Ying?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she isn¡¯t Mrs. Liu¡¯s real daughter-inw. Besides, I¡¯m not like Zhou Ying, that pushy, meek girl.¡±


    ¡°You! If she doesn¡¯t like you, it¡¯ll be easier for her to bully you as your real mother-inw!


    ¡°Besides, Gu Chengye doesn¡¯t have anything. He¡¯s judged guilty by the emperor¡¯s court, so what¡¯s good about that?¡± At this point, Widow Hua paused for a moment before she patiently advised, ¡°Tian Jiawang is different. He now has a stable job and no inws or children. You can hold the reins of the family once you marry him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you in the future, and you¡¯ll have a good life.¡±


    Chunhong red at her after hearing her belittle Gu Chengye and asked, ¡°Did the widow of the Tian family ask about me? I knew nothing good woulde out of her visits, and you better lessen your contact with her in the future.¡±


    Widow Hua saw that her daughter still hadn¡¯t listened to a single word she said and got anxious. She directly ordered, ¡°You¡¯re rebelling against me? No matter what, I won¡¯t allow you to marry Gu Chengye!¡±

 Chapter 176 - 176 A Scheme

    176 Chapter 176 A Scheme


    ¡°I won¡¯t marry Tian Jiawang no matter what. You can marry him if you dare agree on my behalf, as I don¡¯t want to be poor for the rest of my life.¡± Chunhong straightened her neck and replied.


    When she was working in the manor, she saw what the most important thing in vige life was. It wasnd, which was the foundation of not having to worry about food and drink.


    Therefore, Gu Chengzhi, who was talented, good-looking, and had a lot ofnds, fit her requirements the best.


    As for Tian Jiawang, although he had a job and no parents or children, he looked like a bear. He still had three worthless family members to raise; at most, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food and drink. She would probably have to save up for a long time if she wanted to buy a decent piece of clothing, which was why she didn¡¯t want to marry him.


    In her daze, she did not notice Widow Hua¡¯s face darkening, and her eyes were disappointed. Then, she pped her daughter¡¯s face. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve spoiled you too much.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Chunhong covered her face, burning from the p, and looked at Widow Hua in disbelief.


    She roared aggrievedly, ¡°You¡¯re simply being unreasonable!¡±


    After that, she turned around and ran out.


    ¡°Come back here!¡± Widow Hua quickly chased after her.


    Not only did Chunhong not return, but she ran faster and faster. Finally, she rushed into the Tian family¡¯s house and roared at Sister Tian, who was in a daze. ¡°You should give up! I will never marry into your family, even if I die!¡±


    After that, she turned around and ran up the mountain.


    Sister Tian was stunned and confused. What was she talking about?


    However, she soon remembered that her best friend, Widow Hua, had asked her what she thought of Chunhong.


    To be honest, she didn¡¯t like Chunhong¡¯s arrogant personality, but for her friend¡¯s sake, she only nodded and praised her daughter.


    She hadn¡¯t expected¡­


    She ran after her immediately, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw her running up the mountain. She was afraid that something would happen to Chunhong, and she couldn¡¯t exin it to her friend. Thus, she had no choice but to turn and run to Widow Hua¡¯s house.


    She had no idea she¡¯d run into Widow Hua when she turned into an alley she had to pass through. She quickly pulled onto her and urged, ¡°Chunhong ran up the mountain.¡±


    ¡°What? That wretched girl is getting more and more disobedient.¡± At this point, Widow Hua wanted to ask Sister Tian to help chase after her daughter.


    However, when she thought about how Chunhong rejected her, she immediately swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. She just thanked Sister Tian and ran up the mountain.


    Sister Tian shook her head when she saw this. At the same time, she was d that Chunhong did not agree to the marriage, or she might have harmed her brother.


    Chunhong¡¯s rebellious situation also reminded her that she shouldn¡¯t spoil her daughter too much, or it would be troublesome in the future.


    After Chunhong ran into the mountains, she didn¡¯t walk far before she met Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengye. When she saw the two brothers checking out the mountain, her eyes shed, and she had an idea.


    She quietly walked over and stopped about a hundred feet away from them. She deliberately twisted her foot and shouted, ¡°Oh, help!¡±


    She shouted a few more times just in case they couldn¡¯t hear her.


    The Gu brothers, busy digging through the soil, paused when they heard the shouts. They looked at each other and ran up the mountain, where they saw Chunhong struggling to get up.


    The two brothers looked at each other, but neither stepped forward.


    This was because they had seen too many conspiracies and schemes for marriage in the capital.


    Chunhong had been trying to get close to Gu Chengye all this time, but the Gu family didn¡¯t want her. So, both brothers felt this was probably another trick of hers, trying to take advantage of an opportunity to cling to Gu Chengye.

 Chapter 177 - 177 Exposing Her

    177 Chapter 177 Exposing Her


    Chunhong wanted to cry at that moment. She tried to fake a twisted ankle, so she gently tilted her foot.


    She didn¡¯t expect that she would twist it too much, and her entire ankle swelled up in an instant. She was in such pain that she didn¡¯t care about her schemes anymore.


    She yelled for help and cried for real at the same time.


    ¡°This¡­ seems to be real.¡± Gu Chengye said as he listened to her anguished cries.


    ¡°Then go find her mother or a strong woman to assist her.¡± Gu Chengzhi decided.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Be careful, big brother, and don¡¯t fall into her trap.¡± Gu Chengye ran into the vige after that.


    Gu Chengzhi, on the other hand, walked toward Chunhong.


    At this time, Chunhong also noticed Gu Chengzhi. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t the person she had been thinking about, she cried as she demanded, ¡°Why is it you?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you here waiting for someone?¡± Gu Chengzhi asked with a faint smile.


    ¡°How, how could that be? I just didn¡¯t expect it to be Brother Gu.¡± Chunhong replied with an awkward smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I was afraid that I would ruin your ns.¡± After Gu Chengzhi finished speaking, he sat three meters away from her.


    At the same time, he was certain she was here to set up a trap for Gu Chengye.


    What a pity¡­


    Her acting skills were wasted because she ran her mouth.


    However, he soon realized that he was wrong. Seeing her grimace as she moved, he knew she had twisted her ankle for real and that she was a ruthless person willing to do anything for her goal.


    Chunhong tried getting up a few times but only ended up in more pain. She could only ask for help, ¡°Brother Gu, I beg you to help me up.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait; Chengye has returned to the vige to call for help.


    ¡°Besides, even if you stand up, you need someone to support you. I¡¯m not suited to do that.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay here and help you drive away any wild animals that mighte.¡± Gu Chengzhi assured her while shaking his head.


    ¡°You!¡± When Chunhong saw how he avoided her like the devil, she was so furious that her leg hurt even more. She stayed silent after that.


    She was also afraid of being seen by others if he helped her. She didn¡¯t want to be Gu Chengzhi¡¯s concubine.


    On the other end, Gu Chengye hadn¡¯t run far when he bumped into Widow Hua, who immediately came forward. ¡°Auntie, you¡¯vee at the right time. Chunhong sprained her ankle on the mountain. Come with me.¡±


    ¡°She sprained her ankle? Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We didn¡¯t want to cause a misunderstanding, so we didn¡¯t go up to take a look.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, my big brother is nearby. I ran down to look for someone to help her.¡±


    Widow Hua was upset when she heard that. It was one thing for her to disagree with her daughter¡¯s marriage to Gu Chengye, but she didn¡¯t want her daughter to be avoided like the gue.


    It seemed that this marriage was impossible. She would take advantage of the fact that she couldn¡¯t walk with her sprained ankle to persuade her to give up.


    When the two arrived, they saw Gu Chengzhi standing on a stone and looking into the distance.


    As for Chunhong, she was sitting on the hard ground and still struggling. She had to move as she was lying on the cold ground and was afraid she would freeze to death.


    Widow Hua¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She quickly ran down and asked, ¡°How¡¯s your injury? Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m in pain.¡± When Chunhong saw her, she immediately threw herself into her arms and wailed pitifully.


    When Widow Hua heard this, she immediately rolled up her daughter¡¯s trousers a little to take a look. Her nose twitched, and tears streamed down her face when she saw her ankle swollen like a steamed bun.


    However, she couldn¡¯t let the two Gu brothersugh at her now. She helped her daughter up quickly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Mother will help you quickly find a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Ouch, lighter, lighter. It hurts so much.¡± Chunhong cried out in pain while standing up, and the pain was so intense that she couldn¡¯t help but shed tears.

 Chapter 178 - 178 Experiment

    178 Chapter 178 Experiment


    Because Chunhong couldn¡¯t move her legs, Widow Hua had no choice but to bend over and carry her daughter. Fortunately, walking from her to the foot of the mountain wasn¡¯t too difficult, and the two women quickly went down the mountain.


    However, Chunhong still cried out in pain the entire way.


    As they left, the two brothers hiding behind arge rock emerged.


    Gu Chengzhi heard Chunhong¡¯s cries, gradually getting further away. He turned his head and teased, ¡°The girl deliberately suffered such a heavy injury in order to get close to you; isn¡¯t her love beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Why? Your heart aches?¡± Gu Chengye red at him and retorted.


    ¡°What does it have to do with me? She¡¯s here for you.¡± Gu Chengzhi said as they went down the mountain.


    After Widow Hua went down the mountain, she carried Chunhong to Gu Chengrui¡¯s house and knocked on it. However, even after knocking for a long time, she only heard a dog barking, and no one opened the door.


    At that moment, Sister Tian walked out and saw the mother and daughter¡¯s sorry state. She paused momentarily before quickly going forward to support Chunhong. ¡°Sister Hua, what¡¯s wrong with Chunhong?¡±


    ¡°She twisted her leg. Is there no one in Doctor Gu¡¯s house?¡± Widow Hua inquired, panting heavily.


    ¡°Doctor Gu shouldn¡¯t be at home, I saw him rushing out while drying the cabbage in the courtyard. As for Zhou Ying, I¡¯m not sure. By the way, do you guys want to wait for Doctor Gu at my home?¡± asked Sister Tian.


    Without waiting for Widow Hua to speak, Chunhong pushed Sister Tian away. ¡°No. Mother, let¡¯s use the ice at home to reduce the swelling and wait for Doctor Gu toe back.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go home.¡± Widow Hua could only reply with a dryugh.


    Sister Tian looked at Chunhong¡¯s attitude and remembered her previous outbursts, so she didn¡¯t insist on their stay.


    After they left, she shook her head in pity. It seemed that Sister Hua¡¯s life wouldn¡¯t be easy in the future.


    Zhou Ying looked at the sky after she finished her work and exited her interspace. Noticing that the sky had turned dark, she went to the kitchen to cook dinner.


    After she was done, she left a portion for Gu Chengrui and kept it warm in a pot. She went back to her room to sleep after that.


    She thought Gu Chengrui wouldn¡¯t being back tonight, so she was surprised when he rushed back in the middle of the night.


    Zhou Ying looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°Rui, didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯te back if it were toote?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry to do an experiment. Send me into your interspace after I finish eating dinner.¡±


    ¡°Go back to your room, and I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to get you your food.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took a small shlight and went to the kitchen.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui took her offer and went into their house to wash his face with cold water, refreshing himself.


    After that, she brought the food to him, and the two entered her interspace.


    Gu Chengrui carried the food and sat at the dining table. ¡°Babe, help yourself. I¡¯ll be busy here today, so you don¡¯t have to wait for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but you must take care of your health. Her poison isn¡¯t lethal, so there¡¯s no need to rush.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded, then lowered his head to eat.


    Zhou Ying was no longer sleepy after getting this, so she simply collected some wild duck eggs and bird nests.


    After she was done, she washed the duck eggs and mixed lime into them to make century eggs.


    When she was done, Gu Chengrui still didn¡¯te down. She had no choice but to leave her interspace and was surprised to find the sun high in the sky. She tidied up the house and unlocked the door.


    Not long after, Sister Tian walked over. ¡°Sister, you¡¯re up. Is Doctor Gu back? Sister Hua¡¯s daughter, Chunhong, twisted her ankle yesterday and has been waiting for Doctor Gu. She¡¯s been here several times throughout the night.¡±


    ¡°Is it serious? He came backtest night and hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡±


    ¡°Quite. I saw her ankle was bruised and swollen to the size of a steamed bun.¡±

 Chapter 179 - 179 Antidote

    179 Chapter 179 Antidote


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask him toe over after we¡¯re done with breakfast.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave you to your stuff.¡± After Sister Tian finished speaking, she turned around and went home.


    Zhou Ying turned around and went to the kitchen. She first entered the interspace and saw Gu Chengrui still busy in theboratory, so she didn¡¯t interrupt him and went cooking.


    When she returned from her cooking, Gu Chengrui was already sitting at the side with his eyes closed and resting. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat, and we¡¯ll talk after we finish the rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have our meal first.¡± Gu Chengrui agreed and left the interspace with her.


    After they had their fill, Zhou Ying told him about Chunhong¡¯s sprain. ¡°Do you want to go and take a look?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go out and get a breeze of fresh air. I feel like I¡¯ve walked into a dead end.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, and you¡¯d better have a good sleep when youe back before continuing.¡± Zhou Ying reminded him as she began to clean up the dishes.


    Gu Chengrui went to Widow Hua¡¯s ce and went to sleep in the interspace after he returned.


    Zhou Ying was afraid that more people woulde, so she locked her door and went into the mountains with Zhuang Er.


    When they were deep in the mountains, she brought Er Zhuang into her interspace and let him go around to y.


    Meanwhile, she took out some soybeans and green beans and went to the workshop to make some yuba and vermicelli using her machines.


    After all, with the progress of the manor¡¯s workshop, even the slightest dy would result in a shortage of goods.


    After she was done, she made a pot of beef bone, tendon, and meat soup. She nned to turn this into a pot of sour beef soup when she returned home.


    After she was done, she called Er Zhuang back, and the two left the space.


    She just happened to encounter a wild rooster and three hens looking for food in the grass. Thus, she immediately took out an air gun and shot the rooster¡¯s head.


    At the same time, Er Zhuang pounced on the fattest hen and bit its neck, scaring the other two hens away.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she went forward and picked up the two chickens. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Er Zhuang. I¡¯ll make you some chicken stew tonight.¡±


    After that, she and her dog walked down the mountain. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the sun had already set. From afar, she saw Mrs. Wang wandering around at the entrance, and she paused for a moment before quickening her pace. ¡°Auntie, doe in and sit.¡±


    Zhou Ying offered as she took out a key and opened her door.


    Mrs. Wang shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just here to ask how Chengrui¡¯s progress is going, as my daughter has to return tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Well, he went to the clinic today to try making an antidote, but I don¡¯t know the specific situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have him look for you when he returns.¡±


    ¡°Can hee over regardless of whether the antidote can be made? If there isn¡¯t an antidote, giving her a prescription to recuperate her body first is fine too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember that.¡± Zhou Ying affirmed, and she handed the hen to her. ¡°I got this from the mountain just now. Take it back and make a bowl of chicken soup for her.¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Just take it. We can¡¯t finish two chickens.¡± Zhou Ying insisted as she handed the hen to her.


    Mrs. Wang thought of her daughter¡¯s weak state and took it in the end. After thanking Zhou Ying, Mrs. Wang returned home.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying made four dishes, a sour beef soup, a chicken mushroom stew, stir-fried celery, and a te of mixed radish sd.


    Of course, Er Zhuang was rewarded with beef soup with some bones, meat, and two steamed buns.


    When she entered the interspace, she saw Gu Chengrui sitting on the sofa on the first floor, leisurely drinking some tea and snacking on some beef jerky.


    ¡°Look at you; you¡¯ve made the antidote?¡± She asked with a smile.

 Chapter 180 - 180 Living Up To Expectations

    180 Chapter 180 Living Up To Expectations


    Gu Chengrui nodded and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. I just got it done less than 20 minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out and celebrate then.¡± Zhou Ying eximed as she pulled him out of her interspace.


    Gu Chengrui saw the dishes on the table and said happily, ¡°I guess we are really celebrating. You¡¯ve made some chicken stew for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s hurry up and eat, and we¡¯ll head to your eldest uncle¡¯s house. His daughter is leaving tomorrow, so we have to go there by today.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we prepare some gifts?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we do. Isn¡¯t there some ginseng slice in the interspace someone collected before? Let¡¯s bring them a small jar of ginseng slices, some blood-replenishing medicine you made, and two bottles of skin cream. That should be enough, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. She¡¯s the wife of a mayor and wouldn¡¯tck anything else.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded his head in agreement. He passed her a drumstick, and the couple started eating.


    After the meal, the two took the antidote and the gifts they had prepared, locked up, and rushed to the patriarch¡¯s house.


    When she arrived, the family had just finished dinner and was idly chatting.


    In Mrs. Wang¡¯s arms was an unfamiliar little girl of about seven years old. If Zhou Ying wasn¡¯t mistaken, she was Gu Ziyi¡¯s eldest daughter.


    A young woman was also at the side, holding a little boy in her arms. It was Gu Chengen¡¯s wife and son, Mrs. Fang and Barney.


    When the patriarch saw them, he stood up and greeted them warmly. ¡°Oh, you guys are here! Have you two eaten?¡±


    ¡°We have. We came over after having dinner.¡± Gu Chengrui spoke as he set the items in his hands on the table.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk.¡± The patriarch invited them to sit.


    ¡°Chengrui, have you made the antidote?¡± Mrs. Wang looked at Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Mother, there¡¯s no rush. Don¡¯t keep urging Chengrui.¡± Gu Ziyi spoke quickly.


    To be honest, she didn¡¯t have high hopes. After all, even the imperial physicians wouldn¡¯t be able to find a cure for a poison of unknown origins.


    ¡°Well, what did you know? I did it, and I¡¯m here to give you the antidote.


    ¡°However, this antidote cannot be taken all at once. It has to be taken separately over three days, three times a day, and two pills each time.¡± Gu Chengrui instructed as he personally handed the antidote to Gu Ziyi.


    ¡°Thank you, Chengrui. Can this really wholly remove the poison? ¡± Gu Ziyi clutched the medicine bottle tightly as she choked with emotion.


    ¡°Yes, but since your body has already been damaged, you need some time to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Could you also give me a prescription for that? I don¡¯t trust anyone else.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being a little paranoid. To be honest, if you want to take care of your body, you first have to be good at distinguishing between friends and enemies. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be tricked again.¡± Gu Chengrui advised her.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The patriarch sighed heavily after hearing this.


    The others also fell silent.


    Gu Chengrui saw that everyone had stopped talking and didn¡¯t ask any more questions. He stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, and we wish you a safe journey tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, we¡¯ll be going back now,¡± he said to the patriarch.


    The n leader thought of the troubles in Gu Ziyi¡¯s family and had no intention of holding the couple back. He nodded and thanked them, saying, ¡°In the future,e over, and I will thank you again. Chengen, send them off, will you?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengen responded and then stood up to send them out. He asked, ¡°Chengrui, you know how to y chess, right? We¡¯re free during the new year, so why don¡¯t youe for a bout of chess together when you¡¯re free?¡±


    ¡°Alright, sure. We¡¯ll be heading back now.¡± Gu Chengrui said his farewells as he walked back with Zhou Ying.


    The couple was busy in the interspace for the next few days or out for visits, and their everyday lives were quite rxed.


    Of course, Gu Chengrui would asionally receive patients who sought his consultations.

 Chapter 181 - 181 Fireworks (1)

    181 Chapter 181 Fireworks (1)


    In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day of the new year, and they opened for business. However, business was slow in the new year, and the idle and rxed days ended on the 15th.


    Because of the fireworks show, the town was bustling with people.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui went to their respective shops early in the morning to get busy.


    Zhou Ying and Chun Niang rolled out a lot of sweet dumplings, nning to fry them at night to join in the festival.


    !!


    All kinds of stalls were set up from the afternoon until the evening. The street, which was already narrow, waspletely congested.


    They set up a small stall to sell the sweet dumplings. Zhou Ying also requested thatnterns be specially made with the big words ¡°Fried Sweet Dumplings¡± on them to be eye-catching on the night street.


    ¡°Candied gourd, sweet and sour candied gourd. Three coppers for one, five coppers for two.¡±


    When Zhou Ying heard this, she and Sun Hongliang went out to buy a bunch for everyone.


    Just as she was about to turn around, she felt that someone was touching her money pouch. She immediately grabbed the hand and looked down; it was a skinny seven or eight-year-old child wearing beggar¡¯s clothes, looking at her with a face of panic.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll talk about why you¡¯re stealing.¡± Zhou Ying said as she grabbed the candied gourd in one hand and dragged him to her store with the other.


    When the child saw this, he immediately frowned and cried out, ¡°Help! There are human traffickers! Please save me!¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re familiar with the business. Someone must have taught you before.¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s grip tightened.


    Sun Hongliang looked at the child and said, ¡°Kid, you¡¯ve mistakenly targeted the wrong person. No one in this area doesn¡¯t know Manager Zhou, so no one will care even if you scream your lungs out.¡±


    The child shouting at the top of his lungs was stunned for a moment and nced around. Sure enough, no one wasing to help him. Thinking of that, he raised his hand and tried to bite Zhou Ying¡¯s hand.


    Zhou Ying had to retract her hand, and the child immediately took the opportunity to disappear into the crowd.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying had no choice but to return to the store empty-handed. She asked Sun Hongliang to put away the candied gourd in oil paper before asking, ¡°Didn¡¯t we take care of all the little beggars in the town? Why is there more?¡±


    ¡°During the new year, a small group of refugees came to town. Could he be one of them?


    ¡°Another possibility is that someone previously hiding somewhere took advantage to steal today.¡± Sun Hongliang spoke with uncertainty.


    Zhou Ying looked at the busy street and said, ¡°There are crooks mixed in with the honest folks tonight, and it¡¯s easy for something to happen. We must be careful.¡±


    ¡°Understood, boss. I¡¯ll get the band of children toe over; they¡¯re smarter than adults.¡± Sun Hongliang assured her as he called for a child beggar guarding the venttion fan, giving him a task.


    The child beggar immediately took off his vest and hat and ran out.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying went to the back and reminded everyone to be more vignt tonight.


    At night, business was booming, especially at their store that sold fried sweet dumplings. Eight hundred eighty-eight dumplings were sold out in less than an hour.


    After dinner, most of everyone went to the dock to watch the fireworks, and the street was much quieter.


    When everyone had finished, Zhou Ying handed out the candied gourds, each with a stick.


    After they finished, Gu Wen smiled and asked, ¡°Mistress, we¡¯re almost done here. Can we go to the river to watch the fireworks?


    ¡°I heard there are also activities such as praying to the gods, lion dancing, and so on. At midnight, there will also be all kinds of fireworks, and it will be a beautiful night.¡±

 Chapter 182 - 182 Fireworks (2)

    182 Chapter 182 Fireworks (2)


    ¡°Fireworks? Is it the kind of colorful fireworks?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just the kind made of gunpowder and will be shot in different shapes. There¡¯s a grape shape, cranes, rats, and many other things. I even heard that the cranes will be in a flying form.¡± Gu Wen said so excitedly.


    ¡°Really?¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s interest was also piqued when she heard this, as expected of a fireworks festival.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. There are rat-shaped fireworks because this is the year of the rat, and it follows the twelve zodiacs and is different every year.¡± A local shop assistant, Zhang Dake, replied.


    ¡°How about this? Whoever has seen it before will give up their spots for the others to go, and they muste back early.¡± Zhou Ying looked at Gu Wen¡¯s expectant eyes and finally nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Thank you, mistress. We¡¯ll be back after watching the fireworks.¡± Gu Wen turned around and ran after that.


    Fang Qing and Gu Wu immediately followed.


    In the end, even Zhao Sheng¡¯s family of three followed suit.


    Zhou Ying looked at Zhao Cheng, Chun Niang, and Qiu Niang. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t going?¡±


    ¡°Maybe next year, the kitchen can¡¯t be left empty.¡± Zhao Cheng said, shaking his head. Besides, they could also see the fireworks from the second floor, and there was no need to join the crowd.


    ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll take turns next year.¡± Just as Zhou Ying finished speaking, Gu Chengrui walked over. ¡°Babe, I heard that the fireworks tonight will be beautiful. Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±


    Without waiting for her to speak, Sun Hongliang replied, ¡°You guys go ahead. There aren¡¯t many customers now, so just a few of us will do.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± Zhou Ying apologized and went to the back. She changed out of her work uniform and took out arge bag of tear-inducing powder mixed with devil¡¯s pepper and mustard from her interspace. ¡°Keep this well,¡± she said as she handed it to Sun Hongliang. ¡°Although it¡¯s not straight-up poison, it might as well be.¡±


    Remember, you all are the most important. If we lose these objects, we can always repurchase them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mistress. We will definitely protect the restaurant.¡± Zhang Dake¡¯s nose twitched.


    He had only heard of servants sacrificing their lives to protect their master¡¯s goods and never heard of the master sacrificing their interests to protect a servant¡¯s life. This made him touched.


    The others quickly chimed in.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go now. We¡¯ll bring you gifts when wee back.¡± Zhou Ying said her farewell and left the restaurant with Gu Chengrui.


    At that moment, Gu Chengrui thought of the packet of tear-inducing powder and held her hand to ask, ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Just in case. I hope I¡¯m making a mountain out of a molehill,¡± said Zhou Ying. She told him about her encounter with the thief today and the town¡¯s refugees.


    Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s good. With so many people gathered in the town, some petty thieves will inevitably be around.


    ¡°However, I heard that County Mayor Kong has also brought the garrison here. There should be no problem with safety.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s good that there won¡¯t be any major trouble.¡± Zhou Ying replied, and the two looked around the roadside stalls.


    There was a variety of food, especially snacks. There were fried cakes, radish cakes, vegetable bowls, and so on.


    However, they only focused on handicrafts; each bought antern with a mouse pattern.


    They saw a doll, the kind with embroidery. Gu Chengrui then bought Zhou Ying a small pig doll with a curled tail based on her zodiac sign.¡±This is for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhou Ying took it with a smile and thanked him. She wanted to kiss him, but after looking around, she didn¡¯t continue.


    Zhou Ying and her husband went to a stand and asked the owner to make a pair of y figurines ording to their appearance.


    ¡°Chengrui, third sister-inw. I see you two have alsoe to get a y figurine made.¡± Gu Chengxi walked over and greeted her with a smile.

 Chapter 183 - 183 Fireworks (3)

    183 Chapter 183 Fireworks (3)


    Gu Chengrui turned his head and saw that he was alone, so he asked, ¡°Did youe on your own?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re setting up a stall in front of the shop today and selling millet cakes.¡± Gu Chengxi pointed at a stall not far away.


    Gu Chengrui turned his head and saw his Second Uncle Gu standing in front of their shop. He was guarding the stall, and there were many customers there.


    But thinking about it, it made sense. Most of the people who came to see the fireworks were from low-ie families. A piece of cake would be enough to fill their stomachs.


    ¡°Do you want toe with us?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Can I?¡± Gu Chengxi asked expectantly.


    ¡°Of course, as long as you don¡¯t run around.¡±


    ¡°You guys wait for a minute; I¡¯ll go and inform my father.¡± Upon hearing this, Gu Chengxi immediately turned around and ran back as if he were afraid that Gu Chengrui would go back on his words.


    When he came back, their y figurine had already been made. Zhou Ying saw that it looked pretty simr to her, so she asked the stall owner to make another one for Gu Chengxi.


    After it was done, Gu Chengrui held one figurine in each hand and walked toward the river.


    When they arrived, they found that it was already crowded. Fortunately, a row ofnterns was hanging by the river, which lit up the riverbank, so the people were still standing around orderly, and there was no chaos.


    At the same time, through the conversations of the people, they learned that County Mayor Kong and a group of officials had already returned after paying their respects to the river god.


    Just as the three of them were looking forward to the fireworks, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out.


    The crowd erupted in apuse as a group of lion dancers emerged from a warehouse near the dock and walked up the river bank.


    The crowd naturally followed, and Zhou Ying¡¯s group of three naturally did not fall behind.


    The lively lion dance was fun to watch. One moment it was walking near the table, and the next moment it jumped on it nimbly, attracting a burst of apuse.


    When they reached a riverbank outside the town, the lion dance stopped.


    As soon as they left, everyone saw the row of fireworks prepared by the river.


    ¡°Chengrui, what do you think this kind of fireworks will look like?¡± Gu Chengxi asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but judging from the exquisite workmanship, it should be quite good.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°To be honest, I thought the fifteenth day would be a Lantern Festival, where people would guess riddles and y withnterns. I never expected this festival to be so grand.¡± Zhou Ying said expectantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you always guess riddles on the 15th in the capital? I¡¯m already tired of it, and it¡¯s not fun at all.¡± Gu Chengxi shook his head.


    ¡°This is a local custom, and each ce has its own customs and traditions. That¡¯s why it¡¯s better to travel and see it for yourself instead of just hearing about it. Only after experiencing it personally can you understand the fun.¡± Gu Chengrui reminded her.


    At that moment, amotion suddenly broke out in the crowd. Then, a group of soldiers ran in and drove the crowd one mile away from the fireworks.


    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s about to start. Let¡¯s stand back a little.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he led them and retreated.


    This was because gunpowder wasn¡¯t something that humans could entirely control in ancient times. The slightest error would cause it to deviate from its intended path, which would be problematic if they were injured. Thus, the three retreated all the way to a pile of ruins far from the river bank.


    After that, the three simply stood on top of the ruins. Not only could they see the entire scenery from here, but there weren¡¯t many people either.


    Soon, as the gongs and drums sounded, skynterns flew into the sky, lighting up the dark night.


    The first rack of fireworks was lit up when thenterns were almost gone. As the fluorescent yellow fireball fell to the ground, the fireworks started emitting a blue light, which looked stunning in the night.

 Chapter 184 - 184 Rest

    184 Chapter 184 Rest


    The following fireworks were in the shape of a crowned crane. Before it was ignited, the red-crowned crane looked elegant, its white feathers fluttering in the wind as if it were about to ascend to the immortal world.


    After it was lit, with a melodic sizzling sound, oval-shaped eggs fell from the crane¡¯s tail and exploded into a ball of fire in mid-air. It really looked like it wasying eggs; what a spectacr scene.


    In the end, the crowned crane soared into the sky and burned brightly in the night.


    Next was a fish, and finally, a rat.


    When the final rat-shaped firework was released, the people were still unsatisfied. At that moment, a scream suddenly rang out. It was unknown what the scream was about, but soon there was amotion, which finally turned into chaos.


    After a while, the three discovered that someone had lost a child, and someone else shouted that they had also lost a girl.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the restaurant,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to go home today.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Gu Chengxi asked in confusion.


    ¡°Because so many children have gone missing, the authorities will definitely lock down the town for an inspection. Or rather, they have already locked it down, so we can¡¯t go home.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Oh, then where are we going to stay? These human traffickers really deserve to die.¡± Gu Chengxi said it gloomily.


    ¡°You go back to your snack shop. If you don¡¯t have a ce to stay, you cane to our ce and squeeze in with the others.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Thank you for taking me in, Third Brother.¡± Gu Chengxi immediately grabbed his arm and said.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else as the three hurried back.


    When they passed the snack shop, they realized it was locked. They didn¡¯t know if the others had gone to watch the fireworks or if they had gone home, so they brought Gu Chengxi back to the restaurant.


    Sun Hongliang, who was settling the ounts, saw theme in and asked, ¡°Mistress, why have you alle back this fast?¡±


    ¡°Have the others returned yet?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Not yet, but it should be soon.


    ¡°Something happened over there. I heard that some people lost their children. If you¡¯re done recording the ounts, you can go back first, and we¡¯ll stay here tonight.¡±


    Sun Hongliang was stunned for a moment. Thinking of his family, he nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back first ande back early tomorrow.¡±


    After he finished, he put a sheet of paper into the ount book, closed it, and locked it in the drawer with the bookmark.


    After he left, Zhou Ying also allowed Zhang Da and the others to return and closed up shop.


    As for the group of little beggars, she didn¡¯t let them go. First, it was so she could keep an eye on them, as it wasn¡¯t safe for them to go back now.


    Therefore, they were gathered in the central room in the backyard. Theyid out a few straw mats and a few nkets so the children could sleep in the room for the night.


    As for Gu Chengxi, it was arranged for him to sleep with Zhao Sheng.


    Soon, Gu Wen and the other two ran in, talking andughing.


    However, after waiting a long time, Li Sheng¡¯s family of three did not appear. Zhou Ying suddenly felt a little uneasy, afraid that something would happen to Li Yue.


    Fortunately, the family of three finally came back around midnight.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you guys?¡± Zhou Ying asked hurriedly. ¡°Why are you back sote?¡±


    ¡°After the fireworks, they discovered human traffickers. The officers immediately sealed off the scene and checked everyone one by one. We were dyed when we were queuing.¡± Li Sheng said with a fearful expression.


    He hugged Li Yue tightly after he finished speaking.


    ¡°I see; you guys should go to bed early.¡± Zhou Yingforted them and told the family of three to go home.


    After they left, Gu Chengrui turned his head and said, ¡°Babe, you should go to sleep too. I¡¯ll be fine here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Sister-inw, you should go to sleep. Brother Gu and I will take care of things here.¡± Tian Jiawang walked over and said.

 Chapter 185 - 185 Seedling

    185 Chapter 185 Seedling


    ¡°Alright, remember to call me if you need anything.¡± Zhou Ying told them. She turned around and took a pot of coals back to the main room.


    The night passed peacefully. The next morning, everyone got up and went to do their own thing.


    After breakfast, when Sun Hongliang and the others came to work, everyone discovered that the officers had investigated the entire night and caught a small group of human traffickers in a yard in town early in the morning.


    They also heard that several viges had reported that someone had stolen food from their vige.


    !!


    Therefore, the entire town was in a mess now; officers and soldiers searched everywhere.


    As a result, business was low throughout the day. During the inspection in the morning, they treated two soldiers to a meal. Fortunately, the soldiers were tight on time and only had a bowl of beef noodles each before they left.


    In the evening, when Zhou Ying and the other three went back on the donkey cart, they learned from Qian Zhuang and Gu Hanjiang that every vige was guarding strictly against strangers.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they were used to wandering around this area, they wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the vige, let alone collect vegetables.


    ¡°Miss,¡± Qian Zhuang said after he finishedining, ¡°The vegetables in each vige are almost all harvested, and it won¡¯t be easy to buy more of them in the future.¡±


    ¡°I see, but I guess it¡¯s normal since there¡¯s a food shortage. You guys should go to the different viges and look since we can¡¯t do business if we don¡¯t have produce.¡±


    ¡°We will try that then. I just don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll sell it to us.¡±


    ¡°You can ask around. You can tell me if you find any, but they aren¡¯t willing to sell. I can talk to them about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave this to us brothers.¡± When Qian Zhuang heard that he only needed to ask for information, he immediately patted his chest.


    ¡°Yes. By the way, starting next month, you will each be paid 500 coppers.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thank you so much, miss.¡± Gu Erjiang said with a smile.


    ¡°As long as you guys work hard, your sry will rise.¡±


    ¡°Definitely, definitely, we¡¯ll definitely do a good job.¡± The two of them nodded.


    It was challenging to get a long-term job in their vige. Another main thing was that this work was easy andfortable, so they didn¡¯t want to give up.


    Half a monthter, the river was opened for business. Once the merchants arrived, the dock became lively, and of course, the business of all restaurants got better.


    At the same time, thend wasn¡¯t frozen solid anymore. Because of Gu Chengrui¡¯s previous talk about growing chili, buying up barrennd in the vige became particrly popr. The Gu family alone bought five acres of it.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she had to hurry up and water thend in her backyard. She found a plow and plowed about 80% of thend in the back. She also bought a tarp to build a simple, warm shed to grow chili seedlings.


    At the same time, she had nted ten acres of chili seedlings on the manor¡¯s grasnd.


    Of course, the dormitories she had promised Uncle Yan and the others had already started construction, all of which were made of real bricks. As a result, twelve long-term workers brought their wives and children to the manor to settle down.


    When the vigers learned that Zhou Ying had begun to grow seedlings, they began to speed up plowing their newly boughtnd.


    Chunhong could finally go out after an entire month of rest.


    After a month of patient advice from Widow Hua, in addition to the fact that the Gu brothers had avoided her like the gue when she was in trouble¡­


    Andter, she was also met with Gu Zishan¡¯s indifference, which made Chunhong understand the reality of her situation.


    Even if she didn¡¯t mind being married into the Gu family, who were sinners in the capital, the Gu family wouldn¡¯t ept her. Thus, she gave up on the idea of entering the Gu family.


    Widow Hua went to the vegetable garden one day to do some gardening while Chunhong had nothing to do. So, she thought of going to town to pick up some handiwork.


    Just as she left the embroidery workshop after taking a job, she was knocked out by a drug when passing by an alleyway. She was stuffed into a carriage and brought to a small courtyard.

 Chapter 186 - 186

    186 Chapter 186


    She saw a chubby, middle-aged man standing before her when she woke up. She quickly stood up from the chair and demanded, ¡°Who are you? Why did you capture me?¡±


    ¡°Chunhong, who lives in Shanghe vige and has a widowed mother. Previously, you were an assistant chef in a manor in Xiahe vige. You were also the one who passed on Miss Qiao¡¯s message to Gu Chengrui.¡± The man turned around and sat on the chair opposite her.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re Manager Wang of the original Dongxin Restaurant? Chunhong sized him up and asked in disbelief.


    ¡°It seems that your memory is decent.¡± Wang Quan nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°W, why did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°For my use.¡±


    ¡°No, I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can refuse?¡± Wang Quan sneered.


    When Chunhong heard this, she quickly looked around and saw two big men standing guard outside the door. She immediately asked softly, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°You also know that Dongxin Restaurant was originally mine. I just want to take it back.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s impossible. ¡°I heard that the Grasnd Taste Restaurant, like the Hongyun restaurant, is under General Zhou.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. If you want to live a good life, you better just listen to me.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Get a way to work inside Grasnd Taste Restaurant and get the recipe for the hot pot. Ultimately, make Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying fall out.¡±


    Chunhong didn¡¯t understand what he meant at first, but she quickly realized that he was asking her to seduce Gu Chengrui.


    Thinking of Miss Qiao getting rejected and Zhou Ying¡¯s appearance, she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work. You¡¯d better find a more beautiful woman to do it.¡±


    ¡°This job is yours. As long as you follow my n, I promise to make you the manager of Grasnd Taste Restaurant.¡± After Wang Quan finished speaking, he pulled her into the house.


    When Chunhong saw this, she immediately had a bad feeling in her heart. She immediately struggled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll do it, alright? Just let me go.¡±


    ¡°How will you do what I say if I let you go?¡± Wang Quanughed and pushed her onto the bed in his room, then ripped off her clothes and pounced on her.


    ¡°Ah! No, no! Let me go! I beg you, let me go! I¡¯ll promise you anything!¡± Chunhong shouted with distress.


    However, her cries for help were soon muffled.


    When she came out again, her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red and swollen, and there was even blood at the corner of her mouth.


    The clothes on her body were torn and tattered, and she looked like a ragdoll that had been dismembered.


    Wang Quan, who was behind her, walked out in a refreshed manner. ¡°Someone, help her wash up and get her a change of clothes.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he left the room in big strides.


    Soon, two maids came in with a basin. They gave her a simple wash and changed her into a set of neat, coarse clothes; then, they turned around and walked out.


    Chunhong returned to her senses, picked up her bag, and ran out.


    At that moment, Wang Quan stepped back in, and she was so frightened that she immediately retreated.


    Seeing this, Wang Quan stepped forward and pinched her little face with a smile. ¡°Silly girl, I¡¯m helping you here.¡±


    Afterward, he pulled her to a chair and told her some things in a low voice. ¡°After this matter is done, you will not be short of glory, splendor, wealth, or status.¡±


    After hearing this, Chunhong only looked at him angrily and did not reply.


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong of you to hate me. You should hate Gu Chengrui and his wife. Would you have to be in this state if it weren¡¯t for them? Remember, you don¡¯t have much time,¡± Wang Quan threatened. ¡°You have to hurry. Otherwise, you and your mother¡­¡±


    At this point, a cold light shed in Wang Quan¡¯s eyes, and he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t y any tricks with me. From now on, you will always be under my surveince.¡±

 Chapter 187 - 187 Request

    187 Chapter 187 Request


    ¡°You!¡± After hearing this, Chunhong gritted her teeth and looked at him angrily.


    ¡°Haha, you look so full of hatred. You should be redirecting that to Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying.¡± Wang Quan said as he stood up again. ¡°Go. I don¡¯t care what method you use. Get into the Grasnd Taste Restaurant within three days, and I¡¯lle to you.¡±


    Looking at his shameless appearance, Chunhong wanted to tear him apart.


    However, on second thought, she realized that her situation was partly due to Gu Chengrui and his wife. Hence, she did not refute and instead got up and left.


    !!


    Seeing this, Wang Quan went out and sent a man to follow her.


    After leaving town, Chunhong realized that someone was following her. She quickly thought of what Wang Quan had said before, turning around to look. Sure enough, it was the person she had seen in the small courtyard.


    This person didn¡¯t avoid being seen at all, and he just followed her casually. She was shocked and scared, realizing that it seemed she could not escape.


    After Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui returned in the evening, they went to the backyard to check on the chili seedlings. After confirming that they had sprouted, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    After dinner, Chunhong came to their door. Gu Chengrui looked at her awkward way of walking and frowned. ¡°Miss Chunhong, you¡¯ve sprained your leg again. You must be more careful; otherwise, it will leave behind problems in your leg if you do it too many times.¡±


    Zhou Ying nced at her but soon found that her situation wasn¡¯t right. It didn¡¯t look like she had a sprained foot; instead, it looked like¡­


    Chunhong looked at the couple¡¯s puzzled eyes and was shocked. She had tried her best to cover it up and didn¡¯t expect them to see through it.


    Sheughed dryly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have embarrassed myself in front of you, Doctor Gu. I didn¡¯t sprain my foot this time. It¡¯s just that I identally slipped and stretched my muscles. So, I wanted to get some medicine to rx my muscles and help my blood flow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you some safflower oil then. It¡¯s good and useful for your case.¡± Gu Chengrui decided. He returned to the house and took out a small bottle of safflower oil, handing it to her. ¡°Five coppers.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Chunhong took it and gave him five coppers.


    However, she didn¡¯t have any intention of leaving. Instead, she looked at them hesitantly.


    ¡°Is there anything else, Miss Chunhong?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    Chunhong pursed her lips and took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know if your restaurant is still short of people, but I want to find a job.


    ¡°By the way, I used to work as a kitchen helper in the manor of Xiahe vige. I can cookmon noodle dishes and am good at chopping vegetables.¡±


    Zhou Ying felt strange. She had heard from her Sixth Aunt that Chunghong had been pestering Gu Chengye ever since she returned from the manor.


    Why did she suddenly want to work in a restaurant?


    She suddenly thought of the matter of Mrs. Liu asking them for the dessert recipe.


    Did this matter have anything to do with Mrs. Liu and her son?


    Thinking of this, she decided to be cautious and refused, saying, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but our restaurant doesn¡¯t need to recruit people at the moment. We¡¯ll talk about it in the future if there¡¯s an opportunity.¡±


    When Chunhong heard this, she was stunned. However, when she thought of Wang Quan¡¯s threat, she could only brace herself and say, ¡°I¡¯m begging you. I don¡¯t ask for much. Even if I have to do odd jobs, I¡¯m fine, but please just hire me.¡±


    ¡°But why do you have to enter our restaurant?¡± Zhou Ying asked with a faint smile.


    Chunhong looked at Zhou Ying¡¯s suspicious eyes, and her heart trembled. Could it be that she had exposed herself? No way to calm down and deliberately held her breath. After her face turned red from theck of oxygen, she said with a troubled expression, ¡°You know my family¡¯s situation. It¡¯s not easy to support ourselves, and we don¡¯t have much silver left.


    ¡°So I thought of saving up some dowry and then leaving some money for my mother¡¯s retirement.¡±

 Chapter 188 - 188 Chili Seedlings

    188 Chapter 188 Chili Seedlings


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui looked at each other. In the end, Zhou Ying still nodded with a troubled expression. ¡°Alright, you cane, but only to help clear the tables and do cleaning jobs. As for the monthly payment, it¡¯s 300 coppers.¡±


    Of course, the reason she agreed so readily was not that they really pitied her.


    Although there were only a mother and daughter in their family, they had five acres ofnd. In addition, Widow Hua¡¯s needlework was spectacr, and she had always taken on a lot of work in the vige or town. Chunhong¡¯s excuse wasn¡¯t valid at all.


    Instead, she felt that there must be something strange about her doing this, and it was better to keep her under their nose and see what she was up to.


    ¡°Thank you, you two. Can Ie to work the day after tomorrow? My legs are a little weak now.¡± Chunhong asked with a smile.


    ¡°Sure, but remember, you must be at the restaurant by noon. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to dock your pay if you¡¯rete. We¡¯ll deduct three coppers for each time you¡¯rete, which is our restaurant¡¯s rule.¡± Zhou Ying reminded her.


    Chunhong was stunned for a moment as she did not expect there to be such a rule, but she still nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember that. You guys go ahead with your work, and I¡¯ll head back now.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and walked out.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying sent her out. Just as she was about to lock the door, the patriarch and the vige chief came together. She hurriedly greeted them, ¡°Grandpa vige chief, uncle, please excuse me. I¡¯ll go make a pot of tea.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need for that when it¡¯s sote. We¡¯ll leave after we ask you something.¡± The patriarch quickly stopped her.


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re here for the chili, right?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to ask you how many seeds you can give out. Now that the vigers¡¯ enthusiasm is high, the Qian n also wants to nt them. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t have enough seeds, which will disappoint everyone.¡± The parrot nodded.


    ¡°Indeed, this matter has to be settled in advance. Otherwise, good things may turn bad in the end.¡± The vige chief agreed.


    Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding. ¡°I won¡¯t hide it from you. We have nted nearly 11 acres of chili seedlings, which will be enough for about 55 to 60 acres ofnd when they fully grow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how muchnd the vige had cleaned up.


    ¡°As for the seeds, you can nt them on your own, just like how you usually nt vegetables, but you¡¯ll have to wait a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I wanted to ask why you had to cover the seedlings with a tarp. Can¡¯t you wait for the weather to be warmer before you grow the seedlings?¡± The vige chief asked in confusion.


    Even the patriarch was curious. He had wanted to ask before, but the oil mill had been busy recently, so he had forgotten.


    ¡°Because there are many pests and diseases in the summer, the rain will also affect the chilies; we want to make them mature earlier to increase their production.¡± Zhou Ying exined.


    Even in modern times, pests and diseases were difficult to control. It was impossible to prevent all of them, so she didn¡¯t want to cause more trouble if she didn¡¯t prepare fully.


    The patriarch and the vige chief were farmers, so they quickly understood what she meant. They looked at each other and said, ¡°We understand. We¡¯ll go back and do the math now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on all of you. The extrand can allow everyone to grow more vegetables, such as cabbage, lettuce, and so on.


    ¡°If you guys don¡¯t have seeds, I¡¯ll help you buy some back, and you all just have to provide the grown vegetables to the restaurant by then.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and said.


    ¡°This is also a way to bnce things out. We¡¯ll make the arrangements ordingly.¡± The vige chief nodded in agreement.


    After the two of them left, two more patients came to visit.


    After sending them off, the couple went straight into the interspace to work. Many crops had matured and were ready to be harvested.

 Chapter 189 - 189 Sun Liang

    189 Chapter 189 Sun Liang


    After the harvest, other than the 2,000 acres of wheat, the rest of the drynd was nted with sweet potatoes.


    Zhou Ying also collected some peach flowers. She nned to wait for this year¡¯s coconuts, olives, and moonurel to ripen and extract some oil to make some lipstick products for sale.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the day when Chunhong came to the restaurant. Zhou Ying waited for her to show up and told Fang Qing and Chun Niang to keep an eye on her and try to understand her purpose foring here.


    Two dayster, Zhou Ying learned from Chun Niang that Chunhong had asked about the hotpot recipe more than once.


    But this was still in Zhou Ying¡¯s hands, and everyone told her that.


    After Zhou Ying got the news, she guessed it probably wasn¡¯t Mrs. Liu and her son coercing Chunhong.


    Who could it be, then? She called Fang Qing over and said, ¡°For the next two days, you and the little beggars will keep an eye on Chunhong and see who she will be in contact with.


    ¡°Remember, just keep an eye on them and don¡¯t take any risks. As for the rest, we¡¯ll discuss it after youe back and decide what to do.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Leave this matter to us.¡± Fang Qing immediately went to find the little beggars to make arrangements.


    When Chunhong knew that the recipe was in Zhou Ying¡¯s hands and that the spices would be ground into powder every time, she knew it was impossible for her to steal the recipe.


    Therefore, after finishing her work at noon, Chunhong left the restaurant with the excuse that she needed to help Widow Hua buy some spools.


    Seeing this, Fang Qing immediately followed her. However, he soon realized that Chunhong was being watched. In order to prevent the other party from discovering him, he had to send a little beggar to follow her.


    The little beggar was brilliant. He didn¡¯t go alone but found a friend who was begging outside to follow him.


    Hispanion was young and dressed in beggar¡¯s clothes, and they followed Chunhong to a small courtyard without a hitch. He inquired around the courtyard before returning to Grasnd Taste Restaurant through the back door and informing Fang Qing of the news.


    Then, Fang Qing led his friends to Zhou Ying and told her about it.


    ¡°Sun Liang? Who is this person again?¡± Zhou Ying was confused after hearing that. No matter what, she still cooked a bowl of beef noodles for his friend and said, ¡°Eat first, but you have to remember that you can¡¯t tell anyone about what happened today. Otherwise, it will put you in danger. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Manager Zhou, don¡¯t worry. We understand.¡± His friend said with a smile as he chewed on the beef.


    Zhou Ying looked at his lively eyes and said, ¡°Little guy, how old are you? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Zhu Zi. I¡¯m seven years old today. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m very tight-lipped.¡±


    ¡°I believe you. Hurry up and eat.¡± Zhou Ying reassured him and turned to the kitchen. She took out two pounds of rice and handed it to him, saying, ¡°This is the reward for this mission.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Manager Zhou.¡± Zhu Zi immediately stood up and bowed.


    Zhou Ying smiled, pinched his little face, and then went to work.


    When they got home in the evening, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the matter. ¡°Rui, do you remember a person named Sun Liang?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any impression of it. I¡¯ll go back and ask to see who he is.¡±


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s fine if they only want to steal the recipe, but I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll use some dirty means.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded thoughtfully and said, ¡°Remind the people in the kitchen to oversee the ingredients. I¡¯ll find out as soon as possible.¡±


    However, Zhou Ying was still worried the next day after telling everyone the news. Finally, she simply installed a camera in a hidden corner and connected it to her mobile phone.


    This way, she could check it every day to prevent any idents.


    On the other end, Chunhong knew that since it was not easy to get the prescription, she had to drive a wedge between the couple first. So the next day, she was thinking of ways to get close to Gu Chengrui, causing her to be distracted.

 Chapter 190 - 190 Responsibility Befitting Your Position

    190 Chapter 190 Responsibility Befitting Your Position


    So after Chunhong broke another small te, Sun Hongliang walked over and asked, ¡°Chunhong, can you keep up? If you can¡¯t, then leave as soon as possible.


    ¡°Look at how distracted you are today. You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re even trying to work.¡±


    ¡°Manager Sun, please show mercy. I will definitely do my best, so please don¡¯t fire me.¡± Chunhong hurriedly nodded and bowed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance. If you screw up again, you¡¯ll be gone.¡± Sun Hongliang paused and said, ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll deduct the cost of this te from your monthly sry.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and left.


    As for Chunhong, she bit her lip sadly. She thought of the people watching her outside, didn¡¯t refute, and obediently cleared the table.


    However, she was harboring hatred for Sun Hongliang inside her. It was just a te; why did he have to make such a big deal out of it?


    Moreover, Zhou Ying brought her here, but they didn¡¯t even give her special treatment.


    Thinking of this, a cold light shed in her eyes. Since he started it, don¡¯t me her for being heartless.


    Therefore, when they were resting after lunch, Chunhong deliberately went to Zhou Ying¡¯s room toin about Sun Hongliang. She mainlyined that Sun Hongliang was disrespecting her.


    Zhou Ying had been in the society for a few years, so she knew that Chunhong was attempting to sow discord between them. She looked at her meaningfully and said, ¡°When you were working at the Qiao family¡¯s manor, were you also absent-minded from time to time?


    ¡°Do you not need to pay for the things you broke?¡±


    ¡°I¡­.¡± After Chunhong heard this, she raised her head and looked at her in surprise. Why was Zhou Ying acting differently from what she had imagined?


    Zhou Ying looked at her expression and sneered, ¡°A country has itsws, and a family has its own rules. Manager Sun is just following the management of our restaurant; otherwise, he would be punished.


    ¡°You should take a rest for now. Later, I will have Manager Sun read out the rules and regtions of the restaurant to you. You must firmly remember that if youmit the same mistake again in the future, I won¡¯t help you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go and rest.¡± After hearing this, Chunhong walked out with a face full of unwillingness.


    At the same time, she also hated Zhou Ying. Leave the rest to me,¡± Sun Hongliang heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°How could I? You are just doing what you needed to do.


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve given you the power, you have to take responsibility. Otherwise, the restaurant will be in chaos.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°I believe you. Keep an eye on her in the afternoon, as I n to go to the manor after I¡¯m done.¡± Zhou Ying then entered the kitchen.


    After finishing her work in the afternoon, she rushed back to the manor.


    When she arrived at the manor, she went straight to the chili field to look. Seeing that the nts were growing well, she was relieved.


    After that, she went to the dormitory area. She didn¡¯t expect that a row of brick houses had almost been finished building in less than ten days, and the only thing missing was the roof.


    Uncle Yan, who had juste out of the sheepfold, saw her and immediately walked over with a smile. ¡°Mistress, why are you here alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s free. By the way,¡± Zhou Ying asked, ¡°when is the roof for these houses going to be done?¡±


    ¡°I was just about to tell you about this. I heard from the contractor that the day after tomorrow, at noon, you two muste.¡±


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s going to be a big day. We¡¯ll definitelye.


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the manortely?¡±

 Chapter 191 - 191 Drought?

    191 Chapter 191 Drought?


    ¡°Pretty good, but it¡¯s a little dry.


    ¡°It¡¯s been half a year, and there¡¯s only been one small rain. We don¡¯t really have enough water.¡± Uncle Yan shook his head.


    ¡°The wheat has just been watered after the new year,¡± he added. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll take more than five days to water them again.¡±


    Zhou Ying was shocked after hearing this. She had yet to pay attention to this before, and it seemed that she had to make preparations in advance.


    !!


    For some reason, she suddenly thought of the nightmares she had while living in the Mother God¡¯s temple. Was it an early warning for her?


    At this moment, Uncle Yan said, ¡°The year of the Ox and Horse was good for farming. I was afraid of the two years of the Rooster and Monkey and didn¡¯t expect that we would survive these two years but struggle in the year of the Rat.¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she was stunned. She remembered that the year of the Rat in the modern era wasn¡¯t good and took this hint seriously.


    After that, she chatted with the old man for a while and asked him to help keep an eye on the manor. Then, she turned around and went into the wheat field.


    The wheat had already turned green, but the seedlings weren¡¯t strong. The main issue was that the seedlings were sparse and even died in patches. Her expression immediately turned grave.


    After that, she turned around and went to the workshop. Zhou Ying found Chang Shun and asked, ¡°Uncle Chang, I saw that the wheat is dying in small patches. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dry, and the water can¡¯t reach higher ces. I was thinking of nting some green vegetables in the next two days, and maybe at least we will have something to harvest.¡± When Chang Shun said this, he sighed and continued, ¡°Mistress, there hasn¡¯t been a single drop of rain. The wheat can only be watered with water from the river, and I¡¯m afraid it will wither after some more time¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we must keep some of this season¡¯s wheat even if we break our backs. Otherwise, what are we going to eat? Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. I just hope it rains soon.¡± After saying that, Chang Shun looked up at the huge sun in the sky.


    Why didn¡¯t he notice how annoying the sun was before?


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying did not stay any longer. After greeting him goodbye, she went home and began to look for a waterwheel drawing. If she coulde up with the waterwheel, the irrigation of the fields would save a lot of effort.


    In the evening, Gu Chengrui came back with Er Zhuang. Seeing that there was no smokeing from the kitchen, he paused for a moment before tying Er Zhuang up and entering the house.


    He saw Zhou Ying standing in front of the dining table and studying a drawing carefully. He walked over curiously, looked, and was surprised to find a waterwheel drawing.


    He immediately thought of the dry weather and suddenly understood her intentions.


    Gu Chengrui turned around and went to the kitchen. However, there was nothing in the kitchen except some rice and noodles. He had no choice but toe back and ask, ¡°Babe, I¡¯ll get you some vegetables.¡±


    Zhou Ying put down the drawing and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and cook while you study the drawing. Find Fourth Grandpa Qian to try making one; if we don¡¯t think of a way to get the wheat fields in the manor to survive, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t even keep the wheat seeds for next year.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can make something light for dinner. It¡¯s easy to get heaty now that the weather is dry.¡± Gu Chengrui agreed, and he took the drawing to study it.


    After Zhou Ying went to the kitchen, she cooked a pot of green bean porridge, five steamed buns, and then mixed cold side dishes made of silver ears, celery, and crisp lotus roots. She also fried a portion of bacon and some winter bamboo shoots.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui took the drawing and looked for the patriarch, and the two went looking for the vige chief together. They knew this was a good thing; if it came to fruition, the entire vige could nt rice easily.


    As a result, the three did not waste time and went straight to find the Fourth Grandpa Qian.


    Fourth Grandpa Qian also understood the importance of this matter. Since the vige chief was here especially, he selected two people to focus on making the waterwheel.

 Chapter 192 - 192 Fired

    192 Chapter 192 Fired


    On the morning of the third day, after Zhou Ying had prepared the base and dipping sauce for the hotpot in the restaurant, she had bought half a pig and a hundred pounds of rice. After that, she rented an ox cart and rushed to the manor.


    However, the two didn¡¯t step forward to get involved when the roof was lifted. The owners of the houses then came forward to receive the gifts she had prepared for them.


    After they were done with their work, everyone had a good meal together. After the meal, the couple rushed back to town.


    ¡°Babe, should we buy another cart?¡± Gu Chengrui asked when they were about to part. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome to keep depending on one donkey cart.¡±


    !!


    ¡°True, then I¡¯ll buy the most ordinary-looking one. I don¡¯t want to be targeted by others.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll get an advance from the clinic.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and returned to his clinic.


    While there was no one in the kitchen, Zhou Ying changed her phone and took it back to her room, where she looked through it carefully.


    As expected, when no one was around at noon, Chunhong went to the kitchen. She wrapped a small amount of each seasoning and quietly exited the kitchen.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed when she saw this. It seemed that Chunhong was really here for the recipe. Unfortunately, she usually prepared the seasoning for the hotpot by herself and never put it in the kitchen, so no matter how much she took, she couldn¡¯te up with the recipe for the hotpot base.


    However, she knew that Chunhong couldn¡¯t stay anymore. Otherwise, who knew what she would do next?


    So, before work began in the afternoon, Zhou Ying took a hundred coppers from the cab, called Chunhong to the backyard, and handed it to her. ¡°Cchunhong, I¡¯ve realized that the work here isn¡¯t suitable for you. You¡¯d better find another job. This is double the sry for the past few days. Consider it a smallpensation from us.¡±


    ¡°Why? I¡¯ve been doing a good job these days. I¡¯ve been strictly following the restaurant¡¯s rules and regtions.¡± Chunhong said indignantly.


    ¡°Then recite the fourth rule.¡± Zhou Ying sneered.


    ¡°You are not allowed to steal in the restaurant, and you must hand over a guest¡¯s belongings if you picked them up.¡± After Chunhong finished reciting, she was stunned for a moment as she thought of something, and her expression turned ugly.


    Zhou Ying said directly, ¡°I think you already understand the reason. I don¡¯t need to say anything further, right? It¡¯ll be embarrassing if I continue.¡±


    Chunhong¡¯s face turned red after she heard that. Then, she puffed up her cheeks and red at Zhou Ying angrily before turning around and running out.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying shook her head and began getting busy.


    When she was almost done with her work, Gu Chengrui drove an unremarkable carriage to the main entrance. After Zhou Ying received the news, she immediately called Da Hua over.


    As for Tian Jiawang, he had to wait for Qian Zhuang and the others before he could go back.


    After dinner, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Did you fire Chunhong today?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This afternoon, she stole some spices from the kitchen, so I fired her.¡± Zhou Ying then asked curiously, ¡°Have you found out who Sun Liang is?¡±


    She was sure Chunhong would contact the person who ordered her around if she was fired.


    ¡°Yes, Sun Liang is his current name. He used to be the manager of Dongxin Restaurant, Wang Quan.¡±


    ¡°Wang Quan? Could it be the Qiao family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very likely. It seems like they¡¯re going to make a move, and we must be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you have to be careful when you make a house visitation. Don¡¯t let anyone take advantage of that.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement. ¡°I will be careful. The same goes for the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve installed a camera in the kitchen. If anyone dares do anything, I¡¯ll not let them off.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled. ¡°Alright, but be careful. Don¡¯t let anyone find out. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be bad for you.¡±

 Chapter 193 - 193 A Chase

    193 Chapter 193 A Chase


    On the other hand, in a manor in the northern part of the town, Qiao Lansheng said after listening to Wang Quan¡¯s report, ¡°That means they¡¯re vignt. It¡¯s only been a few days, and they¡¯ve already found out about the girl.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I thought that it would take some time and didn¡¯t expect them to react so quickly. They are more difficult to deal with than we thought.


    ¡°Did they find you out?¡±


    ¡°I think they have. Some strangers have appeared outside the courtyard these past two days. They probably fired her after confirming my identity.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Alright, since we¡¯ve already alerted them, let¡¯s move on to the second step.¡± After Qiao Lansheng finished speaking, his eyes turned sharp, and he crushed the teacup in his hand.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Wang Quan said hesitantly, ¡°are you sure this will rm the Third Prince¡¯s forces here? ¡°If we are exposed first, we are doomed.¡±


    ¡°The two are Zhou Huaiming¡¯s saviors, and they get along well. Do you think Manager Liu would do nothing if something happened to them?


    ¡°As soon as he moves, we¡¯ll take them from the back. I don¡¯t believe that we can¡¯t find their nest.¡±


    ¡°But the county mayor still has a garrison¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I have my own arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will make the arrangements then.¡±


    ¡°Go, but remember not to go to that courtyard in the future. Also, try not to show your face again.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Wang Quan answered and left for the lower room.


    The next day, Gu Chengrui was returning from the vige when he saw two people approaching him in a hurry. Gu Chengrui was shocked to see their fierce faces; when did such people appear in a small town?


    Before he could think further, the two of them rushed over to Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui immediately realized that the two wereing for him. He immediately turned around and started running in a zigzag line.


    At the same time, he opened his first aid box and took out the knockout powder and the air gun hidden inside. He threw the knockout powder into the air and quickly pierced through the paper bag scattering the powder around.


    However, the two men were smart. When they saw that something was wrong, they immediately separated.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he used the air gun to hit the arm of the person who was chasing him the closest.


    That person had been distracted for a moment because he dodged the knockout powder.


    During that split second of distraction, the steel bead hit his arm. He grimaced in pain, and the other man was shocked by this.


    None of them had expected that he had not only hidden medicine but also hidden weapons. For a moment, they didn¡¯t dare act rashly and wanted to see what he was up to.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui grinned and took the opportunity to rece the steel balls in the gun with two anesthetic needles.


    However, he didn¡¯t shoot at them when they were on full alert.


    Instead, he turned around and ran into the mountains. If he could, he wanted to kill them in the mountains.


    When the two of them saw him enter the mountain, they looked at each other and immediately gave chase. Otherwise, if he ran away, they would not be able to report back, and theirpanions would alsough at them.


    They did not expect that Gu Chengrui, a schr, could tear through the mountainous terrain like a monkey. He was running faster than they could, and soon his figure disappeared.


    ¡°Damn, we got outdated info. Who said that he was just a doctor with some skills? His endurance and speed are better than ours!¡± One of them held onto a tree and eximed while panting.


    ¡°We¡¯ve indeed underestimated our enemy. If we had known, we would have waited until we got closer before making our move.¡± The other replied in frustration.


    As soon as he finished speaking, he froze for a moment before falling to the ground.

 Chapter 194 - 194 Turning The Tables

    194 Chapter 194 Turning The Tables


    The other man was shocked, and just as he was about to go forward to check, he suddenly felt a sting on his back. He then quickly fell over on top of the other man.


    Gu Chengrui brushed away the loose grass on his head and climbed out of a bush.


    He stepped forward and retrieved the two needles, searched their bodies, and found five taels of silver and a banknote worth 90 taels of silver with two daggers. However, he did not find anything that could prove their identity.


    This was fine, and he could now take everything for himself.


    After packing up, he sat on the side and thought about how to deal with them. Ultimately, he used their daggers and stabbed each of their thighs, relieved to see they didn¡¯t wake up.


    As for whether they would bleed to death or be eaten by wild beasts, it was none of his business.


    As he descended the mountain, he was relieved that there was no hocus-pocus or fantastical martial arts in this world. Otherwise, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape death today. Now, he was just curious as to who sent these two men.


    After much thought, he could pin it on Qiao Lansheng of the Qiao family. It seemed like he had to alert his wife as soon as possible.


    At the thought of this, he quickened his pace.


    He did not know that he had not walked far when two more people came out of hiding. These two weren¡¯t as kind as Gu Chengrui, as they dragged the two attackers into the mountains and fed them to the wolves.


    It was almost dark when Gu Chengrui returned to his clinic. After keeping his earnings there, he drove his cart to the restaurant.


    Since Qian Zhuang and the others were also there, they went home together.


    After they arrived home and finished dinner, Gu Chengrui told Zhou Ying about the assassination attempt. ¡°Babe, don¡¯t go out alone anymore. Remember to prepare something for self-defense, too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± Zhou Ying looked at him and asked.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t let them get close to me.¡± Gu Chengrui reassured her. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t go out alone in the future.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m mainly worried about you. If worsees to worst on my end, I¡¯ll just bring them into my interspace and kill them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but you have to be careful when using your interspace. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be troublesome if you¡¯re discovered.¡±


    After that, the couple cleaned up, and Gu Chengrui had to attend to three more patients. The two entered the interspace as night fell, preparing their self-defense items, and then got busy.


    Manager Liu also found out about Gu Chengrui¡¯s incident through two of his men. He sighed and said, ¡°I foresee it¡¯s going to get worse. You two must protect their safety.


    ¡°However, if they can handle it, just do what you did today and help them clean up.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯d be best to find out the enemy¡¯s hiding ce. Remember, you must be extremely careful and not chase after a cornered enemy.¡±


    ¡°We understand, Uncle Liu. We¡¯ll take our leave then.¡± The two of them nodded solemnly.


    ¡°Alright. Go down and take two taels of silver as your reward.¡± ManagerLiu nodded.


    After that, he went out to look for Sun Hongliang and instructed, ¡°The snakes are starting toe out of their holes. You must be careful over there and, at the same time, protect their safety.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Sun Hongliang, his nephew, replied respectfully.


    ¡°Okay. Also, do a good job fortifying the restaurant¡¯s defenses. Don¡¯t let them be framed for anything. If that happens, we¡¯ll be in a tough spot.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sun Hongliang then asked in confusion, ¡°Uncle, why don¡¯t you just reveal my identity? This way, not only can we better protect them, but we can also save a lot of trouble.¡±

 Chapter 195 - 195 Revelation

    195 Chapter 195 Revtion


    ¡°If we were to be direct with them, would they still ept you?¡± Manager Liu replied in a miffed tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal. Besides, if they had their guard up against us, they wouldn¡¯t have epted me back then.


    ¡°Moreover, ording to my observation, honesty and loyalty were the most important things for the husband and wife. They don¡¯t have many other concerns.


    ¡°If we continue to hide it like this, it¡¯ll be hard to exin if they find out about my identity down the road.


    !!


    ¡°Now is the best time toe clean, and this is an opportunity we shouldn¡¯t let pass.¡±


    Manager Liu nodded thoughtfully and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll report this to General Zhou and see what he thinks.¡±


    Afterward, he went to a small courtyard, wrote a note, and sent it out with a pigeon.


    Over the next two days, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t go out alone; everything was normal.


    At the same time, Manager Liu also received General Zhou¡¯s reply, telling him to do as he saw fit.


    The uncle and nephew discussed and decided to reveal their positions to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.


    So, during lunch break, Sun Hongliang went to Zhou Ying in the front lobby, whispered his identity as their shadow guard, and bowed deeply. ¡°I¡¯ve let down your trust; please punish me.¡±


    Zhou Ying just smiled. To be honest, when Manager Liu brought him here, she already knew that he was someone from General Zhou¡¯s or the Third Prince¡¯s side.


    Therefore, she wasn¡¯t too surprised to hear him reveal his identity.


    But she didn¡¯t expect him to be a shadow guard. She looked at him curiously and asked, ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you¡¯re quite skilled?¡±


    Sun Hongliang was stunned for a moment and then nodded. ¡°I¡¯m mainly trained in how to run a business as a manager. However, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me to deal with a few men.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I really couldn¡¯t tell from your schrly appearance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not angry?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be angry? Isn¡¯t it fine as long as we cooperate happily?


    ¡°Besides, you¡¯re here to protect us.


    ¡°We¡¯ll feel much more at ease with you here, so please take care of us in the future.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you for your trust, mistress.¡± Sun Hongliang smiled and bowed.


    ¡°Do a good job, and I¡¯ll give you 5% of our profits as a bonus at the end of the year.¡± Zhou Ying promised. She then turned around and went to the back to take a rest.


    As for his identity, she couldn¡¯t care less as long as he didn¡¯t threaten their safety.


    She would have to be more cautious in the future when removing items from her interspace. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if he found something weird and reported it.


    That night, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about Sun Hongliang, and he didn¡¯t have much reaction either. From the moment they saved Zhou Huaiming, they knew they were on the Third Prince¡¯s side.


    Instead, he said, ¡°In that case, you don¡¯t have to worry about your business and just have to take hold of the overall situation. Also, ask him to help bring over one or two more managers.


    ¡°In this way, if he leaves or we open another branch, we will have someone to help.¡±


    ¡°True. It¡¯s a waste not to use a talent delivered to our doorstep. I¡¯ll use him appropriately.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    She had to train a few more chefs as she didn¡¯t want to waste more time in the back kitchen. Not only was it tedious, but it was also bad for her skin.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and reminded her. ¡°Try not to take things from your interspace to the restaurant. If you really are short of something, ask the workshop to increase their production.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    ¡°This year¡¯s situation isn¡¯t going to be good,¡± he added. ¡°Do you think we should take advantage of the fact that the price of food hasn¡¯t increased yet and no one is watching us? We could take some grains out of your interspace and store them in the warehouse, just in case.¡±

 Chapter 196 - 196 Panicking Due To Concern

    196 Chapter 196 Panicking Due To Concern


    ¡°Sure. Weren¡¯t you going to transport soybeans and green beans here anyway? Mix the grains in with them, but don¡¯t put too much, or it¡¯ll be hard to exin.¡± Gu Chengrui said after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    On the other end, Manager Liu found out from Sun Hongliang that not only were Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui not angry but were pleased, further cing him in an important position.


    He felt a little ashamed of his narrow-mindedness.


    Meanwhile, Wang Quan, who had been waiting for his good news, was in a terrible mood. Not only did the people he sent out not return, but they were nowhere to be seen. Gu Chengrui waspletely fine, still alive and kicking.


    Therefore, after cursing for a while, he sent more people out.


    However, because the two men sent out this time were unclear about what happened to their predecessor, they did not keep an eye on Gu Chengrui but instead went to Zhou Ying.


    After two days, they found that Zhou Ying¡¯s life was routine, and someone was always apanying her. She never went to any remote ces, which meant they had no chance to do anything.


    Therefore, they could only think of a way to lure her out.


    One day, they took advantage of Gu Chengrui¡¯s out for a patient visit and disguised themselves as vigers. They rushed into Grasnd Taste Restaurant and found Sun Hongliang asking in a panicked tone, ¡°Do you have a manager called Zhou Ying here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± Sun Hongliang asked as he looked up at him.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m from Hewan vige. Doctor Gu was being hunted down on his way to our vige. Fortunately, he was saved by our vigers, but he was seriously injured. He instructed me toe over and tell you to call for a doctor and drive a cart to pick him up.¡±


    Sun Hongliang was shocked when he heard that. After that, he didn¡¯t think much about it and went to find Zhou Ying to tell her about it.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s mind went nk when she heard that. After returning to her senses, she quickly called Fang Qing and said, ¡°Hurry up and get a cart. We¡¯ll bring Doctor Luo and set off immediately.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. Since Doctor Gu can still send someone over, he should be fine.¡± Fang Qing immediately took off his apron.


    The two got on a carriage, picked up Doctor Luo, and rushed to Hewan vige.


    Sun Hongliang waited for them to leave. When he returned, he found the viges had disappeared and felt a little strange.


    Even if the other party didn¡¯t ask for anything in return, they should at least head back together and show them the way.


    He thought about it and suddenly came to a realization. Oh no! If Gu Chengrui was awake and alive, he was a doctor, so how could he not be able to treat his wounds? Or, he could have also asked someone to send him back.


    This meant¡­


    Thinking of this, Sun Hongliang broke out in a cold sweat. He gave Gu Wen a few instructions and ran to the clinic.


    However, he was still a step toote. They had already set off.


    He had no choice but to run and try to catch up to them. Sun Hongliang didn¡¯t see that a man wearing a bamboo hat among the pedestrians had quietly followed after him when he saw him running.


    Because Fang Ding didn¡¯t drive the cart too fast on the streets, Sun Hongliang managed to catch up to the carriage, and they were already out of town.


    Before he could say anything, a small stone suddenly flew from behind and hit the horse¡¯s butt.


    The horse was startled and immediately galloped away.


    Fang Qing jumped in shock and quickly steadied the carriage.


    Sun Hongliang turned his head and looked in the direction of the stone. He noticed a man who resembled the viger who had reported about Gu Chengrui¡¯s situation; the person turned around and returned to town.


    Sun Hongliang saw that it was impossible to catch up to the carriage, so he turned back and looked for the man.


    But the man was already gone.


    Remembering that Zhou Ying had someone protecting her, he didn¡¯t do anything unnecessary. Instead, he returned to the restaurant.

 Chapter 197 - 197 Preparation

    197 Chapter 197 Preparation


    On the other end, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t think much and bumped into Dr. Luo roughly when the horse galloped away; they were having a rough time in the carriage.


    When they finally stabilized, Zhou Ying lifted the curtain and was about to scold Fang Qing, but she saw him trying to stabilize the carriage in a hurry. She was stunned and asked, ¡°Fang Qing, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Mistress, I don¡¯t know which wicked fe threw a stone at the horse¡¯s butt, but it scared the horse.¡± Fang Qing shouted while he was busy.


    Zhou Ying was shocked. Although she didn¡¯t know what was wrong, she knew something wasn¡¯t right.


    This was because even if someone identally threw a stone at the horse, the horse would not be this frightened. The only exnation was that the person had deliberately hurled the rock hard.


    At the thought of this, she immediately thought of Gu Chengrui being hunted down a few days ago. Could it be that someone tricked her intoing out?


    ¡°Fang Qing, when the horse stops, turn around and head back,¡± shemanded.


    ¡°Miss Zhou, what¡¯s the meaning of this? Why aren¡¯t you going to save Chengrui?¡± Doctor Luo turned his head and asked in astonishment.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a while but still told him her guess, ¡°Grandpa Luo, this trip is too dangerous. I will bring Chengrui back myself.¡±


    Doctor Luo¡¯s heart ached when he heard this. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Since we¡¯re here, there¡¯s no reason to go back. Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. It¡¯s not safe for me to get off now anyway.¡±


    Zhou Ying saw the determination in his eyes, so she no longer refused. She took out a small box from under the seat, and inside it was the self-defense stuff she had prepared before in case of an ident. She didn¡¯t anticipate actually using it one day.


    She then took out two paper bags, one big and one small, and handed them to Doctor Luo. ¡°The big one is a tear-inducing powder, and the small one is a knockout powder. I have more of them, and it¡¯s more important to protect ourselves.¡±


    After saying that, she also passed two bags to Fang Qing and handed him a dagger. ¡°If there¡¯s anything, just yell. You don¡¯t have to save the chili powder; we have more.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mistress. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Fang Qing assured her after taking it.


    To be honest, after listening to her analysis, he was more excited than afraid.


    First, he could test his strength, and second, he could protect his mistress in return for her care. Most importantly, he may even be a dependable aide to her.


    As for Zhou Ying herself, she took out a small, exquisite crossbow and a boning knife, which were ced at the bottom of the box. At the same time, she smeared some knockout powder on them.


    She put two packets of chili powder in her pocket.


    The rest were ced on the side of the cart door, and anyone who needed them could take them.


    When they were ready, they arrived at a small forest.


    No, it wasn¡¯t a forest, but a forest-like green belt by the river.


    Fang Qing was on immediate alert. Two whistling sounds rang out just as they were about to leave the forest.


    The horse immediately fell to the ground, and Fang Qing, who had been on guard, barely dodged it.


    Two men in ck quickly slid down the rope from a tree not far away. One rushed toward Fang Qing, while the other ran toward the car.


    ¡°Mistress, be careful!¡± Fang Qing eximed in shock.


    After shouting, the two men came up to them.


    The person charging at Fang Qing kicked him in the chest when he was in front of him.


    Fang Qing immediately crossed his arms to block it, and at the same time, he kicked back at the man¡¯s waist.

 Chapter 198 - 198 Subduing Them

    198 Chapter 198 Subduing Them


    The man was shocked. He somersaulted in the air and dropped the rope tond on the ground.


    However, the moment hended, the packet of the tear-inducing powder in Fang Qing¡¯s hand was flung and smashed into his head.


    Although he closed his eyes in time, the spicy powder still made him sneeze. At the same time, he cursed, ¡°Despicable.¡±


    ¡°Riching from you guys. Fang Qing didn¡¯t waste any more words with him after that, because he knew from that short exchange that he wasn¡¯t his opponent¡¯s match. He had to strike first.


    So, taking advantage of his attacker¡¯s inconvenience, he took out a dagger and stabbed him. The man¡¯s ears twitched, and he immediately blocked it with his knife.


    However, the chili powder made him unable to open his eyes.


    Seeing this, Fang Qing was secretly happy. It seemed that the boss¡¯s tear-inducing powder was effective. Thinking of this, he lightened his steps and began to fight with him.


    It didn¡¯t take long for three cuts to appear on the man¡¯s body, one of which was on his knife-holding hand. The attacker was quickly subdued and knocked out.


    On the other side, another man kicked the cart¡¯s roof off, then slid over.


    Doctor Luo was shocked and immediately turned sideways to avoid the attacker¡¯s foot. When he came down from his rope, Doctor Luo nimbly threw out a handful of chili powder.


    Unfortunately, Doctor Luo only threw it onto the other party¡¯s stomach. It had no effect, and he choked on it instead.


    Zhou Ying was prepared. She blocked his kick with a cushion and dodged. At the same time, she took out her crossbow and shot it at the man¡¯s chest.


    The man in ck was shocked by the sudden turn and quickly spun around the rope. However, the arrow still hit his arm.


    He had no choice but to fall from the rope and rush directly at Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying feared Doctor Luo getting hurt, so she dodged with a front somersault andnded on the ground. She turned around and aimed the crossbow at the man in ck.


    The man in ck seemed to have sensed her intentions and quickly raised his knife to attack Doctor Luo.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t hesitate and shot at the man¡¯s hand that was holding the knife.


    Seeing this, the man had to dodge. He jumped off the carriage, somersaulted forward, and assailed Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying saw this and smiled sweetly; she threw the tear powder between them and shot it with a crossbow.


    At the same time, she turned around and ran.


    As expected, there was a scream from behind, followed by a series of sneezes, but soon there was silence.


    Zhou Ying turned her head and looked at the motionless man on the ground. She used her crossbow to prod him twice, cautiously. After making sure that there was no movement, she said, ¡°As expected, the faster you move, the faster the medicine will take effect.¡±


    However, just in case, she still pulled down the curtain, tore it into four, and tied his hands and feet up like a pig.


    At this moment, Fang Qing came over with another prisoner and asked, ¡°Mistress, what should we do with the two of them?¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment and turned her head to look at Doctor Luo, who had finally recovered. ¡°Grandpa Luo, please give them some medicine to sleep for a day.¡±


    ¡°You brat, you didn¡¯t even remind me. You¡¯re killing me here.¡± After Doctor Luo finished speaking, he sneezed again and walked over with a bag of knockout powder.


    Looking at the eyes and nose of the men in ck, swollen red by the spiciness, Doctor Luo smiled sinisterly and said, ¡°Hah, Zhou Ying, can you give me two bags of tear gas powder for self-protection? This thing is quite useful.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I can even give you a sack.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°This is more like it.¡± Doctor Luo stepped forward, pinched the ck man¡¯s chin, and poured a small pinch of knockout powder into his mouth.


    He gave some to the other and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you guys.¡±

 Chapter 199 - 199 Someone Saved Them?

    199 Chapter 199 Someone Saved Them?


    Zhou Ying looked at the two people on the ground with a troubled expression.


    With others around, she couldn¡¯t kill them and put them into her interspace to be used as fertilizer. However, she was unwilling to let them go.


    At this moment, a small bee flew past her, and her eyes lit up. She told Fang Qing, ¡°Comb the two of them and see if there¡¯s any identification. Of course, if there¡¯s money on them, help yourself.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry, Mistress.¡± Fang Qing¡¯s eyes brightened, and he immediately went to work.


    !!


    Zhou Ying turned around and found the small box that contained the chili powder. She wrapped a small bag of white sugar from her interspace in the small box as a cover.


    ¡°Mistress, there¡¯s about four taels of broken silver and silver notes worth around ny taels.¡± Fang Qing summarized and handed the silver to her.


    ¡°90 taels?¡± Zhou Ying took it and pondered.


    The people who chased after Gu Chengruist time also seemed to have 90 taels of silver on them. In addition to the broken silver pieces, it was a total of 50 taels of silver per person.


    They should be the same group of people and sent by the same person. Otherwise, how could the amount of silver they had on them be so simr?


    ¡°Do they have any marks on their bodies?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, both of them were clean. There wasn¡¯t even a mark on their knives.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the other party is cautious.¡± Zhou Ying concluded and took out 30 silver. She handed them to Fang Qing and said, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Take this.¡±


    ¡°No need, Mistress. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Take it. You¡¯re not young anymore. Keep it for your future wife.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she stuffed the banknote into his hand.


    The two used their attacker¡¯s rope to tie the two men to a tree. Finally, Zhou Ying asked Fang Qing to go to the river, wet the sugar with it, and smear it on the faces and hands of the two men in ck.


    After that, she turned her head and saw Doctor Luo squatting in front of the horse, examining it. Zhou Ying walked over and asked, ¡°Grandpa Luo, how¡¯s the horse? Can it be saved?¡±


    Doctor Luo shook his head and said with a grave expression, ¡°Their archery skills are good. One arrow pierced the horse¡¯s windpipe, so you¡¯d be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Grandpa Luo. This was found on their bodies; take it as my apology.¡± Zhou Ying said this while pulling out three ten-tael silver notes and handing them to him.


    Doctor Luo raised his head and refused. ¡°There¡¯s no need. If you really want to help me, prepare a table of wine and food for tonight. I need to have a good drink.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then, it¡¯s a deal. We shouldn¡¯t stay here for long; let¡¯s hurry up and leave.¡± Zhou Ying reminded them and picked up her small box. She put away all their weapons, picked up the two attackers¡¯ knives, and walked toward Hewan vige.


    However, they did not walk far before they saw Gu Chengrui sitting in the ox-cart and the coachman talking andughing. The three finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    When Gu Chengrui saw the three of them, especially the bloodstains on Fang Qing¡¯s body, he was worried.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± he asked.


    Zhou Ying did not hide anything and told him what had happened today.


    ¡°It seems like they won¡¯t stop until they die.¡± Gu Chengrui gritted his teeth and cursed.


    ¡°Get in the cart. We¡¯ll make a big deal out of this and send them to the county government,¡± Gu Chengrui decided.


    After he finished speaking, he stepped onto the ox-cart first.


    Zhou Ying and the other two immediately followed, but when they returned to the small forest, there was no one. Even the broken carriage and the horse¡¯s body were gone.


    ¡°Did someone save them?¡± Fang Qing paused for a moment, then immediately searched around. He knew that they would only wake up after 24 hours if no one came to save them.

 Chapter 200 - 200 Verification

    200 Chapter 200 Verification


    As expected, the rope above had been cut off at waist height. He ran back in a panic and asked, ¡°Mistress, I think they were rescued!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they have helpers?¡± Doctor Luo cried out in rm.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying looked at each other and had a rough idea of what was happening. If the other party¡¯s people had saved them, there was no need to clean up the scene so thoroughly.


    In that case, it could only be someone on their side. Thinking of the news that Sun Hongliang had revealed, the couple smiled. This saved them a lot of trouble.


    !!


    After that, they took the ox-cart and returned to town safely.


    When they parted, Zhou Ying gave Gu Chengrui the money she had found today to buy another carriage and then returned to the restaurant.


    When Sun Hongliang saw Zhou Ying and Fang Qing return, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re back. Is Doctor Gu alright? ¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine and doing well.¡± After Zhou Ying said this, she diverted Fang Qing to the back kitchen. She walked to Sun Hongliang and asked, ¡°Do you still remember what the person who sent you the message looked like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed to say this, but my negligence caused you to suffer.¡± Sun Hongliang apologized and told her what happened after they left. At the same time, he also revealed to her that when they went out, there would be people protecting them in the dark.


    With her thoughts confirmed, Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t me you for this. You were just as concerned and confused, too. I mean, I didn¡¯t react in time either.


    ¡°But we have to be more careful in the future. Fortunately, we prepared some self-defense items in the carriage beforehand; otherwise, we really wouldn¡¯t have been able toe back today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will find the messenger as soon as possible. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t go out for the time being.¡±


    ¡°I will remind Chengrui.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and told him a total of 180 silvers, about 50 silver taels from each assassin, and then turned back to the kitchen.


    However, even if she did not punish Sun Hongliang, it did not mean that he would not be punished. She had just returned home that night when Manager Liu summoned Sun Hongliang over.


    Sun Hongliang looked at Manager Liu¡¯s serious expression and immediately understood what was happening. He knelt on one knee and apologized, ¡°Captain Liu, please punish me for my negligence.¡±


    ¡°You still have the nerve to ask for punishment? If they hadn¡¯t prepared in advance today, Zhou Ying and the other two would have died in that forest. How would we exin this to General Zhou?¡± Manager Liu scolded angrily.


    ¡°What have you learned all these years?¡± He pointed at Sun Hongliang¡¯s nose and scolded. ¡°You can¡¯t even tell if the person is problematic or not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small oversight. Please punish me, captain.¡± Sun Hongliang lowered his head in defeat.


    ¡°Go back and write down your punishment a hundred times.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they can¡¯t do without you, I would have sent you back to the base and trained you for a month.¡± Manager Liu waved his hand.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sun Hongliang thought of the messenger and told him the truth, ¡°I feel that this person is not simple and must be investigated as soon as possible.


    ¡°In addition, Zhou Ying told me a piece of news today. She said that whether it was the people who hunted her today or those who hunted Gu Chengrui a few days ago, each had about 50 taels of silver on them.¡±


    ¡°50 taels of silver?¡± Shopkeeper Liu immediately understood what was going on. This was most likely the reward for their mission, which meant that these people were from other ces. It seemed that Qiao Lansheng¡¯s backer had emerged, as General Zhou had said.


    ¡°Is there a mark on the banknote?¡± he asked.

 Chapter 201 - 201 Fall Out

    201 Chapter 201 Fall Out


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just normal silver notes from the Baotong bank.¡± Sun Hongliang said.


    ¡°I see. It seems like our real opponent is here.¡± When Manager Liu said this, he thought of the two people his subordinates had brought back and their interrogation.


    However, the results were disappointing. They could only tell from their ent that they were from the capital and nothing else.


    He had no choice but to use the two of them as bait.


    !!


    Wang Quan had suffered setback after setback, and knowing that he couldn¡¯t hide anymore, he reported to Qiao Lansheng.


    Qiao Lansheng was so angry that he choked Wang Quan¡¯s neck and said through gritted teeth, ¡°You fool, those ten people are death warriors. Do you know what that means? If they were alive, they would have crawled back no matter what.


    ¡°Since there¡¯s no news, it means they¡¯re dead. You¡¯re stupid enough to send two more even knowing that. Why don¡¯t you die from your stupidity?¡±


    ¡°Argh, uh.¡± Wang Quan¡¯s eyes rolled back, and his hands clutched Qiao Lansheng¡¯s hands tightly, struggling desperately to get him to let go.


    However, the enraged Qiao Lansheng didn¡¯t stop. He knew very well that if this got out, he would be punished too.


    Just as Wang Quan was about to be strangled to death, he started struggling physically, kicking and hitting him. Although he couldn¡¯t use much strength, Qiao Lansheng regained his senses and threw him aside.


    He knew it was not the right time for him to show his face, and he did not have any more trustworthy subordinates. There were many things that Wang Quan needed to take care of.


    After being thrown to the ground, Wang Quan began to take big breaths before slowly recovering. However, after recovering, he realized that his throat was so painful that he struggled to swallow.


    He crawled and stood up, walking to Qiao Lansheng and pointing to his throat.


    Qiao Lansheng looked at the bruised handprint on Wang Quan¡¯s neck and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Go to my private ount and take some money to find a doctor.


    ¡°In addition, stop all operations for the time being and wait for my next order.¡±


    Wang Quan nodded and bowed, turned around, and walked out.


    Qiao Lansheng looked at his back with a hint of killing intent in his eyes. It was no wonder that he was able to ruin the business of Dongxin Restaurant in the past with his meager abilities. Qiao Lansheng had to cultivate a few more trustworthy people as soon as possible, or he would get into trouble sooner orter.


    Although Wang Quan didn¡¯t know that Qiao Lansheng intended to kill him, he knew that after this incident, his young master would no longer put him in an important position, and he was prepared to prepare a way out.


    After this incident, Zhou Ying and her husband were more well-prepared every time they went out, especially Gu Chengrui. They tried to reduce the chances of going out as much as possible.


    In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed. The days were peaceful, but the two did not rx. Instead, they became more and more vignt. At night, they tied Er Zhuang up and set up some traps in the courtyard.


    However, the couple was getting busier because everyone began to nt chili seedlings. At the same time, Zhou Ying also took out rapeseed and lettuce for everyone to produce.


    Of course, she also requested that what they grew to be sold to Grasnd Taste Restaurant.


    After the Qingming Festival, the work in the field was almost done.


    That night, just as Gu Chengrui and his wife were about to start dinner, Second Uncle Gu and Gu Chengxi came looking for them.


    Seeing that there were only stir-fried green bean sprouts and chives scrambled eggs on the table, Second Uncle Gu was stunned and eximed, ¡°Your restaurant¡¯s business is so good, and you are only having this for dinner?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Have you guys eaten? If not, let¡¯s eat together.¡± Gu Chengrui greeted them.


    ¡°You two hurry up and eat as we¡¯ve already eaten.¡± Second Uncle Gu shook his head and said.

 Chapter 202 - 202 A Way Out

    202 Chapter 202 A Way Out


    ¡°Alright, then you guys can sit and wait.¡± Gu Chengrui wasn¡¯t overly polite. He went to the west room to get a te of stir-fried pumpkin seeds and handed it to them. ¡°Have some snacks as you wait.¡±


    After that, he turned around and had dinner.


    After Zhou Ying finished eating, she poured a ss of water for the father and son.


    Once Gu Chengrui finished too, he asked, ¡°Second uncle, why did you bring Chengxi here today?¡±


    !!


    ¡°Right, Chengxi said that he wants to study medicine. I thought that this was also a way out for him. We can¡¯t let him just be a store assistant, so I came to see if you could take him as a disciple.¡± Second Uncle Gu put down the pumpkin seeds and asked with a serious expression.


    Of course, this also left a way out for himself. He realized that his eldest son had secretly bought two acres ofnd to grow vegetables, and they had never told him.


    In fact, if he had not discovered it, they might have kept it a secret forever.


    If his eldest son were unfilial, he would have to turn to his youngest son and need someone to take care of him in his old age. This was why he couldn¡¯t stand by and watch Chengxi stay home and work on something unimportant to his future.


    Gu Chengrui looked at Gu Chengxi and asked, ¡°Chengxi, do you really want to learn medicine?¡±


    ¡°I want to learn. Not only can I earn money by practicing medicine, but I can also save lives and earn respect.¡± Gu Chengxi nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite realistic and understand your goal.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement, then said, ¡°How about this, you go to the clinic and be an apprentice for three months. I¡¯ll also observe if you have talent in this area. If you do, then continue to study. If you don¡¯t, you will have to change your profession. ¡±


    He paused briefly and asked, ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°This arrangement is best. I will leave him to you.¡± Second Uncle Gu expressed his delight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you, third brother.¡± Gu Chengxi nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Alright,e over early tomorrow morning, and we¡¯ll go together.¡± Gu Chengrui added.


    After that, they chatted for a bit, and Zhou Ying and her husband knew the Gu family had finished their farm work prep. Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu were nning to rent a boat to start a river transportation business.


    Their snack shop in the town had stabilized and was handed over to Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao to manage.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before reminding them, ¡°You better be careful. Elder Qiao¡¯s son, Qiao Lansheng, is still alive. He might make a move on you.¡±


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t the Qiao family get exiled?¡± Second Uncle Gu eximed in shock.


    ¡°He¡¯s back, and we were both attacked. Fortunately, we brought something for self-defense, so we survived.¡±


    ¡°You guys should be careful. Are you hurt?¡± Second Uncle Gu asked as he sized them up.


    ¡°No, we were afraid of being robbed, so we always had something for self-defense. That¡¯s how we managed to survive their assassination attempt.¡± Gu Chengrui exined.


    ¡°But¡­ didn¡¯t Zhou Huaiming do everything to stamp out the Qiao family? How could they make such a big mistake?¡±


    ¡°I think you know the current situation in the court better than I do.¡±


    Second Uncle Gu did not speak after hearing this. The Emperor had a total of six children, and four of them had already grown up. In addition to the emperor¡¯s distrustful personality, although the court seemed harmonious on the surface, undercurrents surged while his children fought for power.


    It was especially fierce between the eldest prince and the fourth prince. One was the legitimate heir, while the other was the son of the emperor¡¯s most favored consort. The two sides were almost at each other¡¯s throats at this point.


    The Gu family was a sacrifice in this political struggle. They had to be very, very careful when it came to their new river transportation business. Otherwise, they would be reduced to the streets if something happened again.

 Chapter 203 - 203 Waterwheel

    203 Chapter 203 Waterwheel


    After that, Second Uncle Gu wasn¡¯t in the mood to chat anymore. So, after exchanging a few polite greetings, he brought Gu Chengxi home.


    But just as he left, he returned and said, ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. There¡¯s still something I want to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Do say,¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°Right, I heard that you drew the waterwheel. You see, we were wondering if we could help you sell it.


    ¡°At that time, our two families and the Qian family will share the profits. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°The waterwheel is done?¡± Zhou Ying asked happily. The wheat in the manor was waiting to be watered, and she was getting impatient.


    ¡°It¡¯s done. We tried to install it today, and the water test will probably take ce the day after tomorrow. The chief will definitely inform you by then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯ll be much easier with the waterwheel.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Otherwise, it would be too time-consuming andborious to fetch water from the river bit by bit.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for creating that quickly.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled as he spoke. He then looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Do we still have to get involved in the waterwheel?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°No, we don¡¯t know any carpentry and don¡¯t have time to run a business. We won¡¯t get involved; just give us a waterwheel will do. ¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to have any business dealings with the old family. Otherwise, there would be pointless arguments in the future.


    Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement. ¡°This is also what I want. So, Second Uncle, if you want to start a waterwheel business, I suggest you look for the patriarch, the vige chief, and the Tian family to discuss


    ¡°In addition, this waterwheel is something that benefits the country and the people. I believe it will not be long before word gets out, and the officials may intervene.¡±


    Second Uncle Gu nodded and asked, ¡°This waterwheel can be sold at a high price in areas with little rain. Are you really going to give it up? ¡±


    ¡°Yes, as long as we can get what we need.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll release this news, then.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Remember to get us a waterwheel.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Second Uncle Gu responded and went out with Gu Chengxi.


    The next night, the patriarch and the vige chief weren¡¯t sure of what they heard, so they came to confirm it again. After knowing that the couple really only wanted a waterwheel, they turned and left.


    After a whole day of hard work, they finally managed to draw water from the river on the third day. The vigers were delighted and didn¡¯t have to worry about watering thend this year.


    The next step was to dig a canal, and thend in the vige would be irrigated.


    Five dayster, the second waterwheel was created. Zhou Ying asked them to send it to the manor, making Chang Shun and the others jump in joy.


    In less than half a month, orders for the waterwheel mobilized thebor force of the entire vige.


    One day, Zhou Ying had just entered her restaurant when she saw Manager Liu waiting inside. She was stunned for a moment before walking over and asking, ¡°Uncle Liu, what brings you here today?¡±


    ¡°General Zhou is waiting for you in the Bamboo Garden on the second floor.¡± Manager Liu stated as he rose to his feet.


    ¡°Since General Zhou is here, let¡¯s go up together.¡± Zhou Ying offered and went upstairs with him.


    After pushing the door open, she saw Zhou Huaiming eating and drinking tea with a look of enjoyment on his face. She went forward and said, ¡°Hello, Brother Zhou.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat. Has Brother Gu already left for the clinic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he went there early in the morning. The temperature difference between day and night is quite drastic now, and many people have caught colds; the clinic sure is busy.¡±


    ¡°You guys sit down while I call him over.¡± Zhou Ying said and was about to go out.


    ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s nothing that important for him toe over at this time. Don¡¯t call for him.¡± Zhou Huaiming quickly stopped her.

 Chapter 204 - 204 Looking For The Blueprint

    204 Chapter 204 Looking For The Blueprint


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Ying asked as she sat opposite him.


    Manager Liu, on the other hand, walked to Zhou Huaiming and poured a cup of tea for each of them before sitting down.


    ¡°There are two main things. First, I just missed your cooking and want toe over to satisfy my craving, but I don¡¯t want to have hot pot this time.


    ¡°The other thing is about the waterwheel. The north of the Ming dynasty is short of water, so I hope you can sell the drawings to me. You can name a price.¡± Zhou Huaiming stated.


    Zhou Ying shook her head with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m not selling the blueprint, as this is a good thing for the country and the people. If you can use it well, feel free to take it.


    ¡°But there is one thing, you have to leave some waterwheels for us.


    ¡°The whole vige is working overtime, and I don¡¯t want them to work for nothing.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming gave her a thumbs up and said, ¡°Such selflessness, then this matter is settled. I¡¯ll see if I can get you some rewardster.


    ¡°As for the waterwheel in your vige, they¡¯re selling it too expensively. I¡¯ll discuss it with them, and I won¡¯t ask them to sell at a loss.¡±


    ¡°Alright, do as you see fit.¡± Zhou Ying didn¡¯t say anything more after hearing that.


    After asking them to rest, she went to the kitchen to work. First, she made the base sauce and dipping sauce for the hot pot and began to prepare some dishes.


    As there were just a few people, she prepared six dishes and a soup.


    They were four-vor meatballs, braised pork with pickled vegetables, stew beef, cumin mutton, stir-fried shiitake mushrooms with vegetables, bean sprouts in vinegar sauce, and fish ball soup.


    While preparing the dishes, Manager Liu reported to General Zhou what had happened recently.


    Zhou Huaiming nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to know how to protect themselves. I¡¯m relieved.¡±


    Manager Liu added, ¡°The key is that they have a variety of things in their hands. Putting the knockout powder out of the equation, who would have thought they would make chili and mustard powder into weapons?


    ¡°Surprisingly, the effect was quite good too. One of them almost went blind from that.


    ¡°If our people didn¡¯t go in time, those two attackers would have either frozen to death or been stung to death by bees at night.


    ¡°No matter how we interrogated or tortured them, they didn¡¯t speak. But what¡¯s funny is that the sugar on their wounds attracted ants, and the attackers spilled everything they knew.¡± Manager Liu burst outughing.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this also provide us with a means of interrogation?¡± With a smile, Zhou Huaiming stated.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re almost done with the investigation, let¡¯s wrap things up. Otherwise, it¡¯ll threaten the couple if we continue this.


    ¡°They¡¯re already on guard, so the next time the attackers¡¯ strike, it¡¯ll be much more brutal than the previous two times.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make arrangements.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll go after dinner. Otherwise, it¡¯s boring for me to have lunch alone.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it seems that I¡¯m in for a treat today.¡±


    After the food was served, the two ate to their hearts¡¯ content and then went off to do their tasks.


    They agreed to go together in the evening to get the blueprints.


    On the other hand, Qiao Lansheng had also found the source of the blueprint. He had initially nned to get someone to steal it but changed his mind when he received the news that Zhou Huaiming had gone to Grasnd Taste Restaurant.


    At night, he immediately reported the matter to his superior, ¡°Young master, I heard Zhou Huaiming didn¡¯t bring many people with him this time. Why don¡¯t we¡­? We can know their limit then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten about the four people we lost. Although assassinations would vent our anger, it¡¯s the stupidest method.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that many of their people are already stationed here.


    ¡°What you need to do now is find everyone and capture them all in one fell swoop, do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 205 - 205 Escape

    205 Chapter 205 Escape


    ¡°I¡­.¡± As Qiao Lansheng said this, the sound of fighting suddenly came from outside. The two looked at each other and quickly looked out the window.


    They saw Zhou Huaiming rushing in with several times more people than their men. In just a short while, more than half of their men were killed.


    When the young master saw this, he was so angry that he wanted to give Qiao Lansheng a hard p. It seemed like an inexperienced person couldn¡¯t be put in an important position, no matter how smart they were. However, he knew that now was not the time to be angry.


    He immediately pushed the bookcase aside, opened a five-foot tall, half-meter-wide sliding door, and quickly jumped in.


    !!


    Qiao Lansheng immediately chased after him. The young master, who was about to close the door, hesitated for a moment before letting him in. He then closed the door and said, ¡°Remember, your sister is still in my hands.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and ran into the tunnel.


    Qiao Lansheng was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood what he meant. He was warning her not to sell him out if he was caught, or he would not be able to protect his sister, Qiao Lan.


    To be honest, he was only using Qiao Lan. If it weren¡¯t for her, the Qiao family wouldn¡¯t have fallen from grace and turned him into a stray dog.


    Just as he was in a daze, he heard footstepsing from outside. He quickly headed down the tunnel and chased after the young master.


    Zhou Huaiming came in and was surprised to see the empty house. ¡°Search. There¡¯s an 80% chance of a tunnel in this house. But be careful. ¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone responded and immediately got to work, soon finding the entrance to the tunnel.


    ¡°Cover your face and bring a torch in,¡± Zhou Huaiming cautioned. ¡°Remember to be careful.¡±


    Afterwards, the person standing at the tunnel entrance immediately covered his face and rushed in with a torch; four more people went down after him.


    Seeing this, Zhou Huaiming walked to the bookcase and began to flip through the books, trying to see if there was anything of value left behind.


    He only found five ounting books, but many things were recorded in them. He could read the words on them as they weren¡¯t encrypted, and he immediately sent more people to raid the house.


    Two of his men returned from the tunnel not long after, but they only had Qiao Lansheng in their hands. The other three continued after the young master.


    Zhou Huaiming stepped forward and grabbed Qiao Lansheng¡¯s chin to force him to look up. He smiled and said, ¡°Oh, you were abandoned by Su Mingtang, the seventh heir of the Su family?¡±


    Qiao Lansheng was shocked. He had never thought that Zhou Huaiming would know who his master was.


    However, the shock was only momentary and was quickly covered up.


    Unfortunately, Zhou Huaiming had been staring at him intently. He was used to interrogating all kinds of criminals, so Qiao Lansheng¡¯s surprise confirmed his guess.


    However, it was impossible to arrest him without sufficient evidence, so he asked again, ¡°Tell me, where did he run off to, or does he have a ce to stay?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Qiao Lansheng immediately replied. He really didn¡¯t know.


    He hadn¡¯t been with his master for a long time and had only just gained his young master¡¯s trust before the Qiao family¡¯s incident. Otherwise, the Qiao family wouldn¡¯t have ended up in such a state.


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t think a weak schr like you can withstand the infamous 18 tortures in prison.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know,¡±


    ¡°Then tell me what you know.¡±


    Qiao Lansheng didn¡¯t reply and didn¡¯t pay him any more attention. There were so many of the young master¡¯s people here, and he didn¡¯t believe the young master would abandon him.


    ¡°Take him away. Remember to interrogate him properly.¡± Zhou Huaiming ordered.


    He continued searching the house. After confirming that there was no further evidence, he gave up. It seemed that this seventh young master was really cunning.

 Chapter 206 - 206 Arresting Them

    206 Chapter 206 Arresting Them


    After another fifteen minutes, the three men walked out and said, ¡°General, we couldn¡¯t find that person¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Where does the tunnel lead to?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dry well about one mile away from the house.¡±


    ¡°Then expand the scope of the search. That person is the seventh son of the Su family, Su Mingtang.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Understood.¡± The three men responded and went out to look for him with more men.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Huaiming brought Qiao Lansheng back to his manor and locked him in the dungeon for interrogation.


    Unfortunately, Qiao Lansheng was quite stubborn and did not say anything.


    Finally, he had to employ the method discovered by Manager Liu. He applied some sugar to Qiao Lansheng¡¯s wound and threw him onto the grass.


    Sure enough, his wound was covered with ants after a short while, and he couldn¡¯t get rid of them no matter how he struggled.


    Qiao Lansheng tasted the real feeling of being bitten by a thousand ants. A few times, he wanted to bite his tongue tomit suicide, but he couldn¡¯t as he was fed a muscle rxant.


    Just as he felt like he was about to be tortured to death, Zhou Huaiming said, ¡°If you want to confess, just nod or raise your legs.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned around to leave.


    Qiao Lansheng immediately struggled even harder when he heard that. After a few attempts, he finally managed to lift his legs, which were tied together.


    Hearing his subordinate¡¯s reply, Zhou Huaiming turned his head and said, ¡°Remember, I don¡¯t have time to waste with you here. You only have one chance, or you¡¯ll be eaten by ants bit by bit.¡±


    He waved his hand at his subordinates after stating his ultimatum.


    A few of his men immediately took a towel and some chili water and went forward to drive the ants away; they simply cleaned his wound after that.


    After Qiao Lansheng recovered, they began to interrogate him.


    However, what he knew was really limited. He gave out a few names; three of Su Mingtang¡¯s men were hidden among the guards; one was the advisor of the county mayor, and the rest were Qiao Lansheng¡¯s subordinates, including Constable Li.


    After Zhou Huaiming memorized the name list, he had mixed feelings. He had thoroughly reviewed these people before but couldn¡¯t find any problems.


    If Qiao Lansheng had not confessed today, finding these people would have taken a lot of effort.


    After that, he quickly sent people over to arrest those people. Otherwise, the real danger would befall County Mayor Kong.


    Sure enough, when his men arrived, the advisor was about to escape after kidnapping County Mayor Kong, but he was eventually caught.


    As for Su Mingtang, he wasn¡¯t found even after five days.


    Later, when Zhou Huaiming went down the tunnel, he found out that there was a secret room in the tunnel with some simple daily necessities. He then knew that Su Mingtang had probably escaped long ago.


    Of course, this was a story for the future. But after a night of hard work, Wang Quan, several other public figures, and all of Su Mingtang¡¯s people in the county were arrested.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui and his wife didn¡¯t get to sleep that night either. Zhou Huaiming, who had promised toe over to get the blueprint, did not show up, nor did hee to the couple.


    They were afraid that something would happen to Zhou Huaiming, and they would be in danger.


    It was not until the following day, when Zhou Huaiming went to the restaurant for breakfast, that Zhou Ying finally heaved a sigh of relief. She made him a bowl of Yang Chun noodles and two poached eggs.


    After he finished eating, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Brother Zhou, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was busy the whole night and didn¡¯t have time to get the drawings, so I am here to tell you that we¡¯ll go get them this evening.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. There¡¯s no rush for the blueprint.¡±


    ¡°Well, you go ahead and continue your day. I have to go back and take a nap.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he got up and stretched before walking out.

 Chapter 207 - 207 Giving Up

    207 Chapter 207 Giving Up


    After he left, Zhou Ying turned around and went to the kitchen. At noon, she told Gu Chengrui not to make any more house calls in the afternoon.


    In the evening, Zhou Huaiming came over with County Mayor Kong for a free meal. After the two were sure that Manager Liu woulde to pick them upter, they rushed to the carriage that took them to the vige.


    Of course, on the way there, the couple also found out that Qiao Lansheng and the others had been cleaned up. The couple immediately heaved a sigh of relief as it was tiring to be on guard against them every day.


    When they reached home, Zhou Ying had prepared some snacks and tea while Gu Chengrui invited the vige chief and the patriarch over.


    When the patriarch and the vige chief learned from Gu Chengrui that Zhou Huaiming hade for the waterwheel¡¯s drawing, they were somewhat reluctant. After all, this was a way to make a fortune. Now that it had been cut off, they were not happy to ept it.


    However, they also knew this wasn¡¯t a good year, and many families in the country may not make it to the next. In order to save thousands of families, they could only bear the pain and part with their treasures.


    Maybe they could even get some reward for the vige.


    They knelt when meeting Zhou Huaiming and County Mayor Kong without needing Gu Chengrui to introduce them; they had already met them when the restaurant opened. ¡°Wemoners, Qian Pinggui (Gu Qingzhi), greet General Zhou and Lord Kong.¡±


    ¡°Do get up, all of you. Are you the vige chief and the head of the Gu n?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the vige chief.¡± The vige chief took a step forward.


    ¡°I, Gu Qingzhi, am the Gu n¡¯s patriarch.¡± The patriarch took a step forward.


    ¡°Have a seat.¡± Zhou Huaiming pointed at the two seats that Zhou Ying had prepared.


    ¡°Thank you, General.¡± The two saluted again before they walked over and sat down.


    Zhou Huaiming asked them how many days it would take to make a waterwheel and finally said, ¡°I think Brother Gu has already told you what I want to say. So let me know what you think.¡±


    The patriarch and vige chief immediately sang a high tune when they heard this. ¡°This is a good thing for the country and the people. We fully support it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say much then.


    ¡°The county will quickly promote waterwheels, and you can continue making them, but the price must be lowered. The profit of each waterwheel must not exceed five taels.


    ¡°As for the money you have received, the county will pay it back. You don¡¯t need to refund them.¡± County Mayor Kong chimed in.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re making waterwheels for the county?¡± The vige chief raised his head and asked the two officials.


    ¡°Yes, except for your current orders, the rest will be distributed throughout the county.


    ¡°Understood. What about the transportation?¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s done by you, it¡¯s up to you to install it,¡± Wang Yao continued. ¡°So, you can make the arrangements. The county won¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Kong.¡± The vige chief heaved a sigh of relief. At least they could earn some money from the instation and transportation.


    After exchanging a few polite words, the group went to the workshop to get the blueprint.


    After Manager Liu and a few carpenters visited the waterwheel, the group of people sent them out of the vige.


    ¡°Sigh, we¡¯ve only sold eight units so far. If I had known that this day woulde so quickly, we would have made a few more overnight.¡± Second Uncle Gu grumbled glumly.


    ¡°You should be content that we can still continue to do this.¡± The patriarch red at him.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good thing. This way, the grain production of the entire north will increase, and our days will improve.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Based on this year¡¯s situation, if it doesn¡¯t rain, there will definitely be a reduction in production. If water can be supplied, at least we can have some harvest.¡± The vige chief nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 208 - 208 Borrowing Ice

    208 Chapter 208 Borrowing Ice


    No matter what the vigers presumed, the matter was settled. Although the profits were much lower, there was still work to do, so the vigers weren¡¯t too unhappy.


    In the end, Gu Chengrui told Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu about Qiao Lansheng¡¯s arrest. If they wanted to start a shipping business, they could start now.


    At least, no one would be targeting them.


    Zhou Ying took advantage of an opportunity while importing more soybeans and green beans over the next half-month. She took out 5,000 pounds of flour from her interspace and put them in the restaurant¡¯s warehouse.


    !!


    She also prepared 10,000 pounds of ck, unrefined flour for the long-term workers in the manor and a boat of bran and tofu dregs for the cattle and sheep, which should be enough to feed them for half a year.


    At the same time, they nted sweet potatoes on 80% of thend around their house. In the future, if they wanted to promote the seeds, they would have a source.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the wheat harvest season. As expected, the wheat yield was reduced, but Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect that one acre only produced about 70 pounds of wheat, and those without fertilizer only had enough to rent for the next season.


    This also made her deeply aware of the hard work of farmers. The price of food was considered cheap.


    After the wheat was harvested, the people continued to nt the autumn grain.


    The next step was to harvest the chili. Although the yield was much worse than expected, with one acre ofnd only producing 500 to 600 pounds, Zhou Ying collected them at the price of five coppers per pound. The ie from one acre ofnd was equivalent to the ie from three or four acres of wheat.


    So, someone ignored Zhou Ying¡¯s dissuasion and continued to nt nothing but chili.


    However, no matter what they nted, the following situation was not optimistic.


    Drought was everywhere because there had only been one rain after the new year. The water level in the river was also dropping quickly; if it weren¡¯t for the waterwheel supporting them, no water coulde in.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she nted all the drynd with white sweet potatoes, and the edge of the field was full of chilies. Of course, she also left ten acres ofnd for nting vegetables.


    At the same time, when the sweet potatoes and yams nted in the grasnd were ripe, she dug up arge portion of them and put them in the warehouse.


    It was too hot today, and no one was in the restaurant during lunch.


    Zhou Ying made some ice with saltpeter and then put some clean, crushed ice in a piece of watermelon and half a cup of milk. She was eating it happily.


    Manager Liu rushed in and asked anxiously, ¡°Miss Zhou, do you have any more ice?¡±


    After he finished speaking, he looked at the ice in her hand and was stunned for a moment. ¡°What are you eating?¡±


    ¡°I made my own ice dessert. Do you want a cup?¡± Zhou Ying asked after being surprised by his question.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I take one. The weather is so hot that I really want to dive into a pool.¡± Manager Liu looked at the ice and finally couldn¡¯t help but nod.


    ¡°Wait a moment; I¡¯ll make you another bowl.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went back to the kitchen. A momentter, she made a bowl and handed it to him.


    Manager Liu didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately picked up the spoon at the side. After taking a mouthful, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°It¡¯s cool, from the inside out too. You really know how to enjoy a good meal.¡±


    His shoulders rxed, and he also remembered the purpose ofing here. He hurriedly asked, ¡°By the way, do you have more ice here? Can you give me some? It¡¯s such a hot day, and the chicken I just ughtered in the morning already tastes terrible in the afternoon. ¡±


    ¡°No, the ice in the icehouse can¡¯t be taken out; otherwise, the meat inside would be rotten too.


    ¡°But I can tell you how to create ice.¡±


    ¡°Create ice?¡± Manager Liu was stunned for a moment and looked at her with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Hurry up and eat up. I¡¯ll teach you after you¡¯re done.¡± Zhou Ying spoke as she lowered her head and began to eat. Otherwise, her ice dessert would melt.


    Manager Liu was curious, but he lowered his head and started eating.

 Chapter 209 - 209 New Dishes

    209 Chapter 209 New Dishes


    After the two of them finished eating the iced dessert, the heat in their bodies subsided. Zhou Ying took him to the back, then took out pieces of saltpeter to experiment on the spot, ¡°It¡¯s best not to eat ice made of saltpeter; you¡¯ll have to use this ice to freeze clean water again.¡±


    ¡°I understand. This is good stuff. Thank you so much.¡± Manager Liu nodded excitedly.


    After that, he looked at the can of saltpeter in her hand with a burning gaze.


    Zhou Ying smiled and handed it to him. ¡°This saltpeter can be used repeatedly until it can¡¯t make any more ice.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much. I¡¯ll go back to work then.¡± After saying that, Manager Liu carried the small jar and walked out.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying took out another jar from the warehouse and put it in the kitchen.


    At this moment, Zhao Cheng had just returned from strolling outside. ¡°Mistress, we can¡¯t go on like this. There are no customers at all at noon, so I think we should add some new dishes.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you guys rest more? You¡¯ll be busy grilling skewers once dinner timees.


    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s so hot in the afternoon that not many people wille out to eat.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m too free in the afternoon.¡± Zhao Cheng said, shaking his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something.¡± Zhou Ying nodded thoughtfully.


    She left for a stroll on the main street. To be honest, there were few people, and they were passing by in a hurry.


    With this flow of people, nothing would attract them, even if they had new dishes.


    She thought of ice products, and it seemed like she could prepare some. Even if she couldn¡¯t sell them, they wouldn¡¯t lose much, but they would profit otherwise.


    There were also chilled dishes such as cold noodles, chilled cake, and jelly. Customers mighte in for a snack, and there was no need for stir-fried dishes.


    Thus, she called over her staff, and everyone got busy together.


    Of course, Zhou Ying only fried the chili oil, and others made the rest.


    When they were done, they each had a bowl. After they finished eating, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°How does it taste? Can it sell?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the sour and spicy taste is appetizing and filling.¡± Chun Niang nodded.


    ¡°Indeed, if we sell this at the pier, it will sell out quickly.¡± Tian Jiawang agreed.


    ¡°Then let¡¯sunch the cold noodles and chilled jelly first. We¡¯ll promote it in the evening and see the response.


    ¡°As for the pier, let¡¯s not get involved. We just need to sell in our own territory.¡±


    After she saw that it was almost time for dinner, she brought out a bowl of cold noodles. ¡°You guys eat while I¡¯ll send some over to the clinic.¡±


    Afterwards, she prepared some takeout and took them to the clinic.


    When she arrived at the clinic, she found Doctor Luo and Gu Chengrui reading a book each. There were a few apprentices grinding medicine, and the business was quite bleak.


    ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s time to eat. Let¡¯s have dinner.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are here. What delicious food did you bring us?¡± Doctor Luo immediately put down his book and walked over when he saw her.


    ¡°Cold noodles? Babe, you really know me too well. I was just thinking about this.¡± Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the contents of the takeouts.


    A few of the apprentices immediately looked over when they heard this. Gu Chengxi ran over and asked, ¡°Sister-inw, is this a new way to eat noodles?¡±


    ¡°Kinda. Hurry up, wash your hands, and take the chopsticks and bowls while at it. It won¡¯t be good if it gets warm.¡± Zhou Ying put the takeout on the table and said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if we do.¡± Doctor Luo said, and he was the first to run to the back.


    The others immediately followed.

 Chapter 210 - 210 Drought Worsening

    210 Chapter 210 Drought Worsening


    After the meal, Doctor Luo asked, ¡°Zhou, do you sell these cold noodles? We might order them for lunch as it will save us the trouble of cooking.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet, but I¡¯ll try to sell it in the next few days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s lovely. We will order them as long as you sell them. The weather is so hot that people don¡¯t have any appetite, so the number of people having stomach problems is rapidly increasing.¡±


    ¡°Stomach problems? Food poisoning?¡±


    !!


    ¡°Some had stomachaches after eating spoiled food; some had gastric problems; and some even had heat stroke. In short, this heat is killing them.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we must avoid the summer heat; it¡¯s so stuffy and hot.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she thought of green bean soup. It seemed that she had to prepare some every day.


    When the cold noodles and chilled jelly wereunched at night, it was immediately a hit, especially with passersby. Eating it with a fewmb skewers and the like wasfortable.


    Starting the next day, Zhou Ying asked Zhao Cheng to prepare arge pot of green bean soup daily, offering it for free.


    At the same time, they also introduced ice desserts.


    The business in the afternoon was getting much better, but most of their business came from the surrounding shops, mainly selling cold noodles and desserts; only those in a better financial state would order a stir-fried dish or two.


    As for the ice desserts, the customers were mainly women and children. It wasn¡¯t selling like hotcakes, but the profit was decent.


    Another half a month passed, and the waterwheel could no longer deliver water. The crops in the fields died, and the price of food rose; the morale of the people died along with the crops.


    Especially the families in town who did not have any food in stock¡ªsome of them could not even afford to eat.


    That night, Zhou Ying saw Gu Chengruie to pick her up. Just as she was about to leave, she was stopped by Qiu Yu, the oldest child beggar in their group. ¡°Manager Zhou, can I talk to you about something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously.


    Although these little child beggars helped out in the restaurant, they often looked for Fang Qing or Sun Hongliang. They had never looked for her, so it must be a big problem this time.


    ¡°Um, can we eat in the restaurant instead of getting paid?¡±


    ¡°Because of the grain price?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s half the reason. The other reason is that recently, people have been stealing or snatching our food. We can¡¯t protect ourselves, so we thought of eating in the restaurant before going home.¡±


    ¡°Stealing and snatching?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the slums in the west are chaotic. Although we have a lot of people, I¡¯m the oldest and am only 12¡­¡±


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Why don¡¯t you all just move into our restaurant? It¡¯s hot now, so why not sleep here?¡±


    ¡°Really? We can move in here?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but you must pay attention to hygiene. You must bathe every day.¡± Zhou Ying stated firmly.


    Of course, she could speak confidently because there was a deep well in the restaurant¡¯s courtyard. The water level had remained rtively high even after such a long time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Manager Zhou. I¡¯ll keep an eye on them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you.¡± After that, Zhou Ying got on the carriage and went back.


    At night, after the two entered her interspace, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, what do you say we take in those child beggars?¡±


    ¡°You want to take them all under our wing?¡± Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°Yes, no matter what we do in the future, we must have someone under us, right?


    ¡°Now that they¡¯re in trouble, it¡¯s a good time to win them over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll ask themter. If they agree, we¡¯ll teach them.¡±

 Chapter 211 - 211 Inquiry

    211 Chapter 211 Inquiry


    The next morning, the couple came to town in a carriage. When they passed by the middle of the vige, they smelled a strong aroma of food.


    They happened to meet Mrs. Bai, who was also smiling. Gu Chengrui couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, ¡°Aunt Jiaxi, is there any good news in the vige?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Chengrui. Today is Chunhong¡¯s wedding; a groom is marrying into Widow Hua¡¯s family. We¡¯re all going to join the festival.¡± Mrs. Bai paused for a moment before she smiled and replied.


    ¡°Marrying into?¡±


    !!


    ¡°Yes, this year¡¯s year isn¡¯t good, and many families have too many children. They will marry off their children if they can¡¯t afford to raise them. At least they will survive, right?¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Which vige is the groom from?¡±


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s from a town, but I don¡¯t know the details.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°Then you go ahead. We¡¯ll be going to town.¡±


    After speaking, he whipped, and the horse carriage rushed to town.


    ¡°Chengrui, when youe back, remember to bring me some herbs for herbal tea,¡± Mrs. Bai called out after remembering something.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and replied, continuing to drive the carriage.


    Zhou Ying, who was in the carriage, heard the news too. She didn¡¯t expect that the always proud and arrogant Chunhong would choose to get someone to marry into their family, but she didn¡¯t think about it anymore after a moment.


    When they arrived in town, Gu Chengrui saw that the little child beggars had already moved into the restaurant. He looked for Qiu Yu, who was the oldest, and asked, ¡°Qiu Yu, do you have any ns for the future?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Qiu Yu asked, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s about what you want to do in the future. You can¡¯t be a shop assistant for the rest of your life, right?¡±


    Qiu Yu shook his head. ¡°We just want to eat and have a piece of cloth over us. We haven¡¯t thought about anything else, and that can wait until we grow up.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be toote then? At your age, you should be learning a craft. It¡¯ll be a pity if you miss it.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t read, write, or draw?¡± Qiu Yu scratched his head and replied.


    ¡°What if we¡¯re willing to teach you?¡±


    Qiu Yu was dazed. He looked up at him in disbelief. ¡°Boss, what, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You also know that our restaurant¡¯s business is doing well. We¡¯ll open more branch stores and other businesses in the future. So, we want to train a group of people who are loyal to us.


    ¡°I see that you have no one to rely on. So, what do you think?¡±


    Qiu Yu¡¯s eyes brightened up, and he replied, ¡°Can I learn to cook?¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Then, I can make whatever I want to eat!¡±


    ¡°Go to the kitchen, help out when you¡¯re free, and see who you click better with. It¡¯ll be best if you can find someone who takes a liking to you.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you, boss.¡± Qiu Yu immediately kneeled and kowtowed.


    ¡°It all depends on your talent. There are just some who are born bad at cooking.¡± Gu Chengrui helped him up.


    ¡°Yes, I will work hard.¡±


    ¡°Ask your brothers and sisterster to see what they think. Let me know when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave this to me.¡±


    Gu Chengrui smiled and patted his small shoulder. He turned around and walked out after that.


    Once he left, the news quickly spread in the small restaurant. Sun Hongliang and the others naturally knew about it.


    Fang Qing immediately went to Qiu Yu and asked, ¡°Did the owner ask you to sign a contract?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± Qiu Yu shook his head.


    ¡°I see.¡± Fang Qing¡¯s eyes shed with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Brother Fang, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Qiu Yu asked nervously.

 Chapter 212 - 212 Reward

    212 Chapter 212 Reward


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no problem,¡± Fang Qing shook his head and continued, ¡°It¡¯s the owner and his wife who are kind. Anyone else wouldn¡¯t have focused on teaching others who didn¡¯t have a ve contract.¡±


    Qiu Yu grew up in the town, so he understood what he meant.


    For example, if an apprentice wanted to learn a craft from their master, they would have to work for one or two years for the master to affirm their character and make sure that they liked the craft before they were epted.


    However, it would take a few years for the apprentice to learn any essential skills after joining. Although he would earn a small ie at this time, festival gifts for his master must not becking.


    Therefore, before finishing an apprenticeship, they were basically doing free work for their masters. The main issue was that the master might not even teach all of their craftsmanship.


    There was also a clear difference between long-term workers and servants. Although long-term workers had quite a lot of freedom, they did the most challenging work, except for those with skills. The key was that servants couldmand and manage long-term workers under normal circumstances.


    Therefore, in general, the treatment of long-term workers wasn¡¯t as good as that of servants.


    However, servants had their difficulties too. First, they were contract-bound. Second, their lives were no longer in their hands. Of course, this was also the main reason why they could gain theplete trust of their master.


    Thinking of this, he fell into deep thought. What was he going to do?


    On the other end, Sun Hongliang also found Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Mistress, do you really intend to teach those children?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They need to survive, and we need people. We each take what we need.¡± Zhou Ying nodded, then looked at him and said, ¡°But I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help me inspect them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see who we can use and who we can¡¯t, and what the useful ones are good at.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will test them.¡±


    ¡°Please do so.¡± After that, Manager Liu came in with Zhou Huaiming, and Zhou Ying immediately greeted them, saying, ¡°Brother Zhou, Uncle Liu, you¡¯re here. Come in and have a seat.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to spend so much money just to get the temperature down here? From the outside, it seems like there are two different worlds.¡± Zhou Huaiming sat down and waved his fan.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re hot internally. Hurry up and sit down to rest. I¡¯ll go get you a ss of water.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the kitchen. She got them a bowl of cold water, took two small bowls, and made them each a bowl of ice cream with crushed peaches.


    ¡°Is this the ice dessert Uncle Liu was talking about?¡± Zhou Huaiming looked at the ice cream and asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, this is ice cream. Try it and see how it tastes.¡± Zhou Ying sat down too.


    Zhou Huaiming and Manager Liu didn¡¯t hesitate and drank a sip of the cold water before slowly eating the ice cream.


    After a mouthful, Zhou Huaiming¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Such softness, what is it made of?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly cream, a cream made with egg white, white sugar, and milk.¡±


    ¡°I see. This is a must-have for summer. One mouthful can already reduce my heat and fill me up.¡± Zhou Huaiming eximed as he buried his head in his food.


    After he was done, he finished the rest of the cold water and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the backyard. I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Zhou Ying responded and took them to the living room in the back courtyard.


    The child beggars who had been ying around immediately ran out.


    Zhou Ying asked them to sit down and said, ¡°Brother Zhou, if you need anything, just tell me.¡±


    Manager Liu did not take a seat. Instead, he went to the door to keep a lookout.


    ¡°This time, I¡¯m not asking you for something but to give you something.¡± After Zhou Huai finished speaking, he passed her 20,000 taels of silver and continued, ¡°This is the reward for the waterwheel, given by the third prince.


    ¡°Because of the Gu n¡¯s special status and the first prince¡¯s interference, the waterwheel invention was rewarded to the Qian n¡¯s head.¡±

 Chapter 213 - 213 Imperial Decree

    213 Chapter 213 Imperial Decree


    ¡°The first prince? Why is he doing this?¡± Zhou Ying looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°Cough, he was the one who brought up the evidence of the Gu family¡¯s crimes. The county governor and Elder Qiao were his people.¡±


    ¡°What about Qiao Lansheng?¡±


    ¡°He is from the fourth prince¡¯s mother¡¯s family, Minister Su¡¯s family. Su Mingtang, the seventh son of the Su family, leaked the news to the first prince about the waterwheel.¡±


    ¡°The two princes are sure amazing. Even biological brothers can be divided into two factions.¡± Zhou Yingughed.


    Zhou Huaiming heard the sarcasm in her words but didn¡¯t know how to reply. He took out another 10,000 taels of silver and said, ¡°This is the money for the ice-making method.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much skill involved in making ice, so I won¡¯t ept this reward.¡± Zhou Ying quickly pushed it back.


    ¡°But it¡¯s been helpful. Not only did it solve the ice problem in our restaurant but also elsewhere.


    ¡°Moreover, in the capital and other prosperous ces, we can earn a lot of money just by selling ice, so I can¡¯t take this recipe for free. If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s too little, please take it.¡± Zhou Huaiming stuffed it into her hands after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± When Zhou Ying heard they would sell ice for money, she didn¡¯t hesitate anymore.


    ¡°You can continue with your day, as I still have to make a trip to the Qian n¡¯s workshop.¡± Zhou Huaiming stood up and said.


    ¡°May I know what reward the emperor has given the Qian n?¡± Zhou Ying got up and asked curiously.


    ¡°Qian Jiaqiang will be promoted to a ninth-grade craftsman in the Ministry of Works. He will be responsible for the production and maintenance of the waterwheel in our county. He will also be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°How petty.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, you can¡¯t say this outside. Otherwise, if someone with ill intentions hears you, even the third prince won¡¯t be able to protect you.¡± Zhou Huaiming coughed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Zhou Yingughed dryly and nodded.


    After sending them out, she returned and kept the 30,000 taels of silver in her interspace before going to the kitchen to get busy.


    After leaving the restaurant, Zhou Huaiming went to the vige to announce the imperial decree as an imperial envoy, shocking the vigers. When they heard the contents of the imperial decree, they immediately exploded.


    Especially the people of the Gu n. The drawing of the invention clearly belonged to Gu Chengrui and his wife. How could their reputation and rewards all fall to the Qian n? How could they be willing to ept this?


    ¡°I can understand everyone¡¯s feelings. Their family has other arrangements, and this is the reward for the Qian n.


    ¡°Besides, who in your Gu n has the ability to build and repair waterwheels?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked loudly.


    Everyone immediately became listless when they heard this. Among the younger generation, only Qian Jiaqiang¡¯s woodworking skills were the best. The others weren¡¯t up to the task.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re all dismissed. Qian Jiaqiang, remember to report to the county office tomorrow.¡± Zhou Huaiming said to Qian Jiaqiang.


    ¡°Yes, thismoner will obey your orders.¡±


    ¡°Not amoner anymore. No matter what, you¡¯re an official now, so you¡¯ll have to change this form of address.¡± The vige chief corrected him.


    At the same time, the vige chief was overjoyed. Even though Qian Jiaqiang was only a ninth-rank official, he was still a government officer. The Qian n had finally found someone in the county government, which would be much more convenient for their future.


    But he didn¡¯t dare tough out to celebrate when he thought of the Gu family¡¯s situation.


    Because of General Zhou¡¯s words, it was not hard to know that the Gu n hadn¡¯t gained anything this time.


    However, when he thought about the Gu family¡¯s current status, he understood why. At most, the two ns would develop together in the future.


    The patriarch, Father Gu, and Second Uncle Gu more or less understood what was going on. When they saw Zhou Huaiming off, Second Uncle Gu still asked unwillingly, ¡°General Zhou, is there someone who is purposefully pressing down our Gu family?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming hesitated for a moment, but he remembered they were quite familiar with the capital power struggle. He nodded and whispered, ¡°The one who¡¯s against your reward is the first prince¡¯s people. However, the one who leaked the news was the fourth prince¡¯s mother from the Su family. ¡°

 Chapter 214 - 214 Self-Reflection

    214 Chapter 214 Self-Reflection


    ¡°What a fucking ingrate, I¡­¡± Second Uncle Gu immediately exploded when he heard this.


    When they had been in the capital, they had taken good care of the fourth prince. The princess, in particr, had supported him. Second Uncle Gu hadn¡¯t expected that not only did they not receive the fourth price protection, but he had also turned around to suppress them. Second Uncle Gu was truly angry.


    However, before he could finish his sentence, Father Gu wrapped his arms around his neck and covered his mouth.


    Zhou Huaiming red at him coldly. ¡°Be careful of what you say. Besides, isn¡¯t it your mistake that led you to be in this state? You should reflect on your actions.¡±


    !!


    After he finished speaking, he got into the carriage.


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, General Zhou,¡± Father Gu thanked hurriedly.


    However, Zhou Huaiming ignored them and asked the coachman to drive on.


    After the carriage had gone far away, the patriarch wiped the sweat from his forehead and raised his leg to kick Second Uncle Gu. ¡°You rascal, do you think your head is that sturdy?¡±


    ¡°No, big brother¡­¡± Second Uncle Gu staggered and was about to refute when the patriarch abruptly cut him off. ¡°Go to the ancestral hall and kneel for a day and a night. Reflect on your actions.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯ll bring him over now.¡± Father Gu immediately pulled Second Uncle toward the ancestral hall.


    The vige chief didn¡¯t know what to say after seeing this. It was not surprising for the Gu n to experience what they did.


    ¡°Argh, I¡¯m so pissed. I¡¯ve never seen such a brainless person.¡± The patriarchined in an unpleasant tone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry; anyone would feel ufortable. But don¡¯t worry, as long as I¡¯m alive, our two ns will be tied together.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, uncle. You don¡¯t have to take this matter to heart. As General Zhou said, this reward can only fall on Jiaqiang, so I have no objections.¡± At this point, the patriarch asked thoughtfully, ¡°Uncle, what do you think General Zhou meant when he said there would be other arrangements for the Gu n?¡±


    The vige chief paused for a moment and nodded, saying, ¡°Since the imperial decree did not mention it, it must be a privatepensation. It should be directly given to Gu Chengrui and his wife.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. The drawing belongs to them, so naturally, they should receive the reward.¡± The patriarch nodded in agreement.


    He turned to look at the remaining water at the bottom of the river not far away and sighed. ¡°People suffering from this drought are panicking. I hope the drought won¡¯t continue any longer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but it¡¯s better than a flood.¡± The vige chief sighed.


    Fortunately, the vige was not affected much because of the waterwheel and the decision to nt only chilies. There were rumors that many families in other viges had already started to sell their children.


    At night, after Zhou Huaiming heard the report from Manager Liu and Sun Hongliang, he looked at Sun Hongliang and asked, ¡°What do you think of Zhou Ying and her husband?¡±


    ¡°They are of good character. As long as their servants follow their rules, they¡¯re quite generous to them.


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s a couple in the restaurant with a child. Manager Zhou gave special permission for the child to go to school. She said that if the child can pass the exam three yearster, she can give him his freedom.¡±


    ¡°What if you were to follow them?¡±


    Sun Hongliang was stunned for a moment, and then his face turned pale as he knelt. ¡°Young Master, please let me know if I have done anything wrong. This little one will correct it immediately.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking? Didn¡¯t you just say that Zhou Ying and the others want to train some people? It¡¯s obvious that they have a long-term n.


    ¡°Since she trusted you and asked you to help keep an eye on the beggars, I think it¡¯s better for you to go directly to her side.


    ¡°By then, she¡¯ll be able to trust and value you more. Who knows, you might even be their number-one aide in the future.


    ¡°However, it might not be as promising as the development prospects over here.


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t force you if you¡¯re not willing.¡±

 Chapter 215 - 215 Choice

    215 Chapter 215 Choice


    Sun Hongliang finally understood what was being implied. Zhou Huaiming wasn¡¯t unhappy with him but was just letting him choose a new master.


    He couldn¡¯t help but fall into deep thought. To be honest, both sides had advantages and disadvantages, depending on what kind of life he wanted.


    After hearing that, Manager Liu hoped he would choose Zhou Ying¡¯s side because life there was rtively morefortable. With his help, Sun Hongliang¡¯s future days would be almost set.


    However, this matter concerned Sun Hongliang¡¯s future, so Manager Liu could not decide for him.


    !!


    After a while, Sun Hongliang raised his head and said, ¡°General, I would like to go back and discuss it with my family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. This is a major turning point in your life. You and your family should have a unified opinion.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded in agreement.


    After the two left Zhou Huaiming¡¯s study, Sun Hongliang immediately asked for Manager Liu¡¯s opinion.


    Manager Liu, on the other hand, did not respond directly. Instead, he analyzed the pros and cons for him.


    After Sun Hongliang heard this, he was slightly biased toward Zhou Ying because he didn¡¯t like the life of fighting and killing. In addition, after living afortable life for a few months, he suddenly dreamed of a rtively ordinary life.


    After returning, he didn¡¯t reveal his thoughts but asked for his family¡¯s opinion. Fortunately, they finally agreed for him to head over to Zhou Ying¡¯s side.


    The next morning, Sun Hongliang told his decisions to Zhou Huaiming, and Zhou Huaiming took him to Zhou Ying toplete the handover.


    Once everything was done, Zhou Huaiming set off after another meal.


    Zhou Ying had handed over the matter of training the child beggars to Sun Hongliang and Gu Chengrui.


    Qiu Yu and the others also signed contracts to sell themselves as servants, with Sun Hongliang as an example.


    In the blink of an eye, it was already autumn, the season with the most rain.


    But there was still no rain. Refugees had begun to appear in the town, and the vige had begun to form a patrol team because of the asional thefts.


    Early in the morning, Zhou Ying and her husband were sleeping soundly when they suddenly heard a hurried knock on the door, followed by Er Zhuang¡¯s rabid dog.


    The two woke up one after another.


    Gu Chengrui heard the anxious voices outside and scrambled to his feet. ¡°Babe, from the sound of it, something must have happened. You should get up quickly.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded unwillingly, then took some clothes and put them on.


    After Gu Chengrui put on his clothes, he immediately ran out and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ming, I¡¯ming; don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Boss, something big has happened.¡± Chang Shun immediately shouted anxiously when he heard his voice.


    When Gu Chengrui heard Chang Shun¡¯s voice, he was stunned for a moment. He had assumed that something had urred in the vige, but he had not anticipated that it would be from the manor.


    ¡°What happened, Chang Shun?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The manor was robbedst night, and we lost five sheep and two cows. Two of the people on duty were injured, and the rest are all unconscious.¡± Chang Shun replied with a perturbed expression.


    This was his mistake. If he were to pay for it, he would go bankrupt.


    ¡°Wait a moment, and I¡¯ll get the carriage.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he informed Zhou Ying, took the first aid box, and put it on the carriage. He rushed to the manor with Chang Shun.


    After Zhou Ying heard the situation, she frowned. It seemed that someone was targeting them, and there were many of them; just thinking of this gave her a headache.


    She got up and tidied up the house. She took some soy milk and steamed buns from the interspace and hurried to the manor after breakfast.


    When they arrived at the manor, the three unconscious people had already woken up while Gu Chengrui was bandaging the two injured people.


    ¡°Uncle Chang, do you know who did it, or did they leave any clues behind?¡± he asked Chang Shun.

 Chapter 216 - 216 Search

    216 Chapter 216 Search


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who did it, but they left footprints and carriage tracks. However, these tracks disappeared after they left the manor.¡± Chang Shun led her to the back of the cowshed.


    As expected, there were some messy footprints and the tracks of five small carts.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying walked around the nearby area. After confirming that the robbers had left the manor, she chased after them.


    However, these tracks didn¡¯t disappear after they left the manor. Instead, they had put on shoe covers.


    This meant it was at least a ten-person coordinated attack. They followed the blurry mark all the way to the town and finally found the abandoned house where they had stood when they were watching the fireworks.


    The house had been renovated, and there were many people living in it.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she and Chang Shun retreated to the side and asked the nearby residents. Only then did they know that a group of local ruffians had lived here before summer, and they often came out to rob others.


    Moreover, they had someone on their side in the local authorities. They were also fierce men, so the vigers didn¡¯t dare say anything. Many couldn¡¯t stand it and had already moved or sought refuge with rtives.


    When Chang Shun heard this, he knew that these people were not to be trifled with. He hurriedly asked Zhou Ying, ¡°Mistress, what should we do? If we don¡¯t get rid of these people, I¡¯m afraid our vige will never have a peaceful day after this.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t take them by force and need to n it out. Let¡¯s go back to the manor and set up some traps. We¡¯ll talk about the restter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go back first. Be careful.¡± Chang Shun turned around and hurried back to the manor.


    Zhou Ying turned around and returned to the restaurant. When she saw the child beggars upying themselves, she smiled with relief.


    At the same time, she quickly remembered the reason why they had moved here. It was because someone was always stealing their food.


    ¡°Qiu Yu,¡± she called for Qiu Yu. ¡°I remember you saying that someone was always taking away your food. Do you know who they are and where they live?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re refugees. They live in that broken house in the southwest corner of the town.¡± Qiu Yu then asked curiously, ¡°Mistress, why are you suddenly asking about this?


    ¡°Let¡¯s just let them be. They have more people than us, so let¡¯s not provoke them.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many people they have?¡±


    ¡°Mistress¡­¡± Qiu Yu urged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t act rashly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re always with seven or eight men when I see them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can go.¡± Zhou Ying entered her residence, and Gu Chengrui rushed over just as she sat down.


    Zhou Ying asked someone to cook him a bowl of noodles. After he finished eating, she asked, ¡°How are their injuries?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just an outside wound. They¡¯ll be fine after a few days of rest. Uncle Chang also told me about that group of people,¡± Gu Chengrui continued, ¡°so don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll think of a way to solve it.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to do it? They have people in positions of authority. We have to find sufficient evidence.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t mess around. Just take good care of the restaurant.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and left the restaurant. He found a person introduced by Qian Zhuang. The person was Li Si, and Gu Chengrui asked him to help find out where the beef stall was in town.


    At noon, Li Si told him that Butcher Zhang had beef and sheep, but they were all sent to prominent families and unavable for sale.


    After receiving the news, Gu Chengrui only mumbled a few words of pity and paid him 100 coppers.


    Afterward, he took out arge bag ofxatives that he had concocted and headed toward Butcher Zhang¡¯s house.

 Chapter 217 - 217 Framing (1)

    217 Chapter 217 Framing (1)


    When he arrived, there was a group of people eating in the sharehouse. Besides the blood on the ground, three carts of meat were in the shed.


    After Gu Chengrui confirmed that there were no dogs inside, he turned around and flipped over the wall. He sprinkled thexative on all the meat evenly and massaged the meat along the horizontal strips so the medicine could quickly prate.


    This way, even washing would only remove a portion of it, and the remainder would be more than enough for those to suffer from diarrhea. But this was enough. He just wanted to see who the person behind these ruffians was. When the time came, he would skin them alive.


    Of course, if they were to eat it without thoroughly washing it, they could only me their bad luck.


    After he was done, he quickly returned to the restaurant for lunch.


    ¡°Babe,¡± Gu Chengrui said after the meal, ¡°I¡¯ll be sleeping at the clinic tonight. You don¡¯t have to go back.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Bring some saltpeter with you when you leave.¡±


    ¡°No need; there¡¯s still some there.¡± Gu Chengrui returned to the clinic in a good mood after that.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but be curious. It seemed that he must have done something terrible. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to smile after losing so much livestock.


    However, she didn¡¯t ask. If it were necessary, he would definitely tell her.


    In the evening, Gu Chengrui finished his meal and helped the apprentice grind the medicine while waiting for his ¡®patients¡¯ toe.


    Sure enough, just as the sky turned dark, a person dressed as a maidservant rushed in and shouted while panting, ¡°Doctor Luo, is Doctor Luo in? There¡¯s an emergency.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, youngdy? Doctor Luo has returned home today, and I¡¯m on duty.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up. Something has happened at Constable Tian¡¯s house. Many people have vomited and had diarrhea. They¡¯ve all had food poisoning.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, and I¡¯ll get the first aid kit.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and entered the clinic to get his first aid kit. He then followed her to the Tian family¡¯s house.


    When they arrived at the Tian family, they knew they ate hot-pot mutton without cooking the meat thoroughly, so everyone was done in.


    Among them were the old grandpa and olddy of the Tian family, who had juste from the countryside to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as his two younger brothers and anotherrge family.


    Tian Jingzhong, who had just put on his pants, had his eyes light up when he saw him. ¡°Doctor Gu, you¡¯re here. Please take a look at my parents and children. They¡¯re about to copse.¡±


    ¡°Do you all have the same symptoms?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s mainly diarrhea, but my parents and children are nauseated.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡± Gu Chengrui walked into the house after he finished speaking.


    However, as soon as he entered the house, the pungent smell almost made him vomit. He quickly held his breath and opened all the doors and windows.


    He walked to Father Tian¡¯s side and said, ¡°Uncle Tian, please stretch out your hand. I¡¯ll take your pulse.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, hurry up. I can¡¯t hold on for long.¡± As soon as Father Tian finished speaking, his stomach began to growl.


    Father Tian¡¯s face turned red, but he still reached out his hand.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui immediately checked his pulse. After checking his left hand, he checked his right hand as well. He finally asked, ¡°Did you guys eat seafood? Crabs?¡±


    Otherwise, with the amount of medicine he had spiked, it wouldn¡¯t have be this serious.


    ¡°Yes, yes. We are having a family reunion. Since the autumn weather is dry and we are getting heaty, I bought some crabs and prawns to eat.¡± Tian Jingzhong nodded repeatedly.


    To be honest, although he had heard that Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills were good, he didn¡¯t really believe in him because he was too young. He didn¡¯t expect him to really have some skills.

 Chapter 218 - 218 Framing (2)

    218 Chapter 218 Framing (2)


    ¡°But I¡¯ve eaten crabs a lot in the past, and this has never happened.¡± Father Tian was full of doubts, and he ran out in a hurry.


    ¡°Can I see what you guys ate tonight?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at Tian Jingzhong and asked.


    ¡°Bring Doctor Gu over.¡± Tian Jingzhong turned his head and spoke to the maidservant.


    The maidservant responded and brought Gu Chengrui to the dining room. Other than crabs, there was nothing else out of the ordinary.


    !!


    After that, he checked them one by one, especially the hot pot soup base. He didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for the restaurant.


    Finally, he looked at the beef and mutton. He pointed to some loose meat strips and asked the maidservant, ¡°Where did you buy this beef and this mutton? The meat doesn¡¯t look very fresh.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± The servant shook her head.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be. I heard that this was fresh meat that had just been ughtered. ¡± Tian Jing Zhong followed over and said.


    Gu Chengrui did not reply. Instead, he passed the meat to him for him to see.


    Tian Jingzhong could tell at a nce that the meat was much looser than normal.


    He gave it another careful sniff. He didn¡¯t know if it was a psychological reason, but he sensed that the meat didn¡¯t smell fresh, and his face immediately darkened.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°To put it bluntly, it¡¯s just a case of food poisoning. I¡¯ll prescribe something, and everyone has to drink a bowl. Once the things in your stomach are cleared, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble Brother Gu to give me a prescription.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and opened a prescription. He handed it to the maidservant and said, ¡°Count how many people in the residence are sick. The adults can have one portion of each, and the children under ten can have half.¡±


    The servant took it and ran down with Tian Jingzhong¡¯s special permission.


    Gu Chengrui was about to take his leave. ¡°Mr. Tian, do rest while I take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please stay. It won¡¯t be toote to leave after my family¡¯s condition has stabilized. It¡¯ll save us the trouble of going back and forth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too.¡±


    After that, Gu Chengrui went to the front yard to wait.


    About two hourster, their families¡¯ young and strong members had already recovered.


    Four hourster, the elderly and children had also stabilized.


    Gu Chengrui once again took his leave. This time, Tian Jingzhong did not stop him. Instead, he gave him five taels of medical fees and personally sent him out. ¡°I really have to thank you for today, Brother Gu.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee; this is what I should do.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°By the way, remember to eat nder food during the next two days, especially for the elderly and children. It¡¯s to recover your stomach.¡±


    Gu Chengrui cupped his hands and returned to the clinic. However, he quickly went to see another patient.


    Naturally, he once again questioned the beef and mutton.


    That night, seven or eight families in town and even more across the county became ill with food poisoning. Even the county governor¡¯s house, Bai Jingping, was in a mess for the whole night.


    However, other than the families that Gu Chengrui had visited personally, the other families suffered. They had to suffer for half a day just to determine the cause of the illness.


    Therefore, everyone who had been gued by this immediately started investigating.


    The culprit was quickly identified because this group consisted of either wealthy merchants or people in positions of authority.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t expect that the real culprit was the brother-inw of the county governor, a good-for-nothing wealthy brat.


    The reason was simple. After being despised by his father, he wanted to take advantage of the drought to make money. So, he organized a group of ruffians to rob the various viges and exchange them for money.


    After that, he sent people to various viges to take in children and sell them. Some of the girls were even sold into brothels. Basically, he did a ton of terrible deeds.


    Furthermore, his operations had spread throughout the entire county. When Bai Jingping received the news, he fainted from anger.


    When his wife saw this, she said she would no longer care about her brother either.

 Chapter 219 - 219 Consequences

    219 Chapter 219 Consequences


    The final result was that he was sentenced to death and executed immediately.


    As for his subordinates, some were exiled, some were sent to the mines, and some were arranged to build roads. In short, none were allowed to go free.


    Later, Bai Jingping took the me and wanted to resign, but County Mayor Kong did not ept it. Instead, he made him responsible for public security.


    Bai Jingping became ruthless after this incident and adopted a strict crackdown strategy.


    !!


    For example, if you stole a chicken, you would be fined ten taels of silver, beaten fifty times, and paraded in the streets for three days.


    The entire county finally quieted down.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying took advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival to make and sell a batch of mooncakes, earning nearly 2,000 silver.


    However, the following autumn harvest was miserable. Crops near the river could be harvested, but not those further away.


    Zhou Ying had grown two seasons¡¯ worth of white sweet potatoes, and the manor had also harvested nearly a hundred acres of white sweet potatoes. As for the potato vines, they were all collected and turned into feed for the cattle and sheep.


    Fortunately, the taxes were waived after the autumn harvest, and the county organized many strongbor forces to repair all the riverbanks so that people could survive the winter.


    In the winter, all kinds of bean sprouts became the main dish because there were no radishes or cabbages. However, their price was high because of the limited number of beans.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying took the opportunity tounch green garlic and yellow garlic, which made a lot of money again, but the business was still worse thanst year.


    The only thing worth celebrating was that Tian Jiawang and Qiuniang hade together.


    For this reason, Zhou Ying bought a courtyard nearby and arranged for the couple, Qiuyu, and the others to live there.


    After that, the new year passed in a lukewarm manner. After the new year, there was heavy snow, which made people finally cheer.


    After the snow melted, the spring plowing began. That day, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying had just returned home when the patriarch and vige chief came to find them.


    ¡°Grandpa vige chief, uncle, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we have some serious business to discuss with you guys.¡± The patriarch said.


    ¡°Then pleasee in. Since we have nothing to do today, Ying can cook a few dishes, and we¡¯ll have a drink.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Yes, you guys sit down first. The food will be ready in a while.¡± Zhou Ying greeted them and turned around to the kitchen.


    She first made them a pot of tea before starting to cook. However, now was not the time to show off.


    Therefore, Zhou Ying only made four home-cooked dishes.


    Twice-cooked pork, pan-pasted tofu, vinegar-fried bean sprouts, and fried peanuts.


    After serving it, she made Zhajiangmian for herself, took out a cucumber from her interspace, washed it, and ate it together with her noodles.


    On the other end, after the three of them had a drink, the vige chief asked, ¡°Chengrui, does your restaurant still ept chili this year?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was just about to tell you about this. We¡¯re nning to nt the seedlings now that the snow has melted. I wonder how many nts the vige is deciding to nt?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare nt wheat this year, so I n to nt a lot of chilies.¡± The vige chief said it with a heavy heart.


    ¡°But there must be a limit. After all, grain is the foundation of our food. The price of grain outside has increased a lot.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Everyone knows that, but what can we grow now? We can only grow vegetables. ¡°We can only harvest and grow autumn grain after the rainy season.¡±


    ¡°I do have something here. It¡¯s a nt we found in the mountains two years ago. Although it doesn¡¯t fill you like grain, it can be eaten as a staple.


    ¡°The key is that the tender leaves can also be eaten, which is very suitable for the currentck of food and vegetables.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± The vige chief¡¯s eyes lit up.


    The patriarch immediately perked up his ears.


    He quickly remembered the grass-like thing they had nted in their backyardst year and asked, ¡°Is it the one you nted in the backyard for two seasonsst year?¡±

 Chapter 220 - 220 Promoting White Sweet Potato

    220 Chapter 220 Promoting White Sweet Potato


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. It grows underground like a yam, and the yield is quite high. If we nt it, we won¡¯t have to worry about not having food to eat.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    ¡°Wait a moment; I¡¯ll go get one for you to see,¡± he said.


    Afterward, he went to the kitchen and asked Zhou Ying for a white potato. After washing it, he took a knife back to the central room and said, ¡°It¡¯s this. You guys can try it.¡±


    When the vige chief saw the white lump in his hand, he eximed in surprise, ¡°This is really big. How many can one nt bear?¡±


    !!


    ¡°Three to eight or nine, all of different sizes.¡±


    ¡°So many? How high is the yield?¡± The patriarch was shocked. ording to what he said, that nt would probably bear two to ten pounds of white sweet potatoes.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite a lot. When we nted itst spring, the yield per acre was just under 10,000 pounds. When we nted it again in summer, the water supply couldn¡¯t keep up, so the yield was less than 2,000 pounds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a small amount. One acre ofnd can only produce 100 pounds of wheat. If this is sessful, it will be much more meritorious than the waterwheel.¡± The vige chief was overjoyed.


    ¡°How many seeds do you have?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I know how valuable it is, so I didn¡¯t dare waste a single one except for tasting. All in all, we have about 220,000 pounds.


    ¡°However, I can¡¯t give them all out. I still have to nt some in the manor.


    ¡°This nt is robust and tenacious. After the leaves grew out, they could grow roots by themselves. So, after nting it for about a month, you could cut the leaves and rent them again.


    ¡°But it could also be because of this that the yield of the second rent will be lower.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still pretty good.¡± After the vige chief finished speaking, he quickly put it on the table and said, ¡°Quick, cut it open, and let us taste it.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and cut it open with a knife, letting them each eat a piece.


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s a bit nd, but there¡¯s no weird taste. It¡¯s better than yam,¡± the vige chief said after he finished eating.


    ¡°Indeed, but will there be any problems with eating this?¡± The patriarch nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I tested itst year. Eating it on its own for long periods of time will cause symptoms such as bloating and acid reflux, but it is never poisonous. As long as we eat it with a reasonable amount of grain, it will be the main staple.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. That¡¯s good enough. As for what you said, it¡¯s not worth mentioningpared to filling your stomach.¡± The vige chief said.


    ¡°Indeed, we¡¯ll have acid reflux if we starve anyway. As for bloating, to be honest, it¡¯s nothing to us farmers. We just need to run two moreps in the fields.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. This year, we¡¯ll nt one or two acres of these white potatoes for each family. No matter what, we won¡¯t let the vigers starve to death. As for what to nt for the rest, let them arrange it themselves.¡± The vige chief nodded.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll arrange for the seedlings to be grown in the next two days. Double the size of the chilies. If anyone else wants to grow them, they cane to us to get their seeds, just likest year.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. We can also nt some vegetables that grow quickly. With that ie, we can buy some food tost for a while.¡±


    After that, the three of them happily drank some alcohol and then left.


    In the interspace, Zhou Ying prepared the seeds of rapeseed, spinach, chrysanthemum, cucumber, and cumin.


    Of course, cumin was the most abundant. This way, she wouldn¡¯t have to buy them at a high price in the future.


    The next day, after Zhou Ying handed the seeds to the patriarch, she went to the manor after she finished her work in the restaurant.


    In addition to growing seedlings, she nned to nt sweet potatoes in the manor and the grasnd. This way, the people and the livestock could eat their fill.

 Chapter 221 - 221 Happy News

    221 Chapter 221 Happy News


    After the seedlings were nted, no one expected that the county would distribute some wheat seeds as assistance. However, there weren¡¯t many¡ªonly enough to nt half thend.


    But this was already enough to make the people happy.


    Therefore, just in case, the paddy fields near the river were all changed to drynd and nted with spring wheat.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t change her n. She still intended to nt white sweet potatoes throughout the manor.


    !!


    A monthter, people began to get their ie back from the fields because the vegetables matured, and smiles appeared on their faces again.


    One day, Zhou Ying returned to the vige early because she was having her period, which was unpleasant.


    On the way, they just happened to meet Madam Qiao walking outside, so she had to go up and greet her. ¡°Grandma, are you taking a walk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, are you not busy at the restaurant today?¡± Madam Qiao greeted her back with a smile.


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s hot now, so there aren¡¯t many people eating hotpot.¡±


    ¡°I see. I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Just tell me, and I¡¯ll do my best if I can.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯m just here to inform you about your fourth sister-inw, Gu Ziqiu¡¯s, marriage. People will being for the engagement the day after tomorrow, so I hope you can take the time toe over and have a look.¡±


    ¡°This is excellent news. What kind of family is the groom from?¡±


    ¡°Your eldest uncle¡¯s sister-inw, Chengen, introduced him to me. He¡¯s a well-off smallndlord.


    ¡°There are two brothers in the family, and they own more than a hundred acres ofnd. She¡¯s marrying into the second son of this family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. We¡¯ll definitely be there the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then you go ahead. We¡¯ll¡­¡± Madam Qiao hadn¡¯t finished her words when she saw two carriages slowly enter the vige.


    The two immediately stood to one side. After the carriage passed, Madam Qiao said, ¡°I¡¯m mostly sure that¡¯s your eldest sister-inw that has returned.¡±


    ¡°Big sister? Are you talking about Sister Ziyi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember the coachman in front. He was the one who drove the carriage when we came back two years ago.¡±


    ¡°Your memory¡¯s pretty good; I can¡¯t even remember it was him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been busy, after all. I¡¯ve been wandering around the vige every day when I¡¯m free, so I naturally remember it clearly.¡± When Madam Qiao said this, she was a bit worried because their return was too low-key.


    However, she didn¡¯t care about that now. She shook her head and told Zhou Ying toe early the day after tomorrow, then went home.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t overthink, and when she got home, she went to her interspace to boil water with an electric kettle. She mixed it with mineral water and made herself a ss of milk. After drinking her fill, sheid on the heated bed for a nap.


    She fell asleep quickly and was woken up by Gu Chengrui after that.


    When she saw that the sky hadpletely darkened outside, she quickly got up and asked, ¡°When did youe back?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Dinner is ready, so wash your hands and get up to eat.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Zhou Ying sat up and calmed herself down. She went to her interspace to relieve herself beforeing out for dinner.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying told him about Gu Ziqiu¡¯s engagement, ¡°It¡¯s the day after tomorrow. Remember to make time to go over earlier so that they won¡¯tin.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Should we prepare something?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. She¡¯s getting engaged, not married. At most, we¡¯ll give them some peanuts and melon seeds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You just have to prepare as you see fit.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them.


    Gu Chengrui had just left when the curtain was lifted. Zhou Ying thought Gu Chengrui had returned, but it was Mrs. Wang and Gu Ziyi instead.


    Although Gu Ziyi was no longer haggard, her expression was dark, and her eyes were hollow. It seemed that something had happened again.


    ¡°Aunty, sister, quicklye in and sit,¡± Zhou Ying said after a brief moment of stunned silence.

 Chapter 222 - 222 Separation

    222 Chapter 222 Separation


    Zhou Ying invited them to sit down and asked, ¡°What would you like to drink? I¡¯ll go prepare.¡±


    ¡°Anything as you see fit; we¡¯ll have anything.¡± Mrs. Wang replied absentmindedly.


    ¡°Sure, please wait a moment.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and went to the kitchen to prepare a pot of chrysanthemum tea for them; she also called for Gu Chengrui.


    After exchanging a few polite greetings, Gu Chengrui sat down and asked, ¡°How¡¯s big sister¡¯s health? Is she feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for troubling you, but I¡¯m fine now.¡± Gu Ziyi nodded and replied expressionlessly.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Wang immediately wiped away her tears. Zhou Ying was shocked and quickly asked, ¡°Aunty, why are you crying? Just tell us what you need. We¡¯ll definitely help you if we can.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m crying about how I was blind back then to have found such a bastard for your sister.¡± Mrs. Wang said as she burst into tears.


    ¡°Mother, this isn¡¯t your fault. This is just my fate.¡± Gu Ziyiforted her.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned. ¡°Did eldest brother-inw do something wrong?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a brother-inw any more. We¡¯re divorced.¡± Gu Ziyi immediately turned her head and chided him.


    When Mrs. Wang heard this, she immediately patted her hand and said, ¡°How can you speak to Chengrui like that? You shouldn¡¯t take your anger out on him.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to talk about that bastard anymore.¡±


    ¡°What about the child? Did you bring them back?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought them back. From now on, Huanhuan and Lele will live with me.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you to introduce me to a broker. I want to buy a house, two shops, and somend in town as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not a good year for running a business. You can buy a house, but I think you should wait a while to buy shops andnd.¡± Zhou Ying advised.


    ¡°It hadn¡¯t rained since thest heavy snow, and the water level in the river is almost at the bottom. It was really not worth it to buy anynd now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Ying, please help me persuade your sister.


    ¡°I want her to build a house in the vige so we can take care of her. Otherwise, I¡¯m really worried about her living alone in town with two little girls.¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t mention this again. I won¡¯t live in the vige.¡± Gu Ziyi frowned.


    ¡°Is it because of your dignity?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°I¡­ It doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Gu Ziyi paused for a moment before she nodded.


    ¡°But can you avoid it for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You are divorced, but we look down on you just because of that. Why do you have to move out?¡± Mrs. Wang asked in confusion.


    ¡°But we have another sister-inw at home, and our second brother will be getting married in a month. I don¡¯t want to mess up his marriage.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your father and brother say that if their family gives up on the marriage because of this, then it¡¯s fine if the marriage doesn¡¯t happen.¡± Mrs. Wang said hurriedly.


    After that, she looked at Zhou Ying and her husband and quickly gave them a look. She was asking them to help persuade Gu Ziyi.


    ¡°Sister, do you know about the elder sister of the Tian family next door?


    ¡°She¡¯s also divorced, and now she¡¯s living with her two daughters at her mother¡¯s old house.


    ¡°The vigers rarely gossip about them. Instead, they would im that Brother Tian was caring and righteous in looking after them.


    ¡°These two years, through our untiring efforts, they¡¯ve been living quite well. Two days ago, someone even came to propose marriage.¡± Zhou Ying exined.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Ziyi, the people in our vige are good people.¡± Mrs. Wang echoed.


    ¡°Big sister, do you know what the situation was like when we first returned to the vige?


    ¡°At that time, we were tied up and escorted back to the vige. We were in a much worse state than you are now.


    ¡°In addition, we implicated the Gu n. At that time, all of them were so pissed. But in the end, didn¡¯t we survive and integrate into the vige?


    ¡°That¡¯s why the people in our vige are quite kind.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re not afraid and face it bravely, there¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be solved.¡± Gu Chengrui ended

 Chapter 223 - 223 Buying A House (1)

    223 Chapter 223 Buying A House (1)


    However, Gu Ziyi did not listen to him at all. She only felt it was embarrassing that she had divorced and wanted to find a ce to stay as soon as possible.


    ¡°I just want to hurry up and find a house. We need a ce to stay,¡± she insisted.


    Zhou Ying saw that she was determined and did not try to persuade her anymore. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s buy you a house to live in first. As for the shop and thend, it¡¯s better to take your time.¡±


    Seeing this, Mrs. Wang could only wipe her tears and knew she was out of options.


    !!


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll buy a house first. I¡¯lle and find you tomorrow.¡± Gu Ziyi nodded.


    After a few polite words, the mother and daughter left.


    After sending them off, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui suddenly became silent.


    Gu Ziyi had changed so much that she must have been greatly affected. He just did not know what had happened to torture a woman to the point of paranoia.


    However, the two didn¡¯t have the habit of being nosy, so they quickly continued with their tasks.


    The next afternoon, Gu Ziyi came over with her eldest daughter, Huanhuan. ¡°Sister-inw, thank you for bringing us around. There¡¯s a carriage outside.¡±


    ¡°No worries, it¡¯s just a small favor.¡± Zhou Ying informed Sun Lianghong about her going out, then turned around and got into the carriage with them.


    Zhou Ying took the mother and daughter to the town¡¯srgest property agency. She greeted as she approached Manager Qian. ¡°Uncle Qian, business is here.¡±


    ¡°Manager Zhou. Pleasee in.¡± Manager Qian, who was lying on the lounge chair with his eyes closed, immediately came up to them when he heard that there was business.


    ¡°Your life is sure to be one of leisure.¡± Zhou Ying then introduced them to each other.


    Manager Qian turned to Gu Ziyi and greeted her. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Miss Gu. May I know what kind of house you want to buy?¡±


    If he remembered correctly, she was married to a schr. He was confused as to why she was buying a house here.


    ¡°A house that can sleep five or six people and is safe in its surroundings,¡± Gu Ziyi stated after some thought.


    ¡°That means houses in the east and north sections. Wait a moment, and I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Manager Qian picked up the book on the table and flipped through it.


    Based on his memory, he pointed out two houses and said, ¡°One is near the academy. It¡¯s a house returned by a schr who passed the exam. There are three main rooms and two east and west side rooms.


    ¡°There is another house not far away, where a merchant once used it to house his mistress. There are five main rooms and three rooms in the east wing.


    ¡°Many merchants stay in the surrounding area, and every family has a guard.¡±


    ¡°Mistress?¡± Gu Ziyi¡¯s expression turned ugly.


    Manager Qian could tell she was disgusted by the word ¡°mistress.¡± He coughed dryly and continued, ¡°Although she¡¯s a mistress, she¡¯s more of a concubine. It¡¯s just that she seems to have a bad rtionship with the main family.¡±


    He was interrupted by Gu Ziyi halfway through his sentence. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°These two are the most suitable for you, but there are also two bigger ones. One is a small courtyard with two entrances and a total of 11 rooms. It was owned by a wealthy family that moved away. The house was just renovated five or six years ago, and it¡¯s pretty new.


    ¡°There¡¯s another one in the southern area, simr to this one, but closer to the pier.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take a look at the small courtyard with two entrances.¡± Gu Ziyi spoke after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°Sure, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll get the keys.¡± Manager Qian left for the keys and called his wife out.


    Zhou Ying said a few polite words to her and then went to the small courtyard with Manager Qian.


    After entering, there was a row of four rooms before them. The main living room was near the second entrance of the courtyard, which was built with two side rooms. In addition, there were two smaller rooms, each in the east and west wings.


    There was also a small garden in the middle.


    The courtyard was square and clean, looking fresh and new as a bonus.

 Chapter 224 - 224 Buying A House (2)

    224 Chapter 224 Buying A House (2)


    Gu Ziyi took a fancy to it at first nce, but she worried it was too expensive. She could only ask, ¡°How much is Manager Qian asking for this ce?¡±


    ¡°300 taels. To be honest, this price is really not high. If it were in the past, it would not have been possible to get it without 500 taels.¡±


    ¡°300 taels,¡± Gu Ziyi hesitated for a moment before she thought of the furniture in the house. ¡°What about the furniture inside?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, you can have it. These are all items thate with the house.¡±


    !!


    Gu Ziyi looked at Zhou Ying because she knew little about the housing market.


    ¡°Uncle Qian, it¡¯s not easy for anyone during this disaster. Can you help me lower the price? I¡¯ll treat you to a big mealter.¡± Zhou Ying had no choice but to speak up.


    ¡°To be honest, I was really giving my lowest price because of our friendship.


    ¡°Think about it. This tile and brick house would cost about 150 taels of silver just to build it. In addition to thend, there is really no room for more discounts.¡± Manager Qian shook his head without the slightest hesitation.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying knew that there was no room for negotiation. She turned her head and looked at Gu Ziyi.


    Gu Ziyi hesitated for a moment and walked around the house again. After confirming that there was still water in the courtyard well, she finally nodded. ¡°I will go with this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to look at the others?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll take it. It¡¯s quiet here.¡± Gu Ziyi shook her head.


    Soon after, Manager Qian went to find the owner, and the two sides quickly transferred the ownership.


    As for the broker¡¯s fee, it was paid by the seller. In the end, Zhou Ying treated them to a meal at the restaurant.


    However, after the meal, Gu Ziyi insisted on paying the bill before leaving.


    The following day, the couple first went to town to deal with their things, then prepared some dried fruits and candies before returning to the vige.


    Coincidentally, they bumped into Gu Ziyi, who was moving out. The two went up to greet her and then went their separate ways.


    When they arrived at the Gu family mansion, the couple heaved a sigh of relief when they saw that the groom¡¯s side of the family hadn¡¯t arrived.


    They passed the things they had prepared to Madam Qiao. ¡°Grandma, we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Come, have a seat. Did I bother your business?¡± Madam Qiao took the food with a smile and put it on the table. She called Gu Ziqiu over, ¡°These are some snacks that your third brother prepared. Go and find a te to put them on. When the groom¡¯s familyester, make sure to treat him well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, third brother and third sister-inw.¡± Gu Ziqiu took the things and ran away while blushing.


    ¡°Oh, look at her; she¡¯s still blushing at this age.¡± With a smile, Madam Qiao said.


    ¡°Grandma, have you met the young man before?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I have, and he¡¯s quite a spirited young man. He knows some martial arts, and you¡¯ll definitely like him.¡± Just as she finished speaking, Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao rushed back, each of them carrying many things in their arms.


    Gu Chengxi followed behind with arge rooster in his hand.


    When he saw the couple, he immediately put down the chicken and ran in. ¡°Chengrui, sister-inw, you¡¯re early.¡±


    ¡°Did you go to town early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I bought some things for the banquet.¡± At this point, Gu Chengxi pulled Gu Chengrui along and said, ¡°Brother, let¡¯s go and ughter the chicken together.¡±


    ¡°So you came to find me to work.¡± Gu Chengrui red at him, but he still got up and went out.


    ¡°Oh, right. Grandma, Where¡¯s father and second uncle? Are they not at home?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°They went to the fields as it was time to prune the chili buds. They couldn¡¯t afford to hire workers, so the four of them went by themselves.¡± Madam Qiao continued with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you for the past two years. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t even have enough to eat.¡±

 Chapter 225 - 225 Engagement (1)

    225 Chapter 225 Engagement (1)


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Grandma. It¡¯s just a win-win situation. However, it seems things aren¡¯t looking good this year, and we¡¯ll have to find a way to store more food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯ve dried the remaining rapeseed and cabbage leftover fromst season.


    ¡°Oh right, we are also nning to sun-dry some white potatoes.


    ¡°If you two don¡¯t have enough food to eat, juste and take some; we have plenty at home.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Sure, I won¡¯t be polite when we really need it.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and nodded.


    Gu Ziqiu quickly brought out a te of dried fruits as the two chatted.


    Just then, Father Gu and the others returned home with the groom¡¯s family. Madam Qiao immediately got up and went out to wee them with Zhou. As for Gu Ziqiu, she hid herself in the inner room.


    Soon, a woman dressed in gaudy clothes walked in with a smile. Behind her were a middle-aged couple, a young couple, and a young man.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t even need to guess to know that the young man was Gu Ziqiu¡¯s fianc¨¦, Zhang Xiaoshan.


    He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and looked quite decent. He wasn¡¯t short, but he was a little shy, as he blushed when meeting them for the first time.


    Zhou Ying followed Madam Qiao and politely greeted the other party. When Madam Qiao invited them into the house, Zhou Ying turned around and went to the kitchen.


    It just happened that Mrs. Yao had also finished making tea and went into the room with Mrs. Liu to receive the guests.


    Mrs. Sun asked Zhou Ying with a curious look, ¡°Ying, what do you think of that Zhang Xiaoshan?¡±


    Mrs. Guo, Gu Ziqiong, and Gu Chengrui, who were ughtering the chicken, immediately looked over.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look bad but blushes a lot,¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°Blushing? It seems that he¡¯s still an innocent young man. Not bad,¡± Gu Chengrui quipped.


    ¡°Chengrui, what do you mean by innocent?¡± Gu Chengxi asked in confusion.


    ¡°It means he¡¯s still a young man with no experience.¡±


    ¡°Chengrui, don¡¯t lead Chengxi astray. He¡¯s still young,¡± Mrs. Sun hurriedly reminded him.


    ¡°Auntie Sun, what are you saying? Am I a bad person?


    ¡°Besides, he¡¯s studying medicine now, so there are some things that he has to be taught. He can¡¯t hide from it.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to know these things earlier on. If we tell him and let him understand these things now, he won¡¯t be so impulsive in the future.¡±


    ¡°Al-alright, then I¡¯ll leave you to teach him this. Help me look after him,¡± Mrs. Sun said with a red face.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Gu Chengxi was confused by their conversation and asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s about things between men and women,¡± Gu Chengrui looked up and said with a faint smile.


    Gu Chengxi¡¯s face immediately turned red like a monkey¡¯s butt when he heard that. He just looked at his older brother nkly and did not know what to say.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute. I¡¯ll give you a biology sster.¡± Gu Chengruiughed.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Zhou Ying looked at Gu Ziqiong, who was also blushing like a monkey¡¯s butt. She coughed and quickly changed the topic. ¡°By the way, has second brother¡¯s marriage not been settled yet?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s stuck in limbo, unable to shoot for a high target, and unwilling to settle with a lower-ss girl. Even the matchmaker isn¡¯t willing to help him out now.¡± Mrs. Guo shook her head.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not fate yet,¡± Mrs. Sun replied with a dry smile.


    After that, they saw Gu Chengzhi¡¯s son, Gu Jiehao. He was a chubby little boy with the nickname Xiao Jie, and he was stumbling around in the courtyard.


    Mrs. Sun turned her head to look at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Look at Xiao Jie. He can even walk now. When are you going to have a child?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You two married just half a yearter than the eldest son of our family. You two shouldn¡¯t be too far behind in bearing a child,¡± Mrs. Guo echoed.


    ¡°We¡¯re not in a hurry. Let¡¯s wait until this drought is over.¡± Gu Chengrui paused for a moment before replying.


    He took a deep look at Zhou Ying. Don¡¯t they want it? Of course, they do, and they really want one.

 Chapter 226 - 226 Engagement (2)

    226 Chapter 226 Engagement (2)


    But their current bodies didn¡¯t allow them to have children. They had to wait for Zhou Ying¡¯s body to maturepletely, as Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t want to ruin her body just for the sake of giving birth.


    Another thing was the problem with their environment. The weather was too abnormal, so who knows if there might be a chaotic future?


    It was dangerous to be pregnant or with a baby if disaster struck.


    Besides, they were still young, so it was better to wait until their future was more stable.


    !!


    When Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Guo heard this, they didn¡¯t try to persuade them anymore and instead busied themselves with cooking.


    In truth, Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Liu had already prepared quite a lot of ingredients. A giant rooster that weighed about five pounds, two pounds of streaky pork, two pounds of mutton, and arge b of tofu.


    Soon, the dishes were ready. Mrs. Guo saw the mutton pieces cut into pieces on the chopping board and looked at Zhou Ying, who was sitting by the fire. ¡°You should cook this cumin mutton dish, Zhou Ying, because we usually cook it too gamy and dry.¡±


    ¡°No problem. You can leave it here while I prepare the seasoning.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she got up and washed her hands. She then proceeds to marinate the mutton with a small amount of salt, scallions, and peanut oil.


    She then prepared cumin and chili powder.


    After the chicken and mushroom stew was out of the pot, Zhou Ying began to stir-fry the mutton.


    As soon as the fragrance wafted out, Gu Ziqiu ran in and said, ¡°I knew it was third sister-inw cooking. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t smell so good.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. Today is the day of your engagement, so do you want to cook a dish to show your skills?¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll stir-fry the shiitake mushrooms and bok choy. I¡¯m good at that.¡± Gu Ziqiu hesitated for a moment and agreed with a blushing face.


    Besides, this was one of the reasons why her mother had asked her toe here. It was the custom here, and she could not avoid it.


    Zhou Ying nodded. After frying the cumin mutton dish, she divided it between two tes and brought them to the dining room.


    Seeing this, Madam Qiao smiled. ¡°It looks like we will be having a good meal today. Let thedies deal with the rest while you should quickly sit down and eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying responded and put a te on each table for the men and women. Finally, she sat opposite Madam Qiao, next to the matchmakerdy.


    As soon as she sat down, the matchmakerdy immediately sized her up and smiled. ¡°You must be Manager Zhou from Grasnd Taste Restaurant. I didn¡¯t expect you to look even prettier up close.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it as youplimenting me. If there¡¯s a chance in the future,e to the restaurant for a visit.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Oh, you and your lovely offer. If there¡¯s a chance in the future, I¡¯ll definitelye for a drink,¡± the matchmakerdy said with a smile.


    At the same time, she was a little curious about Zhou Ying. Whether it was the way she walked or the way she carried herself, she didn¡¯t act like a woman. Zhou Ying had the air of an inexperienced girl, and it was a little strange.


    But she couldn¡¯t care less about this andughed it off.


    When Madam Qiao heard Zhou Ying getting praised, she happily urged them, ¡°Hurry up and move your chopsticks. The food won¡¯t be good if it gets cold.


    Especially this mutton; it will be a shame if it gets cold.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. The inws better try this mutton dish too.


    ¡°Chengrui¡¯s wife rarely cooks now, even in her restaurant, so there aren¡¯t many opportunities to taste her cooking.¡± Mrs. Yao smiled and echoed.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯d better try it out then.¡± The groom¡¯s mother, Zhang Lishi, chuckled and couldn¡¯t wait to try it out.


    Even the smell of it had already attracted her.


    After a bite, the lingering fragrance was left on their lips and mouth. There was no gamey taste except for the umami of the mutton, and the meat was so tender that it was simply amazing.


    She couldn¡¯t help but eat three more mouthfuls in a go, and there were none left when she reached out to grab more of it.

 Chapter 227 - 227 Engagement (3)

    227 Chapter 227 Engagement (3)


    On the other side, the men¡¯s table was more reserved. Because the three men from the Zhang family had all eaten roastedmb skewers at Grasnd Taste Restaurant, they weren¡¯t that surprised by the deliciousness.


    However, they had their eyes on the seasoning of the meat. So after three cups of alcohol, Mr. Zhang asked, ¡°Inw, I heard that there are a lot of spices in Shanghe Vige?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Chengrui¡¯s restaurant needs it, but it¡¯s too expensive to import from afar. Thus, they asked us to nt some in the vige. It¡¯s a win-win situation.¡± Father Gu nodded happily.


    In addition to nting 50 acres of spring wheat this year, their family had nted the most chilies and cumin in the vige. The Gu family even nted 30 acres of cumin at once as more people were focused on nting chilies.


    !!


    As long as the water level couldst until their crops ripened, they could still live in peace, even if there was no harvest for the year¡¯s second half.


    ¡°If you¡¯re interested, you can try it next year, but it¡¯ll depend on how much Chengrui needs,¡± he continued.


    Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t decide on this now as it depends on the weather conditions. If the weather returns to normal next year, I¡¯ll take in all the chilies even if you nt them all over this area.¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound like you want to open a few more restaurants?¡± Second Uncle Gu asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°It depends on the situation. Even if we don¡¯t open more restaurants, we can still sell them through river transportation, right?¡±


    Of course, what he didn¡¯t say was that even if he couldn¡¯t sell them as raw chilies, he could make them into chili sauce, chili oil, and so on. In other words, it would not be a bad investment, no matter what.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. If you nt it again next year, remember to let us know, and we¡¯ll also give it a try.¡± Father Zhang raised his ss and said.


    ¡°No problem. If you want to nt it, I¡¯ll let big brother make the trip over.¡± Gu Chengrui raised his ss and promised.


    ¡°Leave this matter to me.¡± Gu Chengzhi immediately echoed.


    He knew that Gu Chengrui was indirectly supporting his sister, so he had to support her too.


    The meal ended harmoniously, and Zhou Ying also knew that after this engagement, the betrothal gifts would be sent; the betrothal gifts were 20 taels of silver and a set of silver jewelry.


    The wedding date was set for April 28, which was less than a month away. It was nearly half a month earlier than the patriarch¡¯s eldest son¡¯s wedding.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui returned to town, using the excuse that they had work to do.


    Seeing that it was still early, the two carried 20 pounds of white noodles, 20 pounds of rice, 5 pounds of beef, and two bs of cured meat, each weighing about four pounds, to Gu Ziyi¡¯s house.


    Gu Ziyi, who was about to leave with her servant maids, saw them entering with things in their hands. She was stunned for a moment before she smiled. ¡°Thank you for remembering about my moving in. Hurry up ande in.¡±


    After that, she quickly let the servant maids take the gifts, and then the three went to the main living room.


    Gu Chengrui sized up the courtyard on the way and said, ¡°You sure have good taste. This courtyard is quite suitable in all aspects.¡±


    ¡°I think so too, and it¡¯s pretty quiet here.¡± Gu Ziyi nodded. After they entered the living room, she invited them to sit. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of space here, so you guys cane over whenever you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If you need our help too, don¡¯t be shy.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t be polite with you if I need help. Oh, right. Do you guys know where I can hire a female teacher in town?¡± Gu Ziyi asked.


    ¡°Female teacher?¡± Gu Chengrui was surprised by the question. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this, but I¡¯ll ask aroundter.¡±


    ¡°But what kind of person are you looking for? Or rather, what kind of knowledge do you want the children to learn?¡±

 Chapter 228 - 228 A Hidden Problem

    228 Chapter 228 A Hidden Problem


    ¡°I would prefer a female teacher who specializes in training the girls of prominent families. I would want someone good at music, chess, calligraphy, painting, embroidery, and cooking. The main lesson would be teaching etiquette and virtue.¡± Gu Ziyi replied.


    Gu Chengrui immediately understood what she meant. He nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll ask aroundter.


    ¡°However, if you want a live-in teacher, I¡¯m afraid the cost will not be low.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t dy my child¡¯s education. Just go ahead and find one.¡±


    !!


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After that, the three exchanged a few more polite words, and Zhou Ying remembered that she had wanted to return home sooner. They didn¡¯t stay for long after that.


    On the way back, Zhou Ying said, ¡°It seems that it was better for her to move out. At least she doesn¡¯t have to deal with the others.¡±


    ¡°To save face, you have to suffer. The public safety in these ancient times can¡¯t bepared to that in our modern times.


    ¡°When people discover that she¡¯s living alone with her two children, she will know how much trouble she will be in then.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s fine if she wants to use force to solve these problems.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    Zhou Ying did not say anything after hearing that. She had lived alone for a few years, so she naturally understood the troubles of doing so. She only hoped Gu Ziyi could stay strong and establish a good family. Otherwise, she had to return to the vige.


    Sure enough, something happened five dayster. As Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui prepared to head home for the evening, Gu Ziyi¡¯s old maid, Aunt Mei, hurried over. ¡°Young master, madam, please save my madam.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on so I can make the arrangements.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Aunt Mei looked around as she hesitated.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying knew that she had some concerns. She turned around and said, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to tie the carriage to a crooked tree at the side and enter with them.


    Finally, the three entered a private room on the second floor. After sitting down, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Aunt Mei, tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°This morning, a matchmaker brought a middle-aged man to the madam¡¯s house to propose marriage. After the madam rejected him, she thought that everything would be fine.


    ¡°Who knew that this man brought a few men to the door in the afternoon and forced madam to agree, or they would ruin madam¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°Ruin her reputation? Did he say what he was going to do?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in confusion.


    Bai Jingping had been cracking down on anyone who was unruly. Who would dare to act up at this time? Were they not afraid of being caught?


    They weren¡¯t even being just unruly at this point. This was clearly a threat.


    ¡°He said¡­ He said that the madam was his escaped concubine.¡± Aunt Mei stammered.


    ¡°His escaped concubine? Aunty Mei, are you hiding something from us?¡± Zhou Ying asked after being dumbfounded by the answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Aunt Mei said, shaking her head.


    However, her eyes were obviously avoiding her; she wasn¡¯t telling the truth.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying said sternly, ¡°Hu Ziyi is a girl of the Gu family. If something happens to her, we will not stand by and do nothing. But we will not rush up and help you if you are hiding something.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, this matter doesn¡¯t seem right. You¡¯d better hurry up and exin yourself. Otherwise, we really can¡¯t help you.¡± Gu Chengrui echoed.


    He wasn¡¯t stupid, as her words were obviously full of loopholes. He couldn¡¯t just blindly follow them, or else the couple would be the ones who suffered.


    ¡°I¡­.¡± Seeing that they did not believe her, Aunt Mei became anxious.


    However, she also knew they weren¡¯t easy to fool, so she was so anxious that her forehead was covered in a cold sweat.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she knew something was going on, and it wasn¡¯t a small matter. She continued persuading her, ¡°Don¡¯t try to find excuses to lie to us. Just tell us the truth. Otherwise, how can we help you when we don¡¯t know anything?¡±

 Chapter 229 - 229 The Hidden Story

    229 Chapter 229 The Hidden Story


    Aunt Mei started crying when she heard that. Then, she said while crying, ¡°Ever since the incident at the Gu family in the capital two years ago, our madam¡¯s life has not been good.


    ¡°She had been poisoned once before, and it was then that I heard it was Young Master Chengrui who had cured her of it.


    ¡°Ever since she went backst time, madam¡¯s life had worsened. Not long after, her second daughter fell into the water and almost lost her life.


    ¡°Madam was in a terrible state of mind and moved to the manor.


    !!


    ¡°She had stayed there for more than a year, and she didn¡¯t expect that her husband¡¯s new wife would give birth to a son.


    ¡°A month ago, her ex-mother-inw urged the husband to demote madam to a concubine.


    ¡°However, if the madam became a concubine, her two young daughters would be daughters to a concubine. This would be bad news once they fell into the hands of the new madam; therefore, madam proposed a divorce.


    ¡°However, they were unwilling. In the end, madam had to give up the manor and two shops that her granduncle had given her in the past to escape from the family.


    ¡°But they were still persistent in introducing another man to the madam, trying to get into being a concubine too. Madam refused and returned here, not expecting that person to still pursue her.¡±


    ¡°Speak clearly. Who is the one who bullied her and who gave birth to a son for that bastard?¡± Gu Chengrui clenched his fists and said.


    No wonder Gu Ziyi refused to stay in the vige after she came back. It was because of this.


    She was also a fool. This wouldn¡¯t have happened out of the blue if she had exined her situation earlier.


    ¡°It¡¯s her ex-mother-inw and the new madam.¡± Aunt Mei said.


    ¡°Who is the new madam? What¡¯s her status in the capital? How did she get together with your old master?¡± Zhou Ying asked in an unpleasant tone.


    ¡°The new madam is the magistrate¡¯s concubine daughter from Kaiyang Prefecture. After a prefecture meeting, she was taken in as a concubine.


    ¡°Ever since she entered the manor, her ex-mother-inw had suddenly favored her greatly.


    ¡°In the beginning, our master still felt a little guilty about taking in another concubine. But after three months, his heart went that way too.¡±


    ¡°The magistrate of the Kaiyang Prefecture.¡± Gu Chengrui had a thoughtful expression on his face.


    It seemed that this matter was most likely the doing of the eldest prince¡¯s faction. What a shameless person! It appeared that they would only be at ease once they hadpletely ruined the Gu family.


    Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered that he still had an aunt in the capital. He wondered how she was doing now.


    However, based on the current situation, she was probably in a worse state than Gu Ziyi.


    After that, he stood up and said, ¡°Ying, go back to the vige and report to our eldest uncle. Let¡¯s see what he has to say.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring some people over to big sister¡¯s side.


    ¡°Alright, but the governor¡¯s cracking down on violence now. You have to pay attention to your limits.¡±


    ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought Aunt Mei and Fang Qing to find Li Si. They hired over ten street punks through him, rushing to Gu Ziyi¡¯s house.


    By the time they arrived, Gu Ziyi¡¯s coachman was already lying on the ground, unable to get up.


    The two children were also tied to one side. A man was discussing what they should do to Gu Ziyi while the remaining six people gathered around toment.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui was furious. He had never seen such awless person, even more inhumane than thugs.


    ¡°Tie them up,¡± he ordered immediately.


    At the same time, he rushed out and kicked the man away.


    He rushed over, grabbed the man by the cor, and pped him repeatedly until his hands hurt. Then, he dislocated his arms while he was still in a daze.


    At the same time, the six people the man had brought with him were quickly subdued, and the courtyard was suddenly filled with yells and noises.

 Chapter 230 - 230 Tie Them Up

    230 Chapter 230 Tie Them Up


    Gu Ziyi, whose clothes were disheveled, immediately burst into tears when she saw her brother had brought help.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui waved his hand at Aunt Mei and said, ¡°Hurry up and help your madam into the house.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh.¡± Aunt Mei immediately went forward to help her up.


    However, the two women did not return to the house directly. Instead, they untied the ropes on the two children and brought them into the house together.


    ¡°Do you know who I am? How dare you meddle in my business? You think I won¡¯t kill you?¡± The man red at Gu Chengrui and threatened angrily.


    ¡°Are you an idiot? I¡¯ve already meddled in this, and you¡¯re still asking if I dare to?¡± Gu Chengrui red at him and went forward to beat him up more.


    However, the other was also a martial arts expert. He simply did not react in time before, allowing Gu Chengrui tond some blows on him.


    Now that the man was ready, he naturally wouldn¡¯t just stand there and let himself be beaten.


    However, both of his arms were already dislocated, so he could only rely on his footwork to dodge and find an opportunity to counterattack.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui gave him a close-range attack and focused on the man¡¯s lower body. The abuser, who was already in a tight spot, was quickly restrained.


    Gu Chengrui immediately went behind him and kicked his leg, causing the man to kneel on the ground with a plop.


    Without the bnce of his arms, the upper half of his body fell straight down, and he ate a mouthful of dirt.


    Gu Chengrui quickly got someone to bring a rope over and tie him up.


    He then walked to the coachman, and upon seeing that he was still unconscious, he immediately went forward to take his pulse. He didn¡¯t expect the coachmen to suffer not only serious external injuries but also numerous internal injuries.


    He carried him to the carriage and let someone take him to the clinic.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, what should we do next?¡± Li Si walked over and asked.


    ¡°Make them face the house and kneel to atone for their sins.¡± Gu Chengrui had just finished speaking when Gu Ziyi, who had already tidied up, walked out. She said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for them to kneel. I¡¯m afraid of them dirtying my courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you n to do?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the governor cracking down on violence? Just hand them over to the authorities.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s wait for Uncle, as Ying has already returned to report this.¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t let my parents know about this, or else¡­¡±


    ¡°Big sister, if it¡¯s an open sore, the pus has to be squeezed out to be cured. No matter how tightly you cover it, there will be a day when it will ooze.


    ¡°We¡¯re all upright people; why should we cover up for those bastards?¡±


    Gu Ziyi¡¯s body stiffened when she heard that. She remembered Mei Zhen¡¯s hesitant look and knew she had told him everything.


    Thinking of this, the grievances in her heart have broken through like a crack in a dam. Tears flowed down, and she turned around to run back into the house.


    Gu Chengrui also knew she was a prideful person, so he did not say anything more. Instead, he ordered his men to tie those hooligans up and throw them into the courtyard.


    He took a stool and stood guard outside, waiting for the arrival of the patriarch and the others.


    As for how to deal with it in the end, that would be up to the patriarch.


    About an hourter, Zhou Ying, the patriarch, and his wife, together with more than 20 young men from the n, rushed over.


    When he entered and saw the scene in the courtyard, he was stunned for a moment. The patriarch went forward and asked, ¡°Chengrui, how¡¯s your eldest sister?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s alright. You guys go in and look for her while I stay here.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡± The patriarch nodded and walked in with Mrs. Wang.


    Zhou Ying walked to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°The patriarch and the others haven¡¯t had dinner yet. You stay here and do your work while I¡¯ll go to the restaurant to prepare some food.¡±

 Chapter 231 - 231 Holding The Fort

    Chapter 231: Holding The Fort


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Go on ahead. Prepare a meal for 30 people; we¡¯ll go there directly after making a decision. You won¡¯t have to run back and forth then.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and replied.


    After sending Zhou Ying off, Gu Chengrui looked at the people in the courtyard and felt that he had to prepare some drinks for them.


    At this time, he remembered that there was still a servant girl supposedly here, Xi ¡®er, whom he hadn¡¯t seen. He quickly turned around, looked around the courtyard, and finally found her unconscious in one of the rooms.


    He went up and pinched her philtrum to wake her up.


    When Xi ¡®er woke up and saw a man in front of her, she was so frightened that she immediately screamed.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui knew that she had been badly frightened. He took a few steps back and said, ¡°Those attackers are already under control. You¡¯d better go and boil some water and greet the guests.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and left the room.


    Just as he went out, he ran into Gu Chengzhi. Gu Chengzhi nced inside and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It was just sister¡¯s maidservant, Xi ¡®er, who fainted from fright. I pinched her awake.¡±


    ¡°Pinched her awake¡­¡± Gu Chengzhi looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. He thought to himself that Gu Chengrui sure didn¡¯t hesitate to act efficiently, albeit slightly rough.


    At that moment, Xi ¡®er, who had just regained her senses, walked out. After seeing the apparent pinch marks on her philtrum, she knew she had misunderstood and quickly stepped aside to make way.


    After Xi ¡®er left, Gu Chengzhi asked, ¡°Do you know who the bastard is? He dared break into sister¡¯s house and rob her in broad daylight. What a piece of shit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I tied them up and left them to Uncle to handle the rest. We¡¯ll just hold the fort.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    This wasn¡¯t good for Gu Ziyi¡¯s reputation, so the fewer people who knew about it, the better.


    Gu Chengzhi didn¡¯t ask any more questions and sat with him as they waited for the patriarch¡¯s answer.


    The patriarch and his wife heard the ins and outs of the matter and were furious.


    Mrs. Wang hugged Hu Ziyi and cried, ¡°My poor daughter, how did you meet such an animal? How¡­ how could he give you away?


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us? Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have let you move out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. If that bastard was a good person, would they have divorced?¡± The patriarch looked at Gu Ziyi and continued, ¡°Change the names of the two children. In the future, they¡¯ll be the Gu family¡¯s children and have nothing to do with the Chen family.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Father.¡± Gu Ziyi nodded, then helped Mrs. Wang up. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t cry. I didn¡¯t tell you before because I feared you would be worried.¡±


    ¡°You two go take care of the two kids. I¡¯ll go outside and deal with those people.¡± The patriarch turned around and walked out after that.


    ¡°Father, there¡¯s someone behind Lin Dong. Don¡¯t be rash; just send him to the authorities.¡± Gu Ziyi reminded her father hurriedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll see to it,¡± the patriarch said after a pause.


    When he arrived at the front yard, he saw that everyone was standing guard and had no intention of making a move. He knew that they were waiting for him to deal with the people.


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t know what to do. If he were to be heavy-handed, then it was likely that the n would be implicated when investigations began. However, it was simply impossible for him to just let them go.


    But what could they do now? The patriarch walked to the two brothers, Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengrui, who were sitting at the side. ¡°What do you think we should do with these people?¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, we should just ruin them.¡± Gu Chengzhi said.


    ¡°Ruin them? What do you mean?¡± The patriarch asked in surprise.


    ¡°Making them eunuchs.¡±


    The patriarch¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°It¡¯s satisfying to hear it, but we can¡¯t do that. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to gain the upper hand when the investigation starts..¡±

 Chapter 232 - 232 Sending Them To The Officials

    Chapter 232: Sending Them To The Officials


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Dragon Boat Trantion<strong> Editor: </strong>Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the patriarch finished speaking, he looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°What do you think, Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the county needed manpower for paving the road.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    Punishing them in the open wasn¡¯t appropriate, so it was better to hand them over to the authorities and then think of a way to do so in private.


    After hearing this, the patriarch was slightly unwilling to ept his advice. He assumed they were simply used to being on the short end of the stick, which was why Gu Chengrui gave this advice. He didn¡¯t think too deeply about it.


    ¡°Chengrui, reattach his arm for me,¡± he said with a sigh.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengrui agreed and walked over, deliberately using brute force to put his arm back in ce.


    ¡°Argh, ah!¡± Lin Dong screamed twice and fainted.


    The patriarch snorted coldly and stepped forward to kick his balls. Lin Dong woke up again from the pain.


    However, the pain was so intense this time that he couldn¡¯t even faint. In just a moment, his face was as pale as paper, andrge beads of sweat quickly appeared on his forehead. His body was curled up like a shrimp, bending forward greatly.


    When the six other thugs who followed him saw this, they were so scared that their faces turned white and none dared speak up.


    ¡°Alright, take them to the county¡¯s officials now. I¡¯ll treat everyone to a meal when you alle back.¡± The patriarch nodded in satisfaction.


    His daughter had suffered so much, and he had no ce to vent the anger. Now that they came to his door, how could he swallow this anger and not teach them a good lesson?


    As for their revenge, an old man like him wasn¡¯t afraid of that. Otherwise, he would not be worthy of being a father.


    The group immediately escorted the hooligans to town.


    As for Lin Dong, who was in so much pain that he couldn¡¯t walk, someone just went forward and dragged him away.


    This made it even more painful for him¡ªso painful that Lin Dong cried the whole way. But, of course, no one sympathized with him.


    When they arrived at the county¡¯s officials, Gu Chengrui immediately apanied the patriarch to look for County Mayor Kong and told him about the matter.


    County Mayor Kong mmed the table when he heard the news. ¡°What? Did someone actually cross over counties and towns to kidnap someone? Does he think that our Yunhe County¡¯s governance is dead?¡±


    ¡°Thismoner pays his respects to County Mayor Kong. 1 beg of you to seek justice for my daughter.¡± The patriarch kneeled and kowtowed.


    At the same time, the tears he had been holding back for so long finally flowed.


    He hated Lin Dong. He hated that heartless bastard and himself for being blind because he had married his daughter to him.


    However, the Gu family now had neither money nor power, so they could only silently ept it.


    County Mayor Kong¡¯s heart ached at the sight of the elder¡¯s tears. It wasn¡¯t hard to see that he was a loving father.


    ¡°Uncle Gu, please get up,¡± he said. ¡°1¡¯11 handle this matter impartially.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, Mayor Kong. 1¡¯11 send an honest and upright que to the county government.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t. This is what 1 should do. Just wait for the news.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be troubling you then. It¡¯s gettingte, so we¡¯ll be going back now.¡± After Gu


    Chengrui finished speaking, he cupped his hands and bowed. He helped the patriarch out after saying their goodbyes.


    County Mayor Kong apanied them out of the building, then turned around and called for guards to bring those criminals over. The interrogation began immediately.


    However, as soon as the Gu family left, Lin Dong and the others¡¯ attitudes immediately changed.


    They knew the Gu family wouldn¡¯t let them off easily for what they had done. Therefore, they did not dare to mess around while in the hands of the Gu family.


    However, being with the mayor was different. County Mayor Kong was an official and had no rtionship with Gu Ziyi, so Lin Dong thought they would be fine with their backing.


    ¡°1¡¯11 have to trouble you to find us a doctor first,¡± Lin Dong said directly.


    Although he was asking for help, his attitude wasn¡¯t respectful at all..

 Chapter 233 - 233 The Death Penalty

    Chapter 233: The Death Penalty


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    County Mayor Kong¡¯s eyes turned cold after hearing their tone. It seemed that Lin Dong was indeed arrogant, and it was no wonder he dared to cross prefectures and counties to kidnap others.


    Thus, he ordered, ¡®Til get a doctor, but the interrogation will continue.


    ¡°Tell me who you are and why you¡¯re here to take her away.¡±


    ¡°We are from the Kaiyang Residence. You have no right to question us, so it¡¯s best if you quickly send someone to take us back.¡± One of the people beside Lin Dong said.


    ¡°And you are?¡± County Mayor Kong turned his head and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sanjing.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I thought you would address yourself more highly, seeing as you are acting so highly that you don¡¯t respect a seventh-rank official?¡± County Mayor Kong remarked wryly.


    After that, he gave them a faint smile and asked, ¡°Tell me, why are you all acting so indifferent? Or rather, who¡¯s your master?¡±


    Lin Dong could tell from the mayor¡¯s tone that he wasn¡¯t happy, so he quickly answered, ¡°Lord Kong, don¡¯t waste your time with a servant like him¡­¡±


    County Mayor Kong didn¡¯t wait for him to finish. He interrupted, ¡°And you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Lin Dong paused for a moment.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t even dare say who you are? Are you a spy, an illegal resident, or a fugitive?¡± County Mayor Kong asked again.


    However, he emphasized the word ¡°fugitive.¡±


    When the guards in the cell heard this, they immediately drew their knives and pointed them at them.


    Lin Dong finally understood that the mayor wasn¡¯t about to let them go easily.


    Therefore, they did not hide anything and revealed their identities, backgrounds, and motives.


    He believed that the mayor would definitely let them go after hearing it.


    County Mayor Kong was taken aback. He had never thought that Lord Chen, Gu Ziyi¡¯s husband, would be such a sanctimonious man.


    To climb up the socialdder and secure his future, he gave his wife away to a servant.


    That¡¯s right, Lin Dong was a servant of the Zhao Manor, and the Zhao Manor was part of the Residence¡¯s faction. However, his status in the manor was decently high, being the younger brother of Butler Lin. This exins why his attitude was so arrogant and haughty from the start.


    One could only imagine how smug he would be when he returned to Kaiyang.


    Then there was the Zhao family¡¯s young daughter. Not only did she take away Gu Ziyi¡¯s husband, but she also wanted to humiliate Gu Ziyi for the rest of her life. What a vicious woman!


    The next day, after discussing this with Bai Jingping, Lin Dong and his men were sentenced to death by beheading.


    They did this to intimidate others and send a message that no matter where one came from, one had to abide by the rules here. No one could cross the line.


    After the patriarch received the news, he brought Gu Ziyi to the execution ground to watch their execution.


    On the way back, the patriarch advised, ¡°Ziyi,e back to the vige. It¡¯s not safe to stay in town.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, father. I think the security here is quite good. I¡¯ll just live in the town.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. Wouldn¡¯t we need to build another house if I returned to the vige? I¡¯m thinking of just buying two more servants who know martial arts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been stubborn since you were a child, and that hasn¡¯t improved at all.¡± The patriarch said helplessly.


    He sighed and continued, ¡°You can try. If there¡¯s anything, remember to let us know in time.


    ¡°If Chengrui didn¡¯t arrive in time for this incident, you would¡¯ve been¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. After this incident, I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this is thest time. If something happens again, you have toe back with me.¡± The patriarch gave in.


    However, he made up his mind to tell his wife to use the excuse of buying a betrothal gift for his youngest son so that they could live in town for some time. While apanying them, he would also judge if she could live her life well..

 Chapter 234 - 234 Explanation

    Chapter 234: Exnation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Three dayster, the document authorizing Lin Dong and his group¡¯s execution arrived at the Kaiyang Residence in Yanglin County.


    When Lord Chen saw the document, he was first surprised, then angry. ¡°How dare the Yunhe County act this way. They knew that Lin Dong was our man, but they executed them without even saying a word.¡±


    ¡°Who was executed?¡± Suddenly, a bright and beautiful young woman handed him a bowl of white fungus soup. She was Lord Chen¡¯s current wife, Zhao Xiuying. ¡°Drink it to soothe your lungs. I wonder when this dust-filled sky wille to an end.¡±


    Lord Chen directly handed the document to her and said, ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±


    After Zhao Xiuying took it, her face turned pale when she saw the content. ¡°How could that be? How could Second Uncle Lin be¡­? He¡­ hubby¡­ this can¡¯t be true, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s stamped with the official seal of the county government, so how could it be fake? I heard that Yunhe County carried out a crackdownst year, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be true. They sure spared no expense.¡± After Lord Chen finished speaking, he picked up the bowl and slowly drank the white fungus soup.


    ¡°You still have the heart to drink this? You should think about how to exin this news to Uncle Lin.¡± Zhao Xiuying snatched the bowl from him in a huff.


    ¡°What exnation? What can I do since they got caught by the officials? You can¡¯t expect me to write a letter condemning County Mayor Kong.


    ¡°No matter what, Lin Dong is still a servant. Do you think he can overtake your position?¡±


    ¡°You country bumpkin, what do you know? Don¡¯t forget, my aunt and my younger brother are still living in the residence. If Uncle Lin takes his anger out on them, their lives will be tough.¡±


    Lord Chen¡¯s face immediately darkened when he heard this. He never expected her to call him a country bumpkin.


    ¡°Then what do you want me to do? Apologize to Butler Lin?¡± he asked.


    Zhao Xiuying¡¯s expression froze for a moment, but she still said, ¡°Just hurry up and do it; Lin Dong died in our hands, and if this news gets out¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to do it, go. Don¡¯t forget that you were the one who sent Lin Dong out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You used them happily before, but now that something has happened, you don¡¯t want to take responsibility?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re still the head of a county here because my father protected you on my ount. Otherwise, with your rtionship with the Gu family, you¡¯d have gone home and be a farmer.¡±


    ¡°You,¡± Lord Chen took a deep breath and smiled tteringly. ¡°Yingzi, stop messing around. He¡¯s already dead, so it¡¯s useless, no matter how much we apologize.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better for you to go to father-inw and see what he has to say, or find mother-inw to discuss it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯reing with me,¡± Zhao Xiuying¡¯s anger subsided a little when she saw him give in.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. There are a lot of refugees in the county now. If I go with you, who knows what will happen?¡± Lord Chen refused without even thinking.


    No matter what, he¡¯s the mayor of a county. Why did he have to apologize to a servant? He wouldn¡¯t go to her house and suffer that kind of anger.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we send someone over to kill Gu Ziyi first?¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you still have feelings for her?¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about? Dongyang is the territory of the third prince, and Mayor Kong is his man. If this matter gets out of hand, father-inw¡¯s and my positions will be threatened.¡±


    ¡°Lord Kong? Should we go to him and ask him not to meddle in this matter?¡±


    ¡°We re of the same rank, but I don¡¯t have that right. We¡¯ll have to discuss this with father-inw..¡±

 Chapter 235 - 235 The Refugees’ Arrival

    Chapter 235: The Refugees¡¯ Arrival


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You,¡± Zhao Xiuying red at him angrily, then snorted coldly and left with the document.


    She brought their son and the servants back to the main residence.


    I lowever, they were robbed by refugees on the way and had to give up all their money and food before escaping.


    After dinner, Zhao Xiuying took the documents to Lord Zhao¡¯s study.


    When Lord Zhao saw her while handling some documents, he turned around and pointed to a stool at the side. ¡°Have a seat. I heard that you were robbed on your way back.¡±


    ¡°I was; they¡¯re a group of poor peasants who escaped from the wilderness. Father, you have to avenge your daughter.¡± After Zhao Xiuying finished, she described the scene in detail.


    Even now, she was afraid they wouldn¡¯t let her off after taking their money.


    Lord Zhao sighed. ¡°There has been a drought for two years in a row, and thend is basically barren now. Refugees are fleeing everywhere, so we won¡¯t find anyone even if 1 send people to look for them.


    ¡°Just treat it as losing money to avoid a worse disaster.


    ¡°By the way, why did you bring your child back in such a chaotic time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, 1 came over because I have something for you.¡± Zhao Xiuying handed the document to Lord Zhao.


    After reading it, Lord Zhao¡¯s expression was hideous.


    ¡°Father,¡± Zhao Xiuying said immediately, ¡°This Mayor Kong is sure making things ugly. We shouldn¡¯t let him off so easily.¡±


    ¡°You know nothing.¡± Lord Zhao snapped.


    If he were to make things difficult for another government official just because of a servant, his position in the government would be over.


    However, it was pretty embarrassing that this happened.


    He knew he couldn¡¯t openly do something about this, but that was different if he did it in the dark. Thinking of this, his eyes flickered as he smiled.


    ¡°Father¡­.¡± Zhao Xiuying looked at his malicious smile and couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    ¡°Do this¡­.¡± Lord Zhao waved at her and whispered a few words into her ear.


    ¡°Remember to do it in private. Don¡¯t give anyone anything they can use against you,¡± he reminded her.


    Zhao Xiuying s eyes lit up at the great idea. Not only could this vent their anger, but they would also solve the problem of the refugees. It was akin to killing two birds with one stone. She nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. I¡¯ll go back and implement it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to send you back tomorrow. Remember, it won¡¯t be peaceful in the future, so don¡¯t go out alone.¡±


    ¡°I will remember that. Well then, I will take my leave.¡± Zhao Xiuying left the study after she said goodbye to her father.


    The following day, the Zhao family¡¯s guards escorted her home.


    Half a monthter, many refugees arrived in Yunhe County, causing more chaos.


    However, it was quickly suppressed by the soldiers.


    County Mayor Kong had to call onrge families to open their warehouses and provide porridge to calm the refugees.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she asked Sun Hongliang to follow the wealthy families in the town and build a shed outside the town.


    However, what she gave was not porridge but a soup with some flour dumplings. She added a little meat, oil, and vegetables, which the refugees loved.


    At noon, Zhou Ying went to the cloth shop and picked two sets of fine cotton clothes for Gu Ziqiu as a congrattory gift.


    When she returned, she saw Chang Shun waiting in the restaurant. ¡°Uncle Chang, why are you here? Did something happen in the manor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There were thieves in the vigest night. Although they were discovered in time, many white potato vines were still ruined.¡± Chang Shun stood up and spoke with a pained expression.


    Those were the sweet potatoes that they had painstakingly preserved. Just like that, these thieves had ruined nearly an acre ofnd. It really made them furious.


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she thought of the groups of refugees outside, and her face suddenly darkened.. She asked, ¡°Did you catch anyone?¡±

 Chapter 236 - 236 Bait

    Chapter 236: Bait


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes. The patrol team caught ten refugees. Three of them fell into a trap and were injured, so 1 am here to ask you what we should do with these people.¡± Chang Shun nodded.


    ¡°Patrol team?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ever since the refugees came, I was afraid thieves might appear, so I discussed it with Uncle Nian and set up a patrol team.¡±


    ¡°Well done. Sit down, drink some water, eat some snacks, and take a rest. 1¡¯11 go to the clinic for some medicine.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and went to the clinic.


    It just so happened that Gu Chengrui was also there. After Zhou Ying exined the situation to him, they got into a carriage and brought Chang Shun back to the manor.


    When they arrived at the manor, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying first went to see the three injured people.


    Although the three thieves were dirty, they looked quite muscr and didn¡¯t look like refugees.


    Therefore, Go Chengrui didn¡¯t go forward to treat their wounds. Instead, he asked, ¡°Who are you people?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell from our clothes? We¡¯re refugees,¡± the eldest one in the middle replied.


    The arrogance in his eyes made him look even less like a refugee.


    Gu Chengrui becamezy in questioning them further after seeing this. Instead, he went forward to check their hands and asked, ¡°How can a person who has been holding a knife for years be a refugee?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a butcher.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to say it. Your wounds will remain like this. 1 think that in this situation, even the government wouldn¡¯t care about the deaths of a few people.


    ¡°Not to mention a person who is so poor that he couldn¡¯t afford a doctor and died of infection.


    ¡°I wonder if you can bear the torture of being eaten alive by maggots.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he deliberately fanned the flies around his wound. He stood back up and continued, ¡°Tsk, tsk, it makes my hair stand on end just thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°Do you want some red sugar? Flies and ants love sugar.¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s more painful to cut flesh with a blunt knife. It¡¯s boring to finish him quickly.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    He said to the two guards, ¡°You guys keep an eye on them. Remember to let them have two bowls of porridge a day. Don¡¯t let them starve to death.


    ¡°Master, mistress, don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t let them die.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and went with Zhou Ying to look at the dozen or so refugees who had been caught.


    These people looked like genuine refugees. Not only were they dirty, but they were also so thin and frail that they looked like they were just skin and bones. They were all wailing and shouting for food.


    ¡°If you want to eat, you can have as many steamed buns as you want, but you have to rify why you came to the vige to ruin our food. Did youe on your own, or who sent you?


    ¡°In short, whoever tells us the secret will be given a steamed bun. Otherwise, you can atone for the food you¡¯ve ruined.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Mistress, I¡¯ll order someone to steam some buns.¡± Chang Shun immediately said.


    ¡°Go on, but just steam ten buns. Since they dared waste food and have no remorse, it¡¯s not worth the sympathy.¡± Zhou Ying waved her hand.


    Chang Ying immediately ran out.


    The refugees panicked when they heard this. Starving men like them could finish ten buns in one meal, which meant the ten buns would only be shared with two other people.


    One by one, they immediately fought to be the first to shout. Some people even started to fight, and it was a mess.


    Gu Chengrui watched themotion from the side. Since the refugees didn¡¯t have any weapons in their hands anyway, no one would die.


    When they were tired, he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys stupid? If you had the time to fight, why don¡¯t any of you shout it out?¡±

 Chapter 237 - 237 Questioning

    Chapter 237: Questioning


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys capture the three? We were urged toe here by them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. We followed them all the way here.¡±


    ¡°We were nning to go south, but the three told us that Yunhe County had many mountains and rivers, so they told us toe here.¡±


    As one spoke, all the refugees started talking simultaneously, and their voices were getting louder and louder. In the end, it was a mess.


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to raise his hand and shout. ¡°That¡¯s enough. All of you, shut up. Speak one by one.¡±


    ¡°Then how are we going to split the buns?¡±


    ¡°There are always more buns. We¡¯ll give one to anyone as long as their information is useful.¡± Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Who was the one who said that you all were originally nning to go south, but those three people said here has many rivers and mountains and told you guys toe here instead?¡±


    Someone immediately raised his hand and said, ¡°I, I said it.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Stand to the side. The one who spoke first, go stand over there as well.¡± Gu Chengrui pointed to the wall on their left after he finished speaking.


    As soon as he said that, the two people left the group.


    Gu Chengrui continued, ¡°Wait, and I¡¯ll ask you all one by one. Whoever I ask must answer. So, you guys have to prepare what you want to say.¡±


    After that, he took out a piece of paper and a quill from his first-aid box. He wrote down the names of the two people and what they said.


    Then he asked the refugees one by one.


    However, the rest of the information was useless to him.


    In conclusion, he gathered two pieces of information. First, those three and their aplices incited all the refugees who came to Yunhe County. They were here from Yanling County¡¯s Kaiyang Residence.


    Secondly, they hade to the manor to steal tonight because of the same three people¡¯s instigation.


    As the group of 20 or so refugees went to destroy the ¡®wild vegetables¡¯, the three people had gone to steal cattle and sheep. This was also the reason why they had fallen into the trap.


    After Gu Chengrui was done tidying up, he immediately thought of someone. If he remembered correctly, Gu Ziyi¡¯s ex-husband was the mayor of Yanling County.


    Could it be that he had deliberately incited these refugees toe here? This matter had to be clearly investigated.


    He turned to Zhou Ying. ¡°Ying, tell Chang Shun to steam more buns. The two people in front will each get ten white-flour buns, while the others will each get ten ck-flour buns.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go over while you can take a look at the cattle and sheep pens.¡± Zhou Ying responded and turned to go out.


    Gu Chengrui nodded. He packed his things and followed her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go! When are you going to let us go?¡± Seeing that they were about to leave, someone immediately asked.


    ¡°When it¡¯s time to release you, I¡¯ll do so.¡± Zhou Ying replied and ignored them.


    After settling the matters of the manor, Gu Chengrui gave Chang Shun a few bags of muscle rxant powder. ¡°If it gets hard to look after them, provide them with these muscle rxants. Remember not to let them escape.


    ¡°Especially those three who are injured, don¡¯t let them die.¡±


    ¡°How long should we lock them up for.¡±


    ¡°Latest until tomorrow night.


    ¡°In addition, have someone set up some more traps in case someonees to attack at night.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll have someone make the arrangements in a moment.¡±


    After they left the manor, Gu Chengrui turned his head and said to Zhou Ying, ¡°Babe, 1 have to go to the county to find County Mayor Kong, and I wille back tonight. You should rest in the restaurant and not go home.¡±


    Zhou Ying knew he wouldin about this and immediately nodded. ¡°Alright, be careful..¡±

 Chapter 238 - 238 The Worsening Drought (1)

    Chapter 238: The Worsening Drought (1)


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Dragon Boat Trantion<strong> Editor: </strong>Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re back. 1 have something to tell you.¡± When Sun Hongliang saw Zhou Ying enter, he walked out from behind the counter.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the back.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and led him to the back.


    After sitting in the central room, she poured herself a ss of water and asked, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°When I was taking water, I realized that the water level in the well had dropped again.¡±


    Zhou Ying¡¯s hand that was holding the cup immediately froze. She asked, ¡°How much has it dropped this time?¡±


    ¡°About half a meter. It¡¯s probably because we¡¯ve been using too much water recently. The porridge stand alone needs about 20 buckets of water daily.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because it hasn¡¯t rained for too long, causing the water level to drop.¡± With a sigh, Zhou Ying said.


    There was a snowfall after the new year. She thought it would be better this year, but it turned out worse. She was still determining if the spring wheat would ripen this year.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Zhou Ying paused for a moment before replying, ¡°Even so, we can¡¯t stop providing porridge. Otherwise, those refugees will tear down our restaurant. Let¡¯s try to save as much as possible.


    ¡°As for the future¡­


    ¡°Right now, everyone is in the same boat. There will be others who can¡¯t continue this charity before us, so there¡¯s no need to be the first to step out.


    ¡°Oh, right. How much food is left in the warehouse?¡±


    ¡°About 2,000 pounds of rice and less than 5,000 pounds of ck flour.¡±


    ¡°Increase oil and water in the porridge stands. The beef oil and mutton stored in the ice cer can be put in. Also, put in dried vegetables to save as much grain as possible.


    ¡°This year¡¯s situation isn¡¯t optimistic, so we must n early.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Please rest while 1 carry that out.¡± Sun Hongliang responded and got up.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t sit still after drinking a ss of water. She immediately went to the well and tied a rope to a clean stone to measure the depth.


    She didn¡¯t expect the water to be less than two meters deep.


    Their well was a well-known deep well in town. What about the other wells if the water in this one was almost at the bottom?


    She carried the stone out of the restaurant and wanted to find a public well to test. However, when she arrived, she discovered that she did not need to run a test.


    Beside the well, there was a long line of people waiting for water.


    After asking around, she found out that the water in the well had reached the bottom. It was already decent if they could wait for one or two buckets of water per day.


    Zhou Ying found two more wells, and the general situation was simr.


    ¡°Manager Zhou, what are you doing walking around the street with that stone?¡±


    Zhou Ying looked toward the source of the voice and saw Manager Qian driving a carriage. He pulled a carriage full of things and parked it on the side, with another carriage following behind.


    ¡°Uncle Qian, you¡¯re not thinking of leaving, are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I am. The drought is worsening, and business isn¡¯t going well.


    ¡°In addition to therge influx of refugees, the water supply is the main problem. We thought of heading south to seek refuge with my wife and sister. What about you guys? What are your ns? Do you want to go together?¡± Manager Qian asked.


    ¡°We have a big family, and there are still crops in the fields. We can¡¯t just move them as we please. Let¡¯s wait until the summer harvest is over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯ll be leaving now. See you again.¡±


    ¡°I wish you all the best.¡± Zhou Ying waved her hand.


    After they left, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t bother to check anymore and went back to the restaurant.


    On the other side, Gu Chengrui drove the carriage to the county government office and found Mayor Kong. He told him about the three people¡¯s situation and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mayor Kong. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve implicated you because of my sister¡¯s matter..¡±

 Chapter 239 - 239 The Worsening Drought (2)

    Chapter 239: The Worsening Drought (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re being too polite. Even if that incident didn¡¯t happen, there would still be refugeesing here. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± Mayor Kong said as he helped him up.


    ¡°But to be honest, the drought is getting worryingly serious,¡± he continued. ¡°Many wealthy families in the county have decided to take refuge in the south.


    ¡°The following days are really not going to be easy; you guys have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°We will. Then, do you want to handle those people, or should we do as we see fit?¡±


    ¡°How about this? You go back and keep an eye on them first. Tonight, 1 will discuss this with the other officials in the county. No matter the result, I will give you a definite answer tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sorry to trouble you.¡± Gu Chengrui took two small porcin bottles from the first-aid box and handed them to him. ¡°One bottle is to relieve fatigue, and the other is to prevent heat stroke. Keep it, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± County Mayor Kong took it with a smile.


    After that, he gave Gu Chengrui a few more instructions.


    Gu Chengrui responded and left the county government office.


    After he came out, he detoured to the market to purchase some medicinal herbs.


    When he passed by the bank on his way back, he realized that many people were going in and out. He went up to ask around and discovered that many people were exchanging silver or banknotes.


    He also heard that many people were nning to head south.


    Further ahead, many others lined up in the grain store. However, they were now selling in limited quantities, and each household could only buy five pounds of grain daily.


    He also saw that the cloth shop was selling at a 30% discount. Thus, he went in and bought 20 batches of fine cotton cloth, three batches of silk cloth, and several needles and thread. He put all of them in his carriage and left.


    When he was about to leave town, they heard someone shout, ¡°Leather is selling at half price! Half-price leather; don¡¯t miss it if you pass by. There won¡¯t be such a deal after this shop!¡±


    Gu Chengrui walked over and took a look at the leather. It was mostly sheepskin and rabbit skins, so he immediately lost interest. There were many of these things in the interspace.


    When the shop assistant noticed he was about to leave, he stepped forward and smiled. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave, sir. What kind of leather do you want? We have a lot of them in our shop. You¡¯ll definitely be satisfied with them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re selling in a hurry. Are you closing shop?¡± Gu Chengrui stopped and asked.


    ¡°Yeah, business isn¡¯t doing well now. The boss wants to go south, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand. Do you have any good leather here?¡±


    ¡°Good leather? What kind of leather do you want? Take a look around to find anything you need.¡±


    ¡°Mink and fox fur.¡±


    The shop assistant knew Gu Chengrui was rich and nodded in joy. ¡°We don¡¯t have mink fur because it¡¯s too valuable and is usually taken away by high officials and nobles.¡±


    ¡°However, we have four red fox furs here. It¡¯s good to make a cloak with them. Do you want to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but I have a carriage that needs to be tended, so 1 won¡¯t be going in. Help me take it out.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± After the assistant finished speaking, he turned around and ran into the shop. After a while, he ran out with two pieces of fur skin, followed by a middle-aged man, who was also holding another two pieces.


    Gu Chengrui looked at the furs and saw they were the hides of an adult fox. The fur was smooth and beautiful and lookedplete. It looked lovely at first nce.


    ¡°How much are these? If it¡¯s appropriate, 1¡¯11 take it all.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°¡¯IWenty taels, no bargaining.¡± The middle-aged man said.


    At the same time, the shop assistant opened his mouth but swallowed the words that were about toe out. However, from his disdainful expression, it was not difficult to tell that the price of the furs was too high.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui returned them to the middle-aged man. ¡°You should keep it for yourself then. It¡¯s more expensivepared to usual..¡±

 Chapter 240 - 240 Invitation

    Chapter 240: Invitation


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Dragon Boat Trantion<strong> Editor: </strong>Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave. We can discuss the price.¡± The middle-aged man quickly smiled and persuaded


    ¡°If you¡¯re sincere about selling them, give me an honest price.


    ¡°Otherwise, forget it. It¡¯s more worthwhile to buy food back in this drought.¡±


    ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. These are really good products that aren¡¯t easily encountered. How about this, 15 taels? You can take all 15 taels.¡±


    ¡°Ten taels. Load it up if you want to sell it. If not, I¡¯ll leave town.¡± Gu Chengrui turned his horse around after he finished speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯re too ruthless in your bargaining. How about we each take a step back and add three taels?¡±


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui did not say anything and just pulled the reins, about to set off.


    ¡°Fine, give me the silvers.¡± Seeing this, the man gritted his teeth and sold the furs. At least he could recover his costs.


    Gu Chengrui handed the silver to him and then asked the shop assistant to load the furs into his carriage.


    After the middle-aged man left, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Young man, are you going to lose your job soon?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. After I¡¯m done with these hides, I should be going home.¡±


    ¡°If you find it convenient, you can go to Qingshui Town¡¯s Grasnd Taste Restaurant to get a job.¡± Gu Chengrui offered with a smile, leaving the stunned assistant behind.


    He just saw that this kid was quite clever and honest. If properly trained, he would be a rare talent.


    When he returned to the restaurant, the sky had already turnedpletely dark.


    After getting someone to help move the things into the restaurant, he took out ten batches of fine cotton cloth and handed it to Mrs. Li, asking her to make everyone¡¯s summer clothes.


    He put the rest in the main living room and then took his herbs to his clinic. After entering, he thought of the three injured captured men and decided to interrogate them.


    The three people who were locked up had been bothered by flies for the entire afternoon. The blood on their wounds especially attracted flies, and they were gradually swelling. The men had also started to develop a fever.


    When they saw Gu Chengrui, they immediately thought of his previous remarks. The men feared their lives would be gone if Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t treat them in time.


    Therefore, the man in the middle asked directly, ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°You thought about it?¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and asked.


    ¡°Yes, but you have to promise us that you¡¯ll treat our wounds as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯m a doctor.¡± After Gu Chengrui said this, he stepped forward to check their wounds. ¡°Tsk, tsk. The weather is sure hot. It hasn¡¯t even been six hours, and the wound has already started to rot.¡±


    The three of them tensed up when they heard that. The other two immediately followed suit and shouted, ¡°Just ask what you want to know!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?


    ¡°Who told you to bring refugees to Yunhe County?


    ¡°What other missions do you have here?


    ¡°One person, one question.¡± Gu Chengrui¡¯s expression hardened.


    The three looked at each other for a moment before the one in the middleughed dryly. ¡°What are you talking about? We don¡¯t understand, and we¡¯re just refugees. As for choosing this ce, it¡¯s natural because there are mountains and water here. What¡¯s so strange about that?¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Alright, then, you¡¯ll have to bear with your wounds. Yunhe County¡¯s punishment for thieves is quite severe, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to treat you.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and walked out after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± At that moment, the person on the right gasped. He felt something stirring in the wound on his leg. The pain was so intense that he broke out in a cold sweat.


    Thinking back to the scene of Gu Chengrui being eaten by maggots, he sweated profusely on such a hot day and quickly shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t go; I¡¯ll talk!¡±

 Chapter 241 - 241 The Rat’s Help

    Chapter 241: The Rat¡¯s Help


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui paused, but he did not turn around. He knew well that they would not speak unless they felt the pain.


    At the thought of this, he went straight back to his room to sleep.


    The man in the middle immediately rebuked, ¡°Alright, he¡¯s already gone, so stop shouting.


    ¡°However, you have to think about it carefully. Our family members are still in Yarding County. If the news is leaked and madam finds out about it, our family members will be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Don¡¯t listen to his nonsense. He wouldn¡¯t dare to kill anyone. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have sent Butler Lin¡¯s brother to the county government.¡± The man on the left replied.


    ¡°Shut up, all of you! There¡¯s a bug in my wound, and it¡¯s burrowing into my flesh!¡± The man on the right screamed.


    His sweat kept falling like rain.


    The other two immediately felt their blood run cold and turned to look down at his wound.


    Although they didn¡¯t see the bug he mentioned, they could tell from the convulsing muscles near the wound that he was really in great pain.


    The two looked at each other and understood that Gu Chengrui¡¯s previous words weren¡¯t without basis. If the wound wasn¡¯t treated, not only would it attract flies, but it might also attract insects.


    However, the two of them were firmly tied to the pirs, which meant they couldn¡¯t help. They began to try to free themselves from the ropes.


    However, the people in the vige followed old ways of ughtering cows and sheep daily, so they were best at tying something or someone up.


    The two men struggled for a long time and were covered in sweat, but the rope did not loosen and became tighter.


    They had to stop and wait for Gu Chengrui to arrive.


    However, they did not see Gu Chengrui. Instead, they were met with rats.


    When they realized that the rat was trying to bite their wounds, their faces changed into ones of panic and fear.


    The rats were dirty, and they might spread diseases if they bit into their wounds.


    After that, the three screamed and kicked, but it was all meaningless. The rats still climbed up their wounds.


    ¡°Argh!!¡± The man in the middle was the first to be bitten. He looked at the ten or so rats of different sizes scurrying around on the ground and didn¡¯t care about his master or family anymore.


    ¡°Help! We¡¯ll talk! We¡¯ll tell you everything! Hurry up and call the doctor!¡± He shouted in panic.


    As soon as he opened his mouth, the other two on his left and right didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately followed his shouts. Their screams were so loud that they circled the sky three times, waking up those who were light-asleep.


    Of course, it woke up two guards napping outside.


    When they heard the noise inside, they looked at each other and immediately rushed in. They were shocked to see rats biting them, so they immediately ran over and began to drive the rats away with a stick.


    In the end, the rats were gone, but the three men were still bitten and whacked with the sticks until they fainted from the pain.


    The two guards looked at each other and left one to guard against the rats while the other quickly ran to find Gu Chengrui.


    When Gu Chengrui heard that rats had bitten them, he knew he could no longer dy treating their wounds. He immediately got up, took his first-aid kit, and went to the small hut where they were held.


    When he saw the three unconscious people, he immediately took out a small bottle of his disinfectant from the first-aid kit and began disinfecting them.


    After treating their wounds, he sprinkled some light salt water on them with a wicked smile..

 Chapter 242 - 242 Their Goal

    Chapter 242: Their Goal


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    With a series of screams, the three of them woke up again.


    Seeing Gu Chengrui standing before him, the person on the right immediately shouted, ¡°We¡¯ll talk, well talk. Please hurry up and take out the thing in my wound.¡±


    The other two neither refuted nor spoke up.


    Seeing their attitude soften, Gu Chengrui pointed at the half-segmented worm on the ground and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already cleaned up your wound, but there¡¯s only half a dead worm left. A rat must have chewed off the rest.¡±


    He yawned and leaned against the eight-seater table. ¡°You guys better answer my question. I¡¯m tired and don¡¯t have the energy to waste.¡±


    The three were overjoyed when they heard that the wound had been treated. They quickly looked down and saw that the wound had indeed cleaned up. However, there was no medicine or dressing for their injuries.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bandage our wounds?¡± The man in the middle immediately asked.


    ¡°You guys haven¡¯t answered my question. I¡¯ve already done my best to treat your wounds.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and started to pack up his first-aid kit.


    ¡°Well talk. We¡¯re indeed following the orders of Yanling County¡¯s mayor to incite refugees toe to Yunhe County,¡± the man on the right immediately said.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and looked at the other two.


    ¡°We are the subordinates of Miss Zhao, the wife of Lord Chen. We are here to avenge the Lin family¡¯s second housekeeper, Lin Donglin.¡± The person on the left quickly replied.


    The middle man listened to the two¡¯s answers and secretly cursed them for being so impetuous; they left the most important question for him to answer.


    He opened his mouth but didn¡¯t dare say anything.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui smiled and ignored him. Instead, he cleaned the other two people¡¯s wounds, applied some medicine, and bandaged them. He took his first aid box and turned to leave.


    The middle man¡¯s heart trembled when he saw this. He immediately recalled the heart-wrenching feeling of being bitten by rats.


    He was the only one who had his wounds unbandaged. When the rats return, he will be the first to be bitten. Thinking of this, he quickly shouted, ¡°Other than bringing the victims here to take revenge on County Mayor Kong, we¡¯re also here to take revenge on the former madam, Gu Ziyi.


    ¡°We, we found out that you were the one who helped Gu Ziyi escape dangerst time. That¡¯s why you set your sights on the manor.¡±


    ¡°Revenge on Gu Ziyi? How?¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked.


    At the same time, the way he looked at the man was like a knife that pierced straight into his heart.


    The middle man was frightened. He gulped and stammered, ¡°Destroy, destroy her innocence. It¡¯s best to force her tomit suicide.¡±


    ¡°Your family¡¯s new madam is simply shameless, the world¡¯s most despicable person.¡± Gu Chengrui said this through gritted teeth.


    The three wanted to retort, but they didn¡¯t dare to do so.


    However, he also knew that Zhao Xiuying had gone too far. She had taken someone else¡¯s dowry, driven them away, and even tried to kill them.


    However, they were only servants. Whether their master was right or wrong, they just had to follow orders.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t make things difficult for them. Instead, he asked, ¡°How many people were sent out this time? Where are the rest?¡±


    The three looked at each other, and the middle man answered, ¡°A total of six people. However, we split up after reaching Yunhe County, so we don¡¯t know where they are.


    ¡°But we agreed that we would meet at warehouse number three at the dock tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow afternoon, warehouse number three.¡± Gu Chengrui repeated and noted it down.. He then asked, ¡°What about the exact time?¡±

 Chapter 243 - 243 Hospitality

    Chapter 243: Hospitality


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, the warehouse is upied by refugees now. We¡¯ll find each other if we go to the right ce.¡± The man in the middle said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll believe you this time, but you¡¯d better not lie to me. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for making things difficult for you.¡± After Gu Chengrui was done, he asked for the names and characteristics of the other three people before he bandaged his wound and walked out.


    He also asked the guards to prepare some food for them.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui found Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang and asked them to find a few more people to keep an eye on the three people as described. If those three arrive, they must keep a close eye on them.


    In the afternoon, the new constable, Zhang Daren, brought a few bailiffs and rushed to the clinic.


    Gu Chengrui saw theming in and immediately came up to them. ¡°Wee, Constable Zhang. I¡¯m sorry for noting out to wee you,¡±


    ¡°Doctor Gu, you¡¯re too polite. We¡¯re here on Lord Bai¡¯s orders to bring those people back.¡±


    ¡°I see. Would you all like a cup of tea in the backyard?¡±


    ¡°No need. Let¡¯s get to business, as we must rush back tonight.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk while we walk.¡± Gu Chengrui led them to the manor after he finished speaking.


    On the way, he told Constable Zhang the confessions of the three men.


    He also told him about the three other people who were part of them, inciting the refugees toe here.


    ¡°There are three more people?¡± Constable Zhang¡¯s head hurt when he heard this. If they wanted to capture those other three, they wouldn¡¯t be able to return today.


    Gu Chengrui saw him in a difficult spot and said, ¡°Brother Zhang, if you have an emergency, you can bring these men back directly. 1¡¯11 catch them tonight and send them over.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not busy, you can rest in the manor for the night. It¡¯s not toote to set off tomorrow morning.¡±


    Constable Zhang hesitated for a moment, then looked at the others and said, ¡°Brothers, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sir, let¡¯s stay for one night. We¡¯ve been running for days with our sore feet.¡± Someone immediately said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We just have to get back before tomorrow ends. 1 really can¡¯t walk anymore today.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go back tomorrow.¡± Constable Zhang hesitated for a moment and finally agreed.


    ¡°Lovely, I¡¯ll make the arrangements for tonight. Everyone, do have a good sleep before setting off tomorrow morning.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and nodded.


    Since they weren¡¯t in a hurry to return, Gu Chengrui wasn¡¯t in a hurry to bring them to the manor either. Hence, he brought them to the Grasnd Taste Restaurant.


    After arranging for everyone to go to a private room upstairs, he said, ¡°Have some tea and take a break. 1¡¯11 arrange for your meals.


    ¡°By the way, is there anything you guys don¡¯t eat?¡±


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s quite hot today. We would like to have something refreshing.¡± Constable Zhang said.


    ¡°Alright, please wait a moment. 1¡¯11 be right back.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and went to the kitchen.


    ¡°So, are we eating here tonight or going to the manor?¡± Zhou Ying asked after receiving the news.


    ¡°The manor. 1 won¡¯t need to go back and forth that way, but 1 won¡¯t be able toe back tonight.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Alright, just take care of yourself. It¡¯s not peaceful now, so don¡¯t drink too much.¡±


    ¡°I know. 1¡¯11 go up first.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded, took two dessert tes and snacks, and went upstairs.


    Zhou Ying began to prepare the dishes. Since they requested something light and refreshing, Zhou Ying served nine braisedmb feet, a te of honey-vored kidney beans, a te of peanuts, and a te of pig¡¯s skin jelly.


    Afterwards, she told Li Sheng to stir-fry a te of ck-peppered beef, twice-cooked pork, and a te of prawns while she prepared cold mixed white sweet potato vines, lettuce, cucumber, and some bean paste mixed together.


    She also personally roasted fivemb legs and prepared a bowl of sour plum soup..

 Chapter 244 - 244 Recruitment (1)

    Chapter 244: Recruitment (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui apanied them to have a good meal. After the meal, Zhou Ying even served them a te of cherries.


    Once the group of people finished eating, they enjoyed a cup of tea in the restaurant.


    When Qian Zhuang came to deliver the news, the group went downstairs and headed straight to the dock. After capturing the three men, Qian Zhuang and his brothers returned to the manor.


    In the evening, Gu Chengrui arranged for a whole roastmb with some wine and food. After the bailiffs were stuffed, they washed up and went to bed.


    The next morning, Uncle Nian made mutton giblet soup with pancakes, and the group of bailiffs had a great time all around.


    This was the first time they had received such great care in a long time.


    Therefore, all of them were especially friendly to Gu Chengrui, while the six captured men were treated more miserably. They were taken away without even having a meal.


    The real refugees were handed over to the vige Constable Tian Jingzhong, who taught them a good lesson. If they vited the rules again, they would be executed without question.


    After sending everyone off, Gu Chengrui finally heaved a sigh of relief. He picked up his wallet and was about to pay for Qian Zhuang¡¯s group of brothers.


    Li Si quickly stopped him. ¡°Doctor Gu, we don¡¯t want the money this time. We want to work for you like brother Qian and the others.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Doctor Gu, please take us in. We will listen to your orders and never disobey them. We won¡¯t chase after chickens if you tell us to catch dogs.¡± Ma Zi, who had be familiar with them, chimed in at this time.


    When Qian Zhuang heard this, he gave him a p and said, ¡°Choice of words,e on. Why would youpare what we do to chasing dogs or catching chickens? Can¡¯t you change the way you talk?¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m just a ruffian who doesn¡¯t know how to talk. I was just expressing my loyalty.¡± Ma Zi said with a smile, then looked at Gu Chengrui with anticipation.


    Seeing this, the others immediately followed suit and expressed their loyalty. Some even knelt on the ground and kowtowed.


    Life was getting harder recently, not to mention that these were hooligans who couldn¡¯t do proper work. They would starve to death sooner orter if they did not find a way out.


    This was why they were all sincere about working under Gu Chengrui.


    Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang looked at Gu Chengrui. ¡°Doctor Gu, if you can take them in, it would be for the best. Although we¡¯re gangsters, we¡¯ve never done anything harmful.


    ¡°And I promise they¡¯ll definitely change their bad habits and work hard.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. If you are hesitant about it, you can also test us first, like you tested Brother Qian.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure we are of use to you, only take us in. Otherwise, we won¡¯t bother you any further,¡± Li Si said.


    Gu Chengrui saw their sincerity and pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Get up, all of you. I¡¯m very touched that you want to follow and acknowledge me, and I can indeed take you all in.


    ¡°But you have to change your old habits. If you do anything underhanded again, I won¡¯t be soft-hearted when I deal with you. I think you know this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. If anyonemits a crime, you don¡¯t have to do anything. We¡¯ll deal with them ourselves.¡± Li Si nodded.


    They were all present when Gu Chengrui dealt with Lin Dong, and they knew his skills better than anyone else. This was one of the reasons why they had chosen to follow him.


    If they followed a powerful master with solid connections, they would be able to rise in social ss in the future.


    Besides, the young couple were usually kind and generous people.


    ¡°Yes, we will not allow a bad apple to spoil the bunch.¡± Gu Erjiang chimed in.


    ¡°How about this? You¡¯ll all have a one-month trial. If your performance is decent after this month, I¡¯ll take you in as long-term workers.¡±


    ¡°Alright, one month it is.¡± Li Si said.


    ¡°Then what will they be doing? Are they going to collect ingredients with us?¡± Qian Zhuang asked..

 Chapter 245 - 245 Recruiting (2)

    Chapter 245: Recruiting (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, you two will still be doing that on your own. They will stay in the vige and protect the crops, cattle, and sheep with the people in the vige.


    ¡°Of course, during the day, they can gather some information, especially news about the refugees, in case the vige is attacked again.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°Thank you for your trust, Doctor Gu. Leave this matter to us. The eight of us will definitely do our best to protect the manor.¡± Li Si said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal then. Go home and tell your families today.


    ¡°After that, pack up some clothes and bedding and move to the outer courtyard of the manor. As for how you¡¯re going to split the living quarters, you can discuss it among yourselves.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the monthly sry during your trial period¡ªthree meals per day and 300 coppers per month. Once you all pass the trial period, it¡¯ll be 500 coppers.¡±


    ¡°Um, Doctor Gu, can we move over too? That way, we won¡¯t have to cook too.¡± Qian Zhuang asked with a pleading smile.


    ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯re going hungry these days; it¡¯s been hard.¡± Gu Erjiang quickly echoed.


    ¡°Sure, as long as you are willing to stay, anything is fine.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    After sending the group off, he found Chang Shun and asked him to make arrangements. He also asked a woman who cooked to prepare three meals daily for the group.


    ¡°Master, they¡¯re all gangsters. Are you really going to take them in?¡± Chang Shun asked with an unwilling expression.


    They were people that everyone usually avoided, so why did Gu Chengrui still invite them into the manor? If they had any bad intentions, it would be troublesome.


    Furthermore, the vigers were attempting to save as much food as possible this year. Many people had been fired from their long-term jobs, but Gu Chengrui instead recruited a group. This meant a lot of extra food expenses daily.


    He did not hide anything and told him his worries.


    Gu Chengrui patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Uncle Chang, have you ever heard of the saying that when the water is too clear, this means there aren¡¯t any fish?


    ¡°As long as we make good use of them and benefit ourselves, we don¡¯t have to care about their identities.¡±


    Although Chang Shun felt a little conflicted after hearing that, he knew Gu Chengrui was determined to take those people in, so he didn¡¯t say anything more.


    But at night, his initial impression was overturned. Because Li Si and the others checked all the traps, they gave him a lot of helpful advice. Saying that the defense of their vige was impregnable might be exaggerated, but there definitely weren¡¯t any more loopholes after improving based on Li Si¡¯s advice.


    Furthermore, the men were well-versed in gossip and information, particrly Ma Zi. He even divided the refugees into several groups and asked which vige they were from, inquiring clearly about who had conflicts with whom.


    Gradually, Chang Shun let go of the prejudice in his heart, but he didn¡¯t let down his guard in case a thief was among them.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui returned to town, he went straight to the restaurant and sent the best young beggar who was well versed in martial arts, Jinya, to the manor. He asked that he take some time in the morning to teach the manor¡¯s long-term employees some self-defense martial arts.


    Turning to Constable Zhang, after he had sent the six men to jail, he handed over the confessions of the six men to Mayor Kong. ¡°My Lord, should we go to the southwest to stop the refugees froming over?


    I¡¯m afraid that if this continues, we won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we can stop the refugees? I¡¯ve already reported this to the government. Let¡¯s see how they reply.¡± At this point, Mayor Kong thought of the plummeting water level and continued, ¡°However, you can spread the news that most of the wells in Yunhe County have dried up.¡±


    Constable Zhang paused for a moment before he smiled. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll make the arrangements..¡±

 Chapter 246 - 246 Getting Married (1)

    Chapter 246: Getting Married (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Remember not to make the same mistake as the Zhao family. However, it¡¯s true that the water in our well is rapidly running out.¡± Mayor Kong looked at the confession in his hand and reminded.


    ¡°I understand, sir. You can rest assured.¡± Constable Zhang thought for a moment before he nodded and ran out.


    In the blink of an eye, the day of Gu Ziqiu¡¯s wedding arrived. After Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui got up, they brought two sets of fine cotton cloth and a tael of silver to their old house.


    The two parted ways after they entered, with Gu Chengrui taking the tael of silver to hand over as a mary gift.


    Zhou Ying took the cloth to Gu Ziqiu¡¯s room.


    Inside the room, Gu Zishan and her sisters were talking to Gu Ziqiu. Gu Ziqiu was dressed in red and was sitting cross-legged on the bed after washing up.


    ¡°Ziqiu, you look beautiful today,¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile.


    She then handed the bundle of cloth to her and said, ¡°This is your wedding gift. I wish you a happy marriage and that you will have a child soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, third sister-inw,¡± Gu Ziqiu said as she epted the cloth.


    ¡°Third sister-inw, please take a seat,¡± she said, motioning to a stool at the side.


    ¡°You sisters should talk. There arc many people today, so I have to go outside to see if I can help with anything.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and walked out.


    They weren¡¯t particrly familiar with each other, so there wasn¡¯t much to talk about.


    She just prepared an extra gift for her because they were blood rted. Otherwise, she really didn¡¯t want to give her anything.


    After that, she saw Mrs. Sun preparing a dried fruit te and immediately went to help.


    ¡°Oh, you are here. Come on, don¡¯t busy yourself when it¡¯s all family here. Come and chat with us.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu saw hering in with a dried fruit te and waved her over.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Ying. Come and help me take care of your other aunts. Leave the rest to your second aunt and the others.¡± Madam Qiao echoed.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying smiled and ced the te of dried fruit in front of them. ¡°You¡¯re all elders. Is it appropriate for me to sit here?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Why wouldn¡¯t it be? We also want to ask you something,¡± said Sixth Aunt Gu.


    ¡°Oh, what do you want to know?¡± Zhou Ying sat down and asked.


    ¡°I heard that the town¡¯s well is running out of water. Is that true?¡±


    When the others heard this, they perked up their ears. This would affect their future lives, so they had to take it seriously.


    ¡°Indeed, the well in our restaurant is the deepest in town, with thirty meters underground, but there¡¯s not much water left.


    ¡°It¡¯s even worse for the public wells. It¡¯s considered decent if they can produce ten buckets of water a night.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°This serious? It seems that this is all because of the refugees. Without water in the town, our vige will be in danger.¡± Mrs. Bai expressed her concern as she grabbed a small handful of melon seeds.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯re at the foot of the mountain, so there¡¯s more water. They¡¯ll definitelye for our ce soon.¡± Madam Qiao nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It looks like we have to discuss this in detail. Otherwise, if they really enter the vige, all the crops we¡¯ve nted will be in vain.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu said.


    ¡°Speaking of crops, how is the wheat in our vige? How many pounds can we produce per acre?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. When the wheat bloomed previously, there were a lot of worms. When we want to fertilize it, weck water. It¡¯s good enough that the cro[s didn¡¯t copse.¡± Mrs. Bai sighed.


    ¡°Indeed, for this year¡¯s harvest, having 30 to 40 pounds per acre is already considered good.


    ¡°On the other hand, the sweet potatoes you gave us to nt are drought-resistant and growing well. We can even eat the leaves of those nts.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu added.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s put in more effort to water those potatoes. Who knows, sweet potatoes might end up bing our lifesaving food.¡± Zhou Ying said..

 Chapter 247 - 247 Getting Married (2)

    Chapter 247: Getting Married (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s true. The only things that we can water now are the sweet potatoes and our vegetable fields.¡± Mrs. Bai concluded.


    The others weren¡¯t happy after hearing this. They fell silent because they all knew how bad their situation was.


    With the water level in their well, they didn¡¯t know how many more times they could water their crops. If they couldn¡¯t hold on until the day of harvest, theiring would be harrowing.


    Just as everyone was silent, Mrs. Wang, Gu Ziyi, Mrs. Fang, and her son came in. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? Why are all of you just sitting there and not saying anything?¡±


    ¡°We were just talking about the crops in our fields and aren¡¯t optimistic about them. Do take a seat.¡± Zhou Ying exined and got up to give her the stool.


    After greeting Gu Ziyi and the mother and son, she asked, ¡°Big sister, where are the two children? Why didn¡¯t you bring them?¡±


    ¡°Chengxi took them to y. He¡¯ll be back in a while.¡± Gu Ziyi replied with a smile.


    Zhou Ying picked up the teapot and was about to pour a cup of tea for them when she found that the pot was empty. ¡°You guys continue chatting while I get some more tea.¡±


    After she said that, she took the teapot and walked out.


    The others surrounded Gu Ziyi and asked about her life in town.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Fang took the opportunity to find Gu Ziqiu and give her a gift. When Zhou Ying returned with her teapot, the groom drove a carriage to pick up the bride. Gu Chengxi immediately brought a group of youngsters to greet them, asking for some red packets and candies before letting them in.


    After that, Gu Zishan and the rest stopped the groom from getting in again at the entrance to the house. After receiving some red packets, they only let the groom in.


    Gu Chengzhi went in and carried Gu Ziqiu out of the boudoir.


    After the newlywed couple went to the living room to pay their respects to the bride¡¯s parents, they set off.


    As soon as the carriage left, Second Aunt Gu took a water basin and went out, crying. She sshed it at the door and stood there, staring at the carriage with tears flowing down her face.


    ¡°It really fits that saying; a married girl is like water that has been poured out.¡± Zhou Ying said it with emotion.


    ¡°That¡¯s right; that¡¯s why we women have a hard life. No matter how good your maternal family is, once you get married, you¡¯re an outsider.


    ¡°The inws still treat you as an outsider before you be the head of the family.¡± Mrs. Guo spoke at this moment.


    Zhou Ying was stunned after hearing that and continued, ¡°This is why women should be self-reliant. We shouldn¡¯t rely on others.¡±


    With Mrs. Liu¡¯s personality, if her daughter Gu Ziqi could not marry into a prominent family in the future, she would not care about her after that. This meant she had to rely on herself.


    As for whether Gu Ziqi could understand her hint, she didn¡¯t care about that. Afterwards, Zhou Ying turned around and called everyone back into the house. When the banquet started at noon, because Gu Chengzhi, his wife, and Gu Chengye had gone to send off the bride, Gu Chengrui had to apany Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu to entertain the guests and give toasts to everyone. After a round of drinking and when everyone was almost done eating, the three finally returned. They quickly ate a few mouthfuls because they still had to see the guests offter.


    When it was time to send off the guests, the patriarch pulled Gu Chengrui aside and said, ¡°You can sit down now since your two elder brothers will be able to handle the small number of guests now.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Take a seat, and let¡¯s discuss something.¡± The vige chief agreed.


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to sit down when he heard he had something to discuss. ¡°What is it about?¡±


    ¡°I heard that many people have started to escape to the south. What do you think our vige should do? Should we leave after the summer harvest?¡± The vige chief asked directly.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid the well water in the vige won¡¯tst long.¡± The patriarch nodded.


    ¡°I personally think that we shouldn¡¯t leave if possible. The most important thing is that our vige is not yet at the end of its rope.


    ¡°Take the ring of mountains behind us, for example. Do you think there¡¯s no water or food in it?


    ¡°With the harvest from the fields, we can still hold on for another year.


    ¡°A year¡¯s time should be enough for the weather to recover..¡±

 Chapter 248 - 248 Finding Water Sources (1)

    Chapter 248: Finding Water Sources (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°But there are also many refugees. When we are really at the end of our rope, the resources in our vige aren¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.¡± The vige chief spoke with a worried expression.


    ¡°Then, if we go out to seek refuge, can you guarantee that we won¡¯t be robbed on the way?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in return.


    ¡°As far as I know, the entire North suffers from a drought, so the only ce we can escape is to the south. But how are we going to live there withoutnd and houses? Do we really have to abandon our family business here?


    ¡°If we are nning toe back after this drought, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to go through so much trouble since it¡¯s so far away.


    ¡°Therefore, I think the most urgent thing is to quickly go up the mountain and find the nearest water source. If we find a water source, we can survive even if there is no water in the well.¡±


    ¡°Water source?¡± The vige chief¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that, but he smiled bitterly. ¡°Most of the water sources are deep in the mountains. Even if we find one, it¡¯s not easy to transport it out.


    ¡°By the way, is the river source in our vige far away? Although it doesn¡¯t flow anymore, maybe there is still water at the source.¡±


    ¡°I know where it is. It¡¯s not far, but it¡¯s high up. Unless the water flows down naturally, it isn¡¯t practical to go up and reach it.¡± The patriarch replied.


    ¡°There are always more ways to solve a problem. Besides, no matter how difficult it is, it¡¯s still better than running away from here. How deep is the well in our vige?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°The well at the vige entrance is five feet deep, and the one at the foot of the mountain is three feet deep. Why?¡± The vige chief asked. ¡°Could it be you want to dig a well? But if there¡¯s no water in one, wouldn¡¯t it be useless to dig more?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think so? If we dig deeper to ten or even twenty feet, there would definitely be water.¡± Gu Chengrui reminded them.


    The vige head and the patriarch looked at each other as their eyes lit up. They didn¡¯t know if this would work in other ces, but their vige was at the foot of a mountain, so they had more water than in other areas.


    If they wanted to dig a deeper well, they could try it. As for the funds needed, this was something the two ns could provide. The only thing the vigers had to do was dig it.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. We¡¯ll find someone to try to dig a well. If it really doesn¡¯t work, then we¡¯ll talk about fleeing here.¡± The vige chief made a decision.


    ¡°Yeah. Honestly, I¡¯m scared to even think of fleeing here.¡± The patriarch nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Take the opportunity to set up some traps near the vige. Otherwise, our vige will be a target for everyone because of our water and food.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this matter must be arranged, too, as it isn¡¯t safe to rely on the patrol team.¡± The vige chief nodded in agreement.


    After that, the three men went out and wandered around the vige to find the location of a water source.


    At this time, Gu Chengrui discovered that the water measurement here relied on mugwort as a guide. There was no scientific basis for it.


    Regardless, he still managed to lock onto three possible water sources before the sky turned dark.


    In the evening, when they returned home, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Babe, can you go to the interspace and look for the two water meters we kept there? Let¡¯s try it out in the vige at night and see if we can find some underground water source.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is the vige going to dig up more wells?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and told her about the vige chief and the patriarch¡¯s request. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to try. If we manage to dig a well, we¡¯ll be benefiting the people.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You keep an eye on things while I look for the equipment.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the west room and entered her interspace.


    She rummaged through the warehouse, and there were indeed two water-measuring devices. ording to the instructions, they could measure up to three hundred meters, more than a thousand feet deep.


    She ced it in the vi, then took a small watermelon that weighed about four to five pounds out of her interspace.


    After the two of them finished eating the watermelons, they rested on their beds for a while..

 Chapter 249 - 249 Finding Water Sources (2)

    Chapter 249: Finding Water Sources (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After dinner, the couple studied the water meter carefully. When it was quiet outside, they set off with their devices.


    First, they measured the three water sources the vige chief and the others had found and didn¡¯t expect they would really find one with water in it.


    It was in a barrennd not far from their house, but at the moment, it seemed that they had to dig 50 feet to reach the water. Luckily, the water inside was abundant. If they could dig deeper, at least the problem of water supply for the vigers would be solved.


    ¡°Are we still going to look for more?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try again along this line. Our vige will be in a good position if we get two more water sources.¡± Gu Chengrui followed the water meter¡¯s instructions and went over them.


    Finally, they found another ce by the river, not far from the vige entrance. The water here was in evenrger volumes as if it were connected to the underground river.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± At that moment, a loud shout was heard, and a few figures quickly ran over.


    They quickly removed the water meter and ced it in the interspace. They then took out two bamboo sticks and inserted them into the hole where the water-measuring device was.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Gu Chengrui.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, why are you here? What are you doing?¡± Qian Shisan, the leader, immediately went forward and asked enthusiastically.


    ¡°Oh, Thirteen Uncle. The vige is going to dig a well. Since it¡¯s hot and I can¡¯t sleep, I came out to try and look around.¡± Gu Chengrui pointed at the two bamboo poles.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Doctor Gu to have such a skill.¡±


    ¡°I just learned it from the vige chief and my uncle in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°So how is it? Can we get water from here?¡± Qian Shisan asked. The rest of the patrol team also surrounded the bamboo pole and looked at it curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet; we¡¯ll know soon. By the way, how many patrol teams are here at night?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Two, one to the east and one to the west,¡± Qian Shisan replied.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and then chatted for a while.


    After about 15 minutes, he pulled out the bamboo pole. As expected, more than half of it was wet.


    Seeing this, Qian Shisan immediately eximed, ¡°There¡¯s so much water here!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. It seems like our vige is saved.¡± The vigers also eximed.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s close to the river.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    If he wasn¡¯t wrong, this was the junction of the above-ground and underground rivers, which was why there was so much water.


    ¡°It should be. Chengrui, you¡¯ve saved the entire vige this time.¡± Qian Shisan nodded.


    ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t say that. The vige chief and the patriarch would find this ce sooner orter.¡± Gu Chengrui made a mark and said, ¡°You guys go ahead. We¡¯ll head home after we¡¯re done with the marking.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll continue our patrol then. Take care, you two.¡± Qian Shisan responded and left with the rest.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief simultaneously. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t ask too many questions or else they wouldn¡¯t know how to answer them.


    After finding this ce, the two didn¡¯t continue looking. Instead, they went home to sleep.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui told the patriarch about the water source he had found and didn¡¯t mention anything else.


    After the young couple arrived in town, they busied themselves with their own businesses. At noon, Fang Qing returned with his men in a sorry state. He approached Zhou Ying in the backyard and said, ¡°Mistress, something happened.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Zhou Ying, picking vegetables under a big tree in the courtyard, looked up and asked.


    ¡°The refugees at the porridge stand are causing trouble.¡± Fang Qing took a deep breath and exined, ¡°Now, most of the porridge stands don¡¯t even provide real porridge. Some of them are so diluted that they can reflect a person¡¯s shadow, while others use discarded grains to fill the gaps.


    ¡°As for ours¡­


    ¡°Our flour dumpling soup is also being criticized..¡±

 Chapter 250 - 250 Locust Plague

    Chapter 250: Locust gue


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What are theyining about?¡± Zhou Ying asked after being stunned for a moment.


    ¡°They say there¡¯s sand and grit in it.¡± Fang Qing hesitated and continued, ¡°If it were up to me, I wouldn¡¯t have provided them with such good food. We should have just made them soup instead. That would save them the trouble of picking on us.¡±


    Zhou Ying was not surprised. It was inevitable that dried vegetables would contain sand, especially when there was no extra water to wash them with.


    She looked at them and saw that they weren¡¯t injured, letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°What about now? What¡¯s the situation there?¡±


    ¡°The soldiers suppressed their riots.


    ¡°Oh right, the organizer has invited all the restaurant owners to the Tian Mansion for a gathering. It should be to talk about the porridge stands.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just do what you have to do.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she got up and washed her hands. She then returned to her room and changed her clothes before going out.


    However, she didn¡¯t go directly to the Tian Mansion. She instead went to Hongyun Restaurant in search of Manager Liu.


    It just happened that he was about to leave, so the two of them walked toward the Tian residence.


    ¡°Uncle Liu, what do you think of this?¡± Zhou Ying asked on the way.


    Manager Liu paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be easy. If the porridge stand can¡¯t continue, it¡¯ll be chaos all over.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just drive them away?¡±


    ¡°Drive them away?¡± Manager Liu looked at her in surprise.


    He had always known she was kind; he didn¡¯t expect her to say such heartless words.


    However, this was just what he wanted. It was good to be kind, but never too much, or it would be stupid.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our situation isn¡¯t looking too good cither. We didn¡¯t harvest muchst year, so most people have limited food reserves.


    ¡°Besides, the water supply here is shrinking. Do you think we can support so many more people?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve hit the nail on the head. To be honest, I¡¯m nning to close the restaurant in three days.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Our food reserves are limited. The military camp needs more food, so most of the food and meat have been provided to them.¡±


    ¡°Is there a shortage of food at the military camp?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Last year, the Dongyang Residence didn¡¯t collect taxes, so military provisions entirely depended on the imperial court.


    ¡°However¡­


    ¡°Now, half of the country is suffering from a drought. The five prefectures in the south and north of Kaiyang had recently encountered a locust gue. There¡¯s not a single crop left to harvest.


    ¡°We assumed there was still food there, but apparently, they aren¡¯t in a better state than us¡­¡±


    ¡°Locust gue?¡± Zhou Ying eximed.


    Although she had never seen it before, she had heard of it in her previous life and had also seen it on TV. After a locust gue, it was mentioned that a thousand miles ofnd would be barren, with even children getting killed after getting bitten to death.


    Thinking of this, she recalled her dream when he was living in Mother God¡¯s Temple; there was a scene of a thousand miles of barrennd.


    If it was a prophecy, would there be a flood after this?


    When she thought of this, she couldn¡¯t help but feel scared.


    ¡°Indeed, where we are is already considered rtively well off.¡± When Manager Liu said this, he gave her a detailed exnation of the situation in those ces.


    ¡°So, save some food for yourself and live a simple life at home,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re also nning to stop at the porridge stand?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of youughing at me, but Hongyun Restaurant only has less than a thousand pounds of rice and four hundred pounds of white flour left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost the same as mine, so we must work together.¡±


    ¡°Yup, but we can¡¯t be the first to say this. I don¡¯t think we need to, so let¡¯s see how it goes.¡± Manager Liu said, smiling.


    Zhou Ying was stunned, but she remembered what Fang Qing had said. Some porridge stalls had porridge so thin that it could reflect a person¡¯s shadow.


    There were indeed others more anxious than them..

 Chapter 251 - 251 Notice

    Chapter 251: Notice


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Thinking of this, Zhou Ying nodded and replied, ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, if there¡¯s a harvest in your manor this summer, remember to set aside a portion.¡±


    ¡°Ship it to the military camp?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    When Zhou Ying heard his answer, she had mixed feelings.


    Because she was sure that if the military camp weren¡¯t extremely short of food, he would not ask her for this.


    After all, there were only 120 acres ofnd in her manor that could be used to grow grain. How much grain could there be left?


    After that, she looked around and made sure no one was around. She didn¡¯t hide anything and told him in a low voice how she had been growing the sweet potatoes and their production quantity.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Manager Liu looked at her in shock.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying smiled and had to repeat it.


    ¡°You¡¯re not joking?¡± Manager Liu¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Do you think I would make such a joke in this situation?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Take me to see that white potato.¡± After Manager Liu finished speaking, he immediately brought her to the manor.


    ¡°Wait, what about the organizer, Mr. Tian, who is waiting for us?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him; we¡¯ll just show our faces before the meeting ends.¡± After Manager Liu finished speaking, he immediately raised his hand and hailed an oxcart to send them to the manor.


    Zhou Ying saw that he was so anxious and didn¡¯t object anymore. No matter what, he would be responsible if Mr. Tian were looking for them.


    After the two of them arrived at the manor, they didn¡¯t look for anyone and went straight to the field of white sweet potatoes. Zhou Ying pointed to the roots that grew from the leaves and said, ¡°We can cut them down and transnt them.


    ¡°As for harvest, it¡¯ll be in August or September?¡±


    ¡°Such a long time?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I nted it after the Qingming Festival since it would freeze to death if I nted too early.¡±


    ¡°This whole field is fully grown with white sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even the grasnds are mainly nted with sweet potatoes.


    ¡°Also, the leaves of these sweet potatoes grow fast and can be used as fodder. Every bit matters, right?¡±


    ¡°How many of these are nted in the vige?¡±


    ¡°At that time, the seeds were limited, so there weren¡¯t many nted. Each family nted about one to two acres of them, but I¡¯m not sure if there were people who continued after that.¡±


    ¡°I would like to report this to the third prince. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I was nning to report it after it was harvested, but there¡¯s no water in the river now. I don¡¯t know if it canst until the autumn harvest.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we have to protect these seedlings. We¡¯ll think of a way to deal with the rest.¡±


    ¡°As long as you leave me some seedlings, you can do as you please.¡±


    After that, the two walked around the sweet potato field once more before returning to the town to look for Mr. Tian.


    Mr. Tian had just sent off the few other business owners when they arrived.


    After they left, Tian Jing Zhong turned and asked, ¡°What took you two so long? I was hoping you could help me out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we arete. I had something urgent to attend to.¡± Manager Liu apologized.


    He looked at the few people who had left and said, ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, the porridge stand has been discontinued?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This drought has been here for two years, and no one has been spared. Let¡¯s go; we¡¯ll have a chat inside,¡± Tian Jingzhong said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Manager Liu and the other two went into the courtyard together.


    After returning to the main room, Tian Jingzhong asked a maidservant to serve them tea. ¡°What are the two of you nning to do? How long can youst?¡±


    Manager Liu shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not supporting you. To be honest, Hongyun Restaurant has run out of food now. There is also no ce to purchase more.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m nning to close it from tomorrow onwards..¡±

 Chapter 252 - 252 Proposal

    Chapter 252: Proposal


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying¡¯s hand holding the cup of tea stiffened for a moment. This change of words was so fast; she was told it was three dayster previously and was changed to tomorrow.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be. I know that there are tworge manors and nearly 10,000 acres of fertilend under Hongyun Restaurant.


    ¡°There¡¯s even a manor that specializes in breeding livestock. How did it get to the point of having to shut down?¡± Tian Jingzhong looked at him in shock.


    Hongyun was a well-known wealthy restaurant in town. If they also quit, the porridge stall would be unable to continue.


    ¡°You also know my rtionship with General Zhou, so I have nothing to hide.


    ¡°Although there was no taxst year, I took 70% of our food rations and sent them to the military camp. In addition to the restaurant¡¯s expenses this year, I¡¯m really running out of money.¡±


    When Tian Jingzhong heard this, he had nothing to say. Instead, he looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Manager Zhou, what about you? I heard that you bought a lot of grainst spring. It can¡¯t be that you can¡¯t continue running your business, right?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°But we don¡¯t have any foundation for continuing to produce food supplies. Besides, the manor didn¡¯t have much iest year, so we don¡¯t have much left either.


    ¡°Besides, once everyone quits, we¡¯ll be the only ones left. I can only hold out for one day, so there¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do about the 10,000 refugees outside? If they cause a ruckus, we¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± When Tian Jingzhong heard their reply, he had a headache.


    Manager Liu and Zhou Ying looked at each other, but neither spoke. After all, this matter was difficult to solve, and they were powerless to do anything.


    Zhou Ying had food, but she didn¡¯t dare to take the risk. Besides, they weren¡¯t really at the end of their rope.


    ¡°Help me think of a way. The refugees will have no food to eat and will riot tomorrow.¡± Tian Jingzhong saw that the two of them didn¡¯t answer and could only raise his head to ask.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to have the prominent families donate some surplus grain for sale. We¡¯ll sell a limited amount every day and make them more active.


    ¡°Otherwise, even a normal year wouldn¡¯t be able to support so many people, let alone now.¡± Zhou Ying spoke after hesitating for a moment.


    ¡°How much can we collect if we do it that way?¡± Tian Jing Zhong smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Request it to be mixed with bran, deep-fried hardtack, tofu dregs, and grass.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, don¡¯te up with such ideas. We aren¡¯t feeding animals.¡± Manager Liu coughed dryly and looked her in the eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than eating dirt. Besides, there are wild vegetables and leaves on the mountain. As long as they don¡¯t starve to death, it¡¯s okay.


    ¡°Otherwise, if we just hand food out to them constantly, they¡¯ll be dependent on us, and it¡¯ll be more troublesome.¡± Zhou Ying continued, ¡°If they agree to this, I can also take out 10,000 pounds of wheat bran.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree, but we¡¯ll have to discuss it first.¡± Tian Jingzhong nodded thoughtfully.


    Since they were really short on food, there was nothing wrong with eating inferior food to save their lives.


    If they don¡¯t want to eat these, they can just leave.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take leave.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and said.


    To be honest, she only thought of feeding people grass because she had a sh of inspiration and thought of the words a former minister in ancient times had said on TV in her previous life.


    When she had heard it before, she had been angry and felt that he wasn¡¯t human.


    However, after learning about the food production here, hearing about the locust gue, and thinking about the people¡¯s current situation, she realized that what he said wasn¡¯t without reason.


    Although the food was rough, it could at least save more lives.


    Besides, if it weren¡¯t for her interspace, they would have been in danger of running out of food too. So, she wouldn¡¯t entirely abandon the refugees..

 Chapter 253 - 253 Implementation

    Chapter 253: Implementation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but you can¡¯t go back on your words. I¡¯m counting on your 10,000 pounds of bran.¡± Tian Jingzhong said.


    ¡°No problem. You can look for me anytime.¡± Zhou Ying paused and continued, ¡°By the way, thebination of ingredients can¡¯t be done casually. If you really want to make a myriad of grains, I suggest you consult a doctor so that people won¡¯t get an upset stomach.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Tian Jingzhong solemnly nodded.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We will no longer provide porridge starting tomorrow.


    ¡°In addition, I¡¯ll also donate 10,000 pounds of wheat bran, 20,000 pounds of dried flowers and vines, and 2,000 pounds of tofu residue.¡± Manager Liu stated as he rose to his feet.


    ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯ll get someone to get it for youter.¡± Tian Jingzhong nodded repeatedly.


    After sending them off, Tian Jingzhong immediately took note of the number they had said, then went to the clinic to find Doctor Luo and Gu Chengrui, asking them toe up with one or two recipes.


    He collected another batch of fodder ording to the recipe. This time, it was much easier to talk to the other business owners, and they gave him arge amount of what he asked for.


    The owner of the grain store, in particr, gave 50,000 pounds of wheat bran, 20,000 pounds of breadcrumbs, and crushed rice mixed with rice husks.


    Tian Jingzhong didn¡¯t mind this. He immediately reported the amount of grain donated by everyone to County Mayor Kong in a book after receiving it.


    County Mayor Kong¡¯s eyes lit up when he understood his n. Not only the wealthy families in their small town couldn¡¯t support this porridge stand, but even the county government felt the same way.


    In addition to the wealthy families preparing to escape, all kinds of conflicts began appearing at the porridge stands.


    These mixed grains weren¡¯t what the rich wanted to keep, so it was much easier for them to donate them.


    However, this food could save the lives of countless people.


    ¡°You can try implementing this,¡± he said directly after thinking it through. ¡°If it works, it will be implemented in the whole county.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the arrangements now. It can be implemented tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Remember, it¡¯s okay if the food is inferior, but it must be clean. If it¡¯s moldy, it can¡¯t be mixed in. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be troublesome if someone dies from it.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll personally supervise it.¡± Tian Jing Zhong patted his chest and said.


    At the same time, he heaved a sigh of relief. He turned around and then walked out.


    After he returned, he began to send people to each household to get fodder.


    County Mayor Kong called Bai Jingping over. After a brief discussion, Bai Jingping brought his men to wealthy families and proposed to donate various kinds of fodder.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about how she leaked the white potato news to Manager Liu. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to discuss this with you, so don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    ¡°How could I be? It¡¯s only a matter of time. If we had told them earlier, we wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about the theft in the manor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think he closed Hongyun Restaurant earlier than expected because he wanted to guard the white potato seedlings in the manor.¡± Gu Chengrui stopped and continued, ¡°By the way, should we close our Grasnd Taste Restaurant?


    ¡°When the porridge stand closes tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid there will be trouble.¡±


    ¡°No. No matter what, we still get a few dozen taels of silver per day in ie.


    ¡°If it¡¯s closed, how will we feed such arge group of people?¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment. ¡°At most, I will increase the price of the desserts and staples. That way, I can save a lot of money.¡±


    Seeing her firm attitude, Gu Chengrui had no choice but to say, ¡°Alright, but do a good job of guarding the ce. If the town is in chaos anyway, you¡¯ll have to close up..¡±

 Chapter 254 - 254 Accommodation

    Chapter 254: Amodation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll heed that advice.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    The next day, Manager Liu arrived in a carriage before the couple left the house.


    Gu Chengrui was surprised as he let him in. ¡°Uncle Liu, have you eaten? If you haven¡¯t, we have noodles here. I¡¯ll make you a bowl of noodles with two eggs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten; I¡¯m here to discuss something.¡± Manager Liu answered, shaking his head.


    ¡°Do tell,¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°I want to request that some people live in your manor; is that possible?¡± Manager Liu asked.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying looked at each other happily. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t show it on their faces as Zhou Ying asked, ¡°You¡¯re doing this for the sweet potato seedlings?¡±


    ¡°Yes, since it¡¯s a treasure, we must protect it no matter how tiring it is.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but the water¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about water, food, and amodation. We¡¯ll arrange it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°You want to drill a well?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll give it a try. It¡¯s such a big piece ofnd, and it¡¯s at the foot of the mountain. We¡¯ll definitely find a water source.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what we wanted to do too. We¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but you must give us more seeds when the timees.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll give you everything you need from the manor, and we¡¯ll just ask for more from the vige.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal. You can¡¯t go back on your word.¡±


    ¡°No regrets.¡± Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying nodded at the same time. After that, the two brought him to the manor.


    The two viges weren¡¯t far from each other. One was on the south side of the river, and the other was on the north; they were in a straight line to each other.


    Therefore, Xiahe vige was a small vige closer to the mountain. Because of theck of arablend, thend here was more for rearing.


    When they arrived at the periphery of Xiahe vige, they saw more than 20 strong men waiting there. There were more than ten ox-carts parked next to them, and they were all full of provisions.


    Each of them was tall and straight. One look and anyone could tell that they had undergone some sort of special training.


    When they saw the three, they immediately greeted them respectfully, ¡°Butler Liu, Doctor Gu, and Manager Zhou.¡±


    ¡°These are the people I brought.¡± Manager Liu stepped forward and introduced them.


    ¡°Wee. I¡¯ll leave the safety of the manor to you all.¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and greeted them.


    ¡°Can I make a small request?¡± He looked at Manager Liu.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡±


    ¡±1 see that all of them arc martial arts practitioners. A group of people in my manor are learning martial arts, so I hope your men can give them some pointers when they are free.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Even if you don¡¯t ask us, we¡¯ll do so. After all, we won¡¯t be able to protect the manorpletely.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in then.¡± After Gu Chengrui made his request, he walked them into the manor and found Chang Shun, Qian Zhuang, and the others. He introduced them to each other.


    In the end, he arranged for Manager Liu and the others to set up camp at the courtyard¡¯s edge.


    That¡¯s right; they had brought tents, which saved him a lot of trouble amodating them.


    After settling them down, the couple brought Manager Liu to meet Uncle Nian before returning to town.


    When they entered the town, they found that the streets, which were initially empty, had be lively. However, most of them were refugees, and there were also many beggars.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui stopped the carriage and said to Zhou Ying, ¡°Do you see that? There are many more beggars on the street. You must be careful when you open your restaurant.¡±


    ¡°I know. You too. Try not to make house calls if you can.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and reminded him.


    After that, she looked around and found more beggars near her restaurant. It seemed that she had to be extra careful..

 Chapter 255 - 255 Robbing

    Chapter 255: Robbing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After she entered her restaurant, she reminded Sun Hongliang to be careful.


    She also told him that the daily leftovers could be taken out to be distributed to the beggars.


    After that, she walked to the backyard and looked at the little beggars who had nothing to do. She thought of Manager Liu and the others in the manor, so she walked over and asked, ¡°Does anyone want to continue learning martial arts?¡± ¡°Mistress, where do we learn?¡± Zhu Zi immediately stood up and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s in our manor. If you want to learn, pack your luggage in the afternoon, and I¡¯ll send you there in the evening.


    ¡°You¡¯ll also have to do farm work in the vige. No one is allowed to bezy, or I won¡¯t take you in again.¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s face turned serious as she asked, ¡°Do you all understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood. Mistress, we will definitely work hard.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Go back to pack your luggage if you want to go.¡± Zhou Ying reminded them and turned around to the warehouse.


    To be honest, the food inside here couldn¡¯tst long. Fortunately, there was still a lot of meat, which couldst longer.


    At noon, Zhou Ying discovered that the number of guests in the restaurant had more than doubled, and there were people of all ages.


    After asking around, she found out that not only was Hongyun Restaurant closed, but all the other eateries in the town were closed except for two.


    She went out and found that even the grain and oil shops were closed; only some shops that sold supplies were still open.


    She followed the queue and walked to the small official stand in town, discovering that only mixed grain and flour noodles were being sold. Judging by the color, she could tell that the contents inside were of terrible quality.


    The price it was going for wasn¡¯t low either¡ªthree coppers per pound.


    Moreover, it was sold in limited quantities. Every strongborer could receive a pound of noodles daily; children only received half a pound. This amount could only keep the people from starving to death.


    While she was there, she heard peopleining.


    ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t stay in Dongyang any longer. There¡¯s no more porridge or water, and the noodles are getting expensive.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do as Dongyang¡¯s residents aren¡¯t faring too well either. We¡¯d better find a way to save up some food and head south.¡±


    ¡°How do we save up when they sell it in such a small quantity?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still food on the mountain here. ¡°We could forage for food there now and stock up on dried noodles.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, do you think Dongyang has run out of grain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 80% sure. I heard that the harvest here wasn¡¯t bountifulst year, and it was only because there were many rivers that they had a little more than expected.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do? I heard that the people of Yangshu vige found water on the mountain, along with many wild vegetables and wild game. Should we go and try hunting?¡±


    ¡°That means we¡¯ll have to go deep into the mountains. Leaving aside the fact that we couldn¡¯t hunt those animals, we¡¯ll be killed by the bugs in the forest. If the situation worsens, we can only go south.¡±


    Zhou Ying stayed around and listened. After knowing that most people intended to leave, she was relieved and went home.


    However, it was too early to rx. Three dayster, Zhou Ying came to the restaurant in the morning and saw Fang Qing and the others with swollen faces. She was stunned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡±


    ¡°Mistress, our restaurant was robbedst night,¡± Fang Qing mumbled as he covered his mouth.


    ¡°How are you all? Are your injuries serious?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, as they¡¯re all external wounds. I¡¯ve used the medicine that Doctor Gu prepared in advance. We¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Do you know who did it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s those refugees. We¡¯ve injured two of them, but it seems they¡¯re going south overnight.¡± Zhao Cheng was full of self-me when he said this. ¡°Although they didn¡¯t steal any food, they scattered two bags of rice and one


    bag of ck flour..¡±

 Chapter 256 - 256 Report

    Chapter 256: Report


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    He didn¡¯t expect to fail in his duty when his mistress trusted him and had always left the restaurant¡¯s matters to him to handle.


    ¡°We¡¯ve fed these ungrateful bastards porridge for so long, but they¡¯re biting back in the end.¡± Zhou Ying was pissed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to report this to the authorities,¡± she turned around and said.


    ¡°No need; it¡¯s no use as they¡¯ve already run away.¡± Fang Qing shook his head. ¡°How is it useless? If we report this to the authorities, at least the officers and soldiers will strengthen their patrols. The rest of those refugees won¡¯t dare act so openly again.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and went to Tian Jingzhong, informing him of the situation.


    Tian Jingzhong sighed and said, ¡°To be honest, three families in town reported the case this morning. I heard some rich families in the vige below were also robbed.¡±


    ¡°There are only 50 soldiers assigned to our town, so we can¡¯t take care of everything, so you have to strengthen your protection yourself.¡±


    ¡°So, the refugees nned this group attack?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a group of people likely wants to go south, so they are taking as much as possible before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Then what if we catch them?¡±


    ¡°You can do whatever you want. I¡¯ll go to the warehouse where the refugees are staying and give them a warning.


    ¡°Whoever tries to rob again will be dealt with dead or alive, and the government won¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that. I¡¯ll leave you to your work.¡± After Zhou Ying finished their discussion, she turned around and walked out of the office just in time to meet the patriarch, who wasing up in a hurry.


    ¡°Grandpa, you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Zhou Ying. I¡¯ll report something first, and we¡¯ll talkter.¡± The patriarch ran into the office after he finished speaking.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t stop him; she stood aside and waited for him.


    Sure enough, after a while, the patriarch came out with a dejected look. After seeing Zhou Ying, he stopped and asked, ¡°Are you here to make a police report too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My restaurant was almost robbed yesterday. Fortunately, it was stopped in time, and we didn¡¯t suffer a big loss. What happened in the vige?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s our oil mill. More than 100 pounds of peanut oil and about 1,000 pounds of biscuits were stolen.¡± At this point, the patriarch continued with a face of annoyance, ¡°It¡¯s also because we stopped production that we neglected that side of the mill. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have lost so many.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not all your fault. Who would¡¯ve thought that it would be a bunch of backstabbers?


    ¡°It¡¯s better to store your goods in multiple locations or distribute them to everyone. Or else, it will attract thieves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll try to see what I can do after I go back.¡± The patriarch nodded in agreement.


    The two chatted for a while before the patriarch left for Gu Ziyi¡¯s house.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying returned to the restaurant and began to preparerge bamboo skewers. Since Constable Tian had said that he wouldn¡¯t pursue the matter if the robbers were beaten to death, she had nothing to worry about.


    That night, the couple stayed at the restaurant.


    However, perhaps Tian Jingzhong¡¯s warning had an effect; the town was calm for three days in a row as more refugees left.


    It wasn¡¯t until the night of the fifth day, when everyone¡¯s guard was down, that someone finally came through the back door.


    The tear-inducing powder that fell from the top of the door was the first thing that went off. The robbers choked, coughed, and yelled as soon as the powder was everywhere.


    Next was a wave of bamboo-made mechanisms. Although it wouldn¡¯t cause serious injuries, it would definitely draw blood.


    As a result, chaos ensued, and the robber cried miserably.


    It immediately woke up the residents in the restaurant, and they immediately ran out.


    When Zhou Ying and her husband came out, some people were still stuck near the back entrance, while others rushed to the warehouse.


    Zhou Ying immediately took out a crossbow and shot at the leg of the person in the warehouse.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui rushed forward with a bamboo pole..

 Chapter 257 - 257 Fighting The Refugees

    Chapter 257: Fighting The Refugees


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At the warehouse entrance, the first man screamed after he was shot in the leg and fell. A few of the people behind him didn¡¯t manage to stop in time and fell as well.


    The rest of the robbers had just steadied themselves and had yet to recover their senses when Gu Chengrui rushed over and whipped them with his bamboo pole; they immediately screamed in pain.


    When Zhao Cheng and the others saw this, they rushed over with ropes and tied everyone together.


    At the entrance, the people who weren¡¯t seriously injured saw that Zhou Ying was standing alone and immediately rushed to her.


    Zhou Ying put away her crossbow and changed to a bamboo pole, rushing over as she aimed at their faces.


    Since they dared rob her restaurant, all holds were barred.


    Furthermore, whipping their faces hard with a pole would cause them a concussion, making their movements more sluggish. It was much more effective than aiming at their bodies.


    However, something unexpected happened quickly. After she had pushed five people back, someone grabbed her bamboo pole.


    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t snatch it back.


    Seeing this, the person immediatelyughed haughtily.


    Zhou Ying gritted her teeth in anger, exerting force as she took two steps forward.


    After the bamboo pole was arched, she quickly let go of it and ran two steps to the left.


    Once the bamboo pole was released, it whipped into the person¡¯s head.


    Unfortunately, his reaction wasn¡¯t slow either. He quickly turned the bamboo pole in his hand and dodged the attack.


    Zhou Ying took advantage of this moment when he was distracted. She took out a boning knife from her interspace and rushed over, stabbing the knife into his arm that was holding the bamboo pole. She then quickly pulled it out and took two steps back.


    ¡°Argh!¡± A scream was heard, followed by a violent roar. ¡°Damn woman, you¡¯re looking for death!¡±


    He threw her a flurry of kicks.


    Zhou Ying listened to the whooshing sound of the wind and knew that this person was a martial arts practitioner. His kicks didn¡¯t look weak, so she didn¡¯t want to fight him head-on.


    Therefore, she swung her boning knife and rushed into the middle of the refugees.


    The timid ones immediately backed away when they saw her knife, and only one of the bolder ones reached out to grab her arm.


    The boning knife turned half a circle in her hand and changed its direction. She stabbed the hand aiming for her, and a scream was heard again.


    At the same time, a series of kicks came from behind. Sensing that, Zhou Ying pushed away the man whom she had stabbed after dodging sideways.


    ¡°Pfft, pfft, pfft.¡± A sound.


    The person who was pushed out was kicked in the stomach and spat out arge mouthful of soup with a faint bloody smell.


    At that moment, Gu Chengrui rushed over with his men.


    They began fighting with the person who chased and kicked Zhou Ying, while the others also took their weapons and rushed to the rest of the refugees.


    Zhou Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this, but she soon realized that someone was trying to strike her head.


    Once Zhou Ying noticed something was wrong, she dodged and defended using Taichi. Once she was out of harm¡¯s way, she stabbed the assant in the stomach with her boning knife.


    Of course, she did not aim for any vital organs.


    However, this had already frightened the timid refugees around them as they screamed, ¡°Ah! Murder, murder! Help!¡±


    At the same time, all of them began to retreat.


    Of course, some weren¡¯t afraid and continued rushing up, but most didn¡¯t have any skills and were dealt with by Zhou Ying. She stabbed those who had not-so-good intentions.


    The refugees were so frightened that no one dared to continue attacking her.


    At that time, the patrolling guards heard the screams and ran over; they knew what was happening with a single nce.


    They immediately joined the battle, and all the refugees were tied up a momentter.


    Gu Chengrui immediately ran over and asked, ¡°Babe, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not a problem to deal with these scrubs. Besides, I¡¯m carrying this.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she showed the boning knife in her hand..

 Chapter 258 - 258 Punishment

    Chapter 258: Punishment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui nodded, then walked to the leader of the guards. ¡°Mr. officer, these refugees broke in and tried to rob us. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but you still must be more careful in the future.¡± When the guard leader heard Gu Chengrui wasn¡¯t making things difficult, he immediately nodded and replied.


    He then called out to the group of guards and led the refugees to the police station.


    After they left, Gu Chengrui turned to his men and asked, ¡°Is anyone hurt? I¡¯ll bandage your wounds in the living room.¡±


    ¡°No need, Master. It¡¯s just some external wounds. We can handle it ourselves.¡± Fang Qing shook his head.


    ¡°Alright, then, go to bed early. If there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t handle,e and find me.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought Zhou Ying to their bedroom.


    The next morning, everyone was awakened by the sound of gongs.


    After getting up, he looked at a group of people leaving town and asked around. He discovered that the refugees caught yesterday were being paraded through the streets and would all be sent to the mill to work as coolies.


    ¡°This punishment is light. People like them should be executed directly.¡± Fang Qing remarked indignantly.


    ¡°Sometimes, death is a relief, but a life worse than death is the greatest torture for them.¡± Gu Chengrui exined.


    After noticing his confused look, he continued, ¡°The mill in town is running non-stop all day long. After entering, not only will you not be able to eat your fill, but you will also have to do heavy work. The treatment is worse than that of a donkey. Anyone with even a minor health problem will perish.¡±


    ¡°I see. No wonder they¡¯re all crying. That¡¯s satisfying to know.¡± Fang Qing nodded in understanding.


    ¡°They deserved it. It¡¯s already good enough that we didn¡¯t take their lives.¡± Li Sheng clutched his half-swollen face and spoke through gritted teeth.


    ¡°That¡¯s because Tian Jingzhong doesn¡¯t dare execute this many people, or else the remaining refugees would riot.¡± Of course, Gu Chengrui only thought about this and didn¡¯t say it aloud.


    ¡°This matter is over,¡± he said after a while. ¡°But we still must be more careful to prevent anyone from taking revenge.¡±


    ¡°Revenge? Do they dare to?¡± Fang Qing asked in surprise.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they? Among their many rtives, there will always be someone brave and foolish. This is also why there is a saying that criminals will implicate their family¡¯s nine generations.¡±


    After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked into the house. At the same time, he reminded them, ¡°Hurry up and wash up. It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡±


    The next few days were unusually peaceful. Although the public wells in town had all dried up, the refugees were leaving quickly instead of rioting.


    Ten dayster, two wells were dug in the vige, and the water inside was sufficient. This meant that the sweet potatoes in the vige were growing healthy.


    As a result, Tian Jingzhong moved to Shanghe vige andmandeered the well at the vige entrance to be a public well. Those whocked water in the nearby viges coulde here to draw water in limited quantities.


    In the manor, under the leadership of Manager Liu, they also dug out two deep water wells. One was a well with sweet water, but the amount it could produce wasn¡¯t significant.


    However, there was plenty of water at the mouth at the foot of the mountain. Thus, not only did Manager Liu bring his men to water all the sweet potatoes, but under Chang Shun¡¯s guidance, they also eliminated the wild grass and nted some white potato seedlings.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Gu Chengsi¡¯s wedding. However, because the drought was getting increasingly severe, it wasn¡¯t celebrated on arge scale; only the vigers and a few important rtives were invited.


    At the same time, Gu Ziyi and the rest of the people eventually built a small courtyard in the vige and stayed there because of water avability.


    After Gu Chengsi¡¯s marriage, it was the summer harvest season. Wheat harvesting wasn¡¯t ideal even in ces with plenty of water, such as Shanghe vige; each acre could only produce 23 pounds of tiny, shriveled rice.


    The other ces thatcked water had basically no harvest..

 Chapter 259 - 259 Exchanging Wheat

    Chapter 259: Exchanging Wheat


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the summer harvest, Zhou Ying found Manager Liu. ¡°Uncle Liu, how¡¯s the wheat harvest in your two viges?¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you want some?¡± Manager Liu asked with a smile after pausing for a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As you can see, our farm is full of white sweet potatoes. There are still two to three months before they can be harvested. We have to eat before they ripen.¡± Zhou Ying immediately replied with a smile.


    ¡°I can only give you a thousand pounds of wheat.¡± Manager Liu nodded.


    ¡°Sure, as long as we can get through this. I¡¯ll pay you ten coppers per pound. How about it?¡±


    Manager Liu shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s trade. I don¡¯t have any feed for my cattle and sheep, so I want you to provide me some white potato vines back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too, as they grow back fast. After the flowers wither and bear fruit, we¡¯ll have cut some of the vines. I¡¯ll give them to you then.¡± Zhou Ying stated.


    ¡°Why do you have to cut off the vines? Shouldn¡¯t you keep the vines and leaves on it so the potato can grow bigger?¡± Manager Liu asked in confusion.


    ¡°Think about it; there¡¯s only so much fertilizer in the field. If the vines overgrow, wouldn¡¯t the fertilizer all be wasted? We¡¯re supposed to be prioritizing the fruit, not the leaves.


    ¡°Also, they will absorb fertilizer when it takes root in the ground. So when you no longer need the vines and leaves, you must start pruning them. Otherwise, the potatoes won¡¯t be sizable.¡±


    ¡°Not bad; you¡¯ve already studied it thoroughly in such a short time.¡± Manager Liumented thoughtfully.


    ¡°So-so. An old farmer in the vige also discovered it.¡±


    After the two of them exchanged a few polite words, Zhou Ying returned to her restaurant.


    She spoke to Sun Hongliang, ¡°Brother Sun, put a sign at the door that we are buying wheat. One pound for 20 coppers.


    ¡°No matter how high the price we are paying, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to get any, right?¡± Sun Hongliang was surprised by her request.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try, just in case.¡± Zhou Ying sighed and continued, ¡°If we can¡¯t buy any, our restaurant will only sell vegetable dishes soon.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Sun Hongliang also understood that she was trying to find a way out.


    Otherwise, they couldn¡¯t sell anything without grain or wheat.


    Early the next morning, Manager Liu sent someone to deliver two carts of wheat. Zhou Ying asked them to transport it directly to the manor, as it wasn¡¯t safe to leave it in the restaurant; it was likely to cause more issues.


    As expected, five days after the sign was put up, no one came to sell their wheat, and the water in the well was getting lesser and lesser.


    In the end, Zhou Ying reluctantly closed the restaurant while Fang Qing and the others stayed to guard it.


    As for Sun Hongliang and his family, they followed Manager Liu to move to the manor. Zhou Ying also returned to the vige and began to harvest her chilies.


    After harvesting all the chilies, Zhou Ying climbed the mountain to see if she could forage for something to cover up her act of taking stuff out of her interspace.


    Madam Qiao spoke up after dinner in the Gu family¡¯s old house, ¡°Son, in a while, you should go and deliver 50 pounds of ck flour to your third brother.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t agree. We have only harvested about 1000 pounds of wheat from our 50 acres ofnd this year. It¡¯s already not enough for us to eat. If we give them any, we will starve to death.¡± Mrs. Liu continued, ¡°Besides, their lives are much better than ours. They wouldn¡¯t care about that little bit of ck flour.¡±


    Madam Qiao red at her unhappily. This was the thinking of someone in a lower position. Even if she were made the main wife of the family, it didn¡¯t do any good to her overall vision of the family.


    She looked at Mrs. Yao and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°L¡­¡± When Mrs. Yao heard this, she was also somewhat unwilling. There were more than ten people in the family. At most, a thousand pounds of wheat mixed with vegetables would be enough for them to eat for four months.


    She didn¡¯t want to give a speck of it to anyone else..

 Chapter 260 - 260 Delivering Food

    Chapter 260: Delivering Food


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, Mrs. Yao also knew it wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to keep receiving the young couple¡¯s goodwill without returning the favor. She could only reply, ¡°Our situation isn¡¯t good either. Why don¡¯t we give them 20 pounds?¡±


    After Madam Qiao heard it, her heart felt much better, although she was still dissatisfied. She looked at Father Gu and ordered, ¡°50 pounds is my final decision. Also, bring some dried vegetables over.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she went back to her room.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll remember it. I¡¯ll send it over in a while.¡± Father Gu spoke hurriedly.


    Mrs. Liu wanted to refute, but Father Gu red at her. She could only snort coldly and said to Mrs. Guo, ¡°Hurry up and wash the dishes. Who are you waiting for?¡±


    Although Mrs. Guo was unwilling, she didn¡¯t want to be someone Mrs. Liu could vent her anger on. She immediately got up and got busy.


    When Mrs. Sun saw this, she immediately got up and helped.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Gu Chengye stood up and said.


    ¡°No need. You¡¯ve been carrying water for the whole day. You should go to bed early.¡± Father Gu stood up and waved to Gu Chengxi. ¡°Chengxi,e with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Uncle.¡± Gu Chengrui immediately responded and stood up.


    Afterward, the two packed about 50 pounds of ck flour and a sack of various dried vegetables. They rushed to Gu Chengrui¡¯s house once they were ready.


    After entering their housing area, Gu Chengxi greeted Er Zhuang, who obedientlyy on the ground.


    The father and son carried the things inside.


    Gu Chengrui heard themotion and walked out of the house. He was stunned when he saw them carrying some stuff in. He took the bag of flour from his father and asked, ¡°Father, why did you bring food over? We don¡¯tck any food for the moment.¡±


    However, he still led them into the house after that.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t my business whether you arecking food or not. I ground some new grains today, so I just thought that I should let you try them.¡± Father Gu spoke with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Yes, there are also dried vegetables.¡± Gu Chengxiughed and echoed.


    ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and nodded.


    Zhou Ying also put down her book at this time and came over to greet the two. ¡°Father, Chengxi. Quickly,e and take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Father Gu answered and sat down. He saw two books on the table and asked in surprise, ¡°Are you guys learning by reading?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. I was bored and found some travel notes in the bookstore to read and gain some knowledge.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took two clean cups and poured them each a cup of wolfberry chrysanthemum tea.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. There¡¯s no end to learning. If you can learn something, it¡¯s good, and it will be useful one day.¡± Father Gu epted the tea and nodded in agreement.


    To be honest, he had always thought that she was illiterate. He didn¡¯t expect her to be able to read. It seemed that he had really neglected them in the past.


    Zhou Ying smiled. ¡°You guys continue chatting. I¡¯ll go and boil some water.¡±


    After that, she took the empty pot and walked out.


    ¡°Are you really going to close Grasnd Taste Restaurant for the moment?¡± Father Gu looked at Gu Chengrui and asked.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re short on food supplies now. It¡¯s not easy to buy grain and alcohol, so we might as well stop for the moment. It¡¯s also better, saving us the trouble.¡±


    Father Gu thought of what he had heard about the restaurant being almost robbed and nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s fine. With your medical skills, you won¡¯t have to worry about your future.¡±


    After a while, Zhou Ying came back with a pot of water and a basket. She put it on the table and said, ¡°Here are some fruits. Father, you can bring them back for everyone to try.¡±


    ¡°Fruit? Where did you buy them?¡± Mr. Gu¡¯s eyes lit up.


    To be honest, other than the vige at the foot of the mountain, it took a lot of work to find even a fresh vegetable, let alone fruits. This was something truly


    rare..

 Chapter 261 - 261 Return Gift

    Chapter 261: Return Gift


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I found them on the mountain. I saw they were quite fresh, so I picked some back.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she removed the cloth covering the fruits.


    There was half a basket of peaches and some cherries.


    She had seen these two types of trees on the mountain, but all kinds of insects had ruined their fruits.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it then. Your grandmother loves peaches the most. I¡¯ll take them back to satisfy her craving.¡± Father Gu¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the fruits inside the basket.


    ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll pick some up when I have the chance to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t; these are enough. The mountains aren¡¯t peaceful now, so you¡¯d better not go deep into the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll heed that advice.¡±


    ¡°By the way, do you still have the seeds of rapeseed or any green vegetables? We want to nt some more to eat, just enough for one plot ofnd for each.¡± Father Gu asked.


    ¡°We have a little. Please wait a moment.¡± Zhou Ying said and went to the west room. She then walked to a corner.


    She took some seeds from her interspace and wrapped them in a bag. Finally, she also gave him a bag of lettuce seeds.


    After chatting for a while, Father Gu carried the basket and went home with Gu Chengxi.


    After sending them off, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave this flour outside. It¡¯s nice we have these to put out in the open as a cover.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying replied and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the business in the clinic?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that great. Those who have businesses or properties in the south have all gone there. Most of the remaining people are farmers and do their best to stay alive by themselves. I don¡¯t even have the chance to make house visits these days.


    ¡°But this is also good as I can spend time learning from Doctor Luo, especially in detoxification. He is much more skilled than me.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°By the way, the people from the Zhou family¡¯s clinic have also left.¡±


    ¡°Ignore them. As long as they don¡¯te looking for trouble, we¡¯ll pretend we don¡¯t know anything.¡± Zhou Ying said as she switched the oilmp for a tablemp and sat back on her bed to read.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui also sat down and got busy.


    On the other end, after Father Gu took the fruits back, everyone cheered, and even Mrs. Liu¡¯s expression brightened.


    Madam Qiao was delighted. ¡°Zhou Ying, this girl, really knows how to enjoy. After she returned to the vige, I heard that she went up the mountain daily and has nevere back empty-handed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she has nothing to do.¡± Mrs. Liu said so indignantly.


    ¡°So, do you have something to do?¡± Madam Qiao unhappily replied.


    ¡°Grandma, why don¡¯t I go up the mountain tomorrow?¡± Gu Ziqiong offered.


    Of course, whether she could pick any wild fruit was another problem entirely. She mainly wanted to leave a good impression on the olddy so that she could say a few good words when she married.


    Second, Uncle Gu didn¡¯t know she was just being polite, but he stopped her immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t. I doubt you can evene down the mountain safely.¡±


    ¡°Besides, Zhou Ying knows some martial arts, and with Er Zhuang¡¯s protection, she can protect herself well.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You¡¯re a youngdy, and it¡¯s not appropriate for you to climb a mountain. It¡¯ll be troublesome if something happens.¡± Father Gu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yes, yes, fruits are not essential.


    ¡°If there are any, I¡¯ll just take a few bites. If there are none, then forget it. We can¡¯t risk our lives for this little bit of food.¡± Mrs. Qiao quickly echoed.


    No matter what, she was the granddaughter she had watched grow up. She was already at the age of marriage, and no one wanted anything to happen to her.


    Afterward, she told Mrs. Sun, ¡°You can wash a peach for each person and a te of cherries. Everyone should give them a try.¡±


    When Mrs. Sun heard this, she immediately smiled and went out with the basket of fruits.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui woke up and carried two buckets of water, driving his carriage to pick up Gu Chengxi..

 Chapter 262 - 262 The Wolves Are Here

    Chapter 262: The Wolves Are Here


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying used arge stic bucket to fill up with water from her interspace three times, watering her sweet potato field.


    After that, she took out 20 purple peri nts from a corner and nted them in the field.


    She locked up and brought Er Zhuang up the mountain.


    After arriving at the mountain, Zhou Ying was specifically looking for wild vegetables, especially dandelion and woad. If something really happened, these two things could save lives.


    A woman and her dog shuttled through the mountain.


    Suddenly, Er Zhuang started barking. Zhou Ying immediately turned her head and saw him chasing a rabbit.


    Zhou Ying shook her head and continued picking up the woad roots. However, Er Zhuang still didn¡¯te back.


    She had no choice but to get up and search for herbs as she chased after her dog. She didn¡¯t have to go far before she heard Er Zhuang¡¯s low growl.


    Just as she was about to call out, she saw something moving in the grass. She thought it was a rabbit and just shut her mouth.


    However, Zhou Ying was shocked when she saw two wolves leaping out of the grass and pouncing on Er Zhuang.


    Fortunately, the dog was quick-witted and didn¡¯t fight the wolves head-on. Instead, he turned around and ran in the opposite direction of her.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s heart pounded. She immediately took out a crossbow from her interspace, loaded an arrow with knockout powder, and shot it at a wolf from behind.


    ¡°Awoooo!¡± A blood-curdling howl was heard as the wolf was shot in the hind leg and fell to the ground.


    Er Zhuang and the remaining wolf hoard the cry and immediately turned their heads. The two animals immediately reacted when they saw the wolf on the ground with Zhou Ying over it.


    The wolf raised its head and howled to call itspanions while Er Zhuang pounced on it.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also took the opportunity to shoot another arrow.


    The wolf wanted to dodge when it heard the arrow¡¯s whistling sound, but Er Zhuang didn¡¯t give it a chance. He blocked the wolf¡¯s path of retreat.


    Thus, although the wolf managed to avoid the fatal blow to its throat, it still brushed past one of its legs, and blood immediately flowed.


    As soon as the smell of blood came out, the wolf¡¯s ferocity was stimted, and it turned around and pounced on Zhou Ying.


    Er Zhuang stopped it from doing so. He didn¡¯t directly confront the wolf but instead began encircling it. After a few moments, the wolf fell to the ground with a thud under the effect of the knockout powder.


    Er Zhuang paused for a moment, then lowered his head and bit it a few times. After making sure the wolf wasn¡¯t moving anymore, he wagged his tail and ran to Zhou Ying¡¯s side. He ran around her in circles and asked for praise.


    ¡°Well done. I¡¯ll give you an extra meal tonight.


    ¡°But we must leave quickly, or else we¡¯ll be surrounded by more wolves. That¡¯ll really put our lives in danger.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she quickly killed the two wolves with her boning knife and threw them into her interspace.


    She then scattered arge bag of tear-inducing powder nearby to interfere with the wolves¡¯ sense of smell. Once all that was done, she quickly ran down the mountain with her dog.


    Not long after, the howls of wolves could be heard from behind. The number of wolves in this pack was quiterge.


    Er Zhuang, who had been strolling, was frightened by the howls. He didn¡¯t dare to y anymore and quickened his pace down the mountain.


    At the foot of the mountain, Zhou Ying saw the patriarch with a group of strong men guarding the foot of the mountain.


    The patriarch saw hering down the mountain and asked, ¡°Zhou Ying, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I ran down the mountain as soon as I heard wolves howling.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I haven¡¯t heard a wolf howl in the outer area of this mountain for many years. What an unexpected¡­¡± At that point, the patriarch looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t go up the mountain anytime soon. Wolves move in packs, and it will be dangerous if you encounter them.¡±


    ¡°I know, but we can¡¯t keep guarding against them.. Why don¡¯t we dig some

 Chapter 263 - 263 Setting Up Traps

    Chapter 263: Setting Up Traps


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°We do need to dig more.¡± The patriarch nodded in agreement.


    After a few polite exchanges, Zhou Ying went home.


    After entering the interspace that night, Gu Chengrui was shocked to see two wolves. He quickly turned his head and asked, ¡°Did you encounter wolves on the mountain today?¡±


    ¡°Yup, fortunately, they were just two wolves that were alone. After killing them, we left the mountain.¡± Zhou Ying looked at him with a dry smile.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s heart softened when he saw her fawning eyes, but he still said with lingering fear, ¡°From today on, you¡¯re not allowed to go up the mountain anymore. If you¡¯re free, go to the mountains in your interspace and collect the herbs you need.¡±


    ¡°I know. I definitely won¡¯t go there anytime soon.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to brush me off, or I¡¯ll eat durians in front of you daily.¡±


    Zhou Ying¡¯s face scrunched when she heard that. The things she hated the most in her life were durians and stinky tofu; she couldn¡¯t even smell them.


    If Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t like these things, she wouldn¡¯t keep them in her interspace. Of course, she wasn¡¯t afraid if they were only in the warehouse.


    After all, he was the only one who could take the items out of the warehouse.


    The worst thing was that he had even nted a few durian trees in her interspace, and she didn¡¯t expect him to turn around and disgust her with this.


    Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth in anger.


    Gu Chengrui looked at her provocatively and said, ¡°I mean what I say. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can try.¡±


    After speaking, he turned around and took out a knife to skin the two wolves. He hung the skins on the second floor of the vi.


    As for the meat, he cut it into pieces, stacked it up, and put it in a big bucket to cook.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying turned around and went to the mountain. The fruits on the mountain had ripened, and she had to quickly pick them up to store them in the warehouse, or else they would be wasted.


    The next day, the patrol team, which usually patrolled at night, began to patrol during the day. Zhou Ying didn¡¯t dare go up the mountain again, so she only went to the manor with Er Zhuang.


    Chang Shun, busy pruning the white sweet potato vines in the field, saw hering and immediately greeted her, ¡°Mistress, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. I had nothing to do at home, so I came over to take a look.¡± Zhou Ying asked, ¡°How are Qian Zhuang and the children? How are they? Did they cause you any trouble?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re all fine, and they¡¯re all very diligent. They¡¯re now living in the courtyard and taking care of themselves, or rather, they don¡¯t need to be taken care of at all.¡± At this point, Chang Shun paused and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that they ate a little too much. I¡¯m afraid the grain in the vige can¡¯t support their consumption.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you arecking in food? I¡¯ll discuss it with Uncle Nianter. We can kill a cow or sheep every three to five days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll thank you on behalf of everyone. My stomach can¡¯t take it anymore after not seeing meat for half a month.¡± Chang Shun immediatelyughed when he heard that.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she exchanged a few polite words with Manager Liu, then turned around and walked toward the farm.


    She first walked around the ce and saw that the cattle and sheep were doing well. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.


    Finally, after asking around, she found Uncle Nian at the foot of a mountain, setting up traps with his men. Zhou Ying was stunned when she saw that the nearly two-meter-wide trench was full of sharpened bamboo skewers. ¡°Uncle, are you guarding against wolves?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, who would have thought that wolves would appear again? We have to set up these traps, or it will be toote when the wolves reallye.¡± At this point, the old man paused and recalled, ¡°I remember when I was young, there was a year when thirty wolves came to the vige. In just a short while, they bit 300 sheep to death.¡±


    ¡°I see. You really have to guard against it well, then. I¡¯ll bring some pepper and mustard overter. Wolves and their sharp noses are most afraid of these things..¡±

 Chapter 264 - 264 Gifting Tear-Inducing Powder

    Chapter 264: Gifting Tear-Inducing Powder


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Uncle Nian immediately smiled and nodded.


    Wolves weren¡¯t only strong inbat, but they also held grudges. Therefore, they didn¡¯t want to kill them unless it was absolutely necessary. Otherwise, they would have to exterminate the entire wolf pack.


    However, a wolf pack wasn¡¯t easy to exterminate; many vigers would die from exterminating everyst wolf. So, if there were a way to deal with the wolves, it would naturally be the best.


    Zhou Ying nodded and continued, ¡°Uncle Nian, to save on consuming grain, I n to ughter a cow or sheep every few days so that the people in the vige can eat meat. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kind for doing so, but try to ughter as little as possible. After this draught, the price of meat will definitely rise a lot.


    ¡°Furthermore, the manor was very safe with Manager Liu and the others around, so there isn¡¯t any need to be afraid of robberies.


    ¡°Therefore, if you really want to improve the meals of everyone, you can take in pigs. Pigs have a lot of meat and are more filling.¡±


    ¡°Pigs?¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment to think before nodding. ¡°Indeed. Then it¡¯s decided. Let¡¯s serve them pork first. We¡¯ll talk about cattle and sheep if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can send the pigs you buy over directly. I promise I won¡¯t waste a single drop of pig blood.¡±


    Afterwards, Zhou Ying gave him a few more instructions, telling him he could directly look for Manager Liu if he needed anything, and she returned to her vige.


    She went to her interspace in the afternoon and took out some devil chilies and mustard powder; she used them to make two big bags of tear-inducing powder.


    Qiu Niang walked over with her pregnant belly when she was just done and asked, ¡°Mistress, are you making tear-inducing powder again? I can feel my nose getting choked from next door.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are wolves on the mountain. I have to prepare some for self-defense.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she brought a stool for her to sit on. ¡°You weren¡¯t busy drying the beans today?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress. We were almost done yesterday,¡± said Qiu Niang after she sat down. ¡°My eldest sister-inw is taking care of the rest with the two children.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re living a stable life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have this blessing.¡± Qiu Niang smiled shyly.


    Honestly, although they weren¡¯t wealthy, it was afortable life.


    Her husband was down-to-earth, willing to work, and knew how to love her.


    Her eldest sister-inw wasn¡¯t like the other families, who would find trouble for no reason. Instead, she had helped them a lot, which was a lifesaver.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Brother Tian is a man worth entrusting your life to.¡± Zhou Ying said so and gave her about half a pound of tear-inducing powder. ¡°It isn¡¯t peaceful now, so keep some for self-defense.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much. My mistress,¡± Qiu Niang thanked her as she took it.


    ¡°Sigh. Since you¡¯ve already broken away from your status as a servant, don¡¯t always mention that I used to be your mistress.¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯ve moved on from my servant¡¯s status, I¡¯ll always be your servant. This is not going to change.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhou Ying smiled and shook her head. She put away the tear-inducing powder and brought her into the house.


    They sat down, drank tea, and chatted for a while. Only when Qiu Niang felt tired did she go home.


    As for Zhou Ying, she took a portion of tear-inducing powder and gave some to the patriarch so that he could distribute it to the patrol team for self-protection.


    At night, the couple chose two fat pigs from her interspace.


    The following day, the tear-inducing powder and the pigs were sent to the manor.


    Once that was done, Gu Chengrui drove the carriage to town while Zhou Ying stayed in the manor to have a meal.


    In the afternoon, she brought home five pounds of pork ribs and two pounds of pork belly.


    Someone came to visit for medication help in the afternoon. It happened that the patient required surgery, something Gu Chengrui was good at. After confirming it was a patient from the wealthy Wang family in town, he took the first aid kit and followed them..

 Chapter 265 - 256 Ambush

    Chapter 265: Chapter 256 Ambush


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, Gu Cgrui¡¯s footsteps gradually slowed when he reached the Wang family¡¯s house.


    This was not the first time he visited the Wang family.


    Every time he came here, there would be guards on duty, and the nearby streets were clean without dust.


    But now, not only were leaves and branches flying everywhere on the street, but even dog and cat poop were all over the ground.


    There wasn¡¯t even a shadow of a person in sight at the main gate of the residence, where people usually entered and exited.


    He immediately became vignt. Did something happen to the Wang family? Or was it¡­


    Thinking of this, he looked at the person who had led him here and quickly realized that he had been careless.


    Because this person was really too thin, so thin that he was a little out of shape.


    Although the harvest this year wasn¡¯t good, with the Wang family¡¯s heritage, they wouldn¡¯t starve their servants to this extent.


    ¡°Why did you stop? Hurry up. Our old master is still waiting for you to treat him.¡± The guide saw him stop and immediately turned his head to urge him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your family¡¯s third concubine have medical skills? She¡¯ll do fine for emergency treatment. My stomach suddenly hurts. I have to go to the toilet to resolve it.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and ran to a public toilet not far away.


    ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t we have a side toilet in the manor? Let¡¯s go over there.¡± The guide immediately rushed over and blocked his way.


    ¡°No, your master is a clean freak. If I use your manor¡¯s side toilet, I¡¯ll have to wait for your master¡¯s approval. It¡¯ll be toote by then.¡± Gu Chengrui pushed him away and probed carefully.


    The guide was stunned for a moment. He didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a problematic person. He quickly stopped him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine if I run faster ahead to ask for permission. Just follow me.¡±


    Gu Chengrui knew he was lying when he heard the person¡¯s reply. This was because Gu Chengrui was simply making things up when he said he needed the old master¡¯s approval to use the toilet.


    Looking at his anxious mood, he confirmed that the Wang Residence was an ambush.


    So, when Gu Chengrui saw himing over again, he twisted his arm and pulled him down to the ground.


    Gu Chengrui knelt, lifted the guide¡¯s arms, and pressed his face down on the ground. He stopped and asked, ¡°Who are you, and who are the people inside?¡± ¡°Cough, cough, uh, uh.¡± The guide returned to his senses and struggled a few times, but it was no use. The more he struggled, the more pain he felt. He could only shout, ¡°My Lord, big brother, help, help!¡±


    Although he was shouting with all his might, his voice was muffled. He was subdued with his head lowered, which meant his shouts couldn¡¯t reach the ideal volume to be heard from the residence. Only one person could listen to them, and it was Gu Chengrui.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui forcefully twisted the person¡¯s wrist. Following a muffled groan, he leaned over and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s inside? Tell me the truth, or I¡¯ll take your life first.¡±


    Then, he removed a scalpel from his first aid kit and waved it in front of the person¡¯s eyes.


    The scalpel of fine steel reflected a sharp light under the sunlight, and the glint blinded the guide.


    Of course, Gu Chengrui had no intention of just showing off. He stuck it directly to his face and made a light cut; thus, a wound that could only bleed was born.


    The guide felt a chill on his face, and then he felt something flowing down. When he saw that it was blood, he was so scared that he started to shiver.


    Gu Chengrui sneered. ¡°What do you think? My scalpel here is sharp, huh? It can cut your windpipe without any effort.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he ced the scalpel on his neck..

 Chapter 266 - 266 Jumping Out

    Chapter 266: Jumping Out


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The guide didn¡¯t dare move anymore and stammered, ¡°There¡¯s an ambush inside. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the people who worked at the mill.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. ¡°So you¡¯re the group of people who went to the restaurant to rob us and wereter arrested?¡±


    On the other hand, the people lying in ambush inside the courtyard had heard the guide¡¯s voice, but they didn¡¯t see hime in for a long time, so they sent someone out to take a look.


    The person who came out heard Gu Chengrui¡¯s question and shouted, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s us! We¡¯ll take revenge on you today!¡±


    After he shouted, he rushed up. Gu Chengrui immediately kicked the person under his feet, mming him into the other person running here. The two of them fell and rolled like a ball.


    At the same time, the people inside heard the shouts and immediately rushed out. There were 25 people, and they quickly surrounded Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui looked at the sticks in their hands and knew he couldn¡¯t face them head-on. As he turned and ran, he took out a handful of knockout powder from his first aid kit and scattered it behind him.


    Everyone saw the white powder and immediately retreated to the side. However, some still breathed in some of it, and those who inhaled it fell after taking two steps.


    Nearly half of the people went down, and those who dodged immediately scattered and tried to surround him.


    Gu Chengrui immediately pretended to panic and shouted, ¡°Robbery! Someone¡¯s robbing me!¡±


    At the same time, he observed the positions of the crowd and finally fixed his eyes on the first person on his right.


    He ran the fastest, and the weapon in his hand was a special walking stick, sturdy and suitable tosh out as a makeshift staff.


    So, when Gu Chengrui was escaping, he suddenly turned and rushed over to the person. Before the person could react, Gu Chengrui threw the scalpel at his face.


    The man was shocked and dodged subconsciously. In a sh, Gu Chengrui grabbed the walking stick from his hand.


    At the same time, he rolled over to pick up the scalpel and threw the first aid kit under a wall.


    When the people behind him rushed over, he swept in a wide arc with his staff. The hit people were in so much pain that they could only lie on the ground, hugging their legs and groaning.


    Gu Chengrui stood back up. He fought against the rest of them with his makeshift staff in his right hand and a scalpel in his left. From time to time, he would sneak in an attack.


    He had taken down five of them quickly, and each had cuts on their weapon-dominant hands. Although it wasn¡¯t enough to kill them, they would definitely bleed to death if they weren¡¯t dealt with quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re really ruthless, kid.¡± An elderly man with a pained expression said at this time.


    ¡°Not as ruthless, thick-skinned, or hostile as you.


    ¡°After being punished for robbing, you didn¡¯t stop and even nned to take revenge.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of losing these people¡¯s lives? What a selfish man you are.¡± Gu Chengruimented sarcastically.


    ¡°Fuck off. Whoever lives or dies today will depend on their own abilities. Everyone, let¡¯s attack together.¡± The old man¡¯s face twitched, and he gritted his teeth.


    ¡°It¡¯s not toote to back out now. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be over when the patrol teames.¡± Gu Chengrui rushed up to the old man after he said his piece.


    If he didn¡¯t guess wrong, this person was their leader.


    When he realized this, he decided to get rid of him first. He had to deal with the problem at its root, and the rest will fall apart.


    Gu Chengrui only managed to hit his arm once, but he managed to throw his opponent into a state of confusion. He then sent a flying kick at his opponent¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± The old man violently spat out a mouthful of blood and was kicked nearly ten feet away, falling to the ground and not getting up again..

 Chapter 267 - 267 Injured

    Chapter 267: Injured


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    It took a long time to describe the fight, but it all happened in the blink of an eye. The few people surrounding them were dumbfounded and didn¡¯t dare to step forward.


    At that time, the patrolling guards followed the shouting and came over. When they saw the group of people, they shouted, ¡°Why are you all here again? The constable has just let you go, and now you¡¯re making trouble again?¡±


    The captain then walked toward Gu Cgrui and asked, ¡°Doctor Gu, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but these people must be dealt with seriously. They¡¯re more abominable than bandits.¡± Gu Cgrui nced at the crowd andmented.


    The refugees immediately put down the sticks in their hands and said, ¡°We¡¯re innocent! We didn¡¯t n on doing it, but the vige chief forced us to do so.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Last time, his two sons went to rob a restaurant and were both caught. When they came out, one died, and one was seriously injured.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why he¡¯s ckmailing us to help him take revenge.¡±


    ¡°Yes, our food and provisions are all controlled by his trusted aides. If we don¡¯t listen to him, we will starve.¡±


    The old man, who had been struggling to get up, vomited three mouthfuls of blood after hearing this and fainted.


    When the captain heard this, his face immediately darkened. He waved his hand at the guards to capture them. ¡°Doctor Gu, we¡¯ll have to trouble you toe with us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± After Gu Cgrui finished speaking, he picked up the first aid kit and followed.


    After arriving at the Ya, Tian Jingzhong seriously interrogated the refugees. After learning that the vige chief had indeed coerced them, he arrested more than a dozen heavily involved criminals and their families for execution.


    This included the five injured people, which saved some medical expenses.


    Although the others were released, they were expelled from Qingshui Town, and their faces were stered throughout the county.


    Hence, they were chased out of Yunhc County within two days.


    The group could only take a small amount of food to the south.


    Of course, this was a story forter.


    After Gu Cgrui left the police station, he returned to the clinic and got Doctor Luo to get treated.


    Although he wasn¡¯t wounded, he was hit twice with a stick, once on his back and once on his leg. Although it wasn¡¯t fatal, the bruises were still scary-looking. He didn¡¯t dare let Zhou Ying know about those.


    After that, Doctor Luo pped his hands and said, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re a medical professional yourself, so I don¡¯t need to remind you of what you need to do. Take a good rest for the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll be exposed if I stay at home.¡± Gu Cgrui said this as he dressed.


    ¡°You have to be more careful in the future. If you can¡¯t win the fight, run. Don¡¯t force yourself.


    ¡°If something were to happen to you, what would Zhou Ying do?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but sometimes it¡¯s impossible to run. The best choice is to face it.¡±


    Doctor Luo shook his head and ignored him. Instead, he packed up and left.


    Seeing this, Gu Cgrui sat down and drank two sses of water. After resting for a while, he called Gu Cgxi and rushed home in his carriage.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying had nothing to do. She steamed two giant crabs, made a pot of spicy shrimp, and stewed half a pot of corn and pork rib soup.


    Gu Cgrui looked at the sumptuous dinner on the table, and the corner of his mouth twitched. If it were in the past, he would have eaten them happily; he could only cat ribs now due to his injuries.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously. ¡°Don¡¯t you like spicy food? Why don¡¯t you eat the prawns? ¡±


    ¡°You can have them. I have a toothache because of the heat. I¡¯ll eat it another day when I have the chance.¡± Gu Cgrui replied while gnawing on a rib.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t think much about it. After the meal, she made him a pot of herbal tea and said, ¡°The weather is really getting dry. You have to drink more water in town..¡±

 Chapter 268 - 268 A Small Joke

    Chapter 268: A Small Joke


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You too. It¡¯s just too hot these days. Remember to drink two bottles of energy drink every day to prevent dehydration.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Zhou Ying replied. She got up, lit a te of mosquito incense, and put it in the room.


    Coincidentally, someone came to visit Gy Chengrui for medical consultation.


    He got up and went to attend to the patient.


    When he was sending the patient off, Zhou Ying found that his leg was walking funny and his shoulder was stiff. When he returned, she asked directly, ¡°You¡¯re not feeling heaty but injured, right?¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment and shook his head. ¡°Why would I be injured? I¡¯m a doctor, not a guard. Let¡¯s quickly pack up and enter the interspace.¡±


    Zhou Ying snorted coldly after hearing that. She got out of bed and walked in front of him, raised her hand, and was about to take off his clothes.


    Gu Chengrui quickly grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯m injured, but there¡¯s no wound. A stick just hit me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zhou Ying raised her head with a look of disbelief.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Since I¡¯ve answered, there¡¯s no need to hide it from you.¡± After Gu Chengrui said this, he finally told her how he had almost fallen into an ambush today. ¡°No matter what, they¡¯ve already left. We can finally breathe a sigh of relief,¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she bit the back of his hand and said, ¡°If you dare to lie again, I¡¯ll punish you by making you eat mangoes for a month.¡±


    ¡°You little rascal, you knew I was allergic to mangoes, but you still want me to eat them. Are you trying to murder your husband?¡± Gu Chengrui retorted with a smile.


    The words ¡°murder your husband¡± made Zhou Ying suddenly remember their identity as husband and wife. She thought of their married life, and her face suddenly blushed as she rolled her eyes at him.


    At the same time, under the light of the oilmp, Gu Chengrui looked at her hazy outline and shy but lively eyes. He felt his throat tighten.


    He pulled her into his arms and kissed her lips eagerly.


    The familiar yet strange feelings that had been suppressed for a long time were stirred up and burned passionately like dry wood and fire.


    Just as the couple wanted to take a step further, Gu Chengrui took a deep breath.


    The two instantly sobered up. They looked at each other and smiled, but soon they kissed again.


    But this time, it was a sweet kiss. It was a kiss of enjoyment but also a kiss of nostalgia.


    After this kiss, they kissed again.


    After repeating this several times, Zhou Ying finally stopped when she felt her lips swell. She held his shoulder and said, ¡°Let me see your injuries.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really fine. It¡¯s just a bruise. I¡¯ll be fine after a few days of rest.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    She knew he was a person with strong self-control. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have lived together for nearly two years and still haven¡¯t done anything. So, if it were only a bruise, it wouldn¡¯t hurt so much that he grimaced in pain.


    Gu Chengrui looked at her firm expression and smiled. He gave her a peck on the lips and said, ¡°Is it because you¡¯ve been in abstinence for two years, and now you want to eat me up?¡±


    Zhou Ying paused for a moment. After she understood what he meant, she pinched his waist and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want your bird anymore, do you?¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m just joking. I¡¯ll let you see it, okay? But let¡¯s go to the interspace. Anyway, now is a good time to take a shower. It¡¯s so hot around here.¡± Gu Chengrui grabbed her hand and replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see if your body can enter the shower.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and locked up, then took him into her interspace.


    When they reached the bedroom in the vi, Gu Chengrui found some safflower ointment and took off his shirt. ¡°Can you help me take a look?¡±


    Zhou Ying saw the swollen ck and purple wound and asked, ¡°Was it Doctor Luo who treated it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was so painful that I almost cried out.¡±


    ¡°I think you should get an X-ray. This injury looks a little serious.¡± Zhou Ying decided to take him into a small operating room. She turned on the instrument and took an X-ray of him..

 Chapter 269 - 269 Sick Leave

    Chapter 269: Sick Leave


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui took the x-ray film and nced at it. ¡°Oh, I really hurt my bones. Fortunately, it¡¯s only a slight fracture. I¡¯ll be fine after a good rest.¡±


    ¡°I think you should rest at home for a few days. You can go to the clinic when you¡¯re almost fully recovered.¡± Zhou Ying advised after letting out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. The clinic isn¡¯t busy now, so I¡¯ll rest at home for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just give you a simple massage. After I¡¯m done, you can lie down and rest.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the bathroom with him.


    She filled half a basin with warm water and helped him wipe his back.


    After she helped him wipe his body, she cleaned his wound with iodophor, applied some safflower oil, and finally wrapped it twice with gauze to prevent the medicinal oil from getting on the bed.


    After she was done, she helped him put on a vest and said, ¡°Alright, you can rest. I¡¯ll be busy for a while.¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not insist this time because he realized that the injury on his back was getting more and more painful; even standing was getting a little tricky.


    He had no choice but to drink a spoonful of sleeping-inducing powder to help him sleep.


    After Zhou Ying finished her work, she fed the animals in her grasnd and then went to the mountains to work.


    She also prepared 100 pounds of ck flour, 500 shiitake mushrooms stuffed buns with ck fungus and chicken, 500 mutton and radish stuffed buns, and approximately 300 beef stuffed buns.


    After she was done, she used her mental power to take a ck fish out of the river. She boiled a pot of fish soup in a y pot and stored it in the warehouse. After that, she left her interspace and went to sleep.


    The two had ck fish soup and chicken stuffed buns for breakfast the following day.


    After eating, Zhou Ying drove the carriage to the clinic with Gu Chengxi and informed them that Gu Chengrui was taking sick leave.


    Aftering out, she went to her restaurant to ensure that her workers were fine, then drove the carriage back.


    She didn¡¯t expect to see Gu Chengxi swaying his feet as he sat in the carriage when she walked out of the back door. She was stunned for a moment and went forward to ask, ¡°Why are you here? Isn¡¯t the clinic busy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on leave. Since Chengrui is injured, I want to go back and learn from him. I can also help you out.¡± Gu Chengxi raised his head and replied.


    Zhou Ying paused for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s fine too. It¡¯s not safe on the road now. You¡¯re just a child, so it wouldn¡¯t be safe for you to go back and forth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already twelve, not a child anymore.¡±


    ¡°A half-grown child, okay?¡± Zhou Ying didn¡¯t allow him to refute and drove the carriage home.


    On the way, he found that many people in town were driving or pushing all kinds of carts to Shanghe vige to get water.


    She also saw a type of cart, but it wasn¡¯t really a cart in the traditional sense. It only had two wheels and a rack holding them together.


    On top of the rack, using the principle of bnce, there was a wooden pir as thick as a person¡¯s thigh. In front of the fulcrum were some ropes tied to it, which could be used to tie about ten water buckets. The other end needed to be controlled by someone to move the cart forward.


    Except for being slightly slower, it was as efficient as an ox cart.


    ¡°Sister-inw, do you know what kind of cart that is?¡± Gu Chengxi asked curiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it looks pretty good. The inventor is quite smart.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°Can we make one too? That way, we won¡¯t have to water thend manually daily.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask a carpenter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back and tell my father. Maybe it¡¯ll work.¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect they would have built the same cart in the vige the next day, which was much more exquisite than the one she had seen before. It also made the men in the vige who carried water to the crops every day feel more at ease.


    Of course, after Gu Chengxi spread the word around, the vigers also knew about Gu Chengrui¡¯s injury..

 Chapter 270 - 270 Incoming Wolves (1)

    Chapter 270: Iing Wolves (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Therefore, each family brought some gifts to visit Gu Chengrui. Some gave eggs; some gave ck noodles; some gave dried vegetables and cured meat; even the patriarch, the vige chief, and the Tian and Wang families had sent a hen thatid eggs.


    Zhou Ying epted them all without any hesitation. Of course, she also returned the goodwill they received, giving each visiting family mung bean cakes and small snacks.


    In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed. Gu Chengrui¡¯s injuries were finally almost healed.


    During these seven days, Gu Chengxi studied while apanying Gu Chengrui.


    Zhou Ying was relieved to see this. So, in addition to making lunch at noon, she spent the rest of her time making clothes and quilt covers; she even learned to make shoes from Cister Tian.


    Although life in the vige was still tiring, it gradually stabilized.


    On this night, everyone was sleeping soundly when suddenly, a wave of rapid gongs and drums sounded, waking everyone up from their drcams.


    ¡°The wolves areing down the mountain!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°The wolves areing down the mountain! All the men, wake up to defend against the wolves!¡±


    This shout immediately woke everyone up. Since most of them were scared, the vige was filled with crying and shouting.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui also heard the shouts. He got up, put on his clothes, and said to Zhou Ying,¡± I¡¯ll go out and look at the situation. When I get out, lock the door. Don¡¯t open the door unless I call you.¡±


    ¡°No, you haven¡¯t fully recovered from your injuries. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment and thought of her interspace. He finally nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupidter. You must follow me closely, and if something goes wrong, quickly enter your interspace.


    ¡°By the way, get me a crossbow and ten arrows.¡±


    ¡°You be careful too. Don¡¯t get too close if you have nothing to do.¡± After Zhou Ying reminded him, she took out the things for him and took out arge bag of tear-inducing powder, two bags of knockout powder, and a slingshot made of cow tendon.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui was worried and gave her a few more instructions. The couple then went out together.


    At that time, the outside was already brightly lit, and the streets were full of people with torches, most of them rushing to the foot of the mountain.


    The two of them looked at each other and immediately followed.


    When they arrived, they found that the men and the wolves were facing each other across a trench, with more than ten dying wolves in the trench.


    At the same time, the smell of chili was so strong that they all sneezed; the wolves were obviously not feeling well either.


    The alpha, in particr, stood restlessly on the mountainside; it was undecided on whether to attack or not.


    The patriarch saw Zhou Ying andughed, ¡°Zhou Ying, what kind of powder is this? It¡¯s more effective than fire. It¡¯s acting as if it were the wolves¡¯ nemesis.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I¡¯m afraid our river vige would be finished tonight if we didn¡¯t have this thing.¡± Qian Shisan chimed in.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that it¡¯s effective. But there are quite a few wolves, so I don¡¯t know how long it canst.¡± Zhou Ying looked at the bright, green eyes everywhere on the mountain and replied with her scalp tingling.


    After Qian Shisan heard this, he immediately said worriedly, ¡®Tve taken a rough look just now. There are at least 60 to 70 of them. I can only hope that they retreat as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Wolves are patient. I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t leave so easily.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    After that, he handed the tear-inducing powder to Uncle Qian Shisan and said, ¡°Divide them into small bags and throw them at the area with more wolves and test the effect.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± After Qian Shisan smelled it, he immediately took it with a smile and distributed it to everyone.


    After separating and wrapping them up, he found a few strong men and threw them to the opposite side of the trench, also throwing up some trees..

 Chapter 271 - 271 Incoming Wolves (2)

    Chapter 271: Iing Wolves (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The wolf pack became restless a momentter, and each wolf was howling miserably. Some even began to escape up the mountain, ignoring the alpha¡¯s orders.


    This time, the crowd could clearly see the number of wolves. Someone immediately cursed, ¡°Damn it, including the ones in the trap; there are at least a hundred wolves. This is a big wolf pack.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it seems like we really have to be careful.¡±


    When everyone thought the wolves had retreated, the alpha wolf raised its head and howled. Although they did not know what it meant, the retreating wolves suddenly stopped and retreated to the vicinity of the Mother God Temple to rest and reorganize.


    ¡°Oh no, they¡¯re going to be here for an extended time.¡± The patriarch cried out in rm.


    The alpha wolf was also cursing internally. Two days ago, when it attacked the sheep farm, it encountered that thing that choked its wolf. Today, it encountered it again; such unlucky timing.


    However, it was impossible for them to retreat. The wolves under itsmand had not eaten properly for several days. If dyed any longer, they were likely to kill each other.


    For the sake of the alpha wolf¡¯s prestige and the stability of the wolf pack, they had to attack today.


    At least there were no bows and arrows here, so the wolves could wait for the smell to dissipate before attacking again.


    Thinking of this, the alpha quickly strode around the forest and decided on an attack n.


    After about half an hour, Gu Chengrui saw that the wolves had no intention of retreating and immediately said, ¡°Whoever has a bow and arrow, go home and take it. Also, bring oil or any strong wine you have.¡±


    ¡°By the way, Uncle, is there any waste oil in the oil mill?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°No, the bitter part of the oil was shared with the others.¡± The patriarch shook his head.


    Oil was always a necessity, not to mention during a drought; even fried pancake residue could not be found these days.


    ¡°One person from each family,¡± he continued. ¡°Bring something that can be quickly ignited from your home. Let¡¯s fight the wolves together.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°Zhou Ying, go and prepare some more chili powder.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Ying responded and told Gu Chengrui of her task She then turned around and walked home.


    When she got home, she took out a bag weighing about 10 pounds from her interspace and a jar of 140-proof sorghum wine.


    When she returned, there was a lot of firewood, wheat straw, and rotten branches on the ground along the trench.


    She gave the tear-inducing powder to Qian Shisan and handed the alcohol to the patriarch, saying, ¡°Uncle, this is high-proof alcohol, and it will catch fire quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave the rest to me. You step back.¡± The patriarch replied, then scattered the alcohol on the firewood bit by bit.


    The rest of the alcohol was made into torches.


    In the end, Gu Chengrui took out a packet of knockout powder and scattered it on the firewood. ¡°These knockout powders should be able to repel some of the wolves. Let¡¯s retreat a little.¡±


    ¡°Alright, everyone, retreat to the vige.¡± After the patriarch finished ordering, they retreated a mile into the vige.


    The alpha wolf on the opposite side saw their actions and smelled the alcohol, bing increasingly anxious.


    It knew that everything they had set up was to deal with them, but it didn¡¯t know what they were doing.


    As for mmables like alcohol, they could smell them but didn¡¯t know what they were.


    After that, it raised its head and howled a few times. The green eyes moved quickly and then spread out to surround the vige.


    In the river, there were the most wolves. There was no water in the river, so they quickly went down the mountain along the river.


    On the contrary, very few wolves attacked from the front, but the alpha wolf led the pack.


    ¡°Oh no, we miscalcted. This alpha wolf is too cunning.¡± The patriarch said..

 Chapter 272 - 272 Incoming Wolves (3)

    Chapter 272: Iing Wolves (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Those who have the chili powder, block the wolves to the left and right.¡± Qian Shisan ordered.


    After that order, he brought a dozen people to the river with the chili powder.


    The other dozen or so went south.


    The patriarch immediately ordered someone to throw a torch on the firewood. The fire spread out, blocking the wolves froming down the mountain like a great wall.


    The wolves that were charging forward immediately stopped.


    ¡°Those with bows and arrows,¡± the chief hurriedly shouted, ¡°immediately go up houses or trees and stop the wolves from entering the vige from a distance.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Five or six people immediately left with their bows and arrows.


    The rest of the people quickly retreated to the vige, looking for tools as they set traps.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying retreated to Tian Jiawang¡¯s house.


    After a short while, the wolves near the fire all fell into a daze.


    The alpha wolf howled in anger, and the wolves in front of it immediately began to move to the sides. Only the alpha wolf looked at the crowd coldly through the me wall.


    At this moment, Tian Jiawang climbed up to his roof with his bow and arrow. He was shocked when he saw the situation outside. ¡°Good Lord, there are so many wolves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re in big trouble.¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked, ¡°By the way, have Qiuniang, and the others settled down?¡±


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ve arranged for them to be sent to the underground cer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at the river after he finished speaking.


    Because Qian Shisan and the rest obstructed the path, the wolf pack slowed down. However, the concentration of chili powder wasn¡¯t high enough, and the wolf pack soon began to advance on all fours.


    Seeing this, Qian Shisan started to lead them into a nearby trap. Suddenly, the wolves¡¯ howls rang out again.


    The vige was so frightened that it was in chaos.


    The wolf¡¯s speed immediately slowed, and its movements became more vignt.


    At that moment, a few wolves suddenly left the pack and quickly ran into the vige. Tian Jiawang shouted, ¡°Brother Gu, it¡¯s our turn.¡±


    After that, the two men quickly nocked their arrows and shot at the wolves.


    Zhou Ying used her slingshot to shoot a bag of knockout powder in front of the wolves.


    By the time the powder fell, the wolves were near them.


    A momentter, one of the two wolves died while the other was seriously injured. They left the team, and the rest of the wolves fell to the ground one after another before they could run far.


    ¡°Not bad, sister. Your aim is pretty good.¡± Tian Jiawang praised in astonishment.


    He knew that she knew some martial arts and was good at them.


    He didn¡¯t expect her slingshot skills to be quite good, especially her eyesight. It wasn¡¯t something that could be learned overnight. No wonder Gu Chengrui dared to let her run into the mountains alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s just so-so. It¡¯s mainly because of the excellent knockout powder¡¯s effect.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    Along the river, although Qian Shisan and the others were deliberately leading the wolves into traps, the number of wolves who fell for them decreased.


    Tian Jiawang and Gu Chengrui immediately took their bows and arrows and began to hunt the wolves, while Zhou Ying followed behind Gu Chengrui. She replenished her arrows and shot out more bags of knockout powder with her slingshot.


    In less than a quarter of an hour, the wolves were either stopped outside or had already rushed into the vige.


    The three of them immediately found a stick each and quietly gave chase with their backs facing the vige.


    Just as they were out of an alley, a wolf suddenly came from the corner and pounced directly at Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying immediately swung her stick at the wolf¡¯s neck. The wolf dodged it and turned to run.


    Tian Jiawang and Gu Chengrui turned around at the same time and rushed over. One hit the wolf¡¯s head, and the other hit the wolf¡¯s butt.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying again rushed over and hit the wolf in the waist. Three sticks came down, and the wolf didn¡¯t even have the chance to dodge before it was killed after two squeaks..

 Chapter 273 - 273 Incoming Wolves (4)

    Chapter 273: Iing Wolves (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The three looked at each other, smiled, and continued looking for wolves in the vige.


    With the excellent teamwork from before, the three acted much faster than before.


    Just as the three killed five wolves in a row, a wolf¡¯s miserable howl suddenly came from the mountain. The howl was shrill and overbearing.


    Suddenly, the vige was in chaos. The wolves originally hiding in the vige began to jump out, followed by chaos everywhere.


    ¡°Oh no, that cry just now seemed to be the alpha wolf¡¯s.¡± Gu Chengrui cried out in surprise.


    ¡°Yes. If I¡¯m not wrong, the alpha wolf is dead. I wonder who did it.¡± Tian Jiawang agreed.


    ¡°No matter what, let¡¯s hurry up and kill the wolves. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have no end of trouble if we let them escape.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s kill the wolves first. Let¡¯s head out of the vige since they must go up the mountain if they run.¡± Gu Chengrui suggested.


    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s fine as long as the people in the vige are fine with it too.¡± Tian Jiawang nodded in agreement, and the three of them slowly walked toward the front of the vige.


    As expected, the wolves quickly came out with things in their mouths. Most of them were carrying chickens and ducks, and some were dragging sheep.


    At the same time, the people in the vige quickly surrounded them. They began to fight the wolves in pairs, and soon most of the wolves were killed by them.


    However, a few wolves still managed to get around their obstacle and run up the mountain.


    Just as the wolves were about to reach the foot of the mountain, dozens of arrows were shot from the top of the mountain, killing half of the remaining wolves in an instant. Three more arrows were shot, and soon all the wolves fell dead.


    The vige chief walked over and shouted, ¡°May I ask who the good Samaritan who helped us is? Doe out and let us thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡± As soon as the other party finished speaking, a group of people carrying some stuff came down the mountain quickly.


    When they got closer, the vige chief realized it was Manager Liu and his men. They carried more than 20 wolf corpses on their backs, including the alpha wolf, who was thergest.


    ¡°Oh, Manager Liu. I really have to thank you for this. Otherwise, our vige would be in constant chaos in the future.¡± The vige chief hurriedly stepped forward and thanked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s what we should do. We were originally chasing after this pack of wolves. How are you guys? Are there any casualties?¡± Manager Liu asked after returning his thanks.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t have the number yet.¡± At this point, the vige chief turned his head and said, ¡°Everyone, take a look at each other. If you¡¯re injured, go to Doctor Gu for a check. The vige will settle the bill.¡±


    ¡°Are there any who died?¡± he asked in a grave tone.


    Everyone looked at each other, but no one said anything because they were unsure if there were any casualties.


    The vige chief heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this. This meant that, as far as they knew, no one died. He gave his next order, ¡°Everyone has worked hard. Half of you will return to the vige to check on each household¡¯s situation.


    ¡°The other half, go collect the wolves¡¯ corpses. Remember to be careful since some might bite back when they¡¯re notpletely dead.¡±


    ¡°All of you, help collect the corpses too.¡± Manager Liu said to the people behind him.


    In an instant, therge group of people split into two groups. One group scattered in all directions to collect the wolves¡¯ corpses, while the other group returned to the vige with five injured among them.


    ¡°Grandpa vige chief, uncle,¡± Gu Chengrui spoke up, e to my house and wait for a while. You all have children at home, so it¡¯s best not to disturb them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, let¡¯s go to Doctor Gu¡¯s house. I¡¯m thirsty after running around the whole night. I¡¯ll ask for a cup of tea from him.¡± Manager Liu chimed in.


    The vige chief hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, ¡°Alright. They¡¯re still bandaging their wounds anyway and won¡¯t be able to sleep for a while.¡±


    First, the vige chief didn¡¯t have anything to entertain the guest with at home.


    Furthermore, by staying here, they could better find out about the casualties in the vige..

 Chapter 274 - 274 Sharing The Meat

    Chapter 274: Sharing The Meat


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After returning home, Zhou Ying made them a pot of tea. She also prepared them a te of green bean cakes and steamed buns with mushrooms and chicken stuffing before she went to help Gu Cgrui.


    Manager Liu stood up and washed his hands. Then, he picked up a bun and said, ¡°The steamed buns look amazing. It seems like we¡¯re in for a treat.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking and let¡¯s eat; it smells good.¡± Seeing this, the vige chief and patriarch couldn¡¯t wait any longer. They quickly went to wash their hands and started eating.


    After eating two buns, each the size of a child¡¯s fist, the three began chatting.


    At that time, the patriarch and the vige chief also discovered that the wolves had attacked the Xiahe vige two days ago.


    However, the wolves were blocked by more tear-inducing powder and arrows, which was why they attacked this vige.


    They also learned that the wolves were targeting their vige because the animals heard the sound of gongs and saw the bright lights.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect even a wolf to know how to pick on a softer target,¡± the vige chief sighed when he heard this.


    ¡°Haha, you guys aren¡¯t pushovers. You all killed about 50 to 60 wolves.¡± Manager Liu shook his head and smiled.


    ¡°It was also because we discovered that wolves were on the mountain that we dug more traps. Otherwise, it would have been problematic tonight.¡± The vige chief shook his head and asked.


    ¡°Manager Liu, have you been living in the manor in Xiahe vige all this while?¡± he asked curiously.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s because of the sweet potatoes there. To put it bluntly, we¡¯re here to protect the sweet potatoes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The vige chief nodded his head in understanding.


    If the yield was, as Zhou Ying said, 10,000 pounds per acre ofnd, these white sweet potatoes were the country¡¯s treasure. Even if it yielded less than half the expected amount, it must still be protected.


    They owed the young couple a big favor. After all, it would take at least three years for them to figure out how to nt these white sweet potatoes on arge scale.


    After an hour, Qian Jiaxi and Gu Chengen walked in. After greeting the three, Qian Jiaxi said, ¡°Other than losing some livestock, the vigers are all fine, as they hid in the cers.


    ¡°As for the wolves¡¯ carcasses, there are a total of 93. Please take a look at them.¡±


    He looked at Manager Liu at this point.


    Manager Liu and his men helped a lot tonight. Otherwise, the vigers alone wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill all the wolves; they couldn¡¯t monopolize all the stuff.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take 30 of them. You guys can decide on the rest.¡± Manager Liu said it bluntly.


    Although wolf meat wasn¡¯t delicious, it was getting harder and harder to find food during a drought. He couldn¡¯t give up on this.


    Also, he didn¡¯t want to give them the impression that he was easy to brush off; otherwise, it would create a bad precedent further down the line.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank you, Manager Liu.¡± The vige chief nodded in satisfaction.


    They had killed nearly 30 wolves on the mountain and at the foot of the mountain, not to mention that they had helped them solve the problem of their vige. So it was thoughtful of Manager Liu only to take away 30 wolves.


    On the other end, Gu Cgrui and Zhou Ying had almost finished treating the injuries of the injured.


    Then, the group went to the vige and began to divide the meat.


    After removing the 30 wolves belonging to Manager Liu, the remaining 63 weighed about 3,300 pounds.


    Among them, those who came out to help tonight were first rewarded with five pounds of wolf meat; the rest who didn¡¯te got three pounds per person.


    After discussing the distribution, everyone started to butcher the wolves.


    At this time, the vige head found Gu Cgrui and his wife and suggested, ¡°I heard that you two used quite a lot of chili powder and other concoctions tonight. How about I give you ten wolf skins aspensation?¡±


    After the two of them looked at each other, Gu Cgrui nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll ept your arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal. But do you guys want to skin them yourselves or prefer us to give them to you after we are done butchering?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself. I¡¯ve been quite free recently.¡± Gu Cgrui answered..

 Chapter 275 - 275 Helping Out

    Chapter 275: Helping Out


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the items were distributed, the couple got half a wolf¡¯s worth of meat and ten wolf skins.


    Gu Chengrui immediately found a cart and brought it back.


    Er Zhuang immediately barked madly after smelling wolf meat when they got home.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she grabbed a rooster from her space and threw it at Er Zhuang. ¡°Calm down and have your meal; these are dead wolves.¡±


    However, once Er Zhuang bit the rooster to death, he still barked at the cart. Zhou Ying had no choice but to put the cart and everything into her interspace. As soon as the smell of the wolf disappeared, Er Zhuang finally began to eat his chicken quietly.


    Gu Chengruiughed. ¡°Er Zhuang, you¡¯re sure a good boy. You have the guts to bark at a wolf.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we didn¡¯t raise Er Zhuang in vain.¡± Zhou Ying thought of its performance on the mountain and nodded in agreement.


    The next morning, the smell of meat wafted through the air from every house.


    Zhou Ying was also stewing the wolf meat in the kitchen, and theirs was the most fragrant one.


    Gu Chengxi sniffed all the way to the kitchen after he entered the house. ¡°Third sister-inw, your cooking skills are really good. Just the smell alone is enough to make me die of hunger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a bowl when it¡¯s cooked.¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and said.


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m here on Grandma¡¯s orders. I¡¯m here to ask for your help.¡± Gu Chengxi scratched his head.


    ¡°Help? With the wolf meat?¡± Zhou Ying was surprised.


    ¡°Yes, no one in the family knows how to cook it. So¡­ they want you to go over and help.¡±


    Zhou Ying got up and patted the dust off her apron. ¡°Alright then. Help me keep an eye on the fire. Remember to keep the fire low. I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave this to me.¡± Gu Chengxi patted his chest and said.


    After Zhou Ying left the kitchen, she went to the backyard to find Gu Chengrui, who was processing the wolf skin.


    She then took all the seasonings she needed and half a jar ofrd to the old mansion.


    While waiting in the courtyard, Madam Qiao saw here in and immediately greeted her with a smile, saying, ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you today. We really can¡¯t cook this wolf meat well.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just stew it. This way, the taste will be decent. After it¡¯s done, you can cut it into pieces and make jerky or meat floss.¡±


    Madam Qiao nodded in agreement: ¡°Okay, we will listen to you. We really can¡¯t swallow what we made otherwise.¡±


    Zhou Ying went directly to the kitchen. After confirming that it was a whole wolf, she, Mrs. Sun, and Mrs. Guo began to get busy.


    When they started to stir up the base ingredients, Mrs. Sun asked in surprise,


    ¡°Why did you userd? Wouldn¡¯t that taste weird?¡±


    ¡°No,rd itself doesn¡¯t have much taste. If you don¡¯t cook wolf meat withrd, the meat won¡¯t taste good and will be dry.¡± Zhou Ying spoke as she got busy.


    ¡°No wonder the pheasant I stewedst time was so dry and not fragrant at all.¡± Mrs. Sun spoke with a new understanding.


    ¡°Stewed pheasant and wild rabbit are best to go with streaky pork. Only then will it be fragrant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it in the future.¡±


    After Zhou Ying stewed the meat in the pot, she said goodbye to Madam Qiao and went home.


    In the afternoon, Zhou Ying mixed a te of purple peri leaf sd, fried a te of sweet potato vines, and cut arge te of wolf meat. She told Gu Chengxi to stay over for a meal.


    After lunch, the vige suddenly became lively. There were sounds of arguments and quarrels.


    In the end, the quarrels were drowned out by more banter.


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she walked out after wearing her shoes.


    She found a few groups of people fighting on the street. Some were making a scene, some were rolling around, and some were kneeling and begging for mercy. She was dazzled by the amount of stuff going on around the vige.


    She walked over curiously.


    Sixth Aunt Gu, who had been watching themotion in the crowd for a while, saw her and asked softly, ¡°What do you think? You¡¯ve never seen such a lively scene before, have you?¡±

 Chapter 276 - 276 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (1)

    Chapter 276: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a scene before.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    Even when her parents wanted something from her in her previous life, they would request it secretly. They would never make such a scene so shamelessly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°Why are there so many families making a scene?¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, it¡¯s all because of the wolf meat. After a whole morning of publicity by those who came to the vige to fetch water, anyone rted to someone here came to ask for meat.¡± At this point, Sixth Aunt Gu pointed to a family in front of her and said, ¡°This family was a daughter of this house¡¯s family who married off to another vige, and she brought her whole family over.¡±


    After that, she pointed to another ce and said, ¡°That¡¯s their daughter-inw¡¯s family. They¡¯re all rtives here. What do you think their rtionship will be like in the future?¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s living the good life these days. To put it bluntly, it¡¯s all because of the drought.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t know when there will be heavy rain. The heavens certainly want to take our poor lives.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu expressed concern.


    The problem was that the little underground water they had couldn¡¯t solve the root of the problem. The vige would only get more and more chaotic as time went on.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t look forward to heavy rain after hearing it. As the saying goes, a long-term drought will lead to floods. If there was heavy rain now, who knows what might happen?


    ¡°Mother, Mother, I beg you. Look at your grandsons. They¡¯ve all lost so much weight. Please do us a favor and give us some meat.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine with some ck flour if there¡¯s no meat. We¡¯re not picky.¡± While wiping her tears, the woman who had been pushed to the ground said.


    Behind her knelt three children between the ages of three and ten, and behind the children stood a hunchbacked man with a bitter face.


    Looking at the skinny appearance of the family of five, one could tell that their days were hard. But who wasn¡¯t?


    ¡°You guys can go. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t care about you, but the problem is that we aren¡¯t living well either.¡± As she wiped her tears, the elderly woman in front of her said.


    After she finished speaking, she looked at another woman beside them.


    The woman didn¡¯t even look at her. Instead, she rolled her eyes and said, ¡°What are you looking at? Our family only has a total of eight acres ofnd. We only harvested a hundred pounds of wheat from five acres ofnd. This amount of grain has tost us for a year. Do you want our entire family to starve to death?¡±


    She then looked at the kneeling woman and continued, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t just think about your three children. You should also think about your nephews and our family.


    ¡°We have two households with a total of six children and five adults.


    ¡°We are only eating two meals daily and are only half full at every meal. How are we going to help you?


    ¡°If you really want to live, you can go up the mountain. There are wild vegetables, fruits, and leaves that can be mixed with low-grade flour. Although you won¡¯t be filled, you won¡¯t starve to death.


    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like your family is dying; who can you me if you can¡¯t make ends meet on your own?¡±


    ¡°Hey, how can you say that? There are wolves on the mountain.¡± The olddy said so angrily.


    ¡°The wolf pack has long been wiped out.¡± The womanughed and then looked at the kneeling woman. ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you want to go or not. In any case, you won¡¯t be taking any of the food or meat with you.¡±


    After that, she went home.


    The old woman was also in a difficult position and looked at the people around her.


    However, not only did the onlookers not help, they also quickly dispersed.


    If it was before, they might have spoken up for her or given her some things.


    However, in the current situation, no one knew when the drought would be over, so no one wanted to be implicated.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying also immediately left.


    The old woman sighed and turned around to go home.


    Seeing this, the woman crawled to the ground and burst into tears..

 Chapter 277 - 277 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (2)

    Chapter 277: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When the three children saw this, they also burst into tears. The man of the family went forward, helped them up one by one, and took them out of the vige without saying a word.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying had just returned home when she suddenly heard someone shout, ¡°Help! Doctor Gu, help!¡±


    She was stunned for a brief moment and turned her head to look. She saw two young men carrying a bloodied man lying on a wooden board, running over quickly. Behind them was the staggering Widow Hua.


    Zhou Ying was shocked. She quickly stopped Er Zhuang and said, ¡°Just leave him in the courtyard; I¡¯ll go get my husband.¡±


    After speaking, she ran into the house and briefly exined the situation to Gu Chengrui, saying, ¡°Rui, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to suture the person¡¯s wounds. You should get ready.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately stood up. ¡°Chengxi, go and get my first aid kit. I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±


    He washed his hands and walked out. When he saw the person on the ground covered in blood, he paused before saying to the two young men, ¡°Bring two chairs out and put the wooden board on then.¡±


    Afterwards, he walked over and squatted down, carefully checking the person¡¯s wounds.


    Gu Chengrui found that although his internal organs weren¡¯t injured, he had many external wounds and lost a lot of blood.


    He would probably bleed to death if he weren¡¯t saved in time.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, how¡¯s my son-inw¡¯s injury?¡± Widow Hua asked hurriedly when she saw Gu Yusheng stop.


    ¡°He was sent here in time, so don¡¯t worry. But the weather is too hot, so you have to change his wound dressing more often.¡± After Gu Chengrui exined, Gu Chengxi brought the first aid kit over.


    The two young men took two long stools from the house and ced the wooden board on them. Once that was done, the two men and Gu Chengxi cooperated with Gu Chengrui to clean and suture the wound.


    Zhou Ying handed a ss of boiled water to Widow Hua and said, ¡°Auntie, sit down and have a ss of water. They won¡¯t be able to finish in a short time.¡± ¡°Sorry for your trouble.¡± Widow Hua responded and took the ss of water. However, just as she was about to sit down, she immediately stood up and returned the ss to her. ¡°No, Chunhong is still at home. I have to go back and look at her.¡±


    After she finished saying that, she ran out in a hurry.


    Zhou Ying was stunned, but she didn¡¯t bother too much about it. Instead, she sat in the shed and drank the water.


    About two hourster, Gu Chengrui and the others had finally finished treating the wounds on Chunhong¡¯s husband, Guo Chengsong.


    After that, Gu Chengrui got the two young men to help him. They carried him to the bed in the west room and covered him with a clean quilt. ¡°His injuries are too serious. He should stay here and be observed.


    ¡°Go back and tell Auntie Hua to pay five taels of silver for the consultation and medical fees first, and the rest will either be refunded or added on.¡±


    ¡°Five taels? This much?¡± One of them eximed.


    ¡°The medicine and anti-inmmatory drugs alone cost three taels of silver, and this doesn¡¯t include the medicine to replenish his bloodter, nor my fee.¡± Gu Chengrui exined patiently.


    The two young men looked at each other and kept quiet.


    This was because they had seen eight different-sized wounds on the patient¡¯s body. Medicine powder was sprinkled on the wounds constantly to stop the blood from flowing out, and the dressing was changed repeatedly.


    Thinking of this, the two of them nodded and turned to leave.


    Gu Chengxi looked at the exhausted Gu Chengrui and felt embarrassed to stay longer. He turned around and went home to eat.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui took the bloodied bandage and found Zhou Ying. ¡°Babe, send me into the interspace. He needs a blood transfusion, or today will be dangerous for him.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you asked for five taels of silver.¡± Zhou Ying paused before asking, ¡°By the way, what do you want to eat for dinner? I¡¯m going to cook now..¡±

 Chapter 278 - 278 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (3)

    Chapter 278: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much of an appetite.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    He was covered in the smell of blood for half a day on this hot day. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was experienced, he would have vomited. How could he still have the mood to eat?


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll see to it.¡± Zhou Ying sent him into her interspace. Gu Chengrui did a blood test, found out that the patient was the mostmon type B, and gave him 200 of blood from the warehouse.


    After the blood transfusion, Gu Chengrui went into the interspace to shower and change his clothes. He then sat opposite the living room and poured himself a ss of water while observing Guo Chengsong.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying went to the kitchen and pondered for a moment.


    She took two cucumbers, some cold noodles, and some sauced beef from her interspace.


    After that, she prepared half a bowl of cold noodles, mixed them with the sauced beef, and split them into two bowls.


    After the meal, the blood transfusion was finished. Gu Chengrui saw that Guo Chengsong was starting to have a fever, so he had to mix an anti-inmmatory medicine with an antipyretic to give him an injection.


    Just as he was done, Widow Hua rushed over, sweating profusely. After entering the house, she handed Gu Chengrui five taels of silver and said, ¡°Doctor Gu, how is my son-inw now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s starting to have a fever, but I¡¯ve already given him medicine.¡± Gu Chengrui took the silver and said.


    When Widow Hua heard this, she went straight to the west room. When she saw Guo Chengsong¡¯s abnormally red face, she knew it was true. Tears immediately flowed down her face.


    ¡°Auntie, anyone who gets injured will have a fever. He¡¯s fine, so you really don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Gu Chengrui followed her in.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave him to you. Chunhong might give birth at any time. I really can¡¯t leave.¡± Widow Hua sobbed.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try my best. But¡­¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°You guys rest. I¡¯lle back tomorrow morning.¡± After saying that, Widow Hua ran out in a hurry.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui reached out his hand and wanted to say something, but he gave up in the end.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously. ¡°Do you want someone to send the patient back to the Hua family?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s good that he¡¯s here. It saves me the trouble of running back and forth on such a hot day.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, there are knife and axe wounds on Guo Chengsong¡¯s body. So¡­¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she thought of the chaos in the vige and then thought of the identity of Guo Chengsong¡¯s live-in son-inw. She more or less had an idea in her heart.


    Sure enough, not long after, many women came to gossip.


    They also informed Zhou Ying that Guo Chengsong¡¯s parents and brothers in town had injured him.


    However, when they saw him fall, they immediately ran away.


    Chunhong¡¯s pregnancy had also been affected, and she was giving birth at home now.


    After a while, more people came to visit or get medicine.


    It also allowed Zhou Ying to listen to various families¡¯ gossip, and she discovered the problem here.


    Their vige was being targeted.


    On the other side, the vige chief went to the patriarch¡¯s house and said, ¡°Qingzhi, what do you think we should do about the vige issue? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be more chaotic if this continues.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, this is not easy to handle. Those who cane all have rtives here. We can¡¯t be too forceful.¡± The patriarch replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but we can drive them away without using brute force.


    ¡°It¡¯s more troublesome to leave them here. They¡¯ll definitely cause more trouble when all these things happen in less than three days.¡± The vige chief expressed concern.


    Ever since their daughter¡¯s family returned, she and his daughter-inw have been at odds with each other.


    His grandson was also dissatisfied with the rapid decline of the food at home. This conflict was getting ready to explode, and it would happen soon.


    ¡°We can only do this for now. After that, we¡¯ll strengthen the patrols to prevent anyone from doing anything sneaky.


    ¡°Once we capture someone, we can use that as a pretense..¡±

 Chapter 279 - 279 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (4)

    Chapter 279: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s right; we¡¯ll talk about it after someone exposes themselves.¡± The vige chief hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°What do you think about arranging for them to stay outside the vige? To put it bluntly, they¡¯ll only ask for meat and water.¡±


    After the patriarch heard this, he felt conflicted.


    If things continued this way, there would be more peopleing in one after another, and the vige¡¯s safety wouldn¡¯t be guaranteed.


    However, when he thought of his daughter and put himself in her shoes, he really couldn¡¯t harden his resolve.


    He could only say, ¡°I think we should discuss this matter with the constable.


    ¡°Even if we want to ce these outsiders out of the vige, we have to discuss how to do it and how to manage them. Otherwise, if there¡¯s any trouble, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to keep our heads.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Let¡¯s go find the constable and see what he has to say.¡± The vige chief spoke after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go then.¡± The patriarch got up and went with the vige chief to find Constable Tian.


    Early the following day, Zhou Ying and her husband had just finished their breakfast when Guo Chengsong finally woke up. Gu Chengrui quickly went forward to help him up and asked, ¡°How do you feel now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cold, and I need the toilet.¡± Guo Chengsong spoke in a low voice with a red face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you there.¡± Gu Chengrui helped him to the toilet.


    When they returned from the toilet, Gu Chentrui gave him half a bowl of millet porridge in the pot and said, ¡°You should have a bite first, as you won¡¯t feel too cold after eating.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gu Chengsong thanked Gu Chengrui and picked up the bowl to start eating. He finished it in one sitting after making sure it wasn¡¯t too hot.


    In the end, even though he had finished the porridge, he wasn¡¯t full.


    However, he also knew that Gu Chengrui had done his best to give him half a bowl of porridge, especially in the current year. He simply did not have the shamelessness to ask for more.


    ¡°How¡¯s Chunhong?¡± He asked. ¡°She didn¡¯te to seek medical help, did she?¡±


    ¡°No, but I heard that she¡¯s giving birth. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s done or not.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°What? But it has only been eight months¡­¡± Guo Chengsong put down his bowl and said, ¡°No, I have to go back and take a look.¡±


    ¡°If you go back now, what else can you do other than cause trouble? It¡¯s better for you to get well as soon as possible. When you¡¯re better, you can go wherever you want.


    ¡°Besides, there¡¯s still Auntie Hua at home. When Chunhong finishes giving birth, she¡¯ll definitelye to inform us.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly stopped him.


    Guo Chengsong still wanted to go home after hearing this, but without Gu Chengrui¡¯s support, he could not even walk. His view was fading, and he could faint at any time.


    He knew it was due to theck of blood, so he didn¡¯t move again and sat down obediently.


    ¡°You can¡¯t sit for too long in your current state. You should lie down.¡± Gu Chengrui advised him and helped him lie down. Then, he grabbed a packet of medicine and went to the kitchen to boil it.


    After a while, Widow Hua came over with a basket.


    Sitting under the firewood shed and drying beans, Zhou Ying saw this and greeted her. ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re here. Brother Guo is already awake.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring to hear. I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± Widow Hua immediately rushed into the house when she heard that.


    When he saw that Guo Chengsong had woken up, she heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Chengsong, you¡¯re finally awake. You really scared me to death yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry. I heard that Chunhong is giving birth. How is she now? Has she given birth?¡± Guo Chengsong saw here in and asked hurriedly, turning sideways to get out of bed.


    But halfway through, he pulled on his wound, and the pain made him break out in a cold sweat.


    Widow Hua immediately put down her basket and helped him to his feet. ¡°She did, but it¡¯s a girl.¡±


    At this point, she looked at him nervously, afraid that he would dislike her granddaughter..

 Chapter 280 - 280 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (5)

    Chapter 280: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Although Guo Chengsong was a little disappointed, he still smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. A flower must first bloom before it can bear fruit. In the future, when she grows up, she can help Chunhong take care of our other children.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right; flowers must first bloom before they can bear fruit.¡± Widow Hua nodded repeatedly. She took out a jar from her basket and said, ¡°Since you were injured and Chunhong just gave birth, I ughtered a chicken to cook a nourishing meal for you two. You should eat it while it¡¯s hot.


    ¡°I will bring you lunch at noon.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for making you worry. Mother, ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve left some chicken soup. I¡¯ll just make a bowl of chicken noodle soupter.¡± After Widow Hua finished speaking, she filled a ss of water for him. ¡°Sorry that you have to suffer here for two more days;e home when you can take care of yourself. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be too hectic at home.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡± Guo Chengsong nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re family; no need to be so polite.¡± After saying that, Widow Hua took the basket and walked out.


    Afterward, she said a few polite words to Zhou Ying and rushed home.


    When Guo Chengsong finished the small jar of chicken soup, he finally had his fill.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s bowl of medicine arrived shortly.


    After taking medicine, Guo Chengsong had justid down when he heard the sound of a gong being struck. He heard someone shouting, ¡°Each family, send someone to discuss matters under the big locust tree at the vige entrance.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was startled for a moment. He walked out and said, ¡°Babe, you go ahead. I have to stay at home. There will be many peopleing for their medicine.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go then. If they want us to make any big decisions, we¡¯ll discuss it when I get back.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she put the beans in her hand to dry, put her apron aside, and walked to the vige entrance.


    When she arrived at the vige entrance, she saw that many people were already gathered around the locust tree.


    Seeing here over, everyone was stunned for a moment as they looked over in unison. Zhou Ying was also feeling a little embarrassed.


    Because the people sitting here were all men, and most of them were elderly. It was indeed quite jarring for her to stand here as a member of the opposite sex.


    ¡°Zhou Ying, is Chengrui noting?¡± The patriarch asked.


    ¡°Yes, we have a patient at home, so he can¡¯t leave.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    When she said this, everyone remembered that the Hua family¡¯s son-inw had been almost beaten to death and was staying at their house.


    ¡°How¡¯s Guo Chengsong¡¯s injury? Has he woken up yet?¡± Someone asked immediately.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake. He¡¯ll be fine after a good rest because it¡¯s mostly just external injuries.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s quiet down and start the meeting.¡± After the patriarch finished speaking, he looked at Tian Jingzhong and the vige chief and retreated to the side.


    Tian Jingzhong looked at the vige chief and said, ¡°You should announce it; I¡¯ll add on if there¡¯s anything.¡±


    The vige chief nodded and then talked about everyone¡¯s rtives staying in the vige. ¡°Everyone saw what happened yesterday. I wonder what you all think.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately echoed, ¡°What else do we think? Of course, we should be chasing them out. Although our vige is in a better state than others, we are also at a point where we are unsure whether we will be able to eat another meal.


    ¡°If those people stay any longer, we¡¯ll be squeezed dry to ourst drop of blood.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. They¡¯re all our family. We can¡¯t just watch them starve to death.:


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s better to help if we can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you to offer, but are you willing to house them? Don¡¯t get yourself into trouble when you can¡¯t even have a meal for dinner.¡±

 Chapter 281 - 281 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (6)

    Chapter 281: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Soon, the people were divided into three groups. One group was against it, mainly because of their daughter-inw¡¯s familying over. Another group was firmly in support, primarily because it was their daughter¡¯s family staying with them, while the majority stayed silent.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Shut up. We¡¯re here to discuss matters, not quarrel.¡± The vige chief knocked on the gong and shouted.


    He continued after the crowd had quieted down. ¡°Alright, those who agree to let their rtives stay in the vige, raise your hand.¡±


    After hearing this, everyone looked at each other for a moment. In the end, a few people raised their hands.


    ¡°It seems like most people still don¡¯t agree,¡± the vige chief affirmed with a nod.


    ¡°Wait, vige chief; we¡¯re the only ce with water. If we chase them away, wouldn¡¯t we be killing them?¡± One of the people raised his hand and asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, vige chief. It¡¯s our family. We can¡¯t just watch them as they starve to death.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we can¡¯t be too extreme in this matter.¡± <li>? ?</li>


    ¡°What are you saying? We aren¡¯t even stopping the people from drawing water from our vige.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The viges within ten miles line up daily to get water from here. It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t allow them to take our resources; we just don¡¯t want them to live in our vige.¡±


    The vige chief saw they were quarreling again, so he struck the gong and reprimanded, ¡°Alright, all of you shut up.


    ¡°Since everyone is clear about the pros and cons here, let¡¯s talk about the constable and my opinions.¡±


    ¡°If you want to keep your rtives in the vige, we really can¡¯t say much if you are bent on it.


    ¡°However, whoever stayed had to guarantee these two points.


    ¡°First, if the people who stayed behind ruined anything, you have to be responsible for thepensation.


    ¡°Second, if there¡¯s a conflict in your family, don¡¯t look for us because we won¡¯t and can¡¯t mediate your troubles.


    ¡°Go go back and discuss this matter. If you¡¯re willing to vouch for your rtives,e to me and write a contract of promise.¡±


    Everyone fell silent. They could guarantee the first condition, but no one could be sure of the second condition.


    After all, those who could be the head of a family were basically the grandfathers of their families.


    It was normal to have some friction in any family, let alone in a disaster.


    If someone started a fight, would they be able to suppress it?


    Even if they could suppress their daughter¡¯s family, being her parents, it was unclear whether they could do the same for their daughter-inw¡¯s parents.


    At the thought of this, no one was confident that their family would be able to follow this agreement to its absolute.


    ¡°Vige chief, what is your family¡¯s n?¡± Someone asked curiously because everyone knew that his daughter had returned home.


    The vige chief didn¡¯t answer his question but said, ¡°This is precisely why we called everyone over. We want everyone to gather our rtives who havee from afar to live in the warehouse on the dock in town.


    ¡°As for those close to home, just ask them to go home directly. This is for the best. If the family makes a big scene, it won¡¯t look good for everyone.¡±


    ¡°The warehouse? That¡¯s too far.¡± Someone expressed their dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s at least four to five miles away.¡±


    ¡°Is it far? Don¡¯t the townspeoplee here every day to get water?¡± Tian Jing Zhong stated this at the time.


    ¡°We¡¯re all born farmers, and we aren¡¯t asking them to water thend. Even a girl can carry two to three small buckets of water from five miles away daily.¡± The vige chief agreed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we let them build a shack outside the vige?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t it good to build a shack outside the vige?¡±


    ¡°A shack?¡± The vige chief asked in return, ¡°Is a shack morefortable and safer than a warehouse?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget how close we are to a mountain. Disregarding all the different kinds of poisonous bugs, let¡¯s talk about the wolf pack from the night before.. Would a shack stop a wild beast if another came down the mountain? If something really happens, who¡¯s going to be responsible?¡±

 Chapter 282 - 282 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (7)

    Chapter 282: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°We have to be careful. Disasters are happening everywhere, and the mountain isn¡¯t particrly peaceful. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be such arge pack of wolvesing down the mountain.¡± Tian Jingzhong agreed.


    When everyone heard this, they immediately wilted. If they really thought about it, it wasn¡¯t impossible for something to happen.


    ¡°Does anyone else have any more objections? If not, go back and discuss it. We¡¯ll decide on the arrangement. You have to give me a reply in the afternoon.¡± The vige chief said.


    After the crowd discussed a little more, they all turned around and went home.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to leave, the vige chief shouted, ¡°Zhou Ying, wait a moment.¡±


    He politely said a few words to Tian Jingzhong, sent him away, and walked to Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Grandpa Qian, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Ying went straight to the point.


    ¡°I remember that Qian Zhuang was working for you. Do you know where he is now? I have something to discuss with him.¡±


    ¡°Qian Zhuang? He¡¯s in the manor with Manager Liu and the others to protect the white potatoes. I¡¯ll go and call him over now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± The patriarch said.


    He knew very well that the vige chief would ask Qian Zhuang to lend his daughter a house to live in.


    It just so happened that Gu Erjiang¡¯s house was also empty. If someone in their n could borrow it, he could settle one or two households in the vige.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go ande back early. The weather should be getting hot soon.¡± Zhou Ying responded, and then the three rushed directly to the manor.


    Finally, in the white potato field, they found Qian Zhuang and the others, who were rummaging through the white potato vines. Zhou Ying called them over and said, ¡°The vige chief and the patriarch are looking for you two.¡±


    After speaking, she bade the vige chief and the patriarch farewell, walking toward the white potato field.


    The two of them wiped the sweat off their foreheads and asked, ¡°Third Grandpa (vige chief), Uncle Gu (First Uncle), what are you looking for us for?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something we want to discuss with you two.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you guys to work so hard. How is it? Have you saved enough money to marry?


    ¡°If you have enough, we¡¯ll be your matchmaker.¡± With a smile, the vige chief said.


    The two of them immediately blushed and scratched their heads. ¡°We have saved enough, but let¡¯s wait until the drought is over and we renovate our house.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you two are quite ambitious,¡± the vige chief paused for a moment before saying with a smile.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m here to rent your house for your Aunt Lan¡¯s family,¡± he said to Qian Zhuang.


    ¡°My house?


    ¡°My house is in such ruins that you can see the sky at night.¡± Qian Zhuang was stunned by his request.


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s still livable after some simple repairs. I just wonder if you¡¯ll suddenly return to the vige.¡±


    Qian Zhuang went silent for a moment. ¡°If Aunt Lan is staying, then I won¡¯t go back for the time being,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll return when the house can be renovated in the spring.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Staying in the manor is a better life for a single man like me.


    ¡°At least there¡¯s someone to talk to at night, and there are always ready-made meals to eat.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. How about I rent the house for one tael of silver every six months?¡±


    ¡°No need. You¡¯ve been taking care of me all these years. You can always help me when I¡¯m renovating my house next year.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then leave the house repairs to me. I¡¯ll find you a beautiful wife in the future.¡± With a smile, the vige chief said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Qian Zhuang smiled and nodded.


    After hearing what they said, Gu Erjiang looked at the patriarch and asked, ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re also here for the house?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the patriarch nodded and told him about the situation in the vige, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll vet those who rent your house. We won¡¯t let anyone with bad character stay in the vige.¡±


    The patriarch paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s also possible that no one would rent it..¡±

 Chapter 283 - 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (8)

    Chapter 283: The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Erjiang nodded and replied, ¡°Uncle, you can see the arrangements. In any case, there¡¯s nothing valuable at home.


    ¡°But Hl make this clear; after the drought is over, they have to move out as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright, do your best here, and I¡¯ll ask your aunt to find you a good wife.¡± The patriarch patted Gu Erjiang¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ll leave it to you then, uncle.¡± Gu Erjiang smiled as he spoke.


    After that, the four men walked around the field.


    When they ran into Manager Liu, the vige chief asked in surprise, ¡°Manager Liu, I didn¡¯t expect you toe to the fields yourself.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m free, it¡¯s good to exercise my muscles and bones.¡± At this point, Manager Liu pointed at a white potato and continued, ¡°How¡¯s the growth of these white potatoes looking to you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. It looks better than the ones in the vige.¡± The vige chief bent over and took a look.


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because we have sufficient fertilizer.¡± Manager Liu wiped his sweat and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Come to my ce and sit for a while.¡±


    ¡°Maybe another day. The vige is in a mess now, and we must return as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Problems brought by the wolf¡¯s meat?¡±


    The vige chief took a breather before giving the thumbs up. ¡°Yeah, many of the vigers¡¯ rtives havee to the vige suddenly.¡±


    ¡°More and more wille to the vige in the future. You guys have to be more careful.¡±


    The vige chief nodded in agreement. ¡°You go on ahead; I¡¯lle to find you for a few drinks when we are free.¡±


    Zhou Ying also came back after checking out the fields.


    After exchanging a few polite greetings, the three of them hurried back to the vige.


    After returning, they found that the streets were full of people. Children were crying, and the adults were making a scene, making the ce even more lively than fireworks during the new year.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go hide at Constable Tian¡¯s ce.¡± The vige chief quickly turned around and said.


    ¡°Indeed, this isn¡¯t our problem.¡± The patriarch immediately followed and said.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying shook her head and smiled, then walked home.


    When she entered her home, she saw Gu Ziyi ying catch with her two children in the yard. She was stunned for a moment and asked, ¡°Big sister, why are you staying outside?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a man outside in the house? We can y in the yard.¡± Gu Ziyi turned her head and said.


    ¡°Alright, do take a rest while I go get you some water.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went back into the house.


    She took a small table and four chairs and ced them in the shade of the courtyard.


    She then went to the kitchen, made them a pot of chrysanthemum tea, took out a te of biscuits, and ced them on the table. ¡°Huanhuan, Lele, take a break and drink water before you continue ying.¡±


    ¡°Auntie, we¡¯reing,¡± Huanhuan replied. She brought Lele into the house to wash their hands, then ran back and sat on the small bench. They slowly ate and drank their fill.


    Zhou Ying smiled and took a sip of tea before asking, ¡°Big sister, are you used to living in the vige?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice. The days in the vige were peaceful and quiet.¡± Gu Ziyi said with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. In the future, when you¡¯re free, bring the children out to y more often.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and suggested.


    When she lowered her head again, the two little girls had almost finished half a pound of biscuits on the te.


    ¡°Take the rest. I¡¯ll help you refill them.¡± Zhou Ying stood up.


    ¡°No need. They¡¯ve already eaten a lot.¡± Gu Ziyi spoke quickly.


    After that, she even red at her two daughters, angry that they didn¡¯t know how to be more reserved when at someone else¡¯s house. It was as if she had starved them.


    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s delicious.¡± Lele frowned and carefully replied. After she finished, she handed her mom a biscuit.


    ¡°You two¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. How much can the two children eat? I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± After Zhou Yingforted her, she turned around and went to the warehouse. This time, she brought a te full of small biscuits.


    She even packed them with six pieces of mung bean cake..

 Chapter 284 - 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (9)

    Chapter 284: Chapter 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (9)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The two little children immediately started eating excitedly.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Ziyi started to chat.


    After a pot of tea, Gu Ziyi said, ¡°Sister-inw, to be honest, I¡¯m here to ask for a favor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. If there¡¯s anything you need, just tell us. We¡¯ll definitely help if we can.¡±


    Of course, she meant she wouldn¡¯t help if it were something too difficult, but she believed Gu Ziyi could understand what she meant.


    Gu Ziyi understood and smiled. ¡°My father¡¯s 50th birthday ising up soon. I don¡¯t know what to give him in this trouble-filled year, so I want to ask you to help me make six longevity peach buns.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the one that your restaurant sold before, the soft one everyone likes to eat.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she handed her a bag. In it was a bag of about three pounds of white noodles and ten eggs.


    ¡°When is eldest uncle¡¯s 50th birthday?¡± Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s on the 8th of July. There are only three days left.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember this. Come and get it on the morning of the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. It¡¯s too early to make it now. Also, six longevity peach buns don¡¯t require this much flour,¡± Zhou Ying said, pointing to the bag of flour. ¡°Half of these are enough.¡±


    ¡°The rest can be made into a cake.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I know what to do.¡±


    The two of them chatted for a while before Gu Ziyi brought her two daughters home.


    Zhou Ying added another pot of hot water to her tea and sat in the courtyard.


    After sending off thest patient, Gu Chengrui sat down and asked, ¡°What was big sister here for this time?¡±


    ¡°She said it¡¯s the patriarch¡¯s birthday in three days, and she came to ask me to help make a few buns.¡± Zhou Ying pointed to the bag at the side and poured him a ss of water. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy the whole morning. Have a ss of water.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and took a sip. ¡°By the way, I hoard that the meeting today is to drive out all the other rtives of the vigers from the vige, right?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, but they said that since they¡¯vee from afar, they can stay in the warehouse at the dock. That way, those people don¡¯t have to worry about theck of water.¡±


    ¡°No wonder it¡¯s so lively outside,¡±


    ¡°They all want to take advantage of us.¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, they¡¯re poor. There aren¡¯t many viges that have a harvest this year. Most people rely on eating grass to survive. I mean, look at how many people went up the mountains after the wolf pack was exterminated,¡± Gu Chengrui added.


    ¡°Do you think we should take out some rations for them?¡± Zhou Ying asked in a low voice.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea. Because of the warehouse, the food in the interspace is too fresh, so it¡¯s not easy to hide its origins.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for a while. We¡¯ll do something when we harvest those sweet potatoes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve also seen people fight to the death for a little bit of food, while we¡¯re guarding a treasure vault and watching helplessly. It just doesn¡¯t feel good.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought I had been a great phnthropist for ten lifetimes. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have met you.¡± Just as Gu Chengrui finished speaking, a dark and thin girl around 14 or 15 years old suddenly rushed in and said, ¡°Doctor Gu, Manager Zhou, please¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, Er Zhuang suddenly pounced on her.


    ¡°Er Zhuang!¡± Zhou Ying called out.


    However, Er Zhuang still pounced on her. However, he didn¡¯t hurt her and quickly left.


    Zhou Ying saw this and quickly went forward to help the girl up. ¡°Girl, who are you? Do we know you?¡±


    Thedy was stunned for a moment. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m Zhang Qingqing, the eldest daughter of Zhang Dacheng.¡±


    ¡°Manager Zhou, please buy me and give me a way out. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be sold to


    a retard¡­.¡±

 Chapter 285 - 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (10)

    Chapter 285: Chapter 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (10)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Zhang Dacheng? Who¡¯s that?¡± Zhou Ying asked in confusion.


    Gu Chengrui found the name familiar, but he could not recall where he had heard it.


    Zhang Qingqing looked at the two¡¯s reactions and felt both angry and wronged. She immediately shouted, ¡°You two, you two are too heartless. My father died for your family, and you¡¯ve already forgotten his name.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? I don¡¯t remember anyone dying for us.¡± Zhou Ying replied in an unpleasant tone.


    Gu Chengrui thought of something. He stood up and asked, ¡°Is your father Zhang Dacheng, the one who died at the hands of the Qiao family on a ship in the winter two years ago?¡±


    ¡°At least you guys have some conscience.¡± Zhang Qingqing heaved a sigh of relief.


    She looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°I know your restaurant¡¯s business is good. Please save me and buy me; I¡¯ll be your ve. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be sent down a dead-end road.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, someone immediately chased her over. Seeing the situation in the courtyard, the leading woman went forward and pulled Zhang Qingqing up. ¡°You bitch, how dare you to run? How dare you rebel against me!¡±


    ¡°Let me go, let me go.¡± Zhang Qingqing saw the woman and immediately shouted in fear.


    However, she was just a young girl who couldn¡¯t escape the woman¡¯s grip.


    In the end, she bit the back of the woman¡¯s hand.


    The woman screamed and let go of her hand, while Zhang Qingqing immediately hid behind Zhou Ying.


    This gave Zhou Ying a headache.


    At that moment, a white-haired man walked in and said, ¡°Doctor Gu, Manager Zhou, sorry to have caused you two trouble. Sorry for bothering you. I¡¯ll take her back now.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going back. Grandpa, please don¡¯t sell me to my aunt¡¯s family in exchange for food. Zhang Qingqing immediately shouted.


    Zhou Ying was also stunned when she heard that. She turned her head and asked, ¡°It¡¯s not your parents who want to sell you?¡±


    ¡°No, my mother and brother didn¡¯t agree to sell me. They¡¯ve already locked them up.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re not in a position to speak.¡± Zhang Laosan looked at Zhang Qingqing and scolded her.


    ¡°Manager Zhou, I¡¯m sorry for the trouble,¡± he said to Zhou Ying.


    After he finished speaking, he walked past her and was about to grab Zhang Qingqing. Gu Chengrui grabbed his arm and spoke up, ¡°As far as I know, when selling someone in the Ming Dynasty, one must have their parents¡¯ signatures.


    ¡°What you¡¯re doing is against thew.¡±


    Zhang Laosan was stunned for a moment and replied with a stiff face, ¡°Her father is gone. As her grandfather, I¡¯ve raised her for so many years. How can I not have the right to do that?¡±


    ¡°But she still has a mother.¡± Gu Chengrui stared at him firmly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhang Laosan was so angry that he wanted to raise his hand and beat him up, but he didn¡¯t dare to offend Gu Chengrui. Otherwise, if he had a headache or fever in the future, he wouldn¡¯t even have a ce to get medicine.


    However, the woman who had captured Zhang Qingqing before, Aunt Zhang, didn¡¯t have the same concerns. She directly came up and said, ¡°What does it have to do with you guys?¡±


    After she finished speaking, she tried to push Zhou Ying.


    However, Zhou Ying had practiced martial arts before. Not only was Aunt Zhang unable to push Zhou Ying down, but she was also pushed away.


    The woman stumbled back two steps and collided with Er Zhuang.


    Er Zhuang was so frightened that he took two steps back and pounced on her. After pushing her down, he pressed his two front legs against her chest and bared his teeth at her while barking.


    Aunt Zhang saw the sharp teeth in Er Zhuang¡¯s mouth that shone under the sun and was so scared that she didn¡¯t dare to move. She could only close her eyes and shout, ¡°Help! Help! Father, please save me!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Suddenly, there was a burst ofughter. Zhou Ying looked up and found that many people surrounded their courtyard..

 Chapter 286 - 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (11)

    Chapter 286: Chapter 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (11)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhang Laosan hurriedly said to Gu Chengrui, ¡°Doctor Gu, quickly make your dog let her go.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I think it¡¯s good like this. It¡¯s much quieter.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled as he spoke.


    ¡°Fellow vigers outside the door, please help me find the vige chief.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go immediately.¡± A young man responded and immediately ran away.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhang Laosan looked at Gu Chengrui angrily.


    Gu Chengrui immediately turned his head. ¡°No matter what, you guys did not consider this properly. To avoid us getting implicated in the future, let¡¯s wait for the vige chief toe first.¡±


    He sat back down and continued drinking his tea.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying also sat back down. As for Zhang Qingqing, she followed Zhou Ying closely because she knew she was the only one who could save her now.


    When Zhang Laosan saw this, he immediately stepped forward and wanted to kick Er Zhuang away. Er Zhuang barked when he saw this and immediately lowered his head to bite Aunt Zhang¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± Zhang Laosan said quickly, taking two steps back.


    Er Zhuang turned around and stared at him. Then, he looked at Gu Chengrui and his wife, who were drinking water at the side. He whimpered twice and then climbed directly onto Aunt Zhang¡¯s body.


    It was fine if she didn¡¯t move, but once she moved or Zhang Laosan moved, Er Zhuang would immediately stand up and open his maw to try biting them. The father and daughter were so scared that neither of them dared to move.


    ¡°Doctor Gu¡¯s dog is quite smart,¡± the people outsidemented. ¡°Those who don¡¯t know any better might mistake him for a human.¡±


    ¡°Not only is he smart, but he sure looks strong. Look at his fur; it¡¯s so smooth. I wonder how they raise him.¡±


    ¡°Needless to say, he definitely had good meals.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Laosan has gone too far. Is he really selling his granddaughter to help his daughter¡¯s family? Isn¡¯t he helping an outsider¡±


    ¡°This is fate. Uncle Dacheng wasn¡¯t well-liked when he was alive.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Laosan¡¯s daughter was also bornte. She was doted on when she


    wasn¡¯t married and has been doted on since then.¡±


    ¡°As the saying goes, the inw family is like a dog that leaves after eating. No matter how good you are to them, they¡¯ll be an ungrateful wolf sooner orter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see who will care about Zhang Laosan when he¡¯s old.¡±


    ¡°Who will? Wouldn¡¯t his daughter or grandson care for him?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? How would an outsider care for an old man with no money or power?¡±


    ¡°Who can say for sure?¡±


    When Zhang Laosan heard the people outside teasing him, he was instantly furious. He walked directly to the door and said, ¡°If you guys have nothing better to do, then scram. Our family¡¯s matters are none of your business.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying it as if we want to care. Even if you¡¯re paralyzed and lying on the ground, we won¡¯t bother saving you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m afraid that when you¡¯re really lying in bed in the future, your children and grandchildren won¡¯t care about you. Miserable.¡±


    ¡°You guys shut up.¡± Zhang Laosan clenched his fist and roared.


    ¡°What? Are you afraid of people talking about you? You¡¯ve already lost all your dignity.¡±


    ¡°Motherfucker, you¡¯re full of shit. I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson today.¡± Zhang Laosan cursed out loud and quickly punched the other party in the face.


    The young man¡¯s face darkened. He grabbed his arm and said, ¡°You old fart, do you really think I won¡¯t dare return the punch?¡±


    ¡°All of you, stop! Do you all have nothing better to do?¡± As he walked over angrily, the vige chief shouted.


    There were many people following behind to watch the fun.


    ¡°Vige chief, you¡¯re finally here. This Zhang Laosan is really a piece of trash.


    ¡°Back then, Uncle Dacheng was such a good man. He raised their entire family by himself and even left them sixty taels of silver after his death.


    ¡°But what about them? They not only buried him in a cheap coffin, but they also wanted to sell his daughter to a retard. Isn¡¯t this a sin?¡± The young man said it with righteous indignation..

 Chapter 287 - 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (12)

    Chapter 287: Chapter 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (12)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Indeed, Uncle Dacheng was such a good man back then, but his wife and daughter ended up like this. It¡¯s really sad.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you guys move aside first; I¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡± After the vige chief finished speaking, he pushed them away and ignored Zhang Laosan as he entered the courtyard.


    He saw Er Zhuang climbing onto Aunt Zhang¡¯s body like a tiger. He was shocked as he eximed, ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Chengrui, hurry up and get Er Zhuang up,¡± he said to Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this for peace and quiet?¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and patted Er Zhuang¡¯s head. ¡°Good job. I¡¯ll make you something good tonight.¡±


    ¡°Woof, Woof.¡± Er Zhuang immediately stood up and barked happily, then wagged his tail around him.


    Aunt Zhang crawled up, but her legs were as soft as noodles. She just stood up before sitting back down again.


    The group of onlookers immediatelyughed and said, ¡°Being timid, how¡¯d you get the guts to do things like human trafficking?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this because she has a backer?¡±


    ¡°Look, she peed in her pants. The ground is wet.¡±


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s so embarrassing. Let¡¯s see if she still dares to act all haughty.¡±


    ¡°You bastards, shut up!¡± Aunt Zhang shouted in embarrassment.


    Zhang Laosan wanted to raise his hand and hit someone.


    The group of young men wanted to continue goading them, but the vige chief raised his hand and said, ¡°Alright, shut up. Let¡¯s talk about serious matters first.¡±


    After he finished, he looked at Zhang Laosan and said, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re going to sell Zhang Qingqing in exchange for food for your married daughter.¡±


    ¡°Vige chief, we¡¯re not selling her. We¡¯re suggesting a marriage to her. It¡¯s just that the betrothal gift has been changed to food.¡± Zhang Laosan replied with a dryugh.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Zhang Qingqing is already of marriageable age. We¡¯re talking about her marriage.¡± Aunt Zhang quickly echoed.


    ¡°Talking about marriage¡­¡±


    ¡°You introduce me to a retard, someone who killed two of his wives.¡± Zhang Qingqing roared in anger.


    ¡°Nonsense, who told you that he killed someone? They were the ones who died of illness.¡± Aunt Zhang immediately rebuked Zhang Qingqing.


    At the same time, she felt a little uneasy. If this matter were to spread to the groom¡¯s family, she wouldn¡¯t have a good ending.


    ¡°Your good son told me. If he hadn¡¯t let it slip, I wouldn¡¯t have known that you guys were this cruel. You clearly wanted to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. How can you talk to your elders like that?¡± At this moment, an older man with white hair and a walking stick walked in.


    Zhang Laosan¡¯s face turned ugly when he saw the man. ¡°Big Brother, why did youe here?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯te, how would I know that you bastards could do such a shameless thing?


    ¡°Zhang Laosan, you¡¯ve really brought shame to our Zhang family.¡± Zhang Laoda expressed his disappointment.


    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re the head of the family, I think you should handle this matter.¡± Seeing this, the vige chief retreated to the side and sat at the table to drink a cup of tea.


    Zhang Laoda¡¯s mouth twitched when he saw this, but he didn¡¯t refute it. Instead, he looked at Zhang Qingqing and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home and discuss this. Don¡¯t disturb Doctor Gu here.¡±


    ¡°Will eldest grandfather really help me out?¡± Zhang Qingqing asked nervously.


    ¡°Of course. If he dares to mess around, I¡¯ll break his legs.¡± After Zhang Laoda finished, he nced at Zhang Laosan and turned around to leave.


    Seeing this, Zhang Qingqing immediately followed him and helped Zhang Laoda out of the house.


    When Zhang Laosan and his daughter saw this, they looked at each other and followed.


    At that moment, the vige chief stood up. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re all dismissed. Go and busy yourselves with your stuff..¡±

 Chapter 288 - 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (13)

    Chapter 288: Chapter 283 The Problem Brought By Wolf Meat (13)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Everyone immediately left when they heard this, but they didn¡¯t disperse. Instead, most of them followed the Zhang family to watch the show.


    When the vige chief saw this, he shook his head and followed. Zhang Laosan was a hooligan, and the vige chief was afraid that he would do something even more shameless.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the news to spread in the vige.


    Under Zhang Laoda¡¯s pressure and the vige chief¡¯s witness, Zhang Qingqing¡¯s mother and her two children took 20 taels of silver, 10 pounds of ck flour, a sack of dried vegetables, and two acres ofnd. They went to Zhang Laoer¡¯s family¡ªZhang Laosan¡¯s older brother. Zhao Laoer had died but hadn¡¯t left behind a child.


    As for Aunt Zhang, when the vige chief asked Zhang Laosan to sign a guarantee agreement, she was opposed by the whole family, so she had to leave.


    In the evening, all the outsiders in the vige had left.


    Only the vige head¡¯s children, Sixth Aunt Gu¡¯s daughter, and Gu Ziwen¡¯s family were left behind. They moved into the homes of Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang.


    At night, after Guo Chengsong¡¯s condition had stabilized, he didn¡¯t want to stay here anymore. Gu Chengrui had no choice but to send him back after changing his wound dressing.


    Just as they left, Zhang Qingqing came to visit again.


    Zhou Ying looked at the purple mark on her forehead and was stunned for a moment. ¡°Doctor Gu isn¡¯t here. Let me treat your wound.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhang Qingqing said after a pause.


    After she thanked Zhou Ying, she followed her into the house. After she had her wound treated, she knelt and requested, ¡°Manager Zhou, please buy me. Otherwise, the three of us won¡¯t be able to live.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Zhou Ying replied without hesitation.


    The situation outside was probably much more serious than what she had seen.


    If she started this trend, she was sure that a long line of people woulde to her to buy them the next morning. There may even be parents who throw their children at their front door.


    However, she didn¡¯t want to cause more trouble and couldn¡¯t expose her interspace, so she would never take anyone in.


    Zhang Qingqing¡¯s face was full of despair after hearing this. The 10 pounds of ck flour they got were only enough for the three of them to eat for ten days. But what were they going to do after that?


    Thinking of the 20 taels of silver at home, she raised her head and said, ¡°Can Manager Zhou sell us some food?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°My restaurant closed because I couldn¡¯t collect more raw ingredients. So I can¡¯t do anything about providing you with food.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want ck flour or rice, just wheat, bran, and the like.¡±


    When Zhou Ying heard her say this, she quickly thought of Zhang Qingqing¡¯s situation and knew she was at a dead end. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything you said,¡± Zhou Ying said after a brief pause.


    ¡°But I have some leftover tofu dregs here. Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°Tofu dregs arc fine too, as long as they¡¯re edible.¡±


    ¡°Alright, wait a moment.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and went to the kitchen. She took out a sack of tofu dregs from her interspace and put it in front of Zhang Qingqing. ¡°You can take a look at them. They¡¯re all dried. Although they¡¯re not very fresh, they¡¯re still edible.¡±


    Zhang Qingqing¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the sack¡¯s contents. She opened it and grabbed a handful of it. As expected, it was dry and ready for eating.


    She then sniffed it. Other than the smell of sunlight, there was no moldy smell at all. This was a lifesaver in this drought.


    ¡°Manager Zhou, how much will you sell the tofu dregs for?¡± She quickly asked.


    ¡°Two coppers per pound.¡± Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment. Thinking of her situation, she gave Zhang Qingqing a fair price.


    Zhang Qingqing was stunned for a moment. She quickly bowed and said, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve caused you trouble today. If you need my help in the future, just let me know.¡±


    Flour mixed with grass in town was sold for five coppers per pound, and there was a limited amount; such a price for the tofu dregs was a steal..

 Chapter 289 - 289 The Arrival Of The Refugees

    Chapter 289: The Arrival Of The Refugees


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I can only help you this much. You¡¯ll have to rely on yourself in the future.


    ¡°Only when you can stand on your own will your lives be better.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡± Zhang Qingqing nodded.


    ¡°How many do you have left?¡± she asked.


    ¡°This is what was left from before; there¡¯s no more.¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment, and her eyes turned cold.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhang Qingqing didn¡¯t notice the change in her tone and only responded disappointedly.


    Only then did Zhou Ying¡¯s expression improve.


    The two of them weighed it and found that the tofu dregs weighed about 80 pounds.


    After Zhou Ying helped her carry it back, she received the money for the tofu dregs and medicine before returning home.


    On the surface, the vige was peaceful again, but more people came to steal things at night.


    Fortunately, due to the appearance of the wolves, the patrol team didn¡¯t withdraw, and they also added an additional unit to patrol the vige. Because of the traps, the thieves returned empty-handed.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Zhou Ying steamed the longevity peach buns and cake for Gu Ziyi early in the morning and also a tray of milk-vored ck buns.


    When Gu Ziyi arrived, Zhou Ying gave her the birthday cake, peach buns, and 50 tiny steamed buns. ¡°These small steamed buns are a little token of my appreciation. Please pass them on to Uncle. I wish him a long and healthy life.¡±


    Gu Ziyi was stunned for a moment. She didn¡¯t expect Zhou Ying to prepare a birthday gift for her father, and she couldn¡¯t reject it. epting it for free was also inappropriate, so she could only say, ¡°You guys shoulde over and have some fun.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright, as it¡¯s been tough on everyone these days. As long as eldest uncle doesn¡¯t mind my gift, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? Not many people are willing to steam ck buns nowadays.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t mind. You should hurry back.¡±


    Gu Ziyi saw her firm attitude and didn¡¯t say anything more. She left after exchanging a few polite words.


    However, at noon, Mrs. Wang personally delivered a longevity peach bun and a bowl of chicken mushroom stew to her.


    The next day, Gu Chengrui continued to visit his clinic while Zhou Ying brought Er Zhuang up the mountains once again.


    When they reached the mountain, they were shocked by what greeted them. Not to mention the wild vegetables; even the tree bark and leaves were almost all gone. They couldn¡¯t even find a single piece of firewood.


    As they walked further up, they saw groups of people busy on the mountain. People were living in the Mother God Temple, and many of them were there.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t dare go up the mountains any further. Aftering down from the mountains, she found the patriarch and asked, ¡°Uncle, do you know who those people on that mountain are?¡±


    ¡°Most of them are refugees from the northern part of our county. I heard there are not even grass-made noodles for sale there now, so they went up the mountains to look for food.¡± The patriarch sighed


    ¡°But if they continue to do this, if it rains heavily, there might bendslides and mudslides. Our vige will be in danger then.¡±


    The patriarch was stunned for a moment and answered with a bitter smile, ¡°What can we do? We don¡¯t have any food to give them. Even Constable Tian can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°As long as they don¡¯t peel off the bark of the tree trunks and leave the crown intact, it will be fine. It¡¯s the same as giving the tree a makeover, such as trimming the leaves.¡±


    The patriarch¡¯s eyes lit up. That¡¯s right, as long as the tree stayed safe, it was okay if those refugees took the small branches. As for the leaves, there was no need to care.


    At the thought of this, he immediately stood up. ¡°I know what to do. The mountain is not peaceful now. You must not go up the mountain again.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he ran out in a hurry.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying returned home..

 Chapter 290 - 290 A Passing Storm

    Chapter 290: A Passing Storm


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other side, many refugees had appeared in the mountains near the manor. However, for the safety of the white potatoes, cattle, and sheep in the manor, Manager Liu transferred another group of people over to protect it.


    In the afternoon, Tian Jingzhong took a team of soldiers with knives, axes, and saws up the mountain. ording to Zhou Ying¡¯s opinion, he asked the refugees to act ording to thew, or they would be executed.


    With the soldiers¡¯ forceful intervention, the refugees obediently listened, even if they hadints.


    Half a monthter, the outer area of the mountains had significantly changed. No matter how tall the trees were, they had all been trimmed until only the treetops were left. Overall, the mountain looked bald.


    Zhou Ying also took the opportunity to spend money on a batch of firewood and save it in the courtyard. She used therger branches to build a firewood shed in the backyard.


    One day, Zhou Ying had just finished watering the sweet potato field when a gust of wind suddenly blew. Dark clouds were quickly passing over from the northeast to the southwest.


    In an instant, dust and sand flew all over the sky, and the sky went dark. The vigers were all overjoyed at the sight of it.


    This was because the vige¡¯s elderly firmly believed this was the wind before the rain.


    Sure enough, after about 15 minutes, raindrops the size of peanuts fell. When it hit their bodies, they could feel the pain. Those raindrops that hit the windows each created a hole.


    But the vige was full of joy, even mixed with happy cries.


    However, the rain soon passed. The rain did nothing but wet the ground slightly and couldn¡¯t even form a small stream.


    In an instant, the vige was filled with miserable cries.


    ¡°It seems we won¡¯t be able to get through this drought for a while,¡± Zhou Ying sighed.


    She looked down and saw that her clothes were covered with yellow dust. She touched her face and felt the sand and dust on it. Zhou Ying had no choice but to close the door and take a shower in her interspace.


    Following that, the vigers became even more depressed and focused on serving the only food avable, white sweet potatoes.


    Another half a month had passed, and the sweet potatoes had already begun to protrude from the ground along with dry cracks. Those with no food at home had no choice but to dig them out prematurely for their meals.


    The victims of this disaster also began to have ideas about those remaining white potatoes. After the vige chief realized something was wrong, he immediately asked Tian Jingzhong for help.


    After all, they would have to rely on these white potatoes to ensure they wouldn¡¯t go hungry in the following months.


    Tian Jingzhong couldn¡¯t suppress all these refugees, so he had to transfer all the officers and soldiers over, along with some who knew some martial arts from the refugees, to guard the white potatoes in the vige.


    At noon, Zhou Ying had just mixed some cold noodles when she suddenly heard someone in the courtyard say, ¡°It seems we havee at the right time.


    I could smell the lovely smell from far away.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment after hearing Zhou Huaiming¡¯s voice. She quickly put down the cold noodles and walked out, and sure enough, she saw Zhou Huaiming and Manager Liu walking in.


    ¡°When did youe over to our vige?¡± she stepped forward and asked.


    ¡°Justst night. I just took a nap and came to see you.¡± Zhou Huaiming answered with a smile.


    Zhou Ying thought to herself that he was probably here for the food. Thinking of this, she asked, ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch? I¡¯ll go make it now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the right to choose what to eat at a time like this. Do as you see fit. It¡¯s fine as long as you can satisfy our hunger.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you guys sit in the living room, and I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Zhou Ying said as she returned to the kitchen.


    In addition to the cold noodles, she made stir-fried preserved meat with green garlic seedlings, a serving of cold lettuce, and a few ck steamed buns.


    After they entered the house, Zhou Huaiming looked at the dishes on the table and eximed, ¡°Sister, I can see you¡¯re living well. It isn¡¯t easy to cook three dishes this year.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t easy for you toe over. So, of course, I have to treat you well..¡± After Zhou Ying said this, she handed them a bowl and chopsticks and asked, ¡°How long will you be staying over this time?¡±

 Chapter 291 - 291 The Flood

    Chapter 291: The Flood


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯m here this time mainly for the white sweet potatoes in the manor. So, I¡¯ll leave only when the white sweet potatoes are ripe.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he picked up a ck steamed bun and a piece of preserved meat.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t say anything more; she also picked up her chopsticks and started eating.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying made them a pot of Longjing tea.


    After two cups of tea, Zhou Huaiming asked, ¡°I heard that the vige nted nearly 100 acres of sweet potatoes, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, everyone nted some moreter on. It should be around 150 acres in total.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. More is better. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid the kingdom will be in big trouble.¡± Zhou Huaiming stated with a serious face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Several counties in the south have suffered from floods. The grain harvest for the second season was destroyed by the flood, so the white potatoes are critical to whether the Ming Dynasty can be stabilized.¡±


    ¡°When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°Just two days ago. Do you still remember the passing rain a few days ago? It went down south and flooded the area.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s heart was a little heavy after hearing this. If it was only a disaster in the north, there was still breathing room for the kingdom. After all, most people had already moved down south.


    Everyone¡¯s life would be a little hard and tiring, but they could still endure it.


    However, now that there was a flood in the South, the people were in despair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this, in case it causes panic,¡± Zhou Huaiming reminded her.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°You should rest. Uncle Liu and I will go find Tian Jingzhong.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded.


    As soon as Zhou Ying heard this, she knew they had business to attend to. She got up and sent them out.


    She closed the door and returned to her interspace. She then took out many pumpkins and taros, sliced them with her mental power, andid them to dry.


    If the situation worsened, they couldn¡¯t eat buns or rice.


    After that, she cooked red beans, soybeans, green beans, and ck beans at low temperatures and ground them into powder for instant drinks.


    She also made some ck sesame paste.


    At night, after Gu Chengrui returned, Zhou Ying told him about the flood in the south. She sighed, ¡°The Ming Dynasty is sure filled with disasters.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s normal. Things will inevitably get hard when there are no high-yield crops or food reserves.¡±


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m just afraid someone will take the opportunity to rebel. That¡¯ll be miserable for everyone.¡± Gu Chengruimented.


    ¡°By the way, when I just came back, I heard that the water level of the well at the vige entrance has dropped,¡± he said.


    ¡°With so many people using it, it¡¯s good enough that there¡¯s enough for everyone. Fortunately, the white potatoes are about to ripen. Once they¡¯ve ripened, the water consumption will lessen.¡±


    ¡°I hope we can hold on until it rains or snows. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to go deep into the mountains to find more water.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°By the way, it¡¯s almost the 15th of August. You should find some time to make 10 pounds of mooncakes.¡±


    ¡°Forget about the mooncakes. It¡¯s not suitable to make mooncakes that consume both oil and flour. I¡¯ll make some chestnut cakes and ughter a sheep.


    ¡°We¡¯ll gift our acquaintances two pounds of mutton and one pound of chestnut cake.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, too. It¡¯s fine as long as it conveys the same meaning. We¡¯ll have to give our extended family two wolf pelts too.¡±


    After dinner, the two of them entered the interspace. Gu Chengrui looked at the things she had prepared and smiled.


    He asked her to bring out some wheat bran, peanut cakes, arge number of dried white potato vines, and some dried dandelions.


    He then mixed them ording to some predetermined ratio and crushed them into powder.


    Although these ¡®inferior¡¯ noodles didn¡¯t look any different from the ones sold outside, they wouldn¡¯t hurt their throat and were healthy.


    As for Zhou Ying, she started making chestnut cakes. However, she didn¡¯t only make the ten pounds of chestnut cakes that Gu Chengrui suggested. Instead, she made more than 50 pounds of chestnut cakes, all of which were made using the mooncake mold..

 Chapter 292 - 292 A Treat (1)

    Chapter 292: A Treat (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After she was done, she ate one.


    She then started to busy herself with other things, especially the various dried fruits in the mountains. The fruits were nearly half-ripe, so she had to pick them up and store them in the warehouse quickly.


    The next day, Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t go straight to his clinic. Instead, he brought two pounds of chestnut cake, two pounds of dried wolf meat, and two pounds of dried beef. The couple then went to the manor together.


    Zhou Huaiming, who was drinking a gruel made of white sweet potato vines with a disdainful look, saw theming as his eyes lit up. He approached them and said, ¡°Brother Gu, you¡¯re here. Have you eaten? If you haven¡¯t, do you want to eat together?¡±


    ¡®Tve eaten. I¡¯m just here to visit. Please hurry and eat your breakfast.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    However, Zhou Huaiming didn¡¯t go back Instead, he stared at the paper bag in his hand.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and handed it to him. ¡°This gift for you and Uncle Liu is for the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It¡¯s a little shabby, so please don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡°How could that be? It¡¯s good enough to have meat to eat this year.¡± Zhou Huaiming smiled as he took it and ced it on the table.


    After that, he found the beef jerky and took a bite.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy if you want meat. There are plenty of cattle and sheep in this vige. If you want to eat them, you can pick one for ughter any time.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ll have to pick up some cows during the festivalter. As for the price, I¡¯ll pay 20 taels of silver per cow.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, there are also sheep. How about five taels of silver per head?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t refuse. We¡¯re brothers, but we should settle our ounts clearly. It¡¯s good enough that you¡¯re letting me eat your livestock.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but tonight I¡¯ll treat you. How about we eat somemb skewers?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve been craving it for a long time, but I¡¯m just too embarrassed to say it.¡± Zhou Huaimingughed.


    ¡°Oh right, I have wine here; you don¡¯t need to bring them,¡± he added.


    ¡°Alright, you can pick a sheep or two this afternoon. I¡¯lle back early.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and left.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t want to run back and forth, so she stayed behind. After exchanging a few polite words with Zhou Huaiming and Manager Liu, she turned around and went to the livestock shed.


    Although cattle and sheep breeding was restrained as much as possible because of theck of grass, many little ones were still being born.


    Lastly, she went to the grasnd to look at the white sweet potatoes. She found Uncle Nian, who was harvesting the white sweet potato vines, and asked, ¡°Uncle Nian, do you think these white sweet potato vines can guarantee the cattle¡¯s and sheep¡¯s survival until next spring?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The problem is that we need wheat bran as the core ingredient. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid these aren¡¯t enough for them to eat.¡±


    ¡°How much wheat bran and soybeans do we have in the warehouse?¡±


    ¡°They should be able tost until the end of the year.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure good at being frugal.¡±


    ¡°I had no choice. I saw something wasn¡¯t right, so I reduced the feed amount in early summer.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try my best to get more white potato vines from the vige.


    ¡°Also, try not to let them breed, or else we really can¡¯t afford to raise them.¡±


    ¡°I understand. It¡¯s not the time for ast resort, so I wouldn¡¯t let them breed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, where¡¯s the water source? Is there enough water here?¡±


    ¡°The well at the foot of the mountain is enough,¡± Uncle Nian said. ¡°I heard that the water level of the well in the vige has started to drop.¡± At this point, the old man looked up at the huge sun and continued with a pained expression, ¡°If this continues, I don¡¯t know if the cattle and sheep can be raised.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, please sell some out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and told him about themb ughter in the afternoon.


    However, she didn¡¯t say two, but five.


    The festival wasing soon, so she had to give some welfare to the other people living in the manor.


    After the sheep were ughtered in the afternoon, Gu Chengrui returned with the restaurant¡¯s oven and iron skewers. After that, Zhou Ying directed everyone to start skewering the meat.


    She cleaned up the mutton giblets from the twombs and made a big pot of mutton soup. She also added some vermicelli, tofu skin, and dried radish..

 Chapter 293 - 293 A Treat (2)

    Chapter 293: A Treat (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The rich aroma of the mutton giblet soup drew in all the residents of the manor.


    Zhou Ying wasn¡¯t stingy. She gave each family arge bowl, including the people that Manager Liu and the others brought.


    She then gave Qian Zhuang and the other long-term workers a bowl each.


    There wasn¡¯t much left, but it was enough for each of them to have a bowl.


    After the skewers started cooking, Zhou Ying asked someone to bring Chang Shun and Uncle Nian over. They sat together to roast the mutton.


    Of course, after it was cooked, she gave five skewers to each long-term worker.


    When they were almost done eating, Zhou Huaiming rubbed his stomach and said, ¡°This is the most filling meal I¡¯ve had in the past six months. I¡¯m certainly not used to it.¡±


    ¡°No way, you don¡¯t have enough to eat in the military camp?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in surprise.


    In his opinion, although the food in the military camp during this bad year wasn¡¯t good, it wasn¡¯t to the extent of being unable to eat enough.


    Zhou Huaiming nodded. ¡°It¡¯s always half full, just enough to make sure I can lift my sword.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded his head in understanding, and he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.


    Zhou Ying quickly thought of the cattle and sheep the vige could not afford to raise and asked, ¡°Does the military camp ept cattle and sheep?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll take as much as you have. But are you sure you want to sell it? It isn¡¯t worth the round trip if it¡¯s just a small amount.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m selling them. I¡¯m afraid my restaurant won¡¯t be able to open for a while. The problem is that if they continue to reproduce, I won¡¯t be able to afford to raise them.¡±


    ¡°How much can you sell it for now?¡±


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t reply but looked at Uncle Nian.


    The older man was stunned for a moment. After he understood what Zhou Ying wanted, he quickly chewed the meat in his mouth a few times and swallowed it, then said, ¡°General Zhou, we can spare about 200 cows and 1,000 sheep.¡±


    ¡°We should be able to produce 100 cows and 500 sheep from our farm, too,¡± Manager Liu replied.


    ¡°Good, great! The camp will have no problem holding on with the addition of these cows and sheep until the new year.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded.


    ¡°But they¡¯re all living beings,¡± he worriedly added. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to ship them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same as human traffickers transporting people. Other than when they need to eat, we¡¯ll just drug them all the time.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    Zhou Huaiming shook his head. ¡°There are too many refugees now. The road isn¡¯t safe.¡±


    After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°How about this? Give me three days. Three dayster, you¡¯ll hand over the cattle and sheep, and we¡¯ll pass you the money. We¡¯ll pay the price we agreed on before.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll talk about it in three days.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he looked at Chang Shun, who was sitting to the side, and asked, ¡°Chang Shun, right? How many people in the manor know how to nt white sweet potatoes from the beginning to the end?¡±


    Chang Shun paused for a moment before he hurriedly sat up straight to reply, ¡°General Zhou, most of the elderly in the manor know, and there are about ten of us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Inform them that they shoulde with me on a long trip after the white sweet potatoes are harvested in a month.¡± General Zhou stated.


    ¡°You mean we are nting the sweet potatoes in the south?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Now, the entire Ming Dynasty is short of food, so we must nt them as soon as possible. Otherwise, the people will starve and might do something terrible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best to find sandy soil with a water source nearby. Also, there are many kinds of insects in the south, so thend must be deeply plowed, and the people must be prepared to kill the insects. Otherwise, the white sweet potatoes will all be eaten by insects.¡± Zhou Ying reminded him.


    ¡°So troublesome?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too much trouble. I think the old local farmers will definitely know. You can ask the local people when the timees.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Every ce has its own climate. We do have to pay attention to this..¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded in agreement, then asked curiously, ¡°Then why did you suggest choosing a ce with sandy soil?¡±

 Chapter 294 - 294 Harvesting White Potatoes

    Chapter 294: Harvesting White Potatoes


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°White potatoes grow underground, and sandy soil means loose ground. The venttion is good, so it¡¯s easy for water to circte.


    ¡°There is also arge temperature difference in sandy soil, so many pests would not survive.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t know you were this knowledgeable at farming.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it from the old farmers. You can liken white sweet potatoes to peanuts. Peanuts are also suitable to nt in sandy soil.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded thoughtfully.


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying and her husband went home.


    Because the second courtyard was full of men, Zhou Ying was really ufortable living there alone.


    At night, Gu Chengrui butchered a sheep in the interspace. After splitting it up, he sent out the gifts to each family the following day.


    In the blink of an eye, another month had passed. As the weather gradually turned colder and the water consumption decreased, the water level in the wells finally stabilized.


    Meanwhile, the people started to harvest their sweet potatoes.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s family was the first to harvest sweet potatoes. While harvesting them, she also called a strongborer from each family toe over and learn. After all, harvesting sweet potatoes was a technical job. If they weren¡¯t careful, they would damage them.


    The people were learning from the side and naturally felt embarrassed just watching, so they began working, and most potatoes were collected in less than an hour.


    Zhou Ying looked at the small mountain of white potatoes and smiled with satisfaction. With these white potatoes as a cover, their future life wouldn¡¯t be difficult.


    After that, she said to everyone, ¡°Everyone, do you understand now? If you do, then hurry up and go back to harvest your potatoes. Remember to pick out the broken pieces, wash them, cut them into pieces, or dry them. Otherwise, they won¡¯t be able to preserve it for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. This isn¡¯t a difficult task. Everyone, go back and harvest the sweet potatoes.¡± The patriarch said.


    ¡°Wait, if anyone doesn¡¯t want the sweet potato vines, you can sell them to me. One acre of sweet potato vines for one tael of silver.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    The crowd murmured in surprise, but no one affirmed her. After all, it was an unknown year ahead. They were thinking of drying it and grinding it into grass noodles to eat with the white potatoes.


    Seeing this, the patriarch felt a little embarrassed. He quickly opened his mouth and said, ¡°Alright, go and do your work. Remember, if you don¡¯t want the white potato vines at home, you can sell them to Zhou Ying.¡±


    After the crowd left, Second Uncle Gu, who stayed behind, walked to Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Zhou Ying, are you crazy? You don¡¯t need that much food. Why are you still buying the white potato vines at such a high price?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. There¡¯s still a herd of cattle and sheep waiting to be eaten in the vige.


    ¡°However, from the looks of it, even at such a high price, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to buy a lot.¡±


    Second Uncle Gu was stunned for a moment. He knew that he had misunderstood her and was a little embarrassed.


    When he thought about everyone¡¯s reaction, he didn¡¯t know what to say. He hesitated momentarily and said, ¡°We have a total of fifteen acres of sweet potatoes. I¡¯ll give you ten acres of sweet potato vines for free.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at him in surprise and said, ¡°Thank you, Second Uncle, but you should go back and discuss it.¡±


    Second Uncle Gu was just about to say that he could make the decision, but when he thought of Mrs. Liu and his wife¡¯s character, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.


    But when he thought of the help the couple had given the old mansion, he finally patted his chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave this matter to me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you. But don¡¯t make things difficult for yourself. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t have any.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re family; no need to be so polite.¡± Second Uncle Gu turned around and left after he finished speaking.


    As soon as he left, an ordinary carriage stopped at the door. Zhou Ying was surprised and walked over. Before she could speak, she saw Zhou Huaiming walking in with half a sheep¡¯s worth of meat.


    Manager Liu then turned around and walked to the front of the carriage. After that, he respectfully drew the curtain and waited in ce..

 Chapter 295 - 295 The Third Prince

    Chapter 295: The Third Prince


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After a while, a man who was about the same age as Zhou Huaiming walked out.


    The man was dressed in a ck brocade robe with silver trimmings. He looked exceptionally tall and steady despite his young age.


    Unfortunately, his handsome face, which seemed to have been cut by a knife, looked particrly cold. It gave people the feeling of an iceberg, making them not want to get close to him.


    Seeing that Manager Liu was more respectful toward him than toward Zhou Huaiming, Zhou Ying immediately had an answer in her heart.


    This person was most likely the Third Prince, who was in charge of the Dongyang Navy.


    She just didn¡¯t know why he had suddenlye to visit.


    She quickly stopped the barking Er Zhuang and said, ¡°Pleasee in.¡±


    After sensing her gaze, Zhou Huaiming asked in surprise, ¡°Did you know who he is?¡±


    ¡°I guessed,¡± Zhou Ying said, nodding.


    However, she was too embarrassed to greet him because they didn¡¯t take the initiative to introduce him. Instead, she bowed ording to her original owner¡¯s memory and weed them into the house.


    After they sat down, Zhou Huaiming asked curiously, ¡°Sister, can you guess who he is?¡±


    The Third Prince frowned and nced at him, but he still looked at Zhou Ying curiously.


    To be honest, he really didn¡¯t expect that Zhou Ying, who had lived in Beijing with him for many years, wouldn¡¯t recognize him.


    ¡°Thismoner greets the Third Prince.¡± Zhou Ying stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°Rise; sorry for the intrusion today.¡± The Third Prince said.


    ¡°Thank you. Please wait a moment; I will go and make tea.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around to leave.


    Zhou Huaiming stopped her. ¡°Wait a minute. You can bring the mutton over as well. We¡¯ll have a hot pot for lunch. Please prepare a table for eight people.¡±


    Zhou Ying took themb thoughtfully and said, ¡°Alright, please wait a moment.¡±


    After that, she took the mutton to the kitchen and made them a pot of Longjing tea. She brought in nine teacups and poured them one cup each. ¡°Help yourselves. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to prepare the food.¡±


    Not long after she left, Gu Chengrui returned with a carriage. At the same time, he brought along County Magistrate Sun, Tian Jingzhong, the vige chief, and the patriarch.


    Gu Chengrui was carrying a copper pot. After sending them into the house, he handed the copper pot to Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Babe, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to make it to the table today. Save some food for yourself.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and asked, ¡°Did that persone over because of the white potato?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 80% sure. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to collect a portion of the sweet potatoes from the vige and transport them to the south.¡±


    ¡°I see. There¡¯s boiling water in the pot. You can entertain them by yourself.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she prepared the hot pot in the kitchen.


    It was far too difficult to cut the meat with a knife, so Zhou Ying took it into her interspace and froze it. Then, she cut it with an automatic knife cutter, but she tried to make it as thick as possible.


    The base of the hot pot was a spicy and sour soup.


    The side dishes were mainly the vegetables that existed in the vige, such as white radish, cabbage, bok choy, lettuce, pumpkin, and sweet potato.


    Finally, she took some extra tofu, vermicelli, agarwood, and taro.


    After they were ready, she started the fire. Gu Chengrui walked over and asked, ¡°Do you need any help?¡±


    ¡°Are they done with talking?¡± Zhou Ying raised her head and asked.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and continued, ¡°ording to the number of people in the vige, every strongborer will keep 500 pounds of sweet potatoes, and each child will have 300 pounds, and the rest will be transported to the south.¡±


    ¡°County Magistrate Kong didn¡¯t say anything, but there are many victims elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°The Third Prince said a batch of rice would be shipped here soon. They will be ground into powder together with sweet potato vines and various dried vegetables..¡±

 Chapter 296 - 296 Harvest Output

    Chapter 296: Harvest Output


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It seems like my n is going to fail.¡± Zhou Ying spoke with a depressed look. ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡±


    ¡°The white potato vines. I was thinking of bringing some to the manor to feed the cattle and sheep. I just let the news out this morning.¡±


    Gu Chengrui pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t the white sweet potatoes in the space mature?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the manor together to help harvest the sweet potatoes. I¡¯ll cover for you to take some out from the interspace.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too. By the way, you can serve the dishes first. You can start eating once the fire is lit.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he walked out and served the dishes on the table.


    After Gu Chengrui brought the dishes back, the patriarch and Manager Liu came over to help him with the dishes.


    Manager Liu looked at the white sweet potatoes on the table and asked in surprise, ¡°Miss Zhou, you can even boil these sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but try to eat themst. It fills your stomach quickly.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll have a taste of white sweet potato as well.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯ve been guarding such arge sweet potato field and haven¡¯t eaten any of it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t bear to. I¡¯ve only eaten the sweet potato vines.¡± After Manager Liu finished speaking, he began to help serve the dishes.


    By the time they were almost done, the charcoal was already burning. After it was packed, Gu Chengrui carried it in.


    In the end, Zhou Ying gave them a jar of sorghum wine weighing about five pounds and then returned to the kitchen to use the remaining soup to make a sourmb soup. They all had a full meal.


    After the meal, the group began collecting the white sweet potatoes in the vige. Of course, they didn¡¯t take them for free. The Third Prince¡¯s price was ten coppers per pound, which was quite a high price.


    Therefore, most of the vigers were willing to give up their harvest. After all, they could start nting again next spring.


    Of course, Zhou Ying¡¯s house was the first stop. After leaving 1,000 pounds of white potatoes, the remaining 6,000 pounds were taken away.


    After they left, Zhou Ying simply ttened thend and nted brown mustard, bok choy, and spinach.


    She stored half of the sweet potatoes in the cer and nned to peel the other half with a paring knife, cut it into small pieces, and turn it into sweet potato rice to eat while the sun was still up.


    ¡°Rui, how many pounds of sweet potatoes yielded in one acre ofnd throughout the vige?¡± Zhou Ying inquired after dinner.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. But overall, it should be around 6,000 pounds of white sweet potatoes per acre. The post-nted ones are slightly worse but still good overall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. At least we can ensure that every family has food to eat.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    The couple began helping harvest the white potatoes at the manor over the next three days. Of course, they would also bring out some white potato vines from her interspace from time to time.


    However, because of Uncle Nian, she didn¡¯t dare take out too much. She only took about twenty acres of white potato vines.


    After the nted white sweet potatoes were harvested, the Third Prince asked Manager Liu, ¡°How many pounds of sweet potatoes are there in this manor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just weighed it. The ones in the fields are about 8,000 pounds. The ones in the grasnds yielded a little less, about 5,000 pounds.


    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s another batch that was ntedte. Zhou Ying meant to wait another month before harvesting them.¡± Manager Liu paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°If we¡¯re talking about the best harvest of white sweet potatoes, it¡¯s Zhou Ying¡¯s and her husband¡¯s. The yield per acre is more than 9,000 pounds.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said that it¡¯s because her family¡¯s sweet potatoes have never been short of water. I think we should really do as she said and find a sandynd with sufficient water to nt them.¡±


    ¡°How many acres are left?¡± the Third Prince nodded in agreement and asked.


    ¡°About 300 acres; I was the one who nted it after they started.¡±


    ¡°Keep them all. Other than the rations for the people in the vige, they are also for next year¡¯s seeds.


    ¡°You¡¯ll also have to stay in the vige after harvesting the white potatoes. First, you have to protect the safety of the husband and wife, and second, you must protect the cattle, sheep, and the remaining seeds.


    ¡°If the next year turns out well, you can work with County Magistrate Kong to promote sweet potatoes in Yunhe County..¡±

 Chapter 297 - 297 A Reminder

    Chapter 297: A Reminder


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Understood.¡± Manager Liu affirmed.


    On the other side, Chang Shun found Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Mistress, I see that the ground is quite wet. Should we nt some winter wheat?¡±


    ¡°Are there any more seeds in the manor?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve left some, but not much¡ªonly about ten acres worth.


    ¡°They¡¯re the seeds from the year beforest, and they didn¡¯t grow well. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be eptable.¡±


    Zhou Ying pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Then pick the seeds carefully. Find the big and whole ones¡ªnt as many seeds as possible.


    ¡°For the rest of thend, I¡¯ll give you some vegetable seedster. You can nt them all. If people can¡¯t finish eating them, you can store them to feed the cattle and sheep.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go down and get people to fertilize thend.¡± Chang Shun turned around and left after he finished speaking.


    Zhou Ying found Gu Chengrui, who was drying the sweet potatoes in the field. The two of them greeted the Third Prince and Zhou Huaiming before going home.


    After the two entered the interspace at night, Zhou Ying collected all the white potatoes. After washing the remaining potato vines, she dried them in the drying area.


    She collected some duck eggs and bird¡¯s nests too.


    After she was done, she packed two sacks of white potatoes and nned to send them to Zhao Cheng and the others in town.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui, who had finished feeding various livestock, came back and understood her intention. He said, ¡°Take out two more bags of the grass noodles I ground before. I guess they don¡¯t have much food left.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Give them 20 pounds of beef oil, 20 pounds of beef, and some amount of dried vegetables.¡± Zhou Ying proposed and prepared the items.


    After that, the two butchered all the mature cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, and ducks and stored them in the warehouse.


    The following day, Gu Chengrui carried a carriage full of goods to town. Zhou Ying carried 10 pounds of cabbage seeds, 10 pounds of snow barley seeds, and several rapeseed and spinach seeds and headed to the manor.


    When she arrived at the manor, she handed them over to Chang Shun, and everyone began getting busy.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have so many vegetable seeds,¡± Manager Liu said as he walked over.


    ¡°At the beginning of summer, when Manager Qiu of the seed shop was closing, I bought all the seeds at a low price.¡± Zhou Ying added, ¡°By the way, do you want some? You can nt it in your manor. Although it¡¯s a littlete in the season, nting these vegetables is still doable.¡±


    Manager Liu recalled that she had gone to the seed store many times to buy all kinds of vegetable seeds, so he believed her and said, ¡°Sure, give me as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯lle again in the afternoon.¡± Zhou Ying turned around to leave.


    Manager Liu quickly stopped her. ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯m looking for you as I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Please speak.¡±


    ¡°I want to buy two cattle from you and ask you to make some marinated beef, beef jerky, and other easy-to-bring cooked food for the Third Prince and the others to eat on the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re leaving so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re leaving the day after tomorrow. They have to rush to the south.


    ¡°By the way, inform the old farmers who know how to nt sweet potatoes to prepare to leave with the Third Prince. It¡¯ll be about two months before they return, so tell them to prepare.¡±


    As soon as Zhou Ying heard this, she knew he wasn¡¯t here to inform the old farmers but to inform her.


    After all, the manor was busy nting seeds. If a dozen or so old farmers were to leave at once, it would definitely affect the work of the manor.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯lle over tomorrow morning.¡± She nodded.


    After Zhou Ying exchanged a few words with him, she found Chang Shun and let him inform the old farmers. After that, she solemnly instructed, ¡°To prevent the potatoes from not limatizing to their new ce, remember to ask the farmers to bring some soil with them when they leave. It can save the potatoes if there¡¯s any trouble..¡±

 Chapter 298 - 298 The Excited Emperor (1)

    Chapter 298: The Excited Emperor (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re sure meticulous. I¡¯ll remember this, and I¡¯ll personally prepare it for them.¡± Chang Shun nodded.


    ¡°Also, tell them to pack their clothes well. Although it¡¯s hot in the south, it¡¯s cold here. They should wear cotton-padded clothes on the way back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything more at the moment. I guess I¡¯ll ask Chengrui to make some medicine for themter.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she found Uncle Nian and asked him to butcher two cows for tomorrow.


    She went home after that.


    At night, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the Third Prince¡¯s departure the day after tomorrow. ¡°When the timees, the old farmers in the manor will also follow. Just in case, you should prepare some medicine for them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a flood in the ce they¡¯re heading to. I¡¯ll go and ask Brother Zhou myselfter.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll leave this to you then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right; when I was returning, I heard that more refugees wereing over. I don¡¯t know where they came from, so try not to go out alone in the future.¡± ¡°More refugees? It seems that theing days will not be easy.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I hope that the food that the Third Prince mentioned wille soon. Otherwise, our viges that have water will be in trouble.¡±


    The following day, the two of them went to the manor.


    Zhou Ying directly asked two women to help. One of the cattle was made into braised beef, and the other was made into beef jerky.


    In the afternoon, she turned the cattle¡¯s blood into blood tofu and distributed it to the people in the manor.


    As for the beef offal, Zhou Ying mixed it with the beef tendons and made it into a beef offal soup, and it came out thick. It was the kind that could be mixed with water and served with vegetables.


    About 5,000 well-trained soldiers with knives, bows, and arrows rushed over in the middle of the afternoon. They also brought a long line of grain carriages.


    As soon as the carriages arrived, the group began to load the dried white sweet potatoes and wheat straw. They were busy until after midnight.


    Gu Chengrui also learned from Zhou Huaiming that there was no flood at the ce they were going. They were the only two prefectures in the Ming Dynasty that weren¡¯t affected by any natural disasters.


    Therefore, he gave the old farmers some medicine to treat rheumatism.


    In the end, he brought some chili to the Third Prince and the others.


    Early the next morning, County Magistrate Kong and the others rushed to send off the Third Prince.


    Before they left, the Third Prince instructed everyone to promote the white sweet potatoes as soon as possible, then got into the carriage.


    Zhou Ying handed over the manor to Chang Shun and Manager Liu as soon as the Third Prince left, while she stayed home like a cat.


    Five dayster.


    The capital city.


    In the Imperial study.


    When the Emperor, dressed in a purple dragon robe, saw the number of white sweet potatoes mentioned in the letter that the Third Prince had submitted through secret channels, his first reaction was disbelief.


    Although he didn¡¯t know much about farming, he, too, had a royal manor. From the annual reports, he knew that the highest output of taro could only reach 1,000 pounds.


    No matter how good the year was, winter wheat, grains, and the like would never exceed 200 pounds.


    How could there be a crop with a production of at least 5,000 pounds?


    What kind of concept was this?


    If there were really such high-production crops, then the people of the Ming Dynasty would no longer have to suffer from hunger and cold.


    He would also be remembered for thousands of years for this outstanding achievement.


    Thinking of this, he was getting excited. He was willing to believe the news this time.


    He looked at the guards and asked, ¡°Chief Xiao, did the Third Prince give you anything else other than this letter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just a few dirt lumps, so I didn¡¯t bring them.¡± Chief Xiao was stunned for a moment, bowed, and answered the question.


    ¡°Dirt lumps¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s very likely a treasured crop. Hurry up and bring it to me.¡± The Emperor immediately stood up and shouted in excitement..

 Chapter 299 - 299 The Excited Emperor (2)

    Chapter 299: The Excited Emperor (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chief Xiao responded, then turned and ran out.


    He returned to his office, picked up a small bag, and returned. He handed it to the Emperor and said, ¡°Reporting to the Emperor, this is the thing that was sent along with the letter.¡±


    The Emperor couldn¡¯t care less about his image and immediately opened the bag to take a look. Sure enough, there were a few long, dirt-like things. The big ones were about two pounds, and the small ones were much lighter.


    He thought back to the size of a taro¡­


    He got even more excited.


    If all the white sweet potatoes were simr and yielded well, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for them to harvest 5000 pounds per acre.


    He took out a small piece and looked at it. He remembered that the letter mentioned that this thing was eaten simrly to taro. He took the bigger piece and handed it to Eunuch Li, who was standing to the side and installing a background board. ¡°Old Li, take this sweet potato to the Imperial Kitchen and steam it like taro. Stir-fry two dishes with it, and I¡¯ll mainly eat this for lunch.¡± ¡°Yes, this old servant will make the arrangements.¡± Eunuch Li looked at the Emperor¡¯s facial expression as if he had struck gold and hurriedly stepped forward to take the white potato with both hands. He then hurriedly rushed to the Imperial Kitchen.


    The imperial meal was served at noon, and the Emperor had his eyes on the peeled white sweet potatoes as he gave Eunuch Li a look.


    Eunuch Li immediately stepped forward and used a knife to cut the sweet potatoes into pieces. He then picked up a bit and dipped it in white sugar before cing it on the small te in front of the Emperor.


    Only then did the Emperor pick it up and take a bite. It was soft and sticky, and it was absolutely delicious. The key was that there was no peculiar smell, making it more delicious than taro.


    It was just that it was a little dryer than taro, so he quickly asked Eunuch Li to pass him a ss of water.


    After eating three pieces in a row, he started to eat the stir-fried vegetables.


    After the meal, the Emperor patted his full stomach and said, ¡°Not bad. This is really good stuff. You can eat it as a staple food.¡±


    He pointed at the remaining pieces and said to Eunuch Li, ¡°Old Li, you should also try this. This is something the Third Prince found.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Eunuch Li saw the Emperor wolfing down the food and knew it was good food. He immediately picked up the chopsticks and started eating.


    After he finished eating, the Emperor asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good stuff. Those with bad teeth will definitely love to eat it.¡± Eunuch Li said.


    ¡°Yes, send the rest to the Imperial Kitchen. At night, steam a few pieces and send them to each court to let everyone try them. This may be one of the staple foods of our Ming Dynasty in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this old servant will make the arrangements.¡± When Eunuch Li was done speaking, he summoned the pce maids to clear the table and followed him to the Imperial Kitchen.


    After everyone had left, the Emperor walked to the soft couch in the side hall and closed his eyes.


    He was naturally in a good mood. With this new crop, various disasters would pass quickly.


    However, thinking about the person who found it, he felt a headache.


    It was the Gu family¡¯s Gu Cgrui again. He had just suppressed him, and he didn¡¯t want to hear his name again so quickly.


    However, they had already repressed the waterwheel incident once. If he did it again, it would be difficult to exin to the Third Prince.


    The key was that this kind of capable person would be a great hidden danger if he were to break away from the control of the royal family. It seemed that he had to reward them.


    However, how could he reward them so they would be grateful yet suppressed¡­


    Just as the Emperor was conflicted, Eunuch Li once again sent white sweet potatoes into the Imperial Kitchen, and the news that white sweet potatoes could be used as a main course quickly spread throughout the pce.


    The current Empress, who had received the letter, immediately felt something was wrong and quickly sent someone to find Eunuch Li to ask about the situation.


    Knowing that the Gu family had discovered it and that the Third Prince had presented it and had already started to promote it, her heart thumped.


    She quickly got someone to call the First Prince over..

 Chapter 300 - 300 Reactions Of Various Parties

    Chapter 300: Reactions Of Various Parties


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Mother, what happened? ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to summon me into the pce?¡± As he rushed over, the First Prince inquired.


    ¡°Naturally, something big happened.¡± After the Empress finished speaking, she waved her hand to dismiss the pce servants.


    She had him sit beside her and told him about the white potatoes. ¡°The Third Prince discovered this, and it¡¯s another great achievement. If this continues, it¡¯ll be bad.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be. Hasn¡¯t father always been suppressing the Zhou family?¡± The First Prince was shocked.


    ¡°But the Emperor has not yet chosen a crown prince, and the Third Prince¡¯s power in the court is no less than yours.


    ¡°He is to be your most powerful opponent; you can¡¯t let him go on like this.¡±


    The First Prince nodded his head in agreement. It would be detrimental to him if the Zhou family regained their position in the court.


    ¡°Mother,¡± he asked, ¡°you just said that the person who found the white potato was Gu Chengrui, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the third son of Ping Yang¡¯s family. If I remember correctly, he was the one who invented the waterwheelst time, but we repressed it and pushed it onto someone else¡¯s.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you send someone to investigate him? If there¡¯s anything good, then snatch it. If not¡­¡± When the empress said this, she made the gesture of touching her neck.


    The First Prince narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Indeed, the Gu family used to support my fourth brother with Princess Ping Yang, but now Gu Chengrui has sided with my third brother.


    ¡°If he isn¡¯t useful to us, then we can¡¯t keep him.¡±


    ¡°Yup, you have to think carefully about arranging the people going over. Last time, the seventh son of the Su family suffered a great loss at the hands of the Third Prince. We can¡¯t follow in his footsteps.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll get back to my work then. I¡¯lle over to have dinner with you tonight, as I want to taste the sweet potatoes that father has been praising to the heavens.¡±


    ¡°You only know how to take advantage of your mother.¡± The Empress scoffed jokingly.


    ¡°Remember to bring Yanran along,¡± she said. ¡°She hasn¡¯te to the pce to pay her respects in a long time.¡±


    When the First Prince heard her mention his wife, his expression immediately became impatient. However, he also knew they still had to rely on the Prime Minister¡¯s power, so he could only nod and answer, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get going then.¡±


    On the other side, the Fourth Prince had also received the news. He immediately summoned the seventh son of the Su family into the pce and ordered him to take advantage of the drought to send some people to Yunhe County to monitor Gu Chengrui.


    The Emperor¡¯s mother was the only person happy in the pce because she was the Third Prince¡¯s only backer.


    In Shanghe vige, the weather was good today. In the morning, Zhou Ying cut sweet potatoes in the courtyard to dry them. Suddenly, she heard a scream from next door, which almost made her cut her hand.


    At the thought of Qiu Niang, who was about to give birth, she put down her knife and ran over.


    She saw Da Hua trembling in the yard and quickly went into the house to take a look.


    She noticed Qiu Niang on the ground, biting her lower lip and sweating profusely.


    She quickly walked over and helped her stand by the bed. ¡°Qiu Niang, are you about to give birth?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡± Qiu Niang nodded her head with difficulty.


    ¡°Lean against the bed first; I¡¯ll call for help.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and walked out. She patted Da Hua¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Da Hua, do you know where your mother is?¡±


    Da Hua raised her head and nodded in panic. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and inform your mother. Tell her that your aunt is about to give birth and ask her to inform the midwife.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh.¡± Da Hua responded and ran out in a panic.


    Zhou Ying stopped a child running by the street and asked him to go to the Qian nnd and call Qian Jiawang back.


    She then returned to the house to support Qiu Niang and slowly walked into the house..

 Chapter 301 - 301A Chubby Boy

    Chapter 301:A Chubby Boy


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In less than 15 minutes, Sister Tian rushed in and asked, ¡°How is she? When did it start to hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it seems like she¡¯s been in pain for quite a while.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°About two hours. At first, it was just a burst of pain, but the real pain started about fifteen minutes ago.¡± Qiu Niang replied, panting heavily.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. It appears that we will have some more time.¡± Elder sister Tian heaved a sigh of relief, then said to Zhou Ying, ¡°Sister, please take care of her for a while. I must clean up the delivery room and boil some water quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright. By the way, the midwife¡­


    ¡°Xing Wang went to get her. He ran fast.¡± After Elder Sister Tian finished speaking, she turned around and left.


    After a while, Tian Jiawang came over with a white-haired woman. Zhou Ying briefly exined the situation and turned to go home.


    After dinner, Qiu Niang¡¯s screams finally stopped, and soon, the tender cry of a baby could be heard.


    Zhou Ying finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°This delivery sounded scary. It took ten hours, and it should be life-threatening.¡±


    ¡°She should be fine. Some women give birth for two days and two nights. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be so many women who died from difficultbor.¡± Gu Chengrui paused for a moment. He was afraid of scaring her, so he quickly and carefully said, ¡°Of course, it will go smoothly with a healthy body.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at his eager expression and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I understand. I won¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gu Chengruiughed and continued, ¡°By the way, tomorrow morning, send them 20 eggs and 5 pounds of ck noodles.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the eggs a little too few? We¡¯re their bosses, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite a lot in these times. Nowadays, anyone who can eat an egg is living well, not to mention the ck noodles.¡±


    ¡°At most, I¡¯ll send more over when we have the opportunity in the future. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be hard to exin with just three chickens in our backyard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, then. I¡¯ll also give them a small jar of red sugar fermented rice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    The following day, after Gu Chengrui left, Zhou Ying carried a basket and a small bag to their neighbor.


    Seeing that Tian Jiawang was ughtering chickens in the courtyard, she walked over and asked, ¡°Brother Tian, are you preparing to make chicken soup?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s for Qiu Niang¡¯s nourishment.¡± Tian Jiawang stood up and answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Anything for the mother and child, right?


    ¡°There was nothing good I could give this year.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought some ck noodles, eggs, and a jar of fermented rice in red sugar as a token of our appreciation.¡±


    ¡°This is already lovely. Qiu Niang needs these, so thank you very much.¡± Tian Jiawang thanked her happily. He took the goods and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go in and see the child.¡±


    ¡°In two days. The child is too young now; I shouldn¡¯t risk the baby catching a cold.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, try not to let Qiu Niang eat the sweet potatoes as much as possible; that will make her stomach bloated.¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously, ¡°Did she give birth to a boy or a girl?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a chubby boy,¡± Tian Jiawang grinned.


    ¡°Congrattions, Brother Tian. Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to your work as I have to go back to sun-dry the white potatoes.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and went home to get busy.


    When it was almost noon, they suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps, followed by Er Zhuang¡¯s barking.


    She saw Qian Shisan rushing in with a refugee carrying a three or


    four-year-old boy; behind them was a woman crying.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment.. She quickly got up and asked while stopping Ere Zhuang, ¡°Thirteenth Uncle, um¡­¡±

 Chapter 302 - 301 Emergency Rescue

    Chapter 302: Chapter 301 Emergency Rescue


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The child caught a cold and has a high fever. I am here to ask if there¡¯s any fever medicine.¡± Qian Shisan asked.


    ¡°Please save the child. He¡¯s still young, and he can¡¯t die like this.¡± The man kneeled with his child.


    ¡°Get up first;e in and let me take a look.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll have to send you all to town as soon as possible.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and walked into the house.


    When the man heard this, he immediately carried his child and followed in. Qian Shisan also followed immediately.


    After entering the west room, Zhou Ying asked the man to put the child on the bed.


    After ensuring that the child had only caught a cold and had a high fever, she used medical alcohol to wipe his body.


    After that, she found the scraping board and scraped the child¡¯s back, giving him Gua Sha treatment.


    She scraped back and forth on some of the more heavily discolored areas, stopping only when the color faded.


    Qian Shisan looked at the child, whose expression had returned to normal. He reached his hand against the child¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°Eh, the fever has really gone down.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that it works.¡± Zhou Ying exhaled a sigh of relief.


    She wrapped the child with ayer of gauze and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let his back get wet for twenty-four hours. To avoid infection, do not remove the gauze.


    ¡°As for the medicine, I don¡¯t dare to prescribe it since the child is too young.


    ¡°However, I know a folk remedy. It is to boil scallions and ginger together and drink them to get rid of a cold.


    ¡°If you have a fever again at night,e back and let Doctor Gu take a look He might prescribe medicine then.¡±


    ¡°We do have ginger, but scallions¡­¡± The man was put in a difficult position.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you some.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the kitchen and brought him five small onions. ¡°Take these first; they should be enough for two portions.¡±


    ¡°How much is it?¡± The man reached into his pocket reluctantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Quickly take the child back to make the drink.¡± Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment and shook her head.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± After the man finished speaking, he carried the child and walked out.


    When Zhou Ying saw them out, she saw the woman standing in front of the rack of dry white potato grains; she was grabbing some white potato grains and eating them. Zhou Ying¡¯s face darkened.


    At the same time, Qian Shisan¡¯s face also turned ugly. They were here to save the child, but as the child¡¯s mother, she didn¡¯t care about the life and death of her child and instead stole food. This was just neglectful.


    Of course, the man¡¯s expression looked the worst among them. He immediately roared, ¡°You cheap woman, did I ever starve you?¡±


    The woman¡¯s body stiffened for a moment; she grabbed two more handfuls and quickly ran out.


    ¡°You¡­¡± When the man took off his shoes and was about to throw them at her, the child in his arms started crying.


    He could only hug the child again.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°Hurry and take the child back¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I¡­ I really don¡¯t know how I can face you again.¡± After the man apologized, he ran out of the vige as if he were escaping.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying said to Qian Shisan, ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t let these refugees enter the vige in the future. If there is a need for medical treatment, ask them to wait for Chengrui in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ve really caused you trouble today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. She didn¡¯t eat much. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s disgusted me.


    ¡°Also, I¡¯m afraid that the refugees will be greedy and steal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take note of this and let the vige chief know.¡± After Qian Shisan finished speaking, he hurriedly chased after the family, afraid that the woman would turn around and cause more trouble.


    Fortunately, the woman was probably afraid of being beaten up, so she ran all the way up the mountains without stopping.


    Zhou Ying turned around and walked to where the sweet potatoes were drying. She threw away the basket of grains the woman had touched, then turned around and went to the kitchen to make a bowl of noodles..

 Chapter 303 - 303 Conspiracy

    Chapter 303: Conspiracy


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other hand, after climbing up the mountain, the man gave the scallions to his mother and asked her to assist him in making the white ginger scallion soup.


    In a fit of rage, he found the woman hiding behind his inws.


    He stepped forward and pulled her out of the Mother God Temple. He raised his hands and gave her two ps, saying, ¡°You bitch, how could you embarrass me? I just saved your child, and you turned around and stole from our benefactor. Are you still human?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? What are you doing? How can you hit her?¡± The man¡¯s father-inw ran over and pulled them away.


    ¡°Ask her what she¡¯s done. I¡¯m too embarrassed even to say it.¡± The man pointed at the woman¡¯s nose.


    The father-inwughed. ¡°Hey, I thought it was a big deal. It¡¯s just a few handfuls of white potatoes, and they don¡¯tck them. Do you have to be so angry?¡±


    Hearing this, the man thought of something and pulled the woman over again. He nced at her empty pockets and said, ¡°Where¡¯re the white potatoes?¡±


    ¡°In the pot. It¡¯s noon, so¡­¡± When his father-inw was halfway through his sentence, the man snorted coldly. ¡°You traitor. Since you¡¯re so loyal to your family, then live with your family.¡±


    He then turned around and returned to the Mother God Temple.


    When the woman saw this, she hurriedly chased after him. ¡°Darling, wait! Please don¡¯t drive me away. My mother, really¡­¡±


    ¡°What about your son? Get lost.¡± The man pushed her away and walked into the small shed that they had built.


    When the father-inw saw this, he ignored her daughter and returned to his small shed.


    The woman burst into tears, but no one paid her any attention.


    In the end, she obediently returned to the man¡¯s side. However, there was no food for her, so she could only starve.


    After lunch, the man took an axe and climbed the mountain to chop firewood. He had to send two bundles of firewood to show his gratitude, regardless of whether they needed it.


    He also wanted to see if there was any more ginger, which was indispensable in the winter.


    At this time, in his father-inw¡¯s house, the old woman, who was also the man¡¯s mother-inw, said happily, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect these white potatoes to be so filling. There were only two handfuls, but we can drink a bowl of mush from it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Otherwise, the Third Prince wouldn¡¯t have offered such a high price to buy the seeds and send them to the south.¡± The father-inw shook his head and continued, ¡°Sigh, if I had known there was such a good thing, I would havee to the vige in advance to take some. We wouldn¡¯t have to survive on tree bark, leaves, and wild vegetable soup every day then.¡±


    ¡°Father, it¡¯s not toote now. Each family in the vige got quite a lot of them. Besides, thete-nted ones are still growing in the fields.¡± At this moment, their son walked over and whispered.


    ¡°No, there are not only patrols around the vige but also soldiers. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± The father-inw shook his head.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? Their patrol team is not always watching the foot of the mountain. When they leave, we can just rush over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We won¡¯t steal from the vigers¡¯ homes. We¡¯ll just go to the fields and dig some. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to hold on without solid food.¡± The mother-inw added.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The father-inw hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°We¡¯ll have to contact more people. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be beaten to death if we¡¯re caught.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get in touch with them. Actually, most people have the same idea. Otherwise, how are we going to survive the winter? ¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you must find someone reliable. Don¡¯t let the news leak out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll contact them now. We¡¯ll take action tonight.¡±


    In the evening, the man gave the firewood to Qian Shisan and asked Qian Shisan to help deliver it to the Gu family. He turned around and returned to the Mother God Temple.


    Seeing his son looking around, he walked over and touched his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to really work. The fever sure did go down..¡±

 Chapter 304 - 304 Got Discovered

    Chapter 304: Got Discovered


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed effective, but it¡¯s best to get two more doses of actual medicine, just in case.¡± The man¡¯s mother said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯ll be troublesome if it worsens at night. I¡¯ll bring him over after dinner.¡± The man nodded.


    After the meal, the man carried his child down the mountains. However, he was sternly rejected when he reached the foot of the mountain and went to the shed to find the official guarding the mountains.


    The man had more or less guessed the reason, but when he looked down at the child in his arms, he still pleaded, ¡°Please, it¡¯s just the two of us this time. Just let the brothers in the patrol team follow me.¡±


    ¡°No, you wait here. I¡¯ll send someone to get Doctor Gu.¡± The officer shook his head.


    The man could only sit down with the child in his arms. ¡°Thank you, brother.¡±


    The officer didn¡¯t give him a good look. When the patrol team came over, he requested them to go over and invite Doctor Gu over.


    Gu Chengrui had already heard about this from Zhou Ying. So after receiving the notice, he took some rtively cheap medicines and went to the foot of the mountain.


    After checking the child¡¯s pulse, Gu Chengrui gave him three doses of medicine and said, ¡°To put it bluntly, this child is sick due to malnutrition and insufficient food. When you have time, go to the mountains to find some red dates or Chinese yam. Otherwise, he will catch a cold from time to time in the winter.


    He should be fine after taking these three doses of medicine.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he passed the medicines to him.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much. How much are the medicines?¡±


    ¡°No need; just send down two more bundles of firewood to us. It will save us the trouble of going up the mountains.¡±


    ¡°You guys need firewood?¡± The man¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Gu Chengrui looked at his expression and knew what he was thinking. He nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right; we need them in preparation for the winter. If you have extra firewood, you can sell it to me. A bundle of 50 pounds of firewood is five coppers, and the shrubs to light the firewood are three coppers.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Remember,¡± the officer reminded the man, ¡°you can only cut branches like before. Otherwise, if you¡¯re discovered, you won¡¯t be able to live in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°I remember, yes,¡± the man responded, carrying the medicines and his child back to the Mother God Temple.


    After returning home, he told his brothers about the matter, which excited them a little. No matter what, they could go to the vige with this little ie and buy some sweet potatoes.


    The family happily went to sleep, but they got happy too early.


    After midnight, about ten strongborers quietly walked out of Mother God Temple, carrying bup sacks with them. Two even brought two longboards as they sneaked down the mountains.


    However, they didn¡¯t go down the mountains directly. Instead, they walked along the mountains to the outside of the vige, near a trench with lush bushes. After the patrol team left the area, they immediately ced the long boards and quickly crossed the trench.


    The group of people quietly rushed into the fields.


    When they arrived at the sweet potato field, the group of people were like mice entering a rice jar. They quickly and greedily dug up the sweet potatoes, even picking up bunches of radishes and scallions.


    After they had filled more than half of their sacks, they turned around and walked back.


    However, their luggage wasn¡¯t as light as when they came, which was much more cumbersome.


    Hence, they were discovered by the patrol team when they were halfway there.


    The group of people wanted to throw the white potatoes away and run, but they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to give up at that point. In the end, the brother-inw of the man with the sick child said, ¡°We have ten people, and they have eight. We have to fight it out if ites down to it.¡±


    ¡°But what if theye up the mountains to us?¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? Let¡¯s not go back to Mother God Temple. With these white


    sweet potatoes, we can hide for half a month..¡±

 Chapter 305 - 305 Dispersing The Refugees

    Chapter 305: Dispersing The Refugees


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go all out. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be skinned alive if we¡¯re caught, if we don¡¯t die from the beating.¡±


    After he finished speaking, the thieves put the white potatoes aside and rushed over.


    When the patrol team saw this, they were stunned. When they came back to their senses, the leader of the patrol team, Qian Jiaxi, cursed, ¡°Motherfucker, a bunch of white-eyed wolves. Don¡¯t let any of them go.¡±


    After saying that, the two sides shed and started fighting.


    There were screams soon after, which quickly attracted the attention of the other two patrol teams and officers. Not longter, they surrounded the thieves.


    A momentter, the refugees were pressed to the ground.


    Qian Jiaxi heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Everyone, check on each other. Those who are seriously injured, go to Doctor Gu and get your wounds bandaged. The rest of you tie them up and bring them to the ancestral hall with the white potatoes over there.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s split up.¡± Gu Chengyu responded and rushed to Gu Chengrui¡¯s ce with the injured personnel.


    When Gu Chengrui was woken up, he was shocked to see the group of people outside. ¡°Second brother, what are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°People came down from the mountains to steal sweet potatoes and met the patrol team. Blood was spilled when they shed.¡± Gu Chengyu pointed at his forearm.


    ¡°Hurry up ande in. I¡¯ll bandage everyone up.¡± Gu Chengrui brought them to the kitchen after he was done.


    After lighting the lights, he told them to wait inside and said, ¡°There¡¯s water in the jug. If you need a drink, pour it yourself.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he went to the west room to get his first aid box and began to bandage them.


    After Gu Chengrui was done, he gave them a few instructions and sent them back.


    The next day, early in the morning, Tian Jingzhong and the vige chief brought all the soldiers and patrol officers to drive down the refugees from the nearby mountains. They then arranged for them to stay in the empty houses in town.


    As for the people who were caught, they were all arranged to work in the mill, including their family members.


    In the afternoon, a deputy general brought over the grains the Third Prince had promised. However, rice made up only a tiny part of it, while taro and sorghum were the majority.


    But this was enough to make Tian Jingzhong very happy.


    After that, he collected the white sweet potato vines that were almost dried, then some dried vegetables, which he mixed with the grains and ground into a flour-like powder.


    After that, the flour and taro were distributed to the grain stores controlled by various officials. They were to be distributed in limited quantities.


    With the sale of the flour, the underground water slowly recovered, probably due to the flood in the south. Most of the wells began to produce water once again.


    The number of refugees gathered in the vicinity decreased significantly, especially from the neighboring Qingshui town. Besides those from other ces, most of them were preparing to go home.


    The refugees from other ces had gathered in the warehouse again, but there were much fewer than before.


    The vige suddenly got lively. Early one morning, Zhou Ying was drying her sweet potatoes in the courtyard when Sixth Aunt Gu came in with a smile. Shemented, ¡°You sure are busy.¡±


    ¡°Sixth Aunt Gu, you¡¯re here? Why don¡¯t you take advantage of the good weather to dry the sweet potatoes? Oh, how¡¯s it going at your house?¡± Zhou Ying asked as she brought her a stool.


    ¡°As you said, most of them were sun-dried, and the rest were buried in a hole to keep them from rotting.¡± After she sat down, Sixth Aunt Gu said.


    ¡°It¡¯s good, but it¡¯s been too cold recently. You guys have to keep an eye on it; otherwise, it¡¯ll be inedible once it¡¯s frozen.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± After that, she helped Zhou Ying wash some sweet potatoes as she said, ¡°Over the past two days, many people havee to the vige to buy white sweet potatoes. I heard that your manor still has some in stock. Do you want to sell some?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°The white sweet potatoes in the manor are the seeds of our county next year. If I dare to sell them privately, County Magistrate Kong will throw me into a pot of oil and fry me..¡±

 Chapter 306 - 306 Buying Firewood

    Chapter 306: Buying Firewood


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Sixth Aunt Gu¡¯s face turned pale, and sheughed dryly. ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. That¡¯s your own manor, you know?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only in charge. The real master is General Zhou.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, the price of those potatoes is high?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s 15 coppers per pound. Forrger sizes, such as those from your fields, it¡¯s already gone up to 30 coppers per pound. Many people are regretting selling too early.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so expensive. Do you know who bought it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the price is almost as high as the price of pork. It¡¯s not something that ordinary people like us can afford to eat.


    ¡°There are also rtives who came to ask for information.


    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s getting difficult.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, keeping the food in your hands is better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but many were blinded by the money and can¡¯t understand that.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu agreed with a nod.


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while, and Zhou Ying found out more gossip through her.


    Because of the white potato, the vigers¡¯ days weren¡¯t peaceful.


    This was especially true for Gu Chengrui¡¯s old residence. They grew manyte-season white sweet potatoes, and many people were eyeing them and wanting to buy them. People woulde to their residences every day to tempt them.


    However, each family had their own ns, and they were all cunning.


    Other than Zhang Qingqing, who used her father¡¯s matter to threaten them and agreed to sell them a thousand pounds, the others were all ignored.


    In the afternoon, Zhou Ying was just about to take Er Zhuang to the manor when she heard someone calling her.


    She turned her head and saw Gu Chengye from a distance. He was walking over with a man pulling a cart full of firewood.


    She waited in ce, and Zhou Ying recognized the man at a nce when they came over.


    It was the father of the little boy she had saved a few days ago.


    ¡°Second brother, this is¡­¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°This man said that Chengrui had told him about buying firewood before. Didn¡¯t he send you a truckload today?¡± Gu Chengye said.


    ¡°Does Mrs. Gu still remember me? Doctor Gu said that I could use 100 pounds of firewood as payment for the medicine.¡± The man said.


    ¡°He did tell me about this, but you sure moved quickly. I didn¡¯t expect you to keep your word.¡± Zhou Ying opened the door and continued, ¡°If you collect more firewood, just pile it up in the shed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. The firewood here is 50 pounds per bundle, more or less.¡± After the man finished speaking, he pulled his small cart over.


    At that time, Zhou Ying also discovered that a younger man was pushing the cart with all his might behind her.


    Afterward, the two put the firewood in the shed, and Zhou Ying counted on the side. There were twelve bundles in total, about 600 pounds in total. After deducting the 100 pounds for the medicine, she needed to pay 50 coppers.


    ¡°In addition to the medicine, I¡¯ll give you another 50 coppers. Is that alright?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, yes, 50 coppers is alright.¡± The man smiled and nodded repeatedly. He hesitated and asked, ¡°I wonder if we can get some white sweet potato vines?¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We really can¡¯t do that. Our family¡¯s white sweet potatoes have all been transported away.¡±


    She thought of the vegetables she had saved and continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t want money, I can give you some dried lettuce.¡±


    ¡°Dried lettuce? That¡¯s even better!¡± The man¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Zhou Ying turned around and went to the cer. She took out a sack of dried lettuce weighing about 30 pounds and handed it to them. ¡°We¡¯ll take it at two coppers per pound, so here are 30 pounds.. If you still want to collect firewood, how about we deduct it from you next time?¡±

 Chapter 307 - 307 Seedlings

    Chapter 307: Seedlings


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Oh, how much firewood do you need? We¡¯ll send it over to you in a few days.¡± The man took the sack and threw it into his cart, nodding repeatedly.


    ¡°Five more carts will do,¡± Zhou Ying said after some thought.


    This way, she could help them, and she wouldn¡¯t have to go up the mountains to chop firewood.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯lle over every other day. We won¡¯t disturb you any further.¡± After the man finished speaking, he turned around and pushed his cart outside.


    Gu Chengye¡¯s eyes flickered when he heard that. When the refugees went up the mountain to chop branches and tree bark, their household bought their firewood along with Zhou Ying.


    Although some were still left, it would be difficult to get through the winter.


    However, he and his big brother had been on patrol day and night.


    Her father and uncle still had to take care of the vegetables and sweet potatoes in the field, so they had no time to go up the mountain to gather more firewood.


    Even if they had the time, they probably couldn¡¯t handle that kind of work.


    Therefore, after they left, Gu Chengye asked, ¡°Are you nning to keep cutting firewood? I also want to buy some. How about two bundles of firewood for one pound of white sweet potato or one bundle for ten pounds of white sweet potato vines?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The man asked in disbelief. He had been walking around the vige for more than half a day, so he knew others were buying sweet potatoes at a high price of 15 coppers per pound.


    ording to his firewood price, he was earning more than 10 coppers per pound, and he would greatly benefit from this.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you. Just tell me if you want to trade or not.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll trade, but I prefer the white potato vines.¡±


    ¡°Alright, send ten more carts to my house once you¡¯re done.


    ¡°Remember to bring firewood like the ones you sent earlier. Don¡¯t try to fool me with shrubs.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    On the other side, Zhou Ying locked the door after they left and took Er Zhuang to the manor. She went into the field to look at the seedlings¡¯ situation.


    Needless to say, the vegetables were from seeds produced in her interspace, so the seedling was growing excellently and tenaciously.


    On the other hand, the three acres of wheat looked frail, although their yield rate was decent.


    Changshun, who received the news of her arrival, immediately ran over. ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re here. This wheat looks alright, I think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, but it looks a little frail.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because of its aged wheat. However, it¡¯ll be much better next year once we let it grow a little more.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Remember to water it once before winter. Even if it doesn¡¯t snow, we won¡¯t be short of water.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± When Changshun said this, he pointed to the vegetables not far away and asked, ¡°Mistress, what is that? I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s brown mustard. The yield rate of this crop is quite high, and after it¡¯s marinated, it can be cooked, fried, stuffed, steamed, and so on.¡±


    There are a lot of these in the capital, but they aren¡¯tmon here.¡±


    ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case, we won¡¯tck vegetables in the winter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, no matter what, we have to fill our stomachs.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the cultivation area with him.


    She saw Manager Liu and Uncle Nian sitting under the sun, focused on ying the board game Go. She was surprised before she walked over and stood to the side to watch.


    After they finished a round, the two noticed Zhou Ying standing at the side. Uncle Nian immediately stood up, but Zhou Ying motioned for him to sit down and said, ¡°You guys continue ying. I¡¯m just here to take a look at the wheat seedlings and to take a look around.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. The wheat¡¯s seedling is doing fine, but there¡¯s just not enough.¡± Manager Liu answered.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. There are not enough seeds.


    ¡°By the way, what did you nt in your manor?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else except the vegetable seeds you gave me. I¡¯d nt all white sweet potatoes next year if the weather is decent..¡±

 Chapter 308 - 308 Complaining

    Chapter 308: Comining


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Zhou Ying nodded. Then, she paused and asked, ¡°By the way, many came to the vige over thest two days to buy white potatoes at the price of 15 coppers per pound. Do you know who they are?¡±


    ¡°Are they really asking at such a high price? Could it be someone rich that¡¯s collecting seeds?¡± Manager Liu asked with a pensive look.


    It seemed that he would have to send someone to inquire about this. If a rich man was indeed buying these potatoes, it should be fine.


    He was afraid that someone was scheming something terrible, and the vigers wouldn¡¯t have enough to eat when they sold their food and would end up directing their anger at them instead. That would be troublesome.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve only heard a little about it, but there are quite a lot of them in the vige.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they digging their own graves? Those white potatoes are their life-saving food.¡± Changshun asked in shock.


    ¡°Each family has their own ns, and we can¡¯t control them.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the cow and sheep pens. She was relieved to see that their birth rate had dropped significantly.


    After reminding them to store more firewood, she went directly home.


    When she got home, she saw it was still early, so she made a pot of millet porridge with white potatoes.


    After that, she kept the white potato grains hanging outside back into the house and went into her interspace to stir-fry a te of cabbage and garlic, twice-cooked pork, and a te of sauced beef.


    When Gu Chengrui returned, they immediately started eating dinner.


    Afterwards, when Zhou Ying finished washing the dishes, she saw Gu Chengrui sitting in a daze at the end of the bed. She walked over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    Gu Chengrui pulled her into his arms and replied, ¡°There are mria and dysentery in the south. All the antiparasitic, antibacterial, and antitoxin drugs have been transferred there.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? If they need you to concoct the medicine, it means that the imperial court is doing disaster relief.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true; let¡¯s hope there are fewer people dying. I¡¯m just worried that something might happen here and that there¡¯s no medicine left.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s been two years, and it¡¯s been one disaster after another. I don¡¯t know when it¡¯ll calm down.¡±


    ¡°It should be soon. If this continues, humanity will go extinct.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    The next morning, just as Gu Chengrui left, Mrs. Bai came looking for them.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. ¡°Auntie, what a rare guest. Come and have a seat inside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m free, so I just came to chat with you.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just sit in the courtyard; it¡¯ll be warmer with the sun.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll just cut some more sweet potatoes and let them dry.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she first brought two chairs over.


    She took out a bag of white potatoes, washed them, rubbed them, and finally cut them into small pieces.


    ¡°Your work is really fine; I just cut them all into slices.¡± Mrs. Bai said it in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m free anyway, so you mean that you¡¯ve already started drying all your potatoes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we have a lot of us, and the ce is big, so it¡¯s naturally faster.¡±


    After the two of them chatted for a while, Mrs. Baiined in a low voice.


    Many of the sweet potatoes at home were used to help out the vige chief¡¯s daughter¡¯s family, but she wasn¡¯t allowed to help her maternal family.


    Also, if there was good food, it didn¡¯t matter if they had enough to eat; they would give the vige chief¡¯s daughters a portion first. In short, she was dissatisfied with how the vige chief handled things.


    Especially when it came to financial aid, the sweet potatoes given to his daughter¡¯s family were in ordance with the usual amount.


    When it came to her family, they only got 200 pounds of potatoes and some vegetables, which made her ufortable.


    She looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°Ying, don¡¯t you think this is just unfair? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have supported letting my sister-inw and her family stay in the vige.¡±


    Zhou Ying hesitated and asked, ¡°Auntie, did Tieniu¡¯s aunt take a share of your family¡¯s grain reserve?


    ¡°In other words, did they split your share of the white sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t. They helped harvest, transport, and weigh the white sweet potatoes from the beginning.


    ¡°Thus, the Third Prince treated her family as part of our family when they were dividing white sweet potatoes..¡±

 Chapter 309 - 309 Clear Headed

    Chapter 309: Clear Headed


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Right, but was the white sweet potato your family gave to the Bai family squeezed from your reserve?¡± Zhou Ying asked again.


    Mrs. Bai was stunned for a moment. She opened her mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say.


    She wasn¡¯t happy, but she wasn¡¯t stupid.


    After listening to Zhou Ying¡¯s analysis, she knew she was overthinking it.


    Although Tienie¡¯s aunt and family were assigned to their family, they did not consume their food because they worked for it. To put it bluntly, their family didn¡¯t owe her anything.


    Instead, the food that Mrs. Bai had given to her maternal family had been squeezed out of her own family¡¯s mouths.


    Zhou Ying knew she had changed her mind, so she didn¡¯t persuade her anymore. Instead, she asked, ¡°By the way, Auntie, are you not digging for arrowroot this year?¡±


    As soon as Mrs. Bai heard her change the topic, she immediately heaved a sigh of relief and answered, ¡°I wanted to, but the mountain has been turned over by the refugees several times. They¡¯ve already dug it clean, so we can only wait for next year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If it wasn¡¯t for the intervention of the vige constable, the mountain would have turned bald a long time ago.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while. Mrs. Bai collected all the soles she had been working on while chatting, got up, and returned home.


    When she entered her house, she saw the vige chief drying some more sweet potatoes in the yard. She immediately put her shoes aside and said, ¡°Father, I can handle this. If you have time, you should teach Tiu how to read.¡±


    The vige chief was surprised that she was no longer pulling a long face, and he finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s cold now, so don¡¯t flip the potatoes over too often.¡±


    As for why she suddenly had her head cleared, he didn¡¯t bother to ask. It was fine if the family was harmonious and there were no conflicts.


    Just as he stood up, he saw a teenager running in. ¡°Grandpa Chief, hurry up ande help take a look. Our family is fighting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Zhang Laosan¡¯s grandson, right? Tell me why your family is fighting.¡± The vige chief sized him up and said.


    ¡°My grandfather wanted to give 800 pounds of white sweet potatoes to my aunt¡¯s family, but my mother doesn¡¯t agree. She said that if they were to give it, they would split up.¡±


    ¡°This bastard, even if he really wants to help your aunt, he shouldn¡¯t just leave your family to starve.¡± When the vige chief heard this, he was dumbfounded. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I can veto your grandfather on this matter alone. I¡¯ll go over first, but you should quickly go and find your eldest grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please hurry up.¡± The boy turned around and ran away after saying that.


    Seeing this, the vige chief simply tidied up his clothes, then went out with his hands behind his back.


    After listening to their conversation, Mrs. Bai had mixed feelings. It seemed that she had been too narrow-minded before.


    Previously, her father-inw had given her maternal family 200 pounds of white sweet potatoes, which was considered good enough.


    Although nothing major happened in the vige after that, there were still many conflicts because of the matter of helping out rtives who were outsiders.


    However, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t take it to heart and just let it pass.


    On the other hand, Manager Liu found out that the First Prince¡¯s men were involved through the people who collected the white potatoes.


    However, he didn¡¯t alert anyone. Instead, he asked someone to watch them carefully and see what they were up to.


    In the blink of an eye, it was Qiu Niang¡¯s son¡¯s one-month-old birthday. Zhou Ying gave two pounds of white cotton and a piece of blue cotton cloth to Qiu Niang; it was just enough to make a small cotton coat for the child.


    The next step was to harvest the remaining white sweet potatoes. This time, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying went together.


    After collecting everything and leaving enough food for the people in the manor, he dug a cer and buried the rest with sand, covering them with ayer of wheat straw.


    Two dayster, at night, Gu Chengye and Gu Chengzhi came with a cart full of stuff.


    There were about 300 pounds of sweet potatoes, 200 pounds of radishes, and 200 pounds of cabbage each. There were also four to five winter melons and pumpkins..

 Chapter 310 - 310 Low-Key

    Chapter 310: Low-Key


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Oh, push the cart to the back and put it in the cer.¡± Gu Chengrui brought them to the back of the house and helped put everything in the basement together.


    After they were done, Gu Chengrui saw two jars of about five pounds of beef oil in the cer. He gave them one and said, ¡°Take this beef oil with you; stewing cabbage with it is delicious.¡±


    ¡°Sure, thanks.¡± Gu Chengye said as he took it.


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the yield of sweet potatoes in its second season?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, they¡¯re not as plentiful as the ones in the spring. This season¡¯s white sweet potatoes didn¡¯tck fertilizer and nevercked water from the beginning to the end. However, they only produced 6,000 pounds per acre.¡± Gu Chengzhi gave his report.


    ¡°In any case, indeed, we don¡¯t have to worry about going hungry for the next year,¡± Gu Chengye continued. ¡°By the way, are these 300 pounds of white sweet potatoes enough? If they aren¡¯t enough, 1¡¯11 bring more over. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to buy them in the future, even if you want to.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Are you guys trying to sell the sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Storing it at home would attract people¡¯s attention. After the Third Prince stopped epting them, we gave Ziqiu¡¯s family 500 pounds. Constable Tian bought 2,000 pounds for 10 coppers per pound, and we also sold Zhang Qingqing 1,000 pounds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if 1 can keep the remaining 5,000 pounds.¡±


    ¡°How about this? 1¡¯11 buy 2,000 pounds from you, and you can tell others that you sold all 5,000 pounds.


    ¡°This way, you can secretly leave a portion of it behind just in case.¡±


    ¡°You can take it if you want; you don¡¯t have to pay.¡± Gu Chengye replied.


    Gu Chengrui immediately knew it was just a courtesy, as 2,000 pounds of white potatoes were 20 taels of silver. How could they give it away for free? He shook his head and replied, ¡°We already have enough for ourselves. These are for Doctor Luo, so we¡¯ll just pay ording to the normal price.¡±


    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll heed your advice, as that¡¯ll save us a lot of trouble.¡± Gu Chengye nodded.


    Gu Chengzhi didn¡¯t object when he heard this. Gu Xi was still an apprentice at the clinic, so no one could say anything about selling it to them.


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a deal. I¡¯ll find two carts and go there tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be going back now.¡±


    After that, the two brothers went home, carrying the beef oil in their carts.


    After Mrs. Qiao and the others learned that they had brought back a jar of beef oil, they were thrilled.


    This was especially so for Gu Chengzhi¡¯s wife, Mrs. Yang. The oil mill had been closed for nearly a year, and the oil reserves at home had been used up. It was fine if the adults didn¡¯t have oil for their daily meals, but not the children.


    ¡°By the way, Chengzhi,¡± she asked, ¡°does Chengrui have meat at home? We can buy some from them.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it. There were only two jars of beef oil in their cer, and he even gave us one jar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s good enough to have this jar of oil. Don¡¯t be so greedy. They would have given it to us long ago if they really had it.¡± Mrs. Qiao said.


    ¡°I heard that there are a lot of cattle and sheep in their manor. It¡¯s not like we aren¡¯t paying for them.¡± Mrs. Yao said unhappily.


    She couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, let alone her child. Her pants were almost slipping down her waist after not having meat in the past six months.


    ¡°Indeed. Can¡¯t we buy from them?¡± Mrs. Liu echoed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. First, the manor doesn¡¯t belong to the couple in the first ce. Now that Manager Liu is there, it¡¯s not like they can decide that on their own.


    ¡°Moreover, the vigers are all eating inly; do you dare fill our house with the fragrance of meat? Won¡¯t this attract hatred? It¡¯ll be troublesome if you attract thieves.¡± Father Gu reminded them.


    ¡°Indeed, when it¡¯s time to be low-key, we must act the part. Didn¡¯t you see that they don¡¯t even dare to eat meat anymore?¡± Second Uncle Gu chimed in.


    ¡°Right. Speaking of keeping a low profile, Chengrui gave us an idea.¡± At this point, Gu Chengye told them how Gu Chengrui had bought their white sweet potatoes but left some for them secretly..

 Chapter 311 - 311 Checking Up On Everyone

    Chapter 311: Checking Up On Everyone


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Right; speaking of keeping a low profile, Chengrui gave us an idea.¡± At this point, Gu Chengye told them how Gu Chengrui was nning to falsify the number of potatoes he was buying from them.


    ¡°This is a good idea. These 3,000 pounds of potatoes will be our family¡¯s lifesaving food if this drought continues.¡± Father Gu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°What do you think, brother?¡± he asked Second Uncle Gu.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Let¡¯s quickly preserve these white sweet potatoes, so they don¡¯t have to be frozen and unfrozen repeatedly.¡± Second Uncle Gu nodded.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengrui went to the patriarch¡¯s house to borrow an ox cart after his brothers left.


    The next morning, before the sun rose, he took a horse carriage and an ox cart to pull two full carts of white sweet potatoes. He went to Gu Chengye and asked him to follow him to his clinic in town.


    Gu Chengye also took a cart full of white potatoes, gathering 2,000 pounds in total.


    When Doctor Luo came to the clinic and saw the white sweet potatoes in the courtyard, he looked at Gu Chengrui excitedly and asked, ¡°Chengrui, are these all for me?¡±


    ¡°You can say that, but it¡¯s from my father¡¯s side, so you have to pay. Ten coppers per pound.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only fitting. It¡¯s good enough that I¡¯m able to buy some.


    ¡°With these sweet potatoes, I won¡¯t have to worry about starving for the next year.¡± Doctor Luo nodded repeatedly and then turned around to give him 20 taels of silver. ¡°Chengrui, thank you. You¡¯ve really saved our family¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. You should cart it home as soon as possible to avoid any trouble.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the clinic for the morning, then.¡± After Doctor Luo finished speaking, he turned around and went home, getting help to bring the white potatoes along.


    In the afternoon, Gu Chengrui brought Zhou Ying to town and sent 500 pounds of grass noodles, 1,000 pounds of white sweet potatoes, and a can of butter to the restaurant.


    Finally, Gu Chengrui pulled another cart full of white potatoes to the clinic and distributed them to the clinic helpers.


    Except for Gu Chengxi, everyone received 200 pounds. Although it wasn¡¯t much, it was enough tost them through the winter if they were to pair it with some other food.


    On the other side, Zhou Ying stayed in the restaurant after delivering the food.


    Seeing that everyone was in good spirits and looked good except for losing some weight, she asked, ¡°Zhao Cheng, Li Sheng, how¡¯s the cooking that you¡¯ve been teaching Qiu Yu and the others? Have they memorized the menu of our restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Mistress, don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re all obedient, and they¡¯ve all memorized all of our existing recipes.


    ¡°Although they don¡¯t have the ingredients to practice, they¡¯re the ones who make our three meals daily. The soup they make is even better than ours.¡± Zhao Sheng reported with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Although our restaurant is closed, you can¡¯t rx. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be out of practice when we open again.


    ¡°One more thing is to learn each other¡¯s skills, such as martial arts, reading, ounting, and so on.


    ¡°You¡¯re the first batch of people under me, and I¡¯ll put you in an important position in the future.


    ¡°However, you¡¯ll need to have the ability for me to do that.¡±


    Zhou Ying paused and looked at Fang Qing, Gu Wen, and Gu Wu. ¡°Especially the three of you. You¡¯re still young and have a long way to go. Don¡¯t stop striving for a better future just because you have food and shelter now.


    ¡°At the very least, you guys must think of a way to protect yourselves right now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mistress. We will definitely work hard and not let you down,¡± Fang Qing stated, puffing out his chest.


    The others chimed in.


    Zhou Ying nodded, and she asked, ¡°By the way, Zhao Cheng. 1 heard that some refugees hade to town.. Did they cause any trouble?¡±

 Chapter 312 - 312 Fight

    Chapter 312: Fight


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°When they first came, some of them weren¡¯t honest. They stole and robbed, but most were individual cases.


    ¡°After they were caught, the soldiers sent them directly to the mill, and the rest of the refugees became well-behaved.


    ¡°Besides that, we¡¯re still selling grass noodles here, and there¡¯s still some water in the town wells. Overall, the town is quite stable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Don¡¯t leak your wealth; you guys should keep a low profile.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss, we¡¯ll keep a low profile.¡±


    Zhou Ying gave them a few more words of advice and checked on Qiu Yu¡¯s cooking.


    After she was done, she left the restaurant and walked around the streets.


    She found that besides a grocery store and Gu Chengrui¡¯s clinic, only one official grain store was open with guarded soldiers.


    She entered the grocery store and found the items were limited. Other than soy sauce, vinegar, salt, baking powder, and alum, there was nothing else food-rted.


    After walking around, she only bought some thick thread to make shoes and went to the clinic.


    When the sun was about to set, the couple and Gu Chengxi returned to the vige.


    As soon as they entered the vige, they were surrounded by a group of people who said, ¡°Doctor Gu, I heard that you bought all the sweet potatoes that the Gu family had just harvested. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not really me who bought it, as I was just helping Doctor Luo and his workers at the clinic make the purchase. It¡¯s not even enough for all of them.¡± At this point, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°You guys are¡­¡±


    ¡°We wanted to buy some too. We didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s a shortage of food everywhere now. It¡¯s really a worry.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not easy for anyone to survive this year, so it¡¯s better to protect yourself.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he pulled on the reins and continued, ¡°You guys go ahead, as we¡¯ll be going back now.¡±


    When the crowd heard this, they immediately retreated. After muttering a few words of shame, they dispersed.


    A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the weather gradually turned cold. The vige men began climbing the mountain to chop firewood, and at the same time, they were looking for good wood to supply the workshop. While the men were busy in the mountains, the women sat under the sun and made clothes or shoes.


    Of course, when they were bored, it wasmon for them to quarrel as they chatted. Therefore, the small group members changed daily, which was more lively than a TV drama series.


    As for Zhou Ying, she got bored at home, so she also joined in and took it as a form of entertainment.


    She usually only listened and never talked. She never took the initiative to ask about other people¡¯s family matters, let alone talk about her family¡¯s problems, so her days were rtively uneventful.


    One day, while everyone was chatting happily, two people suddenly ran down from the mountain and shouted, ¡°This is bad! They¡¯re fighting! Everyone,e and help.¡±


    ¡°Jiaxing, what are you shouting about? What do you mean that they¡¯re fighting? Who¡¯s fighting who?¡± Mrs. Bai immediately stood up and asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t panic and tell us the problem clearly. What¡¯s going on?¡± Sixth Aunt Gu inquired.


    ¡°Refugees! A lot of refugees suddenly appeared on the mountain. They said they came from the south.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say there was an epidemic in the south some time ago? We are not allowing them to enter our vige because they do not appear to be healthy.


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve expected that they would start fighting us?¡± Jiaxing gasped for breath and exined intermittently.


    ¡°What! That¡¯s crossing the line! We can¡¯t let them enter the vige! Hurry up and inform the vige chief and the constable.¡± Mrs. Bai immediately ordered.


    ¡°Yes, go back home and call all the strong men to the foot of the mountain; we need to stop them from entering the vige.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu agreed.


    As soon as Zhou Ying heard this, she immediately stood up and ran home. First, she went to inform Sister Tian next door, and then she rushed to town with Er Zhuang..

 Chapter 313 - 313 Heading Up The Mountains

    Chapter 313: Heading Up The Mountains


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The first thing they had to do was make sure that the refugees on the mountain weren¡¯t diseased.


    It would be fine if they didn¡¯t bring any, buting into the vige was a dead no if they did.


    Of course, their possibility of carrying this new disease wasn¡¯t high. Otherwise, how could they have crossed the mountains and rivers to reach this ce? However, they had to be prepared for any possibilities.


    Gu Chengrui, who was discussing a prescription with Doctor Luo, was startled when he learned of her news. He immediately stood up and said, ¡°1¡¯11 go get a carriage from the back. Wait for me at the side door.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Doctor Luo dered, too. He said a few words to his apprentice, took his medicine kit, and went to the side door with Zhou Ying.


    After Gu Chengrui had secured the carriage, they quickly rushed to the vige.


    When they arrived at the vige, everyone had already gathered at the foot of the mountains; even soldiers were climbing up the mountains.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui turned his head and said to Doctor Luo, ¡°Doctor Luo, you wait at the foot of the mountains, and 1¡¯11 go up with them.¡±


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Doctor Luo nodded.


    He knew very well that going up the mountain would only bring them trouble at his age.


    Gu Chengrui nodded. After handing the horse reins over to Zhou Ying, he immediately went into the carriage, took his medicine kit, and chased after the soldiers.


    When he reached the front, he realized that not only were the soldiers there but even Tian Jingzhong and the patriarch.


    He immediately stepped forward, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Vige constable, uncle, try not to get into a conflict with them. I¡¯ll see if they are diseased or not.¡±


    Tian Jingzhong smiled and patted his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s my intention. With you here, we can be at ease. Let¡¯s hurry up and head up.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and followed them. After heading up the mountains, he finally saw the two parties confronting each other.


    On one side were a group of vigers led by Qian Jiaxi.


    On the other side were about a thousand refugees in tattered clothes. Tian Jingzhong eximed, ¡°Oh my, the number of people is enough to form arge vige.¡±


    He breathed a sigh of relief because medicinal herbs were in short supply in Qingshui town. If everyone were badly injured, it would be difficult to deal with the following treatments.


    After that, the group quickly trekked forward. When they arrived, Tian Jingzhong looked at Qian Jiaxi and asked, ¡°Are you guys alright?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my lord. We¡¯re fine, and we just suffered some beatings from wooden sticks.


    ¡°Besides, they¡¯re nning to settle down in our area, so they don¡¯t dare to cause too much trouble.¡±


    Tian Jingzhong nodded and went forward. ¡°Who can understand our words? Send a representative over and we¡¯ll have a good talk.¡±


    ¡°Me,¡± someone said. A six-foot-tall man raised his hand and stood up.


    At the same time, when the crowd behind them saw Gu Chengrui¡¯s group of men, they immediately buzzed and murmured with excitement; some even cried with joy.


    From the looks and clothes of Gu Chengrui¡¯s group, these refugees knew that although they had suffered from the drought, the situation wasn¡¯t serious. The refugees knew they could finally stop and take a rest.


    Tian Jingzhong waved at the big guy and asked, after he leaned over, ¡°I¡¯m the vige constable of Qingshui town. Where did youe from? What kind of disaster did your hometown suffer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Hu Chun, and I used to be a bodyguard.


    ¡°Our group came from the Hui province and passed through the Qi Mountain.¡± Hu Chun paused and exined, ¡°When our hometown was flooded, we hid in the mountains.


    ¡°After that, because our refuge spot was far away and our vige was destroyed, everyone from nearby viges decided to go up the mountains after some discussion.¡±


    ¡°Several viges? There must be many who didn¡¯t make it along the way, right?¡± Tian Jingzhong¡¯s eyes swept over everyone as he spoke with a heavy expression.


    ¡°Right, only one-third of us are left.¡± Hu Chun replied with a heavy nod..

 Chapter 314 - 314 Going Down The Mountains, Treating Illnesses

    Chapter 314: Going Down The Mountains, Treating Illnesses


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Are you all sure you want to stay in this area?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too cold here. Well probably die here in the cold wilderness if we don¡¯t go down the mountains now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just in case, I¡¯ll have to let the doctor check you all and ensure there¡¯s no disease before 1 can take you in. You can discuss it among yourselves.


    ¡°If you agree, then line up and wait for the doctor to examine you one by one. If you disagree, you can only go back into the mountains again.¡±


    Hu Chun didn¡¯t feel anything was wrong when he heard this. Instead, he admired Tian Jingzhong very much, as only an official who took human lives seriously was a good one.


    Moreover, they had been in the mountains for nearly three months. Who knew if they were sick? It was a good opportunity to have a checkup done. Those who were sick could be diagnosed early, and those who weren¡¯t could have peace of mind.


    After a discussion with a few elders, everyone quickly lined up.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui called out the two brothers, Qian Jiaxi and Qian Jiale. He took out three masks from the first aid kit that Zhou Ying had added extra padding to and put them on.


    Gu Chengrui then asked the two brothers to use a pair of pliers to hold the cotton ball and disinfect the refugees¡¯ wrists while he took their pulses.


    Those with a cold sat on one side, while those with other illnesses sat on the other.


    Fortunately, no serious epidemic diseases were detected, but most suffered from a bad cold. Some were mild, while others were more serious. The serious ones had already gone delirious with a fever.


    After disinfecting his hand with medical alcohol, Gu Chengrui told Tian Jingzhong about the situation. ¡°They can go down the mountains but shouldn¡¯t stay with the others for now. We can only let them mix after their illnesses are over.¡±


    ¡°Is the medicine in your clinic enough for them?¡±


    ¡°It should be enough. If it isn¡¯t, we can only use folk prescriptions for the not-so-serious ones.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go down the mountains.¡± After Tian Jingzhong finished speaking, he informed Hu Chun, and everyone was divided into two teams as they went down the mountain.


    However, they were not allowed to enter the vige. They were instead asked to borrow a fewrge tents from the military camp and stay in an open space.


    As for the beds, Gu Chengrui gathered batches of straw and sterilized them. The nkets were either taken from richer families or the military.


    They ate mainly the food they brought and the noodles they bought with their collective money.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui went down the mountain, he took out the medicinal herbs in the house and asked the vige chief to bring all the y pots and medicine jars into the vige. Doctor Luo directed everyone to start brewing the medicine.


    Meanwhile, he brought the blood of the most seriously ill person into the interspace and tested it. After confirming that it carried some virus, he immediately went to the clinic to get the medicine and change the prescription.


    It was already nighttime after his busy day.


    Zhou Ying looked at his tired face and said, ¡°Hurry up and eat your dinner, then go to bed early.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not clean. I¡¯d better go into the interspace to clean my clothes and take a hot shower.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    The flu was no joke, and he didn¡¯t want to infect her.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Zhou Ying closed the door and let go of Er Zhuang. Then, she took him into her interspace.


    After disinfecting his clothes, she threw them in the washing machine.


    She washed her hands, went out of her interspace, and brought in the dinner she had cooked. Finally, she used a pressure cooker to cook a pot of white fungus and lotus seed soup.


    After Gu Chengrui finished cleaning up, the white fungus and lotus seed soup was also ready. After the two of them had afortable meal, Zhou Ying said, ¡°You should go to bed early. I¡¯ll take care of the animals in the space..¡±

 Chapter 315 - 315 Settling Down (1)

    Chapter 315: Settling Down (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯d better go out and sleep. They¡¯ll definitelye to me if there¡¯s an emergency at night.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you go ahead and sleep first.¡± Zhou Ying sent him out and returned to her interspace to get busy.


    After she was done, she used the pressure cooker to boil another pot of beef soup.


    The next morning, the two ate beef noodles in the interspace.


    Gu Chengrui went out to work after he finished breakfast.


    As soon as Zhou Ying finished washing the dishes, vigers began to visit one after another, mainly to inquire about the condition of the refugees.


    After Zhou Ying heard this, to avoid causing panic, she only told them that the group of people had a serious case of the flu and asked them not toe if there was nothing important. After that, she didn¡¯t say anything else.


    This time, the vigers were obedient, and no one came to bother her again except for the vige chief.


    Three dayster, the refugees¡¯ conditions improved.


    Those who were only mildly ill had mostly recovered and were under their care.


    Gu Chengrui only had to stay behind asionally to prescribe medicine and treat their illnesses.


    Seven dayster, all of them recovered except those who were seriously ill.


    Half a monthter, all the refugees hadpletely recovered.


    Tian Jingzhong then found Hu Chun and the other refugees¡¯ elders and asked, ¡°What are your ns? Do you want to return to your hometown after the flood, or do you want to live in Qingshui town for a longer time?¡±


    Hu Chun¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. Qingshui Town, in Yunhe County, was a famous ce. It could be said to be a transfer station for the Ming Dynasty¡¯s river transportation.


    The prosperity of this ce was great, and it would be best if they could stay.


    However, if they didn¡¯t have a house ornd in this disastrous year, they wouldn¡¯t have a good time either.


    ¡°Are there any suitable houses andnds for us?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, even if there are empty houses in the vige, there are very few, and they are dpidated.


    ¡°However, if you want to build houses, you may be grantednd for housing in each vige.


    ¡°As for thend, it¡¯s just a barrennd. You can also buynd from the locals.¡± Tian Jingzhong added.


    He paused for a moment and continued, ¡°The tents are yours.


    ¡°Of course, if you¡¯re afraid of the cold, you can also live in the warehouse at the dock, where there are also a group of refugees from other ces.


    ¡°As for job cements, you all know what the current year is like. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s only to help people carry water and cut wood.¡±


    ¡°Can we discuss this? I¡¯ll give you a clear answer tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright. By the way, if you want to be distributed to different viges, you¡¯ll have to split up.


    ¡°Or you could form a vige at the foot of the mountains. It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, an old man hurriedly asked, ¡°Can we really form a vige by ourselves?¡±


    If outsiders like them were to be scattered and spread out in the various viges, they would be easily bullied.


    However, if they were to form a separate vige, it would be different. Although they would suffer in the early stages, they could live a good life after five or six years.


    The key was that everyone would be more united after supporting each other along the way.


    ¡°Of course, but thend is barren.¡± After Tian Jingzhong finished speaking, he pointed at the mountains and said, ¡°Go southwest along the foot of the mountain, and there¡¯s a vige there, and further west of the vige is arge open space.


    ¡°However, there are a lot of rocks and thistles over there, and it¡¯s hard to clear them, so we haven¡¯t been able to distribute them.¡±


    ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll study it carefully and give you a reply tomorrow.¡± The old man nodded.


    ¡°Alright, after you¡¯ve discussed it, you cane to the vige to find the vige chief. He will take you to me.¡± After Tian Jingzhong finished speaking, he turned and left..

 Chapter 316 - 316 Settling Down (2)

    Chapter 316: Settling Down (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Tian Jingzhong left, another old man, Hu Chun¡¯s uncle, asked, ¡°Hm, it seems like you all want to stay?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, I want to stay.


    ¡°If we go back to that little mountain valley, well still have to start again anyway.


    ¡°The only good thing is thend we own, but who knows what it¡¯ll be like after the flood?


    ¡°But it¡¯s different here; this is the river transportation channel, and there are plenty of opportunities. As long as we work hard, we don¡¯t have to worry about being unable to settle down.¡± Hu Chun gave his reasons.


    ¡°Indeed. The problem is that it¡¯s too far to go back, too. There¡¯s a drought in the north and floods in the south.


    ¡°But how long can west with the silver in our hands?


    ¡°Most importantly, I¡¯m afraid 1 can¡¯t work much with my old bones.¡± The old man who spoke first sighed.


    Then let¡¯s go to the ce Constable Tian mentioned first. If it really doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll try to settle in a few other viges.¡± Uncle Hu was dejected when he heard that.


    The group followed Tian Jingzhong¡¯s guidance and found the ce he mentioned.


    To put it bluntly, it was a small valley surrounded on both sides by mountains in the southwest. The ground was as barren as Constable Tian had said, with many rocks and shrubs.


    However, the area was quiterge, with an area of about 1,000 acres. It would definitely be enough for a thousand people to live if it were developed.


    These people had grown up in the mountains, so they didn¡¯t mind. Instead, they felt a sense of closeness.


    They each found a stick and walked in to check around.


    They focused on the shrubs growing on the ground and the grass. If they could nt something, they would be able to stay no matter what they nted.


    Two hourster, the group returned to their original spot. One of the old men took out a thorny branch and said, ¡°I have most of these nts over there. There¡¯s also grass and some wild vegetables.¡±


    ¡°Same here. There are quite a few jujube trees on the southern hill, and they can be considered medicinal herbs.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same on our side. We also have many of these spiky things.¡±


    ¡°There are more spiky shrubs on the west mountains, and many of them.¡± Hu Chun quipped in.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, it¡¯s a type of flower,¡± he added after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Flower?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it looks like the moon rose, but it doesn¡¯t look like it at the same time. There are many fine thorns on the edges of the leaves.¡± Hu Chun stated as he returned his gaze to the branch.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and ask. If this is valuable, let¡¯s change our n to nting flowers. It just so happens that Old Lin here has worked in a rich family¡¯s flower garden before.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s ask Doctor Gu then. He¡¯s a doctor, and he might recognize this thing.¡± Hu Chun said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After that, the group returned to the vige.


    Hu Chun found the Gu family house after some time. However, as soon as he reached the door, he immediately retreated when he heard a dog barking.


    Gu Chengrui, who was squeezing pickled vegetables with Zhou Ying in the courtyard, looked up and was stunned when he saw him. He went up to Er Zhuang and held him, saying, ¡°Brother Hu, you¡¯re here. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok; it¡¯s just a matter of a few words. I won¡¯t go in and disturb you.¡± Hu Chun nced at Zhou Ying, who was busy, and shook his head.


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to walk out.


    Hu Chun directly handed the branch to him and said, ¡°Doctor Gu, do you know what this is?¡±


    Gu Chengrui took it and observed it carefully before saying, ¡°This is a type of wild rose; where did you pick it from?¡±


    Hu Chun didn¡¯t hide anything after hearing this. He told him everything that had happened since Tian Jingzhong came to find them.. He asked, ¡°Have you seen this flower before? Can it be sold for money?¡±

 Chapter 317 - 317 Settling Down (3)

    Chapter 317: Settling Down (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You probably can¡¯t sell it as a flower, but a wild rose is also a medicinal herb.


    ¡°First, it could heal wounds and eliminate fatigue.


    ¡°Secondly, it had the effect of regting body temperature and replenishing blood. It could also y a role in maintaining beauty.


    ¡°Third, it can regte meridians and relieve pain. It also improves your dder and reduces gastrointestinal diseases. It has a good effect on relieving constipation.


    ¡°The most important thing is that it can be drunk as a tea, just like chrysanthemums.¡±


    ¡°Tea?¡± Hu Chun¡¯s eyes lit up upon hearing this.


    It was said that chrysanthemums were considered high-ss tea. Although this rose tea wasn¡¯t as expensive, it was much better than farming crops.


    Thinking of this, he got a little excited.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, please don¡¯t tell anyone about this,¡± he pleaded.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment before he knew what he was thinking. He said, ¡°Sure, but if you want to sell these roses at a high price, you have to farm at scale like chrysanthemums.


    ¡°So after you settle down, it¡¯s best to work together with the others. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to defend your secret and develop well.¡±


    When Hu Chun heard him say this, he nodded repeatedly and replied, ¡°I understand. Thank you for your reminder. We won¡¯t hide anything deliberately.¡±


    ¡°Okay. 1 can buy them from you if you can¡¯t farm much early on. I¡¯ll also tell you how to process it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much. I¡¯ll head back for now.¡± Hu Chun bowed before turning around and running down the mountain.


    After Gu Chengrui saw him off, he turned around and washed his hands. He then continued squeezing pickled vegetables together with Zhou Ying.


    At the same time, he said, ¡°This is their destiny. We¡¯ve been walking around the mountains for so long and didn¡¯t even see a patch of wild roses.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But it¡¯s good that they¡¯re nning on nting it. We can just go over and collect them, which will save us a lot of trouble.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Gu Chengrui agreed, and the two of them got busy.


    On the other end, after Hu Chun returned, he found a few elders and exined the use of wild roses to them. ¡°What do you guys think? Regardless, 1 want to stay.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll stay.¡± Uncle Hu agreed.


    The others also echoed one after another.


    After that, they asked for everyone¡¯s opinion.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t tell them about the wild rose. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t know if the news would spread, and they would have no specialty in the local area.


    Everyone naturally agreed, as this was much better than staying in a small mountain vige.


    So, the next morning, they found Tian Jingzhong through the vige chief and told him about their settlement.


    Tian Jingzhong was a little surprised after hearing this. After all, that ce was really barren, so he asked again, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sure. We¡¯ve gone to take a look. Although thend is a little barren, it can be farmed. It¡¯s just a little more difficult to get started.


    ¡°There are also many jujube trees on the mountain to the south. We can earn some silver by taking care of them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯ve decided,e with me to the county office and settle the procedures for forming a vige,¡± said Tian Jingzhong. ¡°By the way, you¡¯ll have to decide who will be the vige chief.¡±


    The elders pointed at Hu Chun.


    Firstly, he couldmunicate with the locals normally.


    Another reason was that he had been a good leader and had a good reputation.


    In addition, he was young and daring. With him leading the group, they wouldn¡¯t be afraid of ack of decision-making in the future.


    Hu Chun was stunned for a moment, but he didn¡¯t decline. He nodded directly.


    Tian Jingzhong smiled and patted his shoulder. ¡°Kiddo, it seems like you¡¯re pretty popr here.


    ¡°Are you literate? Although a vige chief¡¯s position isn¡¯t that high up the ranks, you¡¯ll still need to write documents to convey reports to the higher-ups..¡±

 Chapter 318 - 318 Marriage

    Chapter 318: Marriage


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯m not too good at it, but I¡¯ve studied for a few years.


    ¡°However, after 1 passed the exam, my family was too poor, so I changed to practicing martial arts and became an armed bodyguard.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you could speak your words clearly. Then it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll change my clothes, and we¡¯ll set off.¡± After Tian Jingzhong finished speaking, he turned and returned to his inner room.


    The vige chief turned his head. ¡°Congrattions, Brother Hu. Our two viges are quite close to each other, so we¡¯ll have to look out for each other in the future.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to be called ¡®brother¡¯; I¡¯ll call you Uncle Qian. Please take care of me in the future, Uncle Qian.¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t mind if I ept being your elder, then. If you need any help in the future, don¡¯t hesitate to ask. I¡¯ll definitely help if I can.¡±


    At this time, Tian Jingzhong changed into clean clothes and came out. The few of them exchanged a few polite words and then parted ways.


    Early the next morning, Hu Chun and the others got busy. A group of strongborers took their hatchets and began to clear the barrennd.


    The vigeyout was formed into an L-shape, almost entirely wrapping the rose garden.


    After the weeds were cleared out, it was time to dig a well.


    The elderly went to town to find a cloth shop and bought some cloth to make cotton-padded clothes for the winter.


    At the same time, the news that Hu Chun had be the vige chief as a young man had gradually spread in the vige.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to have dinner that night, Father Gu came in looking disheveled. His face appeared to have been scratched several times.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Please treat my wound first.¡± Father Gu requested in embarrassment.


    ¡°Sit down and wait for a moment.¡± Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t ask further.


    But when he turned around, he almostughed out loud.


    To be honest, even when their family was escorted back here, Father Gu had never been in such a sorry state, even when his pride was wounded. Gu Chengrui never thought his father would be this badly scratched one day.


    Without even thinking, he knew it was most likely Mrs. Liu¡¯s doing, but he didn¡¯t know why.


    At the same time, he was secretly smirking. In the past, Father Gu always treasured her and her kids. He even made Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying leave the family with nothing but the clothes on their backs to please Mrs. Liu. He was getting his retribution, and he deserved it.


    Zhou Ying just lightly greeted him before returning to the kitchen. She put away the steamed seabass she had prepared and made a small pot of cooked pork with cabbage and vermicelli. She served them with a te of sweet and sour radish, three salted duck eggs, and six ck steamed buns.


    When she returned to the dining room, Gu Chengrui had already treated his wound. Zhou Ying ced the dishes on the table and said, ¡°Father, sit down, and let¡¯s have a meal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, do take a seat and eat with us.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and even brought him a stool.


    Father Gu wanted to refuse at first. After all, no family is well-off these days.


    But thinking of the crazy Mrs. Liu and smelling the lovely food before him, he finally nodded. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind if I do.¡±


    He picked up his chopsticks and found some vermicelli inside. He asked, ¡°Is this vermicelli? It doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡°This is vermicelli but made with white potato flour. It has a different vor. Try it.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    Father Gu¡¯s interest was piqued when he heard it was made from white sweet potatoes.


    To be honest, he was getting tired of eating potatoes every day. It would be best if he could have a change of vor.


    He picked up some vermicelli with his chopsticks and ate it. He nodded and said, ¡°Not bad, not bad at all. It¡¯s bouncy and soft and more delicious than regr vermicelli.


    ¡°When it¡¯s soaked in meat juice, it doesn¡¯t taste inferior to actual meat.¡±


    ¡°If you like it, eat more. There¡¯s such a big pot. There are steamed buns over here if you think it¡¯s too salty.¡± Gu Chengrui handed him a ck steamed bun after that.


    ¡°Oh, you guys go ahead and eat too. Don¡¯t mind me. I won¡¯t hesitate to try them.¡± After Father Gu finished speaking, he lowered his head and started eating..

 Chapter 319 - 319 Disciplining The Daughter-In- Law

    Chapter 319: Disciplining The Daughter-In- Law


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the meal, Zhou Ying made them a pot of tea and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in contact with the refugees for quite some time. What do you think of Hu Chun?¡± Father Gu asked.


    ¡°In what aspect?¡± Gu Chengrui asked, surprised by the sudden question.


    ¡°Both. Tell me the details.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not bad; he¡¯s bold but meticulous, aggressive, and knows when to advance and when to retreat. Fie also has a wide range of knowledge.


    ¡°He¡¯s handsome and tall and looks like a good man at the moment.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he thought of the wound on his father¡¯s face and asked, ¡°You can¡¯t be thinking of marrying my fifth sister to him, right?¡±


    ¡°Cough, 1 did have this idea, but Mrs. Liu disdained their family for being poor and didn¡¯t agree to this marriage.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t even consider our family¡¯s current status as criminals.


    ¡°As long as the groom¡¯s family¡¯s condition is decent, how many would be willing to marry her?¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at him in surprise. To be honest, he was pretty impressed with his line of thought. Hu Chun was skilled in both literature and martial arts. If he had the chance, he would definitely be able to achieve something.


    ¡°What do the other people in the family think?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Your grandma and your Second Uncle both agree with me.


    ¡°Chengzhi and Chengye didn¡¯t object, either.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that Mrs. Liu refused to agree no matter what and insisted that I wanted to harm Zishan.


    ¡°She¡¯s my biological daughter, so why would I¡­¡± When Father Gu said this, he remembered how he had kicked the couple out of the house and suddenly reddened.


    Gu Chengrui understood what he meant. However, the damage had already been done, and he didn¡¯t want to hear his repentance. Hence, he changed the topic. ¡°What about Zishan? Doesn¡¯t this depend on her opinion?¡±


    ¡°What does she know? As long as we adults make the decision, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a major event in her life. It¡¯s better to ask her about it so there won¡¯t be a knot in her heart in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll ask her for her opinionter.¡± Father Gu nodded.


    After chatting for a while, the sky outside gotpletely dark. After Father Gu asked about how to make the vermicelli, he got up and went home.


    After Zhou Ying learned the whole story, she shook her head and said, ¡°What a huge difference between a child with a mother and a child without one. I feel so sorry for our original selves.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, in ancient times, although it was said that the mother would be prosperous because of their son, in most cases, it¡¯s the other way around.


    ¡°But this has nothing to do with us. We¡¯ll try not to get involved in the matters over there and just focus on living our own lives.¡±


    On the other side, after Father Gu returned home, he saw the crowd waiting for him to eat and Mrs. Liu kneeling on the ground. He was stunned for a moment before saying, ¡°You guys can start eating. I¡¯ve already eaten at Chengrui¡¯s ce.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve sure be capable, even learning how to find a meal outside, huh?¡± Mrs. Liu got up and angrily said this as she moved the dining table.


    ¡°Kneeling for just two hours seems useless. Do you want to kneel for another two hours?¡± Madam Qiao chimed in with a strange tone.


    ¡°Mother, everyone was waiting for him, but he¡­¡± Mrs. Liu immediately lowered her head and replied.


    Madam Qiao, however, knocked the ground with her walking stick and interrupted her halfway through.


    After that, she firmly demanded, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you listening to me anymore? Are you nning to rebel?


    ¡°Or do you think you can be arrogant after bing the main wife? Do you want to be demoted back to being a concubine and experience what it means to have someone above you again?¡±


    Gu Chengye immediately turned to his father for help.


    However, Father Gu ignored him. It was only suitable for a mother-inw to teach her daughter-inw. There was no need for him to stop her.


    What¡¯s more, Mirs. Liu was getting more and more arrogant. She even dared to get physical with him.


    For Gu Chengye¡¯s sake, it was already good enough that he didn¡¯t personally deal with her.


    Thus, why would he stop his mother from venting her anger on his behalf? He wanted Mrs. Liu to learn a good lesson this time and let her know what it meant to regard her husband as the central pir of the family..

 Chapter 320 - 320 Seeking Opinions

    Chapter 320: Seeking Opinions


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Mrs. Liu¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this. In these two years, she had been bugging Mrs. Guo a lot. Her life would be difficult if she were demoted to a concubine.


    At the thought of this, she quickly kneeled and apologized, ¡°Mother, 1 only muddled because of Zishan¡¯s marriage. Don¡¯t take it to heart. I won¡¯t dare do it again.¡±


    Gu Zishan immediately went forward and shook Madam Qiao¡¯s arm, acting coquettishly, ¡°Grandma, for the sake of your granddaughter, please give my mother another chance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Grandma, please give my mother another chance. She definitely won¡¯t dare do it again.¡± Gu Chengye quickly echoed.


    Seeing this, Madam Qiao snorted coldly and said, ¡°For the sake of the two children, I will give you onest chance.


    ¡°If you do it again, you can return to being a concubine. Maybe when your status is lower, you¡¯ll be able to see better.¡±


    ¡°No, I definitely won¡¯t do this again.¡± Mrs. Liu hurriedly nodded.


    ¡°As the saying goes, it¡¯s easy to avoid the death penalty, but it¡¯s hard to escape punishment. You¡¯ll switch ces with Mrs. Guo and cook a month¡¯s worth of meals as a punishment.¡±


    Even if Mrs. Liu was internally unhappy, she nodded and said, ¡°1 will remember this.¡±


    ¡°Quickly set the table.¡±


    When Mrs. Liu heard this, she immediately turned around and went out. The others had seen enough of the show and immediately followed to prepare the dishes.


    ¡°Son, the wound on your face won¡¯t leave a scar, right?¡± Madam Qiao looked at Father Gu.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Chengrui said that the wound wasn¡¯t deep. After it¡¯s healed, it¡¯ll be fine after applying a month¡¯s worth of scar removal cream.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. She¡¯s really too much, getting more and more outrageous. You can¡¯t spoil her anymore.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± When Father Gu said this, he told her about the vermicelli. ¡°Mother, brother, I¡¯m thinking of using a portion of the white sweet potato to make vermicelli or turn it into dry powder. Those two things can be dried and stored for a long time. 1 heard it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to keep them for two or three years. What do you think?¡±


    After that, he briefly exined how to make vermicelli from white sweet potatoes.


    ¡°You two brothers can discuss it; I¡¯ll go and eat dinner.¡± Madam Qiao got up and sat at the dining table.


    Second Uncle Gu hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Brother, from what you¡¯ve said, if we were to turn white sweet potatoes into vermicelli, some parts might be wasted. Let¡¯s take out 500 pounds of white sweet potatoes and try it out before anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s give it a try.¡±


    After the meal, Father Gu called Gu Chengye and Gu Zishan to the study room. ¡°Now that there are no outsiders, you can tell me what you think of Hu Chun. Is there a need for this marriage? If there isn¡¯t, I won¡¯t waste my breath anymore.¡±


    ¡°I think Hu Chun is a good person. As long as nothing unexpected happens, his future will be fine.


    ¡°However, 1 heard he has a pair of younger siblings, and their family conditions are poor now.


    ¡°So¡­


    ¡°It all depends on what Zishan thinks.


    ¡°If she would be willing to go through two years of suffering together and bet on a good man for a good life, she should marry him. Otherwise, it isn¡¯t like she doesn¡¯t have another choice.¡±


    Father Gu looked at Gu Zishan and asked, ¡°Zishan, what about you? What do you think?


    ¡°But 1 must make it clear in advance; don¡¯t be too ambitious. Our family¡¯s situation isn¡¯t really betterpared to an ordinary farmer¡¯s. At most, you can get married to a son from a rich family like Ziqiu¡¯s husband, who doesn¡¯t have great ambitions.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± When Gu Zishan said this, she raised her head and hesitated, asking, ¡°Father, is Hu Chun really as good as you say?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s better than the other vigers anyway. At least he¡¯s literate and skilled in martial arts. He¡¯s also in charge of about a thousand people now.¡± Father Gu said.


    As for Hu Chun¡¯s character, he had already repeated it more than ten times and was toozy to say more..

 Chapter 321 - 321 Meeting

    Chapter 321: Meeting


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I want to look at him from afar and see if 1 like him,¡± Gu Zishan replied, raising her head.


    Father Gu knew that his daughter prioritized how someone looked, so he nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. You can change into coarse clothes tomorrow and let your brother bring you up the mountain to chop firewood. Just pass by their ce, and you will see him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then leave this to me.¡± Gu Chengye nodded in agreement.


    The next morning, the brother and sister pushed a cart out of the house.


    However, they did not go there right away. Instead, they went to the mountain between their vige and the manor to chop firewood.


    Of course, it was mainly Gu Chengye who did the cutting, while Gu Zilin helped to clean up.


    When they needed to rest, they walked over to one side. After looking around, Gu Chengye walked to Hu Chun and greeted him, ¡°Brother Hu, you guys are really fast at chopping down firewood.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Brother Chengye. Yeah, we have to hurry. We¡¯ll freeze if we don¡¯t have a house to live in before winter.¡± Hu Chun replied, wiping away his sweat with the towel on his neck.


    ¡°Oh, right. What kind of house are you guys nning to build? Brick or mud?¡±


    ¡°Two days ago, 1 went to the kiln yard and settled on building a brick house with the bricks they have. It¡¯ll be faster this way. Oh, are you guys collecting firewood?¡± Hu Chun asked.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s basically no firewood on the mountain over there, so we came here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the situation here isn¡¯t that great either. We only found some shrubs and withered grass.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but it¡¯s lucky that the trees here weren¡¯tpletely peeled off.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. 1 won¡¯t disturb you if you¡¯re busy. If you need our help, just let us know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When the construction of our vige starts, 1¡¯11 definitely ask for your help.¡± Hu Chun said.


    Gu Chengye nodded. He took another nce at the ce before he turned around and left.


    At the same time, Gu Zishan sized Hu Chun up seriously while standing not far away. He was pretty tall and strong, but he was tan. However, his facial features were quite good-looking, especially his pair of eyes that shone exceptionally bright.


    He also had a row of white teeth and clean, neat hair. One look and you could tell he was a person who loved cleanliness.


    In addition, his capabilities were good, so she wasn¡¯t repulsed by him.


    Hu Chun naturally noticed Gu Zishan standing nearby like a still painting. However, he only took a curious nce at her before looking away.


    Gu Chengye and his sister didn¡¯t stay long after they had achieved their goal. They hurried home, pulling the small cart loaded with firewood.


    ¡°How is he?¡± Gu Chengye turned his head and asked his sister. ¡°Overall, he¡¯s not bad, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Zishan said, nodding.


    ¡°You should seriously consider it. Getting married to him is not going to be an easy life for the next two years.


    ¡°You have to think about this clearly. Don¡¯tin to father and me when you regret it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Zishan blushed and responded, but she did not say anything else.


    Conversely, Zhou Ying knew Father Gu had taken a fancy to Flu Chun as his future son-inw through Gu Chengrui.


    One morning, she was sitting outside, basking in the sun. She was making cotton shoes and listening to the women gossip around her.


    When she heard someone mention Hu Chun, she perked up her ears to listen.


    Only then did she realize that many people were eyeing Hu Chun.


    Two of them were the most obvious. One was Zhang Qingqing¡¯s mother, Aunt Zhang.


    There was also a sister from the Gu n. It seemed that she was asking for her sister¡¯s sake.


    Zhou Ying knew that Hu Chun had be a hotcake. She just didn¡¯t know who would be the winner in this race for him.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the matter and asked curiously, ¡°Do you think Hu Chun will be interested in Zishan?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, as long as you don¡¯t fall for him.¡± Gu Chengrui grabbed her hand after he finished..

 Chapter 322 - 322 Giving Up

    Chapter 322: Giving Up


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That depends on whether you¡¯re obedient or not.¡± Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°What are you saying? When did 1 not listen to you, huh¡­?¡± Gu Chengrui threw her onto the brick bed after that.


    Zhou Ying was surprised by that. After feeling his hot breath, she reached out her finger and touched his chin, smiling. ¡°Get up, you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, madam.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and quickly kissed her on the lips. He turned over and asked, ¡°What do you think? Am I obedient enough?¡±


    ¡°You and your words.¡± Zhou Ying replied in a huff.


    She sat up and said, ¡°By the way, make some more moisturizerter. Many people have been asking about it over the past two days. I n to sell it to them for 50 coppers each.¡±


    ¡°Not bad. 1 didn¡¯t expect you to build a business from home.¡± Gu Chengrui eximed in surprise.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it; my skin looks too good, after all.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking with a proud face, she added with a serious tone, ¡°But, really, you can also sell them in your clinic.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait. It¡¯s not easy to buy raw materials during this bad year, especially oil. It¡¯ll be hard to exin if we make too much.¡±


    ¡°Alright, prepare 100 boxes for me first. I¡¯ll sell them slowly.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Gu Chengrui said, assuring her.


    The two of them waited for a while.


    After making sure no one wasing over, the couple locked up and entered the interspace.


    On the other hand, Gu Zishan went to the study room after dinner to find her father. ¡°Father, can you ask around to see if Hu Chun doesn¡¯t have any bad habits? 1¡¯11 marry him if he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Mrs. Liu, who had been chasing after Gu Zishan, heard her answer and immediately stepped into the room to criticize her, ¡°Zishan, you¡¯re crazy! You¡¯ve never even cooked a meal before.


    Are you sure you can handle a heavy life? It¡¯s a life full of bitterness, and you might not even have a next meal.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. You and your short-sightedness.¡± Father Gu looked at her with disgust.


    He looked at Gu Zishan. ¡°But your mother is right about one thing. You¡¯ve never cooked before, and that¡¯s not good.


    ¡°So from tomorrow on, you¡¯ll go to the kitchen and learn how to cook. No matter who you marry in the future, you¡¯ll have to learn this.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Father.¡± Gu Zishan nodded.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Mrs. Liu had just opened her mouth when Gu Zishan interrupted her, ¡°Father, you must be busy. We¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she pulled her mother out. ¡°Mother, I know you are doing this for my good, but you should know about our family¡¯s current situation. It is difficult to marry into a good family.


    ¡°Hu Chun¡¯s current conditions aren¡¯t good, but he has the potential and ability.


    ¡°Have you forgotten about those girls that wait under the results panel when it¡¯s time to announce the schrs¡¯ examination results? How many youngdies from official families marry poor schrs for the sake of their future?


    ¡°After missing Hu Chun, there might really be no other suitable one.¡±


    She then stammered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be someone else¡¯s concubine.¡±


    After Mrs. Liu heard it, she was startled; she smiled bitterly and didn¡¯t speak again.


    She knew the pain of being a concubine.


    Back then, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Princess Ping Yang fell into an ice hole when she was young, which injured her body and caused her to be unable to give birth, Mrs. Liu might not even be worthy of conceiving a child for the Gu family.


    When she gave birth to Gu Chengye, if she hadn¡¯t been careful and called Father Gu toe back in time, she would have been told to leave her child and exit the family.


    So she wouldn¡¯t let her daughter be a concubine.


    With their criminal record, it was also difficult for her to find a good family to marry her daughter off to properly.


    Otherwise, Chengye wouldn¡¯t still be single.


    Inparison, Hu Chun was a good choice as a young vige chief.


    However, the Hu family was too poor, and all their savings had probably been used up after building their house.


    How were they going to survive? Would they be drinking flour paste every day for the following few years?963

 Chapter 323 - 323 Checking Him Out (1)

    Chapter 323: Checking Him Out (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The issue was that they hadn¡¯t even a proper betrothal gift. Wasn¡¯t this an embarrassment waiting to happen?


    Seeing that Mrs. Liu went silent for a long time, Gu Zishan quickly nudged her and said, ¡°Mother, if Hu Chun doesn¡¯t have any bad habits, please don¡¯t stop me.¡±


    Mrs. Liu saw that her attitude was firm, so she didn¡¯t try to persuade her anymore. Instead, she pointed to her head and said, ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll regret this one day.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°No, we can¡¯t just let you go like this. 1 have to talk to your father. I¡¯ll ask him to give you some white potatoes as your dowry.¡±


    Gu Zishan immediately pulled her back when she heard that. ¡°Mother, what are you so anxious for? We haven¡¯t even approached him for the marriage. At least, wait until the engagement is settled.¡±


    Mrs. Liu was stunned for a moment and nodded. She then turned around and left with Gu Zishan.


    When Father Gu saw they had left, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    He then got up and went to the vige chief¡¯s house.


    He would be preparing some food and wine and asking the vige chief to invite Hu Chun over to inquire about his preferences.


    The vige chief looked at him in surprise and said, ¡°1 didn¡¯t expect you to take a fancy to that kid.


    ¡°But you have to consider this clearly. They came from far away, and we don¡¯t know their roots. It will be troublesome if there are any problems in the future.¡±


    ¡°I saw value in him as a person. That kid¡¯s eyes are clear and bright; he¡¯s not a bad person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It just so happens that they need wood to build a house. How about we invite him over about this? You can talk to him when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you, Uncle Qian.¡± Father Gu paused and added, ¡°From your words, it seems that someone had also taken a fancy to Hu Chun. Did someone ask you about it?¡±


    ¡°I heard from Jiaxi that many people in the vige are asking about him.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to invite him over.¡±


    ¡°No problem; I will ask some questions for you too.¡±


    Three dayster, after the foundation of the new vige was cleared, the brick factory began transporting bricks over.


    Hu Chun finally found the vige chief to discuss buying wood.


    After the vige chief made an appointment for him to check out their inventory and talk in detail that night, he immediately asked Qian Jiaxi to send a letter to Father Gu.


    After Father Gu received the news, he took a pound of cured meat and went to Widow Hua¡¯s home to buy a fat rooster. He also carried arge jar of wine and called the patriarch to go to the vige head¡¯s house together.


    When the vige chief saw the thing in Father Gu¡¯s hand, he eximed, ¡°Woah! You¡¯ve really put in a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Not really. If you want to treat someone, you have to do it sincerely. We can¡¯t let them look down on us.¡± Father Gu said with a smile.


    ¡°True that. Come in and take a seat.¡± After the vige chief finished speaking, he called Mrs. Bai over and asked her to cook the food Father Gu had brought.


    By the time Hu Chun arrived, the courtyard was smelling with the smell of cooking meat.


    After entering the house, the vige chief saw that Hu Chun had changed into a new set of clothes and looked much more energetic. He teased, ¡°Young man, you¡¯re sure getting more and more energetic. Come, sit down and have a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Qian.¡± Hu Chun sat down at the square table after he finished speaking.


    ¡°I heard you n to build brick houses in the vige?¡± The vige chief asked.


    ¡°Indeed. The bricks in the kiln yard are now one copper for two bricks. I think it¡¯s quite affordable, so 1 ordered to build brick houses. It also allows us to build faster than a mud house.¡± Hu Chun exined.


    ¡°There¡¯s such a good thing? Last year, it was three coppers for two bricks.¡± The patriarch eximed in surprise.


    ¡°Maybe no one¡¯s buying it now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Every one wants to clear their stock while they can. By the way, 1 have gone over to the wood workshop to take a look.


    ¡°Rafters are fine, but wooden beams might not be enough.


    ¡°Especially the central pir; we stillck half of what you need..¡±

 Chapter 324 - 324 Checking Him Out (2)

    Chapter 324: Checking Him Out (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°If there¡¯s such a scarcity of wood, are there any ces nearby where 1 can get more?¡± Hu Chun inquired, frowning.


    ¡°There was one in town, but they cleared out the warehouse and moved southst spring. If it¡¯s really urgent,¡± the vige chief said, pausing for a moment before continuing, ¡°each family should build the north side of their house first and make do with it until next spring.¡±


    ¡°That appears to be the only option. Also, I¡¯m curious how carpenter wages are calcted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you just pay for the wood. For the carpenters, lunch will suffice.¡±


    ¡°I really appreciate it.


    ¡°However, 1 still need to bother you to help me find workers to build my house. The more, the better, and the quicker it can be finished.¡±


    The patriarch was pointed out by the vige chief, whoughed. ¡°I know, and you¡¯ll have to look for the Gu n¡¯s patriarch.


    ¡°The Gu n has the most people in the vige.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you, Uncle Gu.¡± Hu Chun stated this.


    ¡°All, you¡¯re referring to the wrong seniority. After all, someone my age refers to the vige chief as Uncle Qian.¡± Father Gu purposefully made things difficult for him.


    Hu Chun was taken aback for a moment beforeughing awkwardly and scratching his head. ¡°I¡¯ve certainly embarrassed myself. From now on, I¡¯ll refer to the vige chief as Grandpa Qian.¡±


    However, aside from a slight blush, he did not appear afraid or embarrassed.


    Father Gu was content with this. At the very least, Hu Chun¡¯s mind was quick.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a different way of addressing me; anything goes.¡± With a smile, the vige chief said.


    The patriarch was aware of Father Gu¡¯s purposed and did not make things difficult for him. ¡°The patrol team cannot be lent out, so we can only send 40 to 50 strongborers,¡± he exined.


    ¡°As for the sry, it will be 15 copper coins per person per day or a lunch meal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of their meals, but the food may not be up to their standards¡­¡± Hu Chun expressed his concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as they have enough to eat this year. There is nothing toin about.¡± The patriarch answered.


    ¡°Also, I¡¯m not sure if you can help me ask around.


    ¡°I was wondering who would be willing to sell us some white sweet potatoes. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid no one could survive on noodles and water every day.¡±


    ¡°I can ask, but 1 can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to buy any,¡± the vige chief replied, his face troubled.


    ¡°Because someone came to the vige before you to collect a bunch.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. There weren¡¯t many left at the time. All you can do is try.¡± The patriarch concluded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take whatever you have.¡± Hu Chun didn¡¯t seem surprised when he heard this.


    ¡°In fact, if you have any extra silver, you should look for Gu Chengrui and his wife.


    ¡°They can make decisions in a manor in the middle of our vige. There are a lot of cattle and sheep raised there. Despite the fact that meat is more expensive than sweet potatoes, it can still fill you up.¡± The patriarch probed on.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go over and ask. I¡¯ll be leaving theborer gathering in your hands, then.¡± Hu Chun said with an embarrassing smile.


    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll notify them tomorrow.¡± ording to the patriarch.


    The food and wine were soon served. The vige chief and patriarch began to inquire about Hu Chun¡¯s specific situation as soon as the wine was served.


    They discovered that their group was made up of vigers from more than ten viges. Only about 1,000 people remained from the original 5,000.


    As a result, the majority of the silver owned by these 1,000 people previously belonged to others. This was also why they could gather enough money to build houses.


    They then inquired about his personal situation. He had a fiancee whose life and death was unknown, in addition to the sister-inw they knew about.


    ¡°What?¡± For a brief moment, the vige chief was astonished. ¡°This is a big deal. Will you be separated if you don¡¯t return?¡±


    ¡°I can only say that we weren¡¯t fated to meet.¡± Hu Chun responded vaguely.


    The three saw his distress and were too embarrassed to inquire further..

 Chapter 325 - 325 Checking Him Out (3)

    Chapter 325: Checking Him Out (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You say you have no regrets, but what if she approaches you after you marry?¡± Father Gu inquired.


    This was not the first time something like this had urred. Most people would take the fiance¡¯s side and downgrade the man¡¯s wife to an equal wife or concubine if he didn¡¯t have a firm attitude.


    So, if he doesn¡¯t have a clear attitude, this marriage won¡¯t work.


    Hu Chun was taken aback for a brief moment after hearing this. Then he remembered what they had discussed that night and reacted quickly. They were most likely not simply inquiring about his situation but were also attempting to match him with a girl.


    Given his current circumstances, he should look for a wife. Not only would his family be at ease with another woman helping out, but they would also be able to better integrate into the local vige.


    After a brief pause, he responded, ¡°I¡¯m not going to keep it from you. My grandmother arranged this marriage for me when 1 had just finished the schr¡¯s exam.


    ¡°However, my parents passed away one after another, so 1 gave up on the schr¡¯s examination and went to support my family.


    ¡°So, aside from my grandmother, no one acknowledged this marriage. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s even more difficult now that we¡¯re separated by distance.¡± ¡°This year marks your 23rd birthday. What is the girl¡¯s age? You¡¯ve been keeping her waiting all this time.¡± The vige chief asked.


    ¡°I was twelve years old, and she was five when we got engaged.


    ¡°As my grandmother put it, there¡¯s a reason for ourrge age difference. It would have been a good time to marry after I had focused on my studies for a few years.¡±


    ¡°Your grandmother has good foresight.¡± Father Gu agreed with a nod.


    ¡°True, my grandmother has always been the head of our family, but¡­¡± Hu Chun¡¯s face flushed as he spoke.


    The other three elderly people realized immediately that the elderly woman had most likely died while traveling through the mountains. The vige chief spoke up immediately, ¡°Let¡¯s eat. It will not taste good if the food bes cold.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s difficult to get meat these days.¡± Father Gu added as he picked up a chicken leg for Hu Chun.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Uncle Gu.¡± Hu Chun thanked him with a nod.


    They never mentioned Hu Chun¡¯s family again after that. Instead, they discussed local customs and briefly described the situation in Qingshui Town.


    Of course, Father Gu was still keeping an eye on Hu Chun.


    As the saying goes, a person¡¯s true self is revealed when drunk. Drinking could provide a glimpse of it.


    After observing him, he discovered that Hu Chun drank slowly and savored the wine. He was a meticulous and careful individual.


    Furthermore, regardless of how they persuaded him, he was always polite and restrained. He didn¡¯t drink much, demonstrating his strong self-control.


    This type of individual was either exceptional or formidable. In a nutshell, his future looked promising.


    When they were nearly finished drinking, the vige chief asked, ¡°Do you have any interests outside of work? When you have time, you can y with the vige youngster.¡±


    ¡°My favorite pastime is Go chess.¡±


    ¡°Chess betting?¡± The patriarch took a breather and asked on purpose.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never bet money on chess before. I simply enjoy ying, and the process of ying chess teaches me a lot.¡±


    ¡°I happen to have a set of Go chess at home. When we have some free time, let¡¯s y some games.¡± Father Gu went on to say.


    ¡°Sure, whenever you¡¯re avable, I¡¯ll pay you a visit.¡± Hu Chun smiled in response.


    His heart skipped a beat after that. He finally realized that the person who wanted to be his matchmaker was almost certainly Father Gu.


    He remembered Gu Chengye and his sister, whom he had met while collecting firewood two days before.


    His heart stopped beating. It couldn¡¯t be that lovelydy, could it?


    He didn¡¯t say anything, despite having a guess. It was better to go with the flow at first.


    He returned home and briefly exined everything to his uncle. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this popr with the girls this year,¡± Uncle Hu eximed as he patted him on the shoulder..

 Chapter 326 - 326 Attracted

    Chapter 326: Attracted


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Uncle, what do you mean?¡± Hu Chun asked in confusion.


    ¡°You might not know, but many people have asked about you in the past few days. One of them has even sent someone to pass an invitation to marriage.


    ¡°However, 1 refused to ept it. I said I¡¯d respond after you asked.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me who it is?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Qingqing. Her family is not from one of the vige¡¯s two major ns; she has a mother and a younger brother.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that youngdy before. She is capable, and her appearance isn¡¯t bad, but her personality is a little fiery.¡± At this point, his uncle told him about Zhang Qingqing¡¯s situation, including how she refused to be sold and went to the Gu family to force them to sell her white potatoes.


    ¡°This girl is fearless.¡± Hu Chun expressed his admiration.


    ¡°That is correct. That¡¯s why I said she¡¯s a little hot-headed but capable of supporting a small family. Which one would you pick if you had a choice?¡± Uncle Hu inquired.


    ¡°We¡¯ve never even met.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? The Zhang family has already sent the invitation.


    ¡°The Gu family also hinted enough. You must provide me with a firm response.


    ¡°What would I reply if the Gu family extends an invitation?


    ¡°However, if you choose the daughter of the Gu family, you must know that her family is guilty to the imperial courts. I¡¯m afraid it will have an impact on your future generations¡¯ chances of entering the schr examinations.¡±


    ¡°Every emperor has different courtiers. Nobody knows for certain.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re biased against Gu family?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Gu family is guilty, but she is not.


    ¡°She also grew up in the capital and seen a lot. She could read and write, which would be a massive help if I married her.


    ¡°Besides, the Gu family¡¯s circumstances aren¡¯t doing badly. At the very least, they will not drag us down.¡± Hu Chun borated on his reasoning.


    This was also why, when invited, he agreed to y chess with Father Gu.


    Uncle Hu immediately recognized Hu Chun¡¯s interest in the Gu family¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but marriage isn¡¯t a business. You cannot evaluate it solely based on your benefits. Furthermore, her mother is difficult to deal with, so you should consider it carefully.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, uncle. I¡¯m no longer a young man. I see what you¡¯re saying.


    ¡°As for her mother, I¡¯m aware of her, particrly the heinous things she did to Doctor Gu and his wife.


    ¡°However, she is kind to her children.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard she¡¯s been picky about Gu Chengye¡¯s marriage for over two years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway, since you are inclined toward the Gu family¡¯s daughter, you should get to know her brother better and understand that girl¡¯s personality.¡±


    ¡°Oh, 1 think you might need to assist me in getting a message to Uncle Gu.¡± Hu Chun asked for help from his uncle.


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°My ex-fiance. Tell him about the situation and reassure him.¡±


    ¡°You appear to be serious about this, kiddo.


    ¡°OK, leave this to me. Over the next two days, 1¡¯11 find someone to deliver the message to him.¡±


    Hu Chun went to Zhou Ying the next morning to buy some beef.


    This was due to his inability to feed so many people with the food supplies he had. Furthermore, the food he had was of poor quality, which wouldn¡¯t aid the worker¡¯s strength in building houses.


    ¡°Beef and mutton are expensive. You should think about it carefully.¡± Zhou Ying recognized his intent.


    ¡°The key is that you must stick to this menu once you start. This requires at least three heads of cattle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve given it some thought. Nobody will be able to work if there is no meat. However, 1 will need your assistance in selecting two fatter cattle. At the very least, there will be morerd.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re practical.¡± Zhou Ying paused briefly before suggesting, ¡°It isn¡¯t easy for you either. Okay, 1¡¯11 sell you the cattle for 20 taels of silver each. I¡¯ll also sell you some sheep for five taels if you want them.


    ¡°1 might also be able to use their blood to make blood tofu..¡±

 Chapter 327 - 327 Engaged

    Chapter 327: Engaged


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Hu Chun did some mental calctions. Beef before the disaster was 30 coppers per pound, and a cow would at least weigh 1,000 pounds.


    Although it could only produce 500 pounds of meat at most, the bones, blood, andrd were more than enough. 20 taels of silver per head was rtively cheap, judging by that.


    It was the same for the sheep.


    Therefore, the price she offered was the price before the drought.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Manager Zhou. 1¡¯11 have to trouble you to ughter a cow today.¡± He nodded and gave his confirmation.


    After that, he handed her two ingots worth one tael each.


    ¡°Come with me to the manor.¡±


    After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she locked up and brought Er Zhuang to the manor.


    She went to find Uncle Nian and requested that he help pick a fat and strong cow that weighed about 1,000 pounds and ughter it.


    He also processed the cow blood and oil for them.


    Then, he asked Qian Zhuang to drive the donkey cart to the construction site.


    After they left, Zhou Ying expressed her wish, ¡°Uncle Nian, it¡¯s going to be winter soon. Before the new year, take five sheep and two cows to nourish everyone¡¯s body. You and Chang Shun can talk about ughtering and arranging it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, mistress. It just so happens that everyone is short of nutrients these days.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still early today, so let¡¯s ughter another cow. We¡¯ll have some beef soup at noon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get to it.¡± After saying that, Uncle Nian turned around and left.


    At noon, Zhou Ying took charge of the kitchen and made tworge pots of beef offal soup. She also put some vegetables and dried sweet potatoes in it, satisfying everyone¡¯s appetite.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying asked people to send 20 pounds of beef, some bones, and blood tofu to Zhao Sheng and the others in town.


    Meanwhile, she took some beef bones and tendons back home, then cooked a big pot of beef soup with the beef meat from her interspace.


    After it cooled down, it formed a meat jelly simr to jello.


    She cut them into small pieces and kept them in the refrigerator.


    This way, it would be convenient to cook them in the future, and she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about others smelling the beef and causing trouble.


    Father Gu was almost done with his examination, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied just interviewing Hu Chun, so he told Gu Chengzhi and Gu Chengye to ask around.


    At the same time, Hu Chun had also contacted Gu Zishan through the two brothers.


    After everything, Hu Chun and Gu Zishan¡¯s marriage was finalized five dayster. The wedding date was set for the 8th of February, after the beginning of spring.


    After Zhang Qingqing and her mother received the news, they were both a little disappointed.


    Besides the Gu family¡¯s sinful status, they also knew they weren¡¯t a match for the Gu family. In the end, they could only give up.


    However, the vige chief quickly introduced Qian Zhuang to Zhang Qingqing.


    Their marriage was also quickly settled.


    Zhou Ying, on the other hand, was unconcerned about these and continued to sell her skin care cream.


    However, few people in the vige could afford it. In the end, only ten bottles were sold, and two bottles were given to outsiders.


    In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. It was now winter, and most of Hu Chun¡¯s vige houses had been built. After more than ten days of letting the cement harden, they gradually moved in.


    Early in the morning, Qian Zhuang came to deliver a letter, saying that the old men of the manor had returned. Uncle Nian said that to wee them back, they would ughter sheep. Qian Zhuang invited Zhou Ying to have some mutton soup with them.


    Zhou Ying saw that the weather was good, so she brought 20 pounds of ss noodles and went to the manor with him.


    Zhou Ying looked at the few chubbier old men chatting with Manager Liu in full swing.


    After greeting Manager Liu, she turned to the old men and said, ¡°It seems that you guys have been living a good life promoting the white sweet potatoes..¡±

 Chapter 328 - 328 It’s Snowing

    Chapter 328: It¡¯s Snowing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Greetings, mistress.¡± The old men immediately stood up and greeted her.


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because of mistress that we¡¯ve been treated as guests, so we got a little fat,¡± said Uncle Sun, the oldest of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve returned safely. Did your trip go smoothly?¡±


    ¡°The Third Prince brought us around personally. Other than the first two days, when we weren¡¯t used to the ce and weather, everything went smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all thanks to Master Gu¡¯s medicine. Otherwise, I would not have been able to adjust to the humid environment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fantastic that it came in handy. I¡¯ll join the kitchen this afternoon and make you some mutton soup.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, boss.¡±


    After Zhou Ying knew everything was going well for them, she said a few polite words and turned around to get busy.


    After lunch, Zhou Ying took a te ofmb chops and was about to leave when Manager Liu followed her. ¡°Miss Zhou, because of the white potato, the First Prince and the Fourth Prince have sent people over.


    ¡°You guys should try to keep a low profile these days. Just in case, don¡¯t spread the news about the white potato flour.¡± <li>* I z-4?????????? it/-* ??It st??? I 1</li>


    ¡°You¡¯re afraid they¡¯ll target us for the vermicelli recipe?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This potato vermicelli is even more delicious than rice vermicelli. On top of that, the yield of white sweet potatoes is high, and I believe it will be popr the year after next.¡±


    ¡°Then, were they the ones who bought the sweet potatoes at a high price?¡±


    ¡°The First Prince¡¯s men, yes. My men have been watching them, and it seems like they haven¡¯t made any big moves, but it¡¯s hard to say they won¡¯t do anything in the future.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll definitely be careful from now on.¡± After Zhou Ying reassured him, she went home with Er Zhuang.


    At night, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the matter. ¡°You should be more careful. I don¡¯t know if they will suddenly do something crazy.¡±


    ¡°It just so happens Doctor Luo is also nning to close the clinic soon, so I will stop going tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Close down? You don¡¯t have any more herbs?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Qingshui Town¡¯s medicinal herbs have been selling without restocking.


    ¡°I used much of it to treat Hu Chun and the othersst time, so the stock is almost empty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s getting cold now, and you won¡¯t make much anyway. We can just stay at home and enjoy the winter.¡±


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡±


    ¡°Alright, should we send some things over to Zhao Cheng and the others tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Bring some veggies over. The amount of grain they have stored is already quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring some over tomorrow morning.¡±


    The next day, Gu Chengrui had just set off with a cart full of carrots and cabbages when the wind started to pick up.


    In the afternoon, the sky waspletely dark.


    When Gu Chengrui returned, it was already snowing.


    Although they couldn¡¯t farm in this weather, the viges were still happy.


    In particr, those in the outer viges were hoping for more snow.


    First, it could alleviate the drought. Second, they could start nting next spring if the snow gets heavy.


    The heavens finally granted the people¡¯s wishes, and the drifting snowsted for three days.


    Although the snow wasn¡¯t heavy, it still piled up half a foot thick.


    It didn¡¯t affect their daily lives, so the snow wasn¡¯t shoved aside.


    Everyone gathered around the small river outside the vige. The children were so happy that they went to the river to have a snowball fight daily.


    Therefore, it became a lively scene in the vige where parents chased their children with feather dusters for pranking them constantly.


    The snow gradually stopped at noon on the fourth day, but the sky was still dark. The viges began clearing the snow from their streets.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui also walked out with a broom and a shovel. When they saw the Tian couple pushing the snow away with a small cart, they went forward and started shoveling the snow together.


    When they were almost done, Tian Jiawang said, ¡°Brother Gu, could you help me out this afternoon? I have to erect a wooden pir in the house..¡±

 Chapter 329 - 329 Snowstorm (1)

    Chapter 329: Snowstorm (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Why? Is the roof going bad?¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked.


    ¡°Yup, the beam is old, and it¡¯s hard to say how long it willst.¡± Tian Jiawang looked up at the gloomy sky and continued, ¡°The weather is getting gloomytely, and it will be troublesome if it snows heavily.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Gu Chengrui said, nodding. ¡°1¡¯11 go over after eating.¡±


    After that, both of them returned home.


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui changed into the sackcloth clothes he had worn before and went to the Tian family¡¯s house. Soon, Qiu Niang came in with Dong Dong in her arms.


    Zhou Ying immediately greeted them with a smile and put down the book she was reading, saying, ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve brought Dong Dong out too. Hurry up, put him on the bed, and don¡¯t let him catch a cold again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for disturbing you, mistress.¡± Qiu Niang greeted Zhou Ying as she examined the books inside a cab.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Come, stay here, and chat with me.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she emptied a small space at the head of her bed and let her put Dong Dong down.


    She then went to the small red y tea stove on the tea table not far from the bed, picked up an iron kettle, and poured Qiu Niang a cup of boiled water. ¡°Since you can¡¯t drink tea now, you should drink some boiled water to warm your hands.¡±


    ¡°Ah, having such a small stove next to the bed is quite convenient. It¡¯s a pity that they don¡¯t sell these anymore.¡± Qiu Niangmented with longing.


    If they had such a little thing, they wouldn¡¯t have to wake up every night to boil water in the kitchen.


    ¡°You can make this with a little modification to a broken ceramic pot. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s a little charcoal hungry.¡± After saying that, Zhou Ying also poured herself a cup of water.


    After putting down the kettle, she moved to the other side of the table and let Qiu Niang sit where she was so that she could take care of her child up close. ¡°How do we modify it?¡± Qiuniang asked curiously as she held the teacup with both hands.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she got up and took a piece of toilet paper and a quill pen. Then, she drew a rough drawing and said, ¡°See? Make a hole at the bottom of the pot, or two or three small holes will do.


    ¡°Then, find an iron sheet, cut a piece ording to the size of the pot, and then cover it up.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°Just like the water tank where you grow bean sprouts. You cover the bottom and have to find a few stones to prop it up.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, it¡¯s simr to a brazier?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just that. It¡¯s actually quite simple.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll get one made too.¡± Qiu Niang nodded.


    After that, the two began to chat. When Zhou Ying found out that Qiu Niang gets hungry quickly because of breastfeeding, especially when she wakes up from hunger, she taught her how to make french fries and roast white potatoes.


    Although it didn¡¯t taste as good as roasting red sweet potatoes, it could fill one¡¯s stomach immediately.


    At the same time, she gave Qiu Niang a few pieces of dried wolf jerky as snacks.


    After dinner, the couple waited for a while and confirmed that no one hade to visit. Gu Chengrui put on his coat, put out the fire, and locked the door. When he came back, he was covered in snowkes. Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment before she stood up and asked, ¡°It¡¯s snowing again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and it¡¯s snowing quite heavily. It seems that we¡¯ll have to worry about the snow during the night. We¡¯ll have to sweep the snow off the house in time if it¡¯s too heavy.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he shook the snow off his coat and ced it at the end of the bed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you call Er Zhuang in? Don¡¯t let him catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Gu Chengrui shouted out to Er Zhuang, who was hiding in the kitchen. He immediately rushed over, and they entered the interspace together.


    As soon as Er Zhuang entered, he immediately turned around and ran to the grasnd, chasing away the sheep that were leisurely eating grass.


    Suddenly, there were sounds of bleating all over. Zhou Yingughed, saying, ¡°It¡¯s said that dogs are nosy. Looks like Er Zhuang¡¯s been bored..¡±

 Chapter 330 - 330 Snowstorm (2)

    Chapter 330: Snowstorm (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s just bored after eating and lying around doing nothing. I¡¯m going to feed those animals.¡± Gu Chengrui echoed her and turned around to chase after Er Zhuang. He drove a tram with Er Zhuang and started to get busy.


    As for Zhou Ying, she went to the mountain and got busy. She collected everything that could be collected, especially the rare medicinal herbs.


    After collecting everything, she saw that it was still early, so she used a pressure cooker to stew a pot of mutton soup. She nned to make soup noodles for tomorrow.


    After the two of them finished their work, they brought Er Zhuang out of the interspace.


    Gu Chengrui was worried about the snow, so he went out to take a look.


    When he saw that the snow was already a foot thick and was still falling, his heart skipped a beat, wondering if there would be a snowstorm.


    He quickly put on his military coat and checked the snow on the roof. As expected, the snow on the roof had already piled up thickly.


    The snow on the end of the roof, in particr, was much higher and piled much thicker than the snow on the ground.


    He quickly returned to his room and said, ¡°Babe, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight. Come out and help me hold thedder. 1 have to clear the snow on the roof quickly, or it will be dangerous.¡±


    Zhou Ying¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She immediately put on her clothes and walked out with him.


    When she saw the snow falling so heavily that she couldn¡¯t see anything more than two meters away, she hurriedly helped him sweep the snow off the roof.


    After sweeping the roof and the shed, Gu Chengrui saw no movement from the other houses.


    Only then did he remember that the patrol team had retreated since the snow started.


    ¡°Babe,¡± he said to Zhou Ying, ¡°I have to go find the vige chief. Otherwise, half of the houses in the vige will copse tomorrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s just waking him up anyway. Why bother going over? Let¡¯s just hit a gong or something.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she paused for a moment because there was no such thing in their house or her interspace.


    Finally, she simply took out a whistle from her interspace and said, ¡°Let¡¯s use this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡± Gu Chengrui took the whistle, put it in his mouth, and blew hard.


    He blew on it the whole time he walked toward the vige chief¡¯s house.


    The whistle rang loudly in the quiet night, and it woke up the entire vige.


    At first, everyone was angry when they were woken up, especially those who had children like Tian Jiawang; those children cried and cried.


    However, the whistle did not stop. People soon realized something had happened, and each family immediately sent someone out to check what was happening.


    When they saw the heavy snow outside, they immediately shouted in horror.


    Suddenly, the entire vige was in an uproar. Everyone scrambled to clear the snow from their roofs.


    When Gu Chengrui arrived at the vige head¡¯s house, the two brothers, Qian Jiaxi and Qian Jiale, had already started working together to sweep the snow off the roof.


    The vige chief raised his head and looked at the snow in a daze.


    ¡°Grandpa Qian,¡± Gu Chengrui quickly stepped forward.


    The vige chief patted him on the shoulder, then sighed with a heavy face, ¡°Thanks, boy. I thought we could hide from it, but it came regardless.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately knew what he meant.


    He didn¡¯t know how to reply to that.


    Who would¡¯ve thought they would encounter a snowstorm after they avoided the drought and the flood?


    Even if they wanted to escape, they probably had nowhere to run. He replied, ¡°Since you¡¯re up, I¡¯ll go back now.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked back.


    On the way, he went to the patriarch and his old house. After making sure that they were all awake, he rushed home.


    When he returned, the roof was again covered with a thickyer of snow. The snow on the ground was almost two feet thick, illustrating the heavy


    snowstorm..

 Chapter 331 - 331 Snowstorm (3)

    Chapter 331: Snowstorm (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, no one had the time toin. They were only thinking about how to keep their houses intact. Otherwise, they would freeze to death.


    The vigers were busy the whole night; some even found new materials to reinforce their roofs.


    It was not until the next morning that the snow gradually lessened.


    However, the snow on the ground was already five feet deep. If someone didn¡¯t have their door opened, it would take them a long time to do so.


    Zhou Ying finished helping Gu Chengrui and made amb stew in her interspace. After the two finished breakfast, they took a shower and left the interspace.


    When she saw the snow outside, piled nearly as tall as a person, she took out a pair of sleighs and said, ¡°Rui, you stay at home just in case. I need to go to the manor.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? The snow that just fell is especially soft, and there is no snow path. It will be difficult to get out if you identally fall into the snow.


    ¡°Besides, with Manager Liu there, everything would be fine.


    ¡°Even if there¡¯s something, it¡¯s toote to go over now. Let¡¯s wait for the snow to stoppletely; then, we¡¯ll make a plough to go over.¡± Chengrui stopped her.


    He was also concerned about the cattle and sheep in the manor, as they were the only sources of food for the inhabitants on the surface. However, no matter their importance, they were not as important as their lives. He could not take the risk.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment. Looking at the frighteningly thick snow, she finally gave up. The two cleared a path from their kitchen to the woodshed and quickly started a fire.


    It was almost noon when the short path was cleared, but the snow was still falling.


    After lunch, they went into the house to read a book while observing the snow.


    By nighttime, the snow had lessened. By midnight, the snow had gradually stopped.


    Only then did Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui lie down and have a good sleep.


    When the snow started falling, people were on duty in the cattle and sheep shed in the manor.


    That was why they had discovered the possibility of a snowstorm earlier than anyone else.


    The person on duty immediately called for everyone to get busy, so other than wasting some firewood in the cattle and sheep sheds, there were no casualties.


    However, Manager Liu and the others could no longer live in their tents. Half of them crammed into the courtyard, while the other half crammed into the newly constructed dormitory.


    As for Hu Chun¡¯s newly built vige, although they discovered the snowstorm a littlete, their house was newly built, so they were fine.


    However, their food supplies were usually bought daily. They could, at most,st for ten more days with their supplies, but the road might not even be cleared in a month, let alone ten days.


    Therefore, when Hu Chun saw the situation outside early in the morning, he was so anxious that his mouth began to froth.


    He immediately called out for everyone to quickly clear the roads to the vige.


    As for the other viges, including the town, most of the inhabitants discovered the snowstorm toote and had their roofs copse. They had to wait for rescue and just try to hold on and survive.


    So when the snow stopped, the people finally heaved a sigh of relief. But when they looked at the snow outside their homes, they all started to worry.


    On the morning of the third day, Gu Chengrui woke up and said, ¡°Babe, let¡¯s use your interspace to suck in the snow. It¡¯ll be troublesome if the snow starts to melt after being piled up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll put them in the storeroom.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she put her hand directly on the snow to try, but she could only put a palm-sized piece in each time.


    She then looked at Gu Chengrui with an embarrassed expression on her face.


    Gu Chengrui smiled. ¡°Take out the small cart from the vi. Try it again once it¡¯s filled.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and did as she was told, and she found it could be stored in her interspace that way.


    After they found a way, they started to get busy. They moved most of the snow in the yard into the interspace, and by noon, they could open their door..

 Chapter 332 - 332 Snowstorm (4)

    Chapter 332: Snowstorm (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Coincidentally, Tian Jiawang and his sister had also cleared the path to their entrance. Of course, it was only a path.


    Each household diligently dug out the necessary paths in their courtyards.


    The next day, everyone spontaneously began to clear the middle of the street. Because everyone had difficulties, digging a path to the middle of their vige would allow everyone to help each other.


    Of course, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui did not cheat this time. They followed the lead and dug.


    In the afternoon, they finally dug a path to the middle of the street that could fit two people.


    The vigers found three copsed houses. Fortunately, no one died, but three vigers were injured.


    Therefore, Gu Chengrui and his wife stopped clearing the road and instead began to treat the injured.


    At night, the vige chief called the vige¡¯s main elders to his house and asked, ¡°So what are your thoughts? It will be bad if we keep the snow inside the vige.¡±


    ¡°Father, my suggestion is to push the snow in the vige into the river as much as possible. When it melts, it won¡¯t affect the vige.¡± Qian Jiaxi spoke at this moment.


    ¡°Jiaxi is right. Although this work is tiring, it has to be done. Otherwise, it will be troublesome once the snow melts.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it will snow again, and it will be troublesome to clear then. We have to be quick.¡± The patriarch nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do as Jiaxi said. Everyone except the elderly and children will join in and clear the snow as soon as possible.¡±


    Seeing that everyone agreed, the vige chief nodded and continued, ¡°It¡¯s decided. Tomorrow morning, we will dig five paths leading to the river in the vige. When you return, inform each household, as I can¡¯t run back and forth.


    ¡°By the way, don¡¯t inform Doctor Gu and his wife. They still have to take care of the injured.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s decided.¡± The patriarch nodded in agreement.


    After that, no one was in the mood to stay any longer. They left immediately and went to inform each household.


    But in the end, the patriarch still told Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying so that they would know what was going on.


    The next day, after examining the three injured, the couple ended up following Tian Jiawang and his sister to clear the snow.


    Because they were digging a path wide enough for a cart, the entire vigers¡¯ effort only dug five paths in a day.


    Over the next few days, they started to shovel snow into the river daily.


    First, it was snow from the vige streets, then from each household. This busy periodsted for nearly half a month.


    Two weekster, they cleared arge portion of the snow in the vige, including the snow near each house, into the river.


    The vigers could finally drink from the well again.


    At the same time, as the snow melted, the weather became colder and colder. It was so cold that even if they kept burning their stove, the house still couldn¡¯t stay warm.


    As a result, arge number of the elderly and children fell ill.


    Gu Chengrui saw vigersing to his house daily to ask for medicine. Still, because the medicine cab at home was running out, he did not dare continue giving out medicine, or else something would definitely happen.


    He could only tell everyone to eat chili and drink more water to ovee the cold.


    At the same time, he ground some scallions and ginger into powder and let the children drink it. Gradually, the situation in the vige stabilized.


    People didn¡¯t dare leave their houses in this weather.


    On the other side, Hu Chun and the others did not bother to clean up the snow in the vige. Instead, after each household had opened up a path, they quickly dug a passage to the manor.


    They had to make sure that they had something to eat first.


    Manager Liu, who lived in the courtyard, was so shocked that his jaw almost fell when he saw Hu Chun and his men.


    He didn¡¯t expect them to dig a path here this quickly.


    After knowing their purpose foring, he understood why they had rushed over.. Then, he looked at their skinny appearance and hesitated before asking, ¡°I can make the decision to sell food to you, but do you still have any silver?¡±

 Chapter 333 - 333 Snowstorm (5)

    Chapter 333: Snowstorm (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Hu Chun heard that, he gritted his teeth and kneeled, ¡°We still have 50 silver taels. Can you sell us three cows and some grain?


    ¡°Well definitely pay off the silver we owe within a year.¡±


    The vigers who followed behind immediately kneeled and begged.


    Manager Liu looked at Hu Chun, who was kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. He couldn¡¯t help but admire him from the bottom of his heart. Hu Chun proved to be a person who could bend to the situation, and few people would do so in front of their subordinates.


    Moreover, Manager Liu knew that Hu Chun¡¯s main concern was his vigers. Otherwise, with his ability, it would not be a problem to protect his family through the winter.


    He went forward to help Hu Chun up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. Wait a moment. 1 have to discuss this with the others and make a decision.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Hu Chun thanked Manager Liu repeatedly and ced the money bag he had brought on the table.


    When Manager Liu saw this, he immediately got his subordinates to call Uncle Nian and Chang Shun over. He called them to a side room and told them about the matter, ¡°What do you guys think of this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to sell food supplies to them, but I¡¯m just worried that it¡¯ll be troublesome if they have other selfish thoughts after that, especially regarding the white sweet potatoes.¡± Chang Shun spoke at this moment.


    ¡°Indeed, they are different from those other viges. After going through many life-and-death situations, their inside is ruthless.¡± Uncle Nian agreed.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t give it to them, they¡¯ll have a better reason to cause trouble. That¡¯s the most troublesome part of this.


    ¡°If they dare cause any trouble after we give them their food supplies, we won¡¯t have to hold back then.¡±


    Chang Shun and Uncle Nian exchanged a look and replied, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already considered the consequences, we¡¯ll heed your decision.¡±


    ¡°How about we give them 50,000 pounds of the white sweet potatoes, plus the three cows? If they eat them sparingly, it should be enough for them to get through the winter.¡± Manager Liu proposed.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do as you say. With such a heavy snowfall, we¡¯ll be able to nt a plethora of sweet potatoes next year.¡± Chang Shun added.


    Manager Liu nodded and returned to Hu Chun, informing them of their decision. ¡°This is the best we can do for you. The white potatoes are a one-time thing; you can split them on your own.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much.¡± Hu Chun expressed his gratitude to Manager Liu.


    The others were also pleasantly surprised because they knew that with these food supplies, although they would still starve, they would not starve to death in the winter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s write a written agreement.¡± After Manager Liu exined what they were getting, he quickly wrote an agreement and marked the price of the white potatoes as ten coppers per pound.


    After Manager Liu finished, he handed it to them and asked them to press their fingerprints on it one by one. ¡°Remember, a one-year deadline. We¡¯ll take a 30% interest if you can¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hu Chun said again, bowing and thanking Manager Liu.


    As for the calction of interest on the chance ofte payment, he didn¡¯t take it to heart because this was normal. The interest wasn¡¯t high, either, and they could still afford it if something terrible were to happen and they couldn¡¯t make the repayment.


    After they were done with their thumbprints, Manager Liu told them to wait while Chang Shun sent others to the warehouse to prepare the white potatoes for them.


    Hu Chun didn¡¯t stay idle either. He immediately returned to report the good news and asked his vigers to return with carts.


    At night, all the white potatoes had been transported away. Manager Liu reminded Hu Chun, ¡°Those sweet potatoes were squeezed out of our rations. I hope you can make reasonable arrangements as there won¡¯t be any more in the future.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will see you soon in the new year.¡± Hu Chun bowed again, then caught up with the line of vigers carting away the white potatoes.


    As for the three cattle they brought, they were the ones driving the carts back. They had even made these cattle to help transport the white potatoes on a few round trips.


    After they returned, Hu Chun gathered everyone and said, ¡°These are our winter food supplies for this year. So to save food and firewood, I¡¯ve decided that we cook inrge batches for everyone to eat together as amunity.. What do you all think?¡±

 Chapter 334 - 334 Snowstorm (6)

    Chapter 334: Snowstorm (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I agree. We didn¡¯t prepare enough firewood, so we can save a lot if we eat together.¡±


    ¡°Right, right, if we eat together, we can keep track of what¡¯s left.¡±


    ¡°The point is that if everyone ate together, there would be no constant argument about how to divide food.¡±


    ¡°Those who agree, raise your hand.¡± Hu Chun heaved a sigh of relief.


    To be honest, he was terrified that everyone would disagree.


    Once the food was distributed, those who ate quickly would run out and ask for more.


    Would the others be willing to divide their portion further?


    They wouldn¡¯t be happy if he ignored their pleas, then.


    Even if he refused to divide the remaining portion further, he couldn¡¯t just watch them starve. It would trigger conflicts if this happened.


    Fortunately, most of the people had raised their hands. Even those who disagreed with it slowly raised their hands when they saw that everyone had raised their hands.


    ¡°Great,¡± Uncle Hu said. ¡°How much silver did we spend this time? Hu Chun, can you give us an estimate?¡±


    ¡°I spent 50 taels of silver, but 1 owe them 10 taels of cattle money and 50 taels of white potato money.¡±


    ¡°I only have 10 taels of silver left in reserve. This silver is for buying all kinds of farming equipment next year, so don¡¯t hold any hope of using it to buy more meat and food.¡± At this point, Hu Chun turned his head and said, ¡°Uncle will do the mathter and ensure that this amount of food will be enough for us to eat for four months.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Uncle Hu replied with a nod.


    Although the others felt their stomachs twist after hearing this, they didn¡¯t say anything, as this was for their survival.


    Hu Chun continued, ¡°In the meantime, everyone can take a look at the nearby mountains. If we catch some prey, it¡¯s our lucky day. However, no one is allowed to go up the mountains. Otherwise, if something really happens, we won¡¯t even be able to find a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of doctors, should we dig a road to Shanghe vige?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°It will depend on the situation. If we have the strength, then we will dig.


    ¡°So, take care of yourself these days. Don¡¯t catch a cold, and don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    After more than half a day of exposure to the wind and sun, the snow melted a little.


    However, ayer of ice formed on it, and it became much sturdier than before. The thickness of the snow was also about one foot lower than before.


    No one could walk on them. Every step one took would bury half of their leg in snow.


    Gu Chengrui tried to ski, but he could not.


    After that, Er Zhuang was let out to try pulling a snow sled, but it was difficult for him to even walk on the snow.


    In the end, the couple nailed two crude and light three-by-three wooden rafts, then put them on the snow. They traveled to the front of the manor step by step.


    At the same time, he would step on the snow with every step he took, and the snow would instantly sink in about a foot.


    When the bored children at home saw this, they immediately joined in on the fun.


    All of a sudden, everyone in the vige started to move around. After all, everyone had a few rtives among the other vigers, and they wanted to know how they were doing and if anyone was still alive.


    Seeing this, the vige chief created a team to open up a road to town.


    So, in the afternoon, the couple was left alone.


    This made it convenient for Zhou Ying to use her interspace to store and release the wooden rafts, while Gu Chengrui was tasked with shoving the snow into the wooden rafts.


    When they were about to reach the manor, the two returned to their original method of traveling.


    The next afternoon, Manager Liu received the news and saw Gu Chengrui and his wife¡¯s actions from afar. He immediatelyughed and said, ¡°Although this method is a little stupid, it is much faster than digging a path.¡±


    After that, he quickly got someone to drag the wooden rafts over. When he saw the couple panting heavily from exhaustion, he said, ¡°You two must be tired. Hurry up ande in to rest. 1 have something to tell you.¡±


    After that, he took them to the courtyard houses and told them about selling meat and white sweet potatoes to Hu Chun. He handed the receipt to Zhou Ying and said, ¡°1 saw they were too pitiful, so¡­.¡±

 Chapter 335 - 335 Snowstorm (7)

    Chapter 335: Snowstorm (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Uncle Liu, you did the right thing. Otherwise, if they were really forced into a corner, I¡¯m afraid the manor would not be able to live in peace.¡± Zhou Ying took the receipt and replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t me me. By the way, how¡¯s your vige doing?¡± Manager Liu asked.


    ¡°Pretty good. We took notice of the snowstorm in time, but three houses copsed, and three people were injured.¡±


    ¡°What? Three people were injured? Are Zhang Qingqing and her family okay?¡± Qian Zhuang ran in and asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush, kiddo? If something happened, we would havee to you long ago.¡± Gu Chengrui teased.


    ¡°Hehe, 1 just panicked. Oh, right; what about our old house?¡±


    ¡°Your house was renovated before you rented it out. It¡¯s quite strongly built, so nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great; you guys continue while I return to the vige with Erjiang.¡± After Qian Zhuang finished speaking, he turned around and ran out.


    ¡°It¡¯s really different when a man has a wife. In the past, I¡¯ve never seen him so concerned about anything other than money.¡± Manager Liuughed.


    ¡°Well, a person does change after having a family.¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile.


    After chatting for a while, they learned about the situation at the manor. They found out that there was no trouble other than a few newbornmbs freezing to death.


    The couple got up and left. At the same time, they told Manager Liu that their vige was paving the way to town.


    The road was much smoother on the way back, and the two skated back to the vige much faster than usual.


    After Qian Zhuang brought Gu Erjiang back to the vige, he went straight to Zhang Qingqing¡¯s house. After making sure that she was fine, the two helped her reinforce the roof of her house.


    After that, he reported to the vige chief and the patriarch that he was safe before returning to the manor.


    Five dayster, the road to town was cleared, and the couple skated into town.


    They found that many houses in town had copsed. Fortunately, the main road was cleared, just like their vige.


    When the two arrived at Grasnd Taste Restaurant, they saw that the ce was intact. They heaved a sigh of relief and walked in from the side door.


    Fang Qing, who was practicing martial arts in the yard, was surprised when he saw them. ¡°Master, how did you guys get here?¡±


    ¡°The vige used wooden rafts to dig a path out. How are you guys? Are you all okay?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Uncle Zhao Cheng fell down thedder while cleaning the snow on the second floor. Fortunately, there was snow underneath him, and nothing serious happened. However, he injured his waist and has been lying in bed for several days.¡±


    ¡°And you guys just waited like this?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know where the doctor¡¯s residence is, so we only rub some safflower oil on him daily. He¡¯s feeling better nowpared to a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°You guys continue chatting; I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡± Gu Chengrui walked into Zhao Cheng¡¯s room after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Is there anything else you need to let us know?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I guess there are some. We didn¡¯t prepare enough firewood, but we still had enough to burn for another month. Now that the road is cleared, we¡¯ll go up the mountain to get some more firewood.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and said, ¡°I saw a lot of copsed houses in town.


    See if anyone wants the wood; you can buy it if they don¡¯t. I would prefer you buy those and use them as firewood.¡±


    ¡°As for gathering actual firewood, it¡¯s unrealistic to do so with such thick snow before it melts.¡±


    ¡°I understand. When it¡¯s my turn to join the rescue team tomorrow, I¡¯ll ask Constable Tian if I can bring some back.¡±


    ¡°Rescue team?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The constable is organizing people to save those buried at home. I¡¯m staying home to look after the house today, while Qiu Yu and the others were called to cook for the masses.¡±


    ¡°I see. By the way, is our courtyard alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just the storage room that copsed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You guys can take some time off to collect broken wood and use it as firewood.


    ¡°By the way, you must go back to your house from time to time. It¡¯ll get dpidated if you don¡¯t live there for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I will..¡±

 Chapter 336 - 336 Snowstorm (8)

    Chapter 336: Snowstorm (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other side, Gu Chengrui entered the room and walked to the bed to examine Zhao Cheng. He said, ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s only a tendon injury, but just the safflower oil won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll make some ointment for youter, and remember to apply a hotpress.


    ¡°Also, you must take good care of yourself and not catch a cold. Otherwise, it may cause a chronic illness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it; sorry for the trouble.¡± Zhao Sheng nodded.


    ¡°In any case, you fell and injured yourself while working for the restaurant. Rest well for a few days.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he gave him a few more instructions.


    He then left the room.


    After that, the couple did not stay and quickly returned home.


    By the time they reached home, it was already freezing. The two made a cup of onion soup and drank it.


    They then heated up the stove and ate a hot pot of mutton soup.


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui went straight to the interspace to make some herbal medicine. Zhou Ying, on the other hand, had some free time. She then remembered that there were three chickens in their backyard in addition to the horses.


    The chicken was frozen to death from the snowstorm, but it was still meat.


    Thus, she went straight to the backyard, fed the horse water from her interspace, and added firewood to the underground storeroom.


    She took out the shovel and started digging at the chicken nest¡¯s approximate location.


    After about two hours, she finally found three frozen chickens and two frozen eggs.


    She took two eggs and a chicken to the kitchen, putting them by the stove and defrosting them.


    As for the others, they were buried back in the snow.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying simply stewed chicken soup with a few wolfberries and red dates.


    When the meal was ready, the vige chief walked in. After seeing the chicken soup on their table, he said, ¡°I was wondering whose chicken was so fragrant. Half the vige could smell it.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Qian. You¡¯re here; let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve already prepared dinner.


    ¡°I¡¯m here because the vige constable has given us a task. He asked us to send a group of people to other viges to help save them.


    ¡°I thought that if someone were injured, 1 would like Chengrui toe with us tomorrow.


    ¡°By the way, everyone who goes will be given one pound of mixed noodles daily.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m short on medicine now.¡± Gu Chengrui wanted to say something but stopped.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of this. I¡¯ve applied to get medicinal herbs from the vige constable.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that it was from the Zhou medicine shop. Tomorrow, you can see what can be used and what can¡¯t, and we will do our best and leave it to fate.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go over earlier tomorrow.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he asked him to sit and eat with them.


    The vige chief quickly turned around. ¡°No, I¡¯ll go back first. You guys hurry up and eat. Don¡¯t let the food get cold.¡±


    Gu Chengrui saw he could not keep the vige chief from leaving, so he sent him out.


    He locked the door when he came back.


    The following day, after breakfast, Gu Chengrui went to the vige chief¡¯s house with the ointment he had prepared for Zhao Cheng. When he discovered the vige chief was going to the newly formed vige, he said, ¡°Grandpa Qian, that ce is connected to the manor.


    ¡°If you want to know more about the situation, you can go there directly. The vige is newly built and is safe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, but making a round trip is better. We will request that they send some people to help save others, and at least they get a share of the food.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement and asked, ¡°By the way, where did you put the medicinal herbs?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the west wing of my house. I¡¯ll take you there now.¡± After the vige chief finished speaking, he brought him into the west chamber of his house..

 Chapter 337 - 337 Leopard From The Mountains (1)

    Chapter 337: Leopard From The Mountains (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Gu Chengrui went in, he went forward to look at the medicinal bags one by one. He did not expect them to all be bottom-of-the-barrel stuff.


    If it wasn¡¯t inferior goods, then it was crushed and mangled.


    Fortunately, it was not soaked and could still be used. He picked up some medicine for external injuries and went to town with Qian Jiaxi and the others.


    After sending the ointment to Zhao Cheng, he returned to the gathering point.


    When he saw Doctor Luo standing in the crowd, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Master Luo, is everything alright at home?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. What about you guys?¡± Doctor Luo immediately turned his head and replied after hearing his voice.


    ¡°Not bad, but it¡¯s freezing. Once the fire stops, we can¡¯t stay in the house.¡±


    ¡°Same here. Fortunately, we took the firewood and charcoal from the clinic back home. Otherwise, we would have frozen silly.¡±


    At this time, Tian Jingzhong walked over with a yawn. After assigning the tasks to everyone, he said, ¡°Everyone, you¡¯ve seen the road paved by Shanghe vige, right? Let¡¯s use the same method. It¡¯s not only energy-saving but also fast. Let¡¯s try to get a clear understanding of the situation in each vige within two days.¡±


    ¡°We saw it. If I had known we could do something like this, we would have saved much effort.¡± Someone immediately chimed in.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry up and set off. We¡¯ll gather here at night.¡± After Tian Jingzhong finished speaking, he stopped Qian Jiaxi and asked, ¡°Jiaxi, where¡¯s your father?¡±


    ¡°They went to Xin An vige, the newly built vige. 1 heard the path there has been cleared, so my father went over to ask for help,¡± Jiaxi replied.


    ¡°I see. Alright, you lead your team and save as many people as possible.¡±


    ¡°Roger that; we¡¯ll go now.¡± Qian Jiaxi affirmed and went after his team.


    Meanwhile, Tian Jingzhong waited in ce. After about half an hour, the vige chief and Hu Chun rushed over with a group of people.


    After exchanging a few polite greetings, Tian Jingzhong assigned them the viges they needed to check on and then left on his own with a few teams of soldiers in the direction of the county.


    After Gu Chengrui left, Zhou Ying was bored at home. She took out some cold-proof tes from her interspace and ced them in the backyard. She began to storerge amounts of ice in her warehouse, so she could make smoothies to sell in the summer.


    In just one day, more than ten batches of ice were stored.


    After storing thest batch of ice in her interspace, she went to the shed to get some firewood to cook with.


    Just as she picked up a bundle of firewood, she suddenly heard a shout from outside, ¡°Help! Help! Someone help!¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned. Despite the sharpness of the voice, she recognized it as Sister Tian¡¯s.


    She remembered that Brother Tian had gone out, so she quickly took out a bottle of pepper spray and ran out.


    As soon as she stepped out of the door, she saw an animal resembling a big cat pouncing on Sister Tian. It was biting and tearing her arm, and it was already bleeding.


    After hesitating for just a moment, she picked up the stick she used to lock her doors at night and rushed over.


    As soon as she got close, the big cat raised its head and bared its fangs at her. It also let out a low growl from its throat, obviously warning her.


    At the same time, when the big cat looked up, Zhou Ying found that it was not a cat but a leopard.


    ording to its body shape and appearance, it was a leopard. However, she didn¡¯t know why it didn¡¯t have the typical leopard stripes and looked a bit like a civet cat.


    Thinking of this, she felt a chill in her heart. She had never seen how fast a leopard could run but had heard about it. It was an animal that could take her life at any time.


    The leopard saw that she didn¡¯te close, so it immediately lowered its head and continued to bite at its prey.


    However, because of the oversized cotton-padded jacket, the bite did not mp down smoothly.


    It let go and pressed its paw on the wound. Then, it turned its head and bit at Sister Tian¡¯s neck.


    Zhou Ying returned to her senses and happened to see this scene; she immediately ran over with her stick.


    When the leopard heard her running over, it turned its head and looked over. Then, a fierce glint shone from its eyes. It bent its legs slightly and pounced toward Zhou Ying..

 Chapter 338 - 338 Leopard From The Mountains

    Chapter 338: Leopard From The Mountains


    (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying no longer cared about the stick. Instead, she raised her hand and quickly sprayed the pepper spray at it.


    This time, not only did the leopard choke and scurry to the snow pile not far away, even Zhou Ying was choking and sneezing non-stop.


    When Sister Tian saw this, she immediately stood up and ran over to support Zhou Ying. ¡°Zhou Ying, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± When Zhou Ying opened her mouth, she sneezed and handed her the pepper spray.


    After that, she sneezed a few more times and finally recovered.


    The leopard¡¯s reaction was much stronger than hers. It choked and rolled around in the snow but did not intend to leave.


    At that moment, the vigers heard themotion and rushed over. Seeing the leopard rolling in the snow, someone asked, ¡°This must be a leopard, right? Why is it in the vige?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably hungry. Look at how thin it has be.¡±


    ¡°This is bad. We have to kill it. Otherwise, we won¡¯t know when it will kill one of us.¡± A n elder walked out at that precise moment to warn.


    Everyone ran to Zhou Ying¡¯s and Tian family¡¯s houses to find weapons.


    Zhou Ying also immediately went home and then took out a crossbow, aiming at the leopard that had begun to escape.


    The arrow shot out and hit the leopard¡¯s leg, causing the running leopard to fall down instantly.


    ¡°Go! It¡¯ll be troublesome if it gets into the vige,¡± the elder immediately urged.


    As soon as he finished speaking, a few older men immediately rushed forward with rods in their hands. They swung their farming tools at the leopard.


    Because the leopard¡¯s leg was injured and it was starving too, it struggled a few times before the surrounding vigers killed it.


    Zhou Ying stepped forward and collected the arrows from the leopard¡¯s body. ¡°It seems that the animals on this mountain have run out of options. We¡¯ll have to send people to patrol in the future.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it seems like we really have to be careful in the future.¡± The n elder nodded in agreement.


    He then saw that the clothes of the vigers around him were more or less scratched and torn. He raised his hand and coughed dryly. ¡°This leopard isn¡¯t that big; you guys can split it.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head immediately, as cat meat was sour and she didn¡¯t like to eat it. She walked directly to Sister Tian¡¯s side and said, ¡°Sister Tian,e with me. I¡¯ll treat your wounds.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s all thanks to you today. I¡¯m afraid 1 would have lost my life if it weren¡¯t for you.¡± Sister Tian nodded and followed her home.


    When Zhou Ying had almost cleaned up the wounds on her arm, Gu Chengrui rushed back. Zhou Ying immediately stood up and said, ¡°Rui, you should bandage it. I¡¯m going to cook.¡±


    ¡°Sure, remember to make me a cup of ginger soup. I¡¯m freezing.¡± Gu Chengrui requested, and he rubbed his hands hard before treating Sister Tian¡¯s wounds.


    Gu Chengrui looked at the wound and asked, ¡°Sister Tian, was this bitten by a cat?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Gu mentioned it was a leopard.¡± After Sister Tian finished speaking, she briefly repeated what had happened to him.


    Gu Chengrui immediately fell silent and began to treat her wound seriously.


    After finishing, he hung her arm around her neck and said, ¡°The wound isn¡¯t serious, but remember not to get it wet or frozen. Remember toe back tomorrow at this time to change your dressing.¡±


    ¡°How much is the medical fee?¡± Sister Tian asked.


    ¡°Just give me ten coppers for the medicine. We¡¯ll charge you as a whole when you are well.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Thank you. Do take your rest, and I¡¯ll be going back.¡± After saying that, Sister Tian stood up and walked home..

 Chapter 339 - 339 Countermeasure

    Chapter 339: Countermeasure


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Just as Sister Tian walked to the door, she met Tian Jiawang, who was hurrying to find her.


    The siblings were stunned momentarily, and Tian Jiawang asked, ¡°Sister, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright; it¡¯s not serious.¡± Sister Tian replied.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t hurt her bones. She¡¯ll be fine after a good rest.¡± Gu Chengrui echoed.


    Tian Jiawang heaved a sigh of relief and looked at the wound. It was on her forearm, and it would definitely show in the summer.


    ¡°Will it leave a scar?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Yes, but after the wound heals, it¡¯ll bepletely invisible after two months of applying some scar removal cream.¡± Gu Chengrui answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll leave you to your work, and we¡¯ll talkter.¡± After Tian Jiawang finished speaking, he left with Sister Tian.


    Gu Chengrui washed his hands and went to the kitchen. He saw Zhou Ying sitting in front of the stove and approached her. ¡°Babe, what are you going to cook for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Millet congee, cabbage in vinegar sauce, and a few mutton steamed buns. Is there anything else you want to eat?¡± Zhou Ying asked. ¡°If there is, 1 can continue cooking.¡±


    ¡°No. But just make a few more buns. I¡¯m a little hungry today.¡±


    ¡°Alright, the water is boiling. Take out your bowl, and I¡¯ll make you a bowl of ginger soup now.¡±


    ¡°Yay, thanks.¡± Gu Chengrui rejoiced and turned around to remove a bowl from the cupboard, cing it on the stove.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying took a packet of scallion and ginger powder from her interspace, poured it into the bowl, and then poured in the boiling water.


    The green onion¡¯s fragrance and the ginger¡¯s spicy taste instantly wafted out.


    Zhou Ying saw this, poured the washed millet into the boiling pot, and covered it again. ¡°Wrap it with a cloth and take it away. Drink it while it¡¯s hot.¡±


    Gu Chengrui took a piece of cloth from the side and ced it on the table. He put the bowl on it, then brought over a stool and slowly drank the soup.


    After drinking the bowl of ginger soup, Gu Chengrui feltpletely alive again.


    ¡°The vige chief didn¡¯t let our vige take the mixed noodles from the higher-ups, so we worked for nothing,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the right thing to do anyway, as 1 heard there aren¡¯t many noodles avable. By the way, how¡¯s the situation in the other viges?¡± Zhou Ying asked after she finished preparing the dishes.


    ¡°Many people died, but the snowstorm actually killed only a few. Most of them froze or starved to death.¡±


    ¡°Not surprising. There¡¯s a limited amount of grain; no one stocked up on any.¡±


    ¡°However, they could only me themselves for beingzy. The situation at Xin An vige wasn¡¯t much better than theirs originally.


    ¡°They should have found a way to save themselves instead of waiting for death. Yet, they did nothing.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and spoke up.


    Gu Chengrui sighed and did not speak again.


    Gu Chengrui made more scallions and ginger powder when they entered the interspace that night.


    On the other hand, the n elder mentioned the leopard¡¯s incident to the vige chief after dinner.


    After the vige chief heard this, he took two puffs of his cigarette and said, ¡°This is troublesome. They¡¯ll be frozen silly if 1 ask people to patrol in such cold weather.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The problem is that it¡¯s hard even to dig a trap in such heavy snow.¡± The patriarch added.


    ¡°I remember there were bells at the oil mill, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you want to¡­¡±


    ¡°The sound of the bell can be heard in the house, but it can¡¯t be heard outside, especially at night.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then just remind everyone to lock their doors at night. During the day, let¡¯s use a and tie bells around it. If anything breaks into the vige, we will definitely hear it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave it to me. I¡¯ll make the arrangements tomorrow morning.¡± The patriarch affirmed.


    Gu Chengrui brought a big bag of scallions and ginger powder the following day and left with everyone.


    The patriarch gathered the remaining men and used hemp rope to draw a threeyer around a tree by the vige. A bell was hung on each.


    He told everyone about the incident and reminded them to be more vignt..

 Chapter 340 - 340 Selling Meat (1)

    Chapter 340: Selling Meat (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying shook her head.


    This method was sound, but what could they do even if they heard the bell ringing? By then, the wild beasts would have already rushed into the vige, so it was ineffective.


    Fortunately, nothing else came down the mountain over the next few days.


    It made sense. Leopards were not to be trifled with. If they were forced toe down the mountains, it meant that there were no animals left. Naturally, there would be nothinging down the mountains.


    Five dayster, all the viges in the town were cleared, including the roads to the county.


    Gu Chengrui had temporarily returned to the clinic to treat the injured and sick.


    In an instant, the atmosphere in the vige turned cold because most of the families had gone to funerals.


    On this day, Zhou Ying was in the back storing more ice when she suddenly heard Er Zhuang¡¯s bark.


    She saw Gu Ziyi and Mrs. Wang walking in when she walked out.


    She hurriedly stopped Er Zhuang and let them into the house.


    After making a cup of chrysanthemum tea for each of them, she asked, ¡°Aunty, big sister, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I have something to ask; wow, your room is warm.¡± Mrs. Wang sat down and rubbed her frozen face, then covered the teacup with both hands.


    ¡°I bought a lot of firewood this year, so we have a little more to spare. We do have to treat ourselves sometimes, right?¡± Zhou Ying smiled and poured herself a cup of tea before sitting down.


    ¡°Auntie, you said you had something to ask. What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Chengsi¡¯s wife is pregnant, so she wants to eat a few mouthfuls of meat to nourish her and her child.


    ¡°In addition, it¡¯s almost the twelfth lunar month, so we wanted to buy a cow from you to celebrate the new year. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s convenient for you.¡± Mrs. Wang exined her reason foring.


    ¡°If it¡¯s convenient, I¡¯d like to buy a sheep too.¡± Gu Ziyi said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but isn¡¯t it a little too early? The meat won¡¯t be fresh if left for too long.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s cold this year. If we put it in the snow, the meat won¡¯t go bad before it melts. We can store it for a few more months.¡± Mrs. Wang exined.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t try to persuade them again but asked, ¡°When do you guys want it?¡±


    ¡°Within two days if possible.¡± At that point, Mrs. Wang hesitated and asked, ¡°Regarding the price¡­?¡±


    ¡°I will charge you the same price as before all these disasters. The cattle for 20 taels each, and the sheep for 5 taels each.¡± Zhou Ying gave her the price.


    ¡°Alright, then you can send them over in the next two days when it¡¯s convenient?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to ughter them on your own?¡±


    ¡°Not having to do that is better.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s still early now. 1¡¯11 go over to the manor in a while and bring the meat back before dark.¡±


    ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve been married for two years. Why haven¡¯t you had a child yet?¡± Mrs. Wang asked at this moment.


    ¡°We¡¯re not in a hurry. We¡¯ll wait until this disaster is over. Otherwise, it will be bad when we can¡¯t eat anything.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Our vige is lucky to be supported by white sweet potatoes. Otherwise, we would be starving to the point of lying in our beds, let alone having children.¡± Mrs. Wang nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid there aren¡¯t many chickens left in the vige. It¡¯s hard even to eat an egg.¡± Gu Ziyiined.


    ¡°Sister, don¡¯t let anyone hear about this. Otherwise, there¡¯ll be thievesing into your house.¡± Zhou Ying warned Gu Ziyi.


    ¡°Indeed. Nowadays, don¡¯t say you have food no matter where you go. Otherwise, it¡¯s easy to attract hatred from the masses.¡± Mrs. Wang nodded in agreement.


    After chatting and drinking two cups of tea, the mother-daughter pair left.


    Zhou Ying packed up and dressed up like a ball of cotton. She locked the door and rushed to the manor with Er Zhuang, fitted in a cotton-padded jacket.


    Uncle Nian was momentarily surprised when he saw Er Zhuang in clothes. He smiled and patted the dog¡¯s head, saying, ¡°Wow, Er Zhuang is wearing a cotton


    coat..¡±

 Chapter 341 - 341 Selling Meat (2)

    Chapter 341: Selling Meat (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yeah, otherwise, it¡¯ll be so cold that Er Zhuang won¡¯t evene out. By the way, are the cattle and sheep okay?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine. I¡¯ve set up a few underground kilns, so it¡¯s not too cold in the shed.


    ¡°Also, the dandelion, forsythia, and other medicinal herbs you brought seem to be doing quite well at the moment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. By the way, I will need your help to pick a cow and a sheep for ughter and send them to my vige.¡±


    ¡°Someone is buying meat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the head of the Gu n. It¡¯s almost the new year, so he wants to buy meat to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right; it¡¯s almost the new year. Should we send someone to try selling our livestock elsewhere? This cowshed and sheep pen are almost full.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and said, ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t. Besides Shanghe vige, no one else can afford meat.


    ¡°It would be troublesome if the meat gets robbed.


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll just wait for buyers toe to us. If someone wants to buy it, we¡¯ll sell it. If not, we¡¯ll just keep to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do as you say. You stay here and rest while I go and get someone to prepare the cow and sheep.¡± Uncle Nian turned around and left after he finished speaking.


    Zhou Ying went to the cowshed and the sheep pen for a walk. It was much warmer inside than outside.


    However, because the skylight had been sealed, it was a bit stinky inside but at an eptable level.


    After that, she went to the storage room. While no one was around, she ced anotheryer of white sweet potato vines and more medicinal herbs.


    When she was almost done, Chang Shun rushed over. ¡°Mistress, pleasee in and have a drink.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Has anything happened recently at the manor?¡±


    ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary. It¡¯s just that the weather is too cold, so we don¡¯t go out if we can.


    ¡°The dormitory residents, in particr, have basically hibernated. Some of them didn¡¯t open their doors for three to five days.


    ¡°Oh right, some of them ran out of salt, so I sold them some marinated red dates.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Remember that we can¡¯t just give and not receive; otherwise, we¡¯ll raise a bunch of ungrateful people. Zhou Ying warned and continued, ¡°Hm? There¡¯s no one selling salt now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, salt is getting rare now. Back then, we needed to marinate the red dates and feed them asionally to the cattle and sheep. So, through Manager Liu, I went to the town to buy an entire cart of salt and cleared the small store.¡±


    ¡°Sparingly use them. It¡¯s snowing heavily now, and we don¡¯t know when the roads will be cleared.¡±


    ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll try our best to save as much as possible.¡±


    Afterward, they returned to the guest house and sat down to drink a ss of water.


    After the cow and sheep meat were prepared, including frozen blood tofu, they were all wrapped in oil paper and returned to the vige on a donkey cart.


    When they arrived at the door of the patriarch¡¯s house, Zhou Ying asked someone to take the goods in. After unloading them and receiving the silver, Zhou Ying turned around and left.


    Mrs. Wang stopped her. ¡°Ying, it¡¯s time to eat. Why don¡¯t you eat here? It saves you the trouble of going back to cook.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Do stay. We will cook a piece of blood tofu and stew a whole cabbage.¡± Gu Chengsi added.


    ¡°Maybe another day. I didn¡¯t snuff out the firece when I came out. I¡¯m afraid my house will catch fire if I don¡¯t return now.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and walked out after saying her goodbyes.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Wang could only send her out the door. ¡°Pleasee over to have meat with us one day.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you guys go ahead and have dinner. We wille over on ater date.¡± Zhou Ying then dismissed Qian Zhuang, who drove the cart here, and returned home herself.


    In the evening, because of the smell of meat and news of her sending meat to Gu Ziyi¡¯s house, the vigers soon knew that Zhou Ying had brought meat back from the manor.


    They all came to her door one by one, thinking of buying some meat for the new year..

 Chapter 342 - 342 Selling Meat (3)

    Chapter 342: Selling Meat (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying thought of the cow and sheep she couldn¡¯t afford to raise and was happy to see this.


    She then took a book and recorded the amount each family wanted to buy.


    She even asked them to help advertise when they returned home, so those who wanted to buy meat woulde to her.


    She told them she would be sending the meat to them tomorrow.


    After Gu Chengrui returned home, he looked at the peopleing and going and asked around. After understanding their purpose here, he went to the kitchen to cook dinner.


    After eating their fill, Gu Chengrui looked at a registration book and eximed, ¡°Good lord, all of them are crazy. The minimum orders are 10 pounds of beef and a tub of blood tofu.¡±


    ¡°They earned quite a hefty sum after selling the chilies and sweet potatoesst year. There¡¯s still a month before the new year, so isn¡¯t it normal to eat some meat to celebrate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true; then let¡¯s butcher one more cow and two more sheep. We¡¯ll send some to Doctor Luo, Constable Tian, the county magistrate, and the people at the restaurant.


    ¡°We¡¯ll also prepare some new year¡¯s gifts.¡±


    ¡°Sure. How are things over there? If you are busy, I¡¯ll ask Brother Tian for help.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost done. By the way, I¡¯m thinking of bringing some chili over. Too many people have recently been suffering from frostbite, and chili water can help relieve some of it.¡±


    ¡°Are they going to pay?¡± Zhou Ying asked with a smile.


    ¡°You little money-grubber.¡± Gu Chengrui tapped her nose and continued, ¡°Yes, of course. After all, we spent money on them.


    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to make any money from it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It would be lying around in our storage anyway. It¡¯s good to sell it now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take a truckload of it tomorrow.¡±


    After that, the two went to the interspace. Zhou Ying harvested another batch of sweet potatoes and nted the fields with wheat.


    After Gu Chengrui finished chores in the grassy fields, he took out six sacks of chili.


    The following day, the two of them parted ways after breakfast.


    However, when Zhou Ying set off again this time, she brought Tian Jiawang with her and Er Zhuang.


    After lunch, Zhou Ying returned to the vige with five carriages when the sun was high in the sky.


    Finally, they stopped under a big tree at the vige entrance.


    She gave candy to a few children who were running around the vige ying hide-and-seek and asked them to help her summon the vigers.


    After everyone had arrived, she led Tian Jiawang and the five coachmen and began to sell the meat ording to the ordered amount.


    When almost everyone got their orders, those who felt they had bought too little bought more when they saw that there was still a lot of meat.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t stop them. At most, she would just need to get more meat tomorrow.


    Once she gave the green light, the extra cow and two sheep were all sold, and in the end, there was not even a sliver of meat left.


    Zhou Ying had no choice but to say to the coachmen, ¡°Everyone, when you return, tell Uncle Nian to ughter another cow and two sheep. Send them here tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mistress. We¡¯ll be going back now.¡±


    ¡°Go. Be careful on the slippery roads.¡±


    After sending off the coachmen, Tian Jiawang said, ¡°Zhou Ying, can you leave me somerd before the new year? There¡¯s no oil at home.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but I can¡¯t be sure how much we¡¯ll have left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as we can cook something for the new year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡±


    After returning home, Zhou Ying counted the earnings. There were almost 200 taels of silver,ing from five cows and ten sheep. It was much more profitable than selling them as a whole.


    When Gu Chengrui returned and discovered that all the meat had been sold out, hemented happily, ¡°Now, we don¡¯t have to eat meat secretly anymore.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I¡¯ve prepared a hot pot with spicy soup tonight. Wash your hands, and we¡¯ll be eating soon.¡± After Zhou Ying said that, she turned around and went to the kitchen.


    After dinner, Gu Chengrui handed Zhou Ying 20 taels of silver and said, ¡°These are the silver from selling the chilies. A few prominent families in town bought chilies for seasoning, so I sold them at a slightly higher price than usual..¡±

 Chapter 343 - 343 Selling Meat (4)

    Chapter 343: Selling Meat (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As soon as Zhou Ying heard that, her eyes lit up. She took the silver and asked, ¡°That¡¯s normal. Are there a lot of wealthy people in town now?¡±


    ¡°You want to sell them meat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right; if we don¡¯t sell to them before the New Year, who knows when we¡¯ll have to wait for the next opportunity?¡±


    ¡°Also, cattle and sheep will go into heat once spring arrives. We can¡¯t just stop them from breeding.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to ask around then.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Also, ask around if there¡¯s anyone selling pork. We have to buy some fatty meat to prepare for the restaurant and the manor. Beef and mutton can¡¯tpare to pork, after all.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyone selling pork in town. Why don¡¯t we ask Manager Liu? He¡¯s more well-informed than us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll go over to the manor again tomorrow.


    ¡°By the way, you shouldn¡¯t leave that early tomorrow. I¡¯ve asked them to send the beef and mutton over early in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you drive the carriage.¡±


    The next day, the couple was afraid the manor would send the meat over, so they got up early and rushed over.


    After Gu Chengrui left with the butchered meat, Zhou Ying found Manager Liu and asked him about buying pork.


    She didn¡¯t expect Manager Liu¡¯s manor to have it, but he only kept the breeding pigs to save food.


    It was near the county, but it was still too far. Because of the heavy snow, Manager Liu was unsure if even his pigs had survived.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui arrived in town, he sent a holiday gift to Tian Jingzhong¡¯s house in an open and aboveboard manner.


    In return, he received two pounds of salt, five pounds of white sugar, and two batches of cotton cloth.


    As expected, someone came to Gu Chengrui to buy meat in the afternoon.


    Gu Chengrui immediately got them to write their order.


    In the next half a month, he sold another 20 cows and 100 sheep, either in whole or in small amounts. All the wealthy households in the vicinity became his customers in one fell swoop.


    The day before the new year, Gu Chengrui butchered a sheep in the interspace. He prepared five pounds of mutton as festival gifts for the various families in the vige and had an extra ten pounds of cotton for his old house.


    After sending the gifts, the two were just about to leave when Madam Qiao stopped the young couple. She asked, ¡°Are you guys familiar with the Yu family in town?¡±


    ¡°The Yu family? The one that lives near the academy?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes, their family. Two days ago, a matchmaker proposed a marriage to Chengye, and she said the bride would be the Yu family¡¯s eldest granddaughter.


    ¡°But the matchmaker¡¯s words can¡¯t be trustedpletely, so I¡¯m asking if you know her.¡±


    ¡°Especially the bride¡¯s character.¡± Father Gu added.


    Although their family had declined, they didn¡¯t want their son to marry a troublemaker.


    ¡°Our Chengye is such a handsome man; the bride looks must look good as well.¡± Mrs. Liu echoed.


    Gu Chengrui was speechless. He was a man. How could he know the details of the girl about to be married?


    He had no choice but to say, ¡°I only know that their grandfather opened a bookstore near the academy in his early years. Their family also has about 50 acres ofnd.


    ¡°His eldest son is a schr who opened a private school in town to teach the children, and his wife and children care for the vige elderly.


    ¡°His second son had reced Old Master Yu in managing the bookstore in town.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve only seen the second son¡¯s family, not the eldest.


    ¡°However, the second son¡¯s daughter is only fourteen years old. She shouldn¡¯t be the bride.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The daughter of the eldest son¡¯s family is the one offering the marriage. They imed that she has remained unmarried because of the recent disasters and is already 17 years old.¡± Madam Qiao said.


    ¡°Then you all should ask around. As long as the Yu family doesn¡¯t favor men over women in their upbringing, I think the eldest granddaughter of the family shouldn¡¯t have a bad character.¡± Gu Chengrui gave his piece.


    ¡°Oh right, how did they know about Chengye?¡± he asked curiously..

 Chapter 344 - 344 The Beginning Of Spring

    Chapter 344: The Beginning Of Spring


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯m really not sure. It seems that I have to ask around.¡± Mrs. Qiao shook her head.


    After that, she swept her gaze across the crowd and said, ¡°All of you, put some effort into this matter and find out.¡±


    Finally, she looked at Mrs. Liu. ¡°You go and ask Sixth Aunt Gu. She is very well-informed.¡±


    ¡°I know, Mother. I¡¯ll go over tomorrow.¡± Mrs. Liu nodded.


    They chatted for a while and agreed to have a hotpot party here on the evening of the 30th. After that, the couple went home.


    In the blink of an eye, the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year passed. The vige had nothing noteworthy happening except the constant smell of meat. As for visiting rtives, there was no point in that this year.


    As for the Yu family¡¯s eldest granddaughter, the Gu family had inquired about her. She was pretty and pleasant. Not only was she literate, but she was also good at embroidery.


    The only pity was that she didn¡¯t know how to cook and had never been in the fields before. This was also the reason why she was not getting married.


    The reason they knew about Gu Chengye was simple. They had learned about him from the matchmakers, who exchanged information with each other.


    On the 15th day of the month, the two youngsters went to town to meet with the matchmaker, and the marriage was quickly fixed.


    After the 15th, everyone was anxious because the weather was still so cold, and the snow showed no signs of melting. If this continued, they were afraid that they would not be able to catch up with the spring nting season.


    After all, with such heavy snow, even if it melted, it would still take half a month for the ground to dry before they could nt.


    But no matter how anxious they were, they could do nothing. The vige chief could only bring people to clear the snow again, especially on the main roads.


    On the 8th of February, Gu Zishan got married. Zhou Ying gave her a set of clothes made of material ording to Gu Ziqiu¡¯s standards, and she added a hundred pounds of white potatoes.


    The dowry prepared by the family was also simple. It was just 500 pounds of white sweet potatoes, but Hu Chun was more than satisfied.


    As for the betrothal gift, she only found outter that Hu Chun had given her six taels of silver for a set of silver jewelry and nothing else.


    The snow began to melt rapidly in March.


    At the same time, the two wells in the vige also began to producerge amounts of water.


    By April, the snow had melted entirely, and the river started flowing again. However, the water level was half as lowpared to before.


    In the middle of April, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui began to teach the vigers how to nt sweet potatoes and chili seedlings.


    They went to help out at the manor after teaching the vigers.


    However, as soon as they entered the manor, they found that they all had their heads drooped and looked depressed.


    Gu Chengrui grabbed Li Si, who was on patrol, and asked, ¡°Did something happen in the manor?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a cer full of frozen sweet potato seedlings, and they can¡¯t be nted any more.¡± Li Si replied.


    ¡°What? They froze?!¡± Zhou Ying eximed.


    ¡°Yes, they all went bad.¡± Li Si replied.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying immediately rushed to the cer where the seedlings were stored. As expected, there were many rotten white sweet potatoes on the ground.


    However, now was not the time to be distressed, so the two had to go to the field to help to manage the seedlings. They would only have to transnt a few more seedlings likest year.


    ¡°Mistress, I¡¯m really sorry. We didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± Chang Shun, who was nting the seedlings, apologized with a face full of self-me when he saw theming over.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all your fault. Last winter was too cold, and we must learn from this lesson.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up and get to work. Otherwise, we¡¯ll lose even more if we don¡¯t nt at the optimal time.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± After Chang Shun finished speaking, he directed everyone to get busy.


    At this moment, Manager Liu walked over. ¡°You¡¯re here just in time to let you know about something. I¡¯ll be leaving when the sweet potato seedlings grow.¡± ¡°But why? It¡¯s so much better to stay here.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly said.


    The couple could have less to worry about with them guarding the manor; they did not have to worry about the safety of the manor..

 Chapter 345 - 345 Sharing Salt

    Chapter 345: Sharing Salt


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Manager Liu could tell what they were thinking. He smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, 1¡¯11 still leave some people behind. Besides, Li Si and the others can now take charge of things on their own, so you don¡¯t have to worry about the safety of the manor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to promote white sweet potatoes to the masses?¡± Zhou Ying asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, we should at least promote it to Yunhe County as much as possible. It¡¯s just a pity that those seeds are wasted. Otherwise, it would have been faster.¡± ¡°We¡¯re lucky not to have everything frozen solid after that cold weather.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Manager Liu nodded in agreement. ¡°It was difficult even to have seedlings after such cold weatherst year.


    ¡°By the way, I thought of only leaving you 100 acres of seeds this time. I might need to take the rest with me,¡± Manager Liu asked.


    ¡°Sure, as long as we have enough to eat. You and County Magistrate Kong can decide on the rest.¡±


    ¡°I thank you on behalf of the people of Yunhe County.¡± Manager Liu thanked the couple.


    Three dayster, after the seedlings in the manor were nted, the couple cleaned up thend in their backyard and nted more. Once they grew, they would sell some if they could and eat them if they couldn¡¯t.


    One day, Zhou Ying was drying her quilt in the yard when Gu Ziyi walked in. She asked, ¡°Sister-inw, are you busy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just drying the nket. Come in and take a seat.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she hung up the quilt and weed her into her living room.


    ¡°Sister, did youe over for something?¡± She poured her a ss of water.


    ¡°I do have two things I need your help with.¡± Gu Ziyi nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s no more salt at home. So, I don¡¯t know if you have any extras at home to spare me some.


    ¡°Also, I bought five acres ofnd recently. 1 don¡¯t know if you have extra white potato and chili seedlings for sale.¡±


    ¡°I do have salt, but it¡¯srge salt clumps. If you want it, 1 can give you a pound.


    ¡°As for the potato seedlings, I can give you about three acres ofnd worth.


    ¡°However, 1 didn¡¯t grow any chili seedlings at home this year, so 1 can¡¯t help out on that.¡±


    ¡°This is great enough. I¡¯ll buy it from you at the same price asst year.¡±


    ¡°Sure, wait a moment.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she gave her a pound of therge salt clumps she had stored and handed it to her. ¡°We don¡¯t have much left at home; please don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Definitely. I won¡¯t tell anyone. But with the road cleared, salt should be here soon.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. I heard that many families in the vige have run out of salt.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. By the way, this salt was selling for 50 coppers a while ago. I¡¯ll give you the money.¡± After Gu Ziyi finished speaking, she took money from her purse and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest with you. I¡¯ll take the change once 1e to get the sweet potato seedlings.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll calcte it in a go.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After chatting for a while, Gu Ziyi left.


    Zhou Ying went to the nearest well with two sets of clothes and some soap to wash the clothes.


    As soon as she went out, she found that the mountains and fields were full of children digging for wild vegetables.


    Unfortunately, there had been two years of drought in a row, hampering the growth of vegetable seedlings and resulting in a small number of wild vegetables this year.


    ¡°Manager Zhou, have you alsoe over to wash clothes? Come over to my side; there¡¯s a ce to sit.¡± Widow Hua immediately greeted her when she arrived at the wells.


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie Hua.¡± Zhou Ying greeted her and put her basin over. She poured a bucket of water into the basin and washed her clothes as she sat on a stone.


    At the same time, Widow Hua asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. By the way, now that the drought is over, when will your restaurant open for business?¡± ¡°The drought is over, but the grain has not grown yet, so there is still a long wait.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pick up any grown chili you¡¯ve nted.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s a big loss of ie once you guys stop buying vegetables.¡± Qian Shisan quipped in.


    ¡°Indeed, during the spring of two years ago, I could earn two or three taels of silver just by selling vegetables.¡± Someone chimed in as well..

 Chapter 346 - 346 I’m Hungry

    Chapter 346: I¡¯m Hungry


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s right, all these natural disasters have dyed many things.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    She didn¡¯t take their little schemes to heart.


    Everyone was aware of the current situation. If they had any schemes because of this, there was no need to befriend such people.


    Fortunately, they were just making small talk and asked no more questions. They began to chit-chat after that.


    Only after this did she find out that Chunhong was pregnant again.


    Naturally, Zhou Ying was asked when she would get pregnant, and she had to throw out her previous excuse.


    This immediately shut their mouths.


    After all, there wasn¡¯t much to eat.


    The problem was that they nted the white sweet potatoeste this year, and they were unsure if the ones they kept couldst until the autumn harvest.


    Therefore, they could only muddle through the mess and eat whatever was left. Getting pregnant at such a time would only cause suffering.


    Widow Hua, who understood what she said, became anxious. It seemed like she had to raise a few more chickens.


    ¡°Help! Help! Tiedan is going to die!¡± At this moment, Tieniu ran down the mountain while shouting.


    Zhou Ying and the others immediately looked over, but he didn¡¯t run in this direction. Instead, he ran toward the vige.


    Not long after, she saw him dragging Gu Chengrui and Tian Jiawang up the mountain.


    The women immediately sped up and gathered at Zhou Ying¡¯s house after they were done washing the clothes.


    After waiting for a while, Tian Jiawang hurriedly carried a child who was about ten years old down the mountain.


    Gu Chengrui rushed into the house and quickly performed acupuncture on the child.


    After a while, the child retched and vomited a pile of sticky goo.


    ¡°Tieniu, did he eat a poisonous mushroom?¡± Zhou Ying asked Tieniu.


    ¡°No, he picked up a dead rabbit and roasted it,¡± Tieniu replied.


    ¡°Dead Rabbit?¡± Zhou Ying eximed.


    If she was right, very few rabbits could survive the snowstorm. Even if there were, it would be difficult to encounter them on the periphery of the mountains.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a rabbit that froze to death in the snow,¡± she pressed for more information.


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Tieniu was stunned for a moment before replying.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t eat it, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, he had already finished eating when we arrived.¡±


    ¡°Ying, go and make some soap water for Tiedan to drink to wash his insides.¡± Gu Chengrui shouted.


    He then collected some of the vomit to see if there was any mold. It would be troublesome if it caused an epidemic.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhou Ying responded, and she immediately went back to the house. She made arge bowl of soapy water and poured it down Tiedan¡¯s throat.


    After a while, Tiedan started to vomit and had diarrhea again. Although he looked terrible, they let out a sigh of relief after seeing that he could walk normally.


    At the same time, Tiedan¡¯s parents¡ªQian Jiaxing and his wife¡ªcame looking for him.


    Seeing that his son was still alive, Qian Jiaxing heaved a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°Chengrui, how¡¯s Tiedan? Is he alright? ¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s okay for the time being. I¡¯ll prescribe him two doses of medicer. He should be fine after taking them.


    ¡°If he still has a stomach ache, bring him over.


    ¡°Also, give him some ck noodles or millet porridge for the next two days to nourish his stomach. He can eat sweet potatoes in two days.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll remember that.¡± Tian Jiaxing looked embarrassed, but he eventually nodded.


    Afterward, he followed Gu Chnegrui back to get two doses of antiparasitic and antibacterial drugs.


    Tieniu¡¯s mother had also heard from Tieniu that Tiedan had roasted a dead rabbit to eat. She immediately twisted his ear and said, ¡°This damned child, do you not want to live anymore? How dare you go up the mountains to eat a dead rabbit?¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Tiedan replied stubbornly as he wiped away his tears..

 Chapter 347 - 347 A Warning

    Chapter 347: A Warning


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡­¡± Hearing this, Tiedan¡¯s mom was both angry and sad.


    She was angry because Tiedan was insensible and dared eat something obviously bad.


    She was also sad because, in this day and age, a growing boy¡¯s appetite isrger than an adult¡¯s. They were forced to eat sweet potatoes daily, and were short of oil and salt. How could such a growing boy survive?


    Qian Shisan immediately stepped forward to soothe them. ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be too angry with your child. He will definitely not dare to do so in the future.¡±


    After he finished, he patted Tiedan on the head and warned him, ¡°Remember, don¡¯t eat anything that dies in the future, or it will be toote if something terrible happens.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tiedan lowered his head and sat down on a stool.


    At that moment, Jiaxing came out with two sets of medicines. He nced at the people in the courtyard, thanked Tian Jiawang, and brought his wife and son home.


    Gu Chengrui saw that the crowd was about to disperse and reminded them, ¡°Everyone, go back and tell your children that the dead animals on the mountain must not be eaten.


    ¡°The least that will happen is getting a stomach ache like Tiedan.


    ¡°If it¡¯s serious, it might cause an epidemic. 1 hope everyone will take this as a warning.¡±


    ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Widow Hua trembled when she heard that.


    The others also perked up their ears to listen to his answer. After all, this matter was closely rted to them.


    ¡°Yes, we are lucky; we just got struck by a snowstorm. Dirty water and bloated animal corpses after a flood are the main sources of an epidemic.


    ¡°Everyone knows that our area, or basically the entire country, is short of medicine. So, we must be careful.¡± Gu Chengrui solemnly warned the masses.


    ¡°Chengrui is right. We have a severe shortage of medicine here, so everyone should be more careful.


    ¡°Also, you must tell your family not to eat dead animals.¡± The vige chief echoed as he walked in.


    After everyone heard this, they promised and went back to work.


    Seeing this, Tieniu also wanted to run off, but the vige chief grabbed his cor and said, ¡°You brat, didn¡¯t I tell you to stay home and study? Why did you go up the mountains?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m just dizzy from all the studying, so 1 want to go up the mountains. 1¡¯11 go home now.¡± After Tieniu finished speaking, he broke free from the elder¡¯s grip and quickly ran home.


    ¡°He needs a beating.¡± The vige chief scolded with a smile.


    ¡°Grandpa Qian, please take a seat.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine; I¡¯m just here to understand the situation. But is it that dangerous to eat those dead animals? ¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s dangerous and definitely can¡¯t be eaten.


    ¡°So I suggest that we wait until we¡¯re almost done nting in the field, organize the vigers to look for dead animals in the outer area of the mountain, and burn them once we gather them all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± The vige chief nodded and then looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°Do you still have any cattle or sheep for sale in your manor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, are you here to buy meat?¡±


    ¡°Not just me. You can get someone to butcher a cow and bring the meat here. The vigers are all hungry now. If they have some meat, they won¡¯t go crazy from hunger.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 ask around and see how much I need to bring over.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    The vige head was satisfied with that. On the way back, he also helped Zhou Ying promote so that those who wanted to buy meat could book at her house.


    As expected, people came to visit after a short while.


    However, by the time everyone finished ordering what they wanted, there was still not enough information on how many were needed precisely. Thus, it was enough just to ughter a cow and keep the extras, if there were any.


    At night, Gu Chengrui entered the interspace and did a test on Tiedan¡¯s vomit. After confirming that it was only rotten meat and did not carry any deadly viruses, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui went to the manor and returned with a butchered cow..

 Chapter 348 - 348 A Worsening Disaster

    Chapter 348: A Worsening Disaster


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Unexpectedly, the fastest-selling items were beef blood, beef offal, and beef bones. They were all sold out as soon as they arrived.


    Next were the beef ribs andrd, which were rtively more expensive and had more normal oil.


    In the end, only the shoulder and hip of the cow were left, which weighed about 60 kilograms.


    The couple looked at each other and cut 20 pounds of meat. They sent ten to their old house and ten to the patriarch. Two pounds were given to each of the Tian and Wang families, and they carried the remaining home.


    After arriving home, Zhou Ying stewed all the meat, leaving a few pieces for dinner, and the rest was made into beef jerky.


    Two dayster, when the work in the field was almost done, the vige chief specially organized a group of people to gather all the dead animals in the mountains.


    Especially where Gu Chengrui pointed out, they had to search the area near the starting point of the river.


    Two dayster, they found many small animals¡¯ corpses and lit them all on fire.


    In the blink of an eye, it was time for Manager Liu to set off. After he set off with batches of sweet potato seedlings, Zhou Ying found Sun Hongliang and asked him to help Chang Shun manage the manor.


    She saw Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming¡ªwho had lost a lot of weight and dressed in rags¡ªsitting together, drinking tea and eating beef jerky when she returned from the manor.


    ¡°When did Brother Zhoue over?¡±


    ¡°I arrived in Yunhe Countyst night and came here early this morning. I craved your cooking so much that 1 just had toe here.¡±


    ¡°What would you like to have for lunch?¡±


    ¡°I brought 20 pounds of rice, 2 pounds of salt, and some salted fish with me. Do as you see fit with them.¡±


    ¡°Salt?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Brother Zhou brought a lot of salt for our Yunhe County.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°That¡¯s great news. You guys continue while I¡¯m going to cook.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the kitchen.


    After looking around, she cooked stewed beef, steamed mashed garlic with dried eggnt, and salted fish steamed in chili sauce.


    She also prepared a te of dried meat stir-fried with green garlic, a te of stir-fried bok choy, and a te of white sweet potato vine sd.


    The three of them ate until they were full, devouring all the lovely food.


    Zhou Huaiming even burped a few times as he said, ¡°To be honest, I can only have a decent meal in your house nowadays.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. Let¡¯s not talk about the taste. With your status, it¡¯s easy for you to enjoy a sumptuous meal.¡± Gu Chengrui was stunned before replying.


    Zhou Huaiming shook his head tiredly and said, ¡°Not really. You¡¯re guarding the mountains here and barely go out, so you might not know of the situation out there. Now, there are many ces where you don¡¯t even have tree bark to eat.


    ¡°There were even cases of offspring being eaten.


    ¡°Even the situation in the capital isn¡¯t optimistic. The Emperor only has one meat, one vegetable, and one soup for every meal these days.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in disbelief.


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she felt a chill run down her spine. Just thinking about children being eaten made her break out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Many people can¡¯t buy food even if they have the silver.¡± Zhou Huaiming affirmed their disbelief.


    After that, he yawned and stood up. ¡°I won¡¯t bother you two anymore. There¡¯s just one more thing, which is that I would like to stay in your manor for two days. I¡¯ll leave after all the white potato seedlings are nted.¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhou, do stay if you don¡¯t mind the others there. We can have lunch together every day if you have the time.¡± Zhou Ying offered with a smile.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never offer. All right, I¡¯ll head over first.¡± Zhou Huaimingughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you there.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s safer for me to go alone.¡± Zhou Huaiming got up, stretched, and walked out after that.


    However, the couple still sent him out.


    After that, the two of them looked at each other with heavy hearts. The situation outside was bing more serious, and they didn¡¯t know how long their peaceful lives wouldst..

 Chapter 349 - 349 The Difficult Part Is Now

    Chapter 349: The Difficult Part Is Now


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the afternoon, the couple went to Hu Ziyi and helped her nt white potato seedlings in the fields.


    The next day, they took some rice and went to the manor together.


    When they arrived, Gu Chengrui went straight to the courtyard to find Zhou Huaiming.


    Zhou Ying found Uncle Nian and asked him to ughter two sheep. However, she only took half of the sheep and gave the rest to nourish everyone¡¯s meals.


    When she arrived at the courtyard, she saw Zhou Huaiming and Gu Chengrui fighting with their bare hands.


    It seemed that Gu Chengrui had the upper hand.


    However, it was not difficult to see that Zhou Huaiming¡¯s martial arts foundation was much more solid than Gu Chengrui¡¯s, but Gu Chengrui was slightly better because of his special moves.


    ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re here.¡± Zhu Zi walked over and greeted Zhou Ying with a smile.


    Zhou Ying turned her head to look at him. When she saw the little boy, who was much taller and stronger, she smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re much more energetic now. How¡¯s your martial arts training going?¡±


    ¡°Master said my crouching stance is steady, and 1 can already defeat an ordinary adult now.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? So, you have to practice hard. I¡¯ll be counting on you guys to protect me in the future.¡±


    ¡°I know, mistress.¡± Zhu Zi nodded repeatedly.


    At this time, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming ended their battle in a draw.


    ¡°I brought half a iamb with me,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°How do you want to eat it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good day to eat hotpot. 1 think it¡¯s better to stew or stir-fry it. What do you think?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll heed to that. I¡¯ll braise some of it and stir-fry the rest with cumin.¡± Zhou Ying looked at Gu Chengrui after she finished speaking.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°You can use whatever ingredients we have in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then you guys should rest for a while longer.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and went to the kitchen after that. Seeing that there were a lot of scallions, she added another serving ofmb with scallion-fried sauce.


    She prepared enough portions for the three of them, and the extra was left for the long-term workers who lived here.


    At the same time, she instructed the kitchen staff to leave the rice for Zhou Huaiming and told them not to touch it as much as possible.


    ¡°Why did you bring the rice over?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked as soon as the food was served. ¡°1 saved it for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we don¡¯tck food, but here¡¯s different. So, you should keep it for yourself. Hurry up and let¡¯s eat,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°The mutton won¡¯t taste good when it¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°Is it because the sweet potatoes are rotten and the manor is eating up their rations?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked.


    ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s just that this year¡¯s sweet potato is nted one monthter thanst year¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way everyone had saved up more than a month¡¯s worth of food, so food iscking.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head and exined.


    Zhou Huaiming nodded and asked, ¡°By the way, the sweet potatoes nted in the south should be ready for harvest by now. I wonder if we can grow them in time here?¡±


    ¡°We can nt another batch in June, but I think it¡¯s more suitable to grow it there. It¡¯ll mature faster if it¡¯s grown in warmer weather.


    ¡°If ntations are filled over there, it¡¯ll be better to transport them this winter or next spring.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The seeds are the most important thing right now. It¡¯s just that the people here are probably going to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there aren¡¯t many people left in Yunhe County.


    ¡°When the severe drought hitst year, a considerable part of the poption had already moved south, while a portion of the remaining people had either frozen to death or starved to death during the snowstorm.¡±


    ¡°The number of people left is probably less than half the original number.


    ¡°As long as each family could get a piece ofnd nted with white sweet potatoes and transnt another batchter, they could survive next winter. The difficult part is now.


    ¡°I heard that there¡¯s no supply of flour now.¡± Gu Chengrui said..

 Chapter 350 - 350 Collecting Seeds (1)

    Chapter 350: Collecting Seeds (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard from County Magistrate Kong that the entire county¡¯s flour can onlyst for a month or so.


    ¡°I just only hope that the wild vegetables in the field will grow as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°It is better to let the people nt some radishes, vegetables, cabbages, and so on. There are no seeds for grain now, so thisnd is empty anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say. The issue is that no vegetable seeds exist elsewhere besides your area.¡±


    ¡°No way! There aren¡¯t even any vegetable seeds left?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a two-year drought. Besides the mountains, the other ces¡­¡± Zhou Huaiming shook his head and didn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°I remember Chang Shun harvesting a batch of rapeseed and spinach seedsst year. I¡¯ll ask how many are leftter.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Do ask. If there are any extras, give them to Manager Liu and ask him to nt them. We should do anything we can to help, especially in areas with no sweet potato seedlings.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat first. It¡¯s my first time making braisedmb chops for you, so try them.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she picked up a piece for him and another for Gu Chengrui. She then lowered her head and began to eat as well.


    After the meal, the three of them went to find Chang Shun. Chang Shun learned of their intentions and said, ¡°General Zhou, master and mistress, the only vegetable seeds we have are the ones we harvestedst spring. There aren¡¯t many after we nted them two days ago.


    ¡°As for the winter harvest, it¡¯s all vegetables that don¡¯t produce seeds. Oh, right, there¡¯s about half a pound of mustard seeds left.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take as much as you have. Leave enough for us, and prepare the rest. Also, go to the others and ask if there¡¯s any extra.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 go now.¡± Chang Shun turned to run after he finished speaking.


    Zhou Ying quickly stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s not that rushed. Just get them ready tomorrow morning. Also, look around and see if you can nt some more cabbage to get more seeds.¡±


    ¡°Understood, mistress. 1¡¯11 make the arrangements now.¡± After Chang Shun finished speaking, he ran out to make arrangements.


    After that, Gu Chengrui brought Zhou Huaiming around the manor and to Xin An vige to visit the wild roses.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying went to the grasnd for a walk. Because of the white sweet potato seeds that were ntedst year, there were already a lot of seedlings in the field.


    On the contrary, there wasn¡¯t much hay or white potato vines in the warehouse.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying was worried. She had to secretly put some dried white potato vines into the warehouse again, hoping they couldst until the white potatoes grew.


    After Zhou Huaiming arrived at Xin An vige, he looked at the wild rose nt that was already full of vitality and asked, ¡°Are these the wild roses that you said can be used as tea and medicine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s getting warmer slightlyter this year, so there aren¡¯t any flowers budding yet. But 1 think it¡¯ll be soon.¡± Gu Chengrui affirmed.


    ¡°They look to be growing really well.¡±


    ¡°The adaptability of wild nts is much stronger than nted ones.¡±


    ¡°Brother Chengrui, why didn¡¯t you tell us you wereing over?¡± Hu Chun walked over and asked.


    ¡°This is General Zhou. I¡¯ve brought him here to see these wild roses.¡± Gu Chengrui introduced the two, ¡°Brother Zhou, this is my brother-inw, Hu Chun. He¡¯s also the vige chief of Xin An vige.¡±


    ¡°I am Hu Chun. Greetings, General Zhou.¡± Hu Chun was startled for a moment before he quickly knelt and saluted.


    ¡°Please get up; I¡¯m friends with your brother, and there¡¯s no need for such a deep bow.¡± Zhou Huaiming gave him a hand.


    ¡°Thank you, General Zhou.¡± Hu Chun stood up and followed behind him obediently. He then proceeded to give him a brief introduction to the wild


    roses..

 Chapter 351 - 351 Collecting Seeds (2)

    Chapter 351: Collecting Seeds (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°So, there are about 2,000 acres of roses on this mountain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the ones on the mountain are more vibrant, but some died because of the snowstorm. These are the branches nted after spring, and I don¡¯t know if they will bloom well or not.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming nodded and observed carefully. ¡°There were indeed many seedlings.¡± Then, he asked, ¡°By the way, do these mountains belong to your vige?¡±


    Hu Chun nodded and replied, ¡°When the vige was first established, thend here was too barren. So, the nearby mountains¡ªabout 5,000 acres of mountainousnd¡ªwere all given to our vige.


    ¡°There are a lot of date trees on the mountain in the south, so we n to transnt some of them in the future.


    ¡°We could also nt some chestnut trees, walnuts, and persimmon trees on the emptynds.


    ¡°No matter what, the vigers in our vige can survive with all these resources.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. You can also try nting apple trees, pear trees, and other fruit trees; whichever will make money faster.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded in agreement.


    At the same time, he also understood why the Gu family would marry their daughter to an outsider. This young man was capable, ambitious, and promising.


    ¡°You can use the date tree to graft some on the bigger trees here. Although dates are rtively cheap, the output is high and easy to sell.¡± Gu Chengrui suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But do we have any good date trees in our area?¡± Hu Chun¡¯s eyes lit up, and he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Doctor Luoter; there should be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to bother you then, Brother Chengrui, to help me on this.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you know when I have a definite answer.¡±


    After that, they chatted briefly and then went to Hu Chun¡¯s house. After a short stay, Zhou Huaiming and Gu Chengrui returned to the manor.


    The couple left the manor after eating mutton soup in the evening.


    However, they didn¡¯t go home immediately. Instead, they went from house to house to collect some vegetable seeds.


    Although there weren¡¯t many of them, there were various types.


    After the two returned, they sorted the same seeds together.


    Zhou Ying added more than half of each type and nearly doubled the seeds of cabbage and rapeseed. These two vegetables could be eaten as soon as they grow and could alleviate the current food shortage the fastest.


    The following day, after breakfast, the couple took the seeds and brought Er Zhuang to the manor.


    At the same time, Chang Shun had also amassed a portion, but the amount was far less than theirs.


    ¡°I¡¯ve troubled you all,¡± Zhou Huaiming said. ¡°With these seeds, we can solve our urgent needs.


    ¡°I¡¯ll personally send it over in a moment. Do you guys want to go out and look at the situation outside the vige?¡±


    ¡°You guys go ahead; 1 won¡¯t be going.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go with Brother Zhou. Oh, right, bring Sun Hongliang and Chang Shun along too. Let them see the situation outside so that they can be mentally prepared.¡±


    ¡°There are donkey carts in the vige, right? Let¡¯s drive that as horse carriages are too eye-catching.¡± Zhou Huaiming suggested.


    Afterwards, the group drove the donkey cart and sent Zhou Ying back to the vige. Gu Chengrui changed into the most tattered clothes avable, then took a bag of beef jerky and set off.


    Not long after they left, Gu Chengxi rushed over and said, ¡°Sister-inw, is Brother Chengrui at home?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, he just went out on an errand. You can tell me if you have anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can¡¯t help. I¡¯m here to ask my brother for a pulse reading.


    ¡°You have to wait until tonight, then. By the way, are you done with the work in the fields?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done, and we still have some remaining sprouts. It¡¯s a pity that we nted themte this season,¡± Gu Chengxi said as he pursed his lips..

 Chapter 352 - 352 Especially Bad

    Chapter 352: Especially Bad


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Those seeds won¡¯t run away, and it¡¯s just a matter of time before nting them. I¡¯m going up the mountain to dig for some wild vegetables. Are youing?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can dig up some dandelions, chameleon nts, and so on to ease the food shortage.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment; 1¡¯11 go find two small shovels.¡±


    After Zhou Ying said that, she turned to the kitchen and took two small shovels that were usually used to transnt seedlings and three pieces of roasted white potatoes that were stored in her interspace warehouse.


    She brought Er Zhuang and Gu Chengxi up the mountains once they were ready.


    However, the vige children had dug everything in the outer area of the mountains, so they had to walk a little deeper. Evenmon nts like shepherd¡¯s purse, thistle, and dandelions are rare these days.


    They did find some mint, chameleon nt, Chinese ntain, gotu k, and other herbs. They picked the bigger ones of these nts.


    On the way back, Zhou Ying took advantage of the time when no one was around and scattered many of the wild vegetables she had collected in her interspace around the mountains.


    She also sprinkledmon medicinal herb seeds like purple peri, indigowoad root, and prune grass. This way, she could pick these herbs afterward so they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about headaches and fever.


    After returning home, Zhou Ying took a handful of chameleon nts and a handful of mint. She gave the rest to Gu Chengxi and said, ¡°Take these back. They might be of great use at some point.¡±


    ¡°All right, sister-inw. I¡¯ll return home now.¡± Gu Chengxi nodded his head solemnly. He took the medicinal herbs and went home.


    After he left, Zhou Ying went to her interspace to boil a pot of water and make a cup of mint tea. The sky turned dark after she had had tea, so she turned and went to the kitchen to cook.


    However, in case Zhou Huaiming and the others wereing over for dinner, she didn¡¯t cook up a feast.


    Instead, she cooked a te of salted fish, a stewed dish of pickled vegetables and blood tofu, and finally, a te of stewed beef with fried chives and eggs the kind with more chives than actual eggs.


    Finally, she boiled a pot of ck dumpling soup with a huge scoopful of white potato grains.


    Sure enough, Zhou Huaiming and the others arrived just as she finished cooking.


    Zhou Ying came out and asked them to stay for dinner.


    After the meal, Zhou Huaiming and the other two returned to the manor.


    After Zhou Ying finished cleaning up, she locked the door and returned. She found Gu Chengrui sitting at the table, drinking water without saying a word. She paused and went forward to ask, ¡°Is the situation outside that bad?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what I saw was much more severe than Brother Zhou described. Many ces rely on dirty flour paste to eat and drink their fill.


    ¡°Many of them were so hungry that they had bloated stomachs.


    ¡°The ground and trees had not a single piece of greenery left. That scene¡­¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head and did not want to continue.


    ¡°Our county still has mixed grain flour, but other ces¡­ are way worse off than us.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I heard today that the north also suffered from a snowstorm.


    ¡°After the new year, there have already been several conflicts, and a war will break out at any time.¡±


    ¡°The country is filled with internal and external troubles.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But how can we fight a war if we don¡¯t even have any rations?


    ¡°The feeling of being a ve to a fallen country is not going to be good.¡±


    Zhou Ying was silent after hearing this. Although she had never experienced it, she had watched many war films, so she knew the hardships of being a ve in a fallen country.


    It was a pity that they could only guard a treasure mountain and couldn¡¯t think of any way to provide more food to the masses.


    Zhou Ying sat in Gu Chengrui¡¯s arms and said, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink about it. We just need to live our lives well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Chengrui rubbed his head against her forehead and stopped thinking about it.


    The problem was that he couldn¡¯t care about anything anyway. Thinking more would only cause trouble for himself.


    ¡°By the way, is the birthday of this body of yours on the 18th of May?¡±

 Chapter 353 - 353 Refugees Entering The Village (1)

    Chapter 353: Refugees Entering The Vige (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment and nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be 18 after your birthday.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°I can finally have my feast.¡±


    Zhou Ying understood what he meant, so she pinched his waist and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re only turning 19 in September. It¡¯ll be more than a year before you turn 20.¡±


    ¡°Men and women are different. Men just need to pay more attention to the frequency and supplement more.


    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯re not developing well and will hurt your body when you give birth.¡± Gu Chengrui chuckled.


    Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him. She stood up and said, ¡°Your brain is always in the gutter.¡±


    Although her words were full of disdain, she was happy internally.


    They had been husband and wife for many years in their previous lives, so they were used to doing it.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for him to endure and wait for her in their new lives for nearly three years.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui did not say anything else. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer.


    Therefore, he immediately got up, locked the door outside, and returned to the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go into the interspace; there¡¯s a batch of medicinal herbs that need to be collected.


    ¡°There are also some chickens that need to be cleared up.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and went into her interspace with him to get busy.


    After dealing with the chickens, Zhou Ying also butchered a batch of wild ducks.


    She took about 20 wild ducks and put them in a huge outdoor oven to be roasted, nning to make beer ducks.


    Zhou Ying also took two butchered chickens and roasted them.


    After the two finished their work, they ate a roast duck and went to sleep.


    Zhou Ying did not go to the manor the next day, as Gu Chengrui sent a roasted duck over.


    After that, the couple brought Er Zhuang and Gu Chengxi up the mountain to look for more medicinal herbs.


    Zhou Huaiming returned with some beef jerky three dayster and left for the military camp.


    Half a monthter, when everyone was sleeping soundly on a particr night, they suddenly heard a series of blood-curdling screeches.


    Immediately, the entire vige was startled awake.


    ¡°Did somethinge down from the mountains?¡± Zhou Ying asked after she got up.


    Gu Chengrui put on his clothes and replied, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but it doesn¡¯t sound like anything good.¡±


    ¡°Put on your clothes and wait at home. Don¡¯t go out,¡± he added.


    ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll go with you.¡± After Zhou Ying said this, she remembered the swords left in her interspace by assassins who tried to kill them.


    ¡°One for each of us, just in case,¡± she immediately took out two swords.


    ¡°Alright, but you have to listen to me.¡± Gu Chengrui was afraid that she would be in danger if she stayed at home alone, so he nodded in agreement to hering along.


    Then, the two of them locked the door and walked out with their knives.


    When they came out, many people gathered on the street, rushing to the vige entrance with weapons.


    When they arrived at the street, they found it was not a wild beast from the mountain but a dozen refugees from unknown ces.


    The families at the vige entrance were all robbed by them, and they even took a few elderly and children as hostages.


    Now, they were confronting the vigers.


    The vige chief stared at the people before him and demanded, ¡°Who are you people? What are you trying to do? Hurry up and let them go. Do you know that this is against thew?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, whatw? Whoever has the tougher fist is thew nowadays.¡± The leader of the refugees looked at the vige chief with disdain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, or I can¡¯t guarantee that the people in my hands will stay alive.¡±


    ¡°What do you want, then?¡± The vige chief asked in a bad mood..

 Chapter 354 - 364 Refugees Entering The Village

    Chapter 354: Chapter 364 Refugees Entering The Vige


    (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. We heard your vige is doing well, so we came here for food.¡±


    The vige chief squinted his eyes and sized up the dozen people before him.


    He noticed that each of them had a fierce look on their faces and that each of them held a different type of knife. He knew that they hade with ill intentions.


    He suppressed the anger in his heart and pointed to the bags of food beside them. ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys already get what you wanted? Hurry up and leave. We won¡¯t pursue this matter.¡±


    ¡°No, vige chief, I¡­¡± one of the old men being held hostage immediately retorted. However, before he could finish his sentence, his neck was broken by the man who was holding him.


    That¡¯s right; he twisted it cleanly and neatly. If these people weren¡¯t military veterans, then they must be repeat offenders.


    The other hostages were so frightened that they immediately screamed.


    At the same time, the old man¡¯s family started to cry, but the refugees quickly silenced them.


    The vigers were also quite frightened. Many of them had never even injured anyone, let alone killed someone. Not many of them could calm down.


    ¡°Just who are you people?¡± The vige chief asked.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying took out tworge bags of tear-inducing powder from her interspace and handed them to Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment before he understood what she wanted to do. He took it and whispered softly, ¡°Be careful; don¡¯t leave the crowd. These people are clearly ouws.¡±


    After speaking, he went to a corner and threw the tear-inducing powder over the refugees.


    Zhou Ying immediately took out her slingshot and shot at the paper bags. The two paper bags instantly exploded, and the powder quickly scattered in all directions.


    The refugees had no idea what it was and looked up curiously. It was already toote when they realized something was wrong.


    One by one, they covered their faces and screamed.


    The hostages were stunned momentarily, but they quickly reacted and ran toward the vigers.


    When the vige chief came to his senses, he immediately waved his hand for the vigers to raise their weapons and rush over.


    When the refugees saw this, they knew that things had gone bad. One of them immediately endured the pain and grabbed at a kid who wasgging behind.


    Zhou Ying immediately hit his arm with the slingshot. The man screamed and immediately withdrew his hand.


    When the refugees saw that the situation had gone south, they turned around and wanted to run. The vige chief immediately shouted, ¡°Capture them, dead or alive.¡±


    Everyone immediately chased after the refugees.


    However, even though the refugees were choking to the point where they could not open their eyes, they did not lose their fighting power. On the contrary, they were ail very irritable because they had been peppered.


    They raised the inferior, jagged knife in their hands and acted to kill. For a moment, the vigers didn¡¯t dare to continue their pursuit.


    ¡°Hit their arms.¡± Gu Chengrui shouted as he walked over with a knife.


    He used the back of his knife to chop at the refugees¡¯ arms holding weapons.


    Although the back of the de wouldn¡¯t kill, it was still very painful, so disabling one person¡¯s arm wasn¡¯t that hard.


    The vigers immediately understood what he meant by that. One by one, they roared and rushed forward.


    Three or four vigers surrounded one refugee and beat them up. After a short while, they captured more than a dozen refugees.


    Gu Chengrui was afraid they would cause trouble, so he directly dislocated their legs, making them unable to move.


    The vige chief finally heaved a sigh of relief and walked over to ask, ¡°Just who are you people?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap; just kill me.¡± The leader straightened his neck and dered.


    There was not a trace of unwillingness on his face. On the contrary, he was happy to see this happen.


    This caused the vige chief to hesitate to make a decision.


    However, before he could decide, the children and grandchildren of the old man who had died earlier had already raised their sticks and swung them at the refugees¡¯ heads..

 Chapter 355 - 355 Refugees Entering The Village

    Chapter 355: Refugees Entering The Vige


    (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, few dared to kill, so only one was knocked unconscious. The stick hit the others, but the refugees only felt a tinge.


    ¡°Tie them up and throw them into the ancestral hall. We¡¯ll hand them over to the vige constable tomorrow,¡± the vige chief said with a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Vige chief, does it mean my father¡¯s death will be in vain?¡± The old man¡¯s son stood up and asked.


    ¡°So why don¡¯t you kill them and then get put in jail?¡± The vige chief asked.


    H j H


    ¡°Enough. Throw them into the ancestral hall. They won¡¯t have a good ending anyway.¡± The vige chief turned around and ordered.


    However, after throwing the people into the ancestral hall, the vige chief did not leave. Instead, he took a few people to hide behind the back window. He wanted to hear who they were or what their purpose was.


    Gu Chengrui was worried too. He asked Zhou Ying for a pack of knockout powder and followed them.


    They eavesdropped on the conversation. After listening to the refugees¡¯ conversation, they were so scared that they started trembling.


    These people were refugees and had fled their homes sincest spring.


    They had reached the south, but a flood urred before settling down.


    Thus, they had to run back.


    However, they encountered a snowstorm.


    They had run out of food for a long time. At first, they had to eat tree bark and leaves, and when they couldn¡¯t stand the hunger anymore, they ate their offspring.


    They were now living on human flesh.


    They hade here because many refugees were heading toward Mount Qi, the tallest mountain here. Naturally, this group of cannibals followed suit, and at the same time, they wanted to get some food in advance.


    After all, no one could stand eating only meat, not to mention human flesh.


    ¡°No,¡± someone muttered softly. ¡°These people can¡¯t be left alive. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask for Constable Tian¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°We must keep a close eye on these people. If one of them can join their dislocated legs and escape, I¡¯m afraid our vige will never have a peaceful day ever.¡± The vige chief spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± Gu Chengrui reassured them as he took out the knockout powder. He then blew it into the ancestral hall through the window.


    ¡°Ancestors, please don¡¯t me me. I have no other choice.¡± The vige chief quickly kowtowed twice and muttered softly.


    Not only did the people in the Ancestral Hall know how to fix their bones, but they also knew that there would be people guarding them, so they deliberately exined their origins.


    First, these refugees wanted to scare the vigers so that it would be easier for them to escapeter.


    The other reason was to buy time for them to recover as soon as possible.


    Unfortunately, they did not expect Gu Chengrui to be so despicable as to use knockout powder. They all fainted before they could even escape.


    After ensuring everyone in the house was unconscious, the vige chief and his group walked in. They saw that all the ropes tying the refugees had been cut, and their feet were fixed.


    ¡°It seems these people are quite capable,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°Search them. Put away the des and other things before tying them back up.¡±


    Everyone immediately got to work when they heard this. Not only did they find a lot of small tools, but they also found iron wires, embroidery needles, picking keys, and so on.


    ¡°It seems like these people aren¡¯t out for blood,¡± the vige chief said.


    ¡°Indeed, these skills, especially lock-picking, can¡¯t be learned in a short time.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    ¡°By the way, Chengrui, when will they wake up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but let¡¯s make sure they sleep a little longer. 1¡¯11 just give them


    some more knockout powder..¡±

 Chapter 356 - 356 Refugees Entering The Village

    Chapter 356: Refugees Entering The Vige


    (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he gave them the remaining knockout powder and said, ¡°This will keep them asleep probably until tomorrow night, or at least until noon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. I¡¯ll assign two people here to guard the ce just in case, and the rest of you can go back to sleep. We still have to deal with arge number of refugees.¡± The vige chief replied.


    ¡®Til stay,¡± Qian Jiaxi and Qian Jiaxing offered simultaneously.


    ¡°Okay, but be careful. If you really can¡¯t handle them, then¡­¡± The vige chief made a throat-slitting gesture.


    Although he didn¡¯t want to take any human lives, he wouldn¡¯t feel any pity for people like these who hadmitted unpardonable crimes. As long as they had a good reason, killing was eptable.


    After that, he turned around and went home.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui returned and told Zhou Ying about this group of cannibals. ¡°The troubling times havee, and I¡¯ll go to the manor tomorrow to inform them. We¡¯ll try not to go out if possible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Ying nodded, and she was feeling worried. ¡°A person who could be on the run for so long and managed to survive isn¡¯t going to someone kind. We really have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep. We still have things to do tomorrow.¡± Gu Chengrui saw that she had fallen silent and knew she was frightened, so he could only go forward and hold her in his arms.


    Zhou Ying hugged him back and rubbed her head against his neck. After they had calmed down, they went to bed.


    However, not many families in the vige could sleep soundly. Many had their eyes opened and waited until dawn.


    The following day, after they had their breakfast, Zhou Ying went into her interspace and quickly made two sacks of tear-inducing powder with a blender. She then drove the carriage to the manor.


    After arriving, she gathered everyone and told them what had happened in the vigest night.


    Gu Chengrui added, ¡°These people are scarier than wolves, so everyone must be very, very careful.


    ¡°I hope everyone can unite and do their best to protect our vige. This is also to protect our lives.¡±


    ¡°True that. At this point, there¡¯s no need to care about benevolence and morality. Everyone, use whatever means you have to protect yourself.


    ¡°But don¡¯t take the initiative to provoke them, or you¡¯ll only bring trouble upon yourself.¡± Zhou Ying chimed in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mistress. We understand. This vige is the root of our survival, so we will definitely do our best to protect the vige.¡± Chang Shun said.


    The others immediately echoed his words.


    And their voices were especially loud.


    ¡°Alright then. Set up traps and the like that we used to guard against the wolves. Don¡¯t let anyone get close; kill anyone who doesn¡¯t listen to the warning.¡± Gu Chengrui ordered.


    ¡°Roger that; we¡¯ll set traps now.¡± Chang Shun responded and led a group of long-term workers to reactivate the wolf traps.


    Sun Hongliang led the few others Manager Liu had left behind to activate the hidden trapdoors.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui returned to the courtyard andid down some tear-inducing powder.


    Gu Chengrui asked Zhou Ying to take out explosives and a fire signal. Then, he used a small jar to make a few tear bombs and knockout powder bombs.


    Finally, he passed them to Sun Hongliang. ¡°These things are useful but dangerous. You must keep them well and use them at a critical time.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t use it unless I have no other choice.¡± Sun Hongliang wanted to say something else but stopped in the end.


    Gu Chengrui paused and asked, ¡°You want the method of making these?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the situation in the north is not looking good, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember the fireworks during the Lantern Festival? It¡¯s actually the same principle, but the insides are different.¡±


    Sun Hongliang¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I understand. Master, you¡¯re brilliant..¡±

 Chapter 357 - 357 Conscription

    Chapter 357: Conscription


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°But if you want to spread these makings to others, you have to be careful. You can only tell Manager Liu verbally. Do you understand?¡± Gu Chengrui solemnly instructed.


    If this thing were to be discovered and used by others, it would be another disaster for the Ming Dynasty.


    Sun Hongliang looked at his serious expression and nodded firmly, ¡°1 understand.¡±


    ¡°Great, 1¡¯11 leave this ce to you. If there¡¯s a crisis, we¡¯ll rush over as soon as this thing sounds.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he gave him a few more instructions.


    Only then did he and Zhou Ying go to find Uncle Nian and ask him to butcher a sheep every day or a cow every two days to ensure the workers¡¯ constant food supply.


    After that, he took a piece of beef brisket and somerd, went to Hu Chun¡¯s ce to give the same news, and then returned to the vige.


    After the vige chief got up, he didn¡¯t eat breakfast and called two young men to follow him to the town to find Tian Jingzhong. He needed to tell him about the group of refugees as soon as possible.


    ¡°How are there such wicked people?¡± Tian Jingzhong stood up in shock.


    ¡°That was my reaction exactly, but there really are some.¡± The vige chief answered with a bitter smile.


    ¡°How should we deal with these people?¡± He asked. ¡°Should we kill them or¡­¡±


    ¡°Come with me to the county. We¡¯ve just nted the sweet potatoes, and it¡¯s a huge problem for refugees toe now. We have to tell Magistrate Kong.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± the vige chief replied, and his stomach began to growl.


    ¡°You guys haven¡¯t had breakfast yet?¡± Tian Jingzhong asked, stunned.


    ¡°I just wanted to get rid of those people as soon as possible, so¡­¡±


    ¡°But you still have to take care of your body.¡± Tian Jingzhong reminded the old man and asked the maidservant to bring them each a ck vegetable bun and a bowl of mixed flour paste.


    After they finished eating, they took a carriage and rushed to the county government office.


    It just so happened that Manager Liu was there as well. He seemed to be talking about something, and his expression was grave.


    Seeing that the vige chief and the constable were here, they were surprised. After both parties looked at each other, County Magistrate Kong asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Tian Jingzhong looked at the vige chief.


    The vige chief nodded and told everyone everything that happenedst night. ¡°As for how to deal with those people, please make the decision, magistrate.¡±


    County Magistrate Kong stayed silent for a long time after hearing this. Problems wereing one after another, and it was hard to be an official these days.


    How were they going to settle this many refugees? Would these refugees wait for death if they didn¡¯t settle them down? It would be troublesome if a riot happened.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Manager Liu coughed dryly to remind him that everyone was still waiting for his answer.


    This cough reminded him of something, and he answered, ¡°How about this? No matter what, they are human lives, and it would be a pity to kill them just like this.


    ¡°It just so happens that we received an imperial decree yesterday requesting conscription.¡±


    ¡°Conscription? Conscription at this time? ¡± Tian Jingzhong eximed.


    There was no ce of peace in the country currently. If they were to recruit soldiers again at this time, there was an 80% chance that there would be chaos.


    No wonder their expressions were so ugly when they came in.


    ¡°Yes, the northern borders are getting rowdier and rowdier. War is only a matter of time, so we must recruit soldiers.¡± County magistrate Kong affirmed


    ¡°We have to discuss this matter before announcing it,¡± he said. ¡°So, don¡¯t tell anyone for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Tian Jingzhong nodded.


    The vige chief and the other two could only nod their heads, but their hearts were in a mess.


    Especially the vige chief. Their vige was still safe and sound until now because of the white potatoes and abundance of strongbor; these were the reasons why they could resist the outsiders invading their vige.


    What would happen to their vige if the strongbor were to be taken away?

 Chapter 358 - 358 Another Issue

    Chapter 358: Another Issue


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, no matter what, they couldn¡¯t fight the imperial edict and could only listen to themand.


    After that, Manager Liu followed them back to the vige.


    County Magistrate Kong sent Constable Zhang and the officers to return to the vige with them. After taking the group of refugees away from the vige, they were detained in prison.


    Conversely, Manager Liu went straight to the couple¡¯s house. The couple, who were about to head up the mountains to pick herbs, were surprised by his visit. Gu Chengrui immediately put down his basket and greeted him. ¡°Uncle Liu, you¡¯re here. Come in and have a seat.¡±


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she greeted him and went to the kitchen to boil tea.


    ¡°Are you guys going up the mountains?¡± Manager Liu asked as he followed Gu Chengrui into the house.


    ¡°Yeah, we didn¡¯t have much to do at home, so we decided to head up the mountains to try our luck and see if we could pick some herbs.


    ¡°By the way, how many acres ofnd were nted with those seeds we gave?¡±


    ¡°About 100 acres¡¯ worth. County Magistrate Kong said he would like to thank you for solving one of his biggest worries.¡± Manager Liu sat down as he replied to his question.


    Gu Chengrui looked at him and asked, ¡°Could it be the refugees that are giving you a headache?¡±


    Manager Liu nodded and told him in a low voice about the conscription, ¡°The refugees are a small matter. This is the big issue we are facing.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding.


    People were struggling on the line between life and death, and conscription would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire. A single mistake could cause a riot, which was indeed a headache.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be leaving this time, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving; I have to guard the manor.¡± Manager Liu nodded.


    Qingshui town had the most crops in the county, especially in Shanghe and Xiahe viges. He had to ensure the safety of these two viges.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. We can be at ease with you around.¡±


    Manager Liu smiled and didn¡¯t refute or disagree with his words.


    This was mutually beneficial to them. After all, the food that his people were eating now came from the manor, so there was no need to be overly polite.


    Soon, Zhou Ying made a pot of mint tea for them and offered, ¡°Uncle Liu, why don¡¯t you have lunch here? Brother Zhou brought some salted fish thest time he came here, and there¡¯s also beef at home. Let¡¯s have a good meal at noon.¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯t mind if 1 do.¡± Manager Liu nodded.


    ¡°Lovely. You guys can continue chatting, and lunch will be done soon.¡± Zhou Ying then turned around and went back to the kitchen.


    As she steamed the salted fish, she also started heating therd.


    She then stir-fried some chopped garlic and bok choy with therd.


    After that, she cut a piece of beef and made a ck pepper beef fillet.


    Atst, Zhou Ying mixed a serving of white sweet potato vine sd.


    Their carbohydrate staple was naturally steamed sweet potatoes.


    After Manager Liu ate his meal satisfactorily, he stood up and said, ¡°You guys go ahead with your day; I have to go to the manor.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll leave everything in the manor to you.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said his goodbyes.


    The couple sent him off and went up the mountains.


    When Manager Liu returned to the manor, he saw that the manor had been fully guarded, so he went straight to Sun Hongliang.


    After knowing that Gu Chengrui had already given some orders, he nodded and said, ¡°We have to take this seriously. You can discuss with Li Si and the others and try to work four shifts daily to ensure that we have enough physical strength just in case.¡±


    ¡°I understand, uncle. But since everyone is here, should we set up tents again? Otherwise, it¡¯ll be too crowded in the houses.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It isn¡¯t cold anymore, so let¡¯s rebuild the tents. By the way, did General Zhou say anything?¡± Manager Liu asked.


    ¡°No, he just asked us to guard the vige and brush up on our martial arts.¡± As Sun Hongliang replied, he got up and looked around. After ensuring no one was around, he whispered a few words in Manager Liu¡¯s ear..

 Chapter 359 - 359 Verification (1)

    Chapter 359: Verification (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Manager Liu¡¯s face was shocked as he asked, ¡°Have you verified it?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but from his confident tone, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fake.¡± Sun Hongliang replied.


    ¡°This is a huge matter. No one else knows about it, right?¡±


    ¡°No, he told me in private and ordered me not to use it unless absolutely necessary. He also told me to only tell you verbally.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right. If this is true, it¡¯ll have a huge impact. Remember, don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Manager Liu¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Even if it¡¯s used, we must remove all traces.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Also, give me a tear-inducing bomb tomorrow morning. 1¡¯11 go to the military camp.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go set up the tents first.¡± Sun Hongniang walked out after that.


    After sitting down and drinking a cup of water, Manager Liu went to take a look around the manor. When he saw that the sweet potatoes were growing well, he finally revealed a smile.


    After that, he walked around the grasnd and sighed as he looked at the barren grasnd with only some sweet potato seedlings.


    After that, he discussed it with Chang Shun and asked him to prepare more fertilizer to fertilize the grasnd fields.


    He then transnted more seedlings to the grasnd together in preparation for the next rice nting.


    Finally, he instructed his subordinates to ensure he didn¡¯t miss anything.


    At dawn the next day, he took a tear-inducing bomb and rode to the military camp with two other people. They finally arrived on the morning of the third day.


    The Third Prince and Zhou Huaiming, who were practicing martial arts in the training ground, heard his arrival. They looked at each other and hurried to the main camp.


    They knew very well that Manager Liu wouldn¡¯te here unless it was absolutely urgent.


    After they entered a room, they saw Manager Liu, whose eyes were bloodshot and who looked travel-worn.


    Seeing that he was about to bow, the Third Prince directly said, ¡°Forget it. Why are you in such a hurry toe over?¡±


    Manager Liu nodded and looked at the soldiers waiting in the room.


    The Third Prince understood and waved his hand to send them out.


    Zhou Huaiming also realized that it was an important matter, so he went out and stood guard at the door.


    Manager Liu then approached the Third Prince and told him about the tear-inducing bomb. He then told him about the many refugeesing to Dongyang.


    After the Third Prince heard this, he looked at the small jar on the side and asked, ¡°That¡¯s the bomb?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it, but 1 haven¡¯t tested it yet, so I¡¯m not sure what the specific effects are.¡±


    ¡°I have a group of chickens on the mountain. Let¡¯s test it out on them.¡± The Third Prince stood up and decided.


    ¡°Yes.¡± After saying that, Manager Liu immediately picked up the jar and followed.


    The Third Prince waved at Zhou Huaiming, and the three went up the mountain with a lighter.


    After sending the chicken farmer down for dinner, the three studied the bomb for a while, lit the fuse, and quickly threw it into the chicken pen.


    Before the jar couldnd on the ground, a loud bang was heard, and the tear-inducing powder scattered in all directions.


    The chickens in the chicken pen immediately flew everywhere. They would have escaped if it weren¡¯t for the covering them.


    One by one, these chickens shrieked and flew around. Some of them would hit the walls and try to escape.


    More importantly, a few chickens had been killed by the explosion, and more had died because of the broken pieces of the jar flying everywhere.


    Even the three people standing outside were in a sorry state from the tear-inducing powder.


    One by one, they sneezed like there was no tomorrow and couldn¡¯t even straighten their backs.


    When the chicken farmer returned, he was stunned to see them in such a sorry state.


    He then looked at the chaotic chicken coop and was speechless.


    ¡°The three of you are grownups, not children.. How could youe to the chicken pen and cause such trouble?¡±

 Chapter 360 - 360 Verification (2)

    Chapter 360: Verification (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    But soon, the farmer started sneezing and realized something was wrong.


    When the Third Prince saw him return, he suppressed his difort and said, ¡°Send the dead chicken inside to the kitchen. We¡¯ll make chicken soup for everyone at noon.¡±


    After ordering that, he walked down the mountain, sneezing along the way. He looked embarrassed and hadpletely lost his usual stoic self.


    Seeing this, Zhou Huaiming also followed. But before he left, he warned the chicken farmer, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to tell anyone about us setting off these firecrackers.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The chicken farmer sneezed and nodded.


    He sneezed again and again. After they left, the farmer quickly ran away and sneezed for a long time before it stopped.


    When he returned, the chickens in the chicken coop were still jumping up and down. There was still a pungent smell when he got close, so he immediately retreated to the side.


    After ensuring the smell had dissipated, he walked in and picked up the dead chickens.


    On the other side, the Third Prince¡¯s group of three didn¡¯t go far before their sneezes stopped.


    He hid to the side and looked up to observe the chicken farmer.


    Only after fifteen minutes, when they were certain the farmer wasn¡¯t going anywhere else, did the three turn around and return to the main camp.


    The Third Prince confirmed that the power of this bomb was quite something else. Disregarding the effect of the tear-inducing powder, just the fragments flying randomly after the explosion were weapons with great lethality.


    It seemed that he really had to study it carefully. After that, he told Manager Liu, ¡°This matter must be kept a secret.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t use it unless I have no other choice.¡± Manager Liu nodded solemnly.


    By the time they got back, breakfast was ready. The three men quickly washed up and sat down to eat.


    The dishes were simple. Thick wild vegetable congee, scrambled eggs, and a white sweet potato vine sd serving. Although the dishes were simple, the amount was sufficient.


    ¡°White sweet potatoes are growing here too?¡± asked Manager Liu in surprise.


    ¡°There were 300 pounds of white sweet potatoes left. I saw that they had started to germinate, so I nted them.


    ¡°No matter how many sweet potatoes we harvest from these, it¡¯s still worth it. Oh, right; how¡¯s the situation in Yunhe County?¡± The Third Prince asked.


    Seeing this, A^anager Liu exined the mass adoption of sweet potatoes in Yunhe County. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid the refugees will be too hungry and eat the seedlings.¡±


    ¡°When you go back, take 2,000 soldiers with you. You must protect those seedlings. Executed them for rebellion if anyone dares to cause trouble.¡± The Third Prince replied expressionlessly.


    ¡°White potatoes are the hope of the country,¡± he continued. ¡°Whoever dares to destroy it will be sentenced to death. There¡¯s no room for negotiation, so pass this on to County Magistrate Kong.


    ¡°In addition, weren¡¯t the refugeescking food and clothing? When you return, tell County Magistrate Kong to recruit soldiers among the refugees first. This way, they can have a meal and solve the conscription problem.


    ¡°Remember to take note of their registration and monitor anyone suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I will remember this.¡± Manager Liu nodded.


    After the meal, Manager Liu took a nap before having lunch. He then picked up 2,000 elite soldiers and rushed back to Yunhe County.


    At the same time, more refugees arrived in Qingshui town that afternoon.


    Tian Jingzhong looked at the group of refugees and got a headache.


    Only after understanding the situation did he realize these refugees were initially heading to Mount Qi.


    However, after they arrived, they heard about white potatoes here. Thus, everyone came to Qingshui town.


    After hearing this, Tian Jingzhong mmed the table angrily and said, ¡°This is outrageous! There isn¡¯t much food left, so how are we going to live with more peopleing?¡±


    He thought of Shanghe vige, gathered all the officers and soldiers, and rushed there.


    He also sent someone to the county to report this..

 Chapter 361 - 361 Information

    Chapter 361: Information


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    County Magistrate Kong was stunned when he received the news. He had been trying to intercept the refugees here but didn¡¯t expect them to run over there.


    He had no choice but to call Bai Jingping over and have him bring another hundred soldiers. They had to protect the white potatoes at all costs.


    He also asked Constable Zhang to investigate the person who had sent the news to them. He felt that there was something fishy about this.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying had also seen the refugees while they were picking herbs from the mountain. They saw that the refugees had already settled down along the river.


    Of course, the Mother God Temple was filled with people again.


    Most started to pick wild vegetables and leaves on the mountain. They had even dug up all the small tree saplings to eat.


    When someone saw them, they even wanted to rob them, but the knife in Gu Chengrui¡¯s hand scared them off.


    When they got home, Gu Chengrui put down the basket and said, ¡°You can handle the medicinal herbs at home. I¡¯ll go outside and find out what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Alright, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Also, if anyone dares to break in, just cut them down with your knives.¡± Gu Chengrui rushed to the vige chief¡¯s house after he finished speaking.


    However, he didn¡¯t walk far before he realized that most of the strongborers in the vige had already gathered at the vige entrance. There were also many soldiers, so he immediately rushed over.


    He happened to hear the vige chief distributing tasks.


    After learning that the patrols had resumed and even strengthened, they returned.


    With the help of the soldiers, the refugees wouldn¡¯t dare act rashly, at least for the time being. Otherwise, if something really happened, they would be in big trouble.


    On the other side, Constable Zhang had also found two informers. They were dressed up as refugees and blended into the crowd of refugees, quietly asking around for any gossip.


    After dinner, Bai Jingping personally led the soldiers over.


    He also gave the refugees some noodles and warned them that they could go up the mountain but couldn¡¯t simply deforest the ce.


    They couldn¡¯t disturb the vigers or steal the vegetable seedlings in the fields. Otherwise, they would be directly enlisted into the army, regardless of whether they were male or female, old or young.


    After that, these soldiers set up a tent at the foot of the mountains.


    When the vige chief saw this, he went from house to house to collect some white sweet potatoes, dried vegetables, and the like. He then sent them to Bai Jingping and said, ¡°Lord Bai, this ce is too shabby. You should stay in my house.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, Uncle Qian. It¡¯s more convenient to be here.¡± Bai Jingping replied, shaking his head.


    With his status, living in the vige chief¡¯s house was just an inconvenience, and he did not want to be served like a king every day. It would be ufortable.


    ¡°Please take these then. It¡¯s a small token of our vige¡¯s appreciation.¡± After the vige chief finished speaking, he pointed to the items in the two small carts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do. We have to cooperate more with each other from now on as well.¡± Bai Jingping then beckoned for the soldiers toe forward and unload the items.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯lle over every morning, afternoon, and evening.¡± After the vige chief finished handing them over the food, he informed Bai Jingping about the defense arrangements he had made before returning home.


    With the addition of Bai Jingping and his men, the vige was guarded like an iron fortress. In addition, some misceneous tasks were assigned to the refugees, so the ce was temporarily at peace.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying did not go up the mountains again. Instead, they took the opportunity to take out somemonly used medicinal herbs from the interspace and let them dry.


    Three dayster, at night, Constable Zhang¡¯s informant No. 1 finally got the information he wanted. There were indeed people who were encouraging the refugees toe over.


    He didn¡¯t expect that after settling down, the ce would be so restless again. The new targets of these refugees were the cattle and sheep in Xiahe Vige.


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t find the source.


    To prevent him from being imprisoned if the n was leaked, he had to find hispanion and ask, ¡°Brother, do you have any information on your end?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the same as what you got. If we were to ask more, no one would be willing to say anything.


    ¡°The issue is that we can¡¯t ask any further. If we anger these people, we might be done for.¡± Informant No. 2 shook his head..

 Chapter 362 - 362 Stalking

    Chapter 362: Stalking


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It seems that we can only wait until night. The leader of these refugees must know something, right?¡± Informant No. 1 added.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll retreat immediately after we know who it is. This refugee camp is just depressing.¡± Informant No. 2 nodded in agreement.


    It was soon night, but the refugees only started to move after the moonlight disappeared.


    The informants saw thisrge group of people running around the mountains to Xianghe vige.


    The two of them looked at each other and understood that they were being looked down on or were not trusted.


    Nevertheless, they quietly chased after them.


    Although the night was dark, the patrol team found the informants and quickly determined their whereabouts.


    However, they knew many people were guarding the manor, so they did not go over. Instead, they sent someone to inform the manor secretly.


    As such, by the time the group of refugees made a detour to the manor, the manor had already received the news and was quietly lying in ambush nearby.


    The refugees didn¡¯t notice anything out of the ordinary. Instead, when they saw the rows of cattle and sheep pens in the vige, their eyes lit up with greed.


    They didn¡¯t need to go hungry with all these cattle and sheep.


    ¡°Everyone, be careful when we go down. There will definitely be traps.¡± At this moment, someone whispered.


    Soon, the same cautionary whisper reached the ears of the two informants after passing around.


    The two looked at each other, and pinpointed the person standing at the front. However, because the sky was too dark, they could only see a rough outline.


    Soon, the group of refugees quickly went down the mountains.


    Although the one scouting the way in front used a stick to detect trenches, he did not expect their extraordinary width.


    Therefore, he took a step forward and fell directly into the trench. He immediately screamed.


    ¡°Idiot.¡± The leader cursed. ¡°Everyone, rush over. We have the numbers, so there¡¯s no need to be afraid. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be toote when the people in the manor react.¡±


    After ordering that, he took a few steps back and quickly ran ahead. With one vigorous jump, he crossed the six-foot-wide trench.


    When the others heard this, they went all out for the meat dangling before them.


    In the end, only a few timid people remained in the same ce.


    When the leader saw this, he waved his hand and let them go back.


    He led the others aside and said, ¡°Remember, after you go in, release all the cattle and sheep and create chaos. Then, each of you will lead a cattle or a sheep and rush to the exit.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Brother Peng. We¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Someone said excitedly.


    ¡°Are you looking to die? Go!¡± When the leader heard him call out his name, he immediately threatened the person with a face full of killing intent.


    However, the refugees couldn¡¯t care less about his attitude. Instead, they split up and rushed to the cattle and sheep pens.


    As for the leader, Brother Peng, he quietly left the crowd and ran toward the well at the foot of the mountains.


    Informant No. 1 and informant No. 2 stayed in ce for a moment, and they quietly followed Brother Peng.


    Just as they approached, they realized brother Peng had taken something out of a bag.


    Just as he was about to open the paper bag, an arrow suddenly shot from the side, directly aiming for Brother Peng¡¯s head.


    Brother Peng was startled and dodged it with a backflip. However, more arrows were shot at him one after another until he lost the ability to resist.


    At the same time, the screams of the refugees rang out one after another. The entire vige was filled with screams like hell on earth, making one¡¯s hair stand on end.


    The two informants were so scared that their legs went soft. Just as they were about to escape, someone suddenly walked over and said, ¡°Stop, or I¡¯ll kill you without mercy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t. We¡¯re not the bad guys.¡± Informant No. 1 immediately raised his hand.


    Informant No. 2 also raised his hand.


    Very quickly, the two of them were tied up..

 Chapter 363 - 363 Interrogation (1)

    Chapter 363: Interrogation (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At the same time, Brother Peng was also carried to the tiny house that Uncle Nian had lived in before. He was locked up in the storeroom.


    Sun Hongliang walked up to Informant No. 1 and Informant No. 2 and asked, ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re with that guy just now.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Informant No. 2 shook his head. After realizing Brother Peng was being carried away, he replied, ¡°We¡¯re Constable Zhang¡¯s informers. He was the one who asked us to mix with the refugees.


    ¡°We were there to check if someone stirred up trouble among the refugees.


    ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s that person, Brother Peng, who led the way for the refugees.


    ¡°He also urged the refugees toe and steal the cattle and sheep. He even said that they would enter the mountains after taking them.


    ¡°Also, we just saw him trying to spike your well.¡± Informant No. 1 added.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a small medicine paper bag, but we don¡¯t know what medicine it is.¡± Informant No. 2 echoed.


    ¡°Constable Zhang¡¯s men? I¡¯ll have to inconvenience you two for one night, then. We¡¯ll let you go after we¡¯ve verified the truth tomorrow.¡± Sun Hongliang hesitated momentarily, then handed them over to Uncle Nian with a bow and arrow.


    That¡¯s right, the arrows were shot by him, and it was also one of his special skills.


    It was meant to be used to kill the huge beastsing down from the mountains.


    When Uncle Nian saw this, he dragged them to the cowshed and tied them to a pir.


    Only then did Informant No. 1 realize that the refugees were all holding their heads and constantly screaming.


    There were also others at the side tied up like animals.


    ¡°Uncle, did you already know they wereing?¡± he asked Uncle Nian.


    ¡°There are so many cattle and sheep in the vige. Do you think we¡¯ll be unprepared?¡± The old manughed coldly.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Informant No. 1 chuckled and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    After all the refugees were tied up and gathered together, Sun Hongliang came forward and said, ¡°1¡¯11 give you a chance to redeem yourselves. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to do as Lord Bai ordered and send you to the army.¡±


    When he finished speaking, someone shouted rudely, ¡°Cut the crap! If you want to send us the army, so be it. At least I won¡¯t starve to death.¡±


    Sun Hongliang ignored him and turned to the others, ¡°So? Do you all have the same idea? If so, 1¡¯11 fulfill your wish tomorrow.¡±


    The refugees muttered to themselves, but most didn¡¯t want to go when they thought about the battlefield¡¯s cruelty.


    ¡°Just tell us what you want to know,¡± someone shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll tell you everything we know.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll release one person for each question you answer. Think about it carefully.¡± Sun Hongliang asked, ¡°Was it Brother Peng who told you toe over tonight to steal the livestock?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he said there was food in the mountains, so we came to this area. But we have turned the mountain upside down these past few days, and there is nothing except tree bark and leaves.


    ¡°Later, when weined to him, he said that there were a lot of cattle and sheep here, so we came.¡±


    Sun Hongliang pointed at him, and someone immediately took him out.


    Seeing this, the others became anxious, and they all perked up their ears to listen to the next question.


    Sun Hongliang nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Next, when did Brother Peng start following you guys, or has he always been with you guys?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know! He only got together with us after the snowstorm. He said the snowstorm destroyed his house, so he became a refugee.¡±


    The man was immediately taken out after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Then, besides bringing you here, did he say anything else? Or did he have a family?¡± Sun Hongliang asked..

 Chapter 364 - 364 Interrogation (2)

    Chapter 364: Interrogation (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°About his family¡­ Oh, he has a wife and a son, but I feel like they¡¯re terrified of him.¡±


    ¡°He also said that Dongyang Manor had collected a lot of food, but the Third Prince had refused to distribute it to the refugees and kept it all for himself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. He also said that the Third Prince is cold and ruthless. He doesn¡¯t put usmoners in his eyes at all.¡±


    Sun Hongliang¡¯s eyes shed with a cold glint as he listened to their denouncement of the Third Prince.


    At the same time, he also understood that Brother Peng was most likely a spy sent by the First or Fourth Prince.


    He raised his hand and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Shut up. Have you all even met the Third Prince? You¡¯re just listening to rumor and don¡¯t even know you¡¯ve been used.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s really as you all said, that he doesn¡¯t give any grain to themoners, do you think the Emperor will let him off?¡±


    Sun Hongliang hesitated momentarily before saying, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that we did harvest some white sweet potatoesst year, but only about 300 acres ofnd were harvested. How long will itst if we distribute it as food?


    ¡°However, how many people will we save if we rent them? We have to look at the long term.¡±


    Because these things could be found out with just a little inquiry, it was better to say them openly and cut off the root of those spreading rumors.


    ¡°Then why do the people of Shanghe vige get the sweet potatoes?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Right; 1 heard that they¡¯ve never gone hungry before.¡±


    ¡°Why? That¡¯s because the sweet potatoes were initially grown by the people of Shanghe vige. We can¡¯t just let them starve to death after they gave us the seeds.


    ¡°Besides, the amount left behind would be enough for them to eat half-full.


    ¡°If my guess is correct, most of them are also struggling to hold on.


    ¡°Otherwise, why would so few wild vegetables be on the mountains?


    ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯ve all been taken by the nearby vigers.¡±


    When the escapees heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but mumble silently. They were familiar with the scenery in the mountains. Besides the tree bark and leaves, all the wild vegetables that could be eaten had been picked.


    They thought about the vigers he had seen in the past two days.


    Although they weren¡¯t starving like them, these vigers didn¡¯t look too good either. Some of them even looked like they were about to die.


    Sun Hongliang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that these refugees had listened to him.


    After that, he got some people to bring some insect repellent and put them under guard.


    He then returned to his room and instructed everyone to guard the manor.


    At daybreak, he found Bai Jingping and told him about the matter.


    After a moment of silence, Bai Jingping ordered the soldiers to bring Brother Peng¡¯s wife and children over from the refugees.


    After the mother and son entered the room, Sun Hongliang and Bai Jingping sized them up. Seeing that the mother and son were so hungry that they looked weak, they exchanged nces and made a guess.


    ¡°You guys are Brother Peng¡¯s wife and son?¡± Sun Hongniang asked with a frown.


    When the mother and son heard the words ¡°Brother Peng,¡± they were so frightened that they immediately hugged each other and shivered, as if someone was going to eat them up.


    When Bai Jingping saw this, he narrowed his eyes and said to the officer beside him, ¡°Give the child a thorough examination and see if there are any injuries on them.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The officer was stunned momentarily, and then he took the child over.


    Seeing this, the little boy immediately burst into tears.


    His mother wanted to resist, but Sun Hongliang stopped her and said, ¡°Brother Peng is now in our hands, and he¡¯ll nevere back.


    ¡°We¡¯re giving you a chance to prove your innocence, so don¡¯t be ungrateful..¡±

 Chapter 365 - 365 A Fake Couple

    Chapter 365: A Fake Couple


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t be afraid. We have no ill intentions towards you and your child. We just want to investigate the man, Brother Peng.¡± Bai Jingping tried his best to speak as gently as possible.


    When the woman heard this, she finally looked up at them. Seeing Bai Jingping look at her sincerely, she did not make things difficult for the children.


    She immediately rxed and started to cry.


    However, the mother and son only cried loudly, but both didn¡¯t intend to open their mouths.


    ¡°Where are you from? Is there anyone else in your family?¡± Bai Jingping asked, looking pensive.


    The woman shook her head and began to cry.


    ¡°Your voices?¡± Bai Jingping probed.


    ¡°All, ah.¡± The woman opened her mouth and pointed at her mouth, shaking her head.


    ¡°You were drugged and muted?¡± Sun Hongliang eximed.


    The woman nodded repeatedly, and her tears started to fall like beads from a broken ne.


    ¡°Animal.¡± Bai Jingping cursed angrily.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not husband and wife anymore?¡±


    The woman shook her head and pointed at the boy, waving her hand to indicate he was not her son.


    When Bai Jingping saw this, he had his men release the child and asked, ¡°If you have anything to say, just say it. We will definitely seek justice for you.¡±


    ¡°All, ah, yi.¡± The woman spoke and gestured for a long time, but no one understood her.


    However, the little boy grabbed the soldier¡¯s hand and pulled him out.


    The officer nced at Bai Jingping, who nodded and followed them out.


    By the time they reached the outside, the refugees had already gathered at the foot of the mountain and were in a standoff with the soldiers and patrols, each facing off at either side of a river.


    Bai Jingping stepped forward. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked. ¡°Are you people nning to rebel?¡±


    When the refugees heard about being used of rebellion, they immediately quieted down. They knew rebellion was a serious crime that would sentence nine generations of their families to death. They did not dare to bear such a serious crime.


    Seeing this, Bai Jingping heaved a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as they still had this fear.


    ¡°If you have something to discuss, send two representatives over,¡± he said. ¡°Gathering here and making trouble won¡¯t solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°Your words sound nice, but can we return if we go there? Our request is simple; let them go.¡± The one standing at the front raised his hand and said.


    ¡°Let them go? Let who go?¡± Bai Jingping asked in return.


    ¡°Of course, Brother Peng and his group.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? 1 haven¡¯t seen him yet, so how can I let him go?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen it, but he has.¡± The man pointed at Sun Hongliang after he finished speaking.


    ¡°So, you know what they didst night?¡± Sun Hongliangughed.


    ¡°So what if we know? You guys have so many cattle and sheep and don¡¯t even care about our lives. So what¡¯s the problem if we do it ourselves?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Is that yours? What you¡¯re doing is in robbery.¡±


    ¡°What right do you have to not care about our lives? I know that the manor belongs to General Zhou, who is the third prince¡¯s cousin.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing? He¡¯s not benevolent with his massive wealth and does not regard human lives.¡±


    ¡°Not benevolent with his wealth and disregard human lives?


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been to school. So, you should know about decency, justice, and honor.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone give such an excellent excuse for robbery.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that you¡¯re the Emperor and everyone in the country is under yourmand?


    ¡°Robbery is justice to you, huh?


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that the cattle and sheep in the vige are the seeds that were left behind. They are the future hope of our Ming Dynasty..¡±

 Chapter 366 - 366 Spy (1)

    Chapter 366: Spy (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°If people can¡¯t live, why should we keep animals?¡± The man turned his head and shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the most important thing for us now is to stay alive. If we¡¯re dead, what¡¯s the point of keeping those animals?¡± Someone immediately chimed in.


    ¡°Yes, hurry up and kill all the cattle and sheep. We¡¯ve been hungry for days. Why don¡¯t you let us eat if there¡¯s something to eat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t the Third Prince a member of the royal family? In such a disastrous year, shouldn¡¯t he be helping us refugees?¡±


    ¡°Who said that these manors belong to the Third Prince?¡± Zhou Ying, who had been listening for a while, stood up and asked.


    No matter what, they were considered to be on the Third Prince¡¯s side, so they couldn¡¯t let the Third Prince¡¯s reputation be damaged. Otherwise, their future would definitely not be smooth sailing.


    Of course, she also had a way out. If the Third Prince lost, he could just hide in her interspace for a few years. In short, she couldn¡¯t let these refugees take advantage of the manor for nothing.


    Especially when not even a de of grass would be left in her manor if a precedent were to be set.


    ¡°Manager Zhou.¡± Bai Jingping looked at her in surprise.


    Zhou Ying shook her head, looked at the refugees, and asked, ¡°Are you mute? Who said that the manor belongs to the Third Prince?¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not the Third Prince¡¯s, it¡¯s still General Zhou¡¯s. They¡¯re rtives, to begin with, so what¡¯s the difference?¡± The leader replied.


    Zhou Yingughed after hearing this. ¡°You seem to understand the matters of the imperial court very well. Then, can I suspect that you are here to ruin the Third Prince¡¯s reputation?¡±


    ¡°Stop intruding; I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°The truth? Have you seen the title deed?¡±


    H j H


    ¡°What, didn¡¯t your master tell you?


    ¡°Such a terrible master; he doesn¡¯t even know who the owner is and wants a cut. Such ipetency.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I¡­¡±


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t give him a chance to speak. She suddenly pointed at him and shouted, ¡°Arrest him. With a great disaster in front of us, he doesn¡¯t want to serve the country but instead instigates the people to cause trouble.


    ¡°I suspect he¡¯s a spy who hase to sow discord between the ruler and the people of our country.¡±


    ¡°Right, this person¡¯s motive is not right. Arrest him.¡± Sun Hongliang immediately chimed in.


    The refugees were dumbfounded when they heard this.


    What was going on? Weren¡¯t they just demanding some meat to eat? Why did a spy suddenly get involved? This was a crime punishable by death.


    Bai Jingping understood what Zhou Ying was trying to do.


    No matter what, once they captured the leader, the other refugees would be much easier to deal with.


    The easy part was that this person was suspicious, to begin with, so there was no need to be softhearted.


    After thinking it through, he waved his hand at the soldiers. Five soldiers immediately walked out and pounced on the leader.


    Seeing this, the leader panicked and immediately used his fists and legs to knock down a soldier. Then, he turned around and fled.


    However, Gu Chengrui, who was hiding at the side, kicked him back. Immediately, two soldiers pounced on him and held him down.


    Gu Chengrui stepped forward and dislocated the man¡¯s jaw, carefully examining the inside of his mouth.


    Not long after, he pulled something the size of a green bean from his mouth and said, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, this is a poison that seals the throat at the sight of blood.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a spy. Take him away!¡± Bai Jingping eximed loudly, then looked at the refugees.


    The refugees no longer cared about meat as they all retreated in fear.


    At that moment, Brother Peng¡¯s fake son pulled an officer aside and pointed at one of the refugees.


    Seeing this, the man immediately grabbed a refugee and turned to run.


    However, the other refugees quickly surrounded them tightly.


    ¡°Get out of my way, or don¡¯t me me for being merciless.¡± The man said as he grabbed the hostage by the neck..

 Chapter 367 - 367 Spy (2)

    Chapter 367: Spy (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Just as he finished his threat, Zhou Ying hit his arm with a slingshot.


    The man felt the pain and let go. The hostage immediately turned around, kicked him, and ran away.


    Seeing this, the man opened his mouth and bit down.


    ¡°Shit, he¡¯s going tomit suicide.¡± Sun Hongliang shouted.


    However, it was toote. The man fell with a smile, and ck blood quickly flowed out of his five senses, which shocked everyone.


    ¡°Another spy.¡± Seeing this, Bai Jingping¡¯s head began to ache.


    He looked at the refugees and said, ¡°1¡¯11 give you 15 minutes to return and bring out your household registration for an inspection.


    ¡°In addition, you will be rewarded if you report a spy. Of course, if the report is true, you will be rewarded with 50 pounds of noodles.¡±


    The refugees were dumbfounded, but they were soon ted.


    50 pounds of noodles, if eaten sparingly, could totally allow a small family to live for another month.


    They sized each other up, their eyes full of suspicion and schemes.


    When Bai Jingping saw this, he told the soldiers beside him, ¡°Focus on those with lesser family members, especially those who joined after the snowstorm. Catch all those who are suspicious.


    ¡°In addition, keep an eye on these refugees. Capture all those who want to leave the group.¡±


    ¡°Understood, my lord. Don¡¯t worry.¡± The leader of the soldiers nodded.


    Afterward, Bai Jingping and his men carried the two spies back to their tent. When he saw Sun Hongliang, he remembered the informant he had mentioned before. He immediately sent two soldiers to find Constable Zhang to identify the informants.


    Finally, his eyes fell on Zhou Ying and her husband. ¡°Doctor Gu, and Manager Zhou, 1 have to thank you both for today.¡±


    ¡°Lord Bai, you¡¯re too polite. We¡¯re doing this for ourselves. Since the matter is settled, we¡¯ll be going back now.¡± Gu Chengrui cupped his fists and replied. ¡°Wait,¡± Bai Jingping called out to the mother and son from before and said, ¡°This mother and son have been drugged with medicine that has muted them. See if you can cure them.¡±


    After that, he briefly exined the mother and son¡¯s situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try. The drug is unknown to me, so it¡¯s hard to say whether I can cure it.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought the mother and son outside. He carefully checked their throats and took their pulses. ¡°It¡¯s nerve damage. It¡¯ll take at least a year to recover.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what drug it is?¡± Bai Jingping quickly asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t figure that out for now; we can only slowly rule out the possibilities.


    ¡°Even if they¡¯re cured, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s impossible for them to recoverpletely. At the very least, they¡¯ll be left with symptoms such as an inability to speak clearly or stuttering.¡±


    The woman hugged her son and burst into tears.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui did not know how to calm her down. No one would feel good suffering such an unexpected tragedy for no reason.


    Soon, the mother and son fainted. Gu Chengrui went forward to check and said, ¡°They fainted from hunger; please feed them something.¡±


    Bai Jingping heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that. He then ordered his men to carry the mother and son into the tent and prepare some gruel for them to eat.


    When the mother and son woke up, Gu Chengrui took two drops of blood from the woman, and the couple went home.


    Bai Jingping and Sun Hongliang had a meal together. After the meal, Bai Jingping sent someone to bring the two informants and Brother Peng over for interrogation.


    Unfortunately, although the spy and Brother Peng weren¡¯t smart enough, they were stubborn. They did not get anything from Brother Peng, who also died from excessive blood loss.


    The two of them didn¡¯t dare question the remaining spy. They tied him up and waited for Constable Zhang to arrive.


    When it was almost noon, Constable Zhang rushed over. After confirming the identities of the two informants, Bai Jingping ordered his men to release them.


    ¡°Constable Zhang, did any of the refugees go to the county?¡± he asked..

 Chapter 368 - 368 Asking Around

    Chapter 368: Asking Around


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Not at the moment.


    ¡°Oh, but Manager Liu did say that the refugees who went to the vige to steal were to be temporarily locked up.¡± Constable Zhang said.


    ¡°Did they say why they are imprisoning the refugees? There are so many of them, and they will need a lot of food.


    ¡°No, he only said that they were temporarily detained.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I got it.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Constable Zhang scanned his surroundings and asked in a low voice, after ensuring no one was around, ¡°How¡¯s life in the vige now? I want to collect some dried white potatoes. Do you think it¡¯s possible?¡±


    ¡°That depends on how much you are nning to collect. Eight to ten pounds is no problem, but it¡¯s hard to say if it¡¯s more.


    ¡°By the way, you can look for Doctor Gu and the vige chief. They know more about the situation in the vige.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go to Doctor Gu¡¯s ce then. His family¡¯s life is rtively better than the rest of the vigers.¡± Constable Zhang turned around and left, leading his two informers and a few police officers into the vige.


    When he reached the entrance of the Gu residence, he told his subordinates to stay outside and walked in by himself.


    Inside, Gu Chengrui was treating Gu Ziyi¡¯s younger daughter, Lele.


    Just as he was done applying the medicine, Constable Zhang walked in and saw Gu Ziyi and her daughter in the house. He blushed and left the room when he saw Gu Ziyi, who had regained her gentle and calmposure. ¡°Sorry, continue on; I¡¯ll be back in a while.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Constable Zhang. I¡¯ve already done with my treatment illness.¡± Gu Chengrui gave Gu Ziyi a few instructions and then sent the mother and daughter out.


    When he returned, he beckoned Constable Zhang to sit and asked, ¡°Is there a reason for your visit?¡±


    ¡°You can say that. Well, there are fewer and fewer noodles left.


    ¡°So, I was thinking of buying some dried sweet potatoes to bring home. 1 wonder if you can help me ask around in the vige. I¡¯ll buy them at 20 coppers per pound.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ how much are you nning to buy?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, the more, the better. There¡¯s almost no more food at Master Kong¡¯s ce.¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, the sweet potatoes were nted nearly two monthste after the snowstorm, so the number of sweet potatoes in the vige is not abundant.


    ¡°I can only say that 1¡¯11 try to ask around, but 1 can¡¯t guarantee anything.¡±


    ¡°I understand.


    ¡°I¡¯lle back the morning after tomorrow. This is the down payment, and I¡¯ll add on if it¡¯s not enough.¡± Constable Zhang said as he put down two taels of silver.


    ¡°Oh, Brother Gu, was that woman your eldest sister, Gu Ziyi?¡± he asked, rubbing his nose.


    Gu Chengrui paused for a moment and looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my sister.¡±


    ¡°Does she have any intention of remarrying?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? If I remember correctly, you have a wife, a son, and a daughter.


    ¡°Although my sister is divorced, she will never marry someone and be a concubine.¡±


    Constable Zhang sighed. ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I had a wife, but she has always been in poor health. She passed away during the snowstorm when it was too cold for her frail body.


    ¡°There¡¯s only my mother and two children at home now. I¡¯m so busy every day that I can¡¯t even return home, so I want to have someone who can help me take care of my children.¡±


    ¡°Constable Zhang, to put it bluntly, the older of your two children is about ten years old, and the younger one is six years old. They can remember their mother clearly.


    ¡°It will be tough for a stepmother to discipline them, possibly leading toints.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll have tomunicate with your children about this.


    ¡°Ask for their opinions. If they are willing to ept a stepmother, I can help you pass on a message.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t guarantee that my elder sister will be willing to remarry..¡±

 Chapter 369 - 369 Staying For Lunch

    Chapter 369: Staying For Lunch


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 give you an answer the day after tomorrow when 1e to pick up the dried sweet potato.¡± Constable Zhang replied after a moment of contemtion.


    Honestly, he had never thought about the children¡¯s opinions before and had never taken them to heart.


    After hearing Gu Chengrui say this, he felt that it was necessary to discuss it with his children before making a decision for the sake of the harmony of his family in the future.


    ¡°Okay, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll ask my wife to add two more dishes, and we¡¯ll have a meal together.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay; a few people are still outside waiting for me.¡± Constable Zhang replied.


    ¡°Just call them in together. If you walk back at this time, you¡¯ll be too tired. But it won¡¯t be that grand of a meal, so please don¡¯t mind the simplicity.¡± Gu Chengrui went straight to the kitchen after he finished speaking.


    Constable Zhang wanted to chase after him and stop him, but his stomach started growling the moment he stood up. He looked at the bright sun outside and hesitated momentarily before bracing himself and staying.


    When Gu Chengrui entered the kitchen, Zhou Ying had just finished washing the white sweet potato vines. When she saw himing in, she looked up and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s here again? I heard a man¡¯s voice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Constable Zhang. Try to make it simple for lunch, but make sure it¡¯s just enough so that they won¡¯t half-hungry,¡±


    ¡°How many people?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°From what he said, there are seven people, including him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have soup for lunch then.¡±


    ¡°Sure, do as you see fit. Just don¡¯t make the meals stand out too much.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he took the pot of water and returned to the living room.


    After he left, Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment. She soaked five pounds of dried white potato and took out a pound of ck noodles.


    After that, she simply stir-fried the sweet potato vines with beefrd. She then prepared a pot of water and threw the dried sweet potato slices into it.


    When the white sweet potato was cooked, she threw in some dough dumplings, taking them out once the dough dumplings were cooked.


    She brought a fewrge bowls into the living room and confirmed that there were really seven people.


    Zhou Ying then returned to the kitchen, took out arge bowl of dough dumplings, and filled it with soup. She put a spoon in and brought it out. ¡°Lunch is simple; please don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? It¡¯s already good to be able to eat such a lovely meal these days.¡± Constable Zhangughed.


    ¡°The soup is a little hot, so do serve yourselves. Oh, there is still half a pot back in the kitchen if it¡¯s not enough.¡± Zhou Ying then turned around and went back to the kitchen.


    Then, she scooped a bowl of soup for herself and took out a beef bun from her interspace to eat.


    Halfway through her meal, Gu Chengrui came in with a pot.


    ¡°So fast?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all like hungry wolves.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and left a bowl for her. He served the rest of the soup and left.


    After the meal, Constable Zhang and the others drank a cup of water and chatted for a while before slowly setting off for the county.


    On the other hand, Bai Jingping had just put down his bowl of rice when the head of the military soldiers, who had previously checked the household registration, walked in. ¡°Milord, we¡¯ve already checked everyone. Ten suspicious people have been identified.¡±


    After he finished, he handed him detailed information on the ten people.


    Bai Jingping looked at it and said, ¡°Keep a close eye on them. You¡¯ve been busy the whole morning, so go and have lunch.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± The officer responded and turned around to leave.


    After he left, Bai Jingping began to study the list in his hands seriously.


    While that was happening, Gu Chengrui visited a few bigger families in the vige that had nted sweet potatoes and asked for any potatoes for sale.


    Of course, apart from the vige chief, his old house, and the patriarch, he couldn¡¯t collect more.


    Even with his reputation, he only managed to gather a hundred pounds..

 Chapter 370 - 370 The Arrival Of The Army

    Chapter 370: The Arrival Of The Army


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, they did collect a lot of dried vegetables. They collected one sack from one of the families and two from the rest collectively.


    Finally, they took out 100 pounds of dried white potatoes from their interspace, totaling 200 pounds of white potatoes.


    The following day, the couple had just finished breakfast when they heard amotion at the foot of the mountains; they quickly ran out.


    They saw Tian Jiawang carrying a hoe and walking back from the field. Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Brother Tian, what¡¯s going on at the foot of the mountains?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the manor capture a group of people yesterday? They were moring to let them go. Today¡¯s matter differs from yesterday¡¯s, so it¡¯s better if we don¡¯t go over. Let¡¯s just let the soldiers handle it,¡± Tian Jiawang said.


    ¡°I see; sorry for bothering you.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding.


    In such a disastrous year, even andlord would not have any surplus grain; Sun Hongliang could not possibly keep them in the manor for nothing.


    Therefore, it was most likely Bai Jingping¡¯s idea, and it was better for them not to get involved.


    However, since it involved the manor, they did not return home. Instead, they waited to watch the show from a distance.


    Just as the two sides were about to start fighting, they suddenly heard the sound of people marching. They quickly turned their heads to look at the source of the sound.


    Soon after, a group of soldiers in military uniforms carrying bundles on their backs marched toward the vige at a moderate pace.


    And looking at the group, there were quite a few of them.


    ¡°Is the one riding the horse Manager Liu?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Yeah, he most likely brought a tear or knockout bomb to the military camp for the Third Prince. It¡¯s nice he¡¯s back with these soldiers, as those refugees won¡¯t be able to cause any trouble now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Otherwise, it¡¯s not nice living in constant worry every day.¡±


    Although Bai Jingping and the others did not hear the soldiersing, they were delighted when they saw them.


    On the other hand, the faces of the refugees turned ugly, but they didn¡¯t dare to make a scene in front of so many soldiers.


    However, when he thought of military provisions, Bai Jingping¡¯s expression immediately changed as he quickly ran to the vige entrance to wee them. When he saw Manager Liu getting off his horse, he asked, ¡°Brother Liu, these soldiers are¡­¡±


    ¡°Lord Bai, they were sent by the Third Prince to assist Lord Kong in recruiting soldiers. At the same time, they are to protect the white potatoes.¡± Manager Liu pointed to a young man on a horse and said, ¡°This is a rank-5 minor general, Zhang Ping.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, General Zhang. I am Bai Jingping, the county magistrate of Yunhe County.¡± Bai Jingping hurriedly stepped forward and introduced himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard of you. Lord Bai is a famous schr, and you do things swiftly and decisively. I¡¯ve long admired you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. Where do you n to settle down?¡±


    ¡°I heard there is a forest between Xiahe vige and Shanghe vige, so we n to set up camp there.¡±


    ¡°I will call people over to help.¡±


    ¡°No need; we¡¯ll do it ourselves.¡± Zhang Ping shook his head, then pointed at the refugees and asked, ¡°Those people are refugees? Why are they making trouble?¡±


    Bai Jingping sighed and told him everything that had happened in the past two days. ¡°Well, they¡¯re afraid those captured refugees will be executed, so they¡¯re making a fuss about releasing them.¡±


    ¡°Why should you let them go? Aren¡¯t we recruiting soldiers here? We should just use them to fill the army. With fewer refugees, there will be less instability.¡± Zhang Ping stated.


    ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s not that appropriate.¡± Bai Jingping replied hesitantly.


    He and Lord Kong had the same idea before, but they were afraid of arousing the public¡¯s anger, so they had not decided.


    Manager Liu thought of the Third Prince¡¯s words and replied tactfully, ¡°We can try. They won¡¯t have anything to eat here anyway; they will have food being in the army.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ let¡¯s try?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try. The sooner we recruit enough people, the sooner you can be at ease.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you guys settle down first. We¡¯ll discuss thister.¡± After Bai Jingping finished speaking, he immediately stepped aside, afraid they would mention the matter of army provisions..

 Chapter 371 - 371 Conscription

    Chapter 371: Conscription


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Fortunately, the other party didn¡¯t say anything and left.


    He heaved a sigh of relief and returned to his camp.


    Seeing that the refugees had retreated, he informed the soldiers that they could look for Zhang Ping if they had any difficulties before hurriedly returning to the county administration.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying were relieved.


    The next day, the county issued a notice for conscription. Suddenly, the entire county was in an uproar, but it soon calmed down.


    It became terrifyingly quiet as people started to sign up one after another.


    Constable Zhang and Bai Jingping had also rushed to Qingshui town. With the cooperation of Constable Zhang and Tian Jingzhong, they went to viges to recruit soldiers.


    Bai Jingping, on the other hand, returned to the campsite and was in charge of recruiting soldiers for the three nearby viges.


    When he returned, Bai Jingping did not immediately begin his work. Instead, he went to the manor and said to the refugees who had been captured, ¡°Ever since the disaster, the Yunhe County was instructed to deal heavy punishment as instructed by the Dongyang Manor.


    ¡°I think you should have heard of it.


    ¡°With the crime of gathering as robbers, there are only two paths for you all. One is to ept the conscription and head to the north for war.


    ¡°The other was to join the county¡¯sbor force for half a year.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you fifteen minutes to think about it and decide.¡±


    ¡°May 1 ask what kind ofbor work this entails?¡± At this moment, a weak voice asked.


    ¡°Repair the river and road.¡±


    Just as Bai Jingping finished his sentence, someone shouted, ¡°We didn¡¯t have anything to eat or drink for the past few days. Isn¡¯t giving us such heavy work trying to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Not really, but you¡¯ll definitely suffer. Of course, if you want to eat well, you can ept the conscription. You won¡¯t go hungry.¡± Bai Jingping replied.


    ¡°There¡¯s food in the military camp?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the country¡¯s current food supply is mainly supplied to the various barracks to ensure our country¡¯s safety.¡±


    The crowd immediately started discussing amongst themselves. Although they felt it was unfair, most knew their situation.


    Otherwise, if the border was lost and invaders from all sides came in, they would have even worse days.


    However, some people were still unwilling and asked, ¡°Why the discrimination? They should at least give us some soup if there¡¯s meat for the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Discrimination?¡± Bai Jingping scoffed, then continued, ¡°They¡¯re risking their lives for a living. You can join the army if you¡¯re envious. The opportunity is right in front of you.¡±


    The man immediately shut up.


    However, with Bai Jingping¡¯s words, everyone felt more at ease. Finally, most of them chose to go to the military camp.


    In any case, they would suffer the threat of death, so they might as well eat their fill.


    Only a few people who could not let go of their families chose to join thebor force.


    When Bai Jingping saw this, he immediately led them back to his camp.


    He then went to the refugee camp and recruited another hundred or more people.


    As for the three viges, Xin¡¯an vige had 23 people who signed up.


    Five from Xiahe vige.


    There were only three people from Shanghe vige.


    However, Bai Jingping did not ask for more, as many other ces had many more people wanting to join the army.


    At night, Constable Zhang came to Gu Chengrui¡¯s home.


    Gu Chengrui gestured for him to sit down and said, ¡°We¡¯ve collected a total of 200 pounds of dried white potatoes and 300 pounds of dried vegetables.


    ¡°The dried vegetables can be considered a gift, so the silver you gave is just enough.¡±


    Constable Zhang nodded and handed him another tael of silver. ¡°Thank you so much, Doctor Gu. Otherwise, I would really go hungry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. We¡¯re only doing this for your sake.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up after that. ¡°Do you want to transport it now? Or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it tomorrow morning. 1¡¯11 stay at Lord Bai¡¯s ce for the night.¡± Constable Zhang replied andughed. ¡°Doctor Gu, please help me ask for your sister¡¯s opinion. I¡¯ve already spoken to my two children, and they¡¯ve agreed..¡±

 Chapter 372 - 372 Rejection

    Chapter 372: Rejection


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go to her soon and let you know tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°1¡¯11 leave this to you. You guys go ahead with your work, and I¡¯ll return after breakfast tomorrow.¡± Constable Zhang stood up and left after that.


    After he left, Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked, ¡°Babe, do you want toe with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still unknown whether your big sister will agree or not, so you should go by yourself.


    ¡°However, you only need to deliver the news. Don¡¯t express your opinions.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and left for his sister¡¯s house. Gu Ziyi was surprised to see him at her door sote at night. She invited him into the house and poured him a ss of water. ¡°Chengrui, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and said, ¡°Sister, you¡¯ve met Constable Zhang, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve met a few times but never spoken to each other. What is it that could be rted to him?¡± Gu Ziyi asked after she sat down and looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°Right, he¡¯s interested in you. He asked me to pass on a message and ask for your opinion.¡±


    Gu Ziyi¡¯s face turned pale when she understood what he meant. She shook her head and replied, ¡°No need. I don¡¯t want to get married again in this life.¡± Gu Chengrui saw her facial expression and understood she was most likely traumatized by that Chen bastard. He stood up and said, ¡°Sister, there are still many good people in the world. You¡¯re not even 30 yet, so I hope you can walk out of it bravely.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he left.


    Gu Ziyi was stunned momentarily before she slumped onto the table and started crying.


    Her elderly helper, Aunt Mei, poured her a ss of water. ¡°Madam, your health is more important than anything.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Mei, I¡¯m just feeling troubled. I¡¯ll be fine after this.¡± Gu Ziyi stood up and wiped her tears in embarrassment.


    ¡°You¡¯re just too headstrong.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me speaking, you don¡¯t have to protect your chastity for Lord Chen. You just have to live your own life.


    ¡°If there¡¯s a suitable person, you should take a step forward. Otherwise, you won¡¯t even have someone to talk to when you¡¯re old.¡±


    ¡°You heard what Chengrui said just now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Chengrui is right. There are still many good people in the world.¡± Gu Ziyi hesitated for a moment. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not avoiding another marriage for that bastard. I¡¯m mainly afraid my two children will be wronged, so 1 don¡¯t dare to take this step.¡±


    There was one more thing that she didn¡¯t say out loud¡ªonce bitten, twice shy. She was deeply disappointed and even hopeless about marriage and did not want to get married again.


    However, after living alone for more than a year, she could also see that having a man in the family was necessary.


    Luckily, her family did not abandon her. Otherwise, she would have been a pile of bones by now.


    However, her parents and brothers could help her for a while, but not for a lifetime. She could not always trouble her family.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to get remarried, but you can ask around and contact him.


    ¡°If he¡¯s a good person and his family epts you, that would be great. ¡°Honestly, it might not be suitable for the two youngdies if you live alone. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that they didn¡¯t y with the children in the vige much? They¡¯ve also be much quieter than before.


    ¡°This was especially so for the young miss. Other than practicing her calligraphy in the study room, she would practice needlework and rarely speak. ¡°Also, if her family isn¡¯tplete, it will be hard when she wants to discuss marriage in the future.¡±


    Gu Ziyi paused, and then she shook her head. ¡°Let me think about it. There¡¯s no rush.¡±


    ¡°You should rest early, madam. I¡¯ll go and see the two youngdies.¡± Aunt Mei turned around and left after that..

 Chapter 373 - 373 Mother God

    Chapter 373: Mother God


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Aunt Mei had left, Gu Ziyi sat in the house, unable to return to her senses.


    She was at a loss for direction in her way of life.


    She was conflicted about whether she should take the step forward.


    She was at a loss as to what she should do next. Her two daughters were growing, so what would they think of her marrying again?


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui returned, he told Zhou Ying about Gu Ziyi¡¯s attitude, ¡°Babe, what do you think I should tell Constable Zhang? Reject him straight?¡±


    ¡°Just tell him the truth. 1 think your big sister is more afraid of the idea of marriage itself than she is of getting remarried.


    ¡°No one can help her with this, so let her think about it thoroughly. Everything will be fine when she ovees this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. All we can do is tell the truth. The rest will depend on whether they are fated to be together.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    The next morning, Constable Zhang brought a horse-drawn carriage over. After Gu Chengrui loaded the dried sweet potatoes and vegetables into the carriage, he told Constable Zhang about Gu Ziyi¡¯s reply, ¡°Constable Zhang, my elder sister has been emotionally hurt before, so this matter cannot be rushed.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t wait, you should find someone else.¡±


    Constable Zhang nodded his head firmly.¡±! understand. It¡¯s because that Chen fellow has gone too far.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Gu,¡± he said, patting Gu Chengrui¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Leave the rest to me. I¡¯d like to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed, but don¡¯t push too hard, or I¡¯ll be the first to disagree.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Alright, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± Constable Zhang said his goodbyes and drove the horse carriage off.


    Stopping at the vige entrance, he then rushed to the county with the soldiers andborers.


    Afternoon came. After Bai Jingping saw that Zhang Ping was nning to stay behind, he returned to the county after a short exchange.


    Turning to the refugee camp, most of them were in tears.


    After all, in such a disastrous year, any family would be at a loss with one fewer strong man in it.


    After an old woman finished crying in the Mother God Temple, her gaze fell on the Mother God statue.


    She stood up and walked over shakily. She then kneeled and kowtowed three times. ¡°I beg of you, Mother God. Please save us, the people who are suffering. We really can¡¯t take this anymore.


    ¡°Please take pity on us and give us some food.¡±


    With her leading the way, some other older women immediately followed and knelt, crying and expelling their inner thoughts. Some asked for help, some asked for food, and some asked for their family¡¯s safety.


    Some also hoped that the Ming Dynasty would win the war as soon as possible so that their family coulde home and reunite.


    Basically, everyone started crying and begging for help.


    ¡°Is praying to the Mother God really useful?¡± A young man asked suddenly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for a Mother God Temple here, I would have forgotten about Mother God herself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I know we should burn incense and pray to Buddha and Guanyin, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone pray to Mother God.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you two. How dare you disrespect Mother God?


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard from my grandmother that when they were fleeing for their lives, they almost starved to death. It was only because of the sudden appearance of arge amount of food in a Mother God Temple that they managed to survive.¡± ¡°Really? Such a divine miracle?¡±


    ¡°But these disasters have been going on for so long, and there¡¯s still no sign of Mother God intervening?¡±


    ¡°Maybe those people¡¯s hearts aren¡¯t sincere, and Mother God can¡¯t hear their prayers.¡± An old woman pointed at the Mother God statue, whose appearance could no longer be seen clearly. ¡°Look how dpidated Mother God statue has be, and no one is taking care of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure most other Mother God Temples have already copsed, let alone getting offerings.


    ¡°How would Mother God hear our request when she¡¯s this sad?¡±


    ¡°Does it mean we wasted our prayers?¡±


    ¡°But what if ites true? As long as we are sincere, I¡¯m sure Mother God will show mercy one day.¡±


    After some discussion, they began to clean up the statue of the Mother God..

 Chapter 374 - 374 A Welcome

    Chapter 374: A Wee


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying and her husband sent Constable Zhang off, they locked their door and brought Er Zhuang to the manor. They began to nt rice seedlings and sweet potatoes in the fields.


    She also instructed Uncle Nian to ughter two cattle.


    While waiting for the cattle to be butchered, the couple picked some spinach.


    She then went to Manager Liu. ¡°Uncle Liu, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to give these two cattle worth of meat to the soldiers outside. It¡¯s to wee them and thank them for protecting us.¡±


    Manager Liuughed. ¡°Let¡¯s go together. But I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be targeted once you offer some now.¡±


    ¡°I want to believe in the character of the Third Prince¡¯s men. It will be fine as long as they leave us some.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re pretty generous, but it won¡¯t get that exaggerated. You¡¯ll just need to send some meat over from time to time.


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t be asking that you give this meat away for free. General Zhang has military funds, so you just have to offer us a fair price.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Uncle Liu.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    However, she did not go. Instead, she asked Gu Chengrui to go with Manager Liu while she continued to nt seedlings.


    Gu Chengrui and Manager Liu arrived at the temporary military camp and looked for General Zhang to express their intentions.


    Zhang Ping was naturally delighted. Although they had brought military rations, it was only grain. The meat was getting pitifully low in quantity, not to mention the vegetables.


    With these portions of meat and vegetables, they could at least let these soldiers have two good meals and make up for the fat they had lost on the way here.


    General Zhang cupped his fists at Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°On behalf of my brothers, I thank you, Brother Gu.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, and I should be the one thanking you. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid my manor would not have peaceful days.¡± Gu Chengrui returned the thanks.


    ¡°Protecting the vige is also one of our missions.


    ¡°Also, we can¡¯t take your offerings for free. I will pay the normal price for the meat and vegetables.¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time. This time is a little token of our appreciation to wee everyone.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Without waiting for Zhang Ping to finish, Manager Liu advised, ¡°Since it¡¯s Doctor Gu¡¯s kind intention, you should ept it. Just think of protecting your meat and rations when you protect the manor from now on.¡±


    Seeing this, Zhang Ping opened his mouth and nodded, ¡°Thank you, Doctor Gu. But this is the only time. We¡¯ll pay you the normal price in the future.¡±


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll charge 20 taels for a cattle and 5 taels for a sheep.


    ¡°As for vegetables, we don¡¯t grow much. If we have any extras, we¡¯ll give them to you; we can¡¯t offer you extras if we don¡¯t have any.¡±


    After hearing Gu Chengrui state the price for his livestock, Zhang Ping was stunned.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t because it was too expensive, but because it was too cheap.


    He nced at Manager Liu and saw his unmoving expression. He knew that Manager Liu was used to hearing these prices.


    At the same time, he respected Gu Chengrui. It was no wonder that General Zhou and the Third Prince would protect them so much.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal then. I¡¯ll send someone to the manor to inform you if there¡¯s a need.¡±


    ¡°General Zhang can juste to me, as he¡¯s usually not in the manor. Alright, we¡¯ll take our leave now,¡± Manager Liu cupped his fists and replied.


    ¡°See youter.¡± After Zhang Ping sent them out of the tent, he personally went to the kitchen and ordered them to make a good meal for everyone to nourish their bodies.


    When they returned home in the evening, Zhou Ying was about to go to the kitchen to cook when Gu Chengrui stopped her and said with a smile, ¡°Babe, you¡¯ve forgotten what day it is today.¡±


    ¡°What day is it?¡± Zhou Ying looked at him in surprise.


    To be honest, there was no calendar or phone here, so she was a little confused as she didn¡¯t know the specific date..

 Chapter 375 - 375 Birthday (1)

    Chapter 375: Birthday (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s May 18th, and I¡¯ll prepare dinner tonight.


    ¡°After you send me into your interspace, you just have a good rest.¡± Gu Chengrui went into the house after that.


    Zhou Ying finally understood what he meant, and her face turned red as her heart beat faster.


    She tied Er Zhuang up and followed him into the house.


    Gu Chengrui had just finished washing his face. He saw here in, changed the water for her, and kissed her on the face. ¡°What do you want to eat tonight? I¡¯ll enter your interspace immediately.¡±


    ¡°You make the decision. Once you¡¯ve decided, just tell me what ingredients you need, and I¡¯ll bring them out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 go and draw up a list.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and went to the west room.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying washed her face and changed into clean clothes.


    After she was done, Gu Chengrui took out a list and handed it to her. ¡°You can choose what you want to eat.¡±


    Zhou Ying took the list over and looked at it carefully. There was an assortment of Chinese and Western foods on it, and quite a lot of them.


    She marked down a bowl of cordyceps flower ck-bone chicken soup, a steak, a fruit sd, and a small cake after going through the entire list.


    Gu Chengrui took it and nced at it. He added a cup of saffron tea and said, ¡°It¡¯s not good for you to get pregnant at such a timing; sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled and nodded. ¡°I understand. Besides, it¡¯s good 1 don¡¯t get pregnant now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing else you want? I¡¯ll go to the interspace to prepare dinner if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, nothing else,¡± Zhou Ying affirmed and closed the door. She entered her interspace with him, took out the necessary ingredients and seasonings from the warehouse, and left the interspace.


    As soon as she came out, she heard Er Zhuang barking. She quickly opened the door and walked out. When she saw Father Gu standing outside, she approached him and greeted him, ¡°Father? Come in for a talk.¡±


    ¡°No need; I¡¯m here for just a few words.


    ¡°I¡¯m mainly here to inform you that your second brother is getting married the day after tomorrow. Remember to be there early.¡±


    ¡°Such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no choice; no one¡¯s life is good this year.


    ¡°They¡¯re urging us to quicken the marriage, so we¡¯ll keep it simple. It will be just our family and a few respected elders in the vige there to witness it.


    ¡°In addition, 1 need to borrow your family¡¯s carriage to pick up the bride.


    ¡°Also, see if you can get us a few pounds of meat, as it won¡¯t be a feast without meat.¡±


    ¡°Is beef or mutton okay? We don¡¯t have anything else to offer.¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Sure, five pounds each is fine. The chickens we raise are also ready to be eaten.¡± Father Gu replied.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯lle with the meat the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Doe earlier, as Chengrui has to pickup the bride together.¡± Father Gu turned around and left after he finished speaking.


    After he left, Zhou Ying went to the well to wash her clothes.


    It was already dark after she returned, so she locked the gates.


    She then went to the kitchen, made a big dumpling soup with some chicken meatballs, and fed it to Er Zhuang.


    When the sky gotpletely dark, she entered her home, locked the door, and entered her interspace.


    Gu Chengrui, who had already finished cooking and changed into casual clothes, saw hering in and spoke with a pout, ¡°You¡¯re finally here? I thought you had forgotten about me.¡±


    ¡°I have to wait until it¡¯s dark before Ie in. You set the food; I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± Zhou Ying went to her bedroom to get a pair of pyjamas and went to the bathroom.


    When she came out, Gu Chengrui had alreadyid out dinner, but only the cake was left uncovered.


    When he saw her, he pulled her to sit down. ¡°Birthday girl, it¡¯s your job to blow out the candles.¡±


    ¡°Well, light it for me then.¡± Zhou Ying cheekily replied after sitting down.


    ¡°Yes, my princess.¡± Gu Chengrui responded with a smile. He then turned around and lit the eighteen candles on the cake one by one, pushing it in front of her.


    Zhou Ying looked up at him with a smile and asked, ¡°Together?¡±

 Chapter 376 - 376 Birthday (2)

    Chapter 376: Birthday (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Together.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded. At the same time, he did not hide the look in his eyes; other than tenderness and sweetness, only possessiveness remained in them.


    Zhou Ying was surprised and a little scared at the same time.


    She lowered her head and blew the candles out.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui also lowered his head and blew on the candles. After he was done, he took out all the candles and handed her a knife. ¡°You¡¯re the birthday girl; you cut.¡±


    After Zhou Ying took the knife, she was about to cut it when Gu Chengrui suddenly walked behind her, held her hand, and they cut the cake together.


    Feeling his burning body temperature, Zhou Ying stood aside and used a paper tray to take two pieces of cake. She gave one to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Here, I haven¡¯t had cake for a long time; I sure miss it.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± Gu Chengrui took it and nodded in agreement.


    However, he didn¡¯t like eating sweet things and wasn¡¯t thinking about the cake.


    Seeing that she was eating with a blissful look, he also started to eat.


    After two pieces of cake, Zhou Ying put down the paper tray and said, ¡°1 shouldn¡¯t eat any more cake for now; let¡¯s eat dinner first.¡±


    ¡°Okay, try my steak and see if it¡¯s cooked well.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he opened a lid on the side and pushed a te to her.


    He then poured her a ss of red wine.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect him to add two cherry tomatoes and a few pieces of pineapple to the side of the beef; it looked very pleasing to the eye.


    She sat down and took a sip of red wine to get rid of the sweet taste of cream in her mouth. She then tasted the steak slowly before answering, ¡°Your skills have improved. It¡¯s tender and juicy, salty and delicious, and the marinating is also vorful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you like it. I¡¯ll make more for you when I¡¯m free.¡± Gu Chengrui looked up and said.


    After that, he pushed the sd between them and raised his ss. ¡°Congrattions on growing up.¡±


    ¡°Why do these words sound so awkward? Why does it look like you are happier about my birthday than me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m the biggest beneficiary here.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and raised his hand to clink her cup.


    ¡°You wish.¡± Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him, took a sip, and ignored him. She lowered her head and ate more of the food.


    After the delicious meal, Gu Chengrui handed her the saffron tea he had prepared earlier.


    He sat down, propped his chin on his hand, and sized her up thoughtfully.


    Perhaps it was because of the atmosphere, but he realized she was much more beautiful than usual. There was also a gentleness that only she had, and it made his throat tighten.


    Zhou Ying smiled and drank the saffron tea. She deliberately said, ¡°You¡¯re not full yet, right? Have another piece of cake.¡±


    ¡°The cake isn¡¯t as delicious as you. Besides, we¡¯ll have ck-bone chicken soup for supperter.¡± Gu Chengrui got up and turned around to carry her to the bedroom.


    The next day, Zhou Ying woke up and looked at the scene in the room. She was stunned momentarily before remembering that they had slept in the interspace and consummated their marriage.


    She moved slightly, and a sharp pain came from her body as if she had been run over by a car. She couldn¡¯t even sit up.


    ¡°Gu Chengrui, you beast,¡± she cursed.


    Gu Chengrui, busy in the kitchen, heard her curse andughed.


    He couldn¡¯t be med for this. He had been holding it in for several years, so naturally, he went all out when the dam burst.


    Besides, if he weren¡¯t afraid that her body wouldn¡¯t be able to take it, he wouldn¡¯t have left her any energy to scold him.


    Nevertheless, he still had to coax her and soothe her mood. He brought a bowl of ck-bone chicken soup in and said, ¡°You must be hungry. Have a bowl of soup first.¡±


    ¡°Coming, help me brush my teeth and wash my face.¡± Zhou Ying ordered as she grabbed the pajamas on the side and put them on..

 Chapter 377 - 377 Gu Chengye’s Marriage (1)

    Chapter 377: Gu Chengye¡¯s Marriage (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Coming.¡± Gu Chengrui immediately put the chicken soup aside and helped her brush her teeth and wash her face in the bathroom.


    After washing up, perhaps because the day had started, Zhou Ying felt she had finally recovered. She turned her head and asked, ¡°Did you cook?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. 1 made millet and red bean porridge, mixed it with two side dishes, and fried two poached eggs.¡± Gu Chengrui pointed at the ck-bone chicken soup and added, ¡°Oh right, you should drink the ck-bone chicken soup while I¡¯ll serve the rice.¡±


    After he left, Zhou Ying sat at the head of the bed and drank the chicken soup. The thick chicken soup was without a trace of oil, and she felt the warmth in her stomach.


    She lowered her head and drank it spoonful by spoonful.


    After she finished drinking, she walked out slowly with the bowl in her hand and saw that Gu Chengrui had just finished setting up breakfast.


    After breakfast, the two packed up and left the interspace.


    ¡°I can go to the manor alone,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°You can rest at home, and I¡¯lle back to cook in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just cook myself a bowl of noodles at noon. You don¡¯t have to run back and forth.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    ¡°Alright, be careful at home. You can ask Brother Tian for help if you have any problems.¡±


    Just as Gu Chengrui was about to leave, Zhou Ying remembered that his father hade over yesterday. She quickly stopped him and told him about Gu Chengye¡¯s marriage.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll have them butcher a cow and a sheep tomorrow morning.¡± Gu Chengrui replied, closed the door, and rushed to the manor.


    After he left, Zhou Ying tidied up the house. After feeling alright, she took the quilt, pillow, and other things into her interspace, washed them in her washing machine, and then hung them in the courtyard.


    After lunch, she locked her doors and returned to her room to sleep.


    The next morning.


    After breakfast, the husband and wife each changed into fine cotton clothes. They first drove the carriage to the manor, picking up ten pounds of beef and mutton each.


    Of course, on the way, she put half of it into her storage space and took out a piece of beefrd weighing five pounds.


    As soon as the two of them reached the door, Father Gu came over and said, ¡°Hurry, hurry up and clean up the carriage. We have to go and pick up the bride quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it soon.¡± Gu Chengrui was not hurrying to move even after hearing his father¡¯s words.


    He lifted the curtain and took the basket from Zhou Ying¡¯s hand. He took out the meat, handed it to his father, and helped Zhou Ying out of the carriage.


    Father Gu immediately smiled when he saw the beef, mutton, andrd in the basket. ¡°Today¡¯s banquet will go up another level with this meat. Oh, what¡¯s the price of beef and mutton now?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Just treat it as a congrattory gift for my second brother.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    To be honest, they were worried about what gifts to give them.


    After all, if she gave less, it would reflect badly on their rtionship with Father Gu. If she gave more, it would feel bad because they were indirectly gifting Mrs. Liu.


    Since they had a suitable reason, they were eager to use this as their gift.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a matter between you two brothers. I¡¯ll go and tell him.¡± Father Gu then walked in with the meat.


    Afterwards, Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Yao, and the other women cleaned the carriage inside and out.


    He then tied a red silk cloth around the horse¡¯s neck and the carriage door.


    He alsoid a straw mat inside the carriage and ced a stool; only then was everything done.


    After that, Mrs. Liu warmly greeted Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and chitchat inside.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at her smiling face. Her heart was beating, and she didn¡¯t know if Mrs. Liu was pleased because her son was getting married or if she had some ulterior motives.


    However, no matter which, Zhou Ying hoped Mrs. Liu wouldn¡¯t find trouble with her. Otherwise, she didn¡¯t mind falling out with her.


    Thinking of this, Zhou Ying nodded with a smile and followed her inside..

 Chapter 378 - 378 Gu Chengye’s Wedding (2)

    Chapter 378: Gu Chengye¡¯s Wedding (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After entering the house and chatting for a while, she found out Mrs. Liu wanted her to be responsible for cooking.


    Madam Qiao was afraid she would overthink, so she hurriedly said, ¡°You just need to stir-fry the beef and mutton. The rest can be left to them.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Grandma. Cumin mutton and ck pepper beef should be great; what do you think?¡± Zhou Ying nodded and asked.


    ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll listen to your suggestions. We have five tables in total, and you can arrange them as you like.¡±


    Although Mrs. Liu was somewhat dissatisfied when she heard this, she didn¡¯t dare to say anything more for fear that Zhou Ying would not even cook these two dishes.


    Afterward, she went out with Mrs. Yao to set up the table and chairs.


    Zhou Ying chatted with Madam Qiao and several of her sisters for a while and then went to the kitchen.


    First, she cut the beef and mutton into small pieces and marinated them in strips; she then heated up and melted the beefrd.


    When she was done, Mrs. Wang and Sixth Aunt Gu also came over to help.


    However, they only helped to chop the vegetables. Zhou Ying was idle and had nothing to do, so she followed them to join the fun.


    As soon as she sat down, Sixth Aunt Gu looked at her in surprise and said, ¡°Oh wow. Yourplexion looks great!¡±


    ¡°There is, indeed, a tinge of pink in her white skin, and her skin appears much more delicate than before.¡± Mrs. Wang echoed.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m in a good mood. With an army guarding the vige, I¡¯m at ease and have recently been able to sleep well at night.¡± Zhou Ying froze for a moment, then looked up and replied with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve felt much more at ease with those soldiers these past two days.


    ¡°Otherwise, those refugees mighte to the vige to rob us of our food at any time.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu nodded her head.


    Mrs. Wang nodded in agreement. As for Zhou Ying¡¯splexion, she tossed it to the back of her mind.


    ¡°By the way, if you have enough money, you can sell the vegetables in your field to the military camp.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s best to charge them ording to the pre-disaster price so they won¡¯t be disgusted.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°What about dried vegetables?¡± Mrs. Wang quickly raised her head and asked.


    There were a lot of dried vegetables at home. Now that the fresh vegetables in the vegetable field have returned, they no longer fancy eating dried vegetables. It would be best if they could sell them for money.


    ¡°That depends on how well it¡¯s preserved. If they¡¯re well-kept, it¡¯ll be great to sell them. However, you¡¯ll have to charge them a fair price. If you anger them, it won¡¯t be good for us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. We won¡¯t give them the damp and moldy ones.¡±


    ¡°You guys can go ahead and try selling them, as there¡¯s ack of food everywhere. Dried vegetables can be eaten, isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll let them knowter.¡±


    Hearing that, Sixth Aunt Gu was also tempted. She also had some dried vegetables at home.


    The key was that there were many vegetables in the field. They would have to use them as fertilizer if they didn¡¯t eat them quickly enough.


    The three women chatted on and off as two more aunties came, followed by three of the more important women from the Qian n.


    After that, Gu Ziqiu and her husband and Gu Zishan and her husband came.


    When the dishes were almost ready, the groom arrived slowly.


    Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Yao, Mrs. Wang, and Sixth Aunt Gu immediately weed the people who came with the bride.


    As soon as the auspicious time arrived, the husband and wife paid their respects to heaven and earth and immediately started the banquet.


    Sd with white sweet potato vines, steamed dried garlic, and eggnt was first served; Zhou Ying immediately started stir-frying the beef and mutton afterward.


    The chicken dishes were made by Mrs. Sun. It was stewed chicken with dried white potatoes, which smelled quite fragrant.


    There were also two stir-fried vegetables, along with a chives omelet.


    All of the dishes were quite rich in vor.


    Zhou Ying did not expect everyone would be given ck steamed buns as the staple food.


    Of course, it was only for a limited number. There was only one for each woman and two for the men.


    But this satisfied everyone, especially those from the Yu family who came with the bride..

 Chapter 379 - 379 Gu Chengye’s Marriage (3)

    Chapter 379: Gu Chengye¡¯s Marriage (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    To gather such a table of food in this disastrous year was truly rare.


    It also indirectly stated that this marriage was respectful to the Yu family.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying, Gu Ziqiu, and Gu Zishan went to the new house to see Yu Haitang, the Yu family¡¯s eldest daughter, after sending off the happy Yu family members.


    She had a schrly air about her in addition to her delicate features. She seemed to be a piece of jade from a humble family, and it was no wonder that Mrs. Liu and Gu Chengye were satisfied with this marriage.


    After a few polite words, Zhou Ying and Gu Ziqiu left.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring your children here?¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and asked Gu Ziqiu.


    ¡°She is too young. I was afraid she wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the jolts of the journey, so I didn¡¯t bring her back.¡± Gu Ziqiu then asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you nning to get any children?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait. I¡¯ll bear one after the disasters are over.¡± Zhou Yingughed. She took out a small and exquisite silver lock, about half a tael in size, and handed it to her after that. ¡°It¡¯s for the child. I wish her a long and healthy life.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, on her behalf.¡± Gu Ziqiu took it with a smile.


    On the other end, Hu Chun found Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Brother, the wild roses have already grown out these past two days. 1 wonder when we can pick it?¡±


    ¡°Naturally before the flower bloomed.


    ¡°How about this? Get someone tomorrow morning to start picking at the location where the nt matured the earliest. I¡¯ll teach you how to deal with it after dinner.


    ¡°Also, you have to find some lime powder to make a clean and dry room so that it can be used to preserve the roses.¡±


    ¡°Understood. There¡¯s lime powder in the vige. I¡¯ll get it when I get back.¡± At this point, Hu Chun hesitated momentarily before asking, ¡°What price do you n to charge for this flower tea?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, ordinary chrysanthemum tea is sold in bulk at a hundred copper per pound. Let¡¯s set the price for roses at a hundred coppers for now.


    ¡°If they sell well this year, the price will go up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll set another price next year; what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough, brother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a win-win situation.¡±


    Over the next few days, Zhou Ying went to the manor to help, while Gu Chengrui went to Xin¡¯an vige to help with the roses.


    At the same time, the vige also got busy. Some were nting white potatoes, and others sold white potato seedlings to other viges for ten copper each.


    The Gu family had nted plenty of white sweet potatoesst season and made a small profit from selling the seedlings.


    Of course, the main buyers were their three sons¡¯ inws.


    In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Gu Chengrui came out of Xin¡¯an vige one day and found that the number of soldiers outside the vige had decreased by more than half.


    He immediately turned around and entered the manor to look for Manager Liu. ¡°Uncle Liu, did General Zhang and the rest leave? Why are there less than half of them here?¡±


    ¡°Not really?¡± Manager Liu smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°In many ces, people are forcibly captured during conscription to be soldiers. Now, the country is gued with many internal problems. Many refugees are rioting and even taking the opportunity to rebel.


    ¡°That¡¯s why General Zhang brought his men to help quell the rebellion.¡±


    ¡°Rebellion? But why? All these natural disasters have finally quelled, so why are these people instigating an uprising instead of going home to farm?¡±


    ¡°There must be something to nt if these people want to farm.¡±


    ¡°They should have harvested a batch of sweet potatoes in the south. We gave them so many seeds¡­¡±


    ¡°Some of them were sent to the north as military provisions, so¡­¡±


    Gu Chengrui was speechless after hearing this. This was a dead end; no one could do anything about such a riot.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. If anyone asks, just say that we don¡¯t need so many people to guard this ce.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this matter can¡¯t be kept a secret.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hide it for as long as possible, so keep an eye on the refugees when you return. If there are any changes, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll go back then.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and went home after that..

 Chapter 380 - 380 Mother God’s Manifestation (1)

    Chapter 380: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the evening, Zhou Ying could only sigh silently after hearing the news.


    At the same time, she began to think about how she could secretly take out some food to calm the chaos.


    But before she could think of a solution, the refugees on the mountain learned of the news three dayster.


    For a moment, there was a ruckus brewing. Gu Chengrui, who had sent children to keep an eye on them, immediately informed Manager Liu when he heard the news.


    After receiving the news, Manager Liu immediately went to the military camp outside and deployed the remaining 500 soldiers to surround the refugees.


    ¡°What do you mean by this? Can¡¯t we even go home?¡± An old man looked at the soldiers armed with swords and immediately demanded.


    ¡°Sure, 1¡¯11 send them to escort you home.¡± Manager Liu nodded with a smile.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°If you stay here obediently, you¡¯ll be able to live, even though you¡¯ll suffer a little. Otherwise, are you sure you¡¯re not just delivering human meat back home?¡±


    When the refugees heard this, they saw the soldiers eyeing them suspiciously, and they all became listless.


    More than half of their strongbor forces had been gone because of conscription andbor punishment. If there were any more losses, the elders, women, and children wouldn¡¯t even have a hope of living.


    ¡°As long as you stay here obediently,¡± Manager Liu continued, ¡°we¡¯ll do our best to protect you. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for getting physical.¡±


    After that, he brought half of the soldiers back, and the rest stayed where they were.


    ¡°What a terrible life! We¡¯re eating wild vegetables every day, so much so that we¡¯ve turned green inside out. How are we going to live any longer?¡± An old woman immediately copsed to the ground and started wailing.


    Her cry immediately caused amotion.


    However, they didn¡¯t know that if Zhou Ying hadn¡¯t scattered many wild vegetable seeds on the mountain back then, they wouldn¡¯t have even been able to eat wild vegetables.


    At that time, a young leader who was left behind stepped forward and said, ¡°It¡¯s already good enough that you have the wild vegetables on the mountain to keep you alive. The people outside don¡¯t even have a leaf to eat. Even we only drink flour paste daily to fill our stomachs.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, this year is not easy for anyone. Everyone must be content with what they have.¡± Immediately, an officer chimed in.


    When the refugees heard this, they were indignant. They could clearly smell the smell of meat every few days, so how could these soldiers be drinking just flour paste daily?


    However, after a careful look, these refugees realized that these soldiers were all thin as sticks. Compared to them, they only looked slightly better and had stronger bodies.


    The refugees were in even more despair. These people were all the third prince¡¯s soldiers and were already in such poor conditions¡­


    What about the rioters and rebellion outside¡­


    They got listless when they thought of the rumors of humans eating humans.


    A group of superstitious old women began to kowtow to the Mother God in the Mother God Temple.


    At that time, the mother goddess statue was much cleaner, but its appearance looked more dpidated.


    This action of theirs also caused the elderly and young to do the same.


    A few olddies even discussed taking out all their private savings¡ªless than 200 coppers. They went to the town to buy some candles and incense and to offer prayers to the Mother God.


    They prepared three joss sticks daily and didn¡¯t dare to stop even once.


    Three dayster, when Zhou Ying was sleeping in the middle of the night, she suddenly felt her body warm and went into her interspace.


    However, she soon realized that something was wrong because she realized that she was as light as a feather.


    She looked down and realized her feet couldn¡¯t touch the ground. She floated like a ghost from TV shows.


    Zhou Ying broke out in a cold sweat.. What was going on? Could it be that she was haunted?

 Chapter 381 - 381 Mother God’s Manifestation (2)

    Chapter 381: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Are you confused?¡± At this moment, a clear and ethereal voice sounded above her head.


    Zhou Ying immediately looked up and saw a figure that seemed to be about to disappear at any moment in the air, and she looked at her with a kind face.


    When she saw her dress, she was shocked. She then asked curiously, ¡°Are you Mother God?¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, I am you, and you are my reincarnation.¡±


    Zhou Ying was dumbfounded when she heard this. What? She had transmigrated here from the modern era. How did she have anything to do with Mother God?


    However, when she thought about how simr they looked, she felt they might be rted somehow. Thus, she asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s going on? How are we¡­?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s too little faith in this era. I don¡¯t have time to tell you more, and you should see for yourself.¡± Mother God turned into a stream of light and flew into her forehead.


    Zhou Ying felt her ¡®body¡¯ fill with power, and a series of memories followed.


    Only after the first fragments of memory were integrated did she discover that she was the reincarnation of Mother God.


    She predicted that this continent would experience a destructive disaster about a hundred years ago.


    Later, Mother God traveled through space and time to find a way to resolve the problem. She saw the prosperity of modern times, especially the high-yield crops.


    About 30 years ago, she left a drop of her blood essence and imnted it in Zhou Ying¡¯s mother¡¯s body.


    She also sealed her pce¡ªthis interspace¡ªwith an entire ind in her soul with a teleportation array.


    Finally, she left a wisp of her soul on the ind with the memories of her previous life. Mother God then reincarnated into the modern world.


    She had nned everything out. When she came over, the people¡¯s faith could resurrect that wisp of her soul. After fusing with it, she could use her interspace to stop this catastrophe.


    Who would have thought that after she had only disappeared for a few decades, the people¡¯s faith in her had rapidly declined to the point of none? This was why her ns had been dyed until today.


    Next came the information about the warehouse. It turned out that the warehouse was more than just a simple warehouse.


    It had a mapping rtionship with each Mother God Temple in this world. Not only could she know the people¡¯s demands through the warehouse, but she could send stuff through this warehouse to each Mother God Temple.


    Of course, the corresponding Mother God Temple must have had people who had faith in her. Otherwise, it would not be connected.


    She tried to check the rest of the memory fragments but found them inessible.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but mumble, ¡°This is such a fantasy. I sure didn¡¯t expect to encounter such a thing.


    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you leave behind any martial arts secrets or the like to give yourself some protection?¡±


    She then shook her head and stopped thinking about it. Zhou Ying then walked to outside of the warehouse.


    As expected, there was a bright spot in the warehouse. She immediately used her telekinesis to check it out and saw the scene inside the Mother God Temple.


    As expected, many people were living in the Mother God Temple, which was clean and tidy. There was an incense table in front of the Mother God statue, with incense burning on it. A few small fruits and a bowl of wild vegetable soup were also being offered.


    After that, she tried using her mental strength to throw the three bags of mixed flour Gu Chengrui had ground earlier into the image. As expected, the flour fell directly in front of the incense table.


    Seeing this, she was overjoyed. This way, she would no longer have to worry about how to provide food aid.


    At the same time, she felt a little lost. Mother God did not hesitate to reincarnate for the sake of thesemon people, but they abandoned her.


    It seemed that she had to teach the people a good lesson. Otherwise, Mother God¡¯s sacrifice would not be worth it..

 Chapter 382 - 382 Mother God’s Manifestation (3)

    Chapter 382: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After thinking it through, Zhou Ying threw in three more bags of flour.


    After ensuring there was enough food for the refugees to eat for two days, she left her interspace.


    After that, she sat up and scanned her surroundings. After confirming she was still alive, she finally fell asleep peacefully.


    The next day, just as the sun rose, the refugees in the Mother God Temple were in an uproar.


    A few old women ran out happily and kneeled, raising their heads and shouting, ¡°Mother God has manifested; she has manifested!¡±


    The men, who didn¡¯t believe this at first, ran in and saw the six bags of flour in the room after seeing their crazy looks. They cried bitterly and kneeled piously, kowtowing repeatedly.


    As for why they were given mixed flour, no one was in the mood to think about it. They only knew they could finally have a full meal.


    After a while, the vigers also knew about the manifestation of Mother God. They were skeptical, but when they saw the bags of mixed flour, they finally believed it.


    When Sixth Aunt Gu returned, she said indignantly, ¡°It was originally our vige¡¯s Mother God Temple. 1 didn¡¯t expect it to be taken advantage of by outsiders.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. 1 heard that a few olddies living in the Mother God Temple took out all their private savings and came to town to buy incense for Mother God.


    ¡°Perhaps their sincerity has moved Mother God.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Mother God Temple is right there, but it¡¯s been so many years since anyone paid their respects. It¡¯s no wonder Mother God didn¡¯t care about us.¡± ¡°Who said that? 1 heard that Gu Chengrui and his wife dug up white sweet potato seeds from that mountain.


    ¡°If we didn¡¯t have the sweet potatoes, think about what kind of life our vige would be living now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Back then, when the drought was so severe, only our vige and a few others next to it could produce water. Isn¡¯t this also because of Mother God¡¯s protection?¡±


    In short, after this incident, the vigers pushed all the good days to Mother God, causing their faith in her to rise rapidly.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui received the news, he returned home smiling and told Zhou Ying about it.


    Zhou Ying looked at his unconcerned look and asked, ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you believe it?¡±


    ¡°There are no ghosts or gods in this world. Maybe County Magistrate Kong feared the refugees would rebel, so he took advantage of the night to send them some food.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Ying¡¯s expression and asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s going on? You believe this?¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and told him what had happenedst night. She continued, ¡°Do you remember when we lived in the Mother God Temple and I had nightmares?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was a nightmare, but Mother God reminded me. It was just that we didn¡¯t understand her back then.¡±


    Gu Chengrui found it hard to believe, but he knew that Zhou Ying was telling the truth when he saw her serious and firm expression.


    She had an interspace, and they had transmigrated. What else was impossible?


    It was just that he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge this unconsciously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it anymore. I¡¯m hungry, so let¡¯s eat.¡± Zhou Ying took him to the kitchen, and the two ate directly in the kitchen.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui only returned to his senses when Zhou Ying was washing the dishes.


    After that, he hugged Zhou Ying and kissed her fiercely. Finally, he smiled and said, ¡°Haha, 1 didn¡¯t expect my wife to be the reincarnation of Mother God. How many generations of good fortune have I cultivated to obtain such a great blessing?¡±


    ¡°Silly.¡± Zhou Ying pinched his nose andughed.


    Gu Chengrui grabbed her hand. ¡°You must be silly to be part of something this great.¡±


    Suddenly, he calmed down and asked, ¡°Does it mean you will be immortal? What will you do without me in the future?¡±

 Chapter 383 - 383 Mother God’s Manifestation (4)

    Chapter 383: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll just take it one step at a time. As long as we live each day happily, it¡¯s okay.


    ¡°If there is a day when 1 will live forever, 1 believe my godly abilities will manifest by that time. At that time, even if you want to die, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to.¡± Zhou Ying teased.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. The world is unpredictable, and we just have to live well in the present.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    ¡°By the way, we¡¯re almost done collecting the wild roses. Remembered to prepare 150 taels of silver for me,¡± he reminded Zhou Ying.


    ¡°What do you think about the wild roses? Did you want to store them in the interspace or sell them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a letter to the Third Prince through Manager Liu to see if they want it. If they don¡¯t, we¡¯ll save it up. It¡¯ll save us the trouble of going back and forth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Zhou Ying gave him a small number of silver notes worth 200 taels.


    After that, one went to the manor while the other went to Xin¡¯an vige. They were pulled aside and asked whether they knew about Mother God as soon as they arrived.


    The two of them nodded to that.


    As a result, the people of the manor and Xin¡¯an vige all went to the Mother God Temple to look around; even the soldiers were curious.


    However, who knew how many of them believed it for real? Regardless, the Mother God Temple was lively and bustling.


    The people in the manor and those in Xin¡¯an vige even pooled money to buy incense from town.


    Especially the people of Xin¡¯an vige. The sweet potatoes and meat they had bought had already been eaten, and they were the same as these disaster refugees, basically relying on wild vegetables to survive.


    If they could get some food this way, they would be saved.


    The coffin shop in the town was reopened, and the news of Mother God¡¯s manifestation spread.


    As for the refugees, although they were upset that the news had spread, they had no choice but to move out of the Mother God Temple.


    The Mother God Temple was emptied for the people to offer incense and prayers.


    At noon, Uncle Hu came back from buying incense. He found Hu Chun, who was cultivating the wild roses, and said, ¡°Chun, let¡¯s try it. I¡¯ve already bought the incense.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, do you really believe that?¡± Hu Chun looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°I do. I remember when prayers in the Mother God Temple were strong when we were young. I also heard from the elders that salvation would appear every time there was a great disaster in the past, so we must try.¡±


    ¡°Just give it a try. If we can really get food, no matter what it is, our lives will be better. Suppose the children hurt their bodies from starving; it will be toote to make up for it in the future.¡± Gu Chengrui reminded Hu Chun.


    He hesitated momentarily and continued, ¡°But since you¡¯re going, you must be sincere. 1 heard that the olddies who lived in the temple had to offer incense three times a day and guard it for three days before they could get food.


    Hu Chun hesitated but finally nodded in agreement. As they said, the adults were fine, but the children shouldn¡¯t have their futures let down.


    Therefore, he said to Uncle Hu, ¡°Leave a few people to guard the vige and bring the rest. Remember to bring every family, especially the children.


    ¡°Since we¡¯ll pay our respects, we must show our greatest sincerity.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll gather the people now.¡± Uncle Hu responded, turned around, and ran off with the joss sticks in his hand.


    After gathering, Hu Chun looked at everyone and said, ¡°I won¡¯t force those who don¡¯t want to go, but those who go must bring their greatest sincerity.


    ¡°Of course, those going there to watch the fun should not go either.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re not going to a temple fair, but a sacred ce. This is not a trifling matter, so do you all understand?¡±


    ¡°We understand.¡± Everyone immediately nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Hu Chun brought his men and solemnly rushed toward Mother God Temple..

 Chapter 384 - 384 Mother God’s Manifestation (5)

    Chapter 384: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When they arrived outside the Mother God¡¯s Temple, they kneeled down with the vigers and kowtowed nine times. Finally, they walked to the incense table and lit the joss sticks.


    Once again, he led the entire vige to kowtow three more times. Finally, he spoke on behalf of the whole vige about their plea for food.


    The people watching from the side began to mutter when they saw this. They had never seen such a formal request before,parable to meeting the emperor.


    Although they couldn¡¯t see faith itself, they could see that rays of sunlight quickly entered the Mother God statue along with the incense smoke.


    When the manor¡¯s tenants heard about the sincerity from Xin¡¯an vige, the people who were still hesitating immediately gathered together to buy incense and candles. They went to the Mother God Temple to burn and offer incense in the evening.


    At the same time, Manager Liu followed them with a doubtful look and offered three incense sticks.


    Of course, he had asked for food for his 2,000 soldiers. Otherwise, they would not die on the battlefield but from hunger first.


    At night, when Zhou Ying brought Gu Chengrui to the interspace again, she found that the sky in her interspace had many more colorful and auspicious clouds.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in surprise. ¡°Is it a rainbow? ¡±


    ¡°No, the message Mother God left behind said that this small ind is fully enclosed. Clouds can¡¯t float in, and it¡¯s impossible for a rainbow to form here.


    ¡°Moreover, the color of the clouds doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s from a rainbow.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    After that, she probed it with her telekinesis. She didn¡¯t expect her mental state to feelfortable, as if it had been nourished.


    It even made her feel happy.


    She couldn¡¯t help but be curious about what it was.


    At this moment, a piece of memory suddenly opened up. It was a sentence that was difficult to understand, and she just read it once to find that her mental energy had begun to absorb the clouds in the sky.


    She finally understood that what was floating in the sky was not clouds, but faith. Absorbing faith could help her recover her divine power bit by bit.


    After she understood what it represented, she told Gu Chengrui. Zhou Ying then sat cross-legged on top of the vi and began to absorb the ¡®colorful clouds¡¯ above.


    After a while, all the colorful clouds were absorbed, and Zhou Ying felt better than ever. She even felt that her strength had increased.


    After that, she tried punching around. As expected, the punches made a whooshing sound this time, and her moves were smoother than ever.


    She walked to the front of the warehouse and looked inside, finding it much easier to check the warehouse than before.


    Finally, Zhou Ying looked at the bright images and saw everything that happened in the Mother God¡¯s Temple today.


    The people who used to live in Mother God Temple still piously offered incense three times a day.


    There was also Hu Chun, his men, and the people from the manoring to pray for grain. There were also a few people here and there asking for food.


    However, she couldn¡¯t put all the food in Mother God¡¯s Temple, or they would fight for food.


    She tried to find the few old women from before.


    Finally, she found out that they had already moved to the warehouse at the dock because of the rain.


    This made her feel pleasantly surprised.


    However, she also knew it was better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish.


    So this time, after giving them a hundred bags of flour, she also gave them a few fish baskets.


    She found a lot of mud loaches and eels in the river, but most importantly, she found fish. Although they were small, there were a lot of them.


    Ultimately, she threw about a hundred wild ducks through the passage. Once they ate the fish from the river, people would soon find out about the ducks as well..

 Chapter 385 - 385 Mother God’s Manifestation (6)

    Chapter 385: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Next was Xin¡¯an vige. Their vige had provided more than half the faith points she got today, so she threw 100 bags of mixed flour and 2,000 eggs.


    As for her manor, she only gave them 2,000 eggs and 20 bags of mixed flour because they already had sweet potatoes.


    Although Manager Liu helped light incense for the military camp, it did not generate any faith. So after thinking for a moment, she did not give them anything.


    As for the other random people, they were only given to those who produced faith points.


    After she finished her work, the wheat she had nted earlier had ripened. Zhou Ying collected all of them and ground them into a ck powder.


    After grinding, she took out many dried white potato vines and dandelions, mixing them with wheat bran, corn, peanut cakes, and tofu dregs. She proceeded to grind them into arge amount of mixed flour.


    Gu Chengrui rushed over to help her pick up the bags after she filled them.


    After they were done, the two sat down on the bags of flour.


    ¡°Are you nning to keep giving flour?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t let them live toofortably. If they want to eat good food, they must fight for themselves. All 1 can do is protect their lives.


    ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯ll be bad if they develop azy personality.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s easy to breedziness if you¡¯re toofortable; it¡¯s also easy to breed ungrateful people.¡±


    ¡°The meat in this interspace has been stored for a long time. There¡¯s a lot of chicken, duck, and goose in here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but let¡¯s take it slow. Not only do we have to look at their faith, but we also have to look at their social responsibility and personal character.


    ¡°For example, if the army near the manor generated faith points, I would give them meat.


    ¡°We¡¯re kind enough that we don¡¯t kill those who ate humans or those with unpardonable crimes. But, we won¡¯t be letting them off.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope the white potatoes can spread as far as possible.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and said, ¡°At present, for the seeds to spread around the country naturally. I¡¯m afraid we have to wait for two years.


    ¡°So now, I¡¯m just waiting for the Third Prince to make a move. If he believes in Mother God, we can credit him with spreading the white potato to the masses.¡±


    She then continued with some pity, ¡°If only 1 could distinguish the good from the bad.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it slow, and I¡¯m sure Mother God can do so. Otherwise, how else could she be a goddess?¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Zhou Ying got up and stretched. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should take a shower and go to bed early. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to wake up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. By the way, I cooked a pot of bird¡¯s nest just now, so let¡¯s have some before sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m tired after working for so long.¡± Zhou Ying replied and went back to the vi with him.


    The next day, when everyone saw what was in their houses, they were all overjoyed. Naturally, the news spread quickly.


    Of course, some people were puzzled. They had clearly paid their respects, so why didn¡¯t they receive anything? They began to doubt whether Mother God was fair in handling things.


    The appearance of such arge amount of food again made Tian Jingzhong, County Magistrate Kong, and the other officials realize that this was most likely food given by Mother God herself.


    Otherwise, it would be impossible for so many things to be delivered to them without anyone noticing.


    Tian Jingzhong went to the dock. When he saw that the refugees were all given mixed flour, he couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Flour too? Could it be that even Mother God can¡¯t afford anything else?¡±


    ¡°Sir, look at the fish baskets here; Mother God also gave them. I wonder what they mean?¡± At this moment, an old man came over with a fish basket.


    ¡°A fish basket?¡± Tian Jingzhong took it and looked at it curiously. He didn¡¯t expect it to be an ordinary fish basket from the south.


    ¡°Could it be that Mother God wants you guys to fish?¡± he asked the old man..

 Chapter 386 - 386 Mother God’s Manifestation (7)

    Chapter 386: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Fishing? There are fish in the river?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes brightened when he heard that.


    Although their lives were a little better now that they had flour, filling their stomachs with no meat was still difficult.


    If there were fish, they could at least have some protein in their diet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± When Tian Jingzhong heard this, he immediately took a fish basket and followed them outside.


    When they reached the river, they only found seaweed and no fish.


    He then thought of something and reluctantly took a biscuit out of his pockets, broke it into pieces, and put it in the fish basket. He then sank the fish basket into the river.


    At the same time, when Manager Liu got the news, he first went to the manor tenants and saw them distributing the eggs and noodles; he ran to Xin¡¯an vige after that.


    After confirming that something had been given to both of them, he asked Hu Chun in confusion, ¡°1 also offered incense yesterday, but why didn¡¯t 1 get anything?


    ¡°How did you guys obtain so much food in one go?¡±


    Hu Chun told him what Gu Chengrui had said the day before, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of our sincerity. If one is not sincere, Mother God might not be able to hear their prayers.


    ¡°Also, you don¡¯t seem to becking in food.


    ¡°I also heard that the manor¡¯s tenants also went to pay their respects collectively, and they kowtowed just like us. I heard they didn¡¯t get much in returnpared to us.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± When Manager Liu heard him say this, he did feel a little guilty.


    After all, when he paid his respects yesterday, he was skeptical and didn¡¯t believe in Mother God at all.


    ¡°I can only think of these two reasons.¡± Hu Chun nodded.


    At this moment, Gu Chengrui came over with the silver notes and gave them to Hu Chun.


    Knowing the reason for Manger Liu¡¯s visit, he remembered what Zhou Ying had said and nodded in agreement. ¡°I think what Hu Chun said makes sense. Why don¡¯t you go over and try again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy some incense now; do you want toe along?¡± Hu Chun asked as he looked at Manager Liu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll buy some incense first, and we¡¯ll talk about the restter.¡± Manager Liu hesitated for a moment before nodding his head.


    After that, the two went to town together.


    When buying incense, he also heard the refugees had obtained a fishing basket and were at the river. He also heard that someone had found wild ducks in the reeds by the river.


    The two men looked at each other and turned toward the dock on their way back. They happened to bump into Tian Jingzhong with the others and their fish baskets, and they quickly ran over to take a look.


    There were palm-sized fish in their baskets, as well as mud loaches and eels.


    ¡°It seems like there are quite many mud loaches and eels in this river,¡± Manager Liumented with a grave expression.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good. These loaches are excellent at digging holes, and it¡¯ll be troublesome if it breaks the dam.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m afraid all of their natural predators are dead, and those who aren¡¯t dead are probably hiding away. This must be the reason why these loaches are flooding the river.¡± Tian Jingzhong nodded in agreement.


    He took a fish basket and told the old man among the refugees, ¡°I¡¯ll take a fish basket and find someone to make the same one ording to this. I¡¯ll send it back after they¡¯ve learned the craft.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to take it.


    ¡°We also know how to make this same basket, but initially, we aren¡¯t sure why Mother God gave us this. Now that we know her intentions, we¡¯ll go to the mountain and find something to make more baskets.¡± The old man shook his head and replied.


    ¡°Could there be anotheryer of meaning?¡± Manager Liu asked with a pensive look.


    ¡°What?¡± Tian Jing Zhong asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish. Perhaps Mother God wants people to earn their keep as much as possible and not rely too much on her.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think so?¡±

 Chapter 387 - 387 Mother God’s Manifestation (8)

    Chapter 387: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Manager Liu pulled him aside and told him about the difference in treatment between the vigers of Xin¡¯an vige and the manor.


    ¡°Hu Chun, Gu Chengrui, and I came to the conclusion that the manor is notcking in food at the moment. That¡¯s why Mother God didn¡¯t give us much.


    ¡°Since fish baskets were given here, I think it should have the intention of letting them earn our keep.¡±


    Tian Jingzhong nodded in agreement and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. The entire country, or even the entire continent, is suffering from disasters one after another. If we only rely on the help of Mother God, where would so much foode from?


    ¡°Ultimately, we¡¯ll still have to rely on ourselves.¡±


    He then looked at the incense in Manager Liu¡¯s hand and asked in surprise, ¡°You don¡¯tck food; what are you offering incense for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not starving to death, but don¡¯t forget the soldiers outside the manor. They consume a lot of food every day. Without supplies, they won¡¯t be able to hold on much longer.¡±


    ¡°I see. As the saying goes, the emperor nevercks hungry soldiers. Since there¡¯s hope now, we can¡¯t let them go hungry.¡± Tian Jingzhong nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Wait for me,¡± he added. ¡°We¡¯ll go together at noon. I¡¯ll gather all the vige chiefs to pay our respects.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go together.¡± Manager Liu immediately understood what he wanted to do.


    He then went back with Hu Chun to wait for the news.


    After Hu Chun learned from Manager Liu about the deeper meaning behind the fish baskets, he returned to find Uncle Hu and said, ¡°Uncle, find a few women who know how to hatch eggs and to find those eggs that can be hatched. We¡¯ll raise chickens.


    ¡°When the chickens grow, we can have meat and eggs.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but the feed¡­¡±


    ¡°It might cost some food from us in the early stages, but we can raise earthwormster to feed the chickens. They will grow quickly.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯ll work?¡±


    ¡°It should be possible. While working as a bodyguard, I heard people in the mountains feed the chickens this way.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s try with half of the eggs.¡± Uncle Hu turned around and went back to work.


    Conversely, Manager Liu also mentioned raising chickens to the manor¡¯s tenants. As for whether they followed his advice or not, he did not care.


    After resting briefly, he called Chang Shun over and went to the military camp. He called a few group leaders together and told them about Tian Jingzhong¡¯s n. ¡°What are you guys thinking? Do you want to go together?¡±


    ¡°We would like to go, but we¡¯re afraid of embarrassing the Third Prince.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? If it works, not only will you guys get substantial food, but you can also save a lot of money for the Third Prince.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s try.¡±


    ¡°Remember to be sincere; as long as you¡¯re sincere, it¡¯ll work.¡±


    ¡°We understand. Either we don¡¯t go, or we¡¯ll have to show our utmost sincerity when we go.¡±


    At noon, Zhou Ying was drying the firewood in the courtyard. Suddenly, she heard the sound of gongs and drums and walked out curiously.


    She saw Tian Jingzhong leading arge group of people up the mountains.


    She couldn¡¯t help but mumble inwardly, ¡°It seems like I¡¯ll gain a lot of faith today.¡±


    The vige chief and the patriarch looked at each other and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Why didn¡¯t they call us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s still incense in the ancestral hall, so let¡¯s take them and follow.¡± The patriarch answered.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry up.¡±


    After that, the two older men quickly brought a lot of their incense and joined the group to pray for food.


    After Tian Jingzhong saw the two of them, he gave them a simple exnation, ¡°But since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s go together. Don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, no matter the result, we are still offering our prayers. I believe Mother God will remember this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tian Jingzhong then led everyone to set up an incense table outside the Mother God Temple. He ced the offerings and began to worship Mother God..

 Chapter 388 - 388 Mother God’s Manifestation (9)

    Chapter 388: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (9)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At night, after entering her interspace, Zhou Ying immediately saw arge patch of colorful clouds floating in the sky, which delighted her.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Gu Chengrui eximed. ¡°Alright, you get busy while I¡¯ll go and do my work.¡±


    After that, he crossed the river and headed toward the grasnds.


    After he left, Zhou Ying sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the faith. It took more than an hour to absorb this time dozens of times longer than yesterday.


    It seemed that this time, those faiths weren¡¯t only from those who were present but also included the vigers¡¯ faith, represented by those vige chiefs.


    After finishing her absorption of the faith, Zhou Ying went straight to the storage room and checked out what was going on in the Mother God Temple through her little light screen.


    ¡°Eh?¡± At this time, Zhou Ying discovered that Tian Jingzhong¡¯s body had a faintyer of light covering him. She knew this was a glow that was not from the sun reflecting.


    She looked at the others as well.


    The others were more or less glowing too, but with different colors. The various assortments of colors included gold, red, ck, and even blood-red.


    Suddenly, a piece of information was transmitted into her mind.


    She quickly understood that these colors were the light of faith, originally white. A golden hue represented virtue; purple was the might of the Emperor; red was good luck; ck meant bad luck; and the blood-red hue meant evil only people who had done great evil deeds would have it.


    Although soldiers killed others, as long as it wasn¡¯t for an evil purpose, their bodies would have a golden glow of virtue instead.


    After she understood what all these meant, she was instantly overjoyed. This way, she could choose who to help in the future.


    She didn¡¯t expect Tian Jingzhong to have the light of virtue. It seemed he had been quite sessful as a vige constable all these years.


    Thus, she began to distribute food supplies. First, she distributed 200 bags of ck flour and five pigs to the military.


    She gave her vige 2,000 eggs.


    As for the other viges, she distributed ording to the number of vigers they had. Each viger was given 100 pounds of flour, which was more or less enough tost until the harvest of white sweet potatoes.


    At the same time, she had also used her telekinesis to turn the person with the thick, blood-red hue into a retard.


    She filled up the town warehouse with flour for those people who came from town. As for how much she gave, even she wasn¡¯t sure.


    She also gave Tian Jingzhong and Manager Liu 200 pounds of ck flour and 100 eggs each.


    Finally, she ced 20 bags of ck flour in the manor, followed by some bran, butter, soybeans, and feed for the cattle and sheep.


    After finishing, she tried to go up the mountains to see the situation. s, she found out that she could only look around the Mother God Temple and could not explore any further.


    She tried the other ces, but she couldn¡¯t look around either. Only then did she realize she could only follow the faith¡¯s origin and not any other ces.


    Thus, she exited the light screen and harvested a batch of white rice, purple rice, and glutinous rice in her fields.


    Zhou Ying then dehusked these batches of rice and stored them in her warehouse. As for the husks, she crushed them and mixed them with some dandelions, chrysanthemums, and others. This was meant to be feed for the various livestock in her interspace.


    The next morning¡­


    Everyone was in an uproar again. At the same time, they also realized Mother God was not biased; she just gave less food to those who needed it less.


    At the same time, County Magistrate Kong, the First Prince¡¯s spies, and the seventh son of the Su family also received the news.


    The three immediately reported to their masters, the three different princes.


    At the same time, Manager Liu sent a messenger pigeon to the Third Prince, telling him that their food supply had been settled for the time being and that he could rest assured.


    The couple had just woken up when they saw Zhao Cheng, Li Sheng, and Fang Qinging to their door with a bag of incense.


    ¡°Are you here to offer your prayers?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise..

 Chapter 389 - 389 Mother God’s Manifestation (10)

    Chapter 389: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (10)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes, we heard it¡¯s working, so we came to offer our prayers.¡± Zhao Cheng answered.


    ¡°Are you guyscking food?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯tck for now. We¡¯re nning to ask for peace.¡±


    ¡°I see. Come, sit down and eat together. I¡¯ll go with you after we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but we¡¯ve finished eating. We just came to visit because we passed by.¡± Zhao Cheng replied as he waved his hand. He then turned around and left with the others.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t stop them and shouted, ¡°Come back again when you leave!¡±


    ¡°Okay, mistress.¡± Zhao Cheng responded and continued up the mountain.


    After the couple finished their meal quickly, they prepared a bag of fresh vegetables, half a bag of dried white potatoes, and half a bag of dried pumpkin for Zhao Cheng and the others.


    After sending them off, the patriarch came to them with five eggs and said, ¡°The vige got 2,000 eggs from Mother God, so we divided them amongst everyone. These are five eggs for you two; although it¡¯s not much, it¡¯s still a gift from Mother God. Do take them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for making this trip, uncle.¡± Gu Chengrui thanked him as he took it.


    ¡°No problem, but I¡¯m ashamed of this.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been guarding the Mother God Temple for many years, but we¡¯ve never considered paying our respects. 1 didn¡¯t expect that we¡¯d be blessed by an outsider.¡± The patriarch shook his head helplessly.


    ¡°The world is unpredictable, so don¡¯t worry too much. Just be yourself.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s true; the past is in the past.


    ¡°However, no matter what outsiders think of us, the Gu n will always be followers of Mother God.


    ¡°Later in the evening, I will gather all the men of the Gu n. We¡¯re nning to go up the mountain to offer and burn incense. So, remember to gather at the ancestral hall early.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be there.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After sending off the patriarch, Gu Chengrui returned and hugged Zhou Ying. He kissed her twice, saying, ¡°If they knew that the goddess they were going to pay respects to was my wife, I don¡¯t know what they would think.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you can choose not to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to go. Maybe 1 can provide you with more faith because of our rtionship.


    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not embarrassing to kneel to your wife.¡±


    On the other side, after County Magistrate Kong sent a letter to the Third Prince, he asked his officers to run an errand to the various towns.


    He told all the vige constables to bring all their town leaders, as well as every vige chief and n patriarch. He wanted to gather them in Qingshui town to worship Mother God together.


    At the same time, he informed Tian Jing Zhong to set up the incense table and prepare a meal for everyone.


    Conversely, the Third Prince had finally received Manager Liu¡¯s letter. After reading the contents of the letter, he did not believe it.


    This was because he never believed in these enigmatic things at all. Otherwise, where would the souls of so many soldiers be ced after their deaths?


    Also, why were those evildoers still alive and about? No one seemed to be punishing them.


    Zhou Huaiming looked at his expression and knew what he was thinking. After contemting for a moment, he spoke up, saying, ¡°This matter should be taken seriously. Since Uncle Liu sent us a letter, regardless of the methods, someone has been scatteringrge amounts of grain in Yunhe County.


    ¡°Although mixed flour is a little unptable and rough to the stomach, it has won many people¡¯s hearts. I¡¯m afraid that someone did it with bad intentions.¡±


    As he finished speaking, a messenger ran in and reported, ¡°General, County Magistrate Kong from Yunhe County bears news.¡±


    ¡°Oh, give it to me,¡± the Third Prince said, curiously extending his hand.


    The messenger immediately handed him the note respectfully and then quickly left.


    The Third Prince opened the note and read it carefully. The small note, with its tiny words, objectively described the manifestation of Mother God.


    Of course, it also talked about how Mother God treated everyone differently.


    Finally, he also mentioned that someone who once ate humans went to offer his prayers to the Mother God Temple. The person came back retarded..

 Chapter 390 - 390 Mother God’s Manifestation (11)

    Chapter 390: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (11)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After reading it, he handed the note to Zhou Huaiming and asked, ¡°What do you think of this?¡±


    ¡°Could it be true? If it¡¯s man-made, it¡¯s impossible the entire town didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± Zhou Huaiming answered with disbelief.


    ¡°By the way,¡± he asked hesitantly, ¡°I remember my grandmother mentioning Mother God when she was young. Why don¡¯t we ask the older generation?¡±


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯ll handle this. Remember to find a man worthy of their words and not a woman.¡± The Third Prince nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°I will get to it immediately.¡± Zhou Huaiming turned around and left in a hurry.


    He went to the nearby vige and found a vige chief and their patriarch to understand the situation.


    Most of them were also confused. They only knew that the Mother God Temple existed, but none had ever heard of Mother God answering anyone¡¯s prayers.


    Only the two elderly n leaders got excited when they heard this, indicating they had heard of something like it.


    Thus, Zhou Huaiming brought them to a vige near the military camp. He then asked the Third Prince toe and tell him about his findings.


    The Third Prince was shocked, as he didn¡¯t think anyone would have really heard of it before. He asked the elders, ¡°Tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°Greetings, my lord. This was something that happened 70 or 80 years ago.


    ¡°We came from the south. We came here with our families after a flood there.


    ¡°I remembered someone saying that a group of us were trapped in the Mother God Temple by the flood.


    ¡°Just as they were about to starve to death, they collectively kowtowed to Mother God.


    ¡°Fortunately, Mother God gave them enough food for a month; she gave them rice.


    ¡°That was how that group managed to survive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard simr things from the elders, but in recent years, no matter how much they worship, there¡¯s no response from Mother God. This was why no one worships Mother God anymore over the years.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that every time Mother God responds to her prayers, it¡¯s during a great disaster and doesn¡¯t usually do that?¡± The Third Prince asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. We¡¯ve only heard about it but never seen it.¡± The old man shook his head.


    ¡°Thank you for making this trip.¡± After the Third Prince heard this, he asked the soldiers to send them back and gave each of them two pounds of ck flour.


    At night, after dinner, Zhou Haiming looked at the Third Prince¡¯s restless look and knew that he was worried.


    The great Ming Dynasty was currently gued with internal and external problems, and the mes of war were everywhere.


    More importantly, cannibalism was bing more and more rampant.


    The country might be finished if there was no food to quell this chaos.


    However, was this rumor of Mother God¡¯s manifestation true? If it were true, that would be for the best.


    If not, then who would be doing this? Would they seize the country after buying over the people¡¯s hearts?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I go over there and check it out?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked.


    The Third Prince shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need with that many people there.


    Since they don¡¯t have any clue, you won¡¯t be of any use even if you go.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait a little longer. Didn¡¯t Country Magistrate Kong say he ns to bring the entire county to worship Mother God tomorrow? We¡¯ll wait for the results.


    ¡°In addition, send a letter to Manager Liu. Tomorrow night, keep a close eye on all the warehouses in the county. If someone is deceiving us, we¡¯ll find out by tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Roger that. Do sleep early, my prince.¡± Zhou Huaiming turned around and left after that. He wrote a note to Manager Liu and sent it out by pigeon.


    When Manager Liu received it, he was surprised. He secretly scolded himself for being careless and immediately arranged for the manpower needed..

 Chapter 391 - 391 Mother God’s Manifestation (12)

    Chapter 391: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (12)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the evening, after Zhou Ying entered her interspace, she found that the colorful clouds today were just slightly more than yesterday. At the same time, she knew the faith she could get from Qingshui town was at its maximum.


    She didn¡¯t pay much attention and started to absorb them earnestly.


    After absorbing it, she went to the warehouse. Perhaps it was because the people weren¡¯t short of food for the time being that there weren¡¯t many prayers regarding food needs.


    On the contrary, many wished for peace, children, and so on.


    Of course, some people asked for food, but they asked for fine grain, meat, and other luxuries.


    Zhou Ying followed the people¡¯s faith and found that there were some seriously malnourished babies at home. She would leave some eggs and a small amount of fine grain for the pregnant woman and ignore everything else.


    On that day, the most concentrated event was the Gu n going up the mountain to pay their respects.


    However, what they prayed for were peace and safety.


    It was worth mentioning that the patriarch had faith, virtue, and a faint glow of luck. This made her curious why he had a glow of luck instead of something else.


    The vige chief who cameter also had faith and virtue butcked luck.


    Gu Chengye¡¯s body also surprised her with a faint glow of luck.


    The one who surprised her the most was Gu Chengrui. His body was glittering with gold, almost like a halo appearing on a Golden Buddha¡¯s body.


    Moreover, there was a thick ring of fortune around the golden hue, which made her dumbfounded.


    She couldn¡¯t even guess where he got this much merit from. He couldn¡¯t have gathered this much in just his previous life; could it be a stack of merits from all his previous lives?


    Also, what was up with that glow of luck on him? It glowed so brightly that it looked heaven-defying.


    After that, she retreated from the light screen.


    For those who wished for peace, safety, and fertility¡­


    Without the support of her memories, she didn¡¯t know how to give them what they wanted.


    After that, she collected and washed a batch of peaches before cing them in her vi.


    After Gu Chengrui returned, he washed his hands and took a peach to eat.


    After taking two bites, Gu Chengrui realized Zhou Ying was staring intently at him. He touched his face and asked, ¡°Why? Is there something dirty on my face?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and told him about what she had seen earlier. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re a Buddha who got demoted to the mortal realm because you broke a rule or something?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? If 1 were a Buddha, someone would havee to our door after consummating our marriage.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve been a great phnthropist for ten whole lifetimes, so my merit is this stacked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ The answer will be revealed one day anyway.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After eating the peaches, the couple ground arge amount of mixed flour, just in case.


    As a result, it was already noon by the time they woke up the next day. The two got up, made a bowl of clear soup noodles, and ate them in the interspace.


    As soon as they finished eating, they heard the sound of gongs and drums. They immediately opened their doors and looked up at the mountain.


    ¡°Good Lord, look at the number of people standing at the foot of the mountains. It was even more lively than a celebration.¡±


    From a distance, they could see County Magistrate Kong, Bai Jingping, and the others leading a group of people up the mountains.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll probably be busy again tonight,¡± Zhou Ying sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to help.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and took her hand.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± At this moment, someone coughed.


    The two turned around and saw Gu Chengye and his wife walking over. Gu Chengye was the one coughing.


    ¡°Second brother, second sister-inw,¡± the two called out.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to go up the mountain and take a look?¡± Gu Chengye said.


    ¡°There are too many people, and they¡¯re all organized by County Magistrate Kong. We¡¯re not going.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°In the future, I¡¯m sure there will be moreing up the mountains to worship Mother God. What do you think about opening a tea stall at the foot of the mountains?¡± Gu Chengye suddenly asked.


    ¡°Of course you should, but now is not the time. You can choose a piece ofnd first and prepare now.¡± Gu Chengrui answered..

 Chapter 392 - 392 Mother God’s Manifestation (13)

    Chapter 392: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (13)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You guys rest; we¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡± Gu Chengye nodded and replied. He and his wife then went to the foot of the mountains after that.


    At night, when Zhou Ying entered her interspace again, she found the sky filled with more colorful clouds. It was beautiful, to say the least.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui automatically went to work while Zhou Ying sat in the vi and began to absorb the clouds.


    After she finished, she observed the Mother God Temple through the warehouse. She was mainly looking at the glow of light above everyone¡¯s heads. If there were any evildoers, she could eliminate them and increase Mother God¡¯s prestige.


    County magistrates Kong and Bai Jingping still had the light of faith and virtue on them. At the same time, ck clouds appeared around them, especially around County Magistrate Kong.


    There was a blood-colored hue between his brows. What did this mean? A fatal disaster?


    She nced at the others and was surprised to find two people in the crowd covered in a blood-red glow.


    Looking at their standing posture and eyes, although they tried to hide it, it wasn¡¯t difficult to see that these two people were well-trained assassins. This¡­


    She quickly followed their trail of faith and found that these two had no faith in her. This meant that their purpose was to¡­


    Could it be County Magistrate Kong¡­?


    She immediately looked for County Magistrate Sun, only to find him standing guard outside a warehouse. He was staring fixedly at the outside of the warehouse, seemingly waiting for something.


    Or was there a n she was unaware of?


    After that, she retreated and began to distribute the flour to all the viges and towns in the county, 100 pounds per head.


    At this moment, she realized that more than half of the towns were empty, with some viges having no living creatures left.


    She didn¡¯t leave immediately when she stored everything she was giving in the county magistrate¡¯s warehouse. Instead, she curiously stared at County Magistrate Kong, wanting to see what he was doing.


    At dawn, County Magistrate Kong led his men into the warehouse. He finally smiled when he saw the amount of food that couldst for three months.


    Before he couldugh out loud, two masked men rushed out and quickly killed his two followers. They knocked County Magistrate Kong unconscious and kidnapped him.


    They brought him to a safe house, and Zhou Ying saw a man wearing a silver butterfly-shaped mask sittingzily at the head of the table, looking down at County Magistrate Kong.


    The masked man turned to look at a man who had a simr figure to County Magistrate Kong and said, ¡°Chu Yunkang, master has already paved a way for you. Whether you can rise depends on your performance.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Liu, 1 will not disappoint master¡¯s trust.¡± Chu Yunkang immediately bowed.


    ¡°Remember, 1¡¯11 only give you three months. You¡¯ll be him after three months.¡± The masked man, Young Master Liu, pped his hands after he finished speaking. A person then walked out of the dark.


    The person walked to Chu Yunkang and took out a pill-like thing. The person stared at County Magistrate Kong and quickly kneaded the pill, and soon, a fake County Magistrate Kong was created.


    Zhou Ying was shocked, understanding these people wanted to swap Country Magistrate Kong with a fake one. What was their purpose¡­?


    Considering what they had just said, Zhou Ying understood they were definitely doing it because of County Magistrate Kong¡¯s recent achievements; they were targeting the Third Prince.


    Young Master Liu looked at the two people who were 99% simr to County Magistrate Kong and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Go; the two of them will send you back.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chu Yunkang followed the people who had kidnapped County Magistrate Kong and left the ce.


    Because they didn¡¯t have faith points, Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t follow them. She could only keep an eye on County Magistrate Kong, witnessing him getting locked up in an underground room..

 Chapter 393 - 393 Mother God’s Manifestation (14)

    Chapter 393: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (14)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying took a solid look at Young Master Liu. After making sure that no evil glow wasing off his body, she had no choice but to withdraw from her light screen.


    After that, she got busy grinding arge amount of mixed flour. The couple then took a shower and left the interspace.


    Gu Chengrui saw it was still early and wanted to ¡°exercise¡± with her.


    However, seeing her absent-minded look, he pinched her face and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about? You¡¯repletely ignoring your husband.¡±


    Zhou Ying returned to her senses and told him about County Magistrate Kong, ¡°This is no small matter. If they seed, not to mention the third prince, I¡¯m afraid even we won¡¯t have a good ending.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who this Young Master Liu is working for?¡± Gu Chengrui¡¯s face immediately darkened.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, as they didn¡¯t mention the person, and I doubt it would be anyone other than the other two princes. We must think of a way to warn Manager Liu and the Third Prince.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to do this with our identities. We don¡¯t even know the exact location.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°By the way, do you think you can try to remind them of Mother God?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried it, but it¡¯s worth a shot.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and agreed with this suggestion.


    ¡°Sure, there¡¯s no need to be too anxious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they dare make any big moves beforepletely recing County Magistrate Kong. Otherwise, if exposed, they will be executed for such a heavy crime.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and pulled her into his arms.


    Conversely, Manager Liu¡¯s men quickly discovered County Magistrate Kong had gone missing.


    They suddenly saw two masked men dragging the unconscious County Magistrate Kong into a carriage when they had just started their search.


    They immediately rushed forward, and after a struggle, they ¡®saved¡¯ County Magistrate Kong and sent him back to the county office.


    After Manager Liu received the news, he didn¡¯t suspect that this County Magistrate Kong was a fake. Instead, he strengthened the protection around County Magistrate Kong.


    At the same time, after receiving the information about food appearing out of thin air from the government offices in the county and the various towns, he immediately sent a messenger pigeon to the Third Prince.


    The Third Prince was shocked when he heard this. He had never expected such a bizarre thing to really happen.


    After confirming that this wasn¡¯t fake, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Cousin, what do you think of this?¡± he asked Zhou Huaiming.


    ¡°Although there was a batch of food and sweet potatoes from the south, most were transported further to the north. I¡¯m afraid the ones we have won¡¯tst long. Why don¡¯t we try it too?¡± Zhou Huaiming said.


    The Third Prince shook his head after a moment of contemtion. ¡°The faith in Mother God has beenpletely cut off here, so these people must undergo a process to regain it.


    ¡°So, go and find the two old men from before; tell them to bring their nsmen and pay their respects to Mother God. We¡¯ll make a move after this news has spread.¡±


    ¡°But if we go there now and get food from Mother God, won¡¯t we be able to establish our prestige among the people?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Uncle Liu once asked a question about the sincerity of a person¡¯s prayers.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t let the people know Mother God will really care for us, even if we forcibly tie them up, they won¡¯t pray to Mother God sincerely.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡±


    ¡°Go now, and check if the Mother God Temple here is safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded and left.


    After having breakfast, he brought his trusted aides out and ordered them to scout the Mother God Temple¡¯s surroundings.


    As for himself, he went to look for the two n elders.


    On the other side, Zhou Ying and the others had just woken up when they heard the news that the county had ordered the repair of the Mother God Temple. They were immediately overjoyed.


    This way, the Mother God Temple could establish itself in Yunhe County..

 Chapter 394 - 394 Mother God’s Manifestation (15)

    Chapter 394: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (15)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    That night, Zhou Ying found that another Mother God Temple was lit up, but she didn¡¯t know the specific location, so she just gave them some random things based on the faith points.


    Over the next two days, the faith points there significantly increased.


    At the same time, three more Mother God Temples were lit up. Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui were so busy because of this that they would go to the interspace to grind once they had any time.


    Zhou Ying was also d that she had given mixed flour from the beginning. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have enough food for everyone.


    One day, after Zhou Ying absorbed the thick colorful clouds in the sky,


    She suddenly unlocked a piece of memory about how to enter a dream, how to use talismans to bless others with peace, and so on.


    There was, however, little room for blessing someone with pregnancy. First, the couple had to be healthy, and then she had to have control over both the man and woman, as well as their sperm selection, in order to get the woman pregnant.


    This method depleted not only her faith points but also the couple¡¯s merit. Otherwise, predicting whether the child could be conceived sessfully was difficult, and it would deplete a family¡¯s natural luck.


    After receiving all this new information, Zhou Ying was overjoyed. This way, she could spread the news of County Magistrate Kong¡¯s kidnapping.


    After that, she checked the various Mother God Temples and finally found the Third Prince and Zhou Huaiming.


    Both of them had merit and luck.


    Especially on the Third Prince¡¯s body, where a solid hue has already formed.


    The Third Prince¡¯s body was covered in a thick purple aura. At the same time, three wisps of ck smoke were also invading his body, devouring the purple glow bit by bit.


    The destined emperor of the Ming dynasty was likely the Third Prince.


    She was just unsure which of the other princes was producing the extra ck smoke.


    At the same time, she also realized that the Third Prince¡¯s faith in Mother God was not only thick but also colorful.


    There was even a little bit of a purple glow in it, which surprised her. She didn¡¯t feel any difference when she absorbed it before.


    She didn¡¯t have time to overthink this. She followed their faith and quickly found the military camp.


    First, she checked the food in the warehouse and was surprised to find only one warehouse that was less than half full of sweet potatoes and dozens of bags of rice.


    If such arge military camp only had this much food, to be honest, they wouldn¡¯t be able tost for half a month, even if they ate sparingly.


    She thought about the sweet potatoes they were trying to promote. Thus, she gave a new batch of sweet potatoes, harvested over 10,000 acres ofnd. She also added 100,000 pounds of ck flour to the granary and all the existing mixed flour in the space.


    She also gave away 1,000 pigs and many chickens, ducks, and geese.


    After that, she gave the Third Prince two dreams. One was of County Magistrate Kong being reced by a fake, and the other was to remind him to distribute the white potatoes as soon as possible for others to nt.


    The Third Prince immediately woke up as soon as she left his dream.


    After that, he heard themotion outside and thought something terrible had happened. He quickly grabbed a coat and draped it over his body before running out hurriedly.


    When he saw that the ground was overflowing with sweet potatoes, he was dumbfounded.


    At this moment, the general on night duty ran over and said, ¡°Third Prince, there are sweet potatoes everywhere, inside and outside the camp. How should we deal with them?¡±


    ¡°You mean the entire camp is filled with sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are also two warehouses filled with ck flour, one with meat and the other warehouses with mixed flour.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice anything unusual with this much stuff ced in our camp?¡±


    ¡°It was already like this when we discovered it. These things seemed to appear out of nowhere.¡±


    The Third Prince sucked in a breath of cold air when he heard this. However, after asking around repeatedly, he finally believed that this food was indeed a miracle.


    This was because no one could make such a big move in his camp without alerting anyone..

 Chapter 395 - 395 Mother God’s Manifestation (16)

    Chapter 395: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (16)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Third Prince stared at the field of white potatoes and immediately recalled the kind and dignified female voice in his dream. He suddenly shivered and realized¡ªcould she be Mother God?


    But why did a goddess choose him to promote sweet potatoes?


    That¡¯s not right either. He was carrying this out all along, but due to theck of seeds, it hadn¡¯t gone smoothly.


    However, with these white sweet potatoes, he could go all out in the future.


    He thought of the dream of County Magistrate Kong getting switched, and his heart suddenly tightened. Could it be true¡­


    When did that happen? Why didn¡¯t he receive any news about it?


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch these sweet potatoes,¡± he said to the young general in front of him. ¡°Watch them carefully. We¡¯ll make arrangements tomorrow.


    ¡°Also, inform the kitchens to let everyone have a full meal tomorrow morning. Turn the meat we can¡¯t eat right now into cured meat as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will make the arrangements.¡± The young general responded with a smile, turned around, and ran off.


    Since there was finally food and meat, although they could not eat their fill at every meal like before the disasters, they would not have to go hungry anymore.


    After he left, the Third Prince walked around outside. After ensuring the entire campsite was truly filled with sweet potatoes, he turned around and returned to his room.


    Seeing Zhou Huaiming sitting in the room yawning, he asked, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re awake too?¡±


    ¡°They tried to keep their voices down, but it was still noisy. Naturally, 1 couldn¡¯t stay asleep.¡± Zhou Huaimingughed. ¡°We would have paid our respects a few days earlier if we had known that Mother God was this efficient. We would have been able to save ourselves two days of hunger.


    ¡°By the way, do you want to transport more food to the North?¡±


    The Third Prince shook his head. ¡°No. 1¡¯11 write my grandfather and uncle a letter and tell them to worship the Mother God Temple. As for the existing sweet potatoes, I want to use them as seeds and do my best to promote them.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming was stunned momentarily and asked, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Mother God just distribute the sweet potatoes to the vigers?¡±


    As far as he knew, many viges had obtained food in the past few days, but most of it was mixed flour.


    Only a few families with serious illnesses, pregnant women, and infants would get a small number of fine grains or eggs.


    However, white sweet potatoes had never appeared before. This was why they didn¡¯t expect it to appear here.


    ¡°The mixed noodles are only for filling their stomachs; they can¡¯t be as tasty as the sweet potato.


    ¡°If the sweet potatoes were given out to the disaster refugees, I¡¯m sure more than half of them would eat them instead of nting them.


    ¡°Judging from the situation of distributing grains, the amount of food in Mother God¡¯s hands is definitely limited.


    ¡°Or rather, there were too many people affected by the disaster this time, so her reserves aren¡¯t enough.


    ¡°No matter what, these seeds are precious and can¡¯t be wasted.¡± Afterward, the Third Prince took out a rough map of the Ming Dynasty and a piece of paper. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, gather all the tacticians. We¡¯ll calcte how to distribute these seeds overnight and how much each county will get,¡±


    ¡°I feel that we should naturally distribute them to the ces with more people first. I¡¯ve heard that in some ces, in addition to refugees, the majority of the officials have fled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.


    ¡°First, mark down the ces with more people, especially Dongyang, where there is less chaos.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the south, where we could nt another season of potatoes, which will be beneficial to promote these white potatoes to the masses.


    ¡°The rest will be distributed to the various state capitals.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You should go to bed first. I wille up with a detailed n with the rest and pass it on to you then.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go together. There are so many sweet potatoes outside, and there¡¯s no way 1 can sleep now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go gather the others.¡± Zhou Huaiming turned around and left after that..

 Chapter 396 - 396 Mother God’s Manifestation (17)

    Chapter 396: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (17)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At noon the next day, after gathering the information from all sides, he finally made a distribution map of where the seeds should go.


    After the meal, the Third Prince called Zhou Huaiming over and asked, ¡°Cousin, have you sent a letter to grandfather and the others?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I sent it outst night.¡±


    The Third Prince nodded and told Zhou Huaiming about the possibility that County Magistrate Kong had been switched for a fake. ¡°You¡¯re going out in the name of distributing seeds.


    ¡°After that, secretly investigate whether this matter was true or not.


    ¡°Remember to check it yourself personally, and don¡¯t let Uncle Liu know about it in case this information is leaked.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that there¡¯s a traitor among the people there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but it¡¯s possible that they¡¯re being watched. Anyway, it¡¯s better to be careful.¡±


    ¡°But, how did you know about this?¡±


    The Third Prince didn¡¯t hide anything and told him about his dream yesterday. ¡°I hope it¡¯s just a dream, but 1 can¡¯t help but take it seriously with this many sweet potatoes outside.:


    Zhou Huaiming was shocked. He thought of something and smiled, ¡°Mother God has been taking care of us so well. Do you think you are¡­¡±


    Zhou Huaiming pointed to a chair at the side.


    The Third Prince instantly understood what he meant and replied with a straight face, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. We¡¯ll never have a peaceful day if this matter gets out.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but I think it¡¯s time for us to fight back.¡± Zhou Huaiming stated firmly.


    Back then, his aunt had died of ¡®illness¡¯, and the Zhou family had quickly been suppressed.


    If it weren¡¯t for the Imperial Court¡¯s inability to live without his father and big brother, the Zhou family would have no descendants. He would never forget the hatred in his heart.


    A murderous look shed in the Third Prince¡¯s eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with the seeds first. I¡¯ll tell you when it¡¯s time to fight back.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming nodded and turned to leave.


    He had someone load the seeds and set off.


    The Third Prince took charge and began arranging for the soldiers to ship the seeds by sea and river to the various state capitals.


    At the same time, he also wrote a memorial to the Emperor, exining the nting of the white sweet potatoes.


    He also paid for people to start repairing the Mother God Temple.


    On the other side, General Zhou of the border, Zhou Fanghuai, received Zhou Huaiming¡¯s letter. After reading it, he was stunned. He called his eldest son, Zhou Huaiyu, over and handed him the letter.¡±What do you think of this?¡±


    ¡°Father, even though Huaiming is a glutton, and he¡¯s a little out of tune sometimes,


    ¡°But he won¡¯t joke about this kind of thing, and it¡¯s worth noting the Third Prince is with him. We¡¯ll know once we ask him, and he doesn¡¯t need to joke about this kind of thing.¡± Zhou Huaiyumented excitedly.


    ¡°Yes, is the Mother God Temple on Mount Baiyun still there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s here, but it¡¯s so old that it¡¯s beyond dpidated.¡±


    ¡°Send someone to renovate the Mother God Temple and send this letter out.


    ¡°If it¡¯s really true, we¡¯ll go up the mountain to pay our respects.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will make the arrangements.¡± Zhou Huaiyu turned around and left after that.


    On the other side, when Zhou Ying woke up again, she found her room was different.


    No, it couldn¡¯t be said that it was different, but everything was clearer, as if she was looking at everything with a magnifying ss.


    She got out of bed and walked outside. Looking up at the mountain, she could clearly see every de of grass and tree.


    Zhou Ying was initially shocked, but she soon remembered the divine sense mentioned in fantasy novels. She closed her eyes and tried looking around with her mental power.


    Sure enough, she could see every de of grass and every tree within a ten-mile radius, with even the fish in the water clearly visible.


    Zhou Ying then shut off her mental power and opened her eyes.


    As expected, the ability to see far beyond her views had disappeared, but it was confirmed that her vision was obviously much better than before..

 Chapter 397 - 397 Mother God’s Manifestation (18)

    Chapter 397: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (18)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui approached her and saw her standing in a daze in the courtyard. He went up and hugged her from behind. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Something good. I can now use my mental power, or rather, I¡¯ve gained the spiritual sense mentioned in those fantasy novels.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned by her words. When he realized what she was talking about, he asked excitedly, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. This might be something 1 already had a long time ago, but it was never discovered. When 1 found it today, it was capable of reaching out a radius of about ten miles.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news! It¡¯s like a radar, and it¡¯ll be much more convenient for us in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yup. By the way, there are still some dandelions, ntain seeds, heart-piercing lotus, and other medicinal herbs left untouched by the refugees in the mountains. Let¡¯s go up the mountain to look for them after dinner.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll call Chengxi over as well when the timees.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s take a shower first in the interspace.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and went back to her room.


    The two of them entered her interspace, and after taking a shower, they made a bowl of soup noodles and two poached eggs.


    After eating, Gu Chengrui called Gu Chengxi over and entered the mountains, with Er Zhuang following.


    This time, because of Zhou Ying¡¯s spiritual sense, their harvest was bountiful.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying once again scattered some wild vegetable seeds, especially lettuce and spinach. These two would be ready to eat when autumnes along.


    Three dayster, the Emperor received the Third Prince¡¯s memorial through a secret passage, and he froze after reading it.


    He didn¡¯t expect that there were indeed gods in this world.


    Would Mother God know about what he had done before? Would she find trouble with him?


    However, he quickly shook his head. There were many famous rulers, tyrants, and power struggles in history, but he had never seen any of them punished.


    It was clear that she would not interfere in these things.


    As for the authenticity of the memorial, he did not doubt it. After all, no matter how capable his third son was, he couldn¡¯t conjure up so many grains and seeds out of thin air.


    Besides, he wouldn¡¯t have the guts to lie to the Emperor.


    He looked at Eunoch Li, who was looking at him worriedly, and asked, ¡°Li, how much do you know about Mother God?¡±


    ¡°Mother God? You mean the goddess worshipped in the Mother God Temples?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her, I think?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I have always heard from the older generation that every time there was a great disaster, she would provide disaster relief and food to the refugees. However, I have never seen it in person.


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve heard that there are rumors of Mother God in the market, and some of them have already gone to the Mother God Temple to offer incense.¡± ¡°Did they get anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure.¡±


    ¡°Send someone to investigate and give me a definite answer at this time tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will make the arrangements.¡± Eunuch Li left after he finished speaking.


    After the Emperor read through the memorial again, he frowned.


    The promotion of sweet potato nts was a major event in the future. Why did Mother God choose his third son?


    Was it because he had already been promoting the sweet potatoes before, or was there some other reason he didn¡¯t know? Thinking of this, he closed his eyes and rested.


    A momentter, he opened his eyes and called out the head of the guards, Xiao Heng. He then had them check on the princes¡¯ situation.


    The following day, the Emperor had just returned to his study room after the morning court session when Chief Xiao walked in. ¡°Your Majesty, as far as I know, the First and Fourth Princes received news of Mother God¡¯s manifestation two days ago.


    ¡°However, they didn¡¯t believe it, so theymanded their subordinates to spread the word and allowedmoners, particrly beggars, to go and offer incense. It appears that they have yet to receive a definitive answer..¡±

 Chapter 398 - 398 Mother God’s Manifestation (19)

    Chapter 398: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (19)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Did it fail?¡± After the Emperor heard this, he became thoughtful.


    It didn¡¯t only work for the Third Prince in the Dongyang Province; many others had also been given something for their prayers.


    So why did it fail in the capital? What was the reason?


    He picked up the Third Prince¡¯s memorial and read it carefully again. Soon, he focused his attention on two sentences.


    One was to be pious, which meant that when offering prayers, one had to believe in Mother God wholeheartedly.


    The second was that Mother God would only care for the genuine refugees and not just help anyone.


    As for the capital, no matter what, it was still under the feet of the Emperor.


    There were manyrge families here, and which of them didn¡¯t have grain in storage? They all had at least three years¡¯ worth of grain, so the capital was generally never short of food. It was just that there was a distinction between those better off than others.


    Therefore, it was unrealistic to ask Mother God for food.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty.¡± Eunuch Li rushed in at this moment and kneeled while shouting excitedly.


    The Emperor looked at his excited face and knew something must have happened, and it was a good thing. He asked with anticipation, ¡°Take a breath and speak slowly.¡±


    Eunuch Li nodded. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Mother God has manifested; she has answered some prayers.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s news from the beggars that a hundred sacks of noodles appeared out of thin air where they livedst night. However, it¡¯s the kind of flour mixed with grains and vegetables.¡±


    The Third Prince had mentioned this. Although it was a little rough, it could help alleviate hunger, and this was also what Mother God had given the most to the refugees.


    ¡°Also, also, a few families got eggs and noodles. 1 heard that the white and snowy noodles are better than the fine noodles in the pce.¡± Eunuch Li finished as he took a deep breath.


    ¡°Oh, what kind of family?¡± The Emperor asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°They¡¯re from the slums. I heard that one of them has a seriously ill family member, and the others either have pregnant women or babies.


    ¡°The ill, pregnant, and baby?¡±


    After the Emperor heard this, he suddenly understood. These three kinds of people all needed nourishment, especially pregnant women and babies. They would most likely lose their lives if they didn¡¯t eat enough.


    He thought of something and said to Chief Xiao, ¡°Inform the soldiers to go to the slums and inform them that anyone who dares to snatch the food bestowed by Mother God will be killed without mercy.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chief Xiao responded, then left.


    He almost tripped over the threshold when he went out. He also didn¡¯t expect Mother God to really show up and give something to her followers.


    The Emperor¡¯s mouth twitched when he saw this, and his heart wasn¡¯t calm either.


    Soon, he thought of what the person had said before¡ªthat the First and Fourth Princes had received some information two days ago.


    ¡°Tell Xiao Dezi to inform the eldest and the fourth toe to my study as soon as possible to see me,¡± he instructed Eunuch Li.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will have Xiao Dezi make the arrangements.¡± Eunuch Li responded, slowly stood up, and left.


    After he left, the Emperor sat on his dragon throne withplicated feelings.


    Honestly, he was both respectful of and afraid of Mother God.


    He respected her identity and her kindness. If she had not acted in time, even if the Great Ming could survive, it would at least be in turmoil for a few years, and there might even be a change of dynasty.


    He also feared her prestige would surpass his, the Emperor¡¯s, or the entire imperial family¡¯s. That would pose a threat to his rule.


    However, the news of Mother God¡¯s manifestation spread in the capital and soon reached every corner of the Ming Dynasty.


    It was toote for him to stop it now, so the only thing he could do now was to pay his respects..

 Chapter 399 - 399 Mother God’s Manifestation (20)

    Chapter 399: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (20)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The word ¡°respect¡± sounded simple, but there were many ways to do it, and there were also different levels of respect.


    From the looks of it, Mother God was much more helpful to the people than Buddhism. At least she would help when something happened.


    Thinking of this, he suddenly had an idea. Since he couldn¡¯t afford to offend Mother God, he would tter and worship her with the people. It would not only prevent him from garnering the wrath of Mother God but also win the people¡¯s hearts.


    In a short while, the First Prince and the Fourth Prince arrived one after another with their foreheads covered in sweat.


    After the Emperor had someone serve them tea, he asked, ¡°Have you heard about the Mother God¡¯s manifestation?¡±


    ¡°I heard about it, but only the beggar was given mixed flour. The others were given very little.¡± The First Prince nodded.


    ¡°Yes, many people are dissatisfied now. They say that Mother God is treating them differently.: The Fourth Prince chimed in.


    ¡°I heard that you received the news two days ago. Don¡¯t you know the reason why Mother God treats them differently?¡± The Emperor asked after taking a sip of tea.


    When the two brothers heard this, they looked at each other and panicked. They immediately got up and kneeled, saying the same thing, ¡°Father, we did receive the news, but we didn¡¯t believe it at first. That¡¯s why we spread the word and let people try it.¡±


    Although their words were slightly different, they all had the same meaning.


    The Emperor nodded in satisfaction, and his requirements for his sons were low. As long as they did not lie to him, he was pleased.


    ¡°You may rise. So, do you know the reason?¡±


    ¡°I have some guesses.¡± The Fourth Prince immediately chimed in and told the Emperor about the spections he had heard from Dongyang Province.


    The Emperor nodded. ¡°Your third brother also thinks so. He has put it into practice, and it has worked.¡±


    After he finished, he handed the Third Prince¡¯s memorial to them and said, ¡°You guys take a look.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After the First Prince received it, he read it carefully before giving it to the Fourth Prince. However, his expression wasn¡¯t good.


    After reading it, the Fourth Prince was shocked, as he didn¡¯t expect Mother God to give his third brother this many things.


    The Emperor looked at their expressions and knew their people had not passed on the news to them, and he was immediately satisfied.


    Otherwise, he was afraid that his reign as the Emperor would being to an end. At the same time, he decided to send two people to Dongyang Province to investigate what they were up to.


    ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Father, in my opinion, Mother God is a caring and loving goddess. We should vigorously promote and worship her.¡± The First Prince bowed.


    The Fourth Prince was stunned momentarily, but he quickly understood what he meant.


    Since his father had already read the memorial, he knew everything and had made his decision.


    At this time, they had to raise Mother God¡¯s status and weaken their third brother¡¯s achievements. Otherwise, if they were to suggest downying or sabotaging the Third Prince, it would just give them a reputation of pettiness and disgust their father.


    After that, he agreed, saying, ¡°Father, 1 have a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Since third brother can get the seeds, why don¡¯t we hold arge-scale worship ceremony?¡±


    ¡°With your status as the Emperor, wouldn¡¯t we be able to get even more and better seedlings?¡±


    After the Emperor heard this, he hesitated momentarily before standing up and saying, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go find the Empress Dowager.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    The First Prince didn¡¯t think much of it. After all, the Empress Dowager and Empress were usually in charge of the royal family¡¯s prayers to the gods.


    As for the Emperor, besides offering sacrifices to the heavens, he never took part in leading prayers to his ancestors.


    The Fourth Prince looked at the Emperor¡¯s back with disdain because he knew the Emperor wanted to push the Empress Dowager out. It would be preferable if they could obtain something, but even if they couldn¡¯t, the Emperor¡¯s reputation would not suffer..

 Chapter 400 - 400 Mother God’s Manifestation

    Chapter 400: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation


    (21)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Empress Dowager was trimming a bonsai in the room. After learning the Emperor¡¯s purpose foring, she was shocked and asked with surprise, ¡°Did Mother God really appear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Third Prince has already verified it. He¡¯s also obtained arge number of sweet potato seeds and is now spreading them everywhere.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯vee to ask, what do you think of this matter?¡± The Emperor asked.


    After the Empress Dowager heard this, she handed her scissors to the pce servant and asked the father and sons to sit down. She asked firmly, ¡°So your intention is for me to make a trip to the Mother God Temple?¡±


    ¡°Right now, the country is in turmoil. I really cannot leave the pce, so you and the Empress have to lead this.¡±


    The Empress Dowager immediately understood what he meant. The Emperor wanted to preserve his reputation, and so did they.


    When she burned incense and prayed to Buddha, to put it bluntly, she was praying for her state of mind and her heart. In addition, she could temporarily hide from all themotion and have some peace, so she was naturally happy to do that.


    However, since Mother God manifested for real and treated people differently, who knew what position she held in Mother God¡¯s heart? What if Mother God didn¡¯t appreciate her prayers?


    However, the Emperor¡¯s reputation had to be protected. She sighed and replied, ¡°Originally, I shouldn¡¯t have rejected this, but my body has not been healthy recently.


    ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have personally repaired the potted nts in my room. So, it¡¯s better to let the Empress take charge of this matter.¡±


    The First Prince was delighted when he heard this and looked at the Emperor. If this matter fell on his mother¡¯s head, wouldn¡¯t it also benefit him?


    Since his third brother could get the white sweet potato seeds, he should get something better.


    The Fourth Prince, however, revealed a mocking expression in a ce where no one could see.


    The Emperor was slightly disappointed but still asked, ¡°Mother, have you called for an imperial physician?¡±


    ¡°I did, and it was Doctor Zhou. He said I¡¯m short on energy and anemic, which is especially bad for such hot weather. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while.¡± The Empress Dowager replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll have someone send you some tonics so you can recuperate. If you feel any difort, remember to let me know.¡±


    The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded. ¡°Mother¡¯s illness is not worth your concern. When I really feel ufortable, I will let you know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not right. You are my backbone, so whether it¡¯s a serious illness or a small matter, you shouldn¡¯t hide it from me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. By the way, have you guys had breakfast? Do you want to stay and eat?¡±


    ¡°No, we still have to go to the Empress¡¯ ce. The worship of Mother God has to be done as soon as possible.¡± The Emperor stood up and said.


    Seeing this, the Empress Dowager did not keep them. After a few polite words, she told her personal pce servant to send them out.


    After that, the three of them went to find the Empress. The Empress hesitated for a moment, but she agreed despite her reluctance.


    However, she had her concerns, so she did not let the First Prince get involved. Instead, she informed all the women to head to the Mother God Temple together.


    The next morning, after the Empress and the others gathered at the pce gate, they were headed to the Mother God Temple.


    Because they had all received instructions, they all bowed and prayed sincerely.


    When Zhou Ying saw them at night, she was shocked, especially by the glows on their heads. All seven colors were present.


    One of the older women had a powerful blood-red aura, and it was evident that she had killed many people.


    The Empress was also eye-catching. She had almost everything except faith and virtue light on her body. At the same time, her blood-red aura was not weak.


    However, the status of these two people meant they couldn¡¯t be touched simply, especially the Empress.


    So, she decided to draw out the fear in their hearts..

 Chapter 401 - 401 Mother God’s Manifestation (22)

    Chapter 401: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (22)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As for what they wanted, it was the seeds.


    However, although more than half of them looked like they prayed sincerely, they did not produce any faith points.


    Therefore, she ced six groups of Houdan chickens outside the pce gate, each containing one male and five females. She also ced a few batches of fruit tree seedlings and some flower seeds that weren¡¯t avable in the country.


    When the Emperor¡ªwho hadn¡¯t slept¡ªreceived the news, he didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or worried.


    If he were to im Mother God wasn¡¯t answering their prayers, she did give them something¡ªa rare species that didn¡¯t exist in their country.


    However, these were only luxury goods that the wealthy needed. Which ordinary citizens would raise these for their livelihood?


    Especially the flower seeds, weren¡¯t these things that only women enjoyed watching?


    Thinking of this, he shivered. Could the Empress and other women not represent the imperial family and the Ming Dynasty?


    Maybe only male offspring could do it; otherwise, how could it be so different from what was given to the Third Prince?


    ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, look at this chicken. It¡¯s gorgeous.¡± Eunuch Li pointed at the rooster and said.


    The Emperor only took a nce and absent-mindedly replied, ¡°Tomorrow morning, split one group of chickens among each of the members of the royal family. The rest will be sent to a manor to be raised and nted, and we will see what they are.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eunuch Li responded and immediately ordered his men to take the things away.


    During the morning court the next day, the Emperor discussed with all the ministers. Finally, he decided to take the members of the royal family and hundreds of officials to pay respects to Mother God.


    Therefore, the Emperor first sent the First Prince to repair the Mother God Temple, especially the statue. After the repair, it had restored its former glory, looking solemn and kind and, most importantly, very pleasing to the eye.


    Mother God¡¯s statue¡¯s appearance alone had attracted many believers.


    On the second day after the repairs werepleted, the Emperor brought all the members of the royal family and hundreds of officials to the Mother God Temple to carry out his worship.


    When Zhou Ying saw the Emperor at night, her eyes shed withplicated feelings.


    Because the evil aura on his body was quite strong, it was evident that he had taken many lives.


    Moreover, there was a lot of ck aura around his body. It could be seen that he would not have a good time in the future.


    More importantly, the purple glow around him was less dense than the Third Prince¡¯s.


    The purple aura on the bodies of the few princes, who followed closely behind the Emperor, was faint, just like the Empress.


    As for the rest of the imperial family, there was no need to mention them, as there were almost none.


    This assured her that the next Emperor chosen by Heaven would be the Third Prince.


    So, in order not to cause trouble for the Third Prince and for the country to recover quickly¡­


    This time, she gave him high-yield wheat, high-yield cabbage, and radish seeds.


    The main thing was that these seeds could be nted in the emptynd in the north as soon as possible.


    Moreover, these nts had already been nted, so there was no need to promote them further.


    The next day, the Emperor and the officials looked at the piles of wheat seeds inside and outside the courtyards, and they got so excited.


    They needed wheat seeds the most because their previous batches of seeds were destroyed by two years of drought and they could hardly grow again.


    ¡°Your Majesty, there is a letter here.¡± At this moment, a guard walked over with a piece of paper.


    ¡°Oh, bring it up.¡± The Emperor stood up in excitement.


    Eunuch Li immediately ran over to take the letter. After confirming there were no problems, he handed it to the Emperor.


    It was printed in traditional Chinese, and the content was about how to grow these winter wheat, cabbages, and radishes reasonably and scientifically.


    After reading it, he passed it to the officials andughed,¡± I¡¯m sure with the new nting method of these seeds, our Ming Dynasty will be able to recover half of its vitality after the wheat harvest next year..¡±

 Chapter 402 - 402 Mother God’s Manifestation (23)

    Chapter 402: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (23)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The Emperor is wise. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor.¡± The officials immediately saluted and ttered him.


    ¡°I must thank my beloved ministers for your support,¡± the Emperorughed.


    Afterward, he looked at his uncle and said, ¡°Imperial Uncle, 1¡¯11 have to trouble you to make a trip to personally distribute these seeds.


    ¡°There¡¯s no grain shortage in the capital at the moment, so we only needed to keep some seeds.


    ¡°The rest will be distributed to the ces where the Third Prince¡¯s white sweet potato has not been promoted to. This way, production can be restored as soon as possible, and the refugees can return home as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I will heed your orders.¡± The Sixth Imperial King immediately stepped forward to heed this order.


    Although this task was slightly heavy and cumbersome, it had great significance, and he was quite willing to do it. It could also increase the prestige of his King Xian¡¯s Residence.


    ¡°Remember, it must be a fair and just distribution, and you don¡¯t have to give face to anyone. In addition, I¡¯ll send 5,000 soldiers to escort these seeds.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty.¡± The Sixth Imperial King responded and retreated.


    As this matter passed, the following memorials were filled with bad news. Most of them were about revolts and riots in various ces.


    This time, the Emperor sent out the First and Fourth Princes. After giving them each 10,000 soldiers, he had them organize the garrison troops in various ces to suppress the rebellions.


    Those who surrendered would be pardoned immediately, and those who stubbornly resisted would be executed on the spot.


    At the same time, they rebuilt all the Mother God Temples.


    Then, he asked the people from the Ministry of Works to expand and increase the number of Mother God Temples outside the capital, making it more convenient for people from all sides to pay respects.


    After the court session, the Emperor received a memorial from Zhou Fanghuai through Chief Xiao. After learning that Mother God had settled the military provisions for the second half of the year, he was finally relieved.


    Thus, he sent an imperial edict to the southwest general¡ªthe Empress¡¯ brother and the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡ªasking them to request military provisions through the Mother God Temple and build more Mother God Temples in various parts of the southwest as soon as possible.


    Suddenly, Mother God Temples were everywhere, and Zhou Ying was so busy that she could only sleep five or six hours a day.


    Fortunately, she no longer needed to absorb the faith manually as it would go directly into her body.


    Nearly a month passed, countless Mother God Temples were erected throughout the country, and the incense offerings were bing more frequent.


    However, Zhou Ying did not give them any food whenever the rioters or insurgents asked for food.


    Also, most people who once ate human flesh started to have an illness. She executed them and then told the local officials in their dreams to burn the bodies.


    Her action helped King Xian a lot. Many people who initially didn¡¯t want to go back to suffer the riots and cannibals returned to their hometowns to farm after that.


    The Ming Dynasty had also temporarily settled down.


    However, the Liao Dynasty in the north, the Western Xia in the west, and the East Provinces on the ind in the east were still in deep waters and suffering.


    Knowing that the Ming Dynasty had food, they immediatelyunched a war to snatch it.


    However, the Ming Dynasty was now strong and robust, so the aggressors were the ones exhausted from the war. These countries didn¡¯t gain any advantage but were unwilling to retreat, so the stalemate continued.


    On the other hand, because livestock farming was the Liao Dynasty¡¯s primary food source, they didn¡¯t even have anything to eat, as most of their animals were frozen to death. This was why they had to fight even to theirst breath.


    In the end, they were still defeated. The general in charge watched as the soldiers became weaker and weaker and their morale lowered.


    Seeing that they were already at the point of life and death, he braced himself and looked for their eldest prince. ¡°First Prince, we can¡¯t continue fighting this war. Otherwise, if we lose people, our country will be upied.¡±


    ¡°What can we do if we don¡¯t fight? We don¡¯t even have any animal fodder to eat. How are we going to survive?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Ming Dynasty benefit from Mother God because they worshipped her? Can¡¯t we worship Mother God too?¡±

 Chapter 403 - 403 Mother God’s Manifestation (24)

    Chapter 403: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (24)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Bastard! What about our Tree God?¡±


    ¡°But look at what has happened to our Great Liao, The Tree God didn¡¯t appear to help, but Mother God of the Ming Dynasty did.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Even the First Prince was helpless after hearing this, knowing his general was right.


    If this stalemate continued, the Ming Dynasty would definitelyunch a counterattack. At that time, they would be unable to take the offense and likely have their country upied.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make that decision. I have to ask the Emperor for permission.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°We have to be quick. Our soldiers can¡¯t hold on much longer.¡±


    The First Prince gritted his teeth and finally nodded in agreement. He immediately sent a letter, using their eagle to bring it to their pce.


    After reading it, the Emperor of Great Liao did not reply immediately.


    Instead, he went to the Tree God Temple and kneeled devoutly, but he didn¡¯t get any response.


    Ultimately, he replied to the First Prince with a glimmer of hope, instructing them to ask for peace and invite a Mother God statue back to build a Mother God Temple.


    The day the First Prince received the reply, he brought ten trusted aides to visit a temple.


    After Zhou Fangzhun heard the First Prince¡¯s request, he was stunned for a moment before he agreed with a smile.


    Although their country had won the battle, they were also exhausted.


    Moreover, they did not have enough soldiers at the rear, so this was not the time to fight to the death.


    Besides, they could still steal a status even if he didn¡¯t give it to them; he couldn¡¯t stop that at all times.


    Therefore, after signing a cease-fire agreement, he gave the First Prince 10,000 pounds of mixed flour to hang on to and asked his people to prepare a statue of the Mother God.


    Because they would be transporting this statue a long distance, he chose to find a top carpenter to carve the wooden statue with the best yellow pinewood in the local area.


    At the same time, he quickly reported to the Emperor.


    After receiving his affirmative reply, the statue of the Mother God was notified to Great Liao as soon as it was finished.


    The First Prince personally came to invite them back and built a Mother God Temple in the town near their base.


    He led all his people and soldiers at the border to sincerely offer incense to Mother God.


    Zhou Ying happened to be busy in her interspace at that moment. After sensing a lot of faith entering her body, she was stunned momentarily and quickly checked through the warehouse.


    When she saw that it was the people of the Great Liao, she was astonished but still gave them a lot of flour after a short pause.


    She went into the First Prince¡¯s dream and warned him that she would take back the flour if he continued to provoke a war.


    Also, she could give him high-yield seeds if they withdrew their troops.


    When the First Prince woke up the next day, he gathered all his generals for a discussion and decided only to leave one of his greatest generals to guard the border.


    He personally drew a portrait of Mother God and brought it back to the capital.


    After that, faith in Mother God grew throughout the Liao Dynasty, and Zhou Ying stood firm in her promise. She gave them buckwheat and potato seeds, as well as nting instructions and arge number of high-quality grass seeds.


    After the East Province and Western Xia received the news, they immediately withdrew their troops.


    They had believed in Mother God before, but after they felt that there was a more suitable god, they abandoned their faith in Mother God; they had abandoned Mother God much earlier than in the Ming Dynasty.


    Therefore, after they returned, they restored all of their Mother God Temples.


    By the time everyone had their food, Zhou Ying¡¯s interspace was empty except for some seeds.


    The other half of her memories were still locked after all this, but the pharmacy in the Mother God Temple was.


    Gu Chengrui went in and started reading all kinds of medical books.


    At the same time, the vige¡¯s chilies were ready for harvest. As a result, Zhou Ying began to harvest them.


    On the other hand, Zhou Huaiming finally rescued County Magistrate Kong through a secret investigation and executed the fake one. Unfortunately, Young Master Liu had escaped..

 Chapter 404 - 404 Mother God’s Manifestation (25)

    Chapter 404: Mother God¡¯s Manifestation (25)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, Zhou Huaiming also knew that the First Prince had arranged this matter.


    Therefore, he had deliberately leaked the news to the people the Emperor had sent to investigate the First and Fourth Princes.


    After the Emperor received the news, he was furious. No matter what, County Magistrate Kong was an official appointed by the imperial court, so how dare the First Prince harm him?


    As a result, the First Prince, who had just returned to the capital after pacifying the rebellion, was grounded for three months and had his sry suspended for three years.


    At the same time, the Empress was also grounded for three months.


    When the Fourth Prince found out that the Emperor¡¯s people were in Yunhe County, he immediately called the seventh son of the Su family back, and the rest of them went into hiding.


    At the same time, Zhou Huaiming and the others stayed obedient.


    One day, Zhou Ying was collecting chili peppers when Zhou Huaiming came over and checked the chilies that were about to be thrown out. ¡°There are bugs in chili? The taste of these bugs is sure brave.¡±


    ¡°Everything in the world has a counter. No matter what it is, it must have something against it.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she looked at Zhou Huaiming, who had lost a lot of weight. ¡°Did you go to the mines? How did you lose so much weight?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly that, but it wasn¡¯t easy either.


    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Brother Gu? Why is the door locked?¡±


    Zhou Ying thought of Gu Chengrui, who was still reading in the interspace. She paused momentarily and replied, ¡°If he¡¯s not home, he¡¯s most likely out in the mountains picking herbs.


    ¡°If you¡¯re in a hurry, you can go home and wait for him, but he might only return in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. 1¡¯11 go to the manor to find Uncle Liu, and 1¡¯11e back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll go over to find you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 see you tomorrow.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he greeted the patriarch and led his men to the manor.


    The patriarch, helping her harvest the chilies, said, ¡°He slims down every time


    1 see him. It¡¯s really not easy being him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad to be an ordinary person.¡± Zhou Ying concluded.


    The patriarch smiled and asked, ¡°By the way, since your restaurant is closed now, what do you n to do with so many chilies and cumin? ¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Last year, many chilies were sold as seasonings because of the snow disaster.


    ¡°Although we didn¡¯t earn much money, we didn¡¯t lose any either.


    ¡°This year¡¯s river transportation will probably recover soon. If it doesn¡¯t work out here, we¡¯ll sell it to the north.¡±


    When the patriarch heard this, he knew that she had a n in mind and did not ask further.


    After the sky turned dark at night, Zhou Ying locked her doors and went directly into her interspace. She did not expect Gu Chengrui to have already prepared dinner.


    After the two had their meal, Zhou Ying told him about Zhou Huaiming¡¯s visit. ¡°You¡¯re being risky here. No matter how fascinated you are with these books, you can¡¯t just look at them every day. So in the future, it¡¯s better to go out as much as possible during the day to prevent damaging your eyes.¡±


    ¡°I know, but these medical books are too precious, and they teach many ways to use medicinal herbs that have already be extinct. I really can¡¯t keep my eyes off them.¡± Gu Chengruiughed.


    ¡°By the way, did he say anything when he came over this time?¡±


    ¡°No, but it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s anything urgent. Otherwise, he would have stayed here to wait for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Let¡¯s go over tomorrow.


    ¡°Oh, how¡¯s the chili harvest?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost done. But because the restaurant won¡¯t be open for a while, no one dares to nt more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯ve worked hard all day. I¡¯ll go wash the dishes.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he cleared the table and got busy.


    He also made her a pot of chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea.


    Seeing the wolfberry, Zhou Ying remembered that there was still a batch of wolfberry and honeysuckle on the mountain that needed to be picked.


    After drinking two cups of tea, she collected all the mature medicinal herbs on her mountain and handed them to Gu Chengrui to process.


    Later, she turned around and walked to her warehouse..

 Chapter 405 - 405 Ripened White Sweet Potatoes

    Chapter 405: Ripened White Sweet Potatoes


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After processing the people¡¯s prayers, Zhou Ying collected all the sweet potatoes from her grasnd and nted some taro and more potatoes.


    Lastly, she hunted a few fat wild ducks and baked them into beer-roasted bucks in her oven.


    The next day, Zhou Ying collected the remaining chili in the morning. It was almost noon when the couple brought two roast ducks to the manor.


    ¡°Looks like 1¡¯11 get to improve my lunch today.¡± Zhou Huaiming smiled as he smelled the aroma of the roast duck.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky. We caught no fish by the river a few nights ago but finally caught two ducksst night.¡± Gu Chengrui replied with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s so lucky. I¡¯m sure the flock of wild ducks that flew over earlier has almost all been caught by now.¡± Manager Liu agreed.


    ¡°You guys continue chatting; I¡¯m going to cook.¡± Zhou Ying then took the ducks and went to the kitchen.


    It just so happened they butchered a cow in the manor yesterday, so she stewed a small pot of beef, some cured meat stewed with beans, and then made three vegetable dishes.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui called Chang Shun, Uncle Nian, and Sun Hongliang over; they all ate together.


    Sun Hongliang looked at Zhou Ying after the meal, who was already sitting at the side drinking tea, and asked, ¡°Mistress, there are many cattle and sheep in the vige ready for butchering.


    ¡°In addition, the situation in various ces has stabilized. Should we reopen our restaurant?¡±


    Zhou Ying paused for a moment and shook her head. ¡°Although it has stabilized, I¡¯m afraid that only a few people are willing to eat at a restaurant. So, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to open it for now.


    ¡°If there are a lot of cattle and sheep, we can ughter them and sell them as meat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible. Now that every family is short on oil and meat, we can sell the meat for a high price.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that there¡¯s no pork; otherwise, we could have made a fortune.¡± Manager Liu nodded in agreement.


    After that, he looked at Sun Hongliang and said, ¡°It¡¯s not toote to open the restaurant when the dock¡¯s business is running. Otherwise, the peanuts we earn are insufficient to pay you your monthly sry. It¡¯s not worth it.¡±


    ¡°I know, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°If you n to sell meat, you can sell mutton soup, beef soup, and their offals. It¡¯s cheap and has plenty of fat, so it should sell well. The key is that it savesbor.¡± Uncle Nian spoke up at this moment.


    ¡°Brother Sun, you can try selling them outside the restaurant for two days and judge the public¡¯s reaction. If it can be sold, then we¡¯ll continue. If not, then wait.


    ¡°However, you must be careful being on the streets. Don¡¯t leave too early and return toote.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You guys continue chatting, and we¡¯ll take our leave.¡± After Sun Hongliang finished speaking, he stood up and said goodbye to Zhou Huaiming and Gu Chengrui before leaving.


    Then, Chang Shun and Uncle Nian also took their leave. At the same time, they also brought their tes, bowls, chopsticks, and other things into the kitchen.


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Huaiming brought up the topic of wild rose tea.


    Gu Chengrui got up and brought him and Manager Liu to Xin¡¯an vige. When Zhou Ying saw this, she also went out for a walk. After seeing that the sweet potatoes were growing well, she gave Sun Hongliang a few more words of advice and went back to the vige.


    When she returned at night, Zhou Ying learned that Gu Chengrui had taken 20 pounds of wild roses, and Zhou Huaiming wanted to sell the rest in the capital.


    The following day, Zhou Huaiming brought her arge piece of beef and requested it be made into beef jerky. He had a free lunch in the afternoon and left the vige with the beef jerky and wild roses.


    In the blink of an eye, nearly two months had passed, and the first batch of white sweet potatoes had been harvested.


    Beef and mutton were constantly being sold, but not inrge quantities. Including the county and town, half a cow or two sheep were sold on average each day.


    On the other hand, the mutton and beef soup was gone quickly every day. Every afternoon, it would be sold out in less than two hours once the stall was opened..

 Chapter 406 - 406 Borrowing Money

    Chapter 406: Borrowing Money


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    What was worth mentioning was that during this period, Constable Zhang, who was rtively free, woulde over to Gu Ziyi¡¯s ce to make his presence known.


    The patriarch and his wife quickly understood Constable Zhang¡¯s intentions.


    However, as long as he didn¡¯t stay overnight or force his way in, no one would interfere with their affairs.


    Gu Chengye and his wife built two tiny houses at the foot of the mountain because of Mother God Temple¡¯s reconstruction, selling tea and incense there. The business would not make them wealthy, but it was decently prosperous.


    One day, while Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui were harvesting the white sweet potato vines in the field, the vige chief approached them. ¡°Yo, you guys are starting already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, since we nted early.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and asked, ¡°1 heard that Grandpa Qian¡¯s family nted quite a lot of sweet potatoes this year?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our next year¡¯s worth of food depends on these white potatoes.¡± The vige chief smiled and continued, ¡°1 came here today to buy some beef from you guys since harvesting sweet potatoes is strenuous. We should at least nourish ourselves, eh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ll get someone to bring half a cattle¡¯s worth of meat here to sell tomorrow morning. Anyone who wants it can buy it at the vige entrance.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal then. You guys go ahead with your day.¡± The vige chief turned around to leave after he finished speaking.


    Zhou Ying quickly stopped him. ¡°Grandpa Qian, remember that we will buy white potato vines from you. Remember to keep them for us if you don¡¯t want them.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll give you more than half when the timees.¡±


    In the evening, Zhou Ying went to cook dinner after collecting the white potatoes.


    Gu Chengrui walked around the vige and told them about the beefing tomorrow. At the same time, he also mentioned their intention to collect sweet potato vines.


    This time, the situation differed fromst year, so many people promised to sell their white potato vines to the couple.


    The next day, when the meat arrived, the people started harvesting their white potatoes too.


    After drying the white potatoes, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui carted the white potato vines from home to the manor and began harvesting the white potatoes there together.


    Because they were nted at different times, it took them a month to harvest everything.


    After all the seeds were collected, County Magistrate Kong collected the excess and distributed it to areas with fewer seeds.


    After they werepletely done, river transportation also officially began. Those who wereing to the viges to collect white sweet potatoes were the first toe by boat.


    Apart from the families in Shanghe vige who had sold some, the other families would rather sell their children than white potatoes after the famine¡¯s devastation.


    Also, Zhou Ying took the opportunity to sell a batch of cattle and sheep.


    When she had just received the money and had not even warmed it up, Father Gu came to them to borrow money.


    Gu Chengrui looked up at him and asked, ¡°Father, are you considering buying a boat?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now that everything is going well, it¡¯s time to get a new customer base. I want to take the opportunity to strike and snatch some customers before others can.¡± Father Gu nodded and exined his reasoning.


    ¡°Of course, you can join us if you want,¡± he said after a moment of hesitation.


    After the couple looked at each other, Gu Chengrui shook his head and replied, ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about the transportation business, so we won¡¯t participate.


    ¡°But even though we¡¯re father and son, since you¡¯re borrowing money for business, you¡¯ll have to leave me an IOU.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Father Gu said after a short pause. ¡°When I return the money, I¡¯ll give you 30% of the interest.¡±


    ¡°Forget about the interest; you can just pay us back when you have more money.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Do you have a pen and paper?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please wait a moment.¡± Gu Chengrui went for a pen and paper and asked him to write an IOU. After pressing his thumbprint on it, Father Gu borrowed 20 taels of silver from them.


    ¡°I hope they will have a better result this time,¡± Gu Chengruimented after sending him back. ¡°Otherwise, these 20 taels of silver will be wasted..¡±

 Chapter 407 - 407 Entering The Capital For A Reward (1)

    Chapter 407: Entering The Capital For A Reward (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It has nothing to do with us, but with this IOU, we have a reason to reject them the next time they ask for more money.¡± Zhou Ying paused momentarily before continuing, ¡°Oh right, take some time to collect radishes and cabbages as a cover. Since there¡¯s no time to nt them in the manor this year, we have to let these workers have vegetables to eat in winter somehow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After that, the two of them entered the interspace to get busy.


    Turning to another end, the Third Prince had received an imperial edict from the emperor to summon him back to the capital to receive a reward. This was for the deed of promoting white sweet potatoes to the public.


    At the same time, the Emperor asked him to bring some white sweet potato seeds back to the capital.


    However, there was no mention of Gu Chengrui and his wife.


    ¡°Is it because he has forgotten, or is he deliberately ignoring it?¡± The Third Prince could not help but mutter about this.


    After thinking about it, he decided to ask about it.


    Putting aside the fact that he had failed twice, he did not have the face to meet the couple again if he couldn¡¯t at least reward them for their merits this time.


    The white sweet potato seeds they were bringing back came from their vige.


    If he had no reasonable answer, how could he have the face to go over and collect the seeds?


    The Emperor fell silent after reading the Third Prince¡¯s reply.


    He had intentionally ignored the couple and didn¡¯t expect the Third Prince to remember this.


    However, with Mother God bestowing many other agricultural seeds on them, the contributions of the Gu family¡¯s Gu Chengrui and his wife could be downyed.


    Therefore, the Emperor decided to stop ignoring their achievements. So, he issued an edict to let them enter the capital together to receive a reward.


    After the Third Prince received this edict, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    After informing his generals, who stayed behind to take care of the military camp, he personally led 5,000 soldiers to Shanghe vige.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui brought his medicinal herbs to town and requested that Doctor Luo reopen their clinic. He also hung up a sign saying that they were collecting medicinal herbs.


    Afterward, the couple brought Gu Chengxi along and began to dig up various medicinal herbs all over the mountains.


    One day, they came down from the mountain and saw Manager Liu waiting at the door. The two of them were surprised momentarily. Thus, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Uncle Liu, is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Manager Liu looked at the people on the street and hesitated.


    Gu Chengrui heard that and went inside with the medicinal herbs.


    Zhou Ying opened the door and invited Manager Liu into the room. She poured him a ss of cold water and said, ¡°Uncle Liu, do say what you need to say.¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember when the Third Prince took the seeds from here to the south to promote them?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It happenedst year. How can I not remember?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to borate on how important those sweet potatoes are. So, the Emperor is rewarding him for the act of promoting sweet potatoes to the masses.


    ¡°The Third Prince has also called for you two to return to the capital to receive the reward together. At the same time, he was told to bring back some more sweet potato seeds.


    ¡°At present, only the manor has a surplus of them, so we had no choice but to draw from the manor.¡± Manager Liu exined his visit.


    ¡°Sure, but this time you must leave behind 1,000 pounds¡¯ worth for each person. If anything happens, it won¡¯t be enough if it¡¯s anything less than this.¡±


    ¡°I understand. The Emperor only said to bring some seeds back and didn¡¯t say exactly how much, so we¡¯ll just gather as much as we can.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, when will the Third Princee over for the seeds?¡±


    ¡°The Third Prince has already arrived in the town, bringing many people with him this time. He isn¡¯t here alone, so I¡¯ll bring a convoy over tomorrow morning to pick up the sweet potatoes.


    ¡°Pack your luggage and follow the convoy to town.¡±


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± After speaking, Gu Chengrui hesitated and asked, ¡°Can we not go to the capital? I don¡¯t see any necessity to receive a reward from such a long distance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s almost winter. It¡¯s torture to travel so far.¡± Zhou Ying echoed.


    The key was that they had no power to rely on in the capital. If they entered the capital, they would have to tuck their tails between their legs, so they might enjoy their good time here in the vige..

 Chapter 408 - 408 Entering The Capital For A Reward (2)

    Chapter 408: Entering The Capital For A Reward (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t do. The imperial edict mentioned you two, so you have to go-


    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you want to eliminate your sinful statuses? This is the best opportunity to do so.¡± Although Manager Liu didn¡¯t outright mention the absoluteness of this mandate, his tone made it certain.


    The couple knew they couldn¡¯t hide from it, so they nodded.


    When she sent him out, Zhou Ying reminded Manager Liu, ¡°After entering the capital, winter should be starting, so we must bring more straw and other things to keep the carriage warm. Otherwise, the frozen sweet potatoes won¡¯t be able to be used as seeds.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Manager Liu nodded solemnly and then rushed to the manor.


    After dinner, they took a piece of beef and went to their old house. Madam Qiao, who had just put down her bowl, looked at the meat in their hands and was a little confused. Why did they send meat at such a time?


    But she didn¡¯t ask much. ¡°Oh, you guys are here. Have you eaten? If you haven¡¯t eaten,e and eat together.¡±


    ¡°We came after eating.¡± Gu Chengrui handed the meat to Mrs. Guo, who had stood up.


    Then, he told them that they would enter the capital to receive a reward. ¡°1 don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be back from the capital, so 1 came to tell you in advance.¡±


    ¡°This is great news. Maybe we can take the opportunity to return to the capital.¡± Mrs. Liu immediately smiled when she heard that.


    ¡°You think so? Do you think it¡¯s good to return to the capital without any power or influence?¡± Father Gu replied unhappily.


    He sighed and continued, ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do to stop this trip.¡±


    ¡°Since you two are going with the Third Prince, be sure to follow him and not act on your own.


    ¡°In addition, you must be careful of the First Prince¡¯s people and stay away from the Fourth Prince¡¯s men. Staying alive is more important than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Also, the Empress has always been at odds with Princess Ping Yang. Naturally, she wants to eliminate our Gu family as soon as possible. Try not to get in touch with her if possible.¡± Second Uncle Gu echoed.


    Madam Qiao nodded in agreement. ¡°Indeed, the capital is a sinkhole. You must be careful.


    ¡°If there¡¯s something you can¡¯t avoid, look for Concubine An.


    ¡°I saved her life when 1 was young, and we got along quite well.


    ¡°She and the Empress Dowager are cousins and have always been very close. At a critical moment, she can protect your lives.


    ¡°However, you can¡¯t use it simply because it¡¯s likely that she will do what you ask her to do to repay this debt.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use it when we were kicked out?¡± Mrs. Liu asked indignantly.


    If they had used it back then, would they even have lived such a miserable life in this remote ce?


    ¡°Do you think Concubine An would dare defy an imperial edict? If the Emperor wants to sack us out, it would be useless even if we have the Empress Dowager on our side.¡± Madam Qiao answered unhappily.


    She hesitated and continued, ¡°When you reach the capital, go to the Ministry of Revenue¡¯s Yang family and see your aunt and see how she¡¯s doing.


    ¡°If¡­


    ¡°If they¡¯re not doing well, bring them back.¡±


    ¡°Also, that uncle of yours is on the First Prince¡¯s side. You must be careful.¡± Father Gu quickly added.


    ¡°I understand. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll bring Auntie back.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After that, they chatted for a while more. However, most of the time, it was Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu analyzing the capital¡¯s political situation.


    Zhou Ying also knew that her ¡°father,¡± Headmaster Zhou, was the father-inw of the Fourth Prince on the surface but sided with the Emperor.


    After chatting for a while, the two bade farewell.


    When they returned home, the vige had already quieted down. They locked their doors and brought Er Zhuang into the interspace.


    After finishing the work in her interspace, Zhou Ying took the opportunity to put all the fish, aged about a year old, into the river outside the vige, then began packing her luggage..

 Chapter 409 - 409 Entering The Capital For A Reward (3)

    Chapter 409: Entering The Capital For A Reward (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Because they had been holed up at home for the past few years, they had no decent clothes.


    Zhou Ying had no choice but to take out the best cloth in her interspace and use the sewing machine to make two sets of winter clothes.


    She made two more cloaks. The outeryer was made of dark satin, and the inneryer was made of a thin quilt made of silk.


    Of course, the opening at the bottom was open and could be reced with a thicker one at any time.


    After they were done, it was alreadyte at night, so the two slept in the interspace.


    The next day, they woke up early and brought Er Zhuang to the manor. They reviewed the number of sweet potatoes they were bringing along with Chang Shun and started loading the carriages when Manager Liu arrived.


    They were busy until evening. Manager Liu found the two and said, ¡°You two go home and pack up, and we will leave after breakfast tomorrow.


    ¡°Remember to patch up your carriage with your own bedding.


    ¡°ording to the Third Prince, we will be camping in the wilderness on the way to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Understood. After we leave, please take care of the manor and the restaurant, Uncle Liu.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°I will. Be careful, you two. Listen more and talk less when you reach the capital.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Afterward, she gave some additional instructions to Sun Hongliang, Chang Shun, and Uncle Nian before returning to the vige.


    After entering the vige, they went to the vige chief, patriarch, and Gu Ziyi¡¯s house to say their goodbyes.


    Finally, Gu Chengrui went to the Tian family and called Tian Jiawang out. After telling him about them entering the capital, he said, ¡°Our families are always close to each other, so 1¡¯11 leave the house to you. If the winter gets too cold, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to burn some firewood to warm up the house asionally.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Leave this to me. By the way, what about the restaurant after you leave?¡±


    ¡°Refer to Sun Hongliang. He¡¯ll inform you when it¡¯s time to open for business.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then, I wish you all a safe journey.¡±


    Gu Chengrui smiled and nodded, then went home.


    Coincidentally, Zhou Ying¡¯s beef noodles were also readied, so the couple had dinner.


    After the meal, the two put all the valuable things in the house into the interspace. As for Er Zhuang, they decided to put him in the interspace so that he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer with the others.


    The next morning, they took two sets of thick bedding, their luggage, arge bag of beef jerky, some dried vegetables, and a bag of meat floss made from beef and rushed to the manor.


    Halfway there, they bumped into Father Gu and Second Uncle Gu. The two of them took out a big bag of vermicelli and handed it to them. ¡°There¡¯s nothing better at our home now. 1 hope you two don¡¯t mind the shabbiness.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? This is good stuff.¡± Gu Chengrui took it. ¡°Keep this vermicelli a secret for the time being. In a year or two, it might be our n¡¯s ie source.¡±


    The two brothers smiled and nodded, and replied, ¡°We understand. You must be careful on this trip.


    ¡°As for your aunt¡¯s family¡­


    ¡°If it¡¯s too troublesome, then forget it. We can¡¯t go against the Yang family now.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded with aplicated expression. These words were good for them, but it would be a blow to his ¡°aunt¡±.


    However, he also knew Father Gu and the others¡¯ intentions, so he did not say anything. After exchanging a few polite words, he set off.


    When they arrived at the vige entrance, the vige chief gave them 20 boiled eggs, and they received a cooked rooster from the patriarch.


    At the same time, he gave a firm reminder.


    Especially the patriarch, who repeatedly emphasized that it was good as long as they returned safely.


    With this dy, by the time they reached the manor, Manager Liu and the others were almost ready.


    Finally, the couple collected arge pot of stewed beef from Unlce Nian and set off with Manager Liu¡¯s convoy..

 Chapter 410 - 410 Entering The Capital For A

    Chapter 410: Entering The Capital For A


    Reward (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When they arrived at the town, the Third Prince had already arrived outside the city and was in the midst of giving orders to County Magistrate Kong.


    After they finished speaking, Gu Chengrui exited the carriage and greeted them. Afterward, he followed behind the Third Prince¡¯s carriage and set off.


    Because they were using mules to transport the sweet potato seeds, their journey was decently paced. By the evening, they had already reached the border of Dongyang Province.


    After setting up camp, the Third Prince found the couple and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but because of the limited tents, you can rest in my tent, and I¡¯ll rest in my study.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. Once we leave Dongyang Province, our journey will speed up.


    ¡°As for your horses, you don¡¯t have to worry about them. Someone will help you feed them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°By the way, we have a lot of cooked food in our carriage. Doe and eat with uster.¡± Zhou Ying offered.


    ¡°Yes, yes. There¡¯s a cooked rooster and a jar of stewed beef. We can¡¯t let it go bad, so doe and eat with us.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stand on ceremony then.¡± When the Third Prince thought of Zhou Ying¡¯s cooking, he salivated a little. He nodded and replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get them to send some more dishester.¡±


    After the Third Prince said that, he brought them back to his tent.


    After confirming their tent¡¯s location, Gu Chengrui brought his bedding over. At the same time, he called someone to bring all the food down from their carriages except for the beef jerky.


    When they returned to their carriage, they separated their portion and sent the rest to the kitchen, especially the meat floss.


    When added to soup, meat floss not only improved the vor but also increased the nutritional value.


    That¡¯s right, the soldiers¡¯ meals at night were thick soup with flour dumplings, while their dry rations were reserved for during the day.


    Of course, they had a small bowl of soup each, and the Third Prince¡¯s eyes lit up after taking a sip.


    After many years stationed in Dongyang, he knew it was considered great if the troops down below could fill their stomachs 70% to 80% full. They were also restricted to eating meat only on special asions.


    However, it would be different if it was this meat floss.


    The soldiers could still eat meat but would consume less. The main point was that the taste was great.


    He hesitated momentarily and asked, ¡°This meat floss is a good thing for our troops. 1 wonder if you can sell me the recipe.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and said, ¡°You¡¯re too polite. There¡¯s really nothing challenging about this meat floss recipe. Roast the meat after preparing it in the same way as you would for stew.


    ¡°The only difference is that the meat floss must be beaten while roasting until it bes meat floss.¡±


    The Third Prince nodded in understanding. ¡°When you¡¯re free, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to teach my chefs.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll teach when I have the ingredients.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    At night, because he was in the military camp, Gu Chengrui did not enter Zhou Ying¡¯s interspace. Instead, he stayed outside to read his medical scriptures.


    After Zhou Ying finished her work in her interspace, it was already past midnight when she came out.


    Perhaps she was not used to sleeping in the wild; she subconsciously spread out her spiritual sense to confirm her safety.


    Her spiritual sense had already reached a radius of about a hundred miles, and she could see everyone¡¯s every move clearly.


    What she didn¡¯t expect was that she didn¡¯t need to go through her warehouse in her interspace to follow the people¡¯s faith anymore.


    When she looked over at the Third Prince, she saw the purple glow around him getting heavier and darker. However, the spot between his eyebrows had a ck-red tinge.


    This was, this was¡­


    This was a sign of a crowning cmity..

 Chapter 411 - 411 Entering The Capital For A

    Chapter 411: Entering The Capital For A


    Reward (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next day, Zhou Ying informed Gu Chengrui of what she saw, and the two began to pay attention to every move around them.


    Especially Zhou Ying, who had been staring at her surroundings because she knew they would not have a good time if anything happened to the Third Prince. They had to do their best to ensure the safety of the Third Prince.


    For the next three days, everything went smoothly. However, the ck-red color between the Third Prince¡¯s eyebrows became thicker and thicker, and Zhou Ying knew this was the darkness before dawn.


    One night, they decided to camp on the outskirts of a vige. After the soldiers stopped, a portion of them immediately began setting up camp while their captains went to a well in the vige to fetch water.


    After Zhou Ying settled down, she saw a mountain nearby and wanted to know if she could find wild food to eat.


    She couldn¡¯t take it anymore if all she had to eat daily were dumpling soup and ck steamed buns.


    She immediately discovered something wrong when she spread out her spiritual senses to ¡®look¡¯ at the vige.


    Firstly, there were too few people. There were only a dozen families, but this wasn¡¯t what triggered her suspicion.


    What alerted her was that these people¡¯s houses were very run-down, which meant they were not rich.


    However, there were rice and ck noodles at their homes, and they all looked very strong.


    This was especially true for theborers. Not only were they strong, but they all walked with a simr footwork pattern. They were not ordinary farmers.


    After that, she carefully searched the vige and soon found an old man hiding in a house that was almost in ruins, staring at the captain as he fetched water.


    His expression was a mix of excitement, nervousness, and seriousness. It was evident that he was up to no good.


    Zhou Ying probed her senses into the well. The water was clear, and she did not find anything unusual.


    But when she raised her head to look at the captains, she didn¡¯t expect to see their brows covered in a ck cloud.


    Could it be¡­


    She found Gu Chengrui and told him about this. ¡°I suspect that there¡¯s something wrong with the water. It might have been drugged. What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret. I¡¯ll think of a way.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around to look for the Third Prince and obtained his permission to enter the vige to buy some vegetables.


    He brought ten soldiers and walked into the vige.


    As soon as he entered the vige, he quickly understood why Zhou Ying, who had no experience in investigating, could find the problem.


    These people were too abnormal. How could they look this muscr in a year of such disaster? He could also faintly sense the killing intenting off their bodies.


    These killers were probably disguised asborers.


    He looked for a woman and asked, ¡°Miss, do you have any extra vegetables at home? Can we want to buy some?¡±


    ¡°No, no, you guys, hurry up and leave.¡± The woman nced at him and ran away in a panic.


    At the same time, when the people on the street saw this, they immediately turned around and went home. Only a few men stayed around, busy cutting firewood or repairing roofs in the vige.


    The woodcutter was cutting his wood earnestly, but the roof repairman didn¡¯t look like he was even doing a good job. He didn¡¯t even look like a person who was used to this kind of work.


    After confirming his guesses, Gu Chengrui turned around and said, ¡°Fine, since they don¡¯t wee us, let¡¯s hold on to our rations for a few more days.¡±


    After saying that, he led the group of soldiers back to the military camp and told the Third Prince about the abnormality in the vige.¡¯Tm afraid they are bandits from the mountains, so we must be careful.


    ¡°Just in case, I¡¯m afraid the well water we drew can¡¯t be drunk. I have to go and check it out.¡±


    The Third Prince turned his head to look at the vige, then at carriages filled with sweet potato seeds. He nodded and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being careful. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Chengrui replied and turned to go to the kitchen. When he saw them pouring water into the pot, he immediately stopped them. ¡°Wait, wait a minute..¡±

 Chapter 412 - 412 Entering The Capital For A Reward (6)

    Chapter 412: Entering The Capital For A Reward (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Oh, Doctor Gu. What brings you here?¡± At this moment, the plump kitchen chef called out.


    ¡°There¡¯s something 1 need to do. The vige is deste, so for safety¡¯s sake, I¡¯m here to check if the water is drinkable.¡±


    ¡°This water looks so clear. It should be fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Being clear doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s better to be careful.¡±


    The fat kitchen chef saw that he was insistent and did not object. Instead, he urged, ¡°Then you better hurry up; thousands of brothers are waiting to eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Gu Chengrui responded and then asked them to lower their heads to take a sniff. As expected, there was no smell.


    As for testing the poison, he didn¡¯t do that personally. He wouldn¡¯t fare well if it were poisoned, even if he did not die.


    At this moment, a lizard happened to pass by. Gu Chengrui went forward and grabbed it. He poured a bowl of water and threw the lizard into the bowl.


    When the fat kitchen chef saw this, he wanted to stop it, but he shut his mouth as he reached out his hand.


    The lizard rolled a few times in the water and quickly stopped moving.


    The vitality of these wild critters was resilient, especially when this lizard wasn¡¯t in deep waters, being in such a shallow bowl.


    If nothing had been wrong with the water or it had not been poisoned, it would not have died this quickly.


    ¡°This, this¡­¡± the fat chef was stunned when he saw this. At the same time, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Who wanted their lives?


    Coincidentally, the Third Prince followed them in. His heart sank when he saw this scene, and he roughly understood what was happening.


    This kind of poison was precious and not something ordinary people coulde into contact with.


    He said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Use the water we brought with us to cook our dinner, and be careful not to use these buckets anymore.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked out.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The fat chef immediately responded and called everyone to bring their water in.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui also walked out with that bowl. He studied it on the way back but still could not determine what poison it was.


    The Third Prince called a few generals over, then asked them to pick some elite soldiers and arrange for them to set up a trap.


    Of course, it would be best if they could catch the perpetrator alive and find out who the mastermind was.


    They would still send them before the King of Hell if they couldn¡¯t capture them alive.


    On the other end of the line, Zhou Ying knew she couldn¡¯t go out anymore after this incident. She just returned to the camp and took some water from her interspace to wash up.


    She saw Gu Chengruie in with a bowl and asked curiously, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the well water, and a lizard was poisoned to death after being inside it.


    Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know what kind of poison it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as we know we can¡¯t drink it. I sure wonder who the perpetrator is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The Third Prince himself has many military merits and has contributed a lot to promoting the white sweet potato. Perhaps he has threatened the interests of some people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It looks like we have to be careful from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we won¡¯t be able to sleep well until this matter is over.¡±


    After that, with Zhou Ying guarding him, Gu Chengrui went into the interspace to find out roughly what kind of poison it was.


    However, he could only confirm that it was a poison extracted from a nt. As for what kind of poison it was, he still needed to verify it in detail.


    After dinner, the Third Prince walked in and said, ¡°Tonight, you guys go to the kitchen and hide. No matter what happens, don¡¯te out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, be careful.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded. He took out a packet of poison powder and handed it to him. ¡°This is a powder that poisons the wounds. You can put it on your swords.¡±


    The Third Prince shook his head after hearing this. He disdained to do such a despicable act.


    Gu Chengrui saw this and did not force him. He just ced the bag of power on the only bed in the tent, then turned around and walked out with Zhou Ying..

 Chapter 413 - 413 Entering The Capital For A

    Chapter 413: Entering The Capital For A


    Reward (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, in the dead of night, the couple sneaked back to the back of the main tent and waited for those people to appear.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying used her spiritual sense to monitor everything in the vige.


    Sure enough, a few figures sneaked into the camp just after midnight. When they saw some bodies lying on the ground, they did not check them carefully. Instead, they kicked it to the side and rushed to the main tent.


    After entering, it was quiet inside. One of them said, ¡°It looks like we seeded.¡±


    ¡°We must see the corpse. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, we will all die.¡± The leader shook his head and went into the main tent.


    As they lifted the curtain, more than ten people suddenly barged in and blocked the exit.


    ¡°Not good.¡± The leader cried out in surprise and barged in, intending to tear open one side of the tent and leave.


    Unexpectedly, the torches suddenly lit up just as they rushed in, and they were surrounded.


    ¡°Surrender or die?¡± The Third Prince asked as he got off the bed.


    These assants looked at each other and raised their swords to sh at him.


    The answer was self-evident.


    When the Third Prince saw this, he waved his hand and ordered his men to rush over while he hid to the side.


    Immediately, the tent fell in chaos. Seeing that they had been surrounded, these assants retreated to the back of the tent while fending off the soldiers. It would be enough if even one of them could return to the vige alive to report the situation here.


    However, there was a massive difference in the number of people on both sides. Even if the other party¡¯s martial arts were better than the elite soldiers, they were still restrained and could not get into a fighting stance. Also, several of these assants were killed in battle.


    When they retreated to the back of the tent, only two people were left.


    When one of the two saw this, he immediately cut open arge hole in the tent and crawled out.


    However, halfway through, he was kicked back in.


    At the same time, his otherpanion was stabbed into a bloody mess and fell on him.


    When the soldiers saw this, they rushed forward and pulled hispanion away before pressing him to the ground.


    After several searches, they found nothing except a small poison sac in his mouth.


    After that, he was directly escorted to the Third Prince.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying also came in from outside the tent.


    When the Third Prince saw them, his eyes shed, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.


    A young general looked at thest survivor and said, ¡°Your people are all dead now.


    ¡°You can live in seclusion as long as you tell me who you belong to.¡±


    ¡°I only want to die with aplete body.¡± That person raised his head and sneered.


    ¡°Aplete body, huh? However, since you dare to assassinate the Third Prince, you must be prepared to die a horrible death.


    ¡°Therefore, when we leave, we will take your corpses with us and hang them on the city gates of the next county.


    ¡°They will be eaten by eagles, crows, and other animals until nothing is left.¡± The general smiled and stated.


    ¡°You¡­¡± that person looked at him in disbelief, then turned to look at the Third Prince.


    The Third Prince did not even look at him. Instead, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Take them all away. Just feed him the water from the vige well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The young general responded and called for his soldiers to drag the bodies of him and hispanions out.


    Only then did the Third Prince look at the couple and say, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t sleep either?¡±


    ¡°How can we sleep after such a big incident? I just wanted to see if I could help, and sure enough, I got a chance to kick someone back in.¡± Gu Chengruimented.


    At this moment, a series of messy footsteps came from outside, and there were even the cries of women and children..

 Chapter 414 - 414 Entering The Capital For A

    Chapter 414: Entering The Capital For A


    Reward (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Come with me to help on this, then.¡± After the Third Prince finished speaking, he left the tent.


    The couple knew the vigers had been captured and immediately followed him.


    The Third Prince asked the leading general, ¡°Have you brought everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I brought everyone from the vige.¡± The general nodded.


    The Third Prince nodded and sat on a carriage parked at the side.


    When the general saw this, he went forward and swept his gaze across the crowd. ¡°This is the Third Prince; he will let you all go as long as you tell the truth. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for giving you a taste of your own medicine.¡±


    At this moment, Zhou Ying spread her spiritual senses to ¡®look¡¯ at everyone.


    Most of them had panicked looks on their faces, and their eyes were filled with despair. Only two people looked afraid, but their eyes were filled with coldness and a murderous intent; there was no hint of panic.


    Soon, someone came with a bucket of water. The general pointed and said, ¡°Look at how clear the water is, but it was poisoned by you all. What a pity.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t¡­¡± an old man raised his head and refuted angrily.


    When Zhou Ying saw him, she remembered that he had been monitoring the captain as he drew water in some ruins.


    She poked Gu Chengrui, and he immediately thought of the old man she had mentioned before. Thus, he went forward and scooped out a bowl of water. ¡°Very well. Drink this bowl of water, and I¡¯ll believe you.¡±


    The old man snorted coldly. ¡°Child, how can you be so rude? I¡¯m already so old. If you let me drink cold water, wouldn¡¯t that make me have a stomachache?¡±


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s cold water? It¡¯s boiled, and it just cools down. You won¡¯t get a stomachache. Don¡¯t worry.¡± After finishing speaking, Gu Chengrui lifted the bowl to the old man¡¯s mouth.


    When the old man saw this, he immediately took a step back. When the general saw this, he immediately understood that the old man had probably participated in this sabotage. He went forward to take the bowl from Gu Chengrui¡¯s hand and then gave a soldier who was holding the old man a look.


    The soldier understood this and held him down tightly. When the general saw this, he pinched the old man¡¯s chin, pouring the bowl water into him.


    Although the old man struggled with all his might, he was still forced to drink a few mouthfuls.


    Another person hiding in the crowd saw this and shook off the soldiers beside him. He then quickly rushed out of the crowd.


    He pulled an iron hairpin from his hair and quickly rushed out of the crowd to stab the Third Prince.


    The Third Prince was slightly surprised but still dodged to the side and simultaneously kicked the assassin in the chest.


    Although the assassin managed to dodge the kick in time, he staggered back a few steps before stabilizing his body.


    When the soldiers saw this, they immediately protected the Third Prince behind them, then raised their swords and rushed over.


    When the assassin saw this, he knew he no longer had a chance. He took a bag from his pocket and was about to throw it at everyone. When Zhou Ying saw this, she immediately shouted, ¡°Step back!¡±


    She then used her slingshot to shoot at the assassin¡¯s hand holding the bag of powder.


    Although the assassin had thrown the bag of powder out, it didn¡¯t get very far. Instead, the bag of powder fell around him.


    At the same time, the soldiers retreated.


    Theyter saw the assassin suffocating. He sped his chest tightly andid down stiffly a momentter.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Why is it so poisonous?¡± At this moment, a soldier curiously took two steps forward and eximed when he saw the assassin who was instantly poisoned to death.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, stay away.¡± Gu Chengrui warned.


    ¡°Dig up a trench and bury him immediately,¡± he ordered.


    A few soldiers close to the assassin felt their hair stand on end when they heard that. They immediately took an iron shovel to the side and buried the body and powder.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, do you know what kind of poison it is?¡± The Third Prince asked..

 Chapter 415 - 415 Entering The Capital For A Reward (9)

    Chapter 415: Entering The Capital For A Reward (9)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°ording to his symptoms, he¡¯s most likely been poisoned with a powder made from the extract of the sap leaves of a tropical tree called the poison arrow tree.


    ¡°Its effect is to paralyze the heart, coagte blood, seal blood vessels, and finally suffocate a person to death. Its toxicity is even more potent than that of a five-paced viper.


    ¡°As long as it touches you briefly, it can kill you.¡±


    Gu Chengrui had just finished speaking when the old man twitched violently and kicked his leg out.


    The way the two died was simr, but one was fast, and the other was slower.


    ¡°It seems that the poison they were poisoned with came from the poison arrow tree, but in different forms.¡±


    The Third Prince asked thoughtfully, ¡°You mean this thinges from the tropics? What do you mean by tropics?¡±


    ¡°The tropics are ces that are very hot all year round. For example, the south of the Ming Dynasty is especially hot and humid.¡±


    ¡°South?¡± The Third Prince¡¯s face turned solemn when he heard that. He looked at his general and said, ¡°Continue the interrogation. If they don¡¯t speak, let them have a taste of this poison from afar.¡±


    After speaking, he brought Gu Chengrui and his wife back to his tent.


    When the vigers heard this, they were shocked at first. However, when they saw that the outsiders were all dead, they immediately cried and told them what had happened during this period.


    About three days ago, eight men with knives came to the vige and killed all the strongborers in the vige.


    They would then hold the children of each family hostage to control them. If anyone disobeyed, he would kill their entire family.


    At this moment, the woman who had previously refused Gu Chengrui¡¯s request to buy groceries kneeled and said, ¡°Please let my child go. He¡¯s the only child of our two families.¡±


    ¡°Missus, hadn¡¯t the Third Prince had already given orders that only those who don¡¯t cooperate will be killed?? We won¡¯t kill those who cooperate.¡± The general went forward to help her up.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the Third Prince¡¯s words are always true.¡±


    ¡°I know the situation in the vige. If you want to know anything else, just ask.¡± The woman immediately wiped her tears when she heard that.


    The young general¡¯s mouth twitched, and he thought inwardly, ¡°She¡¯s sure good at controlling her tears.¡± Thus, he asked directly, ¡°Do you know who these outsiders are?


    ¡°Or did they reveal anything?¡±


    ¡°I just know about the old man, and he¡¯s the butler of the Lu family in town.


    Thend in our vige belongs to the Lu family.¡±


    ¡°Yes, on the surface, the Lu family appears to be benevolent, but that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth.¡±


    ¡°When the son of the Lu family sees a girl he likes, he will force her to marry him.


    ¡°If a girl marries him, he won¡¯t care about the girl anymore after the novelty wears off. If the girl is lucky, she can still live if she has given birth to a son or a daughter. She¡¯ll die or be a servant if she¡¯s unlucky.¡±


    ¡°A girl in our vige was killed before. Her brothers went to reason with the Lu family, and in the end, the entire family was forced to death.¡±


    ¡°Forced to death?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They didn¡¯t rent thend to them anymore or let them go out to look for work. The problem is that local ruffians and hooligans are repeatedly making trouble for that family, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know the identities of the others?¡± The general nodded and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the butler is quite respectful to them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Butler Lu seems to be afraid of them.¡±


    The general listened for a long time, but there were only two valuable points. One was Butler Lu¡¯s identity, and the other was that Butler Lu feared those strong men.


    After that, they asked the Third Prince for instructions. Ultimately, the Third Prince lets these vigers go after ordering them to keep this incident a secret.


    The Third Prince and his group did not set off the next day. Instead, they sent soldiers to town to investigate the Lu, dressed as farmers..

 Chapter 416 - 416 Entering The Capital For A Reward (10)

    Chapter 416: Entering The Capital For A Reward (10)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    They wouldn¡¯t have known if they hadn¡¯t investigated, but when they did, they were really shocked. On the surface, the Lu family was famous for being kind and had given out many porridge meals during every natural disaster.


    However, he had also done many evil deeds in private. Most of everyone here knew about it, and it wasn¡¯t just the Lu family¡¯s son doing them.


    The Lu family¡¯s elder and butler had relied on a great aunt of the Lu family in the capital to rob the people here of their businesses and cut off their ie over the years.


    After the Third Prince received the news, he had a headache because the great aunt of the Lu family was the Empress¡¯s aunt. Also, the great aunt was also the wife of a second-grade official, and she wasn¡¯t someone he could simply deal with.


    Thus, he submitted a memorial and reported the evil deed the Lu family had done to the Emperor. Heter sent someone to the county government to settle the Lu family here.


    At the same time, thend in the vige was distributed to the vigers ordingly.


    The messenger set off for the capital with this memorial.


    Five dayster, the Emperor received the Third Prince¡¯s memorial.


    His expression turned ugly when he found out that the Empress¡¯s people had nned to assassinate the Third Prince.


    The Third Prince guarded the north and east of the country. What was the Empress thinking by causing trouble at this time? Did she want to break the bnce that he had painstakingly established?


    After that, he informed the Empress about this matter. As for how to deal with the Lu family¡¯s great aunt, he left it to her to do as she saw fit.


    When the Empress found out, she cursed inwardly about the Lu family¡¯s dumbness.


    She also knew that she had angered the Emperor this time, so she had no choice but to take away Great Aunt Lu¡¯s mandate and ground her for a month.


    Ten dayster, the Third Prince¡¯s group arrived at arge canyon and looked at the steep stone walls on both sides.


    Before the Third Prince entered the canyon, he ordered his men to stop and set up camp by a small river.


    He also sent people to the mountains on both sides to see if there were any ambushes. He did not believe that these assassins would attack only once.


    After settling down, Zhou Ying looked for Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°Should we go to the river to see if there are any fish? If there are, we can have something more substantial for our meals.¡±


    Gu Chengrui knew that she wanted to go out and walk around. Honestly, he was also a little tired after rushing all the way. He nodded and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go find the captain and ask for a basket.¡±


    After saying that, the two of them went out.


    When he returned with a basket, he happened to bump into the Third Prince. After understanding his purpose, the Third Prince also followed them to the river.


    The river was wide but not deep, with the water only reaching Zhou Ying¡¯s waist. The fish inside the river could be seen with their naked eyes.


    The Third Prince looked at the small fish in the water and asked, ¡°These fish look so small. Can they be eaten?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of freshwater white-striped fish. It doesn¡¯t grow big, but it¡¯s still delicious after frying them.¡± Zhou Ying broke the stale bread left from lunch into small pieces and put them into the basket.


    Zhou Ying pulled off the scarf on her head, covered half of the basket, and went into the water.


    Seeing this, the Third Prince shook his head and did not speak again. Instead, he sat on a rock and looked up at the mountain.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying spread her spiritual senses into the water. Sure enough, there was no bigger fish, with the biggest fish nearby being a catfish that weighed about one pound.


    She wasn¡¯t picky, so she quickly used her spiritual senses to chase the fish and prawns into her basket.


    Gu Chengrui discovered that crayfish were also by the river, so he went to the side to catch them.


    Zhou Ying had already caught half a basket¡¯s worth of small fish in a short while, and to prevent the Third Prince from noticing that something was amiss, she left the river.


    Although some of it escaped when she came out of the water, there were still five pounds of small fish and prawns. There were even a few loaches and eels mixed in, which made her smile with satisfaction.


    Gu Chengrui saw that she was carrying the basket and immediately ran over to take a look. ¡°What a great harvest! Here, put the crayfish in the basket as well..¡±

 Chapter 417 - 417 Entering The Capital For A Reward (11)

    Chapter 417: Entering The Capital For A Reward (11)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Crayfish, that¡¯s good stuff. It seems that the water quality in this area is not bad.¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the crayfish.


    ¡°Yes, and there are quite a few around.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought her downstream. As expected, he found a lot of crayfish and some small crabs in the cracks of the rocks.


    However, it was not the season for crabs, so she did not take them.


    Instead, she gathered many crayfish and took the opportunity to collect some for the river in her interspace.


    After collecting them, the husband and wife called the Third Prince back to the camp.


    After returning to the camp, they cleaned up all the fish and prawns. Zhou Ying marinated the small fish and made dried fish and dried shrimp.


    After washing the crayfish, she also marinated them with a spicy vor.


    She left some for the young general and brought the rest back to the main camp.


    They waited for a while because the Third Prince was not present and only began eating after the Third Prince returned.


    However, the Third Prince only ate dried fish and even discarded the head of the fish.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he removed the shells of two crayfish and ced them on the Third Prince¡¯s te. ¡°Don¡¯t just eat the small fish; this crayfish is the real delicacy.¡±


    The Third Prince was disgusted by the strange-looking worms but was too embarrassed to say anything, so he didn¡¯t eat a single one.


    When he saw Gu Chengrui giving it to him, he wanted to reject it. But when he saw Zhou Ying eating and enjoying it until oil covered her mouth, the Third Prince hesitated momentarily and finally picked it up and put it in his mouth.


    Not only that it didn¡¯t taste bad, but it was also smooth and delicious. It wasn¡¯t inferior to any seafood he¡¯d had before.


    He suddenly understood why Zhou Ying, a woman, ate without caring about her image.


    However, he didn¡¯t know how to remove the shells of the crayfish and was too embarrassed to ask his subordinates to help him, so he continued eating only the tiny fish.


    Gu Chengrui looked at his awkward expression and was secretly amused that the Third Prince still cared about his image.


    If it were Zhou Huai Ming, he would have already started snatching these crayfish.


    After that, he exined to the Third Prince where he could and couldn¡¯t eat.


    Since only the tails of the crayfish could be eaten in this season, it was a rtively simple exnation.


    After trying twice, the Third Prince found the trick and quickly started eating. In a short while, therge basin of crayfish was eaten up by them.


    Ultimately, the Third Prince was still unsatisfied, feeling it wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Third Prince, when are we leaving?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave early tomorrow morning. You guys should rest early tonight.¡± After the Third Prince finished speaking, he asked his subordinates to clean up the bowls and went out.


    Seeing this, the husband and wife went to the kitchen again to get a basket. Later, they went to the river and caught more crayfish at night.


    Of course, the main thing was that Zhou Ying was catching them with her spiritual senses. While Gu Chengrui was carrying the basket on his back, he covered them with a wooden board to prevent them from running out.


    Not long after, a group of captains walked over with a few torches and two baskets on their backs. The fat kitchen chef smiled and asked, ¡°Doctor Gu, can you see in the dark?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t before, but it¡¯s much easier on my eyes with your torches. Why? Are you all here to catch crayfish?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t expect these water worms to be this delicious, so we came over to try catching them. If we can get many of them, we can let everyone have a taste.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up then. Maybe we¡¯ll even strike gold and catch a big fish.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    When the fat chef saw this, he went down the river some distance away from the couple.


    He put some biscuits into one of the baskets and went straight into the water. He picked up the other basket and also started looking for prawns by the river.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying deliberately used her divine sense to surge some prawns over. At the same time, she also gathered some loaches, eels, and a few medium-sized fish into the fat chef¡¯s basket that was ced in the water..

 Chapter 418 - 418 Entering The Capital For A Reward (12)

    Chapter 418: Entering The Capital For A Reward (12)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    An hourter, the group filled two baskets with prawns and crayfish and another half basket with assorted fish before stopping.


    They would be too far from the camp if they walked any further.


    After returning, Gu Chengrui noticed there were fewer people in the military camp. However, seeing that the captains weren¡¯t surprised, he did not ask any further.


    When they arrived at the kitchen, the group of people sorted out everything they had caught.


    At the same time, when Zhou Ying saw the fat kitchen chef gut all the eels and grind them, she asked in surprise, ¡°Chef, are you going to cook now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s for the brothers on duty. There¡¯s finally meat to fill their stomachs.¡± The fat kitchen chef replied.


    ¡°I see; then well head back for now. Remember to cover the basket at night. Otherwise, if the prawns and crayfish ran away, it would be a waste.¡±


    After Zhou Ying finished speaking, the couple returned to the main tent. Through the curtain, they saw that the Third Prince was still buried in his documents, so they went straight back into their roompartment.


    After lying down, Zhou Ying was about to enter her interspace when Gu Chengrui stopped her in a low voice. ¡°Let¡¯s wait. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be a peaceful night.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that there are fewer people in the camp today?¡±


    ¡°Really? I really didn¡¯t. Is there something going on? Why didn¡¯t the Third Prince tell us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not his soldiers, so he doesn¡¯t have to tell us anything. Besides, he¡¯s in the camp too, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any danger. Let¡¯s just go to bed early.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying replied andid down. However, out of curiosity, she didn¡¯t fall asleep.


    She used her spiritual senses to probe around.


    Only then did she realize that there were groups of soldiers lying in ambush on both sides of the cliff. No wonder there were fewer people in camp as they had gone there.


    But there was nothing unusual on the mountain.


    She looked at the mountain road, and after confirming that nothing was out of the ordinary, she realized the Third Prince was overthinking things.


    After that, she didn¡¯t bother checking anymore. However, just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a low flute sound in a daze.


    She quickly used her spiritual sense to look around and saw two triangle-headed snakes quickly crawling toward their camp.


    She was shocked. Although she did not know exactly what snake it was, a snake with a triangr head was definitely venomous.


    When she heard the strange, rhythmic flute sound, she immediately jolted. She quickly woke Gu Chengrui up and told him about it.


    Gu Chengrui immediately sat up when he heard that, and he just so happened to see a snake crawl in and pounce on them.


    He immediately grabbed a ss of water and threw it over.


    s, the snake was faster. After dodging the ss, it darted at them again.


    Zhou Ying quickly remembered what snakes were afraid of. She knew it was wine, a wine with a high alcohol content.


    She immediately took out a small jar of high-proof wine and threw it at the snake¡¯s head.


    Although the snake managed to dodge it again, it got dizzy and couldn¡¯t get close.


    ¡°Sword.¡± Gu Chengrui reached out his hand and asked for a sword.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment and immediately reacted. She took out a military sword she had collected previously and handed it to him.


    Gu Chengrui took it and got off the bed. He jumped at the snake and shed horizontally.


    When the snake saw this, it turned around and dodged. It thenshes out and tries to bite Gu Chengrui¡¯s arm in a straight line.


    Gu Chengrui immediately whipped the snake with his backhand and flung it away. The snake was immediately chopped into two halves and fell to the ground, curled up, and jerked violently.


    At the same time, the snake¡¯s head was still staring at him, trying to bite Gu Chengrui. Unfortunately, without its tail, its mobility was greatly reduced. Very quickly, it was hacked to death by Gu Chengrui, and he quickly removed its poison sac and gall..

 Chapter 419 - 419 Entering The Capital For A Reward (13)

    Chapter 419: Entering The Capital For A Reward (13)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other side, the Third Prince had justid down when he suddenly heard something being thrown next door. He immediately sat up and saw a ck shadow crawling in.


    He stopped momentarily, but he quickly understood what it was.


    He pulled out his sword, which was hanging by the bed. However, the snake was already gone by the time he pulled out the sword.


    He immediately closed his eyes and listened carefully to every rustling sound in his room.


    Soon, he heard a faint slithering sound and knew the snake had gone under the table.


    He immediately opened his eyes and looked at the corner of the wall. As expected, the snake¡¯s head was exposed.


    He took a deep breath and quickly swung his sword down when the snake revealed a part of its body to poke its head.


    Although the tent was also sliced open, the snake was sessfully killed.


    Unfortunately, the snake¡¯s headnded on the bed.


    The Third Prince had no choice but to use his sword to pick it up, but as the smell of snake blood was too unpleasant, he had no choice but to get off the bed.


    At that moment, Gu Chengrui walked over with a military sword and asked, ¡°Third Prince, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the sound of something smashing woke me up. Did snakes go over there too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had a spicy meal tonight, and my throat felt ufortable. I woke up to drink a ss of water and was surprised to see a venomous snake crawling in.


    H


    ¡°Venomous snake?¡± The Third Prince immediately realized that something was wrong when he heard this.


    Ignoring the fact that the snakes were supposed to be hibernating, venomous snakes were rarely seen in the north.


    How could they have approached their camp? Besides, the camp¡¯s perimeter had been sprayed with insect and animal repellent.


    Gu Chengrui looked at his expression and knew that he had realized the same thing. He reminded him, ¡°Did you hear the flute outside before the snake came in?¡±


    Hearing his reminder, the Third Prince recalled that he had indeed heard it. However, the sound was faint, and if it weren¡¯t for the particr rhythm, it would have been difficult to tell that it was the sound of a flute.


    ¡°Be on your guard for tonight. I¡¯ll go out and make some arrangements.¡±


    After the Third Prince said that, he put on his clothes and turned around to walk out.


    ¡°You be careful too.¡± Gu Chengrui returned to his room and asked Zhou Ying for a handful of mothballs. He handed them to the Third Prince and said, ¡°This thing has a strong smell and can be used to repel snakes.¡±


    The Third Prince nodded and took them. He put one in his boots and one in his pockets, carried his sword, and walked out.


    Gu Chengrui removed the second snake venom sac and gall dder before returning to the main tent.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying used her spiritual senses to check the camp area carefully. After confirming that there were no more snakes, she began to look for the person who had yed the flute.


    If she guessed correctly, the sound of that flute controlled the two snakes.


    Soon, on the left side of the mountain, she found a ck man running away into the mountains.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes turned cold, and she used her spiritual senses to assault his consciousness, rendering him retarded. She saw him run around and fall off the cliff, throwing himself to his death.


    When Gu Chengrui returned, he saw that her little face hardened. He immediately went forward and asked, ¡°Did something happen again?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and told him about tracking that person. ¡°I originally wanted to spare his life, but who knew he would end up this way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s bacsh from his karma. Since the Third Prince is the one Heaven chooses to be the next emperor, those who oppose him will not have a good ending.¡±


    ¡°You are bing more and more superstitious.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an actual goddess by my side. I don¡¯t see how I can¡¯t be superstitious.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you better take good care of that goddess.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After that, they both waited for the Third Prince. After confirming that there was nothing more in camp, they finally went to sleep.


    The following day, after breakfast, the group set off again. It wasn¡¯t until they sessfully passed through the canyon that the soldiers on both sides went down the mountain to meet up with them..

 Chapter 420 - 420 Entering The Capital For A

    Chapter 420: Entering The Capital For A


    Reward (14)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Following that, the husband and wife discovered that the closer they got to the capital, the more cautious the Third Prince became; fortunately, there were no more idents.


    Just as they were about to reach the capital, the Third Prince sent someone to deliver a letter to the Emperor before increasing their traveling speed.


    Early one morning, the Third Prince changed into clean clothes and continued their journey to the capital.


    When they passed a forest, they suddenly heard a woman scream from afar.


    It was a scream, but they could discern she had a lovely voice, like a singer.


    More importantly, Gu Chengrui felt that this voice was somewhat familiar, so he stopped the carriage and said, ¡°Third Prince, do you want me to go over and see what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± The Third Prince hesitated momentarily before waving his hand and asking two soldiers to follow.


    Gu Chengrui took his first aid kit and brought two soldiers over.


    When they reached the foot of a mountain, they saw a schr standing near a woman with his back to them.


    He didn¡¯t want to go over at first, but he wanted to see who this woman was and why he felt her voice was familiar.


    Therefore, he walked over.


    However, he was enraged when he saw the schr undoing the girl¡¯s clothes with a perverted expression.


    Fortunately, it was winter, and the girl wore extra clothes. Otherwise¡­


    Thinking of this, Gu Chengrui rushed forward and kicked the schr to the side. He roared, ¡°Are you even a schr? A dog has better ethics than you!¡±


    ¡°Who, who are you? I¡¯m saving her!¡± The schr fell to the ground and looked at the three with a flustered expression.


    At the same time, he pushed himself back up with both hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you¡¯re saving her with what you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t 1 check her wounds?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s so much blood on her forehead, and you¡­¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, the schr got up and turned to run.


    Gu Chengrui immediately turned to the two soldiers and asked, ¡°Sorry to trouble you two.¡±


    After saying that, he immediately checked the girl¡¯s head. Fortunately, it was only a superficial wound and did not hurt her skull. He stopped the bleeding and bandaged it quickly.


    When the blood on her face was cleaned, Gu Chengrui was stunned when he saw the thin and delicate oval face.


    If he remembered correctly, this girl was the eldest daughter of his aunt, with her name being Yang Wanning.


    Zhou Ying, afraid of Gu Chengrui getting used of sexual harassment, walked over and saw him staring at the girl¡¯s face in a daze. She asked curiously, ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, she¡¯s a cousin from the Yang family.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°What a coincidence. Let¡¯s carry her back before treating her so the Third Prince won¡¯t have to wait too long.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 check if there¡¯s any fracture.¡± Gu Chengrui first took her pulse and confirmed there were no internal injuries or fractures before doing anything else.


    He helped her up onto Zhou Ying¡¯s back, and the two soldiers finally caught the schr.


    ¡°Tell me, who ordered you to ruin thisdy¡¯s reputation?¡± Gu Chengrui demanded immediately.


    ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Although the schr panicked, he still pretended to be calm and replied.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui knew he could not quickly get anything out of him, but he could not let the Third Prince wait too long. He said to the two soldiers, ¡°Let¡¯s bring him back and interrogate him properly at the camp.¡±


    After saying that, he stuffed arge pebble into the schr¡¯s mouth.


    When the schr saw this, he panicked and desperately shook his head. However, Gu Chengrui ignored him and chased after Zhou Ying..

 Chapter 421 - 421 Entering The Capital For A Reward (15)

    Chapter 421: Entering The Capital For A Reward (15)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Third Prince noticed Yang Wanning, who was dressed luxuriously, and the detained schr being carried on Zhou Ying¡¯s back. ¡°Doctor Gu, what¡¯s going on?¡± he asked Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui did not hide anything and told him everything he had seen and done.


    The Third Prince understood what was happening and knew this was a dispute between women.


    It was just difficult to identify the woman who was plotting all of this.


    He looked at the schr and said coldly, ¡°A schr, yet a scourge. Just kill him.¡±


    When the soldier holding the schr raised his sword, the schr was so terrified that he peed his pants. He would have copsed on the ground if he hadn¡¯t been propped up forcefully.


    Just when he thought he was going to die¡­


    Yang Wanning, who was on Zhou Ying¡¯s back, woke up. After understanding what happened, she said, ¡°Third Prince, please spare his life.¡±


    ¡°You two¡­¡± Gu Chengrui looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°He can¡¯t die yet. Otherwise, he won¡¯t be able to testify for his crimes.¡± After Yang Wanning finished speaking, she fainted again.


    ¡°Alright, drag him back.¡± Seeing this, the Third Prince knew she had decided, so he did not interfere and ordered the convoy to continue their journey.


    Zhou Ying saw this and immediately carried Yang Wanning back to the carriage while Gu Chengrui got on after them.


    As for the schr, he was tied up and dragged forward by the soldiers like a dog.


    Around noon, they finally arrived outside the capital.


    The person who weed them was Eunuch Li. When he saw them arrive, he immediately approached them and greeted them. ¡°Wee back, Third Prince.¡±


    ¡°Eunuch Li, please, get up. 1 wonder what Father intended with these sweet potatoes?¡± The Third Prince got off the carriage and helped him up.


    ¡°The Emperor intends to let me store the seeds in the imperial manor for now. After nting a batch, we will spread the seeds near the capital. Thus, these seeds don¡¯t need to enter the royal pce.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave them to Eunuch Li.¡± The Third Prince nodded.


    After saying that, he picked ten elite soldiers and said to the rest, ¡°The rest of the brothers, bring the sweet potatoes to the imperial manor and have a good rest there. 1¡¯11 inform more specific arrangements tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The general immediately nodded.


    When the Third Prince saw this, he asked Gu Chengrui to exin in detail to Eunuch Li how to grow and preserve the sweet potatoes.


    It would be troublesome if it froze due to the cold weather.


    At the same time, he also sent two soldiers to detain the schr at a manor in the suburbs.


    After exining everything clearly, the Third Prince brought Gu Chengrui, Zhou Ying, and ten elite soldiers back to his royal residence.


    Zhou Huaiming, who was waiting at the entrance, saw them and greeted them with a smile, ¡°You guys have finally arrived.¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhou, you are here.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and greeted him.


    ¡°Yeah, I just returned. I heard you wereing to the capital, so I rushed back early to meet you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed been a while. We have to have a good drinkter.¡±


    As for the Third Prince, he first asked the head butler to call two women over after he got off the carriage. One carried Yang Wanning, while the other helped Zhou Ying carry her luggage to the guest courtyard.


    ¡°Cousin, help me entertain our guest. 1 need to change my clothes and head to the pce.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care of them.¡± Zhou Huai Ming quickly replied.


    After saying that, all of them entered the courtyard residence.


    However, they separated after a fork.


    The Third Prince went straight to the central courtyard at the third entrance, while Zhou Huaiming brought Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying to the guest courtyard at the second entrance..

 Chapter 422 - 422 Entering The Capital For A Reward (16)

    Chapter 422: Entering The Capital For A Reward (16)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After settling down, Zhou Huaiming looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Who is the girl you brought back?¡±


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t hide anything and roughly exined what had happened. ¡°Looking at her appearance, she should be the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, Yang Wanning, who is also my cousin.


    ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure after not seeing her for a few years, so I¡¯ll have to wait until she wakes up to confirm if it¡¯s true.¡±


    When Zhou Huaiming heard him mention the Yang family, he hesitated and said, ¡°Your aunt is gone.¡±


    ¡°Gone?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at him in astonishment.


    However, he soon felt relieved. He just smiled faintly and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°You just arrived in the capital, so take your rest for now. 1¡¯11 tell you in detail after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talkter.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he stood up and sent him out.


    Coincidentally, the servants had also finished preparing hot water. The couple bathed and changed into clean clothes before heading to the dining room.


    Zhou Huaiming was already waiting outside. When he saw theme out, he immediately ordered the dishes to be served. ¡°After traveling for so long, do you want some wine to relieve your fatigue?¡±


    ¡°Just some.¡± Gu Chengrui thought of the Yang family¡¯s matter they had to discuss and agreed to his suggestion.


    Zhou Huaiming saw this and asked someone to bring a small jar of white wine and fruit wine.


    The food was quite sumptuous. There was arge te of beef ribs, a braised carp, a te of stir-fried cabbage, a te of sweet and sour shredded radish, and a te of steamed buns served with egg soup.


    Zhou Huaiming asked someone to pour the wine as soon as the dishes were served. ¡°The year hasn¡¯t been kind to us, so there¡¯s a limit to what we can get. Please don¡¯t mind the food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. It already looks great. Let¡¯s have a toast.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head at his words.


    ¡°Sister, let¡¯s drink together. It¡¯s been a long time since the three of us drank together.¡± Zhou Huai Ming said to Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Sure, 1 toast to Brother Zhou¡¯s happiness.¡± Zhou Ying raised her ss after hearing that.


    ¡°Haha, alright, let¡¯s do it.¡± Zhou Huai Ming raised his ss as well.


    After a ss of wine, he knew they were hungry, so he didn¡¯t persuade them to drink more.


    Instead, he picked up a piece of beef rib and said, ¡°Try the cooking skills of the chefs in this manor.¡±


    Zhou Ying took a bite and said, ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s quite good, but just that it¡¯s a little salty for my taste.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll mention it to themter. I will get them to put less salt in your food.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We won¡¯t be staying for long anyway.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a meal, let¡¯s have it served the best it can be. Don¡¯t worry; it¡¯s not that troublesome.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he served them some food.


    After dinner, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Brother Zhou, do you know how my aunt died? When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°It is said that she died of illness during the snowstorm.


    ¡°Later, 1 sent people to investigate and discovered that your aunt fell ill after the Gu family was raided. She didn¡¯t make it during the snowstorm because the weather was too cold, and there was ack of doctors and medicine.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was so angry that heughed after hearing that. The wife of a dignified second-grade officialcked medicine; what kind of precious medicinal herbs would that have to be?


    Zhou Huaiming heard his sarcasticughter and knew he didn¡¯t believe this.


    At that time, he did not believe it either. However, the capital was trapped during the snowstorm, and everyone knew this.


    Therefore, it was difficult to determine whether this tragedy was man-made or caused by ack of medicine.


    He didn¡¯t hide anything and told him what he had found.


    Gu Chengrui couldn¡¯t judge the truth after hearing Zhou Huaiming¡¯s findings. However, he was sure that his aunt had been bullied.


    ¡°My mother didn¡¯t die from ack of medicine. She froze to death.¡± Yang Wanning walked in with an old woman¡¯s help and spoke up..

 Chapter 423 - 423 Entering The Capital For A Reward (17)

    Chapter 423: Entering The Capital For A Reward (17)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui was stunned momentarily, as he didn¡¯t expect Yang Wanning to wake up this quickly. He quickly asked, ¡°Is there anywhere you are feeling ufortable?¡±


    ¡°Apart from the dizziness, I¡¯m fine.¡± Yang Wanning bowed and said, ¡°Thank you, cousin, for saving me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Come, have a seat.


    ¡°The dizziness is because you got hit by a rock. You¡¯ll be fine after resting for two days.¡± Gu Chengrui exined.


    The old woman immediately helped Yang Wanning sit on a stool at the side.


    ¡°Miss Yang has an injury on her head. Get the kitchen to prepare something light.¡± Zhou Huai Ming said to the old woman.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The old woman responded and turned to leave.


    Gu Chengrui then asked, ¡°Cousin, you just said that auntie froze to death. What¡¯s with that?¡±


    Yang Wanning lowered her head and clenched her fists. ¡°After the incident with the Gu family, my mother did get anxious and fell ill once. It was also from then on that her status in the family lowered.


    ¡°However, she only fell ill because of the cold.


    ¡°In the winter of the year beforest, it was especially cold after a snowfall.


    There wasn¡¯t enough charcoal going around, so the charcoal for the three of us was cut off. In less than two days, my mother¡­¡±


    At the same time, Zhou Ying, who had been observing her with her spiritual senses, found a bone-deep hatred and killing intent in Yang Wanning¡¯s eyes, which made her scalp tingle.


    It seemed that this cousin-inw of hers wasn¡¯t that simple a person.


    ¡°Who was in charge of the Yang family at that time?¡± Gu Chengrui asked after a moment of silence.


    ¡°My grandmother, Madam Cui, and her niece, Mrs. Cui.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Chui is the concubine who gave birth to the eldest son?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s the main wife now.¡±


    ¡°What do you n to do next?¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and asked.


    Although they were technically rted to the Yang family as inws, they were of the younger generation. In addition, the Gu family was still guilty of their crimes, so they couldn¡¯t interfere in the Yang family¡¯s affairs.


    Besides, he didn¡¯t want to care too much about this.


    Therefore, whether or not they live a good life depends on the siblings¡¯ intentions.


    If the siblings wanted to resist, Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t mind helping them. Otherwise, he did not need to stir up trouble for them.


    ¡°Do you have my mother¡¯s dowry list?¡± Yang Wanning raised her head and asked.


    Gu Chengrui paused for a moment and shook his head. No, but there shouldn¡¯t be any at home. Otherwise, your grandmother and the others wouldn¡¯t have not mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Yang Wanning nodded in disappointment.


    After a while, the old woman came in with a bowl of chicken soup noodles and handed it to Yang Wanning, saying, ¡°Miss Yang, please.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Granny Ma.¡± Yang Wanning turned her head and thanked her.


    ¡°You guys can chat first. If the three of you need anything, feel free to mention it to Granny Ma. Well have roast meat for dinner tonight.¡± Zhou Huaiming stood up and said.


    ¡°Okay, we just happened to bring some seasoning with us. You just need to prepare the meat, oven, and skewers.¡± Gu Chengrui sent him off after that.


    Granny Ma saw this and immediately cleared the bowls and chopsticks off the table before leaving.


    Only then did Yang Wanning pick up her chopsticks and eat her noodles.


    She looked at Zhou Ying, who was drinking tea, and said, ¡°You must be my third cousin¡¯s wife. Thank you for taking care of me all the way here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter today that you must travel into the wilderness?¡±


    ¡°The Mother Goddess Temple is on the mountain over there. I followed my grandmother to the mountain yesterday to offer incense.


    ¡°This morning, my second sister suggested I go hunting in the mountains. It was just unexpected that this would be a trap.¡±


    ¡°She wants you to marry that schr?¡±


    ¡°Yes, half a month ago, the Emperor issued an imperial decree for selecting consorts for the third, fourth, and seventh princes.


    ¡°The eldest daughter of a second-grade official or above is required to participate, and I¡¯m the eldest daughter of the Yang family, so¡­.¡±

 Chapter 424 - 424 Entering The Capital For A Reward (18)

    Chapter 424: Entering The Capital For A Reward (18)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying spoke up. ¡°The Third Prince has arranged to have that schr held at his manor. If you need him, you can tell me in advance.¡±


    ¡°Sure. By the way, why did you two follow the Third Prince back to the capital?¡±


    ¡°The sweet potatoes were originally nted with seeds we dug up from the mountains. Therefore, we returned to the capital to receive a reward.¡±


    Yang Wanning¡¯s eyes lit up after hearing that, but she did not ask any more questions.


    Coincidentally, Gu Chengrui walked in, so Yang Wanning stood up and said, ¡°Cousin, cousin sister-inw, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to thank the Third Prince on my behalf. I¡¯ll need to return home now.


    ¡°We¡¯ll contact each other again at ater date.¡±


    ¡°The injury on your head is quite severe. Can you just go back?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t, I have to. If I don¡¯t go back now, rumours might spread.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you some medicine for you to bring back. Remember to change your bandages frequently when you return home.¡± When Gu Chengrui heard her say that, he did not try to persuade her to stay. Instead, he returned to his room to get a medicine bottle and handed it to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re a doctor now?¡± Yang Wanning asked after taking the bottle of medicine.


    ¡°Yes, after returning to my hometown, I was forced to make a living and chose to be a doctor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. Alright, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought her out.


    He found his horse carriage and sent her back to her residence.


    After they left, Zhou Ying turned around and went back to the bedroom. Shey down and stretched before falling asleep.


    When Gu Chengrui returned, she was already asleep and snoring.


    He tried not to disturb her, seeing that she had fallen into a deep sleep. Instead, he took a nket and napped on the soft couch at the side.


    On the other side, the Third Prince had changed his clothes and was just in time for the Emperor¡¯s mealtime after entering the pce.


    When the Emperor saw him enter, he immediately waved his hand and beckoned him over, saying, ¡°Great that you came at such a nice time. Come, apany me for a meal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡± After the Third Prince finished speaking, he walked over and ate with him.


    After the meal, the Emperor asked, ¡°Did the journey go smoothly?¡±


    The Third Prince hesitated for a moment before deciding to say it.


    He wanted to paint a target on the person behind the scenes.


    He also wanted to let the Emperor know that someone couldn¡¯t wait to take his life and was thinking about the throne under him.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± he said. ¡°1 just encountered something strange when 1 passed by the canyon.¡±


    ¡°Strange, how strange?¡±


    ¡°I was afraid of being ambushed, so 1 set up camp near the canyon one night.


    ¡°At night, a low flute whistled as two venomous snakes crawled into my tent.


    ¡°If Gu Chengrui hadn¡¯t woken up to drink a ss of water that night, we would have been bitten and died to those snakes.¡±


    ¡°Venomous snakes?¡± The Emperor was furious after hearing this.


    If he remembered correctly, only a few people in the southwest knew such snake-taming techniques.


    Southwest¡­


    Could it be his eldest son?


    But what if¡­


    ¡°Do you know who did it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I didn¡¯t catch anyone.¡± The Third Prince shook his head.


    The Emperor nodded after hearing this. ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. I¡¯ll arrange a small consort selection banquet in three days. You and your brothers can decide on your main consorts then.


    ¡°At the same time, you and your uncle will be rewarded ording to your achievements.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Father. 1 will heed your arrangements. Oh, right. Will the Gu husband and wifee together?¡± The Third Prince asked.


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation with the Gu family now?¡± The Emperor asked.


    The Third Prince knew the Emperor had people in Yunhe County, so he did not hide anything. He also added in and told him about the general situation of the Gu family.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to be this capable. Also, 1 heard that the Gu family¡¯s third son and his wife have a manor and restaurant under them, right?¡± The Emperor asked..

 Chapter 425 - 425 Entering The Capital For A Reward (18)

    Chapter 425: Entering The Capital For A Reward (18)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes, do you still remember therceny of military rations three years ago?¡± The Third Prince asked.


    ¡°Of course, I remember. Your eldest brother¡¯s men did it. If you hadn¡¯t found out in time, your Dongyang Navy would have starved that winter.¡±


    ¡°At that time, Zhou Huaiming was the one who escorted the rations. He was on guard but never expected a traitor from the inside. He almost lost his life at that time.


    ¡°It was Gu Chengrui who discovered and saved him. Otherwise, the grass on his grave would have been overgrown by now.¡±


    ¡°A schr like him sure has the guts, huh?¡±


    ¡°At the time, he was also backed into a corner due to unforeseen circumstances.¡± A wealthy family from the Qiao n nearby was also among those robbing the grain.


    ¡°Their family had grudges against the Gu family, so they had been suppressing the Gu family after they returned to the point where they did not even have the chance to go out and work.


    ¡°Later, the elder of the Qiao family fixed his gaze on his wife and the stewed recipe they devised.


    ¡°He was powerless to resist and could only think of ways to find the Qiao family¡¯s weakness, so he constantly kept tabs on the Qiao family.


    ¡°When he learned they had taken action that night, he followed them. On his way home, he met Zhou Huaiming, who was near death. He also learned some medical skills, which is why Zhou Huaiming lived to tell the tale.


    ¡°Zhou Huaiming would not have been able to hide from arge-scale search otherwise.


    ¡°Thus, Zhou Huaimingter bought a manor and a restaurant with his own money and gave them to them.


    ¡°The couple didn¡¯t take it for granted either. They gave Hongyun Restaurant the recipe for braised pork, which we greatly appreciated.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this kid to have some guts. Oh, right; how are his medical skills?¡± The Emperor nodded and asked.


    ¡°I heard he learned a little from the academy¡¯s doctor and was able to treat some minor illnesses at first.


    ¡°Heter learned a lot from a local doctor.¡±


    ¡°From the looks of it, he can treat allmon illnesses as long as they aren¡¯t rare diseases.¡±


    The Emperor nodded and then looked at the Third Prince.


    Ever since the incident with the Zhou family, his son had stopped smiling and be pitifully quiet.


    He didn¡¯t expect the Third Prince to be this talkative today. It was obvious that he had a good impression of Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°How do you think we should reward the Gu family this time?¡± the Emperor asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m also sure you¡¯re aware that they invented the waterwheel. My eldest and fourth brothers were the only ones who raised a fuss and demanded that we give credit to the Qian family instead.


    ¡°They had also given their full support to promote the white sweet potatoes.


    ¡°Especially since they were the ones who discovered the technique to cultivate white sweet potatoes, 1 feel they should be exempted from their crimes. As for the reward, that is secondary.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean the white sweet potatoes were already ready when we knew of them?¡±


    ¡°They began nting the sweet potatoes the year before 1 sent you the sweet potatoes, the second year after they returned to the countryside. However, because seeds were scarce then, they only began nting them inrge numbers in the vige a yearter.¡±


    After that, the father and son chatted for a while about court matters before the Third Prince took his leave.


    On the other hand, Madam Cui asked for Yang Wanning after she returned home and questioned her, ¡°Where did you go? The people I sent to look for you disappeared at the foot of the hill. Did you do something shameful?¡±


    Yang Wanning clenched her fists after hearing that. She looked up and replied with a firm expression, ¡°Grandmother, this concerns the reputation of the four of us. Don¡¯t listen to those nderous words.


    ¡°We must put an end to it as soon as possible. If word gets out, we will not only be unable to participate in the selection of the Imperial Consort, but we will also offend the Third Prince.¡±


    ¡°What does it have to do with the Third Prince?¡±


    ¡°Because the Third Prince saved me after I fell down..¡±

 Chapter 426 - 426 Entering The Capital For A Reward (19)

    Chapter 426: Entering The Capital For A Reward (19)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What? The Third Prince saved you?¡± Madam Cui eximed.


    After that, she looked at her with aplicated gaze. The expression on her face also changed, just like in an opera performance. It was interesting, to say the least.


    Yang Wanning was overjoyed when she saw this.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect it, did you? After all the scheming, you actually helped me out. You must be vomiting internally.¡± Yang Wanning thought to herself.


    However, she could not understand why she did not expect to meet the Third Prince in her previous life.


    There was no such thing as promoting sweet potatoes, and the Gu family went radio silent after returning to the countryside.


    Could something have happened? Or was it because of her regression?


    She didn¡¯t have a clue, and this wasn¡¯t the time to think about it. She continued, ¡°Yes, but to be precise, I was saved by my third cousin and his wife, who followed the Third Prince to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Third cousin?¡± Madam Cui was stunned for a moment. But, the Cui family had yet toe to the capital recently.


    She thought of something and asked in disbelief, ¡°The Gu family, aren¡¯t they guilty? How can they be by the Third Prince¡¯s side?¡±


    Yang Wanning replied with some fake surprise, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details. It could be because Third Cousin¡¯s medical skills are not bad, as he was the one who bandaged my head.¡±


    She was familiar with the Yang family¡¯s personality; they exemplified bullying the weak and fearing the strong. They would only make a move once they understood the depth of the Gu family.


    Madam Cui would not make things difficult for her and her brother before more information was gathered.


    This would give Yang Wanning time to assess the situation and figure out what had happened in her previous life beforeunching a counterattack.


    Of course, it would be preferable if the Gu family could recover or have their crimes pardoned if they couldn¡¯t. This way, her participation in the consort election would be unaffected.


    Madam Cui did not ask any more questions after hearing this. Instead, she waved her hand and told her to return to her room.


    In the afternoon, Zhou Huaiming brought the mutton and barbecue tools over, and they called for three servants to skewer the meat.


    After the skewers were done, Zhou Huaiming went to call the Third Prince over. There was also a young man in his thirties who wore luxurious clothes and had a firm expression.


    After Zhou Huaiming returned, he introduced them to each other.


    Only then did Zhou Ying and her husband learn that this was the butler¡¯s eldest son and the Third Prince¡¯s godbrother, Feng Chun. He currently manages all of the Third Prince¡¯s private property.


    ¡°Doctor Gu, Lady Gu, if you need anything from me, just let me know.¡± Feng Chun stepped forward and greeted them.


    ¡°Of course. If you need my help, don¡¯t hesitate as well.¡± Gu Chengrui returned the greeting.


    ¡°Alright, now that we know each other, let¡¯s quickly sit down and start the barbecue.¡± Zhou Huaiming said.


    After saying that, he walked straight to the grill and grabbed the skewers to barbecue them.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he helped smash some charcoal for preparation.


    After a while, Zhou Ying handed many cooked skewers to Zhou Huaiming and said, ¡°Brother Zhou, you guys eat first. 1¡¯11 cook.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll take your ceter.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he took the skewer into the dining room and ced it on the table.¡±Hurry up and eat while it¡¯s hot. It won¡¯t taste good if it gets cold.¡±


    After saying that, he took a skewer and started eating. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s still the same. Fragrant, fresh, and tender. It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    As for the Third Prince and Feng Chun, they shook their heads when they saw his gluttonous appearance. However, they soon sumbed to the temptation and could not stop eating.


    Gu Chengrui helped to light some charcoal. After the second batch of skewers was ready, he carried it into the house.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying felt they had enough to eat for a while, so she roasted themb leg. At the same time, she called over three women to help them roast more.


    Once themb leg was ready, the four men in the dining room were almost full.


    Zhou Ying and the three women cooked while they ate. At the same time, she started chatting with them..

 Chapter 427 - 427 Entering The Capital For A Reward (20)

    Chapter 427: Entering The Capital For A Reward (20)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    What she didn¡¯t expect was that the Third Prince wasn¡¯t married. He was sure an anomaly in the royal family.


    At the same time, she also learned that Butler Feng currently handled the Third Prince¡¯s residence.


    Inside a fake mountain outside the kitchen, Qiao Lan looked at the person in front of her with a face full of surprise and joy. ¡°They¡¯re here? Can I make a move now?¡±


    On the opposite end was a man dressed like a servant. He looked around vigntly and said, ¡°No, Master said you can¡¯t be exposed yet.


    ¡°He also wants me to remind you that Gu Chengrui has no feelings for you.


    ¡°If you spoil his ns, he won¡¯t forgive you.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve gave up on him a long time ago.¡± Qiao Lan nodded and asked, ¡°So, what instructions does Master have?¡±


    ¡°No, for the moment. Your mission is to use all kinds of soups to sterilize the Third Prince¡¯s wife. Don¡¯t worry about anything else.


    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t act on your own. Otherwise, if you¡¯re recognized, no one can save you.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Although Qiao Lan was unwilling, she still nodded.


    The servant looked at her reluctant expression and pinched her chin.


    ¡°Remember what I said. Someone will deal with Gu Chengrui and his wife, but it can¡¯t be you.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Qiao Lan nodded.


    The servant saw that she had listened to him and quietly left.


    Qiao Lan, on the other hand, was so pissed that she raised her leg and kicked the fake mountain walls; she grimaced in pain.


    However, this also reminded her. She still decided to give Zhou Ying a sterilization drug and couldn¡¯t wait to see how long Gu Chengrui could still be in love with her.


    She had to find the right time or be in big trouble.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui finally entered the interspace together again at night.


    After Gu Chengrui went to work, Zhou Ying started dealing with the demands of her believers, especially those requesting to cure their diseases by giving them medicine.


    Finally, she checked on Yang Wanning.


    Soon, she found something was amiss. She noticed Yang Wanning was gued by bad luck, and although hatred was in her eyes, it was not strong. Her eyes looked rtively clean and pure of revenge.


    This was different from when she saw her during the day. The hatred and killing intent in her eyes were as sharp as a sword.


    Zhou Ying also noticed a deep sadness and longing in her eyes asionally. Was she hiding it well before, or¡­


    Thinking of this, she followed the faith and found Yang Wanning sitting in a daze in her room.


    There was a picture on the table in front of her, and drawn on it were some of the people around her.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s gaze stopped on the schr because there was abel on him.


    Husband¡­


    In other words, they would get married.


    Thinking back to her cold attitude towards the schr during the day and her words about how the schr was still valuable, she suddenly had a thought. Was Yang Wanning a regressor?


    If that were the case, this would be interesting. This meant they could quickly confirm whether the Third Prince was the next Emperor through Yan Wanning.


    It would be fine if it were, but she would have to consider her next moves seriously if it weren¡¯t.


    After leaving her side, Zhou Ying went to Madam Cui.


    Madam Cui asked a handsome and schrly young man, ¡°Son, you have to investigate what¡¯s going on with the Gu family. Why would they enter the capital?


    ¡°If the Gu family finds out the cause of their aunt¡¯s death, we¡¯ll be in big trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll investigate this. As for the cause of Mrs. Gu¡¯s death, you don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ve already dealt with it, and they won¡¯t find anything.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no trail left behind?¡±


    ¡°Yes, other than Jinhua, no one else knows. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s stupid enough to tell anyone..¡±

 Chapter 428 - 428 Entering The Capital For A Reward (21)

    Chapter 428: Entering The Capital For A Reward (21)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Good. Find out why the third son of the Gu family is here as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Mother, you go to bed early; I still have official documents to deal with.¡±


    Through their conversation, Zhou Ying quickly confirmed that this man was the Minister of Revenue, Yang Shicheng.


    She thought to herself that this man sure took good care of himself. She would have thought he was only in his thirties if she didn¡¯t know that he was almost forty.


    She thought of the dowry list that Yang Wanning had mentioned before. She immediately searched Madam Cui¡¯s house. Sure enough, a dowry list was on the wall in a small secretpartment.


    She hesitated momentarily, tried to see if she could take it out, and was surprised to see she had seeded.


    She opened the booklet in her hand and read it. She got envious after reading it.


    On it were five shops, two viges, and a residence. There was also jewelry, cloth, calligraphy, antiques, ornaments, porcin, and more.


    Zhou Ying closed it and muttered, ¡°No wonder ancient weddings were said to have ten miles of red dresses. It¡¯s sure scary.


    ¡°No wonder the Gu family was targeted. Their raid probably filled up more than half of the national treasury.¡±


    After looking at it, she took it and returned to the vi.


    She made a copy of it before putting it back in the safe.


    Zhou Ying then turned around and went to work.


    Later, she handed the photocopied list to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Take a look at this. This is the dowry list of your aunt. 1 just don¡¯t know how we should deal with this.¡±


    ¡°What a ridiculous list of dowries. It¡¯s a pity that even this many things haven¡¯t fed them enough.¡± Gu Chengrui sighed.


    He added, ¡°The handwriting on this is Second Uncle¡¯s. I¡¯ll write a letter backter. If there¡¯s a copy on their end, I¡¯ll ask them to send it over. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just create one and fake it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, send a letter to Uncle Liu as well so that this isn¡¯t leaked.¡±


    ¡°I will. I hope this can help the siblings.¡±


    ¡°Right, I suspect that Yang Wanning is a regressor.¡± Zhou Ying told him what she found today.


    ¡°Regressor? You mean she returned here from the future?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard from her that the Emperor ns to choose concubines for the few princes. It might be because of this that someone is plotting against her.


    ¡°Her stepmother¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Yang Wanning is the eldest daughter of the Yang family.¡±


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve caught up in something fun. There¡¯s going to be a good show.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we must be careful if we get dragged in.


    ¡°In addition, be more careful from now on. I feel that Lord Yang will investigate us and the Gu family.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t be able to make it in time. The Third Prince said that the concubine selection banquet will be held in the afternoon three days from now. It will also be the rewarding ceremony.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°Oh right, the Third Emperor said that someone woulde tomorrow morning to tailor our clothes. So, he told us not to head out tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    To avoid causing trouble for the Third Prince, they stayed in residence for the next two days. They sightsee the vast residence, and Zhou Ying started learning pce etiquette from the old women.


    The Yang family, on the other hand, was not as peaceful. Madam Cui and her nephew, including Yang Wanyu, the Yang family¡¯s second daughter, had devised a n with the guards to prevent Yang Wanning from participating in the selection.


    Yang Wanning, who had nned it, had avoided their sly schemes. Instead, she reced Qing Tao, one of Mrs. Cui¡¯s maidservants, as the one who fell victim to the trap.


    In the end, with the schr in her hands as a hostage, Lord Yang finally allowed her to participate in the consort selection.


    However, he had not prepared any appropriate clothing or jewelry for her. She also had no money, so she had no choice but to ask the couple for assistance..

 Chapter 429 - 429 Palace Banquet (1)

    Chapter 429: Pce Banquet (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Huaiming, who happened to be eating in the manor, heard Yang Wanning¡¯s request from her maidservant and said speechlessly, ¡°Minister Yang is getting increasingly shameless.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the support of the Gu family, he wouldn¡¯t be where he is today. Now, he¡¯s actively bullying his own child. How shameless.¡±


    As he spoke, his anger grew.


    Because this made him think of the current emperor.


    Back then, it was also because of Zhou Huaiming¡¯s grandfather¡¯s support that the current Emperor could ascend to the throne.


    However, as soon as his throne was secured, he began to settle ounts with the Zhou family and caused the death of his aunt.


    If not for the Empress Dowager¡¯s conscience and the fact that the Northern Borderline couldn¡¯t live without his father, their entire family, including the Third Prince, would have long be a pile of bones.


    After the Third Prince heard his anger, he only silently nced at him and did not say anything.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t overthink it after hearing that. Instead, he told Chun Xi, ¡°Go back and tell your young miss that we will help her prepare clothes and jewelry, but when she goes out tomorrow, she should wear the clothes the Yang family prepared for her.


    ¡°Letting everyone know about the Yang family¡¯s discrimination would be best.


    ¡°When the banquet officially begins, we¡¯ll send the clothes for her to change into.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Young Master. I will take my leave.¡± Chun Xi responded and left.


    The Third Prince thought of Yang Wanning, who shared the same fate as her, and was afraid that this servant girl would have an ident on the way. He called a secret guard and said, ¡°Send Chun Xi back in secret. Wait for her to safely return to Miss Yang¡¯s side before returning.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± The secret guard responded and turned to leave.


    ¡°Thank you, Third Prince.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± The Third Prince shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the butler to arrange the clothes and jewelry. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but we will pay for this.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Sure. When it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll get the butler to give you the bill.¡± The Third Prince hesitated momentarily, but he finally nodded when he thought of his and Yang Wanning¡¯s reputations.


    After returning to the interspace at night, Gu Chengrui said, Babe, when you¡¯re done with your work, see how Yang Wanning is doing. I hope she stays safe.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really concerned about her?¡± Zhou Ying looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°If she¡¯s really a regressor, it means she is a person with a destiny or mission.


    ¡°We¡¯ll help her whenever we can, as we might need her help in the future.¡± Gu Chengrui paused and continued, ¡°But it depends on her ability. If she can¡¯t take on the responsibility, just keep her safe.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°Alright. By the way, it¡¯s time to harvest the rice fields. Remember toe and help me with it after you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll go over to my end first.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and went to the other side of the river.


    After Zhou Ying fulfilled all her believers¡¯ requests that she could, she went to look for Yang Wanning again.


    At that moment, Yang Wanning was memorizing a poem intently. Beside her was an exquisite purse she had made herself, and she got ready for dance practice after memorizing the poem.


    Only when it was almost midnight did she lie down on the bed and fall asleep.


    At this moment, Zhou Ying also realized that the new clothes under Yang Wanning¡¯s nket were dark purple dresses. Be it the color or the style, it wasn¡¯t suitable for a youngdy to wear.


    It seemed that Madam Cui and her nephew weren¡¯t smart. If Yang Wanning wore these clothes, wouldn¡¯t they also be putting themselves to shame? It was an unnecessary double-edged sword.


    When Zhou Ying turned to look at Madam Chui, she was already asleep. She didn¡¯t appear to be sleeping well and was constantly muttering. She seemed to have done a lot of bad things..

 Chapter 430 - 430 Palace Banquet (2)

    Chapter 430: Pce Banquet (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the end, Mrs. Cui stopped at Yang Wanyu¡¯s room and instructed her on some things that she should pay attention to tomorrow.


    What surprised Zhou Ying was that their target was not to be the Third Prince¡¯s main consort but the First Prince¡¯s secondary consort.


    However, she realized this was to be expected when she remembered that Lord Yang had sided with the First Prince.


    Just as Mrs. Cui was about to leave after giving her instructions, Yang Wanyu suddenly said, ¡°Mother, are we really able to stop that little slut from participating in the consort selection tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Empress is also unwilling to see her. Tomorrow, not only will 1 stop her from attending the banquet, but 1 will also be destroying her reputation.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! With the Empress stepping in, her life is ruined.¡±


    ¡°Who told her she doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her? She clearly had the option of marrying into a proper and wealthy family, but she insisted on climbing the high branches and pretending to be a phoenix.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any other choices than to show her what it means to be inferior to a chicken.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head after hearing this. It was uncertain who would be unlucky tomorrow because she found that bad luck was rapidly shrouding both the mother and daughter.


    After she finished her work in her interspace, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui of the mother and daughter plotting against Yang Wanning. ¡°We must be careful tomorrow in case the Empress or the First Prince¡¯s people find trouble with us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the Zhou family. They might not be nice to you as well.¡±


    ¡°1 know. Since they sold my original self back then in exchange for some betrothal gift, it¡¯s equivalent to breaking off our blood rtionship. If theye to me for something, I won¡¯t hesitate to humiliate them.¡±


    ¡°Okay, be careful. Try not toe into contact with them.¡±


    After lunch the next day, Zhou Ying reviewed the court etiquette under the supervision of the older women.


    After making sure that there were no mistakes, the couple followed the Third Prince and Zhou Huaiming to the pce.


    The two of them first followed them to Longevity Pce to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.


    When the Empress Dowager learned that the couple was from the Gu family, she was momentarily surprised before asking with a smile, ¡°Do take a seat. Is your grandmother well?¡±


    ¡°Empress Dowager, my grandmother¡¯s health is doing well. She even told me to greet you properly, given a chance to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. It¡¯s good that she¡¯s healthy.¡± The Empress Dowager smiled.


    Then, her gaze fell on Zhou Ying, and she said, ¡°You must be the little girl from the Zhou family. I see you are not only beautiful but also elegant in your craft. It¡¯s no wonder Ping Yang chose you back then at first nce.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Empress Dowager.¡± Zhou Ying stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re quite the gant girl. Not bad, not bad.¡± The Empress Dowagerughed when she saw that Zhou Ying had no humble attitude toward her other than respect.


    To be honest, not to mention the imperial madams, even the Empress was careful when speaking before her. She hadn¡¯t expected that a daughter of a concubine who had not been favored since she was young would be so undaunted before her.


    She sized Zhou Ying up. Besides her outstanding looks, Empress Dowager also noticed Zhou Ying¡¯s excellent temperament.


    Although she didn¡¯t have the aura of a noble daughter, she gave off the feeling of a saint that could only be looked up to.


    However, Zhou Ying gave off a friendly and easy-going feeling instead of an overbearing holy aura.


    It was a conflicted feeling, but the Empress Dowager had to admit Zhou Ying was an outstanding person.


    ¡°Quickly,e to my side. Let me take a good look at you.¡±


    Although Zhou Ying was a little reluctant, she responded and slowly walked over.


    However, she didn¡¯t go directly up to her. Instead, she stood a meter shy of her.


    Seeing this, the Empress Dowager patted the seat at the side and smiled, ¡°Come, sit down, and chat with me.¡±


    She wanted to see if this little girl was really not afraid of her or if she was just acting..

 Chapter 431 - 431 Palace Banquet (3)

    Chapter 431: Pce Banquet (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s inappropriate of me; as amoner, I cannot sit on this seat.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head and smiled.


    The Third Prince couldn¡¯t figure out what the Empress Dowager was thinking, so he stood up and said, ¡°Imperial Grandmother, don¡¯t scare her. I¡¯m still counting on her to cook a few delicious meals for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that means her cooking isn¡¯t bad.¡± The Empress Dowager asked in surprise.


    At the same time, seeing her neither servile nor overbearing attitude, she knew that Zhou Ying was not afraid of her. It was just that it was not easy to press on further due to her imperial status.


    After that, she asked her personal maid, Nanny Liu, to bring a stool for Zhou Ying to sit on her right.


    ¡°Yes, her cooking is quite to my taste.¡± the Third Prince replied.


    ¡°Really? What¡¯s your specialty?¡± The Empress Dowager turned to look at Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Egg Fried Rice,¡± Zhou Ying replied after a moment of surprise.


    ¡°Egg Fried Rice, it¡¯s a very simple dish.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it tests one¡¯s skills the most.


    ¡°In addition to not sticking to the pot, the rice also needs to be separately dipped in the egg, so that the egg and rice fragrance blend and permeate each other until they fuse into one. This is so that there is egg in the rice and rice in the egg.¡±


    When the Empress Dowager heard her description, she immediately imagined what her Egg Fried Rice looked like. She couldn¡¯t help but nod and say, ¡°Now that you say it, I¡¯m indeed craving a te. When you have time, cook some for me to try.¡±


    ¡°At yourmand.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After that, the Empress Dowager asked the Third Prince a few more questions, especially about his daily life.


    Finally, she asked, ¡°Do you have a girl you like? If you do, you must tell your grandmother. Otherwise, it will be toote once the marriage is decided tonight.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have anyone.¡± The Third Prince shook his head.


    All these years, he had been staying in Dongyang. For safety reasons, he rarely left his residence, which meant he had no chance to interact with girls. How could he find a girl he liked this way?


    ¡°So, what kind of person are you looking for? You must have a rough idea, right?¡±


    ¡°There are two main points. One is to be strong-willed, and the other is to be upright.


    ¡°I¡¯m rarely in the capital. So, as long as she can support the family and teach our child well, that would be great.¡±


    The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. If a woman doesn¡¯t have a good heart and a strong will, she can¡¯t be the daughter-inw of the royal family. Even if she became one, it wouldn¡¯t be a stable rtionship.¡±


    This was an essential trait of the royal family, especially true being an empress. Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager sighed as she remembered a girl from the Zhou family.


    Just then, someone led a group of elderly imperial madams in and bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Third Prince.


    ¡°Imperial Grandmother, elders, please continue your talks. We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡± The Third Prince stood up.


    ¡°Greetings, Empress Dowager. I will take my leave.¡± Zhou Ying followed suit and bowed.


    ¡°Grandson, you guys can go. As for Zhou Ying, do stay, and I¡¯ll bring you overter.¡± the Empress Dowager said to the three of them.


    After that, she asked Zhou Ying to sit back down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to Imperial Grandmother.¡± The Third Prince hesitated for a moment before nodding. He turned around and left Longevity Pce with Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming.


    After they left, a hunchbacked old woman in her sixties looked at the Empress Dowager and asked, ¡°Empress Dowager, could this be the girl that the Third Prince has taken a fancy to?¡±


    ¡°For that, you¡¯re wrong. She¡¯s the girl who was wed into the Gu family to wash off Ping Yang¡¯s bad luck. I like this child¡¯s temperament.¡± The Empress Dowager shook her head and introduced Zhou Ying.


    ¡°She¡¯s King An¡¯s Consort. She got along quite well with your grandmother a few years ago.¡±


    ¡°Thismoner, Zhou Ying, greets Consort An.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and bowed.


    ¡°Do raise your head. How¡¯s your grandmother now?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s quite healthy. When she¡¯s busy, she does some farm work. When she¡¯s free, she goes outside to bask in the sun and chat with the other older women in the vige..¡±

 Chapter 432 - 432 Palace Banquet (4)

    Chapter 432: Pce Banquet (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. Let¡¯s have a good chat at the residence in two days.¡± King An¡¯s Consort smiled and nodded.


    At the same time, she also knew why the Empress Dowager liked her. The way Zhou Ying carried herself and her style of speech were not inferior to those of those nobledies.


    The key was that those nobledies were with the Empress Dowager; they always had ulterior motives.


    Zhou Ying was different. She had no agenda or purpose, so this was why they could rx and have a real chat.


    ¡°Are you really Zhou Ying?¡± At this moment, an old woman with white hair and a walking stick asked Zhou Ying in surprise.


    She did not expect the timid girl, who looked ordinary and submissive before, to be such an outstanding woman.


    She would have nurtured her properly if she had known earlier.


    Even if Zhoy Ying couldn¡¯t marry into a wealthy family and be the main wife, she could still be a concubine to help her children and grandchildren.


    Zhou Ying turned her head to look. When she saw the old woman¡¯s appearance, she paused momentarily. Soon, fragments of memories shed through her mind.


    However, they were all images of this elderly woman despising or ignoring the original Zhou Ying.


    Even when the old woman saw Zhou Ying¡¯s brothers and sisters bullying her, she never stood up and said a word.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also knew that this olddy was her ¡°grandmother,¡± the madam of the Zhou family.


    Thus, she deliberately asked, ¡°You are¡­?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Madam Zhou¡¯s face darkened immediately.


    At the same time, the others looked over at them. It turned out that this pair of biological grandparents and grandchildren could not recognize each other after just a few years.


    Of course, most of them also knew Zhou Ying was not favored by the Zhou family back then. She had grown up with servants, so it was not strange that she had no feelings for them.


    Zhou Ying deliberately sized her up before bowing. ¡°Zhou Ying greets Madam Zhou.¡±


    Madam Zhou opened her mouth and was about to re up, but she quickly remembered that she had not acknowledged this granddaughter of her back then and had asked her to call her ¡°Madam¡± along with the servants. Thus, she shut her mouth.


    However, she still snorted coldly and ignored her after that.


    When everyone heard how Zhou Ying addressed Madam Zhou, they looked at them in surprise.


    However, they were all smart. They knew there must be something between them, so they did not ask further.


    The Empress Dowager introduced the people in the hall individually to Zhou Ying.


    When she was introduced to the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s wife, Zhou Ying was stunned momentarily before she bowed without batting an eyelid.


    Because it was this old woman who had been burdened with shrouds of blood debts while praying to Mother Goddess. Zhou Ying had not expected her to be the mother of the current Empress.


    No wonder the Empress and the First Prince were great at murder. It seemed like they had an excellent upbringing.


    After greeting them, Zhou Ying obediently retreated aside and listened to their conversation.


    Soon, she discovered that other than the three elderly consorts of the royal family, everyone else was here to praise and speak well of their granddaughters.


    In short, they were here to rmend their children to the Empress Dowager.


    Even Madam Zhou had tried her best topliment her granddaughter, Zhou Jiaqing, Principal Zhou¡¯s youngest daughter.


    However, from the original Zhou Ying¡¯s memories, she knew Zhou Jiaqing was not a good person by any means.


    In front of the elders, she was a sweet and obedient girl who everyone loved.


    However, the original Zhou Ying had seen her harming and torturing small animals more than once. She would even beat and scold the servants whenever she was unhappy.


    It would be a blessing if Zhou Jiaqing could avoid causing trouble after marrying into the royal family, much less basking in any glory.


    Then there was Madam Cui, who praised Yang Wanyu as much as possible and never once mentioned Yang Wanning.


    However, Zhou Ying did not open her mouth to remind her about Yang Wanning. The more they ignored Yang Wanning, the more they would be disgusted by the Yang family when Yang Wanning appeared..

 Chapter 433 - 433 Palace Banquet (5)

    Chapter 433: Pce Banquet (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Soon, more and more people came to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, many of whom were from the younger generations. Many came over to greet the Empress Dowager and chatted for a while before leaving.


    The ones who stayed behind were the elderly women and the others who hade to curry favor with the Empress Dowager; these were the women who wanted to marry their daughters to the Third Prince.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying sat at the side and drank her tea; she would only speak when someone asked about her.


    However, because of her low status, no one paid attention to her except the Empress Dowager.


    Zhou Ying was feeling carefree.


    Since she was free, she spread out her spiritual senses to look at what was inside the imperial pce.


    Although it was already winter, many flowers bloomed, making the pce lively.


    Of course, other than the remote courtyard that looked eerie and creepy.


    Finally, her gaze stopped on Yang Wanning. Zhou Ying saw her sitting quietly in the pavilion at the side. She held a cup with both hands and looked into the distance in a daze, with no one knowing what she was thinking.


    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you Yang Wanning? Why are you sitting here alone in a daze?¡± At this moment, a petite girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old walked over and asked.


    Yang Wanning turned her head and saw the person who had approached her. She immediately stood up and bowed. ¡°Greetings to the Eighth Princess.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Take a seat.¡± The Eighth Princess sat down after she finished speaking.


    She sized Yang Wanning up and said with disdain, ¡°Tsk tsk, your clothes are too old-fashioned. This doesn¡¯t seem like your style.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough that it isn¡¯t disrespectful.¡± Yang Wanning smiled.


    At the same time, Yang Wanning became vignt because the Eighth Princess was the Empress¡¯ daughter. She was the Gu family¡¯s sworn enemy and would definitely not have good intentions towards her.


    Of course, she did not have a good impression of the Eighth Princess.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she rude? Don¡¯t forget what asion we¡¯re in today.¡± At this moment, Yang Wanyu walked over with a group of sisters.


    Everyone looked at her clothes and immediately started to criticize her.


    When the Eighth Princess saw this, she disdainfully added, ¡°1 can¡¯t believe you have the nerve to participate in the selection of the main consort with this dress. 1 believe you should go home as soon as possible, lest you make a fool of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, by doing this, you¡¯re indicating that you don¡¯t take this banquet seriously.¡± Someone immediately echoed.


    ¡°Come on, everyone. Her mother died less than a year ago. It¡¯s not suitable for her to wear bright-colored clothes.


    ¡°Besides, the one in charge of the Yang residence was a concubine. Do you think she will prepare suitable clothes for her?¡± At this moment, a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl in riding attire looked at everyone with disdain.


    When the girls heard this, they were stunned momentarily and bowed respectfully. ¡°Greetings, Princess Mingyu.¡±


    ¡°Rise.¡± Mingyu waved the whip in her hand and then looked at Yang Wanyu disdainfully.


    All the women reacted at this moment and turned to look at Yang Wanyu in unison.


    The current head of the Yang family is her biological mother, so her mother must have prepared that dress.


    Looking at Yang Wanyu, she was d in exquisite clothing from top to bottom. They were several grades higher than any clothing she had ever worn.


    Compared to Yang Wanning¡­


    Mingyu looked at everyone¡¯s reaction and sneered, ¡°You all are not stupid. However, a concubine¡¯s child will always be a concubine¡¯s child. She will never consider the bigger picture.


    ¡°Yang Wanning is your eldest sister. If she loses dignity, you won¡¯t be gaining any, either.


    ¡°Besides, her dress was prepared by your mother, right? If youugh at her, aren¡¯t youughing at yourself?


    ¡°Spending her mother¡¯s dowry andughing at her pitifulness, what thick skin


    you have..¡±

 Chapter 434 - 434 Palace Banquet (6)

    Chapter 434: Pce Banquet (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Princess Mingyu said that, she sat at the table and looked at the Eighth Princess. ¡°Besides your identity as the first wife¡¯s daughter, you¡¯re also a princess. In the future, don¡¯t hang out with these unpresentable people. It¡¯s unbefitting of your status.¡±


    The Eighth Princess¡¯ lips twitched. ¡°Thank you for your teachings, Aunt Mingyu.¡±


    At the same time, she loathed Princess Mingyu so much that her teeth itched. Not only did this woman snatch the love that her Imperial Father and Imperial Grandmother should have given her, but how dare she lecture her shamelessly? The Eighth Princess gritted her teeth in anger.


    She also looked down on Yang Wanyu¡¯s status; what did she mean by that? The Eighth Princess¡¯ mother was also a consort. Was she saying that the Eighth Princess¡¯ and her brother¡¯s status was lower than the Third Prince¡¯s?


    At the thought of this, the Eighth Princess wanted to raise her hand and hit Princess Mingyu. However, she forcefully suppressed her anger when she saw the whip in her hand.


    On the other end, Yang Wanyu looked at everyone with eyes about to cry. She was here to belittle Yang Wanning, so how did it turn around in the blink of an eye, and all of it was directed at her?


    She quickly stuttered, ¡°No, I¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Are you saying your mother didn¡¯t prepare her clothes, or did your family¡¯s expenses note from the Gu family¡¯s dowry?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡­¡± Yang Wanyu stammered for a moment before turning around and running away.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? Such an uneducated girl, running away without even excusing yourself.¡± Mingyu spoke again.


    The girls lowered their heads and tried to hold back theirughter.


    Princess Mingyu was as daring as the legends said. If Lord Yang heard this, he would be furious.


    While Yang Wanning was grateful to her, she was also worried for her. In her previous life, Princess Mingyu had offended the Empress¡¯ faction in her previous life because of her straightforwardness. In the end, the residence of King An was buried with her for her insolence.


    When the Eighth Princess saw that Mingyu was sitting steadily, she knew that she no longer had the chance to bully Yang Wanning. She stood up, bowed, and left.


    After this, the girls followed her out one after another.


    After everyone left, Mingyu downed a ss of water and turned to look at Yang Wanning. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡±


    ¡°Why should 1 leave?¡± Yang Wanning smiled and asked.


    Mingyu looked at her kind smile and was stunned for a moment. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of offending them?¡±


    ¡°You saw their attitude toward me. It¡¯s useless for me to curry favor with them.¡± As Yang Wanning said this, she poured Princess Mingyu another ss of water. ¡°I still have to thank Princess Mingyu for standing up for me just now.¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand what they¡¯re doing, especially Yang Wanyu. Such shamelessness.¡± Mingyu resentfully spat. ¡°You too. You¡¯re too soft-hearted. If it were me, I would have pped her till tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Just like you said, the Yang Residence is now under Madam Cui¡¯s and her daughter¡¯s control, so anyone wise will understand what is going on.


    ¡°The fiercer they make a fuss and the ruder they be, the worse people¡¯s impression of them will be in the end, right?¡± Yang Wanning replied.


    When Chun Hong returned her cousin¡¯s message, she initially did not know what to make of it.


    Only when she read the message¡¯s end did she understand her cousin¡¯s intention.


    Since Madam Cui wanted to ruin her reputation, then let her be. When people realized what was happening, they would return the ridicule and sarcasm to the mother and daughter.


    At that time, she would wear the clothes that her cousin had prepared for her. She would not lose face in front of the royal family and would also give the mother and daughter a fierce p in the face; just thinking about it made her feel happy.


    Mingyu was amused when she heard that. She patted her shoulder and said, ¡°The two of us are really at opposite extremes. I¡¯m straightforward by nature, and you do things roundaboutly.


    ¡°It would be great if we could share some of our personalities with each other.


    It would save my mother from scolding me for being stupid every day..¡±

 Chapter 435 - 435 Palace Banquet (7)

    Chapter 435: Pce Banquet (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re not stupid, just that you¡¯re straightforward with your words.¡± Yang Wanning hesitated momentarily and added, ¡°But you should be careful with your words in the future.


    ¡°If my father hears what 1 said today, he will definitely be angry. At that time, he might even find trouble with you or even your Imperial Residence.¡±


    ¡°If he dares, I¡¯ll let Imperial Uncle deal with him. Besides, I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you can¡¯t always tell the truth. You should give King An a reminderter.¡±


    Mingyu looked at her solemn expression and finally nodded.


    After that, the more they chatted, the more they bonded. They evenughed out loud from time to time.


    Sitting in the pavilion next door, the Eighth Princess gritted her teeth when she heard theirughter.


    Thinking of her mother¡¯s n, she summoned her personal pce maid, Lian Qiao, and whispered some instructions.


    Lian Qiao nodded and left in a hurry.


    Not long after, a pce maid carried a pot of water into the pavilion where Yang Wanning and the others were.


    Taking advantage of the opportunity to refill the teapot, she deliberately tilted her foot so that the teapot spout was facing Yang Wanning, and the water spilled all over her.


    It was so hot that Yang Wanning stood in shock and pulled out her undergarments.


    Seeing this, Mingyu stepped forward and pped the pce maid. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    After saying that, she checked on Yang Wanning and asked, ¡°Wanning, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the water is not too hot. Otherwise, ayer of my skin would have peeled off.¡± Yang Wanning shook her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you to change your clothes. Otherwise, your clothes won¡¯t dry in time.¡± After Mingyu finished speaking, she brought her out of the pavilion.


    When the wind blew on the road, Yang Wanning¡¯s wet left leg felt a bone-piercing chill.


    At the same time, she was also thinking about the possibility of a conspiracy. She was afraid that this was another scheme devised by Madam Cui. If she went to change her clothes, would she be set up again?


    Thinking of this, the vignce in her heart tightened, and she grabbed Mingyu tightly. As long as they were still together, no one would dare scheme against her.


    However, her guesses were soon verified.


    Princess Mingyu had just sent Yang Wanning to the lounge when a eunuch came to look for her. He said that the Emperor was waiting anxiously for her.


    Only then did Mingyu realize she had something to discuss with the Emperor. She could only arrange for a pce maid to send Yang Wanning some clothes and leave quickly.


    Seeing this, Yang Wanning had no choice but to be vignt.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying saw that Yang Wanning¡¯s clothes were wet. She informed Gu Chengrui and then went back to keep an eye on Yang Wanning.


    After Gu Chengrui received the news, he realized someone was plotting against Yang Wanning.


    Therefore, he went to the Third Prince and said he wanted to send Yang Wanning some clothes.


    The Third Prince nodded and sent Granny Liu to rush over with her clothes and pce maids.


    On the other end, after Yang Wanning entered the lounge, the pce maid quickly sent over a set of Mingyu clothes. However, she was knocked unconscious and brought to a room next door.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying simply used her spiritual senses to knock out the pce maid who had knocked out the one bringing clothes.


    Yang Wanning quickly changed her clothes. As soon as she removed her clothes, Zhou Ying saw a eunuch blowing smoke into the room.


    Zhou Ying used her spiritual senses to block the mouth of his pipe, and the eunuch immediately choked and fainted.


    Later, Granny Liu also arrived with her clothes. When she saw a fainted eunuch holding a blowpipe outside, she roughly understood what had happened..

 Chapter 436 - 436 Palace Banquet (8)

    Chapter 436: Pce Banquet (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Granny Liu immediately went forward to check on him. After confirming that he had really fainted, she asked two young pce maids to send the young eunuch to a room at the side.


    Only then did she walk to the door and knock on it. ¡°Miss Yang Wanning, is that you? The Third Prince sent me to deliver the clothes at the request of Young Master Gu Chengrui.¡±


    Yang Wanning was surprised when she heard Gu Chengrui¡¯s name. She quickly put on her half-undressed clothes and went forward to open the door.¡¯Thank you, Granny. Can you pass me the clothes?¡±


    Just as Granny Liu was about to pass the clothes to her, the two pce maids who had carried the young eunuch hurried over and whispered into Granny Liu¡¯s ear.


    Granny Liu¡¯s expression changed. She gave them a few more instructions and then told Yang Wanning, ¡°Miss Yang is too polite, but don¡¯t change in this room. Follow me.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and left with her clothes.


    Yang Wanning hesitated for a moment before following Granny Liu.


    Ultimately, she changed into the clothes that Gu Chengrui had prepared for her in a side room not far away.


    She wore an aqua blue dress with a deep blue interior and a light blue exterior. It made her look fair and young and entuated her figure perfectly.


    The headdress on her head was not made of gold, silver, or jade but of simple jewelry made of blue crystal.


    Although wearing it didn¡¯t give her a magnificent look, it was still eye-catching.


    After Granny Liu finished dressing her up, she looked at her thoughtfully and said, ¡°Miss Yang, you have a good figure and looks. You will definitely stand out today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because of Granny Liu¡¯s help. Thank you for today. If it weren¡¯t for you¡­¡± Yang Wanning couldn¡¯t help but shed tears as she said this.


    She really did not expect Madam Cui and her schemes to be this vicious. If she seeded today, Yang Wanning would definitely lose her reputation and die a horrible death.


    It seemed that Madam Cui was much more vicious than she had imagined. She had to be more careful in the future.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky today. So, don¡¯t think about this anymore¡­¡± Granny Liu was halfway through her sentence when a mor came from not far away.


    ¡°Hurry up and pack up. Let¡¯s go watch the show.¡± She coldly chuckled.


    After saying that, she immediately packed the clothes, theb, and the rouge powder she had brought and then walked out excitedly.


    Yang Wanning was surprised when she saw this. She hadn¡¯t expected that Granny Liu would be this gossipy.


    As soon as they left the room, they saw arge group of people standing outside where they had stopped earlier.


    At the same time, there was also a furious roar from Madam Cui, ¡°Yang Wanning, oh, Yang Wanning, you¡¯ve disgraced the Yang family! How could you do such a thing in the pce?¡±


    ¡°How could you be bold enough to steal in the pce? Moreover, you¡¯re with the famous yboy, Chen Fang!¡± Someone immediately echoed.


    ¡°Soldiers, capture all of them and throw them into the pond.¡± At this moment, the Empress¡¯ angry voice sounded.


    ¡°Eh? What happened? Why is someone calling my name, and throwing who into the pond? ¡± Yang Wanning walked over and asked with a puzzled look.


    Everyone turned to look after hearing that. When they confirmed that she was the real Yang Wanning, they were all stunned.


    If Wan Ning was here, then the one in the room was¡­


    Seeing this, a tall and strong woman squeezed in and asked loudly, ¡°Mrs. Yang, are you sure it¡¯s Yang Wanning inside? Yang Wanning is here, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hurry up and see who that woman is. Yang Wanning isn¡¯t the thief after all.¡±


    Madam Cui, who was in the room, heard their words and froze. She quickly went forward and pulled the woman out. When she saw that it was an unfamiliar face, she froze..

 Chapter 437 - 437 Palace Banquet (9)

    Chapter 437: Pce Banquet (9)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At this moment, the tall and strong woman said mockingly, ¡°1 say, Madam Yang, did you n this again?


    ¡°No matter what, Yang Wanning is still the daughter of the Yang family. If something happens to her, it won¡¯t look good on you either.¡±


    ¡°After interacting with her for the past two years, I thought she was a good person. 1 sure didn¡¯t expect her to be this vicious. She was going topletely destroy Yang Wanning.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this normal? As long as Yang Wanning is alive, her daughter will always be one rank lower.¡±


    ¡°You people¡­¡± Hearing the crowd¡¯s words, Madam Cui gritted her teeth in anger, but she did not dare to offend them.


    After all, she was a person without an imperial mandate. Without the Empress¡¯s permission, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter the pce.


    Thinking of this, she could only turn to the Empress for help.


    The Empress red at her and saw the round red dot on the captured woman¡¯s forehead. ¡°How dare you, a pce maid, have an affair with another man in the pce!


    ¡°Someone beat her to death and throw her into a mass grave.


    ¡°As for Chen Fang¡­¡±


    When the Empress said this, a woman suddenly rushed in from outside and kneeled. ¡°Empress, 1 beg you to spare my son¡¯s life. I will definitely discipline him strictly in the future!¡±


    At this point, she grabbed Chen Fang, who had just put on his clothes, and pped him twice.¡±You unfilial son, it¡¯s fine if you usually flirt with the women outside.


    ¡°But do you think the pce is a ce for you to mess around? You actually¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll break your legs when we get back!¡±


    Chen Fang dodged as he replied, ¡°Mother, Mother, listen to me. 1 was knocked unconscious and thrown here. 1 also¡­¡±


    The Empress immediately stopped him. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can go back and settle your family¡¯s matters yourself.


    ¡°However, Chen Fang must leave the pce immediately. Unless he can enter the court as a schr, he will not be allowed to enter the pce for life.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Empress.¡± Mrs. Chen brought Chen Fang to kowtow and immediately dragged him out of the pce.


    As for the pce maid, she was dragged out by the two other maids beside the Empress. Then, waves of screams could be heard, and soon there was silence.


    Meanwhile, the Empress rushed back to the Hall of Diligent Government with a dark expression.


    Seeing this, Madam Cui immediately jogged to catch up.


    Seeing this, the women more or less understood what had happened. However, they did not dare to talk about the Empress, so they gossiped about the Cui family. They felt that Madam Cui must have arranged for today¡¯s incident.


    The tall, strong woman looked at Yang Wanning and asked, ¡°Wanning, did your stepmother arrange what happened today?¡±


    Yang Wanning shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. Previously, I was chatting with Princess Mingyu in the pavilion. Later, a pce maid identally sshed water all over me.


    ¡°Princess Mingyu brought me here to change my clothes, but someone by the Emperor called her away.


    ¡°Granny Liu was asked by my cousin to bring me clothes, so we went to another room to change.


    ¡°As for what happened, I really don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Your cousin gave you clothes? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know! The clothes the Yang family had previously prepared for her are not suitable, whether in color or style. I¡¯m sure she had to ask her cousin for help.¡± At this time, a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl smiled and spoke up.


    ¡°Wait. Your cousin, which cousin, could it be¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my third cousin from the Gu family. He just entered the capital two days ago.¡±


    ¡°The Gu family, isn¡¯t the Gu family¡­¡±


    ¡°My cousin didn¡¯t borate on his reason foring here, but he followed the Third Prince into the capital.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    After hearing this, the women rushed to the Hall of Diligent Government while discussing the Gu family, guessing what was happening with the Gu family reentering the capital..

 Chapter 438 - 438 Palace Banquet (10)

    Chapter 438: Pce Banquet (10)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanning, who wasgging behind, looked at Granny Liu and asked, ¡°Granny, do you recognize the tall and strong woman?¡±


    Yang Wanning had lived two lives, and even if her status in both lives was not high, she had always lived in the capital. Why had she never seen this person in both of her lives?


    ¡°If I remember correctly, she¡¯s the direct daughter of Lord Yan, themander of the Nine Gates. She married a schr of the highest degree and has been working with her husband outstation.


    ¡°It seems her husband is to be rewarded for his meritorious service in quelling a rebellion.¡± Granny Liu replied.


    Yang Wanning nodded to show she understood, but her thoughts were muddled.


    In her previous life, there were no sweet potatoes and no manifestations of Mother Goddess.


    Therefore, the Great Ming Dynasty fell into chaos at this time.


    It fell into turmoil for over ten years before it calmed down. However, less than 10 percent of the poption survived.


    Ultimately, although the First Prince killed his father and brothers, he was eliminated by the biding Second Prince, who ascended the throne.


    Although the Third Prince was disabled and sat in a wheelchair, he was said to be the ¡°ruler in the shadows¡±. Unfortunately, he had never married.


    Of course, the Yang family members were all executed, but Yang Wanyu survived by changing her looks and bing a servant girl in Yang Wanning¡¯s manor.


    Furthermore, in order to live a better life, Yang Wanyu seduced Yang Wanning¡¯s husband¡ªa schr who was also a teacher¡ªand murdered Yang Wanning before assuming her identity.


    Before she died, she also learned from Yang Wanyu that Yang Wanning¡¯s mother had been deliberately frozen to death, that she had been duped into marrying the schr, and that her brother had been forced to be a hooligan who did all kinds of evil deeds¡ªhe died tragically in a gambling den.


    But everything changed after Yang Wanning regressed; everything in her previous life could no longer be used as a reference.


    No, not entirely. The fight for the throne would not change, and what changed was only that themoners had ended their troubled times ahead of schedule.


    When the Empress arrived at the side hall of the Hall of Diligent Government, she turned around and kicked Madam Cui, ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯ve already set up the stage for you, and you ruined it.¡±


    ¡°Empress, please calm down. I, I was acting ording to the n. Who knows, who knows¡­¡± Madam Cui paused for a moment and continued, ¡°Could it be that the little bitch sensed something, so¡­¡±


    When the Empress heard what she said, she remembered Yang Wanning¡¯s new clothes. The fabric and style were definitely not something that she could afford.


    After that, she quickly asked her personal pce maid to go outside and ask around.


    Because Yang Wanning had previously spilled the beans to the others, the pce maid quickly got wind of what happened and returned to the Empress.


    ¡°Gu Chengrui, the third son of the Gu family.¡± The Empress muttered and fell silent.


    Since that was the case, she might as well push him to the opposite side. It would be easy to deal with all of them in one fell swoop.


    ¡°Since she¡¯s already acquainted with the Third Prince, why don¡¯t we let her marry him?¡± The Empress suggested.


    ¡°But that would make things too easy for her,¡± Madam Cui said in shock.


    The issue was that her daughter was only a secondary consort, and Yang Wanning was about to be a main consort. At that time, Yang Wanning would definitely suppress them.


    ¡°So, I guess it depends on your capabilities?¡± The Empress turned her head and looked at her meaningfully.


    Madam Cui was stunned momentarily and did not understand what the Empress meant.


    When she saw this, a hint of disdain shed across the Empress¡¯ eyes. She then turned around, sat to the side to drink tea, and ignored Madam Cui.


    The Emperor¡¯s representative had also arrived to remind the Empress Dowager that it was time. The Empress Dowager rose and stated, ¡°We¡¯ve had enough tea, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all finished talking. Let¡¯s get there quickly so the Emperor doesn¡¯t have to wait any longer.¡±


    After that, she waved at Zhou Ying and walked toward the Hall of Diligent Government with the help of her personal maid.


    The other women immediately stood up and followed after the Empress Dowager..

 Chapter 439 - 439 Palace Banquet (11)

    Chapter 439: Pce Banquet (11)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When they reached the outer perimeter of the Hall of Diligent Government, the Empress Dowager passed off Zhou Ying to King An¡¯s Consort before separating.


    When Zhou Ying followed Consort An to the main entrance, she saw Zhou Huaiming and Gu Chengrui waiting at the door.


    When Zhou Huaiming and Gu Chengrui saw them, they quickly bowed to the olddies. Seeing this, Consort An looked at Gu Chengrui and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll hand over your wife to you then. Come over to our residence whenever you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll pay you a visit for sure.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    He pulled Zhou Ying over to his side, and the three walked into the hall.


    The husband and wife followed Zhou Huaiming to sit at the Zhou family¡¯s table.


    Zhou Huaiming pushed some snacks from the table toward them and said, ¡°Eat more. The food will get cold soon, so eat some to fill your stomach.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and did not hesitate. He picked up a small piece of cornbread and began munching it down.


    As for Zhou Ying, she took a piece of chestnut cake.


    As soon as she bit down on the cake, she felt people looking over.


    She spread her spiritual senses while enjoying the snacks, listening and watching every move.


    Most of them were discussing the Yang family, especially the mother and daughter scheming against Yang Wanning, and how they threw their dignity away.


    Then there was the crowd¡¯s curiosity toward the Gu couple, but not regarding why they were there.


    Because the news of the sweet potato had already spread throughout the pce.


    Instead, these people were curious about their rtionship with the Zhou family and the Third Prince.


    Especially at Principal Zhou¡¯s, sitting not far away, Zhou Ying and her husband should been sitting at their side, but they didn¡¯t even say a word to them after they came in.


    Madam Zhou whispered to Principal Zhou. ¡°Son, do you think we should try to repair our rtionship with Zhou Ying? This could be considered paving the way for Jiaqing.¡±


    Principal Zhou shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s useless. If she still thinks she¡¯s a daughter of the Zhou family, she would havee to pay her respects long ago, but they didn¡¯t. It¡¯s obvious that they don¡¯t want to interact with us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not up to her. She¡¯s still part of the Zhou family.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash. You know better than 1 do what kind of life she had back home. If she makes a scene in public, we¡¯ll be in trouble.


    ¡°Besides, the consort selection is about to begin. Trying to repair our rtionship now is useless, so let nature take its course.¡±


    Although Madam Zhou was still unwilling, she remembered Zhou Ying¡¯s attitude toward her in Longevity Pce and ultimately did not say anything.


    However, after listening to the whole story, Zhou Jiaqing felt very ufortable.


    On the one hand, she balked even at asking for Zhou Ying¡¯s help. She felt it was embarrassing to beg Zhou Ying, whom she had once bullied.


    On the other hand, she hoped to get Zhou Ying¡¯s help.


    Because she knew very well that if she missed today¡¯s consort selection banquet, she would always be inferior to her eldest sister, who had already be the fourth prince¡¯s concubine.


    Thinking of this, she hesitated momentarily before walking over and sitting beside Zhou Ying. ¡°Second Sister, why didn¡¯t youe back home to take a look after returning to the capital?¡±


    Zhou Ying turned her head and looked at Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s fake smile and scheming eyes. She was so disgusted that she almost vomited.


    Zhou Jiaqing hade to beg for help but didn¡¯t even have a trace of sincerity. It was apparent she never cared for Zhou Ying, past or present.


    It just so happened that Zhou Ying did not want to interact with this ¡°family¡± of hers. Thus, she sneered, ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no way 1 am Miss Zhou¡¯s sister. Didn¡¯t you say I could only serve you as a ve for the rest of my life?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhou Jiaqing looked at her undisguised mockery and was so angry that she raised her hand, about to hit her.


    ¡°Do you dare to hit me?¡± Zhou Ying asked with a smile..

 Chapter 440 - 440 Palace Banquet (12)

    Chapter 440: Pce Banquet (12)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Jiaqing remembered where she was and clenched her fists tightly. Ultimately, she had no choice but to put her hands down.


    However, her eyes seemed to spew fire at her, as if they would burn her into ashes at any moment.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying replied coldly, ¡°Since you¡¯ve never treated me as a member of the Zhou family, let¡¯s continue that. It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t interfere in each other¡¯s business in the future.¡±


    She picked up her teacup and slowly drank it after saying that.


    ¡°Hmph, there will be a day when you cry about that.¡± Zhou Jia gave a cold harrumph. She turned around and returned to her seat with a livid face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you so angry?¡± Madam Zhou looked at Zhou Jiaqing, whose face was twisted with anger, and patted her back.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She said that we should mind our own business in the future and not interact with each other anymore.¡± Zhou Jiaqing spat with an angry expression.


    As for Zhou Ying¡¯s bullying of her, she did not mention a word about that. If her father had found out what she had done in the past, she would not hear the end of it.


    ¡°How preposterous. She has forgotten where she hase from.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1 think this is good enough. Don¡¯t look for her anymore.¡± Principal Zhou replied unhappily.


    At the same time, he felt ufortable, but he also knew this icy wall was not built in a day. Their rtionship couldn¡¯t ease.


    Holding some prayer beads, Madam Zhou pushed the teacup in front of Zhou Jiaqing and said, ¡°Listen to your father. Don¡¯t bother with her in the future. Let¡¯s just pretend that she doesn¡¯t exist in the Zhou family.¡±


    Zhou Jiaqing heeded their advice, but the anger in her heart didn¡¯t subside and instead grew more intense. At this moment, Eunuch Li sang loudly, ¡°The Emperor has arrived, the Empress Dowager has arrived, the Empress has arrived, the Eldest Prince has arrived¡­¡±


    She had no choice but to suppress the anger in her heart, stand up, walk to the middle, and kneel with the others. ¡°Long live the emperor!


    ¡°Long live the Empress Dowager, the Empress, the First Prince¡­ for a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years.¡±


    At this moment, the Emperor, who had walked to the side of the dragon throne, was about to sit down when he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and fainted.


    Fortunately, Eunuch Li was quick enough to catch him but couldn¡¯t hold him with one hand. The two of them almost fell together.


    The Eldest Prince and the Third Prince rushed together and helped them up. They quickly helped the Emperor onto his throne.


    At the same time, the Empress Dowager and the others eximed, ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    Eunuch Li, who had stabilized himself, hurriedly called for Principal Zhou. ¡°Imperial Physician Zhou, hurry up and see what¡¯s happening with the Emperor.¡±


    Principal Zhou immediately squeezed out of the crowd and jogged over, taking the Emperor¡¯s pulse.


    The Empress Dowager stared at Principal Zhou.


    Because she knew that although the court was calm, undercurrents surged below.


    If something happened to the Emperor, the Great Ming would be in chaos, and there would likely be another civil war. Nothing must happen to the Emperor.


    A momentter, Principal Zhou released his grip. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s in a state of anxiety, but it doesn¡¯t seem like it at the same time. Let¡¯s wait for the Emperor to wake up and ask him how he feels.¡±


    After saying that, he took out a needle bag from his sleeve.


    The Empress understood and immediately asked the pce maid to light amp and hand it to him.


    After disinfecting the silver needles, Principal Zhou inserted one into the Emperor¡¯s body.


    Soon, the Emperor woke up. At first, he was at a loss, but after returning to his senses, he looked at Headmaster Zhou and asked, ¡°Doctor Zhou, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Judging by your pulse, it seems like you¡¯re suffering from an acute heart attack, but¡­


    ¡°I need to ask you, are you still feeling unwell?¡±


    The Emperor calmed down, felt his personal state, and knew he had to say it was nothing, even if there was something. He shook his head and said, ¡°Maybe


    I didn¡¯t sleep well yesterday, so I¡¯m just a little dizzy. It¡¯s fine. You can go down..¡±

 Chapter 441 - 441 Palace Banquet (13)

    Chapter 441: Pce Banquet (13)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    He was panicking in his heart, however, because he felt as if someone was pinching his heart with their hands and he could die at any time.


    Even now, he still felt a tightness in his chest, but he still forced himself to sit up straight and wave his hand. ¡°Rise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Emperor.¡± After everyone returned the greeting, they sat back down one after another.


    At this moment, the Emperor felt like the clouds had cleared and the sun had appeared. He rxed a great deal; the Empress Dowager and the others saw that his expression had finally smoothed out and heaved a sigh of relief. They each sat back in their seats.


    ¡°I believe that all my beloved ministers know the purpose of holding this banquet today, so I¡¯ll get straight to the point.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he looked at Eunuch Li.


    Eunuch Li understood his intention, so he had a young eunuch take out an imperial edict. ¡°By the will of the heavens, the Emperor has decreed that King Xian has made outstanding contributions by quickly promoting winter wheat nting.


    ¡°Special reward, 1,000 taels of gold, cloth¡­


    ¡°His son, the son of King Xian, Yang Zeheng, will be transferred from the Imperial Academy to the Ministry of Revenue and serve as a fifth-grade councillor.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Emperor. Long live my Emperor.¡± The father and son were delighted. They immediately went forward to bow and take the imperial edict from Eunuch Li¡¯s hands.


    Next was the Third Prince. Because of his contribution to promoting white sweet potatoes and quelling the rebellion, he was conferred the title of King Rui and given 10,000 acres ofnd.


    The First Prince and the Fourth Prince were bestowed with the titles of King Hui and King Kang, respectively, also because of their contributions to quelling the rebellion.


    There were also more misceneous meritorious awards given to various officials.


    Eunuch Li took out thest imperial edict and read, ¡°The Emperor has decreed that the design of the waterwheel and the nting technique of the sweet potato are from Gu Chengrui and his wife.


    ¡°He also led his nsmen and the Qian n to invent the first waterwheel and promote white sweet potatoes to the masses.


    ¡°The Gu family is hereby pardoned.


    ¡°Gu Chengrui will be adopted under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s name and be the legitimate eldest son of the Gu family. He will regain his schr status and be given a residence, a thousand acres ofnd, a shop, and a hundred pieces of cloth¡­¡±


    ¡°Student Gu Chengrui (Commoner Zhou Ying) thanks the Emperor for his reward. Long live my Emperor, long live, long live my Emperor.¡± The husband and wife stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± The Emperor spat out a mouthful of blood, startling everyone.


    Eunuch Li quickly supported him and said, ¡°Emperor¡­¡±


    The Empress Dowager, Empress, and other members of the royal family immediately surrounded him. The Emperor waved his hand and covered his chest. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve spat out a mouthful of blood, but the tightness in my chest is gone now.¡±


    After that, he held onto his chest and said to Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying, ¡°Both of you may rise.¡±


    At this moment, Principal Zhou rushed over and retook the Emperor¡¯s pulse.


    ¡°Thank you, Emperor.¡± The husband and wife stood up and returned to their seats with the imperial edict.


    Although the officials did not say anything, they were muttering inwardly.


    They were all worried that something was wrong with the Emperor¡¯s body, especially the Fourth Prince¡¯s faction. Their political power was far inferior to the First Prince¡¯s, so they would die miserably if the Emperor passed now.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying was also mumbling inwardly. Every time something happened to the Emperor, she could feel an invisible thing bouncing out of her body to attack him.


    The first time might have been a coincidence, but she had to take it seriously after the second time.


    But why¡­


    After thinking about it, she came to a conclusion. Although she had not yet recovered her identity as Mother Goddess, the Emperor was a believer in Mother Goddess no matter the circumstances.


    He couldn¡¯t ept her showing respect by kneeling.


    As for why the Empress Dowager and the Third Prince were fine, it was probably because she only bowed and did not kneel..

 Chapter 442 - 442 Palace Banquet (14)

    Chapter 442: Pce Banquet (14)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Thinking of this, Zhou Ying was both excited and nervous.


    She was excited because she had finally found a way to punish people.


    However, this would damage the dignity of Mother Goddess and hers, so she would not use it unless it were a matter of life and death.


    She was worried that the Emperor would find out about it. If he really made things difficult for her, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for Gu Chengrui and her to go into hiding.


    But the people around her¡­


    It seemed that he would try his best not to kowtow to the emperor in the future.


    Gu Chengrui was also feeling uneasy.


    He could not understand why the Emperor would put him under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s name. To be honest, he did not want anything to do with this.


    This was because his new identity would not only not help him but also restrict him in every aspect. He might even get entangled in the drama of fighting for the throne if things went wrong.


    It seemed that they had to return to Dongyang as soon as possible.


    The Third Prince looked at the pale-faced Emperor and feltplicated.


    He could guess that the Emperor wanted to divide him and Gu Chengrui.


    Or rather, the Emperor wanted to turn Gu Chengrui into his aid and hold him firmly in his hands.


    This was also a move against his fourth brother, because everyone knew Princess Ping Yang had always supported the Fourth Prince.


    It was also likely to be a move to lure the First Prince into killing Gu Chengrui.


    Ultimately, this was a superb move on the chessboard. The Emperor moved only a little pawn to rail up the three princes.


    At the same time, although the Empress, the First Prince, and the Fourth Prince did not overthink it, they also had their thoughts about the situation.


    The faces of the Yang family members turned hideous, especially Madam Cui and her daughter.


    They bullied Yang Wanning because she did not have a backer. The Gu family¡¯seback had undoubtedly dealt them a heavy blow.


    The only one happy about this turn of events was Yang Wanning. As long as the Gu family was no longer guilty of their crimes, her chances of winning tonight¡¯s selection banquet would be much higher.


    She looked at the Third Prince because he was her target¡ªthe future Emperor.


    As for the other stuff, she had not thought of it yet, nor was she in the mood to think about it.


    A momentter, Principal Zhou retracted his hand. ¡°The Emperor is not seriously ill. He is just stressed out, so he should rest more.¡±


    ¡°But why did he vomit blood?¡± The Empress Dowager asked in confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s a blood clot. Spitting them out is actually better for him.¡±


    ¡°Great to hear that.¡± The Empress Dowager heaved a sigh of relief and said to the Emperor, ¡°Why don¡¯t we postpone the event? It¡¯s better if you go back and rest. We¡¯ll be here for the rest of the banquet.¡±


    ¡°No need. My body is fine. Let¡¯s continue.¡± The Emperor shook his head.


    ¡°Alright then, but if you feel unwell again, you¡¯d better listen to your mother.¡±


    The Emperor nodded and asked Eunuch Li to arrange for the program¡¯s continuation.


    Eunuch Li hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. He let the dancers that he had prepared go onstage.


    After the two dances, the people¡¯s minds also calmed down. The Empress Dowager and the others saw that the Emperor had recovered his usual spirit and finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Xinran,¡± the Empress called out. ¡°I heard that you recently learned a new song. y it for your father. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve improved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± The Eighth Princess nodded and walked to the center with her pipa. She bowed to the Emperor and said, ¡°Please give me your opinion after this, Imperial Father.¡±


    After saying that, she sat on a stool the pce maid had brought and readied herself.


    She started by mimicking a bird¡¯s cry, which was great when yed with a pipa.


    The following performance was like a gathering of birds. The tone was bright and cheerful, giving off a happy feeling to the audience..

 Chapter 443 - 443 Palace Banquet (15)

    Chapter 443: Pce Banquet (15)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the song ended, the Emperorughed and said, ¡°Not bad. You sure have improved quite a bit recently. Xinran, you have to work harder in the future and strive to y a famous piece as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Imperial Father. 1 will definitely work hard and let you hear a famous song I can y as soon as possible,¡± the Eighth Princess replied.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Father will be waiting.¡± The Emperor nodded.


    The Eighth Princess left obediently after that.


    The Empress then called out the names of a few youngdies. They were all excellent in their crafts, be it singing, dancing, or painting.


    Soon, it was the Yang family¡¯s turn. It was unimown if the Empress deliberately stifled Yang Wanning, but she called Yang Wanyu up first.


    After Yang Wanyu went up, she performed an intricate dance. Unfortunately, the dance did not go well because of the difficulty, and her body was not flexible enough.


    Perhaps she had also noticed this, so she sulked when she went down.


    Next was Yang Wanning. She did not expect the Empress to give her a chance to show off her chess skills, which she was best at.


    Yang Wanning hesitated momentarily but still went up to y against Grand Schr Sun, who was excellent at chess.


    Initially, the Grand Schr was at a disadvantage, but he quickly tied the score and won against Yang Wanning in the end.


    Finally, hemented, ¡°Miss Yang¡¯s chess skills are pretty good. Youryout is exquisite, and I¡¯m sure not many people here are your opponents.


    ¡°However, what youck is endurance and a calm heart. Only when your heart ispletely calm can you judge what to do next.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson. Thank you for your advice, Lord Sun.¡± Yang Wanning bowed.


    At the same time, she started to self-reflect, as it was said that chess was like life. She was not calm, and it seemed that she had to practice more and pay more attention in the future.


    ¡°Let¡¯s y again if there¡¯s a chance.¡± The Grand Schr Sun returned the bow, turned around, and left.


    Next was Zhou Jiaqing, and her performance was calligraphy. Although itcked the strength and charm, her handwriting was still quite pretty.


    After being ttered by everyone, Zhou Jiaqing looked at Zhou Ying with a proud expression and said, ¡°Zhou Ying, you haven¡¯t shown your face in front of everyone yet. Why don¡¯t you take this opportunity to show everyone your talent?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, may 1?¡± she asked the Empress.


    Principal Zhou and Madam Zhou¡¯s expressions turned ugly. This was because Zhou Ying wasn¡¯t giving the Zhou family the time of day.


    If she exposed the truth, the Zhou family would lose all their face.


    The Empress Dowager and Consort An¡¯s expressions also turned. They knew Zhou Ying had grown up in the kitchen. She could not even read, let alone have the talent to perform. Wasn¡¯t this just purely embarrassing for her?


    Madam Cui and her daughter were also delighted. If Zhou Ying embarrassed herself here, she would have to lower her head before them in the future.


    Yang Wanyu gloated, while Yang Wanning was full of worry.


    The Third Prince and Zhou Huaiming were filled with curiosity because the Zhou Ying they hade into contact with was very different from the one in the rumors, so they hoped Zhou Ying would be able to create a miracle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see Lady Gu¡¯s intention.¡± The Empress hesitated for a moment before replying.


    She could not figure out why the Emperor would suddenly put Gu Chengrui under the name of Ping Yang. Hence, it was best not to offend him.


    ¡°How about it, Zhou Ying? Do you want to try?¡± Zhou Jiaqing tried to force Zhou Ying again.


    ¡°Qing¡¯er, don¡¯t be so rude. Quickly,e back here.¡± Principal Zhou put down his cup and scolded sternly.


    Zhou Jiaqing didn¡¯t retreat after hearing that. Instead, she looked at Zhou Ying provocatively..

 Chapter 444 - 444 Palace Banquet (16)

    Chapter 444: Pce Banquet (16)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°This is a rare opportunity. Does Lady Gu not want to show off her talent? Or does she not have any talent?¡± Yang Wanyu jeered.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, hurry up. If you need anything, I¡¯ll prepare it for you,¡± the Princess added.


    Gu Chengrui was about to get up when Zhou Ying pulled him back and said, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll have to trouble the Princess to prepare a sharp knife, a piece of tender tofu, a chopping board, and a basin of water for me.¡±


    ¡°You mean you want to cook?¡± The Eighth Princess asked mockingly.


    Zhou Ying smiled but did not reply.


    The Eighth Princess snorted and sent people to prepare.


    Everyone immediately started discussing it curiously. They didn¡¯t understand what she was nning to do. Was it that she was nning to cook here? How could she cook without a fire?


    ¡°Zhou Ying, what are you nning to cook?¡± The Empress Dowager asked curiously.


    ¡°Empress Dowager, I¡¯m not cooking, but just performing my knife skills.¡± Zhou Ying stepped forward and answered.


    Zhou Jiaqing sneered. ¡°1 thought you¡¯d bettered yourself, but you¡¯re only destined to work in the kitchen.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at her with a faint smile and ignored her.


    After a while, the tofu was ced onstage, and everyone looked at her curiously.


    Zhou Ying got up and started working on the table before her.


    First, she picked up the tofu and shaped it into a square.


    She then ced the knife on the chopping board, dipped it in water, and sliced the tofu. However, from afar, it looked like she was holding the knife above the tofu and quickly shaking her wrist.


    After she was done, she changed the direction of the incision to a 90-degree angle and continued slicing the tofu.


    Just as everyone was in the dark about what she was doing, she quickly cut off the four corners of the tofu and rounded them.


    Finally, Zhou Ying scooped up the tofu with a knife and gently ced it in the water, shaking it gently.


    A momentter, a chrysanthemum flower with strands as thin as hair took shape.


    Zhou Huaiming looked over andughed.


    ¡°Eighth Princess,¡± Zhou Ying raised her head and said, ¡°Please, look at my knife skills for yourself.¡±


    The Eighth Princess looked at her suspiciously and walked over. When she saw the chrysanthemum floating in the water, she was stunned.


    Zhou Jiaqing looked at the Eighth Princess¡¯s expression and was startled. She ran over and saw the chrysanthemum in the water basin, also in disbelief. Zhou Ying¡¯s knife skills were too good; she could slice tofu into shreds without breaking a single strand.


    The Emperor looked at their expressions and was also interested. He asked a pce maid at the side to bring it over for everyone to see.


    After the pce maid understood, she immediately ran to take the basin. She first went up to let the imperial family and the others take a look, followed by the ministers.


    All of them were surprised, as no one had expected that the tender tofu could be cut into flowers without breaking. Moreover, it was cut so thin and evenly. ¡°Zhou Ying,¡± the Empress Dowager asked curiously, ¡°how long have you been practicing such knife techniques? It¡¯s amazing that you can cut such a tender tofu into a chrysanthemum.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing odd jobs in the kitchen since I was young and can¡¯t remember exactly how long it has been, but no less than ten years.¡±


    ¡°So you started holding knives when you were seven or eight?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I started holding a knife when 1 could hold a knife.¡±


    ¡°Amazing. No wonder the Third Prince mentioned he liked your cooking. Your foundation is solid; 1 must try your Egg Fried Rice some other day.


    ¡°Egg Fried Rice? What do you mean?¡± The Emperor asked in confusion.


    ¡°This girl said that her specialty dish is Egg Fried Rice. She also said that every grain of rice must be covered in egg to be considered a sess. I¡¯m tempted to taste it after hearing that.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, it does sound delicious. Mother, when she cooks a portion for you, remember to leave a portion for me.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll call you over when the timees..¡±

 Chapter 445 - 445 Palace Banquet (17)

    Chapter 445: Pce Banquet (17)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What¡¯s so great about it? No matter how good it is, it¡¯s just you being a cook.¡± Zhou Jiaqing said disdainfully.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. The minimum requirement for being a good wife and mother is to know how to cook and make clothes.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know the basics, how can you be a wife and mother? Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Zhou Huaiming said with an evil smile.


    When Zhou Jiaqing heard his defense, she was so jealous that she went dizzy. She yelled out without thinking, ¡°You¡­ Why are you so protective of her? Are you two having an affair?¡±


    However, she regretted it after saying that.


    Before she could return to her senses, she was kicked to the ground by Zhou Ying. She was in so much pain that she could not recover for a long time.


    ¡°Zhou Ying, you¡¯ve gone too far.¡± Madam Zhou stood up and knocked on her walking stick.


    ¡°Everyone knows who went overboard, and it isn¡¯t me.¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and replied expressionlessly.


    ¡°Jiaqing¡¯s words are too much,¡± someone immediately echoed.


    ¡°Indeed. She ndered someone without any evidence. If it were me, 1 would beat her half to death.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and take her away. She¡¯s a girl, but her words are sharp and mean.¡± The Empress Dowager hurriedly added.


    At the same time, she was highly disappointed with Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s performance.


    An arrogant, jealous, and impulsive person like her could not be the daughter-inw of the royal family.


    Moreover, she was the daughter of an imperial physician. She absolutely could not marry into the royal family, or she would definitely stir up trouble in the family.


    She gave the Empress a look.


    The Empress nodded and crossed out Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s name.


    Principal Zhou heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this. Based on her performance tonight, if she really marries into the royal family, she might bring disaster to the family.


    At the same time, Mrs. Zhou¡¯s face turned pale. She quickly helped Zhou Jiaqing up and ran out.


    When the old madam saw this, she looked at Zhou Ying with resentment. She simply threw the Zhou family¡¯s dignity to the ground for others to step on.


    Moreover, after such a ruckus, it would be difficult for Zhou Jiaqing to marry into a higher position, let alone the Third Prince.


    The Eighth Princess looked at Zhou Ying with apprehension. She did not expect that Zhou Ying would hit someone just because of that. It seemed better to avoid contact with her in the future.


    At the same time, Madam Cui, her daughter, and Yang Wanyu looked at Zhou Ying with trepidation. It seemed that they could not openly bully Yang Wanning in the future.


    Of course, some people were secretly happy, especially those who were sworn enemies of Zhou Jiaqing and the Zhou family.


    Princess Mingyu¡¯s eyes lit up as she looked at Zhou Ying. A person who would move her feet instead of her mouth whenever possible really suited her taste. It seemed that she had finally found a soulmate.


    The Empress looked at Zhou Ying with curiosity and suspicion. If she was correct, Zhou Ying must know martial arts. Otherwise, that kick would not have been so fast and ruthless.


    ¡°Is there anyone else who wants to show off their talents?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, a few younger ones came up one after another, most of them just dancing.


    However, no one was in the mood to watch, so it ended quickly.


    After a while, the banquet officially began. As Zhou Huaiming said, all the dishes were already cold when they were served.


    The key was that the dishes were exquisite, although the portions were too small. There was a braised carp, stir-fried meat, beef slices with soy sauce, stir-fried cabbage, a te of sesame seed cakes, rice, and egg soup.


    After the Emperor and Empress had started the banquet, they took a cup of wine and left.


    Everyone exchanged a few pleasantries and hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls before dispersing.


    Following that, the couple followed the Third Prince back to the manor..

 Chapter 446 - 446 Various Families’ Reaction (2)

    Chapter 446: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After she went back, she washed up andy on the bed. Zhou Ying said dejectedly, ¡°I thought I could taste a real royal chef¡¯s cooking at the banquet and learn from it. 1 didn¡¯t expect the banquet to be so shabby.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already difficult to gather so many ingredients in such a year.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    Da Ming appeared to have calmed down at the time, but the masses were still relying on the rice and flour they distributed. There was still a scarcity of meat.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but to be honest, that stir-fried meat is sure great.¡±


    ¡°Yours doesn¡¯t lose out either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different. To put it bluntly, 1 still rely on various seasonings to cook.


    ¡°However, the chef relied on his skills.¡±


    ¡°So, you learned something from it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try againter. I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t cook as well as him. It¡¯ll do as long as it¡¯s 90% simr.¡±


    ¡°I support you.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly nodded.


    However, he internally dreads the days of tasting dishes, as it would be painful.


    It seemed that he had to drag Brother Zhou along. Didn¡¯t he like to eat Zhou Ying¡¯s food? Let hime over and eat as much as he wants.


    ¡°Oh, right; why do you think the Emperor put you under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s name? Is there some conspiracy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The Emperor¡¯s mind is not simple, but we must be more careful in the future.


    Oh, right, and that ¡®sister¡¯ of yours. After suffering such a huge loss today, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t let you off easily.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Jiaqing is easy to deal with. Although she is ruthless, she doesn¡¯t scheme.


    ¡°The troublesome one is her sister, Zhou Jiaying, who is also the concubine of the Fourth Prince.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be a difficult woman to deal with. However, 1 heard that she¡¯s about to give birth, so I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t have time to care about these dramas for now.¡±


    ¡°If the eldest son is born from a concubine, the Fourth Prince will be in for a lot of fun.¡± Gu Chengrui paused for a moment and gloatingly mocked.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with us. But no matter what, let¡¯s not have anything to do with the Fourth Prince.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about it. He didn¡¯t help us when the Gu family was raided or even when the First Prince suppressed us with the waterwheel incident. I won¡¯t forget about that.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and told him how Yang Wanning was almost tricked today. ¡°I suspect that the Empress is involved in this. We have to tread carefully.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Back then, the First Prince¡¯s party reported and raided the Gu family¡¯s home. There is no way the Empress would let Yang Wanning rise.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Yang family will have a good show tonight. Pay attention to itter and see if Yang Wanning is worth helping.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    On the other hand, Zhou Huaiming didn¡¯t return to the Zhou n immediately after returning to his residence. Instead, he followed the Third Prince to his study.


    After he sat down, Zhou Huaiming stepped forward and bowed solemnly. ¡°I, Zhou Huai Ming, pay my respects to King Rui. Long live, your Highness.¡±


    The Third Prince nced at him and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s just a title. Is there a need for that?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Zhou Huaiming sat down.


    ¡°A prince is just an identity, indicating that you are the Emperor¡¯s son. A King¡¯s title is one of nobility and holds realmanding power.¡±


    He asked in confusion, ¡°But why did the Emperor confer all three of you as kings today? Did he deprive all of you of the possibility of inheriting the throne?


    ¡°Could it be that he has his eyes on the Seventh or the Ninth Prince inheriting?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Maybe he wants to sit on the throne for a few more years.


    ¡°After all, based on the First Prince¡¯s current momentum, he will force the abdication in another two or three years even if the Emperor doesn¡¯t step down.¡±


    ¡°Serves him right. He was the one who single-handedly supported the Marquis of Ding¡¯an, the Sun family..¡±

 Chapter 447 - 447: Chaoter 447 Various Families’ Reaction (2)

    Chapter 447: Chaoter 447 Various Families¡¯ Reaction (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s just political trickery. Otherwise, why do you think he suddenly put Gu Chengrui under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s name?


    ¡°Princess Ping Yang didn¡¯t even enter the Gu family¡¯s ancestral grave. Actually, she¡¯s no longer considered a wife of the Gu family.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming heard him mention this and immediately understood the crux of the matter. His heart sank as he said, ¡°He wants to ce Brother Gu in the limelight.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Speaking of which, it¡¯s also my fault. Previously, he had no intention of rewarding them, and I was the one who rmended them; 1 didn¡¯t expect such an oue.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. They¡¯ve contributed a lot to promoting the concept of eating potatoes instead of rice.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s give her a push. Even if being Princess Ping Yang¡¯s son doesn¡¯t have a title, he should at least have an official position.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer, and we¡¯ll ask the couple¡¯s opinion on thister. Don¡¯t make things worse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded.


    He remembered another purpose for tonight and asked curiously, ¡°By the way, there are many girls at the banquet tonight.


    ¡°If there¡¯s any you fancy, you have to act in advance. Otherwise, the Empress will probably not arrange for a girl with powerful inws for you.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone is like Grandpa, wholeheartedly acting for our country.


    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter who you choose. As long as shees from a clear background and isn¡¯t a spy, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead, he asked, ¡°You should have a goal so we can vet her in advance.¡±


    After hearing this, King Rui hesitated for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s do so then. 1 have an eye on the granddaughter of the Grand Schr Sun, Sun Miaoke.


    ¡°As well as Hong Suzhi from the Hong family of the Minister of Human Resources.¡±


    ¡°These two are decent, especially Sun Miaoke. She has the reputation of being the capital¡¯s most talented woman. Moreover, Grand Schr Sun is noble, so he won¡¯t arouse the Emperor¡¯s suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just talk about me; you¡¯re half a year older than me. Do you have anyone you like? If you do, you must hurry up and take care of it. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be toote once your sweetheart marries someone else.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming was stunned for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry, especially when I¡¯m not at home often. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±


    When King Rui heard this, he knew that Zhou Huaiming was thinking of the deaths of his grandmother, aunt, and cousin-inw. He stood up and patted his shoulder. ¡°I guarantee no one will dare touch the Zhou family within five years.


    ¡°Five yearster¡­ no one can touch the Zhou family.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming paused for a moment before he understood what he meant. He smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll look for it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re not young anymore. Settle down early and give birth to a son and a daughter, and Grandpa will be at ease.¡±


    Zhou Ying entered her interspace and first went to the Zhou family through the Mother Goddess Temple.


    Madam Zhou¡¯s Pine Crane Hall was now filled with people.


    Zhou Jiaqing kneeled on the ground and wiped her tears, looking wronged.


    However, no one in the room really cared about her.


    Especially her two stepsisters, three cousins, and their mother. Their gazes were even more unfriendly, and there was even some hatred.


    Her actions today would hinder not only her own marriage but also those of her five younger sisters, who would also be implicated.


    Of course, some people were also gloating, with Zhou Ying feeling the same way.


    After a moment of silence, Second Aunt Zhou said, ¡°Mother, based on the situation, it¡¯s better to send Jiaqing to the manor to stay for some time. It won¡¯t be toote to bring her back after the rumors pass.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mother. She won¡¯t be able to participate in the consort selection this time. Why doesn¡¯t she leave and hide from the trouble? ¡± Second Uncle Zhou echoed.


    ¡°You, you¡­ that¡¯s just cruel.¡± Zhou Jiaqing heard them and cried even louder..

 Chapter 448 - 448 Various Families’ Reaction (3)

    Chapter 448: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Madam Zhou said impatiently, ¡°Alright, stop crying.


    ¡°Look at you; you are usually quite the level-headed girl. How can you say such thoughtless words on such an asion?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to either. But Zhou Ying was so infuriating!¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to make an excuse? You¡¯ve already been humiliated by her; why are you still provoking her?¡± Principal Zhou spoke up unhappily.


    ¡°But Zhou Ying has gone too far too. How could she hit someone in public?¡± Mrs. Zhou huffed indignantly.


    ¡°You still have the cheek to say that? It¡¯s all your fault; look at what your daughter said today.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Mrs. Zhou was about to speak when Madam Zhou knocked on the table and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s the parent¡¯s fault for not teaching the child. You share some of the responsibility for what she has done today.


    ¡°Let me ask you now, do you agree with what your brother-inw and his wife suggested?¡±


    ¡°I agree. Let her go and reflect on herself.¡± Principal Zhou looked at Mrs. Zhou and added, ¡°You should go with her and teach her well.¡±


    Mrs. Zhou gripped her prayer beads tightly and finally nodded.


    ¡°This matter is settled. You can all leave.¡± After Madam Zhou finished speaking, she stood up and returned to her room.


    Everyone stood up and walked out.


    Only Principal Zhou followed the madam into the inner room. After helping his mother sit down, he asked, ¡°Mother, what do you think about Zhou Ying?¡± ¡°What else can I think? Just treat it as if we raised an ingrate. It¡¯s good that she doesn¡¯t want to acknowledge us, as I don¡¯t want to acknowledge her either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Anyway, she¡¯s already married, so let¡¯s pretend there¡¯s no such person in the family. You should also restrain the women in the family from taking the initiative to provoke her.


    ¡°Otherwise, with her reckless personality, she might do something rash.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I got it. You should also instruct the kids.¡±


    On the other end, Mirs. Zhou sent Zhou Jiaqing back to her courtyard and said, ¡°Let the maids pack some warm clothes for you. It¡¯s colder in the manor than in the city.¡±


    ¡°Mother, are we really going to stay in the manor?¡±


    ¡°What else? Do you know how much trouble you¡¯ve caused today?


    ¡°Learn more from your sister in the future. You have to be calm when things like this happen. When will you change your impulsive personality?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Jiaying, Zhou Jiaying. You only know to say her name daily. Why should 1 learn from her?¡±


    Mrs. Zhou looked at her twisted expression and was surprised by the intensity. She shook her head and said, ¡°As someone younger, you first have to face your shorings.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t even face your own shorings, how can you improve?


    ¡°Think about this carefully.¡±


    After saying that, Mrs. Zhou turned around and returned to her room.


    Zhou Jiaqing was so furious that she swept the teacup on the table to the ground, then crawled onto the table and cried.


    The maidservants were so frightened that none of them dared to make a sound.


    However, Zhou Jiaqing quickly raised his head and asked, ¡°Who knows where Zhou Ying¡¯s adoptive mother and family went?¡±


    ¡°After Zhou Ying got married, didn¡¯t you find an excuse to drive them to the hot spring manor?¡±


    Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s eyes shed with a trace of viciousness, ¡°Just in time. Hurry up and pack my luggage.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The four servant girls responded and immediately busied themselves.


    Zhou Ying could not bear to see this. It seemed that she had to bring her adoptive mother¡¯s family away from the Zhou family as soon as possible. Otherwise, they would probably be implicated.


    But where were their servitude contracts?


    Thinking of this, Zhou Ying searched the rooms of Mrs. Zhou and the inws, but she found nothing.


    In the end, she found it in Madam Zhou¡¯s room.


    But how should she take it back openly?

 Chapter 449 - 449 Various Families’ Reaction (4)

    Chapter 449: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After hesitating momentarily, Zhou Ying decided to return and think of a foolproof n with Gu Chengrui.


    She threw this to the back of her mind and went to the Yang family.


    At this time, the lights in the Yang family were out.


    Madam Cui tossed and turned in the main house of the central courtyard, unable to sleep because of what had happened today.


    Yang Shicheng was also a little annoyed by her. He sat up and said, ¡°You can flip in this bed as much as you like. I¡¯m going to the study to sleep.¡±


    After saying that, he began to put on his clothes.


    ¡°Wait. Since you¡¯re not asleep, let¡¯s talk.¡± Madam Cui quickly grabbed his wrist.


    ¡°Hurry up and say it. We still have morning court tomorrow.¡± Yang Shicheng yawned.


    Madam Cui had no choice but to tell him how they plotted against Yang Wanning and how the Empress reprimanded them. Finally, she asked, ¡°What did the Empress mean by that?


    ¡°What does she mean by it depends on my ability?¡±


    Yang Shicheng looked at her with disgust.


    If she hadn¡¯t helped him with many private things over the years, to be honest, he wouldn¡¯t have promoted her as his wife for fear that she would fall out with him. What a dense woman.


    He replied with disdain, ¡°Even if the Emperor bestows the marriage, a marriage will not be sessful if something happens to the bride. It will, in turn, dy the Third Prince¡¯s marriage; no, it¡¯s King Rui now.¡±


    ¡°The Empress wants me to continue to think of ways to eliminate Yang Wanning.¡± Madam Cui shook her head and continued, ¡°But after a bestowment, she would be considered half a member of the royal family. How could I escape unscathed once the Third Prince investigated when something happened to her?¡±


    Yang Shicheng looked at her in surprise, as he didn¡¯t expect her to think of this. It seemed that she understood the Empress¡¯s intention, but she didn¡¯t dare to think about it, or rather, she didn¡¯t dare to do it. That was what kept her up at night.


    ¡°There¡¯s a phrase called ¡®ident¡¯ and an idiom called ¡®killing someone with a borrowed knife¡¯.¡±


    After saying that, he put on his clothes and walked out.


    When Madam Cui returned to her senses, he was already gone.


    After that, she crawled under the nket and couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    Yang Wanning was his biological daughter, yet he could give her ideas without blinking about dealing with his daughter.


    Was it just because of the Gu family?


    It seemed that she had to be more careful. Otherwise, she might be abandoned at any time.


    As for Yang Wanning, she would wait and judge the situation. Regardless, she did not n to do anything more herself.


    Zhou Ying heard Yang Shicheng¡¯s words and felt the coldness in his heart. He probably only had himself and no one else inside him.


    Thinking of this, Zhou Ying turned to look at the Empress.


    At that moment, the Empress discussed thedies who had appeared earlier at the banquet with the Emperor. At the same time, the Emperor was flipping through a booklet in his hand.


    Zhou Ying went over to take a look. It clearly recorded each girl¡¯s preferences, personality, strengths, weaknesses, abilities, etc. It even recorded their shady doings.


    The records were very detailed.


    Zhou Ying was curious as it would take an abnormal person to record all of this.


    However, she soon discovered some things that could be improved. For example, Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s brutal side, which no one knew, was not recorded down.


    It seemed that this was not as detailed as she thought.


    The Empress said, ¡°I¡¯ve chosen two consorts for the Third Prince.


    ¡°One is the Empress Dowager¡¯s niece, the daughter of the current Minister of Rites, Qin Weiyi. She¡¯s the only girl in the Qin family and is said to be doted on by thousands.


    ¡°There¡¯s the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, Yang Wanning, born of the Gu family.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then tell me, why did you choose Yang Wanning?


    ¡°As far as 1 know, Yang Shicheng is very close to you.


    ¡°Moreover, you intend to make Yang Wanyu the Eldest Prince¡¯s second consort.¡± The Emperor raised his head and stared at her..

 Chapter 450 - 450 Various Families’ Reaction (5)

    Chapter 450: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanyu was currently the Yang family¡¯s favorite, while Yang Wanning, the eldest daughter, was effectively abandoned.


    Pushing Yang Wanning to the Third Prince was equivalent to cutting off his support from the inws. It could also drive a wedge between the Emperor and the Third Prince.


    As for the Empress Dowager¡¯s niece, the Emperor would not marry her to any of the princes, especially the Third Prince.


    Otherwise, the Empress Dowager might not always be on his side.


    ¡°A man should marry a wise wife. When Mrs. Gu was not feeling well two years ago, Yang Wanning helped her mother manage her dowry. It is said that she managed it well.¡±


    ¡°I see; it was easy for Madam Cui to seize power right after that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The Empress knew this was because Yang Shicheng took advantage of Mrs. Gu¡¯s death and the snowstorm¡¯s impact to seize the dowry forcefully, but she could not say this clearly.


    Seeing this, the Emperor couldn¡¯t be bothered to listen to her exnation anymore and asked, ¡°What about the Fourth Prince?¡±


    ¡°The daughter of the Minister of Personnel, Hong Suzhi.¡±


    ¡°That is fine.¡± The Emperor hesitated for a moment before nodding.


    Lord Hong was his trusted aide. With Hong Suzhi and Principal Zhou, the Fourth Prince would be closely watched.


    ¡°What about the Seventh Prince?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The daughter of the Grand Schr Sun, Sun Miaoke. How about her? The Seventh Prince and the Grand Schr Sun have a teacher-student rtionship; they will be satisfied with this arrangement.


    The Emperor flipped through Sun Miake¡¯s information and found that she was a woman with many talents. Her best points were that she was strong and decisive, dealing with problems swiftly and decisively.


    He shook his head. ¡°Sun Miao can be assigned to the Third Prince. He¡¯s not home all year round, so he needs a capable wife.¡±


    He paused momentarily and continued, ¡°Yang Wanning will be his concubine as well.


    ¡°As for the Seventh Prince, his mother doesn¡¯t have anyone in the imperial court, so let¡¯s choose Yan Yurong to be his wife, the direct granddaughter of the Nine Gates Admiral Yan.¡±


    The Empress¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this. The Nine Gates Admiral was in charge of the entire capital¡¯s military forces. It could be said that he was even more of a threat than the Zhou family.


    This was also why she had never nominated anyone from this family, nor did she dare name someone to the First Prince.


    What did the Emperor mean by this? Was he starting to support the Seventh Prince?


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Inform the Ministry of Rites to start preparing wedding attire for them. The imperial edict will be issued tomorrow for them to get married one after another.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he returned to his study to draft an imperial edict for bestowing marriages.


    The Empress looked at his back and almost crushed the cup in her hand. However, after taking a deep breath, she quickly regained herposure and asked someone to prepare a bath to wash up.


    Zhou Ying was really impressed. It seemed that the Empress¡¯s job was not something anyone could do.


    She nced quickly at the First Prince¡¯s and Fourth Prince¡¯s residences. Perhaps it was toote, but they had already slept.


    Thus, she left and started to get busy.


    After they were done with their work, the husband and wife sat together for supper. Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the Emperor¡¯s series of arranged marriages and said, ¡°The Emperor is really good at bncing power among his sons.


    ¡°Out of the four princes, three had military power.


    ¡°Although the Fourth Prince doesn¡¯t have one, his mother¡¯s side of the family is the Prime Minister, who is second only to one person and above all others.


    Now that he will be connected to more powerful inws, his status in the court cannot be underestimated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s not easy to be an emperor. He has to consider all aspects. Otherwise, he¡¯ll lose his bnce and be screwed.¡±


    ¡°Since the Emperor knows about Yang Wanning¡¯s situation in the Yang family, why would he appoint her as the Third Prince¡¯s concubine?


    ¡°It¡¯s just like suddenly putting you under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s name; it¡¯s a little confusing.¡±


    ¡°I have a bad feeling about this. After we receive the reward, we should return to Dongyang.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the Emperor wants our lives?¡±

 Chapter 451 - 451 Various Families’ Reaction (6)

    Chapter 451: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You will know when you see the reactions of the princes after the imperial edict is issued tomorrow.


    ¡°In short, the First Prince and the Yang Family will definitely not watch the Gu family rise again. They will even use us to attack the Third Prince.


    ¡°As for the Fourth Prince, I¡¯m not sure at the moment. They might try to rope him in, or they might directly be enemies.¡±


    ¡°The son of Princess Ping Yang, the concubine of the Third Prince.¡± Zhou Ying could not help but mutter after hearing that.


    Could it be that the Emperor wanted to ce them on a pedestal and drop them to their deaths?


    She knew she had to pay more attention to the reactions of all parties from now on. If necessary, she did not mind striking first.


    Thinking of this, she immediately remembered Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s n. Zhou Ying quickly told Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°By the way, do you think there¡¯s a way to sessfully bring my original self¡¯s adoptive mother and her family out sessfully?


    ¡°Otherwise, Zhou Jiaqing would definitely vent her anger on them after getting snubbed by me.¡±


    ¡°With your rtionship, there is only one way, and that is to threaten them.


    ¡°Otherwise, the Zhou family will definitely not let them go. Moreover, we have to be confident in our threats. Otherwise, we might be countered.¡±


    ¡°Threatening them?¡± Zhou Ying carefully reviewed her original self¡¯s memories. Besides Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s facade, she knew nothing else could be levied.


    However, Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s status in the family was not very high. This was probably not enough to threaten Madam Zhou.


    Gu Chengrui saw her frown and knew she had nothing to work on.


    Afterwards, he got up and went to hisboratory to work on something. When he came out, he handed her a paper bag and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t think of a solution for now, apply this medicine to Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s skin.


    ¡°This would cause a person to develop a slight rash all over their body. It will look like a typical rash and recover in seven or eight days without any antidote.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t be able to care about your adoptive mother¡¯s family for some time after that.


    ¡°We can use these few days to think of something.¡±


    ¡°Although it was a little underhand, it¡¯s perfect for dealing with Zhou Jiaqing.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and applied the medicine to Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s face and hands through the Mother Goddess Temple.


    After confirming that the medicine was all absorbed by Zhou Jiaqing, only Zhou Ying put away the remaining medicine powder.


    Just as she was about to leave the Zhou family, she suddenly saw the eldest son of the Zhou family, Zhou Likun, sneaking out of the door and entering a brothel.


    He called out to a girl named Qing¡¯er, and after entering the house, he immediately hugged her and started kissing her.


    Qing¡¯er pushed him away. ¡°Look at how anxious you are. Why? Can¡¯t your wife satisfy you?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not as good at serving me as you are. Let¡¯s not talk about her. Just serve me well tonight.¡± After Zhou Likun finished speaking, he carried Qing¡¯er onto the bed.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she retreated in disgust. She wanted to give Zhou Likun¡¯s wife a dream about this, but when she saw her bulging belly, she didn¡¯t do anything.


    Gu Chengrui saw her beaming with joy when she came back and asked, ¡°Why? Did you find anything new?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Zhou Ying nodded repeatedly.


    Then, she told him about Zhou Likun. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a rule in the country that officials are not allowed to enter and exit a brothel?¡±


    ¡°Yes, is Zhou Likun an official?¡±


    ¡°He should be. When he was 17 years old, he entered the Imperial Academy of Medicine and became the deputy to Principal Zhou.


    ¡°After seven or eight years, he must have be a royal doctor somehow.


    ¡°Even if he isn¡¯t one, his future is over now that we know of this scandal.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s be polite and send over a letter for now.¡±


    ¡°Sure, hurry up and wash up; let¡¯s go to bed.¡± Zhou Ying then turned around and went into the bathroom.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying were about to have breakfast the following day when the Third Prince walked in..

 Chapter 452 - 452 Various Families’ Reaction (7)

    Chapter 452: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Just as the two of them were about to stand up and bow, the Third Prince waved his hand for them to sit. ¡°1 hope 1 didn¡¯t disturb you two.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s eat together.¡± Gu Chengrui asked an old maidservant beside him to help get another set of bowls and chopsticks.


    The three of them quietly ate breakfast after that.


    ¡°What are your ns? Are you going to stay in the capital?¡± The Third Prince asked after dinner.


    After saying that, he waved his hand for the servant to clean up the dishes.


    Gu Chengrui waited for the old maidservant to leave before replying, ¡°1 don¡¯t n to stay long. After I receive the reward, I¡¯ll return to my hometown.


    ¡°When the river transportation is restored, the conditions in Qingshui Town will beparable to those in the capital.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. The capital is a vortex now. If you can leave, leave as soon as possible.


    ¡°Oh right, the Emperor will try recruiting you into the pceter. Since you don¡¯t want to stay, remember to downy your strength.¡±


    ¡°The Emperor wants to see me? Do you know what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but if I¡¯m guessing correctly, he probably wants to keep you in the capital.


    ¡°Also, since you¡¯re now ced under Princess Ping Yang, you must pay your respects to her grave.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why the Emperor suddenly put me under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s name?¡± Gu Chengrui hesitated and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯splicated. But as long as you remain calm, I can still ensure your safety for now.¡±


    ¡°Remain calm, huh?¡± Gu Chengrui nodded thoughtfully and replied, ¡°I understand. Thank you for the reminder.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Remember to change into a new set of clothes, as the reward should be here in an hour at most.¡± After the Third Prince finished speaking, he stood up and left.


    The husband and wife looked at each other and returned to their room to change.


    After changing her clothes, Zhou Ying said, ¡°Be careful after you enter the pce. I will keep an eye on you. 1 will deal with him if he dares to make things difficult for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, babe. But since it¡¯s our first meeting, he probably won¡¯t cause trouble for me. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head with worry.


    After that, Gu Chengrui went to his study to read a medical book.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying brewed a pot of tea and sat in the room, sipping it as she looked at the First Prince.


    She found the First Prince in the study of his residence. At the same time, three men of different ages were discussing something inside.


    Zhou Ying listened carefully for a moment and finally confirmed that the First Prince had indeed sent the snake charmer she had encountered on the way to the capital.


    The First Prince looked at the youngest guy and asked, ¡°Feng, are you sure the basilisk didn¡¯t fall into my third brother¡¯s hands?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident. I¡¯ve sent people to investigate the soldiers. Besides saving Yang Wanning, they didn¡¯t bring any outsiders along the way.


    ¡°That night, the soldiers searched the entire camp for the dead snake but couldn¡¯t find it.¡±


    ¡°Strange, where did that basilisk go? Send someone into the mountains to search again. If it¡¯s dead, 1 want to see its corpse.¡±


    ¡°Aye, 1 will bring people over personally.¡± After saying that, Feng turned around and strode out.


    After he left, the First Prince looked at the other two and said, ¡°Mr. Zhao, Mr. Chu, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about what happenedst night. What do you think about the Emperor¡¯s decision?


    ¡°Why did he put Gu Chengrui under Ping Yang¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°I feel that the Emperor is trying to rope him in, my prince.¡± Mr. Zhao spoke up.


    ¡°Rope him in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can also say it¡¯s to control him.


    ¡°Whether it was the waterwheel or the sweet potato, they were rare, excellent findings. It could be said that it was not an exaggeration to say that it saved our country a thousand years of hard work.


    ¡°No one could guarantee that the couple would againe up with something simr.


    ¡°If there is, with this identity, the Emperor can directly take it over instead of getting it through someone else¡¯s hands..¡±

 Chapter 453 - 453 Various Families’ Reaction (8)

    Chapter 453: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Also, about the sweet potatoes and the waterwheel,¡± Mr. Chu added. ¡°Everyone knows what¡¯s happening, especially with the white sweet potatoes.


    ¡°If the Emperor doesn¡¯t give any practical benefits, what would the officials think?


    ¡°The wonderful thing is that the Emperor only gave him a title and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Based on what you said, it seems 1 really can¡¯t touch them.¡± The First Prince said it unwillingly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how it goes. At least for now, we can¡¯t touch them. Otherwise¡­¡± Before Mr. Zhao could finish his sentence, the eunuch guarding the door knocked and said, ¡°Your Highness, the pce¡¯s messenger is here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite fast. Go and inform thedies to get ready. 1 will be right there.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The eunuch turned around and left after that.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± the First Prince said. ¡°I¡¯ll go receive the decree, and we¡¯ll continue this topic when 1 return.¡±


    After saying that, he stood up and walked out.


    After a while, he returned and thoughtfully ced the imperial edict on the table. ¡°Yang Wanning has been bestowed on my third brother as a concubine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. She can be our spy now that Yang Wanning has entered the Third Prince¡¯s manor.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, and 1 hope nothing goes wrong.¡± The First Prince shook his head at that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be a problem. Firstly, her younger brother, Yang Chenglin, is still in the hands of the Yang family. Secondly, there¡¯s also Miss Wanyu, who can openly enter and leave King Rui¡¯s manor.¡± Mr. Chu added.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s take a look at how it goes.¡± The First Prince nodded in agreement.


    Zhou Ying withdrew, and a thoughtful expression shed across her eyes. It turned out that the Empress had a double n.


    If Yang Wanning could enter the Third Prince¡¯s residence, she could use Yang If Yang Wanning could enter the Third Prince¡¯s residence, she could use Yang Wanning to spy on the Third Prince.


    Even if it didn¡¯t work out, it would sow discord between the couple and affect their future children.


    If Madam Cui killed her, the Empress would not suffer any losses, but she would also have a hold on Madam Cui. The Yang family would only be more loyal to the First Prince.


    It seemed that the Empress had calcted this well.


    Zhou Ying was about to look at the Fourth Prince¡¯s residence when the old butler ran in. ¡°Lady Gu, Eunuch Li will be here soon to announce the imperial edict. You and Young Master Gu should hurry to the front yard and wait.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Feng. We¡¯ll be right there.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the study room to call Gu Chengrui. Then, the two simply tidied themselves up and followed the old butler to the front yard.


    The Third Prince was already waiting there when they reached the front courtyard. When he saw theming, he looked at Gu Chengrui again and instructed, ¡°After entering the pce, speak less and listen more.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded solemnly and stood behind him.


    Soon, Eunuch Li and other eunuchs arrived. The husband and wife kneeled while the Third Prince received the imperial edict.


    The content was to bestow the Third Prince with two concubines.


    Moreover, the date of marrying the main consort was set for the next month, while the secondary consort would be in February of next year.


    What surprised Zhou Ying was that Eunuch Li was actually fine when Zhou Ying kneeled.


    However, she did not know that the Emperor, busy with memorials, suddenly fainted in front of the imperial table.


    The eunuchs and serving girls on duty were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Eunuch Li¡¯s disciple, Xiao Dezi, immediately called for the imperial physician while he led his men to help the Emperor onto his bed.


    On the other end, after announcing the imperial edict, Eunuch Li handed two copies of the list to the Third Prince and Gu Chengrui. ¡°This is the list of the Emperor¡¯s rewards. You can take a look at them.¡±


    After saying that, he asked the guards to bring in their rewards.


    ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Li. Please wait a moment, and please sit down for a cup of tea.¡± After the Third Prince finished speaking, he gave Butler Feng a look.


    Butler Feng immediately brought everyone else to sit at the side. While serving tea, he also gave them some tea money..

 Chapter 454 - 454 Various Families’ Reaction (9)

    Chapter 454: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (9)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Third Prince sent someone to check the two lists. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he replied to Eunuch Li.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve confirmed there¡¯s no mistake, we still have another mandate to bepleted. We¡¯ll take our leave first,¡± Eunuch Li said after receiving the reply.


    ¡°Alright,e over for tea when you have time,¡± the Third Prince politely offered.


    Eunuch Li turned his head and said to a young eunuch, ¡°Bring Young Master Gu back to the pce to meet the Emperor.¡±


    The young eunuch responded, walked to Gu Chengrui, and bowed. He led the way to the pce immediately after.


    After Eunuch Li and the others had left, the Third Prince asked Butler Feng to store his rewards in the warehouse while storing Gu Chengrui¡¯s reward in the guest courtyard.


    Just as he was about to go out for something, a guard suddenly ran over and said, ¡°Greetings, King Rui. The Emperor is unconscious, and the Empress Dowager has invited all the princes into the pce.¡±


    ¡°What? Unconscious? What happened?¡± The Third Prince asked hurriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I only know that he fainted while he was reviewing a memorial.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Third Prince immediately followed him and ran to the Imperial Pce.


    Seeing this, Butler Feng quickly arranged for a carriage to catch up.


    Zhou Ying touched her nose thoughtfully, then followed the servant carrying the rewards back to the guest courtyard.


    After storing them in a small storeroom, she immediately sent her consciousness to the Fourth Prince¡¯s manor. As expected, Eunuch Li was already there.


    After receiving the imperial edict, the Fourth Prince also inquired about the Third Prince and the Seventh Prince¡¯s consorts.


    After Eunuch Li left, the Fourth Prince was silent momentarily before saying, ¡°Yang Wanning was actually given to my third brother. Interesting. Father is starting to suppress my eldest brother.¡±


    Seventh Su, the seventh son of the Su family, walked over casually and replied, ¡°Cousin, you have to be careful. Minister Hong is the Emperor¡¯s diehard supporter. We¡¯ve repeatedly asked him for help, but he rejected us.¡±


    ¡°That depends on how you see this. At least his daughter isn¡¯t bestowed on my eldest or third brother.¡± The Fourth Prince replied and looked at Seventh Su deeply.


    Seventh Su was stunned momentarily before smiling and saying, ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯re still rtively safepared to them.¡±


    It was just a woman, and it would be easy for them to guard against her. Also, it was beneficial for them to get in touch with the Hong family.


    ¡°By the way, I heard that the Emperor summoned Gu Chengrui into the pce.¡± ¡°Is that so? What exactly is the Emperor¡­¡± Just as the Fourth Prince was about to turn around and return to his residence, a guard ran over to report, ¡°Reporting to King Kang, the Emperor has fainted. The Empress Dowager has summoned all the princes into the pce.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The Fourth Prince and Seventh Master Su looked at each other solemnly.


    They would be in a bad position if something happened to the Emperor. The Fourth Prince immediately handed the imperial edict to Seventh Su and ordered his servants to prepare a carriage; he then rushed to the pce with his guards.


    Zhou Ying then turned to look at the pce. At this time, the Emperor had already woken up. Although he was a little dispirited, he was still fine; the Empress Dowager and Empress were guarding him.


    The Third Prince caught up to Gu Chengrui, let him get into the carriage, and rushed all the way into the back of the pce.


    After entering the pce, the Third Prince brought Gu Chengrui into a side hall while he himself entered the study.


    Seeing that the Emperor had woken up, he heaved a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°Are you alright, Father?¡±


    The Emperor shook his head and didn¡¯t say anything.


    It was the Empress Dowager who answered, ¡°The imperial physicians said your father¡¯s fine but just too tired. He will need to rest more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡±


    The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor and said, ¡°Your Majesty, we¡¯ll take our leave. Have a good sleep.¡±


    The Emperor nodded and looked at the Third Prince, saying, ¡°Bring Gu Chengrui along for the morning court session tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father. Please take your rest.¡± After the Third Prince finished speaking, he left the study with the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Fourth Prince¡¯s mother¡ªConsort Shu..

 Chapter 455 - 455 Various Families’ Reaction (10)

    Chapter 455: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (10)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When the Third Prince came out, he happened to run into the First Prince and the Fourth Prince.


    They paused after bumping into each other, and the First Prince hurriedly asked, ¡°Grandmother, Mother, how is Father?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just that he has been tired recently. He¡¯ll be fine after a good rest.¡± The Empress Dowager hesitated momentarily before adding, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, go in and visit him. However, don¡¯t disturb your father if he¡¯s asleep.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Imperial Grandmother.¡± The two princes walked into the Emperor¡¯s study with light footsteps after that.


    The Empress then said to the Third Prince, ¡°Third Prince, I think you have received the imperial edict. Marrying a consort is a major event in one¡¯s life, so you have to prepare as soon as possible. Later, I will send over Granny Qiao to help you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the First Prince also marrying a secondary consort? You still have to manage the pce affairs, so you¡¯ll need the extra help.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send over Granny Liu to help the Third Prince,¡± the Empress Dowager said.


    ¡°Many thanks for Mother¡¯s concern. I can rest assured with Granny Liu helping out.¡± The Empress nodded in agreement.


    However, she clenched her fists silently.


    ¡°Thank you, Imperial Grandmother.¡± The Third Prince stepped forward to support the Empress Dowager.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Come with me. I¡¯ll get Granny Liu to return with you and get you ready in a while.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The Third Prince nodded and told someone to inform Gu Chengrui to return home before following the Empress Dowager to her Longevity Pce.


    ¡°It looks like the Empress Dowager still likes the Third Prince the most.¡± Consort Shu shook her head and replied with a helpless expression. She then turned around and gradually walked away with the help of her pce maids.


    The Empress sneered and ignored her. She waited for the First Prince toe out before leaving with him.


    After Gu Chengrui learned that he did not need to see the Emperor, he heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he was a little unhappy.


    This was just a word from the Emperor, and he had to run all the way here. If he didn¡¯t know that the Emperor was actually sick, he would have thought the Emperor was deliberately making things difficult for him.


    Suddenly, he thought of something, and his body stiffened. Gu Chengrui hurriedly followed the young eunuch out of the pce after that.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying found Eunuch Li and his group again, noticing they had just left the Sun family.


    Initially, she thought that the Sun family would be thrilled to receive the imperial edict. She didn¡¯t expect only Mrs. Sun to smile while Grand Schr Sun politely sent Eunuch Li out.


    As for Sun Miaoke, not only was she not delighted by the announcement, but her face went pale with her eyes staring into the distance. She looked desperate and did not notice that the imperial edict in her hand was about to fall to the ground.


    When Mrs. Sun noticed her abnormality, she immediately went forward to take the imperial edict and dragged her daughter to the backyard.


    After helping her sit down, Mrs. Sun¡¯s heart tightened when she saw that her daughter looked like a dead person. She raised her hand and waved it in front of her eyes. ¡°Miaomiao, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    After saying that, Mrs. Sun shook Sun Miaoke¡¯s shoulders after noticing she didn¡¯t react.


    Only then did Sun Miaokee back to her senses. She raised her head and looked at Mrs. Sun. However, she did not say a word, and her tears flowed down quickly.


    Mrs. Sun panicked, and her expression changed when she thought of something. She softly asked, ¡°Miaoke, you, don¡¯t tell me you have someone you like?¡±


    Sun Miaoke couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and started crying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I like Cousin Yan.¡± Sun Miaoke replied with a sob.


    Mrs. Sun was stunned for a moment and asked, ¡°By Cousin Yan, you mean Yan Hengdong?¡±


    Sun Miao nodded with a red face.


    Mother Sun sighed after hearing this and replied with grief, ¡°You, what do you want me to say? Why didn¡¯t you say something earlier?


    ¡°Now that the imperial edict has been issued, do you want your entire family to be buried with you?¡±

 Chapter 456 - 456 Various Families’ Reaction (11)

    Chapter 456: Various Families¡¯ Reaction (11)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°But, didn¡¯t Cousin Yan leave to serve the army? lie said that after this training is over¡­


    ¡°Now¡­¡± Sun Miaoke cried as she replied chokingly.


    ¡°What now? It¡¯s toote.¡± Mrs. Sun said angrily.


    Initially, she quite liked the Third Prince because he was the most noteworthy among the princes. She thought she had snagged a good son-inw and didn¡¯t expect such troubles.


    She advised, ¡°Let¡¯s end this discussion here. During this period, stay at home and adjust your mood. You¡¯ll marry the Third Prince in a month.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote to say anything now. If you don¡¯t want the entire Sun residence buried with you, you should obediently marry him.


    ¡°Moreover, the Third Prince is not only capable, but he is also good-looking.


    He is a rare, good man.¡±


    ¡°But his personality is too cold.¡±


    ¡°Yan Hengdong has a good temper, but he has a concubine. He¡¯s less devoted than you think.


    ¡°Since this imperial edict has been issued, you should properly sort out your emotions and marry the Third Prince.¡± At this time, Grand Schr Sun walked in and added.


    ¡°Father, you¡­ when did you arrive?¡± Sun Miaoke looked at Sun the Schr with a guilty look.


    ¡°I was right behind you.


    ¡°I admit that Yan Hengdong is not bad, but he is not worth it for us to risk our lives to go against the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Think about it carefully. Why did he already have a concubine if he really liked you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Miaomiao. The one who loves the most will be the one who hurts the most. He has a concubine now and will have more in the future. Are you willing to serve a man with so many women?¡± Mrs. Sun reasoned.


    ¡°The Third Prince will also have one in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t have such deep feelings for the Third Prince. Moreover, as long as you manage your marriage well, you can get a fulfilling marriage.¡±


    After Mrs. Sun finished speaking, she walked out with Grand Schr Sun.


    Sun Miaoke was left alone in the room, crying silently. After she calmed down, she started to daydream.


    Finally, Zhou Ying turned to the Yang family, noticing they were still waiting for Eunuch Li¡¯s arrival.


    Yang Wanyu, on the other hand, was clearly overjoyed, indicating they had already received some news about it. Mrs. Cui, on the other hand, was both pleased and concerned; Yang Shicheng¡¯s expressionless face made it difficult to guess what he was thinking.


    Meanwhile, the old madam sat inside, leaning against a chair and pretending to be asleep.


    Roughly 15 minutester, Eunuch Li and the others finally came to announce the edict.


    After sending off Eunuch Li, Mrs. Cui went up to support her mother and said, ¡°Mother, Wanyu is about to get married. You must give Wanyu a few good things as her dowry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. No matter what, she will be a secondary consort and can¡¯t be wedded off shabbily.¡± Madam Cui smiled and answered.


    ¡°Grandma is right.¡± Yang Wanning stepped forward and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Grandma to take care of my dowry too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not part of our family. How can you ask for a dowry?¡± Mrs. Cui turned her head and red at her in dissatisfaction.


    ¡°My biological mother is gone, and you¡¯re busy preparing Wanyu¡¯s dowry. 1 can only ask Grandma for help.¡±


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? Your wedding date is after Wanyu¡¯s, so it won¡¯t be toote to prepare yours after she gets married.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only less than half a month away.


    ¡°If you guys are too busy, why don¡¯t you return me my mother¡¯s dowry? I¡¯ll prepare it myself.¡± Yang Wanning¡¯s expression suddenly hardened.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mrs.. Cui was stunned momentarily, then she replied angrily, ¡°You, what do you mean by that? Are you afraid that we will steal your mother¡¯s dowry?¡±

 Chapter 457 - 457 Demanding A Dowry

    Chapter 457: Demanding A Dowry


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say.¡± Yang Wanning replied without hesitation.


    Although she couldn¡¯t say that she waspletely clear about the Yang family¡¯s financial situation, she still had some understanding. 70% of the Yang family¡¯s expenses came from her mother¡¯s dowry.


    The Yang family had only been established for just a little over ten years, so their foundation was rtively thin.


    Preparing a decent dowry without touching her mother¡¯s dowry was impossible.


    What would happen to her and her brother if they removed a significant share?


    They would not fool her like they had in her previous life. Back then, they had spent her mother¡¯s dowry and abused her child in various ways.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mrs. Cui wanted to say something, but Yang Shicheng interrupted her with a roar, ¡°Enough; what are you all arguing about? You two sisters are both secondary consorts, so we will provide the same dowry.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Yang Wanning looked at them with distrust, then turned around and returned to her courtyard.


    ¡°Look at how her mother teaches her children. Is this how you should talk to your elders?¡± Madam Cui looked at her back and scolded loudly.


    Yang Wanning ignored them and continued walking forward.


    Yang Shicheng was also angry, but he did not want to let the servants see him as a joke. Otherwise, how could he continue to serve the imperial court if word got out?


    After that, he quickly said, ¡°Alright, all of you go back and discuss the dowry on your own. 1 have to go change my clothes and head to the bailiff¡¯s station.¡±


    After saying that, he hurriedly returned to his room.


    Mrs. Cui and her daughter looked at each other and did not say anything else. They went back with Madam Cui to discuss the dowry.


    At the same time, Mrs. Cui had also made up her mind to get rid of Yang Wanning. Otherwise, if they were to offer two expensive dowries, their family¡¯s good days woulde to an end.


    After Yang Wanning returned, she asked her personal maid, Chun Xi, ¡°Chun Xi, have you found Granny Qian?¡±


    ¡°I found her at the hot spring manor. She¡¯s now in charge of raising chickens there.¡±


    ¡°As long as she¡¯s safe for now, it¡¯s fine. By the way, have you developed the grapevine I asked you to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, basically every courtyard has one of us. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not easy to arrange one at the Old Master¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about him for now, and let¡¯s deal with Mrs. Chui first, especially since they emptied the Yang family¡¯s coffers to subsidize the Cui family.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll keep an eye on this matter.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, tell everyone to be careful, especially regarding food. Make sure to check before eating.¡± After Yang Wanning finished speaking, she paused and asked, ¡°Is Eldest Young Master returning to the residence tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯ll be here the day after tomorrow and the day after.¡±


    ¡°Alright, help me prepare some fine rice and fine noodles tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, 1 have to make some snacks to bring him to meet my cousin and cousin-inw.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chun Xi replied.


    Finally, Zhou Ying nced at the Zhou residence. As expected, Zhou Jiaqing was covered in rashes and couldn¡¯t rush to the manor. She was obediently nestled in her room, copywriting a book as punishment.


    After Zhou Ying looked around, she noticed Gu Chengrui had returned. She quickly got up and asked, ¡°Have you seen the Emperor?¡±


    ¡°No, he said he was too tired and had to postpone it.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he nced around the room and asked softly, ¡°Is the Emperor¡¯s fainting rted to you?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m too far away, so I couldn¡¯t feel anything.


    ¡°But that could be the case. The timing is too coincidental.¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not overthink it after hearing that. Instead, he asked, ¡°How was your harvest today?¡±


    Zhou Ying told him everything she had heard about the families, especially regarding the First and Fourth Princes; she told him in detail what the Emperor thought of them..

 Chapter 458 - 458 Looking Around The Residence

    Chapter 458: Looking Around The Residence


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Reining in and taking control.¡± Gu Chengrui was slightly surprised when he heard her words but quickly understood what she meant.


    From the looks of it, the Emperor¡¯s actions were to suppress the princes and even sow discord between them so that he could stay on the throne longer.


    Of course, the Emperor was also using the couple and also trying to control them.


    It seemed that making the old thing faint and vomit blood once was still too light of a punishment.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Zhou Ying added. ¡°Yang Wanning will bring her brother, Yang Chenglin, to visit us the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I was just about to discuss this with you. Since the Emperor has given us a residence, should we move out?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over and take a look first. If we can live there, we¡¯ll go over. If we can¡¯t, we¡¯ll take the time to repair it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s take a look after dinner.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After the meal, the two brought Granny Ma from the courtyard to look for their bestowed residence. They didn¡¯t expect that it was in the alley beside the Third Prince¡¯s residence; it was a three-entrance residence.


    The two had just entered when a white-haired old man with a crippled leg walked out. He sized Gu Chengrui up and asked, ¡°Are you Schr Gu Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m him. You¡¯re the old man who guards this residence. Uncle Zheng, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s me. I cleaned the residence up after receiving the notice. Come, 1¡¯11 bring you guys in for a walk.¡± After Uncle Zheng finished speaking, he led them into the residence.


    After entering, they counted eleven rooms.


    While on the way to the second entrance of the residence,


    They noticed a rockery pond on the east side that covered half an acre ofnd. Some lotus roots were nted in it, some goldfish were swimming around, and two pavilions were built over it.


    On the west side was a bamboo forest with two adjacent courtyards.


    The second entrance of the residence had three independent courtyards that were connected by corridors. The central courtyard had five rooms, while the two side courtyards only had three.


    From the two sides of the corridor to the back, arge garden upied an area of about one acre.


    On the left side of the backyard were the servant rooms.


    On the right were the stable and a warehouse.


    When they finished looking at the entire residence, they knew it was pretty well preserved, and they could move in with just a bit more cleaning.


    After the couple finished looking around, they were surprised. Overall, this residence was more than decent, so Zhou Ying asked curiously, ¡°Uncle Zheng, who did this residence belong to before?¡±


    ¡°The previous owner was Princess Ping Yang. It was her dowry.¡± Uncle Zheng replied.


    The husband and wife looked at each other and understood why the specifications of a three-entry residence were so grand.


    ¡°Are you alone here now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the only one here. When 1 have nothing to do, I¡¯ll help to air the rooms. When something breaks, I¡¯ll find someone to mend it. It¡¯s quite an easy job.¡±


    ¡°Will you continue to stay?¡±


    Uncle Zheng shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have an official position, and I¡¯m still working as a bailiff. After you¡¯ve checked and epted it, 1¡¯11 have to report back.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, please help us guard it for two more days. We¡¯ll officially take over in two days.¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Uncle Zheng nodded and led them out.


    Aftering out, Zhou Ying looked at the old woman who followed her and said, ¡°Granny Ma, do you know where to buy firewood?¡±


    ¡°You want to buy firewood?¡± Granny Ma paused momentarily and replied, ¡°Someone specially delivers the firewood to our manor at a fair price. Why don¡¯t we ask them to deliver some to you directly? It saves us the trouble of bargaining.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll heed your advice.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After returning, the husband and wife requested Granny Ma to help them pass a message to the kitchen. The husband and wife found Butlet Feng and asked him to introduce them to a group of masons and carpenters.


    After that, the two went to the shop the Emperor had rewarded them..

 Chapter 459 - 459 Looking After The Shop

    Chapter 459: Looking After The Shop


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    They were surprised to find this shop so far from their residence on the city¡¯s east side. They eventually found it after traveling all the way to the city¡¯smercial street in the north.


    However, looking at the flow of people on the street, the shops here were situated pretty well.


    Their shop was just around the corner, with many people passing by. Moreover, judging from the signage, it must have been a high-end restaurant in the past.


    s, looking at theyer of dust on the tables inside, it seemed that it had been closed for quite some time.


    The couple walked to the silk shop next door, and Gu Chengrui asked the shop assistant inside, ¡°Little buddy, when did the restaurant next door close?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been locked up for a year. Who are you?¡± The shop assistant asked.


    ¡°Oh, this shop is ours now, so we came to get to know our neighbors.¡±


    ¡°All, you are Schr Gu.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so well-informed. Were you expecting us?¡±


    ¡°In the morning, some bailiffs came over and said that this restaurant was given to Schr Gu by the Emperor. They asked us to stop some people from asking too much.¡±


    ¡°Who owned this shop before? Why did such a great shop close down?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know who it belongs to, but the reason it closed down was rtively straightforward. There was ack of ingredients, and their food prices were too high.


    ¡°With such a vicious cycle, the family running it wasn¡¯t earning any money.


    ¡°I think they closed down after the snowstormst year?¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you, little brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Are you nning to run the restaurant after you take over?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you craving some good food?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s convenient to eat if there¡¯s a restaurant right next to us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but as you said, the food supply is still limited. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to wait a little longer.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll open back up as soon as possible. I¡¯ll treat you to a big meal then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡±


    ¡°No problem. You go ahead with your work while I go in and look.¡± Gu Chengrui walked to the restaurant with Zhou Ying, unlocked the doors, and pushed them open.


    Suddenly, a cloud of dust hit their faces, making the two cough as they took two steps back. They waited for the dust to settle before walking in.


    This restaurant was huge, with the upper and lower floorsbined covering about 4.00 square meters. Moreover, the windows wererge, making the room brightly lit.


    However, it was dirty all over because it had been closed for a long time.


    There was also a small courtyard at the back with six rooms and a well, which was convenient.


    ¡°We can open for business after a simple clean-up.¡± Gu Chengrui said after sizing the ce up.


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take at least half a year to get it operating.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take things slowly. We¡¯ll need to buy someone to keep an eye on the ce and clean it up asionally. Otherwise, if it is not maintained, it will deteriorate further.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. If my adoptive mother and her family are willing to stay after we get them out, we¡¯ll hand this ce over to them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll only think about buying someone if they don¡¯t want to take up the job.¡± ¡°Alright. By the way, when do you n to get her out?


    ¡°It¡¯s troublesome to pay a visit to anyone in the capital. We¡¯ll have to send a visiting card in advance.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow. 1¡¯11 go over after breakfast tomorrow.


    ¡°As for a visiting card, we only send them when we visit. We won¡¯t be needing them.


    ¡°Besides, even if we send them in advance, they might not reply.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 go with you tomorrow.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    However, after dinner, she discovered that Gu Chengrui was following the Third Prince into the pce tomorrow morning.


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to say, ¡°It¡¯d be better if you follow Uncle Feng tomorrow and bring the craftsmen to the residence to clean it up.¡±


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment before agreeing.


    If the Zhou family threatened her, it would be difficult for her to escape without revealing her trump card..

 Chapter 460 - 460 Third-Grade Farming Officer

    Chapter 460: Third-Grade Farming Officer


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying did not let Gu Chengrui enter her interspace at night and asked him to sleep early instead.


    Gu Chengrui woke up early the next day and followed the Third Prince into the pce.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t fall asleep after waking up, so she got up soon after he left. After washing up, she went straight to the small garden in the courtyard and started practicing her boxing.


    When the sun rose, Granny Ma walked over and said, ¡°Lady Gu, I finally found you. The firewood seller is here and is waiting in the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°So early?¡± Zhou Ying stopped her workout after hearing that.


    ¡°Not really. They live far away. If it¡¯s summer, they wille even earlier.¡±


    ¡°Are you familiar with him?¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, my nephew, Ma Dali, is the one selling firewood. I helped to pull some strings.¡± Granny Ma said embarrassedly, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, as the firewood he sells is cheap. The Imperial Residence has been using it for several years.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just firewood. As long as the firewood is of good quality and the price is fair, it doesn¡¯t matter who I buy it from.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Granny Ma breathed a sigh of relief.


    When they returned to the courtyard, they saw a man in his thirties sitting on a stone. When he saw them enter, he immediately stood up and smiled at them.


    Zhou Ying saw his clear eyes and knew he was not a cunning person. She nodded and asked, ¡°Ma Dali, right? Other than the firewood from the Prince¡¯s residence, how much more can you send over every day?¡±


    ¡°Madam, how much do you want? If you want more, I can ask the vigers for some help.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re smart. How about this, you hurry up and send a batch to Wutong Lane next door. I¡¯ll need about a hundred stones.¡±


    Ma Dali was delighted after hearing that, knowing this was a big job. He nodded and replied, ¡°Alright, ten days, and I¡¯ll definitely deliver everything to you.¡±


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s price it ording to the price you¡¯ve given the Prince¡¯s residence. This is the deposit, and I¡¯ll pay the rest when the firewood arrives.¡± Zhou Ying gave him a tael of silver after that.


    ¡°Thank you; I¡¯ll start sending them over tomorrow.¡± After Ma Dali finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying went to find Butler Feng. Knowing he had gone to their residence, she immediately rushed over.


    After telling them how to renovate the ce, Zhou Ying also told them to connect the entire residence to a firece. She then handed this over to Uncle Zheng to help keep an eye on it before returning to the Imperial Residence.


    When she returned, Gu Chengrui was already waiting in the living room. However, he looked depressed. Zhou Ying went forward and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did the Emperor make things difficult for you?¡±


    ¡°Not really. He set up a branch under the Ministry of Works.


    ¡°After the morning court passed the agreement, I was asked to take on the role of a third-grade farming officer, specializing in researching how to increase the yield of crops.


    ¡°Promoting sweet potatoes in the capital is my first mission.¡±


    ¡°Why would you agree to that? What about practicing medicine?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t agree, but the Emperor said I¡¯d be taking over just for now. He¡¯ll rece me when he finds a more suitable official.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, what if he doesn¡¯t find one?¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we won¡¯t be able to leave for a while.¡±


    ¡°I guess you have to bear it for now. We¡¯ll talk about it after you promote the sweet potatoes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way. Fortunately, 1 have a proper ie now.¡± Gu Chengrui added, ¡°It¡¯s a good time to try to grow greenhouse vegetables, and we can use this to earn some money during the New Year.¡±


    ¡°What if the Emperor doesn¡¯t let you go after seeing yet another sessful project?¡±


    ¡°In order to reopen the restaurant, we¡¯ll have to nt these vegetables sooner orter. It¡¯s better to include it in our performance now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s a manor here. After we clean up the residence, we¡¯ll head over.¡±


    ¡°I have the same thought.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Aren¡¯t we going to the Zhou family? Let¡¯s go over now..¡±

 Chapter 461 - 461 Redemption (1)

    Chapter 461: Redemption (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying prepared to pay a thousand taels of silver to buy over her adoptive mother and her family, they walked straight to the Zhou family.


    After the two reached the entrance, the guard hesitated momentarily before inviting them in and saying, ¡°The two of you wait here for a moment. I will report to the old madam.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just say we have something to discuss with the old madam.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and sat in the gatehouse.


    Seeing this, the servant did not dare to dy and immediately turned around to run inside.


    When Madam Zhou received the news, she was surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected Zhou Ying to visit them suddenly.


    At the same time, she was also puzzled, unsure why Zhou Ying hade to visit her this time.


    However, when she thought of their rtionship with the Third Prince, she finally agreed to meet them.


    When Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui came in, Madam Zhou was already waiting in the room.


    ¡°Greetings, Madam Zhou.¡± The two of them stepped forward and bowed.


    Madam Zhou¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Have a seat. You said that you have something to discuss. I wonder what it is?¡±


    Zhou Ying saw that she had gone straight to the point, so she no longer stood on ceremony. She sat down and said, ¡°We only have one purpose foring here this time, which is to redeem my adoptive mother¡¯s family. Please name a price.¡±


    ¡°Your adoptive mother? You mean our original chef, Mrs. Qiu, and her family?¡±


    ¡°Yes, them.¡±


    The old madam hesitated momentarily and said, ¡°Sure, but I have a condition.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°From now on, all our past grudges are cleared.


    ¡°A price of a hundred taels of silver per person is also needed.¡±


    Zhou Ying deliberately looked at Gu Chengrui with a troubled expression, but she was very surprised internally. She didn¡¯t expect the olddy to agree to their request so readily.


    Gu Chengrui was surprised at the same time, but he still nodded without showing any emotion, ¡°Sure. Please remember, Madam, that we will not cross paths anymore.¡±


    ¡°I disagree! If you want to take Qiu Niang and her family away, you must kowtow to me three times!¡± Zhou Jiaqing ran in with a veil over her face.


    ¡°Kowtowing three times is used to worship the dead.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhou Jiaqing was momentarily stunned and at a loss for words.


    She wanted to retort something, but Madam Zhou interrupted, ¡°Alright, this has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and go back to your room. Don¡¯t forget that you still have a rash.¡±


    At the same time, the old madam looked at Zhou Ying¡¯s calm behavior and Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s impulsive actions, regretting her past actions deeply.


    She did not expect that a daughter of their family who was left alone would be more outstanding than the one they had carefully nurtured.


    How could she ept this?


    Regardless, their mistakes had already been made, so there was no need to pester them anymore. Otherwise, the Zhou family would lose all their dignity.


    The key was that the Third Prince and the other Zhou family were backing them up. There was no need for both sides to make things too ugly.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Zhou Jiaqing hesitated for a moment, only then remembering her crafted personality. Ultimately, she could only re at Zhou Ying fiercely, turn around, and leave unwillingly.


    When Madam Zhou saw this, she turned to look at her maidservant.


    Her personal maidservant understood immediately, left, and found Qiu Niang¡¯s family¡¯s contract. She stamped it with the old madam¡¯s private seal and handed it to Zhou Ying. ¡°There are nine people, men, women, old and young.¡±


    Zhou Ying took it and examined it. Qiuniang¡¯s father-inw died, but Zhou Ying¡¯s childhood ymate, Qiuniang¡¯s daughter, Sister Haitang, was married and gave birth to a daughter.


    She put it away and took out 900 taels of silver.


    ¡°Alright, you go ahead and have a nice day. We won¡¯t disturb you any further.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t send you off.¡± Madam Zhou nodded.


    Zhou Ying nodded and walked out with Gu Chengrui..

 Chapter 462 - 462 Redemption (2)

    Chapter 462: Redemption (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Just as she was about to leave the courtyard through the side gate, she suddenly saw a shadowing at her head. Zhou Ying dodged it sideways and kicked back.


    ¡°Ouch, it hurts so much!¡±


    Zhou Ying turned her head and saw that it was one of Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s servants. She then looked around and found Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s skirt fluttering behind a big tree.


    ¡°As expected, you¡¯re still as insidious as before,¡± she sneered. ¡°But your methods are still so childish.¡±


    After that, she deliberately used her spiritual sense to prick Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s thigh before walking out with Gu Chengrui.


    However, just in case, she did not withdraw her spiritual sense.


    Zhou Jiaqing immediately cried out in rm, her legs turning soft as she knelt on the ground with a thud.


    When she turned to look at Zhou Ying again, Zhou Ying¡¯s back was already far away. She could not help but clench her fists and say, ¡°Damn it, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    After that, she stood up and walked to the servant girl. She kicked her angrily and said, ¡°Trash, you can¡¯t even handle such a small matter.¡±


    The servant girl did not dare to reply. She only shrank her neck and stood to the side obediently.


    Zhou Jiaqing looked at her cowering face and rolled her eyes, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to make up for your mistakes. Take a carriage to the manor immediately and ¡®invite¡¯ that little slut Haitang over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this servant will go over now.¡± The servant girl immediately ran away when she heard that.


    Zhou Ying, who had been staring at her, was furious when she heard her n. Haitang was her original self¡¯s only friend. If Zhou Jiaqing had caught her, she would not have had a good time.


    Thinking of this, she used her spiritual senses to stab at Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s head.


    Zhou Jiaqing screamed in pain, held her head, and fainted.


    The servant girl, who hadn¡¯t gone far, turned her head to look when she heard the scream. When she saw Zhou Jiaqing pass out, her expression changed as she eximed, ¡°Someone! Someone! The Fourth Missus has fainted!¡±


    Zhou Ying turned her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the manor and leave with our carriage. We¡¯ll go and pick them up now while also taking a look at our manor.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t ask any more questions. Instead, he nodded and followed her back to the Imperial Residence.


    He told Granny Ma they could drive their carriage to the manor directly if they didn¡¯t return at noon.


    However, when they passed by their manor, they did not enter. Instead, they went straight to the Zhou family¡¯s manor.


    When they arrived at the manor, the husband and wife went straight to the head of the manor and showed them the contract they had bought.


    They went to Qiu Niang¡¯s house together. Unexpectedly, they happened to bump into them as a family eating together.


    Seeing Qiu Niang, whose hair was already white and had aged a lot, Zhou Ying felt tears welling inside her. She went forward and cried out, ¡°Mother Qiu, Ying¡¯er is back to bring you home.¡±


    Mother Qiu was stunned for a moment. When she saw Zhou Ying, she stood up excitedly. ¡°Ying¡¯er! You¡¯re back. You¡¯re really back?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already obtained your family¡¯s contract. Pack up and follow me.¡±


    ¡°Go, where to?¡±


    ¡°I have my own house and manor; you can go wherever you want. 1 can return your contract to you if you want to return to your hometown.¡±


    After Qiu Niang heard this, she noticed Gu Chengrui beside her and asked in confusion, ¡°But isn¡¯t the Gu family¡­?


    ¡°Won¡¯t there be any trouble with you returning to the capital?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Zhou Ying shook her head and told them about the reward for the sweet potato.


    ¡°Good, good. It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve been exonerated. That¡¯s just great!¡± When Qiu Niang said this, she looked at the food on the table and smiled. ¡°Wait a moment, and I¡¯ll make some noodles for you..¡±

 Chapter 463 - 463 Redemption (3)

    Chapter 463: Redemption (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Oh, Head! Do take a seat first and have a meal here.¡± Qiu Niang¡¯s husband, Zhou Dasheng, said this to the head of the manor.


    The manor¡¯s head waved his hand at Zhou Dasheng and said, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you to reunite, so I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. Just remember to give me the keys here when you leave.¡±


    At the same time, Zhou Ying quickly stopped Mother Qiu and said, ¡°Mother Qiu, there¡¯s no need. We came over after eating, so please sit down and eat.


    ¡°After eating, pack your things. We still have to return to the capital.¡±


    After Zhou Dasheng sent off the vige head, he returned and sat down. He looked at the couple and asked, ¡°Did you really eat?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zhou, we really have eaten. So, don¡¯t worry and have your meal.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After Zhou Dasheng confirmed that they had eaten, he called the family for their lunch.


    ¡°Mother Qiu, where¡¯s Sister Haitang?¡± Zhou Ying asked after the meal. ¡°Isn¡¯t she staying with you?¡±


    ¡°No, they live alone. You guys take a seat while I go get them now.¡± After Qiu Niang finished speaking, she asked Zhou Dasheng and his son to pack up.


    After that, she left in a hurry.


    Zhou Ying looked at Zhou Dasheng and said, ¡°Uncle Zhou, what do you think?


    If you want to get rid of your status as a serf, 1 can give you a hundred acres ofnd or a small shop. You can live your lives well in the future.¡±


    Zhou Dasheng hesitated for a moment. Honestly, he was born into this family and was used to being a servant. He was also used to menial work and wanted to avoid taking the risk of heading out to work alone.


    However, he looked at his two grandchildren, especially his youngest grandson, Zhou Xiaoniu.


    This kid was quick-witted and had a steady personality. If he was nurtured correctly, he might be able to seed.


    Even if they were to be schrs, they could overturn their family background. Since there was a chance now, he did not want them to follow him and be serfs anymore.


    Finally, he looked at his son, Zhou Dong. ¡°What about you? What do you think of leaving and surviving on your own?¡±


    ¡°We, we will listen to you, Father.¡± Zhou Dong hesitated for a moment and replied.


    Honestly, he couldn¡¯t stand the tiredness of farming, but he also didn¡¯t have the confidence to do business. It was better to be an honest serf and earn a monthly sry.


    His wife, Mrs. Zhao, looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Sister Ying, are you really willing to set us free?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Uncle Zhou and Mother Qiu treat me like their own daughter. It¡¯s only right to give you a chance to choose your future.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and replied.


    ¡°We want to be free. I want the children to have more choices.¡± Mrs. Zhao said it with anticipation.


    After saying that, she tugged at Zhou Dong. ¡°For the sake of our descendants, let¡¯s get rid of our serfdom.¡±


    Zhou Dong looked at Zhou Dasheng hesitantly.


    Zhou Dasheng looked at his son¡¯s hesitation and shook his head. ¡°You can make your own decision. However, your mother and I are still capable, and we will work with Zhou Ying for a few more years.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ we want to be free from serfdom.¡± Under Mrs Zhao¡¯s repeated urging, Zhou Dong finally braced himself and announced his decision.


    ¡°Zhou Dong, what do you mean? What do you mean by leaving serfdom?¡± Qiu Niang walked in and asked.


    Haitang¡¯s family followed behind. Zhou Ying did not expect that Haitang¡¯s husband was also an acquaintance of hers, nicknamed Biaozi, who had been an apprentice in the kitchen back then.


    Learning that his name was Qi Yonglin was a pleasant surprise to her.


    ¡°Sister Haitang, Brother Biaozi,¡± Zhou Ying greeted them with a smile.


    ¡°Ying¡¯er, 1 didn¡¯t expect to see you again in this life.¡± Haitang walked over and wiped her tears.


    ¡°The heavens don¡¯t want us to be separated, so I returned. If you¡¯re willing, we can always be together in the future.¡± Zhou Ying took out a handkerchief and handed it to her..

 Chapter 464 - 464 Redemption (4)

    Chapter 464: Redemption (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other end, Zhou Dasheng also told Qiu Niang about Zhou Ying wanting to set them free and their decision.


    Of course, Qi Yonglin also heard it and looked at the couple in surprise.


    ¡°What do you think, Brother Qi?¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and asked.


    ¡°If you want to get rid of your serfdom, 1¡¯11 do it for you when we return to the capital.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to and want to improve your cooking skills, you can be a chef in our restaurant when it opens.¡±


    ¡°You guys are nning to open a restaurant?¡± Qi Yonglin¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Yes, there is a restaurant among the Emperor¡¯s rewards. However, there is a shortage of ingredients now, so we must wait a year and a half before it can operate smoothly.¡±


    Qi Yonglin and Haitang looked at each other. Ultimately, the two of them decided to stay, but the child would no longer be a serf.


    After that, the two families quickly packed their stuff, rented two ox carts, and returned to the capital together.


    After arriving in the capital, Zhou Ying went to the bailiff¡¯s office toplete the procedures ording to their request. She temporarily arranged for their family to live in their residence¡¯s backyard.


    She also asked them to keep an eye on the renovation.


    After they left, Mrs. Zhao took their household registration and said excitedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that we would be freed from serfdom.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this is a good thing for the future of the two children.


    ¡°But this time, we¡¯re in significant debt to them. With our family¡¯s situation, taking the initiative to redeem ourselves will cost us at least 50 taels each.


    ¡°So you all must remember this favor in the future.


    ¡°Also, consider whether you want to return to the vige to farm or stay here.


    ¡°You could do some small business if you choose to stay here. But no matter what you do, you can¡¯t stay in this residence for long and must find a ce to live quickly.¡± Qiu Niang reminded them.


    ¡°Indeed. Since you¡¯re no longer a serf, staying here for long is not good.¡± Zhou Dasheng echoed.


    ¡°Since none of you are returning to the vige, we will stay here too. We want to have a shop and do some small business.¡± Zhou Dong said.


    Mrs. Zhao pondered for a moment and did not refute.


    Firstly, the capita¡¯s academy was a great chance for their children. Secondly, her parents-inw were all here, and they could help each other out if there was anything.


    Moreover, her mother-inw and sister-inw were both skilled. They wouldn¡¯t lose money even if they opened a small shop selling food or snacks.


    ¡°What do you mean you want a shop? Even if Ying¡¯er has an empty shop, you can use it but can¡¯t take it for yourself.


    ¡°Otherwise, you might as well stay as a serf.


    ¡°Moreover, if you earn money from that shop, even if you don¡¯t pay the rent, you must show gratitude. Otherwise, it will lead to problems sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Although Ying¡¯er grew up with our mother¡¯s milk; she¡¯s only indebted to our parents, not us.¡± Haitang echoed.


    Zhou Dong opened his mouth after hearing this but did not say anything else. After all, they needed Zhou Ying¡¯s protection if they wanted to stay in the capital. They could only go so far with their requests.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief after hearing their conversation.


    If they did not know their limits, she nned to pay off her debts to them in one go and reduce their interactions in the future.


    When they returned, the sky had already darkened. Just as they were about to return to the guest courtyard, one of the Third Prince¡¯s personal guards, Guard Chu, walked over and said, ¡°Lord Gu, Lady Gu, His Highness invites you to the main courtyard for dinner when you return.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was initially surprised, but he knew there was a problem that needed to be discussed. He said, ¡°Please lead the way, Guard Chu.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± After Guard Chu finished speaking, he made an inviting gesture and led them to the main courtyard.


    After entering the courtyard, they saw that Zhou Huaiming was also there. Gu Chengrui had already guessed an inkling of what was happening.


    As expected, the Third Prince spoke before they could, ¡°I invited you here for two purposes.


    ¡°One is to celebrate Brother Gu¡¯s advancement to bing a third grade officer in farming, and the other is my cousin¡¯s leaving..¡±

 Chapter 465 - 465 Leaving

    Chapter 465: Leaving


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Leaving? Brother Zhou is leaving again?¡± Gu Chengrui was shocked by this.


    ¡°Yes, the soldiers we brought here must return as soon as possible, just in case.¡± The Third Prince nodded.


    ¡°Do you want to send a letter back? We¡¯re going back by water this time and will pass by Qingshui Town. We can help you send a letter back home.¡± Zhou Huaiming said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Brother Zhou to help us send a letter back. I¡¯ll write it after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat.¡± Zhou Huaiming then asked the servant girl beside him to inform the kitchen to serve the food.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying went to wash their hands and then sat back down. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve started renovating the residence over there?¡± The Third Prince asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s mainly the firece and heated floors. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be too cold in the winter.


    ¡°Other than that, we¡¯re just giving a fresh coat of paint to the wails and the like. Nothing much.¡±


    ¡°Heated floor?¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and then briefly exined the principle to them.


    ¡°Insted walls are technically better, but it will be tough to renovate once those insted walls are erected.¡±


    ¡°It sounds more convenient and cleaner than a portable firece.


    ¡°When you move over, 1 will go over and try it out. If feasible, the Imperial Residence will be renovated the same way, and 1 can save a lot of money.¡± ¡°You¡¯re more than wee. 1 wanted to invite you guys over for an open house once our residence is fully renovated. 1 didn¡¯t expect Brother Zhou to leave so early.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When 1 get married, he wille back. We¡¯ll meet again then.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming was in a good mood when he heard the Third Prince mention his marriage. A dark flint shed in his eyes when he remembered the information he had found.


    If Sun Miaoke listened to his advice, it would be all fine. Otherwise, this marriage would be quite a troublesome business.


    The dishes were served just then, and the four stopped chatting and started eating.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui borrowed the Third Prince¡¯s study to write a letter to his family, especially mentioning that the Gu family had been exonerated.


    However, he also reminded them to keep a low profile as much as possible in case they were targeted again.


    ¡°Here, Brother Zhou. Also, when you return to the capital, see if there are any extra vegetable seeds in the vige and bring some back for me.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Let¡¯s meet again when I¡¯m back.¡± Zhou Huaiming kept the letter well.


    However, he had no intention of getting up to leave. Gu Chengrui immediately understood and said, ¡°You guys continue chatting. We¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    ¡°Remember to attend the morning court assembly together tomorrow.¡± The Third Prince reminded him.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and went home with Zhou Ying.


    After they left, Zhou Huaiming hesitated momentarily before handing the information he had found on Sun Miaoke to the Third Prince.¡±Sun Miaoke has someone she likes. I wonder who she will choose in the end.¡±


    The Third Prince¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing that. He flipped through the information and said, ¡°Whether it¡¯s the rumors or the various investigations, they all praised her for being talented, strong, and decisive. I guess it was all exaggeration.¡±


    ¡°This might be amon problem for women. Once ites to feelings, they be indecisive.¡±


    The Third Prince nodded and did not reply. Instead, he asked, ¡°People are watching her, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard it has been hushed these two days. She must be considering the gains and losses.¡±


    ¡°You can talk to Chu Fan. If there¡¯s any news, just send it to me.¡±


    ¡°You n to¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for their decision. It¡¯s up to her.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll set off now.¡±


    ¡°Go. Bring enough people and be careful on the way.¡± After the Third Prince finished speaking, he stood up and sent him out of the courtyard.


    Madam Zhou discovered Gu Chengrui had be a third-grade farming officer while the Zhou family sat together and chatted. ¡°Damn,¡± she said regretfully..

 Chapter 466 - 466 Not Worried

    Chapter 466: Not Worried


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Principal Zhou looked at her in confusion.


    Madam Zhou did not hide anything and told him about Zhou Ying buying over Qiu Niang¡¯s family today. She also said she had proposed breaking off her rtionship with Zhou Ying.


    Principal Zhou was surprised after hearing this. ¡°It seems that we are not fated to be together. This is fine. We will mind our own business in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If it¡¯s broken, so be it. A third-grade officer of agriculture is just another word for farmer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only because the Emperor favors him. Otherwise, how could a schr like him enter the Imperial Court?¡± Second Uncle Zhou said sourly.


    However, he was quite envious. His elder brother had been in the Imperial Academy of Medicine for half his life, and he was only a fourth-grade official.


    Gu Chengrui, a young schr, relied on farming and became a third-grade officer in one step. Who wouldn¡¯t be jealous of this?


    The old madam nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s true. A farming officer, at most, will lead a few old farmers. They won¡¯t have the power or influence of an actual officer.¡±


    Although the others did not say anything, they also assumed that Gu Chengrui would not have little potential.


    Of course, they were still envious of Gu Chengrui getting a third-grade official position. At the very least, his monthly sry and status were higher than theirs.


    When she heard the news, Zhou Jiaqing, who was lying on her bed, covered her head and groaned. She was so enraged that she jumped out of bed and spat, ¡°Why? Why did that scumbag be a third-grade official?


    ¡°No wonder Zhou Ying is so arrogant now. She has a backer and doesn¡¯t need to be careful around me anymore, huh?¡±


    The servant girl who reported this to her did not dare to say a word.


    Zhou Jiaqing thought of something and asked, ¡°By the way, did Zisu bring that bitch Haitang back?¡±


    ¡°Miss, Sister Zisu saw that you were unconscious and was too focused on saving you. So, so, she didn¡¯t have the time to go over.¡±


    Zhou Jiaqing was so angry that she threw her cup on the ground and yelled, ¡°Bitch, there are so many of you good-for-nothings. Do you need her to stay? Get her toe here!¡±


    After shouting, she felt dizzy, and her head felt like needles were prickling into it. Zhou Jiaqing immediately fell onto her bed and hugged her head as she cried out in pain.


    The servant girl was shocked by this and immediately turned around to call for Principal Zhou.


    On the other end, Yang Wanning smiled after receiving the news.


    As for the First Prince and the others, they didn¡¯t take Gu Chengrui¡¯s promotion to heart. After all, he was just a farmer and had nothing to do with them.


    Early the next morning, Zhou Ying asked Granny Ma to lead her to a nearby market. She wanted to buy vegetables to prepare food at her new residence to entertain Yang Wanning.


    Few people were in the market, and most of the vegetables sold were dried wild vegetables.


    Of course, some were selling carrots and cabbages, but the quantity was tiny, and the price was high. One pound of cabbage was being sold for two coppers.


    There were also people selling firewood, wild animals, and fish.


    As for the proper butcher shops, only one sold pork, but the meat was lean, and they were selling it for 30 copper coins per pound.


    She looked at Granny Ma and asked, ¡°Does the Prince¡¯s manor have its own farm to provide daily ingredients?¡±


    ¡°Yes, every prominent family has a fixed food supply, and they can exchange what they need afterward.¡±


    ¡°They onlye to the vegetable market to replenish if their residencecks any.


    ¡°Or when they want to buy some wild game for a change of taste, very few people buy anything from the market inrge quantities.¡± Old Granny Ma said.


    Zhou Ying nodded in understanding. She returnedte yesterday, so she didn¡¯t go to the manor.


    It seemed that she really had to go over as soon as possible.


    At the very least, she had to confirm what food was avable at their manor. Otherwise, after leaving the Prince¡¯s mansion, she would not be able to afford anything to eat, or at least not openly..

 Chapter 467 - 467 Receiving Guests

    Chapter 467: Receiving Guests


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying eventually just bought some dried vegetables, radishes, and cabbages and ordered more from them. She also purchased a 20-pound pork belly strip and delivered it to Qiu Niang.


    At the same time, she bought a wild rabbit, a big, green carp that weighed about five pounds, and a piece of fat meat for Granny Ma to carry back to the manor.


    After Zhou Ying returned to the Prince¡¯s mansion, she sat down and drank a ss of water just as Yang Wanning walked in with a basket of snacks. Behind her was Yang Chenglin, who was looking around curiously.


    ¡°Greetings, cousin sister-inw,¡± Yang Wanning greeted after she entered.


    ¡°Greetings, cousin sister-inw.¡± Yang Chenglin followed suit and bowed.


    ¡°Come, take a seat. Oh, there¡¯s no need to bring a gift over.¡± Zhou Ying greeted them with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, just some snacks I made myself. You and Chengrui can try it and see if it suits your taste.¡± After Yang Wanning finished speaking, she handed the basket to Granny Ma.


    Granny Ma saw this and immediately carried them away. Sheter served them a cup of tea and prepared a te of small fried dough twists.


    Seeing that Gu Chengrui was nowhere to be seen, Yang Wanning asked, ¡°Has Changrui taken up his post so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll officially start working today.¡± Zhou Ying nodded, looked at Yang Chenglin and asked, ¡°Chenglin is on vacation today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s back for today and tomorrow, so I brought him here.¡± Yang Wanning answered.


    ¡°I see. Chenglin, you¡¯re twelve this year? Did you pass the schr¡¯s exam yet?¡± Zhou Ying asked Yang Chenglin.


    Yang Chenglin shook his head. ¡°Not yet. I didn¡¯t take it before the snow disaster, and it hasn¡¯t been held since then. This is why 1 haven¡¯t taken the schr¡¯s exam.¡±


    ¡°What level are you at now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in ss-A. I¡¯ll definitely pass the student test, but 1 think it will be difficult for me to pass the schr test.¡±


    Zhou Ying saw that he was answering every question, but it was obvious that he had no intention of holding a two-way conversation. She nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Alright, study hard and strive to be a schr in one fell swoop when the test is held.¡±


    ¡°How have you been these two days? Is the family stable?¡± she then asked Yang Wanning.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright for now.¡± Yang Wanning said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. We¡¯ll move to our new residence in two days. When you¡¯re free, doe over for a visit.¡±


    ¡°No problem, as long as you don¡¯t find us annoying.¡±


    ¡°How could that be the case?¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    The two of them chatted for a while more. After noticing Yang Chenglin was getting impatient, she stood up and said, ¡°Do stay for lunch today, and I¡¯ll cook two dishes myself so you can try my cooking.¡±


    ¡°Sure, 1 heard that your skills are great, and I hope 1 can learn a few moves.¡± Yang Wanning was about to follow her to the small kitchen after that.


    Zhou Ying looked at Yang Chenglin with a troubled expression. She couldn¡¯t just leave him alone in here.


    ¡°Chenglin, do you know how to clean a rabbit?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never been in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Are you interested in learning? If you are,e together.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she walked out with Yang Wanning.


    Yang Chenglin followed her, but he didn¡¯t go to the kitchen. Instead, he wandered around the courtyard.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying ignored him. She took out the rabbit and fish and quickly ughtered them.


    Then, with the help of Granny Ma and Yang Wanning, they quickly cooked up a feast.


    Soon, a dish of braised rabbit meat and a bowl of fish ball soup were made.


    The rich aroma of meat attracted Yang Chenglin¡¯s attention.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying scooped a bowl of fish ball soup for him and handed it to him. ¡°Try it and see how it tastes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you; don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Yang Chenglin took the bowl and went back to the dining room.


    Zhou Ying looked at his taken-for-granted expression and immediately frowned..

 Chapter 468 - 468 Discovered A Problem

    Chapter 468: Discovered A Problem


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, she didn¡¯t bother to say anything to him. Instead, she took out some mushrooms and cabbage from the kitchen and made a stir-fried mushroom with meat slices, pickled cabbages, and finally, a te of shredded seaweed.


    When the cooking was almost done, Gu Chengrui rushed back. He smelled a familiar smell and remembered Yang Wanning and the others wereing over today.


    After he went to the kitchen to greet Yang Wanning, he turned around to return to the dining room.


    ¡°Is King Rui back yet?¡± Zhou Ying asked hurriedly.


    ¡°Yeah, we came back together.¡± Gu Chengrui replied and paused, ¡°1¡¯11 ask him toe over and eat with us.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not convenient with Wanning here. Just bring some fishball soup over to him.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took a bowl of soup and handed it to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. 1¡¯11 be back soon.¡± Gu Chengrui took the soup bowl and headed toward the main courtyard.


    At this moment, Yang Chenglin ran out and chased after him. ¡°You¡¯re my third cousin, right? I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°Yang Chenglin?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at the young man beside him and asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go with you; I haven¡¯t met King Rui yet.¡± Yang Chenglin said expectantly.


    ¡°Hurry up, then. The soup will get cold soon.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he walked straight ahead.


    Meanwhile, Yang Chenglin jogged behind him.


    However, when they reached the main courtyard, Yang Chenglin shrank back and hesitated at the entrance.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t force him, and he sent the soup in. When he came out, he looked at him and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see the Third Prince? Why don¡¯t you go in?¡±


    ¡°The people around him are very fierce.¡± After Yang Chenglin said that, he nced at the guards guarding the ce.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? Those people are protecting him. As long as you behave yourself, no one will make things difficult for you.¡± Gu Chengrui thought of something and asked, ¡°Your father¡¯s study room should also be guarded, no?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been to my father¡¯s study.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. No one in the family is allowed to approach my father¡¯s study.¡±


    ¡°Your mother hasn¡¯t been there either?¡±


    ¡°I heard she has been there, but I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Does your father treat you well?¡±


    ¡°So-so? He¡¯s busy all day long. Other than asking about homework, we rarely meet and talk.¡±


    ¡°Who usually takes care of you, then?¡±


    ¡°Previously, it was my mother. Now, it¡¯s my stepmother and my sister.¡±


    ¡°Stepmother? Is she good to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the family¡¯s legitimate son, and my mother¡¯s dowry is in her hands.


    ¡°Even if I bullied Chengsen, she never dared toin.¡±


    Gu Chengrui narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Your stepmother sure treats you well.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve never been scolded before.


    ¡°In the summer, 1 asked for a parrot and spent a hundred taels on it. She paid for it, no matter how painful it was for her wallet.


    ¡°After that, Chengsen wanted to spend ten taels on a carrier pigeon, but he was turned down. It¡¯s because shecks a dowry and the confidence to spend money.¡±


    ¡°Who told you that she¡¯s not confident because she doesn¡¯t have a dowry?¡±


    ¡°My stepmother said so. My grandmother also said that when she married into the family, she only brought a few pieces of clothing with her; she didn¡¯t even have any jewelry.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But that¡¯s not what your sister said. She didn¡¯t even have a decent dress when she attended the pce banquet a few days ago, and many othersughed at her.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Chengsen said my sister was wearing a custom-made dress that cost more than a thousand taels.¡±


    ¡°I asked someone to order those clothes.¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Yang Chenglin looked at him warily and angrily, saying, ¡°The Gu family¡¯s assets have been confiscated.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not sow discord between us..¡±

 Chapter 469 - 469 Bet (1)

    Chapter 469: Bet (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After saying that, he didn¡¯t even give Gu Chengrui a chance to speak before he ran back.


    Gu Chengrui looked at his back and was a little surprised. It seemed that the Cuidies had put a lot of effort into tricking him. Otherwise, he would not be so protective of them.


    He didn¡¯t bother to exin anymore and quickly followed him.


    Yang Chenglin returned to the dining room and saw Yang Wanning, who was setting up the table, and he went forward to pull her out.


    Yang Wanning looked at his angry expression and asked in confusion, ¡°Chenglin, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Going home. Don¡¯t interact with the Gu family in the future.¡± Yang Changlin said as he continued to walk out.


    Yang Wanning was stunned by his answer. She grabbed him and asked patiently, ¡°What happened? Tell me first.¡±


    ¡°Cousin tried to sow discord between us. He said he was the one who ordered the dress you wore to the pce banquet.¡± Yang Chenglin red at Gu Chengrui, who had just entered.


    Gu Chengrui ignored him and walked away. It was better to leave this bumbling kid to Yang Wanning to handle. Otherwise, saying more would only exacerbate the situation because he was an outsider.


    Yang Wanning heard this, and while she didn¡¯t know why they brought it up, she realized she needed to rify things today. If her cousin had a disagreement with them, they would be isted and helpless in the future.


    Thinking of this, she stared at him and said earnestly, ¡°That¡¯s right. 1 asked my Chengrui to help order that dress for me because the dress that Mrs. Cui prepared for me is not presentable.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Yang Chenglin didn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°You¡­ the Third Prince, Granny Liu, and even some of the madams who attended the pce banquet know about this. If you don¡¯t believe me¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible. Even when our stepmother mistreats her own children, she has never mistreated us.


    ¡°If you say that again, 1¡¯11 never talk to you again.¡± Yang Chenglin shook off his sister¡¯s hand and turned to run out.


    ¡°You,e back here!¡± Yang Wanning shouted and wanted to chase after him.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head when he saw this. ¡°It¡¯d be better not to chase after him. He¡¯s an ingrate who regards a thief as his mother. What¡¯s the point of chasing after him?¡±


    Yang Chenglin, who had almost run out of the courtyard, immediately turned around and retorted angrily, ¡°Who are you calling an ingrate?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think? Do you dare to make a bet with me?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at him with contempt.


    He knew very well that children at this age were rebellious.


    He had epted that Yang Chenglin wouldn¡¯t turn back until he hit a wall.


    As a result, provoking his rebellious spirit and allowing him to dig out the truth himself was the only way he could see the truth.


    Although Yang Chenglin couldn¡¯t understand what Gu Chengrui was doing, he could tell he was being looked down upon.


    ¡°Hmph, what are we betting? What if you lose?¡± He demanded with high spirits.


    ¡°If I lose, 1¡¯11 give you 10,000 taels of silver. If you lose¡­¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°Even if you lose, you won¡¯t be able to give me anything.


    ¡°How about this, if you lose, you¡¯ll be my errand boy for five years?¡±


    ¡°Impossible. If 1 lose, I¡¯ll give you 100,000 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re confident in yourself. I¡¯ll ept that proposal then, 100,000 taels of silver.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t take it out by then, sell yourself to me and be my servant for five years.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s settled.¡±


    Yang Wanning looked at Yang Chenglin speechlessly, but she was happy to see this through. It would be great if she could let him see the true colors of the Cuidies through this bet..

 Chapter 470 - 470 Bet (2)

    Chapter 470: Bet (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You show me if you have 10,000 taels of silver first.¡± Yang Chenglin was shocked to see him ept the bet.


    ¡°No problem.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned to look at Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying nodded and went back to the residence. She took out 10,000 taels of silver from her interspace and brought it back to the dining room. ¡°Ten silver notes worth a thousand taels each. Do you want to count them?¡±


    Yang Chenglin stepped forward to take a look. He was stunned when he saw the banknote with a face value of 1,000 taels. He hadn¡¯t expected them to have so much silver on them.


    Could it be that they actually gave the dress to his sister?


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying kept the silver notes and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first. After lunch, I¡¯ll let you check it personally.¡±


    Gu Chengrui washed his hands and sat down. ¡°Is the bet still on? It¡¯s still not toote to go back on your word.¡±


    Yang Chenglin hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s bet.¡±


    Despite his reservations, his stepmother had always granted all his requests, so he was confident she would not mistreat his sister.


    ¡°Alright, kid, hang in there.¡± After speaking, Gu Chengrui picked up a piece of rabbit meat and said, ¡°Eat more. We have to go outter.¡±


    Yang Chenglin snorted indignantly but still lowered his head and obediently ate the rabbit meat.


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui went to the study room and took out a receipt. ¡°Let¡¯s go. 1¡¯11 bring you to verify the ims.¡±


    ¡°Wait, let¡¯s go together. I want to order a few new sets of bedding.¡± Zhou Ying got up and brought Yang Wanning along with them.


    First, they went to look for Butler Feng, who helped them order some clothes. After getting his confirmation, they went to a cloth shop.


    Gu Chengrui took out the receipt and handed it to the shop owner. ¡°Miss Hua, this is an order from your shop, right? Can you tell who ordered it?¡±


    Miss Hua took it and nced at it. ¡°A blue wide-sleeved dress. Butler Feng of King Rui Manor ordered it for a guest. Including the jewelry, it costs 1,800 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, miss.¡± After that, Gu Chengrui looked at Yang Chenglin and asked, ¡°How? Do you believe me now?¡±


    He then looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything suitable. Let¡¯s make two more sets; the craftsmanship here is amazing.¡±


    When Miss Hua heard about more business opportunities, she immediately brought Zhou Ying and Yang Wanning to look at their clothes.


    At this moment, Gu Chengrui pressed one hand on Yang Chenglin¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°So, do you believe me?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s look for King Rui or Granny Liu in the pce, or you can find any official wives from the various families that attended the banquet.¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Yang Chenglin replied weakly.


    He didn¡¯t want to believe that the Cuidies would not even give his sister a decent dress. But, why would they grant his every request? Was it because he was the legitimate son?


    ¡°What¡¯s impossible? How about we make another bet?¡± Gu Chengrui suggested it with a smile.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Yang Chenglin looked at him warily.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and whispered in his ear, ¡°Do you dare?¡±


    Yang Chenglin hesitated for a moment. No matter what, he would have to win this time.


    The key was that if he won this new bet, he wouldn¡¯t have to be Gu Chengrui¡¯s errand boy for five years. He nodded and stated, ¡°Let¡¯s bet.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You have to remember that you can¡¯t leak anything we say or do. Otherwise, this bet will be voided.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m not a sore loser.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s settled, then.¡±


    On the other end, under AAiss Hua¡¯s introduction, Zhou Ying spent a total of 1,400 taels of silver. She ordered two medium-grade dresses for herself, two robes for Gu Chengrui, and a cloak for Yang Wanning..

 Chapter 471 - 471 Entrustment

    Chapter 471: Entrustment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Aftering out, the four of them went to another cloth shop next door to order bedding.


    However, cotton was now costly. One pound of cotton was going for 500 coppers, so she only ordered ten bedsheets as a backup.


    It was gettingte after they left the store, and Gu Chengrui went straight to his office.


    Zhou Ying brought the siblings to her new residence.


    When Yang Chenglin entered, he ran to the rockery to look at the goldfish. Yang Wanning followed her around the courtyard and said, ¡°This residence is really not bad. It¡¯s much better than the Yang residence.¡±


    ¡°Oh, where is it that is better?¡±


    ¡°Size, first of all. The Yang Residence is just an ordinary three-entrance courtyard. There are no rockeries, gardens, or ces for sightseeing.


    ¡°Another thing is that the buildings here are more magnificent and exquisite.¡±


    ¡°All, because we benefited from Princess Ping Yang. 1 heard that this was Princess Ping Yang¡¯s dowry.¡±


    ¡°No wonder.¡± Yang Wanning nodded. After confirming that no one was nearby, she hesitated and said, ¡°Zhou Ying, 1 feel that Mrs. Cui wants to spoil Chengling rotten, but no matter how much 1 try to persuade him, he won¡¯t believe me. Can you help mee up with an idea?¡±


    After hearing that, Zhou Ying turned to face her. For a brief moment, Zhou Ying was unsure whether Yang Wanning was truly out of ideas or if she was attempting to approach her to gain information from her.


    After all, this was her second life. Zhou Ying did not believe that Yang Wanning could note up with a solution to such a simple problem.


    But Zhou Ying still answered, ¡°As the saying goes, hearing is inurate, and seeing is believing.


    ¡°But 1 don¡¯t think even seeing something with your own eyes is necessarily true.


    ¡°Therefore, you must find a way to guide him to discover the truth independently.


    ¡°Just like today, he didn¡¯t believe we helped you order the dress, but didn¡¯t he lower his head when confronted with the facts, witnesses, and evidence?¡±


    Yang Wanning nodded but felt slightly bitter inwardly because the Cuidies were utterly different in front of her and Chenglin.


    She would have to put in more effort if she wanted to expose her.


    Yang Wanning took a roll of banknotes from her sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ying. ¡°Zhou Ying, I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, but 1 need your help to keep these silver notes for me. The Yang Residence is not safe.¡±


    ¡°How much is this?¡±


    ¡°50,000 taels of silver; it¡¯s the money my mother left for me.


    ¡°But recently, things had been very unpleasant because of the dowry.


    ¡°Mrs. Cui took this opportunity and asked me to train the dowry maids, so she sent six maids into my courtyard.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid they will find out 1 have this money. It won¡¯t be easy to get back my mother¡¯s dowry at that time.¡±


    ¡°You trust me that much? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll just take them?¡±


    ¡°I can trust you.


    ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve saved me from two disasters in a row, so it¡¯s only fair that I award you this silver.


    ¡°If you can use it, then use it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just based on your words, 1¡¯11 help you keep the money. But, you must know you can¡¯t tell anyone about me helping you out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I know who is and isn¡¯t my ally.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and kept the silver notes. She threw them into the vi in her interspace under the cover of her sleeve.


    After that, the two women chatted for a while. Zhou Ying looked at the time and gave Qiu Niang a few reminders before leaving.


    After that, the siblings returned to the Yang Residence, while Zhou Ying returned to the Prince¡¯s Residence.


    She took a look at the pastries that Yang Wanning had brought over. There was jujube paste cake, osmanthus cake, pot helmet biscuits, and sesame sauce chips. All of them were splendid and cute, and it was a disy of excellent dessert-making skills.


    After taking out half of each, the rest was split between Granny Ma and the other two helpers.


    After dinner, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°After 1 left, did Yang Chenglin make things difficult for you?¡±

 Chapter 472 - 472 Making A Move

    Chapter 472: Making A Move


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, but Yang Wanning asked me to help keep her 50,000 silver.¡± Zhou Ying replied after confirming that there was no one else around.


    ¡°It seems that my aunt is not that stupid. At least she saw the problem at thest minute and left something for her daughter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s too soft-hearted. If she had divorced when she was alive or if she had split her assets and lived elsewhere, Yang Wanning and her brother wouldn¡¯t have ended up this way.¡±


    ¡°Even if she has that intention, Yang Shicheng won¡¯t agree.


    ¡°Moreover, with her old-fashioned thinking, she won¡¯t necessarily have the courage to leave.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he thought of Gu Ziyi. Wasn¡¯t she also forced into a divorce as ast resort?


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, keep an eye on the Yang residence tomorrow afternoon. Maybe there will be a good show.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything, did you?¡±


    ¡°I just made another bet with Yang Chenglin.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at him suspiciously and asked, ¡°What did you bet on?¡±


    ¡°I just teach him how to discover Mrs. Cui¡¯s true colors.¡± Gu Chengrui told her his n after he finished speaking.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie; that¡¯s pretty despicable of you. Not only can you let him see the true colors of Mrs. Cu, but you can also sow discord between them, mother and son.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impolite not to take the offer when given.¡±


    On the other end, after Zhou Jiaqing found out that Qiu Niang¡¯s family had been redeemed, she was so angry that she pped Zisu a dozen times. ¡°You idiot! Can¡¯t you even do something this simple? Go straight to theundry room tomorrow!¡±


    Zisu nodded and left without saying anything.


    Not only did she not feel dejected, she also heaved a sigh of relief.


    A second-ss maid, Lian Qiao, saw this and went forward tofort her, saying, ¡°Sister Zisu, don¡¯t be too sad. The missus just got into a fit of anger. When her anger subsides, she will definitely call you back.¡±


    Zisu looked at her gloating expression and sneered inwardly. ¡°Thank you for the kind words.¡± She replied calmly.


    After saying that, she covered her face and left.


    She clearly understood Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s character over the past few years.


    If she really did as she said that day, not only would Zhou Jiaqing not reward her, but she would still me her for abandoning her mistress.


    Regardless of what she chooses, she will be unable to satisfy Zhou Jiaqing and will get punished.


    Therefore, it was better to leave her side as soon as possible.


    Lian Qiao looked at Zisu¡¯s back as she left and sneered. She turned around and walked in with a broom and dustpan. She quickly swept away the things that Zhou Jiaqing had broken and said, ¡°Young miss, I have something I don¡¯t know if I should say.¡±


    ¡°Just say if there¡¯s something you want to say. I¡¯m not in the mood to be polite with you now.¡± Zhou Jiaqing leaned on the bed and replied impatiently.


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need to mess with Haitang or the others if you want to ruin Zhou Ying. Don¡¯t you think Zhou Ying has problems when she¡¯s been married for so many years and has no children?


    ¡°Also, they have just established their residence. I¡¯m sure they will be buying servants, so if you arrange for one or two people to go in and win her husband¡¯s favor, then she¡­¡±


    Zhou Jiaqing paused after hearing that. She thought of her mother, who cried daily to gain her father¡¯s favor, and how she became numbed by everything. Zhou Jiaqing was instantly exhrated by the idea.


    That¡¯s right, what women cared about the most was their husband¡¯s love. How miserable would Zhou Ying¡¯s fate be if she lost her love and had no child to rely on?


    She quickly replied, ¡°1¡¯11 leave arranging this to you. Find me two girls.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will do my best.¡± Lian Qiao turned around and walked out. When she was outside, she quickly threw down the things in her hands and ran out happily.


    She firmly believed that as long as this task was carried out smoothly, she would definitely be her missus¡¯ best confidant. At that time, she would ride the tide and might one day be a concubine..

 Chapter 473 - 473 Introducing Miniature Statues

    Chapter 473: Introducing Miniature Statues


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other end, Zhou Ying did not notice their schemes. Instead, she sat in the study, writing down a list of things she wanted to buy next. She nned which items could be taken out of her interspace and which could not.


    The most challenging item for her was food because, so far, the grain stores had yet to open.


    After thinking about it, there was only one way left, and that was to use Mother Goddess as a cover to put some food into her residence.


    However, the prerequisite was that she had to go to the Mother Goddess Temple and go through with the prayers.


    At the thought of this, she suddenly thought of the small Buddha statues that were usually worshipped at a person¡¯s home. It seemed that she had to bring this n forward.


    It would allow Mother Goddess¡¯ statue to enter thousands of households, allowing people to worship her at all times and advancing her legacy even further.


    It was unlike before when people looked down on or even abandoned Mother Goddess.


    Thus, when she entered her interspace at night, she began to select servants for the various Mother Goddess Temples through her followers¡¯ faith.


    However, she did not choose any young and beautiful women. Instead, she chose widows who had no one to rely on, determined, kind, and well-kept. She then entered their dreams to offer them this position.


    Of course, she never forced any of them.


    It was up to them whether they wanted to go or not.


    After half a night, she chose four servants for each temple.


    At the same time, she told them their responsibilities.


    One was to ensure that the Mother Goddess Temple was clean and tidy, and the other was to help out the people who went to offer prayers.


    There was also another mission, which was to sell her statues or offer them in exchange for something.


    However, only those who were kind-hearted and had merit could receive such a reward.


    Of course, people could also bring a statue they made to the Mother Goddess Temple to be blessed. However, whether they could seed or not was another story.


    After finishing her work in her interspace, she began to carve Mother Goddess statues with the wood from her interspace. She then painted it and injected a trace of her spiritual power into it.


    Only the statues she injected with her power were the real deal.


    The next day, when it was almost noon, the news of Mother God choosing servants had basically spread throughout the country.


    When Zhou Ying brought Granny Ma to the streets to buy some food, she also heard about it. Moreover, the news of inviting a statue of the Mother Goddess spread throughout the capital.


    She also heard that many others had already started donating daily necessities to the four maidservants here.


    At noon, she heard that the four maidservants from the capital had already arrived, bringing her another bundle of faith points.


    On the way back, Granny Ma suddenly asked, ¡°Mrs. Gu, you heard about


    Mother Goddess choosing maidservants. Why does she choose widows who live alone after the age of forty?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she wants someone free of burden.


    ¡°Also, she probably wants someone with a steady heart so that they can serve Mother Goddess wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Otherwise, the Mother Goddess Temple would be defiled.¡±


    Granny Ma was stunned for a moment. She remembered what she had heard before, that some temples took the opportunity to do some dirty things. She nodded in understanding and replied, ¡°It seems that Mother Goddess has seen through everything.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled silently at that.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying brought Granny Ma to her new residence after dinner to check on the progress.


    She found that the main courtyard had been repaired and the heated floor connected to the firece.


    However, because the walls had just been painted, the moment she entered the room, it was as if she had entered the middle of summer. It was stuffy and hot, so she quickly turned around and walked out.


    She then found Qiu Niang and gave her 2,000 taels of silver to pay for and settle the renovation. She sent all kinds of supplies to the residence, found the foreman, and asked him to connect the front and backyards with heated flooring.


    As for the two side courtyards and guest rooms, there was no hurry for that. Otherwise, it would be toote to move in when it was cold.


    After returning to the Imperial Residence, she remembered the ¡®show¡¯ that Gu Chengrui had mentioned yesterday and then spread out her spiritual senses to look at the Yang Residence..

 Chapter 474 - 474 Realization

    Chapter 474: Realization


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    She saw Yang Chenglin holding 100 taels of silver and a set of stationery in Mrs. Cui¡¯s room. He was showing off to Yang Chengsen. ¡°So? You lost to me, didn¡¯t you? I told you long ago that it doesn¡¯t matter, even if you¡¯re your mother¡¯s biological son.


    ¡°I¡¯m still the family¡¯s legitimate son; you can never surpass me.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! My mother must be doing this for my own good.¡± The eight-year-old Yang Chengsen shouted anxiously.


    He threw herself into Mrs. Chui¡¯s arms and said, ¡°Mother, mother, please. You have to give me 100 taels of silver as pocket money too.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the stationary. No, I don¡¯t want that. I remember that my father bought a few small wolf-hair quills. I just want one small one¡­¡±


    ¡°Chengsen, don¡¯t mess around. Your father bought the wolf hair quills to write memorials¡­¡±


    Before Mrs. Cui could finish her words, Yang Chengsen pushed him away and yelled, ¡°No! I want it! Who is your son? Why do you always side with him? 1 hate you!¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Seeing this, Yang Chenglin snorted in disdain and turned to leave.


    After leaving the courtyard and seeing no one nearby, he walked around and squatted outside the back window.


    ¡°Alright, he¡¯s gone now. Don¡¯t cry.¡± Mrs. Cui pulled Yang Chengsen up and said.


    Yang Chengsen immediatelyughed and said, ¡°Mother, how was my acting? He¡¯s such an idiot to show off in front of me.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t wait for his father to deal with him when he returns.


    ¡°You¡¯re the smarter boy, no?


    ¡°However, you have to keep an eye on him. The inkstone he took is a really expensive one. Even your father can¡¯t bring himself to use it. Don¡¯t let that dumbass lose it. Otherwise, your mother will also be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye on him.¡± Yang Chengsen replied obediently, ¡°Mother, I have taken a fancy to a folding fan at Hengtong Pawnshop.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°800 taels. It¡¯s an authentic work of Master Wu, and its value will definitely increase in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if it¡¯s confirmed to be true, Mother will buy it for you. But I¡¯ll say it here first, you¡¯re not allowed to simply show it off.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m not that idiot. I definitely won¡¯t be a good-for-nothing.¡±


    Yang Chenglin couldn¡¯t hear what they said next, and all he knew was that he had been schemed against by the mother and son.


    After that, he walked back to his courtyard in a daze.


    However, he almost tripped over a rock because he did not look where he was going.


    Zhou Ying quickly used her spiritual power to help him stabilize his body.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Mrs. Cui shouted.


    Yang Chenglin was so frightened that he immediately snapped out of his daze and ran on tiptoe.


    Zhou Ying quickly erased Yang Chenglin¡¯s traces and put a cat down.


    Mrs. Cui was about to look around when the cat jumped from the roof andnded on the opposite tree. It turned around and meowed at her.


    ¡°What bad luck!¡± Mrs. Cui couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud.


    She quickly closed the window after that.


    As soon as Yang Chenglin returned to his courtyard, Little Shu, the errand boy, approached him. Seeing his panic-stricken appearance, he quickly asked, ¡°Young Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Yang Chenglin opened his mouth, but when he thought of Gu Chengrui¡¯s warning, he changed his words and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine; I just ask for a set of good inkstones. I just tripped on the way and almost hit you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you want to bring it to the academy?¡± Little Shu asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll give it to my sister. This is a good one, so I¡¯ll be keeping it.


    ¡°Oh right, hurry up and pack your luggage. We¡¯ll set off when I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Young Master.¡± Little Shu turned around and returned to his room to pack his luggage afterwards.


    Yang Chenglin then went straight to Yang Wanning¡¯s courtyard..

 Chapter 475 - 475 A Heart-To-Heart Talk Between Siblings

    Chapter 475: A Heart-To-Heart Talk Between Siblings


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After entering, he saw Yang Wanning dressed inly and sitting in the courtyard, embroidering a purse. He was stunned for a moment and greeted her as he walked over. ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Chenglin, why are you here? I was just about to look for you.¡± Yang Wanning was surprised and handed the purse to him. ¡°See if you like it.¡±


    Yang Chenglin nodded and took it, but he didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he looked at the person beside her.


    Yang Wanning, shocked by his intentions, got up and brought him back to her room. She asked Chun Xi to stand guard outside and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Yang Chenglin then handed the inkstone to her and told her about his bet with Gu Chengrui and the conversation between his stepmother and her son. ¡°Sister, is this a scheme from them?¡±


    Yang Wanning was pleasantly surprised by this, as she was still thinking about how to expose the true colors of Mrs. Cui to her brother. She did not expect her cousin to solve it this quickly.


    It seemed that she had to change her way of thinking. Instead of passively defending against their schemes, she needed to take the initiative to attack.


    At the thought of this, her expression turned solemn as she exined to him in a low voice what they were doing¡ªputting him on a pedestal and waiting for him to fall.


    Ultimately, she said, ¡°Some people¡¯s words are harsh, but their intention is kind.


    ¡°Mrs. Cui is the opposite. On the surface, they treated you well, but in the dark, they wanted to raise you into a good-for-nothing.


    ¡°In the end, when Father can¡¯t take your attitude anymore, he will give up on you. You won¡¯t even be able to return home at that time.¡±


    ¡°What a vicious woman.¡± Yang Chenglin gritted his teeth at that.


    No wonder Mrs. Cui repeatedly warned Yang Chengsen not to end up this way.


    He quickly asked his sister, ¡°But why is she so harsh to you?¡±


    ¡°First, I¡¯m old enough not to fall for her tricks.


    ¡°Also, I¡¯m a girl, so Father won¡¯t pay much attention to me.¡± Yang Wanning sighed and continued, ¡°You just have to remember that she has a son and a daughter. Even if she¡¯s good to us, she definitely has a motive.


    ¡°But you¡¯re still young, so you have to protect yourself.


    ¡°So you just have to act like before and do what you should do.


    ¡°If he could take the opportunity to ask for more things or silver from her, then secretly save them.


    ¡°But you have to know what to do. Study hard and strive to learn more skills. It¡¯s best if you can always surpass Yang Chengsen in your studies, as only then will Father not give up on you.


    ¡°After a few years, I¡¯ll have a firm foothold in my household. Only then can we siblings be able to confront them openly.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Sis. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Remember, you can bully Yang Chengsen, but don¡¯t overdo it.


    ¡°Once you overdo it, Mrs. Cui will think you are a threat. She will then suppress you or even kill you.¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare, would she?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing she doesn¡¯t dare to do. Just be careful in the future.


    ¡°Also, when you interact with your friends and servants, you should pay more attention to them. After observing them for some time, you should see if they are worth making friends with. Don¡¯t simply trust others.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Yang Wanning heaved a sigh of relief and teased, ¡°You lost again this time. It looks like you have to be Chengrui¡¯s errand boy for five years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still studying. I don¡¯t have time.¡± Yang Chenglin spoke proudly.


    ¡°But you have holidays.


    ¡°I think you can spend a day with him and learn something from him.


    ¡°Based on my observations, the couple are quite good people and sincere in helping us. At the very least, they don¡¯t have the intention to harm us.¡±


    Yang Chenglin hesitated momentarily and said, ¡°Next time, when there¡¯s another holiday, 1 will go and take a look. Cousin might not have time to bring me along now..¡±

 Chapter 476 - 476 Good News

    Chapter 476: Good News


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see how it goes. If Chengrui is willing to take you in, don¡¯t act like a spoiled brat. There¡¯s no harm in learning from him.¡±


    ¡°Got it. This stationery set is great, so can you help me keep it well? 1 have to go to the academy.¡±


    ¡°Safe trip, and remember what I said. Think before acting when encountering something, and don¡¯t be impulsive.¡±


    ¡°1 understand.¡± Yang Chenglin affirmed this as he walked out with the embroidered purse.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying smiled after watching them. These two young people seemed promising, and she did not help them in vain.


    As for how much she could help them, it would depend on their performance.


    In Shanghe Vige, the patriarch was brushing a cow when Manager Liu came in with a letter and said, ¡°Brother Gu, congrattions to you and the Gu n.¡± The patriarch was stunned by what he said and asked, ¡°Brother Liu? Come in and take a seat.¡±


    After saying that, he tied the cow to the side and invited Manager Liu into his house. After sitting down, he poured him a cup of water and asked, ¡°Brother Liu, what¡¯s the congrattions about?¡±


    ¡°Because of the promotion of sweet potatoes, the Emperor has already forgiven the Gu family.


    ¡°Under the Ministry of Works, a new branch is formed, named the Department of Agriculture. Gu Chengrui is now a third-grade officer of the Department of Agriculture, specializing in researching ways to increase grain production.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! It seems that our Gu n has hope again.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but you still have to keep a low profile.¡±


    ¡°1 understand.¡±


    Seeing this, Manager Liu took out Gu Chengrui¡¯s letter and said, ¡°I heard that all the men of the Gu family had gone away on long trips. It¡¯s not convenient for me to visit them alone, so I specially came to request help from Brother Gu to deliver these two letters to the Gu family.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go over.¡± The patriarch stood up afterwards. He informed his wife, Mrs. Gu, and brought Manager Liu to the Gu family.


    ¡°Uncle, Shopkeeper Liu, what a rarebination! What brings the both of you here?¡± Gu Chengxi, drying herbs in the courtyard, immediately approached them and invited them into the living room.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to town to study medicine? Are you cking off?¡± The patriarch turned his head and asked Gu Chengxi.


    ¡°Oh, I was there half a day in the morning and came back in the afternoon to study by myself.¡±


    ¡°Good. It is great that you are now allowed to practice medicine alone. Don¡¯t waste this chance.¡±


    After saying that, the three of them reached the living room.


    Hearing themotion, Madam Qiao also came out of her room with the help of Mrs. Yao. Seeing the three of them, she immediately invited them to take a seat.


    After the patriarch sat down, he said quickly, ¡°Third Aunt, Manager Liu has brought us good news. The Gu n was acquitted because of Gu Chengrui and the others¡¯ promotion of sweet potatoes.


    ¡°Moreover, Gu Chengrui has also be a third-grade official.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Mrs. Yao asked with a face full of surprise.


    ¡°Why would 1 lie to you about such a thing?¡± The patriarch smiled and nodded.


    Manager Liu nodded and handed the two letters to the old madam. ¡°These are two letters sent by Officer Gu. Please take a look and see if there is a need to reply.


    ¡°If there is, write it down and send it to my manor. They will hand it over to me.¡±


    ¡°1 really appreciate it. I can die in peace now, knowing that the Gu n will not face any punishment during my lifetime.¡± Madam Qiao was overjoyed when she received the message.


    ¡°Good days areing in the future. You have to take care of yourself and live to an old age.¡± Manager Liu stood up and added, ¡°1 still have something to do, so 1 won¡¯t disturb you anymore. Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°1 see. I¡¯ll send you off.¡± The patriarch sent Manager Liu out after that.


    Madam Qiao hurriedly followed Mrs. Yao and then asked Gu Chengxi to gather everyone at home, including Mrs. Liu and her daughter, who were in the tea shop.


    After everyone had arrived, Madam Qiao gave the letter to the patriarch and said, ¡°Qingzhi, read it..¡±

 Chapter 477 - 477 Letter

    Chapter 477: Letter


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sure, Third Aunt.¡± The patriarch responded.


    He lowered his head and opened the first letter. It happened to be the one written by Gu Chengrui about the good news that Manager Liu had told them. However, Gu Chengrui reminded them to keep a low profile.


    ¡°This, is¡­


    ¡°Is this telling us not to return to the capital?¡± Mrs. Liu asked discontentedly.


    ¡°If you want to go, no one will stop you. But if you lose your life, don¡¯t me Chengrui for not reminding you.¡± Madam Qiao answered unhappily.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we already been exonerated? Why are we still staying in the vige?¡± ¡°So what if we¡¯re exonerated? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know howplicated the rtionship in the capital is.


    ¡°Even a vegetable seller might be rted to the Prime Minister.


    ¡°What about you? If something happens, who will be protecting you? We should stay here obediently.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°Chengrui is counting on the Third Prince himself. He would not have told us to keep a low profile if he had the confidence. Since he highlighted this, it means the capital is not peaceful now.¡± Madam Qiao exined.


    ¡°Indeed. Although the princes have been crowned kings, the Emperor still hasn¡¯t appointed a crown prince. I¡¯m sure there will be a fight for power, so we should just stay here.¡± Mrs. Yao said.


    When Mrs. Liu heard their words, she immediately shut her mouth. She had already been cannon fodder once and did not want to be in the same position again.


    The patriarch opened the second letter but didn¡¯t say a single word until he finished reading it. Quickly, he looked at the old madam with a worried expression.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Mrs. Yao asked as she took a nce.


    Seeing this, the patriarch handed the letter to her.


    Mrs. Yao took the letter, and after reading it, she also became silent.


    Madam Qiao noticed their silence and suddenly had a bad premonition. She asked with a dark face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? If you have something to say, say it.¡± Mrs. Yao hesitated momentarily and answered, ¡°Little sister passed away, and the two children are not doing well in the Yang family.


    ¡°Chengrui asked us if we had a list of her dowry. He asked us to send it over through Manager Liu if we had it.


    ¡°If not, he told us to make a fake copy quickly.


    ¡°Here is a¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her words, Madam Qiao gasped for air and fainted.


    ¡°Grandma (Third Aunt)!¡± Gu Chengxi and the patriarch immediately rushed over and shouted.


    ¡°Chengxi, hurry up and take a look at your grandmother!¡± Mrs. Yao walked over and urged.


    When Gu Chengxi heard that, he immediately took Madam Qiao¡¯s pulse. A momentter, he told Gu Ziqiu, ¡°Ziqiu, bring a needle and an oilmp over.¡± He and the patriarch then quickly carried Madam Qiao into her bedroom.


    Gu Ziqiu ran out and brought over the necessities when she heard this.


    Gu Chengxi immediately lit the oilmp and used it to disinfect the needle. He then stabbed Madam Qiao¡¯s fingers and toes one after another. After letting out some blood, Madam Qiao finally woke up slowly.


    However, her spirit seemed to have dissipated, and she became listless and weak.


    ¡°What else did the letter say?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s also a list of dowries they copied somehow.¡± Mrs. Yao replied.


    Madam Qiao knew then that the Yang family had swallowed her daughter¡¯s dowry and couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°Yang Shicheng, what a good son-inw you are.


    ¡°The Gu family had treated him well, but this bastard returned kindness with ingratitude. How could he not even treat his own children well?¡±


    When the patriarch heard this, he was reminded of his daughter¡¯s encounter and did not know what to say.


    ¡°The rough-and-ready, lowly peasants are more likely to do the right thing; it¡¯s the schrs who always let you down.¡± Gu Chengxi shook his head and said.


    ¡°You¡¯re good, kid. You don¡¯t read much, but you can recite your idioms.¡± The patriarch mentioned in surprise..

 Chapter 478 - 478 Going To The Mother Goddess Temple

    Chapter 478: Going To The Mother Goddess Temple


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Haha, 1 heard it from my Chengrui.¡± Gu Chengxi scratched his head.


    Madam Qiao ignored them and looked at Mrs. Yao. ¡°Did the letter mention when they needed the list?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t mention that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. When Chengzhi returns, get him to make a copy and send it to the manor quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mrs. Yao nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re all dismissed.¡± After Madam Qiao finished speaking, she looked at the patriarch and said, ¡°Qingzhi, I¡¯ll leave the matters of the n to you. Also, let the children continue to study and don¡¯t dy any longer.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Third Aunt.


    ¡°Have a good rest. If there¡¯s anything, tell Chengxi toe and find me.¡± The patriarch gave Gu Chengxi a few more instructions before leaving.


    He personally went to every house of the Gu n to inform them of the news.


    The happiest person was Gu Chengxi. Back then, he had been cut off from the imperial examinations as soon as he passed the elementary schr examination. Now that they were cleared of their crimes, he wanted to reach the next level in schrship.


    That night, Zhou Ying entered her interspace and scanned the various Mother Goddess Temples, finding that all the maidservants were already in ce.


    However, their living conditions differed.


    For example, the living conditions were morefortable in the capital and its borders.


    In ces like Shanghe Vige, where there was only a small temple, the Mother Goddess Temple was separated into two parts by wood and cloth.


    The outside was where the Mother Goddess statue was ced, and the inside half was divided into three smaller parts. Therger of the three parts was where they lived, while the smaller ones were the storeroom and kitchen.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying distributed a miniature Mother Goddess statue to each temple.


    At the same time, she checked on all the temples and their conditions.


    She would give supplies to ces with poorer conditions.


    Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Realizing they were about to move out of the Imperial Residence, Zhou Ying asked Gu Chengrui, who was reading a medical book, ¡°Rui, are you free these two days?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Chengrui put down the medical book in his hand and asked.


    ¡°Hmm, we are about to move to our new residence, but there is no food there. So, I want to go to the Mother Goddess Temple to offer a prayer and take a look at our manor too.¡±


    Gu Chengrui paused and then remembered they did not have any grain reserves here or a manor as a cover to take food from the interspace.


    He put down the book and said with nuisance, ¡°If you didn¡¯t mention it, 1 would have really forgotten.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the office to report tomorrow morning. Then, 1¡¯11 go with you and n what to do with the manor.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s settled.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    The next morning, after breakfast, Zhou Ying arranged a carriage. After Gu Chengrui returned, they went to the new residence to pick up Qiu Niang and Haitang and set off for the Mother Goddess Temple together.


    When it was almost noon, they arrived at the temple.


    Noticing a stall selling incense outside the temple, Zhou Ying brought Qiu Niang and Haitang to buy some for a tael of silver.


    After Gu Chengrui parked the carriage, they walked toward the Mother Goddess Temple.


    The Mother Goddess Temple in the capital was also halfway up a mountain, but it was obviously muchrger.


    It upied about ten acres ofnd. The Mother Goddess Temple was at the front, and many guest rooms were around it. There was also an open garden at the back, which could be used to grow some vegetables for self-sufficiency.


    After walking around, Qiu Niang said, ¡°This newly built Mother Goddess Temple is lovely. It¡¯s almostparable to our national temple.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but it¡¯s much quieter. Moreover, the incense offerings here are much more frequent than at the national temple.¡± Haitang nodded in agreement.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve both been to the national temple?¡±Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    She had no memory of this from her original self.


    ¡°Two years ago, there was no water in the vige during. So, we were forced to evacuate to the national temple for a period of time.¡± Qiu Niang exined..

 Chapter 479 - 479 The Manor’s Present Situation

    Chapter 479: The Manor¡¯s Present Situation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I see. Alright, let¡¯s go to the main hall.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and walked toward the main hall.


    After reaching the main hall, they queued for a while before it was their turn to go in and offer their incense.


    Zhou Ying and the other three lit up threerge joss sticks each, knelt down, and piously offered their prayers.


    ¡°Hey, look, look, the Mother Goddess statue is shining!¡± Someone suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Really? What¡¯s going on? Is Mother Goddess going to manifest?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Doesn¡¯t Mother Goddess always answer our prayers? 1 do wonder what they¡¯re asking for.¡±


    ¡°Could it be because they are offering more incense than us?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible. The incense they offer is many times ours; I guess we have to buy more next time wee.¡±


    When the four maidservants heard the discussion, they looked up curiously and saw the flickering statue of the Mother Goddess.


    After all, this was the first time they had seen Mother Goddess react to a prayer.


    At the same time, they also respected Mother Goddess even more.


    After Zhou Ying and the others got up, someone asked curiously, ¡°Madam, what are you asking for?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯te through if 1 say it out loud.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and replied.


    After that, she ced ten taels of silver as money offerings, then turned to leave.


    When everyone knew they wouldn¡¯t get anything out of her, they didn¡¯t ask anymore. However, those who brought less incense went out to buy more. After Zhou Ying and the others descended the mountain, they headed straight for the manor.


    After arriving at the manor, she asked around and found the person in charge, Head Fang.


    Head Fang was surprised when he saw them. He looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°Are you Lord Gu, the third-grade agriculture officer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, 1 am. You must be the Head Fang. We are here to understand the situation of this manor.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up ande on in.¡± Head Fang immediately led them into the manor excitedly.


    He asked his daughter to serve them tea. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for Master and Mistress toe, and finally, you¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. Do let me know about the manor¡¯s situation.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and said.


    ¡°Right, our vige is full of cultivatednd.


    ¡°Because it was close to the river, there are about 200 acres of paddy fields and 1,400 acres of drynd.


    ¡°However, ever since the waterwheel was invented, we changed it to 8oo acres of paddy fields and 8oo acres of drynd.


    ¡°There were originally 486 people in the vige, but after such a disastrous year, only 380 people are left. However, there are more able-bodiedborers within us, with 252 people.


    ¡°Today, due to theck of seeds, they only nted 50 acres of rice and 100 acres of vegetables.


    ¡°We can make it through this winter.¡± Head Fang paused and added, ¡°However, other than some radishes and cabbages left in the warehouse, the rest have already been distributed.¡±


    ¡°Who was the original owner of this manor?¡± Gu Chengrui asked curiously.


    ¡°Do you know Lord Fang? He was the original Minister of Revenue; he was someone who was raided together with the Gu family.¡±


    ¡°I see. This manor belongs to the Fang family?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to be exact, it¡¯s the Fang family¡¯s wife¡¯s dowry. It has always provided food and vegetables for the Fang residence.


    ¡°Later on, this ce was managed by the royal family. The national treasury distributed this year¡¯s rice seedlings, but the harvest was so-so because they were seeds from cold storage.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding and asked, ¡°What seeds are left now?¡±


    ¡°We did get some vegetable seeds today, with winter melons and pumpkins being the most. 1 intentionally asked them to leave those seeds behind when we ate them..¡± Head Fang paused and asked, ¡°Lord Gu, what will we nt next year?¡±

 Chapter 480 - 480 Preparing The Greenhouse

    Chapter 480: Preparing The Greenhouse


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The sweet potatoes are something we will nt for sure. I¡¯ll get someone to send some seeds over when springes.


    ¡°As for the rest, we would have to wait and see.


    ¡°However, we went to the Mother Goddess Temple to ask for seeds today. It would be best if she could give us some.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad to nt sweet potatoes. I heard that the yield of that crop is very high.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not a problem for one acre of sweet potatoes to feed five or six people. Oh, right, are the fields idle now?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve been idle since we harvested the radishes and cabbages.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please prepare ash and other fertilizers over the next two days; I n to try nting greenhouse vegetables.¡±


    ¡°Greenhouse vegetables?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an off-season dish in the winter.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have a hot spring here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll build a greenhouse to grow vegetables in. We should be able to grow vegetables as long as the temperature is suitable and there is enough water and sunlight.


    ¡°Will it work?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to nt them. If we seed, the problem of having no vegetables in the winter will be solved. Moreover, we might even make a lot of money from the off-season vegetables.¡±


    Head Fang understood how big the business opportunity was. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring some people to arrange itter.¡±


    ¡°Is there an empty room in this manor?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a small courtyard. Every time the farming season gets busy, the previous owner will send people over.


    ¡°However, the masters are generally more willing to go to the hot spring manor, so the renovation there is better than average.


    ¡°Now, a widow from our manor is living there, helping to clean up asionally.¡±


    ¡°Take us there for a walk. Also, bring us around the manor and see where we could build the greenhouse.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go over now.¡± After Head Fang finished speaking, he led them to a green brick house at the end of the vige.


    The courtyard wasn¡¯t big. There were five main rooms, three wing rooms in the east and west, a stable in the south, and a firewood shed. It looked neat and proper.


    Mrs. Wu, who was guarding the manor, was quickly called out, ¡°This is Mrs.


    Wu. She has been looking after the ce.¡±


    He then introduced Gu Chengrui and his wife to Mrs. Liu.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Master and Mistress.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at the thin woman in front of her, whose hair had already turned white, and said, ¡°Nice to meet you too. I heard that you¡¯re a widow. Do continue your great work, and we¡¯ll take care of your retirement.¡±


    When Mrs. Wu heard this, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed excitedly. ¡°Thank you, Mistress. This servant will do her best to serve you.¡±


    ¡°Please, get up. Qiu Niang, Haitang,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°Stay here and check out the ce. We¡¯ll go outside and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Qiu Niang responded and brought Mrs. Wu and Haitang into the courtyard house.


    Meanwhile, the couple and Head Fang went to the fields to take a look.


    Finally, the location of the greenhouse was decided to be to the west of the manor.


    It was better to build it close by.


    Another thing was that the greenhouse would be built with mountains to the north and the manor to the east. A strong wind would weaken before hitting the greenhouse, no matter which direction it came from. There was no need to be concerned about the wind blowing the greenhouse over.


    After settling down, the four of them stayed in the manor for a meal. In the afternoon, Gu Chengrui gave Head Fang some instructions before the group returned to the capital.


    ¡°Ying ¡®er, if we want to live in that courtyard, we need to do a major renovation. The beams of the main house are cracked, and the wall paint inside has fallen off a lot, and the roof tiles are also broken,¡± Qiu Niang said on the way.


    ¡°Is it that serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ording to Mrs. Wu, it was caused by the failure to clear the snow during the snowstorm..¡±

 Chapter 481 - 481 Willingness

    Chapter 481: Willingness


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Mrs. Wu couldn¡¯t manage to clean it up in time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she said that she couldn¡¯t clean it all up by herself.¡±


    ¡°What do you think of her?¡±


    ¡°She seems quite honest at the moment, but she¡¯s a loner and doesn¡¯t like to talk much.¡±


    ¡°She has lived alone for so many years, so it¡¯s normal for her to have a loner¡¯s personality.¡±


    After that, Zhou Ying asked more about the specific situation in the house. She learned that the walls were fine, but since many rafters were broken, she decided to tear down the roof and repair it. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if it copsed.


    After Zhou Ying went to her interspace at night, she deliberately checked Qiu Niang and Haitang¡¯s wishes.


    Besides the collective request for food, Zhou Ying did not expect them to ask for the whole family¡¯s safety. There was also Haitang¡¯s additional wish for another child.


    She took a serious look at their luck, realizing that they all had faint merit and good luck. There were no negative demerits to them at all.


    After that, she heard Gu Chengrui¡¯s request for peace and all kinds of vegetable seeds.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she drew a safety talisman and imprinted it into their bodies.


    Zhou Ying then ground some ck flour from the wheat she had just harvested and gifted them 5,000 pounds of ck flour, a jar of peanut oil, and some feed to their new residence.


    As for the seeds, she took out about an acre¡¯s worth ofmon vegetable seeds and 500 pounds of sweet potato seeds.


    She nced at Mrs. Wu onest time and saw that, other than a faint trace of bad luck, she had no bloody aura, so she did not pay any more attention to her.


    Later, she busied herself with other people¡¯s requests.


    After finishing her work, Zhou Ying collected the ripe crops in the interspace and took out some vegetables and fruits to make a sd.


    When Gu Chengrui was done with his work, the two of them quickly ate the prepared sd.


    After supper, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Babe, can you stew some donkey meatter? 1 am craving them.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯m craving it too. Alright, let¡¯s make it for tomorrow night.¡± Zhou Ying told him about the seeds she had given him, cing them in their new manor.


    ¡°I see; I¡¯ll have to hurry over tomorrow, then. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take care of here for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Also, bring some silver when you go over tomorrow. Hurry up and get Head Fang to find someone to repair the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1¡¯11 remember it.¡±


    After that, the two of them left the interspace and fell asleep.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying went to the new residence after dinner.


    She walked to the storeroom door and saw Qiu Niang and her family gathered there. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. Look! We really have food gifted to us, and it¡¯s all ck flour! As long as we eat it sparingly, it won¡¯t be a problem for us tost for a year.¡± Qiu Niang pulled her aside and pointed at the pile of grain in the storeroom.


    Zhou Ying nced at it and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! It seems that we don¡¯t have to worry about food in the immediate future. However, we don¡¯t have to be too frugal; we just have to persist until next summer.¡±


    Mrs. Zhao quickly asked, ¡°Um, Madam, can we exchange for some ck flour? There are two children at home, and they can¡¯t eat grass-mixed noodles all the time.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Qiu Niang was about to reprimand Mrs. Zhao when Zhou Ying stopped her and said, ¡°As long as you stay here for a day, you can eat with us, but you have to help us out part-time.


    ¡°After 1 find a shop for you, we¡¯ll talk about it when you¡¯ll move out.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, if you want to open a shop, what do you n to sell, and how big of a ce do you need? Have you thought about it?¡±


    ¡°We want to sell snacks, so we don¡¯t need it to be big. Just the size of the kitchen in the residence will do.¡± Zhou Dong quipped in.


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she used her spiritual senses to scan the big kitchen. It wasn¡¯t small¡ªabout 50 square meters wide.


    She nodded and replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take note of it. You guys can stay in the residence for the time being..¡±

 Chapter 482 - 482 Buying A Shop (1)

    Chapter 482: Buying A Shop (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Dong nodded excitedly. ¡°Aye, we¡¯ll definitely work hard.¡±


    After that, Zhou Ying reminded them to be careful of the cold night and to guard the storeroom well. Once that was done, she turned and walked to the central courtyard.


    Haitang immediately followed her.


    When she reached the main living room, Zhou Ying touched the wall and found it almost dry. The room was not as stuffy anymore.


    Haitang saw this and said, ¡°Madam, from the looks of it, you can move in the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll checkter. If the day after tomorrow is good, we¡¯ll move in the day after tomorrow.


    ¡°Oh, right; when the firewood deliveryes, ask them to send more. There has been a change to the floor heating, so the amount of firewood used in winter will greatly increase.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Madam.¡±


    Zhou Ying paused after hearing that. ¡°Halting, we grew up together. We¡¯re not biological sisters, but we¡¯re closer than actual sisters. Please drop the honorifics.¡±


    Haitang smiled and shook her head. ¡°Rules are rules. To be honest, our family is already very grateful that you saved us from the Zhou family.


    ¡°We can¡¯t break the rules, or else it would be difficult to manage if you were to recruit more people in the future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you, but you don¡¯t have to be so reserved in private.¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye.¡± Haitang nodded happily.


    After Zhou Ying asked them to prepare some curtains, she brought Zhou Dong out and went straight to ask for any empty shop lot avable.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect that there would be no such small empty shops in the east or north of the city.


    However, there were quite a few in the south of the city.


    Unfortunately, most people living on the city¡¯s south side weremoners, so they were rtively poorer.


    Thus, she looked at Zhou Dong and waited for his decision.


    Zhou Dong hesitated for a moment before finally nodding his head. The shops east and north of the city were both time-honored brands. As a new shop, he might not be able topete with them. He might as well go to the city¡¯s south to try his luck.


    ¡°Is there a shop with a small courtyard over there?¡± Zhou Ying asked Manager Xiao.


    ¡°Yes, a shop in themoner district has a small courtyard with three main rooms. However, the shop is rtivelyrger than what you requested.¡±


    ¡°How is the courtyard looking? Has it been repaired after the snow disaster?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s decent, as they are all green brick houses. However, those who want to sell are all from low-ie families and have no money to repair the shop.¡±


    ¡°I see; you have to help me lower the price if that¡¯s the case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s always negotiable. Do you want to go over and see the ce now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zhou Ying said, walking out.


    When Manager Xiao saw this, he immediately prepared a carriage and brought them toward the city¡¯s south end.


    They heard many shouting voices as soon as they reached the city¡¯s south. It was much more lively than the east or north of the city, and there were also more hints of life.


    When they arrived at themercial street, Manager Xiao parked the carriage and led them inside the shop lot.


    At the same time, he pointed at a row of brick houses and said, ¡°This is the ce. Do take a look and see if you take a liking to it.¡±


    Zhou Ying nced around, noticing the entire street was clean and tidy. All the shops here had rtively good business, and the best thing is that the flow of people on the roads was much higher than that of North City.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    If Zhou Dong decided to give up on this ce, she would still buy two shops here and do some small business.


    Small businesses on such a busy street were no slouch. The ie of a busy shop here would be simr to that of opening a grander restaurant elsewhere.


    Next, the manager brought them to look at five shops, each about 70 square meters.


    The size and specifications were all the same, and there was nothing to differentiate them. The only thing that differed was the condition of the courtyard houses.


    Zhou Ying picked two shops, and both were corner-lot shops. She looked at Zhou Dong and asked, ¡°Brother Dong, what do you think? Which one do you want?¡±


    At the same time, she wanted to gauge if he knew how to do business. If he didn¡¯t, she had to teach him quickly..

 Chapter 483 - 483 Buying A Shop (2)

    Chapter 483: Buying A Shop (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Seeing that she had chosen both corner-lot shops, Zhou Dong asked, ¡°Will the one in the middle be better?¡±


    Manager Xiao shook his head and whispered, ¡°Brother, 1 can tell you¡¯ve never done business before. The shop in the middle is often the shop that people despise the most.


    ¡°Unless you have a unique product or the quality of your product is better than others¡¯, you will always have fewer businesses than the shops on both ends.


    ¡°Coincidentally, the locations of the two shops Mrs. Gu had chosen are excellent.


    ¡°The shop next to the cart shop is suitable for food-rted business, especially for snacks and dry food that could be taken away.


    ¡°The other shop is next to a teahouse and a cloth shop. As long as you don¡¯t start a business rted to them, your business wouldn¡¯t be bad.¡±


    Zhou Dong was stunned when he heard that. He did not expect there to be so many details when choosing a shop.


    He scratched his head with a silly smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to Madam¡¯s suggestion then.¡±


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also had a n. She nodded and asked Manager Xiao, ¡°Brother Xiao, please make an appointment with the owners of the two shops.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you guys go to the teahouse and take a seat. 1¡¯11 be right back.¡±


    After Manager Xiao left, Zhou Ying brought Zhou Dong to the teahouse. This ce was abination of three shops, so it was spacious inside. It was even divided into many small rooms with wooden boards.


    The environment was great.


    After entering, she ordered a pot of ck tea and two tes of dried fruits. Zhou Ying brought Zhou Dong to a single room for six people and sat down.


    She looked at Zhou Dong and said, ¡°If you want to sell snacks, choose the shop near this one. If you want to open a food shop, choose the one by the cart shop.


    ¡°However, the cart shop and its vicinity are rtively chaotic. If you want to open a shop safely, you must be on good terms with the owner of the cart shop.¡±


    Zhou Dong asked curiously, ¡°What do I sell if 1 choose the one near the cart shop? Steamed buns, tbread, and baked goods?¡±


    ¡°Any of them is fine, but if you want to make money, you must sell meat-rted products.


    ¡°For example, roasted meat, mutton offal soup, beef offal soup, and so on. You can also think of some side dishes, braised vegetables, and alcohol.


    ¡°In this way, a month¡¯s worth of your ie will be equivalent to a small restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Is it that profitable?¡± Zhou Dong asked in surprise.


    ¡°Of course, but it also depends on your cooking skills. As long as you can cook up something tasty, a food-rted business near a cart shop will definitely not be bad.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll have to discuss it with my wife first.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and did not persist. Instead, she asked him about their lives over the years.


    She didn¡¯t ask any further questions after learning that, despite some grievances, they had survived the years rtively unscathed.


    Later, Zhou Ying asked the shop assistant about the price of the row of shops opposite them. After learning that before the disaster, a shop here could sell at least 2,000 taels of silver, she was confident in the purchase.


    About 15 minutester, Manager Xiao walked in with a man and a woman.


    After sitting down and chatting for a while, they found out that four of the five empty shops on this street used to run food shops, and the one in the middle was a small pharmacy.


    This year was not a good one; business was bleak, and their family needed more money. That was why they were selling their shops.


    After a round of bargaining, the two shops were set at 1,500 taels each.


    After that, both parties confirm the deal.


    Of course, Zhou Dong didn¡¯t want ownership of the shop; he only wanted to borrow it.


    After getting the shop deed, Zhou Ying returned to the city¡¯s east. She gave Manager Xiao 30 taels of silver as amission and asked, ¡°Manager Xiao, I wonder if you sell servants?¡±


    ¡°Servants? How many people does Madam Gu want? Do you have any requirements?¡±


    ¡°I want four maids, four male servants, and six elderly women.


    ¡°As for the requirements, I want someone who has been trained well and understands the rules. Another requirement was that those who know cooking or martial arts would be prioritized.¡± Zhou Ying hesitated momentarily and then replied after considering her residence¡¯s situation..

 Chapter 484 - 484 Preparing A Farewell Banquet

    Chapter 484: Preparing A Farewell Banquet


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Although I¡¯m not in the business, I can introduce someone to you. When do you want your servants?¡± Manager Xiao asked.


    ¡°The day after tomorrow. Please bring the people to the Gu residence in the third courtyard of Wutong Lane.¡±


    Manager Xiao was shocked when he heard her address. If he remembered correctly, all the courtyards in Wutong Lane belonged to the royal family.


    Immediately, he looked at her with a much more respectful gaze. He nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will definitely bring the chosen ones over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s best if they have a clean past. Those who have stolen or tried seducing their masters will not be epted.¡±


    ¡°I will remember that.¡±


    After the three of them separated, Zhou Ying she went to the vegetable market after noticing it was still early. However, there was no one except an old granny selling dried vegetables.


    She returned empty-handed and found an empty spot to take out a five-pound grass carp from her interspace.


    He returned and asked Granny Ma to go to the kitchen and get her some pickled vegetables.


    She began pickling the fish. Zhou Ying had originally wanted to call the Third Prince over for a meal but did not expect the Third Prince to not return to the residence that night.


    In the end, Zhou Ying had to split some between Granny Ma and the others. The couple then ate the rest of the fish with steamed buns.


    After entering the interspace at night, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about her shop purchase and said, ¡°Every inch ofnd in the capital is really gold. Just a small shop in the city¡¯s south sold for 1,500 taels.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not expensive, especially when it was even more expensive five years ago.¡± Gu Chengrui then asked, ¡°Oh right, we¡¯ve been spending a lot recently. Do we still have enough money?¡±


    ¡°We should have enough as we have spent less than 10,000 taels of silver. Previously, we had saved up about 90,000 taels of silver.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment after hearing that before remembering they had received a massive amount of money from the Qiao family. He nodded and said, ¡°As long as we¡¯ve got enough, there¡¯s no problem.


    ¡°Oh, right, 1 have to get some more silver to buy a tarp to cover the shed.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but nting a greenhouse is your work experiment. Doesn¡¯t the Department of Agriculture have public funds?¡±


    ¡°No, and I don¡¯t want to use it even if there¡¯s one. I was thinking of selling some off-season vegetables for money to celebrate the New Year. If I used public funds, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sell the vegetables for our gains.¡±


    ¡°I see; take as much as you want. There are still more than 2,000 taels in the vi.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, the two of them went to work.


    After finishing her work, Zhou Ying remembered that she hadn¡¯t made a custom-made door sign for the new house.


    Thus, she busied herself with finding the right words.


    Zhou Ying then asked Gu Chengrui to write the two words ¡®Gu manor¡¯ in regr script.


    She also asked him to meet the Third Prince to make an appointment for a meal together tomorrow night.


    The next day, after breakfast, she first rushed to make a door sign at the woodworking shop.


    Later, she brought Granny Ma to the market to buy a packet of pork ribs, a strip of pork belly, a carp, a portion of pork intestine, and a dozen eggs.


    In the afternoon, she got busy cooking a feast in her small courtyard.


    When Qiao Lan learned that Zhou Ying and the others were about to move out in the evening, she immediately became anxious.


    Once they moved away, it would be difficult for her to do what she nned to do in the future.


    However, she had no sterilization medicine on her hands, so she had to look for her superior.


    After the servant understood her intentions, he lifted his leg and kicked her in the stomach. ¡°Preposterous. Did you think what I said to youst time was in vain? You don¡¯t need to do anything to her.


    ¡°Your main goal is to wait for King Rui¡¯s concubine to enter here. If you spoil our n, everyone on our side will die.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s been a few days, and she¡¯s still alive and well.¡±Qiao Lan huffed indignantly.


    ¡°Idiot, the Emperor has just rewarded them, so do you think the Emperor will stand by and watch if something happens to them?


    ¡°In short, you just have to wait. You¡¯d better not act rashly.¡± After the servant finished speaking, he saw someoneing over and quickly casually switched to a different topic.. ¡°Are you sure you want the red one?¡±

 Chapter 485 - 485 Family

    Chapter 485: Family


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes, I think the red one looks good. It looks festive.¡± Qiao Lan was startled for a moment before sheughed dryly and agreed.


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll get my cousin to bring it to youter.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you when you¡¯re busy.¡± Qiao Lan then left quickly.


    The man only looked at them curiously and ignored them.


    Qiao Lan returned to the kitchen. Although she was still unwilling, she was afraid she would be implicated and lose her life, so she knew she had no choice but to look for another opportunity.


    Conversely, Zhou Ying had been busy cooking the entire afternoon. When she was almost done, Gu Chengrui and the Third Prince walked in together.


    ¡°Rui,¡± Zhou Ying greeted him. ¡°Bring King Rui into the house first and have a ss of water. The food will be ready soon.¡±


    ¡°Got it. We¡¯re not in a hurry.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    After that, he brought King Rui back to their courtyard. The two of them first washed their hands, and then he poured a cup of tea. ¡°Your Highness, do take a seat.¡±


    King Rui didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, drank a mouthful of tea, and then asked, ¡°Are you really nning to move out tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re almost done packing up there. The sooner we move over, the sooner we can settle down.


    ¡°By the way, we aren¡¯t far from each other. Come over for dinner when you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°I will. If you need any help, just let me know.¡±


    Gu Chengrui hesitated momentarily and asked, ¡°Can you introduce us to a few guards?¡±


    ¡°Recruiting guards is a small matter. The main issue is whether you have enough food for them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem for us to eat sparingly until next summer¡¯s harvest.¡±


    King Rui nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you four people. We¡¯ll talk about itter if more is needed.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like an outsider. We¡¯re considered family now. Oh right, when are you nning to hold the housewarming party?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t n to hold a grand one, especially when food is tight now. I¡¯ll just call a few of our acquaintances and gather.


    ¡°As for the others, 1 intend to have our residence helpers make snacks and gift them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, as long as the etiquette is done, it¡¯s all good.¡± The Third Prince nodded in agreement.


    To be honest, the Third Prince¡¯s two marriages would be enough to break the bank. The cost of holding a wedding was more than twice as high as in previous years.


    The two of them chatted for a while more, and soon Zhou Ying and Granny Ma began to serve the dishes. They were steamed pork ribs, sweet and sour carp, braised pork, nine-turn intestine, fermented cabbage with meat, stir-fried radish, and a big bowl of egg soup.


    King Rui smelled the fragrance of the meat, and his mouth started watering. He looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Manager Zhou, when do you n to open your restaurant?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. ¡°Ingredients are hard toe by.¡± Zhou Ying replied after she sat down.


    At that moment, Gu Chengrui could see through the Third Prince¡¯s intentions because his eyes were fixed on the fermented cabbage with meat.


    He spooned up some and ced it on the Third Prince¡¯s te. ¡°If you want a change of taste, you cane over to our house.


    ¡°Try this. This is fermented cabbage with meat,bining the meat¡¯s taste with the cabbage¡¯s crunch. It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    When the Third Prince heard that there was meat inside, he nodded in understanding. No wonder the fragrance of this dish was so overpowering.


    He didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead, he lowered his head and ate quickly and elegantly.


    After that, the Third Prince saw Gu Chengrui enjoying therge intestine. He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth to try it, realizing the dish¡¯s deliciousness once it entered his mouth.


    It was soft and tender, and if tasted carefully, it had all five vors¡ªsalty, sweet, sour, spicy, and umami. The dish was fat but not greasy, and he would not get tired of it even after eating a lot of it. It was indeed a rare delicacy.


    No wonder Gu Chengrui had been staring at this intestine dish. He must have more of this.


    The Third Prince saw that Zhou Ying mainly ate the sweet and sour carp, so he followed her and tasted it. The sweet and sour taste was appetizing, and the fish meat was tender and juicy. It was scrumptious, to say the least.


    He now regretted listening to his cousin¡¯s urging and only eating hotpot and barbecue all this time..

 Chapter 486 - 486 Moving Out

    Chapter 486: Moving Out


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Third Prince regretted not trying out more when he had the chance because he found that the other dishes made by Zhou Ying were more delicious and more suitable for his pte.


    It seemed he had to help her open her restaurant as soon as possible.


    After the meal, they chatted for a while. When King Rui found out everything was going well for Gu Chengrui at the government offices, he got up and returned home.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying was about to go to the woodworking shop to get the door sign when the old butler walked in. He said, ¡°Madam Gu, if you need any help, feel free to ask. His Highness has already instructed that 1 prepare you a carriage and manpower.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Feng.¡± Zhou Ying thanked him and didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. She went straight back to pack up her things and then first transported their luggage to their new residence.


    ¡°Uncle Feng, does His Highness have a teahouse under his name?¡± Zhou Ying asked on the way.¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re mainly in the silver-making and wedding-rted business.¡± Uncle Feng then asked, ¡°Madam Gu, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I might need help on. I want someone to teach my brother-inw how to do business, especially running a restaurant.¡±


    The old butler nodded and replied, ¡°Well then, 1¡¯11 go ask Feng Chunter and see if he can help arrange it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s a small matter.¡± Uncle Feng waved his hand.


    When they arrived at the residence, Zhou Ying asked Zhou Dasheng to give each helper a tael of silver as tea money before sending them away.


    After that, Zhou Ying gave Zhou Dong 20 taels of silver and asked him to retrieve the door sign.


    She and the others, along with Qiu Niang, moved their luggage and goods to the storeroom south of the central courtyard.


    After she was done, Zhou Ying carried out three batches of rtively good cloth and handed them to Qiu Niang. ¡°Mother Qiu, please take these. You can use them to make winter clothes.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do, or else the clothes we wear as servants will be too eye-catching. You guys should keep them for yourselves.


    ¡°Besides, these cloths were given by the Emperor; it¡¯s not suitable if we take them.¡± Qiu Niang immediately pushed it back.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about it. There¡¯s no mark that says otherwise. Please take it; I won¡¯t have the chance to offer you such great cloth in the future.¡±


    Ultimately, Qiu Niang shook her head and took three batches of the lowest-quality silk. ¡°I¡¯ll take these. It¡¯s decent but not too eye-catching.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Zhou Ying had no choice but to put her arms back and ask, ¡°Mother Qiu, tomorrow morning 1 will buy some servants for our residence. I want you to be in charge of the inner courtyard.¡±


    Qiu Niang wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°I haven¡¯t managed people before. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do it well.¡±


    ¡°No one is born with management skills. Just try it out. If you can do it, then it¡¯s all good. If you feel that you can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll find someone else.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try it out then.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and let Zhou Dasheng take care of the household chores.


    She knew that with his personality, he would not be able to take on more of the heavier responsibilities.


    Finally, she looked at Haitang and her husband. ¡°You two can stay in the kitchen. Remember, being in the kitchen isn¡¯t just for you to cook for us. It¡¯s for you to improve your skills as much as possible.


    ¡°If possible, you two should be going to the restaurant to work after it opens.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We will definitely work hard.¡± The couple nodded repeatedly.


    After that, only Haitang was left to help her tidy up the house. By noon, everything was ready.


    Apart from the smell of the new furniture, everything was in line with her standards.


    Haitang returned after washing her face and asked, ¡°Madam, what do you want to eat for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Just cook whatever we have. I¡¯m not picky.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°Alright, do take a rest while you wait. I will be back soon.¡± After Haitang finished speaking, she turned around and ran out..

 Chapter 487 - 487 Practicing Calligraphy

    Chapter 487: Practicing Calligraphy


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Haitang left, Zhou Ying took off her cotton jacket. It was really too hot in the room.


    Once she had finished her work, she put on her cotton jacket again and went to the small kitchen beside the east wing to close the firece.


    Lunch was simple. There were tbread, stir-fried pork slices, and some noodles.


    Zhou Ying invited Haitang to sit down and eat with her.


    However, as soon as the tbread entered her mouth, she frowned and looked up at Haitang. ¡°Haitang, did you knead this with warm water?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s more gentle to eat this way.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still a little too hard. Next time, use half a portion of the dough made with hot water and the other half at a normal temperature. Remember, the dough must be soft and just big enough to be held in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try that.¡± Haitang nodded thoughtfully.


    Zhou Ying then lowered her head to continue eating. The stir-fried dishes were alright, especially the meat slices. It was obvious that they had been marinated with starch, as they tasted fresh and tender.


    The cabbage was evenly heated, and it was crisp. In general, this dish was cooked well.


    However, it was not enough to serve it in a restaurant. Zhou Yingter told Halting the recipe for fermented cabbage with meat and said, ¡°Later, let Brother Biaozi try it. This dish will be one of the restaurant¡¯s signature dishes in the future.¡±


    ¡°How did youe up with this? I¡¯ve never thought of using cabbage to wrap meat.¡± Haitang asked in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s why if you want to be a good cook, you must constantly get into a creative mindset. Otherwise, you¡¯ll soon fall behind.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t those imperial chefs the same? If not for their constant innovation, they would have to change chefs every year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I guess we have to study our cooking properlyter.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If you need any ingredients, ask Mother Qiu to buy them. It¡¯s great to practice your cooking and improve your meals at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We will definitely work hard.¡±


    ¡°By the way, is it only the back courtyard that has no floor heating?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so we moved to the front.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll think of a way to exchange for some silver and copper change for their wages.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take note of that.¡±


    After Haitang left the room after lunch, Zhou Ying tidied up briefly andid on the soft couch to take a nap. When she woke up, she was bored and went to the small study in one of the wings to practice calligraphy.


    When Haitang came to deliver the tea, she saw her handwriting and smiled. ¡°Madam, your handwriting hasn¡¯t improved. It seems that you have to practice more.¡±


    When Zhou Ying heard her words, she thought of her original self practicing calligraphy. Her original self¡¯s handwriting was the same as hers; it was neat and tidy but without any sense of beauty.


    She put down the brush and said, ¡°Then you try it. I¡¯ll have a cup of tea in the meantime.¡±


    After saying that, she picked up a teacup and retreated to the side.


    Haitang shook her head repeatedly. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t written for many years. I don¡¯t even know how to hold a brush anymore.¡±


    ¡°Give it a try. In the future, when you work at the restaurant, there will be many opportunities to pick up a brush.¡±


    When Haitang heard this, she braced herself and went up.


    However, her writing was not good to begin with. In addition to the fact that she had not held a brush for many years, her writing was only a little better than that of squiggles. It was notparable to Zhou Ying¡¯s writing.


    Zhou Ying immediately calmed down and shook her head. ¡°You need to practice more. I¡¯ll give you a set of stationeryter.¡±


    ¡°Aye, I will definitely practice diligently.¡± Haitang drooped her head and said.


    After that, she didn¡¯t dare stay any longer. After ensuring that Zhou Ying had no more orders, she immediately ran out as if escaping from the room.


    Zhou Ying was holding backughter when she saw this. After drinking her tea, she continued practicing her calligraphy..

 Chapter 488 - 488 Visit (1)

    Chapter 488: Visit (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At night, Gu Chengrui came home, and everyone had a meal together. After getting to know each other, they went back to their rooms.


    Gu Chengruiter said, ¡°Babe, I¡¯m resting tomorrow. Can you prepare some things? We¡¯ll go to the Yang Residence and the Imperial Residence of King An.¡±


    ¡°Sure. We can¡¯t be insensible, even if Yang Shicheng and the others are.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    She got ready to prepare some gifts.


    After entering her interspace, she made six kinds of desserts and a bottle of wild honey for each family.


    Also, she prepared an extra serving of saffron and a pound of bird¡¯s nest for Consort An.


    The couple then enjoyed their night because they finally had their own home.


    As a result, she woke upte the next day. When she woke up, Manager Xiao had already brought a group of people in.


    The two of them did not eat and went straight to the front yard.


    ¡°Xiao Bing greets Lord Gu and Madam Gu.¡± When Manager Xiao saw theming over, he immediately stood up and bowed.


    Over the past two days, he had figured out the situation at the Gu residence.


    Of course, he did not neglect Gu Chengrui just because he was a third-grade agriculture officer. Instead, he was even more respectful.


    After all, there were many officials in the capital, but not many were working for the sake of the people.


    Gu Chengrui was one of them. At the very least, just the mass promotion of sweet potatoes saved many lives. His influence on the Ming Dynasty would be even more profound in the future.


    ¡°Manager Xiao, you¡¯re too polite. Have a seat.¡± Zhou Ying replied and nced at the skinny group of people, ¡°These are all, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have all been screened ording to Madam¡¯s requirements.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. She first spread out her spiritual sense and swept it across. Anyone who had an aura of blood or bad luck was eliminated.


    At the same time, she paid attention to their words. Anyone looking left and right and being meddlesome was eliminated,


    She pointed to her left and said, ¡°Those who know martial arts and cooking, stand aside.¡±


    ¡°I know some martial arts.¡± After saying that, a valiant-looking maid stood on the left.


    ¡°I also know some martial arts.¡± A manservant stepped forward too.


    Following that, an older woman and a manservant stood out and said they knew how to cook.


    After that, when no one else came out, Zhou Ying nodded and walked with Gu Chengrui to the middle of the men and women who hadn¡¯t stood out.


    Based on their appearance, they eliminated the sloppy ones.


    Ultimately, they decided on five elderly women, two maids, and three manservants.


    Zhou Ying turned her head to look at Manager Xiao and said, ¡°These ten will do.¡±


    ¡°Is that enough?¡± Manager Xiao asked in surprise, as this was less than she requested.


    ording to what she said back then, she chose four people less.


    ¡°These are enough for now. We¡¯ll talk about it when I need more.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°I see. The old women are eight taels each, the maids cost ten taels each, and the manservant costs twelve taels each.¡± Manager Xiao nodded and told her the price.


    Zhou Ying counted and gave him a hundred taels of silver, saying, ¡°The extra four silvers can be considered aspensation for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. If there¡¯s anything you needter, just say it.¡± Manager Xiao thanked her as he received the silver notes.


    After that, he found the contracts of the chosen ones and handed them to her. Once that was done, he led the rest of the people out.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying handed the indentured contract to Qiu Niang and requested that she go to the government office to change their status.


    The coupleter returned to their rooms and drank a bowl of soup. Then, they carried two baskets and let the manservant, who knew martial arts, drive them to the Yang Residence in a carriage.


    After arriving at the ce, Zhou Ying left the servant two pieces of date cake and told him to wait outside.


    And they carried the gifts they had prepared for the Yang Residence.


    When Madam Cui heard that the couple hade to visit, they were shocked but still let them in warmly..

 Chapter 489 - 489 Visit (2)

    Chapter 489: Visit (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui walked through the entrance, they went forward and said, ¡°Greetings, Grandmother-inw. Hello.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Sit down.¡± Madam Cui greeted them warmly.


    ¡°This is just a small token of our appreciation.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he handed the basket to her maidservant.


    After they sat down, the elderly Madam Cui asked, ¡°How are you two? Have you settled down? If you need any help, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s almost done. I¡¯m on vacation today, so I came to visit you.¡± Gu Chengrui sat down and replied,


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Come over more often when you have time.¡± As soon as Madam Cui finished speaking, Yang Shicheng heard them visiting and came over.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying immediately stood up and greeted him. ¡°Nephew (daughter-inw) Gu Chengrui (Zhou Ying) greets uncle.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat. You don¡¯t have to be so polite here.¡± After Yang Shicheng finished speaking, he sat opposite Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been working on some greenhouses these two days. You want to grow vegetables, right?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re quite well-informed.


    ¡°I feel that there are too few winter and spring vegetables, so I want to try to nt some other variety. If I seed, I could enrich our vegetable selection.¡±


    Yang Shicheng nodded in agreement. ¡°This idea is very good, but is there any basis for your methods?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the temperature is the main difference between winter, spring, and summer.


    ¡°I am assuming that as long as the temperature, water, fertilizer, and sunshine are sufficient, crops can grow anywhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same principle as when vegetables can grow near a hot spring in winter.


    ¡°There are also bean sprouts. As long as they¡¯re ced inside our house, wouldn¡¯t they still germinate in the winter?¡±


    Yang Shicheng recalled the details of farming and found that what Gu Chengrui said was reasonable. He couldn¡¯t help but look at him and say, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve studied it seriously. Remember to let us have a taste of your harvest.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying stood up and said, ¡°Grandma Yang, Uncle, you guys continue chatting. 1¡¯11 go and see Wanning.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Madam Cui nodded and sent a maid named Chun Tao to bring her over.


    After they came out, Zhou Ying deliberately asked in surprise, ¡°Miss Chun Tao, where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, to Miss Wanning.¡± When Chun Tao said this, she seemed to have realized something and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Miss Wanning likes peace and quiet, so she lives in a different ce.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and did not say anything else.


    When she saw the walls surrounding the ce, she deliberately asked again,


    ¡°This ce next to a street¡ªI don¡¯t think it¡¯s all that quiet?¡±


    Chun Tao didn¡¯t answer her question but pointed to a rtively intact courtyard not far away and said, ¡°This is the residence of the young miss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± After Chun Tao finished speaking, she led her into the courtyard. After handing her over to Chun Xi, she immediately turned around and left.


    Chun Xi was stunned when she saw her, then she approached her in disbelief and asked, ¡°Madam, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I came here today to visit the Yang Residence. Where is your young miss?¡±


    ¡°She is ying chess with herself in her room. 1 will bring you over now.¡± After saying that, Chun Xi brought her into the house.


    Yang Wanning, who heard themotion, immediately stood up and asked, ¡°Zhou Ying? Wee, please take a seat.¡±


    She looked at Chunxi and said, ¡°Bring the Pu¡¯er tea that the young master brought overst time and some snacks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± Chun Xi replied and turned around to leave..

 Chapter 490 - 490 Visit (3)

    Chapter 490: Visit (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanning sat down and said, ¡°1 heard that you moved. I was thinking of finding an opportunity to visit and congratte you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite well-informed. Yeah, we just moved in yesterday. If you have time, doe over for a visit.¡±


    ¡°Definitely. Do you know how to y chess? Do you want to y a game?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to y Go. It¡¯s too much for my brain.¡±


    After that, she noticed the figure of a servant girl swaying outside the window. She thought to herself that they were really watching them closely. Zhou Ying sneered and said in a low voice, ¡°It looks like you have quite a lot of rats here.¡±


    Yang Wanning followed her gaze and saw a shadow quickly fleeting by. She smiled and replied, ¡°Just a bunch of rats in the dark.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better be careful. Be careful so that your aides aren¡¯t taken over.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°We are going to the Imperial Residence of King Anter. Do you want toe along?¡±


    When Yang Wanning heard they were going to the Imperial Residence of King An, she immediately thought of Princess Mingyu¡¯s fate.


    Thinking back to how she had helped herst time, she decided to befriend her and try her best to stop the tragic fate befalling King An¡¯s Imperial Residence. Yang Wanning stood up and asked, ¡°Can 1 really follow you to King An¡¯s Imperial Residence?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can. You¡¯re not young anymore, so go out and make some more friends. Don¡¯t stay at home all the time.¡±


    ¡°I will. Please wait a moment, as I¡¯ll go change my clothes.¡± After Yang Wanning said that, she immediately went into her bedroom to change.


    After a while, Chun Xi walked in with tea and snacks.


    Zhou Ying saw that the color of the tea was lovely, so she picked up the teacup and blew on it carefully while taking a small sip.


    The taste was pure, rich, calm, yet intense.


    Her appetite was stimted after she drank it. The tea was smooth and refreshing, with a lingering sweetness. It was a rare and excellent tea.


    However, after finishing a sip, there is a faint astringent taste. It was weird and out of ce.


    At first, she thought it was her imagination, but after taking another sip, she realized that it indeed had an astringent aftertaste.


    Zhou Ying looked at Chunxi and asked,¡± Chunxi, these tea leaves are excellent. Can you bring them over for me to look at? I¡¯ll buy someter.¡±


    ¡°If you like it, 1 will wrap some for you.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. This is a gift from your young master. It¡¯s a gift from a younger brother to his older sister. How can 1 take it away?¡±


    Chun Xi nodded understandingly. She turned around, took out a tea box, and handed it to her.


    After Zhou Ying took it, she scanned it with her spiritual senses. Sure enough, she found a lot of tea leaves that looked simr to Pu¡¯er tea leaves but were of a different kind.


    She pinched a small handful and wrapped it up. She kept it on her and said, ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±


    After Chun Xi carried the tea box away, Yang Wanning wore a dark green, cross-cored dress.


    Not only did she not look old in that dress, but it emphasized her slender figure due to her fair and tall stature.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying called Chun Xi to apany them.


    When they arrived back at Madam Cui¡¯s residence, Yang Wanyu was also there.


    After Yang Wanning stepped forward and bowed to everyone, Gu Chengrui stood up and said, ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s not early anymore, so we won¡¯t disturb you any further. We¡¯ll visit you again when we¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°This is your first visit. How can I let you leave on an empty stomach? It¡¯s better to have lunch before you leave.¡± Although Madam Cui hated them, she still stood up and offered politely.


    ¡°Thank you, Aunt Cui, but we must still visit King An and his consort today.


    ¡°Oh right, we¡¯ll be bringing Wanning along since it just happens that she¡¯s free. We¡¯ll personally send her backter.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    Madam Cui knew that they were going to visit King An¡¯s Consort, so she immediately pulled Yang Wanyu up and said, ¡°I see. Since you are going to the Imperial Residence of King An, then Wanyu will follow you..¡±

 Chapter 491 - 491 Visit (4)

    Chapter 491: Visit (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanning was about to stop her when Zhou Ying smiled and replied, ¡°Sure, they are about the same age as Princess Mingyu. It will be great to talk together when we go over.¡±


    At the mention of Princess Mingyu, Yang Wanyu remembered the humiliation she suffered at the pce banquet. She immediately shook her head and rejected the offer. ¡°I¡¯m not going. I¡¯m going to practice dancing with the girls in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I guess we¡¯ll gather again next time.¡± After Zhou Ying said goodbye to the three of them, she turned around and walked out with Yang Wanning.


    ¡°Grandma Yang, Uncle, and Aunty Cui, farewell.¡± Gu Chengrui gave everyone a salute, then turned around and walked out.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Cui immediately sent a maid to send them out.


    She looked at Yang Wanyu and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? King An¡¯s consort is the Empress Dowager¡¯s cousin, and they have a good rtionship. You¡¯d better leave a good impression on her.


    ¡°A good word from her would allow you to gain a firm foothold in the First Prince¡¯s household.¡±


    ¡°With Princess Mingyu around, it¡¯s impossible for her to have a good impression of me.¡± Yang Wanyu pouted and then told her about how she was humiliated by Princess Mingyu in public at the pce banquet.


    ¡°Do you two have any brains?¡± Yang Shicheng stared at the mother and daughter with a face full of shame and anger.


    Wouldn¡¯t the capital know that he, Yang Shicheng, had be an ingrate?


    ¡°The young couple is not simple. We should be more careful in the future.¡± Madam Cui reminded them.


    Yang Shicheng paused momentarily, and he quickly understood what she meant.


    That¡¯s right. The young couple assumed respectful attitudes toward them when they entered their residence today. He would have guessed there had been no previous conflict between them if he hadn¡¯t known better.


    Now, it seemed that it was just a matter of giving face.


    Once their interests were touched, Yang Shicheng was sure the young couple would immediately retaliate.


    Most importantly, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t even reject Madam Cui¡¯s proposal. Instead, she worded it in such a way that Yang Wanyu rejected the offer personally.


    ¡°They brought Wanning over. Could it be that they want to get in touch with Madam Consort An?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Madam Qiao saved the life of the Madam Consort An, and they would not let go of this link.¡±


    ¡°So what? We are not on the same line as King An.¡± Cui Shi huffed.


    ¡°What do you even know? Regardless of rank or seniority, as long as Madam Consort An says something, we have to give in.¡± Yang Shicheng angrily barked.


    ¡°Indeed, her authority cannot be underestimated. You must pay more attention. Just King Rui is already making us think twice before doing something; we must not let her get involved with King An¡¯s Imperial Residence.¡± Madam Cui looked at Mrs. Cui after saying that.


    Mrs. Cui nodded and left with Yang Wanyu.


    On the other end, after getting into the carriage, Zhou Ying handed the tea leaves she had wrapped to Gu Chengrui and whispered, ¡°Rui, take a look at what¡¯s mixed in these Pu¡¯er tea leaves.¡±


    At the same time, she stared at Chun Xi¡¯s every word and action, especially her eyes.


    She knew Yang Wanning trusted this maid very much. If even she betrayed Yang Wanning, her future would be extraordinarily difficult.


    The request took Gu Chengrui aback, but he still epted the tea leaves. He unwrapped them and identified them intently.


    Chun Xi covered her mouth in shock when she saw this, looking at the tea leaves in Gu Chengrui¡¯s hand in horror.


    Fortunately, she did not panic, which made Zhou Ying slightly relieved.


    Yang Wanning immediately looked at Chun Xi and asked, ¡°Chunxi, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Chun Xi did not hide anything and told her about Zhou Ying asking to buy and check their tea leaves.


    Yang Wanning¡¯s expression turned solemn after hearing that. Pu¡¯er was the only tea she had drank recently. If it was anything bad¡­


    She could not even imagine the following.


    Yang Wanning looked at Gu Chengrui nervously, waiting for his results..

 Chapter 492 - 492 Visit (5)

    Chapter 492: Visit (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui repeatedly tasted it and stated, ¡°This is made from the leaves of the Hardy Ice nt, and its taste is very light. If it wasn¡¯t for Ying¡¯er¡¯s sensitive tongue, I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t have discovered it.¡±


    Yang Wanning nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve been drinking these tea leaves for five or six days and haven¡¯t tasted anything unusual.¡±


    ¡°Hardy Ice nt, is it that kind of edible nt?¡± Zhou Ying asked uncertainly. If that was the case, it meant the merchant had sold them a fake. Otherwise¡­ Gu Chengrui shook his head. He had read about this Hardy Ice nt in a medical book when living in the Mother Goddess Temple. This nt was simr to the snow lotus and grew in the snow.


    Therefore, it possessed a cold nature. A woman¡¯s body would stop ovting if she took even a small amount of it for three months. Even a man could not withstand the side effects of ingesting these, losing his life if he did so for half a year.


    Thinking of this, he handed a single leaf to Yang Wanning and said, ¡°Take a good look at this. Don¡¯t drink the tea leaves when you return home.


    ¡°Over the next two days, find an opportunity to visit our residence. I¡¯ll prepare some pills for you; take them for half a month to recuperate your body.¡±


    Yang Wanning nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, can 1 learn some shallow medical skills from you to protect myself?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Auntie send someone to teach you this before?¡±


    ¡°My mother did teach me to identify somemon herbs, but not such a rare herb.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you cane over when I¡¯m free. Learn as much as you can.¡± Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded in agreement.


    However, he still warned her, ¡°However, you cannot kill with the knowledge 1 teach you. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for exposing you.¡±


    ¡°I promise you that I will never kill or hurt anyone with that knowledge.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded silently to that. He handed her the remaining leaves and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start with this Hardy Ice nt. Try and pick them out from the actual Pu-er tea leaves. Remember not only the shape but also the taste and color.¡±


    Yang Wanning nodded and took the pile of leaves over to study it with Chun Xi.


    Zhou Ying shook her head when she saw this. It was not easy for a woman to survive under such an archaic feudal system.


    She had to learn more, too. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if she had her food spiked in the future.


    Gu Chengrui saw her solemn face and grabbed her hand with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll be together forever.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled and nodded without replying.


    For a moment, the carriage fell silent, and soon they arrived at the Imperial Residence of King An.


    After the four of them exited the carriage, they asked the gatekeeper to inform the owner of their arrival.


    Someone finally came out after a quarter of an hour¡ªan old nanny.


    When the old nanny saw them, she bowed and said, ¡°Greetings, Lord Gu, Madam Gu, and Miss Yang. Madam Consort An is waiting in the courtyard.¡± ¡°Sorry to bother Granny Zhang; please lead the way.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and replied.


    After that, the group of people followed her into the house.


    After entering, they finally knew why their reception took this long.


    It took them about 15 minutes to reach Madam Consort An¡¯s courtyard, which was in the fourth courtyard from the main entrance.


    Just as they entered the courtyard, they saw Princess Mingyu. She came up to them and said, ¡°It¡¯s you two? Pleasee in.¡±


    After saying that to the two girls, she nodded politely at Gu Chengrui and led them into the house.


    After entering the room, they saw Madam Consort An lying on a bed. Zhou Ying was stunned by that and asked, ¡°Greetings, Madam Consort An, you are¡­?¡± ¡°Sorry for being negligent about your visit. I¡¯ve been suffering from insomnia these few nights, and I¡¯m so sleepy that I can¡¯t open my eyes during the day.¡± Madam Consort An sat up and greeted them.


    She quickly added, ¡°You guys, take a seat. I¡¯m fine..¡±

 Chapter 493 - 493 Treatment

    Chapter 493: Treatment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui looked at Madam Consort An after hearing that. Seeing her face abnormally flushed, he hesitated before asking, ¡°Madam Consort An, have you asked the imperial physician to prescribe you some medicine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it didn¡¯t have much effect, so I couldn¡¯t be bothered to drink those bitter medicine soups anymore.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if 1 can give you a pulse check?¡±


    ¡°You know medicine?¡± Madam Consort An asked in surprise.


    ¡°Previously, when 1 was in the capital, I learned a little from the academy¡¯s doctor. Over the past few years, I also learned from a doctor in the countryside for two years. As long as it¡¯s not a difficult illness, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then let¡¯s give it a try.¡± Despite the fact that Madam Consort An didn¡¯t believe in the medical abilities of someone from the countryside, she had been tormented by her illness for too long and was still holding out hope.


    Gu Chengrui went forward and took her pulse. It was high blood pressure; no wonder her face was so abnormal.


    ¡°Does anyone in your family have simr symptoms?¡±


    Madam Consort An pondered for a moment before slowly shaking her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed before. Is this illness passed down from generation to generation?¡±


    ¡°If your ancestors had this illness, it would be passed down from generation to generation.


    ¡°If there isn¡¯t, it¡¯s still possible to get this from natural causes.


    ¡°However, there were many factors in getting this.


    ¡°It could be caused by various outside stresses, or it could be due to physical reasons. One of the mostmon reasons is due to your diet.¡± Gu Chengrui then asked, ¡°Do you usually like to eat pork, especially the fatty portion? Do you have a salty pte?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯ve loved to eat fatty pork since I was young.


    ¡°As for the taste, the meat won¡¯t be fragrant if it isn¡¯t seasoned well, so I haven¡¯t thought much of it.¡±


    ¡°I see. You have to be careful in the future. If you want to eat meat in the future, it¡¯s best to eat more fish, especially sea fish.


    ¡°Otherwise, if your illness continues to develop, it is likely that you will suffer a stroke or even suffer from paralysis.¡±


    ¡°Paralysis? Is it really that serious?¡± Madam Consort An eximed, and her body started to sway.


    Gu Chengrui knew this was bad, so he quickly got someone to bring a needle and an oilmp over.


    He used fire to disinfect the needles and quickly pricked her ten fingers. Quickly, he squeezed out droplets of dark red blood.


    A momentter, Madam Consort An recovered, and Gu Chengrui pointed at her blood droplets as he exined, ¡°If your blood is thick enough to block the blood vessels, it will cause paralysis.¡±


    Madam Consort An took a good look at her blood and asked, ¡°Is there a way to treat it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you have to take medicine consistently and avoid eating heavy food.¡± ¡°Can you cure it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you have to cooperate. Your symptoms are mainly thick blood obstructing your blood flow.


    ¡°Meat produces fat, so the first thing we have to do is get rid of this fat. Also, you will have to exercise and drink more water daily.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you. When will the treatment start?¡±


    ¡°I wonder if there are silver needles in the residence. Acupuncture is a great way to start.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Madam Consort An responded and then let Granny Zhang find the manor doctor.


    Afterwards, she looked at Mingyu and said, ¡°Yu¡¯er, entertain Zhou Ying and the Yang family¡¯s girl.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Grandmother.¡± Mingyu replied and looked at Gu Chengrui. ¡°Lord Gu, please.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and said, ¡°1 will try my best.¡±


    Only then did Mingyu stand up to bring Zhou Ying and Yang Wanning to her courtyard.


    After beckoning them to sit down, she looked at Yang Wanning and said, ¡°Yang Wanning, I¡¯m sorry about what happened at the banquet. If it wasn¡¯t for myck of arrangements, you wouldn¡¯t have almost gotten into an ident.¡± ¡°Princess, what are you talking about? As long as they have the intention to harm others, they will definitely think of a way.¡± Yang Wanning shook her head.


    After that, she asked curiously, ¡°Oh right, why did the Emperor look for you that day?¡±

 Chapter 494 - 494 Testing

    Chapter 494: Testing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. 1 heard there are female soldiers in the north, so I wanted to form a team of female soldiers too. That was why I went to Imperial Uncle to request this.


    ¡°It so happens that day was the day he gave me his reply.¡±


    ¡°Female soldiers, did the Emperor agree?¡±


    ¡°He did, but only ten people are allowed for the time being. We¡¯ll see the effect after a year.¡±


    ¡°Can I participate?¡±


    Princess Mingyu looked at her in surprise after hearing that. She quickly shook her head and said, ¡°Forget it. You should prepare your bridal dowry.


    ¡°As for the candidates, I want to choose them from themoners. They work hard, have strong bodies, and have good endurance. They are easier to train than the delicate nobles.¡±


    The thing she was wary of was that she was afraid of getting involved in the fight for the throne, so she had to be very careful with the people she let join her squad.


    Yang Wanning didn¡¯t insist anymore after hearing that.


    ¡°Oh right, after you returned, did the mother and daughter make things difficult for you?¡± Mingyu asked.


    ¡°Not really. At least they won¡¯t do that on the surface.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Honestly, I¡¯ve never seen anyone as arrogant as those Cuis. How can they tantly mistreat their stepdaughter?¡±


    As Mingyu said this, she thought of how Zhou Jiaqing had also caused trouble for Zhou Ying.


    She remembered her kick at the banquet, turned to Zhou Ying, and asked, ¡°Sister Zhou, do you know martial arts?¡±


    ¡°When I was in the countryside, I did learn some fist and foot skills for self-defense, but it can¡¯tpare to real martial arts.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad. At the very least, I can¡¯t muster the strength of that kick.¡± Mingyu stood up and suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s have a spar.¡±


    ¡°You little girl, they are here to visit your grandmother. How can you fight during such a visit?


    ¡°If you really wanted to spar, just arrange another time.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Imperial Mother. Why are you here?¡± Mingyu immediately stood up and approached her mother with a smile.


    Zhou Ying and Yang Wanning looked at each other and immediately stood up to follow suit.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Take a seat.¡± Consort An called them to sit down while she walked to the head of the table.


    She looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Zhou Ying, right? Have you settled down in your new residence?¡±


    ¡°The preparations are almostplete. When the timees, I would like to invite Consort An to our housewarming party.¡±


    ¡°Oh, when is it held?¡±


    ¡°It has yet to be decided, but because of the new year, we don¡¯t n to hold a big event. We¡¯ll just invite a few close families toe to our house to get to know each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m sure no one will hold a grand banquet this year.¡± Consort An nodded in agreement.


    After that, she asked them about their hometown situation and Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills.


    Zhou Ying could naturally tell that she was worried about Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills.


    However, Zhou Ying knew Gu Chengrui¡¯s skills could quickly control Madam Consort An¡¯s condition with traditional medicine. Therefore, sheforted Consort An, saying, ¡°As long as Madam Consort follows the doctor¡¯s advice, she can suppress her illness in less than half a month.


    ¡°However, it would be difficult to recoverpletely.¡±


    ¡°That means that this kind of illness requires long-term medication?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you canpletely avoid eating meat and exercise more, recovery is possible.¡±


    Consort An nodded silently.


    Because Madam Consort An was old, she only went out if she had something to do, especially in the winter.


    Therefore, moving around was tough for her, much less exercising.


    After chatting for a while, Consort An left.


    Mingyu and the other two didn¡¯t continue chatting. Instead, they walked around the courtyard and returned to Madam Consort An¡¯s room.


    They did not expect Consort An to be waiting there already.


    After a while, Gu Chengrui came out from the room.. Consort An immediately stood up and asked, ¡°Chengrui, how is she now?¡±

 Chapter 495 - 495 Sparring

    Chapter 495: Sparring


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°She fell asleep.¡± Gu Chengrui whispered.


    ¡°She fell asleep so quickly?¡± Consort An was shocked when she heard this.


    She knew Madam Consort An could only sleep for one to two hours at dawn daily. At other times, she could not fall asleep, no matter how tired she was.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and said, ¡°To put it bluntly, it¡¯s because of the illness that prevents her from falling asleep. It¡¯s naturally difficult for her to sleep when it¡¯s ufortable.¡±


    Then, he said to Granny Zhang, who had followed him out, ¡°Granny, sorry to trouble you, but can you prepare a stationery set for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Granny Zhang responded and went back into the house to take it out.


    Gu Chengrui immediately wrote two prescriptions and handed one to Consort An. ¡°Give Madam this prescription for three days. After three days, change the prescription ording to the diagnosis.¡±


    He handed the other one over and said, ¡°This is for bathing. Pour the medicinal herbs into the bathtub and soak in it for 15 minutes at night.


    ¡°However, pay attention to not letting Madam catch a cold after taking a bath. Also, she must not drink cold water or eat cold food.¡±


    ¡°1¡¯11 remember it. I¡¯ve really troubled you today. You came here as a guest, but who would have thought you would being here for a patient visit?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fate that we met, so no worries.¡±


    Consort An smiled and nodded. She turned and said to Mingyu, ¡°Mingyu, bring them to the front to rest. Let your grandmother sleep a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Imperial Mother.¡± Mingyu then brought them to a small training ground at King An¡¯s Imperial Residence.


    On the way, Mingyu even sent someone to look for King An¡¯s son, Yang Zepeng.


    When they arrived at the training ground, Mingyu took out a red-tasselled spear and quickly swung with it twice. She looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Sister Zhou, what weapon do you like to use?¡±


    ¡°Dagger.¡±


    ¡°Ah, daggers. They are weapons that are strong when closing in.


    ¡°Sister Zhou must be good at closebat.¡± Mingyumented and looked at Gu Chengrui. ¡°Judging from Lord Gu¡¯s physique, you should know martial arts too. What are you good at?¡±


    ¡°Just like Zhou Ying, a short weapon. To be exact, I¡¯m good at fist techniques.¡±


    As soon as Gu Chengrui finished speaking, Yang Zepeng, the son of King An, walked in dressed as an imperial guard.


    He also heard Gu Chengrui¡¯s words and spoke up, ¡°It just so happens that I¡¯m also skilled in fist techniques. Let¡¯s have a spar.¡±


    ¡°My skills are nothing before you.


    ¡°Please show mercy, prince.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just spar lightly.¡± Yang Zepeng stated and led the way to the middle of the small training ground.


    The two readied their stances and started sparring.


    However, because their movements were too fast, Zhou Ying could not see their movements clearly.


    The modern military boxing stylebined the strengths of various martial arts with different variations. It was firm and robust, and every move was filled with killing intent.


    Therefore, Gu Chengrui gradually gained the upper hand.


    Gu Chengrui knew he should not stand out and did not want to expose his trump card.


    Therefore, after figuring out Yang Zepeng¡¯s skills, he deliberately revealed a few openings and was soon at a disadvantage. Ultimately, he was defeated by hisck of stamina.


    When Yang Zepeng saw him fall, he immediately stopped and pulled him up. ¡°Well done, Brother Gu. 1 can see that you¡¯re someone who practiced martial arts halfway through adulthood, but you¡¯re able to withstand so many moves under my kungfu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because you showed mercy.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly got up,


    Yang Zepeng shook his head. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for yourck of stamina, 1 would have been the one who was knocked down.¡±


    ¡°Stamina is also part of your strength. It seems that 1 have to practice more in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Every time I lose against my brother, it¡¯s because of his strength and endurance. Otherwise, I¡¯m sure 1 will win.¡± Mingyu pped her hands and said..

 Chapter 496 - 496 Naming

    Chapter 496: Naming


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Just admit it. Women¡¯s physical strength and endurance aren¡¯t as good as men¡¯s, so don¡¯t waste your energy trying to form a female soldier squad.¡± Yang Zepeng spoke proudly.


    ¡°Hmph, just wait and see. If the North can do it, so can I.¡± Mingyu huffed indignantly.


    ¡°Actually, fighting doesn¡¯t necessarily rely on physical strength. If you know how to use a pound to deflect a thousand, even a small amount of strength can make a difference.¡± Zhou Ying spoke up.


    ¡°A pound of strength?¡± Mingyu lowered her head and fell into deep thought.


    ¡°Just like the scale we usually use, a small scale with a counterweight can weigh up to two hundred pounds.¡±


    Yang Zepeng looked at Zhou Ying thoughtfully.


    At this moment, someone came over and told them it was time for lunch.


    The group of people left the training grounds. Because Madam Consort An had not woken up, it was just Consort An apanying them for lunch.


    Lunch was simple, just four dishes, one soup, and a main course.


    After the meal, Mingyu confirmed the housewarming party that would be held in two days, sparred with Zhou Ying, and left. The couple and Yang Wanning also left soon after


    After sending Yang Wanning and her servant to the entrance of the Yang residence, the couple turned around and returned home.


    Gu Chengrui rested for a while before taking some snacks and going to the academy to look for a doctor.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying looked for Qiu Niang. After confirming that she had transferred all the servants she had just bought under her name, she kept their indentured contracts safe.


    She asked, ¡°Mother Qiu, have they settled down?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already given them what theycked.


    ¡°Their clothes are custom-made ording to the color you determined. It will probably be delivered in three days.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you and Uncle Zhou help me keep an eye on them. Let me know if there are any dishonest ones, and I will chase them away.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Mother Qiu then asked, ¡°Oh, right, there are only two maids. Do you want to buy a few more?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a shortage of food, so let¡¯s hold off for the time being.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Mother Qiu nodded silently when she heard about food issues.


    After Qiu Niang left, Zhou Ying called the two maids who were on duty in the courtyard over and asked, ¡°Do you two have family members?¡±


    ¡°In the midst of a previous disastrous year, my family was sold into a death contract. So, having a family is the same as not having a family. 1 don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re still alive.¡± The maid who could cook responded.


    ¡°Remember, if you encounter them in the future, you¡¯re not allowed to do anything in the name of the residence.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and warned her.


    ¡°Of course, you can tell me if you really have any difficulties. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will remember this.¡±


    ¡°You can change your name to Kuihua from now on. It represents a sunflower born in the sun. 1 hope you will be free from illness and disaster for the rest of your life and never live in the shadows.¡± Zhou Ying gave her a name and looked at the other maid, who knew martial arts.


    ¡°Madam, I have been performing in an aerobatics circus since 1 was young. Later on, the master died, and we were forced to disperse. Finally, in order to survive, 1 had to sell myself as a servant.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you find someone to marry back then? Isn¡¯t it better than being a servant?¡±


    ¡°I, I, when I was practicing aerobatics, I was injured and will never be able to give birth for the rest of my life, so¡­¡± At this point, she lifted her shirt.


    Zhou Ying saw the two scars on her belly and asked in surprise, ¡°How did you get injured?¡±


    ¡°I fell onto a de.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever worked at a residence before?¡± Zhou Ying nodded and asked.


    ¡°I did, but because I have a big appetite, so, so 1 was sent back.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at her robust body and nodded. ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be called Shizhu.


    ¡°It represents the carnation flower, a flower with the strongest vitality. 1 hope you can continue to live strong.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re loyal, we¡¯ll be responsible for your retirement..¡±

 Chapter 497 - 497 Not A Single One Entered

    Chapter 497: Not A Single One Entered


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thank you, Madam, for giving me this name. 1 swear to be loyal to you.¡± Shizhu immediately bowed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to swear that. Just do your best.


    ¡°In the future, you¡¯ll work by my side.


    ¡°As for Kuihua, you¡¯ll be in charge of all the courtyard affairs. Also, go and ask Mother Qiu for an elderly woman to help you with some menial work.


    ¡°Alright, you two can go on with your work.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two girls responded, then turned around and walked out.


    After they left, Zhou Ying poured two cups of tea. After drinking it, she went inside to practice her calligraphy.


    On the other side, after Yang Wanning and Chun Xi returned to the residence, they did not return to their small courtyard directly. Instead, they walked to the pavilion beside the lotus pond in the backyard.


    After confirming that no one was around, Yang Wanning asked, ¡°Chun Xi, who else touches the pot of tea leaves that you usually deal with?¡±


    ¡°The little servant girl from the small kitchen, Qiao¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°Qiao¡¯er, that thirteen-year-old little servant girl?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I usually make tea in the kitchen; I don¡¯t avoid her.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on her and see if she did it. We must find the person behind the scenes from her.¡± Yang Wanning¡¯s eyes shed coldly as she said this.


    She felt that her mother might not have just frozen to death and that her death might somehow be connected to the Hardy Ice nt.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, especially when ites to food. You have to be careful too, and don¡¯t eat anything of unknown origin.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while more before getting up and returning to their small courtyard.


    On the other hand, Lian Qiao slowly returned to her courtyard and was about to hide in the kitchen when Zhou Jiaqing, who was waiting for her, called her in and asked, ¡°How is it? How many people have we arranged that have managed to enter?¡±


    ¡°None, none of them went in.¡± Lian Qiao lowered her head and replied carefully.


    Zhou Jiaqing was stunned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why didn¡¯t any of them enter?¡±


    ¡°1,1 don¡¯t know either. I heard that when they were choosing servants, they just took a nce and eliminated most of the choices.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t even buy enough of what they were nning on buying.¡±


    ¡°Trash, so you haven¡¯t even found the reason?¡±


    ¡°On the surface, there are only two reasons. One is to require someone with cooking skills, and the other is martial arts skills.


    ¡°However, one of the people I arranged to enter knew how to cook, but for some reason, she was eliminated in the first round.¡±


    ¡°When did Zhou Ying be so smart?¡±


    Lian Qiao lowered her head even more. Honestly, she didn¡¯t understand how Zhou Ying couldpletely avoid choosing the people she arranged to infiltrate their ce.


    ¡°Go down, ask around, and wait for her to buy more servants next time.¡± Zhou Jiaqing waved her hand in annoyance.


    Lian Qiao immediately nodded and ran away.


    Zhou Jiaqing looked at her and snorted coldly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have much courage, but she sure has a lot of ambition. Useless¡±


    After that, she started to n how to deal with Zhou Ying.


    However, she was aware that she had recently suffered greatly due to Zhou Ying. She must not be rash this time. It was preferable to hit her with a single strike; otherwise, she would be in a bad position.


    At night, after the couple was done with their work in the space, they cooked two bowls of wontons and ate them.


    Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Ying¡¯er, can you help me get a bottle of high blood pressure medicine?¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you want to give Madam Consort An those medicines?¡±


    ¡°Yes, her symptoms are very serious. It¡¯s very difficult to control them with only traditional medicine.


    ¡°Besides King Rui, she¡¯s probably our best backer, so we must keep her alive..¡±

 Chapter 498 - 498 The Guards’ Arrival

    Chapter 498: The Guards¡¯ Arrival


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, as long as you don¡¯t bust our cover.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll crush the medicine and mix it in with some syrup. As long as she doesn¡¯t have aboratory to test it, she won¡¯t find out.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful.¡± After Zhou Ying reminded him, she handed him a bottle of rtively ordinary blood pressure medicine.


    After a moment of hesitation, she also took out a bottle of fast-acting blood pressure medicine and handed it to him.


    Gu Chengrui took it and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°You go ahead and go to sleep first. Remember,e and pick me up tomorrow once I¡¯m done over there.¡±


    After saying that, he went up to the vi¡¯s second floor.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying got up to wash the pots and bowls, showered, and left her interspace.


    She set a vibrating rm on her phone and ced it beside her pillow in case she overslept.


    The next day, after Gu Chengrui finished morning court, he went to the Imperial Residence of King An. He returned to the residence after giving the blood pressure medicine that he had altered to Madam Consort An.


    After the couple ate lunch, Zhou Ying stood up and asked, ¡°Are you going to the manor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the Emperor has already approved of the greenhouse experiment, so 1 can go to the manor after reporting to the government office daily.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯m getting rusty staying here.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and said.


    ¡°Sure, but you have to change into some old clothes.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zhou Ying changed her clothes and went to the government office with him.


    However, she did not go in. Instead, she waited at the entrance. Once Gu Chengrui came back out, there were four people behind him.


    After some introductions, Zhou Ying learned that these four were assistants sent to help him by his higher-ups.


    However, only one of the assistants, Chen He, was an actual seventh-grade official. The other three were all former soldiers.


    After some small talk, Gu Chengrui ushered them into their carriage and rushed to the manor.


    When they arrived at the manor, Zhou Ying saw that a big shed had already been built. She asked Head Fang to call a few farmers and young, strong women over.


    She began to lead them in cultivating sweet potato seedlings. This way, they could have a harvest as soon as possible, solving the problem of food shortages in the manor and their residences as quickly as possible.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and let her be when he saw this. Later, he brought Chen He and the other three to get busy.


    When they returned home at night, it was already dark. As soon as they entered their residence, Qiu Niang came over and said, ¡°Mistress, Butler Feng brought four people with him today. He said that those are people given by his master to guard the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Yes, 1 request King Rui for these four people. I¡¯ll talk to themter.¡± Gu Chengrui said at this moment.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Qiu Niang continued, ¡°There¡¯s also Zhou Dong¡¯s matter. Butler Feng mentioned that he¡¯d be working at a teahouse tomorrow. Mistress, do you know about this?¡±


    ¡°I am aware of this. Didn¡¯t Zhou Dong mention he wanted to do business previously?


    ¡°Because he had no prior business experience and had no idea how to manage it, 1 wanted to take advantage of the time now and allow him to learn quickly so that he wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard in the future.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you for your arrangements, Mistress.¡± Qiu Niang bowed excitedly.


    ¡°Mother Qiu, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Alright, hurry up and arrange for lunch; we¡¯re all hungry.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After Mother Qiu left, the couple quickly washed up and ate lunch.


    Today¡¯s dishes were sumptuous. In addition to the flour paste noodles and ck steamed buns, there was steamed meat with vermicelli, fish balls and radishes, stir-fried cabbages, and a bowl of steamed garlic eggnt.


    As Zhou Ying ate, she wrote down the dishes¡¯ shorings and strengths and handed them to Shizhu, asking her to pass them on to Biaozi.


    After entering the interspace at night, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we think of a way to get some rice out? Otherwise, it¡¯s tough to swallow eating flour paste noodles twice a day..¡±

 Chapter 499 - 499 A Struggle

    Chapter 499: A Struggle


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯ll find an opportunity. After all, we can¡¯t keep using Mother Goddess as an excuse. Oh, right, King Rui is getting married soon. Have you thought about what to gift him?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll prepare some congrattory gifts for him ordingly, and then give him a book on the Thirty-Six Stratagems.¡±


    ¡°Thirty-Six Stratagems? You¡¯d better think of an excuse for how you got your hands on it.¡±


    ¡°Information in these ancient times isn¡¯t as developed, so I can just make it up. As long as it¡¯s unique, he won¡¯t delve into the specifics.¡±


    On the other end, King Rui finished reading the message sent by Guard Chu and said, ¡°Since that Yan fellow has returned, keep an eye on him for the next two days. I don¡¯t want to marry an unfaithful wife.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± At this point, Guard Chu hesitated and said, ¡°Since your highness already knows that Miss Sun¡¯s heart belongs to someone else, why not report this to the Emperor to choose another concubine?¡±


    ¡°If I do that, Miss Sun will die, and even the Sun family will be implicated.


    ¡°Grand Schr Sun is a rtively upright person, educated, and talented. If he died just like that, it would be a great loss to the Ming Dynasty.¡±


    ¡°But, what if¡­¡±


    ¡°She can only ¡®die of illness¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I understand. 1 will definitely request that the informant keep an eye on them.¡± After saying that, Guard Chu turned around and walked out.


    King Rui once again nced at the information about Yan Zhiwu¡ªthe young master of the Yan family¡ªreturning to the capital. A sharp glint shed across his eyes as he muttered, ¡°I do wonder if you will choose your future or a beauty.¡±


    Of course, when Yan Zhiwu returned home at night and confirmed that Sun Miaoke was engaged to King Rui, he fell into silence.


    But in the end, he still decided to go to the Sun Manor to take a look.


    However, just as she was about to leave after changing his clothes, his mother walked over and asked, ¡°Wu¡¯er, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Mother, 1 want to go see my cousin.¡± Yan Zhiwu replied directly.


    ¡°You might dare to do it, but I won¡¯t allow you to go.¡±


    ¡°Why? I¡¯m just going over to take a look. I won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Take a look? So what if you¡¯re just taking a look? Since you missed the chance, just give up. If we continue this farce, both our families will be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. If you go over now, you will only make things difficult for both of you.


    ¡°What else could you do?


    ¡°Defy the decree and let everyone die with you?


    ¡°Or are you nning on eloping? If they catch you, you¡¯ll die. If they don¡¯t catch you, you two still have to be ¡®dead¡¯.


    ¡°As for the Yan and Sun families, what would happen to us in the future once we lost the Emperor¡¯s favor?


    ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s been a few days, and the Sun family hasn¡¯t sent over any letters. It¡¯s evident that they don¡¯t want you to pester them anymore.


    ¡°No matter what, some things have to be made clear.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to go at night. Mother will bring you there tomorrow morning if you really want to visit her.¡± Mother Yan turned around and left after she finished speaking.


    Yan Zhiwu looked at her back, and his heart was a mess.


    He knew clearly that his mother was right.


    No matter which choice he made, it would not end well.


    The only way out was for the two of them to return to being only cousins from now on.


    But he really liked her, and he was unwilling to let go just like that.


    At the very least, he had to know what she was thinking.


    At the thought of this, he returned to his room to take a bath and change his clothes. After everyone fell asleep, he quietly went out.


    Walking on the empty street, his heart slowly calmed down.


    Would he really stir up the two families for his own selfish reasons?


    After wandering around the streets for a while, he finally turned around and returned home.


    Sun Miaoke naturally knew the day Yan Zhiwu returned to the capital, so she had been waiting for him toe to visit her at night.


    She waited for an entire night.


    However, when the sun rose, she still did not see the figure that she had been thinking about daily..

 Chapter 500 - 500 I’m Tired

    Chapter 500: I¡¯m Tired


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Her personal maid, Qing Tao, came in with a basin of water. When she saw Sun Miaoke sitting in front of her window with a pale face, she quickly put down the basin in her heart and asked anxiously, ¡°Miss Feng, did you not sleep all night?¡±


    ¡°Qing Tao, I¡¯m tired.¡± After Sun Miaoke finished speaking, she fainted in her arms.


    Qing Tao was so frightened that her soul almost flew out; she quickly checked Sun Miaoke¡¯s breathing.


    After confirming that she was still alive, Qian Tao heaved a sigh of relief and reached for Sun Miaoke¡¯s forehead. It was frighteningly cold.


    After that, she quickly called a maidservant on night duty and asked her to promptly inform the madam.


    She then helped Sun Miaoke onto her bed, covered her with a nket, and began to rub her cold hands.


    When Mrs. Sun received the letter, her heart skipped a beat.


    Over the past few days, her daughter has kept a low profile. She thought she had thought things through and did not expect that she was just waiting for Yan Zhiwu¡¯s return.


    At the thought of this, she was both angry and heartbroken.


    Mrs. Sun was angry that her daughter didn¡¯t cherish her body but heartbroken because she had to encounter such a thing.


    But no matter what, she immediately called for a doctor and rushed to Sun Miaoke¡¯s small courtyard.


    After entering, she looked at Qing Tao, who was rubbing her daughter¡¯s feet with great effort; she asked, ¡°Qing Tao, how is she?¡±


    ¡°Her forehead is still cold, but it¡¯s much better.¡± Qing Tao shook her head.


    When Mrs. Sun heard that, she went forward. She saw that Sun Miaoke¡¯s face was abnormally red and immediately touched her forehead.


    As expected, she had a high fever.


    Mrs. Sun immediately got up and went to the basin to get a cold towel. She ced it on her daughter¡¯s forehead and poured her a ss of warm water.


    However, Sun Miaoke didn¡¯t open her mouth, so Mrs. Sun couldn¡¯t feed her even a single mouthful of water.


    When Mrs. Sun saw this, she got anxious. She hugged her daughter¡¯s head and cried, ¡°You wretched girl, are you trying to take your mother¡¯s life?¡±


    Sun Miaoke started mumbling nonsense after hearing some voices.


    However, Mrs. Sun could not hear a single word of what she said clearly. Instead, she heard the phrase ¡°brother.¡±


    When Mrs. Sun heard that, she cried even harder. She knew without guessing that Sun Miaoke was not referring to her actual biological brother.


    However, she took the opportunity to feed her some water with a spoon.


    About an hourter, a white-haired doctor finally entered the residence. Mrs. Sun hurriedly stood up and greeted him. ¡°Doctor, my daughter is running a high fever now. Please think of a way quickly to prevent her from falling ill again.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after I make a diagnosis.¡± After the doctor finished speaking, he put down his first aid kit and went into the courtyard to give Sun Miaoke a serious checkup.


    He soon walked out and said, ¡°Looking at your daughter¡¯s appearance, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s something troubling her mind. If she doesn¡¯t get rid of what¡¯s guing her mind, I¡¯m worried her illness will be difficult to cure.


    ¡°As for her high fever, it was due to a cold.


    ¡°Find some high-proof alcohol and get a maidservant to rub her body with it. It should be able to lower her fever.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a few prescriptionster. After sweating it off, her body will be fine. However, I can¡¯t do anything about her mental illnesses.¡±


    When Mrs. Sun heard this, she immediately got Qing Tao to get some alcohol.


    As for the doctor, he immediately wrote a prescription and asked for someone to boil the medicine. He sat in the outer courtyard and waited for the results.


    About an hourter, Sun Miaoke¡¯s high fever finally subsided. Although she still had a fever, it wasn¡¯t as life-threatening anymore.


    Mrs. Sun finally heaved a sigh of relief and slumped in a chair.


    At this time, Grand Schr Sun walked in. Seeing Mrs. Sun slumping down in a disorderly manner, his heart jolted.


    He looked at the doctor and asked, ¡°Doctor, how is my daughter¡¯s illness?¡±


    The doctor stood up, bowed, and repeated his words. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s fever has stabilized for the time being. Take some time and walk her through what¡¯s guing her mind.


    ¡°I¡¯lle back in the evening.¡±


    After saying that, the doctor picked up his first-aid kit and walked out..

 Chapter 501 - 501 Discussion (1)

    Chapter 501: Discussion (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Grand Schr Sun sent the doctor away, he told Mrs. Sun, ¡°Darling, since Miaoke¡¯s condition has stabilized, let¡¯s go to the front.


    ¡°My sister-inw and Zhiwu are here. No matter the result, we have to solve this matter as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°What? They daree over?¡± Mrs. Sun immediately stood up and rushed out.


    Grand Schr Sun immediately grabbed her and said as he walked out, ¡°Calm down. We can¡¯t blow this matter up.¡±


    Although Mrs. Sun was still angry after hearing this, she did not act rashly. Instead, she asked, ¡°What do you think we should do next?¡±


    Grand Schr Sun hesitated momentarily and replied, ¡°In a while, let¡¯s see their reaction first. You can act ording to my tone.¡±


    He could tell that his daughter really liked Yan Zhiwu.


    For the sake of his daughter¡¯s future happiness, if Yan Zhiwu performed well, he did not mind giving him a push.


    Otherwise, he¡¯ll just break their rtionship clean.


    Mrs. Sun immediately followed after him.


    As soon as they entered the central room of the main courtyard, Yan Zhiwu and his mother immediately stood up and asked in unison, ¡°How is Miaoke?¡±


    ¡°Her condition has stabilized for the time being.¡± After the Grand Schr Sun finished speaking, he called them to sit down at the head of the table.


    Meanwhile, Mrs. Sun sent all the maidservants out and asked her personal servant to guard the door.


    Yan Zhiwu did not sit down. Instead, he asked, ¡°Uncle, can I visit Miaoke?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good time. Let her rest for a while.¡± Grand Schr Sun shot a cold nce at him and replied


    Yan Zhiwu looked at Mrs. Sun with a look of unwillingness.


    However, Mrs. Sun did not have a good impression of him now, so she turned her head away.


    Furthermore, before confirming their intentions, she couldn¡¯t risk tarnishing her daughter¡¯s reputation. Otherwise, the entire Sun household would be in jeopardy.


    When Yan Zhiwu saw this, no matter how anxious he was, he could only sit down obediently.


    When Mrs. Yan saw this, although she was slightly aggrieved, she couldn¡¯t say anything to refute the Sun¡¯s decision.


    She looked at Grand Schr Sun and asked, ¡°Brother-inw, what do you think of this matter?¡±


    ¡°The imperial edict has already been issued.¡± The Grand Schr Sun replied helplessly.


    Then, he asked, ¡°What are you guys thinking?¡±


    ¡°What I mean is, it¡¯s good for both our families to pretend that nothing happened.¡± Mrs. Yan hesitated for a moment and answered.


    To be honest, if it weren¡¯t for the imperial edict, she would have been quite satisfied with Sun Miaoke as her daughter-inw. However, it was toote, so it was better to separate their rtionships as soon as possible.


    Otherwise, if this issue continued, both sides would suffer, and it might even affect the future of the two families.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think so too.¡± Grand Schr Sun was a little embarrassed when he heard this, but he still nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree.¡± Yan Zhiwu stated.


    ¡°What can you do? Throw away your future and go to the Emperor to plead for mercy?¡± Grand Schr Sun raised his head and looked straight at him with sharp eyes.


    If he dared do that, Grand Schr Sun would dare to risk it for his daughter¡¯s happiness. He was afraid that Yan Zhiwu did not have the courage and did not actually care that much about his daughter.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Yan Zhiwu was about to speak when Mrs. Yan immediately stopped him.


    ¡°No, if you make a scene in front of the Emperor, you will lose your life.¡±


    The Grand Schr Sun didn¡¯t reply but looked at Yan Zhiwu silently.


    Even Mrs. Sun looked at Yan Zhiwu expectantly because this was the only way for the young couple to be together openly.


    For a moment, Yan Zhiwu became the center of attention in the room..

 Chapter 502 - 502 Discussion (2)

    Chapter 502: Discussion (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yan Zhiwu looked at his mother¡¯s worried and disapproving eyes, then at the Sun couple¡¯s expectant eyes. He was caught in a dilemma.


    After hesitating for a moment, he looked at the Grand Schr Sun and said, ¡°Uncle, I would like to see Miaoke. If she is willing to marry me, 1 am willing to enter the pce to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree.¡± After Mrs. Yan finished speaking, she dragged him out.


    ¡°Mother, this is our only chance. Let me try. No matter if it seeds or not, I won¡¯t regret it in the future.¡±


    ¡°You bastard, have you ever thought about your father and me? You might lose your life if you go. I don¡¯t want to see you die.


    ¡°Also, if we anger the Emperor, it will be a disaster for our two families.¡±


    When Mrs. Yan said this, she looked at Grand Schr Sun and said, ¡°Brother-inw, don¡¯t just watch. Hurry up and persuade him.


    ¡°Are you really prepared to lose your beloved daughter and even bury your entire family with her?¡±


    ¡°The Emperor is a wise ruler.¡± Grand Schr Sun dered firmly.


    Even though the Emperor was narrow-minded and easy to suspect, he was stillmendable in other aspects. Otherwise, the country would have been in chaos long ago.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mrs. Yan choked on her words but did not dare refute him.


    She just grabbed onto Yan Zhiwu¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t go.¡±


    Grand Schr Sun looked at Mrs. Yan¡¯s vehement opposition, and his heart began to waver.


    With her attitude, even if they seeded in the end, his daughter would have a hard time marrying him.


    If Yan Zhiwu¡¯s or the Yan family¡¯s future were affected because of their marriage, then her daughter would be doomed regardless.


    He spoke up, saying, ¡°I still have something to do, so 1 won¡¯t keep you here. There are still two days.


    ¡°Two dayster, when the Third Prince¡¯s betrothal gift arrives, there will be no room for you to ease up.¡±


    After saying that, he stood up and walked out.


    Yan Zhiwu wanted to stop him, but Mrs. Yan forbade him.


    When Mrs. Sun saw this, she was also dissatisfied. She was tired of watching a double act from this mother and son.


    She got up and said, ¡°Cousin sister, Zhiwu, you two should go home and discuss it properly. I have to go and watch over Miaoke.¡±


    ¡°Auntie, 1 want to visit Miaoke.¡± Yan Zhiwu immediately repeated his request.


    Mrs. Yan didn¡¯t object this time, but Mrs. Sun rejected it directly. ¡°Forget it. She¡¯s sick in bed now, and it¡¯s inconvenient for her to see anyone.¡±


    Afterward, she left her personal maidservant to apany them while she went to Sun Miake¡¯s room.


    When Yan Zhiwu¡¯s mother saw this, she also knew that the Sun couple did not wee them any further. She immediately pulled the reluctant Yan Zhiwu out and left their residence.


    Yan Zhiwu thought of the Sun couple¡¯s attitude and knew that before he made up his mind, they would not let him see his cousin sister again.


    In the end, he decided to follow his mother back home obediently. He nned to take some time to discuss it with his father before making a decision.


    As soon as Mrs. Sun entered her room, Sun Miao struggled to get up.


    Mrs. Sun immediately went forward to hold her down and said, ¡°Come on, do you know how sick you are? I lurry up and lie down.¡±


    ¡°Mother, is cousin here? He came to see me, right?¡± Sun Miaoke grabbed her mother¡¯s sleeve and asked her with an expectant look.


    Mrs. Sun paused for a moment and waved at Qing Tao.


    Qing Tao immediately put down the food tray in her hand, bowed, and led the maidservants out of the room.


    After they left, Mrs. Sun helped Sun Miao sit up. After a moment of silence, she gave in under the urging of her daughter¡¯s eyes and told her everything they had just said..

 Chapter 503 - 503 You Can’t Marry Her

    Chapter 503: You Can¡¯t Marry Her


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Sun Miaoke heard that her cousin brother would beg the Emperor to marry her, she was both worried and happy.


    She felt that she had not misjudged him.


    However, when she heard her aunt¡¯s objection, she was shocked.


    She did not expect that her aunt, who had always been kind and amiable to her, would suddenly oppose their marriage.


    Mrs. Sun shook her to ensure that Sun Miaoke returned to her senses before saying earnestly, ¡°Miaoke, if your aunt¡¯s attitude is that firm, then you only have one way out, and that is to elope.


    ¡°However, the consequences of that will be serious.


    ¡°First, if you escape, you¡¯ll be considered dead. You¡¯ll have to hide your names for the rest of your lives.


    ¡°If things don¡¯t go well in the future, you two might me and hate each other. In the end, you two will end up miserable.


    ¡°Second, if you are captured, what awaits you will be death, which will definitely implicate both our families.


    ¡°Even if the Emperor is merciful and doesn¡¯t confiscate our homes, it will still affect the marriage of our n¡¯s younger generation.


    ¡°As for your aunt¡­¡±


    Mrs. Sun sighed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t me her.


    ¡°From her point of view, she¡¯s only stopping you two from being together for your cousin¡¯s and the Yan family¡¯s futures.


    ¡°So, in my opinion, you should just cut it off. Cut it off cleanly.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± Sun Miaoke threw herself into her mother¡¯s arms and cried.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun could only pat her back tofort her.


    After a while, Sun Miaoke raised her head and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Father say there were still two days? 1 will wait for two more days. If there is still no result after that, I will listen to your arrangements.¡±


    Mrs. Sun was stunned for a moment. In the end, she nodded and said, ¡°You should sleep. No matter what, you have to get your health back first.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing that her mother didn¡¯t object, Sun Miaoke heaved a sigh of relief andy down.


    Mrs. Sun waited for her to fall asleep before leaving the room. She then instructed Qing Tao to take good care of Sun Miaoke before turning around and leaving.


    After dinner, Yan Zhiwu went to the study to find Lord Yan.


    When Lord Yan saw him enter, he pointed to the stool beside him and finished writing something.


    He waited for Yan Zhiwu to sit down and asked, ¡°Are you here because of you and Miao Ke?¡±


    ¡°Did Mother tell you?¡± Yan Zhiwu nodded and asked,


    ¡°Like I said, my opinion is the same as your mother¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Why, we¡­¡± Yan Zhiwu had just opened his mouth when Lord Yan raised his hand and interrupted, ¡°Your mother already said most of everything, so I won¡¯t say anything about the future of you and our family.


    ¡°I just want to ask you a question. Why do you think the Emperor would bequeath Sun Miaoke to the Third Prince and your sister to the Seventh Prince?¡±


    Yan Zhiwu was stunned by the question. He slowly shook his head and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°It can¡¯t be. The rtionship between the Yan and the Sun families is good, but it¡¯s not to the extent of wearing the same underwear.¡±


    ¡°Wrong. Although your uncle is just a schr, he has a teacher-student rtionship with the Seventh Prince. Also, he has cultivated many students over the years.


    ¡°In addition to your grandfather¡¯s position as themander of the Nine Gates,


    ¡°Do you think the Emperor would be at ease handing over all these connections to the Seventh Prince?¡±


    ¡°Father, did someone say something to you?¡± Yan Zhiwu looked at him in shock and asked.


    Lord Yan replied unhappily, ¡°Although your father was born in the army, I have been in office for more than half my life. Moreover, 1 am one of the Emperor¡¯s confidants. You don¡¯t really think that I am some idiot who doesn¡¯t know politics, do you?¡±


    He paused momentarily and continued, ¡°Go back and study this web of rtionships carefully. The Emperor¡¯s bestowment of marriage is not without reason.¡±


    ¡°So you can¡¯t marry Sun Miaoke; she can only marry the Third Prince..¡±

 Chapter 504 - 504 Letting Go

    Chapter 504: Letting Go


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yan Zhiwu fell into deep thought after hearing that.


    When Lord Yan saw this, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Go. Go back and think about it.


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re willing to give up your present glory and wealth to be a pair of free and wild cranes that may be hunted at any time.


    ¡°Remember, you are the eldest grandson of the Yan family, the pir of the Yan family.¡±


    Yan Zhiwu nodded and returned to his courtyard with a heavy heart.


    He entered his study room and took a pen and paper to write and draw for hours.


    Realization dawned upon him, and after two hours of writing, tearing, and more writing, he finished a letter to Sun Miaoke.


    After handing it over to his mother the next morning, he set off for the military camp.


    Mrs. Yan looked at the letter as if it were a hot potato.


    Because when she saw her unshaven and dispirited son appear in front of her, she had already guessed the contents of the letter.


    However, for the sake of the future of the two families and to give Sun Miaoke an exnation, she still braced herself and personally handed the letter to Sun Miaoke. ¡°Miaoke, you two are not fated to be together in this life. I hope you two can meet again in your next life.¡±


    After saying that, she did not dare stay any longer. She stood up and patted Mrs. Sun¡¯s shoulder before quickly leaving.


    When Mrs. Sun saw this, she felt more at ease. Although she was angry at the Yan family¡¯s decision, she understood their reasons.


    She stared straight at Sun Miaoke, afraid she would do something stupid again.


    Sun Miaoke had naturally guessed Yan Zhiwu¡¯s answer. The words in the letter were all too familiar, but when she opened it, she realized she didn¡¯t recognize a single one. The meaning of its contents was utterly lost on her.


    At the same time, her tears fell like broken pearls.


    Mrs. Sun¡¯s heart ached, but she also knew that Sun Miaoke had to go through this herself. She only stood guard and did not go forward tofort her.


    About two hourster, Sun Miaoke finally calmed down and carefully read the letter that was drenched in tears.


    There was no mention of love in the letter. Instead, it gave her a breakdown of the capital¡¯s current situation.


    Thest thing he mentioned was that they had all been raised in luxury since they were young. It was time to repay their parents and families, so they could not be too selfish.


    After Sun Miaoke read it three times, she calmly asked Qing Tao to bring an oilmp and burn the letter.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m tired; I want to sleep.¡±


    Mrs. Sun looked at her in a daze and asked, ¡°Miaoke, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. I just want to sleep.¡± Sun Miaoke turned around and closed her eyes.


    Mrs. Sun could only give Qiao Tao a look, turn around, and walk out.


    As soon as she left, Sun Miaoke started crying again. After a while, she covered herself with the nket and cried loudly. She only fell asleep after she was all exhausted from crying.


    When she woke up again, it was already the next morning.


    Listening to sparrows chirping and looking at the bright sunlight outside, she sat up and stretched. ¡°Qiao Tao, I¡¯m up.¡±


    ¡°All, I¡¯m here.¡± Qiao Tao responded and ran in.


    Looking at the energetic and radiant Sun Miaoke, she eximed in disbelief, ¡°Miss, you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Alright, hurry up and clean up so I can have breakfast; I¡¯m going to faint from hunger.¡± Sun Miaoke said as she put on her clothes.


    ¡°Alright, I will go prepare breakfast immediately.¡± Seeing this, Qing Tao knew Sun Miaoke had really thought it through. She quickly turned around and ran


    out..

 Chapter 505 - 505 Return Letters (1)

    Chapter 505: Return Letters (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When the Third Prince received the news at night, he only nodded expressionlessly. The next day, he asked Butler Feng to prepare the betrothal gifts.


    At the same time, the First Prince carried 18 sets of betrothal gifts to the Yang family.


    In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.


    Zhou Ying basically had to go to the manor to help busy herself daily, and it was not until a heavy snowfall that she stayed home for once.


    Meanwhile, the snow forced Gu Chengrui to stay at the manor.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying sent him some food, thick clothes, and nkets through her interspace. Sheter got busy in her interspace too.


    First, she scanned through the various Mother Goddess Temples and heaved a sigh of relief after ensuring there was no huge disaster. Sheter transferred the half-worn quilts she had collected from the Qiao family to the beggars in the north and gave them some onions and ginger to ward off the cold.


    The next day, when the sky was already bright,


    Noticing everyone sweeping the snow from the courtyard, she did not stay idle. She took a wooden nk and went forward to help.


    Seeing this, Shizhu quickly went forward and said, ¡°Mistress, we servants can do these rough jobs. You should hurry into the house.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. 1 didn¡¯t grow up pampered. What work haven¡¯t I done before?


    ¡°Let¡¯s clear the snow as soon as possible so there won¡¯t be ice everywhere the next morning.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    When Shizhu heard her say this, she immediately thought of Zhou Ying, covered in soil, as she followed the old farmers into the fields. She could only say, ¡°Alright, but please take it easy and don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±


    After saying that, they both got busy.


    Because there were only a few people in the residence, it was already close to noon when all the snow was cleared out.


    After washing up and drinking a cup of water, Shizhu reported that Zhou Huaiming hade with many things.


    Zhou Ying was surprised before she quickly stood up and greeted him. ¡°Brother Zhou, when did you return to the capital?¡±


    ¡°I came back yesterday afternoon. I wanted toe over, but it snowed, so 1 dyed it by a day.


    ¡°By the way, your father-inw requested that I transport all the food and dried vegetables you left home in case you don¡¯t have enough food. 1 also added some rice for you.


    ¡°There were also some things that Chang Shun and the others had prepared, mainly a few chickens and two frozen sheep.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been hard on you to transport all that. Please,e in quickly.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she brought him into the house.


    At the same time, she said to Shizhu, ¡°Shizhu, go and tell Butler Zhou to bring some people to store these things.


    ¡°Also, please prepare a pot of sunflower tea.¡±


    The two servants responded one after another and turned around to get busy.


    Zhou Huaiming said, ¡°I say, sister, you don¡¯tck money. Why didn¡¯t you buy a few more servants? Only having two maids isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not short of money, but I¡¯m short of food. 1 can¡¯t buy more servants but just let them starve, no?¡±


    ¡°Oh, true. This year, money doesn¡¯t really mean anything. By the way, when is Brother Guing back? Shall we have mutton hotpot together tonight?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s busy nting a greenhouse in the manor. Coupled with the slippery roads in the snow, he might be unable to return tonight.


    ¡°However, call King Rui over if you want to eat hotpot. I¡¯ll make it for you two.


    ¡°Or I¡¯ll prepare some seasonings and meat slices for you. You can bring them to King Rui instead.¡±


    ¡°How could I do that? Since the meat is frozen, it won¡¯t go bad that quickly. Let¡¯s wait for Brother Gu to return.¡± Zhou Huaiming handed her a thick envelope and added, ¡°This is the reply from your hometown.¡±


    He stood up and continued, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t bother you further. When Brother Gues back, let me know. I¡¯lle over and have a meal with you two.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll definitely inform you when he returns.¡± Zhou Ying put the letter away and stood up to send him out..

 Chapter 506 - 506 Return Letters (2)

    Chapter 506: Return Letters (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After he left, Zhou Dasheng walked over and reported, ¡°Mistress, all the items have been stored in the warehouse.


    ¡°But what about the chickens? Should they be raised here or sent to the manor?¡±


    ¡°How many are there?¡±


    ¡°There are two roosters and ten hens. It looks like they have already startedying eggs.¡±


    ¡°I see; let¡¯s keep them in the stable here. That way, it will be convenient to have eggs in the residence.¡± Zhou Ying added, ¡°As for the frozen sheep, put them in the ice cer.


    ¡°I was thinking of holding a small housewarming party after Chengrui finishes his work. Then, everyone can eat and enjoy a meal together.


    ¡°By the way, how much rice is there?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s rice, but it¡¯s not milled yet. There are about 200 pounds of new rice nts.¡±


    ¡°I see. then these new rice nts will be nted as seeds for next year¡¯s harvest.¡±


    Zhou Dasheng nodded in agreement, saying, ¡°1 understand. I will store it well.¡±


    ¡°Good, you may leave.¡± Zhou Ying nodded, went to the kitchen, and told Biaozi how to make dried sweet potatoes before returning to her room.


    She then opened the letters. First, it was a list of dowries; she unfurled it and read it, noticing it was exactly the same as Madam Cui¡¯s, but it looked a little new.


    Another letter seemed to be from Second Uncle Gu.


    It briefly described the situation at home and emphasized the news that Madam Qiao was sick.


    He mentioned that her body was not as great as before and asked them to return to visit when they were free.


    Another point was to reassure them that they would stay in their hometown obediently and not drag them down.


    After Zhou Ying finished reading it, she just sighed andmented that Madam Qiao still had a heart.


    However, that was all. She then put the letters away and waited for Gu Chengrui to return before dealing with them.


    In the blink of an eye, another three days passed. Gu Chengrui was finally done with the work at his greenhouse.


    After entering her interspace at night, Zhou Ying told him that Zhou Huaiming had returned and handed him the letters.


    Gu Chengrui took the letters and read them carefully.


    When he read that Madam Qiao had fallen ill because of the news of his aunt¡¯s death, he only smiled sarcastically.


    He had not forgotten how they were almost tortured to death by the Gu family when they had just transmigrated.


    Although Madam Qiao had somepassion at that time, she still selfishly watched them get expelled from the house.


    Later on, although she felt guilty and med herself, that was because they had made a name for themselves. Didn¡¯t that mean the act of her penance was because she wanted to take advantage of them? Otherwise, she would probably never interact with them again.


    Of course, since she had given them enough respect, he would also make up for it for her.


    He went to his study room and wrote a letter filled with concern. Finally, he attached two prescriptions and asked the Gu family to confirm them with Doctor Luo.


    At the same time, he also wrote a letter to Doctor Luo, mainly to thank him for his hard work in running the clinic.


    Moreover, it also meant that Doctor Luo did not need to split him any dividends before he returned. He only requested that Doctor Luo continue teaching Gu Chengxi medical skills.


    After the two of them were done with their work, Zhou Ying told him about the housewarming party she was preparing. ¡°Since there¡¯s mutton, let¡¯s take the opportunity to hold a party. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s hold it the day after tomorrow before the Third Prince¡¯s wedding. Get someone to make three Mandarin Duck Pots tomorrow.


    ¡°Also, look for a ce that sells beef, fish, and shrimp.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll arrange for it. But who do we have to invite?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with the previous arrangement. King Rui, Brother Zhou, Yang Wanning, and her brother, There¡¯s also King An¡¯s Imperial Residence, a few of my subordinates, and the three heads of the Ministry of Works.¡±


    ¡°In that case, three tables would probably be enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s prepare three tables. One for the women and two for the men..¡±

 Chapter 507 - 507 Housewarming Party (1)

    Chapter 507: Housewarming Party (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next day, after she had ordered the Mandarin Duck Pot to be made at the cksmith shop, she went to the market to look for all kinds of meat.


    Although the price was a little high, she still managed to buy some fresh and tender beef in the West District. Zhou Ying then bought some beef hind and neck, a set of beef offal, and two pieces of beefrd.


    As for fish and prawns, they were cheap, so she also bought some.


    After returning home, she froze the beef and brought the other ingredients to the kitchen. She called Biaozi and Haitang over to make beef, fish, and shrimp balls with them.


    Next, Zhou Ying taught Biaozi the stir-frying hotpot seasoning and dipping sauce recipe.


    Finally, she added some dried sweet potatoes and a small amount of radish to make a big pot of spicy beef soup.


    Later, she asked Biaozi and the others to make some tbread, and dinner was ready.


    After Gu Chengrui reported to the Ministry of Works, he went outside to buy a few invitation cards.


    After filling out the invitation cards in the afternoon, he asked his attendant, Lin Yitian, one of the guards provided by King Rui Wang, to send the invitation to each family.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the housewarming party. Yang Wanning was the first to arrive, along with Chun Xi, around noon.


    Zhou Ying approached her and asked, ¡°Wanning, why are you here alone? Isn¡¯t Chenglin on vacation?¡±¡±


    ¡°No, I heard that there will be an exam next year, so he hasn¡¯t had a holiday since he returned to the academyst time.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s true; studying is more important. How¡¯s your family now?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Fine. They¡¯re busy preparing the dowry now, so I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t have the time to pay attention to me for a while.¡± Yang Wanning shook her head as she replied.


    However, she knew that was because Mrs. Chui was too confident in her spy and the Hardy Ice nt. Otherwise, she would not be able to live such a peaceful life.


    That¡¯s right; she had already traced the Hardy Ice nt to the hands of Mrs. Cui.


    But she did not say anything because she did not discover that her mother had died because of the nt.


    Instead, she picked out the Hardy Ice nt and put it in Mrs. Cui¡¯s tea leaves.


    Zhou Ying did not ask any more questions.


    After all, Yang Wanning was not a real youngdy. Perhaps she was older than Zhou Ying in her previous life, so this meant Zho Ying did not need to keep an eye on everything she did.


    After a simple chat, Madam Consort An and Mingyu arrived.


    The two of them immediately stood up and greeted them.


    The old madam smiled and said, ¡°Good, good. You¡¯re all good children. Get up quickly.¡±


    ¡°Judging from yourplexion, you look much better.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and helped her sit at the head of the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Chengrui. My body hasn¡¯t been this light in years.¡± The old madam smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s great to hear that the medicine is effective.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she personally went to the kitchen to brew a cup of Sanqi flower tea. ¡°This is a tea made from the Sanqi flower. Try it and see if it suits your taste. I heard this tea has a good effect on lowering blood pressure.¡±


    She then poured some rose tea for Mingyu and said, ¡°This is a tea for beauty, fragrance, and rxation.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? 1 guess 1 must try it. I¡¯ll buy some from the herb shopter.¡± Madam Consort An took the teacup and replied with a face full of expectation.


    ¡°Oh, this is the popr winter rose tea. I bought some at first, but I couldn¡¯t get more of it after finishing it.


    ¡°Whenever I want to drink it, I have to enter the pce or go to a teahouse,¡± Mingyu eximed.


    ¡°It¡¯s made of roses. If you like them, I¡¯ll wrap some for you to bring backter.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    ¡°If there is more, I want it too.¡± Yang Wanning added.


    ¡°No problem; we have more than enough for you two.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Then, they sat and chatted about the gossip in the capital..

 Chapter 508 - 508 Housewarming Party (2)

    Chapter 508: Housewarming Party (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The hot topic was regarding King Kang¡ªthe Fourth Prince. It was said that Zhou Jiaying, his secondary consort, busied herself so much that she almost died on the street because she was preparing the betrothal gifts for the main consort.


    For a moment, Zhou Jiaying went viral. Of course, there were good and bad things to say about her.


    Zhou Ying, who knew Zhou Jiaying well, admired her scheming.


    No matter how others saw her, as a secondary consort, she was preparing betrothal gifts for the main consort. It was obvious to the outside world that, as a secondary consort, she was a contender to be the head of the household and was on excellent terms with King Kang.


    When the main consort marries in, it would be hard to say whether she could seize power.


    However, Zhou Ying knew this was stupid. As a pregnant woman, instead of ying tricks, Zhou Jiaqing might as well give birth to the child safely. If something really happened to the child, it would be toote to regret it.


    The rest of the gossip was nothing noteworthy. What Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect was that Sun Miaoke¡¯s scandal didn¡¯t spread even one bit.


    Not long after, the First Prince¡¯s wife, Consort Hui, a mncholic beauty, walked in under Kuihua¡¯s lead.


    Zhou Ying paused momentarily, immediately stood up, and greeted her. ¡°Zhou Ying greets Consort Hui.¡±


    Yang Wanning and Mingyu also stood up and bowed.


    ¡°I came uninvited. Please forgive me, Mrs. Gu.¡± After Hui Wangfei smiled at Zhou Ying, she went forward and greeted Madam Consort An, ¡°Greetings, Fourth Aunt.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re family, so there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± The old madam nodded.


    After Consort Hui sat down, Zhou Ying personally made her a cup of tea.


    Consort Hui swept her gaze across the room a momentter and asked, ¡°Mrs. Gu, there¡¯s not even a firece in this room. Why is it so warm?¡±


    ¡°We modified it with a heated floor, simr to a farmer¡¯s brick bed. Although it costs quite some firewood, it does bring convenience.¡± Zhou Ying exined the reason.


    ¡°What a great idea. It also saves on charcoal usage; I¡¯m sure it can save us a lot of silver this winter.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much different as it does consume a fair bit of firewood. Of course, it¡¯s way warmer than using a firece.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to modify my courtyardter. Otherwise, 1 won¡¯t be able to stand the cold in December.¡± Madam Consort An spoke up.


    ¡°Sure. If you want to renovate your courtyard, I¡¯ll get those workers to look for you at your residence.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you.¡±


    The atmosphere was not as rxed as it had been at the beginning because of Consort Hui¡¯s participation. Fortunately, she did not talk much and just curiously asked about the greenhouse.


    Zhou Ying did not hide anything, and she gave her a simple introduction to the theory behind it.


    After a while, Madam Qin, the wife of the Minister of Works; Madam Ma, the wife of the Left Assistant Minister; and Madam Bai, the wife of the Right Assistant Minister, arrived.


    After greeting each other, they exchanged simple pleasantries before chatting with Madam Consort An.


    Zhou Ying saw this and gave Yang Wanning a look, indicating that she helped take care of it. Later, she politely said a few words and went to the kitchen.


    She was just worried since it was the first time that Biaozi and Haitang were preparing a hotpot, so she was afraid they wouldn¡¯t be able to make it right.


    Sure enough, Little Biao was staring at the clean copper pot when she entered the kitchen.


    Zhou Ying immediately went forward and taught him how to prepare it.


    She nced at the main dishes that Haitang had prepared. There were scallion pancakes, sesame seed cakes, rice cakes, and chestnut cakes.


    She also took a nce at the side dishes. There were mutton slices, beef slices, fish balls, shrimp balls, beef tripes, blood tofu, noodles, cabbage, radish, assorted veggies, and fungus.


    After making sure that there were no mistakes, she said, ¡°The men¡¯s tables will be set in the front. When Chengruies back, just bring the copper pot over.¡±


    Then, she looked at Biaozi and asked, ¡°Brother Biaozi, do you know how to heat this copper hotpot?¡±

 Chapter 509 - 509 Housewarming Part (3)

    Chapter 509: Housewarming Part (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Don¡¯t worry.


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll head out now.¡± Zhou Ying then brought a pot of hot water into the courtyard and handed it to Kuihua.


    Seeing that everyone was chatting happily, she didn¡¯t go up and say anything. Instead, she called Shizhu over and started to clean up the table.


    She then ced the wine and sour plum soup aside.


    When Gu Chengrui and the others arrived, they came in and bowed to Madam Consort An before returning to the outer courtyard.


    However, what she did not expect was that the people who came were not only the ones they had invited. All the princes were here, and even the son of King Xian hade.


    Fortunately, they had enough space for everyone, albeit slightly cramped.


    After they left, Zhou Ying immediately went to the kitchen and asked them to add another set of beef meatballs for the men¡¯s table; she also asked them to prepare more charcoal.


    This time, when she returned, she carried a copper hotpot with her and ced it on the table.


    Meanwhile, Shizhu and Kuihua immediately turned around to serve the dishes.


    When Mingyu saw this, she curiously pulled a stool over and sat down, asking. ¡°Sister Zhou, what is this? And what¡¯s inside? It¡¯s red, smells spicy, and is slightly choking.


    ¡°Why does this yellow soup smell sour too?¡±


    ¡°Hotpot is one of the main dishes at the restaurant I opened in my hometown.¡± Zhou Ying exined to them in detail how to enjoy hotpot immediately.


    ¡°That sounds good! That way, we don¡¯t have to worry about the food getting cold.¡± Madam Qin eximed in surprise.


    ¡°Indeed, my stomach can¡¯t stand eating cold dishes in the middle of winter.¡± Madam Consort An nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to hear everyone likes it. However, if you have any wounds or are heaty today, it¡¯s best to eat less or not eat the spicy section. The sour-tasting soup beside it is also very delicious.¡± Zhou Ying reminded them and called everyone over to start their meal.


    In the end, only Mingyu and Yang Wanning sat at the side of the spicy hotpot.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t say much when she saw this. They would know when they ateter.


    The side dishes were served quickly. Because too many side dishes were on the table, most of the extras had to be ced on the dining table opposite them. Quickly, two maidservants took some chopsticks to help everyone ce the food into the hotpot.


    After the dipping sauce bowl was served, Zhou Ying took the shared chopsticks and ced some mutton slices into the two hotpots. ¡°Everyone, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Just put whatever you want to eat into the pot.¡±


    After saying that, she sat down.


    After the mutton was cooked, it was ready to eat.


    The women¡¯s respective maidservants went up and picked up the cooked ingredients for their mistresses. After finishing taking all of the cooked food out, they continued to put more in.


    ¡°Wow. After cooking it this way, not only did the mutton lose its gamey smell, but it also became especially tender and delicious.¡± Madam Consort An nodded in satisfaction.


    In the past, she had been obsessed with pork, mainly because of the peculiar smell of beef and mutton. Now that she could perfectly remove this peculiar smell, it was not impossible for her to eat less or even no pork in the future.


    At that moment, Mingyu picked up a piece of spicy mutton for the old madam and ced it in her bowl. ¡°Grandmother, try this. It¡¯s especially delicious and not as spicy as you think.¡±


    Madam Consort An dipped a little sauce into the mutton, ced it in her mouth, and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Indeed, this has a little spicy taste and is enjoyable to eat.¡±


    When Consort Hui heard this, she immediately looked at her maidservant. The maidservant understood her intentions and picked up a piece of spicy mutton for her.


    Soon, the Consort Hui liked the taste so much that she immediately got up to move her seat over.


    When everyone saw this, they also started to take more of the spicy hotpot.


    Madam Bai was the only one who stayed on the sour hotpot the entire time. She mainly ate beef and hadn¡¯t touched the mutton one bit..

 Chapter 510 - 510 Housewarming Party (4)

    Chapter 510: Housewarming Party (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t say much to prevent both sides from getting awkward. Instead, she handed her a small bowl of sour plum soup and said, ¡°This can help cut the greasiness. Do have some of it.¡±


    Madam Bai nodded with a smile and continued eating.


    After the meal, everyone took their leave after a short rest.


    Of course, Yang Wanning and Mingyu stayed behind.


    After Zhou Ying was done cleaning up, Mingyu came up and put her arm around her shoulder. ¡°Sister Zhou, you haven¡¯t forgotten about our martial arts sparring, right?¡±


    ¡°No, but you just drank. Are you sure you want to spar now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. 1 came here today for that. Of course, having the hotpot was great, and that¡¯s my love now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just spar casually.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhou Ying then brought her to the backyard.


    Seeing this, Yang Wanning followed excitedly. To be honest, she had never seen two women spar in her two lifetimes, so she was full of anticipation.


    After arriving at the backyard, Mingyu stretched her wrists and ankles and asked, ¡°How about wepete using fist techniques?¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded silently and looked at her warily.


    A momentter, Mingyu rushed over. Zhou Ying dodged to the side and struck her away with a palm.


    Mingyu staggered a few steps forward with a stunned expression before stabilizing her footsteps.


    She turned around and looked at Zhou Ying with a serious expression. ¡°Let¡¯s start now.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and got into position.


    Seeing this, Mingyu rushed over again and tried punching Zhou Ying¡¯s face.


    She also sent a kick at Zhou Ying¡¯s right side of the head.


    This time, Zhou Ying did not dodge the attacks. Instead, she raised her hands and mmed against the tendons outside Mingyu¡¯s arm, quickly stopping her punch.


    Quickly, she took advantage of the moment when Mingyu lost her bnce and grabbed her right leg.


    Then, she bent her leg and tried pressing down.


    When Mingyu saw this, she spun around and raised her left foot to kick Zhou Ying¡¯s head.


    Zhou Ying did a backflip to dodge it, but her grip naturally loosened.


    After the two of them stood firmly once more, they shed at close range.


    Zhou Ying used Tai Chi this time.


    At that moment, Mingyu clearly felt Zhou Ying¡¯s oppression.


    She found many chances and was about to seed in taking Zhou Ying down, but a small push in the right direction always resolved her attacks. She was being stopped everywhere, and she could not even fight back.


    When she thought of this, she felt aggrieved. Meanwhile, the strength of her punches became stronger and stronger.


    Zhou Ying was afraid that Mingyu would really get angry, so she immediately changed to a grappling technique to subdue Mingyu.


    Before Mingyu could react, she was pressed down. She was dazed for a moment, but she quickly returned to her senses. ¡°1 admit defeat.¡±


    Only then did Zhou Ying let go of her.


    ¡°How about wepete in spear techniques?¡± Mingyu asked after she got up.


    Zhou Ying quickly shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know how to use a spear. I don¡¯t need to spar to know I can¡¯t beat you.¡±


    Although Mingyu was indignant after hearing this, she knew it wasn¡¯t good to continue forcing this spar anymore. Instead, she pestered her to discuss the martial arts Zhou Ying had just used.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying exined to her in detail how to use a small force to counter arger force.


    Yang Wanning¡¯s eyes shone brightly when she heard that. At the same time, she resolved to learn a few self-defense moves. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to fight back if something really happened.


    On the men¡¯s side, other than the Minister of Works, who was slightly older, the rest were all young men below their thirties.


    Adding to the fact that they were drinking, the atmosphere was very lively.


    Once they drank, their appetite naturally increased. When they finished their meal, it was already four hourster, and the ingredients prepared by the kitchen were alsopletely used up.


    After sending off the guests, Gu Chengrui returned to the house with a heavy head and light feet. He saw that there was still some sour plum soup on the table, so he drank it in one gulp and went back to his bedroom to sleep..

 Chapter 511 - 511 Learning Self-Defense

    Chapter 511: Learning Self-Defense


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Seeing this, Mingyu and Yang Wanning also stood up and left.


    However, the next morning, Yang Wanning came to visit again. Her purpose was to learn martial arts.


    ¡°Do you want to learn martial arts or use it for self-defense?¡± Zhou Ying raised her head and asked.


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Yang Wanning asked in confusion.


    ¡°Of course, if you want to defend yourself, you¡¯ll just need to learn a few simple moves to subdue the enemy quickly.


    ¡°However, learning martial arts is not something that could be done overnight.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s learn self-defense first and see if I¡¯m cut out for martial arts. If it goes well, 1¡¯11 continue learning.¡± Yang Wanning hesitated for a moment before replying.


    ¡°That works too.¡± Zhou Ying then began to teach her self-defense techniques. Of course, it was not the kind of dirty trick from the modern ages. Otherwise, it would be bad for her reputation.


    Instead, she taught her how to subdue her opponent from all angles and how to attack the opponent¡¯s weaknesses.


    Of course, she also taught underhanded tactics, which could only be used to save her life in times of crisis.


    At the end of Zhou Ying¡¯s lesson, Yang Wanning looked ufortable, but her eyes were sparkling. These underhanded tricks were too effective.


    ¡°This is not something that can be learned in one go. You still have to practice more.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and walked toward the main courtyard. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll give you something good to keep for self-defense.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Yang Wanning immediately ran over and asked curiously.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it.¡± Zhou Ying brought her back to the main courtyard with a mysterious expression.


    She took out a palm-sized pepper spray that was refined from a mixture of devil chili, mustard, onions, and medical alcohol and handed it to her. ¡°Do you see that little eye on it? If someone bullies you, you can aim that little eye at the other party¡¯s face and spray it down.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± Yang Wanning asked curiously as she stared at the liquid inside.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you try spraying it, but don¡¯t face it to anyone.¡±


    After Yang Wanning found the small outlet, she turned around and sprayed it into the air. Suddenly, a choking smell spread in all directions. Yang Wanning started coughing non-stop, sneezing, and crying.


    ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡±


    Chunxi wanted to help, but Zhou Ying stopped her.


    Zhou Ying took a few steps back and went out to get a basin of warm water for her. ¡°Wash your face; you¡¯ll feel much better.¡±


    Yang Wanning finally understood why this thing could be used for self-defense. As long as this hit someone, most people could not fight back.


    After hearing her say that water could alleviate the effects, she immediately handed the pepper spray to Chunxi and walked to the basin to wash her face.


    Sure enough, although it was still ufortable, it was obviously much better than before.


    After sitting down for a while, she asked, ¡°How long can this thingst?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the specifics. It depends on how you use it.


    ¡°However, if you don¡¯t have a chance to use it, it¡¯s best toe to me every three months to change the liquid inside. Otherwise, the effect will weaken.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Yang Wanning nodded in understanding.


    Zhou Ying thought of something at this time. She handed her aunt¡¯s dowry list to her and said, ¡°This is your mother¡¯s dowry list. I wanted to give it to you yesterday but couldn¡¯t because there were too many people.¡±


    Yang Wanning was shocked momentarily before she took it and read it carefully.


    After reading it, she was so angry that her entire body trembled.


    Her mother stated that she wanted her father to take some of the valuable ornaments and paintings on the list as gifts for others.


    However, she clearly remembered seeing the same painting in her grandmother¡¯s room not long ago.


    After all, calligraphy and paintings were basically unique and could not be duplicated easily..

 Chapter 512 - 512 Yang Shicheng’s Secrets

    Chapter 512: Yang Shicheng¡¯s Secrets


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Obviously, those dowries weren¡¯t given away as gifts but just transferred to somewhere that still belonged to him.


    The problem with this is that there would be a record in the ount books; it would be difficult for her to get all her mother¡¯s dowries back now.


    Unless both sidespletely shed all pretenses of cordiality.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Ying saw that her expression was wrong and quickly asked, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Yang Wanning didn¡¯t hide anything and told her what she had discovered. She then asked, ¡°This is what 1 found. What else is hidden away from me?


    ¡°My father is just¡­¡±


    Zhou Ying patted her on the shoulder and didn¡¯t know how tofort her.


    It was inappropriate to scold her father in front of her.


    Nothing else mattered now anyway, as everything was toote.


    In the end, Zhou Ying could only say, ¡°The most important thing for you now is to stay alive. As long as you grow up safely, we can deal with the restter.¡±


    Yang Wanning nodded and then returned the list to her. ¡°Sister-inw, please help me keep this. I¡¯ll return to ask you for it when I need it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t break off with your family when you return. You have to leave a way out for you and your brother.¡±


    ¡°I understand. 1 will be careful.¡± Yang Wanning reassured Zhou Ying and went back with Chunxi.


    When night came, Zhou Ying mentioned this matter to Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui heard this and said, ¡°The First Prince¡¯s wedding date is set for the 28th of this month. Speaking of which, it¡¯s less than half a month away.


    ¡°Maybe you can go and take a look to see if the dowry that the Yang family has prepared for Yang Wanyu consists of anything from myte aunt.


    ¡°If there is, it means that Yang Shicheng has long had these evil thoughts.


    ¡°Perhaps he had yed a part in the Gu family being raided back then.¡±


    ¡°Got it. It seems that it¡¯s better for a couple to marry with equal social status. Otherwise, it¡¯s not surprising for something like this to happen.


    ¡°Especially marriages where the woman is from a higher status.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement but knew that wasn¡¯t the scariest part.


    What¡¯s worst was marrying a man with terrible intentions from the start. On the one hand, they wanted to take advantage of their wife but still wanted to maintain their dignity.


    As time passed, the man¡¯s thinking would get increasingly distorted.


    Gu Chengrui got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get busy and make a pot of chicken soupter.¡±


    After saying that, he went to the other side of the river and got busy.


    Zhou Ying went outside her warehouse and began to check on the situation of the various Mother Goddess Temples. After confirming that there were no abnormalities, she blessed two new little statues and went directly to the Yang family.


    However, she did not just check Yang Wanyu¡¯s dowry. Instead, she started a carpet search at the Yang residence.


    What she didn¡¯t expect was that Mrs. Cui and her daughter didn¡¯t have much private property, and they didn¡¯t have many valuable things.


    Even the entire Yang family seemed to be very poor on the surface.


    However, she found a secret room in the rockery next to the Yang family¡¯s pond, and the things inside almost blinded her.


    There were over a hundred boxes of silver ingots worth a hundred taels each and over fifty boxes of gold ingots.


    In total, it was six million taels of silver.


    More importantly, more than half of the silver was official silver ingots, which meant that he had embezzled them from somewhere.


    It was weird, as the amount of wealth hidden away here was not supposed to be possible for the Yang family.


    After all, Yang Shicheng was amoner with no prominent family background.


    He had only been the Minister of Revenue for three to four years, and the wealth inside this secret room was too much.


    She began to search carefully in the secret room. As expected, there was another small room inside. There were some antique paintings and calligraphy in it, and all of them were exquisite, some of theming from the pce.


    There were a few ount books and letters in a secretpartment on the wall as well.


    Zhou Ying read them one by one. The ount books mainly recorded the gold and silver outside, and she memorized them carefully.


    The records started twelve years ago, but there weren¡¯t many initially. Also, many of them were rted to the Gu family..

 Chapter 513 - 513 The Culprit

    Chapter 513: The Culprit


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In other words, the Yang family has always relied on the Gu family since a few years ago.


    Now that Yan Shicheng was openly taking away the Gu family¡¯s dowry, it was just absolutely disgusting.


    After that, Zhou Ying carefully read the contents of the letters. She did not expect it to be a letter between Yang Shicheng and the Empress¡¯s maiden family, the Sun family.


    However, it was not from the Marquis of Ding¡¯an but from his younger brother, Sun Wenhao. He was a businessman who managed their family business.


    He had established a connection with the First Prince roughly six years ago.


    Unfortunately, there was no information on him participating in the Gu family¡¯s raid.


    Of course, it could not be ruled out that the First Prince and the others did not truly trust him back then.


    After all, from Yang Wanning¡¯s words, Yang Shicheng had treated the three of them quite well before the Gu family¡¯s ident.


    Another possibility was that Yang Shicheng feared this information would leak and destroy those pieces of evidence.


    But regardless of that, just based on the gold and silver stored here, it could be seen that Yang Shicheng was not a good person.


    Just as she was about to leave after wiping away the traces of her presence, she suddenly heard a series of faint footsteps approaching from afar.


    Soon, the footsteps gradually became clearer, and Zhou Ying¡¯s presence stayed behind.


    A ck figure carrying an oilmp entered the secret room a momentter.


    However, the person did not enter from the entrance she discovered. Instead, a trapdoor was opened below the secret room. When the trapdoor opened, the person was able to enter inconspicuously.


    With the help of the weak light, Zhou Ying confirmed that the person was Yang Shicheng and then waited on the side.


    At the same time, she was impressed by Yang Shicheng¡¯s cunning. Even she was fooled by this doubleyered mechanism.


    She saw him enter, close the trapdoor, and admire the various things in the secret room.


    He was especially focused on andscape painting. He stared nkly at it for a while before carefully putting it away.


    He closed the trapdoor, took a letter from his sleeve, and put it in a secretpartment. Then, he reopened the trapdoor and walked out with his oilmp.


    After he left, Zhou Ying read the letter that he had put in.


    It was a letter personally written by the First Prince regarding the fact that a hundred thousand taels of silver had been ced in a manor and that he should im it as soon as possible.


    ¡°Where did this corruptione from? A hundred thousand taels of silver! How much of this is from themoners?¡± Zhou Ying said it through gritted teeth.


    However, the letter did not mention anything else.


    She had no choice but to use her spiritual senses to chase after Yang Shicheng quickly, and surprisingly, she ended up in an ancestral hall.


    Meanwhile, Yang Shicheng had already returned to his study room to sleep.


    Just as she was about to leave, she remembered the purpose of her visit.


    She went to the central courtyard and discovered Mrs. Cui¡¯s list of Yang Wanyu¡¯s dowry. Zhou Ying was taken aback by the total of 66 sets of dowries.


    There were also two manors and two shops.


    If she remembered correctly, they were all the dowries from the Gu family.


    There were also a lot of silks and satins, as well as calligraphy and paintings. She couldn¡¯t remember which belonged to Mrs. Gu and which didn¡¯t, but Zhou Ying was pretty confident that the majority of them did.


    Finally, she found the deeds of the two manors and two shops that belonged to Mrs. Gu. As expected, they were already under Yang Wanyu¡¯s name.


    ¡°Sigh, what a shameless woman Mrs. Cui is!¡± she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°How could she have done it?


    ¡°Yang Wanning¡¯s dowry is probably nothingpared to this. What a ck heart the woman has.¡±


    At this moment, she suddenly thought of the Hardy Ice nt in Yang Wanning¡¯s tea leaves. Perhaps Mrs. Cui did not even n for Yang Wanning to get married at all.


    Thinking of this, she conjured a dream for Mrs. Cui, which thete Mrs. Gu kept demanding for her life.


    After a while, Mrs. Cui was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat. At the same time, she kept shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t look for me! If you want to find the culprit, go look for Yang Shicheng or the Empress..¡±

 Chapter 514 - 514 Small Punishment

    Chapter 514: Small Punishment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying was so angry after hearing that she used her spiritual senses to choke her neck. After struggling slightly, Mrs. Cui suddenly woke up and sat up with sweat all over her face.


    After sweeping a nce around, she heaved a sigh of relief and gulped down the ss of water by her bed.


    At this moment, the maidservant on night duty walked in and asked, ¡°Madam, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. 1 just had a nightmare. Go and rest.¡± Mrs. Cui waved her hand.


    After her emotions calmed down, she sneered and whispered in a low voice, ¡°What an idiot. After so many years, she doesn¡¯t even know the person sleeping beside her clearly. Without his permission, would I dare to do anything?


    ¡°Now, you are even demanding for my life. When I¡¯m done, 1¡¯11 definitely find a monk to suppress you and make sure you never reincarnate.


    ¡°There are still your two brats who will be stepping stones for my children.¡±


    Zhou Ying was speechless after hearing this. She gained a deeper understanding of the evil intentions of Mrs. Cui.


    At the thought of this, she found a bottle ofxative in her storeroom and injected it into Mrs. Cui¡¯s body as a small punishment. Once that was done, Zhou Ying¡¯s spiritual senses returned to her interspace.


    After that, she found that there were quite a lot of plump, sizable river fish in her interspace. She fished up all the bigger fish that weighed more than five pounds.


    She scooped up most of the leftover fish and scattered them into various rivers through her Mother Goddess Temple.


    Finally, she picked out the green and ck carp, made them into fish balls with her machinery, and froze them in her storeroom.


    The rest of the fish were also stored in her storeroom.


    After finishing his work, she took a ck carp that weighed about three pounds and returned to the vi. Quickly, she cooked a te of sweet and sour fish.


    Before it was done, Gu Chengrui came in with a chicken and asked, ¡°Oh, cooking fish?¡±


    ¡°I just cleaned up the fish in our river and decided to cook one for lunch.¡±


    ¡°I see. Are we still going to make chicken soup?¡±


    ¡°Why not? I haven¡¯t had chicken soup for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he soaked the chicken in boiling water, scooped out the scum, andter ced it into a y pot.


    He added in some red dates and wolfberries. Once they had bloomed, he lowered the mes and slowly stewed them.


    Of course, the chicken soup would take a while to be ready.


    Zhou Ying brought over two cans of beer, and the couple began to eat the sweet and sour fish happily.


    After finishing their meal, Zhou Ying told him what she found in the Yang Residence. ¡°This Yang Shicheng is sure scum, leeching off a woman and even sucking her dry.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t even leave behind a single bone clean.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Yang Shicheng is likely to have been in contact with the Sun family from the beginning.


    ¡°Back then, his marriage with the Gu family should have been part of a conspiracy.


    ¡°After all, Princess Ping Yang was on the Fourth Prince¡¯s side from the start.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean it was all nned by the Empress and the others?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    ¡°What patience they have, waiting out a n for more than ten years.


    ¡°I would have reported him if 1 wasn¡¯t afraid that Yang Wanning and her brother would be implicated.¡±


    ¡°In fact, you can take away all the things he hid and make him anxious. Once he is anxious, the family will fall into chaos. This is an excellent opportunity for the siblings to leave the Yang family.


    ¡°Otherwise, if this continues, the siblings will meet a bad end.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at him in astonishment. Thest time she went to collect the Qiao family¡¯s remains, he acted reluctantly. She did not expect him to take the initiative to mention this now.


    How strange.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your expression?¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and knocked on her head.


    ¡°Your stance change too quickly. I can¡¯t keep up.¡± Zhou Ying rubbed her forehead and replied unhappily..

 Chapter 515 - 515 Seizing Everything

    Chapter 515: Seizing Everything


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That was then. Times are different, and we are in a different era.


    ¡°If we continue to do things ording to the standards of our previous lives, I¡¯m sure even our bones and dregs will be eaten clean.


    ¡°Moreover, Yang Shicheng was even willing to sacrifice Yang Wanning and her brother. He¡¯s lower than a beast, and there¡¯s no pitying him.


    ¡°Also, getting rid of such a corrupt officer could also be considered getting rid of evil for the people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Anyway, Yang Shicheng and the others had already nned to kill the siblings.¡± Zhou Ying agreed and ran back to her storeroom.


    Soon, she took away everything in the Yang family¡¯s secret room.


    After a moment of hesitation, she also collected everything valuable in the


    Yang Residence, including the private items of Mrs. Cui.


    Even Yang Wanning and her brother¡¯s things were not left behind, just in case.


    After a busy day, Zhou Ying finally left her storeroom with a tired face.


    When she turned her head, she was shocked to see Gu Chengrui waiting at the side and almost fell to the ground.


    Gu Chengrui quickly supported her and looked at her pale face. He promptly asked, ¡°Babe, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Maybe 1 used too much of my spiritual sense tonight, so I¡¯m a little dizzy.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the vi first. 1¡¯11 give you a head massage.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he immediately carried her into his arms like a princess.


    Returning to the vi, Gu Chengrui first went to the kitchen to take a look at the y pot. After opening a gap, he washed his hands and returned to his bedroom to give Zhou Ying a good massage.


    Zhou Ying fell asleep halfway through the massage.


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to cover her with the nket, set an rm, and go to the kitchen to keep an eye on the chicken soup.


    Zhou Ying waster woken up by the rm clock. She turned over, turned off the rm clock, and closed her eyes to sleep further.


    Gu Chengrui had to shake her awake and say, ¡°Babe, we have to hurry out, or else it will be troublesome if the maidservants find out that we are missing.¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment after hearing that. After she returned to her senses, she picked up her clothes and brought him out of her interspace.


    She quickly crawled into her nket and went to sleep once she came out.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head when he saw this. He tucked her in, turned around, and walked out.


    Zhou Ying slept until dawn.


    As soon as she woke up, she heard suppressed chatter outside. She immediately got up and put on her clothes.


    She then asked Shizhu to bring in some water for her to wash up.


    ¡°Did something happen outside?¡± she asked after washing up.


    ¡°The residence is fine, but the Yang family said that they lost something valuable and have sealed the city.¡±


    ¡°Yang residence, Miss Wanning¡¯s residence?¡±


    ¡°Right, right, Miss Wanning is waiting for you outside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go out now.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    At the same time, she was surprised. She did not expect Yang Shicheng to have the capability to seal the city.


    This was the capital, and not just anyone could seal it.


    It seemed that the First Prince had made a move.


    She simply applied some light makeup and walked out.


    Yang Wanning turned her head and saw Zhou Ying looking tired. Yang


    Wanning immediately stood up and asked Zhou Ying, ¡°Sister, are you sick?¡± ¡°No, I just drank too much teast night and slept toote, so I¡¯m a little tired.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she saw no trace of sadness on Yang Wanning¡¯s face; she even looked radiant. Zhou Ying asked curiously, ¡°I heard Shizhu mention that the Yang residence was robbed. Why do you look fine?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we were robbed, but I feel that it¡¯s fine. Most of those don¡¯t belong to me and my brother anyway.


    ¡°In fact, this is good. If they want to act poor, everyone should be poor together. This way, I doubt they will have any more bad intentions..¡±

 Chapter 516 - 516 Raising Money

    Chapter 516: Raising Money


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, does it mean there are quite a number of things that have been stolen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, all the valuable things in the residence are gone; not even a single silver was left.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they didn¡¯t take a fancy to the food in the residence, we probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to eat.¡± Yang Wanning pointed to her head and said, ¡°Did you notice anything missing from my head? Even the jewelry has been stolen clean, so I can onlyb my hair with a pearl flowerb that I had when 1 was young.¡±


    ¡°Woah, how much hatred does this robber have toward your family?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but everything about this matter is just strange. Normally, there should be some movement when thieves steal so much of our stuff, but I didn¡¯t hear any movement at all.


    ¡°Now, many people are suspecting that our residence has provoked some dirty things.¡±


    ¡°Cough cough, the ghost doesn¡¯t need money; it would prefer taking your lives.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you don¡¯t know how terrible my father¡¯s face is now. His face is basically as green as you can get, and his knees were even wobbling.¡±


    At that moment, Shizhu walked in with a bowl of soup noodles. Zhou Ying asked Yang Wanning, ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the thieves didn¡¯t steal the food at home.¡± Yang Wanning replied.


    ¡°Alright, I will start eating then.¡± Zhou Ying then lowered her head and started eating her bowl of noodles.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you to buy two sets of jewelry.¡±


    ¡°No need. If I bring any jewelry back, it¡¯ll just be confiscated. I think it¡¯s enough to continue using my pearl flowerb.¡±Yang Wanning shook her head.


    ¡°Alright, then take some of this change. At least you have some money when you need it.¡± Zhou Ying handed her a purse after that.


    There wasn¡¯t much silver inside. It was all bits and pieces, adding up to at most twenty taels.


    ¡°Thank you, sister.¡± Yang Wanning took the purse and handed it to Chunzi.


    Later, the two of them went to the backyard to continue learning self-defense.


    On the other side, Yang Shicheng finally opened the city gates under pressure after running for six hours without discovering any clues.


    He returned home in a daze.


    After entering the door, he cked out.


    Seeing this, the servant at the door jumped in fright and quickly shouted, ¡°Master, Master! Are you alright?¡±


    Yang Shicheng did not respond even after the servant shouted for a long time.


    Only when the two servants began to carry him did Yang Shicheng slowly open his eyes.


    However, there seemed to be something stuck in his throat. He couldn¡¯t say a word, and his eyes kept rolling back.


    When the two servants saw this, they were so frightened that they immediately got someone to carry a rack over. One servant sent him to the main courtyard, while the other guarded the door.


    When Mrs. Cui saw Yang Shicheng being carried back, she was so scared that her legs went weak. She quickly asked the servants what had happened.


    After getting an answer, Mrs. Cui more or less understood what had happened to Yang Shicheng and immediately sent someone to find a doctor.


    After the doctor came, he performed acupuncture on Yang Shicheng and gave him a prescription before waiting by his side.


    After that, Mrs. Cui only realized she needed to pay for his medical expenses. At that moment, the Yang family was so poor that they didn¡¯t even have a single copper coin. She said, ¡°Doctor, do you mind if we pay in one settlement when the servants go over to get the medicine?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The doctor didn¡¯t overthink it. After all, a second-grade official wouldn¡¯t go so far as to avoid paying for his consultation fee.


    After she left, Mrs. Cui gathered the servants in the residence and said, ¡°I won¡¯t say much about the situation that had happened.


    ¡°I heard that your silver wasn¡¯t stolen.


    ¡°Now, I need you to take out some of your silver to aid our situation.


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t take it for free.


    ¡°When we get through this, 1 will pay you back double.¡±


    After saying that, she called the butler over and said, ¡°Record in detail who paid how much.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± The butler responded and took out 20 taels himself.


    Since everyone saw that even the butler had offered some of his money, they had no choice but to offer some of theirs.


    Of course, there were also those who got greedy about the promise of doubling the amount of their silver and handed over everything they had..

 Chapter 517 - 517 Mrs. Cui’s Schemes

    Chapter 517: Mrs. Cui¡¯s Schemes


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After A4rs. Cui thanked everyone, she immediately asked the butler to take the silver to buy the medicine they needed.


    Madam Cui, who had rushed over after hearing the news, saw her son¡¯s pale face and lifeless body. She swayed and almost fell; fortunately, she was supported by her maidservant, who was beside her.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Cui immediately went forward to help her sit down and said, ¡°Mother-inw, please rx. The doctor said that Shicheng¡¯s main problem is that his heart is weakening from shock. He has already undergone some acupuncture.¡±


    ¡°What kind of sin do you think we¡¯vemitted? Sigh, I wonder what¡¯s targeting us. Oh right, where are Wanning and Wanyu?¡± Madam Cui asked.


    ¡°Their father had fallen ill in bed because of this family. Why aren¡¯t they here to even visit him?¡±


    ¡°Wanyu is helping me to take stock of the losses in the residence. As for Wanning, I heard that she went out early in the morning.¡± Mrs. Cui said.


    ¡°Vile, such a terrible thing happened at home, but she still has the mood to go out and y.¡±


    Mrs. Chui¡¯s eyes shed, and she spat with a sinister look. ¡°I guess she probably went to the Gu residence.¡±


    She knew very well that even though the Yang family and their son had taken advantage of the Gu family, they had never truly epted Mrs. Gu.


    Mrs. Gu was particrly despised by her aunt, Madam Cui. She had no kinship with Mrs. Gu and even deeply despised her.


    She hated Mrs. Gu for acting so high and mighty, as if she couldn¡¯t even bear looking at her for once.


    Another thing was that when Yang Shicheng was conferring the imperial mandate, he gave it to the Gu family to please them, and not his mother.


    It destroyed her dream of being the Matriarch for many years, and she lost face in front of the other olddies in the various residences.


    Therefore, as long as Mrs. Cui associated the Gu family with Yang Wanning, Madam Cui would definitely hate Yang Wanning even more.


    Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Madam Cui¡¯s face immediately darkened. She growled, ¡°Send someone to bring her back. How could a girl who¡¯s about to get married go out every day?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will send someone over now.¡± Mrs. Cui smiled and sent someone to the Gu residence to look for Yang Wanning.


    Soon, the medicine was brought back, and Yang Shicheng woke up.


    After drinking the medicine, hey on the bed and exhaled. It seemed that there was something stuck in his throat.


    ¡°Son, even if we lose our wealth, we can slowly get it back.


    ¡°We still have our manors and shops, so we will be able to survive no matter what.¡± Madam Cui said.


    ¡°Yes, master. We can still withdraw some silver from the cloth shop. Don¡¯t be too worried.¡± Mrs. Cui Shi echoed, but she was also deeply anxious.


    Not only had they lost their family fortune, but they had also lost the betrothal gifts sent by the First Prince. With the day of her daughter¡¯s wedding approaching, how could she get married in glory?


    The following days weren¡¯t looking good.


    Thinking of this, she started to curse Mrs. Gu. That¡¯s right; she assumed that the Yang residence had been emptied by Mrs. Gu, who hade to demand her life yesterday.


    Otherwise, who could take everything away without leaving a trace?


    However, this idea was too ridiculous. Even if she said it out loud, no one would believe her.


    At that moment, Yang Wanyu walked in with a bitter face and an ount book. ¡°Rx, how can I rx? Our residence has nothing but food now. What about my dowry?


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly ask me to carry a few loads of grain over as my dowry.¡±


    After saying that, she wiped her tears hurriedly and was deeply terrified.


    She probably couldn¡¯t even gather six sets of dowries with their situation..

 Chapter 518 - 518 Panic

    Chapter 518: Panic


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At this moment, Yang Shicheng suddenly sat up and quickly walked toward Yang Wanyu.


    Then, under the shocked gazes of Mrs. and Madam Cui, he pped Yang Wanyu more than ten times in a row.


    Only when Yang Wanyu was screaming in pain did he stop and say, ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°Son (Master)!¡± The aunt and niece wanted to calm him down, but Yang Shicheng suddenly grabbed the cup on the table and threw it on the ground between them.


    The two women were shocked.


    However, when they saw Yang Shicheng¡¯s twisted face and bloodshot eyes, no one dared to calm him again. Instead, they quickly retreated out of the room.


    Even Yang Wanyu, who was wailing, immediately shut her mouth.


    After they left, Yang Wanyu held Mrs. Cui¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Mom, why did Dad hit me? It hurts so much.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in a bad mood now, so don¡¯t mention your dowry for the time being. It¡¯s better for you to quickly apply some medicine. Otherwise, your face won¡¯t recover in ten days to half a month.¡± Mrs. Cui looked at her daughter¡¯s gradually swollen face and said.


    Yang Wanyu got anxious when she heard that. She quickly ran back without even saying goodbye.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Cui sighed and caught up with Madam Cui, saying, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s time for us to take the silver we left at home. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid Wanyu¡¯s dowry will¡­¡±


    Although Madam Cui was reluctant, she thought of her anxious son and finally nodded.


    However, they did not know Yang Shicheng was not stressed because of the missing money or property.


    After all, he didn¡¯t care about that bit of wealth.


    He was anxious about the things in his secret room, especially the letters.


    Those were the many pieces of evidence of his corruption over the years. If it fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions, his future would be ruined, and he might even lose his life.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying received the news that the Yang family was looking for Yang Wanning. She stopped their lessons and asked, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Wanning hesitated for a moment and told her about Mrs. Cui loaning money and charging high interest rates through the Cui family. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able toe out for a while when I return.


    ¡°But since we have no money anymore, Mrs. Cui will definitely ask for silver from the Cui family in order to prepare a dowry for Yang Wanyu.


    ¡°This is an excellent opportunity. Please tell the Third Prince that we must wipe out the Cui family in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°But you will be implicated.¡±


    ¡°I will break away from the Yang family as soon as possible. At that time, 1 might have to trouble you to take us siblings in for a while.¡±


    ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡±


    ¡°Yes, otherwise, who knows how would I died?¡±


    ¡°Alright, be careful.¡± Zhou Ying reminded her and sent her off. At the same time, she gave her some medicine and some knockout powder, just in case.


    After she left, Zhou Ying drank a cup of water and then spread out her spiritual sense to look at the Yang family.


    Sheughed when she saw Yang Wanyu, who was beaten up like a pig¡¯s head.


    When she learned from Yang Wanyu¡¯sints that Yang Shicheng hit her, sheughed even more.


    She quickly focused her attention on Yang Shicheng.


    Yang Shicheng had already calmed down after venting his anger and was writing furiously in his study.


    Zhou Ying went over and took a nce. She thought he was asking his aplice, the First Prince, for help. She did not expect that he would instead submit a memorial to the throne, demanding strict management of the capital¡¯s public security.


    After writing the memorial, he went to the government office to deal with his documents as usual.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°What a strong heart he has. If it were anyone else, they would have to stay at home for a few days..¡±

 Chapter 519 - 519 Shameless

    Chapter 519: Shameless


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Suddenly, Zhou Ying remembered that Yang Shicheng still had a stack of silver left in his manor. It would likely not be transported back to the residence for a while.


    Then¡­


    Zhou Ying would dly ept it.


    She would find another suitable opportunity to deal a fatal blow to Yang Shicheng.


    She followed the address on the letter, found ten silver boxes, and kept them away.


    At the same time, before she left, she realized that this manor was used as a breeding farm. There were not only chickens, ducks, geese, and other poultry, but also cattle, sheep, pigs, and other livestock.


    There were quite a number of them.


    She nced at the surroundings, and as expected, there were three breeding farms, each bigger than the other.


    She even saw the unique pheasant she had given them as Mother Goddess back then.


    She had to find someone to ask around and see if she could buy a simr manor. It¡¯s so that she can maximize the profits of her restaurant in the future.


    On the other end, Yang Wanning went straight to the old madam to report her safety after returning to the residence. She then turned around and walked out.


    ¡°Stop right there.¡± Madam Cui, who was lying on the soft couch, immediately sat up and shouted coldly.


    ¡°Does Grandmother have any other instructions?¡± Although Yang Wanning was a little impatient, she still stopped and turned her head to ask.


    ¡°Did you know that your father fainted from anxiety?¡±


    ¡°I heard about it when 1 entered the residence. 1 was just about to go over and take a look.¡±


    Madam Cui snorted. ¡°Such a major incident happened in the residence. Why did you go out so early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°I went to look for my cousin-inw. 1 heard that Chenglin sent someone back to the residence to request food expenses yesterday.


    ¡°However, since that happened in our residence this morning, I had to borrow money for emergencies.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Madam Cui nced at her and asked, ¡°How much did you borrow?¡±


    ¡°Not much; only about 20 taels. But as long as Chenglin uses it sparingly, it should be enough for a month.


    ¡°A monthter, the shop would generate profits, and Chenglin would no longer have to worry about his food expenses.¡±


    ¡°20 taels of silver, that little?¡±


    After hearing that, Yang Wanning¡¯s eyes shed a hint of sarcasm. Over the past few months, the Yang family hadn¡¯t even given her allowance of io taels of silver on time, and this old coot still had the cheek to say that 20 taels of silver were little.


    Besides, she had never heard of them giving any money whenever the Cui family came to eat.


    Yang Wanning deliberately answered with a worried look, ¡°You should know the situation of the Gu family. After entering the capital, they have spent a lot of money on many things. I am already grateful that they can lend me 20 taels of silver to tide over the difficulties.¡±


    Madam Cui looked up at her thoughtfully. Why did she feel that Yang Wanning was acting differently today?


    She answered her every sentence, not giving in at all.


    Was she on the same side as the Gu family, or was she doing it purposefully?


    However, no matter the situation, it was not good for the Yang family. It seemed that she had to give Yang Wanning a lesson.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget; your surname is Yang, not Gu. In the future, your greatest reliance will still be the Yang family.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then you should rest, Grandmother. I have to send food to Chenglinter.¡±


    ¡°Wait, io taels of silver a month is already enough for him to eat. Give me the rest. The residence doesn¡¯t have a single copper coin now.¡±


    Yang Wanning secretly cursed her for being shameless. This was her emergency silver.


    She answered, ¡°No, you also know that Chenglin is used to spending money extravagantly. I¡¯m afraid that he¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the boy suffering a little? Besides, he¡¯s not young anymore. It¡¯s time for him to understand. No matter what happens, we¡¯ll set a monthly food allowance of io taels of silver for him in the future.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Here.¡± Yang Wanning quickly counted out ten taels of silver and put them into her purse. She handed the rest to the old madam..

 Chapter 520 - 520 Snitching

    Chapter 520: Snitching


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Aftering out, Chunxi said indignantly, ¡°The old madam is too annoying. She won¡¯t even let go of such a small amount of silver.¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop talking. To begin with, she¡¯s a greedy person, so this was to be expected.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and show our faces in front of my father.¡± After Yang Wanning finished speaking, she asked about the situation as she walked toward her father¡¯s courtyard.


    In the end, she realized that Yang Shicheng had already left.


    The two of them were just about to leave and give Yang Chenglin some money when they bumped into Mrs. Cui.


    Mrs. Cui interrogated her again and got the same answer.


    As for the fact that the Gu family was poor, she did not doubt it. After all, she had heard how badly the Gu family had been raided back then.


    However, when she saw Yang Wanning, she thought of an idea and asked, ¡°Oh right, did you overhear from the Gu family when the Third Prince will offer your betrothal gifts?


    ¡°Your wedding date is not far away.¡±


    Yang Wanning looked at her bright eyes and quickly understood what she was thinking. Mrs. Cui wanted to use her betrothal gift as Yang Wanyu¡¯s dowry, which was shameless to the extreme.


    Thinking of this, she shook her head and replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it. However, the Third Prince¡¯s main consort has yet to marry in.


    ¡°No matter what, I have to wait until the main consort is married for a full month before he has time to marry a secondary consort.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. The earlier he sends the betrothal gift, the better it is. I can also prepare your dowry earlier.¡±


    Yang Wanning¡¯s face instantly turned red after hearing that. However, it was not because she was embarrassed but because she was pissed.


    However, she pretended to be shy and said, ¡°This, this matter has to be discussed between you and Father.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and ran out.


    Mrs. Cui didn¡¯t think much about it but was annoyed by Yang Wanning¡¯sck of concern.


    However, she had to admit that Yang Wanning¡¯s concerns were valid and could only put them aside for the time being.


    Mrs. Cui then went to Cui¡¯s family after dinner.


    At night, in her interspace, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the Cui family¡¯s participation in the business of loaning money and charging high interest rates. ¡°Do you think King Rui will interfere in this matter?¡±


    ¡°With his personality, he might, but the consequences would be more detrimental than beneficial.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if the Empress and her son are involved. If they sh in advance because of this, it won¡¯t be good for us.¡± Gu Chengrui exined.


    He looked up at her and smiled dotingly. ¡°Oh, Mother Goddess, you can tell the Emperor about this. 1 don¡¯t think he will just stand by and do nothing.¡±


    ¡°Would he care about such trivial matters?¡±


    ¡°This is not a small matter. The country doesn¡¯t even legalize gambling, let alone loan sharks. Otherwise, the country would fall into chaos.


    ¡°Moreover, if it were Mother Goddess bringing it up, he would have to take it seriously on ount of you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    After saying that, Zhou Ying went to get busy.


    After she was done, she gave the Emperor a dream and deliberately mentioned that many had died because of this.


    Zhou Ying had just withdrawn her spiritual senses when the Emperor woke up. He looked at the dark sky outside and stared at it nkly.


    At the same time, he was a little excited. He didn¡¯t expect Mother Goddess to appear in his dreams.


    This led him to think that the Cui family had done something heinous, so he called Xiao Heng over and ordered him to investigate the Cui family¡¯s loan sharks in private.


    Although Xiao Heng was curious about how he knew about this, he did not ask further.


    He had heard rumors about it, so he personally left the pce and led his men to start investigating.


    Since Mrs. Cui was in a hurry to get more money, the Cui family was also acting far more boldly than before. This made it much easier for Xiao Heng to investigate.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the day of King Rui¡¯s wedding.


    Early in the morning, after confirming that the wedding envoy had set off, Zhou Ying brought Haitang a wedding gift of 888 taels that she had prepared earlier..

 Chapter 521 - 521 Forcing Their Request (1)

    Chapter 521: Forcing Their Request (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Residence.


    After breakfast, Mrs. Cui looked at Yang Shicheng and asked, ¡°Master, have you considered what 1 told youst night?


    ¡°Wanyu¡¯s dowry cannot wait. You have to make a decision quickly.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the Cui family? What did they say?¡± Yang Shicheng hesitated and asked.


    He did not want to touch the betrothal gift of King Rui unless they were really at their wit¡¯s end.


    If word got out, where would his dignity be?


    ¡°The Cui family can only take out 30,000 taels of silver, which is not even half of the First Prince¡¯s betrothal gift.¡±


    ¡°30,000, isn¡¯t that a little too little? If things really can¡¯t be rushed, just take back the original amount of money those people borrowed and forgo the interest.


    ¡°Regardless, we need to get our cash flow back.¡±


    Mrs. Cui was unwilling to ept this. If they only asked for the original amount, she would lose at least 30% of her profit.


    However, it was true that they had to try to collect back as much of their cash flow as possible.


    She could only say, ¡°You have to think of a way to let Wanyu get married in a glorious manner.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell Wannning and ask her to request the Third Prince for his betrothal gifts through the Gu family¡¯s madam?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to go to the Gu family and beg them, especially when they are both younger than me.¡± Yang Shicheng turned around and walked out.


    ¡°Master.¡± Mrs. Cui quickly stood up and shouted.


    However, not only did Yang Shicheng not stop, but he left as quickly as he could.


    Mrs. Chui was unwilling to ept his rejection because she knew the fastest way to get enough money was to get the betrothal gifts from King Rui. Otherwise, she could not gather enough money for her daughter¡¯s dowry.


    At the thought of this, she immediately got up, went to Madam Cui, and mentioned this to her.


    Madam Cui was also reluctant after hearing this. She could ignore Yang Wanning¡¯s life and death, but not her son¡¯s dignity. If news of this were to spread, would Yang Shicheng still have a foothold in the imperial court?


    However, when she thought of Yang Wanyu, she also remembered their true backer, the First Prince.


    For a moment, Madam Cui struggled to make a decision.


    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t hesitate anymore. Once Yang Wanning marries off, it will be toote.¡± Seeing that her aunt was still not relenting, Mrs. Cui urged her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you call her over and ask her about it?¡± Madam Cui hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.


    Mrs. Cui immediately sent someone to call Yang Wanning.


    At the same time, Yang Wanning, who was about to leave, also received news of this through her channels. After learning that Mrs. Cui had gone to look for Madam Cui, she smiled sarcastically. ¡°Mrs. Cui really loves her daughter.


    ¡°For Yang Wanyu, she dared to go against my father¡¯s wishes.¡±


    ¡°Miss, do you still have the mood to joke around? You should think about how to deal with this.¡± Chunxi shuffled her feet nervously.


    ¡°Why should I deal with it? Since Mrs. Cui has repeatedly mentioned this matter, it seems that she has made up her mind about King Rui¡¯s betrothal gift.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I push their boat to flow with the current and send her on her way?¡±


    ¡°But, this way, your reputation will be ruined.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just my reputation that¡¯s affected. I¡¯m sure the one who will be the most angry will be my father.¡±


    ¡°What if the old master mes you¡­¡±


    ¡°We have a shield.¡± Yang Wanning had just ended her sentence when a series of footsteps could be heard.


    Chun Xi was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood what she meant and smiled.


    After the person came in and expressed his intention, Yang Wanning nodded and said, ¡°Just in time. We have to pay our respects to the old madam. Let¡¯s hurry over.¡±


    After saying that, she left her courtyard.


    After entering another courtyard, Yang Wanning nced at the people present and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Grandmother, Mother, Auntie Ning, Sister Wanyu, and Sister Wanru.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Madam Cui said.


    She looked at Madam Ning and said, ¡°You and your daughter can go back now. We have something to talk about.¡±


    She looked at Wanyu and said, ¡°You go out too..¡±

 Chapter 522 - 522 Forcing Their Request (2)

    Chapter 522: Forcing Their Request (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sure.¡± The three of them turned around and walked out.


    However, when she was about to leave, Auntie Ning turned her head and nced at the three of them before walking out.


    After they left, Madam Cui said, ¡°Wanning, you know our situation. Can you borrow some money from the Gu family to help us ovee our difficulties?¡±


    After Yang Wanning heard this, she replied with a troubled expression, ¡°If Grandmother is the one asking, 1 have no reason to refuse.


    ¡°But my cousin¡¯s foundation is too shallow, and they can only lend us another eight or ten taels of silver. It¡¯s just a drop in the ocean in our situation.¡±


    She paused for a moment and continued, ¡°Oh right, I heard that they have been looking to buy food supplies. Why don¡¯t we use the excess food we have to trade with them?¡±


    Madam Cui¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how precious food is now.


    ¡°If we sell them our food, what will we eat?¡±


    ¡°But they really¡­¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s that difficult, forget it. Oh, why don¡¯t you go through the Gu couple and ask them to remind King Rui to send his betrothal gifts in advance?¡±


    Yang Wanning wanted to say something, hesitated, and finally replied, ¡°Mother did request me to do the same previously.


    ¡°However, His Highness had just gotten married today. In my opinion, he wouldn¡¯t send out my betrothal gifts within a month or perhaps before the new year.¡±


    Mrs. Cui was afraid that Madam Cui would back off after hearing that, so she interrupted, ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? It¡¯s just giving your betrothal gifts. It¡¯s not marrying you, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Yang Wanning looked like she wanted to say something more but hesitated.


    When the old madam heard her say this, she knew that it was impossible for King Rui to send over Yang Wanning¡¯s betrothal gifts before Wanyu¡¯s wedding.


    She waved her hand. ¡°Just pass on the message. Whether it seeds or not depends on His Highness.¡±


    She got up after saying that. ¡°Alright, go now. Go quickly so that you reach there before twilight.¡±


    After saying that, the old madam walked out.


    On the other end, when Zhou Ying arrived at the royal residence, she was surprised to find that the Empress Dowager and King Xian¡¯s consort were the ones entertaining the womenfolk.


    Of course, with them around, everyone else was much more careful when they spoke.


    Therefore, Zhou Ying stepped forward, bowed, and nned to find a corner to sit in.


    However, the Empress Dowager waved at her before she could find a seat. ¡°Miss Zhou,e over here to my side.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Empress Dowager.¡± Zhou Ying had no choice but to step forward with a smile.


    ¡°Oh, so you do know that I¡¯m the Empress Dowager? A few days ago, at your housewarming party, why didn¡¯t you invite me?¡± The Empress Dowager red at her and asked her to sit beside her.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard their newly installed floor heater is especially warm. Oh, the hotpot is said to be so spicy and delicious that those who ate it could not stop.¡± Consort Xian echoed.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Thismoner will send a portion to each of you after this.¡± Zhou Ying immediately stood up and apologized.


    ¡°Hm? Commoner? Didn¡¯t the Emperor give you an imperial mandate?¡± The Empress Dowager asked in surprise.


    ¡°I was raised among the servants since I was young, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m qualified to ept an imperial mandate.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head at that.


    Moreover, Gu Chengrui¡¯s position in the government was still unstable, so it was expected that the Emperor would not give her an imperial mandate.


    Besides, she didn¡¯t want it. If she were given an imperial mandate, it would limit her freedom.


    Thus, in order to prevent the Empress Dowager from interfering, she continued, ¡°The Emperor is wise, and he must have his reasons for doing so. We will just listen to the Emperor¡¯s arrangements.¡±


    When the Empress Dowager heard her say this, she said nothing more. Instead, she said, ¡°The day after tomorrow,e to the pce. I would love to try your cooking.¡±


    After saying that, she looked at Granny Liu.


    Granny Liu nodded and gave Zhou Ying a token to enter the pce.


    After Zhou Ying took it, she could only bow and reply, ¡°Sure, 1 will remember it.¡±


    After saying that, she retreated to the side..

 Chapter 523 - 523 Forced To Stop

    Chapter 523: Forced To Stop


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After a while, Mingyu followed Consort An in. With herpany, Zhou Ying finally had someone to chat with.


    Soon, someone from the Zhou family arrived, and it was only Madam Zhou.


    The two looked at each other, nodded politely, and then went about their things.


    Although everyone was curious about their attitudes toward each other, no one said anything when they remembered what had happened at the pce banquet.


    Next, the Yang family¡¯s group of four walked in.


    Everyone looked at them in surprise.


    Food was scarce these days, and every family would try their best to attend all kinds of banquets with as few people as possible. No one here expected that four of them would be attending this banquet.


    After they bowed to the Empress Dowager and sat down, someone asked curiously, ¡°Madam Yang, I heard your residence was robbed. Did you find any clues regarding the culprit?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but the government is helping us to investigate.¡± Madam Cui replied with a dry smile.


    ¡°This is strange. You mentioned that so many things were stolen, yet none of you heard anything?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Have you heard of the Five Ghosts¡¯ Maniption Technique? I heard that ghosts won¡¯t make a sound when moving things around.¡±


    ¡°If they can¡¯t hear anything, someone should have at least seen something.


    ¡°The same is for Mother Goddess. Although she could put things down silently, there would always be something that could be seen or touched.


    ¡°Say, with so many patrolling your residence and so many servants on duty, how could no one notice anything when that many things are stolen?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everything about this is just strange. No matter how you think about it, it¡¯s just creepy.¡±


    Madam Cui was disgusted after hearing this. What did they mean by saying their residence was strange? How could their residence be creepy?


    If this continued, everyone would probably think their residence was haunted.


    She quickly changed the topic and said, ¡°Oh, right. When did the wedding envoy leave? Would they be back soon?¡±


    What she didn¡¯t know was that many people in the capital firmly believed that the Yang family¡¯s residence was haunted. Moreover, they must have done something wrong and were suffering retribution.


    Of course, some others felt that Yang Shicheng was just acting. Otherwise, how else would they exin that everything in their residence had been emptied overnight?


    This group of people included the Emperor.


    The Emperor had begun to suspect that he had taken many bribes and started investigating.


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t be back that fast. Our two ces are located at opposite ends of the city. At the very least, the envoy must traverse half the city.¡± Consort Xian replied.


    The capital¡¯s streets were particrly lively because the wedding envoy was forced to stop halfway.


    They were stopped because there were five strong men pulling on an old man and a young girl.


    The best man, Zhou Huaiming, quickly dismounted and walked over. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    When the young girl saw Zhou Huaiming, she immediately turned around and kowtowed. ¡°Sir, please save me. 1 don¡¯t want to get sold into a brothel!¡±


    When she kowtowed and begged for mercy, the five men chasing her saw King Rui and the others on their horses. They looked at each other and turned to run.


    ¡°Capture and detain them.¡± Zhou Huaiming saw this and immediately ordered the officer who had rushed over.


    When the officer heard this, he chased after them. The two sides quickly fought, but only two of the five men were caught, and the rest ran away.


    Zhou Huaiming said to the young girl, ¡°You two follow them to the government office. I¡¯ll go over in the afternoon.¡±


    Before the young girl could return to her senses, the old man had already pulled her to the side.


    Zhou Huaiming saw that the path had been cleared, so he immediately got on his horse and continued their trip..

 Chapter 524 - 524 Envy

    Chapter 524: Envy


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Just as it was gettingte, the Emperor and Empress and the Fourth Prince¡¯s mother, Consort Shu, rushed over.


    Everyone immediately went forward and bowed to them.


    Next was the wedding ceremony.


    Zhou Ying took the opportunity to take a good look at Sun Miaoke¡¯s wedding dress. It was a bright red dress with patterns of birds and beasts embroidered with gold thread.


    The back of the dress stretched out six feet long. Overall, it looked both stylish and beautiful, making her envious.


    Looking at the Empress¡¯s luxurious attire, she finally understood why women fought so hard to attain a higher status. At least, they could dress better than others.


    ¡°First bow, to heaven and earth.¡±


    ¡°Second bow, to your ancestor.¡±


    ¡°Third bow, to each other.¡±


    ¡°Head into your bridal chamber.¡±


    The Emperor looked at the backs of the newlyweds andughed, ¡°Hahaha, 1 have seeded inpleting another major milestone in my life.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions to the Emperor. Long live my Emperor.¡± Everyone immediately stood up and bowed to him.


    ¡°Everyone, please rise. Today, I¡¯m attending the wedding as a father. Let¡¯s all have a good drink.¡± After saying that, the Emperor looked at Butler Feng and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin the banquet.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Everyone stood up and bowed before taking their seats at the banquet.


    Zhou Ying and the other women returned to the backyard. After they sat down, Mingyu looked at Wanning and asked, ¡°Wanning, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Yang Wanning was surprised by the question. ¡°Nothing. I just thought of something.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mingyu didn¡¯t ask any more.


    Yang Wanyu sneered at her, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s just envious of Sun Miaoke¡¯s red wedding dress.¡±


    ¡°As if you can wear it too.¡± Yang Wanning replied unhappily.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yang Wanyu was about to retort when Yang Wanning shook her head. She added hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about our dowries. Look at her 88 sets of dowries; 1 don¡¯t even know what you can gather when you get married at the end of the month.¡±


    Yang Wanyu was so angry after hearing that she picked up the chopsticks in her hand and was about to hit Yang Wanning.


    Mingyu raised her head and pinched Yang Wanyu¡¯s chopsticks with her fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t forget where we are.¡±


    Yang Wanyu angrily red at Mingyu, red at Yang Wanning, and finally let go of her hand and changed tables.


    Mingyu smiled and shook her head when she saw this. She winked at Yang Wanning and said, ¡°Well done; you finally know how to counterattack.¡±


    Yang Wanning smiled silently at that.


    However, she couldn¡¯t feel happy even doing so.


    Because Wanyu was right, she was envious of the red wedding dress when she had to wear a pink one as the secondary consort. She also knew that she shouldn¡¯t have these feelings, but no matter what, she was envious.


    Zhou Ying saw Yang Wanning¡¯s mind wandering off and coupled with her reaction moments ago, she more or less guessed her thoughts. However, Tang Wanning had chosen her own path, and there was no way to retreat. She knew that she had to bite the bullet and rush forward from here on.


    Mingyu had the opposite thought. She felt that Yang Wanning was worried about her dowry. After all, the Yang family went broke, and she doubted if they could even take out a decent, sizable dowry.


    ¡°Wanning, are you worried about your dowry?¡±


    Yang Wanning shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m more worried about Wanyu¡¯s dowry. Her wedding date ising soon, but there¡¯s nothing in the residence that we can take out.


    ¡°When 1 came out today, my mother even asked me to borrow money from my cousin-inw.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Even if they want to borrow money, they should borrow it from Wanyu¡¯s mother¡¯s family. Why would they ask you to borrow money from Sister Zhou?


    ¡°Moreover, the dowry of a secondary consort is at least 80,000 taels of silver. Even if Sister Zhou and the others could take it out, they would have to empty their family¡¯s coffers. Why would they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree either. But now, she¡¯s having ideas about my betrothal gifts. She wants me to send a letter to King Rui through Brother Zhou to ask His Highness to send my betrothal gifts as soon as possible..¡±

 Chapter 525 - 525 Egg Fried Rice (1)

    Chapter 525: Egg Fried Rice (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What? Are they shameless?¡± Mingyu exploded when she heard that.


    Zhou Ying immediately tugged at her sleeve.


    Everyone who was eating immediately raised their heads and looked at Mingyu with gossipy faces.


    Seeing this, Mingyu smiled awkwardly and waved her hand. ¡°Cough, cough, continue to eat and drink; we¡¯re just chatting.¡±


    Seeing this, everyone did not ask any more questions and continued the banquet.


    Zhou Ying lowered her head and asked softly, ¡°Wanning, what do you think?¡± ¡°It would be best if the entire capital knew about it, but it can¡¯t be the three of us who spread it.¡± Yang Wanning looked at Mingyu after she finished speaking. Mingyu¡¯s eyes widened when she heard that. She nodded in understanding and replied, ¡°1 understand.¡±


    Soon after, Zhou Huaiming apanied King Rui and started toasting drinks.


    When it was their turn, Zhou Huaiming said to Zhou Ying, ¡°Sister-inw, pleasee out when you¡¯re almost done eating.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. After they left, she ate another piece of chicken, got up, and walked out.


    As soon as she reached the outside, she was stopped by a young eunuch. ¡°Xiao


    Dezi greets Madam Gu. Please follow me.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked to the side.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment and followed him. At the same time, she opened her spiritual senses to monitor her surroundings just in case.


    When they arrived at an empty space, Xiao Dezi said, ¡°Madam Gu, please take the time to make a pot of Egg Fried Rice. The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress would like to taste your cooking.¡±


    Zhou Ying was surprised to hear that. Since King Rui knew that they wereing, he would definitely prepare enough food for them. Why did they still want to eat Egg Fried Rice?


    Xiao Dezi had met countless people since he was young, and he could guess what she was thinking at a nce. However, he could not say that the three were just craving to taste her cooking, so he could only cough and ask, ¡°What do you need?¡±


    Zhou Ying hesitated momentarily before replying, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the kitchen and look. Different ingredients will taste different.¡±


    ¡°Please follow me.¡± After Xiao Dezi finished speaking, he brought her to a big kitchen.


    When they arrived at the kitchen, most of the cooking had stopped, with only a few helpers still busy cleaning.


    Zhou Ying nced at the remaining ingredients in the kitchen. To be honest, there was barely anything. Fortunately, there was still pork fat, onions, carrots, eggs, and cold rice.


    She turned around and asked, ¡°Do all three guests eat carrots?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you have to control the amount.¡±


    ¡°No problem, it¡¯s just for color.¡± Zhou Ying nced at everyone in the kitchen and said, ¡°However, just leave the helpers behind. The rest of them have to leave.¡±


    Xiao Dezi nodded after hearing this and understood her concerns.


    He left behind a young boy stoking a fire and chased everyone out.


    Zhou Ying quickly started preparing. First, she took a big, clean basin and scattered the cold rice before cing it in front of a stove.


    The hot wind would evaporate the water in the rice faster.


    Then, she cracked six eggs and added salt and a small amount of pepper to them.


    She cut up some green onions and small radishes forter use. Then, she prepared the pork fat that she needed.


    After preparing everything, she didn¡¯t hurry to stir-fry the rice. Instead, she waited for the rice to cool downpletely.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying prepared a simple thermal container. It was made simple by putting hot water in the bottom container and the Egg Fried Rice on top.


    After ensuring the cold rice was no longer sticky, she asked the helper to make the fire bigger.


    First, she poured arge spoonful of pork fat, followed by the eggs. Before the eggs could solidify, she quickly poured in the cold rice.


    Then, she used a spat to quickly stir-fry the rice until every grain was covered with ayer of egg.


    After the rice was heated, she added the chopped green onions and carrots and quickly stir-fried them..

 Chapter 526 - 526 Egg Fried Rice (2)

    Chapter 526: Egg Fried Rice (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    A momentter, the rich scent of eggs mixed with rice wafted over, causing Xiao Dezi, who was standing nearby, to swallow his saliva.


    The young helper who was stoking the fire was stunned when he saw the golden Egg Fried Rice. He had never known that fried rice could be eaten this way.


    However, Zhou Ying did not have the time to pay attention to them. She quickly took out a huge bowl, scooped all the Egg Fried Rice into it, and immediately put it into the thermal container.


    Finally, she picked up the box and asked Xiao Dezi, ¡°Do we need to prepare smaller bowls and spoons? If not, we can leave.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need. Everything is ready over there.¡± Xiao Dezi responded, then quickly brought her to the main courtyard.


    That¡¯s right. For the sake of safety, King Rui arranged for the Emperor and the others to sit at a separate table in the main courtyard.


    There were also people guarding the entrance.


    When the two of them went in, they were checked to make sure that there had no weapons before they were let in.


    After entering the house, the Empress Dowager stopped Zhou Ying from bowing, saying, ¡°Forget the pleasantries and please hurry up serving the Egg Fried Rice.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Ying responded, then went forward to open the thermal container. After cing the bowl of Egg-Fried Rice on the table, she retreated to the side and waited.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. It¡¯s indeed very fragrant, and the color is also beautiful.¡± The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°Yes, her cooking is not inferior to the imperial chefs in the pce.¡± The Emperor nodded in agreement.


    Although the Empress didn¡¯t like Zhou Ying, she had to admit that her cooking was excellent.


    She immediately asked her personal pce maid to test for poison with a silver needle. After confirming there was no problem, the pce maid immediately scooped a small bowl for each of them.


    The three immediately picked up their spoons and started eating.


    In a short while, everyone finished their small bowl. The Emperor nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°Xiao Dezi, reward.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. Thismoner will take her leave.¡± Zhou Ying quickly stepped forward and said.


    ¡°Mm. Remember toe to the pce to make hotpot the day after tomorrow.¡± The Emperor nodded and reminded Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying immediately retreated after hearing that. Xiao Dezi chased after her and handed over two and a half gold nuggets. ¡°This is the Emperor¡¯s reward.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Zhou Ying thanked him politely, epted the reward, and turned to leave.


    When she returned to the banquet, it was almost over. Only Mingyu and Yang Wanning were still waiting inside.


    Seeing hering back in, Mingyu immediately asked, ¡°What did Zhou


    Huaiming ask you to do? What took you so long?¡±


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t hide anything from them and told them about the Egg Fried Rice.


    When Mingyu heard that, she remembered the hotpot from the other day and immediately said, ¡°Sister Zhou, I want to eat Egg Fried Rice tonight too.¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s just stir fry some dough. We don¡¯t have any good rice, and lower-grade rice won¡¯t taste good either.¡±


    Haitang and her husband were familiar with the ingredients avable in the manor, so Zhou Ying did not dare take out any of her rice from her interspace.


    ¡°I have some at home. 1¡¯11 get someone to send it overter.¡± Mingyu replied.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t mind if I use up all of it.¡± Seeing that she could not refuse, Zhou Ying had no choice but to agree.


    She looked at Yang Wanning and said, ¡°Come with us tonight. I¡¯ll send someone to escort you back after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, then I won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    After that, the three of them returned to Zhou Ying¡¯s residence.


    After Zhou Huaiming finished his meal, he said to Gu Chengrui and Yang Zepeng, the son of King An, ¡°You two continue; I have to interrogate a criminal.¡±


    ¡°A criminal?¡± Yang Zepeng asked.


    Zhou Huaiming didn¡¯t hide anything and told them someone had bumped into and stopped the wedding envoy earlier.


    When Yang Zepeng heard this, he knew it was being taken seriously, not because of the incident itself but because of its implications.


    Gu Chengrui naturally knew this as well.. The two of them asked at the same time, ¡°Do you need help?¡±

 Chapter 527 - 527 The End Of The Cui Family (1)

    Chapter 527: The End Of The Cui Family (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I can handle this small matter for now. You guys should stay behind and help King Rui send the guests off.¡± Zhou Huaiming then stood up and walked out.


    He could not let the two of them get too close to him and King Rui for now. Otherwise, they would also be in danger.


    Gu Chengrui and Yang Zepeng looked at each other and got up to get busy.


    Zhou Huaiming had found the camp of the patrolling soldiers in the eastern city and the old man and his granddaughter, who had been bullied.


    Before he could speak, the girl knelt down and begged, ¡°Please save us.¡±


    ¡°Please, get up. I¡¯m here to deal with this matter.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he invited the two of them to sit down and asked, ¡°Have you two eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the officials here gave us a bowl of flour paste each,¡± the old man replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Please, tell me what happened. Who were those people who threatened to sell your granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°The leader who captured us is called Brother Hu, and he¡¯s someone who is in charge of giving out and collecting back tokens.¡±


    ¡°Tokens?¡±


    ¡°Yes, tokens. When winter came, my son caught a cold and fell ill. However, all the valuables we had were exchanged for food.


    ¡°We had no choice but to borrow ten taels of silver for three months with a 30% interest rate, represented by those tokens.


    ¡°Unfortunately, my son still didn¡¯t get well. My son had just passed the seventh day when they came for us.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been three months since winter. Do you know why they are suddenly in a rush to collect the money?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not clear about this, but from what they said, it seems that their master is in urgent need of silver. This is why they are in a hurry to recover their capital. They even said that the interest could be reduced by half.


    ¡°But in our family, only the two of us are worth some money, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Short of silver? Someone who is in the loan shark business is short on silver?¡± Zhou Huaiming had thought of the Yang family when he said this, as they were the only ones really short of money.


    ¡°Do you know who the person behind them is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not sure about that. We just borrowed the money from Brother Hu.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure what you¡¯ve said is true?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. If I tell a lie, 1¡¯11 be struck by lightning and die a horrible death.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Everything we said is true.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you two wait here for a while. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he went to look for the two people who had been caught earlier.


    Ultimately, he was told that the two of them had run away.


    After Zhou Huaiming heard this, he stared at the soldier in front of him with a sharp gaze and asked, ¡°Are you sure they ran away on their own and not because you let them go?¡±


    ¡°General Zhou, they really ran away while we were eating.¡± The soldier replied in fear.


    ¡°Are you all good-for-nothings? It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t catch them all, but how could you lose the ones we caught? 1 think it¡¯s time for you to remove your uniform.¡± Zhou Huaiming turned around and walked out immediately after. However, after taking two steps, he stopped andmanded, ¡°What are you waiting for? Get your people to spread out and look for those people!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! 1¡¯11 get right to it!¡± The soldier saluted and quickly ran off.


    Zhou Huaiming sent the two victims back home, and at the same time, he had two subordinates temporarily protect their safety.


    He turned around and went to the admiral¡¯s office. He wanted to see who had the guts to dabble in the loan shark business in the capital.


    Lord Yan saw Zhou Huaiminging over in a huff and stood up in a daze.. ¡°Nephew Zhou? Aren¡¯t you apanying the Third Prince in hosting the banquet?¡±

 Chapter 528 - 528: Chater 528 The End Of The Cui Family (2)

    Chapter 528: Chater 528 The End Of The Cui Family (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you, Uncle Yan, but 1 have a favor to ask.¡± Zhou Fluaiming cupped his fists and bowed.


    ¡°Oh, do tell.¡± Lord Yan asked him after he sat down.


    Zhou Fluaiming didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and told him how the wedding envoy had been forced to stop. Fie continued, ¡°1 feel that there was something fishy about this matter, so I wanted to find those people and their master.¡±


    After hearing this, Lord Yan felt that Zhou Fluaiming was making a mountain out of a molehill. After all, it was not umon for people to loan out high-interest loans, especially since the past few years have seen so many natural disasters.


    Flowever, these were usually done by people at the lower end of society and could not cause any problems atrge.


    Flowever, when he thought of Sun Miaoke, he honestly felt a little guilty. In addition, they were rtives, so he decided to investigate and see if someone was behind this.


    Thus, he replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give the order to look for the person. Are you going to wait here for the news, or¡­¡±


    ¡°If there is something, let me know at King Rui¡¯s Residence. 1 have to return there now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send someone to inform you when I catch the person.¡± After Lord Yan finished speaking, he called someone in.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Fluaiming stood up, bid farewell, and returned to King Rui¡¯s Residence.


    Four hourster, Lord Yan sent someone to deliver a letter. However, only Brother Hu and the other two were captured, with the other two already dead.


    Zhou Fluaiming was even more certain that someone was up to something.


    He informed King Rui of this and rushed to the admiral¡¯s office.


    When Lord Yan, who was waiting in the room, saw him enter, he immediately led him to the cell. ¡°Brother Hu and the other two are quite stubborn. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to get anything out of them.¡±


    ¡°Where are the bodies of the other two?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve temporarily ced it in the government office, but I¡¯ve already informed the family members toe and get them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them take it away first and carry it directly to the prison cell. It might be useful.¡±


    Lord Yan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s useless. We¡¯ve tried.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? It looks like they¡¯re really stubborn; I¡¯ll meet them.¡± Zhou Fluaiming quickened his pace after he finished speaking.


    When he arrived at the cell, he saw Brother Hu and the other two still hanging on the rack, covered in blood.


    Zhou Fluaiming went forward to check them out. ¡°He¡¯s really a tough guy, enduring such a serious injury and still not making a sound.¡±


    When he saw some alcohol beside him, he picked it up and poured it directly on their wounds. As expected, the three of them immediately screamed in pain.


    Seeing this, Zhou Huaiming walked up to the person screaming the loudest and said, ¡°I believe you have seen the corpses of your twopanions.


    ¡°Flowever, they are much luckier than you. At least they can still leave a corpse behind, but you might not be so lucky.¡±


    ¡°If you want to kill or cut me up, do it. If 1 frown, I¡¯ll be your grandson.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want a grandson like you. I¡¯m afraid that the coffin of my ancestor will pop out, and they will p me for having such an unfilial grandson. 1 heard from a friend that there¡¯s a punishment called the Tiger Stool, which is simple and effective. Well, then, I can finally try it out with you guys.


    After Zhou Fluaiming finished speaking, he asked the guard to bring a chair, a stool, four ropes, and some bricks.


    After they were ready, they began instructing the guards on how to use it.


    When they had just added two bricks, the arrogant, hardy man had turned pale and terrified.


    Zhou Fluaiming saw this and asked, ¡°How does it taste? Have another brick. 1 want to see how many bricks you can take.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t. What do you want to know? 1¡¯11 tell you.¡± The man cried with an aggrieved expression..

 Chapter 529 - 529: Chater 529 The End Of The Cui Family (3)

    Chapter 529: Chater 529 The End Of The Cui Family (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Brother Hu panicked and immediately yelled, ¡°You coward, do you have any backbone?¡±


    Without waiting for Xiaoye¡ªthe interrogated man¡ªto speak, Zhou Huai Ming sneered, ¡°Yo, as expected of their leader. So you think you can endure this? Come,e; let¡¯s see how many bricks you can take.¡±


    Xiaoye looked at Brother Hu expectantly. He wanted to let his leader have a taste of this Tiger Stool and see if he would still be able to stay quiet.


    The guards immediately changed Brother Hu into the contraption excitedly. If the effect were good, it would save them a lot of effort when interrogating other criminals in the future.


    After Brother Hu was tied up, the guards didn¡¯t wait for Zhou Huaiming¡¯s instructions and directly threw two bricks at him.


    Brother Hu immediately broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. This simple and crude interrogation method was really killing him.


    Zhou Huaiming saw this andughed gloatingly. ¡°Add another piece. He¡¯s the leader, ain¡¯t it? Two bricks are too little for someone like him.¡±


    The guard immediately added another brick.


    This time, Brother Hu couldn¡¯t hold on anymore and screamed in pain. He could even feel that his leg was about to break.


    He kept struggling, and when the rope was pulled to its limit, Brother Hu finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed; what a man of steel. Let¡¯s add another brick.¡± Zhou Huaiming gave Brother Hu a thumbs up.


    The guards moved again, but it was getting difficult to add the brick this time.


    Brother Hu also felt that his leg would break if this brick were added. It would be broken by pure force.


    Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle. After hesitating momentarily, he shouted, ¡°Stop adding, stop adding! I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk!¡±


    Lord Yan, who was watching the show with his hands behind his back, said, ¡°It looks like this tiger stool is much more effective than whipping.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming smiled and asked the people to start recording his statement.


    With Brother Hu¡¯s agreement, the interrogation was quick. In a short while, they had revealed everything they knew.


    However, they did not say it was the Yang family. Instead, they gave up a person called Master Wen.


    Lord Yan immediately sent someone to invite ¡°Master Wen¡± over.


    After going through the Tiger Stool, Master Wen confessed quickly. Not only did he admit that he had spent money to save the two men captured earlier, but he also confessed that his higher-ups were the Cui family.


    In the end, Lord Yan ordered his subordinates to hand Master Wen to the Ministry of Justice.


    They quickly pounced on the Cui family after that.


    After receiving a tip, the Cui family was about to escape but was blocked.


    Zhou Huaiming brought them directly to the Ministry of Justice. In order to survive, the Cui family had no choice but to give up the Yang family¡¯s Madam and Mrs. Cui.


    King An, the Minister of Justice, who had mentally prepared for this, immediately dispatched someone to the Yang Residence to arrest them.


    By the time Yang Shicheng received the news, it was already a foregone conclusion.


    However, for the sake of Yang Shicheng¡¯s safety and to leave a way out for themselves, the two women did not choose to out him.


    However, King An only sneered at their stubbornness. He did not believe that just these two women could run such a major operation.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about Yang Wanning¡¯s intention. After Gu Chengrui, King Rui, and Zhou Huaiming discussed it, King Rui ordered the servants of his royal residence to spread the news that the Yang family was pressing for his dowry.


    Therefore, the next morning, Yang Shicheng was suspended by the Emperor for failing his duty.


    After leaving the pce, Yang Shicheng once again faced everyone¡¯s contempt and disdain.


    The moment he found out what was happening, he almost exploded in anger.


    When Yang Shicheng returned home, Yang Wanyu, who was waiting at the door, immediately rushed over and asked, ¡°Father, have you asked King An about Grandmother and Mother? When can they be released?¡±


    Yang Shicheng looked at her and didn¡¯t answer her question.. Instead, he asked, ¡°Did your mother ask Yang Wanning to request King Rui¡¯s dowry in advance?¡±

 Chapter 530 - 530: Chater 530 The End Of The Cui Family (4)

    Chapter 530: Chater 530 The End Of The Cui Family (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I only heard about it this morning.¡± Yang Wanyu¡¯s expression froze for a moment, and then she sped her fingers uneasily.


    Yang Shicheng looked at her guilty look and replied coldly, ¡°Since you know, why didn¡¯t you stop it? Our family isn¡¯t at the end of its rope, no?


    ¡°How much more of my dignity do you want to ditch?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ But¡­¡±


    Yang Shichengughed and said, ¡°What do you think you are doing? All you want is to gather your dowry and to get married in glory.¡±


    He gave her a hard p and continued, ¡°I¡¯m ruined. If you still want to get married, go marry a tramp.¡±


    After saying that, he went straight to Yang Wanning¡¯s small courtyard.


    After entering the courtyard, he saw Yang Wanning embroidering and stepped forward to kick her.


    Yang Wanning had noticed him when he entered, so she did not dodge when she saw him kicking her, but she was not stupid enough to take the kick directly.


    She purposefully moved backward when he kicked her to lessen the force of the blow, but she nheless fell to the ground.


    Then, she looked at him with an aggrieved expression and asked, ¡°Father, what happened? Why are you kicking your daughter?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my daughter, and 1 don¡¯t have a stupid daughter like you.¡±


    When Yang Wanning heard this, she understood that her cousin had settled their n. She was ted but still asked with a nk expression, ¡°Where do you get this from?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you, did you ask King Rui for his betrothal gift in advance through Gu Chengrui?¡±


    Yang Wanning acted stunned, bit her lip, and hesitated to speak. ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t want to, but Grandmother¡­¡±


    Yang Shicheng understood immediately that it must have been Madam Cui who pressured Yang Wanning to do this.


    Thinking of this, he harbored hatred for Madam Cui. She knew how much he had suffered over the years for his reputation.


    However, because of a few words from her niece, Mrs. Cui, she disregarded her son¡¯s reputation for Yang Wanyu¡¯s dowry.


    Again, he berated Yang Wanning in a bad mood, saying, ¡°Are you stupid? What will King Rui think of you in the future?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you always ask us to listen to Grandmother?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ do you know that the betrothal gift is for Wanyu as her dowry?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t my mother always been the head of the family? Didn¡¯t my mother¡¯s dowry fall into the hands of her and my grandmother? Chenglin and I only want to grow up safely.¡± When Yang Wanning said this, a hint of mockery shed in her eyes.


    Although Yang Shicheng didn¡¯t see her mocking gaze, he could tell from her tone that she was resentful. He narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°So you went with the flow. Why didn¡¯t you ask for my opinion first?¡±


    ¡°Ever since the Gu family was raided, have you even listened to us once? You even ignored my mother¡¯s requests before she passed away. Do you think I would still look for you?¡±


    A sharp glint shed across his eyes after Yang Shicheng heard her dissatisfaction and hatred. He then asked, ¡°So you aren¡¯t even considering your future? If you do this, you¡¯ll be looked down upon by others in the future.¡±


    ¡°King Rui wouldn¡¯t be so superficial.


    ¡°Besides, the clothes Mrs. Cui prepared for me during the pce banquet had already exposed my status in the family. Do you think he wouldn¡¯t know of this?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Big sister, how can you talk to Father like that?¡± Yang Wanyu walked over and gloated.


    ¡°At least, better than you. For the sake of a grand marriage, you ignored our family¡¯s current situation and ruined everything.¡± Yang Wanning turned her head and mocked.


    Yang Wanyu heard her words and immediately remembered the p she had just received. She immediately panicked and retorted, ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense! What does this have to do with me? Those things were all orchestrated by Mother..¡±

 Chapter 531 - 531 The End Of The Cui Family (5)

    Chapter 531: The End Of The Cui Family (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re such a good daughter. If it weren¡¯t for yourining, would Mother be worried?


    ¡°If she wasn¡¯t in a hurry, would she force me to beg for my betrothal gift? Would she think of desperate ways to recover the money?


    ¡°Now that Grandmother and Mother have been arrested, you¡¯ve pushed away all responsibility. Do you still have any conscience?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I¡¯ll fight it out with you!¡± Yang Wanyu shouted indignantly and rushed toward her.


    Yang Wanning didn¡¯t shirk and grabbed Yang Wanyu¡¯s wrist. She pressed her down and said, ¡°How dare you refuse to admit responsibility? Who¡¯s the one who keeps asking for her dowry every day?¡±


    ¡°Let go of me! I was never a part of this!¡± Yang Wanyu struggled and shouted.


    ¡°You know very well whether or not you were a part of this.¡±


    Yang Shicheng looked at them arguing and shouted, ¡°Alright, all of you shut up. Look at how you are acting! Did you forget you aredies from a noble family?¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked out.


    At the same time, he was highly disappointed in Yang Wanyu.


    Just like Yang Wanning had said, no matter what, her mother and Madam Cui were sent to prison because of her. Not only did she not feel guilty, but she also pushed all her responsibilities away.


    Would he be able to rely on such a daughter in the future?


    When he passed the garden, he saw the servants chatting in groups. He immediately went to the butler and scolded, ¡°If they want to continue working, work as they should. Get lost, otherwise.¡±


    ¡°This old servant will definitely manage them better.¡± The butler immediately replied carefully.


    ¡°If there¡¯s a next time, 1 won¡¯t let this go so easily.¡± Yang Shicheng returned to the study after saying that.


    The butler touched his forehead and muttered, ¡°Sigh, I guess it¡¯s up to me to take all that pent-up anger away.¡±


    Although he was unhappy, he still gathered the servants together and gave them a round of instructions.


    Yang Shicheng thought about it and felt he should visit Mrs. Cui, especially his mother. Otherwise, he would be criticized by others for being unfilial.


    He changed into his regr clothes. At the same time, he asked the maidservants to pack some cotton clothes and nkets. He then carried the clothes directly to the Ministry of Justice to see if he could get at least one of them out of prison.


    After learning of his intentions, King An shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve already been suspended. Don¡¯t get involved in this matter.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any decision on this. Let¡¯s just wait for the Emperor¡¯s judgment.¡± ¡°Ugh, then, can I go in and send them some cotton clothes?¡±


    ¡°This is fine.¡± King An nodded and stood up, asking his attendant to bring Yang Shicheng to the prison cell.


    Yang Shicheng was shocked by the cold air inside when they entered the cell. He couldn¡¯t help but shiver. At the same time, he was secretly d that he had brought some cotton clothes and nkets for them. Otherwise, it would be uncertain if they could evene out alive.


    He walked to the door of the prison cell where the two women were. He then saw the two of them shivering under one nket through the bars. ¡°Mother, your son is here to see you.¡±


    When the aunt and niece heard his voice, they immediately turned their heads. After confirming that it was him, Mrs. Cui immediately helped Madam Cui up and walked over happily. ¡°Master, you¡¯re finally here to pick us up.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t free you two for the time being, but I¡¯ve brought you some cotton coats and nkets.¡± Yang Shicheng pointed at the two big bags the prison guard had brought over after checking.


    ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t we confess?¡± Madam Cui grabbed the bars and asked anxiously.


    ¡°Yes, master, the Cui family has been raided, and all the silver has been confiscated.¡± Mrs. Cui echoed.


    ¡°This matter has to wait for the Emperor¡¯s decision. I¡¯ve already been suspended from my position.¡± Yang Shicheng shook his head.


    At that moment, the warden opened the cell door and threw two bags in. ¡°This problem of yours has blown up, and because of this, the Third Prince¡¯s wedding has been disrupted.¡±


    After saying that, he locked the door and looked at Yang Shicheng. ¡°Lord Yang, you only have fifteen minutes.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and left..

 Chapter 532 - 532 The End Of The Cui Family (6)

    Chapter 532: The End Of The Cui Family (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Madam Cui panicked and shouted, ¡°Son, you must save me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Take care of yourselves here for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, we will.¡±


    Mrs. Cui grabbed Yang Shicheng¡¯s clothes and pulled him over. She whispered in a panic, ¡°Master, Master, she¡¯s back! She¡¯s here to take revenge on us!


    ¡°If she hadn¡¯t stolen all the valuable things in our family, all these things wouldn¡¯t have happened at once!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying that Gu Chengrui is the culprit?¡± Yang Shicheng asked in surprise.


    He believed that Gu Chengrui had deliberately spread the news that they wanted dowries from the Third Prince.


    However, he didn¡¯t believe that Gu Chengrui was the person who robbed them. He didn¡¯t have the ability to do so¡ªnot even the Third Prince.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Mrs. Gu!¡± Mrs. Cui then told him about how Mrs. Gu attempted to kill her. She added, ¡°Originally, I wanted to invite a monk over to suppress her soul, but I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, Yang Shicheng stopped her and said, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? It¡¯s just a dream.¡±


    Many people in this world have done worse acts, but since when have the dead taken revenge on the living? It was simply nonsense.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s true, it¡¯s true! After Mrs. Gu came to me, our residence was robbed the next morning. You have to believe me!¡± Mrs. Cui tried persuading him.


    ¡°Son, it¡¯s better to believe it than not.¡± Madam Cui echoed.


    Then, she remembered Yang Wanning¡¯s abnormality and said, ¡°Yang Wanning, too. Ever since the Gu family came, she¡¯s not as obedient as before.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t she? Didn¡¯t she follow your instructions yesterday and ask for her betrothal gift from King Rui in advance? Otherwise, this wouldn¡¯t have spread like wildfire and made me aughing stock.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Although Yang Shicheng was getting impatient, he still exined it to them a few times.


    ¡°She did it on purpose! She must have done it on purpose. Otherwise, with the rtionship between King Rui and Gu Chengrui, how could it have been spread?¡±


    ¡°There are many kinds of swordless battles in the imperial court. Since you have revealed your hand, how can you expect it not to be used against you?¡± After Yang Shicheng finished speaking, he gave them a few more instructions before turning around and walking out.


    ¡°Aunt, what should we do now?¡± Mrs. Cui looked at Yang Shicheng¡¯s back and asked anxiously.


    ¡°Shicheng¡¯s official position has been suspended. What can we do?¡± Madam Cui sagged and seemed to have instantly aged by more than ten years.


    She knew very well that if even her son were suspended, the Emperor would only be more ruthless toward the Cui family.


    She regretted everything, especially her greed. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this miserable state. How would she face the ancestors of the Cui family after she passed? Just the thought of it made her scalp numb.


    After Yang Shicheng returned to the residence, he still felt that it was better to believe Mrs. Cui¡¯s ramblings than not.


    Therefore, he decided to hire a monk to suppress the soul of Mrs. Gu in her coffin so that she would never be able to reincarnate.


    He went straight to Mrs. Cui¡¯s room and took all her silver, surprised to find there were only less than 200 taels of silver.


    Ultimately, he even took out the title deeds of all the shops from the family¡¯s assets.


    Because he was afraid that someone was watching him, he did not dare touch the money in the manor.


    However, when he took out the title deed of the shops, he almost fainted from anger because the manor and shops were now under Yang Wanyu¡¯s name..

 Chapter 533 - 533 Asking For Help

    Chapter 533: Asking For Help


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Shicheng didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at this. ¡°Cui, you¡¯re such a good mother. If you weren¡¯t caught, would you have emptied the Yang family for that ingrate, Yang Wanyu?¡±


    So, just in case, he kept everything away and ced it in a secretpartment inside his study.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t give Yang Wanyu a single cent as her dowry. He would just give her an ordinary manor and shop.


    As for the rest, he nned to ask the First Prince to take back the 100,000 taels of silver from the manor and exchange it for some cloth and jewelry for her dignity. He didn¡¯t have any other way now.


    Thinking of this, he packed up his things and turned around to rush to the residence of Prince Hui.


    On the other end, after approving the memorial in the pce, Prince Hui and Prince Kang walked out together.


    After they came out, Prince Kang stepped forward and said, ¡°Eldest Brother, 1 heard that the Yang Family is asking for betrothal gifts from Third Brother in advance to prepare dowry for your concubine. What a great idea they have!


    ¡°Spending Third Brother¡¯s money for another of his daughter¡¯s dowry, your father-inw sure is smart.¡±


    How could Prince Hui not hear the sarcasm in his brother¡¯s words? Although he was unhappy, he still turned his head and smiled. ¡°Why, Fourth Brother, if you¡¯re envious, I might also add some dowry for your consort.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s really no need. Although my inws aren¡¯t very rich, we can still afford the dowry.¡± At this point, Prince Kang feared the First Prince would turn hostile and immediately added, ¡°Sorry, 1 got to go. 1 have to go back and prepare my betrothal gifts.¡±


    After saying that, he strode towards the pce gates.


    Prince Hui was furious when he saw this. At the same time, he was also disgusted by Yang Shicheng. It seemed that he had to find a sessor as soon as possible, as he could not watch as the lucrative position of the Ministry of Revenue fell into the hands of others.


    As soon as he entered the house, he heard his gatekeeper report, ¡°Your Highness, Lord Yang Shicheng is waiting for you in the living room.¡± ¡°Did he say anything?¡±


    ¡°No, but he looks like he has something on his mind.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± After Prince Hui finished speaking, he thought of the uing marriage and hesitated for a moment before walking over.


    When Yang Shicheng saw hime in, he immediately stood up and said, ¡°This lowly official greets Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Sit.¡± Prince Hui brushed Yang Shicheng¡¯s bow away and walked straight to the seat of honor to sit down.


    After drinking a cup of tea, he asked, ¡°Lord Yang, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I do have a small matter to discuss.¡± After Yang Shicheng finished speaking, he looked at the maidservant standing at the side.


    Prince Hui understood his intentions and waved his hand to instruct her to leave.


    Yang Shicheng then told him his n.


    When Prince Hui heard that it was because of Yang Wanyu¡¯s dowry, he immediately got angry and asked, ¡°Is the rumor in the morning true? Did you really ask for betrothal gifts from my third brother?¡±


    ¡°It was this lowly official¡¯s fault. This matter was arranged by my wife, and I really didn¡¯t know beforehand.¡±


    When Prince Hui heard this, he mmed the table angrily and scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t know this, don¡¯t know that! You just don¡¯t know anything, be it your daughter¡¯s dowry or the loan shark business the Cui family is doing.


    ¡°Why do 1 feel that the one in charge of the Yang family is your wife and not you?¡±


    Yang Shicheng immediately lowered his head and did not dare to reply.


    When Prince Hui saw this, he was furious. However, when he thought of the evidence in his hands, he could only say, ¡°I will help you gather 30 sets of dowry, and I won¡¯t be able to take out any more.


    ¡°As for the silver, you should keep it for yourself. Just buy something for your residence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m being watched now, so it¡¯s inconvenient for me to go and get it.¡± Yang Shicheng hesitated and replied.


    Hearing this, Prince Hui was shocked and asked softly, ¡°Did you burn all the letters we exchanged previously? Is the silver safe?¡±

 Chapter 534 - 534 A Husband And Wife Getting Along

    Chapter 534: A Husband And Wife Getting Along


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Shicheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat after hearing his question. In order to save his life, he could only brace himself and nod. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ve destroyed all the letters after reading them.


    ¡°As for the silver, I¡¯ve ced it in a fake decorated mountain. But, it¡¯s not the time to use it now.¡±


    Prince Hui believed him when he heard that because he had never seen him touch the silver he gave him.


    He replied, ¡°How about this? I will lend you 50,000 taels of silver. Remember to return it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness.¡± Yang Shicheng hurriedly bowed.


    Although 50,000 taels of silver was not a lot, it was enough to solve his urgent need.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± After Prince Hui finished speaking, he brought him to his treasury and asked the butler to bring him 50,000 taels of silver.


    Yang Shicheng took it and thanked him. He did not stay for long and immediately turned around to leave.


    After returning home, he immediately slumped into his bed.


    Because he didn¡¯t know how long the lie he made up couldst.


    He didn¡¯t know who had the gold, silver, and letters. Would that person bring his death to him?


    King Rui listened to Guard Chu¡¯s report on Yang Shicheng¡¯s whereabouts. When he heard that the First Prince had lent Yang Shicheng 50,000 taels of silver, he said, ¡°Keep an eye on Yang Shicheng. We might be able to dig out more dirt on him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what about Miss Yang?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about this. Gu Chengrui will handle it well.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± As soon as Guard Chu left, Qing Tao knocked on the door and came in. ¡°This servant Qing Tao greets Your Highness. Princess Consort requested that Ie to ask if you want to have lunch together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go over after I¡¯m done with my work,¡± replied King Rui hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Qing Tao responded and turned to leave.


    Rui Wang was no longer in the mood to read more official documents and sat down to drink a cup of tea. He went out for a walk and went to the side hall before heading straight to the main courtyard.


    Sun Miaoke was sorting out her dowries in her room when she saw himing in. She immediately came up to him and greeted King Rui politely. ¡°Wee, Your Highness.¡±


    King Rui looked at her awlward walking posture, and his heart softened. He helped her up and replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I had someone prepare two meat dishes and two servings of vegetables, as well as a bowl of chicken soup. Is there anything else you want to add?¡±


    ¡°No, your arrangements are good.¡± After King Rui finished asking, he asked, ¡°Are you getting used to living here? If you need anything, you can tell me. If I¡¯m not around, you can go to Uncle Feng too.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, as everything is well prepared. It¡¯s just that the room is hot and dry, so I¡¯m not used to it for now.¡±


    King Rui was stunned for a moment after hearing this. After all, he had only returned home to sleep at night and never felt any difort.


    He then replied, ¡°You can go to the kitchen and tell Madam Feng to turn off the fire during the day. Also, if it gets too dry, you can get her to ce a basin of water in the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°We can control the temperature?¡±


    ¡°Of course, as long as the fire doesn¡¯t go out. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if the heated floor cracked from the cold.¡±


    ¡°I understand. 1 heard from the servants that the heated floor was built ording to the one in Lord Gu¡¯s residence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Gu couple is quick-witted, and always fortunate. If there¡¯s a chance, can get to know them more.¡± King Rui nodded and added on.


    ¡°I see.¡± Sun Miaoke nodded firmly.


    Soon, the dishes were served, and the two of them sat down to eat.


    For a moment, there was only the sound of chewing in the room, and both of them got slightly embarrassed.


    At that moment, King Rui suddenly thought about how Gu Chengrui and his wife got along. He picked up a piece of cumin mutton that Sun Miaoke could not reach and said, ¡°Come, try this cumin mutton and see if you like it. Cumin is an herb that my cousin got from the Gu family..¡±

 Chapter 535 - 535 What A Disaster

    Chapter 535: What A Disaster


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Sun Miaoke was surprised. She bit her chopsticks and replied with a blush, ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡±


    At the same time, she was surprised and relieved.


    What surprised her was that she never expected him to serve her food personally.


    She was relieved he wasn¡¯t as cold as he looked on the surface, which gave her confidence in this marriage.


    King Rui nodded and did not reply. Instead, he stretched out his hand to reach for a steamed bun.


    Sun Miaoke hurriedly called out to him. ¡°Let me.¡±


    After saying that, she brought the te of steamed buns to him.


    King Rui picked one up and ced it inside his bowl, lowering his head to eat.


    The two of them didn¡¯t talk much after that, but they took care of each other, more or less. The two of them got along quite well.


    When Qing Tao saw this, she immediately walked out in the name of serving chicken soup.


    When she left the courtyard, tears flowed down uncontrobly.


    Honestly, she had always thought that her Young Miss could not let go of her cousin and would never get close to His Highness. It seemed that she was overthinking.


    In the pce, after the Emperor finished the barely satisfactory Egg Fried Rice made by the imperial chef, he asked, ¡°Old Li, is Xiao Heng back?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but this old servant heard Chief Xiao mention he was going to the suburbs to look for the victim.¡±


    ¡°The victim?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s said that many people died because of the Cui family¡¯s loaning business.¡±


    ¡°What a disaster.¡± The Emperorughed mockingly at himself.


    Even the Emperor, when the situation was at its worst two years ago, did not exploit the people. He even had to limit himself to one meat and one vegetable per meal.


    Instead, the Cui family dared to amass wealth wantonly. Unforgivable.


    He had to teach these servants of his a good lesson and make an example out of them.


    The Emperor spoke up, ¡°Keep an eye on them. If Xiao Henges back, tell him toe see me as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this old servant will remember it.¡± After Eunuch Li finished speaking, he retreated to the side.


    The Emperor got up and went back to the side hall to rest.


    They waited until the night before Xiao Heng returned. He handed a thick stack of confessions to the Emperor. ¡°Your Majesty, I have already investigated the Cui family¡¯s crimes.


    ¡°Over the past five years, 368 civilians have died from loans from the Cui family.


    ¡°Over a thousand girls were sold to the Red Chamber or elsewhere.


    ¡°Many also had their families broken up and their wives and children separated.


    ¡°Their total earnings over the years total about 150,000 silver.¡±


    ¡°So, not only are they in the loan shark business, but they¡¯re also involved in trafficking women?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they only traffic young girls who owe them money. They didn¡¯t dabble in anything else.¡±


    ¡°Are their rtives all dead, with so many people implicated? Howe no one has reported this case?¡± Angrily, the Emperor demanded.


    Xiao Heng made an awkwardugh. ¡°At first, the victims did file a report. They were not only denied justice, but they were also taught a lesson. As a result, no one dared do so anymore.¡±


    The Emperor understood what had happened and asked, ¡°Are the officials from back then still around?¡±


    ¡°Yes, one of them has also entered the Ministry of Revenue.¡±


    ¡°Good, very good.¡± The Emperor gritted his teeth.


    He ordered, ¡°Arrest Yang Shicheng and all those officials. Send them to the Ministry of Justice. Also, get that so-called Master Wen, Brother Hu, and the others who helped them. Arrest them and confiscate their property.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this subordinate will see to it immediately.¡± Xiao Heng turned around and was about to leave after that.


    The Emperor quickly called out to him, ¡°Wait a minute, have you found any clues about Yang Shicheng¡¯s corruption?¡±

 Chapter 536 - 536 Manor

    Chapter 536: Manor


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, the Ministry of Revenue is like an iron bucket. The people I sent in couldn¡¯te into contact with anything substantial. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take some time before there¡¯s news.¡± Xiao Heng shook his head.


    ¡°You may leave.¡± The Emperor waved his hand in disappointment.


    He was getting worried about the situation at the Ministry of Revenue. It seemed that he had to break this deadlock.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even know if the national treasury had been emptied that day.


    But who would be suitable? He flipped through the list of resumes of officials of the third rank and above.


    Zhou Ying, on the other hand, had been watching the Emperor¡¯s every move, curious about the Cui family¡¯s future.


    After receiving an answer from the Emperor, she immediately told Gu Chengrui, ¡°The Emperor has sent people to capture Yang Shicheng. What should we do now? Should we send a message to Yang Wanning?¡±


    ¡°No need. This has nothing to do with her. The less she knows, the better.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head and replied.


    ¡°Alright, but 1 don¡¯t know when they will be able to sever their father-daughter rtionship.¡±


    ¡°This is hard to say. Yang Shicheng won¡¯t let go unless it¡¯s necessary.


    ¡°If Yang Shicheng doesn¡¯t say anything, Yang Wanning mustn¡¯t take the initiative. Otherwise, her reputation would be ruined as an unfilial daughter.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. Usually, if the parents were still around, it would be difficult for a person to separate from their family, let alone sever a father-daughter rtionship.


    She then asked, ¡°By the way, how are the vegetables growing in the manor?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine. The spinach and rapeseed have already grown tender seedlings. As long as any extreme weather doesn¡¯t appear, we might be able to nt another crop before the new year.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to try garlic?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better not to. It¡¯s not appropriate to take out the seeds now. Let¡¯s put it off until next year. Oh, I¡¯ve already asked Brother Zhou about the farm you asked me to investigate.


    ¡°It belongs to neither Prince Hui nor the Yang family, but someone called Wang Li. However, he did not recognize this person.¡±


    ¡°Could it be an alias?¡±


    ¡°It could be, or it could be someone under Prince Hui.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. There aren¡¯t even any photos of the person right now. For someone with high status like Prince Hui, it¡¯s too easy to fabricate a fake identity.¡±


    ¡°By the way, Brother Zhou said it¡¯s impossible for us to buy a farm. We can only think of a way to build it ourselves.


    ¡°However, he did rmend a ce to me. It¡¯s at the foot of West Mountain, not far from the hot spring manor.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that ce is overgrown with thorns and weeds. It was about 2,000 acres, and there¡¯s a river on the side. If the ce is rebuilt, it will be enough to supply the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Is there any w? Otherwise, such arge area wouldn¡¯t have been left empty all this time, right?¡±


    ¡°First, it¡¯s too remote. Second, thend is poor.


    ¡°When the Ming Dynasty was just established, an official took a fancy to that piece ofnd and nted many peach trees. However, the trees either fell ill or the peaches that bore were small and sour, so he gave up.


    ¡°Later, when it fell into the hands of his descendants, it remained empty until now.


    ¡°However, from his description, it was because thend was slightly acidic and unsuitable for growing northern nts. So, I want to take some time to go over and take a look. I want to bring some samples back for an experiment. If it¡¯s suitable, I will buy it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go take a look at it. 1 remember that watermelons like acidic soil. We can nt watermelons and earn a lot of money from selling them. Why don¡¯t we go together tomorrow? It¡¯ll save you the trouble of running back and forth.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°It¡¯s better not to. The capital will be changing rapidly over the next two days. We can¡¯t treat it as if we were blind.


    ¡°Besides, you still have to enter the pce tomorrow to make hotpot..¡±

 Chapter 537 - 537 Getting Caught

    Chapter 537: Getting Caught


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Be careful.¡± Zhou Ying went to get busy after that.


    Gu Chengrui saw that there were ripe tomatoes in the field. He picked one, washed it, and ate it as he walked toward the grasnd.


    At the same time, Yang Shicheng had finished his meal and was thinking about preparing a dowry for Yang Wanyu in his study.


    Suddenly, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Before he coulde back to his senses, he saw two imperial guards rush in and grab him.


    Yang Shicheng was stunned at first, but when he returned to his senses, he panicked. He looked at Xiao Heng, standing at his door, and asked, ¡°Chief Xiao, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Lord Yang, what do you think is going on here?¡±


    Yang Shicheng was surprised by the rhetorical question but quickly realized the Emperor must have ordered his capture. His mood immediately wilted.


    Xiao Heng saw that he had calmed down and waved his hand. ¡°Take him away.¡±


    On the way, Yang Shicheng asked Chief Xiao about the reason for his capture. Although he didn¡¯t get definite information, he knew things weren¡¯t good when he saw the murderous look on Chief Xiao¡¯s face.


    He got uneasy. Could it be that the Emperor knew about his corruption?


    No, no way that was the case. If the Emperor knew about his corruption, he would not be arresting him but ransacking his homes.


    Thinking of this, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    The First Prince would definitely think of a way to save him, as long as it wasn¡¯t about his corruption and he didn¡¯t relent.


    Soon, Yang Zhicheng was thrown into prison at the Ministry of Justice.


    As soon as heid down in his cell, he heard a series of wails and howls. Dozens of people were thrown in, one after another.


    Five people were assigned to the cell he was in.


    Initially, he wanted to hear what they had to say to see if he could figure out why he was suddenly jailed.


    However, after 15 minutes, the five men just found a ce to lean against and fell asleep.


    He had no choice but to pull some of his hair down and make a sorry appearance.


    He moved to a thin middle-aged man and asked, ¡°Brother, what did you do? Why are there so many peopleing in all of a sudden?¡±


    That person nced at him and saw that he was rich and noble. He immediately replied in a bad mood, ¡°Tell me who you are and what you have done first.¡±


    ¡°I¡­


    ¡°My son gambled away all our family property, and we¡¯re being chased by people everywhere. I don¡¯t have a ce to hide, so 1 bribe the guards toe in and hide.¡±


    The man was stunned at first, then gave a thumbs up, saying, ¡°Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.


    ¡°We would have starved to death by now if everyone was all as cunning as you.¡±


    Yang Shicheng paused and deliberately looked at him in panic. ¡°You, you¡¯re from the casino?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m also responsible for collecting debts. If I knew the higher-ups would be so strict, I wouldn¡¯t have joined a group. Now, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be exiled even if I survive this ordeal.¡±


    When Yang Shicheng heard him say that, he immediately thought of the Cui family¡¯s loan shark business.


    He quickly asked the man whether they were part of the Cui family¡¯s group.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± the man asked, looking at him warily.


    ¡°I heard about it. This has spread throughout the prison over the past two days.¡±


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re really screwed this time,¡± the man said dejectedly.


    After realizing what was happening, Yang Shicheng didn¡¯t dare ask any more questions. These people would most likely tear him apart if his identity were revealed.


    After Yang Shicheng had been captured from the Yang Residence, Yang Wanning and Yang Wanyu also received the news. By the time they chased after him, he had already left.


    Yang Wanyu immediately ordered Yang Wanning, ¡°Hurry up and beg King Rui to see if he can save Father as soon as possible.¡±¡±


    Yang Wanning sneered after hearing this. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to Prince Hui? Mother has a good rtionship with the Empress, so begging them will give you a better chance.¡±


    After saying that, she just returned to her small courtyard..

 Chapter 538 - 538 Persuading Him

    Chapter 538: Persuading Him


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Yang Wanyu saw this, she was so anxious that she stomped her feet. However, she also knew that if she went to look for Prince Hui now, she would always have to lower her head before him after they got married. This would be detrimental to her future.


    But if she didn¡¯t save her father, what would happen to her marriage? Her dowry and her wedding would all be ruined.


    ¡°You¡¯re the eldest in the family. Are you just going to watch your parents get jailed and not care?¡±


    ¡°So now you think me of your elder sister? I¡¯ve never heard you call me sister once.¡±


    H j H


    ¡°It¡¯s toote. Begging anyone won¡¯t help us.


    ¡°You¡¯d better return to bed. We¡¯ll go to prison tomorrow and ask Father for his opinion.¡± After Yang Wanning finished speaking, she left.


    When she returned to her courtyard, Chunxi helped her wash up, hesitantly asking, ¡°Young Miss, are you really nning to meddle in your father¡¯s matters? I heard the people who took Master away were the pce guards.¡± ¡°No matter what, I have to do something to show action.


    ¡°By the way, are the servants in the courtyard obedient now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Ever since Mrs. Cui was arrested, everyone has been doing their best.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t rx at times like this. Otherwise, if something happens, it¡¯ll be bad.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Chunxi nodded solemnly.


    The next day, Gu Chengrui brought more than ten sticks of roasted donkey meat and left for the manor in a carriage with Lin Yitian.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying went to the kitchen to prepare the base and dipping sauce for her hotpot. When she came out, she saw Zhou Dong yawning in the distance. She called him and asked, ¡°Brother Zhou Dong, what¡¯s wrong? Those who don¡¯t know better would think you were outte stealingst night.¡±


    ¡°I wish 1 had the skills of a thief. At least I can earn money quickly.


    ¡°After over half a month of learning, I finally understand that doing business isplicated and difficult.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled and asked, ¡°So, what are you thinking? Do you want to quit?¡± ¡°No. What other options do I have? Farming is even more tiring.¡± Zhou Dong paused and continued, ¡°To be honest, although 1 don¡¯t have freedom and sometimes I get beaten up, my life is prettyfortable. At least 1 don¡¯t have to worry about food and clothing.¡±


    Zhou Ying secretly rolled her eyes after hearing that. That was because he had his parents protecting him. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even know how he died.


    So, she still tried to persuade him. ¡°Everything has a process. You¡¯ve been living toofortably, so you can¡¯t stand the sudden change.


    ¡°After some time, I¡¯m sure it will get easier once you¡¯re familiar with your work.


    ¡°Just like when you started farming, wasn¡¯t that as difficult as well?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Alright, I¡¯ll have to leave. Otherwise, I¡¯ll bete.¡± Zhou Dong nodded in agreement, then turned around and ran out.


    Zhou Ying walked around the residence. After seeing that everything was well cleaned, she returned to her courtyard.


    She thought of what Gu Chengrui had told her¡ªto monitor the capital closely. So, she poured a cup of tea, took a book as a cover, and spread her divine sense to the Yang residence.


    Coincidentally, she saw Yang Wanning and Yang Wanyu carrying bags as they left their residence.


    A trace of astonishment shed across her eyes. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these two people were like fire and water. Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t believe there would be a day when they would walk together in such harmony.


    After following them for a while, she realized they were sending Yang Shicheng some cotton clothes and quilts.


    Zhou Ying followed them as well. However, when they arrived at the Ministry of Justice¡¯s prison, the two women were denied entry, regardless of whether they were delivering silver or mentioning Prince Hui or Prince Rui.


    They could only leave the things they had brought behind and walk back with a heavy heart.


    Zhou Ying entered the prison and found King An interrogating people from the Cui family.


    In order to get some confessions as soon as possible, King An even busted out the Tiger Stool.


    But in the end, they couldn¡¯t find any evidence that could convict Yang Shicheng..

 Chapter 539 - 539 Announcement

    Chapter 539: Announcement


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At this point, King An knew that if he wanted to convict Yang Shicheng, he could only work on Mrs. and Madam Cui.


    However, both of them knew very well that if they exposed Yang Shicheng, the Yang and Cui families would be finished.


    Only when Yang Shicheng was safe could their children be safe, and only then would they have a chance to turn the tables.


    Zhou Ying admired their perseverance, but she knew that nothing must happen to Yang Shicheng now, especially before Yang Wanning cut ties with him.


    Therefore, she didn¡¯t do anything and obediently waited for the verdict.


    King An tortured them a few times, and even when the two of them fainted, he still did not get an answer.


    He could only helplessly tell the Emperor about his result.


    When the Emperor saw the Cui Family¡¯s confession, a murderous look shed in his eyes. He never expected the Cui Family¡¯s initial 20,000 taels of silver to grow to a total of 200,000.


    These were collected from middle- and lower-ss farmers and small businessmen with no foundation.


    It could be seen how many people they had harmed over the years. It was probably much more than what Xiao Heng had investigated.


    After that, he asked once again, ¡°The two didn¡¯t relent?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯ve already been tortured, but they still haven¡¯t relented.¡±


    ¡°Since they are willing to be the mastermind, then let them be.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he took out arge piece of paper and wrote quickly.


    After he finished writing, he handed it to King An. ¡°Post it. The Cui Family and their masterminds will be beheaded at noon tomorrow. The rest will be sent to the salt fields and mines.¡±


    ¡°Yes, 1¡¯11 head to it immediately.¡± King An paused for a moment before nodding.


    At the same time, he was puzzled. If the Emperor was so ruthless toward Mrs. Cui and her family, why would he let Yang Shicheng go lightly?


    Of course, he didn¡¯t know the Emperor was using the deaths of the Cui Family to warn those officials¡¯ wives to behave.


    As for Yang Shicheng, he would keep him around until he collected more evidence of his corruption.


    At that time, he would finish him off.


    Another thing was that the two secondary consorts he had appointed were both


    Yang Shicheng¡¯s daughters, so he wanted to gauge the reactions of his two sons.


    When the announcement was posted, the entire capital exploded in surprise.


    Of course, the people at the lower levels cheered, especially those who had borrowed money from them. Once the Cui Family perished, they wouldn¡¯t need to pay back their loans anymore.


    As for the upper ss, especially the officials, they went home in unison at noon to warn the womenfolk that they should behave themselves.


    Suddenly, those who had illegal businesses retracted everything, even if they lost money.


    When the First Prince received the news, he was nervous. He was afraid that Yang Shicheng would beg him for help.


    If he refused, who knew what Yang Shicheng would do next?


    On the other hand, the Third Prince did not care about this and just went about his daily business.


    As for Yang Wanning, he was fully supportive of her after learning from Gu Chengrui that she wanted to leave the Yang family.


    After all, Yang Shicheng was his oldest brother¡¯s aide. He didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with him. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if he was schemed against one day.


    At the Yang Family,


    Yang Wanyu was panicking because she knew very well that without the protection of her grandmother and mother, her status in the Yang residence might be even worsepared to Yang Wanning.


    Just as she was about to go wild with worry, Yang Chenglin and Yang Chengsen rushed back.


    Looking at their house, which clearly showed signs of decline, they understood that their families might be finished.


    Therefore, they ran anxiously to their sisters.


    Yang Chengsen entered Yang Wanyu¡¯s courtyard and saw her worried face.. He quickly went up and asked, ¡°Sister, what is going on? Are Grandmother and Mother really going to be executed?¡±

 Chapter 540 - 540 Choices (1)

    Chapter 540: Choices (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanyu felt a littleforted after seeing her brother, so she immediately told him what had happened in the past few days. ¡°Chengsen, what do you think we should do now?¡±


    ¡°Father was really jailed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the announcement didn¡¯t mention anything about Father. 1 don¡¯t know if he¡¯lle out.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and find Prince Hui. We can¡¯t let Grandmother and Mother really be executed.


    ¡°If that happens, it will affect our future.¡±


    Yang Wanyu froze for a moment. Although she agreed with his words, she still reprimanded him straight-faced, ¡°At a time like this, you¡¯re still thinking about your future.¡±


    ¡°What else can we do? We must think of a way to save them as soon as possible.¡±


    After Yang Wanyu heard this, her face was filled with reluctance. If she were to go, it would significantly lower her position in Prince Hui¡¯s residence.


    ¡°Hurry up. If father gets a stepmother, we won¡¯t have it good in the future.¡± After Yang Chengsen finished speaking, he dragged her out.


    When Yang Wanyu heard the word ¡®stepmother¡¯, she remembered Yang Wanning¡¯s treatment and finally followed him out.


    Yang Chenglin anxiously ran into Yang Wanning¡¯s small courtyard, stunned to see his sister sitting in her room leisurely drinking tea. He asked unhappily, ¡°Sis, why are you still in the mood to drink tea?¡±


    Yang Wanning ignored him and poured him a cup of tea. ¡°Drink some tea to moisten your throat.¡±


    Yang Chenglin sat in annoyance when he saw her acting like nothing had happened. Still, he picked up his teacup.


    The tea was scalding hot and almost burned his tongue off. In addition, his trembling hand spewed some tea, scalding it; his cup fell to the ground and broke into pieces.


    Yang Wanning put down her teacup and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The tea is a little hot, but it won¡¯t burn your hand. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? If you¡¯re in a hurry, you won¡¯t even be able to drink a cup of tea properly.¡±


    Yang Chengsen jolted and asked thoughtfully, ¡°Sis, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You came back because of Grandmother and Mother¡¯s execution tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are also people who say Father has been jailed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Father was taken away yesterday.¡± Yang Wanning gestured for him to sit down and told him what had happened in the past few days. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard that the Emperor handwrote this announcement. When have you heard that the Emperor changes an imperial edict?


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, the Cui Family must have harmed many people through their loan shark business. Therefore, it was useless to plead for mercy.


    ¡°As for your father, since the announcement did not mention him, he¡¯s fine for now.


    ¡°Moreover, his mother will be executed tomorrow. As her son, he would have to collect her corpse, so he would most likelye back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    At this moment, Chunxi walked in and said, ¡°Miss, I heard that the Second Miss and the Second Young Master went to plead with Prince Hui.¡±


    ¡°See, someone is more anxious than us. We just have to wait.¡± Yang Wanning concluded.


    ¡°But we¡­ Father will me us when hees out.¡±


    ¡°Chunxi, stand guard outside. Don¡¯t let outsiders get close.¡± Yang Wanning said this to Chunxi after hearing this.


    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± After saying that, Chunxi turned around and walked out.


    Only then did Yang Wanning tell him that Mrs. Cui had asked someone to put flecks of Hardy Ice nt in her tea. She added, ¡°You also know that although our mother¡¯s body isn¡¯t well, she isn¡¯t weak to the point where a cold will kill her.


    ¡°So I suspect that mother might also have ingested some Hardy Ice nt;


    that¡¯s why¡­¡±

 Chapter 541 - 541 Choices (2)

    Chapter 541: Choices (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Chenglin¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. However, when he saw his sister¡¯s solemn expression and remembered the conversation between Mrs. Cui and her, he was convinced.


    However, was their mother¡¯s death really the fault of Mrs. Cui? Thinking of this, he looked at her and asked, ¡°Is there any evidence to prove that Mother was killed by Mrs. Cui?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I also thought she died of illness, butter 1 overheard she froze to death. When Cousin Zhou confirmed the Hardy Ice nt in my tea, I suddenly remembered the cause of Mother¡¯s death.


    ¡°However, they did it too discreetly. The people who served Mother were either sold or dismissed by Mrs. Cui. 1 can¡¯t verify it for sure.¡±


    ¡°Who said Mother froze to death?¡± Yang Chenglin clenched his fists and asked with a darkened face.


    ¡°It was Yang Wanyu who identally let it slip. She said Mrs. Cui sent someone to cut off Mother¡¯s charcoal supply, so¡­¡±


    Yang Chenglin stood up immediately. Since it came from Yang Wanyu¡¯s mouth, it was basically confirmed.


    Thinking of this, he quickly ran out. He had to go to prison and ask his father if he knew about this.


    Yang Wanning immediately grabbed him and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask Father.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he will admit it?¡±


    H j ii


    ¡°Sit down.¡± Yang Wanning pulled him back and sat him down, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you before because I was afraid you would act impulsively.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you now so we don¡¯t have to care about Mrs. Cui. It¡¯s their fate whether they live or not.¡±


    Yang Wanning feared her brother would still make a fool of himself, so she stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll pick someone up.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember Mrs. Sun, who was by Mother¡¯s side?¡±


    ¡°I do. She¡¯s part of Mother¡¯s dowry, someone who never married.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think she should know something. Let¡¯s go to the manor and take a look.¡±


    Yang Chenglin hesitated for a moment before nodding and following her out.


    After they went to the kitchen to get some food, they took Chunxi with them and rode a carriage to the manor in the suburbs.


    Once they had left the range of Zhou Ying¡¯s divine senses, she no longer followed them. Instead, she focused her attention on Yang Wanyu.


    The two siblings were left alone in Prince Hui¡¯s living room. There was not even a single person to serve them tea.


    After about 15 minutes, Yang Chengsen stood angrily and said, ¡°Sis, what is Brother-inw doing? We¡¯ve been waiting for so long, but there¡¯s no one even here to greet us.¡±


    Yang Wanyu smiled bitterly. She knew this would happen but still held a glimmer of hope. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. His Highness is busy.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t our issue more urgent?¡± Yang Chengsen sat down angrily.


    However, no one came. Even Yang Chengsen quickly understood that the First Prince was turning a blind eye to them.


    The siblings looked at each other and got up to walk out.


    At this moment, Consort Hui walked over from afar. ¡°Sister Yang, shouldn¡¯t you wait for a while? His Highness should be back soon.¡±


    ¡°If His Highness isn¡¯t in the residence, why didn¡¯t the servants say so earlier?¡± Yang Wanyu looked at her and asked indignantly.


    ¡°Oh, my, such a temper. I just returned from my parent¡¯s home and didn¡¯t know there were guests.


    ¡°The servants should¡¯ve guessed your intentions, so they left you for His Highness¡¯ presence.


    ¡°You should know that the members of the royal family and the first-grade officials are in the pce at this time.¡± Consort Hui smiled and replied.


    However, today was an exception. The First Prince did not enter the pce after breakfast. Instead, he stayed in his study with his advisors and did note out.


    So, this meant the First Prince¡¯s absence was definitely intentional. He refused to meet the Yang siblings..

 Chapter 542 - 542 Seeking Help

    Chapter 542: Seeking Help


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanyu didn¡¯t know how to respond to her words.


    At the same time, she was highly annoyed. She had been so worried that she had overlooked the fact that the First Prince had left the pce to run an errand. She had damaged her reputation in the eyes of the consort, and this would be something to mock her for in the future.


    But remembering their purpose, she could only ask, ¡°When will His Highness return?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. We usually only have dinner together at night. The rest of the time depends on His Highness¡¯ mood.


    ¡°Of course, with such a major thing happening to the Yang family, he should be back soon if His Highness doesn¡¯t have anything important.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same as not saying anything.¡± Yang Wanning muttered to herself.


    She jolted after realizing the same thing. If the First Prince had the intention to help, he would have gone to their ce long ago.


    It was apparent that the First Prince did not want to see them.


    Thinking of this, her heart sank. ¡°Since Consort Hui already knows why we¡¯re here, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to pass on a message to His Highness. We¡¯ll have to take our leave for now.¡±


    ¡°I can pass on the message, but I cannot guarantee anything else.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± After Yang Wanyu finished speaking, she dragged the reluctant Yang Chengsen out.


    After leaving the residence of Prince Hui, Yang Chengsen red at her and questioned, ¡°What are you doing? I don¡¯t believe they can¡¯t even afford to feed us lunch. We¡¯ve been waiting for him so long; we might as well wait all the way.¡±


    Yang Wanyu shook her head and brought him to their carriage. After they got on, she told him her guess, ¡°I¡¯m going to the pce to look for the Eighth Princess and see if she can put in a good word in front of the Empress. You better stay in the carriage and don¡¯t run around, understand?¡±


    ¡°If even King Hui doesn¡¯t want to interfere, will the Eighth Princess do so?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just give it a try.¡± Yang Wanyu smiled bitterly.


    After saying that, she requested her coachman to drive them to the pce.


    When they arrived at the pce gates, Yang Wanyu exited the carriage and went straight to the guards. After reporting her name, she handed over the token the Eighth Princess gave her.


    However, she was immediately chased to the side. ¡°Go back. The Eighth Princess left early in the morning and isn¡¯t in the pce.¡±


    ¡°Where did she go?¡±


    ¡°The princess¡¯ whereabouts are not something we can inquire about.¡±


    ¡°I should be able to meet the Empress, no?¡±


    ¡°The Empress is in charge of the six pces and is very busy. Not everyone can see her just because they want to. You must have an invitation letter or someone to pick you up.¡±


    Yang Wanyu pondered to herself. ¡°It wasn¡¯t so difficult to enter the pce back then. Could they deliberately ask these guards to block her from entering, trying to ignore her entirely?¡±


    When she thought of this, a wave of hatred rose in her heart. So, they were discarded after their uses were done.


    Nevertheless, she still tried to persuade the guards. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help me inform her. No matter what, I¡¯m still Prince Hui¡¯s concubine who is about to marry into the family.¡±


    The guard¡¯s eyes shed with mockery. He couldn¡¯t believe she still had the cheek to mention her marriage at such a time.


    He waved his hand and replied, ¡°You can go and find King Hui then. You can¡¯t meet the Empress unless you¡¯re summoned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. King Hui is fine too. Isn¡¯t he in the pce too? I¡¯ll go look for him.¡±


    The guard paused momentarily when he heard this, but he quickly understood that even King Hui did not want to see her.


    He pointed to the opposite side and said, ¡°Go wait outside. I definitely can¡¯t let you in at this time.¡±


    After the guard finished speaking, he ignored her entirely.


    Yang Wanyu was so angry that she almost wanted to go forward and tear him apart. However, she knew it was useless; she returned to the carriage and waited.


    Yang Chengsen saw her dejected look and immediately gritted his teeth. ¡°All of them, bastards..¡±

 Chapter 543 - 543 Sending Hotpot To The Palace

    Chapter 543: Sending Hotpot To The Pce


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Shut up. Are you trying to go into an early grave too?¡± Yang Wanyu immediately covered her brother¡¯s mouth and growled.


    Yang Chengsen¡¯s head cleared after being yelled at by her. He shut his mouth and stopped talking.


    Zhou Ying was just about to see King Hui¡¯s reaction to Yang Wanyu¡¯s visit when Shizhu suddenly ran in and said, ¡°Madam, the people from the pce are here to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯rete. Go and get two copper pots for me.¡± She stood up and went to the kitchen immediately. ¡°Sister Haitang, no one came in all this time, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the only one here stewing the bone soup.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Come with me to the pce. Remember, don¡¯t speak unless I ask you something.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Haitang responded, then put away the things she had prepared and ced them in arge food box.


    She called for Shizhu, and the three of them walked out together.


    Granny Liu, who was picking them up, only sized them up briefly before letting them into the carriage.


    When they got into the carriage, Granny Liu smelled a pungent and spicy smell. ¡°Mrs. Zhou, did you bring your own seasonings?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the prepared base and dipping sauce for the hotpot. When stir-frying the spicy base, the smell will be very choking, so 1 prepared it at home.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Granny Liu nodded and checked the items they brought. After confirming there was nothing extra, she brought them into the pce.


    After entering the pce, Granny Liu brought them into the small kitchen of Longevity Pce. ¡°All the ingredients are here. You can start preparing. We¡¯ll start on time at noon.¡±


    ¡°Granny Liu, 1 will need to know how many people will be there so that I can prepare enough ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Two tables full. Prepare as much meat as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she instructed them to get busy.


    Shizhu washed the vegetables while Haitang started ting.


    Zhou Ying cut off the fat and tender meat from two sheep, shaved them into thin slices, and handed them to Haitang for ting.


    After the hotpot was served, Zhou Ying baked some scallion pancakes for the pce servants to bring in.


    Soon after, Granny Liu entered and informed Mrs. Zhou, ¡°Mrs. Zhou, the Empress Dowager said today is a family banquet, so she won¡¯t invite you in, but the rest of the mutton is all yours.¡±


    She gave her a hundred taels of silver after taking it out. ¡°This is for the copper pot. The Empress Dowager said they would have to bother you if they wanted to eat it again in the future.


    ¡°Granny Liu, please help me thank the Empress Dowager.¡± Zhou Ying added, ¡°There¡¯s still some minced meat, so 1¡¯11 make meatball soup. You can taste my cooking this way too.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait.¡± Granny Liu immediately nodded and smiled.


    The taste of the spicy hotpot was too tempting. She had long wanted to try it but was embarrassed to ask.


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and nodded, then turned around and got busy.


    A pot of steaming mutton meatballs and radish soup was served in a short while. The fresh fragrance of the mutton and radish fused together into a tempting mix.


    Zhou Ying looked at Granny Liu¡¯s twitching nose andughed secretly. She said, ¡°Granny Liu, please enjoy. We¡¯ll go back now.¡±


    ¡°You had a busy day, so let¡¯s share a meal. When we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll send you out together.¡± Granny Liu spoke quickly.


    Shizhu¡¯s stomach grumbled at this moment, and she could only nod in agreement.


    Naturally, Granny Liu still delivered the majority of the soup to the dining area. The remaining food was only then consumed by the four women with a sizable scallion pancake.


    After getting her fill, Zhou Ying used her spiritual sense to scan the ce while leaving the pce.


    She found the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and the young princes and princesses all inside, including the Eighth Princess, who had been arranged to go to the hot spring manor.


    Because of the slow boiling of the hotpot, a few of them even started to fight over the readied meat. It was a lively scene.


    It was probably a rare asion for the royal family..

 Chapter 544 - 544 Mrs. Sun

    Chapter 544: Mrs. Sun


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After leaving the pce, Zhou Ying reminded Granny Liu as they boarded the carriage, ¡°Granny Liu, if someone has a weak stomach, they might get diarrhea after eating spicy hotpot. You must call the doctor in time if this happens.¡±


    ¡°The Empress Dowager knows about this. There are imperial physicians specially prepared for this asion.¡±


    ¡°Great. See you soon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk again when there¡¯s a chance.¡± Granny Liu waved her hand and asked the coachman to send them back.


    When they reached home, Zhou Ying gave the two women two taels of money and said, ¡°Great performance today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your reward, Madam.¡± After the two of them received the silver, they thanked her and left.


    Zhou Ying asked Kuihua to make a cup of tea for her, then leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes to rest.


    On the other hand, Yang Wanyu waited until the afternoon, when the officials returned to the pce. She brought Yang Chengsen, who had been whining about hunger, back home after realizing the First Prince wouldn¡¯t be there.


    When she found out Yang Wanning and her brother weren¡¯t around, she thought they were also out looking for help, so she ignored them. After dinner, she simply went back to her courtyard to rest.


    As for Yang Chengsen, he had secretly gone to Prince Hui¡¯s residence. However, Prince Hui had gone out to avoid them after they left in the afternoon, so he had once again missed him.


    He wanted to rush in immediately because he was extremely furious about this, but the guards dragged him out like a chicken.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying was processing the mutton while Yang Wanning and her brother, whose eyes were swollen like peaches, walked in with a white-haired, skinny woman.


    She paused for a moment before standing up. She asked, ¡°She is¡­?¡±


    ¡°Cousin Sister-inw, this is Mrs. Sun, one of my mother¡¯s dowry maids. We came here to discuss something with you.¡± Yang Wanning said.


    As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Sun immediately bowed to Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Greetings, Third Young Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Sun, you¡¯re too polite. Please, get up.¡± After Zhou Ying Xu helped her up, she looked at the red and swollen eyes of the siblings and knew it was something major. She asked, ¡°Have you two eaten yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s have dinner tonight also.¡± Yang Wanning suggested.


    ¡°Alright, you guys go wash your faces with Shizhu. Have a cup of tea and rest while I get these mutton skewers ready.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯lle back to help youter.¡± Yang Wanning then followed Shizhu back to the house.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying and Haitang continued to get those skewers ready.


    In the evening, Gu Chengrui rushed back with Zhou Huaiming. When he saw the skewers, Zhou Huaiming eximed in surprise, ¡°What a surprise!


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m in luck today.¡±


    ¡°Eat moreter, then.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    She turned to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Oh right, Wanning and her brother are here. Go and greet them. We¡¯ll start grilling these skewers when the charcoal is lit.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll stay behind and help you roast these skewers. You know how good my skills are.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, as long as you don¡¯t burn it, it¡¯s all good.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and walked straight into the house.


    Seeing Gu Chengrui enter, Yang Wanning introduced Mrs. Sun to him.


    Mrs. Sun walked over and knelt. She choked, ¡°Third Young Master, you have to stand up for Madam. She died an unjust death.¡±


    ¡°Please, get up. There are guests. If there¡¯s anything you need my help for, let¡¯s talk after dinner.¡± Gu Chengrui helped her up.


    At the same time, he felt her pulse and was shocked. ¡°Do you have stomach problems?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been starving intermittently over the past few years, so my stomach has developed some problems.¡±


    ¡°You have to take better care of yourself. I¡¯ll prescribe you a few prescriptionster.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Third Young Master..¡±

 Chapter 545 - 656 Talking It Out

    Chapter 545: Chapter 656 Talking It Out


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sit down and have a cup of tea first. 1¡¯11 go change my clothes.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he entered his room and ced a title deed under his pillow.


    He quickly changed into rtively thin clothes and washed up before walking back out.


    The charcoal was ready, and Yang Wanning was about to get up and help.


    Gu Chengrui stopped her. ¡°Chenglin and 1 will go over. You all wait in the house.¡±


    Yang Chenglin immediately stood up and followed Gu Chengrui out.


    Seeing Zhou Ying and the others roasting skewers, Yang Chenglin asked in surprise, ¡°Is this smoked meat edible?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you try it. It¡¯s very delicious.¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked, ¡°1 heard there would be an exam next spring. How are the preparations going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going well, but I don¡¯t know if 1 can still participate.¡± Yang Chenglin replied with a smile.


    No matter what, Madam Cui was his grandmother, and Mrs. Cui was his stepmother. They hadmitted a major crime; he would have to miss his exams because of filial piety, even if the Emperor did not punish them.


    Of course, there was one other possibility, and that was to get an opportunity to cut off rtions with the Yang family.


    He just didn¡¯t know if they could seed in doing so.


    Gu Chengrui paused momentarily, remembered their situation, and felt sorry for him.


    He patted his little shoulder and said, ¡°Take your time. There¡¯s no need to rush. Gold will always shine, so you just have to be prepared.


    ¡°You just have to always be prepared for a chance to soar into the sky.


    ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be able to shine even if the opportunity was given to you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Yang Chenglin nodded in agreement, then looked at him with admiration.


    After all, Gu Chengrui was one of them.


    The Gu family¡¯s situation was much more severe than the Yang family¡¯s back then. Didn¡¯t Gu Chengrui not give up? Instead, he was ready for any opportunity, which led to his current status.


    Gu Chengrui felt a little guilty under Yang Chenglin¡¯s gaze of worship. He was where he was today not only because of those three years of study but also because of his experiences in his previous life over the past thirty years.


    ¡°What are you two brothers talking about? You¡¯re having a good time.¡± Zhou Huaiming asked curiously as he clumsily flipped the skewers.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a casual chat. Why is the guest cooking? Let me do it.¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and said to him.


    ¡°Wait, wait. With you guiding me by my side, this is a perfect learning opportunity. That way, I can make it for myself next time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll pass you the sauces.¡± Gu Chengrui found a spoon and started making a bowl of noodles for Mrs. Sun.


    He then took two steamed buns and roasted them on a skewer. Of course, he only sprinkled some pepper and salt on them.


    Yang Chenglin looked at Zhou Ying skillfully roasting the skewers and went forward to ask, ¡°Can 1 give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but everyone is waiting to eat. You should wait until everyone is almost done eating before giving it a try.¡± Zhou Ying replied as she sprinkled some seasoning on the mutton skewers and ced them on a te. ¡°Bring this into the house for your sister and Mrs. Sun.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Yang Chenglin nodded repeatedly. At the same time, he was enamored by the fragrance of the mutton skewers.


    Just as he was about to leave, Gu Chengrui called out to him. He ced the charred bun slices on the te and said, ¡°Mrs. Sun has stomach problems, so tell her to eat fewer mutton skewers, okay?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Yang Chenglin nodded, then carried the te into the house.


    Gu Chengrui returned to his room and brought out an additional small table. He also brought out a jar of wine as he taught Zhou Huaiming to roast the skewers.


    The two of them sat at the small table and ate while roasting..

 Chapter 546 - 546 Cause Of Death

    Chapter 546: Cause Of Death


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep our mouths focused on eating it while it¡¯s hot.¡± Zhou lluaiming said as he bit into a freshly roastedmb skewer.


    ¡°Of course, everything is delicious when it¡¯s just out of the pot.¡± Gu Chengrui replied with a smile.


    He raised his ss and added, ¡°Don¡¯t just eat meat. It¡¯s more delicious whenbined with a mouthful of wine.¡±


    ¡°True. Eating too much mutton will make you sick of it. 1 need to drink some wine to wash it down.¡±


    Zhou l luaiming raised his small wine cup and drank it in one gulp. He then raised his head and asked, ¡°By the way, when will you be able to sell your greenhouse vegetables? You must leave some for me.¡±


    ¡°Vegetables grown in greenhouses have a simr growth period as those grown onnd. Other than cabbage and bakchoi, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to enjoy the rest before the new year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. At least 1 can see greens in my meal in the middle of winter. You have to leave some for me when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Of course, no problem. If you¡¯re not busy, you can help me sell it to the others too.¡±


    ¡°Easy. It¡¯s just a matter of getting the word out. I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be enough for it to go around.¡±


    ¡°The rarer an item is, the more valuable it is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Zhou Ying waited for them to stop and asked, ¡°Brother Zhou, how are the roses selling? Can they be sold at a high price?¡±


    Wild roses were the primary source of ie for Xin¡¯an Vige. Their lives would be difficult if they could not sell for a high price.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a guess?¡± Zhou I luaihing turned his head and asked.


    ¡°1 heard from Mingyu that I couldn¡¯t buy it even if 1 wanted to. I think it shouldn¡¯t be bad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It was initially sold for nearly half a tael of silver per pound.


    ¡°Later, many women and youngdies realized its effectiveness and gradually raised the price.


    ¡°By the time you returned to the capital, one tael of rose tea was selling for one tael of silver; even this was barely enough. The teahouse bought thest ten pounds at a high price the day before yesterday.


    ¡°Looks like Xin¡¯an Vige is saved.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let them take good care of those wild roses. That¡¯s their treasure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll write a letter to Hu Chunter.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    Soon, Yang Chenglin ran out and tried roasting the meat.


    Once Zhou Ying estimated that everyone had eaten enough, she baked steamed buns and sweet potato slices and brought them into the house.


    After dinner, they sent Zhou lluaiming off, and the couple handed the stall over to Haitang and her husband before returning home.


    Seeing Yang Chenglin, who was so sleepy that he could not open his eyes, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Chenglin, go inside to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, there¡¯s no need. After we¡¯re done, we still have to rush back home.¡± Yang Wanning said.


    When Yang Chenglin heard that, he immediately stood up, despite being extremely sleepy.


    ¡°Tell me, what exactly happened?¡± Gu Chengrui sat down with Zhou Ying and asked.


    ¡°Madam¡­ Madam was killed.¡± When Mrs. Sun said this, she started crying.


    When Yang Wanning and her brother heard this, they started tearing up.


    Zhou Ying had no choice but to hand each of them a handkerchief.


    After they recovered, Mrs. Sun continued, ¡°Ever since the incident in the Gu family, Master gradually began alienating Madam, which put her on guard.


    ¡°But although Master alienated her and Mrs. and Madam Cui made things difficult for her, Madam gradually rxed her vignce after realizing there was no bodily harm.


    ¡°It was not untilst winter that Madam felt her condition worsening, so she found a doctor.


    ¡°The doctor imed Madam had overeaten cold or chilly food, which caused her body to get chilly and her blood vessels blocked. That was why her health was deteriorating.


    ¡°Later, he prescribed some medicine for Madam to drink.


    ¡°Her health improved slightly at first, but the medicine stopped when the snowstorm arrived.


    ¡°The charcoal supply stopped, so her health took a sharp turn.


    ¡°One night, she passed away from the chill when the firece ran out of charcoal..¡±

 Chapter 547 - 547 Analysis

    Chapter 547: Analysis


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I heard from Yang Wanyu, who let it slip identally, that Mrs. Cui cut off my mother¡¯s charcoal.


    ¡°There was also the chilly food that Mrs. Sun mentioned. If I¡¯m correct, it should be the Hardy Ice nt.¡± Yang Wanning said angrily.


    Gu Chengrui looked at Mrs. Sun and asked, ¡°Did you find out what the chilly food the doctor was referring to was?¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t find anything after three days of investigation. Of course, it¡¯s also possible that someone found out and reced them.¡± Mrs. Sun looked at Yang Wanning and continued, ¡°As for the Hardy Ice nt you mentioned, I have never seen it before, so I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and looked at Yang Wanning. ¡°Wanning, what do you n to do next?


    ¡°Cheng Lin, you too. Tell me what you think.¡±


    ¡°I want to sever all ties with the Yang family. Cousin, please help me bring that schr over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, where do you n to expose Mrs. Cui?¡±


    ¡°My father will definitely be there to collect their corpses, so 1 want to cut off all ties with him before that. We don¡¯t want to be in mourning for those two, and we don¡¯t want to get dragged down by them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, otherwise, we¡¯ll be acknowledging the thief as our mother.¡±


    Zhou Ying agreed with them wholeheartedly. After all, the Emperor had already begun investigating Yang Shicheng¡¯s corruption. Once he was found guilty, they were likely to face beheading or exile, which was worse than the Gu family.


    She reminded the siblings, ¡°With only this evidence, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to leave the Yang family. At most, you can deny having Mrs. Cui as your mother. You won¡¯t even be able to get rid of your grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, with the current evidence, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not enough for you to leave the Yang family.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    Even when Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying were kicked out of the family with nothing after almost getting killed, the patriarch tried to persuade them to make peace, not to mention that the Yang siblings had no evidence that Yang Shicheng had harmed or even abused them.


    Yang Wanning was stunned after hearing that and a little discouraged. ¡°How can we sever our rtionship?¡±


    ¡°First, the elder must take the initiative to abandon you, but your reputation will be damaged.


    ¡°Second, you can point out that Yang Shicheng is a fatal danger to you and that you have no choice but to do so in order to survive.


    ¡°Although this would affect your reputation, a reasonable person would see your hardship.¡± Gu Chengrui exined seriously.


    ¡°Of course, if you can be on the side of justice and create a scene, then being abandoned by your father will attract sympathy from the people instead.


    ¡°It¡¯ll depend on how you y this out.¡± Zhou Ying echoed.


    ¡°I understand. Thank you. I¡¯ll go back and think about it seriously.¡± Yang Wanning nodded thoughtfully.


    She got up after that. ¡°Cousin, cousin-inw, you¡¯ve been busy the whole day. Rest early. We¡¯ll head home now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you guys home. It¡¯s on the way to King Rui¡¯s ce, and 1 can ask for that schr.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and offered.


    ¡°Thank you for helping out.¡± Yang Wanning thanked Gu Chengrui and left with Yang Chenglin and Mrs. Sun.


    After they left, Zhou Ying sat down on a chair and drank her tea.


    After that, she called for the bath to be ready and happily took a flower bomb bath.


    Gu Chengrui returned home just as she was done. Zhou Ying went forward to take his cloak and hang it at the side before asking, ¡°Is it done?¡±


    ¡°Yes, King Rui has sent someone to the manor to pick up the schr. He will be entering the capital at around seven tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to take a bath? It¡¯s lovely.¡±


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before agreeing.¡± Sure. I¡¯ll go prepare some wormwood leaves..¡±

 Chapter 548 - 548 Great Evil

    Chapter 548: Great Evil


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Gu Chengrui finished his bath, he entered his bedroom and saw Zhou Ying leaning against the headboard and reading a book. Under the light, she looked like a pixie, smiling seductively. She stretched out her ws and pounced on him with augh.


    After a hearty exercise, Gu Chengrui took the title deed under his pillow and said, ¡°This is the title deed for thend I went to see today. It¡¯s a total of 2,200 acres.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s finally transferred? Where did you get the silver?¡± Zhou Ying looked at her name and asked, surprised.


    ¡°Brother Zhou gave me the money from the wild rose sale. 1 didn¡¯t take the rest and gave it to him as hismission.¡±


    ¡°How much did it sell in total?¡±


    ¡°4,300 taels. The manor was sold as barrennd, so it cost 2,200 taels.¡±


    ¡°Not bad. We¡¯ll split it equally.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she put the title deed into her interspace.


    After that, she used her divine sense to look outside. After confirming that Shizhu had left, the two entered her interspace.


    After finishing her work, Zhou Ying took a nce at the Yang residence.


    The Yang siblings and Yang Chengsen were already asleep. Only Yang Wanyu was still rummaging through the old madam¡¯s room.


    After ensuring the siblings were safe, Zhou Ying left and collected another batch of vegetables.


    She washed a tomato and ate it after that.


    The interspace¡¯s tomato was delicious, sweet, and sour. The texture was not inferior to eating a watermelon.


    She washed a few more, cut them into slices, and mixed them with white sugar. When Gu Chengrui returned, she served them for supper.


    The next morning, Gu Chengui had returned from morning court when Zhou Ying woke up.


    After they finished breakfast, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, has that schr arrived in the capital?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here. We can go pick him up anytime.¡± Gu Chengrui added with aplicated expression, ¡°The First Prince has pleaded for mercy on behalf of Mrs. and Madam Cui today.


    ¡°He hoped that their punishment could be changed to exile instead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Yang Wanyu looked for him for half a day yesterday, but he didn¡¯t show up.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he didn¡¯t think of a perfect solution.¡±


    ¡°So what did the Emperor say?¡±


    ¡°Of course he rejected it, and he publicly announced the evil deeds of the Cui family. Just the number of girls that were forcefully sold by them surpassed more than a thousand.¡±


    ¡°What about the Third Prince? Did he help?¡±


    ¡°Kinda. He said that after such a disastrous year, it¡¯s not suitable for blood to spill again. Beheading might not be too suitable.


    ¡°In the end, after the discussion amongst the ministers, their sentence was changed to hanging.¡±


    ¡°Hanging isn¡¯t that even worse than beheading? They¡¯ll have to suffer for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°Who asked them tomit such a heinous crime?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    The Cui family had done so many evil things. In her opinion, it was not an exaggeration to burn them at the stake.


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui went to the government office.


    Zhou Ying brewed a pot of tea and took a book as a cover to look at the Yang residence.


    This was Yang Wanning¡¯s first major event. Zhou Ying needed to see if Yang Wanning could defend herself, if she were smart enough, or if it was worth it to help her all the way to the end.


    Yang Wanning and Yang Chenglin had just finished their lunch when Aunt Ning and her daughter walked in, followed by two childless aunts.


    When Yang Wanning saw everyone, she stood up and asked, ¡°Why are all of you gathered here at my ce?¡±


    ¡°I asked them toe over. Grandmother and Mother are going to be beheaded at noon. We have to discuss what to do, right?¡± Yang Wanyu walked in, followed by Yang Chengsen, who had a gloomy aura..

 Chapter 549 - 549 Relationships

    Chapter 549: Rtionships


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Come in then.¡± Yang Wanyu invited them into her room.


    After everyone sat down, Yang Wanyu looked at Yang Wanning and said, ¡°You¡¯re the eldest. Tell us what we should do.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve gathered everyone together, you must have an idea. I want to hear what you think.¡±


    Yang Wanning immediately kicked the ball back to her. She did not even want to acknowledge Mrs. and Madam Cui as her family, so she would not interfere in their matters.


    Yang Wanyu had no choice, so she stood up and said, ¡°1 think we should go to the Emperor together. Grandmother and Mother must have been dragged down by the Cui family.¡±


    After she finished speaking, no one agreed with her.


    Yang Wanyu looked at Yang Wanning and asked, ¡°What do you think, Big Sister?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it will work? Instead of asking the Emperor to change his sentence, 1 think it would be better to ask King An to release Father first. Father knows more and has more connections.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, 1 think what she said makes sense.


    ¡°We have no position to speak of and no one to lead us. We can¡¯t even enter the pce.¡± Mrs. Ning echoed.


    The elderly Mrs. Zhang, sitting at the side, had a nk expression on her face. She had no intention of participating at all.


    The younger Mrs. Zhao gloated and said, ¡°1 also agree with her.¡±


    She looked at Yang Wanyu and added, ¡°1 heard that you and your brother not only went to look for Prince Hui yesterday but also went to the pce gate to look for the Eighth Princess and Empress.


    ¡°I heard you didn¡¯t even meet a single person after all that. This should tell you that this matter is very troublesome.


    ¡°If even the Empress and the First Prince can¡¯t change their fates, we probably won¡¯t be able to achieve anything, even if we kneel to our deaths at the pce gates.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yang Wanyu red at Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao smiled. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. From the looks of it, it¡¯s useless to do anything now. It¡¯s better to think of a way to gather some silver to buy two coffins.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not willing to help, then get out. You¡¯re not the only one here to help.¡± Yang Chengsen stood up and chastised her.


    ¡°I wish you good luck.¡± Mrs. Zhao turned around and walked out.


    Mrs. Zhang immediately followed her.


    As for Mrs. Ning, she hesitated momentarily before sitting back down.


    She looked at the siblings and said, ¡°Mirs. Zhao¡¯s words may sound unpleasant, but we¡¯ve already begged everyone we can. Since there¡¯s no change, we must prepare for the worst.¡±


    ¡°You, you guys¡­¡± Yang Wanyu saw no one supporting saving her mother and immediately ran out angrily.


    Yang Chengsen huffed and followed.


    Mrs. Ning stood up and said, ¡°Sorry for disturbing you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite.¡± Yang Wanning stood up and sent her out.


    She went inside to find Mrs. Sun and asked, ¡°Mrs. Sun, do you know them?


    Does Mrs. Zhao have a grudge with Mrs. Cui?¡±


    ¡°When the Gu family was in trouble, Mrs. Zhao had a miscarriage.


    ¡°The rumors were that cats raised by Mrs. Cui caused it. As for whether it was on purpose, it was not confirmed.


    ¡°But from then on, Mrs. Zhao hated her.


    ¡°Mrs. Zhao is also a strong person. She relied on your father¡¯s favor to resist the suppression of Mrs. and Madam Cui.


    ¡°As for Mrs. Zhang, she¡¯s also a poor person. She was another woman the Old Madam arranged for Master after your mother got pregnant.


    ¡°However, after so many years, she had never born a child. Madam could not bear it anymore and finally promoted her to a concubine.


    ¡°As for Mrs. Ning, she moved into the residence eight years ago. It was said she had connections with the Empress¡¯s family, so she held some status here.


    ¡°All these years, she stayed out of the fight to protect herself.


    ¡°However, judging from what she said just now, she was probably trying to take advantage of the situation to be the main wife..¡±

 Chapter 550 - 550 Disappointed

    Chapter 550: Disappointed


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Main wife? What else does the Yang Residence even have left? Even my father¡¯s official position might be gone.¡± Yang Wanning sneered.


    ¡°No matter what, before you leave the Yang family, try not to get into conflict with her.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You should take a rest. Other than Chunxi and me, don¡¯t believe anyone else¡¯s words in this courtyard.¡± Yang Wanning then turned and walked away.


    She saw Yang Chenglin sitting in the room. ¡°Cheng Lin, go change into dark clothes and gather at the stable. We¡¯ll go to the Ministry of Justice soon.¡± ¡°Got it, sister.¡± Yang Chenglin went to get ready after that.


    Yang Wanning changed into a set of blue clothes and went to the stable.


    When Yang Chenglin arrived, the siblings entered the carriage and headed straight for the Ministry of Justice.


    They went straight to King An after arriving at the Ministry of Justice, but he wasn¡¯t there.


    Just as the two were about to leave, King An walked in. When he saw the siblings, he paused and asked, ¡°Why are you two little fellows here? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Greetings, King An.¡± The two of them hurriedly bowed.


    ¡°Please, get up. If you have something to say, just say it.¡± King An said.


    ¡°Later in the afternoon, our grandmother and mother will be beheaded. We came here to ask if you can release our father so he can send them on theirst journey.¡± Yang Wanning requested.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± King An walked out and added, ¡°I¡¯ve just asked the Emperor about this.


    ¡°The Emperor allowed him out, but he cannot leave the capital. I¡¯m afraid your Grandmother and Mother can¡¯t be sent back to their hometown for their burial.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Yang Wanning thanked King An.


    King An only smiled when he heard that. He then brought the siblings to the prison cell.


    Seeing Yang Shicheng sitting cross-legged facing the wall, King An paused momentarily and said, ¡°Yang Shicheng, you¡¯re out of here.¡±


    The warden immediately opened the cell door.


    Yang Shicheng was shocked for a moment. He then stood up and walked over to greet King An. ¡°Thank you, King An.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Today, your mother, wife, and the Cui family will be beheaded. Go send them on their journey.¡± After King An finished speaking, he walked out.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Shicheng responded and immediately followed. When he passed Yang Wanning and Yang Chenglin, he nced at them but ignored them and walked out.


    Yang Chenglin, who had been looking forward to meeting his father, suddenly felt disappointed when he saw Yang Shicheng¡¯s attitude.


    No matter what, they had toe to pick him up, but he didn¡¯t even respond to their arrival.


    Yang Wanning saw his aggrieved face and rubbed his hair. She pulled on his sleeve and followed the men.


    When they arrived outside, they saw that Yang Shicheng was nowhere to be seen, so they entered their carriage.


    When they saw Yang Shicheng sitting inside expressionlessly, the two of them came up and called out to him before asking the coachman to hurry back.


    After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Yang Wanning turned her head and asked, ¡°Father, are we going back home directly?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Shicheng replied as he lifted the curtain and looked outside. After finding that the streets had been cleared, he knew that the people of the Cui Family would be escorted to the execution ground soon.


    ¡°Where are Wanyu and Chengsen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.


    ¡°Previously, Wan Yu wanted to unite everyone at home to kneel before the Imperial Pce and beg the Emperor for mercy.


    ¡°However, 1 and the other concubines agreed to ask for your opinion before deciding, so they ran away.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yang Shicheng immediately said this with a gloomy face.


    The Emperor had even arrested him when he had no evidence of his crimes.


    The Emperor was obviously using them as a warning to the others. How could he let go of the two main culprits, Mrs. and Madam Cui?


    Pleading for mercy would only ruin the Yang Residence further..

 Chapter 551 - 551 It’s Useless To Beg Anyone

    Chapter 551: It¡¯s Useless To Beg Anyone


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanning didn¡¯t say anything to that.


    Seeing this, Yang Shicheng had no intention of asking any more questions. Instead, he asked the coachman to speed up.


    After returning to the residence, Yang Shicheng washed up and ate. He changed into ck clothes and gathered everyone in the manor.


    Yang Wanning looked at his outfit and understood what he meant.


    However, Yang Wanyu was still blind to it. Or rather, she didn¡¯t want to understand it. She only wanted to save her Grandmother and Mother so that she could maintain her good life.


    Therefore, when she saw Yang Shicheng, it was as if she had seen a savior. She immediately pounced over. ¡°Father, quickly think of a way to save Grandmother and Mother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Father. Otherwise, it will be toote.¡± Yang Chengsen echoed.


    ¡°Shut up, all of you. The announcement has been issued. You think it¡¯s a joke? It¡¯s useless to beg anyone now.¡± Yang Shicheng replied with a dark face.


    When Yang Wanyu heard his words, thest straw broke the camel¡¯s back. She sat on the ground and cried like a wronged child. She cried without caring about her image.


    Zhou Ying felt a little sad, but she also knew that her feelings for them were mixed, so she did not have the slightest sympathy.


    Although Yang Chengsen didn¡¯t cry, he silently wiped away his tears. The more he wiped away his tears, the more his dams were about to burst.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Yang Shicheng shouted with a headache.


    He called his butler over and gave him 500 taels of silver. ¡°Buy two ck wood coffins, then buy 16 cedar wood coffins. If you don¡¯t have enough silver, ask them to put it on the tab.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The butler replied, then took the silver notes and rushed out.


    When Yang Wanyu saw the banknotes in Yang Shicheng¡¯s hands, her crying became softer until it waspletely silent.


    Yang Shicheng didn¡¯t think much about it and thought she was tired from crying. He turned around and said, ¡°Alright, follow me to the execution ground and send off my mother and madam.¡±


    Yang Chengsen wanted to refuse but was stopped by Yang Wanning.


    Yang Shicheng did not cause trouble for them after he came out, so they shouldn¡¯t take the initiative to cause trouble.


    Otherwise, this would leave a mark on their reputation, affecting their future. She had to find another suitable opportunity.


    Moreover, she could help her mother see the oue of Mrs. and Madam Cui.


    Instead, Mrs. Ning opened her mouth and said, ¡°Master, Wanru is only six years old. She shouldn¡¯t go. It would be bad if she got traumatized.¡±


    After hearing this, Yang Shicheng was originally unhappy, but he turned his head and met Yang Wanru¡¯s innocent eyes. He simply nodded and replied, ¡°She stays.¡±


    The group of people walked out solemnly after that.


    At the same time, the streets from the Ministry of Justice to the execution ground were already filled with people. Some even prepared a lot of small stones and stood at the side, waiting excitedly.


    Many were cursing the Cui family members while waiting for their appearance.


    Soon, 18 prison carriages slowly drove out of prison.


    The youngest prisoner at the back was only three years old. He was imprisoned in the prison cart and held the guardrail at the side as he looked at the crowd curiously.


    The people on both sides immediately got into a frenzy as soon as the prison carriages came out. The sounds of shouting and yelling got chaotic as stones and horse manure continuously smashed into the prison carriages.


    Mrs. and Madam Cui were hit in the head and screamed in pain, but it was useless no matter how they shouted or dodged.


    Not only did the number of things thrown at them not decrease, but it also increased more than before.


    Some even wanted to rush over and beat them up, but fortunately, the soldiers stopped them in time..

 Chapter 552 - 552 Public Anger

    Chapter 552: Public Anger


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The public threw the stuff in their hands harder and harder at them.


    The three-year-old kid at the backwas originally watching the show. Soon, he was hit on the head, and a red bump immediately appeared. He grimaced in pain.


    He started cursing, ¡°Who hit me? Stand out! I¡¯ll break your legs!¡±


    ¡°Beast, such a beast! Even a child can say such words! No wonder he¡¯s also sentenced to death.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, look at his fierce appearance. One look, and you can tell that he¡¯s not a good person.¡±


    ¡°Like father, like son.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that he¡¯s going to be executed; otherwise, he¡¯ll be another criminal in the future.¡±


    The child¡¯s mother listened to the people¡¯s discussions but was toozy to argue or turn around tofort her child. Instead, she silently and numbly shed tears.


    The members of the Cui Family were cursed and smashed with stones all the way. Finally, they arrived at the execution ground in half an hour.


    Soon, Yang Shicheng and the others also rushed over.


    ¡°Master! Master! Save me! Save me!¡± Mrs. Cui shouted when she saw him.


    Yang Shicheng shook his head and pulled Yang Chengsen to stand under the execution tform.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Cui burst into tears.


    Previously, she had heard that many other families also offered loans. Why was it that when others were fine, they had to die here?


    She couldn¡¯t understand why they ended up this way.


    Her husband was clearly fine. Why couldn¡¯t he think of a way to save them?


    Yang Wanyu wanted to go forward, but she didn¡¯t dare take another step forward when she saw the soldiers guarding the side. She just stared at them silently.


    At this moment, the members of the Cui Family started to curse Mrs. and Madam Cui. They wouldn¡¯t have ended up here if they hadn¡¯t asked them to get involved in the loan shark business.


    When it was close to noon, the supervisor of the execution, King An, and two officials from the Ministry of Justice walked over.


    One of the officials first emphasized the rules to maintain order.


    Then, another person announced their crimes.


    Some onlookers who had pitied them were enraged when they heard about their crimes, especially when they realized they had trafficked many women.


    All of them wanted to go up and beat them up.


    This was especially true for Mrs. and Madam Cui. Some even threwrge rocks at them.


    King An turned to look at the hourss and asked, ¡°Are there any objections? If there are no objections, prepare the execution.


    ¡°In addition, someone suggested that the country had just stabilized and wasn¡¯t ready for bloodshed, so their execution by beheading was changed to hanging.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, four gallows were carried up by the bailiffs.


    The people below immediately started discussing animatedly. Some people felt they were let off too easily, as their corpses would be left intact.


    However, there were also others who gloated at their misfortune.


    Decapitation only hurts for a moment. After that, you wouldn¡¯t feel a thing.


    However, hanging was different. Not to mention the more pain they would suffer, it was more humiliating too.


    Thinking of this, Mrs. and Madam Cui couldn¡¯t stay silent.


    ¡°Master! Master! Help! Please let them kill us in one fell swoop!¡± Mrs. Cui shouted again.


    Yang Shicheng was so angry that his teeth itched. So many people were watching from the side; what could he do?


    Once he opened his mouth, he would definitely be pushed to the forefront.


    Yang Chengsen raised his head and looked at Yang Shicheng, but Yang Shicheng just rubbed his head and didn¡¯t say a thing.


    Yang Chengsen didn¡¯t dare to speak. After all, he had seen the people¡¯s reactions and the Cui Family¡¯s miserable state. He didn¡¯t want stones and feces to hit him too..

 Chapter 553 - 553 Execution

    Chapter 553: Execution


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Shut up.¡± One of the soldiers saw Mrs. Cui shouting non-stop, so he stepped forward and kicked her down.


    Mrs. Cui simply crawled on the ground and wailed louder.


    At the same time, she was filled with regret. She regretted helping Yang Shicheng do so much dirty work but was abandoned at her final moment.


    In fact, she ended up worse than Mrs. Gu. At least Mrs. Gu died in their residence and had a grand funeral.


    As for her, it would be good if Yang Shicheng could even bury her in a decent coffin.


    She even left her son with the crime of being the descendant of a sinner. If there weren¡¯t any major turns of events, it would be difficult for him to pursue an official career.


    Seeing this, the members of the Cui family also realized that they were out of hope this time.


    All of them started crying.


    As they cried, the murmuring below the execution tform gradually stopped.


    As for Yang Wanyu, she looked at Mrs. Cui¡¯s despairing wails and silently shed tears.


    Madam Cui stared at the crowd below numbly; her mind was reying her life.


    When she was young, her family valued boys over girls. At a young age, she was already a good helper at home and outside.


    When she married a schr from a good family, she thought she could finally live a good life. Who knew her husband would die of illness when Yang Shicheng was just one month old?


    Later on, she did the best she could. She finally raised Yang Shicheng to be a man and got him to marry a golden goose like Mrs. Gu. Her days soared into the sky.


    She never expected that she would end up like this.


    What happened?


    Now that she thought about it, it was all because of dissatisfaction, resentment, and greed. They wouldn¡¯t havee to this if they hadn¡¯t dabbled in the loan shark business.


    Listening to all kinds ofints and curses from her family members, she ignored them.


    Yes, she didn¡¯t want to bother with anyone anymore.


    If they didn¡¯t exist, if they didn¡¯t keep asking for money, if they didn¡¯t betray her, she wouldn¡¯t have been pushed to the execution ground today.


    In this life, she never owed any of her family members.


    The only one to whom she was genuinely indebted was Mrs. Gu. Although she had snatched her imperial mandate, she had helped pave the way for her son¡¯s official career, given them a stable and wealthy life, and even left a son and a daughter for the Yang family.


    She had done everything she could for the Yang family, but they¡­


    At the thought of this, Madam Cui finally shed tears of regret.


    King An threw down a warrant and announced, ¡°Begin the execution.¡±


    As soon as the warrantnded, eight soldiers stepped forward and grabbed the four youngest members of the Cui Family, cing them on the gallows.


    Perhaps it was because they were young that their execution process was exceptionally quick.


    However, the agonizing struggle before death caused deep despair in everyone who was waiting for their turn. The timid ones were so terrified that they peed their pants.


    However, no matter their thoughts or reactions, they were still hung on the gallows.


    In the end, there were only two left: Mrs. and Madam Cui.


    Madam Cui was already numb to the outside world, and Mrs. Cui was on the verge of insanity.


    When they were ced on the gallows, Mrs. Cui saw her tearful children and the expressionless Yang Shicheng.


    She also saw Yang Wanning and her brother, who showed no expressions.


    Thinking about her children¡¯s future, she couldn¡¯t leave like this. Otherwise, Yang Shicheng would give up on them very soon.


    Therefore, she immediately shouted, ¡°Master, Master! It¡¯s Mrs. Gu! This is all her revenge.¡±


    The surrounding onlookers were stunned by her words, not knowing what she meant.


    This pissed off Yang Wanning, but simultaneously, she realized this was a golden opportunity.


    Just as King An was about to dere her execution, Yang Wanning rushed forward and said, ¡°Wait a minute!¡±

 Chapter 554 - 554 Questioning

    Chapter 554: Questioning


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What is it?¡± King An looked at her unhappily.


    ¡°Please let her speak. 1 can¡¯t let her frame my mother for no reason.¡± Yang Wanning looked at Mrs. Cui and said, ¡°King An is here, Father is here, and many others are here too. You must make yourself clear today.


    ¡°What did my mother do to make you try to smear her name before your death?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t rify, don¡¯t even think about dying painlessly.¡±


    ¡°Wanning,e down. She¡¯s your mother!¡± Yang Shicheng shouted.


    ¡°She¡¯s not worthy of being my mother! I won¡¯t acknowledge a person who wants to kill me, my brother, and even try to frame my mother before she dies!¡± Yang Wanning shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask her anything! How do you know if she¡¯s talking nonsense, or maybe you know if she¡¯s telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The people below listened and immediately mored to support Yang Wanning.


    All of a sudden, the voices of the people united. Their voices grew louder and louder until they reached a deafening level.


    When King An saw this, he immediately stood up. Taking advantage of the pause between their shouts, he roared, ¡°Stop, all of you, stop!¡±


    He approached Mrs. Cui and said, ¡°Mrs. Cui, I¡¯m now asking you as a judge of the Ministry of Justice. Tell me what you mean by what you said earlier.¡±


    Mrs. Cui didn¡¯t know what to say. She couldn¡¯t say she dreamed that Mrs. Gu wanted to kill her, right? Wouldn¡¯t that indirectly admit that she killed Mrs. Gu?


    She never expected Yang Wanning to dare to barge onto the execution tform.


    H j H


    Before she could say anything, Yang Shicheng came up and said, ¡°Your highness, she¡¯s just rambling before her death. Let¡¯s execute her; otherwise, it will be gettingte.¡±


    King An looked at Yang Wanning after hearing that. From her words, Mrs. Cui may have more evidence of her crimes.


    In addition to Mrs. Gu¡¯s rtionship with King An¡¯s mother, he nned to help Yang Wanning out.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Since she spoke out, 1 want to get to the end of this today.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let my mother be framed for a groundless crime.¡± Yang Wanning looked at Yang Shicheng firmly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yang Shicheng red at her, trying to indicate that she shouldn¡¯t pursue the matter any further.


    He wanted Mrs. Cui to refrain from speaking again. It would get him killed if Mrs. Cui couldn¡¯t take the pressure and said something she shouldn¡¯t.


    However, Yang Wanning ignored his looks and looked at Mrs. Cui. ¡°Why? Cat got your tongue? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±


    She had to clear up any misunderstandings today. Otherwise, it would be up to everyone¡¯s imagination once Mrs. Cui was executed. Yang Wanning and her brother would be in a bad position at that time.


    Yang Wanyu was also extremely anxious, but she dared not go up on stage because she knew what Yang Wanning said was true. She was afraid that she would get implicated.


    Yang Chengsen wanted to go up, but he was held down firmly by Yang Chenglin.


    Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Ning were happy at this turn of events, but they had no intention of going upstage.


    King An said to an official on the right, ¡°Record it.¡±


    He then gave the two soldiers beside him a look.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The official replied and sat down at the table, preparing his stationery.


    The two soldiers also came forward and took Yang Shicheng to the side. They covered his mouth and guarded him. His struggles were useless.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Mrs. Cui saw Yang Shicheng could no longer help and had no choice but to tell everyone about the night before the robbery in their residence and her dream of Mrs. Gu. However, she hid the fact that Mrs. Gu wasing to her for revenge.


    Yang Wanning asked quickly, ¡°So, you must have been frightened by my mother seeking her revenge..¡±

 Chapter 555 - 555 Warning

    Chapter 555: Warning


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing.¡± Mrs. Cui quickly denied this.


    However, the uneasiness in her eyes was clearly seen by King An. It seemed she may have caused Mrs. Gu¡¯s death; this meant he did not have to be polite any further.


    He looked at Yang Wanning and asked, ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡±


    ¡°She did harm my mother, but 1 don¡¯t have conclusive evidence for her murder.


    ¡°But 1 have evidence of the person who harmed me.


    ¡°As for corrupting my brother, my brother heard it with his ears. I knew of this too.¡± Yang Wanning said.


    ¡°Did you bring your evidence?¡±


    ¡°No, I originally intended to let go of this since she¡¯s getting executed. Since she would be executed in such a disgraceful way, for my father¡¯s sake, I didn¡¯t want to pursue the matter.


    ¡°But since she wanted to drag my mother¡¯s name through the mud before her death, I can¡¯t tolerate this anymore.¡± Yang Wanning wiped her tears and continued, ¡°All my evidence and witnesses are ready for presentation anytime.¡±


    ¡°Speak; 1 will send someone to get them.¡± King An quickly called a team of soldiers over.


    Yang Wanning turned around and led a group of soldiers to the side. She told them the location of her evidence and witnesses in a low voice.


    After the soldiers heard this, they greeted King An and quickly galloped away on their horses.


    Mrs. Cui was panicking at this moment. She did not expect Yang Wanning to have gathered witnesses and evidence of her crimes. When did she start collecting them, and how much did she collect?


    What should she do?


    ¡°Wanning, don¡¯t forget that your surname is Yang.¡± Madam Cui warned Yang Wanning.


    She didn¡¯t want to bother, but she spoke up when she considered Yang Shicheng¡¯s future.


    ¡°Of course, I know my surname is Yang. But no matter what, I can¡¯t just watch my mother¡¯s name get dragged through the mud.


    ¡°For example, if someone imed you murdered my grandfather, do you think my father would not care?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°From the moment you forced me to ask King Rui for his betrothal gifts to subsidize Yang Wanyu¡¯s, our rtionship was over.


    ¡°Moreover, since we were young, you¡¯ve never liked us siblings.


    ¡°Especially me. You never even gave me a piece of candy. You won¡¯t deny this, right?¡±


    Madam Cui looked at Yang Wanning¡¯s cold gaze and could only turn her head away and ignore her. She then gave Mrs. Cui a look.


    When Mrs. Cui received her gaze, her heart turned cold. However, for the sake of her two children¡¯s future, she finallypromised.


    As long as she refused to admit it, no one could do anything to her.


    These exchanges did not escape Yang Wanning¡¯s eyes, but she ignored them.


    It didn¡¯t matter to her how many crimes she could convict the soon-to-be executed Mrs. Cui of because she just wanted to leave the Yang family.


    Once word got out today, not many people would believe that Mrs. Cui was innocent.


    Sure enough, the crowd was in an uproar. They booed Mrs. and Madam Cui and even Yang Shicheng. They knew it was impossible for him not to know about this happening in his household.


    Those who knew his background immediately spat in disdain. After all, he was a typical example of someone who relied on his inws to start his career. It was shameful for him to treat his first wife and two children like this.


    Of course, there was no shortage of gossip in the capital. In a short while, a ton of old gossip was dug up. Most of them were about stepmothers abusing stepsons, daughters bullying illegitimate children, etc.


    About 15 minutester, the guards rushed over with Yang Wanning¡¯s evidence and witnesses.


    Of course, Gu Chengrui and King Rui, who had been informed in advance, also rushed over.


    King Rui did not approach the execution ground. Instead, he stopped in an alley a distance away.


    After the witnesses and evidence were brought up, Yang Wanning pointed at the schr and exined loudly how Mrs. Cui and her daughter plotted against her marriage..

 Chapter 556 - 556 Not Admitting

    Chapter 556: Not Admitting


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    King An looked at the schr and asked, ¡°Is what Miss Yang told the truth?¡±


    The schr pointed at a woman and said, ¡°Yes, she is the one who came to me. She asked me to ruin Miss Yang¡¯s innocence and then marry her.


    ¡°However, before I could make a move, 1 was discovered by King Rui¡¯s convoy.¡±


    Yang Wanning pointed at another woman and said, ¡°This is Mrs. Cui¡¯s personal maid, Mrs. Shen. She¡¯s the one who sent someone to put Hardy Ice nt in my tea leaves.¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡± King An looked at Mrs. Shen.


    Mrs. Shen looked at Ms. Cui and saw that she was staring at her. She knew she wasn¡¯t allowed to say anything, so she quickly lowered her head and pretended to be mute.


    King An shook his head when he saw this. He looked at the servant girl who did the dirty work and asked, ¡°You are the one who put the Hardy Ice nt into her tea leaves?¡±


    ¡°I did it, but I had no choice. Mrs. Shen captured my brother to threaten me.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, as you¡¯re the one who did it.


    ¡°You could have told your missus in advance or stopped her from drinking it after that, but you didn¡¯t do it.¡± King An shook his head.


    Next was the matter of Yang Chenglin getting corrupted. Yang Chenglin personally came up and told King An everything he had heard that day.


    Finally, he looked at Cheng Yangsen and said, ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ve always treated you as my younger brother, but you treat me as your enemy. We¡¯re no longer brothers.¡±


    ¡°You deserve it. Who asked you to be so stupid? You can¡¯t tell north from south after a fewpliments.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, are you even any different?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, wealthy people are sure spoiled. They can even purposefully nurture a spoiled brat. We smaller families can¡¯t afford to do this.¡±


    ¡°Money is nothing. What they want is property and status. That is something that no amount of money can buy.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.


    ¡°Besides, he was just a child. How much could he spend?


    ¡°These people just have to raise him until he is too spoiled and make Lord Yang hate him. This would be enough to prevent him from inheriting the family property.¡±


    ¡°Such a vicious stepmother, suppressing the two children with different methods.


    ¡°Most importantly, no one could say anything since she provided everything her stepson wanted.


    ¡°If this really seeded, she would at most sigh and say that it was sure difficult for her to be a stepmother. She could push ail the me on her away cleanly.¡±


    ¡°Scheming witch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and this will get her a good reputation at the same time.¡±


    Yang Wanning was not in the mood to listen to the people¡¯s gossip, so she quickly asked Mrs. Sun to exin her situation.


    Mrs. Sun briefly exined what happened to Mirs. Gu. Finally, she pointed at a beggar beside her and said, ¡°That night, the maid on duty was called Cuie, but she disappeared the next morning.


    Her husband, Qiu Sheng, stopped us on our way here.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, that is indeed the case. When we were returning, this beggar named Qiu Sheng blocked our way.¡± A soldier came up and bowed.


    Qiu Sheng kept shaking his head, but he couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡°You¡¯re mute?¡± King An asked thoughtfully.


    Qiu Sheng nodded. He crawled around the ground and found a stone. He started writing on the ground with difficulty.


    A total of three short sentences exined the matter clearly.


    In the first sentence, Cuie was instructed by Mrs. Shen to cut off the charcoal.


    The second sentence exined that they were hunted down after being released from the residence.


    In the third sentence, it was revealed that he was poisoned to make him mute.


    After he finished writing, he pointed to his throat and started crying.


    Seeing this, Yang Chenglin stepped forward and wanted to kick him, but Gu Chengrui stopped him.


    Now was the time to fight against amon enemy..

 Chapter 557 - 557 Swear

    Chapter 557: Swear


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    King An saw that all the evidence was focused on Mrs. Shen. He looked at Mrs. Shen and asked, ¡°Mrs. Shen, in the face of their usations, do you admit it?¡±


    Mrs. Shen nodded and looked like a pig waiting to be ughtered.


    ¡°Who instructed you?¡±


    ¡°No one. Madam is my savior, so I only wanted to protect her from harm.¡±


    ¡°So, you want to take all the me on yourself.¡± Yang Wanning gritted her teeth.


    ¡°I did it, alone.¡± Mrs. Shen raised her head and swept her eyes over her indifferently.


    Yang Wanning was furious after hearing that. She thought Mrs. Shen would speak up after seeing that Mrs. Cui was on death row.


    She didn¡¯t expect Mrs. Shen to protect Mrs. Cui, even if it meant her death. The rtionship between this master and servant was deep.


    Mrs. Shen was just a widow whom her inws chased out. Her maiden family had disappeared because of the disaster, so she had no one rted. She did not have anyone who she could be threaten with.


    Yang Wanning could only look to King An for help.


    King An also had a headache. Looking at Mrs. Shen, he knew she was unafraid of death. Or rather, she did not care about life and death anymore. It was difficult to get such a person to speak.


    Yang Wanning saw the difficult position she was in and was at a loss.


    Gu Chengrui happened to notice the smug look in Mrs. Cui¡¯s eyes.


    However, he couldn¡¯t do anything openly in public. At this moment, Zhou Ying¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in his mind, ¡°Ask her to swear to Mother God; the more deathly her oath, the better.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned by the suggestion. After he returned to his senses, he was thrilled. He had a strong backer, so there was no reason to be afraid of her not confessing.


    He looked at Mrs. Shen and spoke up, ¡°We¡¯ll put a rest to this if you swear to Mother God that if you are doing this to protect Mrs. Cui, you will be a ve for ten generations. Swear that your descendants will be ves for generations. Swear that your family will have no descendants.¡±


    After hearing this, Mrs. Shen looked at him in shock because his suggestion was vicious. This would render her unable to turn over a new leaf forever.


    Yang Wanning nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Yes, everyone knows Mother God has manifested her spirit. 1 think she will have her opinion. If you swear, as my cousin said, I will believe you then.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expression changed immediately when they heard the word ¡®Mother God¡¯.


    Of course, most people were excited; they all wanted Mrs. Shen to take this oath.


    They wanted to see if Mother God would punish these viins or not.


    Gu Chengrui noticed that Mrs. Shen was staring intently at him. He nced at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel wronged. After all, there are lives on your hands. Since you have sinned, you should be prepared to pay your debts.¡±


    ¡°Yes, swear, swear! As long as you swear, we will believe that Mrs. Cui is innocent!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Hurry up and swear! We can see if Mother God will care about these things.¡±


    ¡°Swear, swear, swear¡­¡±


    Mrs. Shen looked at the chanting crowd below and did not know what to do.


    King An crossed his arms and watched the show from the side. If this matter really seeded, then it meant there would be a way to deal with even the most stubborn criminals in the future.


    Yang Wanning saw Mrs. Shen was finally panicking and pressed on, ¡°Make an oath. If you dare say it, I¡¯ll believe all of this is your doing alone.¡±


    Mrs. Shen gritted her teeth and nced at Mrs. Cui. Seeing her staring at her nervously, she finally closed her eyes and said, ¡°I, Mrs. Shen, swear that if I protect Cui Fengzhi, I, I, I¡­


    At this point, she couldn¡¯t continue. She was afraid that if Mother God really manifested, she would never have a good life.


    Just as everyone was about to urge her, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down in front of Mrs. Chen, scaring her so much that she screamed and immediately fled backwards..

 Chapter 558 - 558 The End Of The Cui Family

    Chapter 558: The End Of The Cui Family


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The others weren¡¯t any better off either. They were all frightened.


    This was especially true for the guilty Mrs. Cui. Her originally pale face had turned green from shock.


    Just as everyone was still recovering from their shock, a loo-foot-tall phantom of the Mother God appeared in the air and slowly said, ¡°Heaven has long arms. The good will be rewarded with good, while the evil with evil.¡±


    After saying that, she gradually disappeared.


    King An, the first to regain his senses, immediately knelt and said, ¡°1 bid your farewell, Mother God.¡±


    With his words, everyone quickly returned to their senses and immediately knelt and kowtowed.


    Mrs. Shen, on the other hand, had a look of despair on her face. Remembering that she had not finished her oath, she heaved a sigh of relief and kowtowed three times to Mrs. Cui.


    She then kowtowed to Yang Wanning and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young miss, 1 was wrong.


    ¡°It was Mrs. Cui¡¯s instructions to poison Madam and you with the Hardy Ice nt, cut off Madam¡¯s charcoal, and find the schr to frame you.


    ¡°As for the Eldest Young Master, I only inquired about his whereabouts. I did not participate in anything else.¡±


    At the same time, Yang Shicheng almost peed his pants. He never expected Mother God to show herself. Did she know what he had done?


    Realizing what would happen to him, his legs went weak.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Yang Wanning looked at Mrs. Shen and asked.


    Without waiting for her to speak, Mrs. Zhao rushed up and questioned, ¡°Back then, when 1 miscarried, was it nned by you and your mistress?¡±


    Mrs. Shen raised her head, looked at her guiltily, nodded, and replied, ¡°Yes, back then, Madam found a kind of mint that would attract cats and rubbed it all over your clothes.¡±


    ¡°It really is you! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Mrs. Zhao quickly rushed toward Mrs. Cui.


    She didn¡¯t reach for her neck, but she still punched her stomach a few times until she fainted.


    ¡°Do you know where Mrs. Cui Hardy Ice ntes from?¡± Yang Wanning asked again.


    Mrs. Chen shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. 1 only know that someone sent it over. 1 don¡¯t know anything else.¡±


    Seeing this, King An took the opportunity to interrogate Mrs. and Madam Cui again, but they refused to give any helpful information regarding Yang Shicheng.


    He made the two swear, but they ignored him, looking like pigs waiting for ughter.


    When King An saw this, he decided it was time for their execution. He was already certain that Yang Shicheng must have participated in the loan shark business.


    However, he also knew that the Emperor had other ns, so he quickly ordered their execution to start.


    The executioner also hated the two of them very much, so he deliberately slowed down his actions, causing them to suffer greatly.


    But this time, no one jeered.


    Instead, everyone was reflecting on whether they had done anything wrong. It would be troublesome if Mother God remembered that.


    Ultimately, Mrs. Shen and that little servant girl were exiled together.


    As for the beggar, Qiu Sheng, he bit his tongue andmitted suicide after witnessing Mrs. Cui¡¯s death.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he got someone to buy an ordinary coffin to bury him.


    After everything was over, the butler quickly arrived with the coffins and shrouds.


    When Yang Wanning and her brother saw this, they were ready to apany Gu Chengrui out of there.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Yang Shicheng shouted. ¡°We haven¡¯t collected your grandmother and mother¡¯s bodies yet.¡±


    ¡°We will never admit Mrs. Cui as our mother.


    ¡°As for Grandmother, I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t want to see us. It¡¯s better to let the person she likes collect her corpse.¡± After Yang Wanning finished speaking, she pulled Yang Chenglin away and followed Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Father, look at them¡­¡± Yang Wanyu wanted to sow discord between them, but she was frightened by Yang Shicheng¡¯s cold gaze.


    She could only bring Yang Chengsen and the officials to collect the bodies of the Cui family..

 Chapter 559 - 559 Deterrence

    Chapter 559: Deterrence


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After leaving the execution ground, Gu Chengrui turned to look at the siblings and asked, ¡°What are you guys thinking? Do you want to go home with me or back to the Yang residence?¡±


    ¡°Let Chenglin go home with you. I¡¯m going back to the Yang residence. After so many things have happened, it¡¯s time to end itpletely.¡± Yang Wanning replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Let¡¯s shoulder it together.¡± Yang Chenglin shook his head.


    ¡°Be obedient. If anything happens, I won¡¯t be able to protect you at all.¡±


    ¡°1 don¡¯t need your protection. This is our problem, so we have to face it together.¡±


    Yang Wanning wanted to say something, but Gu Chengrui interrupted her, saying, ¡°Let him go. He¡¯s already a half-grown kid. It¡¯s time for him to make his decision.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to protect you two in secret.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sorry for the trouble.¡±


    ¡°No worries. Remember, you can resist, but don¡¯t take the initiative to stir up trouble.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Yang Wanning, her brother, and Mrs. Sun walked back together.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he turned around and looked for King Rui. ¡°Your Highness, the Cui Family have all been executed.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I heard that Mother God appeared just now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she also left behind two sentences. Heaven has long arms. The good will be rewarded with good, while the evil with evil.¡±


    ¡°Heaven has long arms. Good, good. 1 hope all the bad people in the world can be brought to justice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re optimistic. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengrui replied and climbed into the carriage. After sitting down, he poured himself a cup of tea to warm his hands before briefly exining what happened to Mrs. Cui.


    King Rui nodded after listening. ¡°The rest is up to you. If you need manpower, remember to let me know.¡±


    Two hourster, the capital knew that Mother God had manifested


    The saying that good and evil would be rewarded quickly spread. Even children who could not read could clearly repeat her words.


    However, those who had done something wrong began to tremble. They feared getting struck by lightning.


    When the Emperor received the news, heughed and said, ¡°Good, good. With the intimidation of Mother God, some people should restrain themselves.¡±


    He looked at Eunuch Li. ¡°In a while, pass on my decree. Tomorrow, all the princes must go to the Mother God Temple to offer incense and money.¡±


    ¡°This servant will go and give the orders.¡± After Eunuch Li finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    After he left, the Emperor fell silent. He had done many bad things in the past few years and didn¡¯t know if Mother God would settle the score with him too.


    In short, many people had the same mentality, leading to the exceptionally exuberant incense offerings in the various Mother God Temples.


    Gu Chengrui returned home and went to the study to find Zhou Ying, who was practicing calligraphy in her room. ¡°Babe, thanks for the hard work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll recover soon. Remember to send someone to the Yang residence to protect the siblings in case Yang Shicheng makes a move.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already borrowed four men from King Rui. If anything really happens, they will act in time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. By the way, shouldn¡¯t we recruit some men too? We shouldn¡¯t keep using other people¡¯s guards.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t rush this. Everyone in the capital could be a spy, so we have to be careful about this. Lin Yitian and the other three have already started vetting candidates.¡±


    ¡°Good. After Yang Wanning and her stuff are done, we¡¯ll head to the manor to stay there for some time..¡±

 Chapter 560 - 560 A Mockery

    Chapter 560: A Mockery


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Why? Are you bored?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s nothing to do. There aren¡¯t many people I can talk to in the capital; it¡¯s quite boring.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring them along for a short retreat. We¡¯lle back after Yang Shicheng¡¯s problems are over.¡±


    After the two had dinner, Zhou Ying began to spread out her divine senses to look at Yang Wanning and her brother.


    Noticing that they were eating dinner, she went to Yang Shicheng and the others.


    They had already collected all the corpses, stored them in the mortuary, and nned to bury them tomorrow.


    Although there weren¡¯t many people on the streets, Zhou Ying noticed everyone was gossiping about the Yang family.


    In particr, they were discussing Yang Shicheng. Some said that he persuaded Mrs. Cui to kill Mrs. Gu; some even said he had a part in the plot against Yang Wanning and her brother and that his goal was to take over the entirety of Mrs. Gu¡¯s dowry.


    However, there were also some who thought he was a fool and had been schemed against by his mother and wife.


    No matter what, he was in a disadvantageous position.


    The majoritybeled him ungrateful and ruthless, while the rest questioned his ability.


    If he couldn¡¯t even know how to manage his family, how could he be an official in the government?


    Yang Shicheng and his party turned around a corner and bumped into a drunkard. After the drunkard recognized Yang Shicheng, he immediately mocked him, ¡°Minister of Revenue? What a fool. If you can¡¯t even see the people around you clearly, why don¡¯t you go home and tend the farms instead?¡± ¡°What do you know? Get up, get up.¡± The butler pushed the drunkard away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, but you should. Could it be you really did conspire with Mrs. Cui tomit murder?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for death!¡± Yang Chengsen rushed over and punched him.


    The drunkard fell to the ground, but he still managed to kick Yang Chengsen. ¡°You must be the son of Mrs. Cui, ruthless as she is. Come,e, hit my head if you date!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yang Chengsen was so angry that he was trembling. He grabbed a stone from the roadside and wanted to throw it at the drunkard¡¯s head.


    Although Yang Shicheng wanted to kill this drunkard himself, he knew that his family could not afford to stir up any more trouble. He immediately grabbed Yang Chengsen¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Stop, why are you bickering with a drunkard?¡± After saying that, he quickly dragged him forward.


    When the others saw this, they immediately chased after him.


    The drunkard pointed at their backs and shouted indignantly, ¡°Who¡¯s a drunkard? I¡¯ve never been drunk in my life!¡±


    After saying that, he staggered away.


    After returning to the manor, Mrs. Ning saw that the manor was dark and barely anyone was walking around the courtyard. She quickly asked the butler to investigate what was going on.


    However, Yang Shicheng was not in the mood to deal with this. He returned to the house to wash up, ate a bite, and went back to sleep.


    After Mrs. Ning returned to her room, she saw her daughter eating obediently at the table. She walked over and said, ¡°Ru ¡®er, you naughty girl. Why didn¡¯t you wait for mom toe back for dinner?¡±


    ¡°No, mom. Nanny brought the food here, so I couldn¡¯t hold back.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, the food was sent by Young Miss.


    ¡°She said she didn¡¯t know when you all would be back, so we should let the Ru ¡®er eat first.¡±


    Mrs. Ning was surprised by that. She remembered how Yang Wanning had avenged Mrs. Gu today and wondered if she was trying to rope them in.


    After all, Yang Wanyu and Yang Chengsen were more favored by Yang Shicheng.


    After what happened today, they had to rope in more people to stand by their side if they still wanted to gain a foothold in the residence.


    Ru ¡®er was the only child in the residence other than the two pairs of siblings.


    ¡°Did the Young Miss say anything else?¡±

 Chapter 561 - 561 Mourning (1)

    Chapter 561: Mourning (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, she just asked the kitchen to send food for young missy.¡± The nanny shook her head.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Mrs. Ning responded thoughtfully and asked the servants to prepare warm water and her dinner.


    After Zhou Ying confirmed the Yang Residence wouldn¡¯t cause more trouble, she brought Gu Chengrui to her interspace to get busy.


    The next day, after breakfast, Zhou Ying said to Gu Chengrui before he left, ¡°Rui, let¡¯s pause our ns for the manor. I think something will happen at the Yang residence today.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to support her?¡± Gu Chengrui paused and asked.


    ¡°Yeah, judging by her reaction yesterday, it¡¯smendable. The main point is that she listened to our advice and didn¡¯t drag us down.


    ¡°On the other hand, Yang Chenglin is still a little arrogant. He still has more to learn.¡±


    ¡°He has a good personality, but he¡¯s been spoiled by Mrs. Cui Corporation a little too much.


    ¡°By the way, let me know in advance if there¡¯s any trouble. 1¡¯11 go over directly.


    ¡°Oh, bring my aunt¡¯s dowry list over too. If we need it, it could save us the trouble of making another trip.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After he left, she changed into dark-colored clothes and asked Shizhu to buy some incense and food offerings.


    While waiting, she extended her divine senses to look at the Yang residence.


    Perhaps because they were tired from yesterday¡¯smotion, everyone in the Yang Residence had just started their day.


    Of course, the butler had already gathered the servants and led them, carrying shovels and firewood, to the cemetery to dig a burial pit. At the same time, he set up a simple mourning hall for those who came to mourn.


    After breakfast, Yang Shicheng gathered everyone together and distributed their linen clothes for mourning. He brought Yang Chenglin and Yang Chengsen to the front yard, sitting at the entrance of the mourning hall.


    Unfortunately, two hours had passed, and only the First Prince and the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s servants hade; they each offered a hundred taels of silver in condolences. No one else came.


    Zhou Ying saw the time was almost right, so she brought Shizhu over. After entering, she wrote down her condolences in an etiquette book and offered a hundred taels of silver. After burning three incense sticks as prayer, she said to Yang Shicheng, ¡°Uncle, my condolences.¡±


    Yang Shicheng nodded lightly and did not reply.


    Yang Chenglin stood up and said, ¡°Cousin-inw, why are you the only one here? Where¡¯s my Brother Rui?¡±


    ¡°He said he woulde over after he¡¯s done with his work. He should be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Okay, 1¡¯11 bring you to my sister.¡± After Yang Chenglin finished speaking, he wanted to bring her to the back.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to let your Mother Ning bring your cousin-inw over. It isn¡¯t appropriate if someoneester and you, the eldest grandson, aren¡¯t here.¡± Yang Shicheng raised his head and said.


    ¡°No worries; you wait here. I¡¯ll go to the back to look for your sister myself.¡± Zhou Ying gave him a look, then went out and followed Mrs. Ning to the old madam¡¯s small courtyard.


    Seeing the women waiting inside, Zhou Ying greeted them one by one. When she saw Yang Wanyu wasn¡¯t there, she deliberately asked Yang Wanning, ¡°Oh, where¡¯s Yang Wanyu? She¡¯s supposed to be the main character today, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°She said she¡¯s tired and woulde out when it¡¯s time to set off.¡± Yang Wanning blinked and replied.


    She knew the real reason was that rumors and gossip about the Yang family had already spread throughout the capital this morning.


    Yang Wanyu, the daughter of Mrs. Cui, was the main target of everyone¡¯s gossip. Words such as hypocrisy, meanness, viciousness, and ruthlessness were all directed at her.


    Some even felt she was the continuation of Mrs. Cui¡¯s evil ns.


    She was in a worse spot than Zhou Ying when the Gu family was in trouble.


    Some gossip even concluded that the First Prince would break off her engagement soon, so Yang Wanyu couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and shut herself in..

 Chapter 562 - 562 Mourning (2)

    Chapter 562: Mourning (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yeah, yesterday¡¯s incident was too much of a blow to her.¡± Mrs. Ning handed Zhou Ying a cup of tea.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zhou Ying nodded with a smile and took the teacup.


    Mrs. Zhao sneered and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t she just too ashamed to face others?


    ¡°There were no outsiders here, so there was no need to hide it.


    ¡°To be honest, if I were her, I would have killed myself from the shame. She would be in deep trouble from the mess Mrs. Cui left behind.¡±


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Mrs. Ning red at her.


    ¡°Which part of it is wrong? Besides, Mrs. Cui harmed my unborn child, so it¡¯s already good that I¡¯m not taking revenge.¡±


    When Mrs. Ning heard this, she knew there was still resentment in Mrs. Zhao¡¯s heart. She did not try to persuade her but gave her a warning look. She then told Yang Wanning, ¡°Wanning, take care of your cousin-inw. I¡¯m going to the front.¡±


    As soon as she left, Yang Wanning offered, ¡°Cousin-inw, I¡¯ll bring you to a side room to rest.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and followed her to the side room.


    When Mrs. Zhao saw this, she also stood up. ¡°Since even the person who should be here the most isn¡¯t even here, 1 can¡¯t be bothered to mourn for my enemy.¡±


    After saying that, she stood up and left.


    When Mrs. Zhang saw this, she got up and swept her eyes across the room. Sheughed at the soft couch that the old madam ofteny on and said, ¡°Madam, you have schemed your entire life, but in the end, you have lost everyone¡¯s favor. I¡¯m curious if you regret it now.


    ¡°I think the Yang Residence is about to topple. I wouldn¡¯t mind watching to its very end.¡±


    Zhou Ying, who was keeping tabs at the Yang Residence, was surprised when she heard Mrs. Zhang¡¯s words. It seemed that she had a lot of grievances against the old madam.


    She seemed to be someone who understood the situation they were in. Zhou Ying wondered what kind of story she had.


    However, seeing that she was harmless, Zhou Ying had no intention of asking.


    After confirming that no one else was in the courtyard, she asked Yang Wanning, ¡°What do you n to do next?¡±


    ¡°Do you think my father will chase us out of the house in anger if we don¡¯t attend Mrs. and Madam Cui¡¯s funeral?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, your cousin mentioned this to me.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better for you to send them off.


    ¡°No matter how the Cui Family and their extended family treated you, Madam Cui is still your grandmother. It might look bad on you if you are adamant about cutting your rtionship with them and refusing to send them off.


    ¡°Moreover, all the evil deeds were attributed to Mrs. Cui. Although Madam Cui treated you badly on the surface, she never harmed you, right?


    ¡°Besides, you guys already fought yesterday, but Yang Shicheng didn¡¯t make things difficult for you, right?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t take this anymore.¡±


    ¡°A little forbearance will preserve the n. If it really doesn¡¯t work, make a fuss about the dowry.


    ¡°If he were to prepare a dowry for Yang Wanyu, it would be impossible for him not to touch your mother¡¯s dowry.¡±


    Yang Wanning¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Yes, my mother¡¯s dowry mustn¡¯t fall into the hands of the enemy¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°But with such a big problem rted to the Cui Family, will King Hui still marry Wanyu?¡±


    ¡°You should know that your father is on King Hui¡¯s side, right?¡±


    Yang Wanyu paused when she heard that. That¡¯s right. Based on the various signs in her previous life, her father should be one of the trusted aides of King Hui. Otherwise, he would not have been promoted so quickly.


    He definitely had something on King Hui. Even if it wasn¡¯t fatal, it was still something major.


    Therefore, as long as Yang Shicheng was still alive, Prince Hui would not give up on marrying Yang Wanyu unless it was absolutely necessary.


    ¡°Cousin-inw, why do you think King Hui didn¡¯t do anything when my father went to prison?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t dare to. I heard the Emperor is in charge of the Cui Family¡¯s affairs.


    ¡°Another reason is that he might still be useful..¡±

 Chapter 563 - 563 Sever Relationship (1)

    Chapter 563: Sever Rtionship (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After hearing that, Yang Wanning looked at her in surprise, and soon sheughed.


    That¡¯s right. The Emperor was a person with many doubts. If someone did something under his nose, wouldn¡¯t that invite disaster?


    After that, the two women chatted for a while longer.


    They never imagined they wouldn¡¯t need to wait until Yang Wanyu¡¯s wedding, as a perfect opportunity presented itself for the siblings to sever their rtionship with Yang Shicheng.


    Yang Shicheng could not fall asleep at night as hey on his bed, tossing and turning. In his mind, the scene of Mother God appearing at the execution ground in broad daylight kept shing.


    This reminded him that before Mrs. Cui died, she kept nagging about Mrs. Gu asking for her life.


    Since the gods have appeared, ghosts should also exist, right?


    The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he was. He could not help but believe 80% of Mrs. Cui¡¯s words.


    Therefore, the next day, he asked the Butler to find a rather famous Taoist priest, Ling Fengzi.


    He brought the priest directly to Mrs. Gu¡¯s grave and dug it up. He used blood threads, Dao talismans, and ny-nine soul-suppressing nails to nail Mrs. Gu¡¯s coffin firmly.


    Gu Chengrui found out after receiving a note from the spy he had sent to the Yang Residence.


    He quickly went straight to King Rui and had someone inform the Yang siblings and Zhou Ying. He then promptly rushed to Mrs. Gu¡¯s grave.


    On the way, when Zhou Ying went down to buy some offerings, she deliberately found a young beggar and promised to give him 100 pounds of ck flour if he could spread the news.


    When the group of people arrived at Mrs. Gu¡¯s grave, the Taoist priest was almost done with his work.


    Moreover, Zhou Ying could tell that this Taoist priest was someone capable. The talisman he ced on the coffin really had a certain effect.


    Therefore, before she got off the carriage, he drew out Guard Chu¡¯s sword and rushed forward to chop the Taoist priest¡¯s hand.


    ¡°How dare you¡­¡± After the Daoist priest dodged it, he tried to counterattack.


    Gu Chengrui came over and kicked him in the back. ¡°Stinky priest, are you courting death?¡±


    He quickly pressed the Taoist priest to the ground.


    Yang Shicheng noticed the couple, and his face went pale. When he saw King Rui not far away, as well as Yang Wanning and her brother with a murderous expression, his legs went weak, and he nearly fell to the ground.


    When the Butler saw this, he copsed to the ground and trembled.


    Soon, Yang Wanning and her brother rushed over. They looked at Yang Shicheng with bloodshot eyes and shouted, ¡°You are no longer our father!¡±


    After that, Yang Wanning started kicking the Butler.


    The Butler turned around and wanted to run, but Guard Chu walked over and held him down.


    When Yang Wanning and her brother saw this, they punched and kicked him mercilessly.


    The one they wanted to hit the most was Yang Shicheng, but they could only vent their anger on the Butler because of their status.


    However, when he saw their ruthlessness, Yang Shicheng knew what they were thinking.


    At this thought, a trace of viciousness shed across his eyes.


    ¡°Stop hitting me; stop it! This is Master¡¯s intention! I¡¯m just following orders!¡± The Butler could not take it anymore and immediately shouted.


    The Taoist priest, whom Gu Chengrui held down, immediately added, ¡°I¡¯m just doing as I¡¯m paid. This matter has nothing to do with me!¡±


    ¡°epting money for this?


    ¡°You¡¯re going against the heavens. Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting struck by lightning?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m doing this to survive.¡± The Taoist priest smiled bitterly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one chance. Remove the things on top of the coffin and don¡¯t


    damage the bones one bit..¡±

 Chapter 564 - 564 Sever Relationship (2)

    Chapter 564: Sever Rtionship (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s impossible unless we change a coffin.¡± The Taoist priest shook his head.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she immediately took out a banknote worth 500 taels of silver and handed it to Guard Chu. ¡°Sorry to trouble you, but can you help us make a trip and buy the best coffin you can?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Gu, you¡¯re too polite.¡± Guard Chu said as he received the silver notes.


    ¡°B-buy more joss paper.¡± The Taoist priest raised his head and reminded him.


    Guard Chu shot him a cold nce and immediately turned around to leave.


    Yang Wanning and her brother were also tired. They stopped hitting the Butler; they looked at Yang Shicheng with hatred.


    A momentter, Yang Wanning said, ¡°Since my mother has no ce in your heart, we won¡¯t force you any longer. Today, we siblings represent our mother¡¯s decision to separate from you.


    ¡°From now on, our surnames will be changed to Gu, and we will no longer be an eyesore to you.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. It was your mother who caused trouble. I¡­¡±


    Without waiting for Yang Shicheng to finish, Yang Wanningughed and said, ¡°It seems Mrs. Cui has a high position in your heart.


    ¡°More than ten years of being married, and the Gu family supported you all this time.


    ¡°Sixty-six sets of dowry had supported the Yang family for more than a decade, but it was nothingpared to the rumors spat by Mrs. Cui. You are really a good example of a husband.¡±


    ¡°I agree with this. Although the Gu family has declined, it¡¯s not to the extent that they can¡¯t afford to raise two children. From today onwards, my aunt and you are no longer husband and wife.¡± Gu Chengrui echoed.


    ¡°Yang Chenglin, what about you? Are you going to mess around with them too?¡± Yang Shicheng immediately looked at Yang Chenglin.


    He would never allow this divorce. Otherwise, the Yang family would copse once the Gu family¡¯s dowry was taken away.


    ¡°Who is messing around? You don¡¯t even respect my mother¡¯s corpse! Do you even treat me as your son?


    ¡°I¡¯m innocent and easily deceived, but I¡¯m not stupid!¡± Yang Chenglin clenched his fists and questioned loudly.


    After shouting that, his tears fell.


    What happened during this period made him realize that his father had no intention of caring for them. He only cared about his benefits and his future.


    But Yang Chenglin never expected his father would not even let a dead person off for profit.


    If they had a conflict of interest in the future, his father would definitely abandon him.


    ¡°This matter is non-negotiable. Do you want to deal with it yourself, or do you want to bring it to the authorities?¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    When Yang Shicheng turned to look at him again, his eyes were filled with killing intent.


    However, Gu Chengrui did not retreat. Instead, he looked at him coldly.


    About fifteen minutester, Yang Shicheng saw that he had no room forpromise. He snorted coldly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll satisfy your request. However, this cemetery belongs to our Yang family. Since Mrs. Gu is no longer our Yang family¡¯s daughter-inw, please move her away as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I have the same intention. I don¡¯t think my aunt wants to be buried with her enemy.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at the Taoist priest and said, ¡°Help us find a good ce with good Feng Shui, and we¡¯ll forgive you. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The Taoist priest nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°If you dare do a shoddy job, we will ask Mother God to teach you a lesson.¡± Zhou Ying added.


    When the Taoist priest heard the word ¡®Mother God,¡¯ he immediately remembered the lightning on the execution ground. He couldn¡¯t help but shiver and nod repeatedly. ¡°Definitely, definitely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a piece of advice. Don¡¯t do any more evil in this life. Otherwise, you might be whipped for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± the Taoist priest said, twitching his lips.


    After saying that, he immediately turned around and took a mat. He covered the coffin and pulled out the nails.


    After removing the nails, he went aside to look for the cemetery under Gu Chengrui¡¯s supervision..

 Chapter 565 - 565 Sever Relationship (3)

    Chapter 565: Sever Rtionship (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Guard Chu returned, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying had already settled the cemetery matter after buying a plot ofnd from the local vige chief.


    After that, the Taoist priest helped move Mrs. Gu¡¯s grave.


    After arriving at the grave, Zhou Ying spread out her divine sense and scanned the cemetery¡¯s surroundings. Although she knew little about Feng Shui, she could see this was a good spot for Mrs. Gu¡¯s grave.


    At the very least, it didn¡¯t make her ufortable.


    After the burial, Yang Wanning and Yang Chenglin burned arge amount of joss paper and cried bitterly.


    After they were done, the group of people quickly returned to the capital.


    King Rui and the others went to the Yang Residence, while Zhou Ying took the opportunity to return home. After taking the list of dowries and some snacks, she asked Haitang to prepare a table of vegetarian food before returning to the Yang Residence.


    When she arrived in the living room, she saw that everyone was there, so she ced the snacks on the table.


    She ced King Rui¡¯s favorite hawthorn snack before him and said, ¡°Everyone, have this as a snack for now. We¡¯ll have a meal at our houseter.¡±


    Gu Chengrui got up and handed the dowry list to Yang Shicheng. ¡°I¡¯m sure over the years, other than thend and shops, there is nothing else left. We will not be calctive. You just need to return thend and shops.¡±


    Yang Shicheng heaved a sigh of relief, as he had bought a few properties during the disaster. Although the ie wasn¡¯t much, he could at least maintain the expenses of the residence.


    He looked at the siblings and asked, ¡°Are you really going to change your surname to Gu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you still have three children anyway, but my mother only has us.¡± When Yang Wanning said this, her eyes shed, and she added provocatively, ¡°Of course, if no one cares for you when you¡¯re old, we¡¯ll help you take care of your old age.¡±


    In her previous life, Yang Wanyu left her with no one to rely on in her previous life. In the end, she even killed her with her own hands.


    Yang Wanyu could forget about living a good life in this lifetime. Yang Wanning wanted Yang Wanyu to lose everything, bit by bit, and taste the despair of her previous life.


    Of course, she still acted professionally, making people think she was sincere in her offer.


    She had her own motives for saying this. She did not want King Rui to think that the siblings were ungrateful children.


    Yang Chenglin nodded as well.


    Yang Shicheng was so angry that he wanted to beat her up, but he had to admit that what she said made sense.


    Based on Yang Wanyu and Yang Chengsen¡¯s attitude toward him these two days, he knew he would not have a good life if he were cared for by them in his old age. It seemed he had to hurry up and have another one or two sons.


    Because Gu Chengrui¡¯s demands weren¡¯t too much, he quickly gave in. He took out all the title deeds from the shops belonging to the Gu family and happily wrote down a separation letter.


    Just as he was done, Yang Wanyu rushed in and yelled, ¡°Father, you can¡¯t return the dowry to them! There are two manors and shops that are already mine!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess around.¡± Yang Shicheng red at her.


    At the same time, Yang Wanning sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to use my mother¡¯s dowry as your dowry? Where¡¯s your face?¡±


    Hearing her words, Yang Wanyu suddenly remembered the rumors from before. She went forward and tried wing at her face.


    Seeing this, Yang Wanning did not stand still. She took a step to the right and grabbed her left wrist.


    She stepped forward and turned her toes to pin Yang Wanyu¡¯s leg. She pressed down hard on the crook of her leg. At the same time, she ced the back of her hand behind Yang Wanyu and pressed her down forcefully.


    It took a while to describe, but it happened in an instant.


    Before Yang Wanyu could react, she felt pain in her arms and legs. She knelt on the ground with a shocked expression.


    Yang Shicheng was shocked and quickly asked Yang Wanning, ¡°When did you learn martial arts?¡±

 Chapter 566 - 566 Sever Relationship (4)

    Chapter 566: Sever Rtionship (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go out of my way to learn it. I only followed my cousin-inw to learn two moves for self-defense.¡± Yang Wanning looked at Yang Wanyu and added, ¡°I won¡¯t be making things difficult for you because we¡¯re rted.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean 1 will ignore that you¡¯ve harmed me every step of the way.


    ¡°That little bit of blood rtionship can only go so far. In the future, we will no longer be rted.


    ¡°If you dare harm me again, 1 won¡¯t be polite anymore.¡±


    Yang Wanyu immediately looked at Yang Shicheng.


    However, Yang Shicheng was not happy about her either. If it weren¡¯t for her scheming about her dowry, the Yang Family wouldn¡¯t have reached this point.


    ¡°Wanning is right. You should restrain your temper. Otherwise, you¡¯ll only cause more trouble in the future.¡±


    Yang Wanyu looked at her father in disbelief.


    She did not dare to make a fuss. Instead, she looked at Yang Wanning unwillingly and spat, ¡°Let me go.¡±


    Yang Wanning did not make things difficult for her after hearing that. She simply stood up and retreated to the side.


    Without making a fuss, Yang Shicheng got up and brought Gu Chengrui and Yang Wanning to the government office to settle the rest of the procedures.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying asked Chunxi, Mrs. Sun, and Yang Chenglin¡¯s errand boy, Xiao Shu, to pack up the siblings¡¯ belongings.


    It was mainly their clothes, bedding, and personal belongings.


    They then pulled two big carts filled with stuff and returned to the Gu Residence with King Rui.


    Everyone ate lunch once they returned to the Gu Residence.


    After lunch, King Rui and Gu Chengrui went to work.


    Zhou Ying arranged for the two siblings to stay in the side courtyard.


    Yang Wanning, no, Gu Wanning, quickly shook her head and said, ¡°Cousin-inw, we can just stay in the wing room and save some firewood.¡± ¡°There is a lot of firewood here, so don¡¯t worry. Moreover, it is convenient for you to have your own courtyard if you have a friending over.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head and replied.


    Besides, she was not used to them hanging around. It would be better if they could leave her some personal space.


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you, cousin-inw.¡± Gu Wanning did not insist, and she thanked her.


    Afterward, the siblings brought their luggage and servants to the side courtyard.


    Zhou Ying sent a helper to help the siblings clean up and do rough work.


    After an entire afternoon, word spread that Yang Shicheng had hired a Taoist priest to bind Mrs. Gu¡¯s soul and that Gu Wanning and her brother had left the Yang Family.


    Of course, most of everyone, especially the women, agreed with Gu Wanning and her brother¡¯s actions. They felt that Yang Shicheng had gone too far.


    Unfortunately, there were also some selfish people who felt that Yang Shicheng was right and that Gu Wanning and her brother were too stubborn.


    Ultimately, it was a mostly positive reaction regarding Gu Wanning and her brother.


    On the other hand, Yang Shicheng was furious when he heard the news. He did not expect that his secretive actions would spread.


    He didn¡¯t need to guess to know it had something to do with the Gu family; he now despised the couple.


    Regardless, he did not care about them for the time being. He quickly went straight to Mrs. Ning to discuss the matter of Yang Wanyu¡¯s dowry.


    He bought whatever was cheap and practical. He avoided anything expensive at all costs.


    As a result, despite the fact that they had prepared 40 sets of dowry, it cost less than 10,000 taels of silver. This included a small manor on approximately 200 acres ofnd and a small shop of roughly 20 square meters on the city¡¯s eastern outskirts.


    In the evening, Sun Miaoke finished her meal alone and went to check the ounts of her residence for the past few years.


    At this moment, Qing Tao came over with a cup of tea and said, ¡°Consort, I heard that His Highness helped Yang Wanning break away from the Yang family today and move to the Gu Residence..¡±

 Chapter 567 - 567 Some Thoughts

    Chapter 567: Some Thoughts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°She has finally freed herself from a sea of suffering. Otherwise, she might not get anything in the end.¡± Sun Miaoke stopped writing and spoke.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you jealous? She hasn¡¯t even married yet, and His Highness is already helping her so much.¡± Qing Tao said indignantly.


    ¡°Did someone say something to you?¡± Sun Miaoke asked.


    ¡°No, I just feel wronged for you.¡± Qing Tao shook her head.


    ¡°Is His Highness mistreating me?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Qing Tao, from the moment I decided to marry into this family, I knew I couldn¡¯t monopolize His Highness.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m already grateful for us being able to treat each other respectfully.


    ¡°As for Yang Wanning, honestly, she doesn¡¯t have much weight in His Highness¡¯s heart. The ones he really holds dear are the Gu couple.¡±


    ¡°So in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Over the years, you have heard of many fights between wives and consorts, but in the end, none of them livefortably, no matter who wins or loses.


    ¡°For example, Mrs. Cui had sessfully caused the death of Mrs. Gu, but what did she get in the end?


    ¡°Did Lord Yang save her with all his heart?


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that even she wasn¡¯t that important in Lord Yang¡¯s heart.


    ¡°You saw my aunt clearly all these years.


    ¡°She is my uncle¡¯s wife and can bully the concubines at will. My uncle also respects her very much.


    ¡°However, my uncle will still marry a new girl every two or three years.


    ¡°Do you think she really is happy?


    ¡°No, she¡¯s bitter on the inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that her heart had been in pain too many times and had be numb.


    She had no choice but to only close one eye to this.¡±


    Sun A/liaoke was in a daze as she said this. She continued, ¡°But look at my father.


    ¡°For many years, my grandmother has brought up taking in concubines, and the officialdom even sent him many beauties.


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t want any of them.


    ¡°What does this mean? Whether a man is a yboy or not, it all depends on his intentions.


    ¡°As a woman, the most important thing we can do is try our best to give him a warm home and present her best side to him.


    ¡°At the same time, we must protect ourselves.


    ¡°The rest depends on the man.¡±


    The key was not to give away your true feelings first. Otherwise, your feelings might be mangled once you want to take them back.


    Of course, she did not dare to say this out loud. Otherwise, if word got out, she could forget about taking another step forward with His Highness in the future.


    Seeing that Sun Miaoke had thought it through clearly, Qing Tao did not say anything else and obediently retreated.


    As for Sun Miaoke, she wasn¡¯t in the mood to write anymore.


    Because she did not know if she could keep her heart from wavering before the outstanding King Rui in the future.


    Would she be as ruthless and unscrupulous as the Empress or Mrs. Cui?


    On the other end, Zhou Ying waited for most of the residents to fall asleep before quietly leaving the house with Gu Chengrui.


    They went to a small courtyard north of the city and found the little beggar who had helped her spread Yang Shicheng¡¯s scandal during the day.


    She handed him the 100 pounds of ck flour and said, ¡°Gou¡¯zi, hide these well. It should be enough for you to eat for a winter.¡±


    Gou¡¯zi looked at the big bag of ck flour and asked with a troubled expression, ¡°Sister, can you help me keep it and give us ten pounds a month?¡±


    ¡°Reason?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Qi, who protected us before, has left. A group of children like us can¡¯t guard this.¡±


    ¡°How old is the oldest of you?¡±


    ¡°Me. I¡¯m twelve this year.¡± At this moment, a young beggar walked over and replied.


    His eyes were fierce, like a wolf cub, and his footsteps were light. It was obvious that he had practiced some sort of martial art.


    ¡°You know martial arts?¡± Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes lit up..

 Chapter 568 - 568 Good Seedling

    Chapter 568: Good Seedling


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying frowned because his body had a bloody aura when she saw him. There was an 80% chance he had taken someone¡¯s life previously.


    ¡°I know how to fight. Previously, Uncle Qi was afraid we would be bullied, so he taught us a set of fist techniques.¡± The young man looked at Gu Chengrui and replied.


    ¡°In other words, all of you know martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but some are good at it while others are average.¡±


    ¡°What did the uncle you mentioned do before? Will hee back?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The young man looked at him warily and asked.


    ¡°Nothing special. We want to recruit some guards for our ce, but I don¡¯t know what your standards are.¡±


    ¡°Guards?¡±


    ¡°Yes, guards.¡±


    ¡°My uncle used to be an escort mercenary. After the disaster, he was trapped in the capital. Seeing that we were pitiful, he stayed behind to protect us.


    ¡°Some time ago, he said that he had received a new escort mission, so he returned to his hometown with some people.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded thoughtfully and replied, ¡°I see. Do consider whether you want to continue being beggars or follow us.¡±


    The young boy nodded and took out a bag. After putting in a small amount of ck flour, he said, ¡°Sorry to trouble you, but I¡¯ll give you a reply at this time, three dayster.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but let me make it clear first. I only want someone with solid martial arts capabilities.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he picked up the bag of flour and left with Zhou Ying.


    After they were far away, Zhou Ying put away the bag and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the situation in the capital isplicated? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being cheated?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t give up eating because of fear of choking, right? That kid is a good seedling for practicing martial arts, so I want to try to recruit him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you know what you¡¯re doing. However, I have to remind you that there¡¯s blood on his hands.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°It seems that we really have to investigate properly.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded seriously.


    The next morning, Mingyu came over. Seeing that Gu Wanning was fine, she hurriedly went to train her female soldiers.


    Meanwhile, Yang Chenglin went back to the academy.


    Zhou Ying returned the 50,000 taels of silver to Gu Wanning and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve moved out of the wolf¡¯sir, you can hold on to the money for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, cousin-inw. It just so happens that I want to buy a house for Chenglin.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve thought it through, but I think you should wait a little longer.


    Otherwise, if Yang Shicheng finds out that you have a lot of money in your hands, he might nder your reputation.


    ¡°Moreover, Chenglin is still young and will be living in the academy most of the time. It¡¯s better to let him live here if he needs to for a few more years. When he¡¯s older, only then do we get him ready for adulthood.¡±


    Gu Wanning paused when she heard that. She nodded and replied, ¡°You¡¯re right. Okay, I¡¯ll buy it only after I get married.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the most important thing now is to prepare the dowry.


    ¡°Later, you can discuss with Mrs. Sun and draft a list. Your cousin and I will help you on this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, cousin-inw. If it wasn¡¯t for you two helping me, I¡¯m afraid I would have been in a terrible position.¡±


    ¡°We can help you for now, but we can¡¯t help you forever.


    ¡°So, you must learn from this and mature as soon as possible.


    ¡°After all, there are many things that we can¡¯t interfere with after you enter King Rui¡¯s residence. We might not be able to help you after that.¡±


    Gu Wanning nodded in agreement. ¡°I will. There¡¯s still a long way to go in the future. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be independent as soon as possible.¡±


    The two of them chatted for a while more. Zhou Ying asked her to keep the silver notes, and the two went back to practice some more martial arts.


    After two days, once Gu Chengrui was done with the matters here, the three brought Lin Yitian to their manor..

 Chapter 569 - 569 Heading To The Manor

    Chapter 569: Heading To The Manor


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The young beggar, Qi Feng, and five others were taken into the manor.


    However, after Lin Yitian and the rest did their investigations and tests, they only epted Qi Feng and another person with good innate ability as guards.


    Biaozi took in two beggars as kitchen helpers.


    The remaining two were handed over to Zhou Dasheng to run errands and do odd jobs.


    When they arrived at the manor, Gu Chengrui went straight to the fields while Zhou Ying and Gu Wanning carried their luggage to a small courtyard.


    When they were almost settled, Widow Wu walked over and asked, ¡°Madam, what do you want to eat for lunch?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s avable?¡± Zhou Ying thought for a moment and asked.


    ¡°There are still three eggs left, along with some carrots and cabbages.¡±


    ¡°Is Lord Chen also in the manor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has been staying with two bailiffs at the shed to keep an eye on the vegetables.¡±


    ¡°They live in the shed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re also eating their meals over there. Head Fang has persuaded them toe over more than once.


    ¡°However, they did not agree. They said that it was convenient to stay there and watch the shed. Moreover, it¡¯s warmer there.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Take out all the ingredients, and I¡¯ll cook lunch while you help me.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I will go down and prepare the kitchen.¡± Widow Wu turned around and walked away.


    ¡°You want to invite Lord Chen and the other two for lunch?¡± Gu Wanning asked.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the vegetable for us. Since we¡¯re here, we must show some respect in return.¡±


    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s cook togetherter. I can also learn a few moves from you.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Although you have servants to serve you, it¡¯s best if you learn two specialty dishes. When the timees, you can cook for His Highness from time to time.¡±


    Gu Wanning nodded shyly, and she deeply agreed with her words. After all, Yang Wanyu had snatched her husband away with a bowl of pear soup in her previous life.


    She had to learn more cooking from now on.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a walk and stretch our muscles.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and led her out when she saw she had listened to her advice.


    First, she went to the shed and saw that the sweet potato seedlings had already begun to be nted. She took off her coat to help out Gu Chengrui.


    About an hourter, Zhou Ying stood up and said to Gu Chengrui, ¡°Rui, bring the three brothers to our house for lunch when it¡¯s noon.¡±


    ¡°Madam, there¡¯s no need¡­¡± Halfway through Chen He¡¯s words, Gu Chengrui raised his hand to stop him. ¡°Just give us this one. Let¡¯s have a good chat at noon about the problems you¡¯ve encountered recently.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll return and cook now.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she left the shed.


    Aftering out, she walked around the shed at the side. When she saw some small rapeseeds that were ready to be eaten, she picked a bunch and filled half a basket.


    After returning to the courtyard, Zhou Ying handed it to Gu Wanning and said, ¡°Take it to the kitchen and wash it. I¡¯ll go get something else.¡±


    After saying that, Zhou Ying returned to her room. After putting down her cloak, she went to her interspace to get a piece of cured meat, about two pounds of dried mushrooms, and a bag of ck fungus mushrooms.


    When she returned to the kitchen, she saw the two women washing the vegetables. Zhou Ying took a little of the three ingredients she brought and soaked them. She then checked the ingredients that Widow Wu had prepared.


    They were radishes, cabbages, some dried vegetables, and a bowl of ck noodles.


    Zhou Ying pondered for a moment and decided to use some bacon and dried hemp vegetables as well.


    Zhou Ying started stir-frying the mushrooms, pickling the cabbages in vinegar, and stir-frying the eggs with ck fungus mushrooms. She originally wanted to mix them with shredded radishes but had to change ns when there wasn¡¯t white sugar here; she stewed the radishes instead..

 Chapter 570 - 570 Depends On His Capabilities

    Chapter 570: Depends On His Capabilities


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After knowing what to cook, the three of them got busy. Around noon, the scrumptious dishes were served.


    Especially the dish filled with bacon and hemp vegetables. It was salty, fragrant, and very tempting just after smelling it.


    Gu Wanning couldn¡¯t help but eat one as soon as it was out of the pot.


    However, Widow Wu¡¯s heart ached as she looked at the oil can. Head Fang had found this piece of suet with great difficulty. She hadn¡¯t expected¡­


    After Zhou Ying saw her expression, she just smiled and did not take it to heart.


    When treating a guest to a meal, she had to let the guest eatfortably. Otherwise, she might as well not treat them.


    As for the oil, she could just go out and buy a pig in the afternoon or even take some out of her interspace.


    Sure enough, Chen He and the other two ate well and were extremely satisfied.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t even eat her fill. In the end, she could only take two buns from her interspace to eat.


    After the meal, they rested briefly before Widow Wu and Gu Wanning went to the shed to help.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying took Head Fang and went out to collect the pigs with an ox cart. After driving for an entire afternoon, they finally bought a pig that weighed more than 100 pounds in one of the viges.


    On the way back, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Uncle Fang, do you have a sessor in this manor?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Zhou, um, what do you mean by that?¡± Head Fang was stunned for a moment before he turned his head and asked nervously.


    ¡°Have you heard that we bought another manor?¡±


    ¡°I heard, but that ce¡­


    ¡°I heard it¡¯s a ce that can¡¯t grow anything.¡±


    ¡°As long as it can grow grass, it will be fine. Our idea is that that ce will mainly engage in livestock farming and nt some fruits and vegetables for the restaurant to use in the future.


    ¡°I noticed that you¡¯re familiar with the surrounding manors, so I want you to go over and give it a try at managing our manor.


    ¡°As for this manor, it¡¯s already stable. As long as someone is keeping an eye on it, it will be fine as long as nothing goes wrong.


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t force you if you¡¯re unwilling.¡±


    Head Fang went silent for a moment after hearing this. Ultimately, he nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to Madam¡¯s arrangements. As long as you think I can take over the new manor, I¡¯ll go over.¡±


    To be honest, anyone literate and stern enough could manage the current manor other than growing vegetables and farming crops.


    However, it was different in the new manor.


    From Zhou Ying¡¯s words, the stuff they were nning for the new manor would be their restaurant¡¯s main source of ie. Even selling the livestock elsewhere would earn them a lot of money, which would also increase his value.


    ¡°Alright, we can only start after spring. If there¡¯s no suitable person to take over your position, quickly train one. After spring, we will need to go over there and build some houses, cattle pens, sheep pens, and so on.¡±


    ¡°I understand. My eldest son has been managing the manor with me. Do you think he can do it?¡±


    ¡°Whether he can do it or not, it depends on his capabilities. Let him manage it for some time and give him more practice.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll start making arrangements when I get back.¡±


    Later, Zhou Ying asked him about the situation in the nearby manors. She was a little surprised when she learned that all the surrounding manors belonged to officials.


    What surprised her was that a manor under Yang Chenglin¡¯s name specialized in farming. However, the head of the manor had been a little dishonest in the past two days and had been selling their stuff.


    After returning home, Zhou Ying ordered her help to ughter the pigs as soon as possible. She then personally treated everyone in the manor to a meal of pork and vegetables.


    Sheter asked Head Fang to sell a portion of the meat to the people in the manor at a fair price.


    In the end, only two tes of pork ribs and a piece of suet were left. She handed them over to Widow Wu.


    After everyone left, Zhou Ying told Gu Wanning about the situation of the manor under Yang Chenglin¡¯s name and said, ¡°In my opinion, you should hurry up and deal with it. At least, you should get rid of Mrs. Cui¡¯s men.


    ¡°Otherwise, it would be difficult to take it back from them after they ruin it..¡¯

 Chapter 571 - 571 Childbirth

    Chapter 571: Childbirth


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe their guts!¡± Gu Wanning huffed angrily.


    ¡°It¡¯s not toote to take action. Moreover, since they started this, you can take the opportunity to establish your hold over them.¡± Gu Chengcheng reminded her.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll go over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask Lin Yitian to apany you. If the people there are unusable, you¡¯d better sell them off quickly.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Wanning nodded in agreement.


    The next morning, Lin Yitian apanied Gu Wanning and set off. However, they did not go directly to the manor. Instead, they went home to get the manor¡¯s head and his family¡¯s contracts.


    Lin Yitian brought the other three guards along as well.


    With theirpany, Gu Wanning had no more worries.


    When they arrived at the manor, they reminded them who was in charge. When they realized that the head of the manor was unrelenting, they immediately checked the ounts and took back the money he had earned from selling livestock without permission. They then sold these people to the south of the country.


    She then appointed the manor¡¯s head that Mrs. Gu had chosen previously.


    Over the next few days, Gu Wanning brought her people to the other three manors and checked the ounts. If there were any problems, she would rece the people there.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying was helping to take care of the shed in the manor. With her joining in, Gu Chengrui wasn¡¯t as stressed and had more time to continue learning his medical skills.


    Five dayster, King Kang¡¯s consort, Zhou Jiaying, gave birth to a baby girl in the early morning.


    It was only at night that she slowly woke up. Seeing that only Nanny Yu was in the room, she struggled to poke her head out and shouted, ¡°Mrs. Yu.¡± ¡°Mistress, you woke up! How do you feel now?¡± Mrs. Yu quickly walked over and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just hungry and want to eat something.¡±


    ¡°Okay, please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll warm up the porridge for you.¡± After speaking, Mrs. Yu left and brought over a small bowl of red date millet porridge. ¡°Mistress, hurry up and give it a sip. This had been cooking for the entire afternoon.¡±


    Zhou Jiaying pushed it away and said,¡± It¡¯s too hot, so let¡¯s wait for a while. Has His Highness been here?¡±


    ¡°He did, and he brought some tonics over. After looking at Mistress, he left when he noticed you were asleep.


    ¡°He even told us to take good care of you, and if you need anything, just let him know.¡±


    ¡°Did he say anything about asking for a seal?¡±


    ¡°No, he probably wanted to wait until you woke up.¡± Mrs. Yu shook her head.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhou Jiaying also felt that what she said made sense, so shey down and rested for a while before eating the porridge.


    After breakfast, her family came instead of King Kang the next morning.


    After sitting for a while, Mother Zhou told her a few things to take note of and went to see the baby.


    Zhou Jiaqing sat down and asked, ¡°Sis, how do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the birth went smoothly, and I didn¡¯t suffer much.¡± Zhou Jiaying carefully looked at her face and said, ¡°Good. There¡¯s no mark on your face.¡±


    ¡°Of course, our father is the principal of medicine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be happy too early. You have to be more careful in the future.


    ¡°By the way, I heard Mother is talking about your marriage. Is there anyone you like?¡±


    Zhou Jiaqing shook her head dejectedly. She was in a difficult situation. The good ones didn¡¯t fancy her, and the others were too lousy to be her husband. She was ced between a rock and a hard ce.


    Thinking of this, she huffed indignantly, ¡°It¡¯s all Zhou Ying¡¯s fault. If she hadn¡¯t caused me to lose face at the banquet, I would have be King Rui¡¯s consort long ago. I wouldn¡¯t have to be left at home to be picked and chosen.¡±


    Zhou Jiaying was speechless. Although she wasn¡¯t there then, she knew of the incident afterward.


    To put it bluntly, Zhou Jiaqing was acting brainlessly. Her schemes failed, and she even got herself into trouble, ruining her reputation..

 Chapter 572 - 572 Uneasiness

    Chapter 572: Uneasiness


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sister, you have to think of a way to help me get back at her.¡±


    ¡°How do you want to do that?¡±


    ¡°Anthing, I¡¯m not having a good time, so she can forget about beingfortable.¡± Zhou Jiaqing became listless when she said this. She told her sister how she tried to send a spy into the Gu Residence but was rejected by Zhou Ying at a nce.


    Zhou Jiaying smiled and said, ¡°You know how to use your brain but are still immature.


    ¡°So what if a servant girl sessfully entered the Gu Residence and climbed into Gu Chengrui¡¯s bed?


    ¡°She was just a servant girl. At most, she would cause some trouble for her. If Zhou Ying wanted to get rid of her, it would be easy.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, they have been married for more than three years, but there has been no news of Zhou Ying¡¯s pregnancy.¡±


    ¡°Right, I only noticed after you brought it up.¡± Zhou Jiaqing¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s true. You got married a yearter than her and already have a child, but there¡¯s no news of her pregnancy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this. I¡¯ll help you vent your angerter.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Secrets cannot be revealed.¡± Zhou Jiaying said with a stern face.


    She knew Zhou Jiaqing was simply unable to hide a secret. If she leaked it, wouldn¡¯t her ns fail before she could implement them?


    ¡°I¡­¡± Zhou Jiaqing still wanted to say something, but Mother Zhou walked over and said, ¡°Your sister has just given birth and is tired. You¡¯d better not bother her too much.¡±


    She looked at Zhou Jiaying and added, ¡°Your dad asked me to bring two herbal recipes over, and I gave them to Mrs. Yu. Take good care of yourself. We wille to see you in two days.¡±


    After saying that, Mother Zhou pulled Zhou Jiaqing up. ¡°Hurry up, let¡¯s go. Let your sister have a good rest.¡±


    After saying that, she greeted Mrs. Yu goodbye as Mrs. Yu sent them out.


    When Mrs. Yu returned, she saw Zhou Jiaying still had her eyes wide open, so she asked, ¡°Madam, do you want to eat something?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Hasn¡¯t His Highness been here yet?¡±


    ¡°No, after His Highness left the morning court, he hasn¡¯t returned. I think something happened.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zhou Jiaying responded and closed her eyes.


    However, she felt a little uneasy.


    Ever since she deliberately fainted on the street, the number of times she saw His Highness could be counted on one hand.


    She didn¡¯t know if he was deliberately hiding from her or if he was really busy.


    Also, the princess consort would be married into the family after the new year, so Zhou Jiaying did not have much time left. Thus, she had to regain her husband¡¯s favor quickly. Otherwise, she and her daughter would not have an easy time in the future.


    Zhou Ying stayed at the manor for more than ten days. Just as the First Prince and Yang Wanyu were about to get married, the three finally returned to the capital with a cart of vegetables. There were bunches of rapeseed, spinach, and cabbage.


    After entering the capital, Gu Chengrui brought a basket of each into the pce.


    Zhou Ying distributed the rest to Zhou Huaiming, King Rui, King An, and the Minister of Works.


    Later, she returned to her residence with Gu Wanning.


    On the other end, when the Emperor found out that Gu Chengrui hade with vegetables, he immediately summoned him to his chambers.


    When he saw the green and juicy vegetables, he asked in surprise, ¡°Are these really grown in the greenhouse?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I just harvested them before returning to the capital, so they¡¯re still fresh. This is my reason for my visit.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Good, good, good. The greenhouse vegetables are sessful. In the future, our winter days will be much better.¡± The Emperor nodded repeatedly.


    He thought of something and asked, ¡°Can you only grow these leafy vegetables?¡±


    ¡°No. But leafy vegetables have a short growing period, so they can be eaten in about a month..¡±

 Chapter 573 - 573 Dowry

    Chapter 573: Dowry


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Would the other vegetables be ready by the new year?¡±


    ¡°Tough to say. If there¡¯s a possibility of early maturity, we can harvest them. However, they¡¯ll definitely be ready on the 15th of the first lunar month.¡±


    ¡°The 15th is fine; it¡¯s an important festival. If you manage it well, it¡¯ll be a great achievement.¡±


    ¡°This is my honor.


    ¡°If you have no other instructions, I will take my leave.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Go. If there¡¯s anything, report it in time.¡± The Emperor nodded.


    After Gu Chengrui left, the Emperor ordered Eunuch Li to bring all the vegetables to the imperial kitchen. At dinner, he wanted to taste the quality of the vegetables and see if they differed from those grown near the hot springs.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying had just returned home when the little beggar Gou¡¯zi¡ªrenamed Qi Tong¡ªran out to wee her, saying, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re back! This servant will help you carry your luggage.¡±


    ¡°Alright, send the clothes to the main courtyard for Shizhu.¡± Zhou Ying smiled as she handed him the cloth bag she used to wrap her clothes.


    Sheter handed the remaining vegetables to Zhou Dasheng and the others.


    As she walked in, Zhou Dasheng whispered, ¡°Qi Tong is quite smart and lively. If he¡¯s properly nurtured, he¡¯ll definitely be someone sessful in the future.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled and nodded. If it weren¡¯t for his intelligence, she wouldn¡¯t have chosen him to spread the news in the first ce.


    Thinking of this, Zhou Ying solemnly instructed Zhou Dasheng, ¡°All the more you should teach him. Let him learn as much as possible. Also, you should teach the young ones how to read too. They might be useful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Zhou Dasheng nodded in agreement.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, what wedding gift do you think you¡¯re giving the First Prince?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s marrying a consort, so we can¡¯t give him a gift ording to King Rui¡¯s standards. I think it¡¯s better to give him a purple sand tea set; it¡¯s not expensive but it¡¯s practical.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    If it weren¡¯t for making peace on the surface, she wouldn¡¯t even bother to go to the First Prince¡¯s wedding, let alone give a congrattory gift.


    After entering the interspace at night, Gu Chengrui returned to the vi to read some medical books after working on the grasnd.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying continued to deal with matters within the various Mother God Temples.


    They soon realized that the previous batch of fish, including the small fish in the river, had almost been fished out. It was clear how much meat the peoplecked.


    As the fish in her interspace bred to their previous poption, she left the eggs behind and distributed the remainder to severely malnourished areas via the Mother God Temple. She also released many wild ducks and even some wild duck eggs.


    After she was done, she checked on Yang Wanyu¡¯s dowry. Although it was enough for 66 sets, the items inside were of terrible quality. The total cost was definitely not more than 30,000 taels of silver.


    To be honest, this dowry was not bad for most women.


    But as a concubine¡¯s dowry, it was not presentable.


    When she saw this, she suddenly understood why Yang Wanyu had been staring at Mrs. Gu¡¯s dowry.


    Zhou Ying then looked at the First Prince¡¯s residence, but no joy was present.


    There was only a small courtyard with new furniture with the word ¡®Congrattions¡± pasted on it.


    Zhou Ying did not know the rules of marrying a secondary consort here, so she did not think too much about it.


    Before she left, she heard Consort Hui and the servants talking about Zhou Jiaying giving birth to a daughter. She immediately looked at the Fourth Prince¡¯s Mansion.


    At this moment, the Fourth Prince was nning something with Seventh Su, and Zhou Ying overheard it.


    She learned that they were searching for evidence of Yang Shicheng¡¯s corruption.


    But so far, they had only learned a little information from Xiao Heng¡¯s actions and had not found any useful evidence.


    After a moment, Seventh Su suggested, ¡°Your Highness, what do you say we take advantage of Yang Wanyu¡¯s marriage and send people to sneak into the Yang Residence to investigate?¡±

 Chapter 574 - 574 Unforgivable

    Chapter 574: Unforgivable


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°This is indeed an opportunity. Just send one person in. Remember, you must be smart, and it doesn¡¯t matter if you seed or not as long as you don¡¯t expose us.¡± King Kang said solemnly.


    ¡°Roger that. Oh, right. Do I need to make a move at King Rui¡¯s consort?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. We have to wait until Gu Wanning enters the residence. That way, it¡¯ll be better for us to act once they fight.¡±


    Seventh Su smiled wickedly and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Zhou Ying also realized that the blood aura on Seventh Su¡¯s body was much thicker than before; this kid had done many bad things recently.


    It was unforgivable that he wanted to stir up trouble at King Rui¡¯s residence by using Gu Wanning.


    Therefore, Zhou Ying stuck a lightning talisman on his body after he went out. Instantly, his hair was burned and emitted a pungent smell as his clothes caught fire.


    He twitched twice, rolled his eyes, and fell to the ground.


    Fortunately, he was rescued in time.


    When King Kang heard the lightning strike, he immediately ran out in fear. It was the middle of winter, so how could there be thunder?


    When he saw Seventh Su¡¯s miserable state, he could not help but shudder.


    He recalled the thunderbolt on the execution ground; could it be another warning from Mother God¡­


    However, his father and eldest brother had done worse. Why would they be fine when Seventh Su¡­


    King Kang¡¯s eyes narrowed at the thought of this, and he suddenly recalled how he had framed his eldest brother¡¯s subordinates to slip his spies in.


    Could it be¡­


    After confirming that Seventh Su¡¯s life was not in danger, he heaved a sigh of relief and nced at everyone else. ¡°No one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you without mercy.¡±


    At this point, he looked at the butler and said, ¡°Uncle Hong, keep an eye on this matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Butler Hong responded and immediately dismissed the others.


    King Kang had his trusted aide carry Seventh Su into the guest room before calling for the residence physician to treat him.


    Mrs. Yu rushed over as the doctor entered and said, ¡°Your Highness, the young miss is sick. Quickly get the doctor¡­¡±


    ¡°Go away¡­¡± King Kang replied unhappily.


    Mrs. Yu was stunned when she heard this. This was His Highness¡¯ first child; how could he¡­


    King Kang finally realized that it was his daughter who was ill. He then added in a gentler tone, ¡°Wait, the doctor is busy inside.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Mrs. Yu nodded and retreated aside.


    At the same time, she heaved a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as His Highness didn¡¯t hate the young miss.


    About an hourter, the doctor came out and said, ¡°Your Highness, the young master is now fine. He will just be in some pain, and he will recover in half a year.¡±


    ¡°Half a year?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the fastest. The burns on his body are not light.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll entrust the young master to you. If there¡¯s any situation, report it to me immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The doctor replied. Just as he was about to return, Mother Yu shouted, ¡°Wait!¡±


    King Kang paused before he remembered that his daughter was still sick. He hurriedly asked the doctor to bring his first aid kit over.


    After hesitating for a moment, he also followed them.


    After entering the house, he saw Zhou Jiaying pacing around with the baby in her arms.


    The doctor went forward for a checkup. ¡°Not a big problem. It¡¯s just that her stomach is a little bloated from eating cold food. Feed her some warm water and gently rub her stomach.


    ¡°Be more careful in the future. It is cold outside now, so you must not expose the child to the cold wind.


    ¡°Also, tell the nanny to be careful and to wait for her body to warm up before feeding her..¡±

 Chapter 575 - 575 Anger

    Chapter 575: Anger


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Jiaying red at the nanny and said, ¡°Did you hear that? Be more careful in the future. If there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll take your life.¡±


    ¡°This servant will remember this. I will be careful in the future.¡± The nanny immediately knelt and kowtowed.


    ¡°Alright, hurry up and carry her down to rub her stomach.¡± Zhou Jiaying gave the baby to her after saying that.


    She rubbed her sore shoulders and turned around to go back to bed.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Yu coughed dryly and said, ¡°Madam, His Highness is here.¡± ¡°Really? Your Highness¡­¡± Zhou Jiaying had just turned around when she saw him leaving. She immediately got up and ran after him.


    However, King Kang was no longer there when she lifted her curtains.


    She looked at Mrs. Yu with dissatisfaction and asked, ¡°Mrs. Yu, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡±


    ¡°At that time, everyone was worried about the young miss. I forgot about it for a moment; please punish me.¡± Mrs. Yu knelt and asked for forgiveness.


    ¡°Just be careful in the future.¡± Zhou Jiaying paused momentarily before asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did you take so long to call the doctor over?¡±


    Mrs. Yu chased everyone out before whispering, ¡°I heard that Seventh Young Master Su was struck by lightning. The doctor only came over after treating Seventh Young Master Su¡¯s injuries.¡±


    Speaking of this, she remembered King Kang¡¯s reaction. She was a little disappointed with His Highness¡¯ attitude, but since her Madam was still in confinement from childbirth, she could only keep her mouth shut.


    Zhou Jiaying smiled. Being struck by lightning in the middle of winter¡ªwasn¡¯t that a punishment from the heavens?


    At this thought, her expression froze and turned into a look of fear. She solemnly instructed, ¡°Watch the servants in the courtyard. If anyone dares to spread the word, p them until they shut up.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You may leave.¡± Zhou Jiaying went back to her bed and pondered.


    Could it be that King Kand was so busy that he didn¡¯t even have a chance to see her?


    But what were they busy with? Why would the heavens punish them? It seemed that she had to send a letter to her father to warn him.


    Zhou Ying looked at Zhou Jiaying¡¯s troubled face and pitied her a little.


    Zhou Jiaying and King Kang were childhood friends, and their marriage was done voluntarily.


    But it seemed that there was exaggeration in this ¡®voluntary act¡¯.


    At the very least, Zhou Jiaying wasn¡¯t living as happily as she had imagined.


    Zhou Ying retreated and headed toward the pce.


    It was alreadyte at night, but the Emperor was still engrossed in approving many requests. Suddenly, he stared nkly at a memorial.


    ¡°Li, do you still remember who oversaw the construction of the Xiao River five years ago?¡±


    ¡°This old servant is stupid and really can¡¯t remember. I will go and search for it immediately.¡± After saying that, Eunuch Li turned around, went to the side hall, and began searching through the various memorials.


    Needless to say, the many documents were arranged neatly and were easy to search through.


    Soon, he found a scroll and hurriedly handed it to the Emperor. ¡°Your Highness, we didn¡¯t send anyone to supervise the construction.


    ¡°It was supervised by the local officials after the imperial court allocated funds.¡±


    The Emperor took the memorial and opened it carefully to examine it. Sure enough, he did not send anyone down at the time, but the local officers were from the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s faction or the people of the Eldest Prince.


    Yang Shicheng and Lord Bai from the Ministry of Works were also responsible for this matter.


    ¡°Is there any news from Xiao Heng over the past two days?¡±


    ¡°Since Chief Xiao epted the mission, he rarely reentered the pce and didn¡¯t send any useful news.¡±


    ¡°It looks like they are well hidden.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he threw the memorial on his table..

 Chapter 576 - 576b Worries

    Chapter 576:b Worries


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying saw that the memorial had not been closed, so she immediately went forward to take a look. It was a memorial from the south asking for funds to strengthen the river embankment.


    Thinking back to the conversation, she suddenly understood why the Emperor was angry.


    She nced at the memorial, saw Yang Zhicheng¡¯s name, and smiled. Yang Shicheng was not far from death.


    Should she push the Emperor to act so Yang Shicheng won¡¯t cause any more trouble?


    There was also the First Prince. He was one of the masterminds behind the deaths of her original body and Gu Chengrui¡¯s original body.


    Thinking of this, after the Emperor fell asleep, she gave him another dream and told him about Yang Shicheng helping the First Princemit corruption.


    She also told him about the secret chamber in the Yang Residence and the way to enter.


    After leaving, Zhou Ying returned the things she took from the secret chamber. She even returned the 100,000 taels of silver in the manor wholly intact.


    With this evidence, their doomsday would soon arrive.


    Just as she was lost in her thoughts, the Emperor suddenly woke up with a head full of sweat. She was shocked by this and immediately left.


    Seeing it was gettingte, she collected what she needed in her interspace and nted some corn.


    After she was done, she picked up a five-pound watermelon and entered the vi. She sliced the watermelon and called Gu Chengrui down. ¡°You¡¯ve been reading for some time. Eat a piece of watermelon and take a rest.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, it¡¯s great that you thought of that.¡± Gu Chengrui pulled her to sit down. He first handed her the middle piece before taking another piece and eating it.


    Zhou Ying looked at the watermelon in her hand and smiled. She lowered her head and started eating.


    After eating, Zhou Ying told him what she had seen and heard tonight and that she had returned Yang Shicheng¡¯s gold and silver.


    ¡°Great. It¡¯s revenge for our bodies.¡± Gu Chengruiughed after hearing that.


    He then asked, ¡°So the Fourth Prince has nted a spy in King Rui¡¯s residence?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal? I¡¯m sure King Rui has spies in the others¡¯ residences too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. If he didn¡¯t have some tricks up his sleeve, he probably wouldn¡¯t have lived until today. I just wonder what the Fourth Prince¡¯s goal is.¡±


    ¡°From my experience watching royal dramas, the most effective way to provoke two women to fight is to do something regarding their children, especially involving sterilization medicine. It will definitely make the two women fight to the death.¡±


    Gu Chengrui only sighed and said, ¡°To put it bluntly, women and children are just sacrifices in politics.¡±


    After saying that, he stood up and disposed of the melon skin.


    After that, they took a shower together and went out of the interspace to go to bed.


    When Zhou Ying woke up again, the capital was in an uproar. The Yang Family had been raided, all the family members had been captured, and the servants had been sold.


    The First Prince was punished by personally reinforcing the south river embankment using his private coffers.


    The Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s younger brother, Sun Wenhao, was also arrested and imprisoned, and Lord Bai from the Ministry of Works was also implicated.


    For a moment, the atmosphere in the capital became tense again.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying was teaching Gu Wanning martial arts when she realized Gu Wanning was daydreaming. She went up and asked, ¡°Something on your mind?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. I really didn¡¯t expect my father to have embezzled so much money.¡± Gu Wanning replied thoughtfully.


    In her previous life, even though Yag Shicheng also had his corruption exposed, they did not recover much of the stolen money. It seemed that it was all used up by those three women.


    The Cui family women lived a much more luxurious life, especially after Yang Wanyu married the First Prince.


    Gu Wanning remembered that Yang Wanyu had said that the First Prince doted on her by gifting them all those luxurious goods. Now that she thought about it, those weren¡¯t gifts from the First Prince.


    Those were bought after Yang Shicheng finally dared to spend the embezzled money once the First Prince gained power.


    At the thought of this, she felt aggrieved for her mother.


    Yang Shicheng¡¯s sry had been solely for his personal use for the past several years. Gu Wanning¡¯s mother never spent even a single penny he earned after marrying him.


    But her ending was¡­

 Chapter 577 - 577 A Full Stop

    Chapter 577: A Full Stop


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Just when Zhou Ying thought that Gu Wanning had softened her heart, Gu Wanning suddenly said, ¡°Good. The more corrupted, the worse his oue will be.¡±


    ¡°Yup, since there¡¯s no more rtionship between you two, you two siblings can just live your own lives.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I still have Chenglin.¡± Gu Wanning smiled.


    Her previous life had already be a dream that could not be repeated, so she needed to grasp this life and live it well.


    There was no need to think about those unpleasant things anymore.


    After that, the two practiced some martial arts and went out to buy her dowry.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying was also thinking about what kind of dowry to prepare.


    In King Kang¡¯s Imperial Residence, his expression turned grave when he considered what happened to King Hui.


    He knew that the Emperor supervised this matter, so it seemed that he had to be more careful in the future.


    Otherwise, he would alsond in a terrible position.


    Yang Shicheng was beheaded three dayster, and all his family members were exiled.


    Like the Gu Family, the Bai Family was raided and sent back to their hometown.


    Gu Wanning could not help butugh. It would be impossible for Yang Wanyu to stand out now.


    At the same time, to relinquish the vengeance inside her, she brought Chunxi over to take a look from afar. When she saw Yang Wanyu¡¯s miserable appearance with handcuffs and shackles on her body, she could not help but smile.


    She realized that only Yang Wanyu and her brother had no one sending them off or giving them clothes. She said happily to Chunxi, ¡°Let¡¯s go home and buy some meat. We¡¯ll have a good celebration tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mistress, you aren¡¯t going to ¡®send them off¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s enough to see her in a sorry state.¡± Gu Wanning shook her head.


    As for sending them off, she would just be mocking her. There was really no need for that.


    If word got out, it would be detrimental to her reputation.


    When Chunxi heard this, she quickly walked back with her.


    In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed. It was also the day of King Kang¡¯s daughter¡¯s one-month-old birthday.


    The night before, King Kang walked in and said, ¡°Imperial Father has decided on the naming convention for the next generation of girls; it would start with ¡®Le.¡¯


    ¡°Mother gave the child the word ¡®Xin,¡¯ which meant prosperity. From now on, she will be called Yang Lexin.¡±


    ¡°Lexin, a lovely name with a good meaning.¡± Zhou Jiaying said, ¡°Your Highness, no matter what, our daughter is the first child of her generation. Shouldn¡¯t the Emperor bequeath her a title or something?¡±


    ¡°Who would be given a title at birth?¡±


    Moreover, she was not his legitimate daughter. It was already good enough that the Emperor remembered that there was such a person.


    Of course, he only said this inwardly and not out loud.


    ¡°Why not? Isn¡¯t Mingyu one of them? Moreover, she¡¯s not even the Emperor¡¯s flesh and blood.¡±


    King Kang turned around and said with disdain, ¡°Your ambition is inting. Remember that I was only conferred the title of Kingst year.


    ¡°As for Mingyu, she¡¯s a special case. Back then, when King An followed Imperial Father out of the pce, he helped block an arrow and almost lost his life.


    ¡°After Consort An received the news, she gave birth prematurely and almost died with the baby.


    ¡°That was why Mingyu was given the title of princess. Do you think anyone can start at the top without any contributions?¡±


    Zhou Jiaying felt her heart beating fast under his gaze. She hugged his arm and replied coquettishly, ¡°I want to fight more for my daughter.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s impossible, then I won¡¯t suggest it again in the future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you remember. Mother will be here tomorrow, so be careful when you speak. If you make her unhappy, neither you nor your daughter will have a good time.¡± After King Kang finished speaking, he pulled his arm out and walked out.


    ¡°Farewell, Your Highness.¡± Zhou Jiaying bowed immediately.


    After he walked far away, she looked at Mrs. Yu with an aggrieved expression and asked, ¡°Mrs.. Yu, do you think His Highness has a change of heart?¡±

 Chapter 578 - 578 Reflection

    Chapter 578: Reflection


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°This servant can¡¯t be sure either. It¡¯s possible that he¡¯s angry because of what you said before.¡± At this point, Mrs. Yu hesitated and added, ¡°Madam, I feel that you should try your best to serve His Highness and make him happy.


    ¡°As long as he¡¯s happy, there are many things that you don¡¯t need to ask for. In order to please you, he will give them to you.


    ¡°On the other hand, taking the initiative to ask would be counterproductive.¡± Although Zhou Jiaying felt ufortable, she knew what she said made sense. Initially, she thought their rtionship would never change, but over the past few months, she realized that he had changed. He had changed so much that she felt she was no different from any other woman to him.


    It seemed that she really had to reflect on herself. She could not imagine how they would live the rest of their lives if she lost favor.


    She said, ¡°Mrs. Yu, prepare my bath. Prepare the clothes and essories that I will wear tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but your body is still weak. You must be careful not to hurt your body.¡± ¡°Understood. Go and prepare.¡±


    On the day of Yang Lexin¡¯s full moon, the Gu Residence was invited because they had sold the greenhouse vegetables to King Kang. Zhou Ying had no choice but to bring Gu Wanning to King Kang¡¯s residence.


    After registering the 100 taels as their gift, they took the initiative to drink tea in a corner.


    Then, the royal family members began to arrive one after another.


    At this moment, Zhou Ying also discovered that King Kang had mainly invited royal family members.


    As for the ministers in the court, they were either rtives of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an or first-grade officials like Prime Minister Su or Grand Schr Sun.


    She was probably the only one of her kind who did not have an imperial mandate.


    When she saw this, she could not help but be on alert.


    Soon, Mrs. Sun sat down and said, ¡°You must be Mrs. Gu.¡±


    ¡°Madam Sun sure has a good memory. I didn¡¯t expect that you would still recognize amoner after only meeting once.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because you¡¯re too beautiful. It¡¯s hard not to remember you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it as apliment.¡±


    Mrs. Sun was stunned for a moment and smiled. ¡°It is apliment.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Lord Gu¡¯s greenhouse has begun to produce vegetables. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there are only leafy vegetables now. They will appear at the banquetter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I wonder if you can send some to my residence. I haven¡¯t eaten fresh vegetables in a long time.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but the quantity is limited. I¡¯m afraid I can only let you have a taste.¡±


    ¡°Just send as many as you can.¡± Mrs. Sun nodded.


    At this moment, Consort An walked over. Madam Sun immediately stood up and went to chat with Gu Wanning.


    What surprised Zhou Ying was that Consort An also mentioned sending vegetables.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you also grow vegetables in your hot spring manor?¡± Zhou Ying asked in confusion.


    ¡°How much can we nt? Besides, there are many owners of that manor. We barely get a share of the produce.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but there¡¯s a limit to what¡¯s grown in the greenhouse too. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t give too many.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Please send over as many as you can.¡±


    Following that, many more came asking for vegetables. Zhou Ying finally understood what Zhou Huaiming meant.


    As long as the news was released, the vegetables would sell like hotcakes.


    However, she replied to all of them with the same thing and did not dare boast about her produce.


    Conversely, Mrs. Sun chatted with Gu Wanning for a while. Seeing that she had a gentle personality and did not like to gossip too much, she finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    After all, the Gu couple were very close to King Rui. Now that Gu Wanning had changed her surname, she could be considered a real member of the Gu family. If she had a stubborn personality, her daughter would not have an easy time in the future..

 Chapter 579 - 579 Jealous

    Chapter 579: Jealous


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Soon, Sun Miaoke also arrived. Mrs. Sun exchanged a few more polite words with Gu Wanning before going to look for her daughter.


    After a while, Zhou Jiaying came in with her daughter in her arms.


    Mrs. Yu, Mother Zhou, and Zhou Jiaqing followed behind.


    When everyone saw that the baby had arrived, they immediately went forward and gave their small gifts.


    When it was Zhou Ying¡¯s turn, she took out a small gold bracelet engraved with the word ¡°fortune¡± and handed it to Mrs. Yu. ¡°I hope Miss Lexin will be blessed in the future.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zhou Jiayingughed.


    After that, she took a serious look at Zhou Ying. Although Zhou Ying was dressed in the simplest clothes, she found her skin fair and supple. Her hair was ck and luscious, indicating that she was living a veryfortable life.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes were clear, revealing tenacity and guile. She lookedpletely different from the Zhou Ying back then. It was no wonder Zhou Jiaqing had no advantage in her hands.


    At the same time, a sense of jealousy rose in her heart. Her status was clearly higher than Zhou Ying¡¯s, and she was married into a better family. Yet, her life was not asfortable as Zhou Ying¡¯s.


    At this time, Zhou Jiaying¡¯s mother and Zhou Jiaqing, who were helping Zhou Jiaying greet the others, also returned.


    Zhou Ying smiled and nodded at Mother Zhou, then turned around and left.


    Zhou Jiaqing wanted to chase after her, but Mother Zhou stopped her.


    Zhou Ying was no longer the same person she was. Moreover, since the old madam had already rified that they no longer had any rtionship with each other, there was no need for them to find trouble.


    Although Zhou Jiaqing was indignant, she didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Soon, Consort Shu arrived, and everyone hurriedly stood up and bowed.


    ¡°Everyone, get up.¡± After Consort Shu finished speaking, she turned around and hugged Yang Lexin, saying, ¡°Ah, our little darling is awake. Look at those big, watery eyes. They¡¯re so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, this child¡¯s eyes are like yours.¡± Zhou Jiayingughed.


    ¡°Oh, please.¡± Consort Shu smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth. Your eyes are publicly recognized as the most beautiful of all.¡± Zhou Jiaying added.


    ¡°This child¡¯s face is simr to Jiaying¡¯s. She has a pair of dimples on her small oval face and looks so cute when she smiles.¡± Mrs. Su stepped forward with a smile.


    When everyone heard this, they surrounded the child and praised her. Zhou Ying saw this and quickly went to the side to continue drinking her tea.


    In the afternoon, after everyone had left, Zhou Jiaqing looked at Mother Zhou and asked, ¡°Mom, Zhou Ying was so arrogant before. Why didn¡¯t you let me teach her a lesson?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just too impulsive when you¡¯ve suffered before. Besides, your grandmother has already helped us draw a clear line with her, so don¡¯t provoke her.


    ¡°Otherwise, when something happens, the ones who will lose face will be us.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you really have to change your personality. Besides, quarrels can¡¯t solve our problems, and you are only making yourself more angry.¡± Zhou Jiaying nodded in agreement.


    Moreover, she had already found the best way to vent her anger. She would destroy Zhou Ying¡¯s happy life when the time was right.


    ¡°You should learn more from your sister. Otherwise, when you get married in the future, you¡¯ll suffer.¡± Mother Zhou chided her.


    ¡°You guys¡­ Hmph, I¡¯m going to see Lexin.¡± Seeing that none of them took her seriously, Zhou Jiaqing snorted in dissatisfaction and ran out.


    Zhou Jiaying shook her head and asked, ¡°Mother, is there any progress on her marriage? Why don¡¯t we just find a stable, honest, wealthy family for her?


    ¡°With her personality, she won¡¯t have a good life in the future if it isn¡¯t a family we can suppress.


    ¡°She might even bring trouble to our family..¡±

 Chapter 580 - 580 Royal Family’s Banquet (1)

    Chapter 580: Royal Family¡¯s Banquet (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Your father had the same idea. He said he has a subordinate who runs a pharmacy andes from a good family. He wanted to discuss this matter once his subordinate came to the capital to deliver medicine in the spring.¡± Mother Zhou then asked, ¡°By the way, how are things on your side? His Highness doesn¡¯t mind that the baby is a daughter, right?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Your mother has lived most of her life understanding one thing.


    ¡°Fighting for favor isn¡¯t to suppress other women, but to keep a man¡¯s heart.


    ¡°As long as his heart is still with you, you don¡¯t have to be afraid of anything.


    ¡°In the future, you should pay more attention to him, go along with him more, and give in sometimes. Don¡¯t blindlypete and win over others. Or else, you¡¯ll lose his heart like your mother.¡±


    ¡°I will remember it.¡± Zhou Jiaying nodded.


    After that, the mother and daughter chatted more before Mother Zhou brought Zhou Jiaqing home.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about the orders by the various families and asked, ¡°How are things on your side? If you don¡¯t have enough to sell to all of them, I can take some out of interspace to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t; I will harvest as much as I can. I will just send less to each family, or else if our harvest doesn¡¯t match, the people in the manor will be suspicious.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t bring any vegetables back to our residence. If you want to eat some, you need to tell me in advance, and I¡¯ll bring some over before shipping everything away.¡±


    ¡°Alright, hurry up and send them over. We can still nt another batch before the New Year.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    For the next two days, Gu Chengrui delivered vegetables to the various residences, including the imperial pce, and nted another batch of vegetables.


    Zhou Ying continued teaching Gu Wanning martial arts and helped her prepare her dowry.


    She would head to her manor or Yang Chenglin¡¯s manor when bored. She requested they keep some livestock cubs, especially pigs, in preparation for next year.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year, and they sold yet another batch of leafy vegetables.


    At the same time, Sun Hongliang sent someone to deliver a pig, two sheep, and a cow through King Rui¡¯s men.


    Zhou Ying asked Lin Yitian to send half a pig to their manor after receiving the livestock.


    After Gu Chengrui found out that Zhou Huaiming had returned to the capital, he invited him to spend the New Year at his house every day except for the eve of the New Year.


    As a result, Zhou Huaiming gained more than ten pounds in half a month.


    On the 15th, at the imperial family¡¯s Lantern Festival banquet, everyone was surprised to see him all fattened.


    King Rui patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Cousin, if you continue to eat like this, be careful that you won¡¯t even be able to hold your sword in the future.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s all Miss Zhou¡¯s fault. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that her cooking is so delicious, I wouldn¡¯t have stuffed myself full every time.¡±


    ¡°Humble brag.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I really can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s too delicious.¡± Zhou Huaiming said with an awkward smile before turning serious, ¡°Oh right, I heard that the scale of this banquet isrge. Even officials from other ces who came to the capital to take the examination have been invited. Is the Emperor nning something huge?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I heard that the main purpose of this banquet is to treat everyone to a meal and discuss this year¡¯s ns, especially the promotion of sweet potatoes and greenhouses.¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the greenhouse vegetables? I heard that Gu Chengrui delivered half of the harvest to the pce.¡±


    ¡°Yes, no matter what, the sessful nting of greenhouse vegetables has solved the problem of eating vegetables in winter in the north. It¡¯s worth promoting to great lengths.¡±


    ¡°Great to hear.¡± Zhou Huaiming let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Follow me to the Emperor¡¯s study to report this year¡¯s deployment.¡± After saying that, King Rui walked straight to the study.


    Zhou Huaiming immediately followed after him.


    Zhou Ying brought Gu Wanning into the pce, and she headed to visit the Empress Dowager.


    Because there were too many people, she only exchanged a few polite greetings before following Princess Mingyu to the side hall..

 Chapter 581 - 581 Royal Family’s Banquet (2)

    Chapter 581: Royal Family¡¯s Banquet (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As soon as the three of them entered, a white-haired old woman said in a strange tone, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this the second daughter of the Zhou family, Zhou Ying?


    ¡°I heard that she fell out with her family the moment she returned to the capital.


    ¡°No matter what, the Zhou family raised you. You can¡¯t just ignore your family when your wings harden.¡±


    Zhou Ying turned her head to look at her after hearing that. She then ignored her after she noticed who it was.


    It was the Empress¡¯s second aunt, the great-aunt of the Lu family.


    Previously, because the Lu family had previously helped Prince Hui in his assassination attempt on Prince Rui, they had been grounded for three months. Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect them to be out so soon.


    However, looking at the murderous aura on her body, she must have killed many people.


    Seeing that she was ignoring her, Madam Lu immediately demanded angrily, ¡°What, you don¡¯t even know how to respect the old and love the young?¡± ¡°Are you worthy of that?¡± Zhou Ying said with a cold nce.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s? I¡¯m already respecting you by ignoring you.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget why you were grounded by the Emperor. Do you need me to help you spread the news?¡±


    Madam Lu was so angry that she trembled and pointed at her but could not say a word.


    Mingyu looked at the two of them and quickly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡±


    After saying that, she pulled them to the other side halls.


    ¡°Tell me, do you still respect your elders? You¡¯re simply too condescending!¡± Madam Lu pointed at their backs and shouted.


    However, everyone just casually responded with a few grunts to give the Empress face before ignoring her.


    After all, even the Zhou family did not care about Zhou Ying¡¯s situation. What grounds do they have to stick their hands into this?


    Besides, they wanted to buy more vegetables from the Gu family. If they offended Zhou Ying, where else would they get their vegetables?


    Seeing this, Madam Lu was embarrassed and immediately stood up to leave.


    The moment she left, everyone started gossiping. Some said she used to bully others, while others began digging into her past and describing how she had stepped over corpses to rise from a concubine to her husband¡¯s official wife.


    Madam Lu, who was listening outside the halls, was so angry that she almost vomited blood. She quickly went to look for the Empress and her sister-inw.


    On the other end, after Zhou Ying and the others left, they did not go to the other side halls. Instead, they went outside to look at thenterns.


    Although the sky was not dark, the colorfulnterns were still attractive.


    ¡°Wow, that little white rabbit is so beautiful!¡± Mingyu pointed at antern hanging on a plum blossom tree.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s very cute. It looks like she¡¯s stealing food.¡± Gu Wanning echoed.


    Zhou Ying stepped forward and took a good look, admiring these crafts, especially the picture painted on them. With just a few simple strokes, these craftsmen had drawn a cute little rabbit on a delicatentern.


    She asked, ¡°Will there be morenterns on the street outside tonight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that. Because of the disaster, there hasn¡¯t been antern festival for two years. Oh, right, I heard that Qingshui Town in Yunhe County had a fireworks festival. Is that true?¡± Mingyu asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I saw it once on the second day after I went back. It was very beautiful, but there was a sea of people at the festival. It was a pity that the fireworks were short-lived, unlike antern that could leave something behind.¡± Zhou Ying then gave them a detailed description of the festival.


    ¡°Wow, it sounds beautiful and shocking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look when the year is better,¡± Mingyu said excitedly.


    ¡°You¡¯re making me want to go too.¡± Gu Wanning echoed.


    ¡°If there¡¯s a chance in the future, I¡¯ll treat you guys to a big meal and watch fireworks.¡±


    ¡°Yo, what are you girls talking about so happily?¡± At this moment, a curious voice came from not far away..

 Chapter 582 - 582 Royal Family’s Banquet (3)

    Chapter 582: Royal Family¡¯s Banquet (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying turned around and frowned when she saw Consort Shu, Zhou Jiaying, and Zhou Jiaqing.


    However, the three of them still quickly stepped forward and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Consort Shu.¡±


    Zhou Ying and Gu Wanning also greeted Zhou Jiaying.


    ¡°Do get up. What were you guys talking about just now?¡± Consort Shu helped them up and asked with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. We were mainly talking about the rabbitntern and then about the fireworks in Sister Zhou¡¯s hometown.¡± Mingyu replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard King Kang mention the fireworks over there before; they¡¯re indeed one of a kind.¡± Consort Shu nodded.


    ¡°I heard that Mingyu has already started training female soldiers. How are the results?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still too short for results, and they are still practicing the horse stance. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll take a year and a half to see any effect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Sorry, I was just too impatient.¡± Consort Shu nodded and asked Zhou Ying, ¡°I heard that the greenhouse was sessful. I wonder what vegetables are being harvested this time?¡±


    ¡°Well, other than the leafy vegetables we harvested previously, there are also cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, eggnts, cucumbers, pumpkins, carrots, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Good. There are both thick and thin vegetables. Looks like we¡¯re going to have a good meal tonight.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled and did not reply.


    ¡°You guys go ahead and stroll around. Shall we go and see the othernterns?¡± Ming Yu asked.


    ¡°Go ahead. There¡¯s a lotusntern over there that¡¯s very well made. You can go over and take a look.¡± After Consort Shu finished speaking, she pointed to the left.


    ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Consort Shu.¡± After Mingyu finished speaking, she immediately led the two of them away.


    After they left, Consort Shu turned her head to look at Zhou Ying¡¯s back and said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that pitiful girl back then would turn out this well. Ping Yang sure has a good eye.¡±


    The two sisters felt ufortable after hearing this.


    What did Consort Shu mean by ¡®pitiful¡¯? Was she implying that the Zhou family abused Zhou Ying?


    If it weren¡¯t for her status, Zhou Jiaying would¡¯ve retorted.


    Zhou Jiaqing muttered indignantly, ¡°What¡¯s the use of a concubine¡¯s daughter who has no one to rely on, no matter how good she looks?¡±


    Consort Shu nced at her after hearing this and was toozy to pay attention to her.


    She turned her head to look at Zhou Jiaying. Seeing that she was submissive and didn¡¯t show any dissatisfaction, Consort Shu nodded.


    No matter what Zhou Jiaying was thinking, it was fine as long as she did not show it or embarrass her son.


    She stood up and was about to leave when a few girls walked over and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Consort Shu.¡±


    When Consort Shu saw the leading Hong Suzhi, she immediately smiled and said, ¡°Hurry up and rise. Since we¡¯ve met, let¡¯s take a walk together.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hong Suzhi responded and followed.


    Consort Shu looked at her and asked, ¡°When did you enter the pce? Is your mother here?¡±


    ¡°We just arrived not long ago. Mother is still at the Empress Dowager¡¯s ce. We wanted to pay you a visit, and we didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±


    ¡°This is fate.¡± Consort Shu smiled.


    Then, they chatted andughed,pletely isting the Zhou sisters.


    Hong Suzhi¡¯s sisters also took the opportunity to squeeze the two sisters to the sidelines gradually.


    But Zhou Jiaying didn¡¯t dare to say anything.


    Seeing this, Zhou Jiaqing was indignant and ran off to look for her friends.


    Zhou Jiaying gritted her teeth in anger when she saw her adding insult to injury.


    She could only step forward and say, ¡°Imperial Mother, it¡¯s been quite a while since we¡¯vee out. I have to go and take a look at the child, so please go without me.¡±


    She hoped Consort Shu would give her some face for the sake of her child.


    Unexpectedly, Consort Shu waved her hand and said, ¡°Go, the child is still young. Don¡¯t let her catch a cold..¡±

 Chapter 583 - 583 Royal Family’s Banquet (4)

    Chapter 583: Royal Family¡¯s Banquet (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Jiaying turned around and left.


    The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Before, she could have been the main consort, but because of Consort Shu¡¯s dissuasion, His Highness made her the secondary consort.


    All these years, she has always been respectful to her. She was just short of clinging to her daily, yet Consort Shu harbored no sincerity in her respect.


    On the other hand, Consort Shu was beaming with joy the moment Hong Suzhi arrived. Was it because her father was not as influential as the Hong Family?


    Or did she look down on her from the very beginning?


    She got really angry when she thought of this.


    When she thought of His Highness¡¯ cold attitude toward her, the anger in her heart rose further. It seemed that she had been too obedient to them in the past. It was time to let them see the capabilities of the Zhou family.


    Thinking of this, she returned to look at her child. Seeing that her daughter was already asleep, she sent someone to send the baby back and then went to look for her mother.


    After Zhou Ying and her group walked around for a while, they encountered arge group of officials in official uniforms surrounding Gu Chengrui and saying something.


    However, those officials were all unfamiliar faces. Zhou Ying turned to look at Mingyu and asked, ¡°Mingyu, where did those officialse from?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, they are from the northern regions here for the sweet potatoes, new wheat seeds, and greenhouse vegetables.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the sweet potatoes and wheat been promoted to them?¡±


    ¡°The country is so big, so how can a small amount of seeds cover the entire country? My father told me that sweet potatoes are mostly distributed in mountainous and sandy areas.


    ¡°For those with goodnd, wheat was given.


    ¡°They were allowed to stay in the capital this time to give them options to support each other.¡±


    Zhou Ying listened to the Mingyu points and nodded. She suddenly thought of Gu Ziyi, who got her position snatched by the daughter of Magistrate Zhao and almost killed her.


    Would Magistrate Zhao be here this time?


    After that, the three strolled and went straight to the banquet venue. This banquet wasn¡¯t set in the imperial court. Instead, they set up arge tent outside the imperial court in arge open space.


    After entering, they found a table for the Gu Residence and sat down.


    When Zhou Ying saw there was tea, she asked the pce maid to bring a pot. She then poured a cup of tea for each of them.


    After taking a sip of tea, she nced at the four rows of long and dense seats and said, ¡°It seems that the scale of this banquet is veryrge.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all officials above the fifth rank in the capital, including all officials all over the country, must participate.¡± Mingyu nodded.


    She added, ¡°Oh, haha, if you are selling your vegetables again, Sister Zhou, remember to leave some for our King An¡¯s Imperial Residence.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? When have we ever not remembered King An¡¯s Imperial Residence?¡±


    ¡°I knew Sister Zhou always treated me the best!¡±


    ¡°A princess calling a woman without an imperial mandate her sister? Aren¡¯t you afraid of ruining seniority?¡± The Eighth Princess walked in with a group of people and retorted.


    ¡°This princess¡¯ status is not high enough, so there¡¯s no need to suck up to others.¡± After Mingyu finished speaking, she nced at the crowd behind the Eight Princess and said, ¡°I suggest that you carefully identify the people around you and consider your friends seriously.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re just jealous that I have so many friends.¡± After the Eighth Princess finished speaking, she brought her sisters to sit around her.


    ¡°She has no distinction between good and bad friends.¡± Mingyu shook her head and ignored her.


    Zhou Ying smiled when she saw this. ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as we did our part.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Anyway, the two of us don¡¯t really care about each other.¡± Mingyu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°By the way, Wanning,¡± she said to Gu Wanning, ¡°how¡¯s the preparation of your dowry going? Is there anything I can help you with?¡±

 Chapter 584 - 584 Royal Family’s Banquet (5)

    Chapter 584: Royal Family¡¯s Banquet (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Not at the moment. Zhou Ying has already helped me prepare most of what I need. If there is anything else, I will look for you again.¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    As the three of them chatted, many more guests walked in one after another. However, most of them were women and youngdies, and there were also some young boys.


    Soon, more than half of the tent was upied, and the chattering almost sounded like a market.


    Zhou Ying curiously spread out her divine senses to look and found that most of them were matchmaking for their children, especially the madams who weren¡¯t from the capital. They were all trying their best to promote their children for engagement.


    Many people even enjoyed watching this.


    At this moment, Zhou Ying thought of something. She looked at Mingyu and asked, ¡°Mingyu, how old are you this year?¡±


    Mingyu, who was drinking tea, was surprised by the sudden question. ¡°I¡¯m 17 after the day of the Lunar New Year. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°17? Why didn¡¯t Consort An get you ready for your marriage?¡±


    ¡°My marriage has to be approved by the Emperor, but since the Emperor has not mentioned it, my father did not dare to ask.¡±


    ¡°He has to ask soon. If you dy any longer, all the good men of your age will be snatched away. It will be difficult to find a suitable one by then.¡±


    Gu Wanning¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She immediately remembered Mingyu¡¯s miserable ending in her previous life. Even though the sudden change in King Rui had changed the political situation in this life, who knew if the Emperor would still use Mingyu for a marriage alliance?


    Thinking of this, she nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Indeed, the Emperor is always busy, and he¡¯s also a man. Perhaps he didn¡¯t take this matter to heart.


    ¡°You and your father should choose a few candidates and report to the Emperor. If it¡¯s suitable, he will definitely agree to your marriage.¡±


    Mingyu blushed and nodded. ¡°1¡¯11 mention it to my motherter.¡±


    ¡°I think you should mention it to your grandmother too.¡± Zhou Ying added.


    No matter what, the Empress Dowager and Madam Consort An were friends. It was safer for her toe forwardpared to Consort An.


    Mingyu understood what Zhou Ying meant. She nodded and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying did not say anything more. She simply poured another cup of tea and drank it.


    A momentter, a mother and daughter walked over and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Princess Mingyu.¡±


    Mingyu nced at them. After confirming that they did not know each other, she raised her head and replied, ¡°Do raise your heads; there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± After the two of them got up, the woman looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Are you Mrs. Gu?¡±


    ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the wife of Lord Zhao of the Kaiyang Prefecture. This is my daughter, Zhao Xiuli.¡± The woman introduced herself.


    Zhou Ying looked at them in surprise. Although they had never met before, they were technically considered enemies. For a moment, she could not figure out why they hade.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She asked directly.


    Madam Zhao looked at her vignt gaze and smiled awkwardly. ¡°I know because of Xiuying, we¡­¡±


    Zhou Ying directly interrupted her. ¡°Just say what you¡¯re here for.¡±


    Madam Zhao did not speak but looked at Mingyu and Gu Wanning.


    Mingyu looked at Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment and nodded. She wanted to see what the mother and daughter wanted from her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Wanning; apany me to the toilet.¡±


    Gu Wanning grabbed Zhou Ying¡¯s hand. Noticing that Zhou Ying had just squeezed back, she got up and walked out.


    Only then did Zhou Ying invite the mother and daughter to sit down. ¡°If you have something to say, say it now.¡±


    After Madam Zhao sat down, she tilted her head and whispered, ¡°I want to work with you and your husband to take down Zhao..¡±

 Chapter 585 - 585 Royal Family’s Banquet (6)

    Chapter 585: Royal Family¡¯s Banquet (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying looked at her in shock and asked, ¡°Do you know that no matter what happens, you and your children will be implicated?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid that you¡¯llugh at me. I couldn¡¯t win against that vixen, Zhao Xiuying¡¯s aunt.


    ¡°My son¡¯s legs were crippled before the New Year, and now he¡¯spletely disabled.¡± Madam Zhao looked at Zhao Xiuli with tears in her eyes. ¡°He now wants to send my daughter to the pce to pave the way for him and his son-inw.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a good thing? After entering the pce, it¡¯s a matter of whether your daughter wants to help or not. Could it be that he dares ask the Emperor for her?¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s the Empress; I can¡¯t let my daughter put herself in danger.¡± Madam Zhao hesitated.


    When Zhou Ying heard that, she remembered that Zhou Huaiming mentioned that Lord Zhao was the First Prince¡¯s subordinate.


    However, didn¡¯t these people have other connections through their marriage? She asked curiously, ¡°What about your maternal family? You can ask them for help.¡±


    ¡°My family is already down and out. The only cousin who can support me is gone, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Your cousin is¡­¡±


    ¡°Lord Bai from the Ministry of Works.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned after hearing this. What a coincidence.


    ¡°The Emperor will be here in a while. Isn¡¯t it more convenient for you to directlyin to him? There¡¯s no need toe to coborate with us, right?¡±


    ¡°My son is still in his hands.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I would help you?


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention my cousin-inw. She¡¯s doing very well now.


    ¡°To be honest, we should thank Zhao Xiuying. My cousin¡¯s life wouldn¡¯t be sofortable if it weren¡¯t for.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate Zhao Xiuying?¡± Madam Zhao looked at her in surprise.


    Zhou Ying shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t hate her. She and her husband are just scumbags. If he doesn¡¯t want my cousin-inw as his wife, so be it.¡± ¡°What if they n to plot against you and your wife?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if you agree to coborate.¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll deal with whateveres our way. We¡¯re not afraid of them.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Think about it carefully. After tonight, my offer will be invalid.¡± Madam Zhao stood up and left with her daughter.


    Zhou Ying saw this and followed Madam Zhao with her divine senses. She found that in addition to the thick ck fog on Madam Zhao¡¯s body¡ªindicating bad luck¡ªa bloody aura also shrouded her.


    This meant that Madam Zhao had killed someone before.


    However, thinking about it, it made sense. How could she be someone kind if she dared find an enemy to plot against her husband?


    As for Madam Zhao¡¯s daughter, there was nothing on her other than bad luck.


    However, her unreconciled and vicious face indirectly showed that she was not a kind person either.


    When they arrived outside and found a remote ce, Zhou Ying heard Miss Zhao ask in panic, ¡°Mother, what should we do? She won¡¯t help us.¡±


    ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work, we can only go all out and report him.¡±


    ¡°No, mother, we will lose our lives.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s die together. The three of us can¡¯t be their stepping stones. Otherwise, I won¡¯t die in peace.¡±


    ¡°But, I¡­¡±


    Madam Zhao tidied her daughter¡¯s clothes and said, ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work out, you must change your appearance and escape. Mother has had enough of these aggrieved days.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, take advantage of the fact that they are not watching us now. Hurry up and leave the pce, or else it will be toote.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Go. If possible, remember to go back and bring your brother out.¡± After Madam Zhao finished speaking, she gave her a roll of banknotes..

 Chapter 586 - 586 Royal Family’s Banquet (7)

    Chapter 586: Royal Family¡¯s Banquet (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Miss Zhao hesitated for a moment but still took the money.


    The mother and daughter knocked out a pce maid resembling Miss Zhao. Miss Zhao quickly changed into the pce maid¡¯s clothes and ran toward another pce.


    When Madam Zhao returned, she saw two nannies in a hurry from afar.


    She panicked and immediately quickened her pace, but she was quickly stopped by a young eunuch, who handed her over to two nannies.


    One of the older nannies asked directly, ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Zhao?¡±


    ¡°She went to relieve herself.¡± Madam Zhao replied expressionlessly.


    ¡°Liar.¡± After the old nanny finished speaking, she pushed her toward the young nanny and said, ¡°Take her away and lock her up.¡±


    The young nanny nodded and took out a dagger. While holding onto Madam Zhao, she pressed against her lower back with the dagger.


    Meanwhile, the elderly nanny brought the young eunuch and a few pce maids to look for Miss Zhao.


    When they found the clothes Miss Zhao had left behind and the fainted pce maid, the others continued searching while the young eunuch hurriedly ran to the Empress.


    Zhou Ying was a little confused when she saw this. What did Madam Zhao know that could make the Empress so wary of her?


    And that Miss Zhao¡ªwas she really meant to be a pce maid? Zhou Ying refused to believe it.


    Thinking of this, she began to scan Madam Zhao. She must have evidence of something since she wanted to report to the Emperor. Otherwise, how else would she plead for help?


    Sure enough, there was a small pocket sewn on the inside of Madam Zhao¡¯s undergarment. There was a folded piece of paper inside.


    She immediately stored it in her interspace. Otherwise, it would definitely be destroyed if it were discovered.


    Zhou Ying took the opportunity to go to the toilet and entered her interspace. She quickly browsed through the evidence that Madam Zhao had written.


    She did not expect that this was evidence of Lord Zhao helping the First Prince with various corruptions and crimes.


    One of the things that shocked her the most was killing officials with exemry political achievements and then recing them with someone else, just like Lord Sun.


    Lord Zhao¡¯s residence was basically filled with the First Prince¡¯s people.


    No wonder the servants of the Zhao residence dared to be so arrogant.


    There were also some cases of corruption and seizing the property of those who refused to coborate.


    This was simply appalling.


    No, she couldn¡¯t let Madam Zhao die. Otherwise, it would be challenging to prove many of their crimes.


    Thinking of this, Zhou Ying immediately left the room and found Madam Zhao through her divine sense. She was imprisoned in a storeroom, which was filled with porcin ornaments.


    Knowing Madam Zhao was not in danger for the time being, Zhou Ying went to look for Miss Zhao.


    Miss Zhao got lucky. She found a set of clothes that looked old and torn. After wearing it, she seemed to have aged by more than ten years.


    Miss Zhao was now heading into a tunnel. As for where it led to, Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t tell as it was dark and long inside.


    However, it was enough to know that she was fine.


    As Zhou Ying walked back, she looked at the Emperor. He was currently with Gu Chengrui, emphasizing how to spread the new farming methods to the officials outside quickly.


    While the Emperor was drinking tea, Zhou Ying used the voice of Mother God to send a message to him.


    The Emperor was stunned. When he remembered the two times Mother God had entered his dream, his hands couldn¡¯t help but tremble, and he almost spilled the tea in his hands.


    He got up and said, ¡°You guys continue discussing. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    After saying that, he called Eunuch Li to the side hall and asked him to guard the entrance.


    The Emperor knelt and whispered, ¡°Mother God, what advice do you have?¡±


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t reply. Instead, she just sent the piece of paper over through her interspace.


    The Emperor saw the paper heart floating in his hand and opened it to read.


    The more he read, the more ashen his face became. In the end, he angrily punched the ground..

 Chapter 587 - 587 Royal Family Banquet (8)

    Chapter 587: Royal Family Banquet (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying saw that the Emperor had finished reading and then told him about the situation of Madam Zhao and her daughter and where they were now. She stayed silent once she finished what she had to say.


    The Emperor immediately kowtowed and said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Mother God.¡±


    After saying that, he stood up and kept the evidence. Then, he asked Eunuch Li to bring all the officials to the banquet.


    He went to find Xiao Heng and personally went to Madam Zhao. Of course, the Empress¡¯s people were also imprisoned on the spot.


    Heter also called for Miss Zhao toe over.


    After handing them over to Xiao Heng, he returned to the banquet.


    When Zhou Ying returned, Mingyu and Gu Wanning were back in their seats. Seeing her return, they asked curiously, ¡°Why did they look for you just now?¡±


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t hide, and she told them the reason for their visit. Of course, she only told them that Madam Zhao wanted to join forces with her to deal with Lord Zhao.


    As for the other stuff she found by herself, she didn¡¯t mention it one bit.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t agree, did you?¡± Gu Wanning asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. To put it bluntly, she¡¯s nning to use me. Of course, I won¡¯t be stupid enough to let her take advantage of that.


    ¡°Besides, when she held power back then, she didn¡¯t stop Zhao Xiuying from snatching Ziyi¡¯s husband. Why should I help her now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s right for you to reject her.


    ¡°To be honest, she¡¯s just a backstabber. Back then, she enjoyed everything with a clear conscience.


    ¡°Now that it¡¯s her turn to fall from grace, she wanted to turn around and stab her husband.


    ¡°Believe it or not, if you agree, she will me you if anything happens in the future.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. At this time, Eunuch Li had already walked in with a group of officials.


    However, they did not disperse immediately. After discussing something for a while, they went back to their seats.


    Mingyu immediately got up and said, ¡°Alright, I have to go back immediately.¡±


    She returned to her seat in King An¡¯s Imperial Residence.


    Gu Chengrui sat down and asked, ¡°Are you guys okay? Did you get bullied?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With Princess Mingyu around, no one will dare to cause trouble for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, cousin. We¡¯re fine. It must be hard on you to deal with so many people. Hurry up and drink some tea.¡± After Gu Wanning finished speaking, she took a teacup and poured him some tea.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Chengrui thanked her and continued, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just letting them know about some new farming techniques.


    ¡°I will organize it into a bookletter. When the timees, everyone will have a copy, so I don¡¯t have to exin it to them individually.¡±


    ¡°This is a good idea. If it works, it can be passed down from generation to generation. I¡¯ll help you with thatter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s write together.¡±


    Gu Wanning looked at them and was envious of their rtionship, but she knew it would never happen to her.


    She could only hope that she could continue to get along with her husband in the future.


    Soon, the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager rushed over. After bowing, everyone sat down, and the Emperor quickly announced, ¡°We¡¯ve discussed most of what we need to do before this.


    ¡°When you return, remember to write a proposal into a memorial and submit it to me.


    ¡°Remember, everyone only has two missions this year.


    ¡°First, promote food as soon as possible so that starving isn¡¯t a thing as soon as possible.


    ¡°Secondly, encourage the birth of children. Women who were not married at the age of eighteen could be forced to marry.¡±


    ¡°We will obey.¡± Everyone immediately replied.


    ¡°Alright, the banquet has started. Everyone, have a good meal today and let us know how greenhouse vegetables taste.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he asked Eunuch Li to arrange for the dishes to be served..

 Chapter 588 - 588 The Emperor’s Might (1)

    Chapter 588: The Emperor¡¯s Might (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Because today¡¯s banquet was mainly to taste the greenhouse dishes, all the dishes were rtively light.


    The oiliest was the fried eggnt.


    Fortunately, the main staple was fried pancakes, so everyone was more or less filled.


    When everyone was almost done eating, the Emperor stood up and said, ¡°Everyone, tell me, what do you think of the greenhouse vegetables?¡±


    ¡°Rtively speaking, the vegetables taste is slightly mild, but it¡¯s good enough that we could eat such fresh vegetables in the middle of winter.¡± The Empress Dowager replied.


    ¡°Indeed, We must nt more leafy vegetables in the hot spring manor in winter. Vegetables are too rare in the winter.¡± King Xian echoed.


    With the two of them speaking out, everyone followed suit.


    Everyone praised the greenhouse vegetables to the heavens and wanted to buy more to satisfy their cravings.


    ¡°So let¡¯s spread the nting methods as soon as possible. You can still nt a batch when you return to your county. Maybe at most, it would be slightly young when it¡¯s time for harvest.¡± The Emperor looked at Gu Chengrui and added, ¡°I would have to trouble Minister Gu to teach them more over the next two days and bring them around your manor.¡±


    ¡°This is my duty and my honor.


    ¡°In addition, I n to make a booklet teaching the nting techniques of the white potato and how to build a greenhouse. This way, this knowledge can be spread faster and wider.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Alright, everyone, hurry up and get to work. When the timees, I will find someone to help you print the booklets.¡± The Emperor quickly added, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so you all can leave the banquet anytime.¡±


    After saying that, the Emperor left.


    Zhou Jiaying was a bit anxious about the Emperor¡¯s series of actions. Why didn¡¯t he say anything else except eating and working?


    It was not easy for her to seize an opportunity to make things difficult for Zhou Ying, but it slipped away just like that.


    King Kang noticed her abnormality and warned her, ¡°Father isn¡¯t in a good mood today, so don¡¯t go looking for trouble. Otherwise, even I can¡¯t save you.¡± ¡°No, I just feel that today¡¯s banquet ended too quickly.¡±


    ¡°That better be the case. Let¡¯s hurry back.¡± King Kang stood up.


    After the guests left one after another, the Emperor directly brought guards to imprison the Empress in her pce.


    After the Empress received the news, she looked at the Emperor in disbelief and asked, ¡°Your Highness, what did I do wrong? Why are you imprisoning me?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Think about it carefully.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he left the guards behind and brought her aides and Madam Zhao into the study to interrogate them.


    Madam Zhao didn¡¯t need to be interrogated, and she told the Emperor everything she knew. She kowtowed and begged, ¡°I know I¡¯m guilty of my silence and should not have kept quiet all this time.


    ¡°But my children are really in the dark about this. Your Highness, I beg you to give them a way out.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how King Hui and Lord Zhaomunicate?¡±


    ¡°Through a messenger pigeon, but I¡¯m not clear about the specifics. I was never privy to the details.¡±


    ¡°I hope what you said is true.¡± The Emperor nodded and took the Empress¡¯s aides.


    Because of Madam Zhao¡¯s confession, they also quickly confessed.


    To put it bluntly, the Empress knew the Emperor didn¡¯t favor her and wanted to bring in a beautiful young girl to help her maintain the Emperor¡¯s favor.


    As for the rest, it was some other private matter. The Emperor more or less knew about it, so there was no need to interrogate them further. He thenmanded Xiao Heng to execute the aides.


    On the other side, Lord Zhao had just boarded his carriage when he was struck on the back of his neck and fainted.


    After everyone had left, Lord Zhao was brought directly to the royal study.


    The Emperor looked at the unconscious Lord Zhao and asked the guard beside him, ¡°Did any news of this leak?¡±

 Chapter 589 - 589 The Emperor’s Might (2)

    Chapter 589: The Emperor¡¯s Might (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Not at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Go bring some men to their residence and bring the eldest son of the Zhao family over.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± The guard responded and turned to leave.


    Seeing this, Eunuch Li took a cup of cold water and sshed it on Lord Zhao¡¯s face.


    Lord Zhao woke up with a jolt. When he saw the Emperor standing before him, he was deeply shocked. He quickly knelt and kowtowed, ¡°Long live the Emperor, All Hail¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, I heard you loud and clear. But I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t wait for me to die as soon as possible.¡±


    When Lord Zhao heard this, he instantly broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re very daring.¡± After the Emperor said this, he pulled out theint Madam Zhao wrote and threw it in his face.


    After Lord Zhao took it, he hurriedly took a look. With just one nce, he felt his view darkening, and his mind nked out; he fainted immediately.


    The Emperor understood when he saw that what was written on it was 80% true.


    Thinking of this, he went up and kicked him. When Lord Zhao woke up, the Emperor demanded seriously, ¡°Tell me everything you¡¯ve done all these years, and maybe I can give you a way out.¡±


    Lord Zhao didn¡¯t feel relieved. Instead, he wanted to cry.


    Because he clearly knew that even if he confessed and the Emperor did not kill him, the First Prince and Marquis Ding¡¯an would not let him off either. In the end, he would still die.


    The Emperor looked at his expression and knew what he was thinking. He sneered and questioned, ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m inferior to King Hui and that I can¡¯t even protect your family¡¯s lives?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°You only have one chance. I have to give an exnation to the families of those officials who died unjustly. Otherwise, I will execute your entire family.¡±


    Lord Zhaopletely wilted after hearing this. He wiped his tears and asked, ¡°If I confess, can you spare my children?¡±


    ¡°As long as they didn¡¯t participate, I¡¯ll spare their lives.¡±


    ¡°I swear that they really don¡¯t know, and I never dare to let them know.¡±


    ¡°So, tell me.¡±


    ¡°To start, it was ten years ago when I was promoted¡­¡±


    After washing up, Zhou Ying sat by the bed and applied hand cream as she sighed, ¡°No wonder everyone is fighting to the death for that chair under the Emperor¡¯s butt.


    ¡°That power can be useful when it needs to.¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, something must have happened.¡± Gu Chengrui put down his book, turned around, and put his arm around her shoulder.


    ¡°Of course, and it¡¯s a big deal. It¡¯s much bigger than Yang Shicheng¡¯s corruption.¡± Zhou Ying replied mysteriously.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and kissed her deeply on the lips. ¡°You should tell me now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I want to drink a bowl of white fungus lotus seed soup tonight.¡±


    ¡°No problem, leave it to me.¡±


    Zhou Ying leaned into his arms and whispered about how Madam Zhao had found her and how Lord Zhao had confessed.


    Gu Chengrui gasped after hearing that. If he remembers correctly, ten to twelve counties were under Lord Zhao¡¯s influence.


    In other words, they had killed three to four 7th-grade county magistrates with outstanding achievements.


    Lord Zhao wouldn¡¯t be the only one falling this time. The First Prince would probably be gone as well.


    He hugged her and kissed her. ¡°Fortunately, you didn¡¯t openly agree to cooperate with Madam Zhao today. Otherwise, we would have been dragged into the mud by her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that what happened was so major, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered.¡±


    ¡®Yes, yes, my wife is the smartest..¡¯

 Chapter 590 - 590 Betrothal (1)

    Chapter 590: Betrothal (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The couple entered Zhou Ying¡¯s interspace. While she checked out the various ces she usually checked, she paid special attention to the officials there this time.


    She realized that quite a number of people had been impersonated; even King Kang had begun to do simr things.


    She couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°It seems that King Rui is the most ¡®stupid¡¯.¡±


    However, no matter how much shemented, she could not take action directly. Instead, she collected a list of names and especially focused on the two disguise artists.


    Then, through her interspace, she handed it to the Emperor.


    The next day, when the Emperor saw the name list, he felt his scalp go numb and almost fainted.


    At the same time, the Emperor also realized that they couldn¡¯t deal with this matter openly. Otherwise, the royal family would lose the people¡¯s faith.


    At the thought of this, a wave of fatigue washed over him.


    He removed King Hui and King Kang from the list of heirs, as such unscrupulous behavior definitely shouldn¡¯t inherit the throne.


    Otherwise, the Yang family¡¯s empire would be destroyed in his hands.


    After pondering for a while, he changed his way of handling Lord Zhao. He made him stay in the capital to help Gu Chengrui promote greenhouses and sweet potatoes. The Emperor chose another trusted aide for Kaiyang Prefecture.


    At the same time, he gave them a hidden mission, which was to find an opportunity in private to get rid of those spies openly and pull those who could be roped in.


    Over the next three days, the Emperor continuously sent his people to various ces and began to slowly pull out the nails his sons had embedded.


    Gu Chengrui was also getting busy showing the local officials around the greenhouses. He also had his hands full selling the greenhouse vegetables to them.


    He came to the realization that their supply wouldn¡¯t be able to cope with demand, so he took some vegetables out of Zhou Ying¡¯s interspace and supplied them to the pce. Of course, this purchase would no longer go through the ount books.


    The first month of the new year ended as the couple slogged through their work.


    On the second day of February, King Rui personally brought Butler Feng and the official media to present his betrothal gift to Gu Wanning.


    Gu Chengrui, waiting at home, stepped forward and cupped his fists to wee them into the residence. After entering the house, he called for King Rui to sit down and said, ¡°Your Highness, I am grateful that you are willing to personallye.¡±


    King Rui nced at him and replied, ¡°I¡¯m marrying my wife. Isn¡¯t that what I should do?¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be your brother-inw soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t expect me to call you big brother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just admitting it in your heart is enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, I heard from my cousin that you nted another kind of crop called red sweet potato. What¡¯s the difference between it and the white sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it was a crop bequeathed to me when I went to the Mother God Temple for prayers. It looks like a white potato, but it¡¯s rtively small. The core is red and especially sweet. It¡¯s a crop that needs more water, but it¡¯s very delicious when roasted.¡±


    King Rui nodded after hearing this. ¡°Leave some seeds for meter. The white potatoes are too dry sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just give you the crops when they mature.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t need too much. One acre of seedlings is enough.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll hand it over to Uncle Feng.¡±


    At this moment, Gu Wanning came in with a pot of tea and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Your Highness, Brother Cousin.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so polite.¡± King Rui nodded.


    He looked at Gu Wanning and realized she had rosier cheeks than when she was in the Yang family. Her skin was fair and glowing. It was obvious that she was living quite well here.


    He asked, ¡°Do you have any special requirements for the furnishings in your room?¡±


    ¡°No incense and no flowers,¡± Gu Wanning answered with a red face.


    King Rui looked at her in surprise and knew she was being cautious. He then nodded and replied, ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. You guys continue chatting while I¡¯ll go prepare lunch.¡± Yang Wanning politely greeted the matchmaker sitting beside her, then turned around and left..

 Chapter 591 - 591 Betrothal (2)

    Chapter 591: Betrothal (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Outside, Zhou Ying counted the dowry with Mrs. Qiu, Mrs. Sun, Kuihua, and Shizhu.


    After finishing, she looked up at Butler Feng and said, ¡°Uncle Feng, I¡¯ve finished counting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved. You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll go back now.¡± After Butler Feng finished speaking, he turned around and was about to leave.


    Zhou Ying quickly stopped him. ¡°Wait. You¡¯ve helped us a lot before. It¡¯s not easy for you toe to visit us, especially on such a joyous asion. How can you leave?¡±


    ¡°But I¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. As long as no one dies, there¡¯s nothing more urgent than this. It¡¯s the same if you go back early after having a meal.¡±


    After saying that, Zhou Ying directly helped him into the house. She said to Gu Chengrui, ¡°Rui, I¡¯m leaving Uncle Feng with you. I¡¯m going to cook now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, remember to make some shredded radish sd.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said,


    ¡°Got it.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and left after that.


    Gu Chengrui guided Uncle Feng to sit and poured him a ss of water.


    Uncle Feng looked at King Rui with a troubled expression.


    Seeing this, King Rui nodded and said, ¡°Do stay, Uncle Feng. It¡¯s rare for you to get a chance to taste Mrs. Gu¡¯s cooking.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Uncle Feng sat down with a clear conscience.


    Gu Chengrui said, ¡°If Your Highness likes to eat Ying¡¯s dishes, you cane over more often in the future. She has nothing much to do now and is quite free.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± King Rui nodded.


    However, the problem wasn¡¯t whether Zhou Ying was busy or not. He¡¯s getting busy, and it was inconvenient for him toe.


    After Zhou Ying entered the kitchen, she saw that Gu Wanning was trying her best to slice the radish. She went forward and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so careful. It¡¯s much easier to shred the radish after you tten one side.


    ¡°In addition, when pressing the ingredients with your left hand, your fingers must dig deeper, or else it would be easy to cut it.¡±


    After saying that, she demonstrated it to Gu Wanning again. After ensuring she learned it, she quickly peeled the outer skin and shredded it.


    Zhou Ying then soaked it in light salt water.


    She walked to Biaozi, who was processing the fish and said, ¡°Brother Biozi, I¡¯ll be cooking today, so you watch carefully from the side. If you can¡¯t remember anything, write it down in your notebook.


    ¡°When the restaurant opened, these dishes would be on the menu.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will definitely study hard.¡± Biaozi nodded solemnly.


    At the same time, he was very grateful to Zhou Ying. He knew that in this era, all craftsmanship was passed down to the younger generation; even teachers were unwilling to teach their apprentices anything.


    There were very few people like Zhou Ying who didn¡¯t hide anything. Biaozi knew he couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    After all the ingredients were prepared, Zhou Ying exined to him step by step how to cook these dishes, especially how he should control the mes.


    Gu Wanning also took a notebook and listened earnestly.


    Zhou Ying made a total of ten dishes and one soup, which symbolized perfection.


    They were Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Steamed Pork with Rice Noodles, Eight Treasures Chicken, Roasted Lamb Chop, Mushroom and Pork, Braised Eggnt, Mushroom with Rapeseed, Sweet and Sour Radishes, Beef Sauce, and Fried Salted Peanut.


    The soup to end it all was Duck Soup.


    As for the carbs, Gu Wanning made scallion pancakes, meat pies, vegetable rolls, and pumpkin biscuits.


    However, because there weren¡¯t many guests and they had to be divided into two tables for men and women, the amount of food cooked wasn¡¯t too much.


    On the matchmaker¡¯s side, it was mainly Zhou Ying, Mrs. Mother Qiu, and Haitang.


    As for the men¡¯s table, it was Gu Chengrui and Gu Chenglin who had rushed over.


    After the meal and sending off the satisfied King Rui and the rest, Zhou Ying gave the list of betrothal gifts to Gu Wanning and said, ¡°You and Chenglin discuss how you¡¯ll arrange these betrothal gifts. The two of us won¡¯t interfere..¡±

 Chapter 592 - 592 Additional Dowry

    Chapter 592: Additional Dowry


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Wanning shook her head. ¡°Since we¡¯ve moved in, we¡¯ve always treated you as family. You can make the arrangements. We have no objections.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you guys can make the arrangements.¡± Gu Chenglin echoed.


    The destruction of the Yang Residence made him clearly realize the importance of Gu Chengrui and his wife to them.


    If they hadn¡¯t been helping them all along, even if they had broken off their ties with the Yang family, their fate wouldn¡¯t have been any better than Yang Chengsen¡¯s.


    At the very least, Yang Chenglin would be implicated and never be able to participate in the imperial examination again.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and handed the list to Yang Chenglin. ¡°Pick three things you like and leave them as a memento.¡±


    Yang Chenglin was surprised by that offer. He nced at the list and picked out a jade pendant, an inkstone, and a painting.


    Gu Chengrui nodded. After picking out a wooden eagle ornament, he returned it to Zhou Ying. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve gathered all 66 sets of dowry for Wanning.


    ¡°The rest would be left for Chenglin when he marries. If there¡¯s any extra, it¡¯s fine too.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying took it and looked at Mrs. Sun. ¡°Mrs. Sun, please help me out here. This is my first time preparing a dowry, so I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll make a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± Mrs. Sun immediately nodded.


    At the same time, she was very impressed with the couple. They returned a huge amount of betrothal gifts without blinking. It was rare to meet such selfless people.


    In the afternoon, before the betrothal gifts were stored in the warehouse, Zhou Ying and Mrs. Sun brought some people and changed the 30 boxes of betrothal gifts into 25 sets of dowry, excluding the food and the ones picked out.


    In addition to the 40 boxes of dowry they had prepared previously, they sealed the 66 boxes and got them ready for transportation.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui discussed for a while and decided to personally gift six sets of dowry to Gu Wanning.


    Two pounds of bird¡¯s nest, a hundred-year-old ginseng, some cloth, a tea set, a box of pearls, and a full set of soap and rouge powder that Gu Chengrui had personally made.


    Although they did not spend a tael of silver, these items cost at least ten thousand taels of silver.


    They did not expect that on the morning before the wedding, the Liu and Yao Families, who had not shown their faces all this time, woulde and send two sets of dowry each.


    When Zhou Ying found out they were Mrs. Yao¡¯s and Mrs. Liu¡¯s sisters-inw, she immediately invited them in and said, ¡°Aunties, please take a seat. What tea do you like?¡±


    ¡°Anything is fine. We¡¯re not picky.¡± Aunt Yao replied.


    Zhou Ying sized up the two of them. Seeing that they looked pale and thin, she knew their lives were not good.


    She made a cup of rose tea for each and said, ¡°Drink a cup of rose tea. It¡¯s good for a woman¡¯s health.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The two of them took the tea and thanked Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying saw they were a little uneasy, so she asked, ¡°Aunties, how are your families?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, neither good nor bad.¡± Aunt Liu replied.


    ¡°Although we were implicated in the beginning, we¡¯re fine now. Moreover, we¡¯ve benefited a lot from you guys returning.¡± Aunt Yao smiled and replied.


    ¡°Is it because the Gu Family was exiled back then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s only for a period of time.¡±


    The two women exined the situation at home in detail.


    Zhou Ying also learned that the two families were actually affiliated with the Gu family back then.


    With the fall of the Gu family, the lives of the two families were naturally affected for the worse. However, the Yao Family¡¯s son, who was an official in the court, was timid and cautious. After being demoted by two grades, he was untouched overall.


    Now, because of Gu Chengrui¡¯s arrival, he was restored to his original position and became a fourth-grade official in the Ministry of Rites..

 Chapter 593 - 593 Chicken Soup For The Soul

    Chapter 593: Chicken Soup For The Soul


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Liu Family was a merchant family, so their rtionship with the Gu family was close. Therefore, they were scrutinized even more severely and only had 10% of the family property leftpared to their peak.


    However, their house, two manors, and a shop still existed. It was not a problem to maintain the family¡¯s livelihood.


    After chatting for a while, Aunt Liu said hesitantly, ¡°I heard that Lord Gu is promoting greenhouse vegetables now. I wonder if we ordinary merchants can grow them?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If you want to nt some, send a child who can endure hardship and let him help and learn in our manor.


    ¡°He can also explore and learn while helping out.


    ¡°Otherwise, you might not be able to grow these vegetables just by hearing instructions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! May I know where the manor is?¡±


    ¡°Get someone toe over early in the morning the day after tomorrow, and Chengrui will bring him over.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sorry for troubling you. We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re free, drop by anytime.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she sent them out.


    At the same time, she gave them a piece of pork and a piece of beef.


    After they left, Zhou Ying took a look at the things they had prepared. The Yao Family gave a set of gold jewelry and two batches of good fabric.


    The Liu Family gave a pair of jade pendants, one purple and one blue, and two sets of bedding with good embroidery.


    Gu Wanning walked over and looked at the things on the ground. ¡°Cousin-inw, didn¡¯t you say that Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Liu didn¡¯t treat you well before? Why did you ept their families¡¯ gifts?¡±


    ¡°In this world, there are only two kinds of rtionships between people. One is a blood-rted rtionship, and the other is a rtionship of mutual benefit.


    ¡°However, your blood-rted rtionship is shallow, so you don¡¯t have many rtives that you can use.


    ¡°Therefore, you have to rely on benefits to make some connections.


    ¡°You have to remember that no matter what kind of rtionship it is, it has to be respectful and mutually beneficial.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blindly take, and don¡¯t blindly give. Otherwise, the rtionship won¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Now that the two families have extended an olive branch, we¡¯ll ept it. As for whether we can continue to get along in the future, it depends on our cooperation.


    ¡°Just remember to keep some things to yourself and not tell others everything.¡±


    Gu Wanning nodded thoughtfully and asked, ¡°What is the rtionship between husband and wife?¡±


    ¡°Husband and wife? A couple¡¯s rtionship is the mostplicated of all rtionships. When you can trust each other, respect each other, understand each other, and like each other, then you will be closest to each other.


    ¡°But if you don¡¯t even have the basic trust between the two of you, your husband is actually the furthest and most dangerous person to you.


    ¡°To put it bluntly,


    ¡°The rtionship between your parents is actually more or less thetter. Yang Shicheng knows your mother quite well but doesn¡¯t love her. This is also the reason why your mother was killed.


    ¡°Trust, respect, understand, and love.


    ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not difficult. As long as you two have no distracting thoughts, work hard together, and use your strength together, it¡¯s still possible.


    ¡°The only thing you must be afraid of is being hot-headed.


    ¡°Therefore, women would rather marry someone who¡¯s not rich but loves and treasures them for the rest of their lives.


    ¡°It¡¯s way better than wanting to marry someone wealthy but ending up as withered grass after giving up everything.


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s excluding those who love each other truly.¡±


    Yang Wanning looked at her in astonishment and said, ¡°Although these words are somewhat rebellious, they make sense.¡±


    ¡°So remember them clearly. Don¡¯t let yourself get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell if King Rui likes me?¡±


    ¡°I can only remind you that whoever gets serious first will lose,¡± Zhou Ying said after seeing her nervousness. ¡°In other words, whoever falls in love with the other first will lose..¡±

 Chapter 594 - 594 Marriage

    Chapter 594: Marriage


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Yang Wanning immediately recalled Mrs. Cui. Although she couldn¡¯t say Mrs. Cui loved Yang Shicheng, it was true that she had done too much for him.


    In the end, she lost her reputation and her life.


    Zhou Ying saw that Yang Wanning had taken her words in and continued, ¡°King Rui is a good person. He won¡¯t make things difficult for you as long as you don¡¯t make a big mistake.


    ¡°Of course, I must remind you that you are a secondary consort. You have to handle your rtionship with her well, or else the two of you, especially you, will not have a good time.¡±


    ¡°How should I handle this?¡±


    ¡°Respect. I don¡¯t need to say much, and you should understand.


    ¡°Your duty is to serve His Highness, and you should focus all your attention on him. Try your best to make him like you and adapt to your presence.


    ¡°To put it bluntly, whether your position is stable or not depends on His Highness, not any other woman.


    ¡°Just be extra careful to prevent yourself from being schemed against.


    ¡°Thest thing is not to go overboard, not to interfere in things that should not be your business, and not to fight for things that never belong to you.


    ¡°As long as you do these three things, even if the primary consortes looking for trouble with you, His Highness will still stand by your side.¡± As Zhou Ying said this, she suddenly remembered the Fourth Prince and his scheme.


    It seemed that she had to keep an eye on King Rui¡¯s residence.


    After chatting for a while longer, Yang Wanning returned to her courtyard with a heavy heart.


    Soon, it was Gu Wanning¡¯s wedding day.


    Early in the morning, Zhou Ying got up and got busy. First, the Ministry of Rites people came over to bathe Gu Wanning and dress her up.


    She didn¡¯t expect that the person who would be blessing her was Madam Consort An.


    After dressing her up, she even gave Gu Wanning a thousand taels of silver as her stash of money.


    After they were done with their work, it was time for others to gift additional dowries. To be honest, there weren¡¯t many others here. Other than some normal gifts, only Mingyu was wholeheartedly prepared for this.


    Mingyu alone added another ten sets of dowries, which was quite a hefty sum.


    When it was almost time, King Rui also arrived.


    Since Gu Wanning did not have parents, only Chenglin was out to greet the groom and ask for a red packet.


    Gu Chengrui carried Gu Wanning in her carriage and sent her to King Rui¡¯s residence with her dowry and Gu Chenglin.


    After the bridal carriage had left, Zhou Ying poured a basin of water outside, and it was over.


    After returning, she entertained everyone and chatted for a while. Next, it was time to start the banquet and entertain the people who came to gift additional dowries.


    After a meal, when most people had left, Madam Consort An found her and asked, ¡°Ying, do you still have some cucumbers?¡±


    ¡°I do, but not much. Why don¡¯t I send it to you tomorrow?¡±


    Madam Consort An shook her head and whispered, ¡°Just give me as much as you have. My stomach hasn¡¯t been good recently, so I just want to eat something fresh to reduce the heat.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned when she heard that. Wasn¡¯t this constipation? She quickly asked, ¡°Have you eaten any medicine? You shouldn¡¯t dy this for too long.¡±


    Madam Consort An shook her head and grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t like to drink that medicine. It¡¯s too bitter.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, please wait a moment; I¡¯ll get them for you.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and went to the kitchen.


    However, there were only two cucumbers left in the kitchen. Fortunately, the servants had gone for lunch, so Zhou Ying could take out five more cucumbers from her interspace and hand them to Madam Consort An¡¯s nanny.


    After sending Madam Consort An off, Zhou Ying returned to her room andid down.


    She did not sleep. Instead, she spread out her divine senses toward King Rui¡¯s residence.


    At this time, the wedding banquet was almost over, so Zhou Ying went to the bride and groom¡¯s chamber..

 Chapter 595 - 595 Discovery

    Chapter 595: Discovery


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Mingyu was having her meal with Gu Wanning. The two of them were talking andughing, and it was a harmonious scene.


    Zhou Ying took a bird¡¯s-eye view of the entire residence.


    Finally, her gazended on Qiao Lan, who was busy making soup in the kitchen.


    She thought Qiao Lan looked familiar, but she couldn¡¯t recognize her because she was obviously fatter than before.


    Just as she was about to look away, she suddenly saw Qiao Lan sneakily take out a packet of powder from her waist and pour it into the soup.


    After mixing it well, shedled the soup into a bowl and turned around to shout, ¡°Sister Qingtao, the sea cucumber and chicken soup is ready.¡±


    Qingtao immediately walked in and picked up the bowl. ¡°Thank you, Sister Lan.¡±


    She turned around and rushed forward with the food tray.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to follow up, she suddenly saw Qiao Lan¡¯s sinister smile. However, it quickly disappeared, and Qiao Lan got busy again.


    ¡°Could she be the spy King Kang buried in King Rui¡¯s residence?¡± Zhou Ying muttered.


    After memorizing her appearance, she chased after Qingtao.


    She happened to see her walking into the main courtyard.


    In the main courtyard, besides Sun Miaoke, there were also the Empress Dowager, Consort Xian, and a few elders from the royal family.


    ¡°Who is she trying to harm?¡± Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t understand her target, and she couldn¡¯t be bothered to.


    Just as Qingtao entered the room, Zhou Ying deliberately poked her leg with her divine sense.


    Qingtao tripped on the door sill and dropped the food tray in her hand to the ground, spilling the chicken and sea cucumber soup on the ground.


    Qingtao was so frightened that her face immediately turned pale. She immediately knelt and said, ¡°Mistress, please punish me.¡±


    Sun Miaoke was about to speak when the Empress Dowager near the entrance stopped her and said, ¡°Alright, hurry up and clean it up.¡±


    The Empress Dowager saw clearly that Qingtao tripped because she couldn¡¯t raise her leg over the door sill. Therefore, the Empress Dowager assumed Qingtao was too tired and chose not to make a scene on this auspicious day.


    After Qingtao finished cleaning up and threw the broken bowl into the trash, Zhou Ying took some soup into her interspace.


    She stared at them for a while more. After making sure that Qiao Lan did not strike again, she retreated.


    After entering her interspace at night, Zhou Ying briefly exined what happened and handed the samples to Gu Chengrui. ¡°Rui, do a test and see what that powder was.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave it to me. However, you have to feed those livestock on the grasnds.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Zhou Ying agreed and turned around, heading to the grasnd to get busy.


    After she was done, she picked out the ones ready for ughter and rushed to the foot of the mountain. She butchered them and stored the meat in her warehouse.


    She left a fat goose behind and brought it into the vi to make a stew.


    As soon as the stew was ready, Gu Chengrui walked down with a tired expression and asked, ¡°It smells so good. What delicious food did you make this time?¡±


    ¡°I made a goose stew. Let¡¯s eat a bowl before sleeping.¡± Zhou Ying looked at the list in his hand and asked curiously, ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just contraceptive medicine, but in powder form.¡±


    ¡°Just contraceptive medicine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suspect that Sun Miaoke has been drinking this all this time. Otherwise, why hasn¡¯t there been news of pregnancy since the two of them are healthy?¡± ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, having children is also a very important thing in thepetition for the throne.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It seems like King Kang is trying to cut King Rui¡¯s line to the throne.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Now that Wanning has entered his residence, I¡¯m afraid there will be big movements soon.. How should we remind King Rui?¡±

 Chapter 596 - 596 Confirming Her Identity

    Chapter 596: Confirming Her Identity


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Zhou Ying went to the study room, took a piece of paper and a pencil, and quickly sketched out the fattened Qiao Lan.


    She handed it to Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°Do you know her? She was the one who drugged the soup.¡±


    Gu Chengrui paused, then nodded and pondered, ¡°I do have a feeling that she looks familiar. I think I¡¯ve seen her somewhere before, but I can¡¯t remember where.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at it carefully before replying thoughtfully, ¡°It does look a little familiar, but I can¡¯t remember at the moment.


    ¡°Can you recall any other obvious characteristic about her?¡±


    ¡°Special characteristics?¡± Zhou Ying tried to recall. Other than that hideous face, she really didn¡¯t remember anything else.


    Thus, she looked at King Rui¡¯s residence again through her interspace. She had to search around the servant¡¯s room before finally finding that woman.


    After looking at her carefully, she realized there were quite a few e marks on her face. Other than a mark near her right ear, there was nothing else.


    Zhou Ying told him about Qiao Lan¡¯s characteristics after leaving the residence.


    Gu Chengrui pondered for some time and still shook his head. He could not remember who she was.


    He said, ¡°Let¡¯s not care about her for now. I¡¯m going to cut a melon to eat. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t eat enoughst night?¡±


    ¡°I drank too much at noon and didn¡¯t have much appetite. So, I didn¡¯t eat my fill.¡± After Gu Chengrui said that, he went to the farm to pick up two honey melons. He washed and cut them into pieces before cing them on the table. ¡°If you want to eat some, help yourself.¡±


    ¡°Just put it there. You look after the pot, and I¡¯ll go take a look at the grounds to see if there¡¯s anything to put away.¡± Zhou Ying went out to the farms to get busy again.


    After harvesting anything that was ripe, she nted more cotton this time.


    Because of the widespread promotion of sweet potatoes and wheat, there would definitely not be many people who grew cotton.


    It¡¯s been four years since anyone harvested cotton. There would definitely be a shortage this winter. Thus, she could also make a fortune by nting cotton, other than helping the poor.


    Through the various Mother God Temples, Zhou Ying surveyed the entire country. After confirming that there were no big problems other than some asking for help, she selectively distributed goods to those in need.


    After they were done with their work, the stew was almost ready. The couple had a bowl of stew with some white wine, washed up, and went to bed.


    The next day, at dawn, Gu Chengrui suddenly sat up and shouted out, ¡°I remember who that person is now.¡±


    Zhou Ying, who was sleeping soundly, was jolted awake. When she woke up, she punched him a few times and asked, ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know that scares me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was too excited.¡± Gu Chengrui grabbed her cute fist and patted her back.


    ¡°Fine, what were you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I remember the person who drugged the soup.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember Qiao Lan?¡±


    ¡°Qiao Lan?¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment before she teased, ¡°It¡¯s that rotten peach blossom of yours, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but she¡¯s put on a lot of weight. In addition, I hadn¡¯t seen her for a few years, and that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t recognize her.


    ¡°But she¡¯s still the same person if you look closely.¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she suddenly remembered that Seventh Su had promised to save Qiao Lan back then. Shemented, ¡°Ugh, power and connections are annoying.


    ¡°Back then, when Qiao Lan was banished, I guess King Kang was able to save her.¡±


    ¡°As expected in a backwater era. As long as you bribe someone to report her death, it¡¯ll be easy to fish her out of her exile.


    ¡°It looks like we have to remind King Rui. Otherwise, something bad might happen..¡±

 Chapter 597 - 597 Informing Them

    Chapter 597: Informing Them


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯d better think of a method to inform him then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I will say that I met her yesterday when I went to the toilet and recognized her as Qiao Lan.


    ¡°As for the rest, I don¡¯t think I need to say anything more.


    ¡°Once he has eyes on Qiao Lan, she could forget about doing anything bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you know what you¡¯re doing. Oh right, remember toe back for lunch after morning court. Don¡¯t forget that the Liu Family will be sending someone over.¡±


    ¡°Aye, alright.


    ¡°Oh right, take some time to sort out the greenhouse and potato nting instructions. I¡¯ll summarize them and print them out as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay, leave that to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still early. You should sleep a little longer.¡± Gu Chengrui got up and started to put on his clothes.


    After he left, Zhou Ying thought she couldn¡¯t fall asleep, but drowsiness soon washed over her.


    By the time she woke up, it was alreadyte in the morning.


    After breakfast, she went to the study room and took out the books she had collected in her previous life. She began to summarize them seriously.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui left the morning court, he remembered that King Rui wasn¡¯t attending because of his marriage.


    After lunch, he rushed to the manor and found Zhou Huaiming. He told him about Qiao Lan Lan and said, ¡°We have to let His Highness investigate her as soon as possible.


    ¡°If she¡¯s really Qiao Lan, then his residence might be in danger.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming quickly remembered who Qiao Lan was.


    He was the one who oversaw the Qiao Family¡¯s case back then. Most importantly, the Qiao Family almost took his life, so it was difficult for him to forget even if he wanted to.


    He never expected someone to have escaped their exile.


    He knew he had to investigate this properly. He quickly nodded and replied,


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember this. I¡¯ll personally inform His Highness.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave this to you. I have to go to my manor soon.¡± Gu Chengrui said as he went straight home.


    After Zhou Huaiming left, he went straight to King Rui¡¯s residence. He was also hoping there would be some good food waiting for him.


    As expected, King Rui was eating a bowl of sea cucumber and millet porridge when he arrived. On the side were braised beef, eggs, vegetables, and a te of rolls.


    Seeing him enter, King Rui raised his head and asked in surprise, ¡°Why are you here so early in the morning?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming sat opposite him and smiled. ¡°I knew you¡¯d definitely have a good meal today, so I specially came over to get a free meal.¡±


    King Rui nced at him indifferently and asked the servants to serve him a bowl, too.


    It was not until they were done eating and the servants had left that he asked, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s so urgent?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just uneasy.¡± When Zhou Huaiming said this, he whispered Gu Chengrui¡¯s original words to him, ¡°Qiao Lan is definitely harboring a deep hatred for us.


    ¡°I think we have to investigate this seriously. If it¡¯s not her, great. If it¡¯s her, there will be many things to uncover.¡±


    After King Rui heard this, he grunted and asked someone to call Uncle Feng. After telling him what had happened, he said, ¡°Get someone to monitor her first.


    ¡°If she did someone wrong, don¡¯t make a sound and fish out any aplices of hers here.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, remember to be careful.¡±


    After Uncle Feng left, King Rui stood up and said to Zhou Huaiming, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, doesing here count as me walking into a trap?¡± Zhou Huaiming stood up reluctantly.


    Someone informed Uncle Feng that Qiao Lan had drugged Gu Wanning¡¯s chicken soup that afternoon.


    Uncle Feng was shocked and immediately rushed to the courtyard where Gu Wanning was staying.


    Just before Gu Wanning could drink her chicken soup, he immediately went forward and said, ¡°Secondary Consort, His Highness have something to say to you.¡±


    Gu Wanning immediately put her bowl down and asked, ¡°Uncle Feng, what instructions does His Highness have for me?¡±

 Chapter 598 - 598 Keeping Tabs

    Chapter 598: Keeping Tabs


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Butler Feng didn¡¯t speak directly. Instead, he looked at Mrs. Sun and the others.


    Seeing this, Gu Wanning waved them out.


    Butler Feng didn¡¯t hide anything after that. He exined the matter and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what was added to this chicken soup, but it can¡¯t be drunk.


    ¡°Please think of a way to dispose of it and try to avoid making a fuss. We¡¯ll deal with her as soon as possible.¡±


    Gu Wanning panicked momentarily, but she immediately calmed down and asked, ¡°What about the other dishes?¡±


    Butler Feng noticed her steadiness and nodded with satisfaction. ¡°The rest are fine. Only the chicken soup was spiked. Remember not to make a sound.¡±


    Although the secondary consort was not the main wife, she still yed a leading role.


    If something happened to the princess consort, she would have to take over, so having a steady personality was important.


    So far, Uncle Feng was quite satisfied with her attitude.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    ¡°Please enjoy the rest of your meal.¡± Uncle Feng responded, turned around, and walked out in a hurry.


    After he left, Gu Wanning looked at the chicken soup on the table with a regretful expression, but she did not continue to drink it.


    She pulled two strands of hair out and threw them into the chicken soup.


    Once Mrs. Sun returned, Gu Wanning refused to drink the chicken soup because she had found her hair and asked her to deal with it.


    When Mother Sun saw this, she said, ¡°Alright, leave it to me. I will drink itter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. There¡¯s hair in the soup, so who knows if there¡¯s anything else? It¡¯s better to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that the princess consort deliberately arranged this?¡±


    ¡°No. That would be too impatient of her. There¡¯s the risk of His Highness investigating.¡±


    ¡°But what if?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. At most, this will just disgust me and won¡¯t have any effect. It will also just put me on alert.¡±


    ¡°Just in case, I will prepare a silver needleter.¡± After speaking, Mrs. Sun took the chicken soup away and disposed of it.


    Over the following half a month, Uncle Feng discovered that Qiao Lan would tamper with the soup of whoever His Highness had rested with the night before.


    Uncle Feng got someone to steal some medicine and nned to find someone to identify it. He ended up going to Gu Chengrui through Zhou Huaiming¡¯s rmendation.


    Gu Chengrui did not reject the request. After testing it and confirming it was the same contraceptive medicine, he replied to Uncle Feng.


    After Uncle Feng received the news, he was extremely furious. This was rted to King Rui¡¯s descendant, so he quickly informed him about it.


    When King Rui found out, his face was full of surprise. He could not figure out the other party¡¯s true intentions after that.


    So, he asked Uncle Feng to continue his surveince.


    On the day Qiao Lan¡¯s medicine was finished, Qiao Lan found the servant she reported to and asked, ¡°The medicine is used up again. What¡¯s the meaning of this? It¡¯s been so long, but the higher-ups still have yet to make a final decision?


    ¡°Am I going to continue like this?


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be exposed if this drags on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll report this matter to the higher-ups as soon as possible. You head back for now.¡± The servant turned around and left quickly.


    Qiao Lan had no choice but to leave empty-handed.


    They both didn¡¯t notice a figure quietly following the servant until he returned to the dormitory to sleep.


    Soon, Uncle Feng received the news and immediately med himself.


    He did not expect that there would be more than one spy in the residence he was managing. How could he endure this?


    He said to the person, ¡°Continue to monitor them. You two brothers, keep an eye on that servant and see who he contacts tomorrow.


    ¡°Remember, you are not allowed to alert them.¡±


    ¡°I undestand.¡± The person replied and turned to leave..

 Chapter 599 - 599 Make a Move

    Chapter 599: Make a Move


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next day, in the afternoon, someone returned with a confirmation. After listening to it, Uncle Feng asked gravely, ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t see it wrongly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure, but I didn¡¯t approach them as I feared being discovered. I didn¡¯t hear what they were saying.¡±


    ¡°Alright, continue watching them.¡± Uncle Feng said solemnly.


    At the same time, he knew it was within expectations. After all, a prince could not avoid these schemes.


    When King Rui returned that evening, Uncle Feng told him about this. ¡°Your Highness, we found another servantst night through that woman.


    ¡°Today, the servant boy went out to get more medicine. The person who met him was Seventh Young Master Su¡¯s personal attendant.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t get it wrong. That woman is indeed Qiao Lan.¡± King Rui muttered and then asked, ¡°They¡¯re still meeting after dinner tonight, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s handing over more medicine.¡±


    ¡°When the timees, let¡¯s go together and see what we can get out of them this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will arrange for it now.¡± After Butler Feng finished speaking, he turned around and left.


    King Rui went silent before muttering, ¡°It seems that none of you can wait any longer. Fine, I will y with you.¡±


    Qiao Lan finished her meal at night and again looked for the servant. ¡°What did the higher-ups say this time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to take action. Remember, only use it on the princess consort. Afterwards, push the me onto the secondary consort and let them fight each other.¡± The servant instructed her as he gave her a bag of medicine.


    Qiao Lan reluctantly took it and asked, ¡°What about me? Am I going to lose my life?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you dare to act now that things have reallye to this?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that your family died at the hands of King Rui. Aren¡¯t you indirectly avenging your family?¡±


    Qiao Lan gritted her teeth and silently agreed to this. She then said unwillingly, ¡°I just can¡¯t ept it.


    ¡°You promised me to deal with Gu Chengrui and his wife. It¡¯s been so long, and there¡¯s still no result. I want to see their tragic ending.¡±


    ¡°I already told you, this matter can¡¯t be rushed.


    ¡°Gu Chengrui now had the technology to build greenhouses and grow sweet potatoes. He¡¯s at the height of his power and is highly appreciated by the Emperor.


    ¡°If we strike now, wouldn¡¯t we be causing trouble for our master?


    ¡°But soon, he¡¯s going to print his knowledge into a booklet. Once that¡¯s done, it would be the day they die.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wait a little longer.¡±


    ¡°What are you waiting for? If I¡¯m not mistaken, the princess consort will stay at His Highness¡¯ ce tonight; we¡¯ll act tomorrow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master will definitely make them die with you.¡±


    Qiao Lan finally nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I hope you keep your word.


    Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you off even if I be a ghost.¡±


    ¡°Remember to act tomorrow.¡± The servant reminded her once again and turned to leave.


    However, he had only taken two steps when Guard Chu¡¯s sword stopped him.


    When the servant saw this, he knew that he had been exposed. He was shocked and quickly turned around to run into a tree.


    Qiao Lan panicked when she saw this. But arge sword was ced on her neck before she could run.


    The servant was also quickly pressed to the ground by Guard Chu.


    ¡°Take him to the dungeon.¡± After King Rui finished speaking, he turned around and stepped into the dungeon.


    When the servant saw King Rui, he knew he had no chance of survival. He opened his mouth and was about to bite his tongue tomit suicide. However, he was struck unconscious by Guard Chu¡¯s palm and dragged directly into the dungeon.


    After entering, he immediately gave the two of them a muscle rxant and began interrogating them.


    Because King Rui knew who their master was, Qiao Lan quickly confessed that the medicine she had received this time was intended for sterilization..

 Chapter 600 - 600 Qiao Lanlan’s Death

    Chapter 600: Qiao Lan¡¯s Death


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The servant shouted angrily, ¡°Ungrateful bitch, you ingrate! Master saved you and gave you a chance to take revenge, yet this is how you repay him!¡± ¡°You saved me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, it was your Master who used our Qiao family first. Otherwise, I would still be the eldest daughter of the Qiao family.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re ordering me around and making me wait on people in the kitchen full of oil and smoke. Is this your definition of saving me?¡± Qiao Lan shouted angrily.


    ¡°But Master did save your life!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to kill me now?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The servant didn¡¯t know how to respond to that statement.


    Seeing this, King Rui looked at Qiao Lan in surprise. He didn¡¯t expect her not to know that Old Master Qiao had sided with the First Prince.


    However, this was fine. It would be better to focus their attention on the Fourth Prince. They would be able to spill more secrets this way.


    He looked at Qiao Lan and said, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want to tell me, why don¡¯t you tell me? Tell me everything you know. I¡¯ll give you a quick death and a grand burial.¡±


    Qiao Lan looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°Are you lying to me?¡±


    ¡°Is there a need for me to lie to a dying person like you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Qiao Lan revealed everything when she heard that.


    However, Seventh Su no longer valued her after her elder brother died. Otherwise, he would not have let her be a maid at King Rui¡¯s residence.


    Therefore, she knew very little.


    She did, however, mention a piece of useful information. The famous brothel in the capital, Yixiang Courtyard, was the property of Seventh Su.


    The crime of running a brothel was no lighter than the crime of dabbling in the loan shark business.


    Moreover, this was thergest brothel in the capital.


    This was very advantageous leverage.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± King Rui asked again.


    Qiao Lan shook her head.


    King Rui then looked at the servant. ¡°This is yourst chance, or I¡¯ll kill your entire family.¡±


    ¡°I heard that it¡¯s a pity that your twins would have to die at only eight months old.¡± Uncle Feng said as he took out a pair of small silver locks with bells.


    When the servant saw the thing in his hand, his face was filled with disbelief. He thought he had hidden his identity very well but did not expect¡­


    At the thought of this, he suddenly felt that the remaining strength in his body had been sucked away.


    He looked at King Rui and asked, ¡°If I confess, can you spare my family?¡±


    ¡°If you want them to live, you shouldn¡¯t be in a hurry to die. You should be thinking about how to cooperate with us and not let your master find out that something has happened to you.


    ¡°Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t need to do anything, and your family would still die.¡±


    The servant looked at him in shock and asked uncertainly, ¡°You want me to help you spy on them?¡±


    King Rui nodded and ignored him after that.


    The servant hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing.


    ¡°Very good. I hope you can keep your promise.¡± King Rui turned around and left after that.


    When Uncle Feng saw this, he was not in a hurry to take Qiao Lan¡¯s life. Instead, he locked her up in the dungeon.


    As for the servant boy, although he was released, he was secretly monitored. At the same time, his family was also under surveince.


    On the afternoon of the second day, Qiao Lan¡¯s evil deeds were announced, and a bowl of poison sentenced her to death. She was then buried on a mountain in a thin coffin.


    In the afternoon, Gu Wanning was practicing in the yard when Sun Miaoke walked in and asked in surprise, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sister Gu to know martial arts.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Sister.¡± Gu Wanning stopped and bowed.


    She stood up and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not really martial arts, but when I was in the Yang residence, my cousin was worried about my safety, so he asked my cousin-inw to teach me a few self-defense techniques.


    ¡°They could be used for self-defense during dangerous times, and secondly, it¡¯s great as a workout, so I kept practicing it..¡±

 Chapter 601 - 601: Chaptr 601 Showing Goodwill

    Chapter 601: Chaptr 601 Showing Goodwill


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Gu Wanning said that, she took a towel from Chunxi¡¯s hand and wiped her sweat. ¡°Sister, let¡¯s continue talking inside.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Sun Miaoke followed her into the house.


    After she sat down, Gu Wanning personally poured a cup of tea for the two of them and handed her a ss. ¡°Sister, please have some tea.¡±


    ¡°Do take a seat. It¡¯s just the two of us; there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± Sun Miaoke took the tea and said.


    At the same time, she was delighted with her attitude and hoped that it could continue.


    This way, she would at least have someone to talk to.


    ¡°Thank you, Sister.¡± Gu Wanning sat down after she finished speaking.


    ¡°I think you know the whole story of us being schemed against.


    ¡°I came here today with only one purpose. I hope that we can all be more vignt in the future.


    ¡°If there were any suspicious people or things, I hope we could exchange information first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I should do. We should also try our best to not cause any trouble for His Highness.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, once the sea opens, His Highness will return to Dongyang. In the future, it¡¯s better for us to work together against the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will remember it.¡±


    The two of them chatted for a while more before Sun Miaoke left, satisfied.


    After she left, Chunxi asked in confusion, ¡°Young miss, what does princess consort mean by this? I¡¯m a little confused?¡±


    ¡°I feel that she is here to express goodwill. As long as we behave, she should not make things difficult for us.¡± Mrs. Sun exined.


    She did not sense any malice from the princess consort either.


    ¡°Maybe she wants to find a helper.


    ¡°The Imperial Residence is filled with danger. If the two of us were to start quarreling, I¡¯m afraid neither will end up well.¡± Gu Wanning replied.


    Sun Miaoke would have to run such arge residence once His Highness left, and Gu Wanning assumed Sun Miaoke felt she was insufficient to face such a significant ordeal on her own.


    However, this was a good thing. She didn¡¯t want to fight either.


    As for His Highness¡¯ favor, it would depend on their own abilities.


    At night, the servant ¡®quietly¡¯ left the residence and found Su Qing.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Su Qing quickly got up and asked.


    The servant shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She only ate a little, and Qiao Lan was found out and executed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard about this. How was she discovered?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she had poured too much of the medicine, and the princess consort tasted the bitterness, so she investigated all the way and found Qiao Lan.¡± ¡°Fool, can¡¯t she make a strong soup to cover it up? You didn¡¯t expose yourself, did you?¡± Su Qing asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Otherwise, they would have arrested me long ago.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to be careful. Don¡¯t look for me for the time being. When I need you, I¡¯ll send someone to look for you.¡± Su Qing turned around and walked toward the back door.


    The servant also stood up and walked out. Aftering out, he looked around and returned to King Rui¡¯s residence openly.


    Su Qing waited for him to leave before returning. After he left, he circled the street a few times. After ensuring no one was following the servant boy, he turned around and left.


    After he left, a figure walked out from the opposite side and quickly returned to the Imperial Residence.


    Zhou Ying, who had been paying attention to their residence, finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    In the blink of an eye, it was time for a minor schr exam, and Gu Chenglin was sessfully admitted.


    In order to let him rx, Zhou Ying took him to the manor for three days and taught him some farming knowledge.


    At this time, Gu Chenglin finally realized that farming was not just about farming. A lot of knowledge was involved, making him pay attention to agriculture-rted knowledge.


    At the end of the month, King Kang married his wife.


    The Seventh Prince married his wife at the end of March, following the spring nting, particrly the nting of sweet potatoes..

 Chapter 602 - 602 Making Things Difficult

    Chapter 602: Making Things Difficult


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, when the Seventh Prince married his wife, King Rui and Zhou Huaiming had already left for Dongyang Province.


    Therefore, during the banquet, King Kang saw that Gu Chengrui was getting increasingly popr and began extending an olive branch to him.


    However, it wasn¡¯t working. Instead, he brought up Princess Ping Yang, who had always supported him.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t take the olive branch and insteadughed with him and said some words of gratitude to Princess Ping Yang.


    He started praising Princess Ping Yang, stating she was capable, fair, cared for him, and helped him marry a good wife.


    When King Kang saw this, he knew it would not be easy to win Gu Chengrui over quickly. Thus, he then followed suit, praising Princess Ping Yang.


    On the female side, Zhou Jiaying saw Zhou Ying glowing radiantly with happiness.


    Inparison, His Highness¡¯s attitude toward her only got colder; she was pissed.


    So, the mes of jealousy grew stronger and stronger.


    At this moment, Sun Miaoke suddenly retched, causing everyone to frown.


    The Empress Dowager thought of something and eximed happily, ¡°Miaoke, are you pregnant?¡±


    Sun Miaoke was stunned for a moment after hearing this. It seemed to be true.


    However, even if it were true, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to spread it now, especially in front of the Empress. She could only shake her head and reply, ¡°I think I caught a cold recently.¡±


    The Empress Dowager didn¡¯t ask further after hearing this. Instead, she said, ¡°You¡¯d better be careful. After you return home, find a doctor to prescribe some medicine for you as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Imperial Grandmother. I will remember it.¡± Sun Miaoke nodded.


    However, she still attracted the Empress¡¯s suspicious gaze, which made Sun Miaoke tremble in fear. It seemed that she would have to be more careful in the future.


    Zhou Jiaying was delighted by the opportunity. She looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Speaking of pregnancy, Mrs. Gu, you and Lord Gu have been married for more than four years, no? Why hasn¡¯t there been any good news?¡±


    When everyone heard that, they all looked at her.


    Right, Zhou Ying had been married for many years but did not have children yet.


    Suddenly, everyone started discussing whether she could not give birth.


    The Empress looked at Zhou Ying¡¯s bright and tender little face and knew she was living afortable life, which made her highly jealous.


    Thinking about the rtionship between the two parties, since the Emperor did not allow her to touch Gu Chengrui, she could at least touch Zhou Ying.


    Thinking of this, she said, ¡°This is a problem. If you can¡¯t give birth, you have to ask your husband to marry a concubine as soon as possible for the sake of having children.¡±


    ¡°How about this? I have a distant niece who happens to be in the capital. Although her family is a little poor, she is delicate and pretty.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send her to your residenceter to keep youpany.¡±


    Zhou Jiaying smiled and didn¡¯t say anything more.


    At this time, the Empress Dowager asked worriedly, ¡°Zhou Ying, have you seen a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Empress Dowager, my husband is a doctor, and I¡¯m in good health.


    ¡°It was just that there had been constant disasters over the past few years, so we decided to dy having children. He was too busy aftering to the capital, so we have been dying further.¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse. No matter how busy Lord Gu is, he can never be busier than the Emperor.¡± the Empress quipped in.


    ¡°That¡¯s different. No matter how busy the Emperor is, he rarely leaves the pce.


    ¡°But my husband mostly lives in his greenhouse. How can it be the same?¡±


    ¡°So, you are rejecting my good intentions.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We¡¯ll discuss this matter between us, husband and wife.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Lord Gu is a meritorious minister of our dynasty. I can¡¯t watch him without an heir. I will personally take care of this matter.¡±


    ¡°Empress.¡± The Empress Dowager coldly shouted..

 Chapter 603 - 603 Admonition

    Chapter 603: Admonition


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Empress was startled by the Empress Dowager¡¯s shout. Looking at her gloomy face, she dared not make another sound.


    However, she was cursing the Empress Dowager internally. How dared the Empress Dowager humiliate her in front of so many people? Was she tired of living?


    Zhou Ying smiled and nodded at the Empress Dowager to show her gratitude. She then lowered her head and continued eating.


    When she caught a glimpse of Zhou Jiaying¡¯s disappointed expression from the corner of her eye, Zhou Ying knew what was going on. Zhou Jiaying was the one who started the dispute by iming that she was infertile, and even the Empress had been used by her.


    Thinking of this, she huffed coldly. Since Zhou Jiaying didn¡¯t want a good life and insisted on finding trouble, don¡¯t me her for retaliating.


    After the banquet ended, Gu Chengrui told Zhou Ying about the Fourth Prince¡¯s olive branch on the way back and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯ll do next. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°I guess there is no tacit understanding between them, husband and wife.¡± Zhou Ying retold how Zhou Jiaying made things difficult for her, ¡°In the future, if King Kanges looking for you again, you can use her as an excuse and let them fight each other.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. Let¡¯s give them a taste of their own medicine and stir up the Kang Imperial Residence.¡±


    On the other side, after returning to the pce, the Empress Dowager called the Empress into her pce and questioned her, ¡°Do you still remember your identity?¡±


    ¡°As the Empress.¡± The Empress was shocked by that question before replying.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t remember. Although Gu Chengrui is an official of the Ming Dynasty, he is not a ve of the Yang family. What right do you have to interfere in other people¡¯s family affairs?


    ¡°Even after she rejected you, you still tried to use your power to force her. How do you want everyone to think of you? How do you want them to think of our royal family?¡±


    ¡°I know her mistake. I just didn¡¯t expect Zhou Ying to not give me any face at all, so I just got angry¡­¡±


    ¡°But did you give them face? She initially rejected you tactfully, but you insisted on arranging a concubine for them.


    ¡°If it were you, would you be willing?¡±


    The Empress Dowager sighed and continued tiredly, ¡°The position of Empress does have a lot of power, but it also has a lot of restrictions.


    ¡°This is because your words and actions represent the royal family¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°You must consider the bigger picture and not act recklessly based on your personality.


    ¡°Another thing is that being a mother to the country doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re actually their mother, but it¡¯s a saying that you should be a role model for all the women and lead them well.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Go back and think about this carefully. Your attitude will, at the very least, affect the prestige of the Emperor and King Hui.¡± After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she waved her hand to let her out.


    After the Empress had left, Nanny Liu asked, ¡°Empress Dowager, isn¡¯t that too harsh? I¡¯m afraid that the Empress will hate you.¡±


    ¡°She hates me already.


    ¡°Ever since she was grounded, she¡¯s always been moody. If she weren¡¯t scolding one person, she would be scolding another. Her temperament is really too different from Empress Zhou¡¯s.¡± The Empress Dowager sighed, ¡°Unfortunate.¡±


    After Nanny Liu heard this, her heart ached for the Empress Dowager. If she cared too much, the Emperor would suspect her of taking control. If she cared too little, everything would look terrible on her. She was stuck in a dilemma.


    After the Empress left the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce, she was so furious that her face turned green. This time, however, she did not re up again.


    There was one sentence that she had taken to heart, which was that her attitude represented King Hui. She could not embarrass her son and needed to wait for him to return and discuss another big n.


    Thinking of this, she asked her substitute nanny, Nanny Yu, ¡°Oh right, how long has it been since King Hui sent a letter?¡±

 Chapter 604 - 604 The Reaction of All Sides

    Chapter 604: The Reaction of All Sides


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost a month, and the river embankment should be almostpleted. Perhaps His Highness is already on his way back.¡±


    The Empress did not reply after hearing this. Instead, she said, ¡°Pick out two young and beautiful pce maids.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, this matter can¡¯t continue. Otherwise, the Empress Dowager¡­¡±


    ¡°Just prepare it. It will be useful sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After hearing this, Nanny Yu did not try to persuade her. After sending the Empress back to the pce, she began to search for beautiful pce maids.


    After the Emperor learned of the Empress¡¯s foolish actions, his impression of her dropped again. It had even umted into disappointment.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he couldn¡¯t easily get rid of her, he would have done so long ago.


    However, Gu Chengrui had been married for more than four years and still had no children. He was concerned, and he was considering asking about it.


    He called Xiao Heng in and asked him to pass on the message to his trusted aide in the southwest. He wanted to win over the morale of the Southwest Army as soon as possible.


    On the other side, after returning to the mansion, Zhou Jiaying told King Kang about the dispute between Zhou Ying and the Empress, ¡°This Zhou Ying is really bold.


    ¡°Even we didn¡¯t dare to contradict the Empress, but she did so regardless.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that there¡¯s really something wrong with her, and she became angry from embarrassment after being exposed?¡± King Kang asked thoughtfully.


    If that were the case, he would know how to rope Gu Chengrui in.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure.¡± Zhou Jiaying didn¡¯t make any unnecessary remarks after seeing that he had considered her words.


    ¡°Your Highness, do you want to see Xin¡¯ er?¡±


    ¡°Tonight. I still have some things to deal with.¡± King Kang turned around and walked toward the study afterward.


    Zhou Jiaying smiled, then turned around and went back to her courtyard.


    After watching them from afar, Liu Ye, Hong Suzhi¡¯s maid,mented unhappily, ¡°Mistress, this secondary consort is always pestering His Highness. She¡¯s really shameless.¡±


    ¡°Who cares? My status still maintains. As long as my father doesn¡¯t fall, His Highness won¡¯t dare to neglect me.¡± After Hong Suzhi finished speaking, she turned around and returned to the main courtyard.


    She had seen the rtionship between His Highness and Zhou Jiaying along the way and knew they were once a close couple.


    However, she found this was not the case after entering the residence. At the very least, His Highness was not as infatuated with Zhou Jiaying as she had imagined.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been so obedient and gentle to Hong Suzhi.


    However, the more he acted like this, the more she dared not give him her heart. Otherwise, she would end up worse than Zhou Jiaying.


    She had to remain rational. At the very least, she would not implicate her family.


    Then, while King Kang was still patient with her, she had to bear a son as soon as possible to have a firm foothold in this residence.


    After Sun Miaoke left the Seventh Prince¡¯s residence, she didn¡¯t return directly to her ce. Instead, she turned around and went to the Sun Family¡¯s residence to find a doctor to take her pulse.


    She was really pregnant.


    After sending off the doctor, Mother Sun smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. Otherwise, your status will be in danger if Gu Wanning gives birth to the eldest son.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just as dangerous now.¡± Sun Miao replied nervously.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you talking about Gu Wanning¡­¡± Mother Sun wanted to say something but hesitated.


    ¡°After spending time with her, Gu Wanning is a good person. She doesn¡¯t have any bad intentions.¡± Sun Miaoke shook her head.


    ¡°But it¡¯s hard to say for the others.¡±


    At that point, she told her mother about how the Fourth Prince had sent someone into the residence to give her and Gu Wanning contraceptives. She added, ¡°Today, when everyone was happy about the news, only the Empress strangely looked at me.


    ¡°I think it won¡¯t be easy to give birth to this child sessfully..¡±

 Chapter 605 - 605 Counterattack

    Chapter 605: Counterattack


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Mother Sun heard that she was in a situation where there was a wolf in front and a tiger behind, she was worried for a moment. She suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe back and stay? As for the Imperial Residence, you can leave it to the butler to look after.¡±


    ¡°No, if Ie back now, wouldn¡¯t that be telling everyone that I¡¯m pregnant?


    ¡°I have to return and stall for time as much as possible. It would be fine once my pregnancy is stable.¡±


    ¡°You must be careful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s the butler around. I¡¯ll tell him to help me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, remember to send a message if there¡¯s anything.¡± After Mother Sun finished speaking, she asked someone to go to the kitchen to get some of Sun Miaoke¡¯s favorite snacks and then sent her back.


    After Zhou Ying finished bathing at night, she spread her divine sense to look at the Kang Residence.


    At that moment, King Kang was caring for the baby while Zhou Jiaying was taking a bath.


    Seeing this, a wicked smile shed across Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes. She poured two packets of fermented liquid from her storeroom into Zhou Jiaying¡¯s cup.


    Sure enough, Zhou Jiaying did not check it after showering and drank it all in one gulp.


    After that, Zhou Jiaying¡¯s stomach started to growl when they were both having a good time in bed. Soon, she started farting.


    King Kang¡¯s interest was immediately lost. He left with a look of disdain and went straight to the main courtyard.


    Zhou Jiaying was so angry that she screamed and broke the kettle and cups on the bed.


    However, she quickly lost her temper and went straight to the toilet.


    ¡°Serves you right,¡± Zhou Ying gloated. ¡°This is just a warning. You won¡¯t be so lucky next time.¡±


    As for tests, she was not afraid of getting discovered. With the current technology, Zhou Jiaying would never find any trace of fermented liquid. She could only admit that she was unlucky.


    ¡°What mischievous things have you done? Why are you smiling evilly?¡± Gu Chengrui, who had finished washing up, walked over and asked curiously.


    Zhou Ying did not hide it from him and told him about what she had done.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment before he smiled. ¡°I hope King Kang doesn¡¯t develop any psychological trauma from this.¡±


    ¡°That will depend on his mental forte.¡±


    ¡°Right. We should get busy, too.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly lifted the nket and crawled under the covers with her.


    The next day, after the morning court session, the Emperor asked Gu Chengrui to stay and asked, ¡°I heard that the Empress lost herposure at the banquet yesterday. Did it affect you and your wife badly?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Then, you two¡­ Do you want me to find a few beauties?¡±


    Gu Chengrui quickly waved his hand and replied, ¡°No need. It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t make any. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t want any babies at the moment.


    ¡°After this busy period, I will naturally have one when we settle down.


    ¡°Besides, the Gu family doesn¡¯t have any inheritance now. It¡¯s fine even if we don¡¯t have children.¡±


    The Emperor was startled when he heard this and asked, ¡°Do you me me?¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned by the question. After understanding that he was referring to the family¡¯s exile, he shook his head. ¡°Not really. After all, the Gu family was at fault. You acted ording to thew.¡±


    The Emperor saw that his eyes were clear and did not dodge his question. He smiled and asked, ¡°So, who do you think is most suitable to inherit the throne among the princes?¡±


    ¡°This is your family matter, so I shouldn¡¯t say much.¡±


    ¡°Family matters? Hmph, family matters it is. What kind of person do you think I should choose to inherit the throne?¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at him in surprise, not knowing what the Emperor was trying to do.


    Therefore, he answered modestly, ¡°Someone who thinks about the people. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. I¡¯m afraid an Emperor who doesn¡¯t have the hearts of the people won¡¯t be able tost for long.¡±


    ¡°Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.¡± The Emperor muttered to himself.


    A momentter, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing wrong with you two, have a child as soon as possible so we can shut everyone up..¡±

 Chapter 606 - 606 Making A Move On Him

    Chapter 606: Making A Move On Him


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I will take my leave.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    Behind him, the Emperor looked at his back, and a smile shed across his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s toote to stand by the side now.¡±


    As soon as Gu Chengrui stepped out of the pce gates, he bumped into King Kang again. A trace of impatience shed across Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes, but he still went forward and bowed. ¡°Greetings, King Kang.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± King Kang helped him and asked, ¡°I heard from my Secondary Consort about yesterday¡¯s matter. She did not do it on purpose. Please don¡¯t me her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a quarrel; there¡¯s no me. If Your Highness has nothing else, I will be heading home for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to my residence for breakfast? We¡¯re cousins, after all. We haven¡¯t had a proper meal together yet.¡±


    ¡°When our restaurant opens, we can have a good gathering there. I still have to go to the manor after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be busy with the manor. Just leave it to the servants.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten my current position? I research agriculture. If I don¡¯t keep an eye on it, how can I research them?¡±


    King Kang was a little unhappy when he saw that Gu Chengrui wouldn¡¯t budge. He reluctantly replied, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk another day.¡±


    ¡°I will take my leave.¡± Gu Chengrui cupped his fists and bowed before turning around to leave.


    At the same time, his face darkened. All parties were making a move on him, using theirck of children as an excuse. He had to be more careful in the future.


    After returning home and having breakfast, he told Zhou Ying about this matter and said, ¡°You should be careful. Don¡¯t fall into their trap.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time for us to have a child?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, now that King Rui is not around, it¡¯s time to be vignt. It is not a suitable time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. King Hui is probablying back soon, too. Once he returns, there will definitely be amotion. Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll go out with you today to look at the new manor and see how Uncle Fang is doing there.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, and let me change my clothes.¡± Zhou Ying returned to her room and changed into a clean set of clothes before heading out with him.


    First, Gu Chengrui went to his usual manor, and then Shizhu drove the carriage to the new manor.


    Halfway there, Zhou Ying saw Gu Chengrui¡¯s notebook and had no choice but to head back and deliver it to him.


    At the same time, she made up her mind to buy a carriage soon. Otherwise, if something happened, it would be inconvenient to have only one carriage.


    After arriving at the manor, Zhou Ying lifted the curtain when a mouthful of soil hit her. The wind was so strong that she could not open her eyes.


    Shizhu wasn¡¯t faring any better but still handed her bamboo hat over. ¡°Madam, the wind is too strong!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better for you to wear it.¡± Zhou Ying returned to the inside of the carriage. Under the table cover, she took a scarf from her interspace and covered her face.


    After getting out of the carriage, she raised her head and saw everyone busy building houses. She turned and asked Shizhu to tie the carriage down before walking inside with her.


    A row of brand-new brick dormitories had been built, with new cow, sheep, pig, and chicken pens alsopleted.


    They were now building a warehouse.


    ¡°Madam, you¡¯re here. I thought I saw the wrong person.¡± Head Fang walked over and greeted her.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to check on the progress. When is it expected to bepleted?¡±


    ¡°In another ten days. The warehouse must be built firmly, and we can¡¯t be careless..¡±

 Chapter 607 - 607 Planning (1)

    Chapter 607: nning (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. ¡°Great. Speed is important, but not at the cost of quality. You keep an eye on them. I¡¯ll make rounds, and we¡¯ll talk in detail after that.¡±


    ¡°Do you need someone to apany you?¡±


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s fine as long as Shizhu follows me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, the wind is strong. You two be careful.¡± Head Fang turned around and left.


    Zhou Ying brought Shizhu to check on the construction progress.


    Many stones were deeply embedded in the ground because no one had cared for this manor for years.


    There were many peach trees expanding over 200 acres, but the rest of thend was rugged and barren.


    Even Shizhu, who had never worked in the fields before, could see that thisnd was barren. She could not help but ask, ¡°Madam, I¡¯m afraid thisnd won¡¯t work. Was Master deceived into buying this ce?¡±


    ¡°With the price of wastnd, what goodnd can you buy?


    ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t n to grow crops. I n just to nt grass.¡±


    ¡°nt grass and raise livestock?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can harvest a lot of grass in such arge area as long as we can use it reasonably.¡± Zhou Ying replied while looking around.


    She walked into the peach ntation and took a good look at them.


    Perhaps because of the many disasters over the years, all the peach trees were not in good condition.


    The seedlings were basically all dead and could be broken with just one hand.


    More than half of the adult trees were also dead.


    Although those still alive had bloomed flowers, very few bore fruit.


    Also, there was a lot of peach resin covering the tree. No wonder they did not mention peach trees when they sold thend. To put it bluntly, they were worthless.


    It was fine, as Zhou Ying could dig them up and repurpose thend.


    There was a river in front of the peach ntation. The river was deep and wide, and it looked very clear. She could build a waterwheel here, which would be convenient for the manor.


    ¡°Madam, look, there are fish in this river, and they¡¯re not the small ones.¡± Shizhu pointed at a spot and said.


    Zhou Ying spread out her divine senses and looked into the river.


    There were quite some fish, most of which she had released from her interspace. They were not on alert and were gathering in the water weeds.


    It may be because there were not many people here, so they lived quitefortably.


    She said, ¡°Go back and tell Uncle Fang they can fish them up when they have time. These can be distributed to the employees.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t bring a with us. Otherwise, we could have fished them up now.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can just bring it with us the next time wee.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should head back since we¡¯re done surveying the ce.¡±


    They entered Head Fang¡¯s dormitory, and Head Fang immediately ran over and asked, ¡°Madam, do you want to have lunch here?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll need to head back soon.¡± Zhou Ying answered and saw a pen and paper on the table.


    She took the piece of paper and quickly outlined the general appearance of the manor. She nned out a few areas and said, ¡°When the timees, we¡¯ll need to cut down this peach ntation and nt a total of 1,000 acres of grass.


    ¡°As for the seeds, I¡¯ll give them to youter.


    ¡°Remember to leave a few walking paths in the middle for easy care.


    ¡°After the summer harvest, if there were red sweet potatoes or white potato seedlings, they could also be nted.


    ¡°It will improve the soil quality, and the sweet potatoes could still grow back after harvesting them twice.


    ¡°On this side of the grassfield, I¡¯ll try to find some soybean and peanut seeds to nt them. They can be used to nourish thend, and they are also great for providing tofu and oil for the restaurant.


    ¡°Further down is going to be the vegetable garden. Some fruit trees might also be nted here, so remember to put more fertilizer here and plow deeply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to install a waterwheelter. It¡¯ll be much more convenient to water everything this way..¡±

 Chapter 608 - 608 Planning (2)

    Chapter 608: nning (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Head Fangughed when he heard that. ¡°A waterwheel? That¡¯s great! With a waterwheel, we can save a lot of energy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, remember to n the canal well. Otherwise, it will be difficult to water our crops.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam. I¡¯m good at this.¡±


    ¡°Good. Ten dayster, I¡¯ll get people to transport the livestock and seedlings here. Remember to find some experienced people to take care of them.


    ¡°Otherwise, once a disease infects the livestock, they would all be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Madam, I really don¡¯t have anyone I can trust when ites to raising livestock.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this. We¡¯ll look for someone capable. You just have to n the manor well and as soon as possible.¡± Zhou Ying gave him a thousand silver notes and added, ¡°Buy a few cattle and farming tools. We must get the manor up and running before the autumn harvest.¡±


    ¡°I will remember it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll head inside for now. If there¡¯s anything, remember to send a message.¡± Zhou Ying brought Shizhu back to the manor.


    After lunch, she went to the fields with the others to nt some seedlings.


    After returning home at night, Zhou Ying climbed onto her soft couch and was too tired even to move her hands.


    Gu Chengrui saw this, washed his hands, and massaged her, saying, ¡°Farming crops with sweat dripping into the soil isn¡¯t just a saying.


    ¡°This is a real farm, different from farming in your interspace. So, please don¡¯t head out to the farms in the future. It makes my heart ache.¡±


    ¡°The main problem is that this work is too tiring for my waist.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll know when you wake up tomorrow. Hunching over is bad for your body, too.¡± Gu Chengrui then said, ¡°Oh right, the sweet potatoes can be eaten soon. How many of them should we save up?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t King Rui request some sweet potato seedlings? Let¡¯s harvest them all, let everyone taste them, and nt whatever we have left in our manor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, too. Otherwise, more than half of the manor¡¯s fields would be empty.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we nt all the watermelons on the emptynd?


    ¡°Especially giant pumpkins that could feed cattle, sheep, and pigs. It could save us a lot of feed.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Take out the seeds at night.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    After finishing her work at night, Zhou Ying prepared half a sack of seeds and handed it to Gu Chengrui.


    Just as she was about to bring him out of the space.


    Gu Chengrui grabbed her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a medicinal bath for you. Go over and take a good bath. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengrui walked into the bathroom with her.


    Despite having soaked in a medicinal bath, Zhou Ying awoke the next day feeling sore and unpleasant, particrly the tendons from the back of her legs to the soles of her feet.


    She did some yoga on the bed and stretched her muscles before getting up.


    After breakfast, she called a guard and went to the horse market to buy a rtively luxurious carriage.


    Just as they were about to leave the market, someone suddenly shouted, ¡°Mrs. Gu, Mrs. Gu, wait for me!¡±


    Zhou Ying turned her head to look. She paused momentarily before remembering that he was the middleman who had helped her purchase her shop.


    She asked the guards to park the carriage, got off the carriage, and waited at the side.


    When he approached them, she smiled and asked, ¡°Manager Xiao, are you also here to buy horses?¡±


    ¡°A carriage. My previous carriage broke down, so I¡¯m considering buying a new one. I wonder if your residence is stillcking helpers?¡± Manager Xiao asked.


    ¡°Where did you get the new people from?¡±


    ¡°Same old, same old, from the same friendst time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s their background?¡±


    ¡°Some of them are disaster refugees, and some of them are ves sold from the South.¡±


    ¡°From the South? Did theymit a crime?¡±

 Chapter 609 - 609 Newcomers (1)

    Chapter 609: Neers (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It is as you predicted, but most of them are implicated by the main family¡¯s crimes.


    ¡°I know your requirements well, and most of them are in line with your conditions; this was why I called out to you.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go over and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. You can decide once you think they¡¯re suitable.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhou Ying got into her carriage after that.


    However, Manager Xiao didn¡¯t get in with her. Instead, he sat beside the carriage driver and began to show the way.


    After some time, they stopped outside a small courtyard in the northern district.


    After getting out of the carriage, the guard stood outside to take care of the carriage while Zhou Ying followed Manager Xiao into the small courtyard.


    After some pleasantries, Zhou Ying decided on two families after a series of selections.


    One of them was a butler in his forties. He had a wife and two children who had juste of age; they were both in their prime.


    The other family was a gardener, and his wife used to be in charge of managing a small team. They had two daughters, one twelve and the other eight.


    Although the two families were both from the south, they had different masters.


    Furthermore, Zhou Ying bought four more maidservants, as she knew they would be short of hands once they got busy.


    After signing the servant contracts, she paid the silver and returned to her residence.


    When she reached home, she asked Mother Qiu to settle them down.


    Once the neers finished eating their first meal, she called everyone to the backyard garden.


    She first let the people in the residence introduce themselves so that the neers could get to know them.


    Once that was done, only the neers introduced themselves.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± the man who used to be a butler spoke out. ¡°My name is Niu


    Fugui. I used to be a butler in the home of a magistrate in the south.¡±


    ¡°More than a month ago, my master¡¯s house was raided by the government, and all the servants were sold.¡±


    He pointed to his wife and introduced her. ¡°This is my wife, Mrs. Jiang. She was the nanny of our previous young miss and in charge of managing her courtyard.¡±


    ¡°My daughter is Niu Lirong, the servant girl of our previous young miss.


    ¡°My son, Niu Deli, had learned ounting from an ountant but had never been an official disciple. However, he still had no problem with general bookkeeping.¡±


    ¡°My name is Miao Dazhi, a gardener in our local justice court.


    ¡°My wife, Mrs. Liang, was originally a chef specializing in making noodles. We have two daughters; the older one is called Miao Xiaoyu, and the younger one is Miao Xiaoxue.¡±


    ¡°When it was the remaining four maidservants¡¯ turn, the four stepped forward together and requested, ¡°Mistress, please give us a new name.¡±


    Zhou Ying struggled internally after hearing that, as she was terrible at naming.


    She took a good look at the four of them and replied, ¡°Alright, ording to your current position, from east to west, it¡¯s Chunxiang, Xiaxiang, Qiuxiang, and Dongxiang.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, Chunxiang and Dongxiang know how to cook. You guys can work in the kitchen with Mrs. Liang.


    ¡°Niu Lirong, Xiaxiang, and Qiuxiang will stay and serve in the main courtyard.


    ¡°Mrs. Jiang would be Mother Qiu¡¯s assistant and manage all the affairs in the residence.


    ¡°As for Niu Fugui, he could take care of the front yard while Miao Dazhi could lead others to trim the flowers and nts in the manor.


    ¡°Miao Xiaoyu and Miao Xiaoxue, do you want to cook? If you want to, I can arrange for you to learn in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Can I? I would like to follow my mother and learn how to make noodles.¡± Miao Xiaoxue raised her head and asked in surprise.


    ¡°Of course, go ahead to the kitchen to help out.¡± Zhou Ying then looked at Miao Xiaoyu.


    ¡°I like gardening, so I want to learn more gardening from my father.¡± Miao Xiaoyu stole a nce at Miao Dazhi after she finished speaking.


    Zhou Ying looked at Miao Dazhi¡¯s darkened face and asked, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°My father said that gardeners are all men. It¡¯s too tiring for a woman to do it, so, so¡­¡± Miao Xiaoyu stuttered and shut her mouth..

 Chapter 610 - 610 Newcomers (2)

    Chapter 610: Neers (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying looked at Miao Dazhi in surprise. Although she didn¡¯t know why he rejected Miao Xiaoyu, she didn¡¯t want to kill a child¡¯s interest.


    Therefore, she advised him, ¡°Although there is a saying that you should love what you do, if you don¡¯t have a strong passion for it, you will be ayman for the rest of your life and never reach the level of a master.


    ¡°However, if she¡¯s really passionate about her career, she would wholeheartedly devote her life to research and creating something new. It would also give her a happier life.


    ¡°Taking the easiest example, cooking.


    ¡°If a person is passionate about cooking, even if she doesn¡¯t have the talent, she would devote her entire being to learning it. She would also actively study and create new dishes.


    ¡°However, without a deep passion, she would just learn the bare minimum and not be interested in improving herself. No matter how talented she would be in that field, she would be average.


    ¡°Therefore, if a child wants to learn something, we should encourage them. Only after learning would the child know if it was suitable for them.


    ¡°If she can really learn well in the future, how about I make a flowerbed for her?¡±


    Miao Dazhi pondered for a moment and looked at Miao Xiaoyu. ¡°Are you sure you want to learn gardening? After you start, you can¡¯t give up halfway.¡±


    ¡°I want to learn!¡± Miao Xiaoyu¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Alright, from tomorrow onwards, you¡¯ll follow me.¡± Miao Dazhi nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you all my requirements.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°I only have two requirements for you all. One is loyalty. There is only one oue to betraying your master, and that is to live a life worse than death. ¡°The second is diligence and neatness.


    ¡°I won¡¯t punish those who ck off. I¡¯ll only deduct your monthly sry. It¡¯ll be 100 coppers per discovery, and there¡¯s no limit to that.


    ¡°In other words, if this month¡¯s sry isn¡¯t enough to cover your deduction, your next month¡¯s sry will be deducted until you get diligent.


    ¡°Butler Niu and Mother Qiu will keep an eye on everyone in the future.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not inhumane. If you¡¯re really sick, you can take a sick leave and not get their monthly sry deducted for the day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Niu Fugui and Mother Qiu replied at the same time.


    ¡°Alright, get to work. Niu Deli,e with me.¡±After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she led him to the main courtyard.


    Niu Deli was surprised by her beckoning and followed Zhou Ying nervously.


    When they arrived at the main courtyard, Zhou Ying brought him directly to her study and took out an ount book. ¡°This is the ount book I keep. Take a look and record our ounts in this format in the future. It¡¯s also convenient for me to check the ounts.¡±


    Niu Deli finally let out a sigh of relief. He was still afraid that Zhou Ying would have an opinion of him, but it turned out that she wanted to test him.


    He took the ount book and looked at it seriously. After a moment, his eyes lit up because Zhou Ying¡¯s tabted ounting method was simple and clear to understand.


    Not only was it easy to remember, but it was also very convenient to calcte the final bill.


    After studying carefully, he replied, ¡°Mistress, I¡¯ll remember this method. From today onwards, I will strictly follow your format.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and took out some more ount books. ¡°These are all the ounts in the residence. Go back and study it and make a budget for next month.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, give me an answer in three days. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask me.


    ¡°Remember, you only have one chance. I hope you can seize it firmly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will do my best to finish my apprenticeship as soon as possible.¡± Niu Deli answered and picked up the ount books, leaving quickly to study them.


    After he left, Zhou Ying asked Shizhu to call Kuihua over. She told Kuihua, ¡°Later, choose the same materials you are wearing and make two sets of spring clothes for each neer.


    ¡°In addition, Niu Lirong will be in charge of serving tea. As for Xiaxiang and Qiuxiang, you can make arrangements for their designation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this courtyard to you in the future. I hope you¡¯ll take responsibility and don¡¯t disappoint me..¡±

 Chapter 611 - 611 Knocking On Their Doors

    Chapter 611: Knocking On Their Doors


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thank you for your appreciation. Mistress.¡± Kuihua immediately bowed.


    Previously, when Niu Lirong was assigned to the main courtyard, she feared her job would be taken over. It seemed that she was overthinking it.


    ¡°Managing people is different from managing things. You must reward and punish clearly, use firm yet diplomatic methods, and be fair and just. I hope you can get everyone in the courtyard settled down as soon as possible.


    ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll have no choice but to get someone else to do it. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will make arrangements as soon as possible.¡±


    After she was done with arranging everyone, Zhou Ying returned to her room. Niu Lirong brought her a cup of tea as soon as she sat down.


    Zhou Ying raised her head and said, ¡°In the future, if I don¡¯t ask for tea, there¡¯s no need to serve it. Just prepare a cup of water; it will do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Niu Lirong¡¯s body stiffened momentarily before she carefully stood to the side.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous. I¡¯m just letting you know my preference. What were you best at when caring for your previous young miss?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Preparing tea and makeup.¡±


    Zhou Ying understood that she must have previously been the young girl¡¯s confidant. She continued to ask, ¡°Have you learned simple ingredient theories, such as what foods go well with each other, or the identification of poisons, and so on?¡±


    ¡°No, I have only learned what kind of constitution or season would be suitable for drinking what kind of tea.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave serving tea to you in the future. Remember to check everything carefully before making tea, just in case.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You may leave.¡± Zhou Ying dismissed her, opened the teacup, and took a look. It was chrysanthemum tea.


    Brewing a good cup of tea is an art. Compared to the tea she usually simply brewed, it was better in taste and color.


    After drinking it, Zhou Ying got up and went to her study. She took out a few books from her interspace about what nts were suitable for growing in various soil types and picked out those for the alkali-type soil.


    Turning back to Shanghe Vige.


    After half a year of hard work, Constable Zhang finally got to marry Gu Ziyi.


    Today was the day of their engagement. At the same time, the date of their wedding was also set.


    After the pleasantries, the patriarch sent him and the matchmaker away. When he was about to turn around and head home, he saw a carriage enter the vige from afar.


    The patriarch remembered that Manager Liu was here for their sweet potato seedlings, so he immediately went up to greet them with a smile.


    He was stunned when he saw the unfamiliar coachman.


    Just as he was about to turn around and walk back, he suddenly heard someone call him ¡°Father¡±.


    He turned his head and looked over. When he saw who it was, his face darkened, and he replied in a strange tone, ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this County Magistrate Chen Peng? I don¡¯t deserve to be your father, nor do I dare to be one.


    ¡°If you are here for work-rted matters, go to the vige chief.


    ¡°If it¡¯s for personal matters, you¡¯re not wee. Ziyi has remarried, and there¡¯s no longer any connection between you two.¡±


    ¡°What? Ziyi has remarried?¡± Chen Peng asked in astonishment.


    ¡°Why are you surprised? You two have already divorced, so she¡¯s free to remarry. Isn¡¯t it normal for her to remarry when she meets a suitable person?


    ¡°Hurry up and leave. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for gathering my nsmen to kick you out.¡± After the patriarch finished speaking, he flung his sleeves and headed home.


    Seeing this, Chen Peng hurriedly chased after him, but he was still a step toote. The door was shut in his face by the patriarch.


    ¡°Father, father! Please listen to my exnation!¡± Chen Peng immediately knocked hurriedly on the door.


    The patriarch roared before he could finish his words, ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Everyone in the house was shocked by his shouts and immediately rushed out.


    Especially Gu Ziyi, who felt she was hallucinating. Was that the bastard Chen Peng¡¯s voice?


    ¡°Husband, who is it outside? Why is he calling you his father?¡± Mrs. Wang walked over and asked..

 Chapter 612 - 612 Dream On

    Chapter 612: Dream On


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s Chen Peng.¡± When the patriarch said this, he saw Gu Ziyi. ¡°Ziyi, take the two children back to the house. Leave the rest to us.¡±


    Because he knew clearly that he couldn¡¯t let Chen Peng keep shouting outside. Otherwise, if the Zhang family found out, it would be bad for Ziyi¡¯s reputation.


    After hearing this, Mrs. Wang red at the patriarch and looked at Gu Ziyi. ¡°Ziyi, tell me what you think of this.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a familiar stranger. We can just kick him out.¡± Gu Ziyi gritted her teeth and replied.


    She had not forgotten the pain she had suffered back then. If Gu Chengrui had not helped her, she would have been a pile of dirt by now.


    Therefore, there was no love between them anymore. There was also no hatred, only indifference.


    After saying that, she took her two children to the west wing.


    After the patriarch let Chen Peng in, she brought her two children back to her house.


    On the way, Huanhuan hesitated to speak, ¡°Mother, is my father here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, do you want to see him? If you want to see him, we can head back.¡± Gu Ziyi asked nervously.


    To be honest, she didn¡¯t want them to meet.


    Chen Peng only cared about his career and never once cared about the two children. She was afraid that they would get hurt by meeting him.


    However, she was afraid that her children would me her in the future if she refused to let them meet their father, so the final decision was up to them.


    Huanhuan hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. ¡°No, I still remember that he sent someone to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we shouldn¡¯t meet him. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Gu Ziyi smiled and patted her head as she walked home.


    As for Lele, although she was young, she remembered clearly that Mrs. Zhao almost killed her. She also remembered that her father only cared about coaxing her younger brother and always ignored her.


    Therefore, she immediately followed Gu Ziyi when she heard they were returning home.


    Gu Ziyi was relieved when she saw this.


    On the other end, after the patriarch let Chen Peng into the house, he did not even pour him a cup of water. Instead, he asked directly, ¡°Speak, what is it? If you¡¯re done, leave quickly. We don¡¯t wee you.¡±


    As for the others, they all stared at him like tigers eyeing their prey, as if they would beat him up if he didn¡¯t get along.


    Especially Mrs. Wang, who really wanted to tear him apart.


    She remembered clearly what her daughter looked like when she returned that year. Later on, this bastard even sent a thug to almost ruin Gu Ziyi¡¯s reputation.


    Chen Peng looked at his family¡¯s hostile attitude; it would be a lie to say he was not afraid.


    However, for the sake of his future, he could only bite the bullet and say, ¡°I came over to reconcile with Ziyi.


    ¡°However, since she had already remarried, I would take the two children back with me. Ziyi could also live better in her husband¡¯s house that way.¡±


    ¡°Dream on.¡± Gu Chengen coldly snorted.


    ¡°They are not three-year-old children. You sent people to kill them time and time again; do you think they will go back with you?¡± The patriarch asked sarcastically.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t send anyone over personally, but do you dare to say that you don¡¯t know about it?¡± After speaking, the patriarch stood up and added coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t quibble when all you have to do to prove your innocence is to follow me to the Mother Goddess Temple and swear you don¡¯t know. Do you dare to do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Chen Peng¡¯s heart froze when he heard that.


    Mother God appearing at the capital¡¯s execution ground and striking down lightning spread throughout the Ming Dynasty. How could he dare to go to the Mother God Temple to swear his innocence?


    He looked at the furious Gu Family and knew that it was impossible for him to have anything to do with them if he did not do something..

 Chapter 613 - 613 No Way

    Chapter 613: No Way


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Chen Peng immediately knelt and kowtowed. ¡°It was my mistake before, and I didn¡¯t stop Mrs. Zhao from doing what she did. Please forgive me. From now on, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and treat the two children well!¡±


    The patriarch immediately kicked him in the chest and spat, ¡°You didn¡¯t stop her, but you must have been involved, no? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you instigated the refugees to cause trouble in Dongyang.


    ¡°Lord Sun still has the confessions of those people from back then. Should I go and look through them?¡±


    After Chen Peng fell to the ground, a trace of ruthlessness shed across his eyes. He did not expect them to know so much. So, he¡­


    This time, the patriarch did not give him a chance to speak. ¡°Let me guess why did you lower yourself to visit us this time?


    ¡°Because the Zhao Family can¡¯t help you anymore, right?


    ¡°Because someone is investigating you, right?


    ¡°You want the three of them back now because you want Chengrui to help you get through this cmity on their ount, right?


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen many shameless people in my life, but it¡¯s rare to see someone as shameless and self-righteous as you.


    ¡°Are you still worthy of being a man?


    ¡°Back then, the Gu Family sponsored you to take the imperial examination andter helped you in your career. Didn¡¯t they do their best?


    ¡°Once something happened to the Gu Family, your attitude changed faster than flipping a page in a book.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve be sinners. You¡¯re afraid of being implicated, and we understand that. So, we won¡¯t make things difficult for you.


    ¡°Even when you divorced Ziyi, we didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°However, the only thing you should have never done was allow Mrs. Zhao and your shameless mother to humiliate and endanger them.


    ¡°Do you even think with your brain?


    ¡°Now that you need them and want them to help you, do you only want to reconcile? I¡¯m telling you, no way.¡±


    ¡°You should leave. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for taking action.¡± Gu Chengen opened the door at this moment.


    ¡°Get lost.¡± Mrs. Wang got up and wanted to drag him out.


    When the patriarch saw this, he immediately stopped her because he knew that Chen Peng was a person who cared greatly about his reputation. Moreover, he was cold-blooded, heartless, and ruthless.


    If they really dragged him out and made him lose his dignity, Chen Peng would bite them before he died. It wasn¡¯t worth it.


    He ordered Chen Peng, ¡°Leave. We¡¯re not stupid. We won¡¯t let you use us again and again.


    ¡°Don¡¯te back again. The Gu Family will no longer acknowledge you as a rtive.¡±


    Seeing that there was no room for redemption, Chen Peng did not stand on ceremony. He stood up and patted the dust off his clothes before walking out.


    At the same time, he was thinking about how to repay their humiliation today.


    ¡°Look at his heartless behavior! Now that there¡¯s no hope, he just leaves without saying a word!


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I was that blind back then to actually let Ziyi marry him! Ziyi is now scarred for the rest of her life!¡± Mrs. Wang roared and started crying.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s already in the past. Ziyi has already walked out of her trauma, and there¡¯s no need to think about those unhappy things anymore.


    ¡°Go overter and ask Ziyi to stay at home for a while. We¡¯ll talk more after he leaves.¡± The patriarch suggested.


    ¡°Yes, yes, that bastard is cunning. We have to be on guard.¡± After Mrs. Wang wiped her tears, she ran out.


    However, she did not go directly to Gu Ziyi¡¯s house. Instead, she went to the foot of the mountain to buy some incense and candles. She then entered the Mother God Temple and lit three incense sticks to pray for Gu Ziyi and her two children¡¯s safety.


    Before she left, she even donated a tael of silver.


    ¡°Sigh, the Gu Family really doesn¡¯t have a good eye for choosing a son-inw.


    ¡°Every one of them is more ruthless than the other. Third Aunt even lost her life.¡± Gu Chengen sighed..

 Chapter 614 - 614 Paying Close Attention

    Chapter 614: Paying Close Attention


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What are you talking about? Aren¡¯t the others quite decent? Look at how capable Zishang¡¯s husband, Hu Chun, is.¡± The patriarch red at him unhappily.


    ¡°Indeed, the external environment is also very important in influencing their attitude.


    ¡°If nothing had happened to the Gu Family, their lives would have been glorious.


    ¡°We were just unfortunate that those sons-inw were less than decent.¡± Gu Chengsi added.


    ¡°What do you mean by just less than decent? To put it bluntly, they just despise the poor and love the rich. Go on with your day. I have to go to the fields and water the white potatoes.¡± The patriarch dismissed everyone and went to the fields.


    However, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to work when he reached the fields. He sat near the fields and looked at the crops from afar.


    ¡°Uncle, why are you sitting here? Are you okay?¡± Gu Chengxi saw him sitting in the distance and immediately ran over to ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just old and tired. I can¡¯tpare to your youngsters¡¯ energy. Why didn¡¯t you go to town today?¡± The patriarch asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Manager Sun mention that the restaurant would be opened after the wheat harvest? So we took the opportunity to nt more chilies and cumin; I came back to see if it was time to water them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only male left at home. Remember to let us know if you can¡¯t handle the workload.¡±


    ¡°I know, uncle. But I¡¯ve hired people to take care of it, and I¡¯m just here to take a look.¡±


    ¡°By the way, do you still have cumin seeds at home? I think they¡¯re easy to take care of.¡±


    ¡°I think so, but I¡¯m unsure how much we have. I¡¯ll ask my mom when I get back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll ask her myselfter.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. If there¡¯s no problem, I have to go down to the fields now.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    After he left, the patriarch also got up and went to work.


    At night, Gu Chengrui did note back. Zhou Ying finished her meal quickly and brought a piece of subpar bread to the front yard to feed the fish.


    At the same time, she spread out her divine sense to observe the situation of the neers in the residence.


    Miao Dazhi¡¯s family was well-behaved. They ate, worked, and slept without any distractions.


    The Niu family expressed their views on their new master. Although they felt that the family¡¯s foundation was slightly thin, they were still satisfied that they could return to their original position.


    Chunxiang and Dongxiang had worked in the kitchen before, so they quickly adapted to their current tasks. Although they didn¡¯t talk much, they got along very well with everyone.


    Qiuxiang, the most talkative and lively, was very curious about Gu Chengrui. She constantly asked Kuihua about him.


    However, Kuihua didn¡¯t usually talk much and was also tight-lipped. She only revealed shallow information and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    It was Xiaxiang, who did not talk much, who caught Zhou Ying¡¯s attention. This was because Xiaxiang would listen incredibly intently whenever Gu Chengrui was mentioned.


    Zhou Ying remembered how Xiaxiang had introduced herself before. Xiaxiang mentioned that she was a second-ss servant girl who served the main wife of her previous family. She was also responsible for delivering news to the main wife.


    Was it in Xiaxiang¡¯s nature to pay attention to this information, or did she have other motives? Zhou Ying knew she had to pay more attention to her.


    After talking about Gu Chengrui, Qiuxiang changed the topic and asked, ¡°Sister Kuihua, is Shizhu the Mistress¡¯ personal maid? I often see the Mistress bring her along everywhere.¡±


    ¡°No, Mistress doesn¡¯t have a personal maid. It would be more appropriate to say that Sister Shizhu is her guard.


    ¡°She only followed the Mistress during the day and would head back to her room to sleep at night.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to keep watch at night?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Ever since I came, Mistress hasn¡¯t ordered anyone to stay guard overnight.¡± Kuihua then warned them, ¡°Oh right, don¡¯t go into their bedroom without Mistress¡¯ permission.


    ¡°Mistress doesn¡¯t like strangers entering their bedroom..¡±

 Chapter 615 - 615 A List Of The Dead

    Chapter 615: A List Of The Dead


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Mistress is so special.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it has something to do with their experience, as Mistress herself has always taken care of their bedroom. Kuihua then asked, ¡°Oh, what are you two good at?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m skilled in needlework and was previously in charge of my young miss¡¯ clothes.¡± Qiuxiang replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not particrly skilled in anything, but I do have a good memory. I was previously in charge of running errands and passing messages,¡± Xiaxiang exined.


    ¡°Alright. Qiuxiang will be in charge of Master and Mistress¡¯s clothes. Remember, just the outer clothes are enough, as Mistress will prepare their underwear.


    ¡°As for Xiaxiang, you can start with the odd jobs and preparing meals for Master and Mistress. When we have a more suitable ce for you in the future, I¡¯ll rmend you to Mistress.¡±


    After that, Zhou Ying listened to them chat for a while before leaving.


    After feeding the fish, she walked around the courtyard and checked the hygiene of various ces. After confirming it was all up to standard, she returned to her courtyard.


    She got someone to boil some water and take a bath. Then, shey down on her bed and read.


    Before sleeping, she spread out her divine senses to scan the surroundings. After confirming that only the Shizhu was sleeping in the west wing room, she locked the doors and windows and entered her interspace.


    First, she took a look at the demands of people everywhere.


    Soon, she filtered out three pieces of crucial information. One was from the south, and it was a prayer from the wife of a county magistrate.


    Apparently, the First Prince had forcefully recruited able-bodied men to rush his work. Many people had died, and she prayed that Mother God could bless the sufferingmoners and stop this envement.


    The other was to pray that her husband would not be implicated.


    After Zhou Ying understood what was going on, she followed the faith of the county magistrate¡¯s wife and came to an exquisite courtyard in the county town.


    At this moment, thedy was coaxing a three-year-old boy to sleep, but her eyes were full of worry.


    Zhou Ying found the study room, but she didn¡¯t find anyone.


    Ultimately, she had no choice but to head to the county government office. Zhou Ying soon saw a man in his twenties staring at a list and sighing.


    She leaned over and nced at it, shocked to see that it was a list of today¡¯s deaths, with more than 50 people on it.


    More than 50 people died daily at this construction site. How terrifying was that? If this continued, how much more would have to die before the river embankment was repaired?


    Furthermore, this was after the various disasters. Thebor force had already decreased drastically, and no wonder the county magistrate was anxious.


    At this moment, a man in his twenties walked in and spoke up, ¡°Master, have you approved thepensation? Tomorrow morning, we must send the bodies back along with the money.¡±


    ¡°Ziyan, these are ten taels of silver for a life.


    ¡°These are all strongborers, the pirs of their families. How do you want me to approve such a small amount ofpensation?


    ¡°Moreover, the number of victims has been increasing daily over the past half month. I really can¡¯t sign this.¡±


    After hearing this, Ziyan opened his mouth, not knowing how to persuade him.


    But after a moment, he still urged, ¡°But the dead can¡¯t be brought back to life. Ten taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family to survive for two to three years.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t sign this, they won¡¯t even get the ten taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Ha, King Hui just wants my life.¡± The county magistrate mocked his situation.


    He firmly believed that if this continued, his people would probably assassinate him soon.


    ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll just side with him. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°No, the river embankment is rted to the livelihood and lives of our entire county, or even more than ten counties downstream. We can¡¯t just muddle along like the previous magistrates.¡±


    ¡°So, let¡¯s¡­ but there¡¯s no news of the memorials and letters we sent out. It¡¯s obvious that they had been stopped.


    ¡°We¡­ We¡¯re all alone now..¡±

 Chapter 616 - 616 Lightning Talisman

    Chapter 616: Lightning Talisman


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Tomorrow, bring more people to the construction site.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t. That will make King Hui¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we can¡¯t sit still and wait for death. Otherwise, we won¡¯t even be able to avenge ourselves.¡± After the county magistrate decided, he locked the name list in his drawer.


    ¡°Master, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Ten taels of silver is too little. Since he treats human lives as expendable, he at least need to cough up more silver.¡± The county magistrate walked out after that.


    Ziyan hesitated for a moment before he left.


    After he had walked far away, he quickly got into a carriage and left the city.


    After arriving at the construction site, he looked for the King Hui. ¡°This lowly one greets Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°So, did he agree?¡±


    ¡°No, he wants to bring a group of people over tomorrow to cause trouble. He wants to at least double thepensation for the dead.¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate my favors, so be it. When the timees, he won¡¯t be returning.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°What, do you have no confidence in yourself, or do you not want to be a county magistrate?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ You thinking of giving up halfway? You will be buried with him if that¡¯s your intention.¡±


    When Zhou Ying heard this, she immediately recalled how Lord Sun was reced and how he took down the entire Pingyang Residence. She was instantly pissed.


    She knew this was to be expected. If he was capable of executing officials at will, why would he care about the lives of ordinary people?


    After hearing this, whether it was for the sake of his life or the position of county magistrate, Ziyan immediately shut up and retreated.


    After he had walked far away, Zhou Ying drew the most powerful Lightning Talisman that she could and stuck it on King Hui¡¯s body.


    King Hui instantly convulsed and fell to the ground. He was charred ck, and his mouth emitted hot steamically.


    After confirming that he was still alive, Zhou Ying immediately followed Ziyan out.


    Ziyan, who had yet to enter the carriage, heard the lightning bolt strike. He turned around and looked at King Hui¡¯s tent, which was still smoking. His legs went limp, and he fell to the ground.


    When the guards around heard themotion, they immediately rushed in. When they saw King Hui¡¯s appearance, they all trembled from fear.


    After confirming that King Hui was still alive, they immediately brought him into the city to find a doctor.


    As for Ziyan, after King Hui had left for emergency treatment, he immediately returned to the city and found the county magistrate to tell him about this.


    When the county magistrate heard this, he immediately asked happily, ¡°Is he dead?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They were in a hurry to find a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Mother God¡¯s words are true. Heaven¡¯s has long arms. It seems that even Mother God can¡¯t stand it anymore.


    ¡°Tomorrow morning, we can take over the job at the construction site.¡± When the county magistrate said this, he seemed to have thought of something. He sized up Ziyan and asked, ¡°Ziyan, you and King Hui¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, this lowly one¡¯s family is in King Hui¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you went to visit your family?¡±


    IIJ II


    ¡°You¡­ you dumbass. Do you know where they are locked up?¡±


    ¡°I know. They¡¯re in his temporary courtyard. But I¡¯m afraid that if I make a move, King Hui will kill them, so¡­¡±


    ¡°How about this? You send someone to rescue your family members tonight and take them into hiding overnight. I¡¯ll write a letter to Master.¡±


    ¡°But writing a letter to Master will take a lot of time back and forth. I think it¡¯s better to make use of the fact that King Hui was struck by lightning.¡±


    ¡°You mean to sway the people¡¯s hearts?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thew doesn¡¯t punish the masses.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but leave this to me.


    ¡°Take advantage of the fact that they are still busy saving King Hui to bring someone to save your family quickly.


    ¡°Remember, after you rescue them, go into hiding and don¡¯t do anything else..¡±

 Chapter 617 - 617 Delivery Help

    Chapter 617: Delivery Help


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I hope we can meet again.¡± Ziyan turned around and quickly left the residence.


    ¡°Master, can he be trusted? Will he leak the news?¡± At this moment, a guard walked out from a corner and asked.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that lightning bolt, perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have believed it. I now need you to fan the mes and spread rumors of this to the masses.


    ¡°However, remember not to reveal anything important and just sow discord.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Now that chaos is brewing, I will act immediately.¡± The guard received his order and turned to walk out.


    The county magistrate quickly wrote a letter and a memorial.


    The letter was written to King Rui, and the memorial was naturally for the Emperor.


    Just as he was about to deliver them, Zhou Ying took them away and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your motives.¡±


    After she said that, she directly sent the letter to King Rui through her interspace and threw the memorial before the Emperor.


    The Emperor was shocked when he was disturbed by the memorial appearing before him. He remembered Mother God¡¯s routine and immediately picked it up without making a sound.


    After reading it, he closed it with a bang and gritted his teeth. ¡°Hui, you are really my good son. I am here trying my best to encourage the people to have more children, and here you are wasting thebor force.¡±


    King Rui and Zhou Huaiming, who were ying chess at this moment, were stunned when they saw the letter falling from the sky. The two of them looked at each other.


    When they saw that the ceiling was intact, the two of them looked at each other again, and Zhou Huaiming finally opened the letter.


    After smelling the fresh ink fragrance, he paused momentarily and continued reading.


    After reading it, he handed it to King Rui. ¡°King Hui is such a beast. He¡¯s treating human lives like nothing.¡±


    After King Rui finished reading it, his expression was not good either. However, he put the letter aside and said, ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about it. Since he has submitted a memorial, the Emperor should have also received it by now.¡±


    ¡°Mother God?¡±


    ¡°Who else would have the ability to do so?¡±


    ¡°True. By the way, since your wife is pregnant, aren¡¯t you supposed to go back? Otherwise, it¡¯ll be troublesome if someone is plotting against your unborn child.¡±


    ¡°With Uncle Feng around, she¡¯ll be fine for the time being.¡±


    On the other side, the county magistrate froze before realizing what had happened. He knelt on the ground with a thud. After he returned to his senses, he was even more determined to resist King Hui¡¯s tyranny.


    After Zhou Ying had settled everything, she arrived in Beiliao, a country in the north of the Ming Dynasty.


    Because of therge production of potatoesst year, they were getting restless again. However, this time, there was internal strife in the royal family as the old king was dead.


    The princes were locked in an intense battle for the throne.


    Zhou Ying nced at the princes and found that only the eldest had a faint purple aura surrounding his body. However, he was fated to die early, while the other princes had no purple aura.


    Therefore, the next king would not be born among them. Zhou Ying could not be bothered with them once she concluded that.


    Thest thing that caught Zhou Ying¡¯s attention was that Chen Peng was looking for Gu Ziyi.


    Zhou Ying nced at the Gu Family. After ensuring they were fine, she finally found Chen Peng and his servant in the town¡¯s inn.


    Seeing that Chen Peng was already covered in an aura of bad luck, she knew that he was in big trouble.


    Since she knew he was the Zhao Family¡¯s son-inw, she knew he would not be able to act arrogantly after a few more days. Therefore, she just gave each Gu Family member a safety talisman and withdrew.


    She busied herself in her interspace after that.


    She picked some ripe strawberries off a te after finishing the rest of her work.


    After eating the strawberries, she took a shower and left her interspace.


    Lying on the bed, a wave of drowsiness immediately struck, and she fell asleep quickly.


    After breakfast tomorrow morning, Zhou Ying took Shizhu to inquire about the grape seedlings. She wanted to nt a row of grapes to make wine..

 Chapter 618 - 618 Spies

    Chapter 618: Spies


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Ultimately, she discovered that while the Ming Dynasty had wild grapes on their mountains, no one had ever nted them.


    This allowed her to discover a business opportunity.


    On the way back, she suddenly realized that her faith had soared. While absorbing it, she checked the specific situation through her interspace.


    Zhou Ying soon found the reason, and to put it bluntly, it was mainly the lightning that struck King Hui.


    Because of this, the county magistrate took over the construction site of the river embankment and doubled thepensation for theborers who had died before.


    As soon as the news spread, not to mention the people under the Hui Prince, even those ruffians and tyrants retracted their ws and trembled in fear.


    Therefore, people trusted Mother God even more and prayed ever so faithfully.


    At night, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about her punishing King Hui and how Chen Peng went to look for Gu Ziyi.


    Gu Chengrui was surprised when he heard that. ¡°Chen Peng¡¯s is sure dense. Did he make trouble for the patriarch¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°Not for the time being, or maybe he¡¯s incapable of that.


    ¡°However, I have already given them protective talismans, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡±


    ¡°Okay, please take a look at them every day.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled. ¡°By the way, when I went to the office today, I heard that King Hui was summoned back by the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°I think it has something to do with that memorial.¡±


    ¡°He is too ruthless. This person must not be the emperor. Otherwise, those who oppose him will all be executed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, he is even more ruthless than the current emperor.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Emperor is aware of this too. When King Hui returned, he might go to the extreme.¡±


    ¡°You mean he might try killing his father?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Emperor has been suppressing the First Prince¡¯s faction recently.


    ¡°The Empress and King Prince are getting suffocated, and I¡¯m sure this is very irritating to them. Otherwise, the Empress wouldn¡¯t have created trouble for us at the banquetst time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. With the Empress¡¯ shrewdness, she wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for me in public. Oh, right. Did King Kang cause you any trouble these past two days?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been avoiding him, so I didn¡¯t run into him. However, he sent someone to the manor to learn greenhouse nting techniques from me.


    ¡°In my opinion, he¡¯s just someone there to spy on me and sweet-talk me. As long as we were alone, he constantly praised King Kang and how much Princess Pingyang supported him back then.


    ¡°He would also proim how filial he was to Princess Pingyang and so on.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting a little annoying.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful these days. Don¡¯t fall into his trap or let him catch something he can use against us.¡± Zhou Ying suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Lord Zhao? He didn¡¯t cause trouble for you, right?¡±


    ¡°He is now a tiger without ws. He looks mighty, but the Emperor is closely monitoring him.


    ¡°Most importantly, I heard that his wife and children are getting on his nerves. They are starting to bully the concubines he left in Pingyang Province.


    ¡°Their days must be getting difficult, so Chen Peng shamelessly went to our hometown to rely on the Gu Family again.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°When you return to the manor, bring Niu Fugui. If he passes your test, you can let him be our butler.


    ¡°Uncle Zhou can manage the family, but he¡¯s getting too old to be presentable to the public.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to find out more about him. If he¡¯s usable, you can also rx a little.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    The couple washed up, and Zhou Ying spread her divine sense to scan the residence. After confirming nothing was unusual, she brought Gu Chengrui into her interspace..

 Chapter 619 - 619 Looking For A Companion

    Chapter 619: Looking For A Companion


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    While checking out the many different ces, Zhou Ying nced at the Gu


    Family and left after ensuring they were safe.


    She didn¡¯t expect that King Rui and Zhou Huaiming had gone to a Mother God Temple to offer incense.


    What King Rui prayed for was for his residence to be safe.


    Zhou Huaiming instead prayed that all the border crossings would be peaceful this year.


    Additionally, Zhou Ying discovered that a few serious disaster-struck ces, such as Pingyang Province, had already begun to run out of food.


    Fortunately, traveling through the river was finally possible. Grain merchants transported grain from all over the country to these ces without caring about the quality of it.


    The situation was still stable after factoring in wild vegetables and stocks of dried vegetables.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying sprinkled seeds around the barrennds through her interspace¡ªperi, dandelion, amaranth, and hemp vegetables.


    She also released a batch of wild ducks, eggs, fish, and shrimp into their river before leaving.


    After she was done, she picked another batch of strawberries and stored them. ¡°Woof, woof¡­¡± A dog barked, and Zhou Ying turned her head to see Gu Chengrui crossing the river with Er Zhuang.


    Zhou Ying smiled and waved her hand.


    When Er Zhuang heard her call, he barked even louder and ran even faster. Zhou Ying threw a strawberry the size of a child¡¯s fist directly in front of it.


    The strawberry was promptly eaten by Er Zhuang, who sprang up and ran to her side while wagging his tail.


    Zhou Ying saw this and gave him a te of strawberries.


    When he lowered his head to eat the strawberries, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, why is he here? Isn¡¯t he livingfortably over there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s spring, so I think he¡¯s going into heat.


    ¡°He¡¯s barking at the cows and sheep daily, scaring them so much that they aren¡¯t eating enough. That¡¯s why I brought him with me.


    ¡°Bring him to the manor tomorrow and find apanion for him. It¡¯s better for him to live outside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯ll be safer if there¡¯s a dog around too.¡± Zhou Ying agreed and picked out arge te of strawberries. ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat these strawberries. They¡¯re sweet and tart.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and returned to the vi with her.


    After eating the strawberries, Gu Chengrui read his medical books while Zhou Ying washed the dirty clothes and bedding in the interspace.


    The next day, after the morning court session, Gu Chengrui had just left the pce gates when he bumped into Knig Kang again.


    However, this time, King Kang wasn¡¯t here to persuade him. Instead, he asked, ¡°Cousin, I¡¯m wondering if you have some more tomatoes in your manor? Suzhi hasn¡¯t had an appetite recently, so I want to buy some for her to start her appetite.¡±


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t any left. And as far as I know, thetest batch will be ready for harvest only in a month¡¯s time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason for theck of appetite. Eating some hawthorn is rmended if it is just ordinary stomach difort. That will have the best effect of boosting her appetite and helping her digest better.


    ¡°If she¡¯s pregnant, she¡¯s probably just craving preserved fruits like preserved plums.¡±


    ¡°Pregnant?¡± King Kang was stunned after hearing that and quickly remembered when Zhou Jiaying was pregnant. She had a big appetite but liked eating some strange things.


    Thinking of this, he was secretly happy but also knew that theter this matter spread, the better.


    He nodded and said, ¡°I think I¡¯m just worrying too much. Alright, I will find a doctor to take a look.¡±


    ¡°You sure have a caring rtionship with your wife. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and walked away after that.


    On the other end, after the Empress finished her breakfast, she checked the pce ounts. She pointed to Consort Shu¡¯s expenses and asked, ¡°Mrs.. Yu, what did Consort Shu do? Why did her expenses suddenly increase so much?¡±

 Chapter 620 - 620 The Reason

    Chapter 620: The Reason


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Empress, ording to this servant¡¯s knowledge, Consort Shu prepared a batch of tonics for Consort Kang, so she took three months of her allowance in advance.¡±


    ¡°Advance allowance? When did the Prime Minister be so poor? Has anything major happened in the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence recently?¡± the Empress asked.


    ¡°Other than hearing that Seventh Young Master Su was struck by lightning, I haven¡¯t heard anything else.¡±


    ¡°But Seventh Su wasn¡¯t seriously injured. How could it affect the Su family¡¯s wealth?¡± The Empress paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Investigate this, but be careful in case it¡¯s a trap.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± At this point, Nanny Yu whispered, ¡°I have received reliable news that Consort Rui is really pregnant, and it¡¯s almost been three months.¡±


    When the Empress heard this, jealousy shed in her eyes. Her son was the eldest and the first to get married.


    But five to six years had passed, and neither the princess consort nor the little vixens under her were pregnant.


    On the contrary, the third and fourth princes had children one after another.


    No, she couldn¡¯t let them have children earlier than her son.


    Especially the Third Prince. If he were to get a son first, the Emperor would most likely be biased toward him. At that time, the Third Prince would take revenge for what happened back then, and she would be in a bad position.


    Thinking of this, a fierce look shed across her eyes. ¡°Think of a way to get rid of it. Remember to be careful and not leave any evidence.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will arrange it now.¡±


    ¡°Also, make arrangements for the Fourth Prince. Don¡¯t let them get pregnant again.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nanny Yu bowed and left.


    After she left, the more the Empress thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong. Even if her daughter-inw could not give birth, what about the other women in her son¡¯s residence? Why was there no news of pregnancy from any of them?


    Thinking of this, she immediately got up and summoned Imperial Physician Chen, who specialized in gynecology, to apany her to King Hui¡¯s residence.


    She called the women of King Hui over and said to Imperial Physician Chen, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to check their pulses one by one and see what the reason is. Why haven¡¯t they gotten pregnant yet?¡±


    When the women heard this, they immediately became nervous. After that, they started to discuss softly, but the Empress¡¯s gaze quickly quieted them.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Imperial Physician Chen took out a pad from his medicine box.


    He looked at Consort Hui and asked, ¡°Consort Hui, the order¡­?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with me.¡± Consort Hui Wangfei walked over and said.


    After saying that, she walked over and sat on the chair.


    She was so calm because she had found a doctor to check up on her before she got married. There was no problem with her body at all.


    In addition, there hadn¡¯t been a single child in the residence these past few years, so she had always thought that the problem was His Highness. This was also why she couldn¡¯t be bothered to fight for his attention.


    Today was the perfect opportunity to pass the news of His Highness¡¯s failure to the Empress so she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with her constant disdain.


    The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop; only the sound of everyone¡¯s breathing could be heard. At the same time, the atmosphere was getting heavy.


    The concubines felt their legs go soft.


    A momentter, Imperial Physician Chen stopped checking and did not reply. Instead, he called a concubine over.


    After passing them one by one, Imperial Physician Chen¡¯s legs went soft, and he kneeled and said, ¡°Empress, all the womenfolk in the residence of Prince Hui have been sterilized, so¡­¡±


    After saying that, he directly kowtowed to the ground and dared not even raise his head.


    ¡°What? What did you just say? Say it again?¡± The Empress asked in disbelief..

 Chapter 621 - 621 Deny

    Chapter 621: Deny


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The group of women were dumbfounded when they heard that. What did he mean by sterilized? Was it what they thought it meant?


    When Consort Hui heard this, she felt her head buzz and could not hear anything else.


    ¡°All, all the womenfolk in the residence of King Hui have been sterilized.¡± After Imperial Physician Chen stuttered, he didn¡¯t dare say another word.


    This matter was so severe. It was so severe that his head might fall. It was getting scary.


    After the Empress confirmed she had not misheard, she felt her vision darken and almost fainted. Fortunately, Nanny Yu quickly supported her.


    After a while, she returned to her senses and hurriedly said to Nanny Yu, ¡°Inform all the guards to surround the entire ce as soon as possible. Not even a fly is allowed to fly out.


    ¡°Also, inform the butler to bring over the roster of all the people in the residence.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please rest.¡± After Nanny Yu finished speaking, she called a servant girl who was still in a daze beside Consort Hui over and told her to inform the butler of their orders.


    Meanwhile, she found the captain of the guards and gave him her orders.


    For the entire day, the whole residence was in chaos.


    However, under the Empress¡¯ ruthless methods, she finally found the mastermind through the residence doctor¡ªKing Kang.


    However, how could King Kang admit to such an incriminating thing?


    The Empress couldn¡¯t beat him to force him to confess, so she dragged him back to the pce and told the Emperor about it.


    Although the Emperor was already annoyed with King Hui, he was still his son. Cutting off his descendants was infuriating to hear.


    It was no wonder King Hui had no descendants, even after so many years.


    At this thought, he felt a chill run down his spine.


    He didn¡¯t dare to think more.


    He looked at King Kang and asked, ¡°Tell me. Did you do this?¡±


    From the Empress¡¯s expression of anger and despair, he already knew this was most likely true.


    However, he still had a glimmer of hope. He did not want his sons to act so inhumanly as to kill each other for the throne.


    ¡°Imperial Father, I¡¯ve been wronged. You know very well that the Empress has always been hostile toward my mother and me.¡± King Kang replied aggrievedly.


    No matter what, he would not admit it. Otherwise, his father would definitely give up on him.


    ¡°Do you speak the truth, my son?¡± The Emperor stood up and asked again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± King Kang raised his head and said it firmly.


    ¡°How dare you not admit it? You¡¯re not a man!¡± The Empress yelled angrily.


    ¡°Imperial Mother, if you want to convict me no matter what, you have to produce some evidence to convince us. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too far-fetched to condemn me with just a few words from a doctor?


    ¡°Most importantly, this crime is so great that I cannot bear taking the me.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. If you don¡¯t have the evidence, don¡¯t nder my son. Everyone knows what kind of life we¡¯re living. What if someone else framed us?¡± Consort Shu walked in and said.


    Afterwards, she bowed to the Emperor. ¡°Greetings, Emperor. Long live the Emperor.¡±


    The Emperor nodded, then waved his hand impatiently to ask her to stand to the side.


    The Emperor was troubled. He looked at the Empress and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you three days to find evidence. Consort Shu and her son will be ced under house arrest at Weiyang Pce.


    ¡°If you find the evidence, then it¡¯s settled. If you can¡¯t find it, then stop this infighting. Understand?¡±


    The Empress also knew that she was being impatient, so she could only nod and say, ¡°Alright.¡±


    At the same time, Consort Shu hurriedly shouted, ¡°Emperor, no! What if she fabricated evidence to frame my son?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a fatuous ruler?¡± The Emperor mmed the dragon table and said unhappily.


    After that, he called Xiao Heng over and asked him to follow the Empress for her investigation personally..

 Chapter 622 - 622 The Sterilization Incident

    Chapter 622: The Sterilization Incident


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Although the Empress was unwilling, she still left in a hurry with Xiao Heng to find evidence.


    However, when she passed by Consort Shu, her eyes shed with viciousness.


    When Consort Shu saw this, she knew their real war had begun.


    ¡°Li, send both mother and son back to Weiyang Pce.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay any more attention to them.


    After they left, the Emperor remembered that since the birth of the Ninth Princess, no child had been born in the pce for more than ten years.


    He had not taken it to heart before, but now he was concerned.


    When Eunuch Li returned, the Emperor sent him out again. He had him bring Imperial Physician Chen to the pce to conduct a general survey of the mistresses of the various pces.


    Once the investigation was done, they all broke out in a cold sweat.


    All the favored concubines in the pce had been poisoned with sterilization drugs, which forced the Emperor to investigate this matter personally. Otherwise, he might even get drugged to death one day.


    In Weiyang Pce, when King Kang found out that the Emperor had sent people to conduct a general survey in the pce, he looked at Consort Shu in panic and asked, ¡°Mother, will he find out about us?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; before we went to his study, I had already made arrangements. It won¡¯t trace back to us.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. You just have to insist that you don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    The pce was in chaos, but Zhou Ying was in a good mood.


    She had brought Er Zhuang to her manor to find apanion for him.


    After returning to the capital in the evening, Zhou Ying subconsciously spread her divine senses to the entire capital.


    When she saw all the women in King Hui¡¯s residence despairing andmenting as if their husbands had died, she quickly learned the whole story and what had happened in the pce.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying returned to her interspace and told Gu Chengrui how King Hui¡¯s and the Emperor¡¯s concubines were sterilized.


    ¡°Consort Shu and her son are really ruthless.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re ruthless, and they¡¯ve been preparing for many years. They definitely have a backup n. I just wonder who will be unlucky enough to take the me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they could push it to King Rui, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but it might be Seventh Su.¡±


    To their disbelief, the Empress¡¯s report and the Emperor¡¯s evidence pointed toward Princess Pingyang.


    The motive was revenge.


    She wanted to avenge the Empress for causing her to fall into a pond in the middle of winter and lose fertility.


    She was also taking revenge on the Emperor for disregarding her wishes and forcing her to marry into the Gu Family.


    ¡°Brother Rui, do you think it¡¯s credible? Isn¡¯t this just ndering the dead?¡± Zhou Ying huffed angrily after receiving the news.


    ¡°Since all the evidence points to her, it means that Pingyang was involved somehow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Pingyang has been married to the Gu Family for over 20 years but has never given birth to a child. There has never been any news of her getting pregnant.


    ¡°Therefore, it¡¯s not impossible for her to be involved in this.


    ¡°However, she¡¯s definitely not the mastermind, and it¡¯s likely that she had be a chess piece in Consort Shu¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°Princess Pingyang is sure unlucky. She was a pawn from beginning to end.¡±


    ¡°As long as they don¡¯t drag us into this, it¡¯s fine.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    Zhou Ying was speechless when she heard that. However, if they were really so shameless, she would not mind changing the dynasty sooner.


    The next day, during the morning court session, Gu Chengrui huddled in a corner as usual, listening to the reports.


    After finishing the important matter, Prime Minister Su stepped forward and reported, ¡°Emperor, the sterilization incident is already known. We implore that you punish the culprit..¡±

 Chapter 623 - 623 Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

    Chapter 623: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Culprit? Do you mean to ask me to open the coffin and desecrate the corpse?¡± The Emperor narrowed his eyes and stared at him.


    He was not stupid. Although all the evidence pointed to Pingyang, he knew the real culprit was Consort Shu. However, he could not find any evidence and could only silently end this matter and investigate it privately.


    He did not expect that this old man would try to shift the me onto Gu Chengrui.


    While the Emperor had used Gu Chengrui as a target to find a bnce in the middle so that his three sons could restrain each other, he didn¡¯t want Gu Chengrui to take the me for others.


    As expected, Prime Minister Su continued, ¡°As the saying goes, the son will pay for the mother¡¯s debt. Although Princess Pingyang is dead, she has a son.¡±


    Gu Chengrui only narrowed his eyes after hearing that and had no intention of speaking out.


    The Emperor looked at Gu Chengrui and asked in a bad mood, ¡°Gu Chengrui, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Everything is up to you, Emperor.¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°What if I dismiss you from your post?¡±


    ¡°So be it. I¡¯ll return home and nt sweet potatoes.


    ¡°Moreover, this official position was originally added to spread the sweet potato to the people as soon as possible.


    ¡°Now that the mission has beenpleted, I will leave.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he bowed and waited for his answer.


    When the Emperor heard him say this, he immediately remembered the reluctance on Gu Chengrui¡¯s face when he had given him an official position. He originally thought that Gu Chengrui was trying to act arrogant, but his reluctance seemed true after all.


    Prime Minister Su was also dumbfounded. He was trying to use Gu Chengrui to lure out the power King Rui had left in the capital so that he could eliminate it and make a move on Consort Rui.


    Who would have thought Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t even care about his position in court, nor did he intend to ask King Rui for help? What was his next step here?


    For a moment, everyone looked at Gu Chengrui as if they were looking at a monster.


    King An coughed dryly and said, ¡°Chengrui, don¡¯t act on impulse.¡±


    The Minister of Works immediately agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right, Chengrui. You¡¯ve just made some achievements and have a bright future ahead of you. You can¡¯t give up now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not acting on impulse. I¡¯ve already taught what I should teach, and the rest will need a great deal of time to continue researching. There won¡¯t be any results for a while.


    ¡°Now that Prime Minister Su has mentioned the matter of the son paying the mother¡¯s debt, I will take the opportunity to withdraw from the court and return home to be amoner.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at Prime Minister Su with a strange gaze.


    The two had no grudges against each other, so why was Prime Minister Su forcing Gu Chengrui to resign and return to his hometown?


    Prime Minister Su received the gazes of the people and felt wronged. This was not his intention.


    ¡°A third-grade official is not a minor position. Don¡¯t you miss it?¡± King Xian looked at Gu Chengrui curiously and asked.


    ¡°Glory and wealth are just fleeting clouds.


    ¡°This humble official feels that living freely, living by oneself, is true happiness.


    ¡°Moreover, the higher the position, the greater the responsibility and the greater the pressure.


    ¡°As a schr, my abilities are limited.¡±


    The Emperor didn¡¯t care if Gu Chengrui¡¯s words were sincere or not, but his move of two steps forward and one step back was used beautifully. Now, the court was on his side.


    The Emperor stopped everyone and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop here. Pingyang¡¯s matter has nothing to do with him, and there¡¯s no need to involve him.¡±


    ¡°As for your resignation, forget it.


    ¡°But it¡¯s true; I can see that there¡¯s nothing much to report every time youe to court.


    ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll give you a normal sry, and you just have to continue your agriculture research. You don¡¯t have to attend the morning court every day.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned by the verdict. Although it was a pity he didn¡¯t get to return to the countryside, he had at least gained something. He immediately went forward to thank the Emperor.


    Prime Minister Su was unwilling to ept this abrupt end to his ns, but since the Emperor had already decided, he couldn¡¯t bring it up again..

 Chapter 624 - 624 Unsafe

    Chapter 624: Unsafe


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the court session, Gu Chengrui greeted everyone goodbye and then ran away happily.


    King An looked at him, shook his head, andughed. ¡°This kid is already of age, but he still has the temperament of a child.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for someone to not care about fame and fortune.¡± King Xian nodded.


    Honestly, he did not have any memorable impressions of Gu Chengrui. But, Gu Chengrui¡¯s words today made him admire him a little more.


    He was clear-headed, not arrogant, and quite smart.


    After Gu Chengrui returned home, he told Zhou Ying about how Prime Minister Su had made things difficult for him in court and the oue. ¡°Babe, I¡¯m finally free!¡±


    Zhou Ying was surprised when she heard this, as she knew the Emperor had ordered them to stay in the capital to use them.


    She didn¡¯t expect that he would protect them. Although his protection wasn¡¯t out of pure intention, it saved them a lot of trouble for the time being.


    Gu Chengrui added, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the manor. After we¡¯re done here, we¡¯ll go back to our hometown and reopen our restaurant there.¡±


    ¡°Sure.


    ¡°Oh, right, we also have to nt chili and cumin here, especially cumin. Otherwise, there would not be enough for when our restaurants open.¡±


    ¡°No problem; we will clear a piece ofnd and nt those.¡±


    The two of them continued discussing their ns, and it was determined that Gu Chengrui would be in charge of running back and forth while Zhou Ying dealt with the issues at the residence as quickly as possible. They would only go to the manor together when they finished.


    Conversely, Prime Minister Su¡¯s expression did not look so good. He never thought that Gu Chengrui, who was usually inconspicuous and had no sense of existence, would be so great at scheming.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s two steps forward and one step backward had ced him in a position where he could not advance or retreat.


    He had vastly underestimated Gu Chengrui.


    Right, how could a person whom King Rui took a fancy to and protected be an ordinary person?


    ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong? Did things not go well today?¡± Seventh Su walked in and asked.


    ¡°Yes, we underestimated the enemy. Gu Chengrui is much more cunning than we thought.¡± Prime Minister Su replied.


    ¡°Oh, what happened?¡± Seventh Su asked in confusion.


    Gu Chengrui had some talent and skills, but in terms of politics, he couldn¡¯tpete with his father, who had spent half his life at the imperial court.


    Prime Minister Su didn¡¯t hide anything from him and told him what had happened in the imperial court.


    Seventh Su replied thoughtfully, ¡°I feel that the Emperor didn¡¯tpletely believe the Empress¡¯s result. Or rather, he did not believe it at all. Otherwise, he would not have let Gu Chengrui off so calmly.¡±


    Prime Minister Su nodded and said solemnly, ¡°The Emperor is not a simple man, and he naturally won¡¯t believe everything. As long as he can¡¯t get hold of any material evidence, we¡¯re fine.


    ¡°So, we have to speed up. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    King Hui was in a dire state, as much of his dirtyundry had been exposed recently. The Emperor had probably given him up.


    Unless they forced him to abdicate, it was impossible for King Hui to ascend the throne.


    As for the sterilization incident, the Emperor was definitely holding a grudge inwardly. King Kang wasn¡¯t so safe either.


    On the other hand, King Rui¡¯s military achievements over the years were plentiful. Promoting sweet potatoes to the masses was also a merit worth praising for a thousand years or more.


    The key was that there was no negative news surrounding him.


    As for the Seventh Prince, to be honest, he was still too inexperienced. Without five or six years, he couldn¡¯t achieve anything.


    Therefore, their biggest enemy was King Rui. This was also the reason why he suddenly attacked Gu Chengrui in court.


    However¡­


    ¡°Father, are you saying that the Emperor is likely to be biased toward King Rui?¡± Seventh Su asked in disbelief.


    However, he shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no way. Back then, in order to suppress the Zhou Family, the Emperor framed them many times.. How can King Rui not hate him?¡±

 Chapter 625 - 625 Discovery

    Chapter 625: Discovery


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re still too inexperienced. Back then, the true culprits were the Empress, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an, and us, who also helped secretly.


    ¡°Our actions went along with the Emperor¡¯s wishes, so the Emperor followed the flow.


    ¡°Moreover, if the Emperor gave the throne to King Rui, do you think the Zhou Family or King Rui would still hold onto a grudge?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we still have to guard against the Empress. She is a poisonous snake. It will be bad if she targets us.¡±


    Seventh Su nodded and ate breakfast with his father.


    He ordered Su Qing, his follower, to find the servant in King Rui¡¯s Residence. He ordered the servant to keep an eye on anyoneing and going from the residence. At the same time, he also checked the forces King Rui left in the capital.


    As for the Empress, who everyone was worried about, she was sick and could not even get up from her bed.


    But Marquis Ding¡¯an started to move after receiving the news.


    The first target was Gu Chengrui and his wife. No matter what, Princess Pingyang had participated in the sterilization incident, so she was not wronged.


    At the same time, they also sent people to attack the Fourth Prince¡¯s wife, and they discovered that Consort Kang was pregnant.


    Thus, he changed his strategy and instigated a fight between the two concubines.


    Zhou Ying did not know about this. Over the past two days, while giving orders to Mother Qiu and her husband, she had not rxed her surveince on Xiaxiang.


    Finally, on the second day¡¯s afternoon, she discovered something unusual.


    Zhou Ying noticed that Xiaxiang had asked for leave to leave the residence, and she immediately spread out her divine senses to follow her. She saw that Xiaxiang had entered a rtively well-off small courtyard north of the city.


    After entering, she greeted an old woman sitting in a rocking chair in the courtyard, saying, ¡°Granny Liu, Ziying is here to report.¡±


    ¡°Go in. The leader is waiting inside.¡± The old woman waved her hand.


    Seeing this, Xiaxiang immediately entered the room and bowed. ¡°Leader.¡±


    ¡°Sit down. They didn¡¯t suspect you, did they?¡± A woman in her forties turned around and asked.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Any gains?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the husband and wife are very cautious. They never let anyone enter their master bedroom.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t even let us get close to the bedroom.


    ¡°However, they are kind to the servants, so the residence was still rtively peaceful.


    ¡°They have nned to stay in their manor for farming activities for the next two days, and they mentioned they would only return after the Grain Festival.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, the couple¡¯s diet is veryplicated. In addition, because of the limited ingredients now, they would eat anything avable.¡±


    ¡°How is their rtionship?¡±


    ¡°Very good; the best this servant has ever seen. Whether it is speaking or action, they are very tacit with each other. However, Lord Gu has always been concerned about the matters of the manor and rarely cares about the residence.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Ying didn¡¯t take the medicine, did she?¡±


    ¡°No, by the way, Zhou Ying practices martial arts with a servant girl named Shizhu every morning and evening. ording to my observation, she¡¯s not weak.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re a match for her?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I¡¯m good at using swords, but Zhou Ying excels in closebat.¡±


    ¡°How confident are you if I order you to seduce Gu Chengrui?¡±


    Xiaxiang paused for a moment after hearing that. She recalled the few times she had met Gu Chengrui and remembered that he hadpletely ignored her. She replied reluctantly, ¡°20% confident.¡±


    The leader raised her head and looked at her in surprise. Although Xiaxiang was not very beautiful, she was delicate and charming. Her figure was captivating, and she was overall a beauty.


    The leader did not expect her to reply with such low confidence in seducing Gu Chengrui. It seemed that the Gu couple¡¯s rtionship was unimaginably good.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t work, you still have to be Zhou Ying¡¯s confidant as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Is there a mission?¡± Xiaxiang¡¯s eyes lit up as she asked..

 Chapter 626 - 626 Intelligence Network

    Chapter 626: Intelligence Network


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Have you forgotten the rules?¡± The leader raised her head and looked at her coldly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve crossed the line.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go back. Before youplete the infiltration mission, just in case, don¡¯te over again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will take my leave.¡± Xiaxiang bowed, turned around, and left the courtyard.


    However, Zhou Ying did not leave. Instead, she waited a while and left after confirming that the leader wasn¡¯t contacting the mastermind.


    The organization that Xiaxiang belonged to was veryrge. Zhou Ying wondered who the person behind it was.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying looked at the small courtyard again when Gu Chengrui was bathing.


    This time, there was only the old granny guarding the door.


    The young woman was nowhere to be found. However, Zhou Ying did not care about her whereabouts.


    Instead, she began a carpet search of the small courtyard. She found two books, a few letters, and a box of silver in a secretpartment.


    She took the letters and the two books into her interspace.


    After Gu Chengrui returned, she asked him to keep a lookout while she entered her interspace and looked at the goods.


    The two books were rosters, which recorded the name, gender, residence, and current position of their spies.


    There were more than a hundred people in the two books.


    However, several residences belonged to the same masters, so not many people were spied on.


    Zhou Ying went straight into her study room in the vi, scanned the two books, and saved them onto herputer.


    She opened the letters, nced at them, and noticed they were filled with information about ongoing missions. She scanned it into theputer again.


    After she was done, she folded them back and put them back in their original ce through her interspace before leaving.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Gu Chengrui asked when he saw hering out.


    ¡°I guess so. I¡¯ll take a bath first. Let¡¯s talk in the interspace.¡± She then turned around and walked out of the bedroom, asking Niu Lirong to prepare hot water for her bath.


    After he was done, she asked him to leave.


    She drank a cup of white wine after taking her bath. After ensuring no one was in the courtyard, she brought Gu Chengrui into her interspace.


    Then, she told him about her discovery today.


    ¡°There are only three possibilities. King Hui, King Kang, and the Emperor.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know which side it is, so let¡¯s look at the content we got. With this information, we can know who it is.


    Gu Chengrui entered the study room of the vi with her.


    After that, they printed everything out and read it all.


    Gu Chengrui focused on the three recent missions. The first was to confirm if Consort Rui was pregnant, which a spy in Lord Sun¡¯s Residence confirmed.


    The next task was to get rid of Sun Miaoke¡¯s child.


    Thest was to kill King Kang¡¯s daughter, but it quickly became a quest to sow discord between the main and secondary consorts.


    There were also different missions in the various manors, all aimed at controlling and sowing discord between the masters.


    After Gu Chengrui finished reading it, he said, ¡°It¡¯s most likely the Empress¡¯s people or the Marquis of Ding¡¯an.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect their intelligencework to be this massive. No wonder they dared to be so arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Their ns are all so sinister. There¡¯s no difference between them and Consort Shu and the others.


    ¡°Also, this means Consort Shu and the others also had an equallyrge intelligencework. Otherwise, how could they contend with the Empress?¡±


    ¡°Both of them are pot calling the kettle ck.. How could the wife of an Emperor be simple?¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked, ¡°Do you think we should remind Sun Miaoke?¡±

 Chapter 627 - 627 Prince Hui’s Return

    Chapter 627: Prince Hui¡¯s Return


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°We¡¯ll just remind Uncle Feng; after all, she does not have as much control over the people in the residence as he does.¡± Zhou Ying asked troubledly, ¡°But how do we remind him? We can¡¯t just go and tell him, right? How do we exin the source of our news?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and tell him, and just say that it¡¯s a reminder. Uncle Feng isn¡¯t stupid. He¡¯s investigating everything that moves now.¡± Gu Chengrui answered.


    ¡°Alright, then you can go over tomorrow morning.¡±


    After that, Zhou Ying checked the situation in various ces through her interspace.


    Once she was done, she looked at King Rui¡¯s Residence and found Sun Miaoke¡¯s personal maid, Qing Mei. She was a spy on the rooster.


    Qing Mei was on night duty. Zhou Ying withdrew after searching her body and confirming that there were no dangerous things.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui finished his breakfast and turned to King Rui¡¯s Residence. He reminded Uncle Feng of some things he should take precautions about and left.


    He pointed out a few areas, such as drugs, cold food, blood cirction food, tripping and falling, and also emphasized catmint.


    Uncle Feng, who was originally full of confidence, felt that he had been careless after hearing Gu Chengrui¡¯s words.


    Thus, he didn¡¯t bother with the ounts and quietly rearranged the people around the residence.


    One rainy day, Qing Mei was about to apply oil to Sun Miake¡¯s shoes when Qing Tao caught her.


    Uncle Feng wanted to arrest Qing Mei, but she bit a poison sac in her mouth andmitted suicide.


    Uncle Feng did not let out a sigh of relief and got even more vignt; he also sent a letter to King Rui.


    Three dayster, after Zhou Ying taught Niu Deli how to keep tabs on their ounts, the people in the residence were finally relieved.


    Just as she was about to bring Shizhu and Xiaxiang to her manor, King Hui returned to the capital.


    Zhou Ying nced at King Hui. He was bald at the moment, and his head had some burn scars. Looking at his solemn expression, she knew that he already knew what had happened in the capital during this period of time.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t pay much attention to him and rushed straight to her manor.


    When they arrived at the manor, Zhou Ying got out of the carriage and walked into the fields with Shizhu and Xiaxiang.


    Xiaxiang saw this and asked in surprise, ¡°Mistress, are you really going to head into the fields?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. nting melons and beans after the rainy season will reduce production if we miss this sr term.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see that my husband is also nting watermelon seedlings in the field? Let¡¯s just help out as much as we can.¡± Zhou Ying quickened her pace as she said that.


    When Shizhu saw this, she immediately followed.


    Xiaxiang was put in a difficult position. Although she was a servant and had done heavy work before, it was her first time working under the sun.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why Zhou Ying, the wife of a third-grade official, had to go down to the fields to suffer.


    However, no matter how unwilling she was, she followed for her mission¡¯s sake.


    Gu Chengrui saw hering over and stood up. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing a straw hat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll head back when it¡¯s hot. What are you nting now?¡±


    ¡°Watermelon and pumpkins.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it together.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she looked at Shizhu and Xiaziang and said, ¡°If the two of you don¡¯t know how to nt them, help me bring over the watermelon seedlings.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mistress,¡± Shizhu responded, and she went to get them.


    Xiaxiang saw that some women were helping water the watermelons and felt it was quite easy. She suggested, ¡°Mistress, I¡¯ll help you water the seedlings.¡±


    ¡°Alright, do whatever you want.¡± Zhou Ying responded and lowered her head to nt the watermelon seedlings.


    After Xiaxiang walked away, Zhou Ying whispered to Gu Chengrui, ¡°When we came out today, we bumped into King Hui, who had returned to the capital.


    ¡°I stole a nce and saw he was bald and still had some burns on his head. I wonder if he would be able to grow back his hair..¡±

 Chapter 628 - 628 Xiao Zheng

    Chapter 628: Xiao Zheng


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°He deserved it.


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable that they fight each other since they were born in the royal family. It¡¯s also understandable that they eradicated the Gu family back then.


    ¡°After all, Pingyang stood on the wrong side.


    ¡°But he shouldn¡¯t have forced people to take sides. Also, it¡¯s wrong to kill them and find someone to rece them if they disagree.


    ¡°This time, it got even more outrageous. He used the lives of civilians as a bargaining chip, and I don¡¯t think it could be justified.¡±


    ¡°Kings fight, and the peasants suffer.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    Next, the two nted the watermelon seedlings together and stopped when it was almost noon.


    The two of them called Xiaxiang and Shizhu back.


    ¡°Hello, Lord Gu, Madam Gu.¡± At this moment, a young man in his twenties ran over and greeted them with a smile.


    Gu Chengrui saw this and introduced him. ¡°This is Xiao Zheng, who was sent by King Kang to learn greenhouse technology. He even helped us with a lot of farm work.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? It must be really hard on you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Madam. In any case, it¡¯s learning to do more.¡± When Xiao Zheng said this, he looked at Zhou Ying with admiration and added, ¡°It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect Madam Gu to be able to do farm work. I¡¯m amazed.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we stay in the countryside for more than three years? Otherwise, how could we cultivate those sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m really stupid for not thinking of this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal. No one can cover everything.


    ¡°By the way, what did you do before you came here?¡±


    ¡°I used to grow vegetables in my manor. When I heard that King Kang was looking for someone to learn about building a new greenhouse, my father rmended me.¡±


    ¡°Your father must be King Kang¡¯s trusted aide.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. He¡¯s just the head of the Hot Spring Manor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also pretty good. Oh right, how many people are there in your family?¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    Zhou Ying kept asking questions as they walked, not giving him a chance to ask anything.


    At the same time, she obtained a lot of information about him. Of course, he did not dare say anything more than he could.


    When they reached the manor, Xiao Zheng turned around and returned to the house where he was staying.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying and the others returned to their courtyard.


    Mrs. Wu was picking vegetables and stood up and bowed to them before turning to Shizu. ¡°Shizhu, there¡¯s hot water on the stove. Use as you like.¡±


    ¡°Got it. After I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll help you cook.¡± Shizhu then turned around and went to the kitchen.


    Xiaxiang followed her in as well.


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui sat in the courtyard under the tree¡¯s shade.


    The weather wasn¡¯t particrly hot yet, so they cooled down quickly when they reached the shade.


    Soon, Shizhu and Xiaxiang finished washing their hands, bringing out a warm water basin. After the couple washed up, they entered their house.


    After entering the bedroom, Gu Chengrui sat on the chair and said, ¡°Babe, take out a few strawberries. My throat is as dry as the desert.¡±


    ¡°Watch the door.¡± Zhou Ying reminded him and shed into her interspace. She picked some big strawberries, washed them, and put them on the table.


    Gu Chengrui took one and put it in her mouth. ¡°The sun is even hotter in the afternoon, so don¡¯t go into the fields. Why don¡¯t you cook a few dishester and let Chen He and the otherse over for a gathering?¡±


    ¡°Hm? They haven¡¯t returned yet?¡±


    ¡°No, Chen He has taken a liking to farming after staying so long.


    ¡°Some time ago, I suggested that deep plowing and retting manure could increase harvesting production, and he followed suit.¡±


    ¡°It looks like he¡¯s a reliable person. You should guide him well, as it¡¯ll make a great contribution if he can also excel in agricultural research..¡±

 Chapter 629 - 629 Fishing

    Chapter 629: Fishing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I had the same idea, so I didn¡¯t say anything when he wanted me to stay. Oh, what do you think about matchmaking Xiao Zheng and Xiaxiang?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°At the very least, one of them must have the intention. Otherwise, if we force them, it would be troublesome for them to join forces to deal with us.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. I¡¯m really annoyed with Xiao Zheng. He¡¯s always looking for something to talk to me about, and he¡¯s like a sticky candy that I can¡¯t get rid of no matter how hard I try.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to get him to talk and reveal more information?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have that much value, and I¡¯m toozy to spend that effort.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he paused and added, ¡°Oh right, the Liu and Yao families¡¯ greenhouse vegetables should be ready in half a month.


    ¡°They want to sell their vegetables through our connections. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s just a matter of connecting them. Anyway, the restaurant has opened up, and we won¡¯t be selling vegetables anymore.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help them pull the strings.¡±


    In the afternoon, after dinner, Zhou Ying asked for a fishing with a pole from Head Fang. Then, she took Shizhu to the river to catch some fish.


    When they reached the riverside, Shizhu walked back and forth and said, ¡°Mistress, there are not as many fish here as there are in the manor over there.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of people here, and there aren¡¯t many people around there. Naturally, there¡¯s more fish there.¡± As Zhou Ying said this, she threw the fishing to her and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Shizhu took the fishing and excitedly started to get to work by the river.


    As for Zhou Ying, she walked around the vicinity. Because there were paddy fields nearby, she soon found a lot of eels and loaches.


    She took a bucket and searched for the eels with her divine senses, and she soon caught half a bucket in a short while.


    By the time she returned, Shizhu had already caught three small fish the size of her palm.


    When she saw Zhou Yinging over, she smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Mistress, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to eat fish for dinner tonight. The fish here are too small.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Let me try.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took over the fishing. However, she did not throw it out immediately and instead took a flour cake from her pocket and fixed it to the with a rope.


    When Shizhu saw this, she said sadly, ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re cheating.¡±


    ¡°This ismon sense. This isn¡¯t a pond, so how can you catch fish without bait?¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    After that, she ignored her and scanned the water with her divine sense. In a short while, there were fish that smelled the bait and swam over. Zhou Ying immediately caught two big fish and a few small fish in her fishing.


    As soon as the fish entered, Zhou Ying quickly shook the. When the fish fainted, she promptly pulled them out of the water.


    She did not expect one of the big fish to run away still, leaving only the silver carp, which she wasn¡¯t a fan of.


    However, Shizhu still eximed, ¡°Wow, Mistress, you¡¯re really amazing!¡±


    ¡°Here, give it a try yourself.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Shizhu responded, immediately throwing the caught fish in a bucket. She picked up the again and threw it into the river.


    At this time, Zhou Ying saw a ck fish weighing four to five pounds swim past and used her divine senses to chase it into the.


    After Shizhu felt the weight in the, she immediately pulled it up.


    The fish was about to escape, so Zhou Ying had to use her divine sense to attack it. The ck fish rolled twice, and by the time it reacted, it had alreadye ashore.


    ¡°What a big fish! No wonder the was so heavy.¡± Shizhu eximed and immediately put the fish into the bucket.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s enough for dinner tonight. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Zhou Ying concluded and picked up the bucket, returning to where they came from.


    Shizhu immediately carried the and followed happily..

 Chapter 630 - 630 Guidance

    Chapter 630: Guidance


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When they returned, Mrs. Wu and Xiaxiang had already prepared a few dishes.


    Zhou Ying made another six dishes. Braised silver carp, ck fish with pickled vegetables, braised eel with green garlic sprouts, spiced eggnt bun, shredded sweet potato, and cold sweet potato leaves.


    As for the staple food, it was steamed rice.


    Once the dishes were out of the pot, Xiaxiang sniffed and said, ¡°Mistress, these dishes really smell delicious. As expected of a restaurant owner.¡±


    ¡°Yeap, but you entered our residence toote. The dishes that Mistress cooks during the New Year are the truly delicious ones.


    ¡°The pig¡¯s offal and intestines were so fragrant that people wanted to eat more after a bite.¡±


    ¡°But pig intestines are so dirty; can they be eaten?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s no worse than meat after it¡¯s cleaned. I love them, especially the spicy ones. Just thinking about it makes me drool.¡±


    ¡°You gluttonous cat. If you want to eat, then learn to cook. I guarantee that you can eat whenever you want. Are the guys back yet?¡± Zhou Ying asked after teasing Shizhu.


    ¡°They¡¯re back and already drinking tea in the room.¡±


    ¡°Let me know that it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Zhou Ying loaded the te as she said that.


    Other than the braised carp, which she couldn¡¯t split, she left a small portion of the rest for Shizhu and the other two women.


    After the dishes were served, Chen He walked over and asked, ¡°Madam, did we disturb you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Since you¡¯re following Chengrui, shouldn¡¯t we take care of you?¡± Zhou Ying asked as she handed the bowls and chopsticks to them.


    ¡°Yes, yes, hurry up and sit down. You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight since you came over. Eat as much as you can today.¡± Gu Chengrui hurriedly invited them to sit down.


    At the same time, he poured a ss of wine for each of them.


    ¡°We thank you two for your hospitality.¡± Head Fang smiled.


    ¡°Hurry up and start eating. Don¡¯t me us if you fall behind, and don¡¯t eat your fill.¡± Zhou Ying urged them and picked up an eggnt bun for Gu Chengrui, which was difficult for him to reach.


    She also picked up one for herself and started eating.


    Seeing this, Chen He and the others naturally didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and reached their chopsticks to the fish.


    After the meal, Chen He and the others stayed behind to discuss farming ideas with Gu Chengrui. Gu Chengrui did not hide anything and told them the general direction of agricultural development.


    ¡°You mean we can breed new species through crossbreeding?¡± Chen He¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Yes, the mostmon type is melons.


    ¡°One year, I nted a gourd and a loofah together and was surprised to see them strung together. The loofah produced was massively different from others and tasted extraordinarily bitter.


    ¡°Although it was a failed example, it also means crossbreeding might work as long as it¡¯s simr nts.


    ¡°For example, wolves and dogs could also be crossbred. The puppies from such a lineage would usually be full of wolf characteristics, but if they were trained from a young age, it would be much easier to tame them than wild wolves.


    ¡°There are also donkeys and horses. Although the mules born this way are infertile, they still have their specialties, right?


    ¡°This is just a general direction. We can give it a try, and maybe we can cultivate something good.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try.¡± Chen He nodded thoughtfully.


    He quickly asked, ¡°Oh right, Lord Gu, can I have a few melon seedlings? I want to try crossbreeding them with the loofah seeds.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you don¡¯t necessarily have to nt all of them together. Melon flowers are divided into male and female flowers, so based on this, we can selectively choose a pair to crossbreed.


    ¡°Also, I think it¡¯s best to find wild ones to crossbreed. This can improve the quality of melons..¡±

 Chapter 631 - 631 Testing

    Chapter 631: Testing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Wild ones¡­ Are there wild winter melons around?¡±


    ¡°There should be. Otherwise, where would our winter melon seedse from? Weren¡¯t they found in the wild and farmed?


    ¡°But it might not be easy to find.


    ¡°There¡¯s also wheat. I¡¯ve seen wild wheat before, and we can try crossbreeding them. However, this is a long-term and arduous task, and we must persevere.¡±


    Chen He heard that and immediately found his direction. At the same time, he also understood that this was indeed a difficult task, as it wasn¡¯t easy to find wild crops to crossbreed with.


    He felt it was worth it because if they could increase harvest production, how many people¡¯s food problems could be solved?


    He nodded and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°I hope you can persevere until a fruitful result.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After chatting for a while longer, Chen He and the others took their leave.


    Once the couple washed up, they returned to their bedroom. After entering, they locked the door and entered the interspace.


    On the other hand, Shizhu and Xiaxiang could only sleep in one room due to the limited number of rooms.


    After lying down, Xiaxiang asked, ¡°Sister Shizhu, has the Mistress always headed into the fields or cooked personally?¡±


    ¡°It depends. For example, she will go to the fields today to help nt the seedlings, as it is the sr term.


    ¡°Also, today was a treat. Mrs. Wu¡¯s cooking is fine for our daily meals, but it¡¯s not presentable for an asion. This is why Mistress had no choice but to cook herself.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re blessed to be able to enter the Gu residence. Although Mistress is strict, but as long as you don¡¯t make any mistakes, she¡¯s very good to us servants.¡± Shizhu asked, ¡°Oh right, aren¡¯t you from the south? I don¡¯t hear any obvious ent in your words.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly because we live in a residence. For convenience, our masters and mistresses usually require us to speak in the proper dialect. Therefore, everyone must learn the official dialect before we can be sold as servants.


    ¡°After entering the residence, some servants still could not change their ents and could only do rough work for the rest of their lives.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Sister Shizhu walk the same path?¡± Xiaxiang asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been performing on the streets in the north since I was young, so my ent has been like this since I was young.¡±


    ¡°Performing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, juggling and some martial arts. It¡¯s with these martial arts that I obtained Mistress¡¯ appreciation.¡±


    ¡°I see. What does Mistress like to eat the most?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± Shizhu immediately became vignt.


    There was nothing to hide if it was a hobby that did not matter, and she could openly tell her.


    However, some preferences, especially those for imported undies, must not be exposed. Otherwise, it would be easy to bring trouble to Mistress.


    Xiaxiang was shocked by her vignce. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just want to learn to cook her favorite dish so I can cook for Mistress in the future.¡±


    Xiaxiang had seen Shizhu being careless over the past few days and did not expect her to be so vignt regarding Zhou Ying. She was too careless.


    Shizhu couldn¡¯t figure out her intentions for a moment, so she could only respond, ¡°That¡¯s true. I should also take the time to learn more about cooking.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what she prefers other than that she doesn¡¯t like to eat coarse food.


    ¡°For example, Mistress doesn¡¯t like to eat noodles made from course and mixed flour.¡±


    The two women tested each other, but neither of them told the truth.


    Finally, they fell asleep as they spoke.


    After Zhou Ying entered her interspace, she checked the situation on the southern riverbank.


    Zi Yan was now in charge of the embankment, and although they were still working day and night, he did not mistreat theborers. After confirming that the construction was also made with strong and sturdy materials, only then did Zhou Ying withdrew with ease..

 Chapter 632 - 632 Ready To Act

    Chapter 632: Ready To Act


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After that, Zhou Ying went to King Rui¡¯s Residence to check on Gu Wanning.


    After confirming that Gu Wanning was safe, she also took a look at Gu Chenglin.


    She did not expect to encounter him being ridiculed as an orphan.


    Gu Chenglin retorted, ¡°When youugh at me, you should think about yourself first. At least I have my sister, cousin, and cousin-inw who love us, but do you have anyone who loves you?


    ¡°Especially you, Su Anyi. I heard you and your mother were bullied and beaten by the main wife. How dare youugh at me?


    ¡°And you, Sun Zhengyang, you¡¯re just like me back then. Your father doesn¡¯t love you, and your stepmother is spoiling you rotten. What¡¯s there to be proud of?


    ¡°I still have a sister who dotes on me, but you don¡¯t even have a biological brother or sister.¡±


    ¡°Gu Chenglin, you¡­ you¡¯re looking for a beating!¡± Sun Zhengyang raised his hand and was about to punch him.


    Su Anyi was aggravated, and now that he had been exposed in public, he also rushed up to beat him up.


    When the others saw this, some hid and ran out to seek the discipline teacher, but no one came forward to stop the fight.


    Seeing that the three of them were about to fight, Zhou Ying immediately struck down the weakest lightning bolt she could.


    The thunder jolted the three kids, especially Gu Chenglin. After all, he had seen people struck down by lightning with his own eyes.


    Sun Zhengyang and Su Anyi looked at each other and calmed down.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying retreated with satisfaction. It seemed that the prestige of the Mother God had been deeply rooted in the capital.


    She went to the pce and knew the Empress had seen King Hui¡¯s appearance after being struck by lightning. It was obvious since her illness had worsened.


    She even arranged for two imperial physicians to wait outside at any time.


    Finally, she looked at King Hui¡¯s Residence. At this moment, it was frighteningly quiet, and King Hui was getting briefed in detail about everything that had happened in the capital by a few strategists.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to leave, she suddenly heard King Hui say, ¡°My fourth brother is living too happily. It seems that I was too kind to him in the past.¡±


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s not a good time to make a move on King Kang. Otherwise, the Emperor mightpletely abandon us.¡±


    ¡°Abandon us? I¡¯m already imprisoned; do you think he will willingly pass the throne to me?¡± King Hui snorted coldly.


    Since Lord Zhao was detained in the capital, he knew that the matter of his recing government officials was exposed.


    Sure enough, it had only been a few months, and Pingyang Province had already been taken down.


    It was only a matter of time before the Emperor took back other ces, so he had to act quickly.


    Once the strategists heard this, they looked at each other and lowered their heads. It was obvious that they agreed with what he said.


    ¡°Alright, you all can head back for now. Tomorrow, after I meet my uncle, we¡¯ll decide on a n.¡± King Hui waved his hand and chased them out.


    Zhou Ying waited for a while more. When she saw that King Hui had started writing a letter to the Marquis of Ding¡¯an, she went forward to look. She was surprised to see him asking for a poisoned bug.


    She immediately understood something and quickly retreated.


    Gu Chengrui returned after finishing his work and saw her sitting outside the storeroom in a daze. He went forward to rub her hair. ¡°What are you thinking about? If I don¡¯t know better, I would think that you¡¯re in a meditative state.¡±


    Zhou Ying did not hide it from him and told him about King Hui¡¯s decision to rebel.


    ¡°He had no other choice. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the Emperor found out about the sterilization incident and pitied the mother and son, It wouldn¡¯t be as simple as imprisonment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all his own doing. One can¡¯t be without a bottom line.


    ¡°I just did not expect that he would really kill his father for the throne¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to stop it?¡±


    Zhou Ying shook her head and said, ¡°From my memory, I know Mother God will provide disaster relief to save the people. However, she has never participated in the change of dynasties.¡±


    ¡°We helped the Emperor before because we hoped he would punish the evil as soon as possible. We can¡¯t get too involved..¡±

 Chapter 633 - 633 Ambush

    Chapter 633: Ambush


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s not worry about it. Just protect the people we should protect and let them fight among themselves.¡± Gu Chengrui pulled her up after he finished speaking.


    The couple packed what they needed and returned to their vi for a vegetable sd and a te of steamed prawns.


    After enjoying their meal, the two of them left the interspace.


    Following that, the two nted melon seedlings and cumin across 100 acres of their manor.


    Besides checking on Gu Wanning and Gu Chenglin, Zhou Ying paid little attention to anything else after that.


    About ten dayster, Zhou Ying used the name of Mother God to take out a batch of lucerne, bamboo grass, peanuts, soybeans, and all kinds of vegetable seeds suitable for growing in alkali-type soil.


    She also took out some apple and grape saplings.


    The apple seedlings were McIntosh and Honeycrisp seedlings.


    The grape seedlings were Cabe Sauvignon, suitable for winemaking, and Giant Mountain and Midnight Beauty, which were more suitable for eating.


    They were transported to the new manor. First, they nted a row of grapes along the side of the mountain, and apple seedlings separated each type of grape.


    The rest were handed over to Head Fang, as there wasn¡¯t any hurry. They were in a hurry to return to the capital because they nned to return to their hometown to make arrangements while they still had time.


    Unexpectedly, when they passed by a forest, they were suddenly stopped by ten masked men in ck.


    Seeing this, Lin Yitian stopped the carriage and questioned them, ¡°Who are you? How dare you touch an official¡¯s carriage?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re someone who wants your life.¡± After the leader finished speaking, he shed over with his sword.


    Lin Yitian drew his sword and met the attacker.


    Zhou Ying, who had heard themotion, knew the visitor had ill intentions. She took a crossbow from her space and handed it to Gu Chengrui, who was about to leave with a sword. ¡°There is a poison arrow strung to this crossbow.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and took it out of the carriage.


    He happened to see someone sneaking up on Lin Yitian, so he shot at him. The attacker turned his head, instantly fell to the ground, and died.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he immediately raised his sword and joined the battle.


    He did not have to dodge when facing these people because he had learned sword techniques from Manager Liu¡¯s subordinates before. Instead, he fought head-on with them.


    If someone ambushed him, he would not retreat but instead shoot an arrow over, killing the ambusher instantly.


    The leader, who had fought to a draw with him, was deeply shocked. Didn¡¯t they say he only knew a little martial arts? How could he know the sword techniques from the battlefield imbued with killing intent?


    On the other end, once Gu Chengrui left, Zhou Ying took out a crossbow and a bottle of pepper spray. She spread out her divine senses and walked out.


    However, before she could get out of the car, she ¡®saw¡¯ someone flying over her head with a rope and kicking the carriage simultaneously.


    Zhou Ying saw this and returned to the carriage. When she looked up, she saw a man in ck walking over from the top of the carriage.


    When he came near, Zhou Ying shot an arrow and jumped out of the carriage.


    That person was quick. Seeing that things were not looking good, he immediately let go and rolled to the ground.


    At this moment, someone quietly came to Zhou Ying¡¯s side and wanted to sneak in an attack. She turned her head and smiled as she pressed down on the pepper spray.


    The man was caught off guard, and his eyes were hit. He screamed and hugged his head as he retreated.


    When Shizhu rushed over and saw this, she raised the stick in her hand and smashed it against his head.


    Although the man dodged it agilely, he tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. Zhou Ying saw this and shot another arrow. After a moment, he stopped breathing.


    The person who had rolled on the ground earlier had rushed over, but Shizhu immediately picked up a sword on the ground and rolled over to meet him.


    At the same time, she shouted, ¡°Mistress, be careful!¡±

 Chapter 634 - 634 Robbing The Dead

    Chapter 634: Robbing The Dead


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying had already noticed the attack, and Xiaxiang had rushed over, wanting to block the attack for her.


    She knew Xiaxiang¡¯s goal, so how could she let her get what she wanted? Otherwise, she would be at a loss if Xiaxiang used this life-saving grace to threaten her.


    Therefore, Zhou Ying deliberately turned to block Xiaxiang¡¯s way and quickly pressed down on the pepper spray.


    It was not difficult for the man in ck to guess from hispanion¡¯s reaction that this thing hurt his eyes. He immediately closed his eyes and dodged to the side.


    Zhou Ying took advantage of the moment he closed his eyes and shot an arrow; another man-in-ck was dead.


    Zhou Ying saw this and said to Xiaxiang, ¡°Take his sword to protect yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Xiaxiang immediately picked up the knife and formed a three-person formation with Zhou Ying and Shizhu.


    When the attackers saw this, they did not dare to approach one by one. Instead, two of them surrounded them from the left and right.


    However, before they could do anything, someone shouted, ¡°Retreat!¡±


    After the men in ck heard this, they immediately turned around and retreated. But how could Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui be willing to ept this? The two shot out their crossbows simultaneously, instantly killing two more people.


    When the leader saw this, he turned his head and looked at the couple deeply before running away quickly.


    Xiaxiang still wanted to chase after him, but Zhou Ying stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t chase a cornered enemy. Let¡¯s search these dead men to see if they have anything to prove their identity.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go of any money on them, and retrieve the arrows too.¡±


    Xiaxiang was stunned. Was robbing the dead really a good idea?


    Shizhu didn¡¯t think much about it and immediately followed Zhou Ying¡¯s orders.


    Zhou Ying nced at the battlefield and found that six men in ck had died, and Lin Yitian¡¯s injuries seemed a little serious. Gu Chengrui was in the midst of helping him stop the bleeding.


    Zhou Ying immediately ran over. At the same time, she took out a bag of medicine that Gu Chengrui had made and handed it to him. She asked, ¡°How¡¯s Lin Yitian¡¯s injury? Can he make it to the capital?¡±


    ¡°With these herbs, there won¡¯t be any problems. We have to leave quickly.¡± Gu Chengrui got busy after taking the medicine.


    ¡°Good to hear.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and went to their two carriages.


    However, only the carriage that Shizhu and the others were in was intact.


    At this time, Shizhu and Xiaxiang had also finished searching the dead bodies. The two of them looked at each other, and Xiaxiang handed a bag of money to Shizhu.


    Finally, Shizhu said, ¡°Mistress, we didn¡¯t find anything to prove their identity.


    ¡°But we did discover that each of them had a leaf-shaped tattoo on their backs.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the leaves of a ginkgo tree,¡± Xiaxiang added.


    ¡°Also, we collected a total of 100 taels of silver.¡± After Shizhu finished her report, she handed the money to Zhou Ying.


    ¡°I only want the arrows; you two can split the money.¡± Zhou Ying replied as she took the six arrows. ¡°Shizhu, I want you to drive the carriage and send us back to the capital.¡±


    ¡°But Mistress¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. Lin Yitian¡¯s injuries are urgent.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Although Shizhu was a little worried, she still followed orders.


    They all rushed to the capital after that.


    As for the corpses on the ground, they did not have the energy to deal with them. It was up to their master¡¯s conscience whether they were left in the wild or not.


    Fortunately, the group returned to the capital smoothly.


    After returning to their residence, Gu Chengrui directly helped Lin Yitian in. He went back to the main courtyard to get his first aid kit and personally bandaged Lin Yitian¡¯s wound.


    Because the wound on his abdomen was too deep, Lin Yitian even had to get stitched up..

 Chapter 635 - 635 Seeking Answers

    Chapter 635: Seeking Answers


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After treating Lin Yitian¡¯s wound, Gu Chengrui said to Qi Feng, ¡°The few of you have to discuss personal arrangements. No matter when, leave one person here to guard Uncle Lin.


    ¡°If he has a fever, remember toe to the main courtyard to find me as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Master. Don¡¯t worry, and leave it to us.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a fever is?¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s when the head gets hot and gets dizzy.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hand him over to you all.¡± Gu Chengrui then carried his first aid kit back to the main courtyard.


    Zhou Ying, who had just finished washing up, saw himing in and asked, ¡°Rui, is Lin Yitian alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve saved his life, but he¡¯ll have to recuperate for a few days.


    ¡°If he has a fever, we¡¯ll have to do an alcohol rub to cool him down. I¡¯ll go to King Rui¡¯s Residence but return soon.¡±


    Zhou Ying knew he was going to ask about the ginkgo leaf mark. She nodded and replied, ¡°Go, don¡¯t worry about us. I know what to do.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and handed the first aid kit to her. He turned around and walked out without even entering the living room.


    After she left, Niu Lirong came in with a cup of tea and asked, ¡°Mistress, do you want a cup of chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea?¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. She ced the first aid kit on the table and asked, ¡°Has your father told you about what has happened in the capital recently?¡±


    ¡°He mentioned two things.


    ¡°One was that Miss Zhou Jiaqing of the Zhou Residence had married a medicinal herb merchant from another city.


    ¡°However, my father heard that she did not agree at first. After two days of arguing, she finally married him.


    ¡°There was also another matter regarding King Kang¡¯s Residence.


    ¡°It was said that Consort Kang was pregnant, but she quickly miscarried. It was said that the secondary consort had spiked the consort¡¯s chicken soup with some red flowers.


    ¡°However, the secondary consort kept saying that she had been used and was now grounded in the courtyard by Majesty Kang.


    ¡°As for the exact situation, I¡¯m not too clear either.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anything else.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you may leave. Help me pass a message to your father. Tell him to be more alert and ask around about the situation outside.


    ¡°Remember, he must be inconspicuous. Don¡¯t let anyone find out we are asking around.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of what happened today?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely. In short, the capital has not been peaceful recently. We should be careful.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Niu Lirong affirmed, bowed, and left.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui arrived at King Rui¡¯s Residence and went straight to find Butler Feng.


    Uncle Feng was surprised when he saw hime in. He asked the servants to leave before personally pouring Gu Chengrui a cup of tea. He whispered, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Lord Gu¡¯s previous reminder. Otherwise, the consort would have been in danger.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Feng, you¡¯re too polite. It¡¯s good that she¡¯s fine.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he no longer beat around the bush. Instead, he spoke directly, ¡°Uncle Feng, I won¡¯t beat around the bush with you. I came here today to ask you something.¡±


    Butler Feng saw Gu Chengrui¡¯s serious expression, so he sat down and asked worriedly, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what kind of force a person with a ginkgo leaf on his left waist belongs to?¡±


    ¡°Are they after you?¡± Butler Feng narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, I was ambushed on the way back to the capital today.


    ¡°If we hadn¡¯t prepared in advance, I¡¯m afraid we wouldn¡¯t have been able to return.


    ¡°Unfortunately, Lin Yitian was still seriously injured.¡±


    ¡°How is he now?¡± Butler Feng asked hurriedly.


    ¡°He¡¯s alright and still alive but seriously injured. He¡¯ll need at least three months to recover..¡±

 Chapter 636 - 636 Invitation Into A Trap (1)

    Chapter 636: Invitation Into A Trap (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s good. The group of people you¡¯re talking about is a specialized assassin organization called Gingko.


    ¡°ording to our investigation, they belonged to the Su Family. They aren¡¯t just assassins; they are also responsible for collecting information from all walks of life.


    ¡°They can be considered pawns of the Su Family.¡±


    ¡°Su Family, King Kang?¡± Gu Chengrui asked in surprise.


    He had always thought it was the First Prince or the Marquis of Ding¡¯an. He had never thought that it would be King Kang¡¯s men.


    Previously, he had always wanted to rope him in and even sent spies to his side. Could it be that King Kang had always wanted to confuse him and find an opportunity to kill him?


    Butler Feng looked at his expression and roughly guessed something. He said, ¡°Otherwise, it could be the schrs are scheming.


    ¡°If loyalty could be measured, the Su Family¡¯s loyalty to Consort Shu and her son is only seventy percent.


    ¡°Su Chengxiang, that old fox, is much more sinister than King Kang.


    ¡°He¡¯s attacking you now to suppress you and target the Imperial Residence.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at him with a face full of admiration. Prime Minister Su wanted to use him to stir up King Rui¡¯s power in the capital, but he only knew this because Zhou Ying heard it personally.


    He did not expect Uncle Feng to be able to analyze this so profoundly. No wonder King Rui dared to let him manage his entire residence.


    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s be careful, then. I have to go back now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send another team of guards to protect you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. We won¡¯t leave the capital for the time being. You¡¯d better guard yourself. We can¡¯t fall into the trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain.¡±


    ¡°If he wants to lure the tiger away from the mountain, why can¡¯t we lure him into a trap?¡±


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that. ¡°I see. We¡¯ll listen to your orders then.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s cooperate on this.¡± Butler Feng said with a smile.


    After Gu Chengrui returned, Butler Feng immediately sent a team of 50 guards to the Gu Residence openly.


    Heter informed the spy, Leng Zi, to send the news over and promised to let him and his family leave immediately.


    He also sent a team of spies to the streets to monitor the Su Residence¡¯s every move.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui waited for the guards toe over and split them up to patrol the residence.


    He led the leader into the room and asked, ¡°Brother, does Butler Feng have any instructions?¡±


    ¡°Lord Gu is too polite. You can just call me Captain Chu.¡±


    ¡°Captain Chu, oh, what is your rtionship with Guard Chu?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my cousin. I¡¯m not as skilled as my cousin, so I couldn¡¯t join the imperial guards.¡± After introducing himself, Guard Chu added, ¡°By the way, Uncle Feng¡¯s orders are that we will stay here during the day and only half of us at night. The other half will quietly return to the residence. When the timees, we will have to trouble Lord Gu for your cooperation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be that simple.


    ¡°How about this? You guys stay here and wait for there to be movement.


    ¡°Nine of you will stay at night but leave all the guards¡¯ clothes behind.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Prime Minister Su isn¡¯t stupid. He¡¯ll definitely investigate in advance of any operation.


    ¡°So I will make some dummies to fool them.¡±


    ¡°I understand. However, we must do it as soon as possible, as they won¡¯t wait too long.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± After that, Gu Chengrui quickly arranged for them to rest in the guest courtyard.


    After arranging for them to settle down, Gu Chengrui returned to the main courtyard. Seeing that Zhou Ying was sitting at the table reading a book, he walked over and leaned over to hug her neck. ¡°Babe, do me a favor.¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Help me make some scarecrows as soon as possible, and at least ten of them. Their arms and legs have to be able to move.¡± Gu Chengrui briefly exined his n..

 Chapter 637 - 637 Invitation Into A Trap (2)

    Chapter 637: Invitation Into A Trap (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t watch the Battle of Red Cliff for nothing.¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and kissed him, then asked, ¡°How much do you need?¡±


    ¡°Prepare a total of 50. If they break, we can rece them in time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, leave this to me.¡± At this point, Zhou Ying turned around and asked, ¡°Should we send a message to the Marquis of Ding¡¯an through Xiaxiang and get them to join in and deal with them once and for all?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. If word gets out, all our previous efforts will be in vain.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, but this way, we have to keep a close eye on the people in the residence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it. I¡¯ll just need you to make the scarecrows as soon as possible.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    After he left, Zhou Ying put away the book and called Kuihua in.


    Using resting as an excuse, she returned to her room and closed the door and windows.


    She put down the curtains and entered her interspace.


    After entering, she remembered that there were no straws left.


    She had no choice but to take out a batch of millet stalks, smash them t, and tie them into scarecrows with hemp rope.


    As for the joints of their arms and legs, she used an oilcloth to make the joints and applied some grease to the joints to allow them to move freely.


    Finally, she used the cheapest linen she had to make a tight-fitting suit. This way, the scarecrows really looked like they were wearing clothes.


    After she was done, she went to the storeroom to find a batch of fabric closest to the color of flesh and a batch of ck silk fabric and made 50 fake headgear.


    However, she onlypleted three scarecrows in one afternoon.


    At night, she entered her interspace and finished up all 50 of them with Gu Chengrui.


    After they were done, Gu Chengrui asked Zhou Ying to put them in the stable.


    The next day, Captain Chu checked them at dawn and confirmed they could be used. The two then waited quietly for news from the other side.


    Prime Minister Su was cautious. He sent people to scout for three consecutive nights before he made a move.


    On the afternoon of the fourth day, after receiving the news that they would act, Captain Chu¡¯s men secretly left the residence under the guise of selling firewood, transporting vegetables, and so on. Then, they quietly returned to King Rui¡¯s Residence.


    Therefore, at night, only nine guards were left at the Gu Residence.


    When it was time, Gu Chengrui called all the adults in the residence over. He arranged three people into a group, and each group brought two scarecrows and formed five patrol teams to patrol the courtyard.


    As for the other scarecrows, he ced them in the dormitory as sleeping adults.


    At night, someone came to check on their residence. Seeing that it was still the same as usual, he heaved a sigh of relief and left.


    After he left, Zhou Ying informed Gu Chengrui, who was monitoring everything inside and outside the residence.


    After Gu Chengrui received the news, he heaved a sigh of relief and asked the patrol team to stop.


    Zhou Ying took out tworge bags of chili and mustard powder and added alcohol to make them even more pungent.


    Gu Chengrui handed them to the nine guards who stayed behind and said, ¡°Take these things with you and use them when they retreat. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Lord Gu, we understand. We¡¯ll go over now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ve already sent someone to keep an eye on them. You guys should only head over when there¡¯s movement over there, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    About 30 minutester, two hundred people forcefully barged into King Rui¡¯s Residence.


    Zhou Ying immediately informed Gu Chengrui, and he took his first aid kit and rushed over with the nine guards..

 Chapter 638 - 638 Invitation Into A Trap (3)

    Chapter 638: Invitation Into A Trap (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying notified Gu Chengrui, she did not withdraw her divine senses. Instead, she kept staring to see if she could help.


    She did not expect Butler Feng to be so well prepared.


    Since the invaders entered the second courtyard, all kinds of traps sprung one after another, immediately causing the invaders to panic and turn intombs waiting to be ughtered.


    Of course, the invaders weren¡¯t stupid and immediately reacted. They had fallen into an ambush, and the leader quickly led his men and began to retreat.


    However, there were already archers waiting outside.


    By the time they got out, more than half had already died.


    Later, they ran into Gu Chengrui and the others. In the end, only about twenty people were left.


    In the manor, Butler Feng ordered the dead bodies to be ced on the ground in the front yard and arranged in rows.


    There were also a few who were captured alive and sent to a locked cell.


    Butler Fengughed loudly when he saw Gu Chengrui. ¡°Haha, today¡¯s battle is sure satisfying.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. How are the casualties in the residence? I happen to have some medical skills and can help.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. There are quite a few injuries. As for those who died, they¡¯re still¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, Guard Chu walked over and reported, ¡°Uncle Feng, six people are seriously injured, and three have died.¡±


    ¡°eptable losses. Find out their family¡¯s situation and address, and we¡¯ll talk about the specificpensationter.¡± Butler Feng sighed.


    He turned to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and treat the seriously injured.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and followed him to the backyard.


    On the other end, the 20 or so people who had escaped passed through the north gate and escaped the city. Then, they headed straight for a manor.


    Seventh Su, waiting inside, was stunned when he saw their sorry state. He quickly looked behind them.


    When he saw that there was no one else, he immediately had a bad feeling.


    He immediately went forward, grabbed the cor of the team leader, and questioned, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are there only a few of you left? Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°I¡­


    ¡°The information given to us was wrong. We were ambushed, so¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Ambush?¡±


    ¡°Yes, after we entered, the ce was mostly empty. We didn¡¯t pay much attention and just rushed into the backyard.


    ¡°But¡­


    ¡°After entering the second courtyard, traps sprung one after another. When we retreated, there was even a volley of arrows.


    ¡°Leaving the ce, we met another group of people with spicy and choking powder in their hands. We couldn¡¯t open our eyes at all, so¡­¡± The leader paused momentarily and added, ¡°Oh right, The younger Chu, who was supposed to be guarding the Gu Residence, had returned to the residence.¡±


    ¡°Leng Zi, that bastard betrayed me.


    ¡°We lost nearly two hundred men; I will tear him into pieces.¡± After Su Seventh finished speaking, he immediately sent someone to look for Leng Zi¡¯s family.


    However, the building was already empty when his men arrived.


    Even the people they had left behind to monitor them had been poisoned to death.


    After Seventh Su received the news, he was so angry that he smashed the small teapot in his hand. ¡°Go, send someone to capture him. Even if you must chase him to the ends of the earth, get him before me.


    ¡°Remember to check on King Rui, Zhou Huaiming, and Consort Rui¡¯s manor. They definitely can¡¯t have gone far.¡±


    However, he was destined to be disappointed this time. Butler Feng had already thought of this, so he arranged for Leng Zi¡¯s family to stay in the Imperial Vi through his connections.


    After that, he sent their family directly to Dongyang Province, a vige near the military camp.


    Of course, this was a story for the future.


    The next day, Sun Miaoke and Butler Feng went straight to the pce toin.


    The Emperor was so furious that he almost fainted. He had just heard about the Eldest Prince¡¯s womenfolk being sterilized, and he didn¡¯t expect someone to invade the Third Prince¡¯s residence.


    Was someone trying to exterminate their family?

 Chapter 639 - 639 Confrontation

    Chapter 639: Confrontation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After regaining his senses, the Emperor asked Eunuch Li to invite Prime Minister Su over.


    When Prime Minister Su came in and saw Butler Feng and Consort Rui, his heart skipped a beat. It seemed that they most likely knew that they were the ones who did what happenedst night.


    He had to be careful with his following words.


    Thinking of this, he calmly stepped forward and said, ¡°Greetings, Emperor¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, get up. I ask of you, did you know that King Rui¡¯s Residence was invadedst night?¡±


    ¡°I heard about it in court this morning.¡±


    The Emperor looked at his calm face and cursed inwardly for being an old fox. It seemed it would be difficult to get anything out of his mouth today.


    ¡°Butler Feng said that those people are your subordinates. How do you exin this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m innocent. That is King Rui¡¯s Residence. Assassinating a member of the imperial family is a great crime that will result in execution for all nine generations.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. I thought you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I fear for my innocence.¡± Prime Minister Su hurriedly bowed.


    ¡°I thought that Prime Minister Su was fearless.¡± After Sun Miaoke finished speaking, she looked at Butler Feng.


    Butler Feng understood and directly handed him the ginkgo leaf mark he had carved out. ¡°Prime Minister Su, you should be very familiar with this symbol. ¡°King Rui has checked that this mark belongs to the Gingko Organization under Seventh Su.¡±


    ¡°Impossible; how could my seventh son have hired thugs? He must have been framed.¡±


    Butler Feng was so angry that he wanted tough out loud.


    At the same time, he had to admire Prime Minister Su¡¯s acting skills. He was not inferior to those famous actors at all.


    However, Butler Feng also knew that it was impossible to do anything with just this bit of evidence in his hands. As long as it served as a warning, Prime Minister Su would not dare casually strike again.


    The rest could only wait for King Rui¡¯s return to be dealt with.


    Therefore, he could only say, ¡°Since they¡¯re not your men, then this old servant doesn¡¯t need to worry about saving face.¡±


    ¡°Later on, my servant will throw the hundred over corpses in the manor into the wild to feed the crows.¡±


    Prime Minister Su was furious, as saving those dumped corpses might blow their cover.


    They would still suffer heavy losses if they chose to ignore the corpses.


    What would the people under Seventh Su think if he didn¡¯t save them? It would definitely greatly reduce Seventh Su¡¯s prestige in his organization.


    He have to inform his son as soon as possible and get him to appease his subordinates.


    Thinking of this, he replied with a fake smile, ¡°That is your right.¡±


    When Uncle Feng saw this, he immediately retreated to the side.


    Sun Miaoke stepped forward and bowed, saying, ¡°Imperial Father, your daughter-inw has troubled you. However, it¡¯s easy to dodge an open arrow but hard to guard against a hidden one.


    ¡°I wonder if you can send an experienced nanny for me, as I¡¯m terrified.¡±


    The Emperor was stunned for a moment after hearing this. He had really never seen anyone take the initiative to ask him to arrange for people to enter their residence.


    However, when he thought about her current situation, he could understand.


    At least with the people in the pce around, whoever was nning to invade would have some scruples. He nodded and replied, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll give you two nannies and four guards. They¡¯ll return to the pce when King Rui returns.¡± ¡°Thank you, Imperial Father. If you have no other instructions, I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Go, rest well. When you have time, go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s ce and talk to her.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After Sun Miaole finished speaking, she nodded to Prime Minister Su expressionlessly and left with Butler Feng.


    The Emperor then said to Prime Minister Su, ¡°Prime Minister Su, you may leave as well. I hope that this matter has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°I will humbly take my leave.¡± Prime Minister Su responded, bowed, and left.


    After leaving, his expression changed as he strode out of the pce.


    In the royal study, the Emperor called Xiao Heng and said, ¡°Xiao Heng, do you know about the assassin organization called Gingko?¡±

 Chapter 640 - 640 Temporary Peace

    Chapter 640: Temporary Peace


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I heard King An mention that five years ago, a family of four was killed when they went to the National Temple to offer incense. This organization did it.


    ¡°However, because there were too few clues, they had yet to find the person behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡°A family of four. What does that family do?¡±


    ¡°Merchants in the wood and bamboo business.¡±


    ¡°Investigate Seventh Su and see what he has done in secret. Also, keep an eye on my fourth son and the Prime Minister¡¯s Estate.


    ¡°Remember to be careful and not alert the enemy.¡± When the Emperor said this, he pondered Butler Feng¡¯s usation and asked, ¡°By the way, is Seventh Su in the capital?¡±


    ¡°He should be. I heard that Seventh Master Su was struck by lightning in King Kang¡¯s Residence some time ago.¡±


    ¡°He was struck by lightning? When did this happen?¡± The Emperor asked.


    ¡°It was around when King Kang¡¯s young daughter was a month old. He should be almost fully recovered by now.¡±


    The Emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing this, as it was the middle of winter. It was impossible for thunder to strike in the middle of winter, so it meant Mother God did this.


    Seventh Su must have done a lot of sinful things.


    He then remembered how the First and Fourth Princes had forcefully reced the officials under them.


    The Fourth Prince had always been in the capital, while Seventh Su had been traveling all year round under the pretext of doing business.


    So¡­


    He instructed, ¡°Investigate Seventh Su properly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiao Heng responded and left.


    After Butler Feng returned to the residence, he wrote a letter to King Rui and told him everything that had happened recently.


    After that, he had people deal with the corpses and transport them to the barren mountains outside the city. He also sent two people to guard the bodies nearby.


    Naturally, Prime Minister Su did not stay idle. After leaving the pce, he immediately sent someone to call Seventh Su back.


    He told his son how Butler Feng was confronting them and told him to calm his subordinates down for the time being.


    After that, the capital temporarily regained its stability.


    There was also good news that came soon. Grain merchants had shipped over a new batch of rice from the south and a rtively small amount of sweet potatoes.


    Although the price was more than ten times more expensive, it was fine if these batches of rice were used as seeds.


    Coincidentally, there were still about 100 acres of empty paddy fields in her manor. Zhou Ying bought these rice seeds for her paddy fields while transferring some sweet potatoes to her newly built manor.


    After confirming that the country was celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in May, Zhou Ying also bought a batch of glutinous rice and dumpling leaves from the grain merchant. She also took the opportunity to take out another batch from her interspace and distribute it to Qingshui Town.


    After that, she started cleaning up her restaurant in the capital.


    She found an opportunity to take out arge number of fresh dates, candied dates, beans, salted duck eggs, fresh meat, and cured meat from her interspace. She began to wrap dumplings of different vors and sell them as a prelude to the opening of her new restaurant.


    Perhaps it was because of the fresh taste that business was going great, especially in the wealthy circles of the East and West City. All dumplings were fully booked until the day before the Dragon Boat Festival.


    At noon during the Dragon Boat Festival, Niu Fugui walked into the main courtyard with an ount book and reported, ¡°Madam, all the ounts are done.¡±


    ¡°Oh, from your expression, I know we¡¯ve earned a lot in the past half month.¡±


    ¡°Yes, including the gifts we gave out, we sold another 200,000 dumplings, earning a profit of 5,600 taels of silver.


    ¡°It would be ideal if we could do this once a year as an easy way to supplement our coffers.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s selling well because salty dumplings are a new vor profile everyone wants to try. This is the reason we can raise the price.


    ¡°We might not be able to earn so much in the future, but maybe we can give it a try when our restaurant opens up.


    ¡°Good work to everyone. I bought two sheep in the morning, and we¡¯ll have a barbecue for dinner tonight..¡±

 Chapter 641 - 641 Planning

    Chapter 641: nning


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress. I will bring in the silver we earned in a while.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need since the grain merchants areing over.


    ¡°We will be renovating our restaurant, too, and I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. ¡°Remember to record the ounts clearly. Also, the materials you purchase must be durable. I¡¯ll give you the blueprintster, and you can renovate the restaurant ording to them.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will take my leave then.¡± Niu Fugui turned around and walked out.


    After he left, Zhou Ying took out her calctor and calcted carefully. After confirming that the amount matched, she put the ount book aside.


    After lunch, she went to the kitchen, leading everyone to prepare mutton skewers.


    When Gu Chengrui returned that evening, everyone had a good time at dinner.


    After the barbeque, Zhou Ying asked Biaozi, who was handling the grill, ¡°Brother Biaozi, we will mainly be having skewers and chilled dishes during the summer, so you can prepare ordingly for our meals.


    ¡°Also, our restaurant will open in a month, at most.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°By the way, you have to nurture a disciple as soon as possible. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to handle the workload.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, my father alone can handle keeping the ount books in the residence. When the restaurant opens, can Ie to the restaurant?¡± Niu Deli asked.


    ¡°Sure, you can try if you want to, but you and your father must make arrangements at the residence. If anything goes wrong, I¡¯ll look for you.¡± ¡°Mistress, don¡¯t worry. If we get too busy, I¡¯ll definitely call him back.¡± Niu Fugui affirmed.


    Next, Zhou Ying asked Mother Qiu to teach Haitang cooking before leaving with Gu Chengrui.


    After entering her interspace at night, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, is the water wheel on the new manor installed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s already running.


    ¡°We¡¯ve also dug a 10-acre reservoir in the livestock breeding area and n to raise more ducks and geese.


    ¡°It will not only enhance the safety of the manor, but roast duck and iron pot stewed goose are also rare delicacies. They could be used as our new restaurant¡¯s signature dishes if done well.¡±


    ¡°Alright, as long as there¡¯s no influenza, it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already taught them how to prevent a breakout.¡± Gu Chengrui assured her. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you want to return to our hometown? Let¡¯s head back the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It just so happens that the chili and cumin are almost ready for harvest. We can transport some over instead of buying them here. If there is also an excess of livestock at our hometown¡¯s manor, we can also transport some over¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a possible solution. Li Si and the others can also be promoted to a more important position by bringing them to the capital.¡±


    After the couple finished their nning, they went ahead and got busy.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t pack too much because she nned to take a boat back this time. It would be much faster to travel by water.


    She gave Niu Fugui some important instructions and left 5,000 taels of silver just in case.


    Gu Chengrui went to the academy to let Gu Chenglin know of his departure, and he was surprised when Gu Chenglin requested to return with him.


    When the two of them went to bid farewell to Gu Wanning, Gu Wanning¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯ve never been out of the capital before.


    ¡°I could also go back and visit Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Chengrui rejected her directly.


    When she saw that she was dejected, he quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t think the capital is as peaceful as it looks; the conflict has just gone underground. If you leave the capital now, you¡¯ll just be heading into an early grave.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to bring along a big target too.¡±


    After Gu Wanning heard this, she quickly remembered that someone had tried to sabotage her and the Princess Consort several times, as well as the recent invasion. She kept quiet after that.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he gave her a few instructions and told her not to go out as much as possible before bringing Gu Chenglin and his servant home..

 Chapter 642 - 642 Another Ambush

    Chapter 642: Another Ambush


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next morning.


    The couple took Gu Chenglin along and hired a carriage to the dock.


    When they passed by a mountain, more than 30 people suddenly rushed out of the mountain. Each of them looked fierce, like bandits.


    The coachman was frightened and immediately stopped the carriage. He carefully cupped his fists and said, ¡°Gentlemen, please let us pass.¡±


    ¡°Pass? There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible. If you don¡¯t want to die, get lost.¡± The leader shook therge sword in his hand and said.


    ¡°Yes, yes. This lowly one will scram now.¡± The coachman hurriedly replied and turned around to leave.


    However, just as he turned the carriage around, someone stopped him and said, ¡°Stop, leave the carriage.¡±


    When the coachman saw this, he was so frightened that he immediately ran away.


    Gu Chengrui walked out at this moment. He saw the crowd surrounding him and said, ¡°Brothers, this is a hundred taels of silver. Please do me a favor and let us go.¡±


    ¡°Kid, you¡¯re on the right track, but we want money and your lives. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to make it out today.¡±


    ¡°Seeing how you let the coachman go just now, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re some evil person. I wonder if you can let us die painlessly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re smart, kid. No wonder people think you¡¯re a hindrance. However, we¡¯re being paid to help someone eliminate their problems.¡± After the leader finished speaking, he raised his sword and shed at Gu Chengrui.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he quickly ran off the horse¡¯s back. At the same time, he sprinkled a packet of knockout powder in his hand.


    ¡°Shit, retreat!¡± The leader shouted.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying knew that they couldn¡¯t avoid this fight. She immediately took out a packet of knockout powder and knocked out Gu Chenglin, trembling in fear, before throwing him into her interspace.


    She quickly took out two flintlocks with iron beads as bullets and arge bag of tear gas powder. After putting on a mask, she promptly left the carriage.


    She threw the bag of tear gas powder in front of the most people, which was also diagonally above Gu Chengrui, and fired a shot.


    The powder scattered in all directions.


    Gu Chengrui was shocked by this; he immediately covered his nose before dodging to one side.


    The people below were all sneezing non-stop, unable to open their eyes.


    Gu Chengrui took the opportunity to snatch a sword and quickly shed at a person who was still sneezing.


    The other men forcefully tried to sh Gu Chengrui.


    Zhou Ying immediately stepped forward to stop them. She shot the gun in her hand, explicitly aiming at their eyes. If she couldn¡¯t hit their eyes, at the very least, she would hit their heads.


    No matter where she hit, it made these people cry out in pain.


    After the leader was hit, he screamed, ¡°Everyone, grab the weapon from that woman¡¯s hand first!¡±


    Zhou Yingughed after hearing that. When they surrounded her, she took out another packet of tear gas powder and quickly threw it above the crowd.


    When they realized something was wrong and wanted to retreat, it was already toote. At least half of them had been affected by the tear gas powder.


    ¡°You witch, go to hell!¡± At this moment, a scream came from behind Zhou Ying.


    Gu Chengrui saw someone had ambushed her and quickly shouted, ¡°Behind you!¡±


    At the same time, he was caught off guard and had his arm shed. Gu Chengrui immediately backhanded and stabbed the man in the stomach.


    It was already toote for Zhou Ying to aim her gun, so she quickly spread out her divine sense and used it to stab the brain of the person behind her.


    She turned around and saw a sword only half a foot away from her. Then, she took advantage of the moment he was in a daze to aim at his eyes and pull the trigger.


    ¡°Argh!!!¡± With a scream, the man¡¯s eyes were directly blown out by her.


    Blood sprayed all over Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying quickly kicked him in the head and knocked him out.


    She turned around and fired at the group of bandits again. However, this time, she did not turn off her divine sense. While protecting himself, she also helped Gu Chengrui avoid a lot of fatal moments.


    Just as everyone was fighting fiercely, the sound of hooves came from the direction of the dock..

 Chapter 643 - 643 King Rui, Wounded

    Chapter 643: King Rui, Wounded


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Soon, a group of cavalrymen ran over.


    The bandits were so scared that they immediately ran up the mountain when they saw this.


    However, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying did not want to let them go. At the very least, they had to know who the person behind them was.


    Otherwise, they would be unable to live a peaceful life if someone were after them daily.


    Therefore, the two tried their best to attack their legs to stop these bandits from running away.


    When the cavalry arrived, some bandits had already run into the mountains.


    When the cavalry saw Zhou Ying and her husband, they were stunned momentarily. They immediately shot an arrow and killed the bandit running in front.


    Soon, the bandits fell to the ground one by one.


    The couple stopped attacking and looked at the 20 or so cavalrymen in surprise.


    When an officer leading the cavalry was about to shoot the bandit leader, Gu Chengrui hurriedly shouted, ¡°Officer, please show mercy!¡±


    After shouting, he stepped forward and kicked the leader¡¯s back, forcing him to crawl on his back.


    Seeing this, the leading cavalryman also put away his bow and arrows. He dismounted and saluted, ¡°Zhang Ping greets Lord Gu.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Ping, are you General Zhang? Aren¡¯t you guys supposed to be in Dongyang? Why¡­¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and sized him up seriously. After confirming that he was an acquaintance, he heaved a sigh of relief and asked.


    ¡°We came to invite you and treat His Highness¡¯ injuries. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±


    ¡°His Highness is injured? Is it very serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, His Highness is seriously injured. King Rui is resting in an inn at the dock.¡± Zhang Ping nced at the bandits on the ground and asked, ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. How about this? The two of us will go and take a look at His Highness first. Help me deal with these people. If they honestly confess the person behind the scenes, spare their lives.


    ¡°Otherwise¡­ I¡¯ll leave it to you to handle.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send half of my men to send you there. Leave the matters here to me.¡± Zhang Ping nodded in agreement. His Highness couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so it was better to let them go ahead.


    He pointed out a few people and instructed, ¡°Escort Dr. Gu and his wife over and protect them with your lives.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°General Zhang, thank you.¡± Gu Chengrui cupped his fists and thanked Zhang Ping.


    Afterward, he nodded at Zhou Ying, and they entered the carriage.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to retreat into the carriage, the man whose eyes were blown out by Zhou Ying suddenly stood up and shed at Zhou Ying with his knife.


    After Zhou Ying detected his abnormality through her divine sense, she directly shot at his other eye.


    The man knew how scary the gun was and immediately turned his head to dodge.


    At this moment, Gu Chengrui rushed over and stabbed his heart.


    He exerted a great force, and the wound on his arm bled again.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she immediately got into the car and let Gu Chenglin out. At the same time, she took out her first-aid kit.


    She quickly and carefully bandaged Gu Chengrui¡¯s wound. Then, the two rushed to the dock under the escort of the cavalry.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying quickly filled up the first aid kit with medicine and bandages needed for suturing and bandaging.


    If King Rui¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t serious, Zhang Ping would not have rushed to the capital to look for them.


    After arriving at the pier, Zhou Ying realized that the pier in the capital¡¯s suburbs was really bustling.


    There were long lines of boats waiting to dock, and there were also the sounds of boat trackers shouting in unison amidst the hawkersing and going.


    It was a lively dock.


    However, Zhou Ying only took a nce before the carriage quickly passed by. It was better to wait until the safety of King Rui was confirmed before she explored the ce..

 Chapter 644 - 644 Treatment

    Chapter 644: Treatment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As soon as they reached the entrance of the inn, Zhou Huaiming rushed over. When he saw Gu Chengrui¡¯s injured arm, he was shocked and asked, ¡°What happened¡­? Can you still¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already bandaged it. We better quickly take a look at my brother-inw¡¯s injury.¡± Gu Chengrui answered and turned his head to ask Zhou Ying for the first-aid kit before hurrying inside.


    Zhou Huaiming immediately followed him and led the way.


    Zhou Ying exited the carriage a momentter with Gu Chenglin in her arms. She handed him to a cavalryman and said, ¡°Sorry to trouble you. He just fainted from fear.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my duty. Follow me.¡± The cavalryman replied and took Gu Chenglin before leading her into the inn.


    Zhou Ying carried her luggage and followed him inside.


    The cavalrymen arranged for them to stay in a room on the east side of the second floor and retreated.


    After settling down, Zhou Ying saw that there was water in the room. She washed up briefly, then sat on a stool and spread out her divine sense to scan the entire inn.


    Soon, she found King Rui in the main room in the backyard.


    At this moment, Gu Chengrui was examining the wounds of the unconscious King Rui.


    The injuries on his body were not serious. They were all superficial injuries and had been treated perfectly.


    However, there was an arrow in King Rui¡¯s chest, which was especially close to his heart. If it was pulled out forcefully, it was very likely that he would not be able to survive the bleed.


    This was presumably also why Zhou Huaiming had looked for Gu Chengrui.


    After Gu Chengrui finished checking, Zhou Huaiming immediately asked, ¡°Chengrui, how confident are you?¡±


    ¡°50%, but I need Zhou Ying to help me.¡±


    ¡°50%¡­¡± Zhou Huaiming¡¯s heart sank when he heard this, but he also knew this might be the best possible oue. After all, even Doctor He, known as the Saint of External Injuries, could not do anything about it.


    He hesitated for a moment and replied, ¡°Do your best. If you need anything else or have any requirements, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Hot water. We can start when Zhou Yinges, but we can¡¯t be disturbed in the middle of our treatment.


    ¡°No matter the situation, you mustn¡¯t let anyone in.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Get ready. I¡¯ll call Zhou Ying over now.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded and turned around before running out of the room.


    Gu Chengrui made some simple preparations. Of course, the main thing was to disinfect himself.


    Soon, Zhou Ying rushed over. After the hot water was brought in, Gu Chengrui gave Zhou Huaiming a few instructions before closing the door and locking it from the inside.


    He asked Zhou Ying for some local anesthesia. After giving King Rui a skin test and confirming there were no adverse reactions, he injected King Rui with a suitable amount of anesthetic.


    Once King Rui slept, Zhou Ying brought him directly to the small operating theater in her interspace¡¯s vi.


    The two changed into surgical gowns. Gu Chengrui was the chief surgeon, and Zhou Ying was the assistant.


    In less than 15 minutes, Gu Chengrui quickly removed the hooked arrow.


    After some sutures, he gave King Rui a tube of painkiller and antiseptic medicine.


    Once they were done, the two changed out of their surgical gowns.


    Zhou Ying went outside her interspace and sprayed a lot of disinfectant before moving King Rui out of the operation theater.


    Gu Chengrui took the arrow, the blood-stained cotton wool, and the bandages used during the surgery. He threw them into the hot water he had prepared and stirred them. He only stopped when they were all blood-red.


    After he was done with his work, Gu Chengrui nced around the room. He removed the bedsheet Zhou Ying had changed earlier and dug a fist-sized hole in the middle.


    He used the blood water to draw out traces of blood that should¡¯ve spurted out when pulling out the arrow.


    At this thought, he sshed some blood on his body and face.


    Finally, he wiped his hands with the sheet and asked Zhou Ying to open the door..

 Chapter 645 - 645 The Reason

    Chapter 645: The Reason


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As soon as the door opened, Zhou Huaiming¡¯s head appeared in front of Zhou Ying as he asked anxiously, ¡°Sister Zhou, what¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t there any movement at all?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Zhou Ying was surprised by his sudden appearance and asked.


    ¡°Even though His Highness is unconscious now, he should still cry out in pain when pulling out an arrow.¡±


    ¡°Rui used anesthesia, so it shouldn¡¯t hurt. Besides, the arrow wasn¡¯t pulled out by force. We cut open the wound and took it out gently.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming was stunned by her reply before he went forward to check.


    The arrow in King Rui¡¯s chest was gone. Besides his pale face, he didn¡¯t seem to be in any difort.


    He reached out and touched King Rui¡¯s forehead. After confirming that he still had a low fever, he turned his head and asked, ¡°Brother Gu, when will this fever go down? If it continues, would it cause more problems?¡±


    ¡°The fever is caused by the arrow that was left in the body. It¡¯s normal.


    ¡°Now that the arrow is out, the fever should retreat in about four hours.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! You don¡¯t know how worried I¡¯ve been for the past two days.¡± Zhou Huaiming choked up and couldn¡¯t continue.


    Because he knew very well that once King Rui died, the Zhou family would definitely not end well. In fact, arge number of people rted to them would even die.


    The pressure he was under was far too great. It was so pressuring that he could not breathe well for the past two days.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not in any danger anymore.¡± Gu Chengrui then asked, ¡°By the way, His Highness is quite skilled and also has Guard Chu protecting him. How did he get such a serious injury? Do you know who did it?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, where¡¯s Guard Chu?¡±


    ¡°Guard Chu is also heavily injured and is staying in Dongyang.¡± Zhou Huaiming nced at King Rui and asked, ¡°Do you still remember his residence being forcefully barged some time ago?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I remember. I even participated in it.¡±


    ¡°After His Highness received the news, he submitted a memorial to the Emperor. After obtaining the emperor¡¯s permission, he hurried back.


    ¡°Who would have thought that the East Continent would cause trouble at this time? His Highness personally led his troops to attack and won aplete victory in the end.


    ¡°However, a few people from the East Continent managed to sneak onto our boat, and both Guard Chu and His Highness were seriously injured.


    ¡°No one dared to pull out the arrow stuck on His Highness. I remembered you¡¯re great at suturing wounds, so I immediately wanted to bring you here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not a trap?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. Their losses are too heavy.¡± Zhou Huaiming replied thoughtfully.


    Gu Chengrui did not say anything else after hearing that.


    He turned to Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Ying, you must be tired. Go and rest. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to stay here all night.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you need help,e and find me.¡± Zhou Ying replied and turned around, heading back to her room upstairs.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Huaiming immediately sent someone in to clean up the blood. He also asked Gu Chengrui about the recent events in the capital.


    At noon, Gu Chenglin woke up. He was stunned when he saw the furnishings in the room before remembering what had happened before he fainted and sat up immediately.


    Zhou Ying was sitting at the table, reading a book while eating pastries. Gu Chenglin went forward and asked, ¡°Cousin-inw, where are we? Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°This is an inn.¡± Zhou Ying then briefly told him what happened after he fainted.


    ¡°What? Brother-inw was injured? Is he unconscious? No, I have to go and take a look!¡±


    ¡°Your cousin is guarding the prince, and you should stay here obediently. You can go over when he wakes up.¡± Zhou Ying quickly grabbed him and stopped him.


    Gu Chenglin hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he sat back down. It was useless for him to go over now, and he might even cause trouble.


    Thinking of this, he recalled getting knocked out.. He looked at Zhou Ying and asked with an aggrieved expression, ¡°Cousin-inw, why did you knock me out back there?¡±

 Chapter 646 - 646 The Person Behind The Scenes

    Chapter 646: The Person Behind The Scenes


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What else could I have done? Looking at you trembling in fear, I was afraid that something terrible would happen to you, so I had to knock you out.


    ¡°Besides, if you don¡¯t scream, they won¡¯t touch you before they kill us two.¡±


    Gu Chenglin thought of his previous cowardly look and stammered, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°No, I must learn martial arts to protect myself in the future!¡±


    ¡°Of course. You can learn from your cousin or Lin Yitian when you go home during the holidays.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Chenglin nodded, and his stomach began to rumble.


    Zhou Ying smiled and got up. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something.¡±


    After saying that, she brought him out of the house and pointed to the house opposite. ¡°This house belongs to your cousin and me. If you need anything tonight, remember toe and find us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep alone tonight?¡±


    ¡°What else? You¡¯re already thirteen and not young anymore.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m just afraid that I¡¯m wasting such a huge space.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled at his sheepish appearance, but she did not expose him.


    As soon as she went downstairs, Zhou Huaiming came over with a lunch box and said, ¡°You came down just in time. We¡¯ve booked this entire inn, so order whatever you want to eat for free.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you go ahead with your job.¡± Zhou Ying then brought Gu Chenglin to the kitchen.


    The rice was served in the kitchen with two meat dishes and two vegetables.


    It was chicken stewed with mushrooms, but there was very little chicken, and most of it was mushrooms.


    The other meat dish was braised fish¡ªabout two pounds per fish. It was quite good.


    The vegetable dishes were cold spinach, garlic, and cole.


    ¡°The two of you will each have a portion of rice, one meat, and one vegetable.¡± The manager, who had heard Zhou Huaiming¡¯s words, reminded them.


    ¡°Since there¡¯s only the two of us, we¡¯ll have two servings of rice with a serving of each dish.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± a shop assistant replied.


    He took out two trays, prepared the tes and bowls, and quickly scooped them up.


    Looking at the amount he scooped, Zhou Ying quickly thought of a school cafeteria. Usually, she wanted a spoonful of everything.


    The two did not return to the house. Instead, they brought the food to the table at the side and started eating.


    At this time, the manager also informed the people brought by King Rui that it was time for dinner.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying brought Gu Chenglin out for a walk.


    They rapidly returned since, aside from a few hawkers selling food, it was mostly taverns and restaurants, and food was not sold separately. Most of the items in the area weremodities thate and go in carts, too.


    In the evening, King Rui finally woke up, and his fever had temporarily subsided.


    Gu Chengrui handed him over to Doctor He, who apanied them and returned to his room with his first-aid kit.


    Zhou Ying waited for him toe in, let him shower in her interspace, and changed his bandages once he was done. Just as they were about to go out for a good meal, she heard someone knocking on the door.


    After Zhou Ying helped Gu Chengrui put on his clothes, she went forward to open the door.


    Seeing that it was Zhang Ping, she immediately weed him with a smile and poured him a ss of water. ¡°General Zhang, it must be hard on you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. I¡¯m here to tell you that the person behind those bandits has been discovered. The Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s elderly concubine bribed them to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Lu?¡± Zhou Ying was stunned by the answer.


    ¡°Yes, her nanny personally bribed the bandits.¡±


    ¡°When did theye into contact?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday afternoon, she promised to give them 5,000 pounds of rice and 1,000 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, General Zhang. May I know where those bandits are now?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    Regardless of whether there was someone behind the scenes, the couple had already made enemies with them, so these people could not be left alive..

 Chapter 647 - 647 A Life Of Extravagance

    Chapter 647: A Life Of Extravagance


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything has been dealt with. They won¡¯t find trouble with you anymore.¡± Zhang Ping nodded with a smile.


    Of course, he would not kill the innocent. He had thoroughly interrogated these people.


    To put it bluntly, they were a group of bandits who robbed and killed. Their ruthlessness has harmed many people over the past few years.


    It just so happened that the people from the Lu family were looking for someone to deal with the Gu couple, so they found them and arranged for them toe over.


    ¡°How did the Lu family get the news that we were leaving the capital? Did they mention this?¡± Zhou Ying asked thoughtfully.


    Could Xiaxiang have leaked the news? But she had not gone out these few days, or was there another spy in the residence that she had not discovered?


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about this. They only said that they were following orders.¡± Zhang Ping shook his head.


    ¡°It must be hard on you today, General Zhang. We will treat you to a big meal when we return to the capital.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember that.


    ¡°I have to report to General Xiang Zhou. See youter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talkter.¡± Gu Chengrui sent him out after he finished speaking.


    Later, the couple took Gu Chenglin out for a meal. When they saw that a restaurant had pigeon soup on the menu, Gu Chengrui bought a portion for himself and packed another portion to go. He handed the soup to King Rui and left.


    When Gu Chenglin was about to return to his room, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Do you need someone to apany you?¡±


    ¡°No need; I¡¯m not afraid.¡± Gu Chenglin paused momentarily, blushed, and immediately shook his head.


    He pushed his door open and walked in.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying smiled and did not say anything else. Instead, she turned around and went back into her house.


    Gu Chengrui followed them in and asked curiously, ¡°What do you mean? Is Gu Chenglin afraid of sleeping alone?¡±


    ¡°I think he was just scared by what happened today, so he¡¯s a little timid.¡±


    Gu Chengrui recalled the scene and immediately understood his feelings.


    Gu Chenglin was a child who had never seen blood. He would inevitably be afraid after witnessing such a bloody scene. He had to give him some guidance as soon as possible, or it would leave him with psychological trauma.


    He spoke out, ¡°You go ahead and rest. I¡¯ll go and apany him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go back to the interspace and see what¡¯s going on with the Lu family.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up after this. Come and pick me up at midnight.¡± Gu Chengrui then went straight to the next room, but only after locking the door from the inside.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying entered her interspace and found the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence through a Mother God Temple. Finally, she fixed her gaze on Mrs. Lu.


    At this moment, Mrs. Lu was eating under the service of servants. Her lunch was even more extravagant than that of the Emperor himself.


    There were eight dishes and one soup, and each dish was exquisite. The foodbination was also excellent.


    While she was eating, Zhou Ying scoured the entire Marquis Ding¡¯an Residence.


    Needless to say, they were pretty cunning. There was nothing in the residence that would expose them.


    They weren¡¯t like Yang Shicheng, who left some incriminating evidence in the residence.


    However, she had to admit that life in the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence was indeed more luxurious than that in the Imperial Pce.


    After a round of searching and finding nothing valuable, she returned to Mrs. Lu¡¯s ce.


    At this time, Mrs. Lu had already eaten and drank her fill. Two servant girls were serving her, flossing her teeth, and rinsing her mouth.


    After she was done, she exercised and yed with her Buddha beads for a while before asking the servants to leave.


    After everyone left, Mrs. Lu looked at a small door and said, ¡°Magu,e out.¡±


    ¡°This servant greets mistress.¡± Magu came in and kneeled.


    ¡°How did it go? Did it seed?¡±

 Chapter 648 - 648 Just You Watch

    Chapter 648: Just You Watch


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Mistress, please punish me. I messed up this mission.¡± Magu kneeled after saying that.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Thirty men can¡¯t even ovee two people?¡± Mrs. Lu immediately sat up and asked.


    ¡°Someone saved them. I heard from the coachman who escaped that the bandits had already encircled them, and Gu Chengrui was injured.


    ¡°They just needed some time, and those two would definitely be beaten to death.


    ¡°However, a group of cavalrymen suddenly came and shot several of them to death. In addition, they came forward to help, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Cavalry? Do you know who they are?¡± Mrs. Lu¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The coachman was far away then and didn¡¯t hear what they said, but the couple and the cavalry seemed to know each other.


    ¡°After that, the husband and wife rushed to the dock under the escort of half of the cavalry. After interrogating the rest, they were all killed and buried nearby.¡± ¡°Interrogate them? Do they know your identity?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I was wearing a bamboo hat when I went to look for them.¡± ¡°Hurry up and execute that coachman. Remember not to leak this to anyone.


    ¡°If my guess is correct, those cavalrymen are King Rui¡¯s men.


    ¡°If he finds out, he will definitely make a big fuss about this matter. At that time, the Empress and the First Prince will be implicated, and even my husband will not be able to protect us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will arrange it now.¡± Magu bowed before returning to the small door.


    As soon as she left, Mrs. Lu¡¯s expression turned extremely ugly. She gritted her teeth and cursed, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you can be saved every time.¡±


    After saying that, she arranged the nkets on her bed, making it look like someone was sleeping.


    Then, she put on her clothes and entered the small door.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying followed curiously. She found that there was a tunnel inside, and it was divided into two roads after leaving the residence. Mrs. Lu went left, while Magu went right.


    The tunnel on the left soon led to an exquisite courtyard.


    Zhou Ying did not expect it to lead to an ancestral hall. Inside, there were two rows of ancestral tablets of the Lu family. From the way it was addressed, they were all her close rtives.


    Mrs. Lu lit three incense sticks and said, ¡°Father, Mother, Big Brother¡­


    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t kill them to avenge you this time, I swear here that I will avenge you all in my lifetime.¡±


    After saying that, she cried and sobbed for a while before turning around and heading back to her room.


    Looking at her heavy footsteps, Zhou Ying did not know whether to hate or pity her.


    Honestly, it was heartbreaking for her when her family, who had supported her for many years, was suddenly destroyed.


    However, a pitiful person must have something hateful about them. They would not have ended up getting destroyed if they had not done so many bad things and tried to assassinate King Rui.


    Therefore, this could only be said to be her retribution.


    After that, Zhou Ying looked around the small courtyard and quickly found a basement under the table where the memorial tablets were ced.


    The things inside really surprised Zhou Ying.


    About twenty boxes of antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and jewelry were there. Although each box was only ten liters, it was still quite a treasure.


    There was also a small pile of gold ingots, along with twenty boxes of silver ingots.


    This was about three times more than Yang Shicheng had at that time.


    She was only the concubine. How many more treasures were there in the entire Marquis Ding¡¯an Residence?


    Thinking of this, she did not alert the enemy by taking the treasures. After retreating, she quickly followed Magu into a small courtyard, which was much more dpidated..

 Chapter 649 - 649 Annoyance

    Chapter 649: Annoyance


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    This was not an empty house. Instead, a family of five lived here, but Magu was nowhere to be seen.


    Zhou Ying quickly went over and saw Magu leading a young man to the door of the coachman¡¯s house.


    After Magu climbed over the wall and entered, she blew some knockout powder into the room.


    She walked into the room a momentter, knocked over the oilmp by the bed, and ran out quickly.


    After leaving the house, Magu took out two silver notes worth 1,000 taels and handed them to the young man. ¡°Xiao Xu, you are the only child in our family. Tomorrow, take the silver notes and leave the capital. Also, find a ce to change your appearance.


    ¡°The Marquis Ding¡¯an Residence would probably notst long.¡±


    ¡°But, Auntie¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. I¡¯m already old and don¡¯t care about life and death anymore.


    ¡°Moreover, my hands have been stained with blood all these years. It¡¯s time for me to atone for my sins.


    ¡°But you¡¯re different. I¡¯ve never let your hands get stained with blood, and you can totally start a new life.¡±


    nJ 11


    ¡°You are my weakness; do you understand?¡±


    The young man was stunned for a moment before nodding heavily. ¡°Take care, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°Remember, after you leave, don¡¯t evere back.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The young man nodded and turned away in a hurry.


    However, he looked back at Magu several times with every step he took. He only ran away after Magu had walked far away without looking back.


    Through Magu and the others, Zhou Ying also learned that the family of five living in the small courtyard was also from the Marquis¡¯ Residence.


    Moreover, an olddy there was also one of the old madam¡¯s nannies. To put it bluntly, their family was responsible for protecting this tunnel.


    Zhou Ying watched Magu disappear into the tunnel. This time, she did not chase after her, but she felt that this Magu was not an unpardonable person.


    Magu definitely knew a lot of insider information. Zhou Ying could even get rid of Mrs. Lu through her, as it was annoying to guard against someone constantly scheming against them.


    Zhou Ying quickly returned to the coachman¡¯s tiny house. At this time, the mes were already soaring into the sky, and the rafters and beams on the roof had also begun to fall.


    The coachman who was about to be burned alive was unconscious. Zhou Ying hesitated momentarily before throwing the coachman out through the back window.


    Perhaps he would even bite the olddy back for the sake of his survival.


    After that, she inspected the entire continent through the various Mother God Temples.


    Finally, she turned her view to the military camp in Dongyang Province and the East Continent.


    At this moment, Dongyang¡¯s military camp was rtively peaceful. However, many injured soldiers could not receive timely treatment due to theck of medicinal herbs.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she immediately threw them a batch of medicinal herbs that they urgently needed.


    As for the East Continent, they suffered heavy losses.


    They were divided into two factions. One faction requested to send more troops to strike while the iron was hot, while the other faction stated a massive strength disparity between the two sides. Moreover, they had already lost the opportunity and should not send more troops to die.


    Zhou Ying ignored their arguments and instead learned the reason why they invaded.


    Zhou Ying was momentarily speechless after she learned that they were troubled by theck ofnd and mountains in the East Continent and that there was no grain surplus each year. Thus, they were attracted to the Ming Dynasty¡¯snd and resources.


    The problem was that the people of the East Continent had the lowest rate of pious belief in Mother God. How could she give them food for free?


    At the thought of this, she found the highest official of the Main Union Sect, who was also a loyal believer in Mother God, and gave him a dream.


    However, there were no specific instructions.


    Instead, it was a dream of cows and sheep filling the mountains, fruit trees filling the gardens, and chickens and ducks walking everywhere.


    It was a dream of using animal feces to raise earthworms and then feeding these earthworms to raise chickens and ducks.


    As long as they used their existing resources to do an excellent job breeding livestock, they couldpletely solve the East Continent¡¯s food shortage problem..

 Chapter 650 - 650 Try It

    Chapter 650: Try It


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When the official woke up and remembered his dream the next day, he was extremely excited.


    However, his excitement soon withered because he needed some food to start this project.


    Moreover, it was easy for these livestock to get sick if they were bred inrge quantities. If an epidemic appeared, all the efforts would be in vain.


    His wife, who was sitting beside him, saw him sighing. She sat up and asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something bothering you?¡±


    The official told her about his dream and troubles.


    She was stunned for a moment and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re so talented! You can think of such a wonderful method.¡±


    The official looked at her in confusion.


    ¡°You must have toiled through this problem day and night before finding your answer through a dream. Isn¡¯t that the case?¡±


    The official was surprised. Although he really wanted to acknowledge this credit, he had to admit that he had never thought of this before.


    But why did he have this dream?


    No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand the reason behind it.


    He didn¡¯t even have anything to do with livestock breeding to begin with.


    His wife looked at his puzzled expression and asked thoughtfully, ¡°Could it be that Mother God sent a message to you in your dream? After the people who went on the expedition returned, didn¡¯t they say that there had already been several cases of Mother God manifesting in the Ming Dynasty?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Try it. The day after tomorrow is when you go to the Mother Temple to offer prayers. You can exin the difficulties to Mother God in detail.¡±


    The official nodded. However, he felt he should inform the King, as it was rted to the people¡¯s livelihoods on the East Continent.


    If the King took it to heart, he would do his best to assist. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to start this new movement himself.


    After all, his head might be in danger if he aroused the king¡¯s suspicion.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying brought Gu Chengrui into her interspace and asked, ¡°Was Cheng Lin alright?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alright. Because of Gu Wanning, he¡¯s destined to be unable to live a stable life. He has to adapt as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better ask Lin Yitian and the others to teach him some martial arts.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she told him about her night visit to the Marquis Ding¡¯an Residence. ¡°Mrs. Lu is just an olddy who only picks the weak ones. This time, she has targeted us as her prey.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal. She knows that, with her ability, she can¡¯t touch King Rui. Moreover, the Empress and King Hui were still leading their movement. It¡¯s better for her to watch from the side. By the way, did you tell the coachman about this in his dreams?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to make it so obvious. He should be able to guess the reason for the fire.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to be more obvious. What if he¡¯s out of his mind and thinks we did it?¡± Gu Chengrui paused for a moment and sneered. ¡°I originally felt quite guilty that I had dragged him down and almost caused him to lose his life.


    ¡°Now, it seemed that he had asked for it.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go to his dream now.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and sent a dream to the coachman through her interspace. Well, to be precise, she made up a dream and nted it inside him.


    In the dream, the coachman would vaguely notice Magu enter his room and knock over the oilmp by his bed. After realizing something was wrong, he climbed out of the back window.


    This way, he wouldn¡¯t know someone had saved him when he woke up.


    He could also lock onto Magu and Mrs. Lu for revenge.


    However, she remembered what Magu had said and ced a safety talisman on her body. Zhou Ying would be the first to know and save her if her life was in danger..

 Chapter 651 - 651 Dissuading

    Chapter 651: Dissuading


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying finished all this, the corn she had nted earlier had ripened. Zhou Ying harvested them all and ced them in the drying area.


    At the same time, she ced four of the more tender corn cobs in her oven to roast them, while the rest were stored in the warehouse.


    She nted the emptied fields with half peanuts and half sesame seeds.


    After she was done, the tender roast corn was ready.


    As soon as it was out of the oven, Gu Chengrui walked in with a giant watermelon in his arms. ¡°Yo, roasted corn! We¡¯ve been here for four years, but this is our first time eating some.¡±


    ¡°This time, I kept some more corn in our storage. If you want to eat some, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°Got it. The corn is still hot, so let¡¯s eat a slice of watermelon first.¡±


    ¡°Go wash your hands. I¡¯ll get the knife.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and took a fruit knife to slice the watermelon.


    After the watermelon was sliced, Gu Chengrui rushed back.


    The couple sat on their chairs and did not want to move after they finished an entire watermelon and four roasted corns.


    A momentter, Gu Chengrui got up and pulled her up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll take a walk, and the watermelons will digest soon.¡±


    The couple went around the mountain for a walk. Zhou Ying found that the cherries and lychees on the mountain were almost ripe, so she got busy harvesting a batch of fruits.


    After they were done, the two of them went out of the interspace to sleep.


    The next day, after Gu Chengrui woke up, he went to take a look at Gu Chenglin. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, Gu Chengrui did not disturb him and returned home.


    After washing up and enjoying their breakfast, Zhou Ying took some rice, water, and snakehead fish in her interspace to make a small pot of ck fish porridge. She packed it and handed it to Gu Chengrui before taking the rest for Gu Chenglin.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui carried his lunchbox and went to visit King Rui.


    Seeing that Doctor He had just finished examining King Rui¡¯s wound, Gu Chengrui went forward and asked, ¡°How¡¯s His Highness? Has the fever subsided?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a slight fever, but the wound is starting to heal. He¡¯ll be fine after two or three days of rest.¡± Doctor He looked at the lunchbox in his hand and said, ¡°Since Lord Gu is here, then it¡¯s your turn to keep watch. This old man will need his meal.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you go ahead.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and made way for him.


    After Doctor He left, Gu Chengrui saw that King Rui was awake and in good spirits. He heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°I asked Zhou Ying to cook some fish porridge. It¡¯s good for your body.¡±


    ¡°I have troubled you, cousin.¡± King Rui nodded.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment when he heard him call him ¡°cousin¡±. He opened the lunchbox and scooped a bowl of porridge for him.


    Then, he leaned King Rui up on his bed and fed him two servings of porridge.


    After eating his fill, King Rui was obviously in better spirits. After lying back down, he asked directly, ¡°What do you n to do with the Lu family? Do you need me to take action?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. King Hui is already in a terrible situation. If you make a move now, he mightsh out in panic.


    ¡°Let us deal with it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you have any difficulties, remember to let me know.


    ¡°Oh right, I heard you want to return to your hometown.


    ¡°Now that King Hui and King Kang have their eyes on you, Once you leave, it¡¯s hard to say if you can return or not.


    ¡°Moreover, Uncle Liu and County Magistrate Sun are there, so your family should not be in danger.


    ¡°If you have anything to do, you can write a letter back. They will help you get it done.¡±


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.


    Although it would be a little dangerous if it were just the two of them, it would not be a big deal. At most, they would hide in Zhou Ying¡¯s interspace.


    However, Gu Chenglin was following them, and they had to be mindful of their family in the vige. He did not dare to take the risk..

 Chapter 652 - 652 Assassin

    Chapter 652: Assassin


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying came up, she scanned Gu Chenglin with her divine sense. Seeing that he was still asleep, she did not disturb him, as she assumed he hadn¡¯t slept well yesterday.


    So, she ced the food on the table for him, then returned to her room to make a pot of tea and read a novel.


    When it was almost noon, Gu Chenglin finally woke up from hunger. He quickly washed up and knocked on the door opposite him to ask, ¡°Cousin-inw, are you inside?¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± Zhou Ying opened the door to wee him and asked, ¡°How did you sleepst night?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s fine. I just slept a littlete.¡± Gu Chenglin scratched his ears and asked with a smile, ¡°Does cousin-inw have anything to eat?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, much stronger than I imagined.¡± Zhou Ying saw that he was indeed in good spirits. After encouraging him, she pointed at the rice and tea on the table and said, ¡°I prepared breakfast for you. After eating, drink two cups of tea to digest your food. It will be lunch in about an hour.¡±


    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s cousin? When are we going back to Dongyang?¡± After Gu Chenglin finished speaking, he began to eat his food.


    ¡°No matter what, we must wait until King Rui¡¯s health recovers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, brother-inw has woken up? I have to go and visit him.¡±


    ¡°You can go during lunch. You can help me deliver their lunch.


    ¡°He had suffered serious injuries and is still feeling weak now. It was better not to disturb him too much.¡±


    ¡°Okay, should we buy some pigeon soup for my brother-inw?¡±


    ¡°Smell carefully. The kitchen has already made some chicken soup. We don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    Gu Chenglin nodded when he heard that. After breakfast, he drank his tea while picking up the medical book that Gu Chengrui had copied for Gu Chengxi.


    When it was time for dinner, he called Zhou Ying and ran downstairs.


    Just then, he bumped into Zhou Huaiming, who was carrying a food box out of the kitchen. He didn¡¯t even bother to eat his lunch before running along with him.


    At this moment, Gu Chengrui also came out with a lunchbox. When he saw her, he said, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s have lunch together. Brother Zhou will take good care of Chenglin.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and followed him to a table in the corner.


    After they were almost done eating, Gu Chengrui told her King Rui¡¯s suggestion and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it carefully and feel it¡¯s not appropriate for us to go back now. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Okay, then write a letter back. As for the chili, cumin, and our workers, just let Sun Hongliang handle them and send them over together with the rose tea.¡±


    Gu Chengrui and Doctor He worked shifts to guard King Rui daily for the next few days.


    Besides apanying King Rui, Gu Chenglin began studying.


    Zhou Ying got busy in her interspace other than her book reading. She even monitored Mrs. Lu and the others through her interspace.


    When Gu Chengrui was free, they would also go out and try the delicacies of the various restaurants and snack bars here.


    Five dayster, at night, just as the couple was about to enter the interspace, Zhou Ying suddenly heard a faint scream and quickly spread her divine sense.


    She saw a soldier patrolling the outer perimeter who had his neck twisted by a man in ck who had climbed over the wall; she immediately alerted Gu Chengrui.


    She also shouted at the top of her lungs, ¡°There¡¯s an assassin!¡±


    ¡°Crossbow, itching powder.¡± Gu Chengrui reached out his hand.


    Zhou Ying immediately took out the crossbow and the itching powder she had specially made for such an asion and handed it to him.


    Although it was called itchy powder, it was a poison that targeted the skin. If there were no antidote, although it would not kill him, it would greatly disfigure the target.


    After Gu Chengrui took the weapon from Zhou Ying, he looked out the window. He saw that the ck man was about to kill someone.


    He immediately drew the crossbow and shot an arrow toward the assassin.


    The man in ck was vignt and held the soldiers in his hands before him as a shield..

 Chapter 653 - 653 Counterattack (1)

    Chapter 653: Counterattack (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, the soldiers Zhou Huaiming brought this time were all experienced fighters. Taking advantage of the moment when the man in ck was distracted, they threw him over their shoulders and knocked him down.


    During the fall, the arrow urately hit the back of the man in ck.


    Following the fall¡¯s momentum, the entire arrow pierced into his body. The ck-clothed man twitched twice before dying.


    At the same time, the backyard got busy because of Zhou Ying¡¯s shout.


    Of course, some patrols discovered more men in ck, so they started fighting outside.


    Zhou Ying left a few arrows for Gu Chengrui and a knife. Then, she took two slingshots and a knife to the opposite door.


    At this moment, Gu Chenglin was holding the door bolt and guarding behind the door. When he saw hering over, he was about to attack her.


    Zhou Ying grabbed him and said, ¡°Hit after you see who ising clearly.¡±


    She threw the knife at him and said, ¡°Let me know if someone ising.¡±


    After saying that, she picked up the chair and went to the back window. She opened the window and spread out her divine sense to look outside, finding a few sneaky figures hiding at the restaurant¡¯s side door.


    Zhou Ying shot a packet of itching powder at the tree above them.


    The powder dispersed and descended. Although the ck-clothed men were tightly wrapped, their eyes, hands, and necks were still more or less exposed. Immediately, they started to scratch their itch, but they bled when they scratched, which really frightened the men.


    ¡°It¡¯s that woman. Kill her!¡± Suddenly, someone pointed at Zhou Ying¡¯s window. As soon as he finished speaking, two men in ck immediately rushed over. Zhou Ying immediately loaded a bag of tear gas powder into her slingshot and shot it at themander.


    When the man saw an unknown thing flying toward him, he subconsciously led his men to dodge. However, his speed was slower than Zhou Ying¡¯s full-powered shot.


    In the end, he was still affected by the tear gas powder.


    The pain of the powdernding on their wounds, coupled with the itch, tortured them to the point where they wished they were dead.


    As for the two men in ck who rushed over, Zhou Ying strangled them with her divine sense and hit them with a bag of aconites at the same time.


    Soon, Zhou Huaiming came with his men to defend the courtyard.


    Zhang Ping led his men to rescue the soldiers scattered everywhere. After that, they all retreated to the backyard and guarded the main house.


    The men in ck were obviously here for King Rui.


    It was obvious because all the men in ck rushed straight into the backyard as their target.


    They fought with Zhou Huaiming and the others.


    In addition, Zhou Ying discovered through her divine sense that there were also people lying in ambush in the small courtyard behind the main house. They climbed in through the windows when the fight broke out in front. Fortunately, there were a few guards still inside the house. Although King Rui had not recovered, he could move freely, so he was in no danger for the time being.


    Zhou Ying confirmed once again that there were no men in ck in the building she was in, and then she got down from her chair.


    She turned around and saw Gu Chenglin holding arge knife and staring at the door.


    ¡°Rx; the men in ck have gone to the backyard. We¡¯re fine for now.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she opened the door and went to the opposite side.


    She happened to bump into Gu Chengruiing out. When he saw her, he asked, ¡°Are all the men in ck gathered in the backyard?¡±


    ¡°Yes, should we go over and save them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re not going downstairs. Give me all the knockout powder and itching powder.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    Zhou Ying nodded. She returned to the house and came back with a small bag.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui took the slingshot and powder from her hands and walked to the room in the middle of the second floor..

 Chapter 654 - 654 Counterattack (2)

    Chapter 654: Counterattack (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying was worried about Gu Chenglin. So, she entered the room and brought Gu Chenglin, who was already sitting on the ground, along with her.


    At this moment, Gu Chengrui stood before a window and shouted, ¡°Retreat and defend! Split up as soon as possible!¡±


    Zhou Huaiming heard his shout and paused momentarily before ordering his soldiers, ¡°Listen up, fight while retreating! Pull away as soon as possible!¡±


    The other party wasn¡¯t stupid. They knew immediately that without mixing with the enemy, something bad might befall them.


    Therefore, they closed the distance and stuck closely together.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he did not get angry. He did not mean to force them to separate. Instead, he wanted his people to retreat to the opposite side of him as far as possible.


    Then, he marked a few of the stronger assassins and started shooting them with his crossbow.


    After five assassins died in a row, the assassins¡¯ leader was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. He immediately shouted, ¡°Send five people to kill him!¡±


    Five people immediately left the team and ran toward the small building as soon as they heard his orders.


    Perhaps because they were afraid of being ambushed, the few of them ran separately and entered the building before gathering together.


    Gu Chengrui turned to Zhou Ying and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and went forward to grab her knife. She also held two bags of knockout powder and two bags of itching powder and went out. When Gu Chenglin saw this, he took two deep breaths and chased after her. ¡°Cousin-inw, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°Good kid, let¡¯s go together.¡± Zhou Ying patted his shoulder.


    However, she did not dare to let him fight head-on. Instead, she told him to hide behind the wall. If someone came up, he couldunch a sneak attack.


    Gu Chenglin had just hidden when the five men in ck rushed in. They did not take her to heart when they saw that there was only Zhou Ying.


    They quickly rushed up.


    Gu Chenglin was so frightened that his eyes were tightly shut, but his hand tightly gripped the knife.


    Zhou Ying smiled. After the men in ck went up the stairs, she threw out the itching powder. She also quickly tore the paper bag with her spiritual sense and scattered it among the five people as much as possible.


    The five of them stopped in their tracks, but it was already impossible for them to retreat. They braced themselves and charged forward.


    But after a moment, the five of them were so itchy that they couldn¡¯t even hold their knives steadily.


    However, the first men had rushed up. No matter what, he had to kill the couple.


    ¡°Chenglin!¡± Zhou Ying shouted.


    Gu Chenglin subconsciously shed his knife.


    That assassin was shocked. He thought that he had been ambushed and immediately dodged.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she quickly moved forward, stabbed him in the heart, and kicked him down.


    Two of the other four assassins fell, too. The itch was so piercing that they couldn¡¯t even move.


    The remaining two people were shocked and trembled, as it was too itchy. They looked at Zhou Ying and did not know whether to retreat or advance.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying smiled and rushed into the room quickly. She pulled out the washbasin and shelf to block the door.


    At the same time, the two men in ck also took the opportunity to rush up.


    Gu Chenglin was about to step forward to stop them, but Zhou Ying threw him to the side. She raised the wooden basin in her hand and smashed it down onto a head.


    The man subconsciously dodged.


    The assassin behind him immediately hid in the same direction as him.


    At this moment, Zhou Ying once again dashed out and finally hit one of the men with her wooden basin.


    She stabbed the other with her knife, and the two men fell, screaming.


    Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief and turned her head to ask, ¡°Chenglin, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gu Chenglin replied excitedly.


    ¡°Very good. Bring a few oilmps over.¡± Zhou Ying patted his shoulder and said..

 Chapter 655 - 655 Counterattack (3)

    Chapter 655: Counterattack (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Although Gu Chenglin did not know what she was up to, he still obediently went to collect the oilmps in the nearby houses.


    When he brought it over, Zhou Ying put the knockout powder inside each oilmp and covered them with ayer of paper to prevent the oil from spilling.


    After she was done, she lit one up and threw it in the middle of the five people below.


    After the oilmps fell to the ground, they exploded with a bang and burned furiously. Of course, the knockout powder also quickly evaporated.


    The four of them instantly fainted and were ignited in mes.


    However, there wasn¡¯t much oil, and the floor was made of stone, so the mes quickly extinguished after their clothes and hair were burned off.


    ¡°Bring the other oilmps back to the room,¡± Zhou Ying said.


    After saying that, she took two oilmps and entered the room, with Gu Chenglin immediately following in with the remaining two.


    At the same time, as soon as the five men in ck retreated, Zhou Huaiming immediately brought five men and quickly surrounded the assassins who had jumped through the windows.


    They were almost done by the time Zhou Ying was done.


    King Rui also walked out of the house.


    When the men in ck saw this, they knew their n had failed. They immediately scattered. Some rushed to the side door, while others wanted to climb over the wall and escape.


    However, how could Zhang Ping let them get away? He started his counterattack.


    Gu Chengrui was delighted when he saw this, as he had been waiting for this moment. He stretched out his hand and said, ¡°Babe, give me the itching powder.¡±


    Zhou Ying immediately stood up and handed him four packs of itching powder. At the same time, she lit up fourmps and handed them to him. ¡°I put knockout powder in themp.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately knew what it was. He picked up the oilmps and threw them at the walls on both sides.


    But because themps were thrown out violently, the mes snuffed out halfway.


    When Zhang Ping saw that Gu Chengrui had thrown the oilmps, he knew Gu Chengrui wanted to use fire to stop the assassins from escaping.


    Therefore, when he saw that the fire did not ignite, he grabbed a torch from a nearby soldier and threw it over.


    The wall was set on fire in an instant, forcing those who wanted to escape by climbing over the wall to retreat.


    A momentter, the men in ck near the wall began to faint.


    Of course, the soldiers did not run up to them after seeing that.


    Gu Chengrui saw that Zhang Ping wanted to go forward and immediately shouted, ¡°There is knockout powder in themps!¡±


    After saying that, he took out his slingshot and started shooting itching powder at the side door.


    However, there were still some men in ck who were lucky enough to escape.


    Gu Chengrui had no remedy for these escapees.


    After that, he asked Zhou Ying for the antidote to the knockout powder. Seeing that Gu Chenglin was in the room, Zhou Ying had no choice but to return to their room to ¡°get it¡±.


    Gu Chengrui took the antidote and walked to the backyard to detoxify the fainted soldiers.


    Soon, all the men in ck were executed.


    In the end, they did not find any useful clues. They did not even leave behind any silver taels.


    After they were done, Zhou Huaiming patted Gu Chengrui¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Thank you so much for today. That first warning must have been from sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what we should do. We¡¯re in the same boat now.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°Cousin, go and inform Uncle Liao and leave this ce to him. We¡¯ll set off immediately.¡± King Rui spoke up at this moment.


    ¡°Your Highness, your injuries can¡¯t withstand the fatigue of the journey.¡± Doctor He immediately advised.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as I don¡¯t die. If we stay any longer, that¡¯s when we might all die.¡± King Rui insisted and returned to his house.


    Everyone did not try to dissuade him anymore. After all, there were already two assassination attempts.


    If they dyed any longer, it would give the other party more time to prepare, which would be even more disadvantageous to them.


    Everyone quickly packed their luggage and rushed to the capital overnight..

 Chapter 656 - 656 A Series Of Assassinations (1)

    Chapter 656: A Series Of Assassinations (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Of course, just in case, Zhou Ying bought all the alcohol and oil in the inn and loaded them into her carriage.


    The group traveled smoothly for quite some time until they passed by the ce where Zhou Ying and the others were ambushedst time.


    Zhou Ying noticed hundreds of men in ck hiding on the other side of the mountain, and the scouts sent by Zhang Ping were also eliminated.


    There were only about 80 people in their group. The assassins would not lose even if they fought head-on, let alone ambushing them. Zhou Ying quickly informed Gu Chengrui of this.


    Gu Chengrui peeked out and saw Zhang Ping and the others at the front were about to enter an ambush.


    ¡°General Zhang, wait a moment.¡±


    After shouting, he immediately got off the carriage and ran over.


    Zhang Ping heard his shout and immediately raised his hand to stop everyone. When he came over, he asked, ¡°What happened, Lord Gu?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too quiet here?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    Zhang Ping asked in surprise, ¡°Are you saying there might be an ambush?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best to be careful. Didn¡¯t you send out a scout who hasn¡¯t returned yet? Let¡¯s wait for a while. Safety first.¡±


    Zhang Ping hesitated for a moment, but he finally nodded after considering the safety of His Highness. He then went to report to King Rui personally.


    After waiting for about 15 minutes, Zhang Ping began to feel uneasy. The scout had gone for a long time and should have returned.


    They waited another 15 minutes, but there was still no sign of his return. Zhang Ping finally confirmed that there was an ambush ahead.


    At this time, Zhou Huaiming had also rushed over with 20 people.


    After learning that there was an ambush ahead, he said solemnly, ¡°Your highness, you must return. Leave this ce to us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going back. If I head back, it¡¯ll be difficult to reenter the capital again.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t return, the princess consort and the others will be in danger.¡± King Rui shook his head.


    He knew very well that, after the exposure of the crimes of the First Prince and the Fourth Price, the situation inside the capital was dire, even though it seemed calm on the surface.


    Otherwise, Seventh Su would not have attempted assassination on Gu Chengrui and his wife. He even tried wiping out the forces King Rui left in the capital, including the two consorts.


    If he couldn¡¯t return this time, the First and Fourth Princes would join forces to kill him.


    Even if he could survive, he would suffer heavy losses. This was not what he wanted to see.


    ¡°If you trust me, pick a few people with strong arms. I have my ways.¡± Gu Chengrui spoke up.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zhang Ping quickly turned his head and asked.


    ¡°You should still remember the oilmp we threw back then, right? When we left the inn, my wife bought all the alcohol and oil there.¡±


    ¡°But how do we lure them out?¡±


    ¡°Gather all the horses and run over quickly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s feasible. Let¡¯s do it.¡± King Rui nodded in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When they hear the sound of thundering hooves, they will act.


    ¡°Even if we fail, they¡¯lle out after knowing we¡¯ve discovered them. Otherwise, they won¡¯t have the chance to make a move at dawn.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded in agreement.


    Zhang Ping nodded and started to execute the n.


    What they didn¡¯t expect was that there was a trip rope on the way. Fortunately, there was no one on the horse that fell.


    At the same time, when everyone stopped to check the horse that fell, Zhou Ying used her spiritual senses to strangle two assassins on sentry duty at the top of the mountain.


    Therefore, when the horses continued their march, the assassins did not receive a heads-up from the sentries and immediately ran out to intercept the horses..

 Chapter 657 - 657 A Series Of Assassinations (2)

    Chapter 657: A Series Of Assassinations (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When the assassins saw the riderless horses, they were dumbfounded.


    At the same time, they noticed King Rui and the rest standing some distance away. They hurriedly rushed over.


    ¡°Get ready, throw!¡± Zhang Ping shouted.


    The oilmps were quickly flung toward the assassins in an instant, and a torch was urately thrown onto the spilled alcohol.


    In an instant, the intense alcohol formed a wall of fire. Also, the assassins couldn¡¯t differentiate the knockout powder from the smell of alcohol fumes.


    But soon, a portion of the men in ck began to feel dizzy.


    Gu Chengrui sent over another ten jars and said, ¡°Throw them a little closer.¡±


    Zhang Ping nodded. After the assassins broke through the first line of defense, he gave another order and threw them along with another torch.


    This time, the oilmps were filled with tear gas, so once they burned, the choking smell soared into the sky, making it difficult for the assassins even to stand still.


    After the smell dispersed a little, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°It¡¯s fine to enter now.¡±


    Zhang Ping immediately waved his sword and rushed in with his men.


    Zhou Huaiming had his men take out their bows and arrows to shoot at the assassins.


    Under the bombardment from various angles, the assassins were quickly defeated, but two at the edge turned around and ran.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she immediately chased after them. She wanted to see who was behind this.


    After Zhang Ping and the rest were done, they were also a little dizzy from the knockout powder. Fortunately, they did not faint.


    With Zhou Ying¡¯s help, they found all the horses and the scout killed by the assassins. The group quickly rushed to the capital.


    After they entered the city, the two assassins Zhou Ying followed entered a manor.


    What she did not expect was that the one who was behind this was King Kang.


    When he heard that only the two of them were left out of the 200 people he had sent out, King Kang was so angry that he threw the teacup in his hand on the ground and cursed, ¡°I knew that Gu Chengrui and his wife would ruin my ns sooner orter. I didn¡¯t expect it to reallye true.


    ¡°Since you refuse my goodwill, don¡¯t me me for not giving you face.¡±


    He looked at the assassins and asked, ¡°You two didn¡¯t leave any evidence, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t even bring any money with us when we went over.¡±


    ¡°Very good. When you go back, train well. Also, think of a way to deal with the chili powder and knockout powder. I don¡¯t want something simr to happen again.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two men in ck looked at each other and walked out with a sigh of relief.


    However, it was too early for them to celebrate. They were stabbed to death by King Kang¡¯s two guards the moment they stepped out of the door.


    The two men in ck looked at King Kang unwillingly before they died. They wanted to ask him why he turned back on his words.


    ¡°Only the dead can keep secrets.¡± King Kang replied expressionlessly.


    His assassination attempt on the Third Prince tonight must be kept under wraps. Otherwise, King Kang would face his father¡¯s suspicion and his third brother¡¯s pressure. Even if he survived this ordeal, he would lose ayer of skin.


    King Kang turned to one of the guards and said, ¡°Inform Uncle Bai and tell him to find a way to deal with those chili powders as soon as possible.


    ¡°In addition, the next time there¡¯s any mission, remember to prepare an antidote. We wouldn¡¯t have faced such a heavy loss if we had those prepared.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The guard responded and left.


    At the same time, he didn¡¯t agree to his master¡¯s orders. Antidote pills were expensive, and giving them to everyone would be a huge expense.


    Most importantly, not everyone was willing to use such a hefty dose of knockout powder. It could only be said that these two teams were extremely unlucky today.


    However, this was also good money spent on his brother-in-arms, so he did not object to it..

 Chapter 658 - 658 The Gu Family’s Property

    Chapter 658: The Gu Family¡¯s Property


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After they left, Zhou Ying nced at the manor.


    Although the manor looked very ordinary, the fact that assassins lived in it proved that this ce was definitely not simple.


    She swept her gaze over the luxurious main courtyard where King Kang lived and checked everything carefully.


    Finally, she found a secretpartment behind a painting in his study. There were two boxes, one big and one small.


    Inside the small box was a stack of silver notes worth 1,000 taels of silver. Inside the big box was a stack of letters.


    Seeing that King Kang was asleep, Zhou Ying immediately put them into her interspace.


    After returning to the residence, the couple left some instructions and returned to their room.


    After entering her interspace, Zhou Ying took out the two boxes. After confirming the special mark on the banknotes, she put them aside.


    Then, she and Gu Chengrui read the letters in the big box in order.


    It was mainly information collected from various sources, each on just a piece of paper.


    ¡°There are King Kang¡¯s men in Dongyang¡¯s military camp. No wonder he¡¯s so familiar with King Rui¡¯s whereabouts.


    ¡°However, King Rui and the others should have noticed it by now.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he handed her a piece of paper.


    Zhou Ying nced at it. Sure enough, it was the news of King Rui returning to the capital with serious injuries.


    The two of them flipped through a few more letters and were surprised that there was information rted to them. Moreover, it was soprehensive that it covered everything besides Zhou Ying¡¯s interspace.


    Thest piece of information they got was also the most useful. It was rted to the investigation of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s assets.


    Moreover, the information showed that after the Gu family was raided, King Hui and the others did not hand everything over to the national treasury. Instead, they hid what they took in a house north of the city.


    After Zhou Ying finished reading, she looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°Since those things can¡¯t be exposed, should we take them all back?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Even if they know that they lost it, they probably won¡¯t dare to reveal that since it could trace back to King Kang.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Zhou Ying decided and quickly returned the two boxes to their original ces.


    Following the address on the letter, she found the house north of the city. It was a rtively dpidated house.


    A family of eight lived inside, with three generations of grandparents and grandchildren.


    It seems like the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s methods of hiding things were really shockingly simr to those of his concubine.


    She searched the entire residence and found the stuff in the side courtyard.


    However, what she did not expect was that the entire courtyard below was hollowed out.


    Four entrances led in four directions, each leading to the four basements.


    It seemed that they were really cautious. If she didn¡¯t have her divine senses, she could only discover two of the four basements at most.


    After that, she quickly took everything from the four secret chambers.


    As for the family of eight in the main courtyard, she honestly did not feel guilty about robbing them.


    The fact that they could live here meant that they were the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s trusted aides. They must have been involved in many sinful deeds, as they would not have been able to gain the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s trust otherwise.


    When she put everything into her interspace, she was shocked to see that there were more than 200 boxes of things.


    Half of them were antique paintings; the other half was filled with jewelry; and about 50 boxes were filled with gold bars. She was toozy to count them all. In short, she struck gold.


    ¡°It seems that the Marquis of Ding¡¯an has been embezzling quite a bit over the years.¡± Gu Chengruimented while holding a silver-iid jade hairpin that was obviously not of the Ming Dynasty style.


    ¡°Is this something from the west?¡±


    ¡°Yes, our country likes to use gold-iid jade, but the west continent prefers silver-iid jade. Moreover, the jewelry they make there is moreplicated.¡±


    ¡°What a rare jade this is.¡±


    ¡°I just wonder which of these once belonged to the Gu family..¡±

 Chapter 659 - 659 Return To The Residence

    Chapter 659: Return To The Residence


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Although the Gu family was the richest in the Ming Dynasty back then, their foundation was still a little shallow, so they shouldn¡¯t have this much antique calligraphy and painting.


    ¡°On the contrary, they had nock of jewelry.


    ¡°Therefore, the jewelry and gold bars here might mostly belong to the Gu family.¡±


    After returning to the residence, Zhou Huaiming saw that King Rui¡¯s face was frighteningly pale. He immediately had someone carry King Rui into his own study in the front courtyard, while Doctor He immediately examined King Rui¡¯s wound.


    After the examination, Doctor He heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Fortunately, Lord Gu stitched up all the wounds previously. Although they split open, it¡¯s not a big deal. After changing the bandages and resting for two days, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. But why does his face look so pale?¡±


    ¡°First, he lost too much blood and injured his vitality.


    ¡°Besides, to put it bluntly, it¡¯s the difort caused by the long journey. He just needed to nourish himself more.¡± After Doctor He finished speaking, he started changing the bandages.


    ¡°Alright. You¡¯ve been busy all night. Go back and rest early; leave this to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will take my leave then.¡± Doctor He nodded, picked up his first-aid kit, and walked out.


    Butler Feng rushed in as soon as he left while putting on his clothes. He nced at King Rui, whose eyes were closed, and then looked at Zhou Huaiming and asked, ¡°Young Master, how is His Highness¡¯ injury?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, but he¡¯s tired from the journey. Let him have a good rest.¡± Zhou Huaiming exined and brought Butlet Feng out of the bedroom. ¡°Has anyone been causing trouble in the residence recently?¡±


    ¡°Ever since I apanied the Princess Consort to the Emperor toin, things have been rtively stable.¡±


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll talk about the rest tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to call the Princess Consort and the others to apany His Highness?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming shook his head and yawned. ¡°No need. We¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then this old servant will return to bed now.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, the sky was bright. Sun Miaoke and Gu Wanning also received news that King Rui had returned to the residence in the middle of the night and was seriously injured.


    After breakfast, Gu Wanning used a y pot to simmer a pot of millet, red dates, and red bean porridge.


    She packed up lunchboxes and went to the main courtyard. After that, she went to the front courtyard with Sun Miaoke.


    Zhou Huaiming had just finished washing up and was about to send someone to the kitchen to get food. When he heard theming in, he immediately stood up and went out to wee them. ¡°Good morning, sisters-inw.¡± ¡°Good morning, cousin. It must have been hard on youst night. How is His Highness? Is he awake?¡± Sun Miaoke asked.


    ¡°I just woke up. You guys can go in. I¡¯m going to the kitchen to find something to eat.¡± Zhou Huaiming yawned and walked out.


    Sun Miaoke walked into the bedroom with Gu Wanning.


    Just as King Rui was about to get up, Gu Wanning immediately ced the lunchboxes on the bedside table and helped him up. ¡°Your Highness, are you getting off the bed or¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been lying down for too long. I would like to sit up.¡±


    Gu Wanning immediately ced the pillow and nket behind him and asked, ¡°Your Highness, is it suitable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± King Rui nodded.


    ¡°You must be hungry. It just so happens that Sister Gu has made some millet porridge.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also asked the kitchen to prepare ginseng chicken soup for you for lunchter.¡± Sun Miaoke sat on a stool beside the bed and said.


    When Gu Wanning heard that, she immediately scooped up a bowl of porridge. After mixing a little, she sat by the bed and said, ¡°Let me feed you.¡±


    ¡°No need. Although I¡¯m injured, I can still eat myself.¡± King Rui took the bowl and lowered his head to eat..

 Chapter 660 - 660 Harmonious

    Chapter 660: Harmonious


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At the same time, he looked at the two women from the corner of his eye. They were staring at him nervously. They did not look jealous of each other and instead were just concerned about him.


    He felt a little strange. He didn¡¯t know if they didn¡¯t care about him or if he was just lucky to marry two women who were more generous and virtuous than the other.


    Looking at their nervous expressions, he felt thetter was more likely.


    Most importantly, Uncle Feng had never mentioned anything about their conflict in the letter he wrote to him. On the contrary, they were surprisingly harmonious when Seventh Su schemed against themst time.


    It seemed that after suffering for half a lifetime, the heavens finally granted him something great.


    At the thought of this, he turned her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m too embarrassed to eat.¡±


    ¡°We were afraid that your wound would open up.¡± The two of them replied in unison.


    King Rui paused for a moment before replying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lord Gu stitched up my wound. As long as I don¡¯t do any strenuous exercise, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Cousin? Isn¡¯t Cousin in his hometown?¡± Gu Wanning asked in surprise.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t manage to leave. Since I was injured, he stayed behind. He¡¯s already back at his residence.¡±


    ¡°Are they alright?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine, but it¡¯s true that they¡¯re quite tired.¡± When King Rui said this, he looked at Sun Miaoke. ¡°Oh right, send someone to send 2,000 pounds of new rice to the Gu residenceter.


    ¡°It was all thanks to the various medicinal powders they had that they could return safely.¡±


    ¡°Should we add something else?¡±


    ¡°No need. They don¡¯tck anything now other than rice.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send them overter and visit them.¡± Gu Wanning quipped in.


    ¡°Sure. Be careful.¡± King Rui reminded her, and he lowered his head to eat his porridge.


    The porridge was very tasty, and the red beans also had a faint, sweet fragrance.


    When he was done eating, Zhou Huaiming came in with Butler Feng. The two women knew they had something important, so they didn¡¯t stay and immediately left.


    After returning to the backyard, Sun Miaoke asked Qing Tao to take out 5,000 pounds of rice for Gu Wanning.


    Gu Wanning did not dy and went straight to the Gu residence with the rice.


    After the women left, King Rui asked Butler Feng in detail about what had happened in the capital recently.


    He learned that everything else was unusually quiet besides the assassination attempt of Gu Chengrui and his wife.


    Especially the Empress and King Hui. The two of them seemingly stayed imprisoned in their residence withoutint.


    However, with the mother and son¡¯s stubborn personalities, it was impossible for them to be so quiet. What were they holding back this time?


    ¡°Cousin, Uncle Feng, who do you think is behind this assassination?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. After the sterilization incident, the Emperor¡¯s attitude toward King Kang became much more rxed.


    ¡°This also indirectly showed that the Emperor intended to give up on him.


    ¡°As for King Hui, it¡¯s certain that he¡¯s not the Emperor¡¯s choice, too.


    ¡°Therefore, both of them could have made a move on you.¡± Butler Feng replied.


    ¡°Uncle Feng, now that you mention it, I think it¡¯s more likely King Kang is behind this.


    ¡°At this time, King Hui is at rock bottom. He has to do something to steer the ship around, or else he will not act. Therefore, I think that the possibility of King Kang being behind this assassination attempt is high.¡±


    ¡°I heard that after the Seventh Prince got married, he went to the Ministry of Revenue. How is he doing?¡± King Rui suddenly asked.


    ¡°The Seventh Prince?¡± Uncle Feng looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°Are you saying that the Seventh Prince is also possible¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on him. Although his inws aren¡¯t politically strong, his connections are not shallow. He has gathered arge number of followers the same age as him..¡±

 Chapter 661 - 661 Saving Someone

    Chapter 661: Saving Someone


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Indeed, the Seventh Prince has always been working hard, and his humble and polite image has also been deeply rooted in the people¡¯s hearts.¡± Zhou Huaiming echoed.


    If it weren¡¯t for his subordinate¡¯s report that the Seventh Prince had gone to the teahouse with those officials¡¯ young masters too many times recently, he wouldn¡¯t have discovered the Seventh Prince¡¯s ambition.


    Moreover, he had the Yan family as his backer, so it was not as if he did not have a chance of winning.


    ¡°This subordinate has failed in his duty. I really did not pay attention to the Seventh Prince.¡± Butler Feng quickly bowed and said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Pay more attention to him in the future and be on guard against him.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    At night, Zhou Ying, who was busy harvesting wheat in her interspace, suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. After confirming that the protective talisman she had ced was broken, she immediately checked the patriarch¡¯s house through the Mother God Temple.


    After confirming that they were fine, she quickly found Magu.


    As expected, Magu had already been tied up by the coachman, who was looking at the stone in his hand with a dumbfounded expression.


    He couldn¡¯t understand why the stone didn¡¯t kill Magu. Instead, the stone was cracked.


    Magu was obviously frightened as well, but she was not in the mood to care about this. Instead, she looked at the coachman and asked, ¡°Wang Mazi, what happened to you?


    ¡°I¡¯ve been taking care of you all these years. Even if you want my life, you have to let me know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t; I¡¯m not worthy of your care.


    ¡°As for the reason, you haven¡¯t forgotten about the fire five nights ago, right?


    ¡°You are probably out to no good today, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. Your house burning down has nothing to do with me.¡± Magu shook her head.


    ¡°Stop acting dumb. I saw your face that night. It was you who walked to my bed, knocked over the oilmp, and set my house on fire.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have a trace of consciousness and crawled out of the back window in a daze, I would have died in the sea of fire.¡±


    When Magu heard that her nephew was not mentioned, she no longer argued with him.


    Since her nephew was gone, she had nothing to worry about, so whether she died or not didn¡¯t make any difference.


    ¡°It really is you.¡± As the coachman said this, his eyes sharpened. He raised the stone in his hand again and smashed it at her head with all his might.


    Seeing this, Magu closed her eyes.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she quickly knocked them unconscious with her divine sense.


    However, the stone stillnded on Magu¡¯s head, directly hitting her face and leaving a big bruise.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she directly took them in through the space.


    She also drugged them to keep them knocked out.


    After he was done with his work, Gu Chengrui saw the two people lying on the ground. He looked for Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Babe, who are those two people?¡±


    ¡°That woman is Magu, an assassin working for the Lu family.


    ¡°As for the man, he was the one who was almost burned to death. He was the coachman who sent us to the dock.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s them. What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to lock them up for the time being and interrogate Magu to see if I can take down the Lu family in one fell swoop.


    ¡°But where are we going to interrogate him?¡±


    Gu Chengrui could not think of a suitable ce after hearing that. After all, there were too many people at their residence. It was definitely not an appropriate ce.


    Also, he could not trouble King Rui with everything.


    He hesitated for a moment and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we throw them into the interspace for now? We¡¯ll find a deserted ce to interrogate them tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s the only way.¡± Zhou Ying responded, and the couple tied them up tightly.


    Furthermore, Gu Chengrui feared they would wake up halfway, so he drugged them again.


    After the couple were done with their work, they quickly left the interspace..

 Chapter 662 - 662 Interrogation (1)

    Chapter 662: Interrogation (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After breakfast the next day, the two sent King Rui some tonics made with ginseng, ganoderma, bird¡¯s nest, wolfberries, longan, donkey hide, and so on. They were all high-quality products produced in the interspace.


    After delivering his supplements, the couple drove a carriage out of the city.


    After leaving the city, Zhou Ying spread out her divine senses. After confirming that no one was following them, they went straight to a Mother God Temple.


    Offering some incense, they went up the mountain in the name of sightseeing.


    They found a remote cave. After confirming there was no danger, Zhou Ying threw the two people inside her interspace out.


    Seeing that they were still unconscious, Gu Chengrui nodded in satisfaction. He went forward and gave them the antidote.


    About 15 minutester, the two woke up one after another.


    When the coachman saw them, his face was filled with fear. He immediately shrank back and asked, ¡°What, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°You should know, but you have to thank us for finding you such a good ce for your burial.¡± Zhou Yingmented and pointed at the green mountains and rivers outside.


    ¡°You, you¡­ You, you can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t we? If you can do the first, we can do the fifteenth. It¡¯s fair, no?


    ¡°Tell me, how do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want to die! It¡¯s her; Magu threatened me!


    ¡°Her mistress is the old concubine of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an. If you want to find the person who harmed you, you should look for them instead!¡± The coachman shouted.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Howe you know my identity?¡± Magu suddenly injected and asked. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the only smart one here? Among those bandits, a few of them had seen you go to a Mother God Temple together. Naturally, they knew you two were master and servant and discovered your identities.


    ¡°Otherwise, do you really think they are so easily threatened?¡±


    The coachman shook his head regretfully. ¡°Unfortunately, their luck is not as good as they thought.¡±


    Magu looked up at the couple and said, ¡°Since you already know the ins and outs of the matter, give me a quick death.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not afraid of death, but your nephew should be. Or rather, you don¡¯t want your nephew to die.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    However, her eyes had no smile; they were filled with provocation.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Magu finally knew fear.


    She did not know if Xiao Xu was in their hands, so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°Tell me, what do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Smart. No wonder your madam appreciated you.


    ¡°My request is simple. Tell me everything you know about the evil deeds that Mrs. Lu has done.¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. It seems that your only nephew, Xiao Xu, isn¡¯t that important. How about I send him to apany you to meet your ancestors?¡±


    Magu struggled violently a few times, but she couldn¡¯t stand up.


    She thought of something and quickly calmed down. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°I like that. I guess you gave your nephew 2,000 taels of silver for nothing. It wasn¡¯t difficult to bribe that man called Er Niu in the small courtyard of XX alley.¡±


    Magu¡¯s pupils constricted when she heard that. She really did not expect that the couple would find the tunnel entrance.


    ¡°If the heavens do evil, you can go against it. If you do evil, it¡¯s the end of you.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll fulfill your wish.


    ¡°Someone like you, whose hands are stained with blood, doesn¡¯t have the chance to turn over a new leaf anyway.


    ¡°Remember to be more picky when you reincarnate in your next life. Don¡¯t be a cow or a horse, as it will be tiring.¡± Zhou Ying took out two silver notes from her sleeve and waved them before Magu¡¯s eyes.


    Magu was utterly dumbfounded when she saw the familiar handwriting on the banknote.


    She didn¡¯t think that Xiao Xu would really fall into their hands..

 Chapter 663 - 663 Interrogation (2)

    Chapter 663: Interrogation (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying looked at her mockingly and said, ¡°When I said I have eyes on him, there¡¯s no need to lie to you.¡±


    That¡¯s right, she only had eyes on him, as she didn¡¯t waste effort catching him. She just borrowed his silver notes and would return themter.


    When Magu heard this, the little bit of hope in her heart waspletely gone.


    She recalled her life¡¯s experiences. Although she did not have to worry about food and clothing after entering the Lu Residence and following her mistress, she had done too many evil things to stabilize her position.


    After entering the Marquis¡¯ Residence, she dipped her toes in many sinful acts and even dragged her family into it.


    Over the past few years, as her family left one by one, she did not know if it was because she had found her conscience, old age, or retribution; she would get jolted awake by nightmares every night.


    These nightmares were all scenes of her murdering orders, making her uneasy. Recently, it was getting more difficult for her to even fall asleep.


    This was also the reason why she urged her nephew to leave. She was afraid that he would follow her old path.


    But Xiao Xu¡­


    Thinking of this, she looked at the couple and asked, ¡°If I tell you, will you really let Xiao Xu go?¡±


    ¡°Of course. To put it bluntly, he was only implicated by you.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you. After I¡¯m done, I hope you can give me a quick death and a simple burial.¡± As Magu said this, she sank into her memories.


    A momentter, she slowly began to talk about how she had framed her other maid sisters.


    After bing Mrs. Lu¡¯s personal maid, she helped drug Sun Wenhao for their marriage to be real.


    She helped Mrs. Lu ascend her position from a nameless concubine to second in ce all the way until now.


    There were at least 80 people who had died in her hands.


    At the same time, as she started to recall her memories, Gu Chengrui pressed the button of a recording pen.


    ¡°Do you have any evidence or witnesses for what you said?¡±


    ¡°There is physical evidence. It is stored in a dark room of the master bedroom in the fourth courtyard of Schrflower Lane, in the south of the city. If there is nothing there, it means it¡¯s been destroyed.


    ¡°As for witnesses, they were all dead except for the madam.¡± At this point, Magu looked at the coachman and added, ¡°He¡¯s one of them.¡±


    The coachman rolled his eyes, as what he had done was nothingpared to hers.


    As Zhou Ying listened to Magu¡¯s expressionless narration, she had to admit that Magu was an intelligent person. It was really not easy for her to survive after murdering so many.


    ¡°How much do you know about the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s wife, the Empress¡¯ mother?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, she has done far more evil than you.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, their hands are stained with more blood than mine.


    ¡°In the beginning, it was because the Marquis was too much of a yboy. For the sake of her children, she killed many of the Marquis¡¯s women and children.


    ¡°Later on, it was for the Empress, and now, it was for the sake of pushing King Hui to the throne.


    ¡°Every step they took was over countless human lives.


    ¡°Of course, the Empress had imed countless lives herself.


    ¡°I know that they have an intelligence organization specializing in collecting information. It is mostly made up of orphans and pce maids that will spread to the families of various officials. This helps them collect information or control the people they want to control.¡± When Magu said this, she looked at the couple and said, ¡°Yang Shicheng¡¯s second wife, Mrs. Cui, is a perfect example of being controlled by them.


    ¡°There are also some of them in your residence now. You have to be careful of those sweet-mouthed and especially diligent people.¡±


    When Zhou Ying heard her words, she immediately thought of Xiaxiang and asked, ¡°Do you know how many of them there are?¡±

 Chapter 664 - 664 Interrogation (3)

    Chapter 664: Interrogation (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact number and only know that they are divided into six groups. The capital has two groups, and the rest are all in other ces.


    ¡°The old madam was the chief helmsman who issued their orders.¡±


    Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui were a little scared after hearing this. This organization was muchrger than they had imagined.


    ¡°Can you tell me what the old madam has done to those government officials?¡± Zhou Ying asked again.


    ¡°The old marquis had a younger cousin who grew up together. After they married, he took her in as a noble concubine who gave birth to the family¡¯s eldest son.


    ¡°Even after the old madam gave birth to the empress, she still took advantage of the fact that the marquis was not at home to frame his younger cousin for drugging the other concubines and miscarrying a newly formed male fetus.


    ¡°At that time, the marquis¡¯ mother was still around, so she punished the noble concubine to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days and nights.


    ¡°Later, the old madam harmed the eldest son and framed the concubine, who had just miscarried.


    ¡°The two concubines were injured in a big fight and died shortly after.


    ¡°I knew this because I had roped in a servant girl on the old madam¡¯s side.


    ¡°It was only then that I realized how childish my methods were. It was also this that inspired me and allowed me to walk all the way to where I am now.¡±


    ¡°Is it that easy to rope in someone by her side?¡±


    ¡°Those who are ambitious and jealous are naturally easy to rope in, but the old madam will always be the winner.


    ¡°Before that servant girl could climb into the marquis¡¯s bed, she was framed by the old madam and executed for having an affair with an outsider.


    ¡°There was also the death of thete Empress.


    ¡°But what I know of that is limited. I only overheard the Second Master mentioning that he mes the Empress Dowager for being a busybody, or else the previous Empress and the Zhou family would have disappeared together.


    ¡°It was also then that I found out that the old madam had an organization that specialized in collecting intelligence.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, the so-called evidence of the Zhou family colluding with the enemy and betraying the country back then was something that the old madam had gotten someone to frame them.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also Consort Kang¡¯s miscarriage¡­¡±


    Magu probably did not want to bring any secret into her grave, so she continued to spill everything nonchntly.


    Four hourster, her throat was so dry that she couldn¡¯t speak anymore.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying turned around and left the cave. She packed a bag of food from her interspace and brought it in. In addition to some buns and spiced beef, there was wine and a te of strawberries. She handed it to Magu and said, ¡°For the sake of your sincerity, have yourst meal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Magu nodded.


    She grabbed a strawberry and started eating. As for whether it was poisoned or not, she didn¡¯t care.


    After all, it was herst meal.


    Gu Chengrui kicked the coachman and asked, ¡°Is there anything else you want to say?¡±


    ¡°I, I am different from her. Besides helping her drive you guys in a carriage, I have only helped her transport goods out of the city a few times over the past two years.¡±


    ¡°What goods?¡±


    ¡°I only know that thest two times were corpses. At the beginning, I was too focused on the great reward to notice what the goods were.¡±


    ¡°All of his goods are copses. They are people who died because they did notplete their assigned tasks in the residence, including my younger brother.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at the coachman andmented, ¡°You should eat and drink with her.¡±


    The coachman was stunned for a moment and quickly shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to have ast meal.


    Gu Chengrui did not try to persuade him further when he saw his rejection.


    After Magu had eaten and drunk her fill, Zhou Ying took out two pieces of potassium cyanide and handed them to the two of them.


    The coachman looked at the white pill and refused to eat it, no matter what. Gu Chengrui went forward and pinched his cheeks to feed them; he downed it with a ss of wine.


    An undertaker who would ept any job with money would be a disaster anyway.


    The main issue was that he knew too much..

 Chapter 665 - 665 Plan

    Chapter 665: n


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Magu happily took it and directly put it into her mouth. She looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Remember to bury me and let Xiao Xu go. He¡­ He didn¡¯t kill anyone.¡±


    She spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground, but shet still stared at Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t make things difficult for him.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Magu smiled when she saw this and stopped breathing.


    At the same time, the coachman also breathed hisst.


    After that, the couple cleaned up the scene and wrapped the two corpses in a mat. They found a sunny ce and buried them separately.


    After she was done with her work, Zhou Ying took out some joss paper money stored in her interspace, burned arge pile for each of them, and went down the mountain after that.


    When they returned to the capital, the sky had already darkened, and there were no longer many people on the streets.


    The two went straight to the south of the city and first took a look at the two shops they had bought.


    They didn¡¯t expect a small restaurant to open on this street, too, and the business was good. Out of curiosity, the two of them went in for a meal.


    They were surprised that there were only rice and stir-fried dishes. There were no real restaurant-level dishes at all.


    The couple made do with a meal and finally drove the carriage to their shop to prepare some water and fodder for the horses.


    The two of them quietly found No. 4. of Schrflower Lane and opened the door with the key they took from Magu.


    They went straight to the master bedroom, and Zhou Ying used her divine senses to search the room. Finally, she found a button on the inner side of the bed and pressed it.


    Soon, a small, dark room appeared under the bed.


    The two did not move the bed. Instead, Zhou Ying directly kept it in her interspace.


    After checking the ce and confirming that there was nothing of value, they erased any traces of their presence and quickly took their carriage back to the manor.


    After washing up, the two entered the space and checked the things that Magu had left behind. To be honest, there was really nothing valuable.


    There was a small quilt made of quality wool, a jade pendant, some pieces of jewelry, a dagger, and a rope with blood on it.


    Finally, there was arge bag of Soul Severing Incense, a poison that Magu had made herself.


    Gu Chengrui frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid these are useless.¡±


    ¡°There should be a use for it, but there is no suitable opportunity at the moment.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a worried look, ¡°It seems we killed Magu in a hurry. These things probably won¡¯t be able to trouble Mrs. Lu.¡±


    ¡°Wrong. Magu dares to speak to us, but when facing the old madam, she would rathermit suicide than speak.


    ¡°This is her servitude that¡¯s carved into her bones.


    ¡°Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have to obey orders tomit murder, even though she hated it.¡± Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Actually, there is a better way. Let the two wives of Marquis Ding¡¯an fight among themselves. That way, even if Mrs. Lu doesn¡¯t die, she won¡¯t be in the mood to find trouble with us.


    ¡°They need money to fund their organization. Don¡¯t you know where Mrs. Lu¡¯s private stash is? Just take it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, exin first how we make them fight among themselves.¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously.


    ¡°I remember that in the list of spies, there¡¯s someone who is closely monitoring Mrs. Lu. If the spy were to die at Magu¡¯s hands, what do you think the old madam would think?¡±


    Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that. ¡°The poison used by Magu, Soul Severing Incense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t she say that she made the poison herself? I don¡¯t think the old madam is ignorant about this..¡±

 Chapter 666 - 666 Strike

    Chapter 666: Strike


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°After all, Magu is nowhere to be found now,¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile.


    ¡°Not bad; let¡¯s give it a try.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    Zhou Ying nodded and then found the servant girl¡¯s information. She didn¡¯t expect that she was one of Mrs. Lu¡¯s personal servant girls who was usually responsible for serving tea and helping to manage the household ounts.


    She shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Mrs. Lu is that blind or if this spy is too sessful.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that spy was too sessful. Magu never mentioned it, so it seems that they don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Looking at her age, she should have been by Mrs. Lu¡¯s side for quite some time.


    ¡°Presumably, this was one of the hidden reasons why Mrs. Lu was able to rise to the top.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and got busy.


    Once they were done with their work and everyone was almost asleep, Zhou Ying took the Soul Severing Incense and gave it to the spy.


    She even deliberately left some incense that had yet to be burned out.


    Sheter threw the corpse of the spy into a dry well in a side courtyard where Magu often stored her victims.


    In the end, she took all of Mrs. Lu¡¯s private stash of treasure into her space.


    She also returned Xiao Xu¡¯s 2,000 taels of silver.


    After Gu Chengrui sent Gu Chenglin off the next morning, Zhou Ying called Zhou Dong over and said, ¡°Brother Zhou Dong, how¡¯s your learning at the teahouse?


    ¡°Can you manage a small shop now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to put it bluntly, I¡¯ve got to be sweet with my words, quick on my feet, and keep the ounts diligently.


    ¡°Although I can¡¯t manage a big restaurant, I can manage a small shop.¡± Zhou Dong nodded.


    ¡°Good. Now that the wheat and rice from all over the country areing in, you can start now if there¡¯s no problem. The shop over there needs to be repaired, too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start in the new month since there are only a few days left in this month. It¡¯s also to give some time for my manager to look for someone else to take over my position.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you know how to be considerate of others. Oh, right. Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to open a snack shop?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Yes, we have the skills for this, and we don¡¯t need much manpower. The two of us can handle it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯ve made up your mind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you; I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± Zhou Dong said goodbye, stood up, and left.


    Zhou Ying was relieved when she saw that he was much more efficient than before.


    After she left, she and Shizhu went to a restaurant.


    Niu Fugui, who was instructing someone on the renovation, saw her and immediately stopped what he was doing. ¡°Mistress, do you have any advice for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to check on the progress.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then I¡¯ll continue with my work.¡± Niu Fugui nodded and went back to work.


    Zhou Ying nced around the shop and saw there was nothing much that was ready. She walked to the wooden materials and checked them out. After confirming they were from high-quality red pine, she left with Shizhu.


    She ordered all kinds of tableware, kitchenware, and so on. This time, she ordered some small iron stoves and the usual copperware.


    This way, they could sell barbecued meat in winter and even make hot pots, griddle pots, and other dishes.


    She spent the money happily.


    On the other hand, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence was in an uproar.


    When Mrs. Lu woke up and did not see Magu in the morning, she felt a little uneasy.


    She wanted to drink some tea, but her usual maidservant was also gone.


    Immediately, she became frustrated and asked someone to look for her in the residence.


    The old madam soon received the news that her spy was missing. She used the excuse of concern to ask her servants to help look for her, too.


    She could no longer remain calm when she found the spy¡¯s corpse in the dry well. This was the deepest nail she had nted in the concubine¡¯s household.


    Thinking of this, she immediately went over personally..

 Chapter 667 - 667 A Search

    Chapter 667: A Search


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Even though she knew the spy was already dead, the old madam¡¯s heart still jolted when she saw the spy¡¯s bloody face.


    This was because she couldn¡¯t figure out the cause of her death. Was it because she had discovered something and ended up getting her identity found? Was she silenced, or did someone simply kill her?


    ¡°Sister, do you know what¡¯s going on? Why is there a dead person in the residence?¡±


    Mrs. Lu shook her head. To be honest, she was still baffled by the incident.


    Her maidservant was still finest night. Why was she gone in the blink of an eye? Moreover, it was in such a tragic way.


    Most importantly, this was where she and Magu had always hidden their victims.


    Since Magu also disappeared, was she the one who did it? Why?


    If it wasn¡¯t her, who could it be?


    Did she discover something?


    Mrs. Lu¡¯s head was about to explode, considering these questions.


    The old madam looked at Mrs. Lu¡¯s troubled face and could tell that she really didn¡¯t know.


    At this moment, the doctor who had finished examining the corpse looked up and said, ¡°Madams, this maidservant died from the Soul Severing Incense.¡± ¡°Soul Severing Incense? Let¡¯s go to her residence and take a look.¡± The old madam immediately thought of Magu and led her people to the spy¡¯s residence. When Mrs. Lu heard this, she also thought of Magu and immediately followed.


    After entering, she quickly found the Soul Severing Incense that hadn¡¯t been burned out.


    Mrs. Lu¡¯s heart skipped a beat because she was too familiar with this thing.


    At the same time, the old madam¡¯s heart paused. She more or less knew what was going on, but she still pretended to be stupid and asked, ¡°Sister, what¡¯s going on? How could such a sinister thing appear in the residence?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure either.¡±


    ¡°Then investigate. Such a dangerous person must not stay in the residence.¡± After the old madam ordered this, she instructed her personal nanny to bring people to start investigating.


    Magu was usually very cautious, so she did not find the Soul Severing Incense in her residence.


    However, Magu¡¯s disappearance was exposed.


    The old madam looked at Mrs. Lu and asked, ¡°Magu is an old woman by your side. Other than here, does she have any other residence outside?¡±


    ¡°I, I do know of a ce. It¡¯s the ce where her maternal family originally lived. It¡¯s in North City¡¯s XX Lane XX.¡± Mrs. Lu hesitated for a moment before replying.


    This ce was easily found, so she couldn¡¯t hide it even if she wanted to. However, she kept the hidden hideout in the city¡¯s south a secret. She was afraid that there was something incriminating there that the old madam would find out.


    When the old madam heard this, she waved at her subordinates.


    Her subordinate immediately made a trip, but he came back empty-handed. ording to the investigation, the courtyard had been emptied a few days ago. After the old madam received the reply, she asked someone to investigate further.


    Mrs. Lu was a little scared. If the courtyard was empty, did Magu run away?


    Magu knew too much. Thinking of this, she felt a chill down her spine.


    She had to look for Magu as soon as possible. She hoped that she had been stumped by something instead of going entirely missing. Otherwise, she would be in big trouble.


    When the old madam saw this, she called the butler over and asked him to prepare a coffin for the maidservant.


    She returned to her own courtyard. After a moment of silence, the old madam called over a servant girl and whispered a few words into her ear.


    The servant girl nodded and quickly retreated.


    When Mrs. Lu returned to her room, she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart, so she did not act immediately. Instead, she waited until night fell.


    After confirming that there were still no signs of Magu, she finally could not sit still anymore.


    After everyone had gone to sleep, Mrs. Lu entered the secret passage that Magu often took. When she came out, she saw a man waiting in the courtyard.. She went up and asked, ¡°Lu Xing, is there any news about Magu?¡±

 Chapter 668 - 668 Discovery

    Chapter 668: Discovery


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Madam, why did youe personally?¡± Lu Xing quickly got up and helped her sit on a chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to look for Magu. Do you have any news about her?¡±


    ¡°No, Magu didn¡¯te back after she leftst night.


    ¡°Today, I went out during the day to look for her, but there were no signs of her at all.¡± At this point, Lu Xing thought of what happened during the day and asked, ¡°Did something happen in the residence? I saw that the first household¡¯s people were also looking for Magu.¡±


    Mrs. Lu did not hide anything and told him about the dead maidservant in the residence and the old madam¡¯s suspicion that Magu did it. She added with a frustrated expression, ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that Magu¡¯s nephew, Xiao Xu, has been missing for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Magu sent Xiao Xu on another errand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible. Since you haven¡¯t slept yet, let¡¯s go to Magu¡¯s house and see what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself. It¡¯ste at night; you should go back and rest early.¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll feel uneasy if I don¡¯t go there personally.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Lu Xing nodded and pulled a small carriage. He brought her to Schrflower Lane in the southern part of the city.


    When they arrived at No. 4, their hearts sank when they saw the locked door.


    ¡°Open the door; we must see it clearly today.¡±


    Lu Xing nodded, then removed a hairpin from his head. He went forward and fiddled with the lock a few times before opening it.


    After entering the house and lighting the oilmp, Lu Xing scanned the room and frowned. ¡°It looks like Magu didn¡¯t pack up and leave.¡±


    The olddy ignored him and looked around the room carefully.


    After confirming that Magy didn¡¯t run away, not only did she not rx, she became even more uneasy.


    After all, she had just asked Magu to tamper with the wood of Gu Chengrui¡¯s restaurant.


    She feared Magu was caught, as she would be in trouble if she confessed something.


    ¡°Madam, we should leave. We cannot let the people in the residence discover anything unusual.¡± Lu Xing urged her at this moment.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Mrs. Lu nodded, turned around, and walked out.


    When she was about to leave, she suddenly thought of the secret room Magu had mentioned and immediately returned.


    She fumbled around the bed and quickly found the mechanism.


    Then, the two of them moved the bed to the side.


    When she saw the empty secret room, Mrs. Lu¡¯s eyes went ck, and she almost fainted.


    Seeing this, Lu Xing also knew the implications. The problem was, he wasn¡¯t sure if this meant Magu had confessed or if she had escaped with the things.


    Then, he helped Mrs. Lu sit on the bed and said, ¡°Madam, you have to hold on.¡±


    ¡°Quick, take me back to the other side of the secret room.¡± Mrs. Lu urged him, immediately stood up, and walked out.


    Seeing this, Lu Xing could only blow out themp and chase after her.


    After the two returned to the small courtyard, they quickly descended the tunnel and came to the other end.


    This time, Mrs. Lu couldn¡¯t care less about her family¡¯s ancestors and re-lit an oilmp in the middle of the room.


    She lifted a ck cloth and went inside the secret room.


    When she saw the empty room, her vision turned ck. She spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground stiffly. This gave Lu Xing a massive fright.


    Of course, when he saw the empty secret room, his legs also went weak and buckled.


    What was supposed to be here were more than half of their branch¡¯s assets, but now¡­


    He picked up the oilmp and carried the old madam out of the dark room.


    He carefully ced her on a mattress in the ancestral hall, rekindled the oilmp, and walked out while carefully examining the ce..

 Chapter 669 - 669 Falling Sick

    Chapter 669: Falling Sick


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Unfortunately, he found no trace of it even after searching everything.


    Most importantly, there wasn¡¯t even a single track mark on the outside.


    There were so many gold and silver in there. They would have to leave a mark of some sort when the thieves took them all away.


    But, there was nothing.


    This made his hair stand on end, reminding him of the heinous Yang Residence robbery case.


    At that time, Lord Yang had used his connections with King Hui to investigate the whole city for three days but found nothing.


    Later, Lord Yang quickly lost his life.


    Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but think of Magu.


    He hoped she had died quietly in that corner instead of betraying the madam.


    He immediately locked the door and returned to the ancestral hall.


    When he saw the old madam sitting cross-legged on the mattress in a daze, he was stunned for a moment and asked, ¡°Madam, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Mrs. Lu turned her head and asked.


    ¡°No traces at all. It¡¯s the same as when the Yang Family was robbed.¡±


    At the same time, he was very impressed with the old madam. She had lost more than half of her family¡¯s property but could still calm down quickly. It was really not something that anyone could do.


    ¡°Got it. You can go back. Don¡¯t spread this matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying quietly here. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°The night is cold. Please don¡¯t stay too long.¡± Lu Xing responded and turned to leave.


    Mrs. Lu sat quietly for nearly four hours. When the sky was about to brighten, she slowly rose and returned to her bedroom.


    The next day, the servants found out the old madam was still asleep and had a high fever.


    The doctor finished his diagnosis and confirmed that it was a high fever caused by a cold.


    The servant girl sent by the old madam to monitor Mrs. Lu immediately reported this back.


    When the old madam heard this, she was very surprised.


    Although the weather was hot now, maids were on duty at night. How could an esteemed elderly like her catch a cold and even a fever?


    She probably had something on her mind.


    ¡°Are you sure she didn¡¯t go outst night?¡±


    ¡°No, me and my two sisters took turns to watch her and did not see her going out.¡±


    ¡°Go and continue your watch. If there¡¯s anything wrong, you must report it in time.¡±


    On the other end, Zhou Ying finally heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that her n had worked. Then, she went to the manor with Gu Chengrui.


    As soon as she exited the carriage, Er Zhuang, lying listlessly in the yard, immediately stood up and rushed out.


    When he saw Zhou Ying, he barked sadly and wagged his tail around her.


    Zhou Ying rubbed its head and said, ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you, Er Zhuang. It¡¯s only been a few days, and you¡¯ve already lost so much weight.¡±


    ¡°Ever since you guys left, he doesn¡¯t like to eat much of anything. He only eats a little when there¡¯s meat, so he lost weight quickly.¡± Widow Wu replied.


    ¡°Where¡¯s his wife? That little cute dog?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°He drove her away.


    ¡°On the third day after you left, for some reason, they suddenly fought. Since then, that little dog has nevere again.¡±


    ¡°I see. You go ahead with your work.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and replied.


    He knocked on Er Zhuang¡¯s head and said, ¡°Not bad. You didn¡¯t grow up to be a wolf. You know that your master is more important than your wife.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the case. I guess he must think that we don¡¯t want him anymore because he has apanion.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t know if Er Zhuang understood him, but as soon as he finished speaking, Er Zhuang raised his head and barked out twice..

 Chapter 670 - 670 Test (1)

    Chapter 670: Test (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui was very happy to see this.


    ¡°You scumbag.¡± Zhou Ying kicked Er Zhuang in a huff.


    Afterward, Shizhu returned to the carriage and poured the chicken soup and rice she had specially prepared for Er Zhuang.


    When Er Zhuang smelled the chicken soup, he immediately rushed over and wagged his tail as he wolfed it down.


    Just as they were about to enter the courtyard, Head Fang¡¯s son ran over and greeted them. ¡°Master, Mistress, it¡¯s really you. I thought they were talking nonsense.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go back to your hometown?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t manage to. How is the manor now?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s going well. The new rice has been nted, and those melon seedlings and vegetables are also growing well.


    ¡°Also, the cole and cabbage can be picked.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t sell the ones that are too small, so eat them for yourself.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start selling those vegetables that are ready in another half a month.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll go do my work then.¡± After saying that, he turned around and ran away.


    Zhou Ying looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°What do you think of Xiao Fang? Can he be the head of the manor?¡±


    ¡°There is no problem with him managing the fields and ounts, but managing people is still a little too soon for him. If it wasn¡¯t for the support of Head Fang, I¡¯m afraid he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold on.¡±


    ¡°In other words, there are people who are not convinced of him managing them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a young man called Lai Xi. He¡¯s literate and knows how to do ounts. He has good rtionships with others and looks like he can handle things. The main point is that he knows some martial arts.¡±


    ¡°Martial arts? Where did he learn it?¡±


    ¡°He said that he learned it from his uncle. His uncle used to be the guard of the Gu Residence.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s an old acquaintance. Call him over to test him.¡±


    ¡°You want to¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember the two small shops I bought in South City? One is for Zhou Dong to start his snack shop, and the other is for us to run ourselves.


    ¡°However, we had yet to find a suitable person to manage it. Perhaps Xi could give it a try.¡±


    ¡°What about the people from our hometown¡­¡±


    ¡°Those from our hometown have a strong ent. Getting used to here will take at least a year and a half.


    ¡°Besides, the restaurant needs a lot of people. Even if they came, it might not be enough.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do as you say. I¡¯ll bring you to him. He¡¯s in charge of the vegetable fields near the greenhouse now.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought her to the shed.


    Although it was no longer needed, Gu Chengrui still nted a lot of vegetables there. It was mainly used to keep their firewood, as storing them in argepound was much more convenient.


    As soon as they left, Er Zhuang couldn¡¯t be bothered with his meal anymore. He immediately rushed out and followed them.


    The two of them smiled and ignored him.


    When they reached the ce, Gu Chengrui called Lai Xi, who was setting up a cucumber rack.


    When Lai Xi saw the two of them, he quickly bowed. ¡°Greetings, Master and Mistress.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so polite. We just want to talk to you.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he went to where Chen He and the others were resting and sat down.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lai Xi followed them nervously. After they sat down, he asked, ¡°May I know why you are looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I heard that you know how to keep ounts.¡± Zhou Yingmented.


    ¡°Yes, I can keep track of the daily ounts.¡±


    Zhou Ying quickly understood what he meant. The bookkeeping he was talking about was the most primitive bookkeeping method she had seen before.


    To put it bluntly, he would just write down everything without any special format.


    ¡°Do you have a ready-made ount book? Let me see it.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a moment. I have to go home to get it.¡± After saying that, Lai Xi turned around and ran away.


    He returned a whileter with a booklet covered with sweat. ¡°Mistress, please take a look. This is my family¡¯s ount book..¡±

 Chapter 671 - 671 Test (2)

    Chapter 671: Test (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying opened the booklet and nced at it. It was indeed the most primitive method of bookkeeping. Fortunately, ie and expenditure were separated.


    Moreover, there were daily, monthly, and annual settlements. Overall, it was quite good.


    Then, she found the most densely packed page and carefully checked the words on it. After making sure there were no mistakes, she asked, ¡°Have you been to school?¡±


    ¡°No, but my mother can read, so I learned a little from her.


    ¡°When I was practicing martial arts with my uncle, I learned from the ountant in the residence. That was how I also learned how to keep ounts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened at the manor.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°However, since Xiao Fang has already started in his role, it¡¯s impossible to change now.


    ¡°But, we don¡¯t want to see talent buried.


    ¡°I also have a small shop in South City that is about 100 square meters. I n to start a food business. Do you think you are qualified if I let you manage it?¡±


    Lai Xi¡¯s face lit up when he heard that, but he quickly shook his head and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that. You¡¯re just in charge of the management.


    ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll send you one or two chefs with two waiters.


    ¡°Managing a shop was even more difficult than managing a manor. Not only do you need to manage the shop well, but you also need to manage the outsider rtionships.


    ¡°Especially with the neighbors.


    ¡°Next to the shop is a big carriage shop with many merchants inside. You have to build a good rtionship with them.¡±


    After hearing this, Lai Xi suddenly felt uncertain.


    To be honest, he was able to manage the manor because he had been in contact with it since he was young, so he already understood the way things worked.


    However, he knew nothing about running a shop.


    He also knew that it was not easy to maintain a restaurant. He would encounter all kinds of customers and was afraid that he would be unable to handle them.


    Zhou Ying returned the ount book to him, saying, ¡°Go back and think about it. Give me an answer by noon tomorrow at thetest.


    ¡°But you must remember, regardless of whether you agree or not, you are not allowed to go against Xiao Fang in the future.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you for your appreciation, Mistress.¡± Lai Xi nodded repeatedly. After saying that, he put away the ount book and returned to work.


    ¡°This kid can¡¯t do it; he¡¯s a bit of a stickler for rules. If we really want him to manage the shop, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to train him well.¡± Gu Chengrui quipped.


    ¡°There are pros and cons. Although hecks some drive, it¡¯s rtively safe to use such a person.¡±


    ¡°Okay, do as you see fit. I¡¯m only giving my opinions on this and won¡¯t participate in the management.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and went to look for Chen He.


    ¡°I think you just can¡¯t be bothered.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and red at him. She turned around and went home with Er Zhuang.


    In the afternoon, Gu Chengrui invited Chen He over for a meal.


    Afterward, the couple brought Er Zhuang to the new manor.


    The new manor had undergone a massive renovation. It had changed from a messy and deste ce to a neat and tidy one.


    In addition, the saplings had already sprouted, painting the ce green. They believed it would be even more beautiful in a few days.


    They had just entered the vegetable field when Head Fang ran over. ¡°Master, Mistress, you¡¯re back so soon?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t manage to return to our hometown and had to turn back halfway. Oh right, do you need more seedlings?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s all growing well.¡± Head Fang pointed at some spinach and said, ¡°Look at this spinach. There are quite a number of them, but they¡¯re thin and weak. What weck is fertilizer..¡±

 Chapter 672 - 672 Confirmation

    Chapter 672: Confirmation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s normal. Thisnd hasn¡¯t been fertilized for so many years. It¡¯s already not bad that the seedlings survived.


    ¡°The next time you water the nts, prepare some wood ash and water it together to see the effect.


    ¡°There was also fertilizer from the livestock pen and mud in the pond. They would all be good for thend in the future. From now on, just start umting the fertilizer for the next season.¡±


    Head Fang nodded, exined the manor situation to them, and brought them around.


    Unexpectedly, grapes grew the best among all the crops in the vige.


    This gave Zhou Ying a bold idea. If the yield and taste of grapes were good next year, she would nt grapes all over the manor.


    At most, she would buy another for the vegetables.


    After they finished looking around, they went to the livestock breeding area again. They returned home once they confirmed that all the little animals looked good.


    At the same time, King Rui finished his breakfast and went to the pce to meet the Emperor, apanied by his guards.


    After entering the royal study, King Rui immediately kneeled and greeted him. ¡°Greetings, Imperial Father. I¡¯m sorry that I did not enter the pce in time to report.¡±


    ¡°Eunuch Li, please give him a seat.¡± The Emperor stood up, walked down, and looked at him.


    He looked at King Rui¡¯s haggard face and sunken eyes and said, ¡°I heard that you were assassinated again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the scale this time is not small. The other party sent more than 200 killers.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the vast amount of special powder supplied by Gu Chengrui, I would probably have to say goodbye to Imperial Father forever.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such depressing words. You are my son, and a dragon won¡¯t have a snake for a son. How can you die so easily?¡±


    King Rui sneered inwardly after hearing this but still nodded with a poker face. ¡°Fortunately, I have Father to protect me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough of this nonsense. Do you know who did it?¡±


    King Rui shook his head after hearing this. This time, the other party did not leave any evidence.


    Although he had a guess in his heart, it could not be used as evidence, so it was better to pretend he did not know.


    Otherwise, it would be his fault in the end.


    The Emperor saw through his thoughts at a nce. Although he did not show it on the surface, he was still quite satisfied with King Rui.


    At least this son of his was someone who could keep his cool and wouldn¡¯tin behind someone else¡¯s back.


    He asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on with the East Continent this time? Do you know why they invaded?¡±


    ¡°Because the East Continent has many mountains and littlend, they don¡¯t produce much food. Therefore, they have always wanted to invade our country.


    ¡°This time was no exception. Looking at their skinny appearance, this sudden all-out attack was probably for food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. The new grain from the south has arrived, after all.¡± The Emperor nodded in agreement.


    He also learned that the East Continent did not have the ability to organize arge-scale battle for the time being. ¡°It seems that your injuries this time are quite severe. Stay in the capital to recuperate and apany your wives.¡±


    ¡°I understand. If you don¡¯t have any further instructions, I would like to go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s ce.¡±


    ¡°Go. It¡¯s been a long time since you twost met.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he returned to his throne.


    After King Rui left, he called Xiao Heng in and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the investigation on Seventh Su going?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, it has been verified that Seventh Su indeed owns the Ginkgo Leaf organization. In addition, the four county magistrates that were recedst year were all led by him.


    ¡°Also, he had used all sorts of methods to seize many properties and shops¡­¡± Xiao Heng¡¯s report took almost an hour.


    In short, Seventh Su hasmitted a plethora of crimes over the past few years.


    They even found out Qiao Lan gave birth control pills to Sun Miaoke and the others, even though King Rui had kept it under wraps..

 Chapter 673 - 673 Confession

    Chapter 673: Confession


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the Emperor heard this, he snorted coldly and said, ¡°It looks like the Su family is holding back information toward my fourth son. Arrest him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiao Heng responded and turned to leave.


    At night, Seventh Su was arrested by Xiao Heng and the others on his way home from King Kang¡¯s Residence. He was secretly brought into the imperial prison for interrogation.


    Faced with the evidence, especially the matter of assassinating and recing the court officials, Seventh Su did not know how to answer.


    There was no doubt that he wanted to live, but once he admitted to these things, he, amoner without any official position, would definitely die.


    However, he could only push it to King Kang if he wanted to refute these ims. If that happened, King Kang wouldpletely lose the possibility of ascending the throne.


    The Su family, King Kang, and Consort Shu might fall out then. At that time, both sides would definitely suffer.


    Especially when he and his father had helped the mother and sonmit so many crimes. Once they were exposed, there would only be one way out.


    Therefore, he had no other choice.


    ¡°Yes means yes, and no means no. Your expressions are making me wonder if you have an aplice or¡­¡± When Xiao Heng was halfway through his sentence, Seventh Su raised his head and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t try to exaggerate these ims. I did it, but I learned it from King Hui.


    ¡°He¡¯s living a good life in the Imperial Residence now. Why did you only capture me?


    ¡°Could it be that the Emperor lets him go just because he¡¯s his son?¡±


    ¡°I have no right to answer on this; the Emperor has his own concerns.


    ¡°However, you, amoner, murdered four officials of the Imperial Court and reced them. This is a great crime worthy of beheading. Even if you continue to cling to King Hui, you will still be unable to escape death.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother God say that the heaven¡¯s has long arms? I think it¡¯s very fair.¡± Xiao Heng retorted.


    When Seventh Su heard the word ¡®Mother God¡¯, he could not help but remember the lightning strike that had skinned him and shattered his bones. He shivered in fright.


    Xiao Heng was surprised to see him shivering. After understanding what he was afraid of, he immediately thought of King Hui, who was struck even more seriously than him. He smiled and asked, ¡°Fair enough, right?


    ¡°However, the punishment for the mastermind and the aplice is different.¡±


    Seventh Su looked up at him and asked, ¡°Why does it sound like Captain Xiao wants to find a scapegoat for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bored.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing more to say. Your investigation was very detailed andprehensive.


    ¡°I did it. I just have too much money to spend.¡±


    ¡°Then sign it.¡± Xiao Heng heard that and ced a confession in front of him.


    Seventh Su took it and read it carefully. After ensuring Xiao Heng didn¡¯t make up a false usation, he quickly signed it with his fingerprint.


    ¡°Escort him into the pce to await his punishment.¡± Xiao Heng ordered and directly took the confession to the Emperor.


    The Emperor then realized Seventh Su had taken over most of the Gu family¡¯s businesses, with more abundant assets than the national treasury.


    He told Xiao Heng, ¡°I¡¯ll need you to do onest spurt. Take all of Seventh Su¡¯s assets in the capital to the national treasury personally.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiao Heng responded and turned to leave.


    After he left, the Emperor leaned back on the dragon throne with a tired face.


    At the same time, he deeply understood the meaning of being alone.


    He really had no one to talk to.


    Everyone might even be scheming for his life.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying finally received news from the East Continent through her interspace.


    Unfortunately, that official was unable to convince their king in the end. But, he was willing to give it a try himself..

 Chapter 674 - 674 News

    Chapter 674: News


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At the same time, the man left behind 1,000 taels of silver for incense and candles, praying for baby livestock and breeding methods.


    Zhou Ying smiled when she saw this. This deal was not a loss.


    When dawn arrived, he received ten sets of baby livestock. There were chickens, ducks, and geese; each set had one male and five females.


    What was worth mentioning was that the chicken was a meaty one.


    Although the taste of this specific breed of chicken meat was a little underwhelming, it would grow fast and fat. It was a rare treasure for the East Continent, whichcked food.


    There were also ten sets of pigs, cows, and sheep, but each set only had one male and two females.


    Then, he was given two breeding manuals. One was the method of livestock feed configuration and the method of breeding earthworms.


    The other was disease prevention.


    The next afternoon, after lunch, just as they were about to return, Lai Xi came over and said, ¡°Madam, if you don¡¯t mind my slow brains, I¡¯m willing to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve made up your mind, then work hard.


    ¡°Remember that you only have one chance. Whether you can seize it or not depends on your hard work.¡± Zhou Ying added, ¡°Go back and pack a few clothes. Tell your family ande back with us.


    ¡°I have to teach you something before opening.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Lai Xi ran away after saying that.


    Then, he carried a small bag and followed them back to the residence.


    After entering the residence, he was handed over to Niu Deli to learn how to keep ounts the correct way.


    The couple returned to the main courtyard and sat down while Xiaxiang and Niu Lirong brought tea and snacks.


    After putting down her tray, Xiaxiang asked directly, ¡°Master, Madam, have you heard?


    ¡°The Seventh Young Master of the Su family was arrested and sentenced to beheading by the Emperor after autumn.


    ¡°I heard thatst night, all of Seventh Young Master Su¡¯s private property was added to the national treasury.¡±


    Although the couple already knew about itst night, Zhou Ying still asked curiously, ¡°That¡¯s great. This is retribution. He really thought that no one knew about the evil things he had done.


    ¡°By the way, what was his crime?¡±


    ¡°Ah, there are more than ten crimes hemitted. This servant doesn¡¯t remember them, but it¡¯s true that many people have been killed, even officials.


    ¡°He¡¯s really bold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hefty crime. Even His Royal Highness can¡¯t casually sentence an official of the Imperial Court.¡± Zhou Ying said, ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the Su family? How are they now?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Prime Minister Su faintedst night and closed his door to all guests this morning.¡±


    ¡°What about King Kang?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    At the same time, he wanted to test her limits.


    Xiaxiang¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s said that he didn¡¯te out after entering the pce this morning.¡±


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes shed with a trace of disappointment. ¡°Keep an eye on them. Report back if there¡¯s any new information, but pay attention to your own safety.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this servant will definitely keep an eye on it.¡± Xiaxiang turned around and left after that.


    Zhou Ying looked at Niu Lirong, who had always been honest, and asked, ¡°Do you have anything to add?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.


    ¡°However, I heard from my father that the servants of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence had frequently beening in and out of their residence over these two days. It seemed like something major had happened.


    ¡°This morning, Second Master Sun also rushed back.


    ¡°But the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence¡¯s people are very tight-lipped, so we could not inquire about more useful information.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask around anymore. We don¡¯t want to attract any unnecessary trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will tell my father thister.¡± Niu Lirong left after saying that.


    After Gu Chengrui finished his tea, he said, ¡°Babe, give me 200 taels of silver. I have to buy some medicinal herbs to prepare..¡±

 Chapter 675 - 675 Recruitment

    Chapter 675: Recruitment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying spread out her divine sense and swept a nce. After confirming that no one was outside, she took out five banknotes worth 100 taels each and a bag of broken silver pieces from her interspace and handed them to him. ¡°Buy more for your preparation.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go now. Is there anything I need to bring along?¡±


    ¡°Buy some saltpeter if they have it. It¡¯s time to prepare again as the weather gets hot. Otherwise, the price will definitely increase soon.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded, then got up and walked out.


    After he left, Zhou Ying washed up and went to the kitchen. She saw that Biaozi was teaching his disciples how to slice fish, so Zhou Ying stood by the side and watched for a while.


    ¡°How¡¯s the practice of the dishes on the menu going?¡± she asked after he was done.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time, but I don¡¯t know if it can meet your requirements.¡±


    ¡°How about this? From today onward, you can make two dishes you¡¯re not sure about every day at noon for us. Chengrui and I will help you verify it.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t pass, we can still quickly improve it.¡±


    ¡°Should we start tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start tonight. Aren¡¯t there ready-made fish slices here? Steam fish ball soup will do.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Also, it¡¯s the same for Sister Haitang and Mrs. Liang. Have them make a snack every day, one serving each morning and night.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± After Biaozi nodded, he brought up his issue regarding ingredient preparation.


    If they officially opened for business, he wouldn¡¯t have the time to cut all their vegetables.


    However, his two disciples were still young and had only learned for a short period of time. They might not be able to take on such a big responsibility in a short period of time.


    Ingredient preparation was directly rted to the taste and grade of the restaurant. They absolutely could not be missing, so they had to prepare now.


    Zhou Ying listened to what he said and also took it seriously. It would probably not be enough manpower even if the people from her hometown came over.


    She asked, ¡°Do you know anyone? You can introduce them to me. It¡¯ll save me the trouble of recruiting people everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I met a chef when I was escaping from the famine. He has several disciples under him. I¡¯ll ask himter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. As for the monthly sry, it depends on their craftsmanship.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only right. If they want toe over, I¡¯ll bring them over for you to try their dishes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me know a day in advance.¡± Zhou Ying gave him a few more instructions. Then, she turned around and took a cucumber before walking out.


    After eating it, she went to Mother Qiu¡¯s ce to sit for a while. After ensuring everything in the residence was normal, she walked around the garden.


    At this time, the Miao father and daughter had already repaired the garden. It was much more tidy, and the flowers and trees inside were flourishing.


    ¡°Good day, mistress.¡± Miao Xiaoyu walked over and bowed.


    Zhou Ying turned her head and looked at the little girl wearing a straw hat. Although she had tanned a lot, her smile was also much brighter. She asked, ¡°Do you regret your choice back then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t regret it. I love these flowers, and watching them bloom is an enjoyment for me.¡±


    ¡°Very good; persevere. When winteres, I will build a greenhouse for you. At that time, the time to truly test you wille.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Miao Xiaoyu¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Would I lie to a little girl like you?¡± Zhou Yingter gave her a few words of encouragement and then turned around to leave.


    After returning to the bedroom and lying on the soft couch, she remembered Niu Lirong mentioning Sun Wenhao¡¯s return.


    If she remembered correctly, Sun Wenhao had been captured with Lord Bai. How did he survive? Then, she hurriedly spread her divine sense and looked at the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s Residence..

 Chapter 676 - 676 Closing The Door

    Chapter 676: Closing The Door


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At this moment, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence was in chaos. Not only was Mrs. Lu dizzy from the fever, but even Old Madam had fallen seriously ill.


    Sun Wenhao, the husband of Mrs. Lu, was listening to his eldest son, Sun Qingfeng, report what had happened in the past few days.


    It turned out that Mrs. Lu was so frightened and confused that she identally said that the secret room had been robbed.


    Although the old madam did not know where the second branch¡¯s private stash was, she knew there was definitely a lot of it. Therefore, she went out overnight and fell ill when she returned.


    That was why Sun Qingfeng quickly sent the letter to Sun Wenhao.


    He could only write to him and ask him toe back because he didn¡¯t know what they had hidden, nor did he know where it was.


    When Sun Wenhao found out that the treasures that their two families had hidden outside had all been taken away, his eyes went ck and he fell back into his chair.


    Among those things, many of them could not be exposed.


    Especially the embezzling of the Gu family¡¯s property back then. If it were discovered, it would be the crime of deceiving the Emperor and result in all nine generations¡¯ execution.


    ¡°Father, are you alright?¡± Sun Qingfeng quickly held him and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Did you go to King Hui after the incident?¡±


    ¡°No, ever since King Hui sneaked out of the residence to meet you, the Emperor has sent more people to monitor us.


    ¡°Now, King Hui can¡¯te out; our people can¡¯t enter either.¡±


    Sun Wenhao¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard that. It seemed that the Emperor was serious this time. Then, he asked, ¡°Did you find any clues?¡±


    ¡°No, the only suspicious thing is Magu, Mother¡¯s confidant, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.


    ¡°No matter how precise her n was, it was impossible for her to leave no clues behind.¡±


    ¡°Magu?¡± Sun Wenhao¡¯s eyes shed with a thoughtful expression.


    Magu was a confidant of the Lu family, so she might know where their second branch hid their treasures.


    However, Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-inw had carefully arranged their private stash. It was impossible for her to know, so the possibility was not high.


    At the thought of this, he said, ¡°Now, we can only stay silent. It¡¯s best to tuck your tail between your legs and do nothing. Just do our business peacefully.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s lost. Although it¡¯s a little painful, it¡¯s not enough to affect our foundation. If the Emperor¡¯s people get hold of something, that would be fatal.¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be people from the Emperor in our residence, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. When I left, I felt like I was constantly being watched.


    ¡°I tested the person earlier. Based on the person¡¯s skills and moves, it¡¯s obvious that they were Xiao Heng¡¯s subordinates.¡±


    ¡°What? Could it be that the Emperor has already set his eyes on the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. This time, I was lucky enough to escape with my life. It was to help King Hui gather the materials to build the river embankment.


    ¡°However, I feel like he¡¯s ying a long game.


    ¡°Otherwise, why would he choose me, someone guilty, other than the many other merchants?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, have you heard that Seventh Su has been arrested and all his private property confiscated?¡±


    ¡°As soon as I entered the capital, I heard that Su Su got a little too arrogant. He even dared to personally attack the county magistrate.


    ¡°However, this is good. Seventh Su is King Kang¡¯s money bag. If he died, King Kang would definitely suffer a significant loss.


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t touch Seventh Su¡¯s things. The Emperor must be watching. We can¡¯t touch them.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know that Xiao Heng was the one in charge this time, so I didn¡¯t dare to reach out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Next, let¡¯s learn from that old fox, Prime Minister Su, and close the door to any guests.


    ¡°As for the whereabouts of those treasures, it would be best if we could investigate quietly. Whether they can be found or not could only be left to fate.


    ¡°Now, I only hope that your uncle can act quickly. Otherwise, our faction will probably¡­.¡±

 Chapter 677 - 677 Time To Prepare

    Chapter 677: Time To Prepare


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Speaking of which, I remembered something. I heard King Rui was nearly assassinated when he returned to the capital.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not us, then the only one who has the ability to make a move is King Kang.


    ¡°Do you think Seventh Su became King Kang¡¯s scapegoat?¡±


    ¡°It seems like King Kang is getting anxious. That¡¯s true. In light of the sterilization incident, the Emperor¡¯s impression of him will definitely fall rapidly.


    ¡°Then¡­


    ¡°Thinking about it this way, King Rui had be the person most likely to ascend the throne.¡±


    ¡°So should we¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Listen to your cousin¡¯s arrangements. We¡¯ll wait for your uncle¡¯s news quietly.¡± Sun Wenhao stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go andfort your mother. Maybe she¡¯ll know something when she wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After that, the father and son walked straight to the backyard.


    Zhou Ying followed them to take a look at Mrs. Lu.


    After this incident, Mrs. Lu¡¯s hair turnedpletely white, her face became much thinner, and a circle of blisters appeared on her mouth.


    It seemed she was seriously ill.


    After confirming she was still running a high fever, Zhou Ying left and looked at King Kang¡¯s Residence.


    At this moment, King Kang was drinking with a few strategists.


    From the tone of his voice, although the Emperor did not ground him, he was suspended from all his duties.


    They were now discussing how to resume their duties.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying shook her head and looked at the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence again.


    At this moment, although the Prime Minister¡¯s residence looked oppressive, one would find that Prime Minister Su did not seem anxious at all. Instead, he looked very rxed.


    Zhou Ying could not help but mutter when she saw this. Could it be that he had a way to save Seventh Su?


    At night, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about this and asked, ¡°Rui, do you think Prime Minister Su knows that King Hui is going to attempt a rebellion? Otherwise, why is he not anxious at all?¡±


    ¡°Smart. Actually, King Kang was too reckless this time. If he had discussed it with Prime Minister Su, he would not have agreed to their ns.


    ¡°After all, King Hui and the Empress are more anxious than they were.


    ¡°Therefore, Prime Minister Su is probably waiting for King Hui to make a move. At that time, Seventh Su would probably survive.¡±


    ¡°How cunning. However, if King Rui is a hunter under the tree, then¡­¡±


    ¡°That depends on how long King Rui can stay in the capital.¡±


    At this moment, King Rui was also discussing this matter with Zhou Huaiming.


    ¡°Your Highness, shouldn¡¯t we make a move?¡± Zhou Huai Ming asked directly.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to prepare. Pull out some unnecessary nails, but don¡¯t take action. It¡¯s not so easy to be the first to stand out.¡±


    ¡°Understood. You should recuperate well in the residence. Leave the rest to me and Big Brother Feng.¡±


    ¡°Go find Gu Chengrui.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to pull him in?¡±


    ¡°Since he married Gu Wanning to me, he¡¯s already prepared to be implicated.


    ¡°Hiding it from him now might harm him instead.


    ¡°However, if something really goes wrong, I¡¯ll leave a way out for them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go find him tomorrow.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui did not see Zhou Huaiming. Instead, he met the butler of King Kang¡¯s Residence.


    After Gu Chengrui learned of his intention, he asked in surprise, ¡°You must be joking. There are many imperial physicians, yet you asked me to treat your master¡¯s injuries?


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to show off myme skills in front of His Highness. Isn¡¯t this courting death?¡±


    ¡°How could that be? His Highness heard that you know how to suture wounds and make them heal faster, so he asked me to invite you.


    ¡°You¡¯d better hurry up; His Highness is still waiting..¡±

 Chapter 678 - 678 Deceived

    Chapter 678: Deceived


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Since His Highness favors you, regardless of whether his illness can be cured or not, you should go over and take a look.¡± Zhou Ying quipped in as she walked out of the room with a first aid kit.


    Judging from the butler¡¯s intentions, he was adamant about inviting Gu Chengrui over today.


    Since he couldn¡¯t avoid it, he might as well take a look and see what King Kang was up to.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and said to Zhou Ying, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you with the matters at home.¡±


    ¡°Go; I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    After he left, Zhou Ying went to the study and followed him with her divine senses.


    The journey was smooth. After entering King Kang¡¯s Residence, the butler brought Gu Chengrui all the way to the study.


    After entering, King Kang, who was practicing calligraphy, raised his head and said, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re here. Sit down.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at King Kang¡¯s glowing face and knew he had been deceived. He could not criticize him, but he could at least make things difficult for the butler.


    Therefore, he turned his head and said, ¡°This is your fault. No matter what, you can¡¯t joke about His Highness¡¯ health.¡±


    King Kang waved his hand when he saw this. ¡°It¡¯s me who asked him to say that. Otherwise, how could he have invited you?¡±


    Seeing this, the butler immediately left.


    ¡°You tter me. May I know why Your Highness is looking for me?¡± Gu Chengrui asked with a smile.


    ¡°Sit down and let¡¯s have a chat. Actually, it¡¯s not a big deal. The vegetables from the manor have arrived, so I wanted to invite you over for a meal.¡± After King Kang finished speaking, he sat down first.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui could only sit opposite him.


    However, he did not believe a single word he said. He just did not know what King Kang was up to.


    Soon, a servant girl came over with a pot of tea.


    After it was served, King Kang said, ¡°This is the new tea that just came out this year. Try it and see if it suits your taste. If you like it, I¡¯ll pack a pound for you when we go back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled, then picked up the teacup and sniffed it thoughtfully. ¡°The tea is clear, and it smells strong and refreshing. It¡¯s must be a high-grade Longjing tea.¡±


    ¡°Not bad. It seems that you¡¯re also a tea lover. Try the taste.¡± After King Kang finished speaking, as if to dispel his worries, he first raised his cup and took a sip.


    Gu Chengrui raised his guard when he saw this.


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the tea,¡± Zhou Ying whispered into his ear.


    When the servant girl made the tea, she saw that it wasn¡¯t tampered with, whether it was the tea or the cup.


    Gu Chengrui smiled and raised his cup, too. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡±


    Drinking a mouthful of such tea was really a rare pleasure. He nodded andmented, ¡°The taste is mellow and sweet, as expected of a top-grade Longjing tea.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s good that you like it. Drink a few more cups.¡±.


    After that, the two of them drank tea and chatted. Afterward, King Kang brought him around his residence until lunch.


    The dishes were mainly fresh vegetables and seafood, which were quite delicious. The wine was a rare hundred-year-old Shaoxing wine. In short, the meal was lovely.


    Gu Chengrui did not rx even after all that. Instead, he became even more vignt, as he did not believe he hade here today just to be treated to a meal.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui drank another pot of tea. He stood up and said, ¡°Thank you for your hospitality today, Your Highness. It¡¯s gettingte, and I have matters to attend to in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do stay. I¡¯m free now, and it¡¯s very dull.


    ¡°As for you, you don¡¯t have to work in the government office anymore either. You can y a few games of chess with me before you leave.¡± King Kang did not wait for him to reject and brought him to a pavilion in the garden to y chess..

 Chapter 679 - 169 Lady, Please Have Some Self- Respect

    Chapter 679: Chapter 169 Lady, Please Have Some Self- Respect


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui saw that he couldn¡¯t avoid it and could only agree to y some chess games.


    However, his Go Chess skill was not that good. He only won one game out of five.


    Gu Chengrui stood up and said, ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s call it a day. I really have something to do in the afternoon.¡±¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t; it¡¯s boring here. Let¡¯s y another round and wait for this pot of tea to be finished before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Sure, please take a seat first. I have to go to the toilet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. There¡¯s a toilet when we pass by this garden.¡± King Kang pointed to a spot.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he walked through the garden to the toilet.


    When they reached the garden, Zhou Ying reminded him, ¡°Be careful. There are two maids and a girl hiding outside the garden.


    ¡°Moreover, that woman is really beautiful. If I¡¯m not wrong, King Kang is trying to use a honey trap to rope you in.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I guess you have to protect my innocence.¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be silly. I put two packets of itching powder in your pocket.¡±


    Just as Zhou Ying finished speaking, Gu Chengrui had almost reached that position. The sound of women talking could be heard at this moment.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he immediately grabbed the itching powder in his hand.


    But before he could do anything, a green figure rushed towards him.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui threw her away and strode off.


    ¡°Stop right there, you lecher¡­¡± A servant girl spoke in a delicate voice.


    Gu Chengrui did not even bother with her. Instead, he quickly left.


    When the servant girl saw this, she was stunned. She chased after him and grabbed his arm. Gu Chengrui quickly dodged and said with a frightened expression, ¡°Lady, please have some self-respect.¡±


    After saying that, he ran to the side.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The servant girl looked at him, who was acting as if he was guarding against hooligans. She was so angry that she did not know what to say for a moment.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui went to the toilet and closed the door, staying even after finishing his business.


    He pulled his clothes and hair slightly, as if someone had tugged them.


    The people who came and went looked at him curiously, but no one said anything when they saw his extraordinary clothes.


    King Kang was drinking tea while waiting for the show to begin. However, after 25 minutes, the show still had not started, and Gu Chengrui was nowhere to be seen. He could only stand up and lead his men to look for him.


    When he saw ady and her two servants walking back and forth uneasily in the garden, he asked in surprise, ¡°Lvyi, where is he?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, he¡¯s inside. He went in and never came out.¡± Thedy pointed at the toilet and whispered.


    ¡°Did you seed?¡±


    Lvyi shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been shaken off.¡±


    ¡°I pulled him, but he just told me to behave himself. I really¡­¡± The servant girl, who had stopped Gu Chengrui earlier, replied with a flushed face.


    King Kang was speechless when he heard that, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He did not expect a grown man like Gu Chengrui to have such a pretentious side and was not afraid of losing face.


    No, he was showing weakness deliberately.


    He was trying to avoid this by acting as a weakling. Just as he was about to instruct them further, Gu Chengrui ran over. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re finally here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you waiting for me to pick you up?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I realized that this was the only way back.


    ¡°However, these three girls refused to leave, so I had to wait inside.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too cautious. What can happen in my residence?¡± King Kang was miffed when he heard that, and he replied unhappily.


    ¡°No, men and women don¡¯t even sit at the same table after the age of seven. If others see us together, it won¡¯t be good.


    ¡°If word got out, it would be bad for Your Highness too..¡±

 Chapter 680 - 680 Escape

    Chapter 680: Escape


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You are a man.¡± King Kang red at him.


    ¡°It is precisely because I am a man that I should be self-disciplined. I have to think for my family and my wife.¡±


    Just as Gu Chengrui finished speaking, Hong Suzhi pped her hands and walked over. ¡°I admire you. Lord Gu is really a good husband.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Princess Consort.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly cupped his fists and said.


    ¡°Lord Gu, please rise.¡± Hong Suzhi swept a nce at everyone present and then looked at King Kang. ¡°Your Highness, what are you discussing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Why are you here?¡± King Kang looked at her suspiciously.


    For a moment, he couldn¡¯t figure out if she hade here intentionally or unintentionally.


    ¡°It was too stuffy in the house, and I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I came to the garden to take a walk. I happened to see you guys and walked over.¡± After Hong Suzhi finished speaking, she waved the handkerchief in her hand and slowly fanned herself.


    King Kang looked at the beads of sweat on her nose and forehead, but he couldn¡¯t me her.


    He could only say, ¡°I see. I still have to apany Lord Gu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I still have something to do, so I won¡¯t disturb you and your wife.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    King Kang turned his head and nced at him. He knew that there was no chance of sess today, so he nodded. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s continue another day.¡±


    He waved at the guard and asked him to send Gu Chengrui out.


    Gu Chengrui heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this. He obediently followed the guard and left the residence with his first-aid kit.


    It was only when he returned home that he heaved a sigh of relief.


    When he saw Zhou Ying waving at him from a pavilion beside the pond, he quickly walked over and sat opposite her. ¡°Thank you for your reminder today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also for myself. I don¡¯t want to have another sister.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly waved his hands.


    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid King Kang won¡¯t let go easily.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. I¡¯m sure King Kang will being up with another n. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯lle over to propose marriage openly tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Proposing marriage? It seems that he won¡¯t stop until he sends someone in here.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no need for us to save face for him anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Since he¡¯s not afraid of his bad reputation spreading, let¡¯s help him promote it.¡± The husband and wife looked at each other and smiled.


    In the evening, when it was about time for dinner, Zhou Huaiming came in with a roast goose. ¡°Brother Gu, sister-inw, I¡¯m here to freeload again.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Brother Zhou, please sit down.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and handed the roast goose in her hand to Xiaxiang. ¡°Take it to the kitchen and slice it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiaxiang took the roast goose and walked out.


    Gu Chengrui poured him a ss of water. ¡°Brother Zhou, why are you free toe over? Aren¡¯t you busy?¡±


    Seeing that there was no one in the room, Zhou Huaiming replied, ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner anyway. I came to look for you today for serious business. Let¡¯s eat first and talk about it after.¡±


    ¡°Alright, do you want a ss of wine?¡±


    ¡°No, there have been many things recently. It¡¯s better to stay sober at all times.¡±


    ¡°Here, a bowl of rice and mung bean porridge to relieve the heat and hunger.¡± Zhou Ying scooped a bowl of porridge for him.


    When Xiaxiang came in with the te of roast goose, the three buried their heads in their food.


    After eating, they went out for a walk before returning to the pavilion by the pond in the courtyard.


    After Zhou Ying prepared chrysanthemum tea for them, she took Niu Lirong to the pond to feed the fish. At the same time, she also kept an eye on the people in the residence, especially Xiaxiang, to see if she woulde over to eavesdrop.


    Sure enough, Xiaxiang walked over with a te of snacks.


    Zhou Ying called her over and said, ¡°Let me see what you have here..¡±

 Chapter 681 - 681 Agree

    Chapter 681: Agree


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Aunt Liang made kidney bean cakesst night, but none of you had eaten them, so she asked me to bring them over to let you have a taste.¡± Xiaxiang handed it to Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Look at my memory. If you didn¡¯t mention it, I would have forgotten about it.¡± Zhou Ying then took a piece. ¡°You guys try it too.¡±


    After saying that, she began to taste it. She nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s delicate and sweet.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little too dry and a little choking. The next time she soaked the beans, she would need to soak them for another two more hours.¡±


    She looked up at the two of them and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Seeing this, the two of them each took a piece and ate it. Niu Liying nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a little choking, but everything else is great.¡±


    Xiaxiang nodded in agreement. She turned to look at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°Mistress, do you want Young Master Zhou and Master to taste it?¡±


    ¡°No need. They don¡¯t really like sweets. You can send them back.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Yes, this servant will take her leave now.¡± Xiaxiang turned around and left.


    However, when she turned around, her face was filled with unwillingness, but she did not dare to say anything.


    On the other end, after Xiaxiang had left, Zhou Huaiming asked, ¡°I heard that you stayed in King Kang¡¯s Residence for half a day.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and told him what happened today in detail. ¡°You don¡¯t know, today was really a day of fear for me.


    ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t let my guard down. Otherwise, I would have really fallen today.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, you¡¯re quite lucky with women.¡± Zhou Huaimingughed.


    ¡°Should I give some of that luck to you?¡± Gu Chengrui rolled his eyes at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t have the fortune to enjoy such luxury.¡±


    ¡°But to be honest, you¡¯re not young anymore. Do you have anyone you like? It¡¯s time to get married.¡±


    After Zhou Huai Ming heard this, the smile on his face gradually faded. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after everything is settled.¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not ask further when he heard this. Instead, he nced around and confirmed that there was no one else other than Zhou Ying and her servant. He asked softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t youe here today for something? Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming looked at his actions and nodded in his heart. ¡°You should be able to tell that the battle for the throne is about to begin.


    ¡°I was entrusted by His Highness toe here. He asked me to ask you if you wanted to participate.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment when he heard that. He quickly understood his words¡¯ meaning, hesitated momentarily, and nodded. ¡°Actually, when Gu Wanning married, or rather, when we saved you, we were already prepared.


    ¡°If you need anything, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°His Highness did not misjudge you. Since you agree, thene to the residence tomorrow night and we can discuss it together.¡±


    ¡°Alright, what time?¡±


    ¡°Before midnight, you must be there on time.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t understand. Since you wanted to participate, why did you remind His Highness about Qiao Lan sabotaging the main wife?


    ¡°Later, you even reminded Uncle Feng to save the princess consort and the child in her stomach.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another matter.


    ¡°The first time, honestly, I saved her because I was afraid something would also happen to His Highness.


    ¡°The second time, the Su Family wasn¡¯t just sabotaging the princess consort, but the entire residence, including us husband and wife.


    ¡°Moreover, the princess consort and the child are innocent.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that the Emperor asked me before, asking that I favor one of the princes more..¡±

 Chapter 682 - 682 Forced (1)

    Chapter 682: Forced (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What did you reply?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked curiously.


    ¡°I said that it was the Emperor¡¯s family matter, and as an official, I couldn¡¯tment much.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming was stunned for a moment before heughed. ¡°Family matters? Haha, you¡¯re really cunning. Didn¡¯t the Emperor pester for an answer after that?¡±


    ¡°He just smiled. Maybe he felt that he couldn¡¯t get anything out of me, so he didn¡¯t ask anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes, strictly speaking, the session of the throne is really the Emperor¡¯s own family matter.


    ¡°However, the status of the royal family was too high. Their family matters are national affairs, and every time, it will be a bloody storm filled with killing intent.¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, it¡¯s all about power.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming nodded in agreement, and they chatted for a while before Zhou Huaiming went home.


    Zhou Ying saw that he didn¡¯t bring any attendants with him, so she watched him enter the prince¡¯s mansion. Only then did she retract her divine senses.


    After entering the interspace at night, Gu Chengrui hugged Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°Babe, you heard our conversation, right? You won¡¯t me me, right?¡±


    ¡°No, it seems that we can¡¯t hide anymore. Why don¡¯t we help King Rui? He¡¯s the chosen one anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then we have to be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Especially you. Bring two more people with you when you go out in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make more self-defense medicine in two days.¡±


    ¡°Make some poison, too. In the future, having those will be a matter of life and death.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± Gu Chengrui kissed her deeply and said, ¡°Let¡¯s end this early tonight.¡±


    Zhou Ying paused for a moment before she smiled. ¡°Alright.¡±


    The next day, while the couple was having breakfast, King Kang came in with the girl from yesterday. When he saw the cherries on the table, he said, ¡°Cousin, you and Sister-inw¡¯s lives are doing well; there are even cherries for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Compared to the lychees in the prince¡¯s residence, they really paled inparison.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and bowed.


    ¡°Your Highness, have you eaten? Do you want to sit down and eat together?¡±


    ¡°No, I came over after breakfast. You guys continue eating.¡±


    ¡°Then we won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡± Gu Chengrui asked Niu Lirong to serve tea to the prince while he and Zhou Ying quickly ate.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui sat at the head of the table and said, ¡°The only tea that can be served in the residence is Pu¡¯er tea; I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°No need to say that. Pu¡¯er tea is great too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s y two rounds of chess?¡±


    ¡°Sure, cousin¡¯s ying style is very novel; we can discuss it together.¡±


    ¡°You tter me. No matter how novel it is, I still lost to you a few times.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said, ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll go get the chessboard now.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. There¡¯s a serious matter to discuss today. Let¡¯s talk about it after we¡¯re done.¡± King Kang pointed at Lyvi, standing at the side, and asked, ¡°About this youngdy, do you have any impression of her?¡±


    ¡°No. Why? What special rtionship does she have with you?¡± Gu Chengrui nced at Lyvi and shook his head.


    King Kang was a little surprised to see that he was not interested at all.


    Lvyi was the woman he had carefully selected and nurtured.


    Not to mention her looks, her temperament was that of a sheltered girl from a humble family. She had an indescribable innocence that made people want to protect her at first nce, so King Kang did not expect Gu Chengrui not to be moved at all.


    He just didn¡¯t know if he was really unmoved or if he was deliberately rejecting him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a gentleman.¡±


    ¡°Thisdy is rted to me, the younger sister of one of my deceased subordinates. After the disaster, there was no one at her home, so she has been staying at my residence.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to fall in love with you at first sight yesterday, so I specially came with her today to fulfill a blessed couple..¡±

 Chapter 683 - 683 Forced (2)

    Chapter 683: Forced (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°But I have no feelings for her.¡± Gu Chengrui rejected him directly.


    King Kang¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°You can slowly cultivate your feelings, as long as¡­¡±


    Gu Chengrui shook his head and said, ¡°Some feelings can be cultivated, but some feelings can¡¯t.


    ¡°It¡¯s like when a bandit kidnaps a woman.


    ¡°They would kidnap her because they are interested.


    ¡°Any woman who doesn¡¯t catch their eye would be beaten up even if they tried to get close to them forcefully.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Moreover, my wife and I are a true couple of life and death. I think Your Highness knows a thing or two about how many life-and-death situations we have experienced together.


    ¡°So, as a man, I can¡¯t let her down.¡±


    ¡°But so far, she hasn¡¯t even given birth to a child with you.¡±


    ¡°I said before that it¡¯s not that we can¡¯t give birth, but that we don¡¯t want to. ¡°Besides, so what if we can¡¯t give birth? As long as we can grow old together, nothing is better than anything.


    ¡°As for children, if they aren¡¯t filial, we might as well not have children.¡±


    ¡°Why? Do I annoy you?¡± Lvyi asked with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°No, but I don¡¯t like you either, just like how I never liked roses.


    ¡°Do I think roses are bad? No, but I just don¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Perhaps this was what people often said¡ªeach person had their own preferences.¡±


    ¡°Gu Chengrui, do you want to fall out with me?¡± King Kang questioned with a cold expression.


    He had never met someone who didn¡¯t give in to his request. He was really pissed at this moment.


    ¡°What are you saying? A rtionship between men and women has always been consensual. What does this have to do with falling out with you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± King Kang was so angry that he stood up and demanded, ¡°What if I forced her to stay?¡±


    Gu Chengrui was about to speak when Zhou Ying stood up. ¡°If Your Highness wants to keep her here, it¡¯s not impossible¡­¡±


    Lvyi looked at her in surprise. She had never seen anyone take the initiative to leave a love rival for herself. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t tell what Zhou Ying was nning.


    Even King Kang asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s your condition.¡±


    ¡°A death contract. She can stay as long as she is willing to sign a death contract.¡± Zhou Ying raised her head and replied.


    ¡°You two are sure something else!¡± King Kang almost exploded in anger when he heard that. Would he have gone through so much trouble if he had only wanted to send a servant over?


    ¡°You tter me. There must be some restrictions. Otherwise, if there are any embarrassing rumors, it will be toote to regretter.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    She looked at Lvyi and asked, ¡°Do you need me to prepare the contract now?


    ¡°Since you fell in love with my husband at first sight and even took the initiative to beg His Highness toe with you, you probably don¡¯t care about this contract, right?¡±


    Lvyi¡¯s face turned green with anger when she heard that. However, she did not vent it out. Instead, she clenched her fists tightly and looked at King Kang, whose face was also frighteningly dark.


    When King Kang saw this, he walked out with a green hue.


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t love at first sight, but lust.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. 90% of love at first sight is always due to lust.¡±


    King Kang turned around and looked at Zhou Ying with a murderous look on her face. Lvyi was so angry that she threw the bag in her hand at Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying pulled Gu Chengrui aside and dodged in a sh, and the bundle smashed onto the table.


    The table shook, and the teacup on the table immediately fell to the ground. King Kang¡¯s cup of tea fell to the ground and shattered into eight pieces.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, with this strength, I really don¡¯t know if she¡¯s here to be a concubine or a spy.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she picked up the bag and threw it back to Lvyi.


    She threw it with all her might.


    Lvyi staggered a few steps before stopping after she was hit..

 Chapter 684 - 684 Preparation

    Chapter 684: Preparation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    King Kang harumphed coldly when he saw this, then flung his sleeves and walked out.


    Lvyi looked at Zhou Ying with fear and quickly followed King Kang.


    Gu Chengrui rubbed his forehead when he saw this. He looked at Zhou Ying in surprise and said, ¡°Babe, you¡¯re so cool.¡±


    ¡°Which part of it was cool?¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and put one hand on his shoulder as she asked with an asking smile.


    ¡°Of course, every part of it. Fortunately, you protected me, or else I would be in trouble today.¡± Gu Chengrui tilted his head and rested his head on her shoulder.


    Zhou Ying pushed his head up and rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Why do I find that you¡¯re getting more and more nonchntter?


    ¡°Where¡¯s the handsome, righteous, and stern man of the past gone?


    ¡°Tell me, who are you? Give me back my husband.¡±


    Zhou Ying retorted as she pulled his face.


    Gu Chengrui grabbed her mischievous hand and asked, ¡°What, you don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just not used to it.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯ll get used to it slowly. Now that my identity is different and there are no restrictions, I can slowly be someone you like.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. She remembered the military uniform he wore in his previous life and suddenly missed his serious look.


    Of course, she likes him more now than ever.


    She leaned into his arms and said, ¡°I prefer you, whoever you want to be.¡±


    ¡°I know. I want the same for you.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he pulled her into the study and sat her down. ¡°You mocked them very heavily just moments ago.


    ¡°They will definitely think of ways to take revenge on us. We must be careful.¡±


    ¡°I know, but we¡¯re not on the same side anyway.¡± At this point, Zhou Ying raised her head and smiled evilly. ¡°Can you prepare some aphrodisiac for meter?¡±


    ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± Gu Chengrui asked warily.


    Zhou Ying heard themotion outside and knew that someone hade in to clean up. She pulled his cor and whispered in his ear, ¡°It¡¯s impolite if I don¡¯t return the favor of being a matchmaker.¡±


    Gu Chengrui lightly pecked her lips and said, ¡°Revenge is fine, but don¡¯t implicate the innocent.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that unreasonable.


    ¡°Since King Kang values Lyvi so much, I think he¡¯d better keep her by his side. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°True that.¡± Gu Chengrui replied and pulled her into his arms lovingly. ¡°Keep an eye on King Kang to prevent him from scheming us.


    ¡°He might target us directly, but at the restaurant or the manor.¡±


    ¡°I will. I really hope that this mess can end soon.¡±


    ¡°If the Marquis of Ding¡¯an is diligent enough, it should be soon.¡±


    Then, Zhou Ying sent Gu Chengrui into her interspace and asked him to make the aphrodisiac she needed.


    She walked out of the study room and saw Xiaxiang standing guard outside. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. Go to the garden and have the Miao father and daughter collect some rose petals.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiaxiang responded and turned to leave.


    After she left, Zhou Ying sat outside and drank a pot of tea. At the same time, she spread out her divine sense to look at King Kang.


    At this moment, King Kang had already returned to the residence in a carriage.


    However, Lvyi was walking on the street with a bag on her back.


    The anger and killing intent she emanated made people flinch and hide far away.


    Zhou Ying shook her head. ¡°Tsk tsk, King Kang will lose his beloved if he does this.¡±


    ¡°Although she might hate us more.¡±


    She was right. Although Lvyi was resentful of King Kang for abandoning her on the streets, she hated Zhou Ying more.


    Especially Zhou Ying¡¯sst sentence, saying that she was simply lustful for Gu Chengrui.


    If it weren¡¯t for the prince¡¯s deliberate arrangement, would she even have taken a fancy to him?


    But she could not refute this im, even though she was so angry that her lungs were about to explode. She wanted nothing more than to tear Zhou Ying apart..

 Chapter 685 - 685 Counterattack

    Chapter 685: Counterattack


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Soon, it was nighttime. After dinner, Gu Chengrui took two bags of snacks and brought Lin Yitian to the residence of King Rui.


    Of course, Zhou Ying used her divine senses to escort them over.


    After making sure that they had safely entered the residence of King Rui, Zhou Ying looked at the residence of King Kang again.


    At this moment, King Kang had also learned from the servant¡¯s report that Gu Chengrui had entered King Rui¡¯s Residence. He angrily mmed his fist on the table and said, ¡°How dare he refuse my goodwill? Fine, don¡¯t me me for not giving you face, too.¡±


    Then, he called Lvyi over and said, ¡°Go prepare yourselfter. Go to the courtyard on the west side and sleep with Gu Chengrui tonight.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, can you change someone else¡ªthe couple¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the chance for revenge that I¡¯m giving you and also your mission.


    ¡°Or could it be that you can¡¯t even deal with a pair of country bumpkins?¡±


    Zhou Ying gritted her teeth in anger. You¡¯re the country bumpkin, you damn ancient-era king.


    A wicked smile shed across her eyes, and she immediately took action.


    Lvyi suddenly felt something enter her nose. She rubbed its nose and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Go and prepare.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lvyi turned around and was about to leave after saying that, but after taking two steps, she felt dizzy.


    She quickly raised her hand to support her head, but before she could, she fell to the ground stiffly.


    King Kang was shocked when he saw this. At the same time, he felt something enter his nose and could not help but sneeze.


    He quickly went forward to check on Lvyi. After confirming that she had only fainted, he had no choice but to help her onto a chair.


    At this moment, the faint fragrance of a woman wafted into his nose from Lvyi¡¯s body. He immediately felt a wave of frustration, and his body reacted at the same time.


    As someone experienced, he quickly understood what was going on.


    However, now was not the time to mess around. He immediately let go of Lvyi and shouted for help.


    At this moment, the fragrance entered his nose once again. The hormones in his body immediately overtook his rationality fiercely, and his instinct took over.


    After trying to control it once more, he failed and pounced on Lvyi.


    Not long after, bashful sounds came from the study. The servant girl outside heard it with embarrassment. ¡°Shameless Vixen, I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s coveting His Highness.¡±


    After saying that, she gritted her teeth and looked into the room with unwillingness and resentment. In the end, she sat down dejectedly.


    ¡°Whoa, it looks like there¡¯s someone else who really wants King Kang too.


    ¡°As you wish, then.¡± Zhou Ying also gave the servant girl a whiff of aphrodisiac.


    She wanted to see King Kang¡¯s expression when he woke up and found out that someone had climbed on top of him. She wanted to see if he could slowly develop feelings for them as he persuaded Gu Chengrui.


    The servant girl soon felt ufortable, and the waves of heat in her body made her heart itch. She persisted, persisted, and persisted.


    When she could not hold on any longer, she turned around and ran into the house, pouncing on King Kang.


    Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that King Kang could not do anything for the time being.


    After that, she nced into the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s Residence and was surprised to find that Mrs. Lu had recovered.


    Although she wasn¡¯t as energetic as before, she looked fine.


    She was exining to Sun Wenhao about the matters in the residence as well as their ie for the month.


    Only now did Zhou Ying discover that the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s Residence was much wealthier than she had imagined. More than half of their wealth was in the hands of the side branches.


    Those assets that Zhou Ying had taken previously were just their private stash, and most of them would never see the light of day. It would not shake the Marquis of Ding¡¯an foundation and would only make them panic.


    On the contrary, the old madam was seriously ill, as she worried about the Empress and King Hui in the pce while lying in bed.


    When Zhou Ying heard their names, she couldn¡¯t help but nce at them. However, the Empress and King Hui were just obediently staying there; King Hui was even leisurely calcting his ounts..

 Chapter 686 - 686 They Have Arrived

    Chapter 686: They Have Arrived


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying curiously went forward to take a look. She did not expect that their ie would be so varied.


    However, nearly half of it was corruption and bribery. Another portion was the filial piety of the officials below. Finally, it was the official ie from King Hui¡¯s Residence.


    Also, these regr ies only ounted for about 30% of the total.


    Zhou Ying shook her head when she saw this. It seemed the lightning strikest time was too light. Unfortunately, her current strength was limited, or else she would have struck him to death.


    ¡°Mistress, it¡¯s gettingte. Do you want to rest first?¡± At this moment, Qiuxiang came in with some clothes.


    ¡°Chengrui hasn¡¯te back yet,¡± Zhou Ying replied immediately. ¡°Boil a pot of water and go rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Qiuxiang responded and turned to leave.


    However, she still left two maidservants behind.


    Zhou Ying did not say anything when she saw this. Instead, she looked at King Rui¡¯s Residence and saw that the group of people were still discussing something.


    She directly sent a voice transmission to Gu Chengrui, telling him to sleep there with Zhou Huaiming and that there was no rush toe back.


    Seeing that he nodded, Zhou Ying asked the maidservants to bring some water in and inform the gatekeeper before they went to sleep.


    After Zhou Ying finished washing up, she closed the door and windows and entered her interspace to get busy.


    For the next few days, perhaps King Kang had been tormented until he ran out of energy or for some other reason, but he temporarily stopped pestering them.


    She did not know that King Kang was frightened.


    He knew very well that he had been sabotaged, but he couldn¡¯t find any clues. Thus, he could only ask Consort Shu for help. Consort Shu did not have a clue, so she could only calm him down and ask him not to make any more moves. Five dayster, the people from their hometown arrived in the capital.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming brought some guards to pick them up with the goods.


    What Zhou Ying didn¡¯t expect was that Sun Hongliang also came.


    When she saw him, she asked in surprise, ¡°Brother Sun, why are you here? Isn¡¯t the restaurant open for business?¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhao is watching the restaurant.


    ¡°While I send these people off, I can also report to you the ounts over the past six months.¡± After Sun Hongliang finished speaking, he handed her a booklet.


    Zhou Ying flipped through it. The first part was ie mainly from selling beef, mutton, and sweet potato sprouts. Thest part was the 6,000 taels of silver earned during the Dragon Boat Festival.


    Next was the reopening of the restaurant. However, there were only expenses and no ie at the moment.


    She asked curiously, ¡°How many dumplings did you sell? How did you earn so much during the festival?¡±


    ¡°Mainly from the merchants whoe and go, buying the dumpling as travel expenses. There are also some who bought those dumplings in batches to be sold at different docks.


    ¡°At that time, I gathered women from three viges for their help for six days. ¡°I had to buy a lot of glutinous rice through my uncle, Manager Liu, too.¡± ¡°I see. How¡¯s the restaurant¡¯s business now?¡± Zhou Ying nodded and asked. With the rice that she had distributed, it would be good if they could even earn 2,000 taels of silver from it.


    ¡°Although it¡¯s not as popr as when it first opened, we can still earn about


    100 taels a day because the dock has returned to normal.


    ¡°If we want business to recover fully, we would have to wait at least another year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. After three to four years of disasters, the people must have suffered greatly. It¡¯s difficult to recover in a short period of time. Oh, right, Hongyun Restaurant has opened for business, right?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s opened. Currently, it is on par with our restaurant¡¯s ie, but they are busier than us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as business can be maintained. By the way, how many people havee along this time? Is there enough manpower at home?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I left enough workforce there.


    ¡°As for the kitchen helpers, there are a total of six newbies and veteransbined.


    ¡°Li Si and nine others who knew martial arts also came.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re enough. If not, I¡¯ll think of another way..<sup>1</sup>

 Chapter 687 - 687 Invite (1)

    Chapter 687: Invite (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s good. When you go back, try your best to cultivate someone who can take over your position. After our business here matures, you¡¯ll have a lot of work to do.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Sun Hongliang was delighted when he heard that and knew Zhou Ying was nning to put him in an important position in the future. He stood up and bowed. ¡°Thank you for your kindness. I will definitely do my best to share Mistress¡¯ worries.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t disappoint me, I¡¯ll leave the restaurant and the manor there to you. Also, see if there are any more manors for sale.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, can you tell me what it¡¯s for?¡±


    ¡°Mainly to build a workshop, so don¡¯t choose a ce that¡¯s too remote.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll start preparing after I return.¡±


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while before Zhou Dasheng arranged for him to stay in the guest house.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui checked the martial arts of Li Si and the others. Seeing that they could withstand more than a hundred moves under him, he was quite pleased, so he temporarily handed them over to Lin Yitian.


    On the other side, after Biaozi tested Qiu Yu and the others¡¯ cooking skills, he was also very satisfied. At least they could be chefs in the kitchen.


    Of course, he also pointed out their shorings and asked them to improve on them.


    When Biaozo saw them, he remembered that he had rmended his chef friend to Zhou Ying. After settling them down, he hailed a carriage and went to a small farmhouse in the western suburbs to find Chef Xie, whom he had mentioned before.


    When Chef Xie, who was weaving baskets in the courtyard, saw him enter, he immediately stood up. ¡°Xiao Qi, you should leave. I said I wouldn¡¯te be a chef again.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here to persuade you but to bring you out for a walk. If you still don¡¯t want to return as a chef after wee back, I won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± After Qi Lin finished speaking, he pulled him into the carriage, locked it, and brought him to a school not far away.


    It was almost time for school to end, so Qi Lin brought Chef Xie to hide on the other side of the carriage.


    Because many families had rushed to pick up their children, their arrival did not attract much attention.


    Chef Xie looked at him suspiciously and asked, ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°Quiet, you¡¯ll knowter.¡± After Qi Lin finished speaking, he leaned against the carriage and waited.


    About 15 minutester, the children came out of the school one after another.


    When Chef Xie saw his grandson Xie Jiagene out, he was about to raise his hand to call him over when Qi Lin grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Be quiet and watch.¡±


    At this moment, someone threw a bun at Xie Jiagan and yelled, ¡°Hey, Xie Jiagen, this is for you! Remember toe over early tomorrow morning to help me clean the ssroom.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Xie Jiagan nodded and took the steamed bun.


    Just as he was about to put it back into his bag, a fatty rushed over and snatched the bun away. He took a bite and spat, ¡°I thought you were supposed to be high and mighty? I asked you to help me wash my clothes, but you refused. Why are you helping Qian Er clean the ssroom?


    ¡°Did you do it for this meat bun? It¡¯s a pity that you don¡¯t have the luxury to eat it.¡±


    ¡°You, give it back to me! I exchanged it for my grandfather!¡± When Xie Jiagan saw this, he went forward to snatch it away. But how could the fatty be willing to let go? He directly swallowed the meat stuffing in one mouthful.


    Then, he threw the rest of the steamed bun under his feet and stepped on it.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Xie Jiagen was so angry that he pushed him down.


    ¡°You peasant, you¡¯re simply courting death by pushing me. Brothers, attack!¡± The little fatty got up and waved his chubby hand..

 Chapter 688 - 688 Invite (2)

    Chapter 688: Invite (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Immediately, three students came up and surrounded Xie Jiagan. Seeing that his grandson was about to be beaten, Chef Xie could not stay any longer and immediately rushed forward.


    This time, Qi Lin did not stop him and even followed him. ¡°What are you brats doing? Do you want me to call your teacher out to see what you¡¯ve done?¡±


    Xie Jiagan also saw Chef Xie and shouted unnaturally, ¡°Grandpa, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯te, I wouldn¡¯t have known you were actually bullied in school. Why didn¡¯t you tell Grandpa?¡± Chef Xie asked with heartache.


    Previously, he had noticed that his grandson was injured from time to time, and there were tears on his clothes.


    However, he always said that he fell when he was chasing his ssmates or when he was picking up bird eggs from a tree.


    Chef Xie knew boys were mischievous, and it was inevitable for them to tussle with each other from time to time. He did not expect the truth to be like this.


    He looked at his grandson, who was as thin as a stick. Although the clothes he was wearing were not patched with holes, they were washed. It was obvious that he had worn them for a long time.


    Looking at the others, while their clothes couldn¡¯t be said to be brand new, their colors were still bright.


    No wonder his grandson was looked down upon and ordered around. What was the point of his persistence, then?


    Xie Jiagan saw Chef Xie¡¯s eyes turn red and was at a loss for words. Soon, tears fell.


    When the fatty and the other three saw Chef Xie and Qi Lin, they already had the intention to retreat. They immediately ran away when they got a chance. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when we get home,¡± Qi Lin said.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go home.¡± Chef Xie took a deep breath and pulled his grandson into the carriage.


    Seeing this, Qi Lin did not say anything else. Instead, he drove the carriage to Chef Xie¡¯s house.


    In the car, Chef Xie did not ask anything after he sat down. Instead, he hugged his grandson¡¯s small body tightly.


    Seeing this, Xie Jiagen raised his head and called out uneasily, ¡°Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Chef Xie asked.


    ¡°Grandfather, your health is not good.¡± After Xie Jiagan said that, he lowered his head.


    Chef Xie did not say anything to that.


    When they reached home, he called out to Qi Lin, ¡°Come have a sit.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After Qi Lin finished speaking, he tied the carriage to the door and followed him in.


    After sitting down, Chef Xie poured him a ss of water and said, ¡°Thank you for today. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have known that my grandson had suffered so much outside.¡±


    ¡°I also discovered it by chance when I went backst time.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I think that if you really want to give your grandchild a promising future, you should try your best to give him a stable life first.¡±


    ¡°Can you ask your mistress if it¡¯s possible that we don¡¯t have to sign a death contract? I¡¯lle over if we can avoid that.¡±


    ¡°Is it to let your grandchild take the imperial examination?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this child likes to read. I can¡¯t ruin his future because of a job.¡±


    ¡°I heard something today. Let me tell you.¡± Qi Lin then told him about Li Sheng and his son. ¡°I heard that Xiao Yue got into the elementary school in the spring. ¡°Now, he had officially entered an academy for his studies.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie? My mistress has always asked for sincerity and will not force anyone.¡±


    Chef Xie¡¯s heart was shaken when he heard that. He looked at his grandson, who was practicing his calligraphy seriously in his room, and finally nodded. ¡°Alright, as long as it doesn¡¯t affect my grandson¡¯s future, I¡¯ll ept this job.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.. When are you going to cook some dishes for your interview?¡±

 Chapter 689 - 689 Invite (3)

    Chapter 689: Invite (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Tomorrow. I¡¯ll go over tomorrow.¡± Chef Xie said.


    ¡°Do you need any ingredients?¡±


    ¡°No need. We can just use local materials.¡±


    ¡°By the way, do you have any disciples? Can you bring them along?¡±


    Chef Xie was stunned for a moment and smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve had three disciples in my life, with the eldest disciple being my son. He¡¯s gone.


    ¡°My second disciple was separated from me when we fled from famine, and there had been no news of him so far.


    ¡°My youngest disciple, who was also my most intelligent disciple, had lost his sense of taste because of someone else. Now, he¡¯s no different from a cripple in cooking.¡±


    ¡°He lost his sense of taste?¡± Qi Lin was stunned for a moment and felt a little disappointed. Then, he thought of something and asked, ¡°But his cutting skills and ting skills should be fine, no?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, the restaurant is short of people now, but it might be insulting for your disciple to only be a kitchen helper.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s already great to have a proper job now.


    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll bring him along when I go over tomorrow. You guys can also take a look at his craftsmanship.¡± Chef Xie shook his head repeatedly.


    His youngest disciple¡¯s life was even harder than his own, and he almost sold his child. If they had a job, their lives would be better.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll wait for your arrival at the residence tomorrow.¡± After Qi Lin finished speaking, he stood up and rushed back.


    After Zhou Ying received the news, she specially informed Gu Chengrui and Sun Hongliang and even invited Zhou Huaiming over.


    At noon the next day, Chef Xie and his disciple cooked a table full of dishes.


    After Zhou Huaiming saw the dishes on the table, he picked up a small piece ofmb and tasted it. He looked at Zhou Ying with surprise and asked, ¡°Sister-inw, is this chef surnamed Xie? He¡¯s the head chef of West City¡¯s Qingfeng Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°His surname seems to be Xie, but I¡¯m really not sure where he worked before. Why? Was Qingfeng Restaurant famous?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°They are quite famous and have been around since the previous dynasty, but unfortunately, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an boycotted it, and business gradually declined.


    ¡°During the disaster, the owner closed down and disappeared.¡±


    ¡°A restaurant from the previous dynasty?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so the taste they make is authentic. It¡¯s slightly stronger than our current taste, but their meat dishes are packed with vor. I haven¡¯t eaten something like this for many years.¡±


    ¡°After hearing what you said, I¡¯m also tempted. Let¡¯s hurry up and eat.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he picked up a piece for Zhou Ying and Sun Hongliang before picking up a piece for himself.


    Needless to say, the dishes were really amazing. Not only did they not have a trace of the gamey taste of the mutton, but they also retained the fresh fragrance. It was a rare delicacy.


    Another reason was that it was slightly more salty, so even the fatty meat was not greasy.


    Zhou Ying tried a few other dishes. Other than the slightly heavy taste, there was really nothing toin about.


    Even their cutting skills and ting were perfect.


    ¡°Sister-inw, I can guarantee that your restaurant will be extremely popr when it opens in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your blessings.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and said, ¡°You guys sit down and have a cup of tea. I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to take a look.¡±


    After saying that, she asked Niu Lirong to serve the men tea while she went to the kitchen.


    When Qi Lin saw hering over, he immediately asked, ¡°What do you think of Chef Xie¡¯s cooking?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve tasted it before. Tell me your opinion first.¡± Zhou Ying asked back.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than mine, but I have also learned a lot of new dishes and cooking methods from you, Mistress. We can be considered cooks from different schools of thought..¡±

 Chapter 690 - 690 The Primer Has Arrived

    Chapter 690: The Primer Has Arrived


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Those dishes are indeed not bad. Where are the cooks?¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°I have temporarily arranged for them to be in the west wing.¡± After Qi Lin finished speaking, he brought her to the west wing.


    As soon as she entered the west wing, she saw an old man and a young man. The two thin men were sitting at a table, eating their dinner.


    When they saw her enter, they immediately stood up and said, ¡°Xie Chengcai, Zhang Daquan, greets Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ve tried your cooking. It¡¯s delicious.


    ¡°I wonder if you have any other conditions. If not, you can sign your contract now.¡±


    ¡°The employment contract, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Qi Lin has already told me about your situation. I respect your opinion.


    ¡°However, I have to make two things clear in advance. First, you have to be absolutely loyal to the restaurant. Second, you must listen to orders and not be arrogant because of your skills.


    ¡°Of course, I will do my best to ensure your and your family¡¯s safety.


    ¡°If anyonees looking for trouble with you, you can tell the manager ore to me directly. I¡¯ll help you solve those problems. Do you have any questions?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    The master and disciple looked at each other and shook their heads. ¡°No more.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Chef Xie will be paid ten taels per month, and Chef Zhang will be paid two taels per month. In the future, we will recalcte your sry ording to the restaurant¡¯s ie and your performance.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± Both of them heaved a sigh of relief.


    This monthly sry was much higher than they had imagined.


    Both parties signed an employment agreement. Of course, the conditions and requirements were clearly written in it.


    Chef Xie put away the agreement and asked with an embarrassed look, ¡°Mistress, I wonder if you can advance us a month¡¯s worth of sry, especially for Daquan. His family needs it urgently.¡±


    ¡°Sure.


    ¡°Also, the restaurant¡¯s backyard has been cleaned up, and you can also live there. You can familiarize yourself with the menu with the others while dividing the work.


    ¡°In the future, Chef Xie would be the head chef, and Qi Lin would be his second inmand.¡± Zhou Ying looked at Qi Lin and said, ¡°Learn well. You¡¯ll have to take the lead when it¡¯s time to open a branch.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mistress.¡± Qi Lin nodded.


    Although he was a little disappointed, he also understood that he could only manage a kitchen in their residence. He had nevere into contact with the kitchen of a restaurant, so he was really not confident in running it by himself.


    After that, he gave them some instructions and asked them to look for Niu Fugui.


    In the following days, the capital was tranquil. Everyone was preparing for the final gamble.


    In the meantime, Zhou Huaiming sold all the rose tea he had shipped in less than ten days for ten taels of silver per pound.


    Sun Hongliang stayed in the capital for ten days and discussed with Niu Fugui and Qi Lin restaurant management.


    Then, he took the money for the rose tea and went back.


    A monthter, the restaurant opened as scheduled when the weather was still hot.


    Therefore, Zhou Ying asked the restaurant to add watermelon with crushed ice, iced herbal tea, sour plum drinks, and other cold drinks. She also added some manual-cranked fans and several exhaust fans. Therefore, business was booming throughout the day.


    Especially at night, eating barbecue has be a trend.


    Even the Emperor and Empress Dowager sneaked out to have a good meal.


    Of course, Gu Chenglin¡¯s purse was bulging with money after this.


    Three months passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Zhou Ying was about to go to the manor to help collect some melons when Gu Chengrui returned and stopped her.


    He brought her back into the house and said, ¡°The Marquis of Ding¡¯an has returned, and our primer has also arrived. Don¡¯t go anywhere for the time being..¡±

 Chapter 691 - 691 Overstepping Boundaries

    Chapter 691: Overstepping Boundaries


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°So King Hui is going to make a move?¡±


    ¡°Most likely, in case they are desperate, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t go out for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Alright. How are the arrangements at King Rui¡¯s side?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time. King Rui¡¯s intention is mainly to save the Emperor, and our mission is to protect King Rui¡¯s consorts and a few other important people¡¯s safety if anything happens.


    ¡°So next, I have to make some tear gas and knockout powder. Can you help me grind more chili powder and mustard powder?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. It¡¯ll only take a few minutes.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you to grind it now. I¡¯ll take it away in a while.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying went straight to the bedroom, closed the window, and entered her interspace.


    Then, she took out a gunny sack worth of ghost peppers and wasabi and put them into a grinder.


    After a while, half a sack¡¯s worth of powder shot out. She ground some more again and collected a full sack before leaving the interspace and handing it to Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui got up and took the bag. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me if I¡¯m not back by midnight.¡±


    ¡°I know. Be careful.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Since Zhou Ying could not go out, she took out a batch of fine cotton cloth and made two sets of inner clothes for the two of them.


    During lunch, Xiaxiang put down the food and asked, ¡°Mistress, aren¡¯t you going to wait for Master toe back today to eat together?¡±


    ¡°He has something to do. He will eat outside at noon.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Zhou Ying looked up at her and said, ¡°Do you still remember who is the master and who is the servant?¡±


    ¡°This servant spoke too much. In the morning, I just saw that Master was carrying a bag of chili powder out, so I thought that Master was only sending spices to the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. We¡¯re the masters, and you¡¯re the servant. There¡¯s no need to report to you what we do.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    ¡°Go. If there¡¯s a next time, don¡¯t me me for turning hostile.¡± Zhou Ying waved her hand and chased her away like she was chasing away a fly.


    After Xiaxiang returned to the small kitchen, she looked at Niu Lirong with an aggrieved expression and asked, ¡°Sister Niu, does Mistress have something against me?¡±


    Niu Lirong turned her head to look at her. ¡°Mistress has always been kind. It¡¯s you who went overboard with your words today. If it were another master, you would¡¯ve been executed.¡±


    ¡°Is it that serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course, no master would be willing to be watched by their servants. Unless she takes the initiative to mention it, you can¡¯t ask about their ns.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your trainer teach you these rules before?¡±


    Xiaxiang was stunned momentarily, as if she had thought of something. She replied with a smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t served someone in close quarters before, so I really haven¡¯t noticed.¡±


    Niu Lirong didn¡¯t believe a single word, but she didn¡¯t overthink about it. She only thought that Xiaxiang got carried away because Zhou Ying was easy to talk to.


    Therefore, she ignored Xiaxiang and started brewing bitter gourd and cumquat tea.


    Xiaxiang excused herself politely and pulled out a piece of roasted sweet potato from the firece to eat.


    Zhou Ying heard their conversation and snorted coldly. Although Xiaxiang tried her best to make up for it, she knew very well that Xiaxiang was really asking about Gu Chengrui¡¯s whereabouts.


    It was just that Xiaxiang thought that her identity had not been exposed yet and was trying to find a way to eliminate her suspicion.


    Unfortunately, Xiaxiang was simply trying to gild the lily, which made Zhou Ying even more certain of her guess.


    Zhou Ying wondered when Xiaxiang contacted her superior and what kind of mission she had received.


    After that, Zhou Ying had nothing to do, and she would monitor Xiaxiang as long as she left the main courtyard.


    She finally found out how they met on the morning of the third day.


    It turned out to be Manager Zheng, who delivered winter clothes to the servants in the residence. She was the team leader for Xiaxiang, whom she had discovered earlier..

 Chapter 692 - 692 Meeting Up

    Chapter 692: Meeting Up


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    While Xiaxiang was trying on the clothes, Manager Zheng asked, ¡°How was it? Did you get anything?¡±


    ¡°No, other than the bag of chili powder that Master Gu carried when he went out two days ago, there was nothing unusual.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, two days ago, Mistress said that she wanted to go to the manor, but after Master came back, she didn¡¯t mention it again.¡±


    ¡°Which exact day?¡±


    ¡°The 13th.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the day the Marquis returns to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that day.¡±


    ¡°Next, do a good investigation. I¡¯m sure that the couple is on King Rui¡¯s side. See if you can find out anything about King Rui¡¯s movements through them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you five days. Give me a reply in five days.¡± After Manager Zheng finished speaking, he sized her up and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to change it. This dress fits well.


    ¡°Wearing thick clothes in the winter that are too tight would only make you look bloated.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll heed your advice, Manager Zheng.¡±


    After the two of them chatted for a while, Manager Zheng went to check the clothes of the others. After making sure that no one needed to change them, he got his money from Mother Qiu and left the residence with a smile.


    After he left, Zhou Ying called Mother Qiu over and asked, ¡°Mother Qiu, I heard that you changed shops for the servants¡¯ winter clothes this time. How¡¯s the price and quality?¡±


    ¡°The quality isparable to our summer clothes. It¡¯s definitely made of good material and craftsmanship.


    ¡°The price is also 20% lower than the previous shop, saving us nearly 50 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? How do you know that Manager Zheng?¡±


    ¡°When I went to ce an order, I met him on the street. I heard that the price was not bad and changed to his shop.¡±


    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s keep patronizing him in the future, then.¡± At this point, Zhou Ying suddenly changed the topic and asked, ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Zhou Dong¡¯s shop doing? Have you gone to take a look?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been there once. It¡¯s selling quite well, especially the biscuits and pies. They also sell steamed buns and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Good. As long as they can maintain their business, it¡¯s fine. When the situation recovers next year, business will be much better.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we don¡¯t even have all the ingredients we need for now.¡±


    The two of them chatted for a while before Mother Qiu left.


    Zhou Ying, on the other hand, extended her divine sense to look at Manager Zheng. With his identity, it was very easy for him toe into contact with the spies of various families.


    She could also use him to see if she could find any useful information.


    Not long after, Manager Zheng brought another batch of winter clothes to the Sun Residence. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Mrs. Sun, Manager Zheng met up with two servant girls.


    Of course, their task was to keep an eye on Schr Sun.


    Over the next two days, Manager Zheng delivered clothes a few more times.


    Zhou Ying also realized that the families he sent clothes to included not only King Rui¡¯s faction but also King Kang¡¯s faction.


    He even sent clothes to the Seventh Prince¡¯s father-inw¡¯s Yan family.


    Of course, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about this when she had the chance.


    That night, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Babe, take the opportunity to leak some news to Xiaxiang. Tell her that King Rui has recovered from his injuries and is going back to Dongyang.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. ¡°Are you sure? If the Emperor is really gone, it¡¯s fine. If he survives, will he have any objections to King Rui?¡±


    ¡°No, this is the Emperor¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°What did the Emperor discover?¡±


    ¡°The Emperor seems to have been poisoned.¡±


    ¡°Poisoned? Not wormed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Let¡¯s just listen to his orders.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll make something delicious tomorrow morning to send King Rui and Brother Zhou off..¡±

 Chapter 693 - 693 Exposed

    Chapter 693: Exposed


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Smart. After she sends out the news, we¡¯ll pull her out.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The next day, before dawn, Zhou Ying went to the kitchen and stewed a pot of beef and braised four pork knuckles.


    She also steamed a big pot of buns with dried shrimp and white radish fillings.


    When she was wrapping it up, she deliberately slipped the news to the servant girl who was stoking the fire.


    After Zhou Ying was done, she packed the food and called Gu Chengrui to send it over.


    Then, she watched as King Rui and the others quietly left the city.


    After Zhou Ying came back, she followed them with her divine sense out of curiosity. Unfortunately, she only knew that they were heading for the dock, and soon they were out of the range of her divine sense.


    In the evening, news came that King Rui was seriously injured, and his whereabouts were unknown.


    After Gu Chengrui received the news, he came back and saw Shizhu and Niu Lirong in the room. He was stunned for a moment and went forward to ask, ¡°Zhou Ying, did you leak the news that King Rui was leaving the capital?¡±


    Zhou Ying understood what he was trying to do and replied indignantly, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We¡¯ve been husband and wife for so many years. Don¡¯t you know me? When have I ever gossiped?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is impossible. The news of King Rui¡¯s departure is not even known to the princess consort. It must havee from you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re framing me.¡± Zhou Ying paused for a moment, as if she had thought of something. She ran out and went to the kitchen to find the servant girl who had stoked the fire. ¡°Did you leak the news of King Rui leaving the capital?¡± The servant girl was shocked when she heard that. If she had anything to do with King Rui¡¯s disappearance, would she still be able to live?


    Thinking of this, she shook her head hurriedly. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. I told you a little bit this morning. Who else could it be?


    ¡°Think carefully if anyone has said anything or asked you anything.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­¡± Just as the servant girl opened her mouth, she thought of something, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Right! After Mistress left, sister Xiaxiang asked me what you were doing in a hurry.


    ¡°I just told her that you were going to send King Rui off.¡±


    The husband and wife looked at each other and immediately left the kitchen. Just then, Xiaxiang walked in happily.


    Seeing this, the two of them immediately rushed forward because neither of them knew how skilled Xiaxiang was.


    Xiaxiang looked at them and instinctively blocked them.


    When she realized that it was them, she immediately wanted to stop, but the two of them did not give her the chance. They directly attacked her vital points. Xiaxiang finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and started fighting with the two of them.


    Xiaxiang¡¯s skills were surprisingly good. Under thebined suppression of the couple, she still persisted for more than 30 moves before she was subdued.


    Gu Chengrui immediately dislocated her jaws and checked her mouth. As expected, he found a small poison sac.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying asked Niu Lirong for a rope and tied her up. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that a small official like us would have a spy in our house.¡±


    Shizhu stepped forward in disbelief and said, ¡°No way she¡¯s actually a spy. She even helped us out back then with the assassins!¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s real.¡± Niu Lirong suddenly quipped in.


    At this point, she also told him about the day Xiaxiang asked for Gu Chengrui¡¯s whereabouts.


    Shizhu med herself after hearing this. She was the servant in charge of Zhou Ying¡¯s safety. She did not expect such an enemy to lurk beside her, and she did not notice it.


    What a neglect of her duty!


    Thinking of this, she kneeled. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. Please punish me, Master and Mistress..¡±

 Chapter 694 - 694 Hand Over

    Chapter 694: Hand Over


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Niu Lirong was stunned for a moment before kneeling as well.


    The other people in the courtyard also kneeled one by one when they saw this.


    ¡°Get up. Everyone is responsible for this. Just be more careful in the future.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Indeed, everyone should supervise each other in the future.¡±


    Gu Chengrui paused for a moment, afraid that it would cause internal strife. He continued, ¡°But you¡¯re not allowed to take revenge or deliberately frame someone. Otherwise, if you¡¯re found out, you¡¯ll be sold to the ravine as a shared wife.¡±


    Everyone agreed to that.


    As for Xiaxiang, the husband and wife did not punish her. Instead, they brought her directly to the dungeon of King Rui¡¯s Residence at night.


    At the same time, the families of a few hardcore supporters of King Rui also took the opportunity to drag the spies out of their residence and directly brought them to King Rui¡¯s dungeon.


    When everyone was here, Butler Feng walked in and said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work today.¡±


    ¡°Butler Feng, you tter us. It¡¯s our fault for having spies.¡± Everyone immediately replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable; there¡¯s even some here in the residence.


    ¡°Everyone, please return home for now. I¡¯ll contact you when there¡¯s news from His Highness.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble, Butler Feng.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he took the lead and walked out with Zhou Ying.


    The others followed one after another.


    Butler Feng began to interrogate all the spies in the cell.


    However, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui did not return to the residence directly. Instead, they walked to Gu Wanning¡¯s courtyard. Knowing that she was still awake, they walked in.


    Gu Wanning, who was doing the ounts, heard that they wereing. She immediately put down what she was doing and came out to wee them. ¡°Cousin, cousin-inw, why are you here at this time?¡±


    After greeting them, Chun Xi served tea and sent the others away.


    Gu Chengrui saw that she was not worried at all and said, ¡°It seems that His Highness had informed you before he left.¡±


    ¡°He mentioned mainly because he was afraid that we would panic.¡±


    ¡°Very good; we came here to send the spies from our residence. It just so happened that your cousin-inw came with me together, and we also came to visit to see how you were doing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little busy.¡±


    ¡°Busy? His Highness isn¡¯t around; what are you busy with?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    ¡°The princess consort is about to give birth, so I¡¯ll temporarily take care of the arrangements in the residence.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to get along so well with her.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t expect it either, but it¡¯s good this way. This way, I don¡¯t have to worry about sabotages every day.¡± Gu Wanning looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Cousin-inw, if you are not busy, you shoulde and visit me. It is very boring here in the residence.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t think I¡¯m annoying you, sure.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? I would be more than happy.¡±


    After that, the three of them chatted for a while before the couple returned to the residence.


    At about midnight, King Rui changed into the clothes of a royal guard and followed Xiao Heng into the pce. He saw the Emperor, who was already ill in bed.


    ¡°Greetings, Imperial Father.¡±


    The Emperor joked, ¡°Get up; I heard that you were seriously injured and had disappeared.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to send so many people to assassinate me, and two waves at that.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not the same person¡¯s subordinates, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The second batch is obviously better than the first batch.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for my ample preparations, I¡¯m afraid I really wouldn¡¯t have been able to return today.¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough.¡± The Emperor coughed dryly twice and coughed out blood, which shocked King Rui.


    King Rui went forward to help him wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and asked, ¡°You¡­. Has the imperial physician found out what poison it is?¡±

 Chapter 695 - 695 Cicada Shedding Its Shell

    Chapter 695: Cicada Shedding Its Shell


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor pushed him away and said, ¡°It¡¯s not poison; it¡¯s tuberculosis.¡±


    ¡°What? Tuberculosis?¡± King Rui was stunned when he heard this.


    ¡°It¡¯s simr to a chronic poison. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯tst long.¡± When the Emperor said this, he covered his mouth and coughed again.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the imperial physician have any way to treat it?¡±


    ¡°He said that he could only alleviate the symptoms. At present, no one can cure this illness.¡±


    ¡°Only those in better conditions could drag it out for a longer time.¡±


    ¡°How long has it been? Why hasn¡¯t there been any improvement?¡±


    ¡°About half a month. At first, I thought it was caused by a cold and didn¡¯t pay much attention.¡± The Emperor turned around and coughed again.


    Then he looked at King Rui and said, ¡°You¡¯ve already seen what kind of morals the First and Fourth have. I¡¯m afraid the country won¡¯t have a good ending if it falls into their hands.¡±


    ¡°The only person I can trust now is you.¡±


    Then, he looked at Xiao Heng and said, ¡°Xiao Heng, you will assist King Rui in eradicating their forces in the pce as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°If¡­


    ¡°Cough, cough, at the very least, reduce the casualties.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this subordinate will definitely do his best to assist King Rui.¡± Xiao Heng nodded.


    ¡°Go now. Eunuch Li ising.¡± When the Emperor said this, he looked at King Rui and said, ¡°Protect yourself and your child. Go.¡±


    King Rui looked at him with aplicated expression, then stood up and walked out with Xiao Heng.


    When they arrived at the resting ce of the imperial guards, King Rui entered the room. After confirming that there was no one in the room, he looked at Xiao Heng and asked, ¡°Chief Xiao, have you checked the cause of the Emperor¡¯s illness? How did he suddenly get this kind of illness?¡±


    ¡°Imperial Physician Zhou suspected something but didn¡¯t find any clues. This is why the Emperor felt that the other princes had started to act.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you are now a cicada shedding its shell.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll have to trouble Chief Xiao next.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. From tomorrow onward, you¡¯ll have a new face. I hope you can control your emotions and not arouse any suspicion.¡± Xiao Heng took out a ball of something and clumsily smeared it on his face. Soon, a hardened man¡¯s face formed.


    ¡°Chief Xiao, when did you learn this?¡± King Rui asked curiously.


    ¡°I think you know that the court official¡¯s disguise incident was investigated by me. The Emperor felt that it was useful, and asked me to learn this.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that it would really be useful one day.¡± King Ruimented ironically.


    ¡°I hope I never need it, but here we are. You can sleep in an hour. Remember toe out early tomorrow morning.¡± After Xiao Heng finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    King Rui sat in front of the table and looked at the hazy moonlight outside. His heart seemed to be covered with ayer of something.


    He couldn¡¯t see through the Emperor¡¯s thoughts, so he didn¡¯t know if the Emperor had other ns.


    However, for now, he could only decide based on the situation.


    The next afternoon, after he finished his shift, he found his people and quietly asked someone to send a letter to Butler Feng.


    After a round of interrogation, Butler Feng did not get any useful information other than finding a few more spies.


    Just as he was in a fit of anger, he heard that there was a letter from the pce and immediately left the dungeon.


    After reading the letter and knowing that everything was going well for His Highness, Butler Feng burned the letter.


    Then, he said to the prison guard beside him, ¡°Continue the interrogation. As long as they don¡¯t die, continue.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely pry open their mouths as soon as possible.¡± The prison guard replied with a firm expression.


    Butler Feng thought of the stubborn faces of those spies and finally gave up persuading them. Instead, he rushed to eat breakfast.


    After dinner, he found Gu Wanning and said, ¡°Your Highness, I need your help with something..¡±

 Chapter 696 - 696 A Call For Help

    Chapter 696: A Call For Help


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Uncle Feng, you¡¯re too polite. Please.¡± Gu Wanning quickly asked him to sit down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it quick. Please use your own name to ask Lord Gu toe to the residence as soon as possible.¡±


    Gu Wanning did not understand why he did not go personally.


    But she didn¡¯t ask any more questions. Instead, she nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I will take my leave.¡± After Butler Feng finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    After he left, Gu Wanning called Chun Xi over and said, ¡°Go to the Gu Residence and tell my cousin that I¡¯m sick. Ask him toe over and take my pulse.¡± ¡°Mistress, are you sick? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chun Xi asked worriedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just feel weak and listless.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone else to take my pulse other than my cousin.¡±


    When Chun Xi heard this, she did not think too much about it and immediately made a trip.


    However, Gu Chengrui was making medicine in the interspace. After Zhou Ying received the news, she asked, ¡°So your mistress said that she needs Chengrui to go over immediately?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she told me that she was very ufortable.¡± Chun Xi nodded.


    ¡°I got it. Wait a moment. I¡¯ll call someone right away.¡± Zhou Ying replied thoughtfully. She turned around and went to the study room, called Gu Chengrui out of the interspace, and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid something¡¯s wrong. She looked quite energeticst night.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll bring my first-aid kit over now.¡± Gu Chengrui kissed her and said, ¡°Remember to look out for me. If anything really happens, you have to help me.¡±


    After they left, Zhou Ying followed them.


    However, as soon as Gu Chengrui entered the residence, he was stopped by Butler Feng. Butler Feng brought him out of Gu Wanning¡¯s courtyard for a walk.


    When they walked out, Butler Feng made sure that there was no one around before asking, ¡°Doctor Gu, I wonder if you can cure tuberculosis?¡±


    When Gu Chengrui heard his question, he knew that this was the main goal of this trip.


    Moreover, the patient¡¯s identity was not simple. Otherwise, he would not have used Wanning as an excuse.


    Then, he asked, ¡°There are several types of tuberculosis and several stages. I can only draw a conclusion after I take the patient¡¯s pulse.¡±


    ¡°What if it reaches the stage of coughing up blood?¡±


    ¡°Blood? That would be the middle tote stages. At the moment, I can only suppress the illness. There was no possibility of a cure.¡±


    Of course, if he used Western medicine, it might be possible. The downside is that the patient would have to continue taking it, so Gu Chengrui did not want to take that risk.


    After Uncle Feng heard that, he heaved a sigh of relief for some reason.


    Because he clearly knew that if the Emperor survived somehow, he would not easily give up the throne. This way, the hard days of King Rui would still go on, so it would be better to take the opportunity to ascend the throne.


    So, he asked, ¡°Can you give me a prescription and see if it can be used to slow down the illness?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Chengrui passed by the ounting room and went in to write a prescription. Then, he said, ¡°If the conditions permit, the patient can eat more horse-toothed orchid, which is alsomonly known as hemp lettuce. It may have a soothing effect.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you for making this trip.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. If there¡¯s anything you need, just let us know. Also, if there¡¯s any news from His Highness, send it to us.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    After Gu Chengrui left, Butler Feng wrote a letter back to King Rui.


    Although he didn¡¯t mention any names, Zhou Ying was able to guess the patient from his tone.


    After entering the interspace at night, Zhou Ying followed the letter all the way to King Rui.


    At first, she didn¡¯t recognize King Rui. It wasn¡¯t until he gave the prescription to Xiao Heng that Zhou Ying confirmed his identity.


    She also learned that the Emperor had contracted tuberculosis..

 Chapter 697 - 697 Worms

    Chapter 697: Worms


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying was very surprised. Wasn¡¯t he poisoned? Why did it be tuberculosis?


    Then, she nced at the Emperor. Seeing his big panda eyes and the way he kept coughing, she was really shocked.


    She really didn¡¯t expect that he would be like this in just a few months.


    After that, she took a serious look at his body. Sure enough, his lungs were already cloudy, but there seemed to be worms stirring inside.


    Perhaps the worms sensed her gaze and began to squirm uneasily. The Emperor coughed violently, scaring Zhou Ying into retreating immediately.


    She went to look at the Empress. At this moment, the Empress was hugging a cat and leaning against a soft couch, leisurely eating oranges handed over by the pce maid.


    She went to King Hui¡¯s Residence. At this moment, King Hui was in his study room, plotting with a few strategists about when to start a rebellion and how to start a rebellion with minimal casualties.


    As for King Kang and Prime Minister Su, they looked rxed, as if they were waiting for something.


    However, there was not the slightest bit of good luck on the heads of the four people, nor was there any purple royal aura. Instead, they were covered in a thick ck fog, and it seemed that they were going to be in big trouble.


    When she saw this, she returned to look at King Rui. At this moment, the purple aura above King Rui¡¯s head was even thicker than before.


    On the other hand, the purple aura on the Emperor¡¯s body was getting fainter and fainter.


    However, what puzzled her was that there were three ck shadows in King Rui¡¯s purple aura. Could the other one really be the Seventh Prince?


    Thinking of this, she swept a nce at the Seventh Prince¡¯s residence but did not find anything.


    Who exactly was it? Could it be that someone was hiding and wanted to fight for the throne?


    Thinking of this, she shook her head and didn¡¯t care anymore. Let the Emperor have a headache over this. As long as King Rui didn¡¯t die, it was fine.


    ¡°Why are you shaking your head?¡± Gu Chengrui asked curiously when he saw her open her eyes.


    Zhou Ying did not hide anything and told him everything she had seen.


    ¡°It seems that the Emperor is wormed.


    ¡°However, it was done so secretively that no one thought the cause was worms.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it seems that there are people at his side that belonged to King Hui or the Empress¡¯ faction.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s normal, but I think the Emperor already has a n.¡± Gu Chengrui then asked, ¡°What do you n to do if the Emperor asks Mother God for help?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he will. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have taken the risk of letting King Rui act out his disappearance.


    ¡°Of course, if he really came with sincerity, I don¡¯t mind killing the worms inside. I won¡¯t do anything else other than that, of course.¡±


    ¡°I can only say that he¡¯s too confident.¡±


    ¡°It could also be his guilty conscience. Didn¡¯t he also seize the throne back then?¡±


    ¡°So, don¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    After that, the two of them began to get busy in the interspace.


    After they were done, the two washed arge te of grapes, ate them, washed up, and went to sleep.


    For the next three days, no matter what medicine the Emperor took, there was no effect at all. Of course, some people were happy and some were worried.


    In the end, under the persuasion of the Empress Dowager, the mother and son finally went to the Mother God Temple.


    Unfortunately, the Emperor¡¯s lungs were already riddled with holes. Even if Zhou Ying killed the worms, he still probably wouldn¡¯t live long.


    Zhou Ying still used her divine senses to force the worms out through the Emperor¡¯s windpipe.


    When the Emperor saw the red worms in a pool of blood, he suddenly thought of something and stepped forward to crush the bug to death.


    However, after the Emperor crushed the worms, he fainted.


    The apanying imperial physicians immediately surrounded him, and after a round of first aid, they finally saved him.


    At the same time, in a vige in the suburbs, an old man who was ying with snakes suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted..

 Chapter 698 - 698 Forced Abdication (1)

    Chapter 698: Forced Abdication (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Sun Wenhao, who was guarding the manor, was shocked. He immediately called the old man¡¯s aide over.


    After seeing the old man¡¯s miserable state, the aide¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°A bacsh. The, the parasite worm is dead.¡±


    Sun Wenhao¡¯s expression changed drastically after hearing this because he knew well who the parasite worm was with. He immediately called a doctor to treat the old man.


    As for him, he rushed to the capital.


    At the same time, when the Emperor crushed the parasite worm, a dark-skinned man among the guards had his face darkened and quietly retreated from the crowd.


    When King Rui, who was guarding the periphery, saw this, he immediately brought his men forward to stop him.


    ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m just going to the toilet.¡± The guard demanded unhappily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you the rules of the imperial guards. You should go back and exin it to Captain Xiao.¡± King Rui said in a deep voice.


    The guard looked around and found that he was surrounded. Xiao Heng was also walking over unhappily.


    The guard simply raised his knife and shed his neck.


    Seeing this, King Rui was shocked and quickly went forward to check. Unfortunately, the ruthless guard had no mercy, even to himself.


    Xiao Heng saw this and said to King Rui, ¡°When you return, remember to lead a team to raid his house.¡±


    ¡°Now, no one is allowed to leave their positions without permission. Otherwise, they will be killed without mercy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± King Rui replied and immediately brought his men back to their original positions.


    Xiao Heng looked at the sky sheepishly and then walked to the back of the line.


    At this moment, the Emperor had also recovered. He devoutly led everyone to kowtow three times to the Mother God, then left behind 10,000 taels of incense money before quickly rushing back to the capital with everyone.


    However, he was still a step toote. At this time, the pce door had already closed, and the Empress and King Hui were already standing on the wall of the pce door.


    The Marquis of Ding¡¯an also ordered people to close the city gates.


    For a moment, the streets were a mess. Everyone was frightened and ran home.


    Seeing this, the Emperor raised his head and looked at the Empress and King Hui. ¡°Are you sure you want to force an abdication?¡±


    ¡°Haha, what¡¯s there to force?


    ¡°Now, the civil and military officials are in our hands, and the jade seal, too. As long as you die, the country will belong to my son.¡± After the Empress gloated, she waved her hand at the ready archers. ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°You are a traitor and will be punished by the heavens. Even if you get the throne, it will not be legitimate.¡± At the same time, the Empress Dowager shouted angrily.


    ¡°That¡¯s between us, and it has nothing to do with you.¡± As the Empress said this, she personally snatched a bow and shot it at the Empress Dowager.


    However, it was quickly deflected away by a guard¡¯s sword.


    Then, the other arrows rained down.


    The guards were in a flurry. Although some were injured, they still protected the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.


    At the same time, the archers pause to redraw their bows.


    When the Emperor and the others saw this, they immediately retreated to the shops at the side.


    The Empress panicked and immediately ordered again, ¡°Shoot, don¡¯t stop!¡±


    However, arrows were no longer effective. The Empress was so angry that she pped the person beside her.


    When King Hui saw this, he said, ¡°Mother, calm down. We will just guard the pce gates. My two uncles are still outside, and they have brought a hundred people with them. There is nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Let¡¯s just sit here and wait.¡± After the Empress finished speaking, she asked someone to bring two chairs over, and the mother and son sat down.


    The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor with a face full of self-me. ¡°Son, it¡¯s mother who harmed you.¡±


    The Emperor shook his head and patted his hand. However, he did not say anything and instead nced at Xiao Heng.


    Xiao Heng nodded and then led the guards to get busy..

 Chapter 699 - 699 Forced Abdication (2)

    Chapter 699: Forced Abdication (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Empress Dowager immediately shut her mouth and leaned to the side to rest.


    Seeing this, the Emperor also closed his eyes and began to rest.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui received the news, he went straight to Zhou Ying, who was crocheting underwear. ¡°Babe, it¡¯s time. The crucial moment has arrived.¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. When she thought of the worm being trampled to death by the Emperor, her eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°You mean they started fighting for the throne?¡±


    ¡°You could say so, but the Emperor was stopped outside the pce gates by the Empress and King Hui.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to King Rui¡¯s Residence now.


    ¡°If the worst happens¡­


    ¡°We must escape with King Rui¡¯s consorts and the others.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and asked, ¡°What about the people in the residence?¡±


    ¡°I told Lin Yitian, and he would hide with the rest.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t return, he¡¯ll return their servant contracts to them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go now, or it¡¯ll be toote.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and quickly pulled off the bedsheet. She put away all the valuable things in the room. At the same time, she took a change of clothes for both of them and followed Gu Chengrui to King Rui¡¯s Residence.


    As soon as they left, Lin Yitian asked Niu Fugui to call everyone over. However, he only said it was getting chaotic outside and everyone should hide.


    Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying entered through the side door of the residence and ran to the front to find Butler Feng.


    When Butler Feng saw theming over, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°You guys are finally here. Are you all ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how are the preparations going?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Everything is ready. Whether we seed or fail depends on tonight.¡± After speaking, Butler Feng looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Madam Gu, the two consorts have already gathered in the main courtyard. You should go over too and help guard there.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go over first.¡± Zhou Ying nodded at Gu Chengrui and went to the main courtyard.


    However, she had already spread her divine sense along the way and found that the entire residence was on guard. Not only were there guards everywhere, but even tear gas and smoke bombs were also prepared.


    As soon as she entered the main courtyard, Gu Wanning walked up to and greeted Zhou Ying, ¡°Cousin-inw, you¡¯re finally here.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you afraid?¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but it¡¯s safer with you around.¡± Gu Wanning took Zhou Ying¡¯s bag and returned to her room with her.


    After entering the room, Zhou Ying saw the big and small bags on the table, bed, and floor. She was stunned momentarily, bowed lightly to Sun Miaoke, and said, ¡°Princess consort, if we have to run for our lives, these things won¡¯t be useful.


    ¡°You only need to prepare some loose silver, silver notes, and two sets of ordinary clothes. At most, you can bring two pieces of jewelry.


    ¡°These bags will only dy our escape speed.¡±


    Sun Miao was surprised, nced at the light bag Gu Wanning had put down, and nodded in agreement. She looked at Qing Tao and instructed, ¡°Qing Tao, re-prepare the stuff ording to Mrs. Gu¡¯s instructions.¡±


    ¡°But what we have here is already simplified.¡±


    ¡°Is your life more important than your things?¡± Sun Miaoke asked.


    Qing Tao could only agree when she heard that. Gu Wanning quickly looked at Chun Xi and finally emphasized, ¡°Remember to bring along the hundred-year-old ginseng.


    ¡°We might be able to use it on the road.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chun Xi got busy when she heard that.


    Seeing this, Qing Tao also got busy, even if she was reluctant.


    Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. She looked at Gu Wanning and asked, ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Chenglin?¡±


    ¡°He went to the manor in the name of inspecting the harvest two days ago. Butler Feng said that he¡¯s safe and that I shouldn¡¯t worry..¡±

 Chapter 700 - 700 Forced Abdication (3)

    Chapter 700: Forced Abdication (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying nodded and chatted with them while using her divine sense to check the entire capital.


    At this moment, four groups suddenly poured in from outside the four city gates. Each group had about 1,000 people, a sizable amount of people.


    Out of the four teams, three teams were led by the Marquis of Ding¡¯an to the Imperial Pce.


    There was another team under Sun Wenhao¡¯smand. They were further divided into three teams and charged toward King Rui¡¯s Residence, King Kang¡¯s Residence, and the Seventh Prince¡¯s Residence.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying was somewhat puzzled. There were 20,000 imperial guards in the capital, and the garrison army, which was Lord Yan¡¯s army, amounted to around 100,000.


    Were they intending to use these 3,000 people to seize the throne? Wouldn¡¯t that be a farce?


    Zhou Ying immediately looked at the imperial guards¡¯ encampment. She did not expect that everyone was drugged and the entire encampment was deathly silent.


    As for the garrison, other than the 2,000 people in the capital, they were all outside the city. Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t locate their exact location.


    On the other hand, Lord Yan was tied up in the government office and looked highly anxious.


    At this moment, the invaders had already surrounded King Rui¡¯s Residence. Zhou Ying stood up and asked, ¡°Do any of the maids in the courtyard know martial arts?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m probably the only one who knows a little here.¡± Gu Wanning nced at everyone and raised her hand.


    ¡°Follow me and set up a few traps just in case.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she asked for rope, wine, lime powder, etc.


    Of course, she also took out a packet of knockout powder, itching powder, and tear gas powder under the cover of her bag¡ªin small volumes, of course.


    Zhou Ying brought Gu Wanning and the maidservants and set three traps near the courtyard entrance.


    The first one was on the door. She cedrge amounts of lime powder mixed with itching powder on it.


    The second trap was armed with the tear gas powder at a corner, and thest trap was a wine jar added with knockout powder. Zhou Ying ced the wine jar near where she could reach it.


    Sun Miaoke looked at the traps and asked worriedly, ¡°Mrs. Gu, will these traps work?¡±


    ¡°It will, but it¡¯s only a hindrance to them and can¡¯t kill.


    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. Otherwise, we won¡¯t have any chance of escaping. I¡¯m doing this just in case.¡± As soon as Zhou Ying finished speaking, shouts and explosions outside sounded.


    Sun Miaoke nodded uneasily and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zhou Yingforted her. ¡°Uncle Feng has already arranged everything. We¡¯ll just wait and observe.¡±


    She nced outside after saying that.


    Although the people who rushed in wore masks, the smell of tear gas powder mixed with explosives shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    In addition to the tiles that had been blown away, a considerable portion of the invaders were hit by the explosion.


    Therefore, the ce descended into chaos when the 300 people rushed in through the three doors.


    At this moment, the guards in the residence immediately rushed forward with wet masks.


    Although it wasn¡¯t a one-sided massacre, they quickly gained the upper hand and controlled the situation.


    Zhou Ying smiled when she saw this and looked at King Kang¡¯s Residence.


    A real fight had broken out in King Kang¡¯s Residence.


    King Kang was clearly prepared for this. A hundred archers suddenly appeared, and their arrowheads were smeared with poison.


    The invaders outside didn¡¯t dare to enter, and the people inside didn¡¯t dare toe out, either. They were in a stalemate.


    However, King Kang was clearly not in his residence, and both sides were only stalling for time.


    On the other side, in the Seventh Prince¡¯s Residence, it was obvious that they were also prepared.


    Although there were no traps, at least a thousand people were on standby.


    Moreover, it was obvious that they were elite soldiers, so the 300 invaders were quickly eliminated.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with the Emperor. It seemed his sons were not easy to deal with..

 Chapter 701 - 701 Forced Abdication (4)

    Chapter 701: Forced Abdication (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Could the third person who invaded King Rui¡¯s purple aura be really the Seventh Prince? But she didn¡¯t find anything unusual.


    Or was it that his ambition had yet to be exposed?


    The problem was that his body had no purple aura, and he did not have the fate to ascend the throne.


    After that, Zhou Ying saw the Seventh Prince leading his men and rushing toward the Imperial Pce.


    Zhou Ying followed after him.


    Wow, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s 3,000 men were stopped by just 100 of the Emperor¡¯s guards.


    It could be seen that the Emperor was prepared before he left. Otherwise, his guards wouldn¡¯t have been equipped with so many arrows.


    After the rain of arrows stopped, many of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s men were injured.


    Of course, there were also casualties among the imperial guards, but they were much smaller.


    ¡°Marquis of Ding¡¯an, if you stop now, I will let bygones be bygones.¡±


    ¡°So what if you let bygones be bygones? You¡¯ve already taken back the military power of the Southwest! Even if I survive this, it¡¯ll be a fate worse than death!¡± Ding¡¯an spat hatefully.


    He waved his hand and shouted, ¡°Go! Whoever kills the dog emperor will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver.¡±


    As soon as he dered that, someone immediately rushed forward.


    Suddenly, five jars flew out of the house and exploded when theynded on the ground. Immediately, a series of miserable cries sounded, and the broken porcin pieces injured many people.


    The survivors also soon fainted in a daze.


    When the Marquis of Ding¡¯an saw this, his face darkened. He was furious, but he did not dare to go forward.


    Instead, he muttered a few words to the person beside him.


    The man turned around and walked away. Hemanded a few people to carry oil and cloth and quickly made simple torches.


    Just as the Marquis of Ding¡¯an ordered his men to start burning the house, the Seventh Prince rushed over with his men and shouted, ¡°Stop, or you will be killed!¡±


    ¡°Haha, what¡¯s a half-grown child doing here? It¡¯s better for you to go back and drink your mother¡¯s milk!¡± The Marquis of Ding¡¯anughed and threw the torch in his hand at the Seventh Prince.


    The Seventh Prince was furious when he heard that.


    Suddenly, the thundering sound of hooves came from behind. More than a thousand people were rushing to them.


    King Kang immediately rode his horse and quickly rushed in front of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an. He raised his sword and shed forward. ¡°Traitor, go to hell!¡±


    Marquis Ding¡¯an hade from the battlefield after all, so he quickly turned around and dodged the sh.


    He then chopped off the horse¡¯s front hoof with a backhand sh.


    The horse let out a miserable cry. King Kang was forced to dismount and roll to the side, shouting, ¡°Seventh, let¡¯s attack together!¡±


    As soon as he shouted this, the men he brought along with the Seventh Prince¡¯s men immediately rushed over.


    The two sides were on the verge of shing with each other.


    When the Marquis of Ding¡¯an saw this, he immediately sent out a signal re.


    Soon, Sun Qingfeng led a team of 1,000 imperial guards and rushed over from the encampment. They joined the battle, and the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s side suddenly had the upper hand.


    At the same time, King Hui brought 1,000 men and rushed out of the pce.


    They were heading for the Emperor and rushed over quickly.


    But after breaking into the safehouse, the one who was apprehended was not the Emperor but King Hui.


    King Hui looked at the person behind him with a dumbfounded expression.


    The man smiled and said, ¡°I have to thank King Hui for your disguise¡¯s methods.¡±


    ¡°Take him away.¡± The Emperor stepped forward and stuffed a rag into King Hui¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The person responded and immediately took King Hui away, locking him in a basement.


    Even now, King Prince, who was arrested, still could not believe he had been stopped before he made a move.


    Would there be amer usurper in history?


    Outside, just as the three sides were fighting, Seventh Su rushed over with his men and shouted, ¡°King Kang, I¡¯ve brought my troops!¡±

 Chapter 702 - 702 Forced Abdication (5)

    Chapter 702: Forced Abdication (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Very good; immediately annihte the rebels.¡± King Kang waved his hand.


    At this moment, the imperial guards that Sun Qingfeng had brought out suddenly switched sides and joined the crowd in killing the people brought by the Marquis of Ding¡¯an.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Sun Qingfeng was about to question his guards, but before he could say anything, someone stabbed him.


    ¡°Son!¡± Marquis Ding¡¯an shouted in shock. He quickly raised his sword and joined the battle.


    However, with the enemy outnumbered, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s men were quickly killed. In the end, the Marquis of Ding¡¯ was also killed by a barrage of five people.


    When the son of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an arrived with about 10,000 people, he saw this and shouted angrily, leading his men to rush in.


    King Kang, the Seventh Prince, and the others could only counterattack with all their might.


    The rebels were quickly suppressed.


    Just as they were about to flee, Zhou Huaiming and Yan Zhiwu brought 50,000 soldiers and quickly rushed over. While protecting the Emperor, they began to kill the people from the Marquis Ding¡¯an¡¯s Residence.


    King Kang and Seventh Su knew that this was bad. It turned out that the Emperor still had a backup n, and it came from King Rui¡¯s forces. It also meant the Emperor did not believe them.


    Then, the two of them looked at each other and quickly retreated to the side.


    The war ended quickly.


    The Emperor saw this and shouted, ¡°Rui, open the city gates.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Imperial Father.¡± King Rui responded and took off the mask on his face.


    When King Kang saw this, he was shocked.


    He suddenly thought of the news he had received earlier. It seemed that he and his eldest brother had fallen for the Emperor¡¯s tricks.


    That¡¯s right. Otherwise, with the Seventh Prince¡¯s forces, how could he have the leeway to save the Emperor after defending himself?


    No, he could not let the Emperor return to the pce, and he could not let King Rui seed. Otherwise, he and the Su family would have no way out.


    Seventh Su¡¯s expression was even uglier than his. He gave King Kang a look.


    King Kang nodded and gathered his men to cover him as they quietly ran toward the side door of the Imperial Pce.


    ¡°Yan Zhiwu, attack the city gate with me. Zhou Huaiming, cleaned up the battlefield and raided Marquis Ding¡¯an¡¯s Residence.¡± King Rui stepped forward and ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two of them responded and quickly separated. Yan Zhiwu led his men behind him and rushed toward the pce gate.


    ¡°Cough.¡± At this moment, the Emperor started coughing violently and coughing up blood. It made people¡¯s hair stand on end.


    The Empress Dowager quickly went forward to support him. ¡°Son, what¡¯s wrong? How can it be so serious?¡±


    The Emperor shook his head. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine. I feel better after coughing up that lodge of blood.¡±


    ¡°This damned Empress, after returning to the pce, I will personally y her!¡± The Empress Dowager cursed.


    King Kang clenched his fists when he heard that. He was silently cheering for the Empress at this point.


    Even if he couldn¡¯t get rid of his third brother, he had to kill the Emperor first. Otherwise, he would have no chance of ascending the throne.


    At this moment, the Empress had already fainted when she saw that everyone from the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence was dead.


    King Rui had also arrived at the pce gate. He shouted directly, ¡°The people inside, listen up! Surrender now, and I¡¯ll release you without charge. Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!¡±


    As soon as he dered this, there were quite a number of people who were moved. After all, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an and King Hui clearly no longer had a chance, and there was no need for them to stick with losers.


    ¡°Will you really let us go?¡± someone asked immediately.


    ¡°A gentleman keeps his word, but your job will be gone.¡±


    Of course, King Rui¡¯s shout also woke the Empress up.. She immediately screeched, ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid! Rebellion is a great crime that will result in all nine generations¡¯ execution! He won¡¯t let you go!¡±

 Chapter 703 - 703 Forced Abdication (6)

    Chapter 703: Forced Abdication (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Your entire family will definitely be exterminated. As for the others, as long as they make amends now, I will not make things difficult for them.¡± The Emperor looked at the Empress coldly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± When the Empress heard this, she picked up a brick from the side and was about to throw it at the Emperor.


    However, just as she raised the brick, a soldier grabbed her arm and knocked her unconscious.


    Of course, some of them were loyal to the Empress, so the city wall descended into chaos.


    Seeing this, King Rui walked to the pce gate and shouted, ¡°Those inside, listen up. If you open the pce gates now, I¡¯ll forgive you! If you wait for our 30,000 soldiers to charge in, you won¡¯t be able to retreat.¡±


    ¡°Open the pce gates!¡± Yan Zhiwu raised his hand and shouted.


    The soldiers behind him immediately echoed loudly, ¡°Open the pce gates, open the pce gates, open the pce gates¡­¡±


    Then, the more they shouted, the louder they became. In the end, the shouts were uniform, and the entire capital heard them clearly.


    When the gatekeeper heard this, he did not dare to dy and immediately opened the pce gates.


    When King Rui saw this, he directly rushed in with his men and watched over all the people guarding the gates.


    He also led his men up the city wall and quickly took down the Empress¡¯s faction.


    After King Rui left his men to defend the ce, he personally escorted the Empress down the city wall.


    At this moment, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had also stepped into the pce once again.


    The Emperor saw the Empress being escorted by King Rui, and he said to Xiao Heng, ¡°Send a few people to personally take the Empress and King Hui into the imperial prison. Don¡¯t let them escape.¡±


    After saying that, he walked into the pce with King Rui.


    Xiao Heng ordered a few people to escort the Empress and King Hui away before following the Emperor into the pce.


    When they were about to reach the court, suddenly, more than ten arrows, shining blue under the light of the torches, shot toward the Emperor and King Rui.


    King Rui, Xiao Heng, and Yan Zhiwu quickly stepped forward and blocked the arrows with their swords. However, one of them still shot toward the Emperor¡¯s chest quickly and urately.


    It was toote for the others to save him, but the Empress Dowager managed to push the Emperor away and fall in the opposite direction.


    Before everyone could recover from their shock, another volley of arrows was shot.


    Their goal was clear. They were here for the father and son.


    ¡°Shield!¡± King Rui stood in front of the Emperor, blocking the arrows with his sword as he shouted.


    The soldiers holding shields behind them immediately set up a shield wall.


    The arrows were deflected again, but the Emperor¡¯s face was still scratched. The arrows might be poisoned, and it was lucky that the imperial physician had reacted quickly and dealt with it.


    The Emperor was furious when he saw this and immediately shouted, ¡°Rui, Xiao Heng, you two must capture these people for me!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After the two of them responded, they left behind the people who were protecting the Emperor. They used their shields to lead the way, with the others following suit and quickly moving closer to the court.


    At the same time, Yan Zhiwumanded the soldiers to surround them from both sides, blocking everyone¡¯s escape route.


    The assassins who released the arrows were obviously determined to die. After releasing all the arrows, they rushed out with swords.


    Of course, they were quickly eliminated.


    When Xiao Heng led his men into the Imperial Court, he was shocked.


    All the officials were inside, and everyone else was tied up and thrown to the ground with their mouths gagged, except for Prime Minister Su and his son.


    The worst thing was that the ground was covered in oil, and Prime Minister Su was holding a torch in his hand.


    Seeing them enter, Prime Minister Su smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe so quickly, just in time for the Emperor to write an abdication edict to King Kang.


    ¡°Otherwise, I guess all the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty will be going to the underworld with us today..¡±

 Chapter 704 - 704 Forced Abdication (7)

    Chapter 704: Forced Abdication (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Prime Minister Su, do you know what you¡¯re doing? You¡¯ll ruin the Su family, Consort Shu, and her son.¡± Xiao Heng advised.


    ¡°King Rui is here too, right? When King Rui appeared, we already had no way out.¡± Prime Minister Su pointed the torch to the ground and added, ¡°There¡¯s still a quarter of an hour. I¡¯ll wait for the Emperor¡¯s decision.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Alright, wait a moment.¡± After Xiao Heng finished speaking, he immediately left and told the Emperor the news.


    The Emperor spat out a mouthful of blood. ¡°Good, what a great prime minister!¡±


    Then, he ordered, ¡°Bring Consort Shu and King Kang to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiao Heng responded and then sent people to find them.


    Consort Shu was found very quickly. Unexpectedly, she and all the concubines and princesses in the pce were tied up tightly.


    On the other side, King Kang and the Seventh Prince had been helping the Emperor to cover the rear. When he saw that the situation was not right, he wanted to escape with the excuse of peeing. The Seventh Prince immediately stopped them and said, ¡°Fourth brother, you¡¯d better endure it. The pce is filled with danger right now, so it¡¯s better not to leave.¡±


    ¡°You, how can I tolerate this?¡± King Kang replied unhappily.


    ¡°It¡¯s sote at night, and besides Imperial Grandmother, everyone else is a man. Why don¡¯t you go behind the tree to relieve yourself?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about your safety.¡± After the Seventh Prince finished speaking, he ignored him.


    At this moment, Xiao Heng walked over and said, ¡°King Kang, the Emperor has invited you.¡±


    King Kang nodded and followed Xiao Heng.


    After seeing the Emperor, before he could bow, the Emperor raised his hand to stop him and said, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    After saying that, he walked toward the imperial court with Xiao Heng.


    Consort Shu was also escorted up.


    Seeing this, King Rui followed them in.


    King Kang was shocked when he saw the situation in the room. He had thought that his eldest cousin hade in to send a message to his uncle to cancel the n. He did not expect them to carry out the original n.


    But there were still 50,000 soldiers outside. So what if they got the imperial edict? In the end, they would still have to surrender obediently.


    When Consort Shu came in and saw the situation in the room, she was so frightened that she almost kneeled. What was he doing? Did he want to burn her to death?


    Thinking of this, she struggled as she looked at the Emperor.


    Seeing this, the Emperor asked Xiao Heng to remove the rag from her mouth. ¡°Consort Shu, your big brother wants me to write down the edict of abdication and pass the throne to King Kang. I wonder what you think of this.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Consort Shu didn¡¯t know how to answer.


    If she said she wanted the same, she would probably die the next moment.


    However, if she denied it, then the Su family would end up miserably. She and her son would probably not be any better.


    At the thought of this, she could only look at King Kang.


    At this moment, King Kang was also at his wit¡¯s end. He had also thought of what Consort Shu had thought of.


    Moreover, he thought deeper. He knew that even if he denied it, neither the Emperor nor the Third Prince would allow him to live.


    The Emperor looked at his conflicted expression and sneered inwardly. How could such an indecisive person be the Emperor?


    ¡°Kang, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± King Kang hesitated for a moment before seeing that Xiao Heng had already released Consort Shu.


    He quickly pushed the Emperor toward King Rui, then dragged Consort Shu and ran toward Prime Minister Su.


    After the Emperor stood up, he looked at Prime Minister Su and asked, ¡°Prime Minister Su, I¡¯m giving you onest chance. Do you really want to force the abdication?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Now it depends on whether you choose the civil and military officials or your own throne..¡±

 Chapter 705 - 705 Forced Abdication (8)

    Chapter 705: Forced Abdication (8)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that once I write this edict, the dynasty will soon change names.¡± The Emperor sneered.


    King Kang was stunned for a moment. After understanding what he meant, he looked at Prime Minister Su thoughtfully.


    Even Consort Shu looked at Prime Minister Su warily.


    Prime Minister Su sneered and looked at the Emperor. ¡°If you want to dy time and wait for the torch to go out before taking action, then there¡¯s no need.


    ¡°Not only do we have matches, but we also have two more torches.¡±


    ¡°You know very well whether it¡¯s true or not.¡± The Emperor looked at King Kang and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t think you know yet. Seventh Su has bought many properties behind your back all these years.


    ¡°Even the Gu family¡¯s businesses in other ces have been taken over by Seventh Su. Moreover, he used your name to bully and upy manynds.


    ¡°The most important thing is that other than the capital, all your businesses and forces are under the control of Seventh Su, right?


    ¡°Are you sure those people will really listen to you?


    ¡°Also, among the four county magistrates you reced, two of them weren¡¯t the ones you originally nned to rece. Those two obeyed Seventh Su¡¯s every word.


    ¡°Also¡­¡±


    Seeing this, Prime Minister Su sneered and interrupted, saying, ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t have time to continue this nonsense with you right now. Write up the edict immediately, or all the civil and military officials present will be buried with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re afraid, right? Afraid that I¡¯ll tell what you¡¯ve done and make Kang separate from you.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already done it; don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t dare to admit it?


    ¡°What a coward.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but how can I be more cold-blooded than you? We can¡¯t even count the things you¡¯ve done.


    ¡°Take the Zhou family, for example. Back then, the Zhou family¡­¡±


    While they were rambling on, the people tied up behind them, especially the military officials, began to think of ways to save themselves.


    Zhou Ying saw this and helped them.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t make it too obvious that she was helping. It was just that when one of the generals leaned against the steps and rubbed the rope back and forth, she helped him speed up.


    Therefore, someone was freed quickly.


    The general then helped another general untie his ropes. Soon, all four generals had untied themselves. After each of them helped untie a civil official, they quietly moved closer to King Kang and the others.


    ¡°Prime Minister, be careful!¡± Someone suddenly shouted.


    Seeing this, the four generals clicked their tongues and ran, pouncing toward the four people.


    King Kang and the others turned around and were shocked when they saw the four generals pouncing over. King Kang and Seventh Su immediately shed with the generals and fought back.


    Prime Minister Su pulled Consort Shu into his arms and turned to look at the Emperor.


    However, the moment they turned around, Xiao Heng and King Rui had already rushed over. The two of them had already arrived in front of Prime Minister Su.


    Xiao Heng grabbed Prime Minister Su¡¯s hand and held the torch tightly.


    King Rui pulled Consort Shu aside and kicked Prime Minister Su in the stomach.


    Prime Minister Su¡¯s grip loosened when he felt the pain, and Xiao Heng immediately snatched the torch away.


    Just as everyone heaved a sigh of relief, Prime Minister Su¡¯s inw, the Minister of War, rushed over and knocked away the torch.


    ¡°Haha, it seems that even the heavens are on my side.¡± Prime Minister Suughed when he saw this.


    However, hisughter stopped halfway. Although the torch had been knocked down, it did not reach the ground.


    Instead, it stopped in the air and floated.


    The Emperor was delighted at first, but at the same time, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    He quickly thought of something and immediately kneeled. ¡°Thank you, Mother God, for saving us.¡±


    Everyone was stunned by his deration and immediately kneeled together, thanking Mother God.


    However, there were also people who cursed Mother God for being a busybody, such as Prime Minister Su and his diehard supporters.


    Seeing this, the Emperor thanked Mother God once again. He then ordered Yan Zhiwu to bring his troops in and arrest all the people who cursed against Mother God..

 Chapter 706 - 706 Forced Abdication (9)

    Chapter 706: Forced Abdication (9)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At this point, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Eunuch Li quickly arranged for the pce servants to start cleaning the court with alkaline.


    After the Emperor saw that everything was over, he fell straight to the ground.


    After a round of emergency treatment. King Rui looked at Headmaster Zhou and said, ¡°Imperial Physician Zhou, how is my father? When will he wake up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Although Mother God cleared the parasitic worms in the Emperor¡¯s body, they still damaged his lungs. I¡¯m afraid¡­


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t catch a cold or have a fever, he could stillst for another two years.¡± Principal Zhou wanted to say something else but hesitated.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The Empress Dowager looked at him in disbelief.


    ¡°To put it bluntly, the worms have already damaged the Emperor¡¯s lungs, and we removed them toote.¡±


    When the Empress Dowager heard this, she fainted.


    The Seventh Prince, who was standing beside her, quickly supported her and ced her on a soft couch at the side. He said to Principal Zhou, ¡°Hurry up and take a look at the Empress Dowager.¡±


    After saying that, he made way for him.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Principal Zhou immediately stepped forward and diagnosed before saying, ¡°She¡¯s just fainted from anxiety. She¡¯ll be fine after a short rest.


    ¡°However, the Empress Dowager had signs of a stroke. She should not be stimted anymore, or else¡­¡±


    King Rui nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave her to you. Remember to prepare the medicine and brew it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡± After Principal Zhou left, King Rui asked Xiao Heng to find two trustworthy pce maids to serve him.


    He ordered something for him and the Seventh Prince to eat right after that.


    Soon, the Emperor woke up. Seeing that he had returned to his bed, he understood how he had returned.


    He looked at the pce maid who was guarding at the side and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s guarding outside?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s King Rui and the Seventh Prince. They¡¯re eating now.¡± The pce maid replied.


    ¡°Cough, cough, put¡­¡± The Emperor had just opened his mouth when the two brothers ran in one after another.


    ¡°Father, how are you feeling?¡± The Seventh Prince asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. How¡¯s the situation outside?¡± The Emperor looked at King Rui.


    King Rui stepped forward and reported, ¡°Everything is normal. Eunuch Li has brought people to clean up the oil in the court. Xiao Heng and Zhou Huaiming have brought the soldiers to seize the traitors¡¯ houses.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on this. Don¡¯t let off any of the loyal followers of Hui and Kang.¡± The Emperor waved his hand and added, ¡°You can all go home. Come early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°But your body¡­¡± King Rui wanted to say something but hesitated.


    ¡°I heard Imperial Physician Zhou¡¯s words. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine for a while.¡± ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t worry.¡± At this moment, the Empress Dowager walked in with the help of Granny Liu.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go home for now ande back tomorrow morning.¡± When King Rui saw the Empress Dowager was awake, he immediately turned around and walked out.


    However, he still called Eunuch Li to look after the Emperor.


    On the other end, seeing that King Rui had returned safely, Zhou Ying and her husband greeted him and went straight back to their residence.


    After the Seventh Prince returned the soldiers to Yan Zhiwu, he chatted with him for a while before returning to the residence and falling asleep.


    The Emperor and Empress Dowager drank their medicine, and the Emperor asked, ¡°Mother, what do you think if I abdicate?¡±


    ¡°As a mother, I hope that you can do that. After abdication, you can take good care of your body.


    ¡°But it still depends on your intentions.¡±


    The Emperor nodded and asked, ¡°What do you think about passing the throne to Rui?¡±


    The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand all this politics. Think about it and decide on whoever you think is suitable.¡±


    Although she liked Kind Rui, she knew the Emperor¡¯s personality all too well. If she really said it out loud, she wasn¡¯t sure what he would think.


    For the sake of the family¡¯s peace and safety, she would definitely not participate in this..

 Chapter 707 - 707 Expose

    Chapter 707: Expose


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor nodded and did not reply. After that, the two of them drank their medicine and ate something before going to bed.


    The next day, due to the seizing of properties, the city gates of the capital were not opened. The capital was basically in chaos.


    King Rui was mainly responsible for handling this, so he was very busy.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying was leisurely drinking tea at her residence. She spread out her divine senses to watch themotion, especially at Marquis Ding¡¯an and the people from the Su Residence.


    In fact, King Hui¡¯s Residence and King Kang¡¯s Residence were almostpletely searched.


    All the perpetrators were also brought to the Ministry of Justice.


    She mainly wanted to see if there were any fish that escaped the. Since they had already be sworn enemies, she did not want an avenger to pop out one day and seek revenge on her.


    Therefore, she counted the total number of people in the two residences and was surprised that they had left a backup n.


    The Marquis of Ding¡¯an and the grandson of the Lu Family had already disappeared.


    Although the Su Family was all ounted for, there were obviously four children among them who were reced. Their timid appearance did not look like that of a young master or youngdy of a prominent family at all.


    Obviously, Xiao Heng had also discovered this. Yan Zhiwu was currently searching the entire capital.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying immediately used her divine senses to conduct a carpet search in the capital.


    The two grandsons of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an were quickly found in a private residence in the southern city. They were disguised as a family of four with a husband and wife.


    Zhou Ying wrote down the address of the house in scribbles and threw it to the soldiers who were investigating.


    As for the Su Family¡¯s children, they had obviously left the capital.


    She spread out her divine senses and went out of the city to investigate.


    ¡°Eh?¡± As she did so, she discovered that the range of her divine senses had expanded once again.


    Soon, she discovered a suspicious caravan heading south.


    The main thing was that although the four children were asleep, their eyes were swollen like walnuts. It was obvious that they had cried.


    She also recognized the little girl among them. She looked 70% simr to Seventh Su.


    She was also the youngest child inside. Even when she was asleep, she twitched. It was obvious that she had cried herself to sleep.


    Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t bear to see this, but looking at the hundreds of people escorting them and more than ten boxes of gold, silver, and jewelry, she knew they were nning to reestablish their bases.


    In the end, she threw a piece of paper to King Rui. It was also written in the most childish-like handwriting possible.


    After finishing the main things, the next thing to do was to watch the show.


    What she did not expect was that the original magistrate of Ping Yang Prefecture, Lord Zhao, did not escape the fate of being raided.


    His whole family was also imprisoned.


    At night, after Gu Chengrui returned to make sure that there were no outsiders in the house, he looked at Zhou Ying and asked softly, ¡°Were you the one who sent the letter to King Rui?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Prime Minister Su¡¯s backup n is too thorough. For the sake of the future, it¡¯s better to be careful. What¡¯s the matter? Has King Rui noticed anything?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°No, he guessed that Mother God did it. It¡¯s just that the handwriting¡­


    ¡°It would damage the image of Mother God. If such a thing happened again in the future, you could just print your message from your interspace.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Yeah, but I was afraid that it would take too long. Is there anything special you want to eat tonight? I have already asked the kitchen to prepare porridge and side dishes.¡±


    ¡°You can arrange it. We¡¯ll talk about it at night.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Oh, there are quite a number of shops and farms that have been confiscated this time. We have to think of a way to get a better manor and suitable shops.


    ¡°Otherwise, we might not have the chance to buy them in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m keeping an eye on this matter. I¡¯ve set my eyes on a manor and a restaurant.


    ¡°King Hui specially used the manor for livestock breeding, and it upied an area of about 500 hectares.


    ¡°It¡¯s also in a mountainous area. It was said that there are many peach trees, pear trees, and apricot trees nted there.


    ¡°As for the shop in the western part of the city, it was originally the Gu Family¡¯s restaurant. Later on, it was snatched by King Hui. Now, it could be considered to have returned to the Gu Family..¡±

 Chapter 708 - 708 Notified

    Chapter 708: Notified


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°How about the price?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. This way, we don¡¯t have to worry about the meat dishes in the two restaurants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too. We¡¯ll see how things turn out. If we still have some money left, we can buy another ordinary manor and store more food.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just make the arrangements.


    ¡°As for the money, you don¡¯t have to worry. Don¡¯t forget that there are many treasures in our interspace.¡±


    When Gu Chengrui heard her say that, he immediately recalled the money she had received from Marquis Ding¡¯an¡¯s two families. ¡°When you take those things out, check them clearly for any marks. Don¡¯t wear any marks, or you¡¯ll get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll clean it up properlyter.¡±


    ¡°Master, Mistress, dinner is ready. Do you want to eat now?¡± Qiuxiang walked in and asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat now.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    After Quixiang left, the couple got up and washed their hands. After sitting down, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°With Xiaxiang gone, the main courtyard is short of one person.¡±


    ¡°Hm, you found a suitable person?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m just afraid that they won¡¯t be able to handle the additional workload.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I realized that the head servant girl is usually quite rxed. They will split the additional workload.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and did not say anything else.


    Inside the pce, King Rui, Xiao Heng, and the Seventh Princepleted the search and seizure and reported to the Emperor.


    The Emperor looked at the property of each family registered in the report and smiled mockingly. ¡°There really isn¡¯t a single honest official.¡±


    ¡°ording to the butler of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence, there were still nearly half of the treasures in the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence that weren¡¯t there. However, when I interrogated them, they all insisted that it was stolen.


    ¡°I personally went over to take a look, and indeed, it was gone. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s any more treasure outside.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure everyone is ounted for?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are all here. Originally, the Sun and Su Residences had sent their descendants out, but they were caught after being notified by someone.


    ¡°Thest page of the Su Residence report is about the treasures that had been recovered and their four grandchildren.¡±


    ¡°Someone notified you? Mother God?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my guess. Ordinary people don¡¯t have such speed unless they¡¯re keeping an eye on the two families.¡±


    The Emperor nodded in agreement. ¡°You may leave. Keep an eye on everyone for the next two days and see if you can still fish anyone else out.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The three of them replied at the same time and turned to leave.


    The Emperor called Eunuch Li in and asked him to summon King An and King Xian.


    After the two came in and saluted, they asked, ¡°Emperor, are you feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine for now.


    ¡°Sit. I called you here today because I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± asked King Xian after the two of them sat down.


    ¡°Tomorrow, after dealing with this farce, I n to abdicate.


    ¡°I also hope that you can wholeheartedly assist the new Emperor in the future.¡±


    King An and King Xian were shocked when they heard that. They really did not expect him to abdicate. But when they saw his pale face, they looked at him with worry.


    ¡°Seeing your expressions, I¡¯m gratified.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that there is indeed a problem with my body.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You chose King Rui, right?¡± King Xian nodded and asked.


    King An also looked at him curiously.


    ¡°It seems he has some poprity. I¡¯m here to ask you to help him in the future..¡±

 Chapter 709 - 709 Six Imperial Edicts

    Chapter 709: Six Imperial Edicts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is our Yang family¡¯s territory; we will do our best.¡± King Xian reassured the Emperor.


    ¡°Indeed, but the new Emperor is still young. You have to take care of your health and give him guidance for two more years.¡± King An added.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± The Emperor looked at King Xian and said, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll leave the new Emperor¡¯s ascension to you. Make it as grand as possible, and make a good start. I hope that our country can prosper.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After that, the three of them chatted for a while more about the matters of the imperial court before King An and King Xian took their leave.


    After they left, the Emperor gave Eunuch Li a look.


    The reason he leaked the news in advance was to see if there were any remaining dissenters or traitors inside and outside the pce.


    Eunuch Li nodded and went to make the arrangements.


    Fortunately, the night passed safely.


    The next morning, the Emperor announced six imperial edicts.


    The first was to confer King Rui the title of Crown Prince and ascend the throne in seven days.


    Second, the Empress, Concubine Shu, King Hui, and King Kang forced the pce to rebel. They were granted a cup of poisoned wine.


    The families and ministers of the two kings would be buried with them.


    Third, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an was stripped of his title, all three generations beheaded, and the other six generations exiled to the north.


    King Hui¡¯s main coborators were also to be beheaded, and nine generations were exiled to the north.


    The fourth was to behead the Su Family within three generations and exile the remaining to the southwest.


    King Kang¡¯s coborators were also to be beheaded, and nine generations were exiled to the southwest.


    Fifth, all their servants would be scattered and sold to the capital.


    Sixth, the confiscatednd and shops would be sold by the government at market price, and the silver obtained would be paid to the national treasury.


    After the court session, the Minister of Official Affairs, Lord Hong, chased the Emperor to the royal study and kneeled with a thud. ¡°Emperor, Emperor, I beg of you, on ount of this old minister¡¯s many years of loyalty, please have mercy and spare my daughter¡¯s life.


    ¡°I guarantee that she will not rebel.¡±


    ¡°Rise.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he thought of his performance in the past two days and waved at Eunuch Li.


    Eunuch Li immediately understood. He led everyone out and stood guard outside the door.


    The Emperor then walked to Lord Hong¡¯s side and said, ¡°I heard that your brother-inw¡¯s youngest daughter, Li Lijun, is 18 years old. I also heard that she¡¯d been raised in a temple because of her weak constitution.


    ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s better to bring her to a Mother God Temple for some prayers. Perhaps Mother God can bless her, and she may recover.¡±


    Lord Hong was confused. His brother-inw back in his hometown did have a daughter called Li Lijun, but she died eight years ago. What blessing would a dead person need?


    Thinking of this, he froze for a moment and looked at the Emperor in disbelief.


    ¡°Hong Suzhi is Consort Kang. She must die.¡± The Emperor said firmly.


    When Lord Hong heard this, he was ted. Yes, her daughter was a princess consort.


    King Kang hadmitted the crime of treason. As his consort, Hong Suzhi had to die, but she could survive with another identity.


    ¡°I understand. Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll inform you when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I hope you can assist the new Emperor well.¡±


    ¡°This old minister is willing to do his best.¡±


    After he left, the Emperor called Xiao Heng over and handed Hong Suzhi¡¯s matter to him to arrange.


    After Xiao Heng received the news, he took two masks and found a pce maid who looked simr to Hong Suzhi in the pce. She changed into a guard uniform and was brought to King Kang¡¯s Residence.


    On the other end, after Zhou Ying received the news, she handed all the silver notes she had to Gu Chengrui and asked him to buy the manor and shop that he had his eyes on.


    Later that night, Gu Chengrui handed her three contracts and said, ¡°I also bought an ordinary manor that belongs to the Su Family.


    ¡°There¡¯s 2,000 acres ofnd, 500 acres of rice, 100 acres of sweet potatoes, and the rest are nted with radishes and cabbages.


    ¡°This way, we won¡¯t have to worry about not having food to eat this winter..¡±

 Chapter 710 - 710 Who Are You

    Chapter 710: Who Are You


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Indeed. In the future, we don¡¯t have to worry about food on the surface.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she put the red contract in her interspace.


    ¡°Master, someone is here to visit. She says she¡¯s your older sister.¡± Shizhu ran in and said.


    ¡°Sister?¡± The husband and wife looked at each other and were stunned. Why didn¡¯t they know that they had an older sister in the capital?


    ¡°Where is she now?¡± Gu Chengrui asked directly.


    ¡°In the guest room in the front courtyard. I noticed she seemed quite anxious.¡± ¡°They¡¯re guests, so let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± Gu Chengrui pulled Zhou Ying up and walked out.


    When they saw the haggard woman standing in the room uneasily, the two of them were stunned.


    They didn¡¯t know this person at all.


    ¡°Lord Gu, Madam Gu, please save my master.¡± The woman kneeled down before they could speak.


    ¡°Did you find the wrong person? We don¡¯t know you.¡± Zhou Ying asked directly.


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m Zhao Xiuying, and my husband is Chen Peng, Gu Ziyi¡¯s ex-husband.¡± The woman said with a smile.


    ¡°What¡­¡± Gu Chengrui was astonished.


    How thick-skinned must she be toe to them?


    Zhou Ying kicked her in the stomach. ¡°You¡¯re so bold toe begging the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Just the fact that you¡¯ve harmed Gu Ziyi and her children time and time again, do you think we will save him?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t care about him. Please go back.¡± Gu Chengrui pulled Zhou Ying and said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that those two children are Chen Peng¡¯s children. If Chen Peng is convicted, they will also be implicated and not be able to take the imperial examination for three generations.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that it¡¯s Chen Peng¡¯s child, but they have already divorced. Moreover, the two children have changed their surnames to Gu. They have nothing to do with Chen Peng anymore.¡±


    ¡°But the blood rtionship between them¡­¡±


    ¡°So what? We can just protect the two children.


    ¡°As for Chen Peng, he has nothing to do with us. So why do we have to save him?


    ¡°Besides, he¡¯s an inhumane beast. It¡¯s already good that we didn¡¯t kill him ourselves, and you want us to save him? Don¡¯t dream about it. It¡¯s impossible.¡± Zhou Ying t-out rejected her.


    ¡°Chase her out. She¡¯s not allowed to step into the residence in the future,¡± Zhou Ying informed Shizhu, who was standing at the side.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing this, Shi Zhu dragged Zhao Xiuying out.


    Zhao Xiuying kneeled on the ground and begged, ¡°I beg you. Please save him.


    Otherwise, he will really be beheaded tomorrow.¡±


    However, the couple just turned around and ignored her.


    Zhao Xiuying couldn¡¯t outfight Shizhu, so she was thrown out of the residence unwillingly. In the end, she just continued kneeling at the entrance.


    Seeing this, Niu Fugui had no choice but to tell the couple about it.


    Gu Chengrui sneered. ¡°Chase her out once more. If she doesn¡¯t leave, send someone to bring her to the guards.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Niu Fugui nodded and brought two servants out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person before,¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Well, she wouldn¡¯t have done the things she did if she wasn¡¯t shameless.


    ¡°It seems that everyone will be beheaded tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°The Emperor is also cleaning up the loose ends. He can¡¯t leave his troubles to the new Emperor.


    ¡°Besides, their beheading was only fast-forwarded half a month earlier.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But I really didn¡¯t expect the Emperor to abdicate.¡±


    ¡°With his body, who knows when¡­¡± Gu Chengrui paused for a moment. After making sure that there was no one around, he continued, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s afraid of more rebellion..¡±

 Chapter 711 - 711 Hiding From Annoyance

    Chapter 711: Hiding From Annoyance


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying nodded and did not say anything else.


    The next day, because arge number of officials got beheaded, the streets were in a mess early in the morning. After the couple were woken up, they looked at each other and had no choice but to get up.


    However, neither of them was in the mood to watch the show. After dinner, Gu Chengrui went to report to King Rui.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying took out some paste made from the honey-marinated roses and made a flower cake.


    As soon as the flower cakes were out of the pot, Mingyu ran in with a smile. ¡°It looks like I made it in time today. I can¡¯t believe I ran into you cooking personally.¡±


    ¡°Have a taste of this flower cake.¡± Zhou Ying handed her a piece after she finished speaking.


    Mingyu did not hesitate and directly ate it up.


    A momentter, she gave her a thumbs up and praised, ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s sweet but not oily. It¡¯s full of fragrance and very delicious.


    ¡°This is the first time I know cakes can be made from fresh flowers. It really has a different vor from all the cakes I ate before.¡±


    ¡°If you like it, take it. I can still make two more pots.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and got busy again.


    Mingyu nodded and ate another piece. She washed her hands and learned how to make cakes right after that.


    When another two cakes were ready, Zhou Ying carried one of them and handed the other to Chunxiang and Dongxiang. She and Mingyu then went to the living room.


    She then asked Niu Lirong to make a cup of rose tea for each of them.


    After sitting down, Zhou Ying saw that Mingyu was not in a good mood and asked curiously, ¡°Are you here today for something?¡±


    ¡°No, I just came to hide and rx.¡± Mingyu shook her head.


    Zhou Ying saw that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it, so she didn¡¯t ask further. Instead, she asked, ¡°By the way, how¡¯s your female soldier¡¯s training going?¡±


    ¡°My brother said that it¡¯s going pretty well, and the Emperor has also approved of it. However, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to be a female soldier in the future.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be. The Crown Prince shouldn¡¯t object to that.¡±


    ¡°But my mother is in a hurry to get me married. If I get married, how can I have the time to train my troops?¡±


    ¡°Marriage? Yeah, you¡¯re not young anymore. You should definitely consider it.¡± Zhou Ying looked at her distressed face and asked thoughtfully, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have someone else in your heart, and your mother doesn¡¯t agree?¡±


    ¡°No, but my mother brings over ten portraits for me to look at every day. It¡¯s like she¡¯s choosing a consort for me. I¡¯m so annoyed.¡±


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t show any interest in anyone. If someone actually grabbed your eye, you wouldn¡¯t be annoyed, but you would be delighted.¡±


    ¡°Ah, huh.., I don¡¯t know either. I just feel so annoyed. What do you think I should do?¡±


    ¡°Sooner orter, you will have to pass this time in your life. Find one. Once you find a suitor, your mother will definitely not say anything. By the way, what kind of person are you interested in? Do you have any idea?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like weaklings, but my mother doesn¡¯t want me to find a general. She said that generals are always away from home, and it will be very tiring for me to support a family.¡±


    ¡°But do you want to find a general, or do you just want to find someone strong? You have to be clear about this.¡±


    Mingyu¡¯s eyes rolled around a few times after hearing that. ¡°That¡¯s true.


    Actually, someone like brother-inw is fine. I just don¡¯t want someone from the academy.¡±


    ¡°Those men can¡¯t carry weight on their shoulders or lift a box with their hands. It makes me angry just looking at it.¡±


    Zhou Ying understood her type after listening. To put it bluntly, she did not want a schr. ¡°Why? Are all the people your mother introduced schrs?¡±


    ¡°More or less. Even if the person is an official¡¯s son, he¡¯s also a schr-graduate.


    ¡°I heard the new Emperor would be ascending the throne soon. With so many officials dead, they will definitely open special examinations next year. By then, the future of these schrs will be bright..¡±

 Chapter 712 - 712 Matchmaking

    Chapter 712: Matchmaking


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°There is a certain logic to it.¡± Zhou Ying nodded, but she did not agree with this idea.


    Mingyu was a princess, so the man she married would be climbing the socialdder regardless. She also had the backing of King An¡¯s Residence, so why not find someone who was outstanding in all aspects?


    If her standards were too low, it would be troublesome if she met someone like Yang Shicheng.


    However, it was inappropriate for Zhou Ying to say these words.


    Then, she thought of something and asked, ¡°Oh right, didn¡¯t you say that the Emperor was interested in your marriage? Why is your mother suddenly helping you choose a suitor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I heard that my father asked the Emperor for his opinion and was told to do as we saw fit. He would just nod his head after we picked a suitor.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°By the way, what do you think of Zhou Huaiming?¡± she suddenly asked.


    Zhou Huaiming would be 26 years old after the new year, and he had been busy with revenge all these years.


    Now that he had taken revenge, it was time to put his personal life on the agenda.


    Moreover, the two of them know each other and have simr family backgrounds. It can be said that they are a perfectbination.


    ¡°Zhou Huaiming, you mean the Crown Prince¡¯s second cousin?¡± Mingyu asked.


    She knew him and was quite familiar with him. He fulfilled her requirements, but she had not interacted much with him.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s pretty decent in all aspects, but just a little older than you.


    ¡°Also, although he is a general, he doesn¡¯t need to guard the border for long periods of time.¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Mingyu nodded.


    Zhou Ying saw that Mingyu wasn¡¯t too interested, so she didn¡¯t press on this.


    After chatting for a while about the gossip in the capital, Zhou Ying found out that the Empress and the others had been executed; even the Eighth Princess hadmitted suicide.


    After that, the two of them went to the garden for a stroll and exchanged martial arts. Zhou Ying personally cooked four dishes and a soup, and Mingyu returned home after lunch.


    After Zhou Ying sent her off, she turned around and saw Gu Chenglin returning with his errand boy.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Yes, we ate at a restaurant.¡± Gu Chenglin got out of the carriage.


    ¡°By the way, how is the manor going?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve just finished a recent harvest.


    ¡°I plucked some pear from one of the manors since I knew that there weren¡¯t any here. I¡¯ve taken some back.¡± Gu Chenglin pointed at the pears in the carriage behind him.


    ¡°Our Chenglin has grown up and knows how to care for his family. By the way, did you send some to your sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve sent some back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Go and take a rest. I¡¯ll get the servants to deal with this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you; don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± After Gu Chenglin finished speaking, he brought the errand boy back to the side courtyard.


    Zhou Ying called the servants over to carry a basket to the main courtyard. Then, she gave two pears to each of them and kept the rest in the warehouse.


    After returning inside her courtyard, she asked Kuihua to send the two sets of autumn clothes she had prepared for Gu Chenglin over.


    She took out a pear, washed it, and tasted it. It was sweet, sour, and juicy. It was a rare delicacy. Unfortunately, it was a little small.


    After entering the interspace at night, Gu Chengrui requested anxiously, ¡°Babe, help me find King Hui. See if you can find out where he is hiding.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Wasn¡¯t King Hui executed?¡±


    ¡°It was a doppelganger. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the doppelganger¡¯s skin was a little darker and his hands were a little rough, I¡¯m afraid we wouldn¡¯t have discovered it.¡±


    ¡°Do you know when he was reced?¡±


    ¡°On the night he was captured, he had prepared someone waiting for him at the imperial prison. After entering that night, he changed positions, left the pce with his soldiers, and disappeared.


    ¡°Right, Sun Wenhao also disappeared..¡¯

 Chapter 713 - 713 Wit’s End

    Chapter 713: Wit¡¯s End


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s been two days and two nights. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to find him, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Zhou Ying began to search through the various Mother God Temples.


    Unfortunately, she did not know which corner King Hui had hidden in. She could not find him even until dawn.


    Gu Chengrui was surprised after hearing that and pondered. ¡°Hmm, which ces are our blind spots?¡±


    ¡°Mountains, deserts, in short, ces where Mother God Temples are rare.¡±


    Gu Chengrui understood after listening, went to the study room, and found a simplified map of the country.


    They soon pinpointed a mountain range in the north. It was high above sea level and covered in forests. There were few people there, and it was a good ce to hide.


    Zhou Ying looked at the area and said, ¡°He sure can run. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s been traveling non-stop for the past two days.¡±


    ¡°If he crosses the mountain range, will he reach the Northen Continent?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he probably wants to borrow power from them.


    ¡°However, the Northern Continent isn¡¯t stupid, so he must have enough bargaining chips. Since we can¡¯t find him, let¡¯s not worry about him in the short term.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s simply asking a tiger for its skin. Once the people of the Northern Continent invade, it¡¯ll be difficult for them to leave.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at wit¡¯s end. As long as they don¡¯t invade the capital, it¡¯s fine. Let the Crown Prince worry about the rest.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he yawned. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and sleep. It¡¯s almost dawn.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and followed him out of the interspace.


    When she woke up again, it was alreadyte in the morning.


    After Zhou Ying finished her breakfast, she went for a walk. Sheter brought Qi Lin to the newly bought restaurant.


    ¡°Good lords, this restaurant is imposing.¡± After Qi Lin got out of the carriage, he looked at the glorious restaurant in front of him and eximed in amazement.


    Zhou Ying was also shocked when she saw the scale of the restaurant. It was even bigger than the one in the east of the city.


    The entrance was massive, with pirs on both sides and an archway above ted with gold. At first nce, it gave off the feeling of being nouveau riche.


    She was satisfied with the interior. The main color was white, and all the seats looked clean andfortable to sit in.


    ¡°I¡¯m the new owner. Are you the only two here?¡± Zhou Ying asked the two workers who were standing at the side curiously.


    The two young workers looked at each other and stepped forward to bow. ¡°I¡¯m Hou Qi.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Hou Dongzhi.¡± ¡°Greetings, Mistress.¡±


    The older one quickly added, ¡°Mistress, the original manager, ountant, and head chef of the restaurant, have all been captured by the soldiers.


    ¡°Since the restaurant basically went out of business, everyone else went home to wait for the news.


    ¡°The two of us live close to each other, so wee over every day to clean and tidy the ce.¡±


    ¡°I see, are there still chefs in our kitchen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Other than the head chef, there are four other chefs. Two of them are in charge of stir-frying, and the other two are in charge of the main staples; the ex-head chef was in charge of the main dishes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zhou Ying nodded after listening. In this way, there was no need to rush to find more workers. She then asked, ¡°How many people are left?¡±


    ¡°In the kitchen, there are 20 people to wash the dishes, stoke the mes, and do other preparation work.


    ¡°For the front service, 15 of us are avable.


    ¡°Also, there are ten private rooms on the second floor, and each private room has a dedicated waiter.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You two have the same surname. What¡¯s your rtionship with each other?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re uncle and nephew. I¡¯m the youngest in the family, so I¡¯m only a few years old from my nephew.¡±


    ¡°I see. You guys continue cleaning up the ce. I¡¯ll go take a look at the back.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she brought Qi Lin to the back..

 Chapter 714 - 714 Checking Out The Restaurants

    Chapter 714: Checking Out The Restaurants


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After entering the kitchen, Zhou Ying was stunned. She didn¡¯t expect the stove inside to be made of white jade marble, even the countertop.


    Looking at the rows of marble countertops, it looked neat and clean.


    There were also shelves for dishes.


    There was a storeroom on the side that stored rice and noodles, and on the left were vegetables, meat, and some cucumbers.


    After that, she went to the second floor.


    The decoration of all the private rooms was the same, except for the paintings hanging on the wall.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zhou Ying looked at Qi Lin and asked, ¡°Do you think you can be the head chef here?¡±


    Qi Lin paused for a moment before nodding excitedly. ¡°Yes, I can! I¡¯ve been learning from Chef Xie for more than three months now. I have no problem managing the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then go find Hou Qi and the others. Inform all the original chefs here to cook their dishes for you to try.


    ¡°Remember, not only must their cooking skills be good, but the person must also be upright.


    ¡°After you¡¯ve confirmed them, train them for half a month and change the menu to the same as the other restaurant. Try to open up at the end of the month.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your trust, Mistress. I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°Alright, do well. Chef Xie is getting on in years. In the future, you will be the main pir of these restaurants.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After that, Qi Lin informed Hou Qi and asked him to call for help before returning to the restaurant.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying brought Shizhu to the south of the city.


    Seeing that Zhou Dong¡¯s business was doing well, she did not go in and went straight to the shop beside the carriage shop.


    When Lai Xi saw Shizhu, he immediately came up to her. ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re here. Come and take a seat. Do you want to eat something?¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few customers. Let¡¯s go to the back and eat while we chat.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lai Xi nodded and told the waiter. Heter brought them to the backyard and asked, ¡°What would you like to eat?¡±


    ¡°Give me twomb offal soups, five sesame seed cakes, and two side dishes.


    ¡°You can order whatever you feel like adding, too.¡±


    ¡°Aye, please wait a moment.¡± After saying that, Lai Xi went to the kitchen and brought over the food Zhou Ying had ordered.


    In the end, he just ordered some vegetable noodle soup.


    ¡°Why are you eating just veggies?¡± Zhou Ying asked. ¡°Is your monthly allowance not enough?¡±


    Lai Xi quickly shook his head. ¡°When I heard that you wouldn¡¯t want to eat whatever you sell, I didn¡¯t believe it in the past.¡±


    ¡°But now that I¡¯m in the food business, that¡¯s basically it. I don¡¯t even feel like eating meat these days.¡±


    ¡°As long as you think it¡¯s alright; by the way, how¡¯s business in the past two months?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, especially themb and beef offal soup. Now that the weather is cold, they¡¯re selling well.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the roasted pork and braised pork offal.


    ¡°However, the main customers of the roasted pork and braised pork offal are those from the carriage shop.


    ¡°Usually, when they leave, they will buy some food and some wine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. If you have any questions, you can look for me directly.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After that, the two of them chatted while eating. After a meal, Zhou Ying brought Shizhu home.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui went out, he went to the national treasury to help with ounting for the inventory.


    At noon, when they were resting, he went straight to the Ministry of War to find Zhou Huaiming, and he told him his guess about King Hui¡¯s whereabouts.


    After Zhou Huaiming heard this, he pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. King Hui¡¯s reputation in the country is in the dumpster, and it would be difficult for him to recruit soldiers and buy horses.


    ¡°There are too many poisonous insects in the southwest and southeast. He could die at any time from any random disease.


    ¡°Therefore, his only way out is the Northern Continent.


    ¡°Besides, the Northern Continent loves a good war, so it¡¯ll be easier for him to stir things up..¡±

 Chapter 715 - 715 Freeloading For Food

    Chapter 715: Freeloading For Food


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°So now we can only keep an eye on the border. It won¡¯t be easy to chase after them.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s easier said than done to find someone in the mountains.


    ¡°But we have to confirm if they went that way. Let¡¯s go see the Crown Prince together.¡± Zhou Huaiming suggested.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°You can go by yourself. My wife is still waiting for me to go home.¡±


    ¡°Tell Sister-inw that I¡¯ll go over for dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°Just eat whatever we cook. If you want to order, go to a restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Stingy. Alright, I¡¯ll go into the pce now.¡± Zhou Huaiming huffed and immediately rushed into the pce.


    After entering the pce, he happened to bump into the Crown Prince eating in the royal study.


    He directly asked his eunuch, Eunuch Qian, to serve a bowl and chopsticks before sitting at the side to eat together.


    ¡°You really aren¡¯t polite, are you?¡± The Crown Prince raised his head and nced at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I know that you don¡¯t treat me as an outsider.¡± Zhou Huaiming smiled.


    The Crown Prince rolled his eyes at him and continued eating.


    After the meal, the Crown Prince asked Eunuch Qian to serve them tea. He then asked, ¡°How¡¯s the national treasury? Is there a big problem?¡±


    ¡°Kinda. The number of weapons recorded doesn¡¯t match the inventory, and there¡¯s a deficit in the ounts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how much is missing?¡±


    ¡°There are 10,000 sabers, 1,000 bows, and 100 boxes of arrows missing.


    ¡°We are alsocking 200,000 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°So many? Investigate them properly. There might be other traitors hiding in the dark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already investigating this. I¡¯m here for the matter regarding King Hui.¡±


    The Crown Prince responded and pointed to the door.


    Eunuch Qian immediately went out to keep watch.


    Zhou Huaiming then told him Gu Chengrui¡¯s guess and their analysis.


    The Crown Prince nodded. ¡°It seems that the eldest is more shrewd than the fourth. He must have left behind a lot of back doors.¡±


    ¡°Send someone to the north to check. If it¡¯s confirmed that they really went north, tell them to return immediately and report to us.


    ¡°Also, send a letter to Grandpa and Eldest Cousin. Tell them to keep an eye on the Northern Continent¡¯s movements and report in time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, continue with your work then. I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished his tea, he turned around and walked out.


    Gu Chengrui returned home and was not met with even Zhou Ying¡¯s shadow.


    He hastily ate a few mouthfuls and rested for a while. He told Kuihua about Zhou Huaiming¡¯s dinner ns before heading out again.


    After Zhou Ying came out of her shops, she didn¡¯t go straight back to her residence.


    Instead, she ordered some cutlery from various shops, especially special kitchenware such as iron stoves and copper pots.


    By the time she returned home, the sun had already set.


    After returning to the residence and receiving the news, she went to the kitchen and saw that there was every type of meat other than fish. She instructed the servants to help prepare them ordingly.


    She rested for a while and started cooking personally.


    There were a total of six dishes prepared. Roastedmb chop, ck pepper beef tenderloin, chestnut stewed chicken, sauteed sliced pork, shiitake mushroom and rapeseed, five-spice steamed eggnt, and finally, tomato egg dumpling soup.


    By the time she was done, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming were already sitting down and having a pot of tea. She immediately asked Shizhu, Chunxiang, and Dongxiang to serve the dishes before asking them to call Gu Chenglin over.


    She then carried a jar of yellow wine and walked in.


    ¡°Thank you, sister-inw. Let me pour the wine.¡± Zhou Huaiming immediately stood up and took the wine jar.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Gu Chengrui ced three wine sses in front of him.


    As for Gu Chenglin, he was still studying, so Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t prepare a ss for him..

 Chapter 716 - 716 Ascending The Throne

    Chapter 716: Ascending The Throne


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a toast and start eating.¡± Gu Chengrui raised his ss.


    ¡°A toast to my sister-inw. She¡¯s been busy in the kitchen for us.¡± Zhou Huaiming raised his cup.


    Zhou Ying raised her ss and clinked it with theirs.


    However, she didn¡¯t gulp it down and only took a sip. After putting down the cup, she stood up and picked up amb chop for each of them. ¡°Eat this first. It won¡¯t taste good if it gets cold.¡±


    ¡°It smells so good. Your cooking is still the best.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded repeatedly and then lowered his head to eat.


    Due to therge amount of food, the four of them were a little stuffed. In the end, Zhou Ying asked someone to cook a pot of hawthorn tea.


    Zhou Huaiming sat down and looked at Gu Chenglin. ¡°Chenglin, how¡¯s your revision going? Are you confident about the capital examination?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but my brother-inw¡¯s ascension to the throne will be during the capital examination¡¯s date; I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still ongoing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only dyed to three dayster. Otherwise, how are you going to get your schr status next year? You must not rx at this time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Brother Zhou. I understand.¡± Gu Chenglin said happily.


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Huaiming left.


    Gu Chengrui brought Gu Chenglin to the study. After they sat down, Gu Chengrui reminded him, ¡°Your sister¡¯s identity will be different soon, and the attitude of the people around you will also change.


    ¡°You have to be careful when making friends in the future. Don¡¯t be used by them.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Good. While you won¡¯t be causing trouble, don¡¯t be afraid of trouble.


    ¡°Study hard. Don¡¯t make things difficult for your sister.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he gave him a few more instructions before letting him go back to revise his homework.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the day before the new emperor ascended the throne. After the Crown Prince was done with his work, he looked for the Emperor and asked, ¡°Father, are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, but my injuries are so serious that I can¡¯t recover in a day.


    ¡°By the way, have you memorized the procedure?¡±


    ¡°I have. First, bring the civil and military officials to worship the heavens, earth, and ancestors.


    ¡°After that, I will return to the pce to receive the imperial edict. Next, I will confer the title of Empress and announce it to the world.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you remember them. To be honest, Mother God¡¯s contribution is indispensable for our country¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Therefore, I want you to lead all the officials and solemnly worship Mother God.¡±


    ¡°All the officials?¡±


    ¡°Yes, set a date and time. Inform all the officials to pay their respects to any Mother God Temple on that day. Anyone else who¡¯s willing could follow.¡±


    ¡°I understand. After I ascend the throne, I will discuss the exact date with Uncle Wang.¡±


    ¡°Great, go. The country will be relying on you next.¡±


    ¡°I will take my leave.¡± After the Crown Prince bowed, he retreated.


    After returning to the residence, he gave some serious instructions to Sun Miaoke, Gu Wanning, and their servant girls before they went back to their rooms to sleep.


    The next day, the Emperor attended hisst morning court session. Even Gu Chengrui, who usually did not show his face, was called over.


    After the meeting was over, the Emperor officially passed the abdication edict to the Crown Prince.


    After a meal, the new Emperor changed into his dragon robe and brought all the officials to the ancestral temple. After paying their respects, he returned to the pce to receive the worship of all the officials and changed the title of the year to God¡¯s Blessing.


    The entire process sounded simple, but it was still ratherplicated.


    Zhou Ying also witnessed it and wasughing silently when she saw him being ordered by the eunuchs and ceremonial officials like a marite.


    However, she was still happy for him. There were not many people in history who had seeded to the throne so formally..

 Chapter 717 - 717 Capital Examination

    Chapter 717: Capital Examination


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Finally, it was the Empress Ceremony. Sun Miaoke became the Empress, and Gu Wanning received the title of Consort Xian.


    Needless to say, after the two of them dressed up, they looked much more dignified and beautiful.


    Perhaps because she was tired, Sun Miaoke¡¯s delivery came early, and she gave birth to a daughter that night.


    The next day, Zhou Ying was stunned when she received the news. Sun Miaoke was only eight months pregnant. A premature birth¡­


    Thinking of this, she nced into the pce. The child was a little thin and weak, and Sun Miaoke had obviously suffered a lot as well; her small face had turned green.


    Fortunately, the mother and daughter were safe, and Zhou Ying retreated.


    During breakfast, Zhou Ying saw Gu Chengrui smiling from ear to ear. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? What¡¯s the good news?¡±


    Gu Chengrui then told her about the Emperor¡¯s decision. Twelve dayster, all the officials in the Ming Dynasty would have to pay their respects to the Mother God.


    He said, ¡°This time, Mother God ispletely established in the country. It¡¯ll be difficult to forget her in the future.¡±


    Zhou Ying was not very happy after hearing that, as she would have to give the new Emperor a gift.


    ¡°What do you think I should give him?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    Gu Chengrui paused when he heard that. It was obvious that he had never thought that she would return the gift.


    That¡¯s right. The new Emperor had ascended the throne and brought so many people to pay their respects to her. She had to show her gratitude.


    After pondering for a moment, he replied, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give corn seeds to the north and rice seeds to the south?


    ¡°If we solve the food shortage as soon as possible, people will believe in Mother God more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a decent idea. But if I give out seeds, your position as the agriculture minister won¡¯t be of much use.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t want to be an official in the first ce.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s settled.¡±


    As the capital examination was the next day, Zhou Ying did not go out again. Instead, she prepared some food for Gu Chenglin.


    She prepared meat pies, instant noodles, steamed buns, and braised eggs.


    After cooking them, she froze them and gave them to Gu Chenglin, telling him how to cook and eat themter.


    ¡°Thank you so much, sister-inw. With these things, I don¡¯t have to eat only steamed buns anymore.¡± Gu Chenglin took it and smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. When you leave, bring a few pears with you in case you get heaty.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Gu Chenglin nodded.


    When he was about to head off to the examination hall the next day, Gu Chengrui personally sent him off and checked whether he had the necessary items, such as brushes, ink, papers, and inkstones.


    When they arrived at the entrance of the examination hall, Gu Chengrui saw his nervous expression and patted his head with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re already good for your young age. How old are you? If you can¡¯t get in, just take the exam three yearster. Don¡¯t take it too seriously.


    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t bother about anyone else after you enter. Don¡¯t be in a hurry, and calm down first.


    ¡°Wait until you¡¯vepletely calmed down before you answer the questions.¡±


    Gu Chenglin looked up at him. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. You can go back. I¡¯ll go in now.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and waved at him. After watching Gu Chenglin pass the inspection, he turned around and walked back.


    Over the next three days, the husband and wife went to their two newly bought manors. After making arrangements for them, they immediately rushed back.


    Just as they reached the entrance of the examination hall, the examination hadpletely ended. Gu Chengrui immediately got out of the carriage and walked over.


    After a while, Gu Chenglin walked out with his head down.


    Gu Chengrui smiled. ¡°Not bad. You didn¡¯t lose weight. You¡¯re in good shape.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, why don¡¯t you ask me how I did?¡±


    ¡°No matter how the exam went, it¡¯s already a foregone conclusion.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a good meal and have a good sleep at night? Then, we can happily wait for the results. Didn¡¯t I say it before? You¡¯re still young, so you don¡¯t have to hurry.¡± Gu Chengrui said..

 Chapter 718 - 718 Continue To Maintain

    Chapter 718: Continue To Maintain


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Okay, then I want to eat prawns tonight.¡± Gu Chenglin nodded.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to a restaurant to eat that today.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought him into the carriage.


    They rushed to their restaurant together.


    Niu Fugui saw theming over and immediately went up to them. ¡°Master, you¡¯re here. Pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Is there a private room?¡±


    ¡°No, but the lounge is avable. Why don¡¯t you guys eat there?¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s just a meal. It¡¯s the same anywhere.¡± Zhou Ying agreed, and they followed him to the back.


    When they arrived at the lounge, Zhou Ying ordered a serving of braised pork intestine, shredded yam, and stir-fried cole.


    These three dishes looked simple, but they tested the chef¡¯s skills the most. She could test if their skills had regressed.


    ¡°Uncle Niu, let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress, but maybe another day. I can¡¯t leave the outside unattended.¡± After Niu Fugui finished speaking, he took the menu and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Cousin sister-inw, is this braised pork intestine?¡± Gu Chenglin asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s braised in its juices.¡±


    ¡°Would anyone eat it at this prominent restaurant?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you taste it.


    ¡°Only after you try it yourself can you know how it tastes. Don¡¯t listen to rumors.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°Indeed. Only you know if the shoes fit. Don¡¯t listen to others.¡± Gu Chengrui echoed.


    This dish was his favorite. Unfortunately, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t cook it as often now, so he had to eat moreter.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Chenglin nodded and did not say anything else. He washed his hands and took a piece of snack to eat.


    Soon, the dishes were served, and the first dish was the braised pork intestine.


    Zhou Ying looked at the red and translucentrge intestine and nodded in satisfaction. Then, she called out, ¡°Grab the chopsticks. Let¡¯s have a taste.¡±


    After saying that, she picked up a piece for herself and tasted it. ¡°The taste is authentic. It¡¯s just that the heat is a littlecking and a little chewy.¡±


    Gu Chenglin looked at her as if she was enjoying the delicacy. He also picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. After a moment, he smiled and nodded. ¡°It has all five vors: sour, sweet, fragrant, spicy, and salty. It¡¯s fat but not greasy. It¡¯s soft, sticky, and fresh. It¡¯s unexpectedly delicious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for the many steps to cook this dish. If you like it, you can eat more. It won¡¯t taste good if it gets cold.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Shizhu and Lin Yitian did not stand on ceremony anymore.


    Zhou Ying tried the other dishes. Every dish was not bad, which meant their cooking did not ck off because she was busy.


    As for the braised pork intestine¡¯s minor ws, she didn¡¯t pursue them. After all, if it were softened at the beginning, it wouldn¡¯t be able to hold its shape after some time.


    When they were done with their meal, Niu Fugui sent them out personally. ¡°Master, Mistress, how was your meal? If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I¡¯ll pass them on to them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good. Just continue to maintain it.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re satisfied.¡± Niu Fugui smiled.


    After getting on the carriage, Zhou Ying turned around and nced at Niu Fugui. She turned to Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°By the way, do you have any progress on recruiting a new restaurant manager? I¡¯ve tried two, but they¡¯re not ideal.¡±


    ¡°The capital just sold arge number of political ves to the outside. It won¡¯t be easy to find anyone suitable in a short period of time. If it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll recruit while I hold the position.


    Zhou Ying nodded and did not refute. After all, this was the capital. It was inappropriate for her to take charge..

 Chapter 719 - 719 Opening Ceremony (1)

    Chapter 719: Opening Ceremony (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Next, Zhou Ying continued to try to recruit a manager, but there was still no suitable candidate. She could only let Gu Chengrui take over for the time being.


    She nned to send Niu Deli over. With a bookkeeper, Gu Chengrui would not have to keep an eye on the restaurant all day.


    On the opening day, Zhou Ying was worried about Qi Lin, so she rushed over early in the morning.


    When she arrived at the kitchen, the kitchen was already bustling with activity, especially the helpers who were preparing the vegetables and noodles.


    ¡°Mistress?¡± Qi Lin saw her enter and was surprised. ¡°Mistress, why are you here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s opening day, and I¡¯m sure there are many things to do. I was afraid that you guys wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it, so I came to take a look. How¡¯s the preparation going?¡± Zhou Ying asked. ¡°Have you prepared all the ingredients for the dishes?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already checked. Everything is ready.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You do your thing. I¡¯ll just walk around.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s anything you need, just tell me.¡± Qi Lin gave some instructions to the helpers before turning around to prepare the main dishes.


    Zhou Ying nodded her head in satisfaction when she saw that he was giving a propermand.


    She carefully checked the ingredients, especially the meat. After confirming that they were fresh and healthy, she returned to the front.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± She asked Gu Chengrui as he finished teaching the waiters.


    ¡°Not great. There are so many things to do, and I¡¯m afraid of making mistakes.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    Previously, he had only studied science and technology and had never managed a business. For a moment, he was uncertain of his capabilities.


    He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s walk around and see if there¡¯s anything that needs to be fixed. We still have time to clean up.¡±


    ¡°No need. I just came over from the kitchen. As for the front, it¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s clean and tidy. The rest can only be improvised.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she continued to check the ce for peace of mind.


    Needless to say, the previous manager was really good at disciplining his workers. There were no mistakes in every detail.


    Even the waiters looked clean and neat.


    Coupled with the red work clothes and hat that she had specially designed, it was festive and eye-catching.


    ¡°Congrattions, congrattions. I didn¡¯t expect you and your wife to be here today.¡± Zhou Huaiming came in and cupped his fists.


    ¡°Thank you; you¡¯re not busy today.¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and replied.


    ¡°What, how can I not be busy? I have to go back aftering over to congratte you. But let¡¯s make a deal; leave some for me tonight.¡± Zhou Huaimingughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you won¡¯t dislike it.¡± Zhou Huaiming pointed at a gift box in the hands of the servant behind him.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m already grateful that you rushed over to congratte us. Is there anything you want to eat tonight?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t had hotpot in a long time. Let¡¯s have that tonight.


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve been heaty recently, so I¡¯ll just have the sour soup and mushroom soup.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll definitely keep a portion for you. See you tonight.¡± Gu Chengrui exchanged a few more polite words before Zhou Huaiming turned around and left in a hurry.


    After he left, Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Liu rushed over and left after giving their gifts.


    Then came people from King Xian¡¯s Residence, King An¡¯s Residence, and some other officials. However, all of them were women. Zhou Ying let them into a private room and made chrysanthemum tea and rose tea to entertain everyone.


    After sitting down, Zhou Ying received everyone¡¯s blessings. She said a few polite words and left, leaving Shizhu to entertain them.


    As soon as Zhou Ying left, Consort Xian asked curiously, ¡°Mrs. Sun, I heard that you went to the pce to see the little princess two days ago. How does she look? Who does she look like?¡±


    When the women heard this, they immediately turned to look at Mrs. Sun. They asked at once, ¡°That¡¯s right, Madam Sun. What does the little princess look like? Tell us about it..¡±

 Chapter 720 - 720: 720 Opening Ceremony (2)

    Chapter 720 - 720: 720 Opening Ceremony (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The baby is still young, so I can¡¯t tell at the moment. However, his eyebrows are very simr to the Emperor¡¯s, especially his phoenix eyes. He¡¯s practically carved from the same mold as the Emperor.¡± Mrs. Sun said with a smile.


    ¡°She has red phoenix eyes? That¡¯s great!


    ¡°How is the Empress now? How is her recovery?¡±


    ¡°Not bad. She¡¯s doing well in her recovery.¡±


    ¡°We have to get the Phoenix Seal back as soon as possible. I heard that the Phoenix Seal is still in Consort Xian¡¯s hands, and it will be hard to say if it¡¯s still there after some time.¡± At this moment, the newly appointed Minister of War, the wife of Lord Chu, spoke.


    As soon as she finished speaking, everyone turned to look at her.


    Some were surprised, some were sneering, some were suspicious, and some harbored ill intentions.


    ¡°With the Empress Dowager watching, it¡¯s inappropriate for us to interfere in this matter.¡± Mrs. Sun said it with a smile.


    But this time, her smile did not reach her eyes.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if she was fearless or trying to sow discord.


    However, if Consort Xian heard this in the Gu family¡¯s territory, it would be troublesome if she and her daughter became estranged.


    If these words reached the Emperor¡¯s ears, what would he think of their Sun family?


    The initially cheerful atmosphere was no longer there because of her words. Mrs. Chu seemed to have realized something and immediately shut her mouth. ¡°Sister-inw, has Mingyu¡¯s marriage been decided?¡± Consort Xian asked. ¡°How can it be? She didn¡¯t even nod after getting so many introductions. How¡¯s your son¡¯s marriage going? Has it been settled?¡±


    ¡°No, he said he would look for a bride himself. I couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask more. If I find an unsuitable one for him, he will turn around and me me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Marriage is an important matter of a lifetime. You can¡¯t force it.¡± The two of them were talking about their children¡¯s marriages. When the awkward atmosphere passed, everyone immediately surrounded Mrs. Sun again.


    Shizhu was speechless by this group of aunties.


    In the blink of an eye, it was noon. With the sound of firecrackers, Zhou Ying asked someone to scatter some candy among the crowd.


    After that, Gu Chengrui released the news of a 30% discount for the restaurant¡¯s opening. Very soon, the entire restaurant became lively.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she greeted Gu Chengrui and went up to entertain thedies.


    After sending off the madams, Mingyu suddenly jumped out from the side and said, ¡°Sister Zhou, congrattions.¡±


    ¡°You little girl, did youe over sote just to hide from thedies?¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and smiled.


    ¡°You really guessed it. If I came with my mother, I would definitely be annoyed to death today.¡± After Mingyu finished speaking, she went back to the restaurant with her.


    When she went upstairs, she realized the private rooms were all booked. ¡°Sister Zhou, your business is really good, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mingyu asked in surprise. ¡°A lot of people are here for the 30% discount. There shouldn¡¯t be so many people tomorrow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go; I¡¯ll bring you to the back for a meal. I¡¯m hungry, too.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she called Shizhu and walked to the back.


    At night, the people who needed to be entertained were all officials, so it was mainly Gu Chengrui who came forward to entertain them.


    Zhou Ying went to the kitchen because it was too busy.


    After sending everyone away that night, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    She asked the kitchen to cook the remaining ingredients, and everyone ate together.


    Zhou Ying looked at the staff, stood up, and smiled. ¡°Thank you for everyone¡¯s hard work today; we¡¯ve also gotten off to a good start.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve decided to triple your daily sry today.


    ¡°Everyone, hurry up and clean the ce up. Go back to sleep early. We still have a busy day tomorrow..¡±

 Chapter 721 - 721: 721 Worship

    Chapter 721 - 721: 721 Worship


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When everyone heard that they would get three times the daily sry, even though it was only for today, they were all energized.


    After getting up and thanking Zhou Ying, they immediately got busy.


    ¡°How¡¯s your ie today?¡± Gu Chengrui turned to Niu Deli and asked.


    ¡°Master, I haven¡¯t calcted the details yet.


    ¡°However, other than those to whom we gave gifts, we didn¡¯t lose anything today.¡± Niu Deli said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as the bill is well-kept. Let¡¯s calcte in detail tomorrow. I¡¯m going home to sleep.¡± Gu Chengrui got up and yawned after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and said.


    After the couple returned home, they washed up briefly and entered the interspace to feed the livestock.


    The two of them couldn¡¯t be bothered with anything else after that. They took a shower and went to sleep.


    Three dayster, the restaurant¡¯s business finally stabilized, and Gu Chengrui also found a suitable manager through Chen He.


    In the blink of an eye, five days had passed, and it was time for everyone to worship Mother God.


    After breakfast, Gu Chengrui brought Lin Yitian to gather at the pce entrance.


    Zhou Ying walked Er Zhuang around the yard for a while. When it was about time, she closed the door and went back to her room to rest, saying that she was tired.


    After ensuring no one followed her, she entered her interspace and looked around the country through the various Mother God Temples.


    As expected, there were many people gathered in every corner of the country. Moreover, there was a sea of people, making her feel a small wave of panic.


    When the time came, the highest-ranking officials led everyone to burn incense and pay their respects.


    After the ceremony ended, Zhou Ying transmitted a message through the statue of the Mother God. ¡°Congrattions to the new emperor for ascending to the throne. I have specially given you a number of corn seeds and rice seeds. May the world be peaceful, where people can live and work in peace and contentment.¡±


    After saying that, she distributed the seeds that she had prepared earlier.


    She also distributed a printed flyer that taught the nting techniques.


    What she didn¡¯t know was that when she spoke through all the Mother God Temples at the same time, she formed a resonance. Therefore, in the entire Ming Dynasty, as long as anyone wasn¡¯t too far away, everyone could hear it.


    Even those who were not present immediately kneeled down in the direction of the Mother God Temple.


    The people outside the Mother God Temple were filled with reverence as they looked at the grain seeds falling from the sky.


    Because this was not something that humans could do.


    All of them became even more devout than ever.


    Zhou Ying felt a pure, endless power of faith surge toward her body.


    Zhou Ying immediately started to absorb the energy.


    After everything was finished, the retired Emperor looked at the Emperor and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve received Mother God¡¯s approval, don¡¯t disappoint her. Spread the new seeds widely and work hard to ensure everyone can ess food and warm clothing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father, I will do my best.¡± The Emperor nodded seriously.


    Then, he went forward to check the seeds. He looked at the plump corn seeds and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure the yield of this corn won¡¯t be small.¡±


    ¡°Emperor, there are records of nting techniques given by Mother God. It says that in a good year, an acre can yield about 1000 pounds.¡± Gu Chengrui walked over with the printed paper.


    ¡°What about rice?¡± The Emperor asked excitedly.


    If that was the case, one acre ofnd could support two people.


    It wouldn¡¯t be two acres ofnd supporting one person, as it is now.


    ¡°There¡¯s no mention of rice here.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he even let him take a nce.


    After the Emperor finished reading, he immediately got someone to check and found that it was all corn.


    Then, he tugged at his ears. ¡°I, I didn¡¯t hear wrongly, right? Mother God said that there are rice seeds..¡±

 Chapter 722 - 722: 722 Great Benefits

    Chapter 722 - 722: 722 Great Benefits


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Emperor, don¡¯t forget that the Ming Dynasty is worshipping Mother God today.


    ¡°The south is the main production area for rice. I suspect Mother God has sent the rice seeds to the south.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    After the Emperor heard this, he thoughtfully took the printed paper and looked at it carefully. He focused on the environment where the corn grew; as expected, they grew better on dry or mountainousnd, which was more suitable for the north.


    He instantly felt a little relieved.


    Following that, King Xian¡¯s son, King An¡¯s son, and a few young members of the royal family were sent out to check the seeds along the way and distribute them to the people.


    After everyone received their orders, they went home first and set off with their money and manpower.


    The Emperor and the others returned to the pce.


    At night, Gu Chengrui returned home and saw that Zhou Ying was obviously different. He circled her and asked, ¡°What happened? Did you take some miraculous medicine?¡±


    ¡°Do you have some?¡± Zhou Ying asked. ¡°I¡¯ve benefited greatly today. My divine sense can now cover the entire capital.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding. At that time, the scene of the seed falling from the sky shocked him, let alone others. It was difficult not to be devout to Mother God.


    He kissed her on the forehead and said, ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Same, same.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    Seven dayster, King Xian¡¯s son sent back a letter. As expected, when they reached the main rice production area, the seeds distributed by Mother God were all rice seeds.


    After the Emperor finished reading the letter, he let out a sigh of relief. He then informed the retired Emperor and went to see his daughter.


    ¡°Consort Xian, you¡¯re here too?¡± He asked, surprised when he heard the bell-likeughter.


    Sun Miaoke and Gu Wanning immediately stood up and bowed when they heard his voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. What were you two talking about just now? You two were so happy.¡± The Emperor waved his hand to stop their bowing, walked to the small bed, and looked at his daughter.


    Seeing that she was still asleep, he sat back down.


    However, Sun Miaoke and Gu Wanning just looked at each other; it was evident that they did not intend to continue the topic. Instead, they took out a tiny dress and said, ¡°Your Majesty, look at this small dress. It looks good.¡±


    The Emperor looked at the clothes that were not much bigger than his palm, stunned. ¡°Nice. Is this the little princess¡¯s clothes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Consort Xian gave it to me. Isn¡¯t it cute? There are so many butterflies embroidered on it; it is so thoughtful.¡± Sun Miaoke smiled.


    ¡°Indeed, but why is this butterfly so fat?¡±


    ¡°I learned this from my cousin-inw. She said that it¡¯s an exaggerated embroidery technique that is suitable for children.¡± Gu Wanning replied.


    ¡°Indeed, it looks much cuter.¡± The Emperor nodded in agreement.


    After that, the three of them chatted for a while. When Sun Miaoke was tired, the Emperor and Gu Wanning took their leave.


    ¡°Wait for me tonight,¡± the Emperor said as he tidied Gu Wanning¡¯s hair.


    Gu Wanning was surprised and nodded with a red face. ¡°Do you want me to cook for you personally?¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll go over after dinner.¡±


    ¡°ChenQie will take her leave.¡± Gu Wanning bowed and turned around to return to her pce.


    Eunuch Qian looked at Consort Xian¡¯s back and said, ¡°You Majesty, you¡¯re sure blessed. The Empress and Consort Xian are so united. It¡¯s really rare.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed rare.¡± The Emperor nodded in agreement.


    However, the Imperial Pce was like a dye vat of sins. He did not know if they could continue to be so united.


    Also, although he was satisfied with this state, he felt something was missing when he was with them.


    As for what it was, he couldn¡¯t say for sure. He just hoped that this bnce would always be maintained..

 Chapter 723 - 723: 723 Month Old Birthday (1)

    Chapter 723 - 723: 723 Month Old Birthday (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Soon, the results of the capital examination were out. Although Gu Chenglin was a schr, his ranking was on the lower end.


    Gu Chengrui, who had apanied him through the rankings, saw him drooping his little head and looking unhappy. He rubbed his head and said, ¡°Alright, your results are already quite good now.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you take part in the provincial examination six yearster. Who knows, you might even be able to pass the examination in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°I know, cousin. I was too anxious.¡±


    ¡°Haste makes waste. Take it slow. It¡¯ll get better.¡±


    At the same time, in Shanghe Vige, Gu Chengxi also received good news. He was also a lower-ranking schr.


    However, he was overjoyed.


    Of course, the happiest one was Mrs. Sun. Her son had an official position, and in the future, the status of the mother and son in the residence would be higher.


    The peaceful days passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the little princess¡¯s one-month-old birthday.


    Early in the morning, Zhou Ying put on a pair of small gold bracelets that she had prepared. She also brought a pound of treme and two pounds of pound cake made by Gu Chengrui. There were ck sesame seeds, red dates, wolfberries, walnuts, and other nuts in it, which were beneficial for Sun Miaoke.


    Finally, there was a threeyered cake that Gu Chengrui was carrying.


    After they were ready, the two of them sat in a carriage and entered the pce.


    Gu Chengrui went straight to the Emperor, and after Zhou Ying learned that the Empress Dowager was with the Empress, she went straight to Phoenix Pce with Shizhu.


    After entering the house, she realized that not only was the Empress Dowager there, but Gu Wanning, too.


    After greeting her, she gave the gift to Qing Tao and said, ¡°This is the biggest box. It contains a cake. It¡¯s a birthday present specially prepared for the little princess.


    ¡°It¡¯s better if it¡¯s ced in an open ce. If it¡¯s crushed, it won¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°Cake? What is it? Is it a snack made of eggs?¡± The Empress Dowager asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost the same. It¡¯s made of eggs and flour. It¡¯s equivalent to longevity peaches.


    ¡°However, the little princess is still young, so we changed it into a cake. It¡¯s also a little token of my appreciation.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so thoughtful.¡± The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded. Then, she asked, ¡°I heard that the business of your new restaurant is doing well. Do you have any new dishes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still the same as the original restaurant, with the taste a little spicy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good. It will warm us in the middle of winter.¡± The retired Emperor said.


    As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Consort An and the rest of the imperial family walked in.


    ¡°How have you been in the pce recently?¡± Zhou Ying asked Gu Wanning after exchanging a few polite words with everyone.


    ¡°Pretty good. How about you guys?¡±


    ¡°We are now considered to be in favor by the Emperor, so our lives are quite smooth. Oh, by the way, did you know that Chengkin became a schr?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I know. The moment the results came out, the Emperor told me personally.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the Emperor treats you well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Gu Wanning was a little embarrassed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Ying asked curiously. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just that the ministers are urging the Emperor to choose another concubine. I¡¯m afraid that the inner pce won¡¯t be peaceful in the future.¡±


    ¡°The Emperor agreed?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but we can¡¯t drag this out. The Emperor can¡¯t always have only the two of us.¡±


    Zhou Ying was speechless for a moment after hearing this. It was useless for anyone to decide as it was mainly up to the Emperor himself.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you take advantage of the opportunity to spend more time with the Emperor and leave a deep impression on him?¡±


    ¡°A deep impression?¡± Gu Wanning asked thoughtfully..

 Chapter 724 - 724: 724 Month Old Birthday (2)

    Chapter 724 - 724: 724 Month Old Birthday (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Just like flowers, there are thousands of flowers worldwide, but each has its own characteristics.


    ¡°Just like the graceful and luxurious peony, the fragrance of jasmine, the charm of peony, and so on.


    ¡°As long as you are unique, the Emperor will never forget you.


    ¡°But I must remind you, if you want to fight for attention, don¡¯t take the initiative to provoke others, but work hard on the Emperor.


    ¡°As long as you are in his heart, nothing else is important.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    ¡°Also, you have to take the initiative to greet, act coquettishly, be jealous, and so on.


    ¡°Let him feel that you care about him, like him, and need him.


    ¡°Otherwise, so what if you¡¯re a strong woman? When he forgets you, you¡¯ll be nothing.¡±


    ¡°Was my cousin charmed by you like this?¡±


    ¡°Our situation is different.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been through a lot together, and now we¡¯re more like family who can¡¯t leave each other.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys whispering about here?¡± Mingyu walked over and patted their shoulders.


    ¡°You scared us to death. Can¡¯t you greet us properly?¡± Gu Wanning said.


    ¡°You look happy?¡± Zhou Ying raised her head and asked, ¡°Is your marriage settled?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. You only know how to stab me in the heart.¡± When Mingyu said this, she looked at Gu Wanning. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the Empress and the little princess? They¡¯re the main characters today. Why haven¡¯t they shown up yet?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the little princess was crying in the morning, and the Empress coaxed her to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± After Mingyu finished speaking, she squeezed between them and started chatting with them.


    Zhou Ying soon discovered that, other than her family and the Sun family, the rest were all members of the royal family. It seemed that this was only a small-scale, one-month-old birthday banquet.


    Soon, Sun Miaoke walked out.


    After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, they sat down and started chatting.


    When everyone found out that the little princess had fallen asleep, their voices immediately became softer.


    In the royal study, the Emperor saw Gu Chengruie in and asked, ¡°Chengrui, have all the corn seeds been distributed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the officials and the wealthy families were given 100 acres of seeds each.


    ¡°Themoners were distributed ording to the poption. Every two people would get one acre worth of corn seeds.


    ¡°This way, every family can nt them.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Officials and wealthy families mainly grow rice and wheat anyway.


    ¡°Especially the new type of wheat seeds. The worst-conditionednd could already produce 500 pounds per acre.


    ¡°In my opinion, the food problem in the country will bepletely solved by next year.¡± The Emperor smiled.


    ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s mainly due to Mother God¡¯s credit.


    ¡°Oh right, there¡¯s also yours. If it weren¡¯t for the sweet potato as a foundation, the country wouldn¡¯t have recovered so quickly. The provincial examination ising soon. Do you want to participate?¡± The Emperor asked.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested in being an official. I can¡¯t deal with all these schemes. It¡¯s good to be a doctor and do some business.¡±


    The Emperor saw the determination in his eyes and knew that he was not trying to shirk. He immediately felt that it was a pity.


    Because Gu Chengrui was an intelligent, honest, and sincere person, it was convenient and reassuring to use him.


    ¡°You¡¯ll always be in charge of agriculture. I hope you can make some contributions here.¡±


    ¡°Is it still the same as before? Do I get to skip court?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send someone to inform you only when I need you.


    ¡°Also, if you need me, you can just enter the pce to look for me. At other times, you¡¯re free to do whatever.¡± The Emperor replied unhappily.


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Emperor.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    ¡°How is it?


    ¡°I told you that he wouldn¡¯t participate in the provincial examination, and he doesn¡¯t like being an official.¡± Zhou Huaiming said as he walked out of the side hall..

 Chapter 725 - 725: 725 Month Old Birthday (3)

    Chapter 725 - 725: 725 Month Old Birthday (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Are you betting on me?¡± Gu Chengrui nced at the two of them and said angrily.


    ¡°You can say so. I won a hundred taels of silver, and I¡¯ll treat you to some fish potter.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it for five years. I heard it reopened recently, so I¡¯ll take you there to try it.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that delicious?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s all sea fish that is fresh. I guarantee that you¡¯ll want to eat it again after eating it once.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a foodie.¡± The Emperor looked at Zhou Huaiming in annoyance. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like to eat delicious food?¡± Zhou Huaiming replied righteously. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go and see the little princess. We haven¡¯t seen her since she was born.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of children, you¡¯re not young anymore. Shouldn¡¯t you get married?¡±


    ¡°Marry, marry, marry. I¡¯ll marry when I find someone suitable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking either.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you a good room for a year. If you¡¯re still single after a year, don¡¯t me me for bestowing you with a marriage.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡­¡± When Zhou Huaiming said this, he saw the sinister look in the Emperor¡¯s eyes and said with grievance, ¡°Alright, one year.¡±


    After saying that, the three followed Eunuch Qian to the Phoenix Pce.


    When everyone saw them enter, they immediately stood up and bowed to the Emperor.


    Then, Zhou Huaiming and Gu Chengrui bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Empress.


    Seeing that the little princess was lying in the cradle and blowing bubbles, the Emperor brought Zhou Huaiming and Gu Chengrui over.


    ¡°Why is the little princess¡¯ skin so red?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked in surprise.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, right? Red means that the child¡¯s skin is fair and thin. ¡°If it¡¯s fair and tender now, it¡¯ll get darker and darker when she grows older.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked curiously.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Children who have red skin will turn fair when they grow up.¡± The Empress Dowager echoed.


    ¡°By the way, Emperor, where are your other uncles and brothers? Why are only the three of you here?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re at my father¡¯s ce. They¡¯ll probablye over when it¡¯s mealtime.¡± The Emperor said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± The Empress Dowager nodded.


    Zhou Ying noticed that Mingyu was staring at Zhou Huaiming. She turned her arm and whispered, ¡°How is it? Brother Zhou isn¡¯t bad-looking, right?¡±


    After being exposed, Mingyu blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. I just didn¡¯t expect him to not know about children¡¯s red skin.¡±


    ¡°Stubborn. Go back and think about it. He¡¯s not young anymore. It¡¯ll be toote to regret it if you miss it.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she did not say anything else.


    After chatting for a while, the Emperor brought Zhou Huaiming and Gu


    Chengrui to the east wing of the courtyard.


    Soon, it was noon.


    After setting the table, the Empress asked Qing Tao to bring out the cake. ¡°This is the cake that Mrs. Gu made for the little princess. Everyone, take a look and try it.¡±


    ¡°Cake? What is it?¡± Old Consort An asked.


    The Empress Dowager hurriedly exined it to everyone.


    Everyone immediately gathered around curiously.


    When Qing Tao saw this, she immediately asked someone to bring the cake over. When Qing Tao took off the cover, everyone¡¯s eyes lit up.


    One was the cream-framed pattern on the cake, and the other was the fruit cubes soaked in honey. The red, yellow, and green looked very beautiful. ¡°These, these are all fruits?¡± Old Consort An looked at Zhou Ying in surprise. ¡°Yes, the red ones are cherries, the yellow ones are oranges, and the green ones are dates soaked in honey.¡±


    ¡°No wonder it was preserved so well..¡±

 Chapter 726 - 726: 726 Month Old Birthday(4)

    Chapter 726 - 726: 726 Month Old Birthday(4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I think the most beautiful is the dancing little person figure at the top. She looks like a little princess.¡± After Consort Xian finished speaking, she leaned over and took a serious look. ¡°I didn¡¯t see it wrongly. It¡¯s indeed a small figure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a sugar figurine.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s really too beautiful. I can¡¯t bear to eat it.¡± The Empress eximed in amazement.


    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve really troubled Mrs. Gu.¡± Mrs. Sun said.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy, and it¡¯s made for us to eat. The little princess can¡¯t eat it, so the Empress can do it for her.¡±


    ¡°I should.¡± The Empress agreed and asked Qing Tao to call the Emperor and the others over to broaden their horizons.


    It was a good time to share a piece and taste it.


    Very soon, the retired Emperor, the Emperor, and the others walked in. When they saw the three-tiered cake, they were all extremely surprised.


    When the retired Emperor realized what it was, he looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Mrs. Gu to make one for me on my birthday next year.¡±


    ¡°No problem. When the timees, you can get someone toe over half a day in advance to inform me.¡±


    Zhou Ying helped the Empress cut the cake into small pieces and ced them on oil paper for everyone to taste.


    Those who loved sweet things naturally had a look of enjoyment on their faces. They wanted to eat more after eating a piece.


    Those who didn¡¯t prefer sweet things still finished the cake because of the novelty.


    The huge cake was quickly divided up by everyone.


    After the banquet ended, the couple had just returned home when Zhou Huaiming chased after them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s after the cake?¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°Good things should be shared, right? With today¡¯s experience, as long as we open shop, people will immediatelye to buy them.¡± Zhou Huaiming smiled.


    ¡°As expected of a businessman, your brain turns fast. What do you want? Do you want to buy the recipe or cooperate with us?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    After Zhou Huaiming heard this, he looked at her and thought of her endless gourmet recipes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for the manpower, and you provide the recipe. We¡¯ll split it 40-60, me 60, you 40.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but we don¡¯t have to split 40-60. 30-70 will do. Let¡¯s open a high-end snack shop.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll go find a shop now while you think of a few more recipes.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t find a shop too small.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know this.¡± Zhou Huaiming didn¡¯t even take a sip of water after he finished speaking and hurriedly walked out.


    ¡°He¡¯s in such a hurry.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s so that he can earn more money.¡±


    ¡°By the way, do you think I should open a clinic?¡±


    ¡°If you want to open it, then open it. But if you¡¯re going to open one, you might as well open a medical center like a hospital.


    ¡°This way, you don¡¯t have to make house calls, and it¡¯ll be less troublesome. You also don¡¯t have to act ording to others.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°Babe, shouldn¡¯t we have a child too?¡± He thought of the cute little princess earlier.


    ¡°Why? Are you thinking of the little princess?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I also want a daughter as beautiful as you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it to fate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, babe.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    The following day, Zhou Ying had just put down her bowl when Zhou Huaiming sent over two middle-aged apprentices, a man and a woman, to learn how to make cakes.


    As soon as they arrived, Zhou Huaiming ran back out hurriedly.


    Zhou Ying shook her head when she saw this. Then, she took the two apprentices to the kitchen and first taught them how to whip cream.


    ¡°Madam, where did you buy this white sugar? I¡¯ve never seen such sugar this white before.¡± The female apprentice asked.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. She had no choice but to be thick-skinned. ¡°I made it myself, but any sugar bought outside would do..¡±

 Chapter 727 - 727: 727 Worries

    Chapter 727 - 727: 727 Worries


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The female apprentice was finally relieved after hearing her words. Then, the two of them began to learn seriously from her.


    Three dayster, the two of them finally learned how to make the cake.


    However, cake decorating requires both eyesight and skill. After they returned, they still had to practice diligently.


    Of course, apart from teaching them how to make birthday cakes, she also taught them how to make longevity peaches and cakes that people usually eat, including matcha-vored cakes and other cakes of various vors.


    At the same time, Zhou Huaiming had also found two shops in the east and west of the city.


    That evening, Zhou Huaiming came over with a contract. ¡°Come on, sister-inw. Let¡¯s sign the contract and go to the government office to record it. We can open the shop as soon as possible.¡±


    Zhou Ying took it and looked at it carefully. After confirming that there were no loopholes and that the ratio of the shares was 30%, as discussed, she happily signed and pressed her fingerprint. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you in the future, Brother Zhou.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, but you still have to think about introducing one or two new recipes asionally. I want to open this cake shop all over the country.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯lle up with a new recipe every season.¡±


    Zhou Huaiming pondered for a moment after hearing this. Although one recipe per season was a little low, it could still maintain the freshness, so he nodded and agreed.


    ¡°Oh right, where¡¯s Brother Gu? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone to the manors. Isn¡¯t it almost winter? He went to take a look at the situation in the various manors.


    ¡°Especially the livestock and poultry. If something went wrong, it would affect the restaurant¡¯s business.


    ¡°By the way, he said that he would bring back a sheep tonight. Brother Zhou, do stay and enjoy some barbecue.¡±


    ¡°Maybe another day. I was busy helping the Emperor investigate the Ministry of War a few days ago, so I haven¡¯t dealt with my business matters for a long time.¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, you don¡¯t intend to enter the royal court?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard work. I¡¯ve worked hard to save up my family business before, so I can¡¯t just ignore it now, right?


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Chengrui reject too?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s different from you. He¡¯s not used to the disputes in the officialdom.¡±


    ¡°Something like that.


    ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll be returning to Dongyang in three days. If you have any letters, send them over in the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s discuss itter.¡±


    After that, she asked someone to bring him a basket of cakes that had been made in the past two days.


    In the Imperial Residence of King An.


    Consort An took new portraits of men and found Mingyu again.


    Mingyu, cleaning her sword in the room, saw the portraits in her mother¡¯s hand and smiled bitterly. She ced her sword on the table and said, ¡°Mother, my dear mother. Don¡¯t let me see these portraits anymore. They¡¯re useless.¡± ¡°Since they sent it over, why don¡¯t you take a look?


    ¡°What if you find someone you like? We won¡¯t force you.¡± After Consort An finished speaking, she ced the portraits on the table and sat opposite her. ¡°I heard from the servants that you¡¯ve been a little absent-minded these past two days. What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    Mingyu was stunned by that question.


    When Consort An saw this, she knew that she really had something on her mind, but she would not force her to say it if she did not want to.


    Instead, she stood up and patted her daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You just have to remember that you¡¯re not alone. If anything happens, your father and brother will support you.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and walked out.


    Mingyu¡¯s expression stiffened after hearing that. Yes, she was not alone, nor was she from a small family. No matter what, it was not something she could decide alone.


    ¡°Mother, what do you think of Zhou Huaiming?¡± Ming Yu immediately stood up and asked just as Consort An was about to leave..

 Chapter 728 - 728: 728 Testing The Waters

    Chapter 728 - 728: 728 Testing The Waters


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Who?¡± Consort An was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise.


    Zhou Huaiming¡¯s market was not bad, but that was for people who intended to cling to the Zhou family.


    Her family did notck power and influence. There was no need for her daughter to choose an old man who was eight years older than her.


    ¡°Zhou Huaiming, General Zhou¡¯s second son, the Emperor¡¯s second cousin.¡± Mingyu replied directly.


    ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about him?¡± After confirming that she had not misheard, Consort An stepped forward without batting an eyelid.


    ¡°I just suddenly feel that he¡¯s different from usual.¡±


    ¡°How is it different?¡±


    ¡°In the past, although he wasn¡¯t as cold as the emperor, he still had an appearance that kept people a thousand miles away.


    ¡°But that day at the little princess¡¯s one-month-old banquet, I realized he seemed different. Although the questions he asked were a little childish, his smile was very sincere.¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember the time when the Zhou family was almost raided?¡± Consort An felt a headache when she saw that she was really interested.


    ¡°I remember. Back then, the Zhou family was almost exterminated by the retired Emperor. If it wasn¡¯t for the Empress Dowager, the three of them wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the matter back then was mainly framed by the Empress¡¯s faction, and it seems that Prime Minister Su¡¯s shadow was also involved.


    ¡°Now that those people are all dead and their revenge has been taken, he is naturally much happier.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Then what was his family like before the ident?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the Emperor¡¯s studypanion. His knowledge and martial arts aren¡¯t bad, but he loves to eat.


    ¡°I heard that back then, he even went to steal from the imperial kitchen for a bite of food. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to anything else.¡±


    Mingyu nodded in understanding. It seemed that his personality had something to do with his family. The person she saw in the past was not the real him.


    Consort An saw that she was distracted, and her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve fallen for him? He¡¯s eight years older than you.¡±


    ¡°No, I just feel that he¡¯s different from what I remember.¡± Mingyu shook his head repeatedly.


    Consort An did not believe it at all. If Mingyu did not like him, why would she pay so much attention to a grown man?


    That night, Consort An told her husband about this. ¡°Hubby, what do you think we should do about this?¡±


    ¡°I think the Zhou family¡¯s kid is not bad. Although he¡¯s a little old, he hasn¡¯t been married before.


    ¡°The key was that he had never been heard of entering the brothels for so many years. At least he was not a yboy.


    ¡°Besides, his ability is not bad, and she would have no problem matching Mingyu.


    ¡°Most importantly, the Zhou family¡¯s family background isparable to ours.¡±


    ¡°The problem lies in the family background. I¡¯m mainly worried that the retired Emperor won¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°Every Emperor has his own courtiers. As long as the current Emperor has no objections, it will be easy for the retired Emperor to agree. I¡¯ll take the time to ask the Zhou family¡¯s kid for his opinion in the next two days.¡± King An replied.


    ¡°If he is interested in Mingyu, then we can probe the Emperor¡¯s intentions.¡±


    ¡°Let Ze Peng go. He¡¯s a junior. If he fails, we can just treat it as a joke.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let him know tomorrow.¡±


    On the second day, after King An¡¯s son received the news, he sent someone to keep an eye on Zhou Huaiming, but Zhou Huaiming was so busy that he was nowhere to be seen.


    Just as he was about to give up, Zhou Huaiming finally entered the pce on the afternoon of the third day.


    He immediately got someone to call Mingyu over, and when Zhou Huaiming left the pce, they ¡®identally¡¯ bumped into each other.


    Zhou Huaiming saw the two siblings and was surprised. He bowed. ¡°Greetings, Princess Ming Yu and Heir An.¡±


    ¡°Greetings. It¡¯s fate that we bumped into each other. The two of us are going to eat barbecue. Do you want to join us?¡± Heir An asked..

 Chapter 729 - 729: 729 Open Confession

    Chapter 729 - 729: 729 Open Confession


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Maybe next time. I have to go back and pack up. I¡¯m going on a long journey tomorrow.¡± After Zhou Huaiming finished speaking, he politely nodded, turned around, and hurriedly left.


    When Heir An saw this, he looked at Mingyu. ¡°Look. He¡¯s not interested in you. You should give up.¡±


    Mingyu looked at Zhou Huaiming¡¯s back and chased after him.


    She had finally met someone she liked. How could she give up so easily?


    ¡°Hey, wait¡­¡± Seeing this, Heir An was shocked and quickly reached out to grab her.


    However, Mingyu ran too fast, and he grabbed onto nothing.


    In order to give them time to talk and not to arouse suspicion, he could only walk over slowly.


    On the other end, just as Zhou Huaiming was about to board the carriage, he was stopped by Mingyu. ¡°Do you have someone you like?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming looked at her reckless actions and was stunned for a moment. He smiled and avoided her hand. ¡°What? The princess wants to matchmake me too?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. What do you think of me?¡± After Mingyu finished asking, although her face was red, she still stared at him.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Zhou Huaiming coughed dryly. ¡°Princess, you¡¯re not inferior to a man; you¡¯re a heroine through and through. However, I am much older than you. It is not suitable.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m old?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡­¡± Before he could finish, Mingyu spoke again, ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. If you want to find someone of the same age, you can only find a widow.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re quite suitable. Give me a reply as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, my sister has always been straightforward since she was young.


    Brother Zhou, please don¡¯t take offense.¡± Heir An added and ushered Mingyu into a restaurant.


    Zhou Huaiming was flustered and helpless at Mingyu¡¯s words, and he also felt a little excited for some reason.


    When he turned around and entered the carriage, he saw his attendant snickering at the side. He huffed, ¡°Drive properly. Don¡¯t let anyone know about what happened today. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for selling you.¡±


    ¡°General, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°However, General is indeed not young anymore. You should really consider marriage. Otherwise, the butler will have to worry about refusing your marriage.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I give you that job?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, I won¡¯t say anymore.¡± The attendant immediately untied the reins. After he got in the carriage, he started driving back.


    Zhou Huaiming sat in the carriage, his mind elsewhere.


    Firstly, he had never had someone confess to him so openly before, so he was pleasantly surprised.


    Another reason was that he was not sure what his feelings for Mingyu were.


    In his impression, Mingyu was someone lively, daring to say and do things. She was always in a hurry and had a carefree personality.


    She had always protected those she liked and never hesitated to speak out against those who did not get along with her.


    To be honest, he liked her personality. At least when he was with her, he did not have to keep guessing and live so tiredly constantly.


    However, that was all. He knew nothing else.


    Or rather, he had never thought that the two of them would be husband and wife one day.


    For a moment, he really couldn¡¯t make up his mind.


    After returning to the residence, he thought about it for a night and felt that Mingyu was someone he could get along with.


    But thinking of the retired Emperor, he still replied with an ambiguous letter.


    After receiving the letter, Heir An was delighted.


    Zhou Huaiming had thought about it all night and did not reject it. This meant that there was still a chance.


    When he returned home, he told Mingyu about this. ¡°You can take a look at the portraits Mother sent you. If there is someone suitable, you don¡¯t have to wait for him..¡±

 Chapter 730 - 730: 730 Vigorous In Old Age

    Chapter 730 - 730: 730 Vigorous In Old Age


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the blink of an eye, it was the opening day of the cake shop.


    Zhou Ying went to the two shops to look around. After confirming that they could decorate the cakes perfectly, she took two pounds of cake and two pounds of date desserts and sent them to the academy for Gu Chenglin before returning home.


    When it was almost the twelfth of the month, Zhou Huaiming finally rushed back and gave them a letter.


    Then, he went to the pce to look for the Emperor.


    The Emperor looked at his travel-worn appearance and hurriedly asked Eunuch Qian to fetch him water to wash up. He also asked someone to prepare tea and snacks for him.


    ¡°How¡¯s Dongyang doing?¡± The Emperor asked Zhou Huaiming after he was almost done eating.


    ¡°Very good; sincest time, the Far East really hasn¡¯t sent any more troops.


    ¡°Yunhe County had also regained its former prosperity. Everything went smoothly when they escorted the rations over.


    ¡°Uncle Liu has also cleared out all the unidentified people in Yunhe County.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Yunhe County is not only important to the navy but also to the entire country, so we must firmly grasp it in our hands.¡±


    ¡°I understand. By the way, I wonder if you have any ns for Princess Mingyu¡¯s marriage?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked.


    ¡°Princess Mingyu? I have no objections. Let¡¯s see what King An thinks. What? Have you taken a fancy to Princess Mingyu?¡± The Emperor asked with a faint smile.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Zhou Huaiming didn¡¯t hide anything from him and told him about Mingyu confessing to him before he left.


    The Emperor was surprised when he heard this. He knew that Mingyu was a carefree person, but he didn¡¯t expect that she would dare to confess to a man. ¡°So, did you agree?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I, I also think she¡¯s not bad.


    ¡°If the retired Emperor doesn¡¯t interfere, we can get in touch with each other more. If we think it¡¯s suitable, then we can settle down.¡±


    The Emperor understood his concerns when he heard this. To put it bluntly, he feared the Imperial Family would interfere with Mingyu¡¯s marriage.


    He wouldn¡¯t, but he couldn¡¯t say whether his father would or not.


    ¡°I understand what you mean. I¡¯ll give you an answer tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Emperor. If you have no other instructions, I will go home now.¡± Zhou Huaiming stood up.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying opened a letter from Gu Chengxi.


    It was said that Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi from the patriarch¡¯s family had passed the imperial examinations after autumn.


    They would being to the capital for another imperial examination next spring, so he asked if she could help arrange amodation.


    Another thing was that the old madam¡¯s health was worsening. She hoped that they woulde back to visit when they were free.


    Finally, there were some things about their family matters.


    What Zhou Ying did not expect was that Father Gu had taken in another concubine. It was an 18-year-old girl who was now pregnant and was making trouble at home with Mrs. Liu every day.


    After Zhou Ying finished reading it, she put it away.


    Anyway, she would not care about the Gu family¡¯s trivial matters.


    As for entertaining them, there were several empty courtyards in the house anyway. It would be a matter of two more sets of bowls and chopsticks¡ªnot a big deal.


    After Gu Chengrui returned, Zhou Ying gave him the letter.


    After Gu Chengrui finished reading it, he sneered, ¡°He¡¯s vigorous despite his old age.¡±


    ¡°I know, right? But should we give the olddy some supplements?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Gu Chengrui said, ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve chosen a ce to open my hospital. It¡¯s a three-entry courtyard in the western part of the city.


    ¡°After some simple repairs, it can open for business next spring.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to choose the west district, as the east is mostly the home of the royal family and officials. There are imperial physicians who can be summoned at any time, so there¡¯s no need for a hospital there.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement..

 Chapter 731 - 731: 731 Good News

    Chapter 731 - 731: 731 Good News


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I think so too. But I have to take care of things over there before the new year, so I¡¯ll leave the rest of the family matters to you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me know if you need any help.¡±


    In the following days, Gu Chengrui was busy with his hospital.


    Besides staying home for the winter, Zhou Ying patrolled the shops and manors, preparing gifts for each family.


    During this time, Zhou Huaiming and Mingyu¡¯s marriage was also set, and the date of their wedding was set to be February 18th.


    On the 23rd of December, Gu Chenglin went home for the holidays.


    However, he did not stay for long. After inspecting his manors, he went to the hospital to help.


    On the afternoon of New Year¡¯s Eve, Niu Fugui came over with a stack of ount books and said, ¡°Mistress, these are all the ount books for this year.


    ¡°As of the closing day, the two restaurants and several manors have earned a total of 22,604. taels of silver. Please take a look.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment after hearing that. She really did not expect the amount of profit.


    ¡°Have you given out the bonuses I asked you to give out?¡±


    ¡°It has been distributed. Everyone in the restaurant and the servants in the residence will receive an extra month¡¯s sry.


    ¡°Every household will be given five pounds of pork, ten pounds of rice, and ten pounds of flour.¡±


    ¡°Very good. You did well this year; continue the hard work.


    ¡°As for your monthly sry, next year it will rise to 50 taels of silver per month. I hope you can live up to this sry.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Mistress. I will do my best.¡± Niu Fugui bowed.


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the small garden behind us?¡±


    ¡°The flowers are budding. Perhaps it¡¯s because it¡¯s still early; they haven¡¯t bloomed yet.¡±


    After Niu Fugui left, Zhou Ying flipped through all the ounts.


    Because she already went through ounts every month, she focused on thest month.


    After confirming that there were no problems, she calcted the total and threw it aside when she saw that the numbers matched.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui had a New Year¡¯s Eve dinner with everyone in the residence.


    When Zhou Ying picked up a piece of braised fish and was about to put it in her mouth, she suddenly felt disgusted. She covered her mouth and ran out of the house.


    Shizhu hurriedly chased after her and patted her back. ¡°Mistress, did you catch a cold? I¡¯ll bring you a cloak.¡±


    ¡°No need. Go back and eat. Leave this to me.¡± Gu Chengrui walked over and said it thoughtfully.


    Then, he stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Ying¡¯s hand to take her pulse.


    Zhou Ying looked at his actions and quickly remembered that her period had been dyed for more than ten days. She immediately turned her head and looked at him with anticipation.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he had a serious expression on his face. After counting his right hand, he then counted his left hand.


    ¡°Babe, you¡¯re going to be a mother.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be wrong about taking your pulse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. It seems like our calctions were right. This way, our child will be born in the golden autumn of August, and it won¡¯t be too hot.¡±


    ¡°Yes, our baby is going to be born in August.¡±


    Shizhu was stunned for a while after hearing this. She shouted in surprise, ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re pregnant!¡±


    To be honest, although Zhou Ying always said that she didn¡¯t want one as the reason for theirck of children, Shizhu was quite anxious after no movement all this time.


    She didn¡¯t expect that they were nning to have a child at a specific time. This made her feelpletely relieved.


    ¡°Brother Gu!¡± Gu Chenglin heard Shizhu¡¯s exmations and immediately ran out. He looked at the two of them with anticipation.. ¡°Brother Gu, is Sister Zhou really pregnant?¡±

 Chapter 732 - 732: 732 Sending Grain Seeds

    Chapter 732 - 732: 732 Sending Grain Seeds


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m happy today. Everyone in the residence, including the children, will be rewarded with two taels of silver.¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and said.


    ¡°Congrattions, Master, Mistress. Thank you for your reward.¡± Shizhu immediately bowed.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Gu.¡± Gu Chenglin echoed.


    When the others heard this, they immediately congratted him.


    After everyone had a happy meal, Gu Chengrui personally took the silver and distributed it to everyone.<div>


    After returning to the house, Gu Chengrui immediately turned into a chatterbox and began to remind her non-stop about the things to take note of during pregnancy. Zhou Ying was getting a little impatient.


    She pushed him away. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mess with me, nothing will happen.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Gu Chengrui coughed dryly and said, ¡°In short, you have to be careful. You can eat whatever you want for the first three months. After three months, when the fetus is stable, you have to eat less but more meals. Otherwise, it will be difficult to give birth to the baby if it gets fat.¡±


    ¡°Got it, great doctor.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better for me to write down the things you need to pay attention toter.¡± Gu Chengrui pinched her cheek.


    After they entered the interspace, Gu Chengrui asked her to use her mental power to harvest the crops.


    He took over all the physicalbor.


    Zhou Ying saw his nervous expression and agreed readily.


    This was their first child in two lifetimes. She did not want any idents to happen, either.


    Then, she walked out of the warehouse and looked through the Mother God Temples.


    What she didn¡¯t expect was that the Emperor of the Far East had brought all his officials to the Mother God Temple to offer incense in the morning. They were asking for chicken and grain seeds.


    Zhou Ying was a little surprised, as she knew that the Far East had the lowest level of faith in Mother God.


    Then, she listened to the discussions of the officials below.


    Only then did she know they had heard about the matter of the Mother God descending grain seeds on the day of the Ming Dynasty Emperor¡¯s ascension.


    They also saw the value of chicken.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying stood up and printed out the nting methods for wheat, rice, corn, and potatoes, especially the technique of umting fertilizer. She hoped that it would be helpful to them.


    However, the Far East was too small, so she sent all the seeds to the pce.


    As for the chickens, she gave them 10,000 eggs and kept them warm with baskets of straw and quilts.


    Fortunately, the patrolling guards in the pce soon discovered it and immediately informed the king.


    Therefore, the seeds and eggs were quickly taken care of.


    On the second day, at night, Zhou Ying felt arge amount of pure faith surging toward her.


    She immediately understood that the news of the grain seeds had already spread in the Far East.


    After she finished absorbing it, her divine sense had expanded by another size, extending nearly a hundred miles.


    On the afternoon of the 23rd day of the first lunar month, Gu Chengye, Gu Chengsi, Mrs. Liu, and Gu Chengen arrived.


    After Zhou Ying received the news, she asked Shizhu to inform the kitchen to prepare food and drinks for them.


    She went out to wee them. ¡°Auntie Liu, Brother Chengen, Brother Chengye, and Chengsi, pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Chengrui? Are you alone at home?¡± Mrs. Liu asked as she looked around the residence.


    ¡°Yeah, Chengrui opened a hospital in West City. It¡¯s opening day was less than half a month ago, so he¡¯s been a little busy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen this residence outside before. I didn¡¯t expect it to be so exquisite inside.¡±


    Zhou Ying smiled and didn¡¯t reply.


    Instead, she asked, ¡°By the way, how did you get here? Why didn¡¯t you send a letter in advance? We could have sent a carriage to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°We rented a carriage. We¡¯re familiar with the capital, so we came directly.¡± Gu Chengye replied..

 Chapter 733 - 733: 733 Arrival

    Chapter 733 - 733: 733 Arrival


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s true. How¡¯s the family now? Is everything okay?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, but Grandma¡¯s health still hasn¡¯t recovered. Second Aunt and the others are guarding at home.¡±


    After entering the house, Zhou Ying asked Qiuxiang to fetch some water and let them wash up briefly. Then, she served them a bowl of wontons, buns, and a few side dishes. She said, ¡°You guys make do first. We¡¯ll have a good meal tonight.¡±


    ¡°This is already a good meal,¡± Gu Chengen replied.


    ¡°Indeed, then we won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡± Gu Chengye thanked her, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.<div>


    Although Mrs. Liu was a little off-put, since she came at the wrong time, she couldn¡¯t find any reason.


    ¡°Are you going to live together or separately?¡± Zhou Ying asked after they finished eating.


    ¡°We¡¯ll live together. We can discuss anything that way.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and then personally led them to the guest courtyard. ¡°This ce was just cleaned up. Everything inside is new. See if anything is missing, and I¡¯ll get someone to prepare it for you.¡±


    ¡°This is a guest courtyard, right? Can¡¯t we stay in the main courtyard?¡± Mrs. Liu nced around and demanded with dissatisfaction.


    No matter what, they were family. It was awkward for them to live in the guest courtyard.


    ¡°Those two courtyards are too small to fit you all. Besides, Chenglin lives in the courtyard on the west side. It¡¯s not easy to move his stuff out if he¡¯s not at home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good here. It¡¯s quiet, and it¡¯s a good ce to study.¡± After Gu Chengye finished speaking, he gave Mrs. Liu a warning nce.


    Now that Gu Chengrui and his wife are no longer the same as before, she might be chased out if she continues to act like this.


    ¡°It is a quiet ce. Alright, we brothers will stay in the east wing.¡± After Gu Chengsi finished speaking, he walked straight to the east wing.


    Although there were five rooms in the main house, with Mrs. Liu around, it was ufortable for them to live together.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengye directly brought Mrs. Liu into thergest room. Coincidentally, one was in the east and the other in the west, so every room was upied.


    After they settled down, Zhou Ying called over two maids and two manservants and assigned them.


    She went to the kitchen and instructed them to add a few more dishes for dinner.


    When it was dark, Gu Chengrui walked in with a tired face. Zhou Ying asked Niu Lirong to make him a pot of Pu¡¯er tea and told him about Gu Chengye and the othersing to the capital.


    ¡°The exams are at the end of February. They¡¯re early.¡± Gu Chengrui spoke as he washed his face.


    ¡°Maybe they wanted toe over and get to know a few friends.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Other than food and amodation, let¡¯s not care about anything else. Let them do whatever they want.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    After Gu Chengrui had a cup of tea and recovered, Zhou Ying asked Qiuxiang to inform their guests toe over for dinner.


    She also informed Chunxiang and the others to prepare the dishes.


    The dishes for dinner were much more varied. There were garlic ribs, chestnut roast chicken, braised pork, steamed bass, stir-fried garlic with bacon, stir-fried pork, garlic and rapeseed, and boiled peanuts.


    Finally, there was a bowl of steamed egg custard for each of them.


    Gu Chengye looked at the dishes on the table and eximed in surprise, ¡°This is too sumptuous. We¡¯re all family. There¡¯s no need to be so grand.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Chengrui, home-cooked food is pretty good.¡± Gu Chengen echoed.


    ¡°You guys just arrived. No matter what, I have to wee you guys. Hurry up and sit down. It won¡¯t taste good if it gets cold. Would you like a drink?¡± Gu Chengrui asked after everyone sat down.


    ¡°You and Brother Chengen can drink. The two of us have to participate in the general exams soon, so we won¡¯t drink. Oh right, Brother Chengrui, did you not participate in the provincial examination?¡± Gu Chengye asked Gu Chengrui..

 Chapter 734 - 734: 734 Fear

    Chapter 734 - 734: 734 Fear


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Indeed, my ambition is not to be an official, so I didn¡¯t participate.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°So you will continue to be a third-grade official?¡± Mrs. Liu asked.


    ¡°Yes, the Ministry of Agriculture relies on farming skills. There¡¯s no need to take the imperial examination.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he got up to get some wine and had a few drinks with Gu Chengen.


    While eating, Mrs. Liu saw that Zhou Ying did not eat meat. Confused, she asked, ¡°Zhou Ying, why aren¡¯t you eating the meat?¡±


    ¡°Ying¡¯er is pregnant and has morning sickness. She¡¯ll just have a bowl of egg soupter.¡± Gu Chengrui said.<div>


    Mrs. Liu was stunned for a moment and smiled. ¡°Congrattions. It¡¯s not easy for you to get pregnant.¡±


    Gu Chengrui smiled and did not reply.


    On the other hand, Gu Chengye and the other two immediately expressed their joy.


    ¡°Brother Chengen, is Sister Ziyi married to Constable Zhang?¡± Gu Chengrui asked after the meal.


    ¡°I wanted to wait for you toe back before having the wedding, but the olddy of the Zhang family was anxious, so they rushed to get married before the new year. I heard that Chen is dead?¡± Gu Chengen asked.


    ¡°Yes, he was beheadedst autumn. The day before, his wife came to ask for help, but we chased her out.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s really shameless. She stole Ziyi¡¯s man and now wants us to save her.¡± Mrs. Liu growled.


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s your clinic¡¯s business?¡± Gu Chengye asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just a little tired.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you hire a few more doctors?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I will do that.¡±


    After chatting for a while and finishing a pot of tea, Mrs. Liu and the other three returned to their courtyard.


    The next morning, after dinner, Mrs. Liu asked Zhou Ying for a carriage to send her back to the Liu family in the West District.


    Mrs. Liu¡¯s sister, Aunt Liu, was stunned when she saw Mrs. Liu. ¡°Sister, when did you return to the capital?¡±


    ¡°I just arrived yesterday. Is everything okay at home?¡± After Mrs. Liu finished speaking, she ushered the coachman to go back.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I nted a greenhouse with Lord Gu for a yearst year, and our days are finally much better.¡± After Aunt Liu updated her status, she led her into the house.


    ¡°Good to hear that. Can you apany me to our parents ¡®graves? We¡¯ll talk when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Why? From the sound of it, you still want to go back to the countryside?¡±


    ¡°That depends on Chengye¡¯s results. If he can pass the exams and stay in the capital, I¡¯ll stay.


    ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯s better to go back to the countryside.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Gu Chengrui in the capital?¡±


    Mrs. Liuughed dryly. ¡°It¡¯s not thatfortable here. It¡¯s okay to stay temporarily, but it¡¯s not convenient to stay for a long time.¡±


    She wanted to move over, but her family disagreed. She didn¡¯t have the face to do so, either.


    The key was that Zhou Ying would not let her stay.


    Moreover, they were now the Emperor¡¯s favorites, with Gu Wanning helping them in the pce. For the sake of her son¡¯s future, she did not dare get into a conflict with them.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. If it doesn¡¯t work, you can buy a small courtyard to live in first.


    ¡°It depends.¡±


    On the other end, Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi went out after dinner and visited Gu Chengye¡¯s benefactors and ssmates.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengen brought a manservant out for shopping.


    After Zhou Ying knew they had all gone out, she was happy. She went out to choose the dowry for Mingyu and the wedding gift for Zhou Huaiming.


    After that, Zhou Ying paid little attention to them, besides providing them with good food and drinks.


    In the blink of an eye, it was February 18th.


    Because there were too many people going to King An¡¯s Imperial Residence, Zhou Ying had given Mingyu a set of red coral jewelry the afternoon before.


    On the day itself, as Zhou Ying was pregnant and it was getting inconvenient, Gu Chengrui brought Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi to the Zhou residence to congratte Minyu and Zhou Huaiming¡¯s wedding..

 Chapter 735 - 735: 735 Good Mentality

    Chapter 735 - 735: 735 Good Mentality


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Try to speak less and listen moreter,¡± Gu Chengrui said after bringing the two of them into the residence.


    He then looked at Gu Chengye. ¡°If anyone is looking for trouble, if you can endure it, endure it. But if you can¡¯t, don¡¯t be afraid. To put it bluntly, we represent Consort Xian now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t be angry about what happened before.¡± Gu Chengye nodded.


    After a few years of living in the countryside, while his edges and corners had not been totally smoothed out, he was no longer young and impetuous.


    Gu Chengsi nodded, too.<div>


    These days, he has followed Gu Chengye out many times. Some were kind to them, while others wanted to gain their favor.


    Of course, there were also those who were full of malice towards them, and there were even those who ndered them.


    This was the influence that the Gu family had left behind in the capital. In the beginning, he was indeed a little indignant.


    However, the more he saw and heard, the more he became indifferent.


    It was fine as long as they could get along, but if they couldn¡¯t, it was fine as long as they stayed away. There was no need to be angry because of petty arguments.


    Gu Chengrui nodded in satisfaction when he saw this. Then, he brought them to visit a few elders who had to be visited, such as his immediate superior.


    After giving them a brief introduction, he brought them directly to Grand Schr Sun, who was Sun Miaoke¡¯s father.


    ¡°Chengrui? Do take a seat.¡± Grand Schr Sun greeted him with a smile.


    After all, he had saved his daughter¡¯s life more than once. If it weren¡¯t for Consort Xian, he would have treated him as his nephew.


    Moreover, he was now the emperor¡¯s favorite.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he called for Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi to sit down and introduce them to Grand Schr Sun.


    After the Grand Schr Sun learned of their identities, he looked at Gu Chengye in surprise. ¡°I recognize Chengye. He¡¯s much calmer than before.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your praise, Uncle Sun. I¡¯m old enough to not be so frivolous anymore.¡± Gu Chengye nodded.


    ¡°Good, good. Who hasn¡¯t been young and frivolous? As long as your heart is clear, it¡¯s better than anything else. Are you all here to participate in the exams?¡± asked the Grand Schr Sun.


    ¡°Yes, I came to try, given the chance.¡±


    The Grand Schr Sun nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s experiential learning. However, thest exam was dyed because of the disaster, so thepetition for this exam will be even more intense. You must be mentally prepared.¡±


    ¡°We thought of that too. We¡¯ll do our best. At most, we¡¯ll wait for the next time.¡±


    The Grand Schr Sun nodded in agreement. ¡°Good mentality. Don¡¯t force it.¡±


    The four of them started chatting, and Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi knew that this was a rare opportunity.


    Therefore, they deliberately shifted the topic to intellectual knowledge.


    The Grand Schr Sun was also a person who loved talking about that. The three were in an engaged conversation, and all Gu Chengrui could do was help them add some tea.


    However, they soon attracted many students who were attending the wedding banquet.


    Everyone surrounded Grand Schr Sun and chatted until the auspicious time arrived before going up to watch the ceremony.


    After the meal, the Grand Schr Sun chatted with the students for nearly four hours before leaving in a hurry.


    After returning to the residence, Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi were still somewhat unsatisfied. Then, the two of them looked at Gu Chengrui. ¡°We¡¯ll be entering the examination hall the day after tomorrow. I wonder if we can arrange for another meeting with Grand Schr Sun?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. He¡¯s the main examiner for this examination. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be entering the examination hall tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you guys visited quite a few teachers over the past few days? Why are you still so nervous?¡± Gu Chengrui suggested, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll bring you there tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°It would be best if you could see him. If not, I suggest you sum up your gains over the past few days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to answer the questions that I know..¡±

 Chapter 736 - 736: 726 Preparing For The Exam

    Chapter 736 - 736: 726 Preparing For The Exam


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Gu Chengye said.


    ¡°We¡¯re brothers, so you¡¯re wee. You guys go ahead with your work. I have to go to the hospital to take a look.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he went to the outhouse and asked someone to prepare a carriage to rush to the hospital.


    ¡°Chengrui has really fallen in love with this profession after practicing medicine for a few years.¡± Gu Chengsi said.


    ¡°It¡¯s going well. With the Emperor¡¯s protection and Princess Pingyang¡¯s son¡¯s support, and having only Zhou Ying in the family,


    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t rebel, he will live afortable life, even though he won¡¯t be powerful and influential.¡±<div>


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Maybe they really have their own interests.¡±


    After the two of them looked at each other, they went back to their rooms to sort out their experiences these days.


    As expected, the three of them missed Grand Schr Sun the next day.


    Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi returned to their rooms after they returned home.


    After lunch, Zhou Ying asked Chunxiang to cook instant noodles, prepare braised eggs with beef sauce, and cut them into thin slices.


    Finally, she prepared some chrysanthemums, wolfberries, and Pu¡¯er tea.


    There was also a tiny brazier filled with charcoal and a small iron pot.


    After dinner, Zhou Ying asked Chunziang to give the food to them. ¡°Here are some food and supplies I prepared. See if there¡¯s anything else you need to add. Tell me, and we¡¯ll prepare it as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You must prepare everything tonight so you won¡¯t be in a hurry tomorrow morning.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yes, yes, hurry up and check. You will be entering the examination hall tomorrow.¡± Mrs. Liu immediately echoed.


    After hearing that, the two of them did not stand on ceremony, and they began to examine it seriously.


    After they finished checking, Zhou Ying told them how to cook the instant noodles.


    ¡°Do you want some pears? But there¡¯s a risk of having a stomachache.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sister-inw. This is already very well prepared. It¡¯s all food that we don¡¯t have to check again.


    ¡°As for pears, I think that¡¯s not needed. Tea will do.¡± Gu Chengye replied.


    ¡°Alright, but can we bring some more charcoal? It¡¯s cold at night, and it¡¯ll be troublesome if we catch a cold.¡± Gu Chengsi asked.


    ¡°Sure, we have plenty of charcoal at home. By the way, I¡¯ll prepare some medicine for you.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he got up and asked Chunxiang to get the charcoal.


    He went to his small pharmacy and took some pills for a cold. He also took some ginger brown sugar he had prepared for Zhou Ying and gave it to them.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui woke up early and apanied the two of them to have a nutritious breakfast. After that, he got someone to prepare a carriage and sent the two of them to the examination hall with Mrs. Liu and Gu Chengen.


    Mrs. Liu looked at the others bringing only steamed buns and secretly rejoiced. The things that Zhou Ying had prepared for them were standards above and could improve their performance during the exams.


    After they sessfully entered the examination halls, Mrs. Liu turned to Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°I¡¯m relieved now that they¡¯re in. I want to return to my parents¡¯ home for a few days. I¡¯ll return after they get their results.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After speaking, Mrs. Liu carried a small bag and got a carriage to send her to the Liu Residence.


    ¡°When I came, my father was worried that she would cause trouble. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so quiet.¡± Gu Chengen looked at the carriage that had gone far away and smiled.


    ¡°Although she is snobbish, she is very shrewd. Otherwise, she would not have been able to capture my father¡¯s heart after sessfully giving birth to a son and a daughter under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s nose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You guys are no longer the same as before; even she wants to cling to you guys. How would she dare offend you?¡± Gu Chengen said, ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been wandering around the capital these days and found some hand-woven gadgets that are not bad.


    ¡°Do you think I can earn some money by reselling them in our hometown?¡±

 Chapter 737 - 737: 727 Abnormality

    Chapter 737 - 737: 727 Abnormality


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You mean those delicate butterflies, grasshoppers, rabbits, and other small toys?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I saw that there were quite a lot of people buying it, and it was quite expensive.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you think that if your son asked you to spend a hundred wen to buy him a woven trinket, would you be willing to buy it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but I¡¯m sure the young masters and young mistresses of wealthy families will like it, right?¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, the Gu family isn¡¯t considered poor in the countryside, right? How many families do you think are wealthier than the Gu family?<div>


    ¡°Do you even know how to make it yourself? If you don¡¯t, is it worth taking the goods from others and sending them back long distance?¡±


    ¡°I can learn it. It looks pretty simple to me.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you learn how to weave a fan instead? When the timees, you can use straw and bamboo to weave fans; even selling straw hats is better than selling those things.


    ¡°After opening your shop, you might even be able to start a small workshop.¡±


    ¡°Fan, straw hat? These are indeed easier to sell.¡± Gu Chengen nodded thoughtfully.


    Gu Chengrui saw this and did not persuade him anymore. Instead, after sending him back to the residence, he went straight to the hospital.


    Gu Chengen thought about it and still went out to learn.


    By the time Zhou Ying received the news, five days had passed.


    However, she didn¡¯t interfere. Instead, she quietly nurtured her baby.


    This day, the Head Fang came over after delivering some vegetables. ¡°Mistress, should we nt the same thing in the manor asst year? Are we nting, leafy greens, peanuts, and soybeans?¡±


    ¡°Last year¡¯s vegetables didn¡¯t look good, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they grow quite well after putting on enough fertilizer in the winter.


    ¡°However, the amount of fertilizer is really limited, so¡­¡±


    ¡°nt as much as we can. I¡¯ll discuss the rest with Chengrui and see what¡¯s suitable.¡±


    ¡°Noted, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Head Fang turned around and walked out after he finished reporting.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zhou Ying asked Gu Chengrui after she entered her interspace at night.


    ¡°What about you? You go first.¡±


    ¡°I saw that the grapes grew quite wellst year. Why don¡¯t we nt more grapes? When the timees, the profits will be higher after wine is made.


    ¡°We can continue to nt vegetables in the ce in the closed shed.


    ¡°Soybeans and peanuts are the same.¡±


    ¡°True. It¡¯s the same if we change another manor to nt the vegetables.


    ¡°By the way, help me find some peri seedster. I want to nt some peri on the mountain. It¡¯s really too expensive to buy them from outside.¡±


    ¡°Take a few more outside. At that time, you¡¯ll have an excuse to take them from the interspace.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are quite a lot of medicinal herbs in the interspace.¡± After Gu Chengrui nodded, he went to get busy.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying went to the warehouse. When she finished her work, she turned around and realized that she could enter the main room of the pce. She walked over and pushed the door open.


    Sure enough, the door creaked open and revealed a massive hall.


    However, there was only one futon inside. She walked over curiously and sat on it.


    Soon, she realized that something was slowly rushing into her body, causing her to feel a burst of soreness. However, she soon felt a wave of pain, and she was so frightened that she immediately stood up.


    At this moment, a piece of information appeared in his mind. This futon was where Mother God usually meditated and cultivated. Under the futon was the center of the interspace, and the thing that flowed into her body was spiritual energy.


    Because she had not cultivated yet, her body could not withstand the intense baptism of spiritual energy.


    She tried to push the rooms on both sides but could not enter any of them.


    She closed the door of the hall and retreated, heading to the vegetable field to pick up some chili peppers.


    When Gu Chengrui learned of the abnormality in the hall, he said, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant now. Don¡¯t poke around too much. Let¡¯s do that about it after the child is born..¡±

 Chapter 738 - 738: 728 Scholar

    Chapter 738 - 738: 728 Schr


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I know. Since no cultivation techniques are mentioned in Mother God¡¯s memories, it means that it¡¯s not time yet.¡±


    Gu Chengrui hugged her tightly after hearing that. At the same time, there was a trace of panic in his heart. What if she could cultivate? What would happen to him? What would happen to their child?


    He couldn¡¯t possibly let her send them away again and again. That would be too cruel to her.


    Zhou Ying felt his unease, turned her head, and kissed him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If we can¡¯t cultivate together, we¡¯ll grow old together.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Maybe there¡¯s something good waiting for us in the remaining two rooms.¡± Gu Chengrui rubbed his face against hers.<div>


    ¡°Yes, since Mother God can foresee the future, she will definitely be able to see you. She will have something for us.


    After Gu Chengrui heard that, he also had the same feeling. He nodded and did not reply.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the exams. Gu Chengrui and Gu Chengen arrived at the examination hall in advance, looking at each other when they saw Mrs. Liu waiting outside the examination hall.


    It must be said that Mrs. Liu was an excellent mother to Gu Chengye.


    Soon, the students opened the doors and walked out.


    Some were crying, some were wailing, and, of course, some were excited, but there were very few.


    There were also those who were carried out by the soldiers.


    After Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi came out, although they did not look too good, they still looked normal. After Gu Chengrui greeted them, he went straight back to the residence.


    He asked the servants to prepare a bath. ¡°You two clean up. Eat something and have a good sleep. We¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Chengsi cupped his fists.


    Gu Chengye nodded and went back to his room to wash up.


    As for Gu Chengen and Mrs. Liu, seeing that Gu Chengrui did not ask about the exam, the two of them were too embarrassed to ask. Instead, they went to the kitchen to get food.


    They carefully sorted out the things the two had brought back.


    Gu Chengrui saw that he had nothing else to do, so he returned to his room to rest.


    Five dayster, the list was posted. Gu Chengsi had passed the examination but was ranked forty-third among the third-grade schrs.


    Gu Chengye, on the other hand, failed.


    After receiving the news, Gu Chengrui first congratted Gu Chengsi. He said to Gu Chengye, ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. You did your best.¡±


    Gu Chengye smiled and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have tofort me. Actually, I¡¯ve already expected it. After all, when I was in middle school, I was only below average. I just came to try my luck.¡±


    He looked at Gu Chengsi. ¡°Congrattions. You must treat uster; let¡¯s have a good drink!¡±


    ¡°No problem. I heard that the restaurant opened by sister-inw is doing quite well. Let¡¯s go over and have a good meal.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Gu Chengye replied with a smile.


    Although Mrs. Liu was slightly disappointed, she said nothing when she saw that Gu Chengye was unaffected.


    After the court examinations, Gu Chengsi¡¯s ranking had risen by eight ces, and his ranking was no longer as embarrassing.


    The next day, the officers and soldiers arrived to report the good news.


    Gu Chengrui personally received them and gave them a reward.


    That night, Gu Chengsi treated everyone to a hearty meal at a restaurant in the city¡¯s eastern part. Of course, Zhou Ying had Niu Fugui give them a 40% discount, which was the cost price.


    Just as everyone was eating happily, they suddenly heard someone causing trouble.


    Zhou Ying was about to get up when Gu Chengrui pressed her down and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go. You guys eat.¡±


    After he left, Mrs.. Liu asked in surprise, ¡°With your current status, there are still people who dare toe to the restaurant to find trouble?¡±

 Chapter 739 - 739: 739 A Toast

    Chapter 739 - 739: 739 A Toast


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°There are all kinds of people in this world. There are many people who hate the rich. It¡¯s not strange.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°Indeed, but from the sound of it, it should be a drunkard causing trouble. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Gu Chengye echoed.


    Mrs. Liu didn¡¯t speak after that.


    ¡°Did you tell your family the good news after you passed the imperial examination?¡± Zhou Ying asked Gu Chengsi.


    ¡°On the day the notice was posted, my big brother sent a letter home. I think they should be receiving it as we¡¯re speaking.¡±<div>


    ¡°That¡¯s good. This is a joyous asion for the entire family. You have to celebrate properly when you return.¡±


    ¡°Are you going back with us this time?¡± Gu Chengsi nodded and asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss itter. If the hospital can be freed, we¡¯ll go back.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go together then.¡±


    Very soon, Gu Chengrui walked in and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a few students who failed the exam using alcohol to vent their anger. It¡¯s nothing serious. Let¡¯s hurry up and eat, as it¡¯ll get cold soon.¡±


    ¡°This happens after every examination; it¡¯s not strange.¡± Gu Chengye said.


    He had even seen an old schr who had hanged himself during the provincial examinationst year.


    It was said that the person was a student from a mountainous area. When he came out, the money he took out was the silver that the entire vige had pooled together for him.


    After failing the exams, his heart was filled with guilt, and in the end, he walked down a dead end.


    ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s why being a schr is so precious. Come, let¡¯s toast Chengsi and congratte him on bing a schr.¡± Gu Chengrui raised his ss for a toast.


    Everyone immediately congratted Gu Chengsi.


    After Gu Chengsi downed a ss of wine, he poured a cup of wine and tea for Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying, respectively. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s all thanks to you and your wife¡¯s hospitality this time. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter the examination hall so easily. Brother Chengye and I thank you here.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he raised his ss and nced at Gu Chengye.


    Gu Chengye immediately stood up and agreed. ¡°Yes, yes. This toast must be made. Not only did you provide us with a good learning environment, but you also provided us with good food and drinks.


    ¡°As your brother, I will remember this favor. If you need help in the future, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stand on ceremony, so write more letters to us in the future.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After the three of them put down their sses, Gu Chengsi poured another ss of wine and raised it. ¡°I also have to thank Brother Chengrui. It was you who made me understand the importance of farming. That¡¯s why I managed to get a few more marks in the court examinations.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s something about farming in the court examinations?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s on the importance of farming. It sounds like the Emperor wants to separate farming and set up a department that specializes in researching seeds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to always rely on Mother God¡¯s bestowment.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, relying on the mountain for food is filled with uncertainty. It¡¯s better to hold it in your own hands.¡±


    After that, they chatted for a while. When Gu Chengrui and the others were drunk, they went home.


    Early the next morning, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui gave Shizhu a few instructions and drove the carriage out early in the morning.


    When they reached the manor at the foot of the mountain, they ced 50 acres worth of grape seedlings and some purple peri seeds outside the manor.


    After that, Gu Chengrui went to the manor to wake up Head Fang and asked them to bring the grape seedlings and seeds into the manor.


    ¡°I¡¯ve discussed it with Chengrui. We¡¯ll nt grapes and peris on this side of the mountain. Then, we¡¯ll nt the rest with soybeans except for the shed.¡± Zhou Ying said to Head Fang.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll find someone to nt the grape seedlings now.¡± Head Fang nodded and turned around, calling out to all the long-term workers.


    Of course, except for a few who stayed behind to feed the livestock, the others all went to the foot of the mountain to nt grapes.


    During this time, Gu Chengrui also taught them how to trim the grapevines and nt the extra branches that grew from the grapevines on the mountain into the ground..

 Chapter 740 - 740: 740 Entering The Palace

    Chapter 740 - 740: 740 Entering The Pce


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When it was time to leave at night, Gu Chengrui told him how to nt peris.


    The next day, Gu Chengrui took some medicinal herb seeds and went to the farm that the government had bought. He scattered the medicinal herb seeds all over the mountain.


    ¡°Gu Chengsi asked me if we should go back together. What do you think?¡± Zhou Ying asked after she was done with the arrangements for the manor.


    Gu Chengrui was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t the madam in poor health? Chenglin and I definitely have to go back.


    ¡°As for you, the transportation now is inconvenient, and you¡¯re pregnant, so it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t go back and forth.¡±<div>


    ¡°Alright. When you go back, prepare more gifts for each family.


    ¡°Also, get Sun Hongliang to start building workshops. First, build a vermicelli workshop and a tofu workshop. We will need tofu strips and fermented bean curd.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we can also ask them to produce chili oil, beef sauce, mushroom sauce, and so on.


    ¡°There are many boats in Qingshui Town, and the humidity on the boats is heavy. It¡¯s inconvenient for the sailors to carry food, so we can sell these products there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When you head back, see if you can get everyone to nt more chili. If not, we can only wait until next year.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Leave this to me.¡±


    In the next few days, Zhou Ying began to prepare all kinds of gifts for Gu Chengrui to bring back, including gifts for Manager Liu and some other good friends.


    After the two of them were almost done with their work, Gu Chengrui went to the pce to look for the Emperor. He wanted Gu Wanning, Gu Chengye, and Gu Chengsi to meet each other so that they could find a backer for each other.


    The Emperor naturally understood what he needed. Thinking of the Gu family¡¯s current weak power, he replied happily, ¡°Tomorrow, you can bring them into the pce. I will inform the guards.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Do get up. It¡¯s a rare opportunity for us to meet our rtives. How can I stop you?¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he asked about his n.


    Knowing that Gu Chengrui really had no interest in politics, the Emperor could only let him go.


    After returning, Gu Chengrui went to the guest courtyard. He saw the four people learning how to weave small toys. ¡°Everyone, stop for a moment. Tomorrow, I will bring you into the pce to meet Consort Xian.


    ¡°Remember to dress as decently as possible tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Really? It just so happens that I¡¯ve made two sets of clothes in the past two days. They¡¯lle in handy.¡± Mrs. Liu looked at him expectantly.


    Even though she had lived in the capital for many years, she and Mrs. Yao had never entered the pce because of Princess Ping Yang.


    Even if they were to attend the banquet, it was because Princess Ping Yang refused to attend that she allowed them to go.


    Therefore, she was really looking forward to entering the pce.


    ¡°Of course, but you have to be more careful when you¡¯re in the pce. If you say something rude, you might lose your head.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he deliberately looked at Mrs. Liu.


    Mrs. Liu quickly nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter what, I¡¯ve lived in the capital for so many years. I won¡¯t say anything I can¡¯t.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and looked at Gu Chengen and his brother. ¡°Brother Chengen, do you want me to help you get dressed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you for that. Our clothes are okay for normal wear, but if we enter the pce, they won¡¯t be presentable.¡± Gu Chengen stood up and said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Gu Chengrui said as he looked at Gu Chengye.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll return the silver to youter.¡± Gu Chengye stood up and said.


    ¡°No need. We¡¯re brothers. I can afford the clothes.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought them to the boutique to buy clothes.


    Mrs. Liu was annoyed. She would not have mentioned the new clothes if she had known that he would help her with their clothes.


    Zhou Ying prepared some snacks, a set of spicy hotpot base, sour soup hotpot base, mushroom soup hotpot base, and some dipping sauce, and headed into the pce with them early the next morning..

 Chapter 741 - 741: 741A Test

    Chapter 741 - 741: 741A Test


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Granny Yu was waiting at the pce gate. When she saw them enter, she immediately smiled and greeted them with a simple bow. ¡°Masters and madams, pleasee in. The Empress has been waiting for you all since early in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for leading the way, Granny Yu.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    Granny Yu smiled and led them to the rear pce. On the way, she even briefly understood the situation in her hometown.


    As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the Jinhua Pce, where Consort Xian lived, she came out to wee them.


    ¡°Greetings, Consort Xian.¡± Everyone immediately stepped forward and bowed.<div>


    ¡°Cousin brothers, cousin-inw, and auntie, please get up. There are no outsiders here.¡± After Gu Wanning finished speaking, she helped Zhou Ying up personally.


    Mrs. Liu felt extremely sour when she saw this, but she had also heard that Gu Wanning could get to where she was today because of the help of the couple, so she could only suppress this difort.


    After entering the house, Gu Chengrui introduced them to Gu Wanning.


    After Gu Wanning greeted them individually, she asked someone to show them a seat.


    She looked at Mrs. Liu and asked, ¡°Eldest Aunt, I heard that Grandma¡¯s health is not good. I wonder how she is now?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s getting on years and isn¡¯t as strong as before.¡± Mrs. Liu replied.


    When Gu Wanning saw this, she beckoned for Chun Xi to take out two identical gold hairpins and hand them to her. ¡°I can¡¯t head back to pay my respects, so I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take care of Grandma in the future. It¡¯s a small token of my appreciation. I hope you like it.¡±


    ¡°Consort Xian, you¡¯re too kind. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll definitely take good care of the old madam.¡±


    No matter what, she was someone who had seen the world. With one look, she knew these two hairpins came from the famous Dexing Building in the capital. They were much more expensive than ordinary gold hairpins.


    ¡°As long as you like it.¡± After Gu Wanning finished speaking, she asked Gu Chengen and the other two about the n¡¯s situation.


    The three of them also asked her about her situation briefly. The main thing was to express their willingness and let her speak if there was anything in the future.


    When they were almost done chatting, the Emperor walked in.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± The Emperor asked Gu Chengsi after briefly understanding the situation between the three of them. ¡°I¡¯ve read your answer sheet. What do you think the country needs to develop the most other than agriculture?¡±


    Gu Chengsi clenched his fists nervously because he knew the Emperor was giving him a chance on Consort Xian¡¯s ount.


    If he performs well, he might be assigned an official soon. Otherwise, he would have to wait for a long time.


    Thinking of this, he pondered for a moment. He thought of the new articlest year that forced marriage at an age and replied, ¡°I think it¡¯s manpower.


    ¡°No matter if it¡¯s agriculture,merce, the military, or any other industry, it depends on manpower. Without the manpower to work and create, it¡¯s all empty talk.¡±


    ¡°Any more?¡± The Emperor nodded.


    ¡°There is also business. Only when business is prosperous as soon as possible can people¡¯s lives improve.


    ¡°Just like the pier in our Qingshui Town.


    ¡°Once the dock opened, not only did the town be active, but even the poor could earn some money to support their families.¡±


    ¡°Schrs, farmers, merchants, and businesses support each other.


    ¡°How should I put it? It should be said that each has its own use.


    ¡°Schrs, farmers, and workers could form a country, but if people wanted to exchange what they needed and wanted to live a good life, they could not do without merchants.


    ¡°Just like the tea industry, it would be even more difficult for us to drink tea without merchants.


    ¡°There¡¯s also rice and silk from the south. Without merchants, it would be difficult to transport them to the north.


    ¡°I feel that merchants are a bridge connecting all the country¡¯s corners.


    ¡°With them, we can feed arge number of people..¡±

 Chapter 742 - 742: 742 Returning Home

    Chapter 742 - 742: 742 Returning Home


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Ten dayster, Gu Chengsi was appointed as the county magistrate of Ping Yang Manor. Coincidentally, he was appointed to rece Chen Peng¡¯s original position.


    It made one sigh, ¡°What an ill-fated fate.¡±


    At night, he looked for Gu Chengrui. ¡°Brother Chengrui, are youing back with us? We¡¯re going back soon, as I¡¯ll need to be in Ping Yang in half a month.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the appointment toe so soon. You guys pack up, and we¡¯ll leave tomorrow. It¡¯ll be much faster to go back by boat this time.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and said.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go back and pack.¡±<div>


    After Gu Chengsi left, Gu Chengrui went straight to the academy to fetch Gu Chenglin back so that he could make some preparations.


    The following day, the group of people rushed to the dock.


    After they left, Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief. Since she had nothing to do, she personally made some snacks and then rushed to the Zhou residence with Shizhu.


    When he went in, he saw Mingyu scolding someone angrily. She stood at the side and waited for her to finish scolding before going forward. ¡°Who provoked you? Why are you so angry?¡±


    ¡°Wow, Sister Zhou, what delicious food did you bring me?¡± Mingyu saw the basket in her hand and immediately walked up to her.


    ¡°I made some cakes, biscuits, and salty snacks myself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ve wanted to eat them for a long time, but I¡¯m too embarrassed toe to your house with your guests there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. They don¡¯t usuallye to the backyard. How¡¯s your married life?¡± Zhou Ying asked. ¡°Are you used to it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not used to it. I didn¡¯t have to worry about anything when I was at the Imperial Residence.


    ¡°Aftering here, I have to do everything myself, especially after caring for the house. I¡¯m really exhausted.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. Also, you have so many people to support. You have to learn to delegate your power. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be exhausted from all the big and small things in the residence.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll give up my power after I¡¯ve sorted it out.¡± Mingyu nodded in agreement.


    After they entered the house, they chatted for a while. They had lunch at the Zhou family¡¯s home before Zhou Ying returned.


    Conversely, Gu Chengrui and his group returned to Qingshui Town smoothly three dayster.


    After getting off the boat, he hired four carriages and returned to Shanghe Vige with his belongings.


    When the children ying at the vige entrance saw so many carriages entering the vige, they immediately surrounded them.


    Sitting in the first carriage, Gu Chengen and his brother had no choice but to get out of the carriage and give each of them some candy.


    Gu Chengen¡¯s son saw them and immediately shouted, ¡°Dad, Second Uncle, you¡¯re finally back! I missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°Our vige¡¯s schr has returned to the vige,¡± the others immediately shouted.


    After shouting, they immediately dispersed, but they did not stop along the way.


    Because they all remembered that as long as the schr returned to the vige, they would be able to feast.


    With their shouts, the entire vige soon knew of their return.


    The people at home immediately ran out. When they saw Gu Chengsi, they congratted him and lined the streets to wee him. It was a lively scene.


    Mrs. Liu looked at the crazy people outside and said sourly, ¡°It¡¯s just a schr title. Is it necessary?¡±


    Gu Chengye immediately warned her sternly, ¡°Mother, you can only say this in front of me. Don¡¯t ever say it outside. Otherwise, if you anger the n leader, he won¡¯t let you off easily.¡±


    ¡°Besides, being a schr is indeed worth showing off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that your son hasn¡¯t even passed the imperial examination.. Aren¡¯t you looking down on me?¡±

 Chapter 743 - 743: 743 Thoughts

    Chapter 743 - 743: 743 Thoughts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You¡¯re smart even if you don¡¯t pass the exams.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you haven¡¯t touched any books for two or three years. Later, ask your father to find a way to donate an official position for you, and you can still be a county magistrate.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about? The general exams just ended with more than two hundred schrs. It¡¯s already enough. Do you think there would be an empty official position?¡±


    Although Mrs. Liu was still somewhat unwilling after hearing this, she did not say anything else.


    After Gu Chengen and his brother led the crowd far away, their group immediately rushed forward.<div>


    After Mrs. Liu and her son exited the carriage, Gu Chengrui brought the things back home.


    Mother Qiu heard themotion and immediately ran out. She was stunned when she saw Gu Chengrui. ¡°Master, you¡¯re back. I¡¯ll go get the keys now.¡±


    After saying that, she ran back home and quickly took out a key to open the door. ¡°The house has been kept clean for the past two years. You can live in it as you did.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. By the way, isn¡¯t Mistress back yet?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. The journey is too far, so I didn¡¯t let here back.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant? Congrattions!¡±


    ¡°Thank you. You go ahead with your work. Let¡¯s catch up after I¡¯ve tidied up the house.¡±


    ¡°No problem, then this servant will return first.¡± After Mother Qiu finished speaking, she turned around and went home.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he opened the door of the main house and took a nce. Sure enough, it was spotless inside, just like before they left.


    Then, he asked the coachmen to help move the things in. After paying the bill, he dismissed them.


    After he was done, Gu Chenglin asked for the location of the toilet, grabbed two toilet papers, and ran away.


    Gu Chengrui returned to his room and was about to sit down to rest for a while. ¡°Third Brother, Third Brother, you¡¯re finally back.¡± Gu Chengxi ran in excitedly. ¡°What are you doing at home?¡± He asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to school?¡± ¡°We¡¯re busy nting chili seedlings in the fields and don¡¯t have enough manpower at home, so I took a few days off.¡±


    ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Father, Second Uncle, and Big Brother are each on a boat and running around.


    ¡°Second Brother went to the capital, so I can only take over.


    ¡°But it¡¯s almost over.¡±


    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s sister-inw? I¡¯ve been wanting to eat her cooking for a long time.¡± Gu Chengxi asked.


    ¡°Do you miss your sister-inw or her cooking?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, both. To be honest, the dishes at the restaurant are still a little inferiorpared to sister-inw¡¯s cooking.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be disappointed. Your sister-inw is pregnant, and it¡¯s inconvenient for her to travel back and forth, so she didn¡¯te back. Oh, right, how¡¯s Grandma¡¯s condition?¡± Gu Chengrui asked him to sit down.


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s not that good. Right now, she¡¯s only relying on the precious medicinal herbs that you asked someone to bring back.


    ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that before the new year¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems that aunt¡¯s death was a huge blow to her.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, after fainting that time, her body has been good and bad at times. By the way, I heard that my cousin has entered the pce as a concubine.¡± Gu Chengxi asked.


    ¡°Yes, Consort Xian, learn well. Try to participate in the next general exams. I¡¯ll bring you to her then.¡±


    Gu Chengxi shook his head. ¡°To be honest, after the shakedown, I¡¯m not interested in an official career. I might as well continue studying medicine to support my family.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten how the Qiao family suppressed you in every way? Without power, you can only suffer.¡±


    ¡°I remember that, so I listened to my father and entered the academy.


    ¡°It would be best if I could get into the academy, but I don¡¯t n to be an official after I get in. I want to find a school to teach or continue practicing medicine..¡±

 Chapter 744 - 744: 744 Tears of Joy

    Chapter 744 - 744: 744 Tears of Joy


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, it depends on your preferences.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    He himself had no interest in an official career, so he would not have any requirements for him.


    Just as he finished speaking, Gu Chenglin walked in and was stunned when he saw Gu Chengxi.


    Gu Chengrui stood up and introduced them to each other.


    The two of them had met each other when they were young, so they immediately recognized each other after his introduction.<div>


    After a few polite words, Gu Chenglin realized that Gu Chengxi was almost a head taller than him. He immediately said indignantly, ¡°If I remember correctly, Brother Chengxi is two years older than me. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so tall now.¡±


    ¡°I only started growing in the past two years.¡± Gu Chengxi replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be envious. You¡¯re almost there, too.


    ¡°Regardless of gender, anyone will develop rapidly from 12 to 14 years old, and there will be a period of voice change, just like Chengxi now.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he gave them a simple exnation about puberty.


    ¡°So, you have to study hard and stop thinking about getting a wife.¡±


    ¡°Wait until after twenty to consider it.¡±


    His words made the two boys blush.


    Gu Chengrui saw this and added, ¡°You guys continue chatting. I have to tidy up the house. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to sleep well tonight.¡±


    After saying that, he got up and climbed onto the brick bed. First, he carefully checked it. After ensuring there were no rat holes, he removed a nket from the cab.


    He had wanted to hang it out to dry, but he was surprised when he noticed that the nket had obviously just been cleaned. Moreover, it looked like it had been washed recently. It was spotless.


    He took it out andid it on the bed.


    After finishing that, he unpacked his gifts and nned to bring them to the old residence. He turned to the two brothers, who were still chatting. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see Grandma.¡±


    ¡°If we go now, do I need to change my clothes?¡± Gu Chenglin said.


    ¡°No need. Your clothes aren¡¯t dirty. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    When they heard this, the two boys immediately grabbed their things and walked out.


    Gu Chengrui locked the door and followed.


    Gu Chengye, who was drinking tea in the living room, greeted them as he saw them enter. ¡°You¡¯re here. Grandma is waiting for you in the room.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, let¡¯s go together.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded, then turned around and walked straight to the east room.


    Madam Qiao heard the sounds and immediately came out with a walking stick. ¡°It¡¯s too dark in the room. Let¡¯s talk outside.¡±


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he could only let Gu Chenglin and Gu Chengxi put the things on the table.


    Madam Qiao grabbed Gu Chenglin¡¯s hand and said excitedly, ¡°You must be Chenglin. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so big now.¡±


    Gu Chenglin was a little ufortable initially, but when he saw the tears in her eyes, he was stunned and smiled. ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s me. I heard that you¡¯re not feeling well. How are you feeling now? Are you cold?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Now that the weather is warm, my body is much lighter.¡± Madam Qiao said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Cousin Brother and I brought back a lot of delicious food for you this time, especially your favorite apples, pears, and thousandyer pastries.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Good child, you still remember what grandma likes to eat.¡± Madam Qiao nodded repeatedly and wiped her tears at the same time.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he went forward and said, ¡°Grandma, they¡¯re living well now. One passed the schr examination, and the other entered the pce to be Consort Xian. You should be happy.¡±


    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t cry. You¡¯re making me want to cry too.¡± Gu Chenglin replied helplessly.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just too happy. Seeing that all of you are living well, I¡¯m happy for your mother.¡± Madam Qiao took out her handkerchief and wiped her tears..

 Chapter 745 - 745: 745 Guilt

    Chapter 745 - 745: 745 Guilt


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Gu Chenglin heard her mention his mother, he remembered how his mother was treated in the residence after the Gu family was raided and how the Cui family bullied them.


    Immediately, tears began to flow from his eyes.


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t cry. Look, you¡¯ve made the boy cry too.¡± At this moment, Mrs. Yao came out of the room with a bundle in her hand.


    After saying that, she carried it and walked out.


    Gu Chengrui smelled the unpleasant smell and finally understood why the olddy did not let them in her room.<div>


    Madam Qiao handed a clean handkerchief to Gu Chenglin and said, ¡°Boy, don¡¯t cry. Everything is in the past, so live a good life in the future. If you have any difficulties, look for your cousin and your two uncles. They won¡¯t ignore you.¡±


    ¡°I know. It was all thanks to Cousin Chengrui and Cousin Zhou Ying. Otherwise, we would have been killed by those Cuis.¡±


    ¡°I knew that the aunt and niece of the Cui family weren¡¯t good people. Your mother is just soft-hearted. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± Madam Qiao sighed and didn¡¯t say anything more.


    Instead, she asked about the siblings¡¯ current lives and learned that Gu Chengrui had appropriately arranged them.


    While she was satisfied with Gu Chengrui and his wife, she was also filled with guilt.


    She looked at Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you and your wife these two years. I was really¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel guilty.¡±


    Gu Chengrui secretly rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, ¡®so now you feel that?¡¯


    He had been sitting here for a long time, but she had not greeted him one bit.


    However, he couldn¡¯t say that. ¡°Grandma, you tter me. It¡¯s also our fate that we met.


    ¡°Besides, they¡¯re all obedient and sensible. It can be considered helping each other.¡±


    Madam Qiao smiled and nodded. ¡°Good, good. A family really has to help each other in the future.


    ¡°You younger generation should alsomunicate, meet, and interact more. Only then can you get closer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Where¡¯s Ying? Why isn¡¯t she here?¡± She nced around and asked. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. It¡¯s too far to travel back here, so I didn¡¯t let here.¡± ¡°Pregnant? It¡¯s good that she¡¯s pregnant. You two have been married for four to five years. You finally have an heir. I can finally rest assured.¡± Madam Qiao said happily.


    After that, she instructed him seriously, ¡°Zhou Ying, that girl. Although her background is a little low, she¡¯s quite outstanding in all aspects. Moreover, she¡¯s also kind. You have to treat her well in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. I¡¯ll definitely treat her well.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t had a cup of tea since you came back, right? Hurry up and drink some tea to moisten your throat.¡± At this moment, Mrs. Liu carried a pot of tea and a few teacups as she walked in.


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie Liu.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Aunt.¡±


    Gu Chengrui and Gu Chenglin quickly stood up.


    Gu Chengye also stood up and took the teapot, helping everyone pour tea. Seeing this, Mrs. Liu asked, ¡°You guys have nothing over there, right? Just eat here for the next few days. There¡¯s no point in starting a stove back there.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Do eat here. It¡¯s not easy for you toe back. Spend more time with this old woman.¡± Madam Qiao then asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just stay here? No one has lived in your house for such a long time. The house must be damp.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. The Tian family has been helping to clean up our house. It¡¯s no different from before we left.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at Gu Chenglin. ¡°You can stay there if you want. There are ces to stay on both sides.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep with me, Chenglin? It¡¯ll be great to have apanion tonight.¡± Gu Chengxi asked happily.


    Gu Chenglin hesitated and shook his head. ¡°My luggage is over there. I¡¯d better follow Brother Chengrui. It¡¯s quite spacious over there, anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯lle back during the day.¡±


    There were too many people in this house. The more people there were, the more conflict there could be. It was better for him not to cause trouble..

 Chapter 746 - 746: 746 Owe A Big Favor

    Chapter 746 - 746: 746 Owe A Big Favor


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Conversely, after Gu Chengen and Gu Chengsi returned home, Mrs. Fang immediately distributed the candy she had prepared earlier to everyone. After a round of polite greetings, everyone dispersed.


    ¡°Sister-inw, where¡¯s Mrs. Bai?¡± Gu Chengsi turned to look around.


    ¡°She went back to her mother¡¯s house. After receiving the letter that you passed the imperial examination, she went back to her mother¡¯s house to report the good news. She hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± Mrs. Fang replied.


    Gu Chengsi was a little unhappy when he heard this. He was busy farming now. Why didn¡¯t she help out at home instead of staying at her mother¡¯s house?


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mother?¡± Gu Chengen asked.<div>


    ¡°They¡¯re watching the long-term workers nt chili seedlings in the field. I was about to bring them water.


    ¡°There¡¯s some boiled water in the kitchen. You can make whatever tea you want.¡± After Mrs. Fang finished speaking, she picked up an earthen jar and was about to put it on the small cart.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± After Gu Chengen said this, he instructed Xiao Douzi not to run around. Then, he and Mrs. Fang sent drinking water to the field.


    Halfway there, they met Mrs. Wang rushing back.


    When she saw Gu Chengen, she smiled. ¡°You¡¯re really back. Come back early after sending the water to the field.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mother. We¡¯ll go over first.¡± After Gu Chengen finished speaking, he and Mrs. Fang pushed the cart into the field.


    On the other hand, Mrs. Wang and the patriarch had entered one after the other.


    When the two of them saw Gu Chengsi, they greeted him. When they learned that Gu Chengrui and his wife had been treating them well, the patriarch said, ¡°Chengrui is such a kind child. We really didn¡¯t misjudge him back then.


    ¡°In the future, you two should interact more and treat each other like brothers.¡±


    Gu Chengsi nodded in agreement. ¡°I will. By the way, I¡¯ll be sent to Ping Yang Province to be the county magistrate. I¡¯ll be taking up my post in ten days. It¡¯s the county where Chen Peng was originally located.¡±


    ¡°So fast? Back then, Chen Peng was assigned there because your third uncle and the others requested someone heavily.¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, Brother Chengrui used his connections, a strong one.¡± At this point, Gu Chengsi told them about how Gu Chengrui had brought them into the pce to visit Consort Xian and how the Emperor had tested him.


    The patriarch nodded after hearing this. It seemed that he owed them a big favor.


    Then, he said, ¡°It seems that the Emperor is also sentimental. Do well in the future. Don¡¯t let the Emperor down; don¡¯t embarrass Consort Xian and Chengrui.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I will.¡±


    The patriarch nodded and looked at Mrs. Wang. ¡°Tomorrow night, make more delicious food and invite Chengrui for a good meal.


    ¡°Additionally, bing a schr is a joyous asion for our n, vige, and even the entire county.


    ¡°You should prepare more food over these two days. We¡¯ll invite our rtives, friends, Chengsi¡¯s teachers, and ssmates.¡±


    After saying this, he got up and returned to his room to take out a perpetual calendar. After flipping through it, he turned to Gu Chengsi. ¡°How about three dayster? That way, after you¡¯re done entertaining guests, you¡¯ll have ample time to prepare for your appointment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll heed your suggestions, Father. However, there¡¯s no need for a big banquet. Just thirty tables will be enough.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? It has to be a hundred tables, no matter what. Don¡¯t forget, there will definitely be many uninvited wealthy peopleing.¡±


    Gu Chengsi was taken aback. ¡°Father, you can put the n¡¯s and vige¡¯s fields under my name. Don¡¯t agree to anything else. It¡¯ll be a huge problem if we get involved.¡±


    The patriarch nodded in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know this better than you. Other than the vigers, I won¡¯t agree to anyone else¡¯s requests..¡±

 Chapter 747 - 747: 747 Gifting A Mother God Statue

    Chapter 747 - 747: 747 Gifting A Mother God Statue


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the evening, Gu Chengrui had a meal in his old house and brought Gu Chenglin home.


    After entering the house, he told Gu Chenglin, ¡°Unpack your luggage. I¡¯ll go boil some hot water. Let¡¯s have a good hot bath.¡±


    After saying that, he went to the west room to grab the bathtub and towel before going to the kitchen.


    Gu Chenglin picked up his luggage and started unpacking.


    Gu Chengrui went into the kitchen and lifted the lid to look. The pot was clean, but some oil was in it to prevent rust. He had to wash it well.<div>


    Only then did he realize there was no water or firewood in the kitchen. He could not boil water at all.


    Suddenly, he felt dizzy and found himself back outside the interspace¡¯s warehouse.


    ¡°You can do this?¡± He asked Zhou Ying in surprise.


    ¡°Of course, you forgot that I used the space to deal with Mrs. Tian and that coachman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll take a quick shower before going back out.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked towards the vi.


    After he left, Zhou Ying took water from the river in her interspace to fill half of the water tank at her old home. She also sent out two loads of firewood.


    She also ced about 100 pounds worth of charcoal. This way, they wouldn¡¯t have to use firewood if they wanted to boil water to drink.


    After she was done, she looked around and ensured there were no other problems. She quickly blessed two Mother God statues around the ce.


    She paused momentarily, took out a piece of white jade from her storeroom, and carved it into a thumb-sized statue of the Mother God.


    When she was almost done, Gu Chengrui had also finished showering.


    After that, she blessed the statue and handed it to him. ¡°This is blessed. If you need anything in the future, you can look for me directly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, babe.¡± After Gu Chengrui thanked her, he kissed her forehead. ¡°Take care of yourself. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, you take care of yourself too. By the way, is there anything you need to bring?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll ask you for it if I need it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Zhou Ying nodded, and she sent him back.


    After Gu Chengrui returned, he looked at the things in the kitchen and revealed a sweet smile.


    Then, he washed the pot and boiled some water.


    After the water boiled, he washed the bathtub and sshed some water on the ground. After he was done, he went to call Gu Chenglin.


    He took some charcoal and put it into the small pottery stove to boil a pot of herbal tea.


    After cleaning up, the two drank a pot of tea and read for a while before lying down to sleep.


    After Gu Chengrui woke up the next morning, he brought their dirty clothes to the river to wash.


    The two of them went to Gu Chengrui¡¯s old residence for breakfast. After breakfast, Gu Chenglin stayed behind and followed Gu Chengxi to the fields.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui rushed to the manor.


    He ran into Mrs. Wang not long after he left the house. He quickly walked up to her. ¡°Auntie.¡±


    ¡°I was just about to look for you.¡± Mrs. Wang smiled.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There are two things. First, your uncle wants to invite you over for dinner tonight.


    ¡°Another thing is, Chengsi has already passed the imperial examination. We were thinking of holding a banquet for him the day after tomorrow, so we wanted to buy some beef from you.¡±


    ¡°Is one cow enough?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re nning to host a hundred tables. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s enough, do you know?¡±


    ¡°That depends on what dish you want to cook. However, whether it¡¯s braised or stewed, usually two pounds of raw meat will produce one pound of cooked meat.¡±


    Mrs. Wang counted with her fingers and replied, ¡°One is enough. I¡¯ll take one first..¡±

 Chapter 748 - 748: 748 Exploring The Manor

    Chapter 748 - 748: 748 Exploring The Manor


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Should I deliver it tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, do send it over tomorrow morning. It¡¯s just in time for me to cook the meat sauce in advance.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to choose a cow yourself, or do you want us to help you choose?¡±


    ¡°Do as you see fit. I trust you. Oh right, remember toe over for dinner tonight.¡±


    Afterward, they exchanged a few more polite words before Gu Chengrui went straight to the manor.<div>


    ¡°Boss, you guys are finally back.¡± Qian Zhuang and Gu Erjiang, who were about to pull the cattle and sheep out, immediately surrounded him enthusiastically when they saw him.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m finally back. Are you guys alright?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Thanks to you, we¡¯re living well.¡± Qian Zhuang said.


    ¡°Yeah! Not only do we get to eat our fill, but we also get to wear warm clothes.


    ¡°We also have a wife and children now. I didn¡¯t even dare to think about these before.¡± Gu Erjiang agreed with a silly smile.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re both married and have children?¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Yes, but Erjiang¡¯s child is only six months old and hasn¡¯t been born yet.¡± Qian Zhuang said.


    ¡°Very good. Live well in the future.¡± Gu Chengrui nced at the meat in the carriage. ¡°You guys go and deliver the meat first. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty, we¡¯ll get busy first.¡± After Qian Zhuang finished speaking, the two of them each drove the ox cart to town.


    After Gu Chengrui went in, he went straight to the field and found over 100 acres ofnd nted with chili peppers.


    That¡¯s right. Rice is rtively cheaper to buy. It¡¯s not as practical as growing chili peppers.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re here?¡± Chang Shun saw him and immediately ran over.


    ¡°Yeah, I came to see how everyone was doing.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all doing pretty well. Manager Sun was afraid that the chilies in the capital were not enough, so he asked us to nt all ournds with them.¡±


    ¡°Good. If you can nt more, then nt them all. By the way, did the manor get any corn seeds?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes, but only ten acres worth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. By the middle of May, you can directly nt them in the chili field.


    ¡°I heard that the yield is rtively high. Remember to pick some big and plump ones to save for next year¡¯s seeds.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, go ahead. I¡¯ll go to Uncle Yan¡¯s ce to take a look. We¡¯ll meet up againter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go nt the chili seedlings first.¡± After Chang Shun finished speaking, he turned around and went to the fields.


    Gu Chengrui went to the breeding area inside.


    Seeing that Uncle Yan was mixing the feed, he stepped forward to help and greet him. ¡°Hello, Uncle Yan.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Zhou girl? Why are you back alone?¡± Uncle Yan raised his head.


    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯t be able to handle the trip, so I didn¡¯t let here back.¡±


    Uncle Yan smiled and nodded. ¡°Children are more important. Congrattions on bing a father.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Is everything okay here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still the same. The space is limited, and the animals we can raise are also limited. However, it¡¯s just enough for the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Can I get you to ughter another cow tomorrow for the patriarch? My cousin Gu Chengsi just passed the imperial examination, so we need beef the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news. Will we send it to the vige tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not far. Let¡¯s send it there.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this old man will remember this.¡±


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while. After mixing the feed, Gu Chengrui visited the cattle pen and sheep pen before heading to Xin¡¯an Vige.


    He soon found Feng Chun¡¯s house.


    ¡°Brother Chengrui, when did youe back?¡± Gu Zishan, who was helping her child learn to walk, was stunned when she saw him.


    ¡°Yesterday afternoon? How¡¯re you doing?¡± Gu Chengrui replied, took out a small silver lock, and handed it to the little fellow.


    ¡°Thanks to you, our vige has turned over a new leaf.¡± Gu Zishan thanked him, handed him a stool, and said, ¡°Brother Chengrui, have a seat..¡±

 Chapter 749 - 749: 749 Preparing To Build A Workshop

    Chapter 749 - 749: 749 Preparing To Build A Workshop


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui sat down and yed with their son. Then, he asked about the situation in the vige.


    He learned that Feng Chun not only kept nting the wild roses and wild jujube well,


    In the spring ofst year, he nted many roses in the nearby mountains.


    It was almost time to harvest those roses this year.


    He also opened up some mountainous areas and nted sweet potatoes, broomcorn, soybeans, and other crops.<div>


    Now, he brought people to open up a cornfield.


    Gu Chengrui reminded her, ¡°If the newly openednd is not fertile enough, nt soybeans and sweet potatoes first. Only usest year¡¯snd to grow corn.¡± ¡°Corn is rtively more needy for good soil. Also, it can be substituted for flour and rice.¡±


    ¡°Is corn that good?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m mainly in charge of agriculture in the capital. Besides, I¡¯ve seen the nting techniques that Mother God gave us when she bestowed seeds.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll tell Feng Chunter.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, since you guys are doing well, I¡¯m relieved. I¡¯ll go back now.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up.


    ¡°Wait. It¡¯s not easy for you toe here. You should at least eat here before leaving.¡± Gu Zishan said as she hugged her son.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine; you guys are so busy. I¡¯lle over again when you¡¯re more free.¡± Gu Chengrui politely refused, turned around, and walked out.


    Then, he went straight to the restaurant in town.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re here?¡± Zhao Cheng immediately greeted him when he saw him enter.


    ¡°Are you the manager now?¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and asked.


    ¡°Just temporary. It¡¯s still Manager Sun managing most of the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Then where did he go?¡±


    ¡°He said he was going to visit a manor. He should be back by noon.¡±


    ¡°Visit a manor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Manager Sun said that it¡¯s not stable for our business if vegetables are always bought from outsiders, so he wants to buy a manor to grow vegetables for the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    Then, he asked about the situation at the restaurant. After learning that business was good, he went to the back.


    When Sun Hongliang came back and learned that Gu Chengrui had returned, he immediately went to the back and bowed. ¡°Master, you¡¯re back?¡±


    Gu Chengrui put down the teacup and poured him a cup.


    ¡°Ah, thank you, Master.¡± Sun Hongliang replied and sat down. Noticing the tea was not hot, he drank it in one go.


    Gu Chengrui saw that he was really thirsty, so he poured him a cup and asked, ¡°I heard that you went to visit a manor. How was it? Is it suitable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s 500 acres of high-quality farnd and close to the town.


    ¡°The key is that there¡¯s an independent water wheel inside that can be used to water the paddy fields and drynd. It¡¯s just a little expensive, costing 6,000 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a little expensive. That¡¯s ten taels of silver per acre.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want to stretch it a little more and see if it can be lowered.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, if it¡¯s suitable in all aspects, don¡¯t stretch it too much. By the way, did you buy the wastnd that Zhou Ying asked you to buy?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°I bought it.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s a bit far. It¡¯s a hundred acres ofnd at the bend upstream of the river.¡±


    Gu Chengrui quickly remembered when he heard him say that. Wasn¡¯t that the piece ofnd where Zhou Huaiming was rescued?


    The terrain there was high, and there was a certain distance from the foot of the mountain. It was very safe, but too far away and a little troublesome to transport stuff from there.


    After that, Sun Hongliang voiced his thoughts.


    ¡°I was thinking of directly crossing the river and using a small boat to transport the goods. As long as it¡¯s not too far away, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you have an idea.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he told him that Zhou Ying wanted to open a vermicelli workshop, a tofu workshop, and even a chili oil workshop.


    After that, the cook served four dishes. The two of them chatted about the details as they ate..

 Chapter 750 - 750: 750 Spoiled

    Chapter 750 - 750: 750 Spoiled


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the afternoon, the two of them went to the emptynd together.


    Gu Chengrui drew a simple map and gave a detailed n of thend to Sun Hongliang. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here for at least seven more days. You can look for craftsmen. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you cane and find me.


    ¡°Oh, right, there¡¯s also the well. Let¡¯s dig out the well first before we build the workshop.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll arrange it tomorrow.¡± Sun Hongliang nodded.


    On the other side, the patriarch and his two sons began to inform the others after they had arranged the matters at home.<div>


    It was alreadyte in the afternoon after Gu Chengsi had informed everyone. However, he did not go home. Instead, he bought some gifts and went straight to the Bai family.


    In the end, he was told that Mrs. Bai had already brought the child back, so he could only put down the gift and rush home.


    When he reached home, he saw Mrs. Bai sitting in the courtyard with the child in her arms and eating melon seeds. Her mother and sister-inw were busy in the kitchen, and even her eldest brother was sitting at the kitchen door and picking vegetables.


    Gu Chengsi¡¯s expression immediately turned ugly. He went forward to carry the child. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the child. Go help out in the kitchen. I have to treat Brother Chengrui to dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such a small kitchen. I can¡¯t even move my feet if I go in.¡± Mrs. Bai raised her head and said coquettishly.


    ¡°Then take over the work from Big Brother.¡± Gu Chengsi¡¯s face darkened.


    Ever since he passed the imperial examinationst year, she has been a little arrogant and picky about everything. He did not expect that she would go even further now, suppressing even her mother and brother.


    After saying that, he did not even give her a chance to exin. Instead, he carried the child and went straight into the house.


    Mrs. Bai looked at his dark face and swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She got up and went to help.


    When Gu Chengen saw this, he finished picking up the fungus in his hand. He got up and returned to the house. ¡°What are you doing? You just came back, and you¡¯re already throwing a tantrum.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her. If we don¡¯t reel her temper in, she might cause some trouble in the future. By the way, where¡¯s Father?¡± Gu Chengsi asked.


    ¡°Mother said she went to find a chef. She should be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Chengsi nodded, and the two of them discussed the people to be notified, how to arrange the seats for that day, etc.


    Not long after, the patriarch rushed back. Then, Gu Chengrui carried two roast chickens and wines from Hongyun Restaurant and rushed over.


    When the patriarch saw this, he said to Gu Chengen, ¡°Chengen, make a trip to call Chengye, Chengxi, and Chenglin over too. You brothers can have a gathering.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Gu Chengen responded, got up, and ran out.


    Gu Chengrui put down the wine and asked, ¡°Uncle, how¡¯s the preparation for the banquet the day after tomorrow? If you need any help, just let me know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost ready. You and Chengye have to wake up early the day after tomorrow to help us greet our guests.¡±


    ¡°No problem. We¡¯lle over early in the morning. By the way, are we still holding it outside the ancestral hall?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s spacious. If it¡¯s not enough, there¡¯s still a grain-crushing field at the side.¡±


    After chatting for a while, the patriarch asked about their situation in the capital.


    Knowing that they were living well, he gave them a few more pieces of advice. He mainly told them to keep a low profile so that they would not be targeted.


    Soon, Gu Chengen brought Gu Chengye and the other two over.


    Gu Chengxi stepped forward and introduced the patriarch to Gu Chenglin.


    ¡°While I shouldn¡¯t be your direct uncle based on the family tree, you can still call me your uncle now that your surname has changed to Gu.¡±


    The patriarch sized Gu Chenglin up. ¡°You sure look like your mother¡ªfair and handsome.


    ¡°I heard that you also passed the Elementary Schr examst year?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, I did pass, but my results weren¡¯t too good. I only got 28th ce.¡± Gu Chenglin replied with a smile..

 Chapter 751 - 751: 751 Throwing A Tantrum

    Chapter 751 - 751: 751 Throwing A Tantrum


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s already not bad that you can pass at your age. Don¡¯t belittle yourself.


    ¡°However, you have to work harder in the future and strive to be a top schr as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡± Gu Chenglin replied.


    The patriarch then asked about the situation of the siblings, and then everyone chatted for a while longer.


    Soon, dinner was served. After all the dishes were served, Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Fang left.<div>


    Gu Chengrui saw that they were going to take Xiao Douzi away and said, ¡°Auntie, let Xiao Douzi stay. A boy will need to grow. It¡¯s good for him to meet some people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, let Xiao Douzi stay. He won¡¯t be shy around everyone in the future.¡± The patriarch looked at Gu Chenglin, who was magnanimous and not restrained at all. He waved at Xiao Douzi and arranged for him to sit between him and Gu Chengen.


    The little boy shyly stared at Gu Chengrui and the others. He grabbed Gu Chengen¡¯s sleeve and leaned against him.


    The patriarch looked at his meek appearance. He made up his mind to bring him out to meet people more often in the future. He could no longer stay in the hands of a woman.


    At this moment, Mrs. Bai came in with a te of washed wine cups. She ced it on the table with a bang, then picked up her son and turned to walk out.


    Mrs. Wang and the patriarch¡¯s faces darkened. To put it bluntly, this banquet was held for Gu Chengsi and their family, yet she was giving the guests a hard time.


    Mrs. Fang saw this and quickly went forward. After distributing the wine sses to them, she saw Gu Chengxi and Gu Chenglin and asked, ¡°Chengxi, Chenglin, do you want to drink?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, cousin-inw. I¡¯ll just drink some teater.¡± Gu Chenglinughed.


    Gu Chengxi nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make you a pot of teater.¡± After Mrs. Fang finished speaking, she opened the wine that Gu Chengrui had brought and poured it into a pot before pouring a cup for them separately.


    After filling the wine pot, she turned around and cooked a pot of sour plum soup for the two of them.


    Mrs. Wang¡¯s expression became a little better, and then she left with Mrs. Fang.


    ¡°Come,e. This is the roast chicken that Chengrui brought back from Hongyun Restaurant in town. Let¡¯s eat it first before drinking.¡± After Gu Chengen finished speaking, he gave the four drumsticks to Gu Chengrui and his brothers.


    As for the three of them and Xiao Douzi, they each got a chicken wing.


    The patriarch smiled and picked it up. ¡°Yes, everyone¡¯s been busy for the entire afternoon. Let¡¯s eat something first before drinking.¡±


    After finishing a chicken wing, he raised his ss and said, ¡°Come, Chengrui. Uncle will toast you. Thank you for taking care of my two sons this time.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re too polite. You¡¯ve helped us a lot in the past. We¡¯re all family, so there¡¯s no need for you to thank us.


    ¡°Let¡¯s toast and wish Chengsi a prosperous career in the future.¡± Gu Chengrui raised his ss.


    ¡°Yes, yes, congrattions on bing a schr, Brother Chengsi. Please give me your guidance in the future.¡± Gu Chengxi echoed.


    Everyone followed suit and raised their sses.


    ¡°You brothers should get along well; support and supervise each other.¡± The patriarch smiled and blessed them.


    Everyone quickly responded and drank.


    While they were eating, the patriarch told them about the situation in the n and emphasized the point of unity more than once.


    An hour and a half had passed since the meal started.


    After sending Gu Chengrui and the others off, the patriarch looked at Gu Chengsi. ¡°You¡¯d better take care.


    ¡°If she¡¯s still so impolite and can¡¯t be seen on the stage, then don¡¯t bring her along when you take office in the future. She¡¯ll ruin things for you..¡±

 Chapter 752 - 752: 752 I’m Just Afraid

    Chapter 752 - 752: 752 I¡¯m Just Afraid


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I know, I know, I know. Father, I¡¯ll take a look before deciding.¡± Gu Chengsi burped and staggered back into the house.


    After a while, there were sounds of quarreling, hitting, and even the cries of children in the house. Xiao Douzi was so scared that she went straight into Gu Chengen¡¯s arms.


    ¡°No, I have to bring the child over. No matter what, we can¡¯t scare the child.¡± After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she hurriedly walked over.


    When she entered the room, she saw the two of them still fighting and noticed the child about to fall off the bed. She rushed over and picked up the child. She shouted at the two of them, ¡°Are you still worthy of being parents? Can¡¯t you see how the child is crying?¡±


    ¡°Hit, hit more! You¡¯ll know to stop when it hurts.¡±<div>


    Mrs. Wang huffed and carried the child back to the main room.


    After that lecture, the couple who were arguing stopped fighting.


    Gu Chengsi sat down on a chair and panted heavily as he drank his tea.


    Mrs. Bai sat at the head of the bed and cried for a while. She questioned angrily, ¡°Tell me, are you looking down on me and want to climb up the socialdder?¡±


    ¡°Who did you hear that from that I want to climb up the socialdder?¡± Gu Chengsi asked in surprise.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious??


    ¡°Back then, didn¡¯t Chen Peng¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯tpare me to that animal.¡±


    ¡°Do, do you dare to say that you will never leave me for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°That will depend on your attitude. If you continue to be so unreasonable and condescending, then it will really be hard to say.¡± Gu Chengsi said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it first. What right do you have to look down on others?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m only a third-grade schr. There are a lot of people above me.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for Brother Chengrui to arrange for me to be a seventh-grade county magistrate. It was still too early for me to climb up.


    ¡°Besides, even though Brother Chengrui doesn¡¯t really walk in the officialdom, he¡¯s a third-grade official appointed by thete Emperor and the current Emperor. He¡¯s four grades higher than me.


    ¡°He¡¯s at a height that I won¡¯t be able to reach in my lifetime.


    ¡°Furthermore, he¡¯s the son of Princess Ping Yang.


    ¡°There¡¯s also Cheng Lin. Although he¡¯s just a schr, he has an older sister who¡¯s Consort Xian. To put it bluntly, he¡¯s the Emperor¡¯s brother-inw with a status much higher than ours.


    ¡°As for Brother Chengye and Chengxi, although their achievements are a little low, they have helped us a lot.


    ¡°As for Father and Big Brother, they are our direct rtives.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to be very filial to them, but you shouldn¡¯t have thrown your face in front of them. Who are you acting out against?¡±


    He looked at her aggrieved and unwilling expression and snorted coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you feel wronged just because I asked you to do a little work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Think about it carefully. I¡¯ll go outside to sober up too.¡± Gu Chengsi stood up and was about to leave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± When Mrs. Bai heard this, she immediately stood up and pounced over. She hugged his waist from behind and sobbed, ¡°I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have embarrassed you in front of everyone. I won¡¯t dare to do it again. Don¡¯t divorce me.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about all day? When did I say I would divorce you?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m just afraid.


    ¡°Ever since you passed the schr examination, everyone around you has said that I¡¯m not worthy of you and that you might not want me anymore at any time.


    ¡°I even heard that after you passed the imperial examination, you might be taken in by a wealthy youngdy.


    ¡°So¡­ That¡¯s why I deliberately look down on this, look down on that, and talk about power.


    ¡°This way, they¡¯ll be afraid of me and won¡¯t dare to say anything else.¡± Mrs. Bai started crying after exining her reasons..

 Chapter 753 - 753: 753 Fooled

    Chapter 753 - 753: 753 Fooled


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengsi was stunned.


    However, after what happened to his sister, he believed that his parents, eldest brother, and sister-inw would definitely not look down on her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for our family to say such things.¡±


    ¡°I just saw that your status is getting higher and higher, so, so¡­¡±


    Gu Chengsi was momentarily speechless. He felt that she was quite stupid.<div>


    She clearly felt a sense of crisis, so why didn¡¯t she want to resolve it? She didn¡¯t want to get close to her family and instead did the opposite. Wouldn¡¯t that just make everyone hate her even more?


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one who¡¯s been whispering nonsense to you every day?¡± she asked.


    ¡°My old friends, as well as thedies in the town and county. They always said this every time they invited me to a gathering.¡± Mrs. Bai said.


    When Gu Chengsi heard this, he recalled how everyone had surrounded him and introduced him to all kinds of women after he passed the imperial examination. His eyes darkened. ¡°They¡¯re trying to sow discord between us. You¡¯ve fallen for their trick.¡±


    ¡°Huh, how could that be?¡±


    ¡°Why not? If we divorce or if I get rid of you, they will have a chance to marry me, right?¡±


    Mrs. Bai was stunned for a moment and looked at him in disbelief. However, when she saw his serious expression, she couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly.


    ¡°Remember this, as long as you don¡¯t break the family rules, I won¡¯t divorce you,¡± Gu Chengsi said seriously.


    ¡°So just be confident. If you¡¯re so paranoid, you have to think of something else to do.


    ¡°Also, you have to believe me. If I really had that kind of heart, I would have divorced you long ago when the Gu family was exonerated.


    ¡°Besides, I have Brother Chengrui to help me in court and Consort Xian to support me. I don¡¯t need to climb up the socialdder through marriage.


    ¡°However, you can¡¯t stay at home forever in the future.


    ¡°You have to be good at social interactions with the madams and youngdies.


    ¡°Each of them had a gut that could turn eighteen corners. You need to learn how to deal with them.


    ¡°Especially about rumors like this. You have to be calm. If you¡¯re not sure of anything, you can ask me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t easily make promises outside, and don¡¯t promise anything to anyone.


    ¡°If they can¡¯t be rejected, let theme to me.¡±


    Mrs. Bai became nervous after hearing this because she felt that she could not handle it at all.


    The gap between her and him was getting bigger and bigger. She had to learn well; otherwise, he might get bored of her at any time.


    ¡°Can I learn well? Can you find someone to teach me?¡±


    When Gu Chengsi said that, he thought of nannies. Those people might be servants, but they were smart when dealing with people.


    It seemed that he had to find a way to hire a nanny to follow and guide his wife.


    He told her his thoughts. ¡°Over the next few days, you should learn more from Mother and Sixth Aunt Gu. If there¡¯s nothing else, you can find your sister-inw Chengzhi for a chat.


    ¡°Although her father¡¯s official position is not high, she is still a proper official¡¯s daughter. She will know a lot.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t be silly anymore. If your family hates you, do you think your life will be good?¡±


    ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Turn over a new leaf. It¡¯s good that you know your mistakes and change them. Mother and sister-inw are not petty people.


    ¡°As for where we are, I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go pick up our son now.¡± Mrs. Bai smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Silly girl, don¡¯t be stupid in the future. Go to bed early afterward. I¡¯ll go talk to Big Brother.¡± Gu Chengsi turned and walked out..

 Chapter 754 - 754: 754 Giving An Idea

    Chapter 754 - 754: 754 Giving An Idea


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Outside, he saw his eldest brother helping his sister-inw wash the dishes in the kitchen. He walked over and said, ¡°Sister-inw, go and take care of Xiao Douzi. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±


    Mrs. Fang was stunned momentarily and knew he wanted to chat with Gu Chengen.


    She put the work in her hands down and said, ¡°Well¡­ alright, after you¡¯re done, boil some water to wash up.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± After Gu Chengsi finished speaking, he took over her job.


    ¡°Have you said everything?¡± Gu Chengen turned his head and asked.<div>


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it, but whether she changes or not is another matter.¡± Gu Chengsi replied with a headache.


    Because he could see clearly that no matter what he said, his wife still felt inferior in front of him, this was not something that could be changed in a short period of time.


    ¡°Brother, how do you think we can make her more confident?¡± he asked.


    Gu Chengen paused for a long time after hearing that. He had seen her arrogant look previously and thought she had looked down on them because of Gu Chengsi¡¯s rise in status.


    After all the fuss, she was the one who felt inferior, but she used arrogance and disdain to cover it up.


    He lowered his head and pondered for a moment.


    ¡°To put it bluntly, she just felt uneasy. It would be fine if you let her feel at ease.


    ¡°Of course, relying on words and promises is useless.


    ¡°You have to use practical actions to reassure her.¡±


    ¡°For example¡­?¡± Gu Chengsi hurriedly asked.


    Gu Chengen went silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Take some time every day to teach her something or tell her about your life outside, especially things that can inspire her.


    ¡°Only when her horizons are broadened can she keep up with your thoughts and your rtionship be firm.


    ¡°Just like Chengrui and his wife.


    ¡°It could be said that they are of one heart and one mind. They supported each other, so that¡¯s why they could go further than anyone else.


    ¡°I also heard something about them that made me very impressed.¡±


    After that, he told him how they rejected King Kang¡¯s previous offer to send people to their residence.


    ¡°Although they were rash, they understood each other¡¯s intentions, which was why they could force King Kang away.


    ¡°If it were another couple, the husband would not dare to fight back.


    ¡°As a wife, she definitely wouldn¡¯t dare say that. Firstly, she was afraid that her husband wouldin. Secondly, she would fear that she would offend King Kang and cause trouble for the family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It seems that we haven¡¯tmunicated enough.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. They are like an old couple. They can tell what the other person is thinking from their eyes and actions.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making me a little envious.¡±


    ¡°So, think about how you two should get along.¡±


    On the other hand, after returning home, Gu Chenglin said, ¡°Brother Chengrui, Cousin Chengsi¡¯s wife can¡¯t do it. She¡¯s too rash. She¡¯ll definitely bring trouble to him in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking quite far ahead.


    ¡°However, this is a matter between them. It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t interfere. Moreover, there are still their parents. If there¡¯s anything, they wille forward to resolve it.


    ¡°However, Mrs. Bai was indeed a little petty.


    ¡°I hope she can change as soon as possible. Otherwise, they won¡¯t be able to go far.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, everyone wants to be an official. It¡¯s not that easy to be an official. How many officials have died in the past two years?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, an official must be clear-headed. There are some things that can be touched and some things that cannot be touched.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then what are those?¡± Gu Chenglin asked curiously.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. You can¡¯t touch military expenses, the money for imperial examinations, disaster relief, or essential construction such as the river embankment.


    ¡°If you touch these, something will happen sooner orter. If something happens, all your money will be confiscated, and you and your family will be exterminated..¡±

 Chapter 755 - 755: 755 Preparing

    Chapter 755 - 755: 755 Preparing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Right. Other than rebellion, these are the most serious crimes. The key is that these are also the fastest and most coveted ways to earn money.


    ¡°Your father and the First Prince are mainly suffering because of this, so this silver must not be touched.¡±


    Then, Gu Chengrui used a pot to brew some chrysanthemum tea. The two of them drank some water and went to sleep.


    They woke up early the next day and went to the old mansion for dinner. Gu Chengrui saw that the old madam had also woken up and was quite tidy.


    ¡°Grandma, you¡¯re not going to help too, are you?¡± He asked curiously.<div>


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It was not easy for us to produce a schr in our n during the past hundred years. No matter what, I have to go over and help today.¡± Madam Qiao replied cheerfully.


    Mrs. Yao saw this and walked over. ¡°Chengrui, hurry up and persuade her. Your grandmother¡¯s health is not very good. How can she be exposed to the wind and sun outside?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You should stay at home. You can go over and join in the fun tomorrow.¡± Gu Chengrui echoed.


    ¡°Indeed. Grandma, just listen to us. Young people like us will be watching over the banquet preparation.¡± Gu Chengye echoed.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What are you guys talking about?¡± At this moment, Mr. Gu rushed back from outside.


    Gu Chengye told him about Madam Qiao¡¯s intention.


    ¡°Mother, there are many people there, old and young. You won¡¯t have any work to do. You should rest well at home.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re back, it¡¯s true that there¡¯s no need for me to go.


    ¡°By the way, where are Gu Zhi and your second son?¡±


    ¡°They will be there soon. We also heard the news of Chengsi and the others returning and rushing back overnight.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and wash up. Mrs. Guo, please cook for three more people.¡± After Madam Qiao finished speaking to Mrs. Guo, who had just finished washing the dishes, she turned around and returned to her room.


    ¡°Father, this is Chenglin. He has changed his surname to Gu Chenglin.¡± Gu Chengrui pulled Gu Chenglin out from behind him.


    ¡°Of course, I remember him. I brought him lots of food and toys when he was young. I just didn¡¯t expect him to grow up so quickly.¡± Mr. Gu smiled and pinched his little face.


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re pinching my face again.¡± Gu Chenglin dodged andined.


    ¡°Haha, you still have the same expression as when you were young.¡± Mr. Gu¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°It¡¯s good that you changed your surname. You¡¯ll be a child of the Gu family from now on.


    ¡°If you need anything or suffer any grievances, just tell your two uncles.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Gu Chenglin said.


    After a few polite words, Mr. Gu went in to wash up. Soon, Second Uncle Gu and Gu Chengzhi rushed back.


    After some pleasantries, Gu Chengrui and his group of four went to the ancestral hall first.


    At this moment, outside the ancestral hall, the nsmen had already set up a stove.


    They then set up a simple tent with cloth and grass curtains. The four of them quickly ran over to help.


    Not long after, the women in the vige rushed over and helped prepare the banquet, especially the steamed buns, pork knuckles, and braised beef. They needed to prepare things in advance.


    Everyone was busy for a day.


    Of course, they also prepared some simple dishes for lunch and dinner to entertain everyone.


    The Gu family members had all changed into clean clothes early the next morning. They began to wait in the vige to wee guests from all over.


    The first to arrive were Sun Hongliang and Manager Liu. However, after the two of them put down the gifts and the two chefs that had been sent over, they went straight back to town.


    Following that, as the patriarch had guessed, many uninvited wealthy people came.


    Of course, all the married girls in the vige, especially those from the Gu n, refused their entry.


    For a moment, the vige was filled with weingughter mixed with the noise of the children..

 Chapter 756 - 756: 756 Gratitude Banquet (1)

    Chapter 756 - 756: 756 Gratitude Banquet (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When it was almost noon, Bai Jingping and the other officials were finally here.


    Of course, Gu Chengrui was a third-grade official, after all, so he did not go to wee the guests.


    Instead, he, Mr. Gu, and Second Uncle Gu helped the patriarch entertain the guests near the ancestral hall.


    Bai Jingping and the others were led in by Gu Chengxi. After arriving, he immediately came over and bowed, ¡°I am Bai Jingping (Tian Jingzhong). Greetings, Lord Gu.¡±


    ¡°The two of you, please get up. We have really gone through thick and thin together. Everyone, there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and greeted them.<div>


    ¡°Also, I haven¡¯t congratted the two of you for your promotion.¡±


    ¡°Same here, same here. How long do you n to stay this time? Let¡¯s meet up when you¡¯re free?¡± Bai Jingping suggested.


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll go to the county town when I have time. Let¡¯s have a good gathering at Hongyun Restaurant.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Bai Jingpingughed.


    After saying that, he politely greeted Gu Chengye and went to look for Gu


    Chengsi, the main character of the day.


    ¡°Hello, Brother-inw.¡± Gu Chengrui walked up to Constable Zhang.


    ¡°Hello. I heard that Sister-inw is pregnant. Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Same to you. We weren¡¯t around when you got married. Come to our house after you¡¯re done with your work in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°No problem. We don¡¯t n to go back today and have plenty of time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s gather around and talk. Otherwise, meeting each other again in the future won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    At this moment, the vige chief walked over with a few other vige chiefs nearby and bowed.


    Then, he invited them to sit down and said, ¡°Everyone, sit down and have a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°Third brother, let me do it.¡± After Feng Chun finished speaking, he took the kettle from his hand.


    The vige chief saw that Gu Chengrui did not put on any air. He smiled and asked, ¡°Chengrui, you¡¯re back. How many days can you stay?¡±


    ¡°After Chengsi leaves, I¡¯ll be going back too. Grandpa Qian, do you want to go to the capital with me to see how prosperous the capital is?¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    The vige chief quickly shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m old. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to return here after a trip to the capital.¡±


    Gu Chengrui sized him up and saw that his expression was not too good. No wonder he did not see him yesterday.


    ¡°Grandpa Qian, are you feeling unwell? Do you need me to take a look at you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That will be great. I just feel that these old bones are getting useless. I¡¯m panting after walking a distance.¡± After the vige chief finished speaking, he coughed twice and took a sip of tea before handing his hand to him.


    Gu Chengrui took his pulse and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big problem. In the future, eat more Chinese yam, jujube, and wolfberries. Basically, your weakness is caused by insufficient blood and energy.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say that Grandpa Qian was almost at the end of his rope, which was why the weakness and malnourished look.


    He could still live for two or three years if he cared for his body well. Otherwise, it was hard to say if he could even live past the following year.


    ¡°To put it bluntly, it was because of the disaster a few years ago. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t suffer such a blow to my health.¡± The vige chief replied helplessly.


    ¡°Indeed. Those elderly in those years were either dead or injured. It wasn¡¯t easy.¡± At this moment, a vige chief echoed.


    ¡°Yeah. In those few years, not only did the elderly not eat well, but they alsocked medical care. It was not easy for anyone to survive. Oh, right, what kind of crops are nted in the nearby viges?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Our vige mainly produces sweet potatoes. In half a year, we can also nt some corn.¡±


    ¡°Our vige also mainly nts sweet potatoes. We also found some rice seeds and n to nt them in the future..¡±

 Chapter 757 - 757: 757 Gratitude Banquet (2)

    Chapter 757 - 757: 757 Gratitude Banquet (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Now, our county seems to be mainly nting sweet potatoes. However, the yield of this thing is high. I¡¯m afraid that we won¡¯t be able to sell it after nting it.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I heard from the boat runners that Big Ming is already selling sweet potatoes everywhere. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s really not easy to sell.¡±


    ¡°Then leave it for me. When the sweet potatoes are harvested in autumn, I¡¯ll get my subordinates to go to the various viges to collect them.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we n to build a vermicelli workshop. We will use arge number of sweet potatoes, so you can nt as many as you can.<div>


    Oh right, there¡¯s also chili, soybeans, and broad beans. You can all nt them.


    We¡¯ll take as much as you have.¡±


    ¡°With your words, we have an idea. Then we¡¯ll go back and tell the vigers.¡±


    ¡± Tell me, when we collect them, until we reach the Mountain Taste Residence, Manager Sun will arrange it.¡±


    On the other end, Bai Jingping was surprised to hear people discussing Gu Chengsi¡¯snd as he passed by.


    Gu Chengsi came over and sat down after a round of politeness.¡± When I was walking over just now, I heard that you rejected the offer of those wealthy families. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this little brother only agreed to the vige, which is the Tian and Gu ns.


    Everyone else, including his rtives, rejected him.


    Firstly, my father is getting old, and my brother is the only one who can¡¯t handle it.


    Also, I won¡¯t be at home all year round in the future. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll cause trouble again, so I rejected it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this just nice?¡± Gu Chengsi smiled.¡±! can let you collect more taxes, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Bai Jingping nodded in agreement.


    He was different from him. He might not be able toe back for many years. If there were any changes at home, he would not be able to care at all. It was better not to provoke them from the beginning.


    ¡°Oh right, which county did you get assigned to?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡± The county where Chen Peng used to live is a t in. It¡¯s not easy to make achievements there.¡±


    Bai Jingping was stunned for a moment. After remembering who Chen Peng was, heughed in his heart.


    After that, he said,¡± Each has its own benefits. It¡¯s also stable there. Now that everything has just calmed down, it¡¯s still easy to make achievements.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, has Lord Sun been transferred to the Tranquil Sun Residence to be the magistrate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You can ask him more when you go over. His ability is quite good.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    On the female side, Madam Wang brought her two daughters-inw and Gu Ziyi.


    Madam Liu, Madam Yao, Madam Yang, and Gu Chengye¡¯s daughter-inw, Madam Yu, were entertaining thedies.


    After exchanging pleasantries and everyone sat down, a woman walked up to Madam Wang and said,¡± Madam Gu is so blessed. Your son has passed the Jinshi examination at such a young age. His future will definitely be bleak.¡±


    ¡°Madam Tian, you tter me. I was just lucky.¡± Lady Wang smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re too humble. I have a niece in my maiden family. Although she came from a merchant family, she¡¯s literate and can manage her own shop.


    Do you want to matchmake them?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already married and has a son who¡¯s not even two years old, so I think we should forget about this matter.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, he¡¯s still a county magistrate. Isn¡¯t it too rare for him to have a woman inside and outside?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be chaotic if there are too many women.


    Besides, we¡¯re from a small family. We really can¡¯t afford to raise so many women. I think we should forget about it.¡±


    Madam Wang saw that she still wanted to persuade her and saw that there was a guest at the door, so she immediately went up to greet him..

 Chapter 758 - 758: 758 Gratitude Banquet (3)

    Chapter 758 - 758: 758 Gratitude Banquet (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sister Bai, how many words have you learned recently? You have to hurry up and learn more. Otherwise, if you can¡¯t read even an article, how can you help Lord Gu manage his residence?¡±


    Mrs. Bai looked at her ¡®friend¡¯ and was furious. Wasn¡¯t she just mocking her for not being worthy of her husband?


    However, she recalled what her husband had said before and smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Chengsi is teaching me personally. He said he would also spare 25 minutes daily to teach me.¡±


    ¡°Also, ounting is not a small matter. You have to learn it as soon as possible. Otherwise, how can you manage the food in the residence?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Chengsi said that he would definitely teach me within half a month. It won¡¯t dy anything. Don¡¯t worry.¡±<div>


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Oh, right, you have to learn royal etiquette quickly. You¡¯ll use it when you socialize in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Chengsi said that he would teach me slowly in the future.¡±


    No matter what her ¡®friends¡¯ said next, Mrs. Bai replied to them with a smile and said Gu Chengsi would teach her.


    The women around her were envious, jealous, and hateful.


    However, there was nothing they could do. They couldn¡¯t possibly sow discord between them, right?


    At the same time, they also realized that she was no longer feeling inferior or impatient. Instead, she looked happy and trusted, annoying them.


    Mrs. Bai looked at them, and her nervous heart finally settled down.


    When they were distracted, she left with the excuse of entertaining guests.


    Just as she got up, she met Mrs. Yang¡¯s gaze. She stepped forward and asked, ¡°Sister-inw Chengzhi, did you see what happened just now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you handled it well.¡± Mrs. Yang smiled.


    ¡°If it were you, how would you deal with it? To be honest, they have belittled me so many times. I¡¯m really sick of them.¡±


    ¡°You did very well just now. The more they say that, the more you talk about how sweet you and your husband are, what he gave you, what he did for you, and so on.


    ¡°Once they get annoyed, you can find all kinds of excuses to slip away. If you really can¡¯t, just ignore them.


    ¡°In short, don¡¯t panic. Once you panic, they will seed.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this kind of thing will happen more in the future. You have to practice the ability to hide your emotions.¡±


    ¡°It sounds so difficult.¡±


    ¡°So, don¡¯t look at those madams and youngdies who seemed all morous.


    ¡°However, practice makes perfect. You¡¯ll get used to it after a long time.¡±


    At the same time, several people approached Mrs. Fang, Gu Ziyi, Sixth Aunt Gu, and even Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao to inquire about Gu Chengsi¡¯s marriage.


    Mrs. Fang and Gu Ziyi directly refused to interfere.


    Mrs. Liu and the other three did not want to care. Instead, Mrs. Yao picked and chose, wishing to set up a marriage for Gu Chengxi.


    Of course, she was not interested in the lowest-ranked ones, and the highest-ranked ones were not interested in Gu Chengxi¡¯s status as a concubine, so they could not conclude in the end.


    During this time, Mrs. Bai¡¯s inws also heard the news that someone wanted to stuff women into her son-inw¡¯s house. They immediately went forward and argued, almost causing a ruckus.


    After sending all the guests away, everyone was tired.


    After Gu Chengsi finished his work, he saw Mrs. Bai walking over with a long face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did someone say something to you again?¡±


    ¡°No, but there are quite a number of people asking about you today. There are at least eight families.¡±


    ¡°More than that. I think there are more than twenty of them. Fortunately, we all rejected them.


    ¡°Be careful when you speak and act outside in the future. Don¡¯t let anyone catch you.¡± Mrs. Wang walked over and said..

 Chapter 759 - 759: 759 Chatting

    Chapter 759 - 759: 759 Chatting


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I will be careful.¡± Gu Chengsi nodded solemnly.


    To be honest, some still took the initiative to offer him women today, but he rejected them all.


    No wonder Mrs. Bai was so paranoid all day. To be honest, if it were him, he would also be angry.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. In the future, if there¡¯s anything, you can discuss it with me. It¡¯s inconvenient for us to interfere, and we can¡¯t even interfere when you¡¯re in your new ce.¡± After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she waved her hand and let them go.


    After they left, Gu Chengsi was so tired that hey on the bed.<div>


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui brought Constable Zhang home, he made some tea before asking, ¡°Brother-inw, how¡¯s the family recently? Are the children getting along well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. The children are sensible, so we don¡¯t have to worry much. Oh, right, I heard that Zhou Ying is pregnant. How many months is she along now?¡± Constable Zhang asked.


    ¡°She got pregnant on New Year¡¯s Eve. It¡¯s been almost four months now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. It¡¯s just in time for the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The weather isn¡¯t that hot anymore.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we specially calcted these days forfortable weather during the delivery.¡±


    ¡°This can be calcted?¡±


    ¡°Of course, as long as there are no problems with both parties¡¯ bodies, they can give birth whenever they want.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he even taught him how to calcte.


    Constable Zhang¡¯s eyes lit up after hearing that. He really did not expect that there was so much knowledge about giving birth.


    It seemed that he had to go back and put it into practice. With two children together, their rtionship would be more secure in the future.


    After that, they started to chat, from home to politics.


    On the other end, Sixth Aunt Gu was also pulling Gu Ziyi to ask how the couple was doing.


    Gu Ziyi blushed and replied, ¡°It¡¯s good. My mother-inw doesn¡¯t meddle, and the two children are quite sensible.¡±


    ¡°Phew, I can tell from your appearance that you¡¯re doing well. We can rest assured now.


    ¡°However, you have to hurry up and have another child. Otherwise, your rtionship will fade as time passes. It¡¯s hard to say when you¡¯re old.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu smiled.


    ¡°Yes. You have two daughters now. It¡¯s better to have a son by your side. You¡¯ll have a filial son when you¡¯re old, and it¡¯ll be more lively in yourter years.¡± Mrs. Yao echoed.


    When the others heard this, they persuaded her to give birth to one or two more children as soon as possible.


    ¡°Sorry for making everyone worry. I will remember this.¡± Gu Ziyi smiled.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui sent Constable Zhang off, he locked the door and went to his old home.


    When he entered the courtyard, there was a wave ofughter. It turned out that Gu Ziqiu, Gu Zishan, and their children were all there.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Why are you having such a good time?¡± He asked after entering the house.


    ¡°Chengrui, you¡¯re here! Come and take a seat. We¡¯re ying with the children. It¡¯s quite fun.¡± Second Uncle Gu waved at him.


    ¡°Indeed, two or three-year-olds are the cutest.¡± Madam Qiao chuckled in agreement.


    Gu Chengrui smiled as he took out some coins from his wallet. ¡°Here, half a tael each. Take them to buy candy or something delicious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Third Uncle.¡± Gu Chengzhi¡¯s son, Gu Jiehao, took it and smiled.


    ¡°Not bad; you still remember Third Uncle. I will bring you to the county for a big meal another day.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°From the sound of it, you¡¯ll be treating everyone?¡± Mr. Gu said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. In two days, we¡¯ll have a gathering with Lord Bai and Lord Tian.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and continued, ¡°Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you shoulde. Help me apany them to drink..¡±

 Chapter 760 - 760: 760 Suggestion

    Chapter 760 - 760: 760 Suggestion


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want. It¡¯s also beneficial for us to build a good rtionship with them.¡± Gu Chengye replied.


    Gu Chengzhi would not refuse after hearing this. After all, getting to know more influential people would definitely be helpful to their business in the future.<div>


    Next, Gu Chengrui mentioned his ns for the harvest of chili and sweet potatoes after autumn to everyone so that they could nt more appropriately.


    Gu Chengrui apanied Gu Chengsi to the county town¡¯s dental clinic, buying two nannies and two servants who knew martial arts.


    On the way back, Gu Chengsi asked, ¡°Brother Chengrui, is vermicelli selling well? Can you open a shop in Pingyang Province? That way, the people there can generate some ie.¡±


    ¡°You want everyone to nt more sweet potatoes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s all ins over there, and there¡¯s no pier for docks. We can only rely on a variety of crops to make a living.¡±


    ¡°We can open a shop, but as you said, there¡¯s not even a decent dock there. It¡¯s probably inconvenient to transport the goods.


    ¡°Therefore, the quantity we get would be not much.


    ¡°However, there were benefits to being on the ins. Thend on the ins is generally more fertile and more essible for harvest.


    ¡°In my opinion, why don¡¯t you think of a way to harvest seeds? This way, the overall ie of the people there will increase by arge margin.¡±


    ¡°Seeds?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the seeds of any crop will degenerate after a long time. However, with goodnd and proper management, as long as we pick plump seeds every time, we can slow down the degeneration of the seeds.<div>


    ¡°Then, you can sell the seeds to other ces. It¡¯s much more cost-effective than selling the grain alone.


    ¡°Also, you can nt chili and cotton. I can ept these.


    As for potatoes, let¡¯s wait a little longer. I¡¯ll look for you when we expand there.¡±


    Gu Chengsi nodded thoughtfully.


    After returning home, Mrs. Bai led the servants she had bought to Gu Ziyi¡¯s house.


    Gu Chengrui took advantage of the fact that no one was around, and they parted ways to give Gu Chengsi 5,000 taels of silver. ¡°Take this. When you take office, you¡¯ll have to make arrangements for everyone. You¡¯ll have to set up a livelihood. It¡¯ll definitelye in handy.¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t want it. This is too much. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Take it. Just treat it as a loan. Just return it to me in the future.


    ¡°But don¡¯t be greedy. Yang Zhicheng is an example. He didn¡¯t have a good ending.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my morality. My little brother will be my reminder.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go back then.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked home.


    Gu Chengsi looked at the silver notes in his hand and felt they weighed a thousand pounds. At the same time, he silently remembered this favor in his heart.


    After returning home, Gu Chengsi told the patriarch about this matter alone.


    The patriarch was stunned for a moment. ¡°Keep it. Just like he said, when you get there and buy some property, it will at least be enough for your expenses.¡±


    ¡°It also saves you from worrying about your livelihood.


    ¡°Also, I must remind you again that you are not allowed to be greedy.¡±


    After all, a monthly sry of ten taels of silver is not enough to do anything. Whether for social gatherings or peace of mind as an official, they could not do without silver.


    However, there are only 200 taels of silver left at their home. Even if he gave them all to Gu Chengsi, he could only buy a few sets of clothes to support his appearance.


    ¡°I know, father. I won¡¯t.¡± Gu Chengsi nodded solemnly.


    Over the next few days, Gu Chengrui either went to the manor to help or followed Sun Hongliang to the workshop.


    Five dayster, after he was almost done with his family matters, Gu Chengrui treated the people in the manor to a meal at noon and gathered together.


    The next night, they gathered at Grasnd Taste Restaurant and invited Manager Liu to have a good meal together..

 Chapter 761 - 761: 761 The Death Of Madam Qiao

    Chapter 761 - 761: 761 The Death Of Madam Qiao


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The day before his departure, Gu Chengrui brought Gu Chengye, Gu Chengzhi, and his son to the county town to treat the county officials to a feast.


    On the day of departure, Gu Chengrui and Gu Chenglin had just packed their luggage when they suddenly heard a hurried knock on the door.<div>


    Gu Chengrui immediately ran over and opened the door to see Gu Chengxi standing there with red eyes.


    Before he could say anything, Gu Chengxi said anxiously, ¡°Chengrui, it¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t leave. Grandma doesn¡¯t seem to be able to make it. You should go and take a look.¡±


    ¡°What happened? Wasn¡¯t everything finest night?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She suddenly copsed. You should hurry over and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Chenglin, let¡¯s not pack up yet. Let¡¯s go and see Grandma.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and shouted. After he came out and locked the door, they ran back to their old home.


    Before he entered the door, he heard waves of crying.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s heart skipped a beat, thinking it shouldn¡¯t be so fast.


    ¡°Chengrui, you¡¯re here. Hurry up and check on your grandmother. Why did she suddenly copse?¡± Mr. Gu immediately waved at him when he saw him.


    Gu Chengrui had no choice but to run a few steps. When he entered the house, he saw Madam Qiao lying on the bed. He quickly went forward to take her pulse and do aprehensive examination.


    ¡°Father, prepare for the funeral.¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on? Why is it so sudden?¡±<div>


    ¡°A cerebral hemorrhage means that the blood vessels in the brain have ruptured.


    ¡°I can use acupuncture to wake Grandma up and see if she has anyst words.¡±


    When Gu Chengrui said this, he asked Mrs. Huang for an embroidery needle and quickly stabbed Madam Qiao with it.


    A momentter, Mrs. Qiao woke up. She first looked at everyone in confusion. Finally, she looked at Gu Chengrui. ¡°Chengrui, am I not going to make it?¡±


    She could clearly feel that her limbs were no longer under her control, and even her head felt highly ufortable, as if it were covered in a thick fog.


    ¡°Mhm, if there¡¯s anything you need, just tell us. We¡¯ll do our best.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    Madam Qiao smiled and said, ¡°Take out the small box in my bed and open it.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately bent over and took out a small box from underneath her bed. He opened it and ced it in front of her.


    Madam Qiao turned her head and looked at the crowd. ¡°Divide this silver into three portions. Eldest Brother and Second Brother each have one portion. Chengrui and Chenglin each have one portion.


    ¡°The rest of the jewelry could be divided equally between Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao.


    ¡°Everyone must work together and be a good support for Consort¡­ Xian.¡±


    Thest word was almost inaudible, but from the shape of her mouth, everyone could understand what she meant.


    When thest word fell, Madam Qiao also stopped breathing.


    Gu Chengrui quickly put away the needle.


    Everyone saw her reaction and understood what he meant. They pounced on her and cried bitterly.


    Especially Second Uncle Gu, who was crying so hard that his nose was dripping with tears.


    About fifteen minutester, Father Gu stood up and said, ¡°Liu, sister-inw, put on the shroud for Mother. Chengye, Chengzhi, inform the nsmen.¡±


    The four of them immediately took action when they heard that.


    Gu Chengrui followed Second Uncle Gu to the town to buy a coffin.


    When they returned, the mourning shed had already been built.


    This time, Gu Chengrui also met Father Gu¡¯s new concubine, Qin Shi. She looked like Zhou Zheng and was a smart woman.


    He heard she was not at home before because she was in town for her birth confinement.


    Gu Chengrui just greeted her. After introducing himself, he did not say a word to her again.


    Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Due to Gu Chengrui and Gu Chengye¡¯s rtionship, although only a few people were notified, many people still came. Therefore, these seven days were quite tiring.


    After that, they set off on their way back to the capital..

 Chapter 762 - 762: 762 Giving Birth To A Daughter

    Chapter 762 - 762: 762 Giving Birth To A Daughter


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the blink of an eye, it was autumn, and the fruits on the farm had ripened.


    This morning, Gu Chengrui was about to go to the manor to teach everyone how to brew wine when Zhou Ying suddenly felt a pain in her stomach.<div>


    She quickly stopped him. ¡°Rui, don¡¯t go. I think I¡¯m going to give birth.¡±


    ¡°Huh? That quickly?¡± Gu Chengrui was stunned. After he reacted, he quickly asked Shizhu to call Mother Qiu and the midwife over.


    He helped Zhou Ying sit on a chair and took her pulse. After a while, his hand trembled. ¡°You¡¯re really going to give birth, but it looks like it¡¯s still early. Let me help you walk around the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she slowly walked out with him.


    Not long after, Mother Qiu and the midwife rushed over. They quickly set up the delivery room and prepared everything they needed.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s contraction had also begun when they were almost done with their preparations.


    After Gu Chengrui sent her into the delivery room, he rechecked her pulse.


    After confirming there was no problem, he handed her to the midwife and said, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor. I¡¯ll wait outside. Call me if there¡¯s anything.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry, Master.¡± The midwife nodded and got busy.


    Gu Chengrui walked out of the delivery room after that.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s scream was heard when he stepped out the door. Gu Chengrui was so scared that his legs went weak. Then, he leaned against the pir in the veranda and stared at the delivery room.<div>


    He looked at the servant girls, who came in and out with hot water basins.


    Two hourster, with the loud cry of a baby, their eldest daughter was born.


    Gu Chengrui immediately got up and ran in, frightening Mother Qiu.


    Seeing that it was him, she immediately smiled. ¡°Congrattions, Master. It¡¯s a daughter. Both mother and daughter are safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you. I¡¯ll go in and take a look.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he immediately ran in.


    Mother Qiu wanted to stop him at first. After all, the delivery room was a ce that men shouldn¡¯t enter. However, before she could say anything, he had already gone in.


    After Gu Chengrui entered the room, the midwife and the servant girls were almost done cleaning up. When she saw him enter, she immediately smiled and went forward. ¡°Congrattions, Master. Mistress is blessed, and the birth went very smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Please wait outside for a moment.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he walked to the bed. When he saw the exhausted Zhou Ying, he sat down and took her pulse.


    ¡°Take care of the child. I want to sleep.¡± Zhou Ying opened her eyes and said.


    ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll take care of the child.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he kissed her forehead and tucked her in. He got up and looked at the baby in the cradle.


    The baby was dirty and red with blood, and she looked pretty ugly, truth be told.


    But no matter how he looked at her, she looked all too adorable. He smiled and kissed her little fist. After checking her pulse and confirming that nothing was wrong, he kissed her again before turning around and walking out.


    When he arrived outside, he saw the midwife waiting outside. He took two silver ingots from his wallet and handed them to her.


    The midwife immediately stood up and smiled. ¡°Master, you¡¯re too polite. This is what a midwife should do.¡±


    ¡°Since you are a doctor, then I will take my leave.¡±


    To be honest, it was not that she had never received such a high amount of thank-you money before, but that was after a difficult birth.


    She had never seen such a generous person, and the rumors seemed true. The rtionship between the husband and wife was excellent. Even when Zhou Ying gave birth to a daughter, Gu Chengrui wasn¡¯t unhappy even one bit.


    How would she know that not only did Gu Chengrui not value sons over daughters, but he preferred having a cute daughter? Not to mention, she was their first child in two lifetimes..

 Chapter 763 - 763: 763 The Gu Family Arrives

    Chapter 763 - 763: 763 The Gu Family Arrives


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the morning, Gu Chengrui stayed in the house for the whole morning. After confirming that Zhou Ying was not in danger, he went to the kitchen to give some instructions. In the afternoon, he rushed to the manor.


    After teaching Head Fang how to brew wine overnight, he rushed back the following day.<div>


    After dinner, he personally brought in a bowl of sesame oil and pork liver soup, together with a bowl of rice. ¡°You must be hungry. Hurry up and eat.¡±


    ¡°Did you follow the recipe for a delivery confinement meal?¡± Zhou Ying nced at the things he had brought in.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nutritious, and it can also help with your discharge. It¡¯s a good thing.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he wanted to feed her.


    Zhou Ying smelled the fishy smell of the pig liver. She immediately frowned and said, ¡°This is too smelly. How can I eat it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make do. I¡¯ll cook it next time. It¡¯ll definitely be nutritious and delicious.¡±


    Zhou Ying tried to taste it, but she quickly spat it out. She pushed it away and said, ¡°Hurry up and make it then. I don¡¯t want to eat this. It tastes too bad.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make you a cup of brown sugar water first. Remember to drink it while it¡¯s hot. I¡¯ll make it again for you now.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he carried the food out.


    However, although the food he made still smelled, it wasn¡¯t too bad. Zhou Ying had no choice but to pinch her nose and eat it.


    Just as she put down his bowl, the baby woke up. ¡°Alright, our little princess is awake.¡±


    After saying that, Gu Chengrui carried her from the cradle and handed her over.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call her that,¡± Zhou Ying reminded him. ¡°It might cause a misunderstanding.¡±<div>


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. He raised his hand and patted his mouth.


    They were in a feudal dynasty, so he couldn¡¯t call their daughter that. He hesitated momentarily before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s call her Guoguo. Guo means fruit, and she¡¯s the fruit of our love. It¡¯s also the season of autumn harvest, where fruits are plentiful.¡±


    ¡°Guoguo. It sounds like a boy¡¯s name,¡± Zhou Yingmented as she fed the baby.


    ¡°Neutral, not too masculine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you. I¡¯ll leave her main name to you too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, put her to sleep after you feed her. I have to prepare to report the good news.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    Then, he began to prepare invitations for their celebration.


    However, because there were no elders on both sides, Gu Chengrui brought Mother Qju to give Guoguo a simple bath.


    Therefore, the invitation was for Guoguo¡¯s one-month-old birthday.


    In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Through Gu Chengrui¡¯s meticulous care, Zhou Ying clearly felt that her body was much better and her energy had also recovered.


    Zhou Ying also resumed her work in her interspace at night.


    Of course, Gu Chengrui would take care of the physicalbor.


    One morning, Zhou Ying had just finished a bowl of red bean soup when Shizhu walked in and reported, ¡°Master, Mistress, people from your hometown came. They said that they are from your father and uncle¡¯s family.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was surprised to hear that and figured out they might havee for the child. He quickly stood up and said, ¡°Help clean this ce up. I¡¯ll go and invite them personally.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Shizhu nodded and tidied up the room as Zhou Ying changed into a set of clean clothes.


    When they were almost done, Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Yao, and Mrs. Yang each carried a bag and walked in. Zhou Ying saw this and wanted to get up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Mrs. Liu said hurriedly. ¡°You mustn¡¯t catch a cold at this time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not outsiders. Just sit there in peace.¡± Mrs. Yao echoed.


    She walked over and sized her up. ¡°Your little face is so rosy. It looks like you¡¯ve recovered quite well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s mainly because of Chengrui¡¯s herbal dishes.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and replied..

 Chapter 764 - 764: 764 Gift

    Chapter 764 - 764: 764 Gift<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Herbal dishes?¡± Mrs. Yao asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, herbal dishes. He said that I¡¯mcking nutrition after giving birth, so I need to make up for it as soon as possible. Eldest sister-inw, why didn¡¯t you bring your children here?¡±<div>


    ¡°I was afraid that they would cause a ruckus, so I didn¡¯t let theme.¡± Mrs. Yang smiled.


    ¡°Ah, the children are still young and are noisy. Let them follow your second uncle in the outer courtyard.¡± Mrs. Yao echoed.


    She looked at the cradle and asked, ¡°I heard that he gave birth to a daughter. Her name is Guoguo?¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s quite a lively girl.¡± Zhou Ying replied with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal. She¡¯s just a baby, and babies cry when they need something.¡± After saying that, Mrs. Liu gathered the three bags and added, ¡°Oh, right, this is a little gift from us. It¡¯s also from the n, too.¡±


    After saying that, she opened the three bags and began to take them out. There were baby clothes, shoes, nkets, and even a cloak.


    There were also some gold essories, mainly bracelets and longevity locks.


    However, only Mr. Gu, Second Uncle Gu, and the vige chief¡¯s gifts were made of gold; the rest were all silver.


    ¡°Help me thank everyone when we go back. I¡¯ll make up for it the next time we go back.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Ying,¡± Mrs. Yang asked in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the one who¡¯s feeding the child?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Chengrui said it¡¯s good for both the mother and the child¡¯s health to feed the child personally.<div>


    ¡°They will be stronger and more resistant to diseases.¡±


    ¡°Is there such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either. I¡¯ll just do as he says. Besides, when I feed my daughter, our bond will deepen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying also knew that they didn¡¯t juste to visit but also helped transport arge amount of chili and cumin.


    After the baby woke up, the three of them looked at each other. They stood up and said, ¡°She¡¯s awake. We won¡¯t disturb you anymore. We¡¯lle and see youter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you have to stay for a few more days. When the full moones, do help us entertain the guests.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. Take your rest; we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    After they left, Zhou Yingy down and began to feed the baby.


    After a while, Gu Chengrui walked over and said, ¡°Babe, there are too many people here. There isn¡¯t enough food at home, so I¡¯m going to bring them to a restaurant to eatter.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to cook lunch for you.¡±<div>


    ¡°How many came?¡±


    ¡°Father, Mrs. Liu, Second Uncle, his wife, Eldest Brother¡¯s family of four, Chengxi, and Gu Ziqiong.


    ¡°However, Gu Ziqiong is seasick, so she didn¡¯te to see you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. If we can¡¯t arrange them a guest house, let them stay in the east courtyard. The possibility of Wanninging back to stay is low.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I will be doing. You should rest. I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    After he left, Zhou Ying called Shizhu in and asked her to put away the things Mrs. Liu and the others had brought.


    In the blink of an eye, Guoguo was one month old. At the same time, Guoguo¡¯s official name was also decided. She was called Gu Yunxia.


    Early in the morning, Zhou Ying asked someone to prepare a bath. However, she did not take a bath outside because the weather was cold. Instead, she asked Gu Chengrui to watch over the baby and went inside her interspace to bathe.


    When she finished breakfast, Princess Mingyu rushed over with her maidservants. When she saw Guoguo, she eximed happily, ¡°Sister Zhou, what a cute baby you gave birth to! This child¡¯s eyes are like gems, ck and shiny..¡±

 Chapter 765 - 765: 765 One Month Old (1)

    Chapter 765 - 765: 765 One Month Old (1)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°A child is like a piece of white paper. Her eyes are clear and bright, so of course, she looks good. You¡¯re about to give birth, aren¡¯t you?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, my Imperial Mother said that there¡¯s less than a month left.¡±<div>


    ¡°You have to be careful. Stay in this room and don¡¯t go outter. Don¡¯t knock into something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too. I¡¯ll watch over the baby today.¡± After saying that, Mingyu asked the servant girl beside her to open a square box.


    ¡°This is a little toy for her. Don¡¯t mind it, okay?¡±


    ¡°How could that be? It¡¯s iid with high-quality white jade. But isn¡¯t it too expensive for a baby?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. If she likes it, she can wear it for a lifetime.¡±


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying also learned that the northern border had started to have conflicts again.


    Soon, Elderly Consort An and Consort An walked in together, giving Guoguo a gold-iid jade safety lock.


    After a few polite greetings, Consort An went over to show concern for Mingyu.


    Zhou Ying also knew from her conversation with Elderly Consort An that her high blood pressure had acted up. She wanted to find Gu Chengrui to take her pulse and prescribe some medicine to bring back, apart from celebrating Guoguo¡¯s month-old birthday.


    Zhou Ying reminded her, ¡°This disease is easy to rpse when the seasons change. You have to be careful. Don¡¯t catch a cold.


    ¡°Especially in the morning, you must wait for the sun to rise and the cold air to dissipate beforeing out.<div>


    ¡°Now that it¡¯s foggy, catching a cold will be detrimental to your body.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. I just rushed into the pce the morning before yesterday and felt ufortable when I came back.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s an emergency, wear a hat or a headscarf.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember this.¡±


    Following that, many more people came in one after another. However, they were afraid of disturbing the baby, so they quickly went outside.


    Zhou Ying received a lot of jewelry on Guoguo¡¯s behalf.


    When it was almost time to eat, Niu Fugui suddenly ran in from outside and shouted, ¡°Consort Xian is here.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately stood up and bowed.


    Then, he noticed that Eunuch Qian had alsoe down from the carriage behind him and gave him a simple bow.


    Eunuch Qian returned the greeting. ¡°Lord Gu, you are too polite. I am here today on behalf of the Emperor and the Empress to congratte you.¡±


    ¡°Wee, pleasee in.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he led them in.<div>


    After Gu Wanning entered, she walked straight to the main courtyard with Chun Xi.


    When everyone saw her, they immediately stood up and bowed.


    After Gu Wanning returned the greeting to Elderly Consort An and the other elders, she turned around and walked into the bedroom.


    Zhou Ying and Mingyu were about to stand up and bow when Gu Wanning waved her hand. ¡°No need. I¡¯ll take a look at my niece first.¡±


    After saying that, she walked up to Guoguo.


    Guoguo happened to be awake. When she saw her gorgeous outfit, she immediately smiled and stretched out her hand.


    Gu Wanning smiled. ¡°Guoguo, since you like me so much, I¡¯ll give you a little gift.¡±


    After saying that, she put a jade pendant on her neck. However, she realized that Guoguo was still staring at her, and her small hands scratched at her.


    Gu Wanning picked her up curiously.


    Guoguo grabbed the red coral tassel on Gu Wanning¡¯s hairpin when she lowered her head.


    Zhou Ying quickly stepped forward and lifted Guoguo up. She took her over and said, ¡°Stinky girl, you dare to grab anything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. If she likes it, just give it to her. It¡¯s just a hairpin.¡± After Gu Wanning finished speaking, she was about to pull it down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Not to mention that you can¡¯t mess up your appearance; we can¡¯t spoil her either. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be troublesome if she bes a little tyrant.¡± Zhou Ying quickly stopped Gu Wanning.


    Guoguo might have sensed that the thing she liked was about to fly away. Her little mouth pouted, and she immediately started crying..

 Chapter 766 - 766: 766 One Month Old (2)

    Chapter 766 - 766: 766 One Month Old (2)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I used to hear from my mother that children like things with bright colors. I didn¡¯t expect it to be true,¡± Mingyu said with a smile.


    After saying that, she took off the coral bracelet she was wearing and waved it in front of Guoguo. As expected, Guoguo immediately stopped crying. She grabbed it and stuffed it into her mouth.<div>


    Zhou Ying immediately snatched it over and returned it to Mingyu. ¡°Children put everything they catch into their mouths. Don¡¯t let them take hold of something.¡±


    Mingyu shook her head. ¡°If she likes it, then keep it. It¡¯s just nice. When she cries, we can coax her.¡±


    Seeing that Guoguo was about to cry again, Zhou Ying immediately stuffed the red rag doll she had prepared into her arms.


    The little girl immediately stopped crying and started tearing the doll with both hands.


    ¡°It looks like Guoguo likes red.¡± Gu Wanning smiled.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and took out a beautiful rag doll resembling a small watermelon. Guoguo immediately grabbed it in her hand and started ying with it.


    ¡°She sure knows how to y.¡±


    After the three of them chatted, Gu Wanning went to look for Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Yao.


    Soon, the banquet began. Zhou Ying carried her baby out and walked around the banquet to let everyone recognize her.


    Coincidentally, Guoguo had also started crying. She toasted everyone with water instead of wine and carried Guoguo back to her room.


    At this time, everyone also noticed the abnormality. Elderly Consort An looked at Mrs. Yao beside her and asked, ¡°Is Zhou Ying breastfeeding her daughter?¡± ¡°Yes, Chengrui said that if a biological mother takes care of their baby, their body will recover faster, and it will be good for the baby¡¯s health.<div>


    ¡°However, they also have nannies ready for the baby¡¯s care.¡± Mrs. Yao replied with a smile.


    Everyone was amazed when they heard this. However, there was no evidence, so they did not seek an exnation. Instead, they lowered their heads and ate.


    Of course, those who knew about Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills took this to heart. The most obvious ones were Mingyu and Gu Wanning, who decided to give it a try in the future.


    While Guoguo was asleep in the afternoon, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui sent the guests away.


    After finishing her work, Mrs. Yao directly copsed on the chair. ¡°I haven¡¯t dealt with those people for many years. This sudden contact is really physically and mentally exhausting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you guys today. Think about what you want to eat, and let¡¯s have a good gathering tonight.¡± Zhou Ying asked after pouring a cup of chrysanthemum tea for each of them.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You couldn¡¯t eat anything before. Now that you¡¯re out of confinement, we can finally have a meal together. Why don¡¯t we have a hotpot tonight? It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had that.¡±


    ¡°Good gracious, once you open your mouth, you¡¯ve blocked everyone¡¯s suggestion.¡± Mr. Gu then asked, ¡°Oh right, do you have prawns, fish, and so on? You can have some of that.¡±


    ¡°If you want to eat, just go ahead and order. We have a restaurant. If we don¡¯t have those ingredients at home, we can just go to the restaurant and take them.¡± Gu Chengrui added.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Gu Chengzhi replied.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go now. Bring Chengxi along and take some of everything.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he led them out.<div>


    When Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu saw this, they returned to their rooms to rest.


    Zhou Ying chatted with Mrs. Yao and the others. Only then did she know that the two families had already separated after Mrs. Qiao¡¯s death.


    They came over this time to marry Gu Ziqiong to someone in the capital, and then Second Uncle¡¯s family would move back to the capital one after another.


    After all, the Yao family, the Yang family, the Huang family, and the Sun family were all in the capital. They wanted toe back.


    Zhou Ying looked at Mrs. Liu after listening. She was relieved to see that she did not follow.


    Otherwise, their husband and wife¡¯s days would not be so leisurely if they returned..

 Chapter 767 - 767: 767 East Continent, Stable

    Chapter 767 - 767: 767 East Continent, Stable<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    However, at night, Zhou Ying learned from Gu Chengrui that it was not that Father Gu and the others did not want toe to the capital but that they wanted to wait for Gu Chengye to pass the schr examination before returning to the capital.


    As for Second Uncle¡¯s family, Gu Chengxi did not like to study.<div>


    If they waited for Chengxi, they would probably have to wait a long time. Moreover, it was uncertain that he would even pass, so they prepared to enter the capital in advance.


    ¡°I have to say, Father and Second Uncle are really bold.¡± Zhou Ying said it with admiration.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they remember the big lesson of the previous raid?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they afraid of implicating Wanning?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they¡¯re afraid, but they¡¯re thinking more about the benefits Wanning has brought them.


    ¡°If Wanning can give birth to a prince, the Gu family will be even more glorious than before.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, I don¡¯t understand. Let¡¯s take it one step at a time. Oh, right. Did they find a suitable groom for Ziqiong?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Not yet. Actually, I think they might as well look for Zn. Although she¡¯s still young, she¡¯s Second Uncle¡¯s legitimate daughter. It¡¯ll be easier for people to ept her.¡±


    ¡°Ziqiong is not young anymore. If she doesn¡¯t marry into the capital, she¡¯ll have to find someone in the countryside. No matter what, finding someone in the capital will at least be of some help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. If they don¡¯t bring this up, we won¡¯t get involved.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t want to be involved in such a troublesome thing.¡±<div>


    After everyone had rested at night, the two brought Guoguo into the interspace and ced her in the vi. Then, the two of them went to do their things.


    Especially Zhou Ying. A lot of work awaited her on the mountain and in the fields.


    After she finished the work in her interspace, she looked around the warehouse and found that the faith points on the East Continent had suddenly increased a lot.


    She looked over curiously and realized that fat chickens were rooming everywhere in the capital of the East Continent. Each rooster was about 20 pounds.


    Moreover, the chicks that hatched from the batch of eggs released before the new year had already begun toy eggs, reproducing at a terrifying speed.


    This faith was produced by the farmers who had raised these chickens from scratch.


    Then, she looked to the north. At this time, the civil strife there had ended, and the First Prince was the one who ascended the throne.


    However, due to theck of production, there were still many ces where food was unavable. This was also the root cause of the repeated conflicts at the border.


    Zhou Ying found a few of the poorest tribes and left them potatoes, hoping the border would be stable.


    After she finished that, she tried looking for King Hui, but she failed to find him. She wondered where he was hiding.


    She nced at the Emperor onest time. It was alreadyte at night, and the Emperor had settled down at Consort Xian¡¯s ce. Zhou Ying especially took a look at his luck.<div>


    One ball of ck fog was left in his purple aura.


    She left and returned to the vi.


    ¡°Rui, do you think the Su family had the intention of rebelling back then?¡± Zhou Ying asked after leaving the interspace.


    ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    Zhou Ying told him about the ck fog in the Emperor¡¯s purple aura. ¡°There were three balls of ck fog before, but now only Majesty Kang is dead and two have disappeared.¡±


    Gu Chengrui hesitated momentarily and replied, ¡°It could be the Su family, the Retired Emperor, or the Seventh Prince.¡±


    ¡°However, no matter who it is, they are no longer a threat to the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. No matter what, it has already been destroyed. I just don¡¯t know when King Hui will appear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will take long. When the North Continent has the ability to fight, he will definitelye forward.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he pulled her into his arms. ¡°Go to sleep. Otherwise, when Guoguo wakes up, we¡¯ll be busy again..¡±

 Chapter 768 - 768: 768 Smallpox (1)

    Chapter 768 - 768: 768 Smallpox (1)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next day, after Gu Chengrui sent off Mr. Gu, Mrs. Liu, and Second Uncle Gu, he went to the hospital to get busy.


    When free, he would check the restaurant¡¯s ounts and the manor.<div>


    At the same time, he also wrote a letter to Sun Hongliang, writing down the recipe for the vermicelli, fermented bean curd, and chili oil and sending it over through Zhou Huaiming¡¯smunication channel.


    Moreover, they had also started to recruit people for the hospital. Some studied medicine, some studied martial arts, and some had good culinary skills.


    In short, as long as they were helpful to them and had a clean background, he began to recruit them all.


    As for Mrs. Liu and the others, they rented a small courtyard in the western part of the city and moved out.


    Zhou Ying politely sent them off. However, she still had someone send them some pots, pans, food, and vegetables for their housewarming gifts. Then, she left them alone.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year, and the wine was sessfully brewed.


    In order to quickly open up the market, Zhou Ying would bring two pounds of gifts to each family and exin the benefits.


    Sure enough, the love for wine caught on, especially among women. Immediately, someone came to buy more, and Zhou Ying used the excuse of taking care of Guoguo and directly handed the matter to Head Fang.


    At the end of the year, she earned more than 13,000 taels of silver from wine alone.


    Therefore, when spring was awakening in the second year, Zhou Ying asked Head Fang to expand the grape ntation by another 200 acres. Including the previous ones, it ounted for nearly 400 acres ofnd nted with grapes.


    At the same time, news of Gu Wanning¡¯s pregnancy came from the pce.<div>


    Gu Ziqiong¡¯s marriage had also been decided. The groom was a minor official in the royal army with over 200 people under him, a local in the capital, Qin Wu.


    Rtively speaking, it was a suitable marriage.


    On this day, Zhou Ying was feeding Guoguo some mashed potatoes when Gu Chengrui rushed in. ¡°There¡¯s a smallpox outbreak in the capital city. We have to be very careful now.¡±


    ¡°Smallpox?¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s heart jolted after hearing that. Smallpox was a deadly gue in ancient times. The key was that Guoguo was still young and had not been given the vine yet.


    ¡°Yes, be careful. I have to go to the pce to see the Emperor.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he hurriedly ran out.


    ¡°Mistress, what should we do now?¡± Guoguo¡¯s nanny, Mrs. Lin, asked nervously.


    ¡°We can only prevent it. What¡¯s the use of being afraid? Oh, by the way, have you ever had smallpox before?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°No, it has been many years since smallpox appeared in the Ming Dynasty.¡± Mrs. Lin shook her head.


    ¡°Go inform the people in the residence and gather everyone. Remember not to say anything unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mrs. Lin nodded and hurriedly went to call everyone.


    At this moment, Guoguo saw that Zhou Ying had stopped feeding her and began to p her arm.<div>


    Zhou Ying met her confused gaze and smiled before she continued feeding her.


    After she was done feeding her, everyone arrived in the main courtyard. After handing off Guoguo to Mrs. Lin, she walked out and asked, ¡°Butler Niu, is everyone here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Other than the people in the restaurant, everyone else is here.¡± Niu Fugui stepped forward and replied.


    ¡°Just now, Master came back and said there is a smallpox outbreak in the capital, so from today onwards, no one is allowed to go out unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary.


    ¡°If it is necessary to leave the ce, change your clothes as soon as possible after you return. You have to boil them with disinfectant before wearing them again.


    ¡°In addition¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her words, everyone below exploded. Smallpox was something that could kill. Every one of them changed their expressions at the mention of it.


    Immediately, the crowd below buzzed.


    Zhou Ying raised her hand and said, ¡°Alright, quiet down. Listen to me..¡±

 Chapter 769 - 769: 769 Smallpox (2)

    Chapter 769 - 769: 769 Smallpox (2)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Mistress, please continue.¡± Niu Fugui said.


    ¡°The other thing is to buy lime powder and sprinkle some on every corner to prevent the disease from breeding.¡±<div>


    ¡°Yes, I will arrange for someone to buy the lime powder.¡±


    ¡°Wait, go in the afternoon. I¡¯ll make some protective equipment.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she left all the people who knew needlework behind.


    She opened the warehouse and asked them to make arge number of threeyer masks with fine cotton cloth.


    After she was done, she went to the study room and took out a fewrge jars of disinfectant that Gu Chengrui had made himself.


    She got someone to carry a jar out and soak all the masks. After drying them, she distributed them to everyone.


    However, she did not stop at this.


    She made another batch and nned to send it to the hospital.


    At the same time, she also made a batch of gloves. She used twoyers of fabric and added ayer of oil paper in the middle to make it safer to use.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui was running all the way to the pce.


    However, he did not go in when he reached the pce gate. Instead, he told the guards guarding the city from afar about the smallpox in the capital and asked them to go in and inform the Emperor.


    This was so he wouldn¡¯t be med if someone in the pce was infected.<div>


    When the guard heard this, he was shocked. He called someone to fill in for him and hurriedly ran into the pce.


    Eunuch Qian saw the guard running at an urgent speed. His heart thumped as he stepped forward to stop him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you so flustered?¡± ¡°Do you know Doctor Gu Chengrui? He said that he discovered smallpox in the capital and asked me to pass this news on to the Emperor.¡±


    Eunuch Qian¡¯s face stiffened when he heard that.


    He strode into the royal study and told the Emperor the news.


    After hearing this, the Emperor¡¯s hand jolted, and half of the approved memorials in his hand snapped. He hurriedly stood up and asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°It was Lord Gu who discovered it. He was afraid of spreading the disease into the pce, so he didn¡¯t dare toe in.¡± Eunuch Qian replied.


    The Emperor was very touched when he heard that. At the same time, he believed in Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills, so he panicked even more.


    He ordered, ¡°Call all the imperial physicians on duty in the Imperial Academy of Medicine over.


    ¡°In addition, inform the people in the pce that they can only leave and not enter.


    ¡°No one is allowed to enter the back of the pce.


    ¡°Also, inform the Empress to monitor the back.<div>


    ¡°From today onward, I will not enter there until the epidemic ends.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the arrangements now. How should we go back to Lord Gu?¡± Eunuch Qian asked.


    ¡°Let him wait for a while. We¡¯ll talk after seeing the imperial physicians.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eunuch Qian responded and immediately passed down the orders to the eunuchs beside him.


    When the people from the Imperial Academy of Medicine received the news, they were all so scared that their legs went weak.


    However, they still ran to the royal study one by one.


    ¡°Tell me first, have any of you ever been infected with smallpox?¡± The Emperor asked directly when he saw them enter.


    After the imperial physicians heard this, they looked at each other and finally shook their heads. After all, it had been a long time since smallpox had been sighted.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Lord Gu has just turned twenty. Could it be that he has made the wrong diagnosis?¡± Principal Zhou looked up at the Emperor.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go out and confirm it?¡± The Emperor asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Principal Zhou immediately broke out in a cold sweat.


    However, he also knew this was not the time to chicken out. This was also an opportunity to make contributions.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to go and share the Emperor¡¯s worries.¡±


    ¡°Go, but it won¡¯t be easy toe back in after leaving the pce. You can discuss it with Gu Chengrui. If it¡¯s confirmed to be smallpox, submit a detailed memorial to me as soon as possible..¡±

 Chapter 770 - 770: 770 Smallpox (3)

    Chapter 770 - 770: 770 Smallpox (3)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes.¡± Principal Zhou responded and turned around to leave.


    The Emperor looked at the remaining four Imperial Physicians and said, ¡°Send a message to your families. Do not leave the pce unless there is something important.¡±.<div>


    ¡°Yes.¡± The four responded and turned around to return to the Imperial Academy of Medicine.


    The Emperor then began to approve the memorials.


    When Principal Zhou came out, he saw Gu Chengrui and stepped forward to greet him with cupped fists.


    ¡°Greetings. You¡¯re here to confirm the condition, right? Follow me.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished greeting him, he brought him to the hospital.


    He walked to a side courtyard and said, ¡°There¡¯s a family of three inside. They¡¯re all infected with smallpox. Be careful when you go in.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Principal Zhou nodded and walked in.


    He saw the people guarding outside, the lime powder scattered on the ground, and the choking smell of disinfectant in the space.


    He was impressed with Gu Chengrui.


    At the same time, he became even more vignt.


    After entering the house, the smell of disinfectant became even more potent. A five- or six-year-old girl squatted by the window and looked outside with a longing expression.


    At the same time, he realized that there were already several pustules on her face.<div>


    ¡°Youngdy, don¡¯t move. Let Grandpa take a look at you.¡±


    The little girl was frightened by him. However, she quickly asked with anticipation, ¡°Grandpa, can you cure my illness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Grandpa has to see it to treat it.¡±


    The little girl nodded and stood there obediently.


    Principle Zhou dared not stand before her to examine her but stood beside her. At the same time, he asked about the symptoms of the little girl and her family.


    In the end, he confirmed that it was really smallpox.


    He was a little flustered. Afterforting the girl, he immediately turned around and ran out.


    When he reached the exit, the gatekeeper took a broom and sprinkled disinfectant on his body.


    Principle Zhou was stunned for a moment. He stood there obediently and waited.


    Finally, he asked for some disinfectant and rubbed his hands before leaving the small courtyard.


    He walked to Gu Chengrui, who was not far away. ¡°It¡¯s smallpox. Did you find anyone else with the same symptoms?¡±<div>


    ¡°Not yet.


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked them about their whereabouts. Fortunately, they¡¯ve only stayed in Northern City, so what we need to do now is seal the city as soon as possible.


    ¡°The authority required is too great, so I can¡¯t make the decision. That was why I went to look for the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s think of aplete n as soon as possible and present it to the Emperor. He¡¯s waiting for our memorial.¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and brought him to his office.


    The two of them discussed for almost two hours and finally wrote a temporary implementation n. They quickly presented it to the Emperor.


    After the Emperor had the memorial disinfected, he opened it and read it seriously.


    There were three main points.


    First, close down the entire capital, even the docks and all the passages out of the capital.


    Second, implement regional quarantine to prevent widespread infection.


    Third, and most importantly, find the source of the infection as soon as possible.


    Finally, there was the treatment n, and the prescriptions for each stage were attached. It was written in detail and concisely.


    After reading it, the Emperor also confirmed that Gu Chengrui was the leader of this n.


    Because many of the ideas were novel and bold.


    He smiled and began to pass out the imperial edicts one by one.


    After he was done with his work, the Retired Emperor walked in with the support of Eunuch Li.


    ¡°Father, why are you here?¡± The Emperor hurriedly went forward and helped the Retired Emperor sit down.


    ¡°Ahem, I heard rumors from the pce that smallpox was discovered in the capital, so I came to ask if it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gu Chengrui and Principal Zhou have confirmed it..¡±

 Chapter 771 - 771: 771 Smallpox (4)

    Chapter 771 - 771: 771 Smallpox (4)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Retired Emperor¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Thest time smallpox appeared in the capital was when I was five years old. It spread quickly, and very few people survived.


    ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s better to quickly send your wives to a manor to hide.¡±<div>


    ¡°Take a look at the memorial they submitted first.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he handed the memorial to his father.


    ¡°In other words, there¡¯s no ce that¡¯spletely safe right now.¡± After the Retired Emperor finished reading it, he seriously pondered for a moment.


    ¡°Yes, the northern part of the capital is the most dangerous ce right now. Let¡¯s wait quietly for a few days and see if we can control it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s give it seven days. If you can¡¯t control it after seven days, send the masters of the harem out to hide.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The Emperor replied.


    After that, the Retired Emperor took the initiative to stay in the side hall. How could he be at ease waiting at the back for such a crucial matter?


    At the same time, the imperial edict was issued, and teams of soldiers and imperial guards were dispatched. Very quickly, the capital was isted and supervised by districts.


    At the same time, Lord Yan and Yan Zhiwu also sent out their subordinates to surround the entire capital.


    After Gu Chengrui and Principal Zhou sent letters to their families, they went straight to Northern City. They brought all the doctors to Northern City and began providing free medical treatment to find the source of the infection.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Sun Wenhao cursed after receiving the news at a manor on a western mountain. ¡°Why can¡¯t the Emperor y his cards ording to the rules?¡±


    ¡°Second Master,¡± someone said, ¡°I heard that the royal guards have left the pce. The defense of the pce must be at its weakest now. Why don¡¯t we send people to barge our way into the pce?<div>


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be more intimidating this way?¡±


    ¡°What do you know? The Emperor is not stupid.


    ¡°No matter what, he will leave backup to guard him. Moreover, the royal guards did not leave the city. They could rush back quickly.


    ¡°At that time, we will be turtles in a jar.¡±


    ¡°So we just wait?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since he won¡¯t send people out, let¡¯s just wait for the smallpox to enter the pce. I don¡¯t think it will take long.¡± Sun Wenhaoughed sinisterly.


    After Zhou Ying learned that Gu Chengrui would not be back for a while, she had no choice but to send someone to send him clothes, toiletries, masks, gloves, and other items.


    After Gu Chengrui received the things, he did not hog the masks and gloves. Instead, he gave one to every doctor, including Principal Zhou.


    Principal Zhou looked at the things in his hands and feltplicated because he had only just realized that his abandoned daughter was genuinely outstanding.


    The son-inw he found was not bad either. He did not seem inferior to him in terms of medical skills.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. He followed the trail of new patients,bined it with the trail of the family of three from before, and finally found an intersection.<div>


    In a small tavern.


    Gu Chengrui immediately brought his men to look around. When he found out a waiter was sick and asked for leave, he immediately rushed to the waiter¡¯s house.


    Only then did he realize that the waiter had lived alone and died at home.


    Moreover, he could no longer see his original appearance because of the pustules on his body.


    Gu Chengrui quickly looked at the manager at the side and asked, ¡°Is he your original employee or did you hire him recently?¡±


    ¡°A recent recruit, and only about a month.¡± At this point, the manager seemed to have realized something. He kneeled and said, ¡°Sir, sir, this has nothing to do with me. I really don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°Take everyone in the tavern away and quarantine them.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he left and asked someone to bring two big bags of lime powder.


    He scattered the powder everywhere around the courtyard and wrapped the corpse in a nket. Then, he found a ce to burn it.


    Gu Chengrui went into the house personally and did a spot check.


    Unfortunately, he did not find anything useful..

 Chapter 772 - 772: 772 Smallpox (5)

    Chapter 772 - 772: 772 Smallpox (5)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui asked the neighbors. The person¡¯s name was Sun Liang, and he had been working as a clerk in the grain store. After the disaster, he was the only one left in the house.


    He was fired because he drank too much before the New Year and dyed a significant business deal. He had been working part-time recently and only found a job at a tavern a few days ago.<div>


    Gu Chengrui saw that an auntie knew the deceased well, and he asked, ¡°Have you seen anyone with him recently?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not sure about that, but he has a few friends who often drink with him. Why don¡¯t you ask them? Perhaps they might know.¡±


    ¡°Thank you; I¡¯ll have to trouble you to point the way.¡±


    The auntie did not wait and immediately led the soldiers to search for them. Soon, three people were found. One of them was dead, and although the other two were not dead, they were already unconscious.


    After asking around, they were all single.


    Gu Chengrui immediately brought in more men to deal with the dead bodies. As for the two people who were still alive, they were carefully disinfected and quarantined.


    He found the ce where the three of them worked. It was a grain shop and a carpenter shop.


    The people in the carpenter¡¯s shop were fine. They were still alive and well, but they were still quarantined.


    After that, Gu Chengrui brought his men to the grain shop. However, it was empty.


    When they reached the grain shop manager¡¯s house, they found that the manager was already dead.


    After asking the neighbors, he learned that the manager¡¯s family had all returned to their hometown a month ago.<div>


    The manager had mentioned that since his shop did not make money, he was selling the shop to return to his hometown.


    When Gu Chengrui heard this, he immediately sent someone to the government to investigate the manager¡¯s background.


    If he hadn¡¯t investigated, he wouldn¡¯t have known the origin. He was shocked. This grain shop and manager originally belonged to the Marquis of Ding¡¯an. But after the disaster, the manager bought the shop from the Marquis of Ding¡¯an and started his own business.


    Gu Chengrui could not help but mutter. Could it be that King Hui had returned and that he had deliberately started this epidemic?


    He immediately told the Emperor his findings.


    After the Emperor received the news, he was shocked. ¡°What should havee is finally here. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t send my wives out to hide. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I would have fallen into a trap.¡±


    After that, he gave Gu Chengrui his gold medal and gave him full authority to handle this matter.


    After Gu Chengrui received the gold medal, everything became more convenient. He arranged for all the districts in the capital to go under lockdown and started a door-to-door check to eliminate hidden dangers.


    After he was done for the day, he took off his gloves and had a meal. He grabbed the pendant hanging around his neck and told Zhou Ying about his suspicion of this epidemic.


    He also asked her to help investigate and see if she could find the whereabouts of King Hui and the others.


    After Zhou Ying received the news that night, she huffed, ¡°As expected of King Hui. His methods are so cruel and ruthless. He doesn¡¯t take human lives seriously.<div>


    ¡°Fortunately, he did not have the destiny to be the emperor, or else the country would definitely suffer.¡±


    After that, she searched the entire capital. After four hours, she finally found Sun Wenhao and his group in the vige in the western suburbs.


    There weren¡¯t many people¡ªonly about a hundred or so.


    However, looking at the murderous look on their faces, it seemed that they were all fugitives.


    What puzzled her was that she actually saw through his disguise.


    It seemed the reason she couldn¡¯t find King Huist time was that he had escaped quickly, not because she had been careless.


    After she found him, she nced at Gu Chengrui. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, she did not disturb him. She only told him the results after she had breakfast with Guoguo the next day.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui received the news from Zhou Ying and had a headache. He thought that those people would be in the capital, not in a manor.


    What should he do now? The problem was that he could not start a massive search. If he let them escape, it would be difficult to catch them again.


    This news must not be leaked..

 Chapter 773 - 773: 773 Smallpox (6)

    Chapter 773 - 773: 773 Smallpox (6)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Doctor Gu, the two people who were quarantined yesterday have woken up. One of them wanted to hit the wall andmit suicide, but he failed because of his fever.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so he¡¯s guilty.¡± Gu Chengrui immediately stood up after he finished speaking.<div>


    This was an excellent opportunity that hade knocking on his door. He had to interrogate it properly.


    Even if they couldn¡¯t find anything, they just needed him alive.


    After that, he did not even bother to finish his breakfast. After washing up, he took his vine and hid the needle.


    He put on the mask and gloves that he had cleanedst night and went over to look for him.


    When he saw the person who was tied up, he stepped forward and said, ¡°You¡¯re so eager to die, and that means you must know something. As long as you tell me, I¡¯ll give you a quick death. Otherwise, you can only stay and be my test subject.¡±


    When Gu Chengrui said this, he looked at his confused expression and paused. ¡°You don¡¯t know what a test subject is? What about a poison tester?


    ¡°Every doctor hopes to have a poison tester so that they can research medicine faster.¡±


    The man looked at him in fear. Although he had never seen a poison tester before, he had heard many people mention it.


    It was said that some poison testers were tortured to the point where they no longer looked like humans. The key was that none of them could live long.


    ¡°It just so happens that I¡¯ve been researching a type of poison recently. It¡¯s said that if this poison gets to you, you¡¯ll be as cold as ice every night, especially on a full moon.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll go get it now.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.<div>


    The man subconsciously thought of the snow disaster. He was almost frozen to death at that time, and he did not want to live that kind of cold life again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t. I¡¯ll talk. I¡¯ll talk.¡±


    ¡°Remember, if there¡¯s a lie, I¡¯ll give you 10% of that poison.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t! About a month ago, our manager brought back a piece of clothing in a panic.¡±


    He put it on the next day and said that he was going to sell the shop and return to his hometown. He had even sent his family back.


    ¡°After a few days, he was down with a high fever. The two of us would persuade him to find a doctor quickly.


    ¡°He ignored us, and he also started to drink.


    ¡°One night, after the two of us had had a drink, he told us the truth. He had smallpox, and there was no cure.


    ¡°When I heard that, my heart trembled.


    ¡°I asked curiously. You haven¡¯t seen a doctor before. How do you know?


    ¡°The manager said that the clothes he had brought back previously were from someone with smallpox. It was the second son of the Marquis of Ding¡¯an who had captured his family and forced him to do this in order to spread smallpox.<div>


    ¡°At that time, I was scared silly. I originally wanted to tell the officials, but the manager suddenly threatened me.


    ¡°He imed that he would say that I did all of this, that he would stuff the clothes into my house, and that he would get the shop assistant to testify for him.


    ¡°Think about it, which shop assistant would dare to oppose the manager? I¡¯m just afraid.


    ¡°So, I didn¡¯t dare say anything, but I was also depressed. I gathered a few brothers who were on good terms with me and started drinking.


    ¡°At that time, I finally understood the manager¡¯s helplessness.


    ¡°After the items in the shop were quickly sold out, everyone dispersed, and we returned home.


    ¡°I remember that at that time, the manager¡¯s face had already started to grow pustules, so I was so scared that I didn¡¯t even dare to ask for my sry.


    ¡°Who would have thought that I would also be infected?


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t touch him.. I didn¡¯t even dare touch his things; why was I still infected?¡±

 Chapter 774 - 774 Smallpox (7)

    Chapter 774: Smallpox (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    That person even started to sob.


    ¡°Not only can it be transmitted through contact, but it can also be transmitted through saliva and breathing. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so terrifying.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°That, that, isn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Did the grain shop deal with anyone from outside the capital?¡±


    ¡°Not really. The shop is small, so it mainly sells to nearby residents.¡±


    ¡°By the way, have you heard the manager mention where the Marquis of Ding¡¯an¡¯s second son is hiding?¡±


    ¡°No, he probably doesn¡¯t know either. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been threatened.¡±


    ¡°Alright, cooperate with our treatment. You might be able to survive.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    After disinfecting himself, he sent a memorial to the Emperor and told him everything he had found.


    After the Emperor received the news, he immediately informed Xiao Heng and Yan Zhiwu to bring people out of the city to search for Sun Wenhao and his group. As long as they found them, they would be killed without mercy.


    After the two of them received the order, they immediately gathered their troops and set off, especially the manor rted to the Marquis of Ding¡¯an.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying had been paying attention to Gu Chengrui. After receiving the confession, she finally understood the meaning behind Sun Wenhao¡¯s words.


    Therefore, she took advantage of when they gathered for lunch to drug their wine. She quietly found the manager¡¯s family and let them out.


    After the manager¡¯s family escaped, they directly reported to the nearby officials that they had been kidnapped. Soon, Yan Zhiwu and Xiao Heng also received the news and rushed to the manor to arrest them.


    Xiao Heng saw the familiar disguise and immediately removed it from Sun Wenhao¡¯s face. After confirming that it was him, the two of them heaved a sigh of relief and brought them back to the capital.


    After the Emperor received the letter, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    He asked Xiao Heng to interrogate him. Where exactly did the smallpox outbreak happen? Otherwise, Sun Wenhao wouldn¡¯t have gotten clothes with the smallpox virus.


    After confirming that the smallpox was found in a small vige on the Northern Continent and had been cured, the Emperor finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    After the matter was rified, the next step was treatment. Zhou Ying did not pay attention to it anymore.


    Soon, more and more people in Northern City fell ill. Fortunately, it did not spread out of the capital. With the cooperation of Gu Chengrui and Principal Zhou, the epidemic was quickly controlled and eliminated.


    Even if Principal Zhou was indignant when they separated, he had to admit that Gu Chengrui¡¯s control of the epidemic was much better than his.


    The key was that he was swift and decisive in his execution. There was no talk of human feelings. He had a rare talent.


    What made him even more depressed was that Gu Chengrui¡¯s medical skills seemed to be higher than his, even far surpassing his son.


    Therefore, when they parted ways, he invited him with great reluctance. ¡°Through this epidemic, I realized that we have a tacit understanding. In the future, when you have time,e over to my house. We can also discuss medical skills there.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at Principal Zhou¡¯s kind expression. Not only did he not have a good impression of him, but he was instead filled with disgust. This person was too materialistic, so much so that it made one¡¯s heart turn cold.


    However, Zhou Ying was still his daughter, so there was no need to make things too ugly. He said, ¡°You shoulde to the hospital when you have time. There are many patients here. We can have a good discussion.¡±


    Although Principal Zhou was a little ufortable, he still nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle over when there¡¯s an opportunity.¡±


    The next day, after the morning court session, the two made a report to the Emperor, which also meant that the epidemic had ended..

 Chapter 775 - 775 A Proposal

    Chapter 775: A Proposal


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor nodded his head in satisfaction after hearing this. Then, he rewarded each of them with 10,000 taels of silver.


    Then, he said, ¡°Go back and study it carefully. See if you can stop smallpox as a whole. Otherwise, once it erupts, it will be a disaster that is no smaller than a natural disaster.¡±


    Hearing him say this, Gu Chengrui suddenly thought of cowpox. He might as well take the opportunity to suggest this so that it does not happen again.


    ¡°I have an idea, but it¡¯s not mature yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, tell me.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he looked at him expectantly.


    ¡°I discovered that smallpox will be weaker and weaker as it spreads.


    ¡°For example, this time, the first few people who were infected with smallpox were in a much more severe condition, and the time needed to treat them was also much longer.


    ¡°Moreover, any smallpox transmitted through young adults would elerate the weakening of the smallpox¡¯s toxicity.


    ¡°Therefore, I want to use strong cows and horses to test if the sickness extracted from them can be weaker.


    ¡°If that is the case, could we nt this weakened smallpox into a human body?


    ¡°After all, you would never get smallpox again after being infected once.


    ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t work, it will be rtively simple to treat.¡±


    The Emperor looked thoughtfully at Principal Zhou, who was standing in a daze. ¡°Principal Zhou, you were in the epidemic center. What do you think?¡±


    Principal Zhou replied, ¡°Replying to the emperor, I really didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°However, the people who were infectedter did recover faster. The pustules were also reduced, so I think we can try it.¡±


    At the same time, he was annoyed. Why didn¡¯t he observe carefully? Otherwise, this massive credit would have been his.


    The Emperor¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that. He looked at Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter to you, Chengrui. If there¡¯s anything you need, just let me know. Go back and apany your wife. We¡¯ll officially start in three days.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After that, he raised his request, mainly for the venue and the people. He could settle the rest himself.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need help with, just let me know,¡± Principal Zhou asked after leaving the royal study.


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded, bade farewell, and went home.


    After returning home, he changed her clothes and bathed in mugwort leaves before walking to the main courtyard.


    When he entered, he saw Guoguo crawling on the thin nket. He went forward and picked her up. ¡°Guoguo, did you miss Dad?¡±


    Guoguo looked at him with a confused expression and turned to look at Mrs. Lin.


    Mrs. Lin was about to take her when Gu Chengrui hugged her and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mistress?¡±


    ¡°She went to the restaurant and said she would return by noon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you can go down. I¡¯ll y with Guoguo for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if there¡¯s anything, please call me.¡± After saying that, Mrs. Lin left and went straight to the east wing.


    Gu Chengrui lifted Guoguo up high and examined her carefully. ¡°Our Guoguo is really getting more and more beautiful. She doesn¡¯t even remember her dad anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± Guoguo replied impatiently. At the same time, the saliva in her mouth fell andnded on Gu Chengrui¡¯s face.


    Guoguo chuckled.


    ¡°You little rascal, you¡¯re so happy just because you did something bad.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he pulled her into his arms and wiped his face with a handkerchief beside him.


    He carried her out of the house.


    As soon as he stepped out of the door, Guoguo was overjoyed. She stretched out her arm and pointed the way. Finally, she arrived at the back garden.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he was ted.


    How could he not be happy when she was an eight-month-old child who knew the way? His daughter was the smartest!

 Chapter 776 - 776 Father And Daughter Getting Along

    Chapter 776: Father And Daughter Getting Along


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°fu.. fu¡­¡± Guoguo pointed at a ck and gold butterfly and kept on pointing at it. Her big eyes were fixed on the butterfly, and she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it.


    Gu Chengrui saw this and walked over with her in his arms. He even grabbed her arm and let her grab it herself.


    However, butterflies were not so easy to catch. It flew away as soon as they approached.


    After four or five stops, Guoguo was a little discouraged, even a little angry.


    Thest time, without Gu Chengrui needing to do anything, she directly wed at the flower.


    She grabbed a handful of pollen, but the butterfly ran away and flew out of the garden.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Guoguo pointed in the direction the butterfly had escaped in and wanted to continue to chase after it.


    Gu Chengrui said, ¡°It flew away. You scratched the little butterfly.¡±


    After saying that, he even showed her little paws to let her see the yellow powder on her hands.


    Guoguo scratched her hands in confusion, but she still pointed in the direction where the butterfly had flown.


    Gu Chengrui looked at her stubborn look and felt a headache. He was afraid that she would cry if she was unhappy.


    He carried her and walked forward. Guoguo saw that he was not chasing after the butterfly and immediately snorted in dissatisfaction.


    Perhaps she was unfamiliar with him, but she did not make a fuss. Instead, she stared at him with her big eyes.


    Gu Chengrui was getting a little sheepish with her stare. In the end, he brought her to the small pond to look at goldfish.


    After two to three years of careful rearing, the fish in the pond not only increased a lot but also grew a lot bigger. Each fish looked fat and delicious.


    Guoguo was immediately attracted by the goldfish. She pointed at the goldfish and began to cry out.


    ¡°Go get some fish food,¡± Gu Chengrui raised his head and said to a servant not far away.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The servant responded and immediately ran away. Soon, he brought over some fish food that had been prepared earlier.


    After Gu Chengrui took it, he broke off a small piece and threw it into the water.


    In an instant, the fish gathered together and formed a red lump. After a moment, not even a powder was left behind.


    Guoguo saw that the fish had run away and immediately grabbed the pancake in his hand. Gu Chengrui broke some off, crushed it into small pieces, and ced it in her tiny hand. ¡°You can feed it yourself.¡±


    Guoguo immediately threw the fish food into the water with a smile. Although her small hand missed, some fish food still fell into the pond, immediately attracting a group of fish to fight for it.


    Guoguo immediately pped her hands andughed.


    After that, they sat by the pond and began to feed the fish.


    However, in less than 15 minutes, Guoguo whined and wanted to go back.


    Gu Chengrui was happy to see this. He crushed the remaining fish food and sprinkled it into the water before carrying her back to the main courtyard.


    After entering the house, he ced her on the ground, poured her a ss of water, and began to feed her.


    However, Guoguo was not in the mood to drink water. Instead, she scratched her body with her tiny hands, looking like she was about to cry.


    Gu Chengrui also noticed the red spots on her little hand. He grabbed her little hand and rubbed it. After confirming that it was a mosquito bite, he looked guilty.


    He had been so focused on ying with her that he hadpletely forgotten about the mosquitoes.


    He carried her back to the bedroom and took off her clothes. As expected, her small body was covered in red spots from being bitten by mosquitoes.


    He immediately searched the room and found some cream he had made himself and applied it to her body.


    He helped her put her clothes back on, and only then did Guoguo stop scratching.


    Gu Chengrui immediately fed her some water and brought her to y around the house.


    Gradually, the father and daughter got along more and more harmoniously.


    When Zhou Ying returned, she had just entered the main courtyard when she heard the sound of them fooling around..

 Chapter 777 - 777 Leaving

    Chapter 777: Leaving


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After entering the house, she saw Guoguo rolling aroundughing. She went up to them and scolded them. ¡°Gu Chengrui, to think that you¡¯re a doctor. Aren¡¯t you afraid that she¡¯ll get a headache from rolling around?¡±


    Gu Chengrui turned his head and saw her. His expression froze as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    Zhou Ying did not scold him anymore. Instead, she picked up Guoguo and asked, ¡°Has the epidemic been dealt with?¡±


    Gu Chengrui sat up and tidied his clothes. ¡°Other than the virus I left behind, the rest are all destroyed.


    ¡°However, I proposed using cowpox to build immunity, so I¡¯ll have to leave for another two to three months after three days.¡±


    Although Zhou Ying was reluctant to see him leave, she knew that this was a big deal. She could only answer, ¡°Alright. Prepare well in the next two days. Bring everything that might be needed.¡±


    ¡°I will. By the way, Doctor Feng is keeping an eye on the clinic. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. You just have to go and take a look from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± At this point, Zhou Ying looked at Guoguo, who was lying obediently on her shoulder and panting. She red at him and huffed, ¡°Look at how tired she is. You stay here for a while. I have to wipe Guoguo down.¡±


    After saying that, she carried Guoguo into her room and entered her interspace. She readied in some warm water and nned to give Guoguo a bath.


    When she saw the mosquito bite marks on Guoguo¡¯s body, she knew without a doubt that it was Gu Chengrui who did it.


    Because Mrs. Lin was a careful person, even if she brought Guoguo out, she would bring an anti-mosquito sachet.


    ¡°Silly girl, do you feel itchy?¡± Zhou Ying yed with her head and asked.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Guoguo pped her hand away in frustration and rubbed her eyes.


    Zhou Ying knew that Guoguo was sleepy, so she didn¡¯t dy any longer. She quickly washed her and applied the ointment again. She quickly changed her into a set of clean clothes, carried her out of her interspace, and ced her on her bed.


    As soon as Guoguo was ced on the bed, she fell asleep. Zhou Ying covered her with a thin nket and left the room.


    Gu Chengrui, who was drinking tea, saw hering out. He immediately stood up and suggested, ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch? I¡¯ll make it.¡±


    ¡°You must be feeling guilty.¡± Zhou Ying walked over and teased.


    ¡°I was so excited to see my daughter that I forgot about mosquitoes.¡± Gu Chengruiughed dryly.


    After saying that, he poured her a cup of tea.


    ¡°Be careful in the future. Children¡¯s skin is tender, and their skin attracts mosquitoes the most.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely remember it.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at his sheepish appearance and did not say anything more. Instead, she asked, ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going this time?¡±


    ¡°If my guess is correct, the Emperor will provide us a remote manor.¡±


    ¡°Bring some medicine to kill mosquitoes and flies, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    For the next two days, Gu Chengrui went to the clinic for half a day, apanied his family for the remaining half day, and made some mosquito repellent medicine at night.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also prepared four sets of summer clothes, a thin quilt, some toiletries, beef jerky, and the silver notes that the Emperor rewarded him this time.


    On the morning of the fourth day, Guard Chu brought a group of people to pick up Gu Chengrui and set off to a remote manor.


    Other than food, the manor also arranged for some strong cattle and horses, as well as prisoners.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t waste any more time. After making the arrangements, he distributed the mosquito repellent he had brought and instructed Guard Chu to take care of his protection.


    He personally picked a cow and a horse and began his experiment.


    After Gu Chengrui left, Zhou Ying handed the task of inspecting the manor and shops to Niu Fugui.


    She only took the time to visit the clinic. Only if there were any troublesome patients would she let Gu Chengrui know..

 Chapter 778 - 778: 778 Passing On The News

    Chapter 778 - 778: 778 Passing On The News<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    In the blink of an eye, two months had passed, and it was the middle of the day. The weather was so stuffy that people were annoyed, and Guoguo kept crying.


    During the day, Zhou Ying did not dare to bring her into the space, so she decided to stay in to avoid the heat.<div>


    One day, Zhou Ying and the others were ready to set off when Mingyu rushed over with her son, Zhuangzhuang.


    Zhou Ying saw that her expression was not right. She weed her into the house and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you two quarrel?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t it be something else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t owe you money.¡±


    Mingyu rolled her eyes at her. She waved her hand and chased out all the irrelevant people in the room before saying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the retired Emperor is in trouble. Wanning asked my father to help pass a message. If there¡¯s any celebratory event you want to do, hurry up and get it done.¡±


    ¡°How could that be? Wasn¡¯t everything fine before?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Someone threw arge amount of ice into the retired Emperor¡¯s bedroom, and he fell sick from the cold overnight. I heard that he even choked on his lungs.


    ¡°You know that the retired Emperor is most afraid of catching a cold at this moment.


    ¡°I heard from my father that he¡¯s coughing so much that he can¡¯t even speak, and every time he coughs, there¡¯s blood.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this is basically murder. Have they found out who did it?¡±


    ¡°After finding out about a little eunuch, the clues were cut off. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to investigate further.¡±<div>


    Zhou Ying did not know what to say after hearing this. After all, the retired Emperor had offended many people during his reign, so investigating this was difficult.


    But one thing was for sure, the pce was filled with dirt.


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while. When Mingyu learned that Zhou Ying was going to the manor, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go together. We can havepany then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, pack up quickly. We¡¯ll set off early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°No problem, it¡¯s a deal.¡± After Mingyu finished speaking, she brought her son back to pack her things in a hurry.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying put down Guoguo and went out with some food. She went to Second Uncle Gu¡¯s house in West City.


    Mrs. Yao saw her enter, paused, and greeted her with a smile. ¡°Ying¡¯Er, you¡¯re here. Come in and take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Zhou Ying replied. After handing the food to her, she followed her into the house.


    ¡°I heard that you opened a pastry shop in Northern City. How¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, as we mainly sellmon treats. Now, mung bean cakes are in short supply every day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. With a living, things will slowly get better. Oh, right, where¡¯s Ziqiong?¡± Zhou Ying asked.<div>


    ¡°She¡¯s helping out in the shop. She left me at home to take care of the two children.¡±


    ¡°Has her pre-wedding rites beenpleted?¡±


    ¡°It has. Did something happen?¡± Mrs. Yao asked.


    ¡°Ziqiong is seventeen now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s been in mourning for your grandmother for a year. That¡¯s why her wedding was dyed.¡±


    ¡°Hold her wedding ceremony as soon as possible, just in case.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the retired Emperor is sick.¡±


    Mrs. Yao was shocked after hearing this and swallowed the words that were about toe out of her mouth. This matter could not be spread simply.


    Zhou Ying was quite satisfied. She stood up and said, ¡°Guoguo is still at home. I¡¯ll go back now.¡±


    ¡°Wait. It¡¯s already noon. Why don¡¯t you have a meal before you leave?¡±


    ¡°No, Guoguo won¡¯t eat properly if I don¡¯t go back. Thank you for the offer.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she stood up and walked out.


    The moment she left, Mrs. Yao started to panic. She had also heard a little about the retired Emperor¡¯s situation. His body simply couldn¡¯t take it anymore. What if¡­


    It seemed that this marriage had to be held as soon as possible.


    The key was that the two of them were not young anymore.. Who knew what would happen if they kept mourning for another three years?

 Chapter 779 - 779: 779 Summer Escape

    Chapter 779 - 779: 779 Summer Escape<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After picking up Xiao Jie from school at night and letting him look after her younger brother, Xiao Hao, she went to Qin Wu¡¯s house at the right time and told him about the matter.


    The next day, Qin Wu deliberately checked, but he found nothing.<div>


    However, when he heard that the marriage of the princess of King Xian¡¯s family had been brought forward, Qin Wu immediately realized that this matter might be true.


    Therefore, he immediately found a matchmaker and brought forward the wedding ten dayster.


    After receiving the news, Mrs. Yao immediately prepared a dowry for Gu Ziqiong.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying and Mingyu brought their children to thergest manor under her name, the breeding farm she had taken over from King Hui.


    The manor was massive. There was no smell as the main courtyard was far away from the breeding area.


    Mingyu looked at the luxurious two-door courtyard in front of her. ¡°As expected of the rich and imposing King Hui. This courtyard is not big, but the cost is definitely extravagant.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the interior has been renovated. You can live infort.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she carried Guoguo toward the main courtyard.


    When Mingyu saw this, she immediately followed.


    Because no man was around, they stayed in the east and west rooms, respectively.


    As soon as they unpacked, the head of the manor, Head He, came over.


    Zhou Ying carried Guoguo to the front.<div>


    ¡°Greetings, Mistress.¡± Head He immediately bowed when he saw hering out.


    ¡°Please, get up. There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Is everything alright in the manor?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going well. I was just about to tell you that the early-maturing peaches and plums are about to ripen. Do you think we can pick them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s almost the season.


    ¡°You can start looking for people now. Remember to pick them before they are fully ripened.


    ¡°Especially the peaches. Pick them when they¡¯re 80% ripe, or they won¡¯t be able to be stored until they are sold.¡±


    ¡°I will remember it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, and those livestock. It¡¯s too hot now, so you must pay attention to hygiene and prevent mosquitoes and flies.


    ¡°Also, get more dandelions, honeysuckles, and other heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines to prevent any sickness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡±


    ¡°Go. We will stay at the manor for a few days. Get someone to send some fresh vegetables and meat over every day.¡±<div>


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Yuan responded and turned to leave.


    Zhou Ying returned to her room.


    After a while, He Yuan¡¯s wife came over with two servant girls, a basket of cole, a chicken, some eggs, and a carp.


    In the evening, Zhou Ying cooked dinner personally.


    She readied steamed egg custard for the two children, sweet and sour fish, chicken stewed with mushrooms, and garlic and cole.


    After dinner, she smoked out the mosquitoes in the yard and yed with the two children. The two children were quite happy to y together.


    Mingyu smiled when she saw this. ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s much cooler in this manor. At least there¡¯s a little breeze. I think I can sleep soundly at night.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, there are too many people in the capital, making it hot. It¡¯s much better when we are here.


    ¡°But don¡¯t open the curtains at night. The wind from the mountain is still quite wild. It¡¯ll be troublesome if you catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    ¡°By the way, have you seen Wanning recently?¡±


    ¡°I have. Every time I visit the pce to visit Empress Dowager, I will see her.


    ¡°Sheined more than once that you hadn¡¯t visited her in three to four months.¡±


    ¡°Maybe after the new year, as Chengrui is busy every day. I had to care for Guoguo, so I don¡¯t have the time.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re justzy and think the pce has too many rules.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t blow my cover.


    ¡°But it is part of the truth. In the past, Guoguo was still young and could be taken care of by a nanny. Now that she¡¯s older, she¡¯s very clingy. She wouldn¡¯t eat properly without me..¡±

 Chapter 780 - 780 Gifts

    Chapter 780: Gifts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Mingyu didn¡¯t say anything after hearing that. Zhuangzhuang had been quite clingy ever since he started to recognize people, which could be a result of her feeding him personally.


    However, this feeling of being needed was not bad.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying and Mingyu went out for a jog around the manor. After confirming that the ce was in line with their standards, Zhou Ying turned her head and asked, ¡°Mingyu, do you want to go up the mountain to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I heard the peaches are ripe, so I want to bring two back for the two children to try.¡± Mingyu nodded.


    When they arrived at the mountain, Zhou Ying found that the peaches and plums were ready to be picked, and they were not small. She picked the best peaches on the treetops, and she picked more than ten.


    After descending the mountain, Mingyu brought the peaches back to the main courtyard. Zhou Ying went to the manor and asked Head He to organize people to pick the rest of them quickly.


    In the afternoon, Zhou Ying picked out a few baskets of the best peaches in color and size.


    She carefully packed it and loaded arge amount of ice into the carriage, asking Shizhu to send the fruits into the pce.


    The rest were divided into three grades. The first-grade fruits were carefully ced in baskets, ready to be sold to wealthy families.


    The second-grade ones were sold to themoner district.


    The remaining third-grade ones were sold at the nearby markets. If they couldn¡¯t be sold out, they were sent to restaurants to be made into smoothies and fruit tters.


    However, Zhou Ying received a letter from Mrs. Yao just after giving instructions. She could only ask Mingyu, ¡°Do you want to stay here for a few more days or return to the capital together?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back together. There are many things to do at home. It¡¯s already very good to take a break and stay here for a few days.¡± Mingyu replied.


    Zhou Ying felt a tinge of guilt in her heart. Since she opened the cake shop, Zhou Huaiming has been busier than before.


    Moreover, he was now helping Sun Hongliang open up noodle shops everywhere.


    After arriving in the capital, Mingyu got someone to send over a piece of silver jewelry as a wedding gift for Gu Ziqiong.


    When it was Zhou Ying¡¯s turn, she was a little troubled because her wedding gift to Gu Ziqiu and Gu Zishan was too simple back then.


    If she gave Gu Ziqiong too much now, Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Liu would feel ufortable. However, it would not match their current status if it were too simple.


    She thought of the one-month-old gift they had given Guoguo.


    After much consideration, she gave her two batches of good fabric and a set of gold jewelry.


    The mary gift was set at a hundred taels, so Mrs. Yao would notin.


    That afternoon, Zhou Ying sent the things over.


    As expected, Mrs. Yao did not say anything on ount of the 100 taels of silver.


    Mrs. Huang even warmly invited her to sit down and drink tea.


    ¡°When did Auntie Huange over?¡± asked Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Yesterday. It was a little rushed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Where are Second Uncle and the others?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re entertaining a few rtives tomorrow. They¡¯ve gone to buy things separately.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of things in the restaurant. If youck anything, let me know in advance. I¡¯ll get them to bring some.¡±


    ¡°Alright. By the way, I made two sets of clothes for Guoguo. You can take them back.¡± After speaking, Mrs. Huang returned to her room and took out two sets of tiny clothes.


    The clothes were a dudou and shorts. The red dudou had a ck puppy embroidered, and the green shorts had vines embroidered. It was a beautiful match.


    After chatting for a while, Mr. Gu and the others rushed back. When they saw her, Mr.. Gu sat down and asked, ¡°Zhou Ying, will Chengrui be back tomorrow?¡±

 Chapter 781 - 781 The Retired Emperor’s Death

    Chapter 781: The Retired Emperor¡¯s Death


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Besides, he went to study smallpox. He can¡¯te over for everyone¡¯s safety, even if he returns. If there¡¯s anything, just look for me.¡± ¡°Chengrui has done great things that willst for thousands of years. If he can¡¯te back, then so be it. Don¡¯t we have Chengzhi, Chengye, and Chengxi?¡± Second Uncle Gu said.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little regretful.¡± Mr. Gu replied dejectedly.


    To put it bluntly, he wanted to take this opportunity to have a good gathering with everyone, as he did not know when everyone would be able to get together again.


    Zhou Ying then asked if they had prepared enough, and they returned after ordering everything.


    The next day, she brought Guoguo to help for a day.


    Three dayster, in the early morning, Zhou Ying was still in a daze when she suddenly heard a series of bells ringing in the direction of the pce.


    She immediately woke up and spread out her divine sense to take a look. Only then did she know that it was the death bell signalling that the retired Emperor had not survived and had passed away.


    The entire pce was in tears.


    The Empress Dowager had also fainted, and now the imperial physicians were about to treat her.


    ¡°Ya, gaa.¡± At this moment, Guoguo was also woken up by the noise. She kept hitting the railing of the small bed at her, looking anxious.


    Zhou Ying quickly got up and carried her up. After letting her relieve herself, she carried her to the big bed.


    A momentter, Guoguo fell asleep after she had milk.


    As for Zhou Ying, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. ording to the original owner¡¯s memory, thest time the Empress Dowager died, she was buried after seven days.


    At that time, everyone in the capital maintained seven days of mourning, and every family hung whitenterns.


    Moreover, Gu Chengrui was registered under Princess Ping Yang¡¯s registry. Their family would definitely not be able to escape the mourning period.


    The key was that she had to eat vegetarian food for 49 days. Her restaurant¡­


    After Guoguo fell asleep, she immediately woke Niu Fugui up. She quickly asked him to prepare some whitenterns and cloth for mourning.


    At the same time, she sent someone to inform the manor that from today onward, no meat, including eggs, would be sent to the restaurant.


    In addition, the amount of tofu produced should be doubled.


    When they were all ready, the imperial edict from the pce had already been sent out.


    As expected, it was ording to the standard of thest Empress Dowager¡¯s death. However, due to the weather this time, the funeral was changed tost for three days, and the mourning period was changed to 100 days.


    After the meal, the young eunuch who reported the funeral also came over to pass on the imperial edict, asking her to enter the pce as soon as possible to attend the funeral.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying instructed the people in the manor to look after Guoguo. She changed into a silver-white dress and blue shoes and followed the young eunuch to the Imperial Pce.


    On the way, Zhou Ying gave the young eunuch a hundred taels of silver. ¡°If there are any taboos or rules, please enlighten me.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Don¡¯t worry, Madam.¡± The eunuch took it and nodded.


    Then, he began to tell her.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t think much of it after hearing. She followed him, picked up the mourning clothes, and found her seat.


    After entering the pce, Zhou Ying followed him all the way to the pce where the retired Emperor lived. It was also the ce where the funeral was held. She went in and mourned with everyone.


    After that, Consort An took her to the side and gave her a white silk to tie around her head. She gave her a linen robe and asked the pce maid to sew two pieces of white cloth onto her shoes quickly. ¡°In a while, you will follow beside Mingyu. Do whatever she does.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Princess Consort.¡±


    ¡°What Princess Consort? Remember to call me Auntie. Don¡¯t forget that you are Ping Yang¡¯s daughter-inw now. Don¡¯t let those old-fashioned people get a hold of that mistake.¡± Consort An said softly..

 Chapter 782 - 782 Assassin

    Chapter 782: Assassin


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes, Third Aunt.¡± Zhou Ying quickly nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite early.¡± Mingyu walked over and said.


    ¡°Not really. I just followed the people of the pce. Wanning doesn¡¯t have toe over, does she?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a pregnant woman. She¡¯s afraid of bumping into someone, so she won¡¯t be asked toe over.


    ¡°However, Gu Chenglin wille over as inws.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Chenglin walked in with a young eunuch. However, the two of them were not on the same side of the hall, so Zhou Ying did not talk to him.


    Soon, the people from the royal family came over one after another. The two did not dare to chat and just sat beside each other and mourned.


    At this time, Zhou Ying also saw the Second Prince from King Xiaoyao¡¯s family. The husband and wife both looked calm and spiritual.


    It was said that they had been in the south. This time, they came back to congratte the Emperor on his ascension. They did not expect to meet the retired Emperor¡¯s death. Fortunately, the father and son saw each other for thest time.


    Of course, Zhou Ying had also been keeping an eye on Guoguo with her divine sense. As soon as Guoguo made a fuss, she would send her a voice transmission.


    When Guoguo heard her voice, other than looking around for her, she didn¡¯t make any more noise.


    Zhou Ying had a simple lunch in the pce at noon and went home in the afternoon.


    The next day, with her experience, Zhou Ying arrived two hourste when no one picked her up.


    On the third day, Zhou Ying got up early and rushed to the pce for the burial. Then, under the escort of all the officials and rtives, the coffin was lifted away.


    Everyone only escorted the coffin about ten miles out of the Imperial City. The rest of the journey was taken care of by King Xian, his son, and the Seventh Prince. They escorted the coffin to the Imperial Mausoleum together with the Royal Guards.


    However, everyone still kowtowed three times in the direction of the coffin.


    When she returned, Zhou Ying, who had spread out her divine sense, found that a person on a tree not far away was aiming at the emperor with a bow and arrow. She was shocked and shouted, ¡°There¡¯s someone on the tree on the upper left.¡±


    Everyone was stunned by her shouts. The guards immediately protected the Emperor.


    The Emperor also reacted in time and quickly pulled out the dagger at his waist.


    However, he was still a step toote. Just as Zhou Ying reminded them, the arrow in that person¡¯s hand had already shot over.


    Sun Miaoke, who was standing beside the Emperor, turned around and blocked the Emperor¡¯s path. The arrow directly hit her shoulder.


    The Emperor was shocked. He hugged her and shouted, ¡°Get him! I want to see his corpse even if he¡¯s dead!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, other than the guards, the soldiers lined up on the street and also took action.


    The person on the tree obviously had no intention of escaping. He wanted to take poison tomit suicide, but Zhou Ying¡¯s spiritual sense attack struck him down.


    Soon, he was subdued by Guard Chu. Guard Chu quickly searched his body and confirmed that there was no poison on his body before bringing him to the Emperor.


    ¡°King An, take him to the prison of the Ministry of Justice and interrogate him personally.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he carried Sun Miaoke into the carriage and rushed to the pce.


    When Guard Chu saw this, he directly threw the assassin at King An and quickly chased after the Emperor.


    King An took the men and brought a team of soldiers with him. He rushed to the Ministry of Justice to interrogate the assassin.


    When Grand Schr Sun saw this, he also hurried to the Imperial Pce.


    The rest of the officials were disbanded, and each n sent a representative into the pce to wait for news of Sun Miaoke.


    Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment before following them into the pce.


    When they arrived outside the Phoenix Pce, Zhou Ying looked at the pce maids running back and forth. She walked to Gu Wanning, who was guarding outside the pce. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation? Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I heard that the arrow was poisoned.¡± Gu Wanning replied in a solemn voice.


    At the same time, she was a little frustrated. To be honest, Sun Miaoke was a virtuous and kind woman. It would be difficult to meet someone like her in the future.


    Therefore, she did not want anything to happen to her..

 Chapter 783 - 783 The Empress’s Death

    Chapter 783: The Empress¡¯s Death


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    About fifteen minutester, the Emperor¡¯s furious roar suddenly rang out, followed by the imperial physicians¡¯ pleas for mercy.


    Zhou Ying took a nce and found that Sun Miaoke was already dead.


    Moreover, her face and lips were ck and blue. Without looking, she could guess that Sun Miaoke was dead. She died for the Emperor.


    When she thought of this, she felt a little ufortable.


    Soon, Eunuch Qian ran out and was stunned when he saw the people waiting outside. Then, he said with a pained expression, ¡°The Empress has passed away.¡±.


    After saying that, he went to find someone to ring the death bell.


    Everyone immediately kneeled and cried.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible.¡± The Grand Schr Sun staggered and quickly ran into the room after he finished speaking.


    When he saw the Emperor kneeling in front of the bed and Qing Tao lying on the bed, crying her heart out, his heart sank, and his mind buzzed. His body fell forward stiffly.


    Fortunately, a young eunuch saw the situation and quickly rushed over to his body.


    The little eunuch, who had been knocked into a daze, couldn¡¯t care less about his difort. He immediately shouted, ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Save the Grand Schr Sun!¡±


    After the Emperor heard this, he turned his head and saw the Grand Schr Sun lying on the ground. He immediately asked the doctor, who was kneeling on the ground, to go over and treat him.


    When the few imperial physicians heard this, they immediately rushed over to save him. They knew that after the deaths of the retired Emperor and the Empress, the Emperor¡¯s heart had reached its limit.


    If something happened to the Grand Schr Sun, they would very likely face a catastrophe.


    Fortunately, the Grand Schr Sun was just struck by grief. He would be fine after a good recuperation.


    After the Emperor received the news, he finally heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he sent someone to arrange for Grand Schr Sun to go to the side hall.


    He requested that Qing Tao take out the Phoenix Seal and hand it to Gu Wanning.


    He then saw Consort Xian and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help Wanning with the Empress¡¯ funeral.¡±


    ¡°I obey your decree.¡± Consort Xian quickly bowed.


    After that, she brought people into the house and first changed the Empress into her court clothes. Then, she tidied up her appearance and carried her to the door.


    The Emperor looked at Zhou Ying and asked, ¡°You were the one who shouted at the city gate, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, at that time, I felt something dazzling. Then, I vaguely saw an arrow, so¡­¡± Zhou Ying lowered her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. If it¡¯s convenient, go to the pce more often to apany Wanning.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he walked out tiredly.


    Zhou Ying looked at Gu Wanning.


    ¡°The pce will be even more deserted in the future. Sister-inw, you muste to the pce to apany me in the future,¡± Gu Wanning pleaded.


    ¡°I will. You have to be careful, too.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    Because of the Empress¡¯s death, she did not leave the pce. Instead, she apanied Gu Wanning with her task, helping her pass on a message and doing what she could.


    The others had just arrived home and had not even changed their clothes when the death bell rang again. They immediately rushed to the pce.


    On the other end, the Empress Dowager, who had just caught her breath, silently shed tears after receiving the letter. She asked the pce servants to bring the little princess over.


    At her age, there was nothing she could do now. She could only take care of the child.


    The Empress had died in vain. In addition, there was also the retired Emperor, so she was buried the next day.


    However, it was said that the Emperor¡¯s Imperial Mausoleum had not been built yet, so Sun Miaoke could only be temporarily ced in the retired Emperor¡¯s mausoleum. After the Emperor¡¯s Imperial Mausoleum was built, she would be moved over.


    After the Empress was buried smoothly, Zhou Ying and Gu Chenglin finally returned home.


    ¡°Sister-inw, will my sister be in danger?¡± Gu Chenglin turned his head and asked hesitatingly..

 Chapter 784 - 784 A Warning

    Chapter 784: A Warning


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, the Emperor has already raised the vignce to the highest level.¡± Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment and shook her head.


    Moreover, she would be keeping an eye on them from now on. It was impossible for Gu Wanning to be in danger.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chenglin replied absent-mindedly and did not say anything else.


    Zhou Ying advised, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. The Emperor won¡¯t let anything happen in the pce.


    ¡°You, on the other hand, have to be careful next.


    First, you can¡¯t eat meat or fish in school, not even eggs. I¡¯ll make some dried tofu for you so you won¡¯t starve.


    ¡°Secondly, the clothes you wear must be simple and elegant. Don¡¯t wear colorful clothes. Otherwise, if someone finds out, it will implicate your sister. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I know. I will definitely be careful.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go back. Your current mission is to study. Your cousin and I will take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will take my leave.¡± Gu Chenglin turned around and walked out after saying that.


    Zhou Ying turned around and asked someone to boil the water. She took a shower and changed her clothes. After ying with Guoguo for a while, she asked someone to take out the soybeans and began to pick and soak them.


    The next morning, after waking up, she made a lot of dried tofu and tofu skin. She told Chunxiang and Dongxiang, who were helping her, ¡°We now have to eat tofu instead of meat. Don¡¯t touch any meat or fish. Do you understand? Not evenrd.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mistress. We definitely won¡¯t do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°Okay, next, I¡¯ll teach you how to make tofu skin and dried tofu.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she exined it to them while doing it.


    It was already noon when they finished. After dinner, Zhou Ying brought Gu Chenglin a big bag of braised tofu and asked him to go to the academy.


    She brought a basket to the pce. She saw Gu Wanning sitting listlessly on the recliner and greeted her. ¡°It¡¯s hot, right? Why didn¡¯t you prepare more ice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, and I don¡¯t have the strength.¡± Gu Wanning sat up after she finished speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯re tired and hot. Rest well for the next two days.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she put the basket aside and added, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant now. You can¡¯t go hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared some tofu. Although it¡¯s not as good as meat, the taste is simr. You can save it and eat it slowly.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you. Oh right, why didn¡¯t you bring Guoguo along?¡±


    ¡°She was still asleep when I came out, so I didn¡¯t disturb her.


    ¡°Besides, she would easily make a big fuss, so it¡¯s not suitable for her to enter the pce.¡±


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying saw that she couldn¡¯t raise her spirits, so she didn¡¯t talk any more. Instead, she left the pce to go to Mrs. Yao and the others, and she seriously instructed them.


    Be it food, clothing, or words, she told them to be careful and not let anyone catch hold of anything to use against them.


    ¡°Ying, do you think Wanning will have a chance to be the Empress this time?¡± Mrs. Yao asked softly after repeatedly ensuring she would not make a mistake.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about this, and it¡¯s not our business,¡± Zhou Ying said with a firm expression.


    ¡°Also, you¡¯re not allowed to say this a second time. You should also restrain the family from saying something simr.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that serious, right?¡± Mrs. Yao replied with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°The matter of the assassin has yet to be settled.¡±


    Hearing her say this, Mrs. Yao also reacted and knew this could not be mentioned again. Otherwise, people might not know what to think of their Gu family.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she promised. ¡°I won¡¯t say it again. I won¡¯t let our family say it either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. Sometimes, a seemingly inconspicuous sentence can be a disaster for us if used by others.¡± Zhou Ying said that and left..

 Chapter 785 - 785 Interrogation (1)

    Chapter 785: Interrogation (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying left the pce, she went to two restaurants and told them about all the tofu recipes that she knew before returning to her residence.


    At the same time, the Emperor still did not receive a reply from King An, so he ordered people to take the assassin into the imperial prison and nned to do the interrogation himself.


    When the assassin saw the Emperor, he did not say a word. Instead, he spat out a mouthful of blood at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time. You have captured me. So be it¡­¡±


    Not waiting for him to finish, the Emperor kicked his balls. ¡°You¡¯re a man, that¡¯s for sure. I just don¡¯t know how long you can be manly.¡±


    He turned to Eunuch Qian and said, ¡°Go to find the eunuch responsible for cleansing a man¡¯s body for eunuchship. Clean his body.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eunuch Qian looked at the assassin sympathetically, then hurriedly ran out of the imperial prison.


    The Emperor took a few steps back and sat on the chair, starting to observe the assassin seriously.


    The assassin was frightened by his stare. He thought that the Emperor was thinking about how to torture him. He sneered and said, ¡°Forget about being cleansed. Even if you cut me into pieces, I won¡¯t even blink.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hope you can still be arrogant during that.¡± The Emperor said this and mocked, ¡°Look at you. You act so arrogantly. So why did you fall from the tree?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The assassin was furious.


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t know what happened back then, either. He was hiding well on the treetop, but somehow he was struck by a wave of dizziness and fell.


    Now that he thought about it, it was embarrassing for an assassin of his caliber.


    King An stepped forward at this moment and added, ¡°Your Majesty, ording to the doctor¡¯s diagnosis, he fainted from hunger and fell from the tree.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at how big and burly he looks. He looks like a man, but he¡¯s actually a weak little woman. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen after starving for a few meals. What a coward.¡±


    ¡°Shut up; I didn¡¯t faint from hunger. I can even survive seven days without food or water, let alone three days. Otherwise, how could I have the strength to pull the bow and shoot otherwise?¡±


    ¡°You said you went without food for three days on that tree?¡± The Emperor asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Besides, I brought water with me. How could I faint from hunger?¡±


    ¡°In other words, on the day the retired Emperor passed away, you were already on the tree.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If I werete, you would have sent troops to clear the way. It won¡¯t be so easy to hide there then.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you know the rules of the imperial family very well. You also participated in the plot against my father, right?¡±


    The assassin was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had misspoken. He snorted coldly and did not speak again.


    The Emperor also discovers he¡¯s just arrogant and not shrewd.


    He tried to get information out of him. Unfortunately, although the assassin was not clever, he was not stupid. Just in case, he simply did not speak.


    The Emperor was helpless when he saw this, but he was also confident that he definitely knew something about the retired Emperor¡¯s assassination and even participated in it.


    Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth in hatred.


    At the same time, he knew that although they seemed to be targeting the retired Emperor, their ultimate goal was him.


    He didn¡¯t expect to cause his Empress to lose her life. Thinking of this, he wanted nothing more than to pull out this assassin¡¯s tendons and skin him alive.


    Soon, Eunuch Qian came in with Eunuch Hua. Eunuch Qian pointed at the assassin and said, ¡°It¡¯s him. Remember to do it slowly, but don¡¯t hurt his life.¡±


    ¡°Eunuch Qian, don¡¯t worry. He will definitely make him suffer a lot of pain, but he will survive.¡± Eunuch Hua looked at the assassin and replied.


    Heter called a few prison guards to help him tie the assassin to a rack, and he took out a small knife that was emitting a glint..

 Chapter 786 - 786 Interrogation (2)

    Chapter 786: Interrogation (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    He stepped forward and rubbed the assassin¡¯s face. ¡°Only with some oil can a blunt knife cut through flesh. Now, enjoy yourself.¡±


    After saying that, he reached out to untie the assassin¡¯s belt.


    ¡°Are you for real?¡± The assassin panicked.


    ¡°Nonsense, do you think killing my family member will grant you an easy death?¡± The Emperor added, ¡°After cutting it off, feed it to the dogs.¡±


    ¡°I want him to be an eunuch for every reincarnation.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eunuch Hua nodded, then looked at the assassin with a fierce expression.


    When the assassin heard that the Emperor wanted him to be an eunuch even in his other lives, he remembered that eunuchs usually kept their body parts after cutting them off.


    However, his would be fed to the dogs. Could it be¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t castrate me,¡± the assassin hurriedly said just as Eunuch Hua was about to strike.


    ¡°Hmph, weren¡¯t you supposed to be tough? It just so happens that I¡¯ve never seen someone get castrated before.¡± The Emperor looked at him with a cold smile.


    Although the assassin gritted his teeth angrily, he knew he was meat on the chopping board. He could be chopped up and fed to the dogs at any time.


    ¡°If I tell you, will you leave me aplete corpse?¡± The assassin asked after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°A cup of poisoned wine.¡± The Emperor nodded.


    The assassin heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m a hidden chess piece left behind by King Hui when he left. Five days ago, I received news that I had to hide at the city gate in advance to assassinate the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°What was your previous identity?¡±


    ¡°I was in the royal guards previously. When King Hui forced the abdication, he didn¡¯t make me participate, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Are there any other people from King Hui¡¯s side in the royal guards?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I was kept here because of my archery skills.¡±


    ¡°Who sent you the message?¡±


    ¡°I only know that she¡¯s a nanny in the pce. She has the smell of traditional medicine on her; I don¡¯t know the details.¡±


    ¡°What else do you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in one-way contact. I really don¡¯t know.¡± The assassin paused for a moment before adding, ¡°By the way, there seems to be a burn scar on the back of her neck. It¡¯s either a red birthmark or something. It was too dark then, so I couldn¡¯t be sure.¡±


    ¡°I do know about this nanny. She was previously a subordinate of Consort Shu. I don¡¯t know what she didter, but Consort Shu burned half her back in a cup of tea.


    Later, the Empress saved her and invited a doctor for her.¡± Eunuch Hua said.


    ¡°Qian.¡± The Emperor looked at Eunuch Qian.


    Eunuch Qian immediately understood and brought his men over. The nanny was quickly caught, and her mouth was stuffed with a rag.


    Eunuch Qian stepped forward and said, ¡°The Emperor, we caught her. She wanted to bite her tongue andmit suicide. Fortunately, the guards found her in time.¡±


    ¡°Another one who isn¡¯t afraid of death. No wonder you people could hide so deeply.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he kicked the nanny to the front of the assassin and said, ¡°Admit it, is it her?¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s her, it¡¯s her. That¡¯s what¡¯s on her neck.¡± The assassin nodded repeatedly.


    As soon as he finished speaking, he received the nanny¡¯s death stare.


    The assassin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. However, he straightened his neck and said, ¡°What are you looking at? King Hui isn¡¯t here. Even if I say something, it won¡¯t implicate him.¡±


    The nanny stared at him even more terrifyingly.


    Seeing this, King An waved his hand and got someone to give the nanny some anesthetic. He said, ¡°He¡¯s right. King Hui is not here. Just say whatever you have to say.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t make things difficult for you. Otherwise¡­


    ¡°Well, it would be hard to say what would happen to you then..¡±

 Chapter 787 - 787 Interrogation (3)

    Chapter 787: Interrogation (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor looked at the nanny¡¯s cold, sharp eyes and knew she would not speak easily.


    He turned to look at Eunuch Qian and said, ¡°Seal the pce gates and investigate the pce servants who havee into contact with her. Capture all of them.


    ¡°Especially those who live in the same house and courtyard as her.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eunuch Qian responded and walked out.


    The Emperor also informed Xiao Heng. Although he intended to force people to jump over the wall in desperation, he didn¡¯t want the pce to be in chaos.


    After the nanny heard this, she turned her head and looked at the Emperor with hatred.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this pair of eyes. Dig them out and feed them to the dogs.¡± The Emperor sneered.


    ¡°This one will do so.¡± After Eunuch Hua finished speaking, he walked into the nanny with a sinister smile. He took out a knife and directly dug out her eyes with a technique that was fast, ruthless, and urate.


    No matter how calm she was earlier, she screamed in pain. Her voice screeched louder than that of a vengeful ghost.


    Hearing this, the assassin¡¯s hair stood on end. At the same time, he was d that he did not hold on earlier. Otherwise, the scream would havee out of his mouth.


    After her eyes were dug out, Eunuch Hua quickly applied ayer of medicine to her eyes and sprinkled arge amount of lime powder.


    This was so that it could quickly disinfect and sear the wound, thus quickly stopping the bleeding and any possible infection.


    ¡°You dog of an Emperor, the Empress was right. You are the most ruthless person in this world!¡± The nanny shouted at this moment.


    However, due to the anesthetic, her shouts were feeble.


    The Emperor dug his ears and said, ¡°You are stupid. In this world, who can be more ruthless than the ex-Empress and her son?


    ¡°Ignoring the ministers who had died in their hands and the innocent children of the ministers¡¯ families.


    ¡°What about themoners? The most typical example was when King Hui went to the south to build the river embankment.


    ¡°In order to force the local officials to collude with him, he cruelly killed all the strongborers. Can you imagine the scene of blood flowing like a river and corpses strewn all over the ground?


    ¡°Rtively speaking, I only dug out your eyes.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re innocent? Do you dare say that the retired Emperor and my Empress¡¯ deaths had nothing to do with you?


    ¡°No. You deserve to die.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you die. I will let you witness your aplices die tragically in front of you, one by one.


    ¡°I will let them know that they died because of you.


    ¡°I want you to feel pain all the time and not be able to sleep at night.


    ¡°As long as you daremit suicide, I will kill your nine ns for treason, including everyone in five lines of rtion.


    ¡°I will make you a sinner of your n, and you won¡¯t be able to live in peace even if you go to hell.¡±


    The old nanny listened to his words as if the Emperor were a malicious ghost locking on to her.


    She was terrified. Her fate would be doomed if there were ghosts in this world.


    ¡°No, no, there are no ghosts in this world.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to yourself. Even the neighboring countries know about Mother God¡¯s manifestation. How long do you want to lie to yourself?¡±


    ¡°Nanny Sun, Nanny Sun, save Miaomiao!¡± At this moment, a little girl in her teens was brought in. When she saw the nanny, she immediately cried and shouted.


    Nanny Sun was stunned for a moment and turned her head to look.


    However, she couldn¡¯t see anything anymore. She stretched out her hand and wanted to follow the sound. Unfortunately, just as she stretched out her hand, King An stepped on it. ¡°Stay here obediently..¡±

 Chapter 788 - 788 Interrogation (4)

    Chapter 788: Interrogation (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You, you¡¯re not human. She¡¯s still a child!¡± Nanny Sun raised her head and shrieked.


    ¡°All the pce servants are servants who have signed a death contract. Their lives are in the hands of the Emperor.


    ¡°If you were honest and served your master as you should, who would find trouble with you?


    ¡°Consort Shu and thete Empress have already taught you this once. Unfortunately, you don¡¯t have a good memory, so who can you me?


    ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t she implicated by you? Otherwise, why would she appear here?¡± King An sneered.


    How could a disobedient dog still expect its owner to be honest with it?


    ¡°Nanny Sun, Nanny Sun, save me.¡± When the little pce maid heard this, she immediately shouted at Nanny Sun again.


    Seeing this, Nanny Sun turned her head and did not look at her anymore.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Eunuch Qian said. ¡°Nanny Sun could have saved you, but she chose not to.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! Nanny Sun, Nanny Sun, save me!¡± The little pce maid cried out. At this moment, King An shouted impatiently, ¡°Shut up! She would have done so if she wanted to save you the moment you came in. There¡¯s no need to keep shouting.¡±


    The little pce maid was so frightened that she immediately shut her mouth and trembled as she hid beside Eunuch Qian.


    When Eunuch Qian saw this, he rubbed her little head lovingly. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. As long as you are obedient and tell us what you know, the Emperor will not make things difficult for you.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± After Eunuch Qian finished speaking, he pushed her into Nanny Sun¡¯s arms.


    Nanny Sun was already in so much pain that her entire body was trembling. The pain from her collision almost made her faint, and she subconsciously pushed the maid back out.


    After the little pce maid was pushed away, she turned her head and looked at her with an aggrieved expression.


    Only then did he realize something was wrong with Nanny Sun¡¯s eyes and immediately crawl over.


    When she saw that her eyes were gone, she asked in panic, ¡°Nanny Sun, your eyes¡­ Your eyes¡­¡±


    At this moment, the little pce maid also realized something. She was so frightened that her entire body trembled. Her eyes were filled with fear as she looked at the Emperor.


    ¡°Little girl,¡± the assassin said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s useless. If you don¡¯t want to suffer like us, just tell them what you know.¡±


    The little pce maid turned her head to look after hearing that. Only then did she realize that a bloody person was hanging on a rack. She immediately became even more afraid.


    Seeing this, King An looked at the assassin with satisfaction. He said to the little pce maid, ¡°As long as you tell me who Nanny Sun usually interacted with and who she had a good rtionship with in private, I will let you go.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, you will end up like him.¡± King An pointed at the assassin.


    The little pce maid immediately started crying.


    ¡°You only have fifteen minutes.¡± The Emperor said.


    The little pce maid didn¡¯t know what to do and could only look at Nanny Sun.


    Seeing her shake her head, she lowered her head and shut her mouth.


    Seeing this, Eunuch Hua stepped forward and brandished his knife. ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re quite stubborn. Why don¡¯t you apany Nanny Sun?¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t, don¡¯t.¡± The little pce maid was so frightened that she immediately shrank back.


    Nanny Sun hugged her and spoke up, ¡°If you have anything,e at me. Don¡¯t ask her. She doesn¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s keeping quiet.


    ¡°Moreover, I heard you even intend to acknowledge her as your goddaughter. How could she not know anything?¡± Eunuch Qian asked.


    ¡°You, you guys¡­¡± Nanny Sun didn¡¯t know what to say.


    The little pce maid was so frightened that she dared not speak again. However, she was pulled over by Eunuch Hua. ¡°Your eyes are so beautiful, and I very much like them. Why don¡¯t I dig them out and soak them in water to take a good look?¡±


    After saying that, he raised the knife and stabbed it into her eyes with a sinister smile..

 Chapter 789 - 789 Cowpox

    Chapter 789: Cowpox


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Eunuch Qian even stepped forward and held her down, leaving her no room to run.


    Nanny Sun wanted to help, but she was kicked to the wall by King An.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ wait! I know that Nanny Sun has a name list.¡± The little pce maid was so frightened that she closed her eyes and shouted.


    ¡°Name list? Where.¡± King An asked.


    ¡°Miaomiao!¡± Nanny Sun immediately shouted.


    However, fear had already taken over the little pce maid¡¯s heart, so she told King An where the name list was stored.


    Eunuch Qian immediately ran out.


    After he left, he caught a few more people, one after another. However, he did not interrogate them. Instead, he locked them up in the cell.


    At the same time, to prevent Nanny Sun frommitting suicide, King An also hung her up.


    Nanny Sun¡¯s eyes were already in so much pain that she almost fainted a few times after she was hung up.


    However, she could not faint because of the pain.


    She also did not dare to make any more moves.


    About two hourster, Eunuch Qian captured another eight people, but this time, they were mainly eunuchs.


    ¡°Twenty-four people in total. We¡¯ve captured all of them.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The Emperor took the list and nced at it. Not only were their names there, but also their position, age, and speciality.


    Their positions weren¡¯t eye-catching. It seemed that it was specially arranged.


    At the same time, he felt a lingering fear in his heart. There were so many people. If they were discovered toote, many more incidents might have happened.


    He handed the name list to King An.


    With the name list, the assassin, and Nanny Sun¡¯s tragic state, it was much easier for the others to speak.


    Soon, he discovered that the person who had thrown ice into the retired Emperor¡¯s room was a little eunuch skilled at sneaking around.


    Ultimately, Nanny Sun had nothing else to shoulder and gave out Consort Shu¡¯s three spies.


    Of course, the Emperor was happy to arrest them all.


    Theyter found out about ten more people under Consort Shu.


    From then on, all the spies of King Hui and King Kang were removed.


    With a wave of his hand, the Emperor gave them all poisoned wine and buried them in the wilderness.


    Zhou Ying, who had been paying attention to the pce, finally heaved a sigh of relief. At least Gu Wanning was now in a safer position.


    In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Gu Chengrui finally returned and handed the final vine data to the Emperor. ¡°Replying to the Emperor, I did not disappoint you. The experiment this time has been sessful. The experiment has proved that the human body more readily epts a vine.


    ¡°Guard Chu and the others had already tried it, and they recovered in about three days.


    ¡°After that, we found some weak children and women. The recovery was slower, but it would only take seven days at most.¡±


    ¡°Did you really get smallpox and recover?¡± The Emperor looked at Guard Chu.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Guard Chu replied. He then stepped forward and unbuttoned his shirt. He pulled it gently, revealing a small scar on his shoulder. ¡°The only problem is that it will leave a scar.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth having such a small scar to eliminate the possibility of smallpox infection.¡± The Emperorughed loudly.


    This was the only happy thing that had happened in the past month. It was great news.


    He looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°Can¡¯t the Eldest Princess get her vine now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. It won¡¯t be toote to take it when she can run all over the ce and her body is stronger. It¡¯ll save her from suffering.¡±


    ¡°Did you bring it? Give the vine to me now.¡± The Emperor put down the memorial.


    ¡°Emperor, you can¡¯t. You have a body of gold; you must be careful. It¡¯s better to let this servant do it. This way, you can also witness the effectiveness with your eyes.¡± Eunuch Qian immediately kneeled and stopped the Emperor..

 Chapter 790 - 790: 790 A Reminder

    Chapter 790 - 790: 790 A Reminder<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Emperor, why don¡¯t you let Eunuch Qian try it out first?¡± Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment and suggested.


    Although he was confident in the cowpox vine, just in case, he still felt he should get it after he thoroughly approved it.<div>


    Moreover, although the country seemed calm now, the undercurrents were surging, so it was better to be careful.


    ¡°Emperor, let Eunuch Qian go first.¡± Guard Chu echoed.


    ¡°How about this, Chengrui? You go back and rest well. Tomorrow, I will select a group of people for the vine. At the same time, let the people from the Imperial Academy of Medicine follow and observe.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s any difference.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I will take my leave first.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he looked at Guard Chu and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Guard Chu to protect that cow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lord Gu.¡± Guard Chu smiled.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and turned to leave the pce.


    When he returned home, he found out that Zhou Ying and their daughter had gone to the manor. Although he was a little disappointed, he quickly washed up, changed, ate something, and had a good sleep.


    He did not expect that the next day after entering the pce, the Emperor had all the pce servants between the ages of ten and forty ready for the cowpox vine.


    After nting the cowpox, the rest were handed over to Principal Zhou and the others.


    Other than going to the pce once a day, he would go to his hospital and get busy.<div>


    Three dayster, the vinated subjects gradually recovered. By the seventh day, everyone hadpletely recovered.


    The Emperor was overjoyed, and so were the imperial physicians.


    Although they weren¡¯t the ones who discovered the vine, at least they wouldn¡¯t have to be afraid of smallpox anymore. It could be considered a way of saving their lives.


    On that day, everyone in the pce who was over two years old and below sixty years old, except for Gu Wanning, who was pregnant, got their vine.


    Ten dayster, after everyone had recovered, the Emperor went to the previous Empress Dowager. He looked at the eldest princess and then at the previous Empress Dowager. ¡°Imperial Grandmother, Gu Chengrui¡¯s contribution this time is too great. In addition to the sweet potatoes and waterwheel, how do you think your grandson should be rewarded?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. However, between the husband and wife, one only thinks about doing business and cooking all day, while the other only thinks about farming and medicine all day.


    ¡°In addition to your Aunt Ping Yang¡¯s rtionship, why don¡¯t you give him an official position that won¡¯t be easily bullied? As for the rest, it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    ¡°An official who doesn¡¯t allow others to bully him?¡± The Emperor couldn¡¯t think of anything for the moment.


    After all, there weren¡¯t many officials in that high position.


    ¡°I¡¯ll seriously consider it when I return,¡± he said.


    After the Emperor finished speaking, he stood up and was about to leave.<div>


    The previous Empress Dowager quickly stopped him. ¡°Wait a minute. What do you think about your back pce?¡±


    ¡°After the Empress passed, only Wanning is left. The courtiers would send a memorial for you to choose someone sooner orter.


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s also your father¡¯s concubines. It¡¯s not a good thing to keep them here. It¡¯ll be troublesome if the public makes some unpleasant remarks.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear something?¡± The Emperor asked.


    ¡°No, but don¡¯t forget that some of your father¡¯s concubines are still quite young. Some of them are even virgins.


    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable that ambitious people will target you.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°If there weren¡¯t such signs, would I have asked?¡±


    The Emperor felt disgusted after hearing this. He then asked, ¡°Imperial Grandmother, what do you think about letting these concubines who don¡¯t have sons out of the pce? Especially those who are virgins.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of you? I¡¯m just afraid that they won¡¯t appreciate your kindness.¡± The previous Empress Dowager paused for a moment. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll arrange for people to gauge their and their families¡¯ reactions. If they can ept it, then let them out..¡±

 Chapter 791 - 791: 791 Taking Action

    Chapter 791 - 791: 791 Taking Action<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thank you, Grandmother.¡± After the Emperor thanked her, he instructed the little princess to be a good girl and went to work.


    The moment he left, the previous Empress Dowager first sent Nanny Liu to count all the beautiful women who had never slept with the previous Emperor.<div>


    She sent someone to call Consort Xian and her daughter-inw, King An¡¯s family, and the three generations of the old woman into the pce.


    ¡°I called you all here today to ask for your help.¡±


    ¡°Mother, if you need anything, just tell me.¡± Consort Xian said.


    ¡°Yes. If there¡¯s anything you need, please instruct us.¡± Elder Consort An echoed.


    ¡°I will say it directly.


    ¡°You should also know that a group of women in the pce have served the previous Emperor. Some of them are even virgins who have never slept with him. Letting them apany him for the rest of their lives is too cruel.


    ¡°The current Emperor is kind and wants to let them go out and get married, so he wants to invite you to their parents¡¯ homes to investigate their willingness. If they are willing to ept this arrangement, we will let them out of the pce.


    ¡°We won¡¯t force those who aren¡¯t willing.


    ¡°However, the girls won¡¯t be qualified to be selected again if they go home.¡± ¡°What will happen to those who are unwilling to ept it?¡± The old consort asked.


    If they didn¡¯t ept it and would end up very miserable, it was believed that not many would give up for their family¡¯s reputation.


    ¡°Many young men in the army still have yet to get married. The Emperor will assign them to them when the timees.¡± The Empress Dowager replied.<div>


    The old consort and the others looked at each other and had an idea.


    After a while, Nanny Liu returned with a detailed list of names. She handed it to the previous Empress Dowager. ¡°Madam, this is the list of the women who have never slept with the previous Emperor.¡±


    After the previous Empress Dowager took it, she nced at it. She didn¡¯t expect there to be quite a lot. The younger one entered the pce during thest selection and was only 22 years old.


    The older one was nearly forty years old. Her damned son was really guilty.


    She was too careless. Those who were over 25 should have been released like pce maids.


    She selected those who had family members in the capital and assigned them to five people.


    After they left, she handed out the list of people with no family in the capital. She gave it to Nanny Liu. ¡°Send these letters to their families and ask for their opinions.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Granny Liu paused and asked, ¡°Madam, the two oldest ones want to stay in the pce. They used to work in the embroidery room when they had nothing to do. They said they wanted to be embroiderers.¡±


    The previous Empress Dowager nodded thoughtfully and said, ¡°Check them out first if these two people are safe. If they are, they can stay. Otherwise, they can¡¯t stay in the pce.¡±


    No matter what, thete Emperor wasted their youth. It would be dangerous for the current Emperor if they were to harbor resentment in their hearts.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nanny Liu responded and left with the name list.<div>


    After the Emperor returned to the royal study, he thought about it and could not decide on what official he should give Gu Chengrui.


    Luckily, this matter was not urgent. What was urgent was to spread the vine as soon as possible.


    At the thought of this, he summoned the imperial physicians, including Gu Chengrui, into the pce and asked, ¡°Everyone, tell me, how can we quickly and effectively promote the spread of vines?¡±


    ¡°I think we can send two more imperial physicians out to supervise the local doctors¡¯ cooperation.¡± Imperial Physician Liu replied.


    ¡°It will be a little slow. We can send more doctors from the capital and teach them how to get the vine from cowpox. Everyone will head out to different ces together, and it will be promoted faster.¡± Principal Zhou stepped forward and suggested.


    Following that, the other imperial physicians also came forward to express their thoughts, but they were all simr and had no new ideas.


    The key was to control the doctors among the people and not spread the fear of cowpox..

 Chapter 792 - 792 A Method

    Chapter 792: A Method


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor finally looked at Gu Chengrui, standing at the side, pretending to be stupid. He asked in a bad mood, ¡°Gu Chengrui, tell me what you think?¡±


    ¡°Emperor, if you want to push out the vine as soon as possible, the methods of the imperial physicians are not bad.


    ¡°But in the long run, it¡¯s stillcking.¡±


    ¡°Oh, tell me?¡± The Emperor nodded. He also felt something was wrong but couldn¡¯t figure out what.


    Although the few imperial physicians were indignant, they did not refute him because he discovered the vine.


    However, they still turned to look at him, wanting to see what good ideas he coulde up with.


    ¡°Humans are always giving birth endlessly. This year, we can promote the spread of cowpox as a smallpox vine.


    ¡°What would happen to the children growing up next year?


    ¡°Should we do this once a year?


    ¡°Therefore, I suggest that a medical center belonging to the imperial court be established in each county or even town.


    ¡°In addition to the annual vine inoctions for children of the right age, the prevention methods for other diseases could also be quickly implemented through this governmental medical center.


    ¡°For example, leprosy is one illness we must get rid of quickly.


    ¡°Also, we could earn an ie by visiting patients.


    ¡°This way, not only would the staff not need to be paid monthly, but it would also increase the ie of the imperial court.


    ¡°Also, the medical skills of doctors varied everywhere, and this medical center could restrict them through examinations. Only those who met the requirements could be doctors.


    ¡°The rest will be firmly banned from practicing medicine.


    ¡°Thest and most important point is that the quality of the country¡¯s medicinal herbs is worrying. There are even those who sell fake medicine. We can also supervise them through this medical center.¡±


    ¡°A medical center.¡± The Emperor felt it was a little over, but he had to admit that this was a good idea for long-term development.


    After the imperial physicians heard this, they looked at each other. For a moment, they did not know if it was a good or bad idea.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this crowd the other medicine stores? Wouldn¡¯t it cause chaos?¡± asked Principal Zhou.


    ¡°It¡¯s just one more. It won¡¯t affect anyone as long as we don¡¯t have bad intentions.


    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t we have to choose the person in charge from the top local doctors? This way, there will be one or two fewer local clinics.¡±


    Principal Zhou didn¡¯t say anything after hearing this.


    When the Emperor saw this, he looked at Gu Chengrui and said, ¡°How about this, Minister Gu? Write me a detailed memorialter. Let¡¯s discuss it properly.


    ¡°As for this year¡¯s vine promotion, it would be done ording to Principal Zhou¡¯s n. Select a group of doctors in the capital and transfer some apprentices from the Imperial Academy of Medicine to learn how to use cowpox to treat smallpox.


    ¡°After they finish learning, I will send soldiers to escort them to various ces to spread the vine quickly.¡± The Emperor then looked at Principal Zhou. ¡°Principal Zhou will be in charge of the selection of these doctors. Remember, their character must pass the test. If anything happens, I wille to you for questioning.¡±


    ¡°As for teaching them, let Gu Chengrui do it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two of them replied at the same time.


    ¡°Does Lord Gu have a way to prevent leprosy?¡± Principal Zhou asked after leaving the royal study.


    ¡°Not yet, but since the smallpox vine is sessful, I think there are other ways we can try it.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You youngsters are the most aggressive in research.¡± Principal Zhou nodded thoughtfully.


    It seemed that the Imperial Academy of Medicine could also try it. They could no longer limit themselves to treating the people in the pce.


    Gu Chengrui said a few polite words and left.


    When he returned home, he saw Guoguo, who was already able to walk with Zhou Ying¡¯s guidance. He went forward and smiled. ¡°Guoguo, you¡¯re so awesome! Come to Daddy.¡±


    After saying that, he leaned over and pped his hands at her.


    When Guoguo saw him, she also smiled and pped her hands. Then, she walked over to him with a serious expression on her face.


    When she was almost there, she suddenly smiled and threw herself into his


    arms..

 Chapter 793 - 793 Autumn Harvest

    Chapter 793: Autumn Harvest


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui immediately squatted down to support her. He picked her up and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°Guoguo is the best.¡±


    Guoguo immediatelyughed when she heard thepliment.


    ¡°Are you not busy today?¡± Zhou Ying stood up and asked. ¡°Why are you back so early?¡±


    After asking that, she poured him a ss of water.


    Gu Chengrui sat down and said, ¡°I was summoned into the pce by the Emperor and discussed the matter of promoting the uses of cowpox.


    ¡°For the sake of long-term nning, I suggested a centralized medical center, an overall medical system led by the government.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be busy from now on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good too. Doing more good deeds can be considered as umting merit for our children and grandchildren.¡± Although Zhou Ying was a little reluctant to part with him, she had no intention of stopping him.


    She asked, ¡°Guoguo¡¯s first birthday ising up. What should we do? Do we hold another banquet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but just a small one. We can¡¯t mistreat our daughter.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    Then, he remembered Principal Zhou¡¯s attitude and told her, ¡°He¡¯s not a bad person. He¡¯s just like power¡ªa little too much. If he takes the initiative to look for you, just treat him as someone ordinary and keep a distance away.¡±


    ¡°I understand.


    ¡°So, what do you want to eat for lunch?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much of an appetite. Just make something appetizing.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s have cold noodles and two refreshing side dishes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, prepare more chili oil.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and turned to leave.


    Gu Chengrui yed with Guoguo for a while, then passed her to Mrs. Lin while he went to the study room.


    Three dayster, they held a small-scale banquet for Guoguo, and the couple got busy.


    Gu Chengrui was busy with his hospital and discussing farming with Chen He. He did not expect that Chen He actually managed to grow watermelon on the eastern melon vine.


    Although it was big, the taste was not that great.


    Gu Chengrui looked at his disappointed expression. He patted his shoulder and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s already great that you seeded. If you persist, you will definitely gain something special.


    ¡°Next year, let¡¯s try transnting jujube with wild jujube, as our jujube production is still a little low.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that the transnting of the jujube will seed?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they belong to the same type of nt.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that we sessfully transnted apples and pears this spring? They are of different species.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll start on jujube next year.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but your forceful and hardheaded method won¡¯t work.


    ¡°You have to find a direction and study it in depth. Otherwise, you might be able to do everything in the future, but you might not be good at it.


    ¡°For example, doctors are divided into many subcategories, such as gynecology, surgery, acupuncture, and so on.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you mean. I will seriously consider it when I go back.¡±


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying brought Guoguo to the manor and started harvesting the fruits. Besides the pears that were managed by the head of the manor, the apples and grapes in the wastnd manor had also ripened.


    Niu Fugui was mainly responsible for selling the fruits, while Zhou Ying taught everyone how to brew wine.


    There was an autumn harvestter for rice, soybeans, sesame, peanuts, and so on.


    Although she didn¡¯t need to go down to the fields herself, she still needed to make the decision.


    After that, they harvested the corn and nted the winter wheat.


    She had nted a lot of winter wheat this time and nned for corn next. This way, she could store some food outside her interspace, just in case.


    At the same time, she also took out some soybeans, peanuts, sesame seeds, and other urgently needed food from her space.


    The restaurants had run out of sesame today, causing the hotpot business of the three restaurants to stop.


    This busy periodsted for more than a month..

 Chapter 794 - 794: 794 Promotion

    Chapter 794 - 794: 794 Promotion<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    During this month, there were major changes in the pce.


    Among the previous Emperor¡¯s concubines, regardless of whether they had given birth to princesses or princes, they had left the pce together.<div>


    Those who were virgins, except for the two older ones, had all left the pce to get married.


    Some of the women who had served the previous Emperor also remarried.


    However, most chose to go to the Imperial Mausoleum to mourn for the previous Emperor, and two decided to go to the Mother God Temple to serve her.


    On this day, after Gu Chengrui had taught all the selected doctors how to get the vine from cowpox, the Emperor also put ns for medical centers on the agenda.


    Therefore, he directly summoned Gu Chengrui into the pce and asked, ¡°Regarding the medical centers¡¯ memorial, whether it¡¯s their position, responsibility, or authority, you have to write it down clearly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I called you over today, for you to manage these medical centers.


    ¡°At the same time, I will confer on you the title of Marquis An Le tomorrow. At the same time, I will appoint you as a second-grade official in charge of the medical yamen.


    ¡°Also, Zhou Ying will be conferred the title of a second-grade imperial consort.¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not decline after hearing that. He was the one who had proposed the medical center, so only with him in charge could they strictly follow his request. However, he still asked worriedly, ¡°So, the imperial physicians¡­¡±


    ¡°Imperial physicians are imperial physicians. Their duty is to treat the people of the royal family. They don¡¯t have power in the government.


    ¡°Of course, if they want to enter a medical center, I will also approve it.¡±<div>


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Tell me how you n to choose your candidates first. It¡¯s not easy to handpick so many people.¡±


    ¡°Just like the imperial examination, passing the examination is divided into two parts: theory and on-the-spot diagnosis. However, after the theory examination, we have to investigate the person¡¯s life and character.


    ¡°If their character is not good, they will not be recruited. Otherwise, it will ruin the big picture.¡±


    The Emperor nodded in agreement. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll get Xiao Heng to bring someone for youter. If there¡¯s anything that you need, just mention it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Chengrui had just finished speaking when Eunuch Qian rushed over. ¡°Your Majesty, Lord Gu, Consort Xian is ready to give birth. The previous Empress Dowager and the Imperial Physician are already on their way.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Emperor suddenly stood up and strode out.


    He had heard Imperial Physician Liu say that Consort Xian¡¯s baby was a boy, which would be his eldest son. He was looking forward to it and could not allow anything to happen to the mother and son.


    Gu Chengrui saw this and immediately got up to follow.


    The previous Empress Dowager heaved a sigh of relief when she saw them. She stood up and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally here. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.¡±.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Imperial Grandmother. Please sit at the side and wait. I will guard her.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he helped her sit down.<div>


    The other people in the courtyard immediately bowed to the Emperor.


    ¡°Greetings, Grand Empress Dowager.¡± Gu Chengrui stepped forward and bowed after everyone got up.


    ¡°No need. Sit, sit. Let¡¯s wait together. I hope the Mother Goddess can bless Wanning to give birth smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gu Chengrui responded and sat down below the Emperor.


    Hearing the heart-wrenching screams in the room, Gu Chengrui¡¯s scalp went numb. He was worried about this, so when Chunxi came out, he asked her to pass on a message.


    If Gu Wanning shouted too much now, she would lose her energy easily when giving birthter. He told her that she must try her best to endure it.


    Finally, he instructed, ¡°It¡¯s best to find her something clean and let her bite on it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, there is such a saying. Chun Xi, right? Hurry up and go in and tell your mistress.¡± The previous Empress Dowager nodded in agreement.


    Chun Xi immediately turned around and ran back into the house..

 Chapter 795 - 795: 795 Birth of the First Prince

    Chapter 795 - 795: 795 Birth of the First Prince<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor heard this and gripped the handle of the chair. He turned to Imperial Physician Liu and asked, ¡°Imperial Physician Liu, have you prepared the ginseng?¡±


    ¡°Replying to the Emperor, it¡¯s prepared. A hundred-year-old ginseng.¡± Imperial Physician Liu answered.<div>


    The Emperor nodded and didn¡¯t speak again, and he just stared at the door.


    Gu Chengrui looked at his nervous expression and finally heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. It did not matter if he was doing it for the child or for Wanning, as long as the child was sessfully born.


    Wanning¡¯s position was temporarily stabilized.


    Otherwise, Wanning might not be able to win against the neers with her personality.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying, who was paying attention to Gu Wanning from time to time, stopped checking the ounts in her hands and then paid attention to the birth.


    First, she confirmed if her fetal position was correct or not.


    After checking the four midwives and confirming that they did not have any secret items on them, she heaved a sigh of relief.


    She monitored the four midwives to prevent them from doing anything suspicious.


    Fortunately, she was overthinking it. At noon, Gu Wanning sessfully gave birth to a little boy who weighed 1.5 kilograms.


    That loud cry really startled the midwife.


    At the same time, when the previous Empress Dowager and the Emperor found out that Consort Xian had really given birth to a little prince, they were overjoyed. The Emperor waved his hand and said, ¡°Little Qian, reward everyone in the pce with a month¡¯s sry.¡±<div>


    ¡°Congrattions to the Emperor, congrattions to the Emperor for having a son!¡± Eunuch Qian immediately bowed.


    When the others heard this, they immediately congratted him.


    Once the news spread, the pce was filled with jubtion.


    When Gu Wanning found out that she had given birth to a prince, she smiled and looked at the child before falling asleep.


    At this moment, Zhou Ying realized that Gu Wanning¡¯s head was really blessed with good fortune. There was even a faint purple aura. It seemed that there would be a joyous event in the future.


    When Gu Chengrui returned, he saw Zhou Ying coaxing Guoguo to sleep while grinning. He went forward and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡±


    ¡°Why did youe backte?¡± Zhou Ying asked back yfully.


    Gu Chengrui was surprised by her question for a moment. ¡°Hold on. I¡¯m sure you know more details than I do.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Ever since the previous Empress incident, I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the pce from time to time.


    ¡°After I found out that Gu Wanning was about to give birth, I watched her the entire time. Do you think the Emperor will make Wanning the Empress?¡± Zhou Ying whispered to him about Gu Wanning¡¯s good fortune.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s very possible. It¡¯s taboo for the eldest son to be born from a concubine.¡±<div>


    ¡°Moreover, Wanning is not bad in all aspects.


    ¡°The only weakness is that her family behind her is weak, but this was not necessarily a bad thing in the eyes of the Emperor.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not weak now.¡± Gu Chengrui was reminded and told her that the Emperor wanted to confer him the title of Marquis An Le, as well as Zhou Ying¡¯s second-rank imperial mandate.


    ¡°In the end, we still can¡¯t escape this. So be it. However, you can¡¯t be so busy that you forget about us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You and our daughter are my focus.¡± Gu Chengrui kissed each of their foreheads.


    ¡°By the way, have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I ate with the Emperor beforeing back.¡±


    ¡°Did the Emperor mention he would hold a birth ceremony for the little prince?¡±


    ¡°He said he wouldn¡¯t do it. Just like us, he¡¯ll have a one-month-old celebration.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll pack some supplements and send them to the pce over the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Give Wanning two bundles of bananas. They¡¯re good for the body.


    ¡°There¡¯s also durian. I wonder if she¡¯s okay eating that.¡± Gu Chengrui said..

 Chapter 796 - 796 Sending Gifts

    Chapter 796: Sending Gifts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Banana is fine, as it can still be found in the capital. As for durian, I have yet to see even one here. We should forget about it.


    ¡°Alright, do as you see fit.¡±


    The next morning, Zhou Ying and her husband had just finished breakfast when the imperial edict to confer Gu Chengrui the title of Marquis of An Le and Zhou Ying the title of second-rank imperial consort arrived.


    After the two of them politely sent Eunuch Qian away, Gu Chengrui went to his hospital to get busy.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying packed some red dates, wolfberries, and a bird¡¯s nest. They were all produced from her interspace and were all top-grade harvests.


    She also prepared a fruit basket. There were bananas for Gu Wanning, while the apples and grapes were for the previous Empress Dowager.


    After her preparations, she handed Guoguo to Mrs. Lin and brought Shizhu into the pce.


    She visited Gu Wanning but noticed that she was still recovering. After putting down her gifts, she looked at the eldest prince and went to the previous Empress Dowager.


    ¡°Ah, Ying, you¡¯re here. You haven¡¯te to see me in a while.¡± When the previous Empress Dowager saw her enter, she immediately greeted her warmly.


    ¡°My bad. So, I came here today to apologize.¡± Zhou Ying put down the two baskets of fruits. ¡°Here are some fruits. Do have a taste.¡±


    ¡°Lovely! Your grapes are very sweet. I love to eat them, as does the eldest princess.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t store them well. I didn¡¯t expect you to have some still. If I had known earlier, I would have asked for more for you.¡±


    ¡°I made a cold storage with ice and stored some for myself. Since you like it, I¡¯ll send some overter.¡±


    ¡°Cold storage? Is it an ice cer?¡± The previous Empress Dowager asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s simr. You just need to put ayer of ice on the bottom or the top, and then put some lime on the otheryer to disinfect it and remove the dampness. Lastly, you need to put some straw on it to keep the cold in.¡±


    ¡°I see. The food won¡¯t be frozen by this either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the time it can be preserved is limited.¡±


    ¡°This is already a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Granny.¡± The Eldest Princess ran over and looked at the grapes.


    ¡°You greedy little cat. You and your sharp eyes.¡± The previous Empress Dowager smiled. She then handed tworge bunches of grapes to Nanny Liu. ¡°Wash them and give everyone a taste.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nanny Liu responded and walked out with the grapes.


    The Eldest Princess stayed behind and leaned into the previous Empress Dowager¡¯s arms. She looked at Zhou Ying curiously.


    Zhou Ying smiled. She took a pair of pink pearls from her purse, or rather, from her interspace. She handed it to her and said, ¡°Eldest Princess, take a look. Do you like it?¡±


    The Eldest Princess turned her head to look at the previous Empress Dowager. Seeing that she did not object, she reached out her tiny hand and grabbed it. She smiled. ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so obedient.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and praised her.


    ¡°Oh, why didn¡¯t you bring Guoguo? The Eldest Princess would have a ymate of the same age then.¡±


    ¡°She just learned how to walk. How would I dare to bring her here? We¡¯ll have to wait until next year.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Wanning has given birth now. Come to the pce more often in the future.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    After that, the two chatted for a while before Zhou Ying left.


    Three dayster, she sent some more grapes again. This time, she also gave the Eldest Princess a set of building blocks and taught her how to y them.


    On the Northern Continent.


    In a tribe not far from the capital, King Hui looked at the person kneeling on the ground and asked in disbelief, ¡°What did you say? Say it again?¡±


    ¡°The Second Master, as well as all the spies in the pce, are dead.


    ¡°The smallpox disease was also quickly controlled. Only 12 people died, and the pce was not affected.¡± After the person on the ground finished speaking, he lowered his head and did not dare to speak again..

 Chapter 797 - 797 Bringing Along

    Chapter 797: Bringing Along


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What happened? Have you made yourself clear?¡± King Hui asked thoughtfully.


    He had designed so many traps, but he did not expect that he would still be unable to take his third brother¡¯s life. Instead, he had lost all his chess pieces. Something must have happened that he did not know about.


    ¡°Gu Chengrui was the one who discovered the smallpox. Because he discovered it in time and controlled it quickly and urately, it was eliminated before it spread.


    ¡°It was also when he was investigating the root cause of smallpox that he found Second Master and the others, so¡­


    ¡°Later on, he discovered cowpox. I heard it could prevent smallpox, and now he has begun implementing it.


    ¡°As for the people in the pce, after the Empress died, they caught the assassins, and everyone else was caught subsequently.


    ¡°Even King Kang¡¯s spies have been taken care of.¡±


    Upon hearing what he said, King Hui immediately understood that the assassin and Nanny Sun must have betrayed him. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have all died and even implicated his fourth brother¡¯s people.


    He knew Nanny Sun wasn¡¯t worth trusting. If she could betray them once, she could betray them a second time.


    However, his mother refused to listen. Now, she had be deaf and blind.


    He was in the dark now and could only attack forcefully.


    If they attacked forcefully, the battle would drag out, and they would suffer significant losses.


    The key was that he did not have military power in his hands, so he had to cooperate with the Northern Continent.


    However, the people of the Northern Continent were a group of wolves. The price of cooperating with them was too high. He asked, ¡°By the way, have the people sent into the Northern Continent Pce and the borders sneaked in?¡±


    ¡°They have, and the people who infiltrated the border also discovered other spies used to infiltrate the Northern Continent Army. They have already taken them for their own use.¡±


    ¡°Very good. You can go and rest. I¡¯ll look for you after I figure out what to do next.¡± After King Prince finished speaking, he turned around and returned to the tent.


    On the other hand, after Gu Chengrui took over the medical center n, he first brought all the doctors he taught and gave the smallpox vine to everyone in the capital.


    After everything was settled in the capital, the doctors were sent to various ces under Xiao Heng¡¯s escort.


    At the same time, Xiao Heng also epted a secret mission, which was to help Gu Chengrui inquire about the reputation and prestige of the local doctors.


    After they left, Gu Chengrui immediately began an examination to select doctors for the medical centers of the various suburban counties within the capital.


    After the capital was settled, they started to set up various medical centers along the route that Xiao Heng had set out on.


    On the other hand, Zhou Ying would bring Guoguo to Mingyu to y or teach Chunxiang and Dongxiang cooking in the residence.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the First Prince¡¯s one-month-old birthday.


    Zhou Ying got up early in the morning and dressed herself up carefully. Then, she brought Gu Chenglin to the pce.


    As soon as she left, she met Mr. Gu, Second Uncle Gu, and Mrs. Yao walking over.


    ¡°First Uncle, Second Uncle, when did youe to the capital?¡± Gu Chenglin asked happily.


    ¡°We arrived yesterday as we heard about the First Prince. We want to send some things over, so help us bring them in.¡± Mr. Gu replied.


    ¡°Come in and have a seat.¡± Zhou Ying greeted them and brought them to the living room.


    After they had tea served, Zhou Ying saw their big bags and asked, ¡°Father, what did you bring? We can¡¯t bring it in if it¡¯s too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not much. It¡¯s just a gold lock for the prince and princess, two sets of children¡¯s clothes, and two tonics.


    ¡°The remaining bag is for Guoguo. There are clothes and toys from all over the world.¡± Mr. Gu said.


    ¡°Yes, we know the rules when entering the pce.


    ¡°These gifts definitely didn¡¯t go through anyone¡¯s hands. It was all prepared by us.¡± After Second Uncle Gu finished speaking, he opened the bag for her to look at..

 Chapter 798 - 798 Entering the Palace

    Chapter 798: Entering the Pce


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Although Zhou Ying understood their feelings, she felt that there were too many things.


    She looked at Gu Chenglin. After all, his status is much higher than hers now.


    Although Gu Chenglin also felt that it was too much, he still took it all when he saw how confident they were. ¡°I¡¯ll thank you all on behalf of my sister.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re family,¡± Mr. Gu said.


    ¡°Second Aunt, do you want toe with us to the pce to see Wanning and the child?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    Mrs. Yao was delighted at first, but then she shook her head and said, ¡°Forget it. The rules in the pce are very strict. Moreover, we don¡¯t have any status now, so we won¡¯t go in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just help us bring the things in,¡± Second Uncle Gu said.


    ¡°Alright, you guys stay in the residence first. We¡¯ll talkter.¡± Zhou Ying stood up after that.


    After saying that, she called Niu Fugui over and arranged a ce for them to rest.


    ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll go see Guoguo first. You guys should go into the pce early.¡± Mr. Gu said.


    After saying that, he picked up the big bag he had prepared for Guoguo.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and took the small bundle from her second uncle¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯ll talk when we get back.¡±


    After saying that, she rushed to the pce with Gu Chenglin.


    Of course, Gu Chenglin rode a horse while Zhou Ying rode a carriage.


    After entering the carriage, Zhou Ying carefully checked the items they brought. She only heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that there were no problems with them.


    Otherwise, she would be the one being suspected.


    She spread out his divine sense to look inside the residence.


    Guoguo had seen Mrs. Yao recently, so she didn¡¯t shy away from strangers. Instead, she yed with them.


    However, after a while, Guoguo became impatient, and Mr. Gu and the others went to the guest room to rest.


    After entering the pce, Zhou Ying and Gu Chenglin originally wanted to visit the previous Empress Dowager. When they found out that she was with Gu Wanning, they immediately brought their gifts over.


    First, they greeted the previous Empress Dowager; only then did Zhou Ying and Gu Chenglin enter the main courtyard.


    When they entered the room, they saw Gu Wanning, who was dressed up. After the two of them went forward to bow, Zhou Ying teased, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to look even more radiant after a month of birth confinement.¡±


    ¡°I must have put on weight. I feel that these clothes are a little tight.¡± Gu Wanning pinched her face, which had obviously gained weight.


    ¡°You¡¯re not fat. You were too thin before.


    ¡°But after the confinement period, move more, eat less portions, but more meals. You¡¯ll lose the weight soon.¡± Zhou Ying looked at her and asked. ¡°Where¡¯s the Eldest Prince? Is he awake?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, where¡¯s my little nephew? I haven¡¯t even met him yet.¡± Gu Chenglin echoed.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake. The little guy is full of energy.¡± Gu Wanning smiled and brought them to a small cubicle.


    Seeing theme in, the two nannies immediately retreated to the side.


    Only then did Zhou Ying and Gu Chenglin step forward to take a look.


    The First Prince was staring out the window. His serious expression made it seem as if he could really see something.


    Gu Chenglin stepped forward and shook his little hand. ¡°Baby, I¡¯m your uncle. You have to remember me. I¡¯ll take you to dig for bird eggs in two years.¡±


    ¡°How old are you now? Do you still want to dig a bird¡¯s nest? You should study hard.¡± Gu Wanning huffed.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t just study, right? Besides, boys have to be naughty. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be a waste when they grow up.¡± Gu Chenglin replied.


    ¡°Indeed, boys should be naughty.¡± At this moment, the Emperor quipped in as he entered with the Eldest Princess.


    ¡°Greetings, Emperor.¡± Everyone immediately bowed.


    ¡°Get up.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he said a few words of courtesy. He pulled the Eldest Princess forward and said, ¡°This is your younger brother. In two years, Nannan, you cane and y with him..¡±

 Chapter 799 - 799 Taking Care of the Child

    Chapter 799: Taking Care of the Child


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Little brother, you¡¯re too small to y with.¡± The Eldest Princess nced at a prince and replied with disdain.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that it would be fine in two years?¡±


    ¡°When is two years?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you just need to eat two more seasons of grapes.¡±


    ¡°Grapes!¡± The Eldest Princess¡¯ small eyes immediately lit up when she heard that.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she knew that this girl really loved grapes. Unfortunately, it was out of season, so she dared not take it out again.


    ¡°Yes, grapes. You can y with your brother after eating them two more times. Now, Auntie will y these building blocks with you, okay?¡± Zhou Ying stepped forward and said.


    When the Eldest Princess saw her, her eyes lit up. She immediately recognized that she was the person who had yed with her before. She went forward and pulled her hand. ¡°Auntie, y.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go y. You guys continue chatting.¡± Zhou Ying looked at the Emperor and the others. ¡°I¡¯ll take the Eldest Princess outside to y.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡± The Emperor nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go y.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and pulled the Eldest Princess out.


    Outside, Zhou Ying asked the Eldest Princess¡¯ nanny to bring the building blocks over. The two of them yed for a while.


    However, it was obvious that the Eldest Princess was getting increasingly tired of ying with these building blocks and soon lost her patience.


    Zhou Ying had no choice but to get someone to find paper, a stalk of broomcorn, a stick, and paint to make a colorful pinwheel for the Eldest Princess.


    She held it in her hand and turned, and the pinwheel would start spinning.


    The Eldest Princess immediately fell in love with it and started jogging around the ce with the pinwheel.


    The nanny was scared out of her wits, but seeing the Eldest Princess¡¯s happy face, she could only follow her and protect her.


    When she was tired from running, Zhou Ying stopped her. ¡°You must be tired. Let¡¯s take a break and drink some water before continuing ying, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After the Eldest Princess finished speaking, she looked at the nanny. The nanny immediately took the water she had prepared and fed her a few mouthfuls.


    Zhou Ying saw that the Eldest Princess¡¯ nose and forehead were sweating profusely and did not dare to let her run anymore. Instead, she taught her how to make a pinwheel and how to draw on it.


    Of course, she only taught her how to draw a smiley face. Although the lines were simple, they were easy to understand, so the Eldest Princess¡¯ attention was quickly diverted.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Zhou Ying to be so good at taking care of children.¡± The Emperor came out and smiled at the obedient and sensible Eldest Princess.


    ¡°Indeed, I also didn¡¯t expect that she would be able to y with the Eldest Princess.¡± Gu Wanning added.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you haven¡¯t seen her before. It¡¯s fun when Sister-inw is with Guoguo. Not only will Sister-inw y with Guoguo, but she will also snatch Guoguo¡¯s things.


    ¡°However, the mother and daughter are happy every day.¡± Gu Chenglin said.


    ¡°Chenglin, I heard you talking badly about me.¡± Zhou Ying turned her head and said.


    ¡°Bad, bad.¡± The Eldest Princess echoed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything bad about you, Sister-inw. I was just praising you for knowing how to take care of children.¡± Gu Chenglin replied with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°Silly boy, she¡¯s just teasing you.¡± Gu Wanning smiled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sister-inw to y with children so patiently.¡± She looked at Zhou Ying and said.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s very rxing to y with children. They¡¯re as pure as white paper, without a trace of bad intentions.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    She put the Eldest Princess down.


    The moment the Eldest Princess came down, she immediately took the self-made windmill and ran to the Emperor¡¯s side.


    ¡°Nannan¡¯s gift to you.¡±


    The Emperor took it and smiled. ¡°Really? Thank you, Nannan.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to y with Auntie Zhou here or go outside to look for Granny?¡±


    The Eldest Princess looked at Zhou Ying with a conflicted expression, but in the end, she still decided to look for the previous Empress Dowager.


    ¡°You guys continue chatting; I¡¯ll go to the front now.¡±


    After saying that, the Emperor brought the Eldest Princess out..

 Chapter 800 - 800 Heartache

    Chapter 800: Heartache


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When the nanny saw this, she immediately took the building blocks and the pinwheel and followed them.


    Gu Chenglin felt a little ufortable when he saw the room full of women, so he also went outside.


    Zhou Ying then sat down and asked about Gu Wanning¡¯s physical condition. At the same time, she told her that Mr. Gu and Second Aunt Gu had asked her to bring her gifts.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t theye in?¡± Gu Wanning asked in surprise.


    ¡°They have no official position and can¡¯te uninvited. It won¡¯t be easy for them toe in.¡±


    ¡°It was my negligence. I should have arranged it in advance.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself. It¡¯s good that they didn¡¯te. Otherwise, even if they came in, they wouldn¡¯t feelfortable.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, did you have any scars on your stomach after giving birth?¡± Gu Wanning asked softly.


    ¡°I have a lot on me; I¡¯m afraid the Emperor will dislike me if he sees me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about stretch marks, right? Have you asked the imperial physician?¡±


    ¡°I asked, but they just gave me ointment. They said it would take one or two years to disappear.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to ask if Brother Gu has any medicine that can quickly get rid of it.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have that, but I can teach you a few stretching exercises to help you recover quickly.¡±


    ¡°Really? Hurry up and teach me, please.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she followed her into the bedroom and taught her a few movements for postnatal recovery.


    After confirming that she had learned it, Zhou Ying said, ¡°Take these movements slowly. You can increase the time spent bit by bit. If you keep practicing like this, your stretch marks will disappear in less than two months.


    ¡°But you have to persevere. Even if your stretch marks dissapear, you should continue to practice this. It can make your stomach more tense and stic, which is also good for maintaining your figure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    The two of them went out and saw Mingyu sitting in the room, drinking tea. When she saw theming out, she smiled. ¡°What are you two chatting behind my back? You two were hidden in the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Sister-inw just taught me how to regain my figure. By the way, where¡¯s Zhuangzhuang? Why didn¡¯t you bring him along?¡± Gu Wanning asked.


    ¡°I have. He¡¯s ying outside with his father. He doesn¡¯t want toe in.¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhou is back? No wonder you look so tired.¡± Zhou Ying teased.


    Mingyu was stunned for a moment and blushed. ¡°That¡¯s not true. Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    Gu Wanning and Zhou Yingughed when they saw her trying to cover up.


    ¡°Alright, how dare you two mock me?¡± Mingyu put down the cup after saying that and went forward to catch them, but she did not catch any of them.


    ¡°You guys continue chatting; I¡¯m going outside to look,¡± said Gu Wanning, who had run to the door.


    After saying that, she tidied up her appearance and carried the First Prince out with her two nannies.


    ¡°You¡¯re not in a good mood today?¡± Zhou Ying asked as she sat beside Mingyu.


    ¡°When I came in just now, I heard those people outside urging the previous Empress Dowager to arrange a consort selection for the Emperor. Moreover, a few of them have their eyes on the Empress¡¯s position.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Wanning won¡¯t have a good life in the future,¡± Mingyu whispered.


    ¡°This is destined. It¡¯s impossible for the Emperor to have only one woman.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that my heart aches for her.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has their own lives. We¡¯ll just help her more in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way.


    ¡°By the way, Zhou Huaiming asked me to let you know when I see you. He¡¯s going to give you the ounts tomorrow, so remember not to go out.¡±


    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s here to give me money; it¡¯s a good thing.


    ¡°Come together as a family of three tomorrow.. How about we have a hotpot?¡±

 Chapter 801 - 801 Repairing the Pinwheel

    Chapter 801: Repairing the Pinwheel


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal. Also, make some butterfly pastries for me. I love them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I prepared two pounds for you.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    Then, she stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Aren¡¯t you worried about Wanning? Let¡¯s go out and support her.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t let them bully her.¡± After Mingyu finished speaking, she walked out first.


    Zhou Ying smiled and followed.


    They realized the Emperor had prepared avish party when they arrived outside. Not only were the rtives of the Imperial Family here, but even the civil and military officials had also arrived. In short, it was very lively outside.


    Everyone was surrounding Gu Wanning and the First Prince and presenting their gifts.


    ¡°Auntie.¡± The Eldest Princess waved at Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Nannan, were you a good girl?¡± Zhou Ying walked over and asked.


    ¡°I good. Mill. Broke down.¡± After the Eldest Princess finished speaking, she took out the pinwheel and handed it to her.


    Zhou didn¡¯t know how she yed with it, but the core of the straws in the middle of the paper was broken, so the pinwheel couldn¡¯t turn.


    Zhou Ying asked the nanny to bring the rest of the stalks over. She repaired them and blew hard. After ensuring the pinwheel could move, she returned them to her. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Imperial grandmother, I want it too.¡± At this moment, a little boy spoke.


    ¡°Mother, I want it too,¡± another child shouted.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Me too¡­¡±


    ¡°No, bad!¡± The Eldest Princess hid the pinwheel behind the previous Empress Dowager and looked at the children nearby fiercely.


    ¡°Haha, our little princess is scared.¡± The previous Empress Dowager smiled and then looked at Zhou Ying. ¡°Ying, is this pinwheel easy to make?


    ¡°If it¡¯s easy to make, I will get someone to help you make one for each child.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy. I just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s easy to find the stalks of straws in the pce.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    The previous Empress Dowager looked at the Eldest Princess¡¯ nanny because she had found this thing.


    ¡°I will go get it now.¡± After Nanny finished speaking, she turned around and walked away.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying looked for Nanny Yu and asked her to find some paper and paint.


    When the nanny came over with the stalks, they got busy.


    As soon as they started, the women with children surrounded them and began to learn.


    After all, it was obvious that this thing was easy to break. If they broke it, they would be embarrassed toe begging for a pinwheel.


    Fortunately, the pinwheel was easy to make. As long as one had a brain, they would basically understand it after Zhou Ying finished it.


    Seeing this, all of them also helped out.


    ¡°Zhou Ying, your husband¡¯s appointment as Marquis is such a big deal. Aren¡¯t you going to treat us?¡± Mrs. Sun asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been almost a month. Are you really not going to hold a party?¡± Consort An echoed.


    ¡°No, my daughter is still young, and Chengrui is busy with the construction of the medical center. He doesn¡¯t have the energy to do it.


    ¡°How about this, when the year-end wine matures, I will give each family two jars of wine to thank everyone for their blessings.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll remember that. You can¡¯t go back on your word when the timees.¡± Consort Xian smiled.


    ¡°No problem. You can ask me for it if you don¡¯t get it by then.¡±


    ¡°How much wine can you brew?¡± The previous Empress Dowager asked curiously.


    The others perked up their ears when they heard that. After all, red wine was not as strong as white wine. It had a hint of sweetness and was very popr among women.


    ¡°Let me put it this way. One acre ofnd can produce about 300 pounds of wine. I grow 350 acres of grapes.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, there¡¯s so much. I¡¯ll make it clear first. When the timees, you¡¯ll leave me 200 pounds.¡± Mingyu immediately went forward when she heard that.


    ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯ll also order 100 pounds.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll give you 300 pounds.¡±

 Chapter 802 - 802 Support

    Chapter 802: Support


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying had no choice but to find a piece of paper for them to write their order themselves. If she could sell to all of them, it would save her the trouble of finding vendors.


    After jotting down everyone¡¯s order, Zhou Ying put away the paper and said, ¡°Thank you for your support. When the wine is ready, I¡¯ll send someone to send a letter to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Wahhh¡­¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the First Prince burst into tears.


    ¡°Sister Zhou, is the First Prince crying because you stole his limelight?¡± Mingyu turned her head and teased.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably sleepy.¡± Gu Wanning smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s sleepy or not, but I indeed borrowed our big baby¡¯s limelight today.


    ¡°As his aunt, I¡¯ll give him a big red packet during the new year.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°How much? I know you don¡¯tck money.¡± Mingyu said.


    Zhou Ying turned her head and nced at Mingyu. She was stunned when she saw her blinking at her. ¡°How about ten thousand taels of silver? I¡¯ll give that to him every year in the future. He¡¯ll have pocket money every year.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, there¡¯s no need¡­¡± Gu Wanning was about to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s giving it to you,¡± Mingyu said. ¡°Just keep it for the child.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sister-inw.¡± Gu Wanning saw Zhou Ying nod at her. ¡°I¡¯ll thank sister-inw on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°Who asked me to be his aunt? I can¡¯t call him my nephew for nothing.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Mrs. Gu is sure generous. Congrattions to the First Prince. He will definitely be the richest child in the future.¡± Consort An smiled.


    The others quickly echoed.


    Even the Empress Dowager smiled happily.


    However, the First Prince was really sleepy. Gu Wanning said a few polite words before bringing him back to her room.


    Other than the royal family members, the others immediately formed groups of three to five and started chatting.


    ¡°Why did you do that just now?¡± Zhou Ying asked Mingyu in confusion. ¡°Did you want me to show off my wealth?¡±


    ¡°Shh, listen.¡± Mingyu turned her head and nodded over.


    Zhou Ying nced over. It was the family members of the officials. Thinking of what she had said earlier, she used her divine sense to look over.


    Some said she was generous, some said she was stupid, and some were jealous of her.


    However, there were a few people who were discussing Wanning. They said that with the Gu couple¡¯s support and the First Prince¡¯s birth, the Empress¡¯s position might be hers.


    Only then did Zhou Ying realize that Mingyu wanted her to back Gu Wanning up so everyone would be wary of her.


    Thinking about it, it made sense. Chenglin was still young. Without the help of the couple, her life would be difficult once neers entered the pce.


    After the one-month-old banquet in the afternoon, Gu Wanning went to find Zhou Ying. ¡°Sister-inw, I was in a hurry earlier. You don¡¯t have to give my son so much money every year.¡±


    I won¡¯t take it either.¡±


    ¡°You have to.¡± Zhou Ying briefly exined Mingyu¡¯s intention and what she had heard. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before a consort selection is held. You can¡¯t survive in the pce without money. In the future, I¡¯ll give you 20,000 silver every year. If it¡¯s not enough, send someone to send a letter.¡±


    ¡°Is there really going to be a consort selection?¡± Gu Wanning¡¯s face darkened immediately.


    ¡°If the Empress was here, maybe not.


    ¡°Remember my words from before; work hard on the Emperor.


    ¡°Remember, you can defend yourself, but don¡¯t take the initiative to harm others.


    ¡°If you have anything to say, you can tell the Emperor. He is a reasonable person and will not watch you be bullied.


    ¡°Also, be mindful about the previous Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess, especially the Eldest Princess; get closer to her and care about her. It will only be good for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Empress saved the Emperor. Even for her sake, I won¡¯t ignore the Eldest Princess.¡±


    ¡°Yup, the previous Empress will be a future hurdle in the Emperor¡¯s heart, or perhaps a taboo. Try your best to respect her, and don¡¯t touch on this subject..¡±

 Chapter 803 - 803 Farewell

    Chapter 803: Farewell


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    She agreed with this point very much. A living person could never win against a dead person.


    Moreover, the previous Empress had died to save the Emperor. As long as the Emperor was not heartless, he would remember it for the rest of his life.


    After the two of them chatted for a while, Zhou Ying left her a small amount of silver, 1,000 taels in total, and left the pce.


    When she returned to the residence and found out that Mr. Gu was still around, she instructed the kitchen to add stewed pork ribs and steam a big yellow croaker for dinner before returning to her house.


    Guoguo, who was pushing the baby walker, saw her enter. She immediately threw the baby walker aside and turned around. She stretched out her arm and shouted with an aggrieved expression. ¡°Mom, hug.¡±


    ¡°Oh, who bullied our Guoguo?¡± Zhou Ying smiled and picked up the little troublemaker.


    Don¡¯t think that she didn¡¯t know that when she wasn¡¯t at home, Guoguo had eaten her fill, yed well, and showed no signs of missing her.


    ¡°Guoguo.¡± Guoguo raised her head.


    ¡°You want to eat apples?¡± Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. ¡°I will get you some.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, this servant prepared it for her, but she spat it out after eating a mouthful.¡± Mrs. Lin pointed at the half-small bowl of apples that had been cut into small pieces.


    Zhou Ying knew that she wanted to eat the soft snake fruit. She said to Mrs.


    Lin, ¡°You go down and rest for a while. I¡¯ll feed her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Mrs. Lin responded and walked out.


    After she left, Zhou Ying took out a big red snake fruit. Guoguo¡¯s eyes lit up immediately.


    Zhou Ying carried the bowl and brought the fruit knife into the bedroom. She first ate all the fruits in the bowl, then cut half a snake fruit for Guoguo.


    After eating, Guoguo went to sleep.


    Zhou Ying was also tired, so she also took a nap.


    At night, because of his identity, Mr. Gu had dinner alone. After dinner, he came over and said, ¡°Ying. I heard that Chengrui has been conferred the title of Marquis An Le, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Emperor conferred the titlest month because of the smallpox incident.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re free, return to the vige and let your uncle record it in the family tree.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll have to wait until next year. Chengrui is out of the capital this time to set up medical centers in various ces. He won¡¯t be back for a while.¡±


    ¡°You cane back whenever you want.


    ¡°I will leave early tomorrow morning, so I won¡¯t be greeting you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you toe here. Why don¡¯t you stay for two more days?¡±


    ¡°I have to make two more shipping trips before the new year. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to do anything once the river freezes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, take care of yourself. I will get the kitchen to prepare some food for you in a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need for much. Just two meals will do.¡± Mr. Gu turned around and left after saying that.


    Zhou Ying went to the kitchen and asked Chunxiang to make some sesame seed cakes for them.


    She stewed a pot of pork and put a few eggs in it. After she was done, she put it into a small jar.


    Then, she put the sesame seed cake into a basket.


    At the same time, she also put some pears and apples into the basket and asked Niu Fugui to send them over. She also instructed Niu Fugui to send a carriage to the dock tomorrow.


    After that, besides caring for her child, she would go to the restaurant for a walk. Her days were quite leisurely.


    The Emperor¡¯s days, on the other hand, were not good. Every day, he was forced by the ministers to hold a consort selection for a new Empress.


    One day, the Emperor got really impatient. He stood up and said, ¡°Are you going to marry a wife, or am I going to marry a wife? Don¡¯t forget that the Empress died for me.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t even been dead for a hundred days, and do you want me to stop mourning for her?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± When Grand Schr Sun heard this, he immediately cried and knelt on the ground.


    The Emperor¡¯s eyes reddened, and he immediately went forward to help him up. ¡°Father-inw, please get up quickly. I¡¯ve let you down. It¡¯s all my fault..¡±

 Chapter 804 - 804 A Plan

    Chapter 804: A n


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Emperor, don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s her honor to die because she saved you. I just¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± When Grand Schr Sun finished speaking, he directly burst into tears in the hall.


    There was heartache and regret for his daughter, as well as gratitude for the Emperor.


    To be honest, their daughter was gone, and even if the Emperor got a new Empress the next day, they couldn¡¯t say anything.


    He didn¡¯t expect the Emperor to have thoughts of mourning for his daughter.


    When the ministers saw this, they immediately shut their mouths. At the same time, after understanding the Emperor¡¯s thoughts, they temporarily stopped their thoughts of pressuring the Emperor.


    After the court session, the Emperor brought Grand Schr Sun to the royal study. ¡°Father-inw, I invite you over as a son-inw to discuss the Eldest Princess¡¯ matter.¡±


    ¡°Please speak.¡± Grand Schr Sun was stunned for a moment and nodded.


    ¡°The Eldest Princess is still young and cannot do without her mother¡¯s guidance. However, Imperial Grandmother is getting on in years, and I don¡¯t know how many more years she can look after her.


    ¡°Therefore, I wanted to put her under Wanning¡¯s wings.


    ¡°First, Wanning and the Empress have always had a good rtionship. Second, Wanning doesn¡¯t have any bad intentions, and Gu Chengrui and his wife don¡¯t have any ambitions.¡±


    ¡°Your majesty intends to make Consort Xian the Empress.¡± Grand Schr Sun was stunned for a moment.


    Otherwise, the Eldest Princess should be under the new Empress.


    The Emperor nodded. ¡°Other than the above reasons, there is also the consideration of the First Prince.


    ¡°My father and I have already suffered once as the eldest son born out of consorts. We don¡¯t want to see our children and grandchildren suffer again.¡±


    The Grand Schr Sun raised his head and looked at him in surprise, and he agreed in his heart. No matter what family the eldest son of a concubine was in, he would be disliked by the mistress.


    Moreover, in a royal family that inherited the throne.


    Presumably, this was also one of the reasons why King Hui and the others struck first.


    Although Gu Wanning¡¯s personality was a little meek, it did not mean that the future Empress would be able to tolerate them, mother and son, so¡­


    The most important point was that Gu Wanning¡¯s side of the family was weak.


    Gu Chengrui, who was the only one who had some potential, did not like the scheming in the royal court. However, with his own strength, coupled with his rtionship with the Emperor and Zhou Huaiming, he could still protect Gu Wanning.


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you. As long as the Eldest Princess lives happily, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she will still follow the Grand Empress Dowager for the time being. When the First Prince is older and can take care of himself, she will be brought back.¡±


    ¡°This minister thanks the emperor on behalf of the Eldest Princess.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. She¡¯s also my daughter, my first child, and my eldest daughter. I definitely won¡¯t mistreat her.¡±


    The Grand Schr Sun nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about the matter of the Empress title for the time being. We¡¯ll talk about it after Miaoke¡¯s anniversary next year.¡±


    ¡°I understand. If you have no other instructions, I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If you want to see the Eldest Princess, you cane over anytime.¡± The Emperor nodded.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Grand Schr Sun responded and retreated.


    Raising his head to look at the blue sky, his heart also brightened up. As long as the Emperor remembered the Eldest Princess and was willing to n her future well, everything was fine.


    He returned home in a good mood. Mrs. Sun saw that he finally had a smile on his face and asked curiously, ¡°Dear, what good thing happened? You actually smiled.¡±


    After Grand Schr Sun heard this, he told her about the Emperor¡¯s n to mourn for Sun Miaoke for a year. ¡°Although our daughter is gone, it¡¯s great that the Emperor still respects her.¡±


    Of course, he did not mention anything about the Eldest Princess or the new Empress title conferment..

 Chapter 805 - 805 Murder Attempt

    Chapter 805: Murder Attempt


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have my daughter alive,¡± Mrs. Sun cried immediately.


    ¡°At this point, what¡¯s the use of saying those things?


    ¡°Remember, in the future, if anyone mentions the matter of selecting a consort, we won¡¯t participate and will only listen to the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Mrs. Sun said as she wiped her tears.


    When Grand Schr Sun saw this, his eyes turned red. The two of them sat and cried for a while before starting to eat.


    Of course, the adults of the various families also mentioned it to their wives and daughters when they returned home, asking them to stop thinking about the consort selection temporarily.


    After Zhou Ying finished her work that night, she brought Guoguo out of the interspace. Suddenly, she felt her heart palpitate. Guoguo woke up and started crying.


    Zhou Ying quickly hugged her and coaxed her. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep after that.


    Thinking of that palpitation just now, she felt uneasy.


    Then, she carried Guoguo into her interspace and ced her on the bed in the vi. She began to investigate Gu Chengrui¡¯s whereabouts.


    In the end, she finally found Gu Chengrui at the residence of the magistrate of Ping Yang Prefecture, Magistrate Sun¡¯s residence, which was also the home of Magistrate Sun of Yunhe County.


    He was obviously drunk and couldn¡¯t sleep well.


    A person dressed as a maid held a knife in her hand and was about to stab Gu Chengrui¡¯s heart.


    Zhou Ying was startled. She immediately turned her spiritual senses into a knife and shed at the back of the servant girl¡¯s head.


    After she fell, Zhou Ying immediately stabbed Gu Chengrui¡¯s philtrum. When he woke up from the pain, he was still in a daze.


    ¡°Still sleeping?¡± Zhou Ying had no choice but to send a voice transmission. ¡°You¡¯re going to lose your life soon.¡±


    ¡°Babe?¡± Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°Woke up? Someone wanted to kill you. It was the servant girl on the ground. I whacked her on the back of the head and knocked her out. You can investigate the rest yourself.¡±


    When Gu Chengrui heard that, he waspletely awake. He nodded. ¡°Leave the rest to me. You take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°You too, drink less.¡± Zhou Ying left after she finished speaking.


    Gu Chengrui immediately got up and called Lin Yitian and the others. After informing Lord Sun, he began to interrogate the servant girl.


    The servant girl woke up and looked at him and Lord Sun. ¡°Dog officials protecting each other. As expected, you all are not good people.¡±


    ¡°Really? If you can¡¯t give me a reason, don¡¯t me me for killing you for disrespect.¡± Lord Sun sneered.


    Although he wasn¡¯t a good person, he tried his best to be honest and upright when it came to being an official. He had never done anything that would make him lose his conscience.


    He didn¡¯t expect to be scolded by someone today. It was really preposterous.


    ¡°For this time¡¯s medical examination, Master Song, who was originally in second ce, didn¡¯t get selected, but Mrs. Sun¡¯s cousin, Chu Jianwen, who was in fourth ce in the first round, got selected. Isn¡¯t it because of you officials?¡± The servant girl said indignantly.


    ¡°Master Song, Song Baoshan? Tell me what your rtionship with him is first.¡± Lord Sun asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I just feel that you guys are unfair, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to fool an idiot? You¡¯re a servant girl at my residence, yet you¡¯re siding with an outsider and even helping a man. Who would believe that you two don¡¯t have a special rtionship?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± The servant girl didn¡¯t know how to exin. She couldn¡¯t say that she was sent here as a spy.


    ¡°Beat her up. I wonder who dares send a spy to the magistrate¡¯s office. I want to see who is that bold.¡±


    When Lord Sun finished speaking, a servant immediately went forward and pressed the servant girl onto the chair to interrogate her..

 Chapter 806 - 806 It’s Serious

    Chapter 806: It¡¯s Serious


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Ah!¡± The servant girl cried out in pain.


    She was pped again and again. It was so painful that she did not even have the chance to scream.


    It also woke Mrs. Sun up. She walked out to see the scene and asked the servant standing at the side to understand the situation.


    After understanding what was happening, she felt a lingering fear in his heart. If Maquis An Le died in their residence, then her husband¡¯s life would probably be in danger.


    She immediately got her personal maidservant to call the servant girls, who lived with the murderer, over. Afterward, she stood silently at the side and watched the servant girl get beaten up.


    After the beating, the servant girl was already in so much pain that she broke out in a cold sweat. Her small face was pale, and there was even blood at the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance. Tell me, or I¡¯ll turn you into a military prostitute.¡± Lord Sun said.


    The servant girl shivered after hearing this. Military prostitutes? She had heard it from others when she was traveling. No one who went in could live for more than half a year.


    Lord Sun saw that she was afraid and added, ¡°Your three closest rtion of kins will also be exiled.¡±


    ¡°I, I will speak.¡± The servant girl shook her head and replied weakly.


    Lord Sun didn¡¯t say anything after hearing that. Instead, he raised his hand and asked someone to take her down from the stool and put her on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mrs. Song. I am Mrs. Song¡¯s subordinate. She sent me here to spy on the important matters in the residence for her and then instructed me to try, try my best to be your concubine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a servant. You¡¯re not worthy.¡± Mrs. Sun replied unhappily.


    At the same time, she held a grudge against Mrs. Song. What did she mean by sending a servant girl to be her husband¡¯s consort? Was she belittling her?


    Lord Sun¡¯s expression was obviously not good, but this reason was still not enough for her to attempt to murder a Marquis. Thinking of this, he asked, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should be threatening Marquis An Le. Why would you want to kill him? If you kill him, do you think your Master Song can enter the medical center?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m not sure either. Madam, no, Mrs. Song arranged it this way.¡± When the servant girl said this, she also felt that something was wrong. However, at this point, it was toote to say anything.


    ¡°The medical center doesn¡¯t only select medical skills but also medical ethics and character. These two are the most important.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll take in a murderer who would fake carrots as ginseng?¡±


    ¡°I had originally nned to teach him a lesson after the medical center was established.


    ¡°Now it seems that there¡¯s no need to wait.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he looked at Lord Sun.


    Lord Sun nodded and sent someone to find the judge. He raided the Song family¡¯s house overnight and sent the servant girl to prison.


    As for Mrs. Sun, she called the three people who lived with the servant girl over and interrogated them. However, she did not get anything out of them.


    They only knew that she spent more money than them and liked to go out to buy snacks.


    After Mrs. Sun told Lord Sun the news, Lord Sun recalled what had happened since he took office. After confirming that he had done nothing wrong, he no longer cared.


    The next day, after Lord Sun, Gu Chengrui, and the judge entered the cell, they found out that Mrs. Song was dead. There were poisonous fangs hidden in her mouth, and she died from poisoning.


    The three of them immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and interrogated Dr. Song.


    He confessed quickly and told what he knew.


    It turned out that he was originally a subordinate of Magistrate Zhao, but because he mainly sold fake medicine, no one knew about their rtionship.


    As for Mrs. Song, he guessed she belonged to the Marquis of Ding¡¯an, but he knew very little about the specifics.


    ¡°Has your wife seen anyone recently?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes. Think about it carefully. If you can atone for your sins and make contributions, perhaps I can spare your life.¡± The judge added..

 Chapter 807 - 807 Exposing

    Chapter 807: Exposing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡­¡± Doctor Song hesitated. ¡°You should ask her servant girl, Su Jin. She knows more details than me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a chance. I hope you¡¯re telling the truth.¡± After the judge finished speaking, he ordered someone to bring the servant girl, Su Jin, over and asked, ¡°Has your madam seen anyone recently?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Su Jin raised her head and replied.


    The judge did not answer her but turned to look sharply at Doctor Song. Since he rmended this person, let them fight it out.


    As expected, Doctor Song received the judge¡¯s knife-like gaze, and his heart trembled violently. He looked at Su Jin and scolded, ¡°How could you not know? You even listened to us sleep together. What secrets do you not know?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Shameless.¡± Su Jin¡¯s face turned red after hearing this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about anything you did.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know who you met, it was definitely during the two days you stayed in the manor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about pretending to be stupid, and don¡¯t even think about implicating me and my sons.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. We only stayed at the manor for two days. Who did we meet?¡± Su Jin raised her head and angrily looked at Doctor Song.


    ¡°Someone, bring me a few pieces of paper and a bucket of water.¡± Gu Chengrui saw that they weren¡¯t cooperating and could not be bothered to waste time with them.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The prison guard responded and went out to bring a few pieces of paper and half a bucket of water.


    However, it was a kind of inferior paper.


    Gu Chengrui did not mind. He took the paper and pointed at Doctor Song.


    The prison guard called for two people toe up. He first tied the two of them up and then pressed them firmly to the ground.


    ¡°You, what, what are you doing?¡± Doctor Song asked in horror.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you have a taste of a new interrogation method that I¡¯ve discovered. It¡¯s very fun, very energy-saving, and not bloody.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he immediately pasted the piece of paper on Doctor Song¡¯s face. Then, he scooped half adle of water and slowly poured it on the paper.


    A momentter, the paper was stuck tightly to Doctor Song¡¯s face. Doctor Song¡¯s breathing became heavier.


    Gu Chengrui then pasted another one. This time, Doctor Song¡¯s breathing panted, his face turned pale, and he kept struggling.


    ¡°Your body is weak. Why, can¡¯t take it after just two pieces of paper?¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he waited for Dr. Song¡¯s breathing to have a rhythm before he pasted another.


    This time, Doctor Song¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and his eyes were wide open. His face quickly started distorting.


    He was trying to find a chance to catch his breath.


    However, Gu Chengrui¡¯s papers ovep with each other and have already blocked all the gaps, making him unable to find a breath.


    When Doctor Song began to kick his legs with all his might, he went forward and stuck another piece of paper.


    This time, Doctor Song struggled even harder.


    By the time the fifth paper was pasted, Doctor Song was no longer struggling but was whimpering before his death.


    ¡°Interesting. This is crueler than the tiger stool and chili water. Suffocation.¡± The judge¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Some felons and wanted criminals were really stubborn. Many of them would not speak well, even if they were beaten to death; perhaps this would be a breakthrough.


    Soon, Doctor Song stopped moving. ¡°My Lord, is he dead?¡± The judge asked.


    ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he pulled the paper off his face.


    Soon, Doctor Song¡¯s coughing was heard, followed by heavy breathing. The judge finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Doctor Song, this is yourst chance.


    ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll use you to try and see if a few pieces of paper can suffocate someone to death..¡±

 Chapter 808 - 808 The Name List

    Chapter 808: The Name List


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Don¡¯t, wait! I know that Su Jin has a lover who is the manager of a medicine shop on Tong Da Street.¡± Doctor Song shouted.


    That suffocating feeling tortured him so much that his three souls and seven spirits were about to leave his body. He really did not want to try that again.


    Su Jin looked at Doctor Song with hatred, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he looked at her thoughtfully. It seemed that her lover was quite important to her.


    The key was that she was even moreposed than Doctor Song. It made him feel like she was the master and Doctor Song was the servant.


    This made him recall that spy organization from the Marquis of Ding¡¯an Residence. It looks like there was a fish that slipped through the.


    At the same time, the rm in his heart sounded. It seemed that King Hui wanted his life.


    ¡°Catch him.¡± The judge turned around and said.


    Immediately, a soldier ran out. An hourter, the soldier brought back a man covered in wounds. ¡°Sir, the manager of the medicine shop somehow found out that the Song Residence was raided. When we arrived, he was on the run.¡±


    ¡°A fight broke out between us. Just as we were about to capture them alive, he took poison andmitted suicide. We could only bring back his assistant and the bag he packed.¡±


    After one of the officers finished speaking, he handed a bag to the judge.


    After the judge took the bag, he looked at the prison guard and said, ¡°Let¡¯s interrogate him properly.¡±.


    Then, he looked at the soldiers and said, ¡°You can return and treat your injuries. You can just pass on the medical fees to the medical center.


    ¡°Oh right, remember to inform a team of soldiers toe here, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The soldiers left after saying that.


    The judge was not in a hurry to interrogate the shop assistant. Instead, he opened the bag and carefully rummaged through it. Other than clothes, there were only more than 10,000 taels of silver in it.


    There was nothing else. If he hadn¡¯tmitted suicide, they would have suspected that they were overthinking.


    ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± The judge stood up and looked at the shop assistant.


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± The shop assistant looked at them with a face full of fear, and even his body began to tremble.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. Is there anything you want to say? Or do you want to try all the torture tools here?¡± The judge asked sternly.


    After saying that, he pointed at the torture device behind him.


    The young man turned his head and saw the blood-stained frame, the whip, and the hot branding iron in the fire. His legs went weak, and he peed his pants.


    ¡± I¡­ I really don¡¯t know,¡± he said hurriedly. ¡°But¡­ but I saw him hide a booklet in a square table in the main room.¡±


    When Su Jin heard it, she wanted to kill the shop assistant. However, she was stopped by the prison guard. ¡°How did he hide it?¡±


    ¡°I only realized today that the top of the square tableprises twoyers. If I hadn¡¯t seen him open it, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed.¡±


    After hearing this, the judge handed the bag to the magistrate and personally led his men to the medicine shop.


    When he entered, he was about to see a person dressed in government office attire taking out a booklet. He immediately led his men and pounced on him. ¡°Hold him down. Check if he has poison in his teeth.¡±


    Sure enough, he found a poison sac in that person¡¯s mouth.


    The judge immediately went forward and took the booklet. There was a list of about ten people on it, and he was shocked to find there were two in his residence alone.


    He looked at the bailiff, who was detained. ¡°Very good. You guys are really bold. You even have spies in my residence.¡±


    After saying that, he first ordered his men to arrest the people on the list and return to the prison to begin a new wave of interrogation..

 Chapter 809 - 809 Tying Loose Ends

    Chapter 809: Tying Loose Ends


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    With three rounds of wet paper torture, even the most determined person would be defeated.


    Only then did they know that the people with the poison sacs in their mouths were the people whom King Hui had left behind, while the others had been re-developed in the past two years, so they did not have those poison sacs.


    They had been able to escape cleansing back then because they had been in the dark and had never been used. In addition, the bailiffs had deliberately concealed them, so they had not been discovered.


    They had only been officially activated about a month ago. Their goal was to kill Gu Chengrui and get rid of Magistrate Sun.


    ¡°So, where is the person who gave you the order?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°The few of us only went to Mrs. Song¡¯s manor for a gathering. After that person passed on the order, he set off.


    ¡°He should have left Ping Yang long ago.¡± The bailiff said.


    ¡°Do you know his name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I only know that he wore a mask. People call him Master Liu.¡±


    ¡°Master Liu?¡± Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment after hearing that. If he remembered correctly, he was very likely the Young Master Liu who had helped King Hui almost rece County Magistrate Sun.


    ¡°Is he wearing half a butterfly mask?¡± Lord Sun asked.


    ¡°Yes, yes, a silver butterfly mask.¡±


    Lord Sun was furious when he heard that. This was the executioner who had almost taken his life back then. He looked at the judge and said, ¡°I want this person. He is the trusted aide of King Hui.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will issue the arrest warrant in a while.¡± The judge promised.


    After that, except for Dr. Song¡¯s family, everyone was poisoned to death and buried.


    However, Dr. Song¡¯s family didn¡¯t have a good ending either. They were directly exiled to the southwest.


    After he was done with his work, Gu Chengrui also announced the director, two deputy doctors, and three normal doctors in the medical center here.


    After exining their responsibilities and authority to them, Gu Chengrui returned to the magistrate¡¯s manor after giving them an epidemic prevention booklet.


    At night, after dinner, when they were about to go to sleep, Gu Chengrui saw that Lin Yitian still wanted to follow them. He turned his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Gu, Yifan and I have discussed that from tonight onwards, the two of us will take turns to keep watch to prevent any idents.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll sleep in the outer room and not disturb your rest.¡± Lin Yitian assured him.


    Gu Chengrui did not object after hearing that. If Zhou Ying had not reminded himst night, he would be dead by now.


    Then, he said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work.


    ¡°In addition, go to the bodyguard agency tomorrow and hire two experienced bodyguards toe with you. Otherwise, the two of you will not be able to hold on for long.¡±


    Lin Yitian hesitated for a moment. ¡°The people from the bodyguard agency aren¡¯t safe. I¡¯ll go to Hongyun Restaurant tomorrow to get two people from them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, use them if you think it¡¯s convenient.


    ¡°Go to bed early. We have to set off again tomorrow.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he entered the inner room.


    In the dead of the night, Gu Chengrui called Zhou Ying through the Mother God statue.


    After Zhou Ying received the call, she immediately came over. She sent him a voice transmission when she saw Lin Yitian outside the room. ¡°Put a fake of you sleeping in bed. I¡¯ll pick you up, and let¡¯s talk in the interspace.¡±


    Gu Chengrui quietly got up and stuffed his thick clothes under the nket. He faked a human sleeping in his bed, put on his shoes, and stood ready.


    As soon as he stood up straight, Zhou Ying brought him in.


    Gu Chengrui pulled her into his arms. ¡°Last night was too close. If you hadn¡¯t found me in time, I would be a corpse now.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, let¡¯s see if you still dare to drink so much in the future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also because I haven¡¯t seen Lord Sun for a long time, so I drank a few more cups. In the future, as long as I¡¯m outside, I definitely won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°Just remember that, alright? Oh, right, who is that servant girl? Why did she want to kill you?¡±

 Chapter 810 - 810 Husband and Wife Meet

    Chapter 810: Husband and Wife Meet


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Ah, you didn¡¯t look at me today. It makes me so sad.¡± Gu Chengruimented with an aggrieved expression.


    Zhou Ying pushed him away and said, ¡°Oh,e on. Without you around, do you think there¡¯s no need to deal with the internal and external matters at home? If I¡¯m free, I have to bring Guoguo with me. I don¡¯t dare enter the interspace in the daytime.


    ¡°Besides, the servant was caught. With the cooperation of Lord Sun and the others, if you still can¡¯t deal with a little servant girl, then the two of you can forget about being officials.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately apologized when he heard that. ¡°Sorry, babe. I was the one who judged a gentleman like you with my petty heart.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, just hurry up and tell me what happened. Is there still danger?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he told her about catching the spy and discovering Master Liu.


    ¡°Is he a cockroach? He¡¯s dead, but not dead. His people are everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I don¡¯t know how many more people there are. That¡¯s why I want you to keep an eye on that Master Liu. Perhaps you can find out all the remnants of King Hui through his killing intent toward me.


    ¡°If they grow any stronger, they will really be a scourge to society.¡±


    ¡°Alright, bring more people with you. If he gets anxious and cornered, it will be troublesome if he wants to kill you no matter the cost.¡±


    ¡°Yup, this time I will bring a crossbow over. Remember to give me a few more arrows.


    ¡°Oh right, there¡¯s also the medicine and the antidote for the knockout powder. You have to give me some of that, too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll prepare those now, in case I forgetter.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll take a look at Guoguo and take a shower.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and walked toward the vi.


    Zhou Ying, on the other hand, started preparing. She prepared not only what he requested but also a bottle of pepper spray, a pack of tear powder, and a small bottle containing more than ten pieces of hundred-year-old ginseng.


    Gu Chengrui visited Guoguo, who was still giggling in her sleep. He smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead before taking his shower.


    After Zhou Ying was done packing, she came out with a small bag. Gu Chengrui hugged Zhou Ying and kissed her fiercely. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the house to you.


    Remember to say goodnight to me before you go to bed every day. Otherwise, I¡¯ll think that you¡¯ve forgotten about me.¡±


    ¡°Fine, remember to bring more people with you. Otherwise, if anything happens, I won¡¯t be your widow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t have the chance to remarry in this life, the next life, or the next life after that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you.¡± Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him and moved him out of her interspace.


    Surprised, Gu Chengrui returned to the pitch-ck room and gritted his teeth. ¡°My position is getting more and more unstable. It seems I must prop up my husband¡¯s dignity when I return properly.¡±


    Then, he smiled and shook his head at their silliness.


    He shook his head and threw away the messy thoughts in his mind, keeping the bag in his bed, and went to sleep.


    On the other end, after Zhou Ying sent Gu Chengrui off, she began to look for Master Liu.


    She had not expected to find him so quickly at a residence in Ping Yang Prefecture.


    She would have doubted herself if she had not seen the silver butterfly mask.


    At the same time, she remembered his face.


    She had thought he would be a handsome man who wore a mask to avoid trouble, but all he had was an ordinary face with a burn on the left side.


    Perhaps it was because the treatment was not done in time, so it left behind a ck scar.


    She sized up the people in his courtyard. There were not many; there were only a total of eleven people, including him.


    They had quite a lot of money on them. Each of them carried a few hundred taels worth of silver notes.


    Lord Liu had more¡ªat least 10,000 taels of silver..

 Chapter 811 - 811 Lion Camel Ridge (1)

    Chapter 811: Lion Camel Ridge (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying did not hesitate to drug them and take all their silver.


    She wanted to see if there were any other aplices in Ping Yang Prefecture or if they would pige or steal. She could deal with them openly if they dared to do that.


    After breakfast the next day, Zhou Ying handed Guoguo over to Mrs. Lin to look after while she went to the study room and entered her interspace with the excuse of checking the ounts.


    Through her Mother God Temples, she quickly found Master Liu and the others. At this time, the group had already set off as bodyguards. However, because the mask was too obvious, Master Liu had obviously put on a hat.


    Zhou Ying took a look at their goods. A few fur mats were on top, but there were just stones on the bottom.


    What shoddy disguises!


    When they arrived at a small town, the group of people only realized that they had lost all their money after a meal.


    Through wrangling, they had no choice but to give the shopkeeper a fox fur and exchange it for a certain amount of dry rations.


    ¡°Did you hear anythingst night?¡± Master Liu asked after they left the town.


    ¡°No, I slept very soundlyst night.¡± One of them replied.


    The others echoed the same.


    After Master Liu heard this, he remembered that he had slept quite soundly. He chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ve been hunting geese all day and finally got pecked in the eye by one.¡±


    ¡°You mean we were robbed?¡± A subordinate asked in disbelief.


    While they weren¡¯t on alert 24/7, they were definitely light sleepers.


    No one realized that their money had been stolen. If they were to kill them, it was terrifying just thinking about it.


    ¡°Could it be someone from the government?¡± Someone asked uneasily.


    ¡°Stupid; if it were the government, they would have arrested us long ago.¡± Another subordinate replied.


    ¡°Master, what should we do now?¡± Another asked.


    ¡°When we reach the next county, sell all the furs and then go to the Lion Camel Ridge of Qian Province to set up an ambush.


    ¡°Be alert along the way and see if anyone is following us. If there is, try to catch them alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone responded and set off.


    However, this time, they were much more on alert. The ten people surrounded the carriage, with the goods on the carriage as the center. At the same time, they were intently scanning the peopleing and going.


    After Zhou Ying knew their n, she told Gu Chengrui about it and went to get busy.


    At night, Zhou Ying was done with her work. Gu Chengrui was still awake. She brought him back to her interspace and asked, ¡°What kind of ce is Lion Camel Ridge? Are there bandits there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I found a map today and asked the bodyguard agency. Lion Camel Ridge is the only road from the north to Qian Province, so there are many bandit nests now after the snow disaster.


    ¡°However, as long as the travelers paid the toll, they wouldn¡¯t be robbed.


    ¡°Of course, there are many idents, so¡­¡±


    ¡°They want to get rid of you for being a bandit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This way, it¡¯ll be challenging to find them.¡±


    ¡°Got it. When will you arrive? I¡¯ll be your eye in the sky then.¡±


    ¡°I n to visit Chengsi tomorrow, so it will be about three days before we reach Lion Camel Ridge.


    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll let you know the day before we cross the Lion Camel Ridge.¡± Gu Chengrui continued, ¡°I want to contact the nearby garrison and get rid of these bandits. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if Master Liu uses them.¡±


    ¡°They might be using those bandits.


    ¡°As long as they get to kill you, those bandits will have no choice but to go against the Imperial Court.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is my concern, so we can¡¯t let those bandits live either way.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement..

 Chapter 812 - 812 Lion Camel Ridge (2)

    Chapter 812: Lion Camel Ridge (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Over the next two days, Zhou Ying would monitor Master Liu and the others asionally and pay attention to their whereabouts.


    Unexpectedly, they did not stop on the way. They arrived at Lion Camel Ridge the next afternoon and found a small stronghold. After settling down, he sent his underlings to keep an eye on Gu Chengrui¡¯s whereabouts.


    Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui the news that night, and the two discussed it. Gu Chengrui decided to take the risk himself, as long as Zhou Ying pointed out the trap for them.


    Only when theymitted a crime could they be exterminated openly and force the other bandits who did not participate to surrender quickly.


    After Zhou Ying understood his purpose, she did not persuade him anymore. Instead, she hurriedly drew a topographic map of the mountain.


    At the same time, he also realized that the biggest bandit on this mountain was an old banditir. They were really rich.


    The other bandits had to pay protection fees if they wanted to stay on the mountain.


    Just as she was thinking about that small hut and checking on Master Liu and the others¡¯ ns, a short man who was as agile as a monkey suddenly ran into the main courtyard and said, ¡°Chief Tiger, big news. Someone wants to kill Marquis An Le!¡±


    ¡°Marquis An Le, the doctor who discovered sweet potatoes and cowpox?¡± The chief was stunned by that news.


    ¡°Yes, him. I heard that he¡¯s out of the capital this time to set up medical centers in various ces to prevent and cure all kinds of gues and rectify fake medicine, including those ck-hearted medicine merchants.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, it wasn¡¯t easy for the country to have a good official sincere to the people. How is it that he was targeted so quickly? Do you know who wanted to kill him? I will definitely kill that brat!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the remnants of King Hui.¡±


    ¡°Monkey, Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°The heavens are really helping me. We finally have a chance to take revenge.¡± Chief Tiger replied in a daze.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Chief. It¡¯s been more than ten years. We finally have a chance to take revenge.¡± Monkey said.


    ¡°Call the few leaders to the hall. We have to discuss how to deal with this.¡± After Tiger finished speaking, he rushed to the meeting hall first.


    Through their conversation, Zhou Ying learned that their banditir was founded by 21 soldiers and officers who had escaped from the southwest.


    Back then, when they had learned that the Marquis of Ding¡¯an had used the soldiers¡¯ lives to put on a show of war against the Western Empire to suppress the Zhou family, they had been extremely disgusted with the Marquis.


    The Marquis of Ding¡¯an naturally could not tolerate any disobedience. When he wanted to kill them, these officers had received the news in advance and escaped. They had crossed the mountains and ridges all the way here to be bandits.


    Unfortunately, the Marquis of Ding¡¯an had only grown stronger. In addition to the fact that King Hui was ruthless and had many spies, they had never found a chance to take revenge.


    They had originally thought that since King Hui was already dead and the Marquis of Ding¡¯an was also gone, there would be no target for revenge.


    Who knew that they would still find an opportunity to take revenge in the end?


    Therefore, they decided that while they were on the move, they would act behind the scenes to save Gu Chengrui while killing Master Liu.


    After Zhou Ying heard their discussion and knew they were harmless, she told Gu Chengrui the good news.


    Gu Chengrui was shocked when he heard that. He really did not expect that his reputation was already so resounding and that so many people loved him.


    ¡°Investigate them. If they haven¡¯t done anything evil, then enrolling them is the safest way,¡± he said after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Yeah, that ce is high in the mountains and hidden in a dense forest. It¡¯s easy to defend and difficult to attack. I¡¯ll investigate them properly.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and began to look for the ount book in their stronghold..

 Chapter 813 - 813 Lion Camel Ridge (3)

    Chapter 813: Lion Camel Ridge (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    With the ount book, she would know if they had done anything bad.


    In the end, she found more than ten boxes of ount books in a secret room at the back of the mountain.


    Zhou Ying opened it and flipped through it seriously. Most of the money was collected from regr caravans and escort agencies.


    Of course, there were also robberies, but most of them were from heartless ck merchants.


    This was especially true for the merchant groups that sold fake medicine. They had robbed many of them, and it was clearly stated on the list what kind of fake medicine they had stolen.


    Moreover, they had robbed a batch of gold, which was the gold that the original Qianzhou Prefecture magistrate had embezzled. After they received the news, not only did they rob the gold, but they also killed him.


    There was also a portion of their own ie, which included furs, prey, and herbs.


    Their annual ie was simr, but the only difference was the amount.


    During the disaster years, their ie was close to nothing. On the contrary, they spent a lot and helped many people, including the viges on the mountain.


    After looking at it, Zhou Ying went to Master Liu¡¯s stronghold and took a look. She roughly understood their n after seeing their bows and arrows, animal traps, and weapons.


    After telling Gu Chengrui about this, Zhou Ying did not care anymore.


    Only when Gu Chengrui sent a message to her that they had arrived at Lion Camel Ridge did Zhou Ying find an excuse and lock herself in the study room.


    She quickly found Gu Chengrui.


    At this moment, they had already begun to pass through the path between the Lion Camel Ridge.


    Zhou Ying quickly looked around. At the corner, Master Liu and the others were hiding on the left side of the road. Each of them held arge sword in their hands.


    To the left and behind them were Tiger¡¯s men. They had twice as many men as Master Liu.


    On the right side of the road, a row of archers was hiding, staring at the middle of the road.


    However, each of them only had two arrows in their hands, presumably to force them to stop the carriage.


    There were also a row of animal traps along the way. As long as a horse passed, it would immediately snap its legs.


    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t push too hard.¡± Zhou Ying reminded Gu Chengrui as she told him theiryout.


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± As soon as Gu Chengrui finished speaking, more than ten arrows immediately shot toward his carriage.


    ¡°Be careful, Lord!¡± Lin Yitian shouted.


    Gu Chengrui immediatelyid down on the carriage after hearing that. He kicked open the carriage and got out. ¡°Stop. There¡¯s traps ahead.¡±


    Lin Yitian and the others were stunned for a moment. At this moment, they also noticed the new soil on the road.


    Then, they quickly surrounded Gu Chengrui.


    The second volley of arrows was shot, but Gu Chengrui and the others stopped it. However, one of the soldiers still had his leg injured.


    Gu Chengrui had found the archers¡¯ position. He immediately started to counterattack with his crossbow.


    Master Liu saw that their attention had been drawn over, so he quietly rushed down.


    However, before they could descend the mountain, Tiger and his men shouted, ¡°Kill!¡±


    Tiger¡¯s group dispersed and rushed down from above in a disciplined manner.


    Shocked, Lin Yitian and the others quickly turned their heads to look. However, before they could recover, Master Liu and the others had already arrived. They could only raise their sabers and wee them.


    At this moment, Master Liu also sensed that Tiger and the others hade with ill intentions. He immediately ordered, ¡°Retreat after you kill Gu Chengrui!¡±


    With his order, the two sides instantly started fighting.


    Gu Chengrui noticed that the archers had stopped. He turned around and shot his crossbow at Master Liu.


    As for the archers on the mountain, they originally wanted toe down, but when they saw Tiger and the others, they immediately retreated..

 Chapter 814 - 814 Lion Camel Ridge (4)

    Chapter 814: Lion Camel Ridge (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As for the archers on the mountain, they originally wanted toe down, but when they saw Tiger and the others, they immediately retreated.


    Tiger and the others also arrived very quickly. Lin Yitian, who was originally nervous, saw them charging at Master Liu and the others. Although he was puzzled, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    However, the martial arts skills of the people that Master Liu brought with him were really not bad.


    After suppressing Lin Yitian and the others, Master Liu quickly raised his knife and shed at Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui shot his crossbow toward him. While Master Liu dodged the arrow, Gu Chengrui quickly sprinkled a handful of knockout powder on him.


    Just as he was about to attack again, someone suddenly shouted, ¡°Master, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Master Liu turned his head and realized that his men had basically been captured.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s men and the bandits had already surrounded him.


    He knew that it would be difficult for him to get out, so he used all his strength and quickly rushed toward Gu Chengrui to sh at him.


    However, before he could get close, he staggered and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Finally.¡± Gu Chengrui heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Tie him up.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yitian Lin nodded and quickly tied Master Liu up.


    At this moment, Tiger walked over with a bigugh. He looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°You must be Marquis An Le, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. You are¡­?¡± Gu Chengrui yed dumb.


    At the same time, he sized him up. His image was reallyparable to Zhang Fei¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m the chief of the Lion Camel Camp on the mountain. I was given the nickname Tiger. We heard that someone wanted to harm you, so we came to save you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much. Otherwise, our group would have been in danger.¡±


    ¡°You tter me. We¡¯ve heard a lot about your deeds, so we¡¯re willing to help you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we all volunteered. If it weren¡¯t for the sweet potato you found, it would have been difficult for many of our brothers on the mountain to have enough to eat.¡± A young man dressed like a schr added.


    ¡°Indeed, we have nted quite a number of sweet potatoes on the mountain. I wonder if my lord is interested in going up and taking a look?¡± Tiger suggested.


    ¡°No, the Marquis still has a lot of things to do. We have to hurry to Qianzhou Prefecture.¡± Lin Yitian quickly replied.


    Lion Came Camp was the biggest bandit den. If they had any ulterior motives, Gu Chengrui and his group would be in danger.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It just so happens that our men are more or less injured. Let¡¯s stay on the mountain for a night and set off tomorrow.¡± Gu Chengrui patted Lin Yititan¡¯s shoulder and said.


    He was still thinking of taking the opportunity to test Tiger¡¯s and the others¡¯ intentions to see if there was a possibility of recruiting them. How could he miss this rare opportunity?


    ¡°Thank you for your trust, Marquis. Let¡¯s go up the mountain now.¡±


    Tiger then looked at the schr and said, ¡°Ninth Brother, remove the beast traps on the road and tie up the remnants of King Hui up the mountain.¡±.


    ¡°There might be poison in their mouths. Don¡¯t let themmit suicide.¡± Gu Chengrui reminded.


    ¡°Did you hear that? Remember to gag them.¡± After Tiger finished speaking, he brought Gu Chengrui up the mountain.


    Seeing this, Lin Yitian and the others could only follow.


    As for the schr, he quickly got someone to deal with the poison sacs in Master Liu¡¯s and the others¡¯ mouths. However, he was still a step toote. Other than Master Liu, only three people with slow reactions were left.


    After they went up the mountain, Tiger brought Gu Chengrui to look at the sweet potatoes they nted along the way.


    After returning to the main stronghold, Tiger arranged for them to be alone in a courtyard. ¡°My Lord, you and your brothers should clean up your wounds and rest for a while.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet again after I¡¯ve dealt with those remaining ambushers.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Master Liu is one of the trusted aides of King Hui, and King Prince has left quite a number of his people in the country, so it¡¯s better to interrogate him before dealing with him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know him?¡±

 Chapter 815 - 815 Lion Camel Ridge (5)

    Chapter 815: Lion Camel Ridge (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I guess so. I met him once, four years ago.


    ¡°A few days ago, they tried to assassinate me at Ping Yang. We traced the assassination back to them but couldn¡¯t find them. I didn¡¯t expect them to set up an ambush here.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not tired, why don¡¯t youe along for the interrogation?¡± Tiger hesitated for a moment and offered.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll have to trouble Chief Tiger to lead the way.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he left medicine for Lin Yitian and the others and followed Tiger to the prison in the mountain stronghold.


    He did not expect that the torture tools inside were no less than those in the government.


    Looking at the four people who were tied up, Gu Chengrui stepped forward and took off the mask of Master Liu, who was still unconscious. When he saw the scar on his face, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s really him.¡±


    ¡°Wearing a mask every day, I thought he would look good. I didn¡¯t expect him to be so average.¡± Tiger shook his head.


    Gu Chengrui looked at him in surprise. He took out a silver needle from the many torture tools and used it to stop three of them, including Master Liu, from waking up.


    Only one of them was left to wake up¡ªa man with a big mole on his chin. Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Are there any of your people on this mountain?¡±


    Tiger¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard that. He immediately perked up his ears and listened. If there were their people on the mountain, then his ce wasn¡¯t safe either.


    The big mole man nced at him and closed his eyes without saying anything. That disdainful expression angered Tiger so much that he stepped forward and kicked him. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to appreciate favors, huh?¡±


    After saying that, he wanted to kick him again.


    Gu Chengrui stopped him. ¡°Brother, calm down. People like them are not afraid of physical pain. If we beat him to death, he would be the happiest one here.¡±


    After saying that, he asked Tiger to bring some paper and water.


    Gu Chengrui slowly yed the sticker game again, really slowly. The man deeply experienced the feeling of having difficulty breathing until he suffocated.


    After fainting twice, when Gu Chengrui stuck it on his face again, the mole man finally could not take it anymore. ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk!¡±


    ¡°It would have been better if you had said so earlier. You wouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he sat at the side.


    When Tiger saw this, he was impressed. Previously, when they extorted confessions through torture, not only did they torture the prisoners to the verge of death, but they were also exhausted.


    He didn¡¯t expect that there was such an easy and effective method. He would use it in the future.


    The mole man took a few deep breaths and said, ¡°There are indeed two of our people on this mountain. They sneaked in during the famine.


    ¡°One of them is the third head of the stronghold we were staying in. Now, more than half of the people in the stronghold areing over.


    ¡°As for the other one, I only know that he¡¯s in the main stronghold, but I don¡¯t know who he is.¡±


    ¡°Other than killing me, what is your purpose ining up the mountain this time?¡±


    The mole didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he looked at Tiger.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Tiger was stunned. ¡°You want to kill me?¡± he cursed.


    ¡°Not only do they want your life, but they also want all the property of Lion Camel Ridge.¡± Gu Chengrui added.


    It seemed that his previous guess was right. King Hui and the others had long targeted the bandits on this mountain, or rather, throughout the entire Lion Camel Ridge.


    If they upied this ce, this continuous mountain range could definitely hide more than 100,000 people.


    Two yearster, they would cut off the traffic in Qianzhou and annex thend.


    Just thinking about it was terrifying.


    After a round of interrogation, they found out that they had a secret stronghold in Qianzhou. Other than killing Gu Chengrui, they came to control Qianzhou and even the entire south.


    However, they did not expect to be discovered so quickly..

 Chapter 816 - 816 Lion Camel Ridge (6)

    Chapter 816: Lion Camel Ridge (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he turned his head to Tiger and said, ¡°Brother Tiger, destroy all the strongholds they were in previously, especially the one the spy was in. You must not let him run away.


    ¡°We have to find that traitor as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be toote if something really happens.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy since we have captured all of their ambushers. I¡¯ll send my brothers to bring them here now.¡±


    ¡°It must be someone you can trust.¡±


    Tiger paused and thought of what the mole man had said before. He knew there was a hidden spy in their stronghold, so he nodded and went out to give instructions.


    Gu Chengrui interrogated the other two.


    To be honest, those captured here were basically people who were afraid of death. Otherwise, they would havemitted suicide by biting the poison sac.


    Therefore, after the two of them were tortured, they confessed, but it was simr to what the mole male said.


    The only additional information was that the general judge of Qianzhou was one of their people, one of the first batch of people reced.


    Because it was done so early, few people knew about it; he was a fish that slipped through the.


    In the end, Gu Chengrui got someone to bring them out. It just so happened that the Tiger had returned, so Gu Chengrui woke Master Liu up.


    When Master Liu saw him standing together with the Tiger, he sneered. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the current Emperor has always trusted you. I didn¡¯t expect you to collude with bandits. You¡¯re really a ssic example of being ungrateful.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to provoke me. It¡¯s useless.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We didn¡¯t even know each other before. If it weren¡¯t for the few of you, I wouldn¡¯t have done anything.


    ¡°Fortunately, I acted fast. Otherwise, it would be a pity for Marquis An Le to die in your hands.¡±


    Master Liu looked at Tiger in surprise. ¡°Do we know each other? There shouldn¡¯t be any enmity between us, right?¡±


    At the same time, he began to rub his wrists together.


    ¡°No, but I have a grudge against your master.


    Tiger added, ¡°Besides, you¡¯re not a good person. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve killed more people than me.¡±


    After Gu Chengrui noticed his abnormality, he immediately went forward to take a look. When he saw the rope that was about to break, he was shocked and quickly reached out to numb an acupuncture point on his arm.


    Later, he got someone to hang him on a rack. He picked up the rope that was about to break and said, ¡°You are a spy¡¯s role model. You are bold, meticulous, and calm enough.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I almost fell for his trick.¡± After saying that, Tiger went forward to check carefully.


    Surprisingly, he took out a small de shaped like a willow leaf from Master Liu¡¯s right sleeve.


    It was sewn into his sleeve. If he hadn¡¯t exposed himself, it would have been difficult to find it.


    ¡°Continue searching, even his underwear.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°You¡­ If you want to kill me, do it! Don¡¯t humiliate me.¡± Master Liu gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Haha, so you¡¯re afraid of this.


    ¡°So, confess quickly. That way, both of us will save trouble and effort.¡± Tiger replied with a sinister smile.


    ¡°Else, I¡¯ll strip you naked and hang you at the entrance of the stronghold,¡± he said with a dark face. ¡°I¡¯ll let thousands of brothers see you; maybe someone will even touch it for fun.¡±


    Master Liu¡¯s face turned green with anger, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. Otherwise, Tiger might really do something.


    Gu Chengrui ignored him and carefully checked every piece of clothing on him, including shoes and socks. He even pulled out the hairpin on his head and tried to check it.


    He did not expect to find a note inside the hairpin.


    When Master Liu saw the note, he tried to struggle a few times and tugged the rack out of the ground. Unfortunately, he could not break free.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Tiger shouted. ¡°He¡¯s strong! Give him some muscle rxant..¡±

 Chapter 817 - 817 Lion Camel Ridge (7)

    Chapter 817: Lion Camel Ridge (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    A few bandits immediately went forward, but Master Liu kicked them away.


    ¡°You are very impressive.¡± When Tiger saw this, he picked up the barbed whip on the side and whipped him fiercely.


    With his participation, Master Liu was quickly held down and given the muscle rxant.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s written on the note?¡± Tiger looked at Gu Chengrui, who had a gloomy expression on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s better for Brother Tiger not to know about this.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    When Tiger heard this, he knew that it was not a small matter. He did not ask any more questions. Instead, he pointed at Master Liu and said, ¡°If you want to interrogate him, hurry up. He¡¯s not one to stay down.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he walked up to Master Liu and said, ¡°You just have to answer one of my questions, and I¡¯ll give you a quick death.¡±


    ¡°Give up. I don¡¯t have any other skills, but I¡¯ve trained well in the ability to endure hardship. Don¡¯t even think about getting any useful information from me.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? It seems that you¡¯re not afraid of death. But, are you afraid of living a life worse than death?¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    He asked Tiger to send someone to bring some honey over and rub it evenly on his wound.


    Master Liu thought of something, and his eyes shrank. In the end, he calmed down.


    Gu Chengrui smiled. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve thought of it. Let¡¯s see what it feels like.¡±


    After saying that, he got someone to throw him on the ground.


    At first, Tiger and the others were curious. They didn¡¯t know what Gu Chengrui was up to.


    About a quarter of an hourter, they finally understood it.


    This was because Master Liu¡¯s body was already crawling with ants, especially at his wounds.


    The smell of blood even attracted some other insects, which kept biting at Master Liu¡¯s wound.


    Although Master Liu did not shout, his trembling muscles revealed his true feelings.


    Not to mention Tiger and the others; even Gu Chengrui was impressed.


    Gu Chengruiter used the paper and water method, but unfortunately, he still could not pry open Master Liu¡¯s mouth.


    Gu Chengrui was even more impressed now, but this was a serious matter, so he had to open his mouth.


    He could only look at Tiger and say, ¡°Brother Tiger, go to the stronghold and find some brothers who like men.


    ¡°Although he doesn¡¯t look very good, his body and skin are pretty.¡±


    ¡°Gu Chengrui!¡± Master Liu gritted his teeth and shouted.


    ¡°What are you shouting for? Since you are loyal to your master, you must be devoted with all your heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s just bodily pain. What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t you think you can withstand it?¡± Gu Chengrui sneered.


    Tiger¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°That¡¯s right. I guess you haven¡¯t married a wife in your line of work. Why don¡¯t you let my brothers have some fun? It¡¯s not a waste for you toe to this world, right?¡±


    After saying that, he called out a few names and asked someone to call them over.


    After hearing this, Master Liu could no longer maintain the expression on his face.


    He struggled a few times to get up and kill Gu Chengrui, but his body was so weak that even getting up was very difficult.


    After a while, the few people that Tiger had called out walked in.


    ¡°I know you all love both men and women,¡± said Tiger. ¡°Please serve this one well.¡±


    After saying that, he waved his hand, and they walked out.


    Gu Chengrui also turned around and followed them.


    However, as soon as they closed the door, they suddenly heard someone shouting from inside. ¡°Ah! Murder! Murder!¡±


    Gu Chengrui, who was at the back, immediately pushed the door open and walked in.


    He saw that Master Liu had already been killed. There were two corpses beside him, and one of them was chasing after the other two.


    Gu Chengrui immediately pulled out the dagger from his boots and rushed forward to fight with the man..

 Chapter 818 - 818 Lion Camel Ridge 8

    Chapter 818: Lion Camel Ridge 8


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Tiger and the others also followed in at this time. The killer had no way to run and ran into the dagger in Gu Chengrui¡¯s hand. At the same time, he clenched his hands into fists and smashed toward his temple.


    Gu Chengrui immediately leaned back, raised his leg, and kicked him in the chest.


    The killer took two steps back but was quickly stopped by Tiger and the others. They quickly gave him some muscle rxant.


    ¡°Tie him up.


    ¡°Brother Tiger, inform the people guarding the stronghold that everyone is only allowed to enter and not leave. Otherwise, they will be killed without mercy.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Tiger looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°The old informants of King Hui all had a poison sac in their mouths, but this one doesn¡¯t. This means that he developedter, and the person that the mole mentioned hasn¡¯t been found.¡±


    Tiger¡¯s expression froze after hearing that. He nodded and led the two of them out.


    Gu Chengrui waited for him to leave and immediately began interrogating the killer.


    With just one piece of paper, he had identified the person beside him. His superior was the earliest informant, and he was now a captain and had over a hundred subordinates.


    He knew that he had already developed seven people.


    He didn¡¯t know anything else.


    Gu Chengrui was about to go out with the name list when Lin Yitian walked in and asked, ¡°Marquis, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. How are the brothers?¡±


    ¡°Very good. We¡¯ll rest after everyone is bandaged.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded and handed the list to a bandit he had just saved.


    The bandit nodded solemnly, then turned around and ran out.


    Gu Chengrui asked someone to keep an eye on the killer while he sat on the chair to rest.


    After a while, the outside became chaotic, but it quickly calmed down. Tiger captured the seven people on the list.


    After a round of interrogation, they arrested another group of people.


    Gu Chengrui also understood what was happening with the weapons in the note he got from Master Liu.


    It turned out that King Hui still had an iron mine in his hands, and arge number of weapons were being forged inside.


    More importantly, he even got the address of the iron mine.


    As for the person in charge of the iron mine, he was the general judge of Qianzhou Province.


    After confirming that the news had not been leaked, Gu Chengrui got Tiger to kill all the informants.


    As for those who knew the news, they were temporarily put under house arrest.


    When they were almost done, the people from the stronghold who had helped Master Liu and the others were all captured.


    After more interrogation, more than half of the people in the entire stronghold had already sided with King Hui.


    Only the First Leader, Second Leader, and their trusted aides were still in the dark.


    Thus, those who rebelled would all be executed.


    As for the First Leader and the Second Leader, they stayed in the stronghold for the time being.


    At night, Gu Chengrui wrote the matter into a memorial and put the note in it.


    When it waste at night, he called Zhou Ying and handed the item to her. ¡°In the name of Mother God, send it to the Emperor as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Understood. You won¡¯t being in today?¡±


    ¡°No, there are too many people here. I won¡¯t go in.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go to bed early.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she gave him some self-defense powder.


    Only then did she open the memorial and take a nce.


    After reading it, Zhou Ying shook her head and went straight to the Emperor.


    At this moment, the Emperor had finished seeing the Eldest Prince and was about to take a bath. Zhou Ying quickly sent him a voice transmission and asked him to return to the study.


    The Emperor was stunned for a moment. When he realized that it was the voice of the Mother God, he nodded to Gu Wanning and immediately rushed to the royal study.


    After he entered the study, Zhou Ying handed the memorial to the Emperor..

 Chapter 819 - 819 Lion Camel Ridge (9)

    Chapter 819: Lion Camel Ridge (9)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor was stunned for a moment before he quickly opened the memorial and read it. When he finished reading the more than three-foot-long memorial, his face was as ck as the bottom of a pot.


    He did not expect King Hui to have such a trump card still. If Gu Chengrui had not discovered it in time, there would have been a big upheaval in the Great Ming Dynasty in the future.


    Especially the weapons on the note, which were enough to equip a hundred thousand soldiers. Just thinking about it made him scared.


    After hesitating for a moment, he summoned Zhou Huaiming and King Xian into the pce overnight and told them about the matter. ¡°This matter is of great importance. You will set off overnight.


    ¡°Imperial Uncle, you and Zeheng will be in the open and Huaining in the dark. You must bring the people and weapons from Qianzhou Province to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two of them replied.


    ¡°What about the bandits on the mountain?¡± King Xian raised his head and asked. ¡°Should we recruit them as Lord Gu suggested, or should we disband them?¡±


    ¡°Since Gu Chengrui has already infiltrated the bandits, let him handle this matter. When there are results, I will ask him to look for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but it¡¯s best to recruit them. If we disband those people, I¡¯m afraid it will harm the people further.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll try my best.¡± The Emperor nodded and handed a gold medal to King Xian. ¡°Use this to mobilize the army nearby if you need it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± The Sage King nodded.


    ¡°You too.¡± The Emperor nodded and looked at Zhou Huaiming.


    Zhou Huaiming nodded. However, he knew that the soldiers he would be able tomand were different from King Xian. The Emperor was referring to their own informants and secret guards.


    In the end, the Emperor emphasized, ¡°You must ensure Gu Chengrui¡¯s safety on this trip.¡±.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two of them responded and left the pce in a hurry.


    After leaving the pce, Zhou Huaiming said to King Xian, ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s split up. I¡¯ll go by water first and quietly. You can go bynd. When they get the news and panic, it¡¯ll be the best time to catch them.¡±


    The Sage King nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright, but it¡¯s not good to be too early. I¡¯ll release the news a day earlier.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded, returned to his residence, and gave Mingyu some instructions. Then, he ordered two teams of 20 guards to set off overnight.


    King Xian, on the other hand, dawdled for a while. He ordered hundreds of guards to quietly march forward, and the father and son brought ten bodyguards with them to leave the capital before dawn.


    On the other end, the Emperor wrote a letter to Gu Chengrui overnight. He looked around and asked tentatively, ¡°Mother God, are you still there? Can you help me send another message?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the letter disappeared into thin air.


    ¡°Thank you, Mother God.¡± The Emperor was startled and quickly bowed.


    Zhou Ying was secretly happy to see this, but she did not reply.


    After taking the letter, she nced at Gu Chengrui and saw that he was still awake, so she gave him the letter.


    Gu Chengrui quickly finished reading and kissed his Mother God statue. ¡°Thank you, babe. Sleep early.¡±


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she poked him in the mouth before retreating.


    Gu Chengrui touched his lips, which seemed to have been stung by a ho, and smiled.


    He hid the letter in his cotton coat and went to sleep.


    The next morning, when he woke up, he discovered that Tiger had been busy most of the night.


    He had thoroughly cleaned up the stronghold. The remaining people in the small stronghold where Master Liu and the others were previously were also under hismand.


    ¡°Lord Gu,¡± Tiger asked after breakfast, ¡°when are you leaving? I¡¯ll send someone to escort you all the way to Qianzhou Province.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll set off in a while. Brother Tiger, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t know if I should say.¡± Gu Chengrui hesitated..

 Chapter 820 - 820 Lion Camel Ridge (10)

    Chapter 820: Lion Camel Ridge (10)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Since you call me brother, then don¡¯t stand on ceremony, Brother Gu. Just say what you want to say.¡± Tigerughed.


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t hesitate. After this incident, although nothing happened to me, Lion Camel Ridge will definitely attract the attention of the officials.


    ¡°What are your ns for the future?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no meaning to it. The situation has stabilized now, and the government won¡¯t allow you to stay in Lion Camel Ridge for long.


    ¡°Therefore, what I mean is that you have to find a way out as soon as possible.


    ¡°Besides, you have to think about your descendants. You can¡¯t let them be bandits forever, right?¡±


    Although Tiger was a little unhappy at first, he was not brainless. Otherwise, he would not have been the chief here for many years.


    Therefore, he knew very well that what he said made sense.


    The main point was that, for the sake of their descendants, they could not continue to be bandits on the mountain.


    ¡°Brother Gu, why don¡¯t you tell us where our way out is?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There are three ways.


    ¡°First, you could change from a bandit to a hunter and be a viger. Of course, this is the worst option.


    ¡°Second, the poption decreased sharply after the disaster, so there is a lot of emptynd. You can choose a piece ofnd to settle down on and be good citizens.


    ¡°I will help you through my connections if you agree to this condition. However, I¡¯m afraid that you can¡¯t all be together.


    ¡°Third, amnesty. You were soldiers before. After returning to the military camp, you will be able to serve the imperial court better with your skills.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the Imperial Court will treat us well?¡± Tiger asked after a moment of shock.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you guys very well, but after spending a day with you, I can tell that you guys aren¡¯t criminals.


    ¡°Moreover, we¡¯ve also asked around before.


    ¡°Your toll was always reasonable, and you never made things difficult for honest merchants or ordinary passers-by.


    ¡°Just based on this point, I¡¯m willing to deal with it for you.¡±


    Seeing his sincerity, Tiger hesitated for a while. ¡°Brother Gu, you still have to stay in Qianzhou for about half a month, right? Why don¡¯t you let us brothers discuss it? I¡¯ll let you know when I have an idea.¡±


    Although he was the chief here, his subordinates were all his brothers, who had gone through life and death with him. He had to consider their feelings.


    ¡°I understand. Regardless of whether it seeds, I will revisit you before I leave.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll gather a few smart and capable brothers and send you over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Tiger. However, it¡¯s best to keep the news of Master Liu and the others dying on this mountain a secret for now. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if they sought revenge.¡±


    Tiger thought of the matter of Qianzhou Province¡¯s general judge being King Hui¡¯s subordinate. He nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you then.¡±


    ¡°Remember, before that person is dealt with, do nothing. Also, try your best to block the news of Master Liu and the others.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will keep an eye on them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to send you out from the small roadter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he called for Monkey, who led the way. They directly crossed the mountain range.


    When he came out, he didn¡¯t expect to have already arrived at the nearest town.


    Monkey said, ¡°This lowly one will send everyone here. This is a little token of our big brother¡¯s appreciation. Please ept it.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he handed him a banknote worth ten thousand taels.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ept it. When I get back, help me thank Brother Tiger. After I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll definitely visit him..¡±

 Chapter 821 - 821 Arrival

    Chapter 821: Arrival


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Monkey left, Lin Yitian asked in confusion, ¡°Lord, we don¡¯tck money. Why do you still want their money?¡±


    ¡°What if they look down on us?¡±


    ¡°Your thoughts run deep. But with our identities, there¡¯s no such thing as looking down on us.


    ¡°Besides, if Tiger really looked down on us, he wouldn¡¯t have given us any convenience and sent his most trusted brother to send us out of the mountain.


    ¡°Furthermore, this silver is merely a form of brotherhood trust.


    ¡°Just like when you go out, Yifan is afraid that you don¡¯t have enough money on you, so he just gives you some money.


    ¡°When we return, we¡¯ll bring them some good things and return the favor.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    ¡°It looks like Lion Camel Ridge is rich.¡± Lin Yifan smiled.


    ¡°There are peopleing and going on that road every day. It¡¯s a treasure haven.


    ¡°In addition to the things they usually rob, it¡¯s hard for them not to be rich.¡± Lin Yitian said.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be sour. I¡¯ll treat everyone to a big mealter.¡± Gu Chengrui said solemnly, ¡°From the moment we entered this town, you all better keep your mouths shut about the situation on Lion Camel Ridge.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything, we¡¯ll talk about it when the people sent by the Emperor arrive.


    ¡°Also, after entering the city, be on your guard. Don¡¯t fall into other people¡¯s traps.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lin Yitian nodded solemnly.


    After the group entered the town, they bought new carriages and horses and hurried to the province.


    When he visited the government office to visit Magistrate Chen, he also saw the general judge here. He was a man in his forties who was slightly fat.


    After exchanging a few polite words, Gu Chengrui let them release the announcement for the medical assessment. He then checked into the biggest inn in the name of being tired.


    He also booked the east side of the second room of the inn.


    ¡°Marquis, there are too many people in the inn. Why do we have to stay here?¡± Lin Yitian asked.


    ¡°Does Yifan know?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at Lin Yifan.


    ¡°Lord, you¡¯re afraid of being schemed against, right?¡± Lin Yifan said.


    ¡°There are two main reasons for staying in the inn this time. One is to avoid trouble, just in case.


    ¡°Another thing is that there are many people with many eyes. If you have nothing to do, sit in the lobby and see if you can get any information.


    ¡°On the surface, you can also inquire about the doctors¡¯ situation in Qianzhou Province.


    ¡°Lastly, I¡¯m unfamiliar with them, so it¡¯s better to stay in an inn than their house.¡±


    After saying that, he handed Lin Yitian a thousand taels of silver. ¡°You guys split it. If you have anything you want to eat or drink, feel free to spend it.


    ¡°However, drinking alcohol will cause trouble. Just bear without it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marquis, you should rest first. I¡¯ll go and see what¡¯s delicious here.¡±


    Over the next few days, besides inviting Lord Chen, Lord Fang, and a few officials in the manor to Hongyun Restaurant for a meal, Gu Chengrui was busy setting up the medical center.


    On this day, after Gu Chengrui announced the name list for the first round, the group was about to return to the inn.


    Suddenly, a little beggar ran over and bumped into Gu Chengrui. Gu Chengrui felt the little beggar stuff a note into his hand.


    Lin Yifan immediately grabbed the little beggar. He was about to scold him when Gu Chengrui deliberately nced at his purse. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not easy for them either.¡±


    After saying that, he took ten copper coins from his purse and said, ¡°Be careful when you walk in the future.¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Master. You¡¯re really a good person.¡± The little beggar turned around and ran away after saying that..

 Chapter 822 - 822 Rejection

    Chapter 822: Rejection


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the little beggar ran far away, Gu Chengrui took the opportunity to cough and quickly read the note. He was instantly amused, as it turned out to be from Zhou Huaiming.


    He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s been hard for you two brothers to follow me around for the past two days. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal at Hongyun Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Thank you; don¡¯t mind if we do.¡± Lin Yifan replied thoughtfully.


    Then, the three of them went straight to the Hongyun Restaurant and allowed the manager to bring them all the way to a private room on the second floor.


    Zhou Huaiming was standing in front of the window, trimming the potted nts. When he saw them enter, he turned his head and said, ¡°Order whatever you want to eat. I¡¯m almost done with the bonsai.¡±


    After saying that, he went back to work.


    ¡°How can you treat a guest like this?¡± Gu Chengrui sat down andined. However, despiteining, he still ordered two dishes that he liked and then handed the menu to Lin Yitian.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you being polite.¡± As soon as Zhou Huai Ming finished speaking, the bonsai was done.


    He sat back down and ordered a few dishes before letting the manager go back to work.


    Lin Yifan and Lin Yitian immediately stood up and stood guard outside.


    ¡°So, why did you call me over?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Are you ying dumb? How can you not know? Tell me everything you know.¡±


    ¡°Hongyun Restaurant is so big, but you didn¡¯t hear anything?¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows that Hongyun Restaurant belongs to me and the Emperor. Anyone doing shady business will avoid this ce. Who would want to run into the muzzle of a gun?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know much either.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded and stopped joking. He told him everything he knew and what he had heard over the past few days.


    ¡°In that case, this Fang guy¡¯s poprity and reputation are really quite good.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Of course, it¡¯s also possible that he knew that I wasing, so he just continued as usual; I didn¡¯t dare alert the enemy.


    ¡°However, you can check in the direction of the mine. Perhaps you can find something there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way. If there¡¯s any news, you can send it to the Hongyun Restaurant at any time.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while. When the dishes were served, Gu Chengrui called Lin Yitian and Lin Yifan in.


    After the meal, the three of them returned to the inn.


    As soon as he returned to the inn, he saw Magistrate Chen sitting in the lobby with a man in his thirties beside him.


    Magistrate Chen immediately stood up when he saw them enter. ¡°Has Lord Gu eaten? Would you like to have a bite or two together?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, I just had a huge te of pork trotters at Hongyun Restaurant just now. You guys continue chatting.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he was about to go upstairs.


    ¡°Lord Gu, why not sit and have a drink? I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment. He asked the waiter to serve a pot of tea, walked over, and sat down. ¡°May I know what¡¯s the matter, Lord Chen?¡±


    ¡°This is my nephew, Lou Yifei. He is also in first ce in the medical examination this time.¡± Lord Chen looked at the man beside him and said.


    ¡°Your foundation is very solid.¡± Gu Chengrui thought of his exam paper and nodded with a smile.


    ¡°He still can¡¯tpare with you. I would humbly request for him to be your apprentice. What do you think¡­?¡±


    ¡°You guys are really ttering me.


    ¡°If we want topare notes on medical skills, I wee that.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not qualified to be your master.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too humble. Your medical skills have been recognized by the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°I was just lucky enough to discover the smallpox vine.¡±


    ¡°Shall we discuss medical skills together?¡± Lou Yifei asked.


    ¡°Of course, whenever I¡¯m free.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°Are you free in the afternoon? I happen to have a special case here and would like to ask you for advice..¡±

 Chapter 823 - 823 The Lou Family

    Chapter 823: The Lou Family


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    Magistrate Chen immediately stood up. ¡°You guys continue chatting. I still have some matters to attend to at the government office.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk more when we have time.¡± Gu Chengrui stood up and sent him out.


    After he came back, he drank tea with Lou Yifei and chatted for a while. After he finished the pot of tea, Gu Chengrui took him upstairs.


    Gu Chengrui first asked about Lou Yifei¡¯s master. Only then did he know that although the Lou family was not very famous, it was still a family with a hundred years of inheritance.


    ¡°So the Lou Family has many disciples in Qianzhou Province?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°No, because the family precepts are passed down to men and not to women or outsiders, so only I¡¯m left in the family to study medicine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity. By the way, I heard that you hold a Juren rank from the schr exams?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in my early years, I always wanted to be an official like Uncle, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the brain. I took the exam three times before I got my Juren rank, and I was still third from the bottom.


    ¡°In addition, my father is already old, so I took over the family¡¯s clinic.¡±


    ¡°If you enter the medical center, won¡¯t there be no one to take care of your family¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°No, I still have a younger brother. Although he¡¯s not interested in medicine, he¡¯s quite good at doing business.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding and asked, ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the situation of the medical case you mentioned? Tell me in detail, and I hope I know about it.¡±


    Lou Yifei nodded. He took out a book and handed it to him with both hands.


    ¡°This is all the patient¡¯s records.¡±


    Gu Chengrui took it and looked at it seriously. The records were really quite detailed.


    As for the illness described above, it seemed to be lung cancer.


    ¡°How did you treat the patient?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Father said that this is a lung disease. I used many prescriptions to promote blood cirction and remove blood stasis, replenish qi and remove blood clots, eliminate phlegm, and strengthen the spleen, but the effects were not very good.


    ¡°Ultimately, he became so scrawny that only a handful of bones are left.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°This illness is split into benign and malignant.¡±


    ¡°If benign, the patient could still live if we operated on the patient and removed the root cause.


    ¡°If it¡¯s malignant, there¡¯s still hope if it¡¯s found in time. Otherwise, it¡¯s just a matter of time before inevitable death.¡±


    ¡°Operation?¡± Lou Yifei looked at him in horror. ¡°Would that person still be able to live if he had a knife in his chest?¡±


    Gu Chengrui smiled and nodded. ¡°Exactly, a surgical operation. This also involves a suturing technique.¡±


    After that, he exined it to him in detail.


    Lou Yifei¡¯s eyes lit up and he asked, ¡°Can you save this patient?¡±


    ¡°Who is the patient?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my father. He¡¯s already¡­¡± Lou Yifei¡¯s eyes teared up.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and said, ¡°I can go over and take a look, but his condition¡­ I¡¯m not confident either.¡±


    ¡°Understood. If there¡¯s really no other way, we¡¯ll just ept our fate.¡±


    ¡°Is it far? If he¡¯s not far away, we can go there now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just one street away.¡± Lou Yifei replied.


    After that, Gu Chengrui brought Lin Yifan to the Lou Family. When he saw the Lou Family¡¯s head, Gu Chengrui knew that there was no hope for him.


    Sure enough, when he checked his pulse, he found that the Lou Family Head was amp that had run out of oil.


    He asked Lou Yifei for silver needles to soothe his lungs, but it was obviously ineffective.


    ¡°Marquis An Le, your acupuncture skills are so good. It¡¯s a pity that I won¡¯t have the chance to ask you for advice,¡± said Mr. Lou with a smile..

 Chapter 824 - 824 Begging

    Chapter 824: Begging


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°As long as you calm down and take good care of yourself, you still have a chance.¡± Gu Chengrui said as he retracted the needles.


    Mr. Lou knew that he was justforting him. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about medicine again when we have the chance.¡±


    After a few polite words, Gu Chengrui and Lou Yifei left.


    ¡°Is there no chance at all?¡± Lou Yifei asked hurriedly.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°Now, we can only take good care of him. If the old man has any other wishes, try your best to satisfy them.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lou Yifei nodded.


    ¡°I look forward to your exam in three days. You can look for me when you have time.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he patted Lou Yifei¡¯s shoulder, turned around, and walked out.


    After Lou Yifei sent him away, he heard his father¡¯s painful cry when he returned. He stood there for a moment.


    Then, he turned around and informed his men to start preparing for the funeral quietly.


    Three dayster, Lin Yitian handed Gu Chengrui a book at night. ¡°My Lord, this is the information left behind by Guard Xiao and the information collected by Hongyun Restaurant. I¡¯ve already summarized it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Chengrui took it and nced at it. On it were the doctors¡¯ names, personalities, and family situations in each county, including the prefecture.


    Anyone domineering, greedy, with evil thoughts, or surrounded by power was circled in red.


    He didn¡¯t expect that Madam Lou was only Lord Chen¡¯s second wife and, moreover, a second concubine.


    Because Madam Lou married Lord Chen, the Lou family started from a small medicine shop and became the current wealthy family.


    He raised his head and said, ¡°Check the Lou family again, especially if the medicinal herb business is clean.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out now.¡±


    ¡°You must be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Yitian turned around and left.


    Just as Gu Chengrui was about to get up and wash up, Lin Yifan came in and said, ¡°Sir, I met someone when I went down to the toilet. He said that he had something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did he say anything?¡±


    ¡°No, he just said that he wanted to see you. He didn¡¯t say anything else.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Let hime up.¡±


    ¡°You should go down and see him. He¡¯s a beggar. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment. Just in case, he turned around and took a pepper spray before following him out.


    When they arrived outside the woodshed, Lin Yifan went in to take a look. After making sure that there were no idents, he let him in and guarded the door.


    Gu Chengrui had just entered when a person dressed like a beggar knelt on the ground with a thud. ¡°Please, my lord. Please save this servant.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned when he heard the servant address him. ¡°Get up. What¡¯s the matter first?¡±


    The beggar stood up and said, ¡°My name is Ling¡¯er. I used to be a servant girl at Lord Fang¡¯s residence.


    ¡°This morning, my sister was killed, and I escaped.


    ¡°But now, the Fang family is looking for me everywhere. Marquis, please save me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯ll save you?¡±


    ¡°But, aren¡¯t you the Marquis?¡±


    ¡°It is true, but I am only in charge of the medical center. I don¡¯t have the power to control the local officials, let alone their family affairs.¡±


    ¡°But, but your position is higher than his?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the habit of using my power to oppress others.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    Then, he deliberately waited for a moment before saying, ¡°Tell me first.. Why did your sister die? Why are they chasing after you? Otherwise, why would I stop him from capturing his escaped ves?¡±

 Chapter 825 - 825 News

    Chapter 825: News


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I¡­ If I tell you, will you really save me?¡± The little beggar asked softly.


    ¡°It depends on what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    The little beggar hesitated for a moment. Then, she leaned over and whispered, ¡°M-my sister found out that our master is wearing a mask. He is a fake.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is there more?¡± Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment after hearing that. He did not know if she was telling the truth, so he still did not intend to relent. ¡°Is this not enough to punish him?¡±


    ¡°This matter is too big. Only the Emperor and the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs can handle it.


    ¡°Tell me if there are any other discoveries. If there are, we can suppress him from other directions.¡±


    ¡°I, my sister also heard them mention something about Lion Camel Ridge, Jigong Mountain, and so on. I didn¡¯t hear anything else clearly.


    ¡°Oh right, it seems that his superior came. They will arrive in the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Does my young master being imprisoned count?¡±


    ¡°Imprisonment? Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I only heard that more than ten years ago, Young Master had a big fight with Old Master, and Young Master¡¯s leg was broken by Old Master.


    ¡°From then on, Young Master was imprisoned in a side courtyard. There were people guarding him, but he never came out again.¡±


    After Gu Chengrui heard that, he could not tell if she was sent to test him or if she really came to ask for help.


    You could say that she didn¡¯t know anything, but everything she said was right on the dot.


    But if you said she knew everything, you needed to send someone to verify it. If it were a trap, it would be troublesome.


    ¡°Is there anything on Lion Camel Ridge and Jigong Mountain?¡± he asked. ¡°Is your master colluding with bandits?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m not really sure.¡±


    Gu Chengrui saw that he could not get anything more out of her. He told Lin


    Yifan, ¡°Find a ce to settle her down. Remember to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Yifan nodded and brought her out quietly.


    After a while, he returned and said, ¡°My Lord, the arrangements have been made. I also found someone to help keep an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°Where did you arranged her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s now the servant girl who keeps the fire lit in the casino. Moreover, it¡¯s the Fang family¡¯s casino. She should be safe. Let her stay there for two days.¡± ¡°You sure know how to find a ce. Keep an eye on her. First, see if she¡¯s real or fake. Then, you can make a n.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The exam will start tomorrow. Go to Hongyun Restaurant and borrow some manpower. Keep an eye on them. Don¡¯t make any mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After Gu Chengrui rested at night, Zhou Ying contacted him through the interspace. ¡°How¡¯s it going on your end? Is everything going well? Can you enter the interspace?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have something on tonight. I can¡¯t go.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he did not wait for her to ask. Instead, he told her everything that had happened in the past few days.


    ¡°So, just in case, I won¡¯t go in.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then go to bed early. I¡¯m going to watch a show.¡±


    ¡°Remember to tell me if you see anything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she first found the servant girl in the casino.


    Seeing that she was obediently boiling water, she sized up the entire casino.


    Not only was it quite lively at night, but there were also many gamblers. However, she only brushed these aside and finally found the manager of the casino.


    It was a man in his forties with a scar on his face. He looked fierce and scary.


    At this moment, he was preparing chips to loan money with a group of thugs.


    Zhou Ying nced at it. The person who owed it was Qin Jiu, the scarface himself. There was no information about anyone else.


    After that, she waited for a while longer.. Soon, someone approached them and asked, ¡°How is it? Qin Jiu, have you heard anything about that servant girl?¡±

 Chapter 826 - 826 The Fang Family

    Chapter 826: The Fang Family


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Head Butler, I sent people to look for her, but they didn¡¯t find the Ling¡¯er you mentioned.


    ¡°Could she have already left the city?¡± Qin Jiu asked.


    ¡°Impossible. Our people are watching the city gate. She can¡¯t go out.


    ¡°Send someone to look for her again tomorrow. Remember to memorize what she looks like. Don¡¯t let her go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let her off.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s alive, I want to see her. If she¡¯s dead, I want to see her corpse.


    Remember to report it to the higher-ups.¡± After the butler finished speaking, he turned around and left.


    ¡°Is it really necessary for a servant girl?¡± Qin Jiuined.


    After saying that, he got busy.


    Zhou Ying left with the Head Butler. The Head Butler then went to two brothels, a teahouse, and the pier before returning to the Fang Residence.


    Zhou Ying thought of Lord Fang¡¯s identity and searched the Fang Residence from top to bottom. Finally, she found a square basement in the side courtyard.


    It was filled with all kinds of gold, silver, jewelry, and many ount books.


    Zhou Ying took a few books and flipped through them.


    It was all the ounts of the Fang Residence¡¯s dirty ie.


    Just as she was about to stop, she found a few ount books with different bindings and took them out to flip through.


    On it were the names and numbers of the weapons they had illegally manufactured.


    There was also the time of manufacture and the quantity of the goods.


    There were also arge number of personnel expenses written on it. It was not written in detail, so she could not figure out who was billed. However, she felt that it was very likely the expenses for the weaponsmith.


    After reading it, she put it back.


    Just as she was about to retreat, she suddenly heard the sound of chains shaking.


    Only then did she remember that there was another person in the main room in addition to the lower room.


    When she went in to take a look, she found that not only was the man crippled, but he had also been chained to the room.


    However, his life was rtively exquisite. At least his face and hands were clean, and his hair was smooth.


    She didn¡¯t know what kind of nightmare he was having. He kept waving his fists and shaking his head crazily. It seemed that he was fighting with someone in his dream.


    If she was not mistaken, her throat should have been chemically muted. Otherwise, he would not have been so silent.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to leave, there was a knock on the door of the study not far away.


    Fang Tongpan opened the door and invited the person in. ¡°Have you found out who they sent this time? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s King Xian and his son. I didn¡¯t find out the details, but they didn¡¯t bring many people with them, so it shouldn¡¯t be anything big.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be careless. By the way, how¡¯s the situation at Lion Camel Ridge? Have you found out what¡¯s going on? It¡¯s been a few days since west heard from them.¡±


    ¡°I went up the mountain once, but something seemed to have happened on the mountain. Now, the checks on the mountain are very strict, so I didn¡¯t dare to go in.


    ¡°However, I overheard that when Marquis An Le came over, he was robbed by bandits. It was Tiger who brought people to save him.¡±


    ¡°No, something must have happened over there. Tiger didn¡¯t even give face to Lord Chen and me. Why would he save Gu Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to test Gu Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that yet. Right now, the purpose of King Xian¡¯s visit is unknown. It¡¯s better for us to be careful, just in case.


    ¡°As for Gu Chengrui, he¡¯ll have to stay for another seven or eight days. There¡¯s no rush.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Inform the people on the mountain to be careful. Don¡¯t let King Xian and the others suss them out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it now.¡± After that, the man turned around and walked out..

 Chapter 827 - 827 Voice Transmission

    Chapter 827: Voice Transmission


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying waited for a moment, and after seeing that Lord Fang had fallen asleep, she immediately thought of Zhou Huaiming and went straight to Jigong Mountain.


    Sure enough, she found Zhou Huaiming, who was still searching for the armory in the mountains.


    Zhou Ying took a nce and quickly found the location of the weapons. After telling him, she also told him the whereabouts of the people sent by Lord Fang.


    Zhou Huaiming was shocked when he heard the voice transmission. However, he quickly reacted. That solemn and loving voice was most likely the voice of Mother God. He immediately cupped his fists and said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Mother God.¡±


    The few people who followed him looked at his strange appearance and were stunned. For a moment, they could not understand what was going on.


    Zhou Huaiming returned to his senses. He kicked each of them. ¡°What are you looking at? I was receiving instructions from Mother God just now.¡±


    He pointed at the two people who were best at hiding and said, ¡°You two form a group and head south. When you encounter a cliff, see if there¡¯s a cave below.


    ¡°That should be the ce we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°On a cliff? No wonder we couldn¡¯t find it after wandering around for several days.¡± The two of them looked at each other and eximed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. You just need to confirm it. After that,e to the foot of the mountain to find me.


    ¡°The rest of you follow me to stop the people who are going up the mountain.¡± Zhou Huaiming went down the mountain after he finished speaking.


    After Zhou Ying confirmed that they acted on her advice, she withdrew and told Gu Chengrui the news.


    ¡°It looks like what Ling¡¯er said is true,¡± Gu Chengrui said with a smile.


    ¡°Yup, I think we should start investigating the matters in the residence from the young master who was locked up in the side courtyard. He should know something.¡±


    ¡°I understand. It¡¯s been hard on you. Sleep early.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± Zhou Ying retreated to the space and then hurriedly collected a batch of sweet potatoes and fed all the livestock.


    Afterwards, she made some dried sweet potatoes for Guoguo.


    Qianzhou Province.


    The next morning, King Xian and his entourage entered the Qianzhou Province.


    After greeting Lord Chen and Lord Fang, King Xian said, ¡°You guys, go ahead with your work. I heard that today is the second round of the medical center¡¯s examination. I¡¯ll go and take a look.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk after you¡¯re done with government affairs.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to arrange a ce for you to stay?¡± Magistrate Chen asked.


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s fine for us to stay at the ry station.¡± After saying that, King Xian walked out.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll wee Your Highness at night.¡± Lord Chen and Lord Fang looked at each other, then turned around and left.


    Later, they informed someone to follow the father and son.


    However, the father and son really only went to watch the exams.


    The first step of the exam was to distinguish the authenticity of the medicine, then to weed out the fake medicine with simr shapes, and thest step was to diagnose illnesses.


    After a day, the father and son watched with great interest.


    When it was over, it was already half past midnight. The father and son returned to the ry station and waited for the people watching them to rx.


    Yang Zeheng, the son of King Xian, brought two guards and quickly tied up three soldiers who were about to change shifts and go home.


    After exchanging clothes with them, he swaggered out of the door and went straight to Hongyun Restaurant.


    When he entered, he saw Gu Chengrui sitting in the lobby, eating roasted chicken.


    However, it was obvious that people were watching him.


    Yang Zeheng paused for a moment and deliberately shouted, ¡°Waiter, give me a roast chicken, a te of beef, two stir-fried vegetables, and two pots of wine.¡±


    ¡°Alright, wait a moment.¡± The waiter responded and was about to find a seat for them.


    Yang Zeheng let the two guards sit down while he walked to Gu Chengrui¡¯s table and asked, ¡°Greetings, Marquis. My wrist is injured and hurts when I use force.. Can you help me take a look?¡±

 Chapter 828 - 828 Information

    Chapter 828: Information


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui raised his head and smiled at him. He gestured for him to sit down. ¡°Wait a moment. Well talk after I finish the chicken.¡±


    After saying that, he ate his roast chicken.


    Yang Zeheng could only sit down and watch him eat his dinner.


    After he finished eating, Gu Chengrui wiped his hands before checking on him. He replied, ¡°You overstretched your muscles, and it hasn¡¯t been repaired properly. Prepare a bottle of ointment and apply it once every morning and evening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t catch a cold or use too much strength. You¡¯ll be fully recovered in a month.¡±


    ¡°Will safflower oil do?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a small matter. Don¡¯t worry.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he stuffed a piece of paper into his hand, stood up to pay the bill, and left.


    The people who were staring at him immediately followed him out.


    Yang Zeheng quickly held his hands and hid the note in his sleeve. He returned to his seat and quickly finished his meal before leaving.


    Finally, he found an empty alley and opened the note.


    Just two sentences.


    Ling¡¯er, the fugitive ve of the Fang Residence, is now a servant girl in the casino.


    Zhou Huaiming left Jigong Mountain and waited.


    ¡°Prince, what should we do now?¡± One of the guards asked.


    ¡°The person I¡¯m pretending to be seems to be a widower who lives alone. Let¡¯s go to the casino and bring Ling¡¯er out to interrogate her.¡± Yang Zeheng replied.


    After saying that, the three of them went straight to the casino.


    However, they did not enter directly. Instead, they went to the back door in the name of the patrol team to ask for water.


    It was still early. The casino workers were either resting or waiting in front. Only Ling¡¯er, who was making the fire, happened to be here.


    When she saw the three officers, she thought that they were there to arrest her and immediately ran out in fear.


    Yang Zeheng grabbed her wrist and asked, ¡°You¡¯re Ling¡¯er, right? Marquis An


    Le wanted us to pick you up. Come with us.¡±


    Ling¡¯er was stunned after hearing that. Although she didn¡¯t fully believe it, she didn¡¯t dare to escape.


    Yang Zeheng heaved a sigh of relief. The three men brought her directly into a small courtyard not far away.


    After arriving at the small courtyard, Yang Zeheng immediately shed his identity token.


    When Ling¡¯er saw his identity, she knew the person who could avenge her sister was here. She cried out loud.


    Yang Zeheng was not in a hurry to interrogate her. Instead, he waited for her to stop crying before asking, ¡°Tell me, what do you know? Don¡¯t hide anything.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ling¡¯er nodded and told him everything she knew.


    It was the same as what she had told Gu Chengrui before, but more detailed.


    Yang Zeheng went silent for a moment. ¡°What about Mrs. Fang? Is there anything unusual about her?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Does it count if their rtionship is very cold?¡±


    ¡°Cold?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that ever since Young Master was imprisoned, Madam and Master have never slept together again.¡±


    ¡°Think again; what else?¡±


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t. My elder sister was eavesdropping and didn¡¯t hear much clearly.¡±


    Yang Shiheng nodded and left a guard to guard her. He quietly returned to the ry station with another guard.


    Just as he changed his clothes, Lord Fang and Lord Chen arrived with a group of officials.


    On the other hand, once they left, Lin Yifan let the servant girl, who was the original firekeeper, go back and used her family to threaten her to hide the matter.


    At the foot of Jigong Mountain, Zhou Huaiming had figured out everything that had happened on the mountain after a round of interrogation.


    They also found out a lot of Fang Tongpan¡¯s private information that implicated Lord Chen.


    After returning to the city at night, he sneaked into the ry station and told them about the situation on the mountain and what Fang Tongpan had done over the years.


    After hearing this, King Xian felt a lingering fear. Qianzhou Province was nearly about to be an independent kingdom.


    After that, he gave his gold medal to Zhou Huaiming. ¡°We¡¯re being watched too closely now. It¡¯s not easy for us to leave. You go and mobilize the troops.


    ¡°Remember to investigate thoroughly. If there are spies, get rid of them as well..¡±

 Chapter 829 - 829 Asking for Guidance

    Chapter 829: Asking for Guidance


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Noted.¡± Zhou Huaiming responded, and with the cooperation of King Xian, he quietly brought the gold medal back to the ry station.


    He brought the person he had caught earlier to the military camp.


    After flushing out all the spies, Zhou Huaiming brought the army back to Qianzhou Province.


    After King Xian received the news, he immediately ordered Zhou Huaiming to lead his men and surround all the official residences in the Qianzhou Province.


    Lord Chen and Lord Fang were directly locked up in the cell.


    King Xian personally guarded and interrogated them.


    Zhou Huaiming, Yang Zeheng, and the military guard Lord Tian began interrogating the other officials, including Mrs. Fang and Young Master Fang.


    However, there was no need to interrogate Mrs. Fang and Young Master Fang. Once they revealed their identities, they told them everything they knew.


    Lord Fang and Lord Chen¡¯s crimes of corruption and bribery have also been exposed.


    After knowing that Mrs. Fang had confessed, the remaining officials knew that it was useless to hide it, so they confessed everything.


    Next, the county magistrates of the following counties were all removed, except for the two newly appointed ones. Even the county magistrate, the chief clerk, and the constable were all involved.


    In short, it involved nearly everyone.


    Of course, this mainly referred to corruption.


    As for the spies, there were only Lord Fang and two generals from the military camp. The rest were the servants sent to the various manors.


    Most were concubines and maids.


    However, only Lord Fang and his two trusted aides knew about the weapon storage. The other officials only knew that he was secretly mining copper. Everyone received dividends, which was why they had hidden it for so long.


    Knowing that the matter was too severe, King Xian directly reported it to the Emperor.


    The reply he received was that Lord Fang and the others were naturally sentenced to death, including his concubines and children.


    Lord Chen and the other officials were also sentenced to death, and their families were exiled to the southwest. The three closest kins of rtion were prohibited from participating in any schrs¡¯ examinations.


    All of his assets were handed over to the national treasury.


    At the same time, Lin Yifan¡¯s investigation of the Lou family also ended.


    Originally, he had a good impression of Lou Yifei, and the Lou family didn¡¯t find any problems.


    However, after being implicated by Lord Chen, Gu Chengrui felt regretful for a while and could only choose someone else to rece him.


    On this day, after setting up the medical center here, Gu Chengrui went to look for King Xian.


    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You may rise. You contributed greatly to this matter.


    ¡°How are things going on your side?¡± King Xian personally helped him up and asked after arranging for him to sit down.


    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m done here. I¡¯m here to ask you how you will settle the bandits in Lion Camel Ridge.¡±


    ¡°You can make the decision, ording to the Emperor. What do you think?¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not hide anything and told him his thoughts. ¡°If they choose to farm, at most, more than ten people will be assigned to one ce.


    Otherwise, they can easily cause trouble if they gather together.¡±


    ¡°This is also what I¡¯m worried about. However, ording to what you said, it¡¯s possible to scatter them all.


    ¡°Ask them what they think. Settle it as soon as possible so that nothing else will happen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble the prince toe with me. It¡¯s easier to be convinced with someone from the royal family present.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are also a member of the royal family. You have to call me uncle.¡± King Xian smiled.


    ¡°My slip of the tongue, but the prince¡¯s appearance will be more useful.¡±


    ¡°You guys can go together. You guys can discuss it moreter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡±


    After that, they chatted about the situation in Qianzhou Province. After making an appointment with Yang Zeheng, Gu Chengrui returned to the inn and prepared some gifts for Tiger and the others.


    It was mainly food, drinks, clothes, and cotton clothes..

 Chapter 830 - 830 Following

    Chapter 830: Following


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next morning, after the two of them met up, they brought a total of ten guards in ten carriages toward Lion Camel Ridge.


    ¡°Haha! Brother Gu is finally here!¡± Tigerughed heartily when he saw them. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for days!¡±


    ¡°I have no choice. Qianzhou Province has been a bit lively recently. I have to make way for you.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he introduced Yang Zeheng to him.


    ¡°Greetings, Prince Xian.¡± Tiger was stunned for a moment and quickly bowed.


    ¡°Get up. Chengrui has praised you a lot along the way for your righteousness.¡± Yang Zeheng smiled and helped him up.


    ¡°Brother Gu, you tter me. The people on the mountain are all brothers in distress. I¡¯ll help whoever I can.¡±


    ¡°This is already rare. At least, it¡¯s better than those officials in Qianzhou.¡±


    ¡°If you put it that way, I must admit that the officials of Qianzhou are just a bunch of animals.¡±


    After returning to the stronghold, Tiger immediately ordered all the meat to be cooked and gathered all the brothers in the stronghold.


    Only then did he bring them into the meeting hall.


    ¡°Brother, has it been peaceful on the mountain recently?¡± Gu Chengrui asked politely after sitting down.


    ¡°It has. I got rid of those with spies, and they¡¯re all obedient now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Have you discussed the matter with your brothers?¡±


    ¡°We discussed it.


    ¡°There are about 7,000 people on the mountain.


    ¡°After the disaster, about 5,000 people came up the mountain. Most of them were homeless disaster victims who nned to go home and continue farming.


    ¡°There are more than 2,000 bachelors.


    ¡°Most of them wanted to go to the military camp to gain experience.


    ¡°There is also a small group of about 200 people who want to go out and open a bodyguard agency to do some serious business. Can a marquis have a hundred private soldiers or guards?¡± asked Tiger.


    Gu Chengrui looked at Yang Zeheng. He was really not sure about this.


    Yang Zeheng nodded. ¡°There is indeed such a rule. Why do you want to follow Gu Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°After the disaster, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m homeless, even if I want to go home now.


    ¡°Therefore, we and our direct descendants might as well follow the Marquis and protect him as he spreads the vine smoothly.


    ¡°As for whether or not we can stay with you in the end, it depends on my lord¡¯s wishes.¡± Tiger nodded.


    ¡°Do you know that guards are also family ves?¡± Yang Zeheng asked in surprise.


    ¡°I know. A person¡¯s life is only a few decades. It¡¯s worth it to be able to do something meaningful.¡±


    Yang Zeheng looked at Gu Chengrui with admiration. They had only met twice, but he had already conquered a prominent bandit leader. He was really impressed.


    Gu Chengrui was also very surprised. He nodded and replied. ¡°Just like you said, let¡¯s promote the vine first.¡±


    ¡°I will also strictly restrict you along the way.


    ¡°After this is over, if you can stand this kind of restricted life, then sign a contract ande home with me.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t ept it, I¡¯ll arrange another ce for you guys. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°No problem, then it¡¯s settled.


    ¡°We can take advantage of the food and wine you brought to have a good gathering. Tomorrow, we will start splitting our travel expenses and disband.¡±


    ¡°Admirable, bold, and decisive. I¡¯m a little envious of Chengrui now.¡± Yang Zeheng gave Tiger a thumbs up.


    ¡°You tter me; please sit while I go outside and greet my brothers.¡± After Tiger finished speaking, he stood up and walked out.


    After he left, Gu Chengrui looked at Lin Yitian and the others. ¡°Go out and take a walk. Keep an eye on them. See if any people don¡¯t mean what they say..¡±

 Chapter 831 - 831 Disbandment

    Chapter 831: Disbandment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Are you saying that someone will sabotage it?¡± Yang Zeheng looked at Gu Chengrui in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but there arezy people everywhere. They might not be willing to see the stronghold disband. In short, it¡¯s better to be careful.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lin Yitian turned around and walked out.


    The kitchen was the only ce that could causerge-scale destruction.


    Therefore, he brought two brothers with him and watched the kitchen surroundings.


    They didn¡¯t expect that they would really catch someone who was about to drug the wine.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Lin Yitian grabbed the poison from him.


    ¡°What poison is this?¡± he asked, ncing at the poison in the paper bag.


    ¡°It¡¯s not poison. It¡¯s just ginger powder to warm the body.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Have a taste first.¡± After Lin Yitian finished speaking, he was about to pour it into his mouth.


    The man was shocked. He pushed him with all his strength and turned around to run out.


    As soon as he went out, he was blocked by Lin Yifan.


    ¡°Hand him over to his chief,¡± Lin Yitian said. ¡°He should handle his own people.¡±


    ¡°My lord, please take a look at this medicine.¡± He brought the medicine to Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Someone really did it.¡± Yang Zeheng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he took the medicine and carefully identified it. ¡°This is a self-made knockout powder. It will increase the effect when mixed with alcohol.¡±


    ¡°It looks like he wants to knock everyone out.¡±


    At this moment, Tiger walked in with a man whose face was swollen from being beaten.


    ¡°Did he confess? What¡¯s the situation?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°He confessed. They just disliked that the money given to them was too little, so they wanted to knock everyone out and run away with the money.¡± Tiger replied.


    ¡°Oh, how much is the dismissal fee?¡±


    ¡°20 taels for each strongborer, 10 taels for each woman and child,¡± Tiger replied.


    ¡°This is already quite good. The government only gave five taels of silver to each person.¡± Yang Zehengmented.


    ¡°He¡¯s wild. He thinks the mountains are rich. How do we deal with this situation?¡± Tiger asked.


    ¡°Is there a lot of them?¡±


    ¡°There are 34 of them with him,¡± said the tiger.


    ¡°How about banishment to the army?¡± Yang Zeheng looked at Gu Chengrui and asked.


    ¡°Sure, give them the silver and make them follow the exiles to the border.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    If these people were arranged to be in a vige, they might do something wrong anyway. It was better to let the army manage them.


    ¡°Hurry up and thank the Prince and Marquis for sparing your life.¡± Tiger kicked the man.


    After the man got up, he immediately kowtowed three times.


    Only then did Tiger take the person away.


    In the evening, everyone had a farewell dinner together. Some cried, some made a fuss, and some fought. In short, they expressed their reluctance in various ways.


    The next morning, Tiger opened the warehouse and distributed the silver to everyone.


    At the same time, Lin Yitian returned to the prefecture and called some soldiers and officials over. He directly arranged for the people who nned to go down the mountain to farm at various ces.


    They also sent soldiers to bring them over.


    Those who wanted to be soldiers were directly incorporated into the garrison.


    Those who wanted to open a bodyguard agency had also made their record.


    Tiger and the others naturally prepared this as well.


    Finally, the exiled people and their families were escorted back to the prefecture by the officials.


    After finishing his work, Tiger pulled Gu Chengrui to the side and said, ¡°Other than the silver that was distributed, there are also some antiques and jewelry, as well as the stolen money from the magistrate¡¯s corruption.


    ¡°What should we do with those?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but tell me what you think first..¡±

 Chapter 832 - 832 Receiving the News

    Chapter 832: Receiving the News


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I want to keep it, but there are too many. We can¡¯t take them away, so we can only give them up.¡± Tiger replied with a conflicted expression.


    After Gu Chengrui heard that, he pondered momentarily and said, ¡°Bring your brothers to pick out some now. Each of you will take five items. I will arrange the rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go now!¡± Tiger replied happily. He led his team to the warehouse and started picking.


    After they finished picking, more than half of the things inside were gone.


    After they left, Gu Chengrui asked Zhou Ying to collect the remaining jewelry, gold, and silver.


    After reporting to Prince Xian, Gu Chengrui and the rest rushed to the next province.


    On the way, he would buy some old cotton clothes and quilts for beggars. He would even buy some coarse grain for them.


    Tiger and the others saw it and remembered it.


    He was also satisfied with Gu Chengrui¡¯s handling of the matter.


    Although their treasures were stolen goods, they worked hard to save them bit by bit. To be honest, they were really afraid that those treasures would be squandered away again if they handed them over to the officials.


    They felt it was not bad to put it in Gu Chengrui¡¯s hands to help the poor; perhaps it could even umte some virtue for them.


    ¡°Tiger, have you not gotten married all these years?¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked curiously.


    ¡°Who would want to marry a bandit?


    ¡°Moreover, we¡¯ve always been afraid that our identities would be exposed and we¡¯d be hunted down by the Marquis of Ding¡¯an, so we¡¯ve always been single.¡±


    ¡°I see. When things settle down in the future, you should hurry up and find a wife.


    ¡°Whoever gets married, report it to me. I¡¯ll give each of you a hundred taels of silver as a settling allowance.¡±


    ¡°Marquis, what about us?¡± Lin Yitian said.


    ¡°Same treatment.


    ¡°However, you have to hurry up. If they return to the residence, there won¡¯t be enough girls left in the residence.¡±


    ¡°After I return this time, I¡¯ll go and beg Mistress. When the timees, I¡¯ll ask Master to put in a good word for me.¡±


    ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll officiate the wedding for you.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Brothers, you heard that, right? We have to hurry up. If we meet a suitable person on the way, we¡¯d better act quickly.¡± Tiger turned around and shouted.


    ¡°We heard you.¡± Someone immediately echoed loudly.


    Those who didn¡¯t hear it quickly understood what was happening and were ted.


    Gu Chengrui saw that they were happy andughed along with them.


    On the other end, after consulting the Emperor, Yang Zeheng brought arge amount of jewelry and calligraphy back to the capital. As for the gold and silver, he left them there.


    King Xian temporarily stayed in Qianzhou to deal with all the affairs there, waiting for a new official to take office.


    As for Zhou Huaiming, he divided all the weapons into three parts and sent them to the southwest, Dongyang Province, and the north border.


    After settling the Qianzhou incident, Gu Chengrui¡¯s journey was smooth sailing.


    The Emperor heaved a huge sigh of relief once King Hui¡¯s secret armory had been destroyed.


    Half a monthter, just as the north border received the weapons, King Hui received the news that Lord Liu and the others had beenpletely eradicated. He was so angry that he fainted.


    Master Liu was his confidant, one of the few people he could trust and who had the ability to carry out his bidding.


    Those weapons were the bargaining chips for his cooperation with the Northern Continent. How could he cooperate now if he lost his weapons just like that?


    Most importantly, they had supplied the Zhou Army with those weapons, which made them even more powerful.


    After waking up, he looked at his trusted aide, Eunuch Ma. ¡°Do you know what happened? How did Guard Liu get exposed?¡±


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t find anything. However, when we were at Pinguang Residence, our people tried to assassinate Gu Chengrui. If I¡¯m not wrong, I¡¯m afraid he discovered something..¡±

 Chapter 833 - 833 Return

    Chapter 833: Return


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s him again. He¡¯s my nemesis.¡± King Hui said it through gritted teeth.


    He had a look of pure hatred. He wanted nothing more than to tear Gu Chengrui apart and eat him alive.


    Eunuch Ma did not reply, but he agreed with him very much. Anything that involved Gu Chengrui always ended poorly for them. However, he did not dare to say this out loud.


    ¡°Master, what should we do next? Without those weapons, the Northern Continent won¡¯t help us.¡±


    ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work, we can only cedend andpensate.¡±


    ¡°Please think twice, Master. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s easy to invite but difficult to send away. At that time, it¡¯s not something that the three provinces can solve.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not certain who¡¯s plotting against whom.¡± King Huiughed sinisterly.


    Eunuch Ma saw the viciousness on his face and did not dare to persuade him anymore.


    The next day, King Hui went to find the King of the Northern Continents. ¡°Your Majesty, our weapons were robbed. They are now in the hands of the Zhou Army. Do you think we should send someone to snatch them back?¡±


    ¡°The news I heard is different from what you said. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m your vanguard.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? We¡¯re working together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re not sincere. We¡¯ll talk about it when you¡¯re serious about cooperating. Send our guest out,¡± the King of the Northern Continents said as he stood up.


    After saying that, he left him alone.


    King Hui looked at his condescending attitude and gritted his teeth in anger. However, he had no good response and could only leave the pce.


    As for the matter of cedingnd andpensation, he would only suggest that if it were absolutely necessary.


    He tried it twice more and even offered to give the King the Zhou Army once they took it. Yet, the King of the Northern Continent did not agree.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year.


    Zhou Ying sent thest batch of New Year gifts to the pce. When she returned, she found many more people at home. She paused, saw Gu Chengrui in the crowd, and went forward. ¡°Rui, when did youe back?¡±


    ¡°I just arrived.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he introduced Tiger and the others.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, brothers. You guys settle down first and have a meal. If there¡¯s anything else, we¡¯ll talkter.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and asked Niu Fugui to bring them away.


    Gu Chengrui pulled over a man who was about his age and said, ¡°This is Brother Gu Zheng. He used to be in the rouge and cosmetic business. Don¡¯t you want to do this business too? He can help you.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Brother Gu. Thank you in advance for working with us in the future.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Mistress. You can just call me Gu Zheng.¡± Gu Cheng bowed.


    ¡°You just had a tough journey. You can stay in the guest house and have a good rest. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±


    After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she asked someone to bring him to the guest room and returned to the main courtyard with Gu Chengrui.


    While he was washing up, Zhou Ying went to the kitchen to make some arrangements.


    Because there were too many additional people, Zhou Ying asked the kitchen to cook a big pot of dishes and steamed rice.


    Even Gu Chengrui only had two more drumsticks than the normal.


    After he finished eating, Zhou Ying poured him a ss of water. ¡°What¡¯s up with that Gu Zheng? Can he be trusted?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I saved him when I was in Liuzhou. I¡¯ve signed a death contract with him.¡±


    ¡°Death contract? He¡¯s not an ordinary person, is he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Gu family¡¯s business in Liuzhou Province is not tiny, and he is the family¡¯s eldest son.


    ¡°However, since they were young, he and his mother had never been favored at home.


    ¡°The old madam who had been protecting him had passed away, and his mother had been killed.


    ¡°His wife had sought refuge with his brother, and he had even discovered that the two children were not his.


    ¡°He was just about to take revenge when he was schemed against by his father. If I hadn¡¯t discovered it in time, he would have died of excessive blood loss that night..¡±

 Chapter 834 - 834 Experiences

    Chapter 834: Experiences


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s really tragic.¡± Zhou Yingmented in shock.


    ¡°Indeed. He wanted to take revenge, so he signed a contract with me.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for this. I prefer him not dragging us down.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s mainly interested in my skincare cream and is afraid I won¡¯t give it to him for nothing.


    ¡°Another reason is that he wants to take revenge personally and crush his family¡¯s business, making them poor for the rest of their lives.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a ruthless person. You have to be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s good to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, what are you going to do with Tiger and the others? It¡¯s cold now, but they can still squeeze in. If it¡¯s summer, they definitely won¡¯t be able to stay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted to say. I¡¯ll go back and see if I can buy another courtyard nearby and arrange for them to stay there.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get Uncle Niu to keep an eye on this matter.¡±


    At this moment, Guoguo walked out while groaning.


    Gu Chengrui went forward to carry her. ¡°Guoguo, did you just wake up? Do you still remember Father?¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Guoguo nced at him and called out with ack of interest. Then, she stretched out her arm to Zhou Ying.


    After Zhou Ying took it, Guoguo immediately climbed onto her shoulder and stared at her in a daze.


    ¡°She¡¯s not fully awake yet.¡±


    ¡°She was woken up by the voices outside.¡± Mrs. Lin replied.


    Gu Chengrui heard the loud voices of Tiger and the others. He went forward and patted her back. He looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°Take her to sleep. I have to go to the pce to report on the situation of this trip.¡±


    ¡°Go,e back early.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After he left and she coaxed Guoguo to sleep, she arranged for Shizhu to make a trip to the manor and transport some rice and flour. She also asked Niu Fugui to look for a courtyard outside.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui saw the Emperor, he bowed and handed over the names of the people in charge of the various medical centers. ¡°This humble subject has set up medical centers in ten provinces. There are still twelve more. We¡¯ll have to wait until the new year.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already fast enough.¡± The Emperor smiled.


    He walked down and said, ¡°Take a seat. It¡¯s been hard on you. Not only do you have to be busy with the medical centers, but you were also busy eliminating spies.¡±


    ¡°My duty.¡± Gu Chengrui sat down after he finished speaking.


    After the Emperor sat down, he asked about the situation in various ces in detail. ¡°What do you think of the conduct of the officials in those ces? Are there any people who are tyrannical andwless?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, they would receive a letter in advance every time I went there, so I didn¡¯t find anything too overboard.


    ¡°I did find two people selling fake medicine. I¡¯ve already handed this matter over to the officials. I believe we¡¯ll get something after the new year.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably because of what happened in Qianzhou that scared them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible. All the officials in Qianzhou, except for the two new ones, have been eliminated. It¡¯s quite a shocking disy to the rest.¡±


    ¡°Even if we scare them, they still have to be punished. Who would have thought that the officials of Qianzhou would be sowless? If we don¡¯t punish them, it won¡¯t be enough to appease the people. By the way, how are the people¡¯s lives recovering?¡± The Emperor asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s not too bad. No matter how fat or thin they are, at least they¡¯re in good spirits.


    ¡°Especially in the fertile ins, the yield of wheat per acre can reach 800 pounds, and the yield of rice can reach 1,000 pounds. This way, we won¡¯t have to worry about food.¡±


    ¡°1,000 pounds per acre. Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I heard it from a real farmer. It shouldn¡¯t be wrong.


    ¡°They also raise fish in their paddy fields. I think it has something to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Fish in the paddy fields?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that fish eat the insects and weeds in the paddy field.¡±


    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s try it next year and see how it works.¡±


    After that, Gu Chengrui told the Emperor about what he had seen and heard in various ces. After they were done chatting, Gu Chengrui took his leave..

 Chapter 835 - 835 Reward

    Chapter 835: Reward


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next day, during the morning court session, the Emperor rewarded Gu Chengrui, King Xian and his son, Zhou Huaiming, and the others for their efforts in eliminating the traitors and settling the bandits.


    King Xian, his son, and Zhou Huaiming got gold, silver, and jewelry. When it came to Gu Chengrui, he directly gave them the original King Rui¡¯s residence.


    After Zhou Ying received the news, she asked in disbelief, ¡°Did you hear wrongly? King Rui¡¯s residence is a five-entry mansion. It has ninerge courtyards and a total of more than 600 rooms.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear wrongly. It¡¯s probably because of Tiger and the others.


    ¡°It just so happens that it¡¯s not far away. I want Tiger and the others to move a group of people over first. Firstly, it¡¯s to look after the house there. Secondly, it¡¯ll be more spacious for them to live here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then you decide. Buy a few more maids to clean the house; don¡¯t let the house fall apart.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go over and arrange it myself. Do you want toe along?¡±


    ¡°No thanks. I have to do the ounting for the restaurant and the manor at the end of the year. I¡¯m busy these two days.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she gave him 10,000 taels of silver and let him make his own arrangements.


    Zhou Ying continued with her ounts.


    On the afternoon of the 30th, the total ie of the restaurants and workshops in the countryside was also out. The total ie was 1,080,000 taels of silver.


    Sun Hongliang¡¯s cake shop also gave her 333,000 taels of silver.


    This made Zhou Ying feel as if she had suddenly be rich.


    With a stroke of her pen, she gave Niu Fugui and Sun Hongliang a thousand taels each.


    As for the managers of the various restaurants, the heads of the various viges, and the main technical staff like Uncle Nian, they received a hundred taels each.


    The waiters in the restaurant and the long-term workers in the manor (including Tiger and the others) received ten taels each.


    The maids and servants in the manor received two taels each.


    Everyone was naturally satisfied with the reward, especially Niu Fugui and Sun Hongliang.


    They didn¡¯t expect her to reward them with 1,000 taels of silver, equivalent to their monthly sry for a year.


    After Gu Zheng heard the news, he was also amazed by Zhou Ying¡¯s generosity. However, this also made him more determined. At least, she would not exploit him for nothing.


    Gu Chengrui came back and asked with a smile, ¡°Miss, do I get a reward too?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not working for me. If you want a reward, you¡¯ll have to ask the Emperor.


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve prepared a red packet for you during the new year.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she handed it to him directly.


    Gu Chengrui took it curiously. He opened it and took a look. There were 2,000 taels of silver notes inside. He immediately smiled.


    Zhou Ying rolled her eyes at him and gave him another red packet. ¡°This is for Cheng Lin. You can give it to him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve thought it through. I¡¯ll go over now.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he carefully put away his red packet and went to Gu Chenglin¡¯s courtyard.


    He saw him cleaning his room in his courtyard and asked, ¡°Why are you doing it yourself?¡±


    ¡°I would also do it myself when I was in the academy. I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You can take care of yourself. In the future, you can live without servants.


    ¡°You can also learn to cook a few dishes you like to eat when you¡¯re free. That way, you can make them yourself if you want to eat them. You don¡¯t have to ask for help.¡±


    Gu Chengrui handed him a red packet. ¡°It¡¯s the new year. Your sister-inw and I are giving you some money.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, cousin and sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Change into new clothester. We¡¯ll stay up for the New Year tonight.¡± Gu Chengrui turned around and left after he finished speaking.


    After he left, Gu Chenglin opened it and took a look. There was a banknote worth 1,000 taels inside.


    Although he did notck silver, he still treasured this banknote and kept it carefully..

 Chapter 836 - 836 Study Tour

    Chapter 836: Study Tour


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At night, because too many people were in the residence, everyone did not eat together.


    However, the food was great. Zhou Ying and the others had eight dishes and one soup, while the servants had six dishes and one soup.


    Before the banquet began, the couple walked around and gave a few words of blessing before returning to the main courtyard. The family of three, including Gu Chenglin, had a lively New Year¡¯s Eve dinner.


    After dinner, the three of them yed with Guoguo for a while. When she was sleepy, Zhou Ying brought Guoguo back to the room.


    Gu Chengrui asked Gu Chenglin questions about his life and studies.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again,¡± he said after knowing he was fine. ¡°Your sister has a special status now. You must be careful when making friends and doing things.¡±


    ¡°I understand. The Emperor has also asked our teacher to take care of me. He said he would let me formally acknowledge Grand Schr Sun as my teacher after bing a schr.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was deep in thought after hearing that. It seemed like the Emperor would arrange for Grand Schr Sun to stand behind Gu Wanning, or rather, the Eldest Prince.


    He nodded. ¡°Very good. Learn well. Don¡¯t let down the Emperor¡¯s goodwill.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Chenglin nodded.


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the situation outside?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Are you curious?¡±


    ¡°I an. The furthest I¡¯ve been out since birth was to return to my hometown. I haven¡¯t left the capital yet.¡±


    ¡°How about going out with me next year?¡± Gu Chengrui suggested.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯ll take at least half a year.


    ¡°If you want to go, go to the academy and ask your teacher for instructions. Ask him to n a course for you. Don¡¯te back and be unable to keep up with the progress.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After that, Gu Chengrui told him about what he had seen along the way. It was not until midnight that the two of them returned to their rooms to sleep.


    On the second day of the Lunar New Year, when Second Uncle Gu¡¯s family came over to pay their New Year¡¯s greetings, Gu Chengrui mentioned to Gu Chengxi about the study tour.


    Before Gu Chengxi could say anything. Second Uncle Gu replied with surprise, ¡°Yes, as long as you don¡¯t think he¡¯s a burden, let him go.


    ¡°He¡¯s not young anymore. It¡¯s time for him to go out and see the world.¡±


    Firstly, the family was counting on Gu Chengxi to get an official rank. With Gu Chengrui¡¯s help, he would be able to proceed on his journey more smoothly.


    Another reason was that Gu Chengrui¡¯s status was getting higher and higher. If they did not take the initiative to stick to him, they might be pushed aside at any time.


    Gu Chengxi was naturally willing and quickly nodded.


    ¡°Alright, let your headmaster know. You guys, get ready.¡±


    Gu Chengxi nodded repeatedly with vigor.


    Gu Chenglin was also very happy after hearing that. This way, he would have apanion when travelling.


    Zhou Ying naturally understood that he was paving the way for Gu Wanning.


    Since Gu Chengxi was a decent man, she did not mind helping him.


    On the sixth day of the month, after the morning court session, Gu Chengrui went to the Emperor and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve decided to leave the capital tomorrow. I¡¯ll continue setting up medical centers in various ces.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you for this. The sooner it¡¯s done, the sooner the people can benefit from it.¡± The Emperor handed him a gold medal and added, ¡°Xiao Heng will gather information for you in advance.


    ¡°Let him go with you this time, but let him be in the dark while you are in the open.


    ¡°At the same time, investigate the local officials. If they go too far, you can deal with them directly.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. He took the gold medal and said, ¡°Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. However, we can make the decision for small matters. You have to make the decision for the big ones.¡±


    The Emperor smiled and said, ¡°Oh, you.


    ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s anything troublesome, we can ask for Mother God¡¯s help to send a message for us.


    ¡°However, give a thousand taels of incense money every time you ask for her help. When youe back, I will reimburse you..¡±

 Chapter 837 - 837 Set Off

    Chapter 837: Set Off


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I have yet to meet the First Prince. I wonder if I can go over and take a look.¡± Gu Chengrui said,


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over and have breakfast together. Yangyang should be awake now.¡±


    After saying that, the two of them went to the harem together.


    They found the Eldest Princess and the First Prince happily ying together when they arrived. They couldn¡¯tmunicate with each other, but they were having a good time.


    Gu Chengrui smiled happily when he saw this. He looked at the First Prince. At this moment, the First Prince had already grown into a healthy, plump boy.


    Then, he gave Gu Wanning two red packets and said, ¡°It¡¯s for the two children.¡±


    ¡°Then I will thank you on behalf of Yangyang and Nannan.¡± Gu Wanning took it and said.


    ¡°No worries.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he told them he would bring Gu Chenglin out.


    The Emperor nodded in agreement. ¡°This is a good thing. It¡¯s a good opportunity for him to understand the customs of the Ming Dynasty and see the world.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you. If he doesn¡¯t listen, you can teach him a lesson. Whatever is fine as long as he¡¯s alive.¡± Gu Wanning nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chenglin is much more mature than before. He won¡¯t throw a tantrum anymore.¡±


    After chatting for a while, Gu Chengrui left the pce after eating.


    When he returned home, he first held a wedding for Lin Yitian and Shizhu.


    In the afternoon, Gu Chengrui started to make arrangements for the trip.


    For this new trip, because Guard Xiao was leading the way, Gu Chengrui did not bring Tiger and the others. Instead, he chose twenty bodyguards besides Lin Yitian and Lin Yifan.


    After sending them off the next day, Zhou Ying saw that Shizhu had be silent. She stepped forward and said, ¡°Follow them. You can help take care of their basic necessities.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, there¡¯s no need. The residence¡­¡± Shizhu said with a red face.


    Without waiting for her to finish, Zhou Ying pushed her away. ¡°Go ahead. There are so many guards in the residence now. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°If you say ¡®but¡¯ again, I¡¯ll go back on my word.¡± As soon as Zhou Ying finished speaking, Shizhu immediately ran out.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°To be honest, I really couldn¡¯t tell when the two of them fell in love with each other and actually got married just like that.¡± Qiuxiang said sourly.


    ¡°Maybe early on.¡± Zhou Ying replied thoughtfully.


    If she remembered correctly, they had officially started to interact with each other three years ago, after they were nearly assassinated by the Gingko group.


    Thinking of this, she thought of Xiaxiang.


    What a pity¡­


    She looked at Qiuxiang and said, ¡°If you¡¯re envious, many bachelors are in our residence now.


    ¡°Take your time to choose. If there¡¯s someone suitable, let me know. As long as you two are in love, I¡¯ll hold a wedding for you.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, don¡¯t start pushing me for a wedding now.¡± Qiuxiang blushed and ran back into the manor.


    Zhou Ying smiled and shook her head. She bumped into Gu Zheng as soon as she entered the door.


    ¡°Greetings, Mistress. I wonder when we will start producing skin care products.¡±


    ¡°Call Butler Niu to my study.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went straight to the study.


    Gu Zheng¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that. He hurriedly called Butler Niu and went to Zhou Ying¡¯s study together.


    When they arrived, Zhou Ying looked at Niu Fugui and said, ¡°Uncle Niu, go buy ten clean and agile women. It¡¯s best if they¡¯re single.


    ¡°In addition, bring along Gardener Miao to buy a manor suitable for nting flowers and nts.


    ¡°If there is a shop suitable for rouge and cosmetic powder, buy it as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡± Niu Fugui turned around and walked out.


    ¡°Do you know how rouge and cosmetic powder are made?¡± She asked Gu Cheng after he left..

 Chapter 838 - 838 Conferred Empress

    Chapter 838: Conferred Empress


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I only know the raw materials. I don¡¯t know the specific production process. Mistress, aren¡¯t we selling skin cream?¡± Gu Zheng paused for a moment and asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s impossible for a shop to only sell one or two products.


    ¡°Otherwise, we can only open a workshop to supply others. That way, our profits will be much lower. You should know the bottles and jars used to make rouge, right?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Buy ten sets of them, and remember to buy some small bottles of moisturizer.


    ¡°In addition, design the pattern on the bottle. The brand will be ¡®Madame¡¯. In the future, all our products will use this brand, and all our bottles will be custom-made.¡±


    Gu Zheng nodded thoughtfully after hearing that. Soon, his eyes lit up. The goods with a logo were much easier to recognize and also easier to promote.


    It seemed that there was a reason why their restaurant¡¯s business was so popr.


    ¡°Remember to buy some rice ingredients.¡± Zhou Ying handed him a hundred taels of silver.


    ¡°Yes.¡± After Gu Zheng left, Zhou Ying had someone clean up the wing room in the east courtyard.


    She took out some dried flowers, beeswax, and the flower essential oil that she had soaked in earlier.


    After Gu Zheng bought many different types of rice, Zhou Ying took some of them and soaked them.


    The next day, after everything was ready, Zhou Ying brought Gu Zheng and the newly bought women to the wing room to start the experiment.


    The first was face powder. They just needed to mix rice flour with different colors, so it was rtively simpler.


    Then, there was the rouge made from pollen, essential oil, and beeswax.


    Finally, there was the moisturizer. This was actually quite simple, but the base oil was a little high-end. She took it all out of her interspace.


    After she was done, Zhou Ying shook her stiff neck and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do these first. You guys practice ording to the ratio. When you¡¯re familiar with it, I¡¯ll teach you new ones.¡±


    She looked at Gu Zheng and added, ¡°If it¡¯s a workshop, it¡¯ll be set up in the new manor. When the timees, you can arrange it in advance and prepare everything.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you need money, go to Butler Niu. All of it will be from the house.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After Gu Zheng nodded, he went out to work excitedly.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying monitored the women¡¯s rouge, cosmetics, and skin moisturizer preparation.


    After they mastered it, they deconstructed the form of the handmade soap and made a variety of soaps.


    For example, peri soap, rose soap, honey soap, and bamboo charcoal soap.


    She even asked Gu Chengrui for a prescription for shampoo and made shampoo and conditioner.


    Two monthster, the shop finally opened when the peach blossoms were in full bloom.


    Previously, because Zhou Ying had specially distributed a batch of trial products to the wealthydies, the business was quite hot when the shop opened.


    In particr, all kinds of soaps, moisturizers, shampoos, hair tonics, and other new products were basically out of stock every day.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying took out somemonly used rose seeds, Luo Shen seeds, forget-me-not seeds, andvender seeds and nted them in the manor.


    She even got Gu Chengrui to buy two manors in the south to grow aloes.


    It was the Empress¡¯s death anniversary in the blink of an eye.


    After the Emperor personally went to the Imperial Mausoleum to pay his respects to the Empress, he sent out two pieces of shocking news the next morning.


    The first was to confer the title of Empress on Gu Wanning.


    The second was to put the Eldest Princess under Gu Wanning¡¯s name.


    Those who were thinking about the position of Empress wanted to object, but because of the existence of the First Prince, they could not.


    However, the new consort selection was once again put on the agenda after the Empress conferring ceremony..

 Chapter 839 - 839 Informing

    Chapter 839: Informing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After Zhou Ying coaxed Guoguo to sleep that afternoon, she was drenched in sweat. After returning to her room, she entered the interspace, wanting to shower and change her clothes.


    However, as soon as she entered the interspace, she heard a hurried cry for help.


    She quickly ran to the storeroom and took a look.


    She did not expect that it was a maid in the Northern Border Mother God Temple who asked for help. The reason was that Old General Zhou was poisoned and unconscious. General Zhou was ambushed, and his whereabouts were unknown. She asked her to think of a way to save them.


    After Zhou Ying received the letter, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked at the General¡¯s mansion and saw Old General Zhou lying unconscious on the bed. Several doctors were treating him.


    However, no one could tell what poison Old General Zhou had been poisoned by at the moment, and they were running around in circles anxiously.


    However, after knowing that Old General Zhou wouldn¡¯t lose his life quickly, he began to look for Zhou Huaiyu.


    Finally, she found his corpse in a small river. No, it wasn¡¯t a corpse yet. He was still breathing weakly, but he was seriously injured.


    If he was not treated in time, he could die at any time.


    She brought him into her interspace, gave him a bottle of glucose, and started treating his wounds.


    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know how to suture, so she could only stop the bleeding and bandage him up.


    She looked for Gu Chengrui and saw him grading papers with some people guarding him outside. She sent him a voice transmission to greet him and bring him into her interspace in the small operating theater. ¡°This is Zhou Huaiyu. Hurry up and see if he can still be saved.¡±


    ¡°What happened that he suffered such a serious injury?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at Zhou Huaiyu, whose face was as pale as a ghost, and asked with a grave expression.


    Zhou Ying did not hide anything and told him about the border.


    Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go and treat his wound now. You report to the Emperor immediately and see what¡¯s happening at the border.


    ¡°Without the father and son, I¡¯m afraid the border will fall.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me know when you¡¯re done.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she sent the news to the Emperor through the Mother God Temple.


    The Emperor, ying with the two children at the Empress Dowager¡¯s ce, stood up immediately when he received her message. Even the expression on his face was flustered.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Your Majesty?¡± The Empress Dowager asked hurriedly. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Imperial grandmother, I suddenly remembered that there are still things to deal with. I¡¯ll leave the children to you.


    ¡°As for the selection, do as you see fit, but try to dy it until after autumn.


    ¡°The weather is too hot now, and I¡¯m not in the mood to deal with this matter.¡± The Emperor left in a hurry after he finished speaking.


    When the Empress Dowager saw this, she didn¡¯t ask further.


    She was getting on in years now, and all she wanted to do was take care of her two great-grandchildren and live happily in herter years.


    After the Emperor returned to the study, he entered the bedroom. He chased everyone out in the name of a lunch break. He bowed 90 degrees deeply and said, ¡°Please tell me the details, Mother God.¡±


    Zhou Ying had already discovered through her investigation that King Hui had formed an alliance with the Northern Continent. The condition was that they would take in the three prefectures of the North Pass, and the two of them were currently at the border.


    This time, the spy poisoned Old General Zhou, and Zhou Huaiyu fell into the trap set by King Hui and the others.


    The First Prince of the Northern Continent willunch arge-scale attack on the Ming Dynasty tomorrow.


    Without themander, the oue of the border could not be imagined.


    Therefore, Zhou Ying did not hide anything and told him everything about the border.


    The Emperor couldn¡¯t help but curse after hearing this. ¡°What an idiot. After the three prefectures in the north are sent out, it¡¯s nothing but a wide stretch of tnd until the capital.. Isn¡¯t this just like sending out the Ming Dynasty?¡±

 Chapter 840 - 840 Saving Them

    Chapter 840: Saving Them


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The corner of Zhou Ying¡¯s mouth twitched. Now was not the time to scold people, but to think of a way to solve the border problem as soon as possible.


    Otherwise, the moment the iron hooves entered the pass tomorrow, the soldiers and civilians at the border would suffer.


    After the Emperor vented the anger in his heart, he naturally understood the main problem.


    He knelt and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Mother God to help save the old and young general.


    ¡°I will arrange everything else as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Quickly. Even if I save them, they can¡¯t fight immediately.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she continued to check the border to see if she could find anything.


    In the end, she learned from King Hui that the old general had been poisoned by a poison that had just been discovered on the Northern Continent called Drunken Dream Death.


    As the name suggests, the poisoned person would quickly fall into a deep sleep, and their body would rapidly decline.


    If there were no antidote after seven days, the person would die painfully in his sleep.


    Zhou Ying quickly searched the First Prince¡¯s residence. She did not expect that she would really find the antidote.


    However, she was unsure about the amount, so she could only take all the antidotes and some of the old general¡¯s blood back.


    After returning to the vi, Gu Chengrui had already treated Zhou Huaiyu¡¯s injuries and removed his sterile clothes.


    ¡°To prevent my identity from being exposed,¡± he asked when he saw her enter. ¡°I only carefully bandaged his wound and didn¡¯t suture it.


    ¡°Later, I¡¯ll leave some medicine for him and find a ce for him to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, as long as he can survive.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I gave him a bottle of anti-inmmatory medicine. I¡¯ll change it for him after the glucose infusion.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she handed him two bottles and said, ¡°One is filled with the old general¡¯s blood. The other is most likely filled with the antidote. You can take a lookter to see if it¡¯s right. Also, how much antidote does he need to take?¡±


    ¡°Alright, since there¡¯s nothing to do for a while, let¡¯s talk about it tonight. I have to go back quickly. It¡¯ll be troublesome if someone finds out.¡±


    ¡°This is thest province, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if nothing unexpected happens, I¡¯ll be able to go home in another 20 days.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he went forward to hug her and kissed her gently on the forehead.


    ¡°Alright, be careful.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she let him out.


    She ced the two small bottles in hisboratory. After taking a simple shower, she changed Zhou Huaiyu¡¯s medicine and hurriedly left the interspace.


    When she estimated that it was about time, she went in and removed the needle from him.


    At night, Zhou Ying brought Guoguo into the interspace and went to see Zhou Huaiyu.


    At this moment, hisplexion was obviously much better, and there were no signs of a fever.


    She brought him some medicine, bandages, and fever pills and ced him directly into the Mother Temple at the border.


    The maid, who was still praying after her meal, was shocked when she saw a person descend from the sky.


    After Zhou Huaiyunded on the ground, Zhou Ying transmitted her voice to the four of them. ¡°This person is Zhou Huaiyu. You must take good care of him. You can leave or stay as you please when he wakes up.¡±


    After saying that, she told them the usage and dosage of the medicine and left them two old hens, eggs, millet, and other supplements.


    ¡°Thank you, Mother God. Farewell.¡± The maid replied excitedly.


    She had been guarding the Mother God Temple for over two years, and this was the first time she had met Mother God. It seemed that there was hope for the border.


    At the same time, pure faith floated toward Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying smiled after receiving it and then looked at Gu Chengrui.


    Seeing that he was ready, she sat down on the chair and read a book. After greeting him, she pulled him into her interspace..

 Chapter 841 - 841 Emperor’s Expedition

    Chapter 841: Emperor¡¯s Expedition


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I made some herbal tea. Do you want some?¡± Zhou Ying waited for him to stand firm and ask.


    ¡°Give me a cup. It¡¯s hot outside.¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    Zhou Ying poured a cup for him. ¡°I¡¯ve put the things in theboratory for you.


    You can take a look for yourselfter. I have to go and get busy.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m done.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    However, he did not go straight to theboratory after drinking the herbal tea. Instead, he went to see Guoguo first before getting busy.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying first fed the livestock in her interspace and harvested whatever she needed to harvest.


    Later, she carried a big watermelon back to the vi.


    After cutting and eating half of it, she was about to get busy when Gu Chengrui rushed down. ¡°The medicine you brought back is really the antidote.


    ¡°This is the amount of antidote I determined ording to the concentration of the poison in the blood. You can give it to the old general directlyter.¡±


    ¡°Will he wake up immediately? King Hui and the others are nning to attack tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°He will wake up in about 25 minutes, but his body will be very weak. He needs to recuperate for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Have some watermelon. I¡¯ll send you out after you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After that, he asked about the Emperor¡¯s situation as he ate.


    ¡°In the afternoon, the Emperor called Zhou Huaiming, King An, and some generals into the pce.


    ¡°As for the final result, I missed it.


    ¡°However, there will definitely be something tomorrow morning.¡±


    Gu Chengrui added worriedly, ¡°This battle will not be easy to fight. The King of the Northern Continent will personally lead the army. It will definitely increase the morale of the soldiers.


    ¡°In addition to King Hui¡¯s understanding of the Great Ming Army, he would probably deal a fatal blow to the Zhou Army.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Emperor¡¯s business. We just need to ensure that themoners don¡¯t suffer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying sent Gu Chengrui back.


    She took the antidote he had prepared and went to the General¡¯s mansion in the north.


    At this moment, the manor was still brightly lit. The doctors took the general¡¯s blood and conducted various experiments.


    The patrol teams were very tight, and it was absolutely impossible for any spies to sneak in.


    Zhou Ying went straight to General Zhou¡¯s room.


    Only a man in his fifties was in the room, staring at the map and studying it.


    Zhou Ying did not know him, but she could guess his identity.


    He was Old General Zhou¡¯s deputy general, Zhou Xinghe, also the old general¡¯s attendant back then.


    If her guess was correct, he was studying the map to determine where Zhou Huaiyu might appear.


    Zhou Ying did not disturb him. Instead, she quickly fed the old general the antidote and half a ss of water. After ensuring he was awake, she retreated and carried Guoguo out of her interspace to sleep.


    When Zhou Ying woke up the next day, she received shocking yet expected news. The Emperor was bringing Zhou Huaiming, the son of King An, the son of King Xian, and the others to lead the army personally.


    King Xian, King An, the original Seventh Prince, King Ning, Grand Schr Sun, and a few other essential officials were in charge of the country.


    ¡°Did they say when they were leaving?¡± Zhou Ying asked Niu Lirong.


    ¡°They have already mobilized the troops. I heard that they¡¯ll set off soon.¡±


    ¡°See if there are any other fruits in the residence. Pick some high-quality ones and prepare some. Let¡¯s go to the pce together in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Niu Lirong replied and turned around to leave.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying brought Guoguo to eat breakfast.


    As soon as she put down her bowl, Mingyu walked in with red eyes while carrying Zhuangzhuang..

 Chapter 842 - 342 Teaching Her Daughter

    Chapter 842: Chapter 342 Teaching Her Daughter


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± Zhou Ying stood up immediately and asked.


    ¡°I ate two mouthfuls. I really didn¡¯t expect that King Hui would betray his country.¡± Mingyu said through gritted teeth.


    Now, her father-inw and brother-inw were in danger, and even Zhou Huaiming was going to the battlefield.


    If something happened to him¡­


    At the thought of this, she tightened her grip on Zhuangzhuang.


    Zhou Ying saw this and knew that she was worried about Zhou Huaiming. However, she didn¡¯t know how to persuade him at this point. She replied, ¡°Don¡¯t we already know about King Hui¡¯s character?


    ¡°He¡¯s selfish, ruthless, and would do anything to achieve his goals.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first day you¡¯ve met him.


    ¡°However, his ending will definitely not be good.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Even if the Emperor doesn¡¯t kill him, the King of the Northern Continent will kill him sooner orter.¡± Mingyu huffed. ¡°Are you busy today? If not, apany me to the Mother God Temple. I have to pray for the Emperor and the others.¡±


    ¡°I hope Mother God can bless them so they can return safely.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it tomorrow. It¡¯ll be cooler if we leave early.


    ¡°I n to go to the pce to see Wanningter and talk to her so she won¡¯t get anxious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s having the hardest time now. Let¡¯s go togetherter.¡± Mingyu paused for a moment before nodding.


    Just as she felt sentimental, Zhuangzhuang and Guoguo started fighting over a piece of beef jerky.


    Zhou Ying immediately carried Guoguo over. ¡°Guoguo, he¡¯s a guest here. How can you bully Zhuangzhuang?¡±


    ¡°Auntie, eat.¡± Zhuang Zhuang immediately agreed.


    ¡°Mine.¡± Guoguo immediately put the beef jerky in her hand and turned around.


    Mingyu was just about to speak when Zhou Ying shook her head. She patted Guoguo¡¯s back and said, ¡°If you take it, I won¡¯t give you any good food in the future.¡±


    When Guoguo heard that, she turned to look at Zhuangzhuang. After hesitating for a while, she finally decided to give up her beef jerky.


    Zhuangzhuang was about to take it when she saw this. Zhou Ying patted Guoguo¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Give your little brother a new one. Did you forget the lychee that your brother gave youst time?¡±


    Only then did Guoguo willingly take out a new one from her pocket and hand it to Zhuangzhuang.


    Zhuangzhuang was immediately happy. He took it and put it into his mouth. Although he couldn¡¯t bite it, just savoring it was enough.


    Mingyu was amused. She tapped his little nose and said, ¡°Getting food from someone else is best, right? I prepared many snacks for you at home, but you didn¡¯t eat them.¡±


    ¡°Smells good. Eat.¡± After Zhuang Zhuang finished speaking, he handed the beef jerky to Mingyu¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°You eat it. Grind your little teeth properly.¡± Mingyu shook his head.


    Guoguo saw this and immediately handed the beef jerky to Zhou Ying¡¯s mouth. ¡°Mom, eat.¡±


    ¡°I want a new one.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    Guoguo was stunned for a moment. She took out a stick and handed it to her with a reluctant expression.


    ¡°There¡¯s still Aunt Mingyu¡¯s,¡± Zhou Ying said after taking it.


    Guoguo immediately covered her pocket when she heard that. However, she looked at Mingyu and seemed to have thought of something. Ultimately, she took out a stick and handed it to Mingyu.


    When she covered her pocket again, she realized that it was gone. She immediately pouted and looked at Zhou Ying with an aggrieved expression.


    When Mingyu saw this, she immediately handed it to her. ¡°Auntie doesn¡¯t want to eat it. Guoguo can keep it for herself.¡±


    ¡°Try it. This is my new ck pepper vor. It¡¯s quite good. How about we eat melonster?¡± Zhou Ying looked at Guoguo.


    ¡°Melons!¡± Guoguo¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Yes, melons. If you eat too much beef jerky, you¡¯ll get an ulcer.. Have you forgotten that you can¡¯t eat anything if you have an ulcer?¡±

 Chapter 843 - 843 Comforting Her

    Chapter 843: Comforting Her


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Guoguo immediately pointed at the corner of her mouth with her little finger when she heard an ulcer. She had not forgotten thest time she had an ulcer. She didn¡¯t even want to open her mouth when she had to eat.


    ¡°Guoguo is young, but she has a good memory,¡± Mingyu said happily.


    ¡°When a lesson is profound, everyone will learn.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while. Zhuangzhuang and Guoguo made no more noise because they were eating their snacks.


    Soon, the streets were filled with shouts, cheers, and orderly footsteps.


    Mingyu¡¯s expression immediately turned solemn. This was the sound of an expedition.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll apany you to see Brother Zhou off,¡± Zhou Ying said as she put Guoguo down.


    ¡°No need. Sending off can only make people sad. Let¡¯s go into the pceter.¡± Mingyu shook her head.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t try to persuade her anymore. She checked the fruits that Niu Lirong had prepared, and after confirming that there were no problems, she changed Guoguo¡¯s clothes before heading into the pce.


    The two of them first went to the Empress Dowager¡¯s ce to deliver some fruits.


    However, the Empress Dowager was suffering from the summer heat and did not have much energy. The two of them politely exchanged a few words before leaving.


    They heard the Eldest Princess and the First Prince¡¯s cries as soon as they entered the Phoenix Pce. Zhou Ying and Mingyu looked at each other and immediately carried their kids into the ce.


    They saw the First Prince and the Eldest Princess sitting on a sleeping mat and crying. Their nanny wasforting them softly while Gu Wanning leaned on the bed and wiped her tears.


    ¡°Nannan, what¡¯s wrong with Yangyang? Why is she crying? Let Auntie take a look.¡± Mingyu went forward and put Zhuangzhuang down.


    When the two children saw who hade, they immediately stopped crying. They didn¡¯t say anything and looked at them curiously.


    Especially Yangyang. She looked curiously at Zhuangzhuang and Guoguo with her big, bright eyes and waved at them happily.


    ¡°Auntie, Guoguo.¡± After Nannan greeted Mingyu, her eyes lit up when she saw Zhou Ying enter.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to see you again, our cute Nannan. Tell me, why are you crying? Who made our little princess unhappy?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    She asked Niu Lirong to pass the fruit to Chunxi. ¡°Cut the watermelons. It will chill us down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± After saying that, Chunxi went down with the fruits.


    ¡°Guoguo, go y with Sister Nannan and Brother Yangyang.¡± Zhou Ying put Guoguo down.


    ¡°ying,¡± Guoguo responded and ran toward Nannan.


    When Nan Nan saw Guoguo, she immediately pulled her along to pile up the building blocks.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Gu Wanning walked over.


    After the two greeted her, Mingyu said, ¡°I came to see you because I thought you would be busy. I didn¡¯t expect you to be wiping your tears.¡±


    Zhou Ying said, ¡°You are now the mistress of the harem. After crying, you should be strong to take care of all the affairs in the pce. It will also make the Emperor and the Empress Dowager feel at ease.¡±


    Gu Wanning knew that they were here tofort her, and she nodded. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll get myself together as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When a woman should be gentle like water, she should be gentle like water.


    ¡°However, when it¡¯s time to be strong, you must be as strong as a man. This is how we women should live.¡± Zhou Ying added.


    Ming Yu nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at Huaiming. We¡¯ve been married for over a year, but he hasn¡¯t even been home for three months.


    ¡°If you need anything in the future, let us know as soon as possible. The two of us will definitely help out.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t help out, my mother and the other aunts are still here. In any case, we won¡¯t let you be in a difficult position..¡±

 Chapter 844 - 844 Climbing Up the Social Ladder

    Chapter 844: Climbing Up the Social Ladder


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Just send someone over if you need us.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand in the pce, you can ask the Grand Empress Dowager. She¡¯s your anchor here.¡± Zhou Ying echoed.


    ¡°After hearing what you said, I suddenly feel much more confident.¡± Gu Wanning smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re a person with great capabilities. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re not used to suddenly taking on heavy responsibility. You¡¯ll get used to it slowly.¡± Mingyu said.


    Only then did Gu Wanning rx.


    After that, they chatted for a while, ate two tes of watermelons with the four children, and yed for a while.


    At noon, the three brought the four children together for lunch.


    After the meal, Gu Wanning rested for a while before returning to work.


    Mingyu and Zhou Ying yed with the children for half the afternoon. They left the pce with their children only when the weather cooled down.


    When Zhou Ying entered her interspace at night, she focused on the border.


    Old General Zhou had already woken up. He closed the city gates, sealed the camp, and captured the spies.


    They had already found three spies.


    As for the Northern Continent soldiers who were shouting outside the city, no one paid any attention to them.


    However, if they attacked, they would be shot by fiery arrows, so they did not fight.


    As for Zhou Huaiyu, he had already woken up. However, because his injuries were too severe, he was still recuperating in the Mother Temple.


    Zhou Ying looked at the Emperor and the others and found them camping in the wild.


    Zhou Ying looked at Zhou Huaiming and the Emperor, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. She briefly conveyed the situation at the border to the Emperor before looking at Gu Chengrui.


    She wanted to exin the situation to him briefly, but she didn¡¯t expect him to be drinking with someone. Moreover, he was drinking happily.


    Just as she was about to retreat¡­


    ¡°Marquis, what do you think of the wine my daughter brewed?¡± Magistrate Liu, who was sitting opposite Gu Chengrui, asked.


    Gu Chengrui paused for a moment. He twirled the wine ss in his hand and replied, ¡°It¡¯s quite good. It¡¯s refreshing and very suitable for drinking in the summer.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let my daughter follow you back and help brew some more?¡± After Magistrate Liu finished speaking, he stood up and poured another cup for him with a ttering expression.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned. He shook his head repeatedly and said, ¡°No need. It¡¯s just wine. There are thousands of kinds worldwide, and drinking this for one meal is enough.¡±


    ¡°If you want to say what I like the most, it¡¯s the wine brewed by my wife. It¡¯s so delicious that it leaves an endless aftertaste.¡±


    The magistrate¡¯s expression froze for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve also heard that your wife is not only good at cooking but also superb at brewing wine.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the rouge and cosmetic products of the Madame seriesunched after the New Year were exquisite.


    ¡°Especially the skin cream; it¡¯s great at removing dryness, restoring vitality, detoxifying, and relieving pain.


    ¡°Many children are using it now.


    ¡°There are also all kinds of fragrant balms that are popr here. They are much more convenient than burning incense.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she loves to fiddle with these things. It¡¯s her recognition to be liked by everyone.¡±


    After that, the two bragged to each other for a while before Gu Chengrui returned to his room.


    As for the magistrate, after returning to the manor, his wife immediately approached him and asked, ¡°Hubby, how is it? Has Marquis An Le agreed?¡±


    ¡°No, I knew about the rumors that he doesn¡¯t like women but didn¡¯t expect him to be so uninterested.¡± Magistrate Liu sighed and sat down.


    His wife poured him a cup of tea to sober him up. ¡°Forget it. Our daughter isn¡¯t leftover goods. Why does she have to be a concubine?¡±


    ¡°What do you know? I¡¯ve been a magistrate for ten years here. If we don¡¯t act now, when can I enter the capital?


    ¡°But with Marquis An Le¡¯s rtionship with the Emperor and Empress, it would be easy for us to enter the capital with just one word from him..¡±

 Chapter 845 - 845 Verbal Order

    Chapter 845: Verbal Order


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t like Xin¡¯ er; we can¡¯t force him.


    ¡°At that time, if you anger him, forget about being promoted; it¡¯s already good enough that you don¡¯t drop your rank.¡±


    ¡°This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It would be a pity to miss it.


    ¡°How about this? You buy some local souvenirster and let Xin¡¯ er dress up properly. Then, you and she will go and send him off.


    ¡°See how he would react.


    ¡°Besides, he is unfamiliar with this ce. Ask our son toe back from the academy for two days and apany him.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Zhou Ying waited until they fell asleep before she retreated and looked for Gu Chengrui.


    He was ready to enter the interspace, sitting down on a chair obediently.


    ¡°Your peach blossoms have blossomed. You must be overjoyed,¡± she teased as she pulled him into her space.


    ¡°If you continue spouting nonsense, I¡¯ll get angry.¡± Gu Chengrui said with a fierce face.


    ¡°You have to be careful. I don¡¯t think the couple has given up.¡±


    ¡°I know. Oh, right. Is Zhou Huaiyu awake?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s awake, but he can¡¯t move yet.¡± Zhou Ying told him about the situation at the border. ¡°By the way, the Emperor ising along with the expedition. He set off early this morning.¡±


    ¡°Got it. It won¡¯t be easy for others to deal with King Hui.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded slowly.


    ¡°Keep an eye on Wanning and her son. Don¡¯t let them get bullied,¡± he reminded her worriedly.


    ¡°I will.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Afterwards, Gu Chengrui asked about the situation at home and at the medical centers. After knowing that everything was fine, the two of them got busy.


    After they were done, the two of them ate a meal and took a shower together before going back to their rooms to sleep.


    With Zhou Ying¡¯s solemn reminder, Gu Chengrui escaped a trap that night. However, it was not Miss Xin¡¯er¡¯s but a servant girl in the courier station.


    In order to put an end to the magistrate¡¯s thoughts, Gu Chengrui sent the servant girl to the Red Chamber as an official ve.


    That merciless look really scared Magistrate Liu.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying kept an eye on the pce whenever she was free.


    She saw that Gu Wanning had already perked up and was handling her affairs in an orderly manner.


    As for the two children, they yed well with the nanny and the Grand Empress Dowager, so Zhou Ying was relieved.


    Three dayster, Zhou Ying had just pulled Gu Chengrui into her interspace when he hugged her.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. She hugged his waist and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I thought I could go back and apany you and Guoguo, but I just received a verbal order from the Emperor today. He said that after I finish my work, I¡¯ll immediately rush to the border to be a military doctor and teach the military doctors at the border how to suture.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. This can reduce some losses. If there¡¯s anything, we can still contact each other through this interspace.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way. I¡¯ll have to trouble you at home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re well. Let me know when you¡¯re leaving. I¡¯ll prepare some medicine, needles, and thread for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go to the mountain to pick some urgently needed medicinal herbs.¡± After Gu Chengrui said that, he brought a basket and went up the mountain.


    Zhou Ying looked at the border again, but the city gate remained closed.


    Although the Northern Continent continued challenging them, their arrogance had subsided quite a bit.


    King Hui and the Prince of the Northern Continent were obviously getting impatient. They had already sent many people to cross the mountain range to investigate the situation.


    Zhou Ying saw that the mountain pass was not only guarded, but there were also many soldiers, so she ignored them.


    As for the Emperor and the others, they were already halfway there, and the number of soldiers had clearly increased by quite a bit. It was likely that they were taken from the various provinces along the way.


    After making sure that Northern Pass was fine, she began to investigate the situation on the entire continent.


    She did not expect the western region of Xixia to experience a drought again. However, there was plenty of water reserve at the moment, so there was no panic..

 Chapter 846 - 846 Victory in the First Battle

    Chapter 846: Victory in the First Battle


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying took onest nce at the East Continent.


    At this moment, fat chickens were already everywhere on the East Continent.


    The number of cattle, sheep, and pigs had also increased significantly.


    In addition to the fish produced in the sea and the increased production of grain seeds, the people¡¯s living standards had obviously improved a lot.


    In the blink of an eye, eight days had passed. The Emperor had finally arrived at the border with his men, and Gu Chengrui also brought his men there.


    The next day, the soldiers of the Northern Continent, who had already treated this expedition as a child¡¯s y, were still cursing and joking casually.


    Just as they were preparing to retreat, the city gates suddenly opened wide. Following that, a series of shouts and roars rang out as teams of cavalrymen quickly rushed toward them.


    The people behind them quickly surrounded them like a tide.


    The Northern Continent general who led the army felt his scalp go numb.


    There was a massive difference in numbers between the two sides. If they went head-on, they would only be sending themselves to their deaths.


    However, the cavalrymen had already charged over. It was toote for them to retreat, even if they wanted to.


    ¡°Quick, send the signal!¡±


    The general raised the scimitar in his hand and roared, ¡°Kill!¡±


    He charged straight at the cavalry.


    When the others saw this, they could only go up.


    At the same time, a cloud of blue smoke rose into the sky.


    The soldiers at the Northern Continent gates had already noticed something was wrong, so they immediately spread the news.


    When the King of the Northern Continent, who was ying chess with King Hui, received the news, he stood up and ordered, ¡°Damn, the turtle is finally willing to show itself. Hurry up and prepare 100,000 troops. I will personally lead the troops into the city.¡±


    After saying that, he excitedly took off the weapons hanging on the wall and hurriedly ran to the drill ground.


    King Hui felt that something was wrong. After all, the other party had been silent for so many days.


    This time, they must have been well prepared. The King of the Northern Continent was probably going to suffer a loss.


    Thinking of this, he immediately chased after him. ¡°My Lord, it¡¯s better to send someone to investigate the situation in detail. It¡¯ll be troublesome if there¡¯s an ambush.¡±


    ¡°Ambush my ass. There¡¯s nothing but a battlefield between the two cities. Even the grass grows close to the ground.


    ¡°With your fearful personality, no wonder you were defeated.¡± The King of the Northern Continent brushed him off impatiently.


    King Hui¡¯s face darkened when he heard that. He could not be bothered to persuade him anymore, so he changed into armor and followed beside him with arge saber.


    Seeing this, the King of the Northern Continent only nced at him and did not say anything else.


    After they gathered, they immediately got on their horses and rushed out with their men.


    When he rushed out, he realized that there was a one-sided massacre going on on the battlefield, and it was his people being ughtered.


    His eyes reddened as he raised his saber and charged out.


    The Emperor, who was standing on the city gate, saw the army of the Northern Continenting out and immediately waved the military g.


    Soon, their side retreated about 100 feet.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± The Emperor waved his hand again.


    Following that, fog grenades and tear gas grenades were fired at the Northern Continent¡¯s troops.


    At first, the Northern Continent soldiers thought those were rocks. They immediately raised their knives to block it, and some even kicked it away.


    The crude grenades started exploding in the air.


    When King Hui saw what it was, he immediately cried out rmingly. ¡°Not good! Retreat! Hurry up and retreat!¡±


    At this time, the King of the Northern Continent also felt something was wrong. Because of the pungent smell, he kept sneezing and couldn¡¯t even open his eyes.


    He turned his head and nced at the army behind him. Almost everyone was in the same situation.


    He immediately ordered amander to wave the g and retreat.


    As soon as they retreated, the Ming Dynasty¡¯s soldiers immediately shouted, returning every curse word they had endured over the past few days.


    Afterward, they immediately cleaned up the battlefield and returned to the city..

 Chapter 847 - 847 The Plan

    Chapter 847: The n


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Haha, a bunch of bastards running faster than rabbits.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you all curse non-stop? Let¡¯s see who¡¯s the son of a bitch.¡± Old General Zhouughed.


    The Emperor also smiled when he saw this. He stood up and said, ¡°Uncle, let¡¯s go back. When we return, we can discuss how to fight the next battle.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it just so happens that you guys are tired from traveling for days. Let¡¯s rest early.¡± After Old General Zhou finished speaking, he followed them down the city walls.


    After returning to the General¡¯s residence, the Emperor and Zhou Huaiming first visited Zhou Huaiyu. Although he didn¡¯t look well, he was still in good spirits, and the two of them heaved a sigh of relief.


    When Zhou Huaiyu saw them enter, he immediately went forward and bowed.


    ¡°Cousin, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. How¡¯s your wound recovering?¡± The Emperor asked after helping him up.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for the Emperor to worry about. Mother God¡¯s medicine is really good. My wounds are almost healed. If I don¡¯t do intense exercise, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Great! You should rest well and help us manage the rear. As for the battle, leave it to us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will definitely take care of the internal affairs.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s draft a rough n.¡± The Emperor went straight to the meeting hall and called all the people above the rank of general over.


    He carefully studied the terrain of the North Pass, including every small path.


    He even learned about the situation on the Northern Continent.


    After learning that the King of the Northern Continent had brought another 100,000 troops this time, a total of 300,000 troops, he raised his head and said, ¡°It seems that the Northern Continent really wants to swallow my dynasty.¡±.


    The number of soldiers on his side, including the ones he brought along, was only 220,000. In terms of numbers, there was still a huge gap.


    ¡°This is also what this old minister is worried about, so I have been avoiding this battle. I wanted to wait for you toe over and ask how we should fight this battle and to what extent.¡±


    ¡°The Northern Continent has repeatedly invaded our borders, and they want me dead.


    ¡°This new king is a warmonger. Since he has his eyes on our country, it will be difficult for us to have a stable life.


    ¡°In that case, we will not only defend but also attack. We will beat him until he surrenders so that the border will not be harassed for at least 20 years.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty is wise.¡± The generals agreed in unison.


    ¡°Go down and prepare. Train your soldiers well. When the timees, we will be able to show our Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± The generals immediately dispersed.


    ¡°Have you finished investigating the spies in the army?¡± The Emperor stopped Old General Zhou and asked.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve found five people. One of them was arranged by King Hui.


    ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure if there are any more.¡±


    ¡°Let them be dead chess pieces.


    ¡°In the future, only tell themander the battle n before going to the battlefield. Other than that, keep it a secret. Also, the kitchen and the military doctors must be strictly investigated.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will go down and make arrangements.¡± Old General Zhou left quickly.


    After the Emperor washed up, he ate and went to sleep.


    On the other side, the King of the Northern Continent was furious after he returned. He turned to look at King Hui. ¡°King Hui, what did they throw earlier? Why did it smell so pungent?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, there should be two things thrown.


    ¡°The pungent smell should be made of chili powder.


    ¡°The other is filled with drugs, which is why many fainted.¡± King Hui replied.


    ¡°Did the Ming Dynasty already have this kind of thing long ago?¡± The King of the Northern Continent asked again..

 Chapter 848 - 848 Lowering Vigilance

    Chapter 848: Lowering Vignce


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes, it was originally created by a couple for self-defense.¡± King Hui said in a deep voice.


    ¡°Later, it came into the hands of my third brother and was made into an explosive. If not for this thing, I would not have been defeated.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been so defenseless.¡± The King of the Northern Continent replied unhappily.


    The key was that this defeat was simply too embarrassing. His prestige would also be greatly reduced.


    ¡°Who would have thought that they would use these useless things on the battlefield?¡± King Hui replied with a dryugh.


    He thought of something and asked, ¡°Oh right, did your spies send any news back these two days? I have a feeling that they¡¯ve iing reinforcement. Moreover, it¡¯s very likely that they¡¯re my third brother¡¯s direct subordinates.¡±


    When the King of the Northern Continent heard this, he realized that he had not received any news from the other side for a few days.


    Did something happen, or was there no news to send?


    No, something must have happened. Otherwise, the news of the army¡¯s arrival would have been sent over.


    ¡°Have you received any news from the other side these few days?¡± He asked the scout leader.


    ¡°Your Majesty, ever since the ambush was sessful, the city has been sealed. Our people can¡¯t enter, and none of them havee out, so we haven¡¯t received any news.¡±


    ¡°In other words, we lost contact?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has been more than ten days.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? The battlefield is constantly changing, and there has been no news for more than ten days! You¡¯re not even reporting it or thinking of a solution; are you looking for death?¡±


    The scout captain broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, ¡°I¡¯ve tried to contact them several times, but I haven¡¯t been able to get in touch.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and contact them! Remember, regardless of whether you can contact them or not, you have to report to me every morning and night.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The captain saluted and immediately ran out.


    The King of the Northern Continent looked at his back and was furious. At the same time, he realized that he had let down his guard because of the Ming Dynasty¡¯s dy in epting the challenge. Otherwise, he would not have ended up in this position.


    It seemed that this battle was much more difficult than he had imagined.


    He looked at King Hui, who was sitting quietly at the side. ¡°Don¡¯t you have people on your side? Try to contact them. We must know how many reinforcements the other party has sent as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Also, how many of those explosives did they use up today?


    ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯ll be in a passive position.¡±


    ¡°Let me try.¡± King Hui nodded and returned to his courtyard.


    First, he went back to his room and wrote a small note. He went to his room, caught a carrier pigeon, put the note into the carrier tube, and released the carrier pigeon.


    However, as soon as the carrier pigeon entered the city, it was spotted and targeted.


    After Zhou Xinghe received the news, he immediately followed and destroyed King Hui¡¯s stronghold.


    After a while, anotherrge group of spies was found.


    After the Emperor and the rest had rested, they quickly formted a battle n, as the war had officially begun.


    When Gu Chengrui and his group arrived at the border, they encountered a battle that had just ended, so they immediately joined the rescue team.


    On this day, Zhou Ying had just cooked some dried sweet potatoes and nned to give them to the servants to taste when suddenly, Gu Wanning¡¯s eunuch, Eunuch Sun, ran over in a hurry. ¡°Madam Gu, hurry up and follow me to the pce!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin. Anyway, the Empress has something to say to you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, wait a moment. The grapes are ripe, so let me bring two bunches of grapes for the Eldest Princess.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she asked someone to bring the grapes quickly.


    She also prepared some dried sweet potatoes..

 Chapter 849 - 849 Relieving Worries

    Chapter 849: Relieving Worries


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also spread out her divine sense to look into the pce.


    Gu Waanning was fine when she checked in the morning. What happened less than four hourster?


    She was shocked when she saw it.


    Gu Wanning¡¯s face was pale, and she was lying on the bed with a tired expression.


    Was she sick?


    She carried the things she had prepared and followed Eunuch Sun into the pce.


    After entering the pce, she handed the things to Chunxi and entered the room, approaching Gu Wanning. After bowing, she went forward and asked, ¡°Are you not feeling well? Why do you look so pale?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that my baby disturbed me. I just need to take some calming medicine. I remember that my cousin knows how to make a kind of calming pill.¡± Gu Wanning then asked, ¡°I wonder if you have any?¡±


    ¡°Eunuch Sun, sigh. I would have brought it to you directly if you had said so earlier.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t allow him to say it. There are many old and young people in the pce. I can¡¯t copse.¡±


    ¡°Did you see the imperial physician?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Imperial Physician Liu gave some to me. He also prescribed some medicine to soothe me, but I didn¡¯t want anyone to know, so I couldn¡¯t brew the medicine.¡±


    ¡°You are too cautious.¡±


    ¡°No, the people in the pce have recently been a little unstable. I don¡¯t dare risk the child.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    Although she wasn¡¯t as diligent as she was initially, she checked at least three times a day.


    But she had never found any problems.


    After Gu Wanning finished speaking, she handed her an ount book.


    Zhou Ying opened it and took a look. It was full of the list of goods the pce had purchased.


    However, there was no problem with the quantity or the price. She looked at her in confusion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the price and quantity; look at the consumption.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at it carefully again, especiallyparing the head and the tail.


    She realized that the consumption after the Emperor left was simr to the consumption before the Emperor left.


    However, not only did the Emperor leave, but he also took Eunuch Qian and his guards with him, so that should reduce consumption.


    ¡°Are all items like this?¡±


    Gu Wanning shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s normal at the silk embroidery workshop.¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they had cut down on the autumn clothing production, I wouldn¡¯t have remembered people had left the pce.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s because of this that your baby and your health are affected?¡±


    ¡°This is not a small matter. They are clearly bullying me.¡±


    ¡°So, send someone to investigate. If the situation is serious, kick them out of the pce. If it¡¯s not serious, give them a warning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. There are spies from every province in the pce. There are too many things involved.¡±


    ¡°So, you know who did it, which puts you in a difficult position?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the people we caught this time are the people of the newly appointed Minister of War, Lord Chu.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that after I deal with him, it will cause unrest in the imperial court.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too careful. It¡¯s within your duty. He should be punished.


    ¡°If Lord Chu really caused trouble because of this matter, then this person was not worthy of being a second-grade official.


    ¡°Besides, King Xian and King An are watching outside. Do you think he can get away with it if he dares to act recklessly now?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this Lord Chu have a daughter, Chu Jiao? I heard she was a popr candidate for the Empress selection.¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, but he was one of the people who suggested the consort selection.


    ¡°So this matter is not easy to deal with.¡±


    ¡°With your position, you¡¯re destined not to be benevolent. It¡¯s good enough that you can be fair and impartial, rewarding and punishing clearly.¡±


    Gu Wanning nodded thoughtfully and instructed Nanny Yu to keep an eye outside..

 Chapter 850 - 850 The Person Behind the Scenes

    Chapter 850: The Person Behind the Scenes


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After that, Zhou Yingforted her and hurriedly left the pce to bring her a box of 30 calming pills.


    She also gave her some cream that she had made to replenish her energy.


    After returning, Zhou Ying deliberately watched for a day and found that there were many rats.


    There were even two big ones and even more small ones.


    Especially in the imperial kitchen, everyone brought home a lot of things.


    No wonder Gu Wanning was so angry that her health was affected.


    Fortunately, she took action that night. Gu Wanning directly led the steward of the imperial kitchen and caught several mice in a row.


    After a round of interrogation, not only did they receive twenty whips, but they also had to make up for it.


    At the same time, they strengthened the patrols and warned everyone. They did not pursue the matter anymore.


    One of the chefs in the imperial kitchen had a look of lingering fear on his face. After dodging the cmity, he found an imperial guard and whispered, ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve heard about what happened tonight, right?¡±


    ¡°Tell Milord that this matter ends here. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to keep my job.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you. I¡¯ll bring you two jars of good wine when I¡¯m free.¡± After saying that, the imperial guards quickly went back to patrol.


    After changing shifts in the evening, he went straight home. Only then did Zhou Ying know that this imperial guard was one of Lord Chu¡¯s sons-inw.


    The second son-inw of the Minister of War.


    They had done this in the hopes that the Empress would make a mistake and cause trouble for the Empress Dowager or King Xian, ruining her reputation. They did not expect Gu Wanning to act so quickly.


    His wife asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Empress to act so quickly. Should we find trouble with her in other ways?¡±


    ¡°No, once she bes alert, we won¡¯t have the chance to make a move.


    ¡°If they find out that it¡¯s us, it¡¯ll be a small matter if we lose our jobs, but it¡¯ll be troublesome if we lose our lives.¡±


    ¡°Is it that serious?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Anyway, this matter ends here. Don¡¯t get involved with your sister.


    ¡°The Emperor is obviously biased towards the Empress. It¡¯s not that easy for her to ascend.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Sleep.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked at the Chu Residence and found Chu Jiao. At this time, she was sitting in front of themp, practicing her embroidery skills.


    However, her embroidery skills were not really good. She was not much better than a beginner.


    She even yawned as she embroidered.


    A servant girl walked over and said, ¡°Miss, it¡¯ste. You should continue tomorrow. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±


    ¡°There are less than two months until the consort selection. If I don¡¯t practice now, how can I have a chance? I don¡¯t want to lose to these basic skills.¡± Chu Jiao replied without raising her head.


    She yawned with tears and continued to embroider.


    ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t embroider anymore. Hurry up, wash up, and rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I got it.¡± Chu Jiao relented, finally put down the embroidery rack, and washed up.


    After she fell asleep, Zhou Ying entered her dream to warn her.


    The dream she weaved was simple. Chu Jian dreamed she was selected through the consort selection through all her outstanding efforts.


    After she finally entered the pce, she was greeted not by the Emperor on the night of her wedding but by a toad.


    When Chu Jian woke up in fright, Zhou Ying retreated with a smile.


    This was a small warning. If Chu Jiao continued her sabotage, Zhou Ying wouldn¡¯t be so kind again.


    After that, Chu Jiao couldn¡¯t sleep no matter how she tried, even though she was tired.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why she dreamed of that.. Did that dream have any meaning?

 Chapter 851 - 851 Return

    Chapter 851: Return


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Thinking of this, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    The next morning, Chu Jiao went to find her mother after breakfast.


    When Mrs. Chu heard this, she pped her thigh and eximed, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a dream of a toad lusting after the swan? Why would you have such a dream?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re still the daughter of a second-grade official.


    ¡°While you can¡¯t be the Empress, you can still be a consort.¡±


    Not only was Chu Jiao notforted, but she was angered. Was she a toad?


    Unfortunately, this was her biological mother, so she couldn¡¯t refute her. She could only say a few polite words and leave with a stomach full of anger.


    After that, she did not dare to ask anyone else. Instead, she silently went back to her room to practice her calligraphy. She had to calm her heart down as soon as possible. Otherwise, even she herself would feel like a toad.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t know that this dream that had hit her made Chu Jiao uneasy.


    Instead, she stared at the pce thoughtfully. Three dayster, she was relieved that Gu Wanning was fine.


    Early in the morning, Zhou Ying was about to head out to the manor when she suddenly saw Tiger and ten other people slowly escorting two carriages over. When the carriage stopped, Gu Chenglin and Gu Chengxi got off the carriage one after another.


    ¡°You guys are finally back. You¡¯ve tanned a lot and lost a lot of weight. You must have suffered a lot.¡± Zhou Ying greeted him with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve suffered quite a bit, but it¡¯s definitely worth it. It¡¯s also an eye-opener.¡± Gu Cheng said happily.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s really a different life. It¡¯s much livelier than staying in the capital. I¡¯ve also discovered many things worth pondering over.¡± Gu Chenglin added.


    ¡°Servant Shizhu greets Mistress.¡± At this moment, Shizhu carried a small bag and walked down from the carriage behind her.


    Zhou Ying looked at her clumsy appearance and smiled. ¡°Are you pregnant?¡± ¡°Mistress, it¡¯s been almost five months. Oh right, there are many gifts that Master brought for you and Miss in the carriage.¡±


    At this moment, Tiger and the others also stepped forward and pulled out a rattan box from each side of the carriage.


    ¡°Hurry up and enter the residence to have a good rest. I¡¯ll get someone to arrange a meal for you.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she walked inside with Shizhu.


    Gu Chengxi and Gu Chenglin didn¡¯t stand around either. They called out to Tiger and walked in.


    After the meal, Zhou Ying thought that Gu Chengxi and Gu Chenglin would rest. She did not expect them to go out to look for their teacher.


    Meanwhile, she checked the things that Gu Chengrui had bought.


    There was exquisite embroidery from the south, matching clothes for her and Guoguo, as well as some high-quality materials and beautiful jewelry.


    There were also toys for Guoguo, such as bamboo whistles, skip ropes, and all kinds of toys.


    She asked Kuihua to put it away and instructed Qiuniang to send the autumn clothes she had prepared to Gu Chenglin and the others. She then rushed to the manor to do her tasks.


    On a night three dayster, Zhou Ying received Gu Chengrui¡¯s urgent call as soon as she entered the interspace.


    She immediately went to the warehouse and searched through the many Mother Temples. Finally, she found Gu Chengrui brewing medicine in the kitchen of the General¡¯s residence. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you looking for me so urgently?¡±


    ¡°Babe, hurry up and get a Tetanus shot. Zhou Huaiming is seriously injured.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she handed him the shot. Gu Chengrui received it and hid it in his sleeve. He boiled the medicine, brought it to a room, and said to the old general, ¡°Old general, we still have to fight tomorrow. You should go and rest quickly. Leave Brother Zhou to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you. If you need anything, just let me know.¡± Old General Zhou stood up and said. He then looked at Zhou Huaiming with reluctance and turned to leave..

 Chapter 852 - 852 August Gifts

    Chapter 852: August Gifts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After he left, Gu Chengrui first fed the medicine to the unconscious Zhou Huaiming, then gave him the tetanus shot.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Zhou Ying asked after he was done. ¡°How did he get so badly injured?¡±


    ¡°He was injured when he went to the mountain to guard that position. Because he dyed the treatment, he got infected.¡±


    ¡°I see.


    ¡°By the way, do youck medicine at the border? Do you want me to take some from the interspace and send it to you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Now that there¡¯s a war here, there¡¯s not much stock left. Send some over.


    ¡°Oh right, also send me some more tear powder.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. She picked out a batch of medicinal herbs that he could use, especially the medicinal herbs needed for stopping bleeding, and ced them directly in the General¡¯s residence.


    Gu Chengrui yawned. ¡°I¡¯ve been very busy recently. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the chance to contact you much. I¡¯ll leave the family to you.¡±


    ¡°Got it. How¡¯s the war going? Any progress?¡±


    ¡°Two wins and one loss. There are more people over there, so I¡¯m afraid it will take some time.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Rest well.¡± After Zhou Ying said her goodbyes, she withdrew and began to busy herself with other things.


    One day, Zhou Ying was doing the ounts when Qiuxiang ran over and knocked on her door. ¡°Mistress, Mrs. Yao is here.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Yao? Does she want something?¡±


    ¡°No, she came here to send gifts for the August Festival.¡±


    ¡°Ah. We should also start preparing for that.


    ¡°Ask them to wait for a moment. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Zhou Ying returned to the main room after checking the ounts at hand.


    ¡°Madam,¡± Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Yang stood up immediately when they saw here in.


    ¡°Have a seat. Is everything alright at home?¡± Zhou Ying asked Qiuxiang to prepare some fruits.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Our family opened a grocery store and sold some goods from the south and north. Business is not bad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news. You guys can be considered to have established yourselves in the capital.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m finally not that anxious anymore. By the way, do you have any ns for Chenglin¡¯s marriage?¡± Mrs. Yao asked.


    ¡°Did someone ask you about something?¡± Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°Yeah, Chengxi and Chenglin aren¡¯t young anymore. Someone asked me, so I came to ask for your opinion.¡±


    ¡°Chenglin is still young, so his marriage isn¡¯t urgent.


    ¡°Besides, there¡¯s still the Emperor and Empress¡¯s decision. What I mean is that we don¡¯t need to care about his marriage. Once it¡¯s settled, we can just help arrange it.¡±


    Mrs. Yao nodded after hearing this. She thought that since Gu Chenglin was on her side, she would be the one to decide on his marriage. It seemed that she was wrong.


    ¡°As for Chengxi¡¯s marriage,¡± Zhou Ying continued, ¡°you, Second Uncle, and Auntie Sun need to be involved.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t look for our sworn enemies, you can decide.


    ¡°However, marriage is a lifelong event, after all. He has to agree to it himself.


    Otherwise, it will be troublesome if it bes a grudge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Mrs. Yao nodded in agreement.


    After chatting for a while, they stayed for lunch before leaving.


    On the way back, Mrs. Yao sighed and said, ¡°You should go back to your mother¡¯s house and tell them not to have any ideas about Chenglin.


    ¡°I reckon that since Chenglin has the support of the Emperor and Empress, he should at least marry a noble daughter.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Mrs. Yang nodded indifferently.


    After the previous ups and downs, she did not think it was good for a woman to marry a man in a high position, so she disagreed with her mother¡¯s marriage proposal.


    As soon as they left, Zhou Ying, Kuihua, and Qiuxiang also started to get busy preparing the August gifts for each family..

 Chapter 853 - 853 Southwest Fighting, Too

    Chapter 853: Southwest Fighting, Too


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Half a monthter, Zhou Ying received Gu Chengrui¡¯s call again. She found that the city gates of the Northern Continent had been broken through, and King Hui¡¯s body had been hung on the city gates.


    ¡°Is this battle going to end soon?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early. The Emperor wants to take down the Northern Continent and make them submit.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Emperor¡¯s ambition to be so big.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t help it. He¡¯s annoyed by their constant harassment. They started it.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded in agreement. ¡°Oh right,¡± she asked, ¡°why did you look for me?¡±


    ¡°I need more medicinal herbs. There¡¯s still a shortage of medicinal herbs.


    ¡°Oh, prepare two sets of inner clothes for me. It¡¯s tough getting clothes here.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Wait a moment.¡± Zhou Ying first gave him the medicinal herbs and quickly prepared two sets of inner clothes. Finally, she prepared a roasted chicken, apples, pears, grapes, and other fruits for him.


    Of course, she only prepared enough for him to eat.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± She asked after giving him everything.


    ¡°Yes, I miss you.¡± Gu Chengrui said coquettishly.


    Although they had separated before, they could still see each other at night as long as they were free.


    However, it was different at the border. He had to hide even when he wanted to say a word, so he really missed her.


    ¡°I miss you too, but the conditions don¡¯t allow it.


    ¡°Or you can find a quiet ce to wake me up that day.¡±


    ¡°Got it. You go ahead with your work. I have to go and count the medicinal herbs.¡± Gu Chengrui hid the mini Mother God statue and got up to work.


    Zhou Ying also left. Thinking of his slim body, she left him some jerky before retreating and looking elsewhere.


    What she didn¡¯t expect was that the southwest side of the country was fighting the Western Continent, and it seemed pretty fierce. At least in the Ming Dynasty army camp, wounded soldiers were everywhere.


    After that, she listened carefully to the discussions among the people.


    Sure enough, the two countries had started fighting. Moreover, the Western Continent hade in full force with many troops this time.


    The generals stationed in the southwest could not hold on any longer and had begun to mobilize the garrison troops from the nearby provinces.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she went to the Western Continent to investigate.


    It turned out that the Western Continent knew that the Northern Continent was fiercely fighting with the Ming Dynasty, and they had reduced crop production a lot this year due to the drought. This was why they wanted to take the opportunity to get a share of the pie.


    Of course, if possible, they wanted to divide the Ming Dynasty.


    After understanding what they wanted, Zhou Ying only sighed.


    She looked at the East Continent. Fortunately, they were stable.


    Seeing this, she told the Emperor about the situation in the southwest.


    The Emperor¡¯s expression turned grave. He cupped his fists and said, ¡°Thank you, Mother God, for informing me. I hope that you can help me deliver a letter.¡±


    After saying that, he quickly wrote a letter.


    The content was naturally about the deployment of troops. After writing it, he put it away and said, ¡°Please pass it on to King Xian.¡±


    ¡°Allowed, take care.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took the letter away and left some fruits for him before handing the letter to King Xian.


    King Xian was shocked when he received the letter.


    At the same time, he also understood why thete and current emperors held Mother God in such high esteem.


    With Mother God¡¯s favoritism, why would their country worry about not being able to unify the world?


    After that, he called several officials overnight and discussed it for a while. Ultimately, it was decided that the Seventh Prince would bring Yan Zhiwu and two generals along to the southwest.


    Of course, they also brought 100,000 soldiers from Lord Yan¡¯s subordinates in the capital.


    After Zhou Ying finished her work, she put away everything in her interspace and cooked two tender corns. After eating them, she ground some flour before leaving her interspace..

 Chapter 854 - 854 A Spy (1)

    Chapter 854: A Spy (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the second day, Zhou Ying just sighed when she knew the Seventh Prince had brought troops to the southwest.


    She didn¡¯t know how the following days would go.


    It was the First Prince¡¯s first birthday in the blink of an eye. Zhou Ying brought Mrs. Lin, Qiuxiang, and Guoguo into the pce early in the morning.


    Before entering the Pheonix Pce, Guoguo saw the First Prince learning to walk with a nanny¡¯s guidance. She immediately ran over and shouted, ¡°Brother, Guoguo is here!¡±


    Guoguo then quickly pulled the First Prince into the pce.


    The nanny was stumped and quickly supported the First Prince by lifting his other hand. She looked at Zhou Ying and greeted her, ¡°Greeting, Mrs. Gu.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the Empress?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s inside, preparing the First Birthday ceremony.¡±


    ¡°I see, thanks.¡± Zhou Ying instructed Mrs. Lin to stay behind and look after Gupguo while she and Qiuxiaing went in with the grapes.


    After greeting Gu Wanning, she looked at the table full of things and asked, ¡°Wow, you prepared so much for his First Birthday Ceremony. Aren¡¯t you afraid that he doesn¡¯t know what to choose?¡±


    As she said that, she put a goose egg-sized pearl on the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s just for fun. There¡¯s no need to be so serious about it.¡± Gu Wanning smiled and replied.


    She then started chatting happily with Zhou Ying while Guoguo carefully guided the First Price into the pce.


    Gu Wanning¡¯s face beamed as she looked at them. ¡°Guoguo is such a dependable sister; she¡¯s already teaching her younger brother how to walk.¡±


    ¡°Younger brother, walk; no steady.¡± Guoguo raised her head and scrunched her brows.


    ¡°He¡¯s still young. He¡¯ll be able to walk steadily after half a year.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    Guoguo heard that and gave the First Prince the side eye. She didn¡¯t want to y him anymore.


    The First Prince wasn¡¯t willing to let her go and just hugged her.


    Gu Wanning saw this and pointed toward a corner. ¡°Guoguo, there¡¯s a wooden pony there. You can bring your younger brother there and y.¡±


    Guoguo followed where Gu Wanning pointed and saw a red rocking wooden pony. Her eyes lit up and she ran over while the Fist Prince had to catch up with the help of his nanny.


    Zhou Ying then looked at Gu Wanning and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it been? Is your pregnancy steady?¡±


    ¡°Yup, all thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°No worries, it¡¯s what I should do.¡±


    Soon, Mingyu brought Zhuangzhuang along, with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess behind them.


    The children yed together lively.


    Momentster, Consort An and Consort Xian also arrived.


    Everyone who came to the party added something to the table for the First Prince to choose during his ceremony.


    Very quickly, the choosing ceremony started. The First Prince sat on the table, looking at the things and the surrounding people, and pped happily.


    Gu Wanning had to point to the table and guide him. ¡°Yangyang, look at the things here. Why don¡¯t you choose one that you like?¡±


    The First Prince only started carefully looking at the stuff and took a red ruby. However, he didn¡¯t keep it and passed it to the Eldest Princess.


    The Grand Empress Dowager smiled at that. ¡°Good boy, it looks like your big sister didn¡¯t love you for nothing. I want one too, can I?¡±


    Yangyang paused and took a calligraphy brush before passing it to the Grand Empress Dowager.


    He then grabbed a jade amulet and passed it to Guoguo, whom Zhou Ying was hugging.


    He also grabbed onto an inkstone and passed it to Mingyu.


    Mingyu smiled and said, ¡°Yangyang is such a good boy, not leaving even a single friend unattended.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s rare for a kid to be this generous.¡±


    ¡°My dumb kid is the exact opposite. He wouldn¡¯t let anything that he grabbed onto go.¡±


    Just as everyone wanted to continue praising the First Prince, someone suddenly pulled the tablecloth and flung it away together with the First Prince..

 Chapter 855 - 855 A Spy (2)

    Chapter 855: A Spy (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The First Prince was thrown into the air to a height above the head of the Grand Empress Dowager, frightening everyone.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying quickly used her divine sense to slow down the First Prince¡¯snding speed. At the same time, she stuffed Guoguo into the arms of Consort Xian. She then rushed over and caught the First Prince with her feet and held him in her arms as she examined him.


    Gu Wanning came back to her senses and stuttered. ¡°How is he? How is he? Is Yangyang alright?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alright, not injured. However, we should still call the Imperial Physician over to take a look.¡± After Zhou Ying replied, she stuffed the First Prince into her arms.


    The First Prince also reacted at this moment and cried out loud. His cries were heart-wrenching, and it was obvious that he had been frightened quite badly.


    The Grand Empress Dowager heaved a sigh of relief and quickly called for a doctor. As long as he was not injured, it was fine.


    Just as a pce maid was about to run out to report the news, Zhou Ying suddenly took out a dagger from her boot and stopped the pce maid.


    Everyone was stunned by that. When they saw the dagger in her hand and were about to persuade her not to overreact, the pce maid dodged her attack and started fighting with Zhou Ying.


    Moreover, her martial arts skills were obviously above Zhou Ying¡¯s. If not for Zhou Ying¡¯s quick reaction, she would obviously not be the pce maid¡¯s opponent.


    ¡°Quick, there¡¯s an assassin!¡± Mingyu shouted at this moment. After handing Zhuangzhuang to Consort An, she also rushed forward.


    The pce maid knew that Mingyu knew martial arts, so when she saw that she was about to rush over, she nned to end the battle quickly. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape here.


    Zhou Ying saw through her intentions, and she did not intend to let her go. She quickly turned her divine sense into a needle and stabbed it into the pce maid¡¯s tendons and acupoints on her body.


    With the help of her divine sense, Zhou Ying quickly turned the tables. When Mingyu rushed over, the two of them promptly subdued the pce maid.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying was afraid that the pce maid mightmit suicide, so she stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth.


    At this moment, the guards rushed in. After they handed the pce maid over to the guards, Zhou Ying said, ¡°She¡¯s proficient at martial arts. Just in case, check her mouth first and administer some muscle rxant before questioning her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Mrs. Gu.¡± After the guard finished speaking, he led his men out.


    ¡°We¡¯ll interrogate her here,¡± the Grand Empress Dowager said in a deep voice. ¡°I want to see who has the guts to try to assassinate the First Prince.¡±


    After saying that, she asked the nannies to take the children away.


    When the guard saw this, he did not refuse. He dislocated the pce maid¡¯s chin on the spot. After examining her, he drugged her and set her chin back on before asking, ¡°Tell me what you know. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to withstand our torture.¡±


    The pce maid only nced at him and said, ¡°Kill or torture me as you please.¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s so easy to die. We¡¯ve always believed in giving a life worse than death.¡± After the guard said this, he asked Eunuch Sun for a needle and inserted it into the pce maid¡¯s fingernails.


    He directly jammed it in, so it could never be pulled out.


    The faces of all the royal women present were as white as paper.


    At this time, Zhou Ying also noticed the abnormality because the pce maid¡¯s face did not change even after being tortured so cruelly. She went forward and touched her face, then tore off ayer of skin.


    ¡°Oh, a human skin mask!¡± Mingyu eximed.


    Eunuch Sun eximed at the same time, ¡°Wait¡­ she doesn¡¯t look like a person from our country.¡±


    When everyone heard this, they took a closer look at the pce maid. As expected, the pce maid¡¯s facial features were smaller, her eye sockets were deeper, and her cheekbones were higher. No matter how they looked at it, she did not look like a person from the Great Ming..

 Chapter 856 - 856 Sowing Discord

    Chapter 856: Sowing Discord


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Tell me, who are you, and why are you here to harm the First Prince?¡± The Grand Empress Dowager stepped forward and questioned.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m an assassin from the southwest border¡­ who belongs to King Ning.¡± The pce maid smiled and replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re framing us. That¡¯s impossible.¡± Consort Ning retorted angrily.


    Consort Ning knew that her husband had the intention to fight for the throne from the beginning, and he had prepared a lot.


    Unfortunately, her father was loyal to thete emperor and did not cooperate.


    In addition, after the Emperor ascended the throne, he did not make things difficult for him and even put him in an important position, so King Ning had long stopped thinking about seizing the throne.


    How could he turn around and assassinate the First Prince at this time?


    The Grand Empress Dowager and the others did not know if it was true or not, so they could only shut their mouths.


    ¡°Nothing is impossible. Which prince doesn¡¯t have the dream of bing an emperor?


    ¡°Right now, Great Ming and the Northern Continent are locked in a stalemate, and the Southwest is also in a stalemate. Now is the best time for King Ning to seize the throne.¡± The pce maid sneered.


    Zhou Ying nudged Gu Wanning when she saw this. It was time for her to express her stance.


    If, because of this pce maid¡¯s few words of provocation, the country that had finally settled down ended up in a civil war, then they would really be in deep trouble.


    Gu Wanning was stunned, not understanding what Zhou Ying wanted.


    Zhou Ying had no choice but to speak up. ¡°Judging from your obvious big tongue, you must be from the Western Continent.


    ¡°I have to say, you¡¯ve done a good job of sowing discord between us, but you¡¯ve chosen the wrong target.


    ¡°King Ning is a loyal supporter of the Emperor. Otherwise, the Emperor would not have passed the military power of the Southwest to him.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you look like right now, you clown?¡± Zhou Ying pinched her chin and asked.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The pce maid stared at her after hearing that.


    Gu Wanning also reacted at this moment. She could not expose their ws without knowing the other party¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Bring all the pce maids who live with her here.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eunuch Sun responded and walked out.


    At this time, everyone also reacted and began to talk about the brotherhood between the Emperor and King Ning.


    Consort Ning felt relieved after hearing this and looked at Zhou Ying gratefully. Otherwise, she would have been in big trouble.


    ¡°You know very well whether it¡¯s true or not. There¡¯s no need to act with me here.¡± The pce maid nced at everyone provocatively.


    ¡°Whoever is pretending will be revealed soon. I know that people like you are not afraid of death, but there are still ways to deal with you.¡± As Zhou Ying said this, she thought of the paper and water method that Gu Chengrui mentioned.


    However, after taking a nce, she knew the women here couldn¡¯t take that.


    Instead, she turned around and asked Chunxi to find some ants.


    Soon, Eunuch Sun called the three people who lived with her over.


    When the three of them arrived and saw the pce maid, they were honest and quickly confessed everything they knew.


    About ten days ago, this spy fell ill. After waking up, she didn¡¯t eat anymore. She became more diligent and went out early and returnedte every day.


    What they knew was limited.


    At this moment, Eunuch Sun took out a pair of three-section undergarments and said, ¡°This kind of undergarment is obviously not from our country. At least, it is not something of the pce.¡±


    Although everyone looked a little embarrassed, they still nodded in agreement.


    Because their citizens, regardless of gender or age, wore boxers.


    ¡°You still want to keep quiet? We won¡¯t be polite now.¡± When the guard saw this, he looked at the spy.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to say. Please go ahead.¡± After the spy finished speaking, she closed her eyes and acted as if everything had nothing to do with her.


    At this moment, Chunxi finally found a bag of ants. Zhou Ying asked for some honey and quickly made some small cuts on the spy¡¯s face, neck, and arms.


    Then, she smeared some honey on it and ced the ants on her wounds..

 Chapter 857 - 857 Birthday Present

    Chapter 857: Birthday Present


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At first, the spy didn¡¯t think much of it, but she soon widened her eyes and looked at Zhou Ying with hatred.


    Because the taste of ants biting was unbearable.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she rolled her eyes at her and said, ¡°What are you looking at? If you do the first, don¡¯t me us for the fifteenth.


    ¡°This is just the beginning. Use all 18 kinds of torture. I think there will be one that suits you.¡±


    ¡°Since you dare enter the pce to assassinate someone, you have to be prepared to be tortured.¡± After the Grand Empress Dowager said this, she asked Nanny Liu to take the spy away for interrogation.


    Following that, everyone reced the things that dropped from the table. However, the First Prince was clearly not interested anymore. He grabbed a seal that was near him and did not bother anymore.


    The Grand Empress Dowager saw this and said, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not in the mood after that, either. Let¡¯s go over and have a good chat.¡±


    After saying that, she called everyone out.


    Although they were chatting, they were actually asking about the situation outside the pce and the situation of each family.


    Inside her room, Gu Wanning was hugging the First Prince. She looked at Zhou Ying with a face full of lingering fear. ¡°Thank you so much for today, Sister-inw. If you hadn¡¯t reacted so quickly, Yangyang might have been in trouble.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. That spy isn¡¯t weak, and it would be troublesome if Yangyang had fallen on his head.¡± Mingyu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°He was lucky that he was thrown high, so I had time to rush over and catch him.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Hm, I did notice something weird that you brought that up.


    ¡°When the First Prince descended, I clearly felt that it was somehow slowed down,¡± Mingyumented with a face full of question marks.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She smiled calmly and replied. ¡°Maybe you were scared at that time. Sometimes, when people are scared, they perceive things differently.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But no matter what, this is a good thing. Go find one or two people who know martial arts to apany the two childrenter.¡± Mingyu looked at Gu Wanning and suggested.


    ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you train ten female soldiers?¡± Zhou Ying asked. ¡°What are they doing now?¡±


    ¡°I sent them to take care of my estate and dowry.¡± Mingyu understood what she meant and said, ¡°I¡¯ll transfer four back to protect the two children.¡±.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have enough. I¡¯ll find someone to specially train a fewter.¡± Gu Wanning shook her head at her suggestion.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for a short while. You can use them for now. When your people are trained, you can return them to me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Gu Wanning thanked Mingyu.


    After a meal, Zhou Ying handed Gu Wanning a small box after everyone had dispersed. ¡°This is a birthday present I specially prepared for Yangyang. You can keep it for him.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Wanning asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s for Yangyang¡¯s pocket money.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really giving it to him? He¡¯s just a child. How can he spend so much?¡±


    ¡°You spend it if he can¡¯t, so don¡¯t reject it. It¡¯s better to nurture some confidants quickly. Otherwise, once a new consort enters the pce, you will be in a passive position.¡±


    ¡°I got it. Oh, right, how¡¯s Chenglin?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing pretty well in school. I¡¯ll keep an eye on his day-to-day. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you, Sister-inw.¡± Gu Wanning nodded.


    After Zhou Ying left, she opened the box and took a look. Not only were there 10,000 taels of silver in notes, but there were also some silver hairpins, silver rings, silver earrings, silver coins, and other silver-made products.


    There was even a box of golden melon seeds.


    Gu Wanning teared up when she saw this. She thought of what Zhou Ying had suggested before and immediately called Eunuch Sun over. She asked him to contact the Emperor¡¯s guards to train four female guards who knew martial arts toe in and protect the First Prince and the Eldest Princess..

 Chapter 858: 858 Even More Ruthless Than Nanny

    Chapter 858: 858 Even More Ruthless Than Nanny<div>


    Rong


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the other end, after Zhou Ying left the pce, she looked around curiously and found Nanny Liu and the spy.<div>


    At this moment, the spy had been stripped naked, and her body was covered in honey. Of course, there were also ants crawling all over him.


    There were even many needles on her head and hands.


    Nanny Liu was sitting opposite her, staring at the spy¡¯s every move.


    As long as she dared move an inch, even if she frowned, she would be pricked by Nanny Liu.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, she¡¯s even more ruthless than Nanny Rong,¡± sighed Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Mommy, who is Nanny Rong?¡± Guoguo raised her head and asked.


    ¡°A bad person. She specializes in pricking disobedient children with needles.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Bad person, Guoguo doesn¡¯t want Nanny Rong.¡± Guoguo immediately shouted.


    ¡°Yes, bad person. As long as Guoguo is obedient and studies hard, she won¡¯t be able to see Nanny Rong.¡±


    ¡°Guoguo will be a good girl.¡± Guoguo nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Yes, Guoguo is a good child.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she gently kissed her on the forehead.<div>


    When they got home, Zhou Ying fed Guoguo some water and asked Mrs. Lin to bring her down.


    While she drank her tea, she paid attention to the movements of the spy in the pce.


    In the end, the spy couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She confessed that she was sent by the Western Continent and told them how she entered the pce.


    It turned out that the pce maid she had reced was a local in the capital. During the disaster years, she entered the pce to avoid starving to death.


    Over the years, she would go back to visit from time to time, and she was reced by the spy just recently.


    As for who her master was, she refused to say anything. She took the opportunity to crash into the wall and die by having the needles on her head pierced into her skull.


    ¡°Mistress, Gu Zheng¡ªManager Gu requests an audience.¡± Qiuxiang came in and informed Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Let him go to the study.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Qiuxiang responded and turned to leave.


    After Zhou Ying finished her tea, she got up and went to the study.


    As soon as she sat down, Qiuxiang brought Gu Zheng over.<div>


    ¡°Greetings, Mistress.¡± Gu Cheng stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°Have a seat. Qiuxiang will make a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°No need; I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Gu Zheng waved her hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Ying waved at Qiuxiang for her to retreat and asked Gu Zheng.


    ¡°The workshops and shops in the capital have stabilized, and arge portion of our soaps have been sold to other ces.


    ¡°So I intend to start expanding.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you must prevent the recipe from being leaked. Also, you must not make things difficult for others. Of course, if they started it, you don¡¯t have to be polite.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will remember your teachings.¡±


    ¡°I will send ten guards to follow you and help you run errands.


    ¡°At the same time, when you¡¯re in another ce, you might also develop some manpower. After all, when you¡¯re in their territory, you must retain the ability to protect yourself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress. I understand.¡±<div>


    ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t solve, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you when you¡¯re busy. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± After Gu Cheng finished speaking, she turned around and walked out.


    After she left, Zhou Ying practiced her calligraphy in the study room. Sheter went to her smallboratory and took two cucumbers to try to make a skin tonic.


    At night, after entering her interspace, Zhou Ying thought of the spy and went straight to the Western Continent.


    It was a pity that she could not find the spy¡¯s master. Instead, she found that the Western Continent was getting anxious because the rations were not enough.


    Thus, they nned to send people to the Great Ming to poison their wells and rivers.


    Zhou Ying was furious after hearing this. War was war, as the world was always divided. She did not want to interfere, and she would not.


    However, using such despicable methods was too much..

 Chapter 859: 859 Disappearing into Thin Air

    Chapter 859: 859 Disappearing into Thin Air<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Therefore, she struck the person with a lightning bolt and stored all the poison they had prepared in her interspace.


    With a bolt of lightning, one of the Western Continent strategists was struck into a pile of ck charcoal. He fell straight to the ground and spat out a mouthful of ck smoke, frightening everyone.<div>


    It also caused amotion.


    The general of the Western Continent heard themotion and immediately ran over. He was shocked to see the miserable state of the strategist. He quickly asked, ¡°What happened? Why was he struck by lightning while sitting in the room?¡±


    The soldier who served the strategist immediately went forward and bowed. ¡°General, I¡¯m not sure either. I just saw a bolt of lightning suddenly rush in from the window. Then, then¡­ he ended up like this.¡±


    After hearing this, the general went forward to check. After confirming that the strategist was still alive, he heaved a sigh of relief and then asked someone to help him to a bed.


    ¡°General, the poison that I prepared earlier has disappeared into thin air,¡± a soldier ran in and reported.


    ¡°What do you mean by disappearing into thin air?¡± The general turned his head and asked in confusion.


    ¡°It just disappeared into thin air. We just watched it disappear.¡± The soldier replied in panic.


    To be honest, if he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn¡¯t have believed it.


    Moreover, in order to make sure that his eyes were not ying tricks on him, he had specially checked and found someone to verify it. The many vats of poison were gone just like that.


    The general finally panicked.


    He had heard before that people in the Great Ming had been struck by lightning for no reason several times.<div>


    Moreover, every time it was Mother God who showed her might, the ones struck were all evil people, or rather, people like King Hui who mistreated human lives.


    Thinking of this and connecting it to the disappearance of the poison, he finally understood.


    There was an 80% chance that this was really a punishment from Mother God to prevent them from poisoning arge area.


    However, given the current situation, would they have to continue wasting time like this? The general was in a dilemma.


    When the military doctor arrived, the general also helped with the treatment. He went to find the deputy general and the strategists and told them about the matter. ¡°It seems that using poison won¡¯t work. If you all have any other ideas, you can say it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this Mother God getting a little out of her reach?¡± A deputy general asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡± The general replied in a bad mood.


    ¡°I agree with Mother God¡¯s decision,¡± the military advisor replied. ¡°Using poison is too harmful. It will also kill many innocent people and livestock.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± the deputy general huffed.


    ¡°Alright, no matter what, without the poison, it won¡¯t work. Everyone, hurry up and think about what to do,¡± the general said.


    ¡°What can we do? In the beginning, we only had an advantage in numbers and initiative. Now, these advantages are all gone.<div>


    ¡°In addition, the local people are also against us. Unless we double the number of soldiers, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no room for victory,¡± the deputy general replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at this matter. We should ask the higher-ups for their opinion.


    ¡°If they want to fight, they¡¯d quickly send reinforcements and rations over. Otherwise, we will be forced to stop fighting.¡±


    ¡°Stop the war? How is that possible? It had already reached this stage. If we stop the war again, we will have topensate the Great Ming. The national treasury doesn¡¯t have any money.¡± The general replied with a troubled expression.


    After that, he nced at the map on the table. The passages that they could enter were all sealed, and there was no chance at all.


    In the end, he gritted his teeth and proposed, ¡°If you want to round up a gang, you must get its chief first.. What do you think of capturing King Ning?¡±

 Chapter 860: 860 Lost Weight Again

    Chapter 860: 860 Lost Weight Again<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The idea is not bad, but it¡¯s not easy to realize.¡± The military advisor replied.


    ¡°We can only cooperate from the inside out,¡± the general replied.<div>


    The others looked at him in surprise and fell silent.


    This way, the spies they had hidden in the enemy¡¯s camp would probably be unable tost. This was not a smart idea.


    ¡°I wonder if the Thousand-Faced Killer has seeded. If she has seeded, we can make use of her.¡± The deputy general sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Everyone, go down and pick a few smart and all-rounded scouts. If there¡¯s still no way out, we can only try to capture King Ning.¡±


    After the general finished speaking, he sent a memorial to the Emperor and asked for his opinion.


    At the same time, King Ning also received a letter from the Emperor. After reading it, he was overjoyed. ¡°That¡¯s great. The Emperor has already invaded the Northern Continent and taken the head of their King. He will reach the capital in a few days.¡±


    He immediately called his generals over and told them the news.


    ¡°Did the Emperor order us to attack the Western Continent?¡± Yan Zhiwu asked.


    ¡°No, but he asked us to prepare food and medicine.¡± King Ning said.


    Everyone knew that there was a chance when they heard that. They rubbed their fists and got ready.


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she turned to the Northern Continent. Sure enough, she found Gu Chengrui and his people stationed in theirrgest city besides the capital.<div>


    When she found him, he was changing the dressing of an injured person.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight again,¡± Zhou Ying said after Gu Chengrui finished his work and returned to his room.


    Gu Chengrui paused momentarily before replying, ¡°But you¡¯re living a fulfilling life. How¡¯s the family? Are you doing well?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. It¡¯s just that the Western Continent¡¯s ambitions are a little too big.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she told him about the assassination attempt of the First Prince.


    Gu Chengrui did not know what to say after hearing that.


    With the First Prince¡¯s current status, he was destined to be in constant danger. He just hadn¡¯t expected someone toe to the pce to make a move.


    He replied, ¡°Keep a close eye on him.¡±


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s getting cold over there. What is the Emperor thinking? Does he want to fight all the way to the capital?¡±


    ¡°He does have this intention. He intends to assist a puppet king to ascend the throne and take the Northern Continent as a vassal state.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good. Do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°Give me two more sets of inner clothes. It¡¯s too cold here. After washing clothes for a day or two, they won¡¯t dry at all.¡±<div>


    ¡°Do you want to take a bath? I¡¯ll keep an eye on you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please; I¡¯ll take a rest tomorrow anyway.¡± Gu Chengrui immediately replied.


    He hadn¡¯t bathed for almost two months and felt he could get half a pound of mud off his body.


    After that, he disguised himself and closed the window. He hugged his dirty clothes and said, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Zhou Ying saw this and took him in. She saw his chapped face and smiled. ¡°Hurry up and go take a bath. Put on a facial maskter.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Remember to give me my clothes tomorrow morning.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he carried the dirty clothes back to the vi.


    After a quick shower, he ate an apple and started washing his clothes with a washing machine.


    He even took the time to go to the bedroom to check on Guoguo. Looking at his daughter, who had grown up a lot, Gu Chengrui felt a little guilty.


    However, when he thought of the soldiers struggling at the border, he could only kiss Guoguo¡¯s forehead and turn around to leave.


    When his hair was dry, the clothes he washed earlier were also done drying. He immediately changed a set of inner clothes and went to the warehouse door to find Zhou Ying.


    He hugged her and kissed her. ¡°Babe, I missed you so much..¡±<div>

 Chapter 861: 861A Dream (1)

    Chapter 861: 861A Dream (1)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Come on.¡± Zhou Ying pushed his head away and said, ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± She turned around and asked.


    As soon as she said this, she was pulled into his arms. Before she coulde back to her senses, Gu Chengrui kissed her.<div>


    Zhou Ying was stunned but quickly raised her hand and wrapped it around his neck as she responded.


    As they kissed, someone took off their clothes first, and soon the two of them were entangled.


    After a while, Zhou Ying saw that he still wanted more, so she immediately stopped him. ¡°Stop fooling around. You¡¯re so busy now. It¡¯s better to conserve your strength.¡±


    ¡°Aw, fine.¡± Gu Chengrui kissed her reluctantly. ¡°Give me a durian. I haven¡¯t eaten it for a long time.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Head on back first.¡± Zhou Ying picked out a durian from the storeroom and took out a te of strawberries.


    Then, the two returned to the vi and ate some fruit.


    After Guoguo woke up from holding her pee, she saw the unfamiliar environment. She was stunned for a moment and cried. ¡°Mommy, mommy! Guoguo is scared.¡±


    Zhou Ying was shocked to hear her cries. After confirming that Guoguo had woken up, she took a fist-sized strawberry into the bedroom and sat by the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy is here. Does Guoguo like this?¡±


    When Guoguo saw it, she was immediately attracted by the red and fruity strawberry. She took a bite and quickly finished it.


    She looked around and said, ¡°Mommy, where is this? It stinks.¡±.


    ¡°In a dream. You forgot that you were asleep.¡± Zhou Ying picked her up and said.<div>


    ¡°In my dream?¡± Guoguo looked at her with a face full of question marks.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re in your dream.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took her to the toilet and carried her out.


    Guoguo was stunned when she saw Gu Chengrui. ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Sigh, my lovely daughter actually still recognizes her father.¡± Gu Chengrui quickly put the durian in his hand into his mouth and stretched out his hand.


    ¡°It stinks.¡± Guoguo turned her head.


    Gu Chengrui was instantly sheepish. He broke off a durian fruit and handed it to her. ¡°It¡¯s not Daddy who stinks. It¡¯s this fruit that stinks. However, it¡¯s very delicious. Try it.¡±


    Although Guoguo liked the look of the yellow durian, she still pushed it away when she smelled it.


    Although Zhou Ying didn¡¯t like it, she knew it was delicious. She advised, ¡°Guoguo, you can try it. If you don¡¯t like it, we won¡¯t eat it in the future.¡±


    After Guoguo heard this, she thought of the story of the pony crossing the river. In the end, she took it and tried to take a bite.


    Soon, her eyes lit up, and she started wolfing it down.


    Gu Chengrui was delighted when he saw this. He hugged her and said, ¡°As expected of my daughter, she has the same preference as me.¡±<div>


    After saying that, he sat down and hugged her as he ate.


    ¡°Just have enough,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°It¡¯ste at night. If she eats too much, she¡¯ll have a stomachache.¡±


    After saying that, she sat down and ate the strawberries.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye on her.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    After Guoguo finished a piece of durian, he didn¡¯t give it to her anymore. Instead, he took her to rinse her mouth and coaxed her to go to sleep.


    After she fell asleep, Gu Chengrui went back to the bathroom to wash up.


    ¡°Send me back. It won¡¯t be good for me to stay here for too long.¡±


    ¡°Okay, think about what you want to eat, and I¡¯ll send it to you tomorrow.¡±


    After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she walked out with him.


    ¡°Bring me some chrysanthemum tea. There¡¯s a heated brick bed over there, and it¡¯s dry.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring you a few pears, too.¡±<div>


    ¡°Sure, but not too much. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be hard to exin where they came from.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he kissed her again and said, ¡°Alright, send me away..¡±

 Chapter 862: 862 A Dream (2)

    Chapter 862: 862 A Dream (2)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying soon sent him back and then went to do her own thing.


    After she was done, Gu Chengrui¡¯s clothes were also dried. She packed them up and prepared some chrysanthemum tea and pears for him.<div>


    She brought Guoguo out of the space afterward.


    When he woke up the next morning, Guoguo nced around the room and nudged Zhou Ying. ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Zhou Ying was stunned. ¡°What Daddy? Isn¡¯t your daddy not at home?¡±


    Guoguo obviously didn¡¯t believe her. She had clearly seen her father, so she shouted for Gu Chengrui loudly. However, Gu Chengrui was nowhere to be seen, so she immediately pouted and started crying.


    Mrs. Lin ran over. When she saw Guoguo crying, she immediately coaxed her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Miss? Are you dreaming?¡±


    ¡°She probably dreamed of Chengrui. She called for him the moment she opened her eyes.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she stood up and helped Guoguo put on her clothes.


    Mrs. Lin helped her put on her boots as she said, ¡°Miss, do you miss Master? But Master is really not at home. He is fighting with the Emperor outside.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at home,¡± Guoguo said with a straight face.


    ¡°She¡¯ll give up if you take her to look for him,¡± Zhou Ying said when she saw that Mrs. Lin still wanted to persuade her.


    Mrs. Lin did not try to persuade Guoguo anymore. She dressed her up in thick clothes and carried her out.


    When it was time to eat, although Guoguo was still unhappy, she didn¡¯t make any more noise. It was obvious that she had admitted that she was dreaming.<div>


    Ten dayster, the Emperor finally led his men into the capital of the Northern Continent.


    At night, the Emperor called all the generals, including Gu Chengrui, into the room. ¡°Tell me, how can we better control the Northern Continent?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Set up an embassy, detain hostages, and have our people monitor every level of the government office.¡± The heir of King Xian said.


    ¡°Although this method is good, it is easy to cause the people of the Northern Continent to rebel. When they kill all of our people, it will not be worth it.¡± The heir of King An replied.


    ¡°In my opinion, there¡¯s no need for that.


    ¡°Open the pass and trade with each other. At that time, we can just hold the initiative in our hands.¡± Zhou Huaiming said.


    ¡°There¡¯s still a way.


    ¡°The Northern Continent mainly relied on livestock, so the annual grain production was not high.


    ¡°If they want to eat food, especially rice and wheat, they have to buy it from our country.¡± Old General Zhou echoed.


    ¡°Chengrui, what do you say?¡± The Emperor looked at Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°In fact, Brother Zhou can directly open grain stores and restaurants on the Northern Continent. This way, the people of the Northern Continent won¡¯t be too rebellious, and it will be better for us to monitor them.<div>


    ¡°We must also leave some people here to restrain the local officials.


    ¡°The other is a bank. If we can open a bank, we can better restrain them financially.¡±


    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m already so busy that my feet don¡¯t touch the ground. Why are you adding to my burden?¡± Zhou Huaiming red at him.


    ¡°You can find more stewards. Have you seen the Emperor running around every day?¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    The Emperor nodded thoughtfully and pondered, ¡°Food and money.


    ¡°Food is easy to control, but money is hard to say.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, the people of the Northern Continent, especially the herdsmen at the bottom, are still bartering. I¡¯m afraid the use of the money house is not very big.


    ¡°However, food and restaurants are still a solution.


    ¡°Especially the restaurants; they can be used as a base to gather information.¡± Old General Zhou added.


    ¡°Is there more?¡± The Emperor asked again.


    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about spying, I think inns and brothels are more suitable.¡± The heir of King An spoke up..<div>

 Chapter 863: 863 Triumphant Return

    Chapter 863: 863 Triumphant Return<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Although the Emperor agreed with his words, he really didn¡¯t want to open brothels here. He felt that it was too cruel to women.


    He spoke up, ¡°I understand everyone¡¯s suggestion. After returning to the Great Ming, we will consider it carefully.¡±<div>


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s discuss how much the Northern Continent should pay tribute each year.¡±


    ¡°Like the various prefectures of Great Ming, how about taking io%?¡± Old General Zhou suggested.


    ¡°At least 8%.¡± Zhou Huaiming nodded.


    ¡°10% isn¡¯t high, but it¡¯s not low either. If it¡¯s any higher, they¡¯ll definitely resist.¡± The heir of King An nodded in agreement.


    ¡°This 10% doesn¡¯t have to be limited to silver. For example, the fur that our Great Mingcks, unique medicinal herbs, and various mineral resources could be considered.¡± Gu Chengrui added.


    ¡°Alright, since everyone has agreed, we¡¯ll negotiate with the King of the Northern Continent tomorrow.¡±


    Over the next two days, both parties signed the subsidiary agreement with a tax of 10%. At the same time, the Emperor also agreed to exchange corn seeds, sweet potato seeds, and chili peppers for them.


    At the same time, the Emperor also obtained some unique potato seeds.


    After that, the Emperor and his entourage stayed for about ten days, waiting for the new King of the Northern Continent to stabilize his reign.


    The Emperor and his entourage quickly returned to Great Ming after that.


    At the same time, the trade between the two sides was wholly opened. A local deputy general was left to guard the city, while the Emperor quickly returned to the capital with Old General Zhou, Zhou Huaiyu, and the others.<div>


    At the same time, a pigeon sent a letter to the Southwest, saying they could start a war now.


    After a while, the heirs of King An and King Xian led 50,000 troops, as well as the rations, herbs, and military doctors that Gu Chengrui had trained, to the southwest.


    At the same time, the Great General of the Western Continent received a reply from their King, requesting that they continue fighting.


    As for their n to capture King Ning, they had almost seeded.


    Fortunately, the poisoning of Old General Zhou had aroused the high vignce of King Ning and the others, so they discovered and caught the spies lurking in their military camp in time.


    After King Ning learned of their n, he was filled with anger.


    Therefore, they stocked up on grain, medicinal herbs, or people. The two sides instantly started fighting when the Western Continent¡¯s army appeared.


    When the son of King An and the others arrived, King Ning and the others had already opened the gates to the border of the Western Continent.


    After the two sides met up, everyone attacked the capital of the Western Continent.


    At the end of the year, on the twenty-eighth day, they captured the King of the Western Continent alive.


    With the Emperor¡¯s decree, the heirs of King Xian and King An quickly supported a prince who was not on good terms with the King of the Western Continent to ascend the throne.<div>


    The group returned to the border, with King Ning and the others returning to the capital with the same agreement as the Northern Continent.


    On the other end, when the Emperor and the others returned to the capital, it was already close to the twelfth lunar month.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying began to prepare her New Year¡¯s gift for everyone.


    On one day, Zhou Ying went to deliver the New Year¡¯s gift to King An¡¯s Imperial Residence. She had just returned and sat down when Niu Fugui came to report. ¡°Mistress, the Emperor and the others have already arrived at the Ten Mile Pavilion. They are about to enter the capital.¡±


    ¡°So fast? Quickly, get someone to prepare a brazier to wee Chengrui.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and urged.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the arrangements now.¡± Niu Fugui nodded.


    After he left, Zhou Ying got someone to prepare a bath and even took out a set of new clothes for Gu Chengrui.


    At the same time, the soldiers cleared the streets, and everyone received the news. Therefore, the streets on both sides were quickly filled with excited people.


    Following that, the officials quickly arrived at the city gate under the lead of King Xian.


    As soon as the Emperor and the others approached, the soldiers at the city gates immediately knelt and shouted, ¡°Long live our Emperor! Long live! Long live!¡±


    Immediately after, the officials knelt and said, ¡°Wee back, Your Majesty Long live our Emperor! Long live! Long live!¡±<div>

 Chapter 864 - 864 Understanding

    Chapter 864: Understanding


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The citizens on both sides kneeled down and shouted, ¡°Wee back, Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long live!¡±


    The Emperor was quite excited when he heard the cheers.


    The cheers were way louder and clearer when he ascended the throne.


    It seemed that people¡¯s hearts were now clear and pure.


    Even if you ascend the throne and be the Emperor, if you don¡¯t do anything, people won¡¯t really recognize you.


    He dismounted and said, ¡°Everyone, please rise. I am here to thank you, dear ministers, and the people for your support in the rear.


    ¡°Let us build together a more prosperous and respectable Great Ming.¡±


    ¡°My Emperor is wise.¡± King Xian bowed.


    Everyone shouted, ¡°Long live our Emperor! Long live your majesty!


    ¡°Long live! Long live¡­¡±


    The shouts got louder and louder, lingering in the sky above the capital for a long time. Not to mention the people in the capital; even those in the suburbs heard it clearly.


    The Emperor felt that he had grown a lot taller suddenly. At the same time, he also felt that the burden on his body had gotten heavier.


    He led the civil and military officials to the Imperial Pce amidst the crowd¡¯s cheers.


    When they arrived at the pce gate, they were weed by the royal family, including the Grand Empress Dowager, Gu Wanning, and the two children.


    After a round of greetings, the Emperor stepped forward and picked up the First Prince and the Eldest Princess. He kissed each of them and carried them inside.


    However, they did not walk far before he returned them to the nanny. He said to the Grand Empress Dowager and Gu Wanning, ¡°Imperial Grandmother, Wanning, take the children back first.


    ¡°After settling the matters in court, let¡¯s have dinner together tonight.¡±


    ¡°I know you have important matters to attend to. Alright, we¡¯ll go back first,¡± the Grand Empress Dowager said.


    After that, she brought the three of them back to the harem.


    After the Emperor gathered all the officials, he only officially announced the signing of the surrender treaty agreement from the Northern Continent.


    After asking about the matters in the court and confirming that there were no major matters, they dispersed.


    Everyone immediately surrounded the Zhou family¡¯s father and son, as well as Gu Chengrui, and asked them about the details of the situation.


    However, they were quite tired, so everyone only asked a few rough questions and let them go back.


    ¡°The eldest son of the Zhou family is not young anymore. He must be thirty years old,¡± said King Xian after they had walked far away.


    ¡°Almost thirty. If nothing had happened to the Zhou family back then, his child would have been over ten years old.¡± King An added.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Zhou family is going to be lively soon,¡± King Xianmented.


    King An was stunned for a moment before he understood what he meant.


    Zhou Huaiyu wasn¡¯t too old. Now that he had no wife and children and had made an outstanding contribution, matchmakers would probably try their best to squeeze through the Zhou family¡¯s household.


    It seemed that he had to inform his daughter that she shouldn¡¯t get involved in this matter.


    Many of the officials heard their discussion and began to ponder silently.


    Especially those who didn¡¯t want to send their daughters to the pce as consorts; many of them had their eyes on Zhou Huaiyu.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui had just walked to the door when Niu Fugui led the crowd and shouted, ¡°Wee home, Master!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on everyone at home this year. I¡¯ll treat everyone to a drink tonight. It¡¯s such a cold day. You don¡¯t have to stand here to wee us.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at Zhou Ying and their daughter after he finished speaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We only came out after you left the pce.¡± Zhou Ying pointed at the brazier. ¡°You¡¯ve been away for almost a year. Step over the brazier ande on in.¡±


    Gu Chengrui was stunned momentarily, but he still stepped over the brazier.


    ¡°Daddy, daddy, hug!¡± As soon as he entered, Guoguo immediately stretched out her arm to him impatiently..

 Chapter 865 - 865 Dinner Party

    Chapter 865: Dinner Party


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°My Guoguo has grown taller again. Let Daddy see if she has gained weight too.¡± Gu Chengrui picked her up and teased her.


    ¡°Not fat.¡± Guoguo pinched his face.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s not fat, just heavy.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    After returning home, Gu Chengrui drank a cup of tea and ate two pastries. He took his new clothes and went to take a bath.


    Zhou Ying remembered Gu Chengrui¡¯s cravings and asked Qiuxiang to hurry to the market and buy a pig and two sheep.


    After some preparation, Zhou Ying decided to roast it, as it was convenient for everyone to sit together and talk.


    Of course, most of the remaining pork was marinated and prepared into cold dishes.


    She also readied some peanuts, celery, carrots, lotus roots, yuba, fungus, treme, yellow flowers, and so on. She mixed them with arge number of cold dishes.


    When Gu Chengrui came out with Guoguo again, everyone was already busy preparing dinner.


    Zhou Ying turned her head and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s see. Is there anything else you want to eat? If there is, tell me quickly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough, but do we have fish at home? I haven¡¯t eaten fish in a long time.¡±


    ¡°There seems to be a small yellow croaker. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± Zhou Ying turned around and walked toward the storeroom. On the way, she called two servants to help.


    Sure enough, there were quite a few in the storeroom. Zhou Ying had asked them to carry out a hundred pounds of the small yellow croakers she had caught from her interspace.


    She looked around and found a few big basses. It was just nice for everyone to share.


    As for the wine, it was ordinary white wine. She had previously used rice, wheat, glutinous rice, and corn to brew it with her interspace¡¯s winemaking machine.


    Although it was not as good as the wine from her previous life, it was still quite good to drink.


    In the evening, Gu Chengrui and everyone had a hearty meal.


    Needless to say, people of this era were quite gluttonous. Everyone was still not filled after two sheep, one pig, and arge number of cold dishes and small yellow croakers, especially those hundred guards.


    In the end, she could only roast more steamed buns.


    When everyone was done, Guoguo had already fallen asleep with Mrs. Lin.


    After Zhou Ying helped Gu Chengrui, who was drunk and groggy, to the bed, she washed up briefly and brought him into her interspace. After settling him down, she started to get busy.


    She was busy until dawn and brought Gu Chengrui out of her interspace.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying was still in a daze when someone pinched her nose and woke her up.


    She opened her eyes and saw Guoguo. She was stunned for a moment. ¡°Guoguo, what are you doing? Mommy is still sleepy. Go y by yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I want to eat.¡± Guoguo pleaded as she pushed Zhou Ying back and forth.


    ¡°Go find Nanny.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to eat Mother¡¯s egg pancakes. Others don¡¯t taste good.¡±


    Zhou Ying sighed after hearing that. Why did she suddenly regret giving birth to this little thing?


    However, when she looked into Guoguo¡¯s big eyes, which were filled with anticipation, she could only get up reluctantly.


    After washing up, she brought her to the kitchen and made egg pancakes.


    She made a few more and gave her one first. ¡°Alright, go eat. Remember to have a bowl of millet porridge.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Guoguo ate her favorite pancakes and immediately followed Mrs. Lin obediently.


    Zhou Ying resigned herself to her fate and made the rest of the breakfast.


    Gu Chengrui had just woken up when she reentered her room. He saw her panda eyes and asked, ¡°What happened? Why didn¡¯t you sleep more?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of your good daughter. She wanted to eat pancakes so early in the morning and woke me up.


    ¡°Hurry up and wash your hands. It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± After Zhou Ying said that, she scooped out the millet porridge for the two of them and ced it on the table..

 Chapter 866 - 866 Giving the New Year Gifts

    Chapter 866: Giving the New Year Gifts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± Gu Chengrui said after he sat down.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.


    ¡°By the way, after youe back this time, you don¡¯t have to run around anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°No, but the Emperor wants me to train some more surgeons. But when the timees, I can just summon them to the capital for training.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Guoguo is growing every day. If you continue running around, you¡¯ll miss her growth.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, she has changed a lot this year. Not only has she grown taller, but her words have also be more eloquent.¡±


    ¡°She can run fast now. Carrying her is even more tiring than the next day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her backter.¡±


    The two of them chatted while eating. Soon, the meal was over.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°During the morning court session today, the Emperor rewarded me ording to my merits. He rewarded me with 10,000 taels of silver and a hot spring manor.


    ¡°You also got a set of gold, jade jewelry, and ten bolts of cloth.¡±


    ¡°Mine?¡± Zhou Ying asked in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s a meritorious deed to catch spies. He even gave less than expected.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. To be honest, I¡¯ve been envious of other people¡¯s hot springs for a long time. Now that we have one too, I¡¯ll bring Guoguo to the hot springster.¡±


    ¡°No problem; I will definitely bring you two there before the new year.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    After that, the two chatted for a while. Once they received the reward, Gu Chengrui changed into his regr clothes and went to his hospital.


    Zhou Ying wanted to take a nap, but she couldn¡¯t. Thus, she brought Guoguo to deliver the New Year¡¯s gift to the Zhou family.


    However, she prepared two more jars of 20 pounds of home-brewed white wine before she left.


    As soon as she arrived at the entrance of the Zhou family¡¯s residence, she saw many peopleing and going¡ªprimarily matchmakers.


    Zhou Ying waited outside for a while until there were fewer people before she entered the residence with her gifts.


    She told Niu Lirong to talk it over with the Zhou residence¡¯s steward while she brought Guoguo to the central courtyard.


    ¡°Could those people be here to matchmake Brother Huaiyu?¡± She asked the tired Mingyu when they met up.


    ¡°Exactly. They are here to matchmake my brother. There are even some who are matchmaking for my father-inw. I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Brother Huaiyu is quite popr. Is there anyone suitable?¡±


    Mingyu shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just need to collect the list of women, and the rest is up to my father-inw and brother.¡±


    Zhou Ying saw that Guoguo couldn¡¯t sit still and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. Oh right, where¡¯s Zhuangzhuang?¡±


    ¡°His father carried him to the front courtyard, as his father is looking forward to meeting him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal. That¡¯s his eldest grandson.


    ¡°But now that they¡¯re back, you can rx a little.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. By the way, are you here to give me a gift?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The sooner I send it, the sooner I¡¯ll be at ease.¡±


    ¡°Nice. Give me another 100 pounds of wer.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no more.¡±


    ¡°No more?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s no more. Everyone ordered morest year, even after we¡¯d more or less increased the quantity. There¡¯s no more left.¡±


    ¡°Each and every one of them is more scheming than the others.¡±


    ¡°If you need it for something, I can give you my share.¡±


    ¡°No need for that. It¡¯s just thatst night, my father-inw and eldest brother had the wine, and I saw that they liked it, so I wanted to add more to my order.


    ¡°If there¡¯s no more, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll give you 20 pounds moreter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Just as Mingyu thanked Zhou Ying, a servant girl came to report to her. ¡°Madam, another matchmaker hase to visit.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, this is endless. Just tell them that I have guests and that they cane another day.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. You shouldn¡¯t offend a matchmaker; go out and meet her. I have nothing to do here, so I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Zhou Ying stood up and prepared to leave..

 Chapter 867 - 867 Hot Springs Manor (1)

    Chapter 867: Hot Springs Manor (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Mingyu heard her say this, she did not try to persuade her to stay because she knew how talkative a matchmaker could be. If anything bad were to spread, it would be quite detrimental to her eldest uncle¡¯s marriage.


    She got up and sent her out. ¡°Why don¡¯t Ie to your house for a gathering soon?¡±


    ¡°No problem. Take care.¡± Zhou Ying nodded. However, she felt Mingyu would not have the chance before the new year. The Zhou family was a newly promoted noble family, and it happened to be the end of the year. There would definitely be many people who woulde to curry favor with them, so they would have very few opportunities to go out.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s guess was right. She had been busy for half a month and sent all the gifts to the various prefectures. However, Mingyu and her family did note to visit, so she asked Kuihua to bring them the 20 pounds of wine she had promised.


    At night, after dinner, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Babe, have you delivered all the gifts?¡±


    ¡°So far, what should be given has been given. I¡¯m not sure if anyone wille to give gifts after that. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m almost done with my work at the hospital. If you finish your work, we can go to the hot spring manor and stay for a few days. We can also officially register it under our name.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We¡¯lle back home after ying there for a few days. It¡¯s just in time for the year-end ounting.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll arrange itter. We¡¯ll leave early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright, by the way, don¡¯t bring Lin Yitian when we leave this time. Let him apany Shizhu.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he arranged for the carriages and manpower.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying prepared the clothes and toiletries for the family of three. She also asked Kuihua to prepare two nkets.


    She also requested that Mrs. Lin pack up Guoguo¡¯s things.


    The next morning, the family of three brought Niu Lirong, Mrs. Lin, Lin Yifan, and ten other guards to the hot spring manor.


    When it was almost noon, the group finally arrived at the manor.


    After entering, Gu Chengrui called the head of the manor over and asked, ¡°Head Hu, right? Do the people in the manor already know about the change of ownership?¡±


    ¡°Master, we received the notice from the government half a month ago.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, go and inform them they can leave immediately after signing up for the next two days if they want to leave.


    ¡°If they stay, they have to be absolutely loyal to the Gu family. Otherwise, once I find out, they won¡¯t be forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, all the people with status in the manor have been sold.


    ¡°Those who are left behind, other than the original fringe personnel, are sent by the government to guard the manor like me.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s still better to ask.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Head Hu nodded.


    ¡°Good, our family of three will be staying here for five to six days. Arrange for food and amodation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bring you guys to settle down first.¡± Head Hu answered and led them into the central courtyard¡ªarge three-entry residence¡ªand said, ¡°This house may look like it only has three entrances, but it¡¯s not small.¡±


    ¡°The second and third entrances have three small courtyards side by side. Each courtyard contains three main rooms and three independent rooms.


    ¡°The west courtyard in the backyard also has a stable and a fodder room.


    ¡°There are also eight rooms and a reception room in the middle.¡±


    ¡°How many people are there in the manor?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Except for a small family of six, there are ten manservants.


    ¡°When they have nothing to do, they would do some farm work, such as nting vegetables, caring for the fruit trees on the mountain, and raising the fish in the pond.


    ¡°By the way, the water in the pond is running water, so the fish in it is delicious.


    ¡°In addition, there are also five old maids who usually clean the house. If the fields are busy, they will also go to the fields to help..¡±

 Chapter 868 - 868 Hot Springs Manor (2)

    Chapter 868: Hot Springs Manor (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°In other words, there are a total of 21 people. What is your family responsible for?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°My wife and daughter-inw are in charge of the kitchen.


    ¡°My daughter is 16 this year and usually takes care of my granddaughter, who is less than three years old, at home.


    ¡°If you need it, she can help Master and Mistress run errands and be a servant girl.


    ¡°As for my son, he¡¯s a good farmer, so he¡¯s the one who does all the work in the fields.¡±


    ¡°How big is this manor?¡±


    ¡°Less than 30 acres, except for this house and the two acres of emptynd behind it where vegetables are nted.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a pond of about ten acres. There are fish and lotus roots in it, with the rest being a mountainous area with peach trees nted all over.


    ¡°The peaches in our vige are big and sweet¡ªa rare treat of this ce.


    ¡°Some chickens, ducks, and geese also live in the forest.


    ¡°When springes, the pond will thaw, and the ducks and geese will enter the water. It will be much livelier then.¡±


    Head Hu led them into the second entrance as he introduced the ce. ¡°The second entrance was newly renovated when we came here. Of course, it was just reinforced and repainted.


    ¡°If you have any special requests, you can tell us. We can clean up and refurbish the ce thising spring.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look first.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded, pushed the door open, and walked in.


    Although there was a brazier in the room, it was still cold. It was so cold that his face was nearly frozen.


    The structure of the ce was simple. There was one big room and two small rooms¡ªnot even a storeroom.


    ¡°By the way, where is the hot spring?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°At the back of here and beside the vegetable field with two separate courtyards. The interior is made of stone and is very clean.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you go ahead with your work. We can settle the rest ourselves.¡±


    ¡°What would you like to eat for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Stewed goose. I haven¡¯t eaten goose meat in a long time, and you can decide the rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then I will take my leave.¡± After Head Hu bowed, he turned around and walked out.


    After he left, Gu Chengrui checked the inside and outside of the house. After confirming there were no problems, he asked Niu Lirong and Mrs. Lin to help clean up the house.


    ¡°I¡¯m cold.¡± Guoguo shrunk her neck and said.


    ¡°There are no heaters here, so it¡¯s a little cold. You have to wear more clothes.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she asked Mrs. Lin to take out Guoguo¡¯s sheepskin cloak and put it on her.


    She also asked Niu Lirong to get one more brazier and more charcoal and ce them in each room. ¡°For the next few days, you can sleep in the west courtyard. I¡¯m afraid the wing rooms here are too cold.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Niu Lirong and Mrs. Lin responded, turned around, and tidied their rooms.


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll have to prepare floor heating next year. Or else, I¡¯ll have to build a brick bed, or it¡¯ll be too cold in the middle of winter.¡± Gu Chengruimented.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s make do for now.¡± Zhou Ying echoed.


    ¡°You keep an eye on Guoguo. I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything else I need to clean up.¡±


    After saying that, she walked into the other rooms. As expected, they were even colder. If they relied on the brazier alone, she knew it would not be able to warm everyone up in such a short time.


    She took out a set of batteries and a set of electric heaters from her interspace and ced them in a corner.


    When they were almost done cleaning, the food was ready.


    There was a te of stewed goose, a braised carp that weighed about two pounds, a te of fried eggs with mushrooms, a te of fried garlic with bacon, a te of fried cole with minced garlic, and finally, a te of fried peanuts with cold spinach.


    There was also mushroom soup and some small flower rolls.


    ¡°Master, Mistress, is there anything else you need?¡± Mrs. Hu asked after serving all the dishes..

 Chapter 869 - 869 Hot Springs Manor (3)

    Chapter 869: Hot Springs Manor (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Did you cook all these dishes?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    Because these dishes looked neat and smelled good, it was likely that the taste was great, too.


    ¡°I cooked the dishes, and my daughter-inw made the flower rolls.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and said, ¡°They look lovely. You may leave. Make sure the food for the guards is decent, too. At the very least, make sure that there¡¯s a meat and a vegetable dish each.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Mrs. Hu responded and turned to walk out.


    After she left, Zhou Ying called Niu Lirong and Mrs. Lin over. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of food here. Let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    The two of them nced at Gu Chengrui after hearing that. Seeing that he did not object, they sat down.


    However, the two of them did not eat much at first. Instead, they only took care of the family of three. Only when they were almost done eating did they officially start eating.


    Zhou Ying put down her chopsticks and nodded with satisfaction. Although the dishes were not as delicious as those of the restaurant because of the seasoning, they were still great.


    At the very least, they tasted better than those cooked by Xiaxiang and Dongxiang.


    ¡°Why, are you interested in her cooking skills?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s better that we don¡¯t separate their family.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    Gu Chengrui knew after listening that although Mrs. Hu¡¯s cooking was not bad, it was not to the extent that she was worth the effort to transfer her.


    He looked at Niu Lirong and said, ¡°Ask for more charcoal from Mrs. Huter for our braziers.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Niu Lirong nodded. She and Mrs. Lin cleared the table and sent the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui brought Guoguo out of the courtyard.


    Coincidentally, Gu Chengrui heard the sound of a henying eggs. He looked at Guoguo and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s go see the goose, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Goose, what is it?¡± Guoguo turned her head and asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it. Gooses are amazing. Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± Gu Chengrui looked at Zhou Ying after he finished speaking.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Ying responded and wrapped Guoguo tightly to avoid her getting a cold.


    Soon, the family of three walked up the mountain.


    As soon as they entered the mountain forest, they saw chickens, ducks, and geese leisurely looking for food.


    When the goose saw theming, it immediately pped its wings and pounced toward them.


    After Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying kicked one away, Zhou Ying saw a bamboo pole at the side, so she picked it up and chased the goose away.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui pointed at the big goose and said to Guoguo, ¡°Did you see that? That white one is the big goose. It¡¯s fierce. It wanted to bite us just now.


    ¡°The gray ones with t beaks were ducks. They were the ones who made your favorite roast duck.


    ¡°As for the bright one¡­¡±


    ¡°Chicken, big rooster!¡± Guoguo answered.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a rooster. Tell me, what¡¯s the difference between a rooster and a hen?¡±


    ¡°The rooster is beautiful and big. It has a red hat on its head.¡±


    ¡°Smart girl. Take a good look at the simrities and differences between geese and ducks.¡±


    ¡°The goose is big and white. The duck is ugly and has a t mouth.¡±


    ¡°Awesome, you remembered it so quickly.


    ¡°Take a good look again and see what the simrities are.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    Guoguo looked at them seriously for a long time before saying, ¡°Their legs are different from the rooster¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Right, their ws are webbed.


    ¡°It¡¯s because they can swim.¡±


    ¡°What is swimming?¡±


    ¡°Swimming is moving in the water so that you don¡¯t sink.¡±


    ¡°How do I not sink?¡±


    ¡°Daddy will teach you tomorrow, okay?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t chickens swim¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is the duck the ugliest? Roast duck is obviously the most delicious.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t geese get angry at chickens and ducks?¡±

 Chapter 870 - 870 Hot Springs Manor (4)

    Chapter 870: Hot Springs Manor (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As the questions continued, Gu Chengrui was finally stumped.


    Zhou Ying was amused, but she had no intention of helping him answer them.


    At this age, Guoguo was curious about everything. She would ask whatever she found and bombard everyone with questions.


    It seemed like she would have to find ¡°The Hundred Thousand Whys¡± book and read it properly for her.


    ¡°Woof woof.¡± The sound of a dog barking was heard. ¡°Er Zhuang!¡± Guoguo ran over and shouted.


    Gu Chengrui was shocked when he saw the dog pouncing at Guoguo. He lifted her up and kicked the dog to the side.


    The dog squeaked twice. After getting up, it continued to bark at them but did not go forward.


    Gu Chengrui looked at Guoguo and said, ¡°Look carefully. This isn¡¯t Er Zhuang.


    Er Zhuang is in another manor.¡±


    Guoguo looked at the dog carefully for a while. She finally realized the dog was much taller and stronger than Er Zhuang. However, it was not as good-looking as Er Zhuang.


    She huffed, ¡°Ugly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not as good-looking as Er Zhuang.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m Hu Ming. Greetings, Master, Mistress, and Miss.¡± At this moment, a burly man in his twenties jogged over and stopped when he saw them.


    ¡°You are the son of Head Hu, right?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here to pick some eggs and feed the chickens some water and food.¡± Hu Ming said.


    ¡°How many chickens, ducks, and geese are fed here?¡±


    ¡°500 chickens and ducks, and 200 geese.


    ¡°However, there are not many eggs beingid at this time. We can¡¯t even collect a total of 50 eggs a day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s normal, but I think it should be enough.¡± Gu Chengrui then asked him about the situation at the manor.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying saw no danger after they chatted, so she walked up the mountain.


    She looked at the peach trees and saw they had been neatly trimmed. There was even ayer of straw wrapped around the trees. Obviously, they were well-versed in the field, so she nodded in satisfaction.


    When she reached the top of the manor, she encountered a wall.


    Spreading out her divine sense, Zhou Ying saw that the mountain stretched further up, and it was endless and deep.


    At this time, young masters were hunting inside, so there was not much prey left inside the forest, and it was very safe.


    After a while, Gu Chengrui walked over with Guoguo in his arms. ¡°This manor is really a good ce to escape the heat in summer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we have to prepare mosquito-repellent incense.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Outside.¡± Guoguo pointed at the wall and wanted to walk out.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside,¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile. ¡°And there are wolves that will eat children.¡±


    Guoguo was so frightened that she immediately retracted her hand.


    Gu Chengrui looked at Zhou Ying¡¯s teasing expression and knew she was lying. He did not expose her and just said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Daddy will bring you to catch fish.¡±


    ¡°Fish!¡± Guoguo¡¯s eyes immediately lit up.


    ¡°Yes, catch fish.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled and carried her down the mountain.


    Zhou Ying chased after them.


    When they reached the bottom, they found a small boat not far away with all kinds of fishings.


    Zhou Ying brought some fishings with her and walked to the father and daughter¡¯s side, passing the fishing to Gu Chengrui. ¡°This is for you. I¡¯ll look after Guoguo.¡±


    After Gu Chengrui took it, he looked at Guoguo and decided not to let her participate. If she identally fell in, his heart would ache for her.


    He found a fewrge stones on the side and threw them at the gap in the frozen pond that had been smashed.


    After smashing it ten times, the hole was finally opened.


    A momentter, many fish spewed up like a fountain, causing Guoguo to squeak excitedly..

 Chapter 871 - 871 Hot Springs Manor (5)

    Chapter 871: Hot Springs Manor (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Guoguo struggled to get down, but Zhou Ying quickly hugged her tightly and said, ¡°Just watch. It¡¯s cold down there, so you can¡¯t go down.¡±


    Guoguo shook her little body unhappily and pped her hands again as she watched Gu Chengrui catch the fish.


    In the end, Gu Chengrui only got tworge grass carp and a few small fish that had frozen to death.


    ¡°Guoguo, how do you want to eat fish today?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Fish.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how do you n to eat it?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    Guoguo was in a dilemma and turned her head to look at Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Except for the fish you picked out for her today,¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile. ¡°I usually make fishballs for her. I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t know how else to eat them.¡±


    ¡°I see. So let¡¯s eat fishballs tonight, with some winter melon slices and vermicelli.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    ¡°Ball.¡± Guoguo immediately pped her hands with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, ball. Let¡¯s go back and make fishballs.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he picked up the fish and returned with them.


    When they returned, the two brought Guoguo to make fishballs.


    When they were almost done, Zhou Ying boiled the remaining fish heads, bones, tails, and other scraps into a fish soup. She nned to make a big pot for everyone.


    Mrs. Hu, who smelled the soup, ran over and saw them busy in the kitchen. She hurriedly said, ¡°Master, Mistress, why are you doing it yourself? Just let me do it.¡±


    ¡°No need. I have nothing to do anyway. It¡¯s good to take care of the children and do some work.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    She added, ¡°I¡¯ve made the fishballs and soup. Later at night, you can stir-fry two more vegetable dishes and make some pancakes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I will knead the dough now.¡± Mrs. Hu replied and got busy.


    Mrs. Hu left the kitchen, went out, and called Mrs. Sun over. The two of them soon got busy cooking pancakes.


    On the other end, after Gu Chengrui prepared the fishballs, he brought Guoguo back to the house.


    After dinner, Head Hu came in with two ount books in the evening. ¡°Master, these are the ount books of the manor. Please take a look. I also have a question from the people you asked to stay or leave.


    ¡°If they leave, do they need to pay for their freedom?¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who wants to leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a manservant. He wants to go home.¡±


    ¡°No need. Just give him his contract and let him go to the government office to change his household registration.¡±


    ¡°Master is benevolent. I will tell him now.¡±


    ¡°Go and tell everyone that this is their only chance.


    ¡°Those who choose to stay must pledge their loyalty to the Gu residence.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Head Hu responded and turned to leave.


    After he left, Gu Chengrui nced at the ount books and realized that the main profit of the manor was peaches.


    Fish, chickens, ducks, and geese were also raised on the mountain, but their profits were low.


    It seemed that this was a manor built specifically for vacations.


    Then, he let Zhou Ying take a look.


    The two of them drank a pot of tea and washed up briefly before bringing Guoguo back to her room.


    The temperature in the room had already risen, so Guoguo also became energetic.


    The two of them yed with her for a while. After she fell asleep, Gu Chengrui locked the door and windows, and the two of them brought Guoguo into the interspace.


    As soon as she entered the space, Zhou Ying received arge amount of incense and countless prayers.


    After putting Guoguo into the vi, she immediately walked to the storeroom to check.


    She did not expect the prayers to be from the people of the Western Continent, including their new king.


    It was almost the new year, but their current rations could only keep people from starving to death, so they were praying for food. Oh, right, there were also prayers for rain. Most of the areas on the Western Continent had not had rain for half a year..

 Chapter 872 - 872 Hot Springs Manor (6)

    Chapter 872: Hot Springs Manor (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    She had food but was in a difficult position as she had never made rain before. At the thought of this, a piece of Mother God¡¯s memory was suddenly unsealed. It turned out that she could control not only the rain but also the wind, water, and all natural phenomena in the world.


    However, it depended on the range of her spiritual sense and the current conditions.


    For example, if there were no clouds, she could only control the water within the range of her divine sense.


    Moreover, the consumption of her divine sense was massive while doing this. Once overused, it would backfire. In severe cases, she could be crippled.


    This was also why Mother God chose to reincarnate after predicting the previous catastrophe. To put it bluntly, it was because she was envious of the various modern technologies and also because shecked the strength.


    Thinking of the principle of rain, she immediately tried to look at the sky above the Western Continent.


    There were quite a lot of clouds, but the wind was also strong, so the rain came and went quickly. Not much rain fell on the Western Continent.


    She tried to block a light and thick cloud and controlled it to start raining.


    She did not expect to feel dizzy after holding on for less than 25 minutes. She immediately stopped, retreated, and said with lingering fear, ¡°It seems that the power of nature is really irresistible.¡±


    She tried to give the Western Continent some food but knew it was insufficient.


    She could only give up and check the situation in other ces.


    After seeing that everything was still stable, she immediately retreated, took a quick shower, changed into her pajamas, and went to sleep.


    When she woke up again, she was woken up by Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked when she met his worried gaze.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why don¡¯t you look right?


    ¡°Also, it should be dawn outside now. We have to go out immediately.¡±


    ¡°In my dream,¡± Guoguo said.


    Zhou Ying turned her head and saw Guoguo staring at her. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all in a dream now.¡±


    Gu Chengrui paused momentarily, but he quickly understood what she meant and did not refute her.


    After all, Guoguo was too young. If she revealed their secret, the couple would be in danger.


    ¡°Guoguo, wake up quickly. It¡¯s dawn.¡±


    Zhou Ying saw this and got out of bed. She gave Guoguo a nket and carried her out of her interspace with Gu Chengrui.


    As expected, it was already bright outside, and they could smell the chives of the meat buns.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, Guoguo is awake. I smell buns.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guoguo is awake. Do you want to get up?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Yes, Guoguo wants to get up and eat buns.¡± Guoguo nodded.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get up and eat the steamed buns with chives and eggs.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she quickly helped her put on her clothes.


    After helping her put on her clothes, the husband and wife quickly got ready, too.


    Gu Chengrui opened the door and took the extinguished brazier outside to refuel.


    Guoguo also ran out.


    Zhou Ying immediately tidied up the bed and kept the heater and the battery in her interspace.


    When Gu Chengrui returned, the couple washed up.


    After he was done, Gu Chengrui asked softly, ¡°Babe, are you alright? You don¡¯t look too good.¡±


    Zhou Ying told him about her attempt to control the rainst night.


    Gu Chengrui hugged her tightly after hearing that. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around in the future. That¡¯s something that even Mother God is afraid of.¡±


    ¡°I know. I also understand what¡¯s going on. I won¡¯t mess around anymore.¡± Zhou Ying nodded obediently.


    She didn¡¯t say that after waking up from a nap, her head was still groggy..

 Chapter 873 - 873 Hot Springs Village (7)

    Chapter 873: Hot Springs Vige (7)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the family of three finished their breakfast, the husband and wife brought Guoguo to the vegetable field behind the house.


    The vegetable field was a circle of vegetables nted around the hot spring pool, and a simple shed was built with oilcloth.


    Because of the hot spring, the vegetables were quite fat and juicy.


    Mrs. Sun, who was picking vegetables in the vegetable field, said, ¡°Greetings. Mistress, please take a look. Is there anything you want to eat at noon? I can just pick it back.¡±


    Zhou Ying stepped forward to take a look. The shed was not big, but it was quite well-nted.


    She plucked tworge eggnts and tworge, ripe tomatoes. ¡°One steamed eggnt with garlic and one scrambled egg with tomatoes. You can arrange the rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mrs. Sun responded, put the vegetables she picked into the basket, and then got busy.


    Finally, Zhou Ying picked another cucumber and washed it in the bucket at the side. She divided it into three sections, and the family of three ate one section each.


    Then, the family of three visited the hot spring, and Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui used disinfectant to clean the two pools.


    In the afternoon, after eating, they rested for a while.


    The family of three happily went to the hot spring.


    Zhou Ying even took out a small swimming float and put it on Guoguo.


    Guoguo was so happy that she even sshed water on the couple from time to time.


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he grabbed her and began to teach her how to swim.


    After a while, Guoguo was like a small fish, swimmingps in the water.


    About fifteen minutester, Gu Chengrui pulled her out of the water, carried her to the shore, and quickly wrapped a towel around her.


    ¡°Water, y.¡± Guoguo immediately groaned.


    ¡°No, just soak for a while. Look, your skin has turned wrinkly.¡± Gu Chengrui pointed at her skin


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have pulled her out.


    Guoguo pursed her lips and was about to cry.


    Gu Chengrui immediately started drying her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Otherwise, I won¡¯t bring you to y next time.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡±


    Guoguo looked at Zhou Ying sadly.


    ¡°Guoguo, be good,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°Let¡¯s y again next time. If you¡¯re sick, you¡¯ll have to take bitter medicine.¡±


    She said to Gu Chengrui, ¡°Don¡¯t wipe her down yet. Wash her hair with clean water before wiping it.¡±


    After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took out the bathtub she had prepared for Guoguo in her space. She mixed it with warm water and bathed her.


    Only then did she dry herself and put on her clothes.


    After she was done dressing her, Zhou Ying immediately put on her cotton pajamas and sent Guoguo out to Mrs. Lin.


    After they returned, Gu Chengrui ced some medicinal herbs in the hot spring pool that could promote blood cirction and remove blood stasis. The two of them soaked in it for a while.


    Theyter went to the interspace to shower before returning to the front yard.


    When Guoguo saw them enter, she immediately harrumphed and turned to run into Mrs. Lin¡¯s room.


    ¡°Miss said that she¡¯s angry that you y without her,¡± Mrs. Lin said.


    ¡°Got it. You go and watch her. We¡¯ll make her something delicious.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    After that, she went to the kitchen with Gu Chengrui and made a serving of shredded apples and a serving of Guoguo¡¯s favorite coconut sago.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t feed her directly after she brought it into the house.


    Instead, she sat at the dining table and scooped a small bowl for Gu Chengrui and herself. ¡°Chengrui, try it. Is the coconut sago I made delicious? There are also some cassava bobas in it. It¡¯s very chewy and delicious.¡±


    ¡°It looks delicious. Remember to save another bowl for me.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled..

 Chapter 874 - 874 New Year Gifts

    Chapter 874: New Year Gifts


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Guoguo, who was still angry in the room and waiting for them to coax her, heard Gu Chengrui¡¯s words and smelled the unique sweet taste of coconut.


    She could no longer be bothered to be angry. She immediately got off the bed and jogged out.


    Mrs. Lin shook her head when she saw this and continued to embroider a handkerchief.


    After Guoguo came out, she saw the apple on the table and gulped. She looked at Gu Chengrui, who was eating the coconut sago with big mouthfuls, and went up to shake his leg. ¡°Daddy, Guoguo wants to eat too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless to beg me. You have to find your mother. The bowl and spoon are with her.¡± Gu Chengrui raised her head and said.


    ¡°Mommy.¡± Guoguo immediately ran over and pleaded.


    ¡°Bring a chair over yourself. Mommy will get some for you.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she stood up and scooped a bowl for her.


    Guoguo immediately turned around and moved the small rattan chair that belonged to her. She climbed up and looked at Zhou Ying with her hands on the table.


    Zhou Ying hugged her and sat down. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Eat slowly. There¡¯s still apples.¡±


    After saying that, she handed her a small piece of shredded apple that was now crispy like candied haws.


    It tasted sweet and sour after taking a bite.


    Guoguo immediately threw her anger to the back of her head and started eating with a silly smile.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head when he saw this. At the same time, he made up his mind to let her eat all the delicacies in the world. Otherwise, she would be easily baited by some pig-headed boy one day because of a delicious meal.


    At night, Zhou Ying went into her interspace to check on the situation on the Western continent.


    Due to her intervention yesterday, there were indeed some ces that had rained. However, other than the area she had specially taken care of, the rest of it did not have much rain.


    At the same time, she primarily surveyed the living conditions of the people there.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly good, but most areas still had food.


    Therefore, she gave two months¡¯ worth of food, mainly cornmeal and brown rice, to those who could no longer afford to celebrate the New Year.


    Additionally, she gave out some chicken eggs and other wild eggs stocked up in her interspace, ensuring that everyone had at least two of each.


    She didn¡¯t care about the rest.


    After that, the family of three had a good time in the manor for a few days. Niu Lirong and the guards also took time to use the other pool to soak themselves in the hot spring.


    Before they left, everyone soaked in the hot spring once more before rushing back to the capital.


    After returning to the residence, Gu Chengrui rested for a while before going to his hospital.


    After Zhou Ying handed Guoguo over to Mrs. Lin, she called Niu Fugui and asked, ¡°How has the residence been recently?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. I received two New Year gifts from two families and returned one to each of them per your request.


    ¡°By the way, the gifts from Master¡¯s family have also arrived. This is the list of gifts. Please take a look.¡± After Niu Fugui finished speaking, he gave her a list.


    Zhou Ying took it and read it carefully. There were a bunch from Mr. Gu and also from the patriarch.


    Mr. Gu gave her the specialties of the north and south. Among them were 50 white rabbit skins and all kinds of bacon, snacks, tea leaves, and so on.


    Finally, there were some small toys for Guoguo.


    As well as the core of the New Year gift, six pairs of pearl flowers.


    The patriarch¡¯s gift was much simpler. There were two sets of gold jewelry, one big and one small. He gave Gu Chengrui a set of stationery and 100 pounds of vegetable oil.


    After reading it, she smiled, put the letter away, and asked. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else. By the way, the ounts of the various ces have already begun to be summarized.


    ¡°Especially the cake shop. General Zhou said it would only be tallied until December, and today¡¯s payment had already been settled.


    ¡°A total of 308,652 taels of silver..¡±

 Chapter 875 - 875 Bountiful Returns

    Chapter 875: Bountiful Returns


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡± Alright. In the future, you just have to remember the settlement date every year.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Understood. If Mistress has no other instructions, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Niu Fugui said.


    ¡°You may leave. It¡¯s the end of the year. Remember to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Niu Fugui nodded and turned to leave.


    Over the next few days, Zhou Ying saw that the weather was cold, so she asked the servant girls to help the people in the kitchen prepare the New Year¡¯s food, such as steamed buns, bean buns, rice cakes, as well as all kinds of braised meat, cold dishes, and more.


    This way, the people in the kitchen could rx for two days during the new year.


    She didn¡¯t stay idle either. Taking advantage of Gu Chenglin¡¯s return, she took out five cows, ten pigs, ten sheep, and a number of chickens and ducks from her interspace.


    She also began to prepare dishes for the new year.


    On the 27th day of the month, after Zhou Ying had prepared all the cooked food, she took out two roast chickens, two roast ducks, tworge pieces of spiced beef, a braised pig¡¯s head, a pig¡¯s leg, and tworge jars of wine to send to Second Uncle Gu and the others.


    On the 28th, the ounts of the various manors were sent over, so Zhou Ying began to check the ounts.


    Not long after, Qiuxiang ran in and informed him. ¡°Mistress, Manager Gu is back. Do you want to see him now or wait a little longer?¡±


    ¡°Let hime in directly.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Qiu Xiang ran out. Soon, Gu Zheng came in with a box and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat. Did everything go well outside?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, other than spending some effort gathering the raw materials at the beginning, everything else went smoothly. These are the ounts from the capital and Ping Yang Residence. Please take a look.¡± Gu Zheng ced a box on the ground.


    ¡°How are the profits?¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem for sales in the capital to earn a thousand taels of silver a day, especially during the period before the new year.


    ¡°However, Hengzhou Province is doing a little worse but still managed to get a thousand taels a day before the new year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal, as there are many rich families in the capital. Do you have any ns for next year?¡±


    ¡°I n to go to Dongyang Province in the first half of next year. I¡¯ll build arge workshop in Qingshui Town, our hometown in Dongyang. The transportation there is convenient and can cover four or five provinces.


    ¡°As for the second half of the year¡­ I want to go back to my hometown, Fuzhou.¡± Gu Zheng said hesitantly.


    ¡°Go back and take revenge?¡±


    ¡°Yes, go back and take revenge. Some things should be done then.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Even if you¡¯re involved in awsuit, ensure you stand on the side with more reasoning. Don¡¯t let hatred blind your eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young. You can always start all over again.¡±


    ¡°This lowly one will remember it. I will not act rashly again.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, you can leave. You can stay in the guest house and have a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, Mistress.¡± Gu Zheng responded and turned to walk out.


    After he left, Zhou Ying first took a look at the ounts from the manor.


    Sheter also checked the ounts of the rouge shop.


    She realized the rouge was selling quite well, at least not worse than any otherpetitor.


    The best products were the daily necessities, especially the soaps, shampoos, and hair tonics. They were the best sellers, followed by toners, moisturizers, and her special lipstick.


    After that, she carefully tallied the ounts. The capital¡¯s ie in the past year was as high as 300,000 taels.


    Hengzhou Province¡¯s ie was a little lower. However, in just two to three months, they had also earned 50,000 taels, totaling 400,000 taels.


    After checking the banknotes and confirming everything tallied, she put them aside.


    She started to n what new products she wouldunch next year..

 Chapter 876 - 876 Guests

    Chapter 876: Guests


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Chengrui, do many people go to your hospital for skin disease treatment?¡± Zhou Ying asked after dinner.


    ¡°Or rather, e, spots, and so on.¡±


    Gu Chengrui immediately understood that she wanted tounch a new skincare product.


    After pondering for a moment, he said, ¡°Acre are rare cases, but some serious cases require a doctor¡¯s treatment.


    ¡°As for spots, there are quite a lot.


    ¡°However, it was still difficult to see them with makeup on. Therefore, if you want to improve your skincare products, you could start with anti-wrinkle products.


    ¡°There would be more people buying that.¡±


    ¡°Anti-wrinkle?¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement.


    In ancient times, women got married early and had children earlier. Naturally, they would start to worry early. Anyone in their thirties would more or less start to have wrinkles. So, such a product would garner a wider audience.


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you then, but you have to give me the prescription.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give it to you after the New Year. Oh, right, Sun Hongniang and Uncle Liu have arrived today. There¡¯s a high chance that they¡¯lle to the residence for a gathering tomorrow.


    ¡°Get someone to arrange a table of high-ss dishes.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Liu is here? I haven¡¯t seen him for three to four years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ording to Brother Zhou, he transferred Uncle Liu here. After some discussion, he ns to send him to the Northern Continent next year to take charge of the business there.¡±


    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s getting promoted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not easy there. That¡¯s why Brother Zhou chose him.¡±


    ¡°By the way, speaking of Brother Zhou, how¡¯s Zhou Huaiyu¡¯s marriage going?


    Has it been decided yet?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything. Have you heard anything?¡±


    ¡°No, ever since you guys returned to the capital, Mingyu has been so busy that her feet haven¡¯t touched the ground. I haven¡¯t seen her for more than a month.¡±


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no result.


    ¡°However, his marriage shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly, and it still depends on the Emperor¡¯s wishes. I¡¯m afraid the Old General has to consider it carefully.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded after listening and threw it to the back of her mind.


    The next day, when Zhou Ying was almost done preparing the food, Manager Liu, Sun Hongliang, and even Zhou Huaiming¡¯s family of three came.


    Zhou Ying immediately went forward and invited everyone into the house.


    Gu Chengrui, who was in his study, heard the voices and immediately walked out. ¡°Brother Zhou, Uncle Liu, and Brother Sun, please have a seat.¡±


    ¡°What tea would you like to drink?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Chrysanthemum, I guess. I¡¯ve been a little busy recently, so I¡¯m a little hearty.¡± Zhou Huaiming replied.


    ¡°Alright, wait a moment.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she asked Niu Li to make a pot of tea.


    ¡°Aunty, aunty, where¡¯s Sister Guoguo?¡± Zhuangzhuang looked around the room but did not see Guoguo, so he ran over and pulled her sleeve.


    ¡°Guoguo is ying with building blocks. Do you want to y with her?¡±


    ¡°I want.¡±


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying asked Qiuxiang to bring him and his nanny to the West Courtyard.


    ¡°Oh? Guoguo is so young, and you¡¯re letting her sleep alone?¡± Mingyu asked in surprise.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been busy recently and couldn¡¯t care for her. She ran to the West Courtyard every day and stuck to Chenglin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that there¡¯s someone to help you look after her.¡± Mingyu nodded.


    ¡°Did you prepare roast duck for lunch?¡± she asked. ¡°I want to eat roast duck.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Not only is there roast duck, but there¡¯s also roast chicken. What else do you want to eat?¡± Zhou Ying asked. ¡°Hurry up and tell me. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be toote.¡±


    ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall dish that recently came out. It¡¯s so seductive that people have lost their souls¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected of you and your husband, you know everything about good food.


    ¡°However, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to eat it today.


    ¡°Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is a soup that would take more than a day to prepare.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t make it, and the restaurant is all reserved. If you want to eat, I can only get someone to send a portion to the residence at noon


    tomorrow..¡±

 Chapter 877 - 877 An opinion

    Chapter 877: An opinion


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Ah, so troublesome.¡± Mingyu immediately wilted when she heard that.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. It¡¯s not easy to make. If it isn¡¯t braised long enough, there won¡¯t be any vor. Oh, right, I¡¯ll make baby vegetable soupter.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°As for the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup, you can eat it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Baby vegetable?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to put it bluntly, it¡¯s a soup made with cabbage as its core.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll learn from you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took her to the kitchen and started to get busy.


    After Gu Chengrui and the others finished the formalities, they went to the study.


    ¡°Brother Gu, how do you think we can quickly gain a foothold on the Northern Continent?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked after sitting down.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If things go wrong and I screw things up, my old bones will die there.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but you can start with two aspects.


    ¡°The first will be merchants. Merchants valued profits. As long as their interests were involved, they would not ruin your business, even if they didn¡¯t side with you.


    ¡°Secondly, the poor. No matter where they are, as long as you unite the people at the bottom, you can restrain those nobles very well.¡±


    ¡°But dignitaries have money and power. They also hold the lives and deaths of people in their hands.¡± Manager Liumented.


    He had experienced this. If it weren¡¯t for the money in his hands, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to live so peacefully in Dongyang.


    ¡°What do you think of the beggars on the street?¡±


    ¡°Useful tools.¡±


    ¡°Then what if all the beggars in Great Ming united?¡±


    Zhou Huaiming and Manager Liu¡¯s expressions finally changed after hearing this. Beggars were inconspicuous, but they walked the streets daily and sometimes knew more than specialized informants.


    If they were to join forces, it would be terrifying.


    ¡°So, don¡¯t underestimate anyone. Often, some small characters can achieve great things.


    ¡°However, you have to take things slowly on the Northern Continent. You can¡¯t let them see your intentions the moment you reach there.


    ¡°After thest battle, the Northern Continent might not recover for three to five years.


    ¡°Therefore, we can use these three to five years to infiltrate them slowly.¡±


    ¡°Infiltrate?¡± After Manager Liu heard this, he more or less understood his intention.


    During lunch, Zhou Ying and Mingyu didn¡¯t join them. Instead, they ate with Gu Chenglin and the two children.


    The dishes were simple. There were six dishes and one soup for each table. They were roast duck, roast chicken, steamed yellow croaker, steamed vermicelli, cabbage with mustard seeds, jellyfish sd, and finally, baby cabbage soup.


    After the meal, they chatted briefly before Zhou Huaiming and Manager Liu left.


    Sun Hongliang took the ount book and went to find Niu Fugui.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying and Mingyu brought Guoguo and Zhuangzhuang along and arrived a littlete.


    After they left, Qiuxiang came over with a box. ¡°Mistress, this is the New Year gift left behind by Manager Liu.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you have a list?¡± Zhou Ying looked at the heavy box and asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± After Qiuxiang finished speaking, she handed her a gift list.


    Zhou Ying nced at them. They were leather, fox skin, mink skin, deer skin, and wolf skin.


    It seemed that Manager Liu had already made a trip to the Northern Continent.


    ¡°Put the things away,¡± she said. ¡°Use the deerskin to make cotton boots for Guoguo quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this servant will do it now.¡± Qiuxiang nodded and went away with Kuihua.


    She asked Niu Fugui to go to the restaurant personally and order two servings of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup, giving one to Mingyu and the other to Manager Liu.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the afternoon of the 30th. The ounts for her many restaurants, manors, and workshops were here..

 Chapter 878 - 878 Independence

    Chapter 878: Independence


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying opened the ount books and saw that the total was 1.8 million taels.


    The restaurant and manor in the capital amounted to 1.2 million taels, while Qinshui Town¡¯s restaurant and workshop totaled 600,000 taels of silver.


    She asked offhandedly, ¡°Does it mean that we earned less in the capitalpared tost year?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a drop in business in the restaurant here.


    ¡°If we hadn¡¯te out with the new dish before the new year, Buddha Jump Over the Wall soup, I¡¯m afraid the revenue would¡¯ve been lower.¡±


    ¡°Does it mean that the customers are getting tired of the current dishes we¡¯re offering?¡±


    Niu Fugui didn¡¯t reply, but his meaning was clear.


    Zhou Ying paused momentarily before adding, ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you call over the chefs here for the next two days so I can teach them two new dishes?¡±


    ¡°That would be great! With new dishes, our restaurant will be booming with business in no time.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. Remember to be more careful in managing the restaurant so that there are no problems.¡±


    ¡°This lowly one understands.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go on ahead. The bonus will be the same asst year, but remember to add Gu Zheng to the list; his bonus is 1,000 tales of silver.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After he left, Zhou Ying re-calcted the ounts and checked that there was no error before preparing the red packets for everyone¡¯s bonuses.


    Night came, and everyone ate a scrumptious banquet. Everyone had the same dishes, but the only difference was that the main table had eight dishes while the rest had six.


    They sent off Second Uncle Gu and his family on the second day of the new year.


    Gu Chengrui wanted to speak to Zhou Ying about something, but then he saw Guoguo in Zhou Ying¡¯s arms. He suddenly recalled the many times that Guoguo ruined his ¡°good times¡± with Zhou Ying during the night.


    He went ahead and took Guoguo in his arms and asked, ¡°Guoguo, how old are you after the new year?¡±


    Guoguo chuckled and replied, ¡°Guoguo is four years old!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Shouldn¡¯t you sleep independently now that you aren¡¯t three years old anymore?¡±


    ¡°What is independent?¡±


    ¡°Well, you will be sleeping alone in another room. If you¡¯re scared, you can try it out by sleeping with Mrs. Lin.¡±


    ¡°No! I want to sleep with mommy!¡± Guoguo struggled and wanted to get out of Gu Chengrui¡¯s arms.


    But her efforts were unsessful, so she could only look pleadingly at Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying recalled the times that Guoguo had woken up in her interspace and decided it was also time for her independence.


    Otherwise, it would be troublesome when the day arrived when Guoguo realized that Zhou Ying¡¯s interspace was no longer a dream.


    ¡°Come on, put Guoguo down.¡± Zhou Ying went ahead and took Guoguo from Gu Chengrui¡¯s arms. ¡°Guoguo, didn¡¯t you envy Uncle Chenglin sleeping alone just a few days ago? Why are you afraid of sleeping alone now?¡±


    ¡°No! I want mommy!¡± Guoguo hugged Zhou Ying¡¯s neck tightly and huffed.


    ¡°Rx, before you strangle Mommy.¡± Zhou Ying patted her back and waited for Guoguo to rx her arms. ¡°Mommy misses Guoguo too.


    ¡°But when the Eldest Princessughs at you for sleeping with mommy when you¡¯re so old, don¡¯te crying to me.¡±


    ¡°No. Nannan won¡¯tugh at Guoguo; she loves me!¡± Guoguo said it firmly.


    ¡°Who knows? Don¡¯t you know that Yangyang is also sleeping with his nanny?¡± Gu Chengrui added.


    ¡°Ah, Zhuangzhuang too. He¡¯s also sleeping with his nanny.¡±


    ¡°Remember your two older brothers from your uncle¡¯s side? They are sleeping on their own now.¡±


    Guoguo rolled her eyes at Gu Chengrui. She didn¡¯t want to sleep alone, so she crawled into Zhou Ying¡¯s arms and gave Gu Chengrui the side eye.


    Gu Chengrui wanted to persuade her further, but Zhou Ying shook her head.


    This was because she noticed that Guoguo wasn¡¯t as adamant about this proposal as at the start.


    This matter must be taken slowly, or it might hurt Guoguo¡¯s feelings.


    Gui Chengrui saw that and said, ¡°Daddy is sorry; ok, Daddy won¡¯t ask Guoguo to sleep alone again.


    ¡°Oh, right! There¡¯s a cute pony in the backyard; do you want to take a look?¡±

 Chapter 879 - 879 Coaxing the Child

    Chapter 879: Coaxing the Child


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Guoguo immediately looked at him, but she instantly crawled back when she remembered what had happened just now.


    Gu Chengrui smiled bitterly. It seemed that this little fellow bore a grudge against him.


    Then, he gently said, ¡°If you really don¡¯t want to go, then I¡¯ll go now. You can¡¯t regret it by then.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked out.


    As he walked, he deliberately made his footsteps heavier. Zhou Ying was secretly amused by that and looked at Guoguo. ¡°Guoguo, are you really not going? I heard that the pony is very beautiful. I was going to let you raise it, but if you¡¯re not willing, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, go!¡± Guoguo immediately raised her head and said.


    ¡°But Mommy still has a lot of things to do, especially preparing delicious food for you tonight. You should go with your daddy.¡±


    Zhou Ying ced her on the ground after she finished speaking.


    ¡°Mommy, I want to eat flower cakes,¡± Guoguo hesitated momentarily and said.


    ¡°Alright, Mommy will make you a rose cake in a while.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    Guoguo then followed Gu Chengrui out with a straight face.


    Gu Chengrui heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this. He helped her put on her cloak and pulled her hand as they walked toward the stable.


    Guoguo entered the stable and saw the pony kneeling on the ground and drinking milk. She was shocked and shouted in surprise, ¡°Little pony!¡±


    ¡°Yes, a little pony. Isn¡¯t it cute?¡±


    Guoguo nodded and was about to walk forward.


    Gu Chengrui quickly pulled her back. ¡°We have to wait for the little pony to finish eating before we get to y with it.¡±


    Guoguo could only stand at the side and watch. After the pony ate its fill, Gu Chengrui let her go.


    However, to prevent the pony from kicking Guoguo, he had her feed it from the side.


    Guoguo went up and started ying with the pony.


    The little pony was also yful, so the girl and horse quickly got together.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes hurt when he saw the cloak on her body getting ruined. But since it was rare to see her having fun, he did not stop her. At most, he would wash the cloak for her at night.


    After Zhou Ying finished making the rose cake, she tried to make a sweetheart cake. She had taken the shares in Zhou Huaiming¡¯s cake shop, so she needed toe up with two recipes a year.


    However, getting the temperature she needed to bake it using a traditional oven was challenging. After a moment of experimentation, she finally baked it to the temperature she wanted.


    She quickly recorded it down together with the recipe.


    Next was the restaurant¡¯s menu. This time, she mainly prepared seafood.


    First, seafood was in season, and second, it could be sold at a high price.


    The first dish was crab cake with egg white sauce.


    The second dish was the pork tripe stew chicken.


    She nned for a lobster dish for the third, but she didn¡¯t know if the ingredients were easy to find.


    If it were easy to find, she would push it out. Otherwise, she would try using crayfish.


    On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Chengrui finally coaxed Guoguo to be as intimate with him as before. However, it was finally back to the opening of his hospital.


    Therefore, no matter how reluctant Gu Chengrui was, he still put Guoguo down and went to work.


    On the eighth day of the lunar new year, Shizhu gave birth to a fat boy. Zhou Ying saw this and gave them a small courtyard in North City alone. She asked them to move out so they could have a private home in the future.


    When everyone saw this, each and every one of them worked even harder.


    On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Ying gave Zhou Huaiming the rose cake, sweetheart cake, and egg yolk pastry recipes.


    On the 15th was the Lantern Festival. Zhou Ying brought tonics, pregnancy-soothing pills, rose cakes, sweetheart cakes, egg yolk pastries, the Eldest Princess¡¯s favorite butterfly cakes, and the Empress Dowager¡¯s favorite date cakes into the pce with Guoguo..

 Chapter 880 - 880 Taking Care of the Children

    Chapter 880: Taking Care of the Children


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When the Grand Empress Dowager saw them enter, it was as if she had seen her savior. She quickly stood up and greeted them. ¡°Zhou Ying, you¡¯re here. Sit, sit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grand Empress Dowager. These are some snacks I brought and your favorite date cakes. Try them and see if they suit your taste.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she handed the basket to Nanny Liu.


    ¡°Good, good, I¡¯m getting hungry. Nanny Liu, quickly serve me a piece of the date cake.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager said.


    ¡°Imperial Great-Grandma, Nannan¡¯s house hasn¡¯t been built yet. Help me build it before you eat.¡± the Eldest Princess said.


    However, Yangyang, sitting at the side, found it funny and pushed the house down.


    The Eldest Princess immediately red at Yangyang with her hands on her hips.


    However, Yangyang didn¡¯t know that he had made a mistake. Instead, he chuckled happily and said, ¡°Sister, fall down.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault.¡± The Eldest Princess huffed angrily and said to her nanny, ¡°Hurry up and take him away. I don¡¯t want to y with him anymore.¡±


    ¡°Nannan, you have to be patient. You can only build the house after you settle down and think about it carefully.


    ¡°Now that your brother has pushed it down, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Let¡¯s start from scratch, and it¡¯ll definitely be better than before.¡±


    Zhou Ying finally understood why the Grand Empress Dowager weed her so warmly. It turned out that she was tired of looking after these children. ¡°Nannan, Auntie and Guoguo will help you build it, okay?


    ¡°However, your younger brother is still young and doesn¡¯t know any better, but we can¡¯t leave him alone. Let him and Guoguo help you out on the side, okay?¡±


    ¡°Auntie, I want to build a bigger house this time.¡± The Eldest Princess looked at Zhou Ying and nodded.


    ¡°Sure, but you need a stable foundation to build a house. The house you built just now copsed because of the unstable foundation.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s use the gray one as the foundation first,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°You three find all the gray pieces.¡±


    The Eldest Princess and Guoguo immediately started searching.


    Zhou Ying took a gray piece and waved it in front of Yangyang. ¡°Yangyang, look for the one in Auntie¡¯s hand.¡±


    Yangyangughed as he drooled and searched, finding two gray pieces.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying gathered all the gray pieces together and began to build the foundation.


    Sheter asked them to find blue walls, red tiles, and green edges.


    However, thest piece of green was in Yangyang¡¯s hands. He refused to hand over the final piece, no matter what.


    The three kids were about to fight.


    ¡°Yangyang,¡± Zhou Ying tried to say, ¡°is the house Auntie built nice?¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡± Yangyang nodded.


    ¡°But the one in your hand is all that¡¯s left. Can you give it to me? This way, Yangyang can move in after we build the house.¡±


    When Yangyang heard this, he grabbed the building block and ran to the Grand Empress Dowager¡¯s side.


    ¡°You little tyrant, if you continue to be like this, they won¡¯t y with you anymore.¡±


    Yang Yang didn¡¯t care about this and just wouldn¡¯t hand it over.


    When the Eldest Princess saw this, she pulled Guoguo over. ¡°Hmph, stinky little brother. Guoguo and I will never y with you again.¡±


    Zhou Ying was getting a headache when she saw this. She knew that Yangyang was still young and only knew a little about what they were talking about. It was impossible to reason with him.


    She could only wash her hands and take a piece of rose cake. ¡°Do you want some, Yangyang?¡± she asked.


    Yangyang¡¯s eyes lit up when he smelled the fragrance of the flowers.


    ¡°Give this to your sister,¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile. ¡°Auntie will give you the cake.¡±


    Yangyang looked at the building blocks in his hand, then at the rose cake in Zhou Ying¡¯s hand. In the end, he handed the building blocks to her..

 Chapter 881 - 881 Family Talk

    Chapter 881: Family Talk


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying smiled when she saw this. She hugged him, ced the building block on the house, and pushed it gently. In the end, the building blocks were only slightly misced, unlike before, where they copsed with a touch.


    She looked at the Eldest Princess and Guoguo. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two investigate why the house didn¡¯t copse this time?¡±


    After saying that, she carried Yangyang to wash up and then ate two rose cakes with him.


    The Eldest Princess and Guoguo also began to study the house structure.


    The Grand Empress Dowager heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Zhou Ying, you¡¯re as patient as ever. I¡¯m getting old and getting weaker.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not old at all. It¡¯s just that you can¡¯t adapt to it in a short period of time.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s troublesome with too many children here. I¡¯ll think of some new things to send to themter.¡±


    ¡°It must have been hard on you.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager said.


    After chatting for a while, Zhou Ying left Guoguo to y with the Eldest Princess while she carried Yangyang and brought some tonics and snacks to the Phoenix Pce.


    After entering, he saw Gu Wanning sighing. She bowed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you sighing? It¡¯s not good for the baby.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, mommy.¡± At the same time, Yangyang raised his arms and shouted. ¡°You little thing, can¡¯t you just let me rx for a while?¡± Gu Wanning took him over.


    When Yangyang saw this, he smiled without worry and even jumped happily into her arms.


    Gu Wanning ced him on the chair. ¡°Be good. Yangyang, you must be hungry. What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°He has already eaten two pieces of cake. Just give him some water.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Warm a bowl of milk for him,¡± Gu Wanning said to the nanny.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The nanny responded and turned to walk out.


    Soon, the nanny came in with half a bowl of milk and fed it to Yangyang.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sister-inw. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Gu Wanning said.


    Zhou Ying nodded and handed the basket to Chun Xi before entering the inner room with her.


    ¡°Did you leave Guoguo with the Grand Empress Dowager?¡± Gu Wanning asked while someone made them tea.


    ¡°Yes, I saw that she was ying very well with the Eldest Princess, so I didn¡¯t bring her over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great since Eldest Princess only has one ymate, Guoguo. It¡¯s very lively outside today, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Wanning asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. When I came out, there was no movement on the street.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s still early. It¡¯ll be lively after lunch. Remember to look after Chenglin. Something always happens during the Lantern Festival every year,¡± Gu Wanning was worried.


    ¡°I will.¡± Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    She looked at her stomach and asked, ¡°Oh, right, what did Imperial Physician Liu say? Do you know if this child is a boy or a girl?¡±


    ¡°Ag, she¡¯s most likely a princess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Having a son and a daughter is perfect.¡±


    ¡°What about you guys? Guoguo isn¡¯t young anymore. It¡¯s time for another one.¡±


    ¡°Let fate decide.¡± Zhou Ying paused. ¡°After you give birth, don¡¯t have any more children over the next few years. It¡¯s bad for your body; you¡¯d better nourish your body well.¡±


    ¡°I will. After giving birth ths time, I¡¯ll have to care for three children. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the energy to have another child for a few years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Taking care of a child is both troublesome andborious. I saw that the Grand Empress Dowager was having trouble caring for the two children just now.¡±


    Not to mention her, I¡¯m also having a headache now..<sup>1</sup>

 Chapter 882 - 882 Lantern Festival (1)

    Chapter 882: Lantern Festival (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The two of them chatted for a while. In the end, Zhou Ying finally knew why Gu Wanning was sighing.


    In two days, which was the 17th, King Ning would return to the Western Continent with their surrender conditions.


    Next was the uing concubine selection. However, the Northern and Western Continents sent documents stating that they would send beautiful women over during the selection.


    Originally, the Emperor had wanted to choose one or two to deal with one of the officials, but now, perhaps four or five.


    Most importantly, the women sent over couldn¡¯t be dealt with lightly or heavily. It was difficult for her as the Empress.


    Zhou Ying really sympathized with her. With four or five womening in at once when she was about to give birth, who knew what would happen then?


    ¡°I think the Emperor knows what to do about this. If you can¡¯t make up your mind, you can discuss it with the Emperor.


    ¡°However, if they go overboard, don¡¯t hold back. Just remember that they are a defeated country.


    ¡°No matter how much the Rmperor dotes on them, he won¡¯t let them pass you.¡±


    Even more so, the Emperor would not let them have children, but she did not say this openly.


    ¡°But they represent the Western and Northern Continents.¡±


    ¡°You should indeed be wary if it was just one of them, but it would be easier for you to deal since there are two.¡±


    ¡°Just sit and watch them fight.¡±


    ¡°Anyways. Your urgent task is to guard the Emperor¡¯s three children. Don¡¯t think about anything else.


    ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯re just asking for trouble.¡±


    Zhou Ying took out two red packets and handed them to her. ¡°These are the two children¡¯s New Year¡¯s money. Before they enter the pce, you must build the Phoenix Pce into an iron bucket as soon as possible.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stir trouble, but when troublees knocking on your door, you must have the ability to counterattack.


    ¡°The Emperor has a lot of things to consider, and he can¡¯t protect everything.¡±


    Gu Wanning understood what she meant after listening to her. She smiled and took the red packets. ¡°Chatting with Sister-inw is so rxing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just always steering yourself into a dead end. In the future, you have to be calm and analyze the pros and cons.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while more. Zhou Ying saw that Gu Wanning hadpletely let go, so she gave her a few words of advice before leaving the pce with Guoguo.


    After lunch, Qiuxiang, Niu Lirong, Chunxiang, and Dongxiang ran in from the kitchen. ¡°Mistress, we want to take half a day off. We¡¯ll go out and look at thenterns tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but be wary of the demons and ghosts at night. You must travel together and don¡¯t get separated.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The four of them looked at each other and nodded.


    ¡°Go. Be sure toe back before 10:00.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± The four of them responded and retreated.


    After a while, Gu Chengrui rushed back and said, ¡°The streets are really lively with many kinds ofnterns. Let¡¯s take Guoguo out for a walk tonight.¡±


    ¡°Definitely. I heard that it hasn¡¯t been held for seven years. People have been working hard to prepare this year.¡± Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s ask the manor to prepare dinner early. We¡¯ll leave early and return early after we¡¯re done eating.¡±


    ¡°Alright, bringing Guoguo along for dinner outside is inconvenient.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded in agreement.


    Otherwise, if something happened, he would regret it to death.


    They did not expect that just as they put down their rice bowls, the Emperor walked in with Gu Wanning.


    The couple immediately stood up and bowed together with Gu Chenglin.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Wanning, don¡¯t tell me you want to join in the fun too.¡± Gu Chengrui asked after he got up..

 Chapter 883 - 883 Lantern Festival (2)

    Chapter 883: Lantern Festival (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I haven¡¯te out once since I entered the pce. Now¡¯s the opportunity toe out and take a walk today.


    ¡°However, we won¡¯t go out and stroll around with great fanfare. Instead, we want to go to your restaurant and eat while looking at thenterns.¡± Gu Wanning said.


    ¡°Has the pce made any arrangements?¡± Gu Chengrui looked at the Emperor and asked.


    No one could guarantee that the capital was really safe. If someone made trouble tonight, it would be a big problem.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Guard Chu and the others are still in the pce. The Sun family has already brought over the Eldest Princess.


    ¡°The Grand Empress Dowager and Yangyang will be here soon.¡±


    Gu Chengrui knew that it was useless to say anything after hearing that. Instead, he stood up and said, ¡°You guys chat first. I¡¯ll go and make the arrangements.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked out.


    He couldn¡¯t let anything happen to them in his restaurant.


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you. When we came out, each of us brought ten guards.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also informed the Yan family. I just want the people to have a perfect Lantern Festival without any idents.¡± The Emperor nodded.


    Gu Chengrui heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that. However, he still went to find Lin Yitian and Lin Yifan to make detailed arrangements.


    ¡°Guoguo, do you still remember Uncle?¡± The Emperor handed Guoguo a string of carved red coral beads.


    ¡°Remember. Uncle is the father of Sister Nannan and Brother Yangyang. You¡¯re also the Emperor, and give Guoguo the fragrant and crispy fish bones.¡± Guoguo nodded.


    However, she did not take the bracelet. Instead, she looked at Zhou Ying.


    After Zhou Ying smiled and nodded, she epted it.


    ¡°Not bad; you have a good memory.


    ¡°Do you like fish bones? Uncle will ask Eunuch Qian to send some over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Guoguo nodded immediately.


    ¡°Is there anything else you want to eat? I¡¯ll send all of them over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah, egg rolls, and¡­¡± Guoguo thought about it seriously.


    Zhou Ying raised her head and knocked on her forehead. ¡°You little glutton.


    Two is enough. I¡¯ll make the rest for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Guoguo covered her head and pouted.


    ¡°Chenglin, is there anything you want to eat?¡± The Emperor asked Gu Chenglin with a smile.


    ¡°Just bring some for Guoguo. Cousin-inw already makes all kinds of snacks for us every day.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s anything you want to eat, just let me know. Oh, right. Are you going to enrol in the academy tomorrow?¡± He suddenly asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. From tomorrow until the capital examination ends, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able toe back very often.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I was just about to test if you have made any progress in your studies.¡± The Emperor stood up.


    Gu Chenglin¡¯s face fell when he heard that.


    Zhou Ying pushed him up and said, ¡°Hurry up. It¡¯s a rare opportunity for the Emperor to test you personally. You have to cherish it and check your shorings.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Seeing this, Gu Chenglin could only resign himself to his fate and bring the Emperor back to his courtyard.


    After they left, Zhou Ying looked at Gu Wanning and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t cause a ruckus to leave the pce, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, it was the Emperor who suggested it. When I received the news, I was shocked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. There will definitely be a lot of people tonight. Try to walk less with your big belly.¡±


    Zhou Ying was immediately curious, as she didn¡¯t want to believe that the Emperor was justing out to look at thenterns. She just didn¡¯t know what he was nning.


    Not long after, the Grand Empress Dowager rushed over with Yangyang. Other than Nanny Liu, there was also a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl.


    ¡°Greetings, Grand Empress Dowager.¡± Zhou Ying hurriedly stood up and greeted her..

 Chapter 884 - 884 Lantern Festival (3)

    Chapter 884: Lantern Festival (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Qin Weiwen greets Madam Gu,¡± the young girl said.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Qin. Please take a seat.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she helped the Grand Empress Dowager sit down.


    ¡°Weiwen is the granddaughter of my second brother. After entering the capital this time, she won¡¯t be leaving. Zhou Ying, please help me care for her outside the pce.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and nodded.


    At the same time, she was a little confused. What did this person mean bying over? Could it be that she wanted to participate in the consort selectionter?


    Fortunately, the Grand Empress Dowager mainly talked about the Lantern Festival and did not mention Qin Weiwen again.


    Very soon, Gu Chengrui rushed back. When he saw the Grand Empress Dowager, he quickly bowed, and after a few polite greetings, he went to look for the Emperor.


    When it was dark, the group dressed up and took a carriage to the restaurant.


    When they arrived, Gu Chengrui brought them directly to a private room on the second floor facing the street.


    ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± Zhou Ying asked after everyone had taken their seats. ¡°Order whatever you want. Tonight, it¡¯s our treat.¡±


    ¡°No need. Someone is treating tonight.¡± The Emperor smiled.


    Then, he took the menu and ordered a pot of Da Hong Pao and some snacks.


    Just as Zhou Ying was about to get up and go out, she saw the entire Zhou family walk in.


    ¡°Zhuangzhuang.¡± Guoguo immediately got out of Zhou Ying¡¯s arms and walked over.


    ¡°Guoguo.¡± Zhuangzhuang immediately struggled out of Old Master Zhou¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Ah, Guoguo, Zhuangzhuang,¡± Yangyang shouted excitedly.


    ¡°Alright, this is going to be lively.¡± Mingyu smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for them to get together and even harder for them to remember each other. Let them go and y.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager smiled.


    As soon as she finished speaking, the three nannies immediately took the three little kids to the side to y.


    ¡°Do you want to order now orter?¡± Zhou Ying got up and asked.


    ¡°Since they¡¯re here, let¡¯s order now. Tea and snacks will be servedst,¡± the Emperor said, then turned to Zhou Huaiming. ¡°You¡¯re the host today; you should order first.¡±


    ¡°Is it toote to order the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup?¡± Zhou Huaiming asked.


    Ever since he had eaten itst time, the fresh and fragrant taste was still fresh in his memory. Unfortunately, he had never had the time to eat more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to go and see if there¡¯s any.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    Zhou Huaiming nodded, then picked up the menu and ordered more dishes. Eight Treasures Chicken, Garlic Pork Ribs, Steamed Bass, Stewed Beef with Tomato in Pot, Fried Eggs with Wood Fungus, and Small Rapeseed with Garlic.


    Then, he handed the menu to the others and asked them to order something else.


    Finally, the Emperor added another dish of braised pork intestines.


    The Grand Empress Dowager ordered a serving of lotus root sandwich cake.


    Old General Zhou added a dish of twice-cooked pork, while Zhou Huaiyu added a serving of roastedmb chops.


    ¡°Mingyu, Wanyu, Chenglin, and Miss Qin, what do you want?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have some pork trotters. I want to eat that,¡± Mingyu said.


    ¡°Give me a mushroom soup,¡± Gu Wanning replied.


    ¡°Some shredded sd, please.¡± Qin Weiwen replied.


    ¡°I already ate something when I was at home. I¡¯ll just eat a few mouthfuls with everyer. I won¡¯t order more.¡± Gu Chenglin said.


    ¡°Alright, wait a moment. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she took the menu that she had ordered and turned around to walk out.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup. Remember to ask if there are any left.¡± Zhou Huaiming reminded Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Got it.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the kitchen in person. She did not expect one Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup to remain. Someone else had ordered it and did note.


    Zhou Ying asked for it but realized that thirteen dishes and one soup did not sound auspicious.


    She personally made some cucumber sd with yuba, stir-fried seaweed shreds, and a serving of green onion sd with chilled pig ears.


    As for the main dishes, it was already more than enough..

 Chapter 885 - 885 Lantern Festival (4)

    Chapter 885: Lantern Festival (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying quickly got someone to serve the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup and the cold dishes. Zhou Ying even personally brought five bottles of wine.


    When the three little fellows saw that there was food, they immediately returned and sat obediently in the arms of the adults, waiting for the dishes to be served.


    The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup immediately attracted everyone¡¯s attention as soon as it appeared. However, Zhou Ying and her husband only tasted a sip and ate some pig ears.


    When the Grand Empress Dowager saw this, she also picked up one and put it in her mouth. ¡°Refreshing, crunchy, and tasty.¡±


    ¡°Previously, I heard that you could turn the off parts for pigs delicious. I didn¡¯t believe it at first, but now I finally believe it.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, you should try the Braised Pork Intester. It¡¯s very delicious.¡± The Emperor quipped in.


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Dad, try this shredded seaweed. It¡¯s obvious that Zhou Ying made it herself, so it will be great.¡± Zhou Huaiming said as he picked up some shredded seaweed with his chopsticks and passed it to General Zhou.


    ¡°How do you know that Zhou Ying made it herself?¡± Mingyu asked curiously.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that simple? It¡¯s not on the menu. I suggest you add it to the menu as it¡¯s quite delicious and very appetizing.¡±


    ¡°I can consider giving it to the guests as a side dish, especially for those who eat hotpot.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Cough, the hotpot you made is also delicious, but it¡¯s easy to get heaty. I don¡¯t dare to eat too much.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager said.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the mutton. It will be much better when you eat it with herbal and pear soup.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    Soon, the dishes began to be served one after another, especially the Eight Treasures Chicken, which was already prepared.


    After the banquet began, the first half was toment and taste the dishes. In the second half, the Grand Empress Dowager carefully introduced Qin Weiwen, while Zhou Huaiming praised Zhou Huaiyu.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying finally understood. To put it bluntly, this dinner was a blind date for the two of them.


    However, when she remembered that Qin Weiwen was from another city, she understood the reason why they were having a blind date.


    After dinner, Zhou Huaiming and Ming Yu covered for the two of them, and the four went downstairs to shop around.


    It was bustling outside, with many hawkers and visitors.


    Guoguo crawled behind the window and looked outside. ¡°Mommy, there¡¯s a rabbitntern over there. It¡¯s really nice. Let¡¯s go buy it.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I want to buy antern too,¡± Zhuangzhuang immediately shouted.


    ¡°Go, go.¡± Yangyang jumped up and down.


    ¡°Cough, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to buy it for you, but you¡¯d better not go out.


    ¡°There are so many people outside. If you get lost, you won¡¯t be able to find us and be unwanted children.¡± Zhou Ying stood up, turned around, and walked out.


    Guoguo looked at Gu Chengrui unwillingly. Gu Chengrui shook his head and said, ¡°I can promise you anything else, but not this. There are too many people outside. If you fall over, you will be trampled into a pancake.¡±


    ¡°Pancake!¡± Yangyang shouted.


    When the Emperor saw this, he gave him a small piece of egg biscuit and stuffed it into his mouth.


    As for the Grand Empress Dowager and Gu Wanning, who were leaning against the window, they looked at the people and stalls on the street with great interest.


    The liveliness was apletely different world from the coldness in the pce.


    Soon, Gu Chengrui personally bought threenterns. There was a rabbit that Guoguo liked, a tiger that Zhuangzhuang wanted, and a dog that Yangyang liked.


    He even bought a few fried sugar cakes.


    With thenterns, the three children finally became obedient.


    People started guessingntern riddles on a tform not far away from the street.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be even more lively tomorrow.¡± Zhou Ying looked at the academy students who had gathered together..

 Chapter 886 - 886 Lantern Festival (5)

    Chapter 886: Lantern Festival (5)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yeah. There will be another general examination next year. I¡¯m sure there will be many studentsing to the capital in advance.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°Speaking of exams, Chengrui, are you still not nning to participate?¡± The Emperor asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just stay in my hospital or medical center. Moreover, I can give Chen He ideas from time to time.¡± When Gu Chengrui said this, he thought of the drawbacks of the eight essays in the imperial examination. He looked at the Emperor and asked, ¡°Emperor, have you ever thought of reforming the path of the imperial examination?¡±


    ¡°Reforms? How?¡± The Emperor asked curiously.


    Gu Chengrui tried his best to be ignorant and said, ¡°I feel that the imperial examination is too monotonous.


    ¡°Just like agriculture and medicine, where mathematics is required by the Ministry of Revenue.


    ¡°Also, the knowledge of the construction of river banks and bridges when joining the Ministry of Works.


    ¡°This is especially true for building bridges. It won¡¯t be just a simple piling process; there must be many things to learn.


    ¡°For example, the local soil quality, the bearing capacity of the required materials, and so on. These required specialized and in-depth research. Only after hiring a schr in this area would the bridge be more robust and durable in the future.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like lifting a pnquin. Why did it feel much lighter when it was carried to the outside and much heavier when it was carried to the inside?


    ¡°There¡¯s also the making of paper and soap. Although it¡¯s only a craftsman¡¯s skill, it uses nt ash and even soda powder. All of this can be summed up as a field of knowledge.¡±


    The Emperor seemed to understand.


    ¡°Does Your Majesty know a scale?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Of course I know a scale.¡± The Emperor looked at her inexplicably, not understanding what she wanted to ask.


    ¡°What¡¯s important is bnce.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went outside and asked for a ruler, a paperweight, and more than ten pieces of cardboard of the same weight and size.


    Then, she ced the paperweight properly, bnced the ruler on it, and began demonstrating various kinds of bnce in different positions and weights.


    ¡°This is the principle of the lever,¡± she said as she demonstrated the principle of the lever to him.


    ¡°Previously, when you built a house with building blocks for Nannan, you seemed to have mentioned the problem of the foundation bnce,¡± the Grand Empress Dowager suddenly quipped in.


    ¡°Yes, everyone knows that the foundation of a house is important, but a lot of knowledge is involved.


    ¡°Take this restaurant, for example. It must have a stable foundation, and many things must be considered when building the second floor.


    ¡°Especially the supporting pirs; they must be made of sturdy, durable mahogany wood. They were not chosen because they looked good but because they could support heavy weights.


    ¡°Otherwise, once the pir breaks, the entire second floor will copse.¡±


    ¡°Are these things useful?¡± General Zhou asked in confusion.


    ¡°Of course, they are useful. Paper and incense are all things that improve people¡¯s lives.


    ¡°Also, why is a bucket fine when water is in it but breaks when it turns to ice?


    ¡°Also, how do the wind and clouds we see form?


    ¡°If we know what¡¯s happening, could we change the weather with human power?


    ¡°Also, why wouldn¡¯t something fly into the sky when dropped? Why will it fall to the ground instead?


    ¡°Why would an adult and a childnd on the ground simultaneously when they fell from the same height?


    ¡°If we want to develop into a strong country, we can¡¯t rely on the current imperial examination system. It¡¯s too singr and monotonous.


    ¡°Other than being an official, there are many other paths that people can take.¡± Gu Chengrui said..

 Chapter 887 - 887 Lantern Festival (6)

    Chapter 887: Lantern Festival (6)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui did not continue to speak. Instead, he helped the three little fellows light theirnterns.


    When the Grand Empress Dowager saw this, she said, ¡°Zhou Ying is so lucky. It¡¯s rare to see a man with such a good temper and love for children as Lord Gu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright; the Emperor isn¡¯t bad either.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°He¡¯s not bad, but he¡¯s careless and impatient.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager nced at Gu Wanning. It was obvious that she was talking to her.


    Gu Wanning naturally noticed it, too, and smiled. ¡°The Emperor is just too busy. He¡¯s usually very patient.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. You just protect him.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager smiled.


    The Emperor and Old General Zhou were seriously considering Gu Chengrui¡¯s words.


    Especially the Emperor. Although he couldn¡¯tpletely understand the meaning behind his words, he deeply understood agriculture.


    The correct nting methods and good seeds could increase the yield by arge margin.


    Like white potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, wheat, and rice¡ªespecially wheat and rice.


    They had these two crops for a long time, but the yield back then was so low that it made people panic.


    If not for the introduction of high-yield seeds, the people probably would still not have enough to eat after the disaster.


    Also, weren¡¯t greenhouse vegetables developed after studying the traits of these crops?


    After two years of promotion and development, any capable family could already eat fresh vegetables all year round.


    He knew he had to pay more attention to this, as this was the Great Ming¡¯s foundation.


    As for the rest, he had to think about it carefully; otherwise, the country¡¯s development would stagnate.


    ¡°Uncle, do you have any ideas?¡± The Emperor asked General Zhou.


    ¡°I do have some ideas, but I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re mature or not.¡±


    ¡°Please speak.¡±


    ¡°Earning a thousand gold coins is easy, but raising a general is hard.


    ¡°True famous generals are often born from battles of life and death.


    ¡°If generals could also be taught and nurtured in batches, then our situation, where it¡¯s difficult to find a general, wouldpletely change in a few years.


    ¡°Therefore, I am thinking that when the imperial examination is ongoing, we can add on the martial examination to select a group of young people who are skilled in martial arts and war strategies to train.¡±


    ¡°Martial examination, huh? What do you think we should do, Uncle? How should we select these candidates?¡± The Emperor hesitated and asked.


    ¡°Although a general doesn¡¯t require much knowledge, his foundation must be solid.


    ¡°Therefore, I feel that he must be someoneing from an educated background.


    ¡°Those interested in bing generals could join a unique academy after taking their entrance exam. They could start to practice martial arts, learn how to deploy troops, ride a horse, shoot arrows, and everything else on the battlefield.


    ¡°If they qualify, they will be schrs in this field.


    ¡°After that, a drill or mock battle will be held. The winner will be able to get a ranking and be able to join the government as a military officer like those current schrs.¡±


    The Emperor nodded thoughtfully after hearing this. There was indeed a need for martial examinations.


    It was just that he had to control the quota well. Moreover, all aspects of this new martial subject had to be fleshed out. Otherwise, if he nurtured a spy, it would be a disaster for the Ming Dynasty.


    He replied, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it at the morning court session tomorrow. If this notion is passed, we¡¯ll implement it immediately. Students might even be able to start attending this subject next year.¡±


    General Zhou nodded and did not say anything else.


    The Emperor had just picked up his teacup and was about to drink tea when a burst of cheers sounded from outside.


    ¡°Wanning, what are they doing outside? It¡¯s so lively.¡± He looked at Gu Wanning, who was leaning against the window..

 Chapter 888: 888 Lantern Festival (7)

    Chapter 888: 888 Lantern Festival (7)<div>


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    ¡°Ah¡­ they¡¯ve finished guessing the riddles outside. Now, they¡¯re trying to answer the second verse of a poem contest.


    ¡°There was a student who answered correctly, and everyone was cheering for him.¡± Gu Wanning replied.<div>


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t remember wrongly, that student is a member of our Imperial n, your Third Aunt¡¯s great-grandson; what¡¯s his name again?


    ¡°Oh, right, his name was Zheng Youan.


    ¡°I heard that he¡¯s pretty smart and already a high schr at such a young age.¡±


    After the Emperor heard it, he had no impression of the student, but he still knew his Third Aunt and remembered this name.


    The Zheng family had many people in their family. Unfortunately, the Zheng family was a legacy of the previous dynasty and was suppressed by his royal grandfather¡¯s generation, so they gradually withdrew from the court.


    He wouldn¡¯t mind letting them re-enter the court as officials if they were willing to serve the country.


    Thinking of this, he leaned over and listened carefully.


    ¡°Young man, you¡¯re very talented. Please listen to my next question.


    ¡°The first verse. The earth is happy, and heaven is happy, at the Lantern Festival.¡±


    After a pause, a voice still in puberty replied calmly and confidently, ¡°The second verse. The lights and the moon shine, exchanging glows in the peaceful spring.¡±


    There was another round of cheers.<div>


    ¡°Thest question. The first verse. The lights and the moon shine, celebrating the three festivals with glee.¡±


    ¡°Second verse. Flowers and trees are flourishing, as we celebrate the same spring.¡±


    With waves of cheers, the Emperor also smiled at the bright little guy.


    In the end, Zheng Youan won the reward of 100 taels of silver and left with the apuse of a group of people.


    Next were songs about the Lantern Festival, as manynterns were sold at the store.


    As the festival continued, the crowd dispersed slowly in all directions.


    ¡°Ah, ah, help! My shoes!¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop! You¡¯re taking my bag!¡±


    ¡°My child, my child! Return my child to me!¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to inform the soldiers outside?¡± Gu Chengrui put Guoguo down and said.


    ¡°No need. When it gets dark, the four city gates will already be closed. If there really is a criminal, not one of them will be able to escape.¡± The Emperor smiled.<div>


    That confident smile made Zhou Ying understand that tonight was not just a blind date. He was probably catching someone.


    Thinking of this, she spread out her divine sense and looked outside.


    No one knew who had started it, but the entire street was in chaos now.


    Many small merchants and hawkers on the side had their stalls smashed.


    Many people were squeezed to the ground, causing a stampede.


    Zhou Ying was looking for the source seriously, locking onto a few people. They were in different areas, but their method was the same¡ªcreating chaos.


    At the same time, a few women and even children began to abduct the girls who were alone, especially those who were sixteen or seventeen years old.


    When she saw this, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t alert them because she realized that Zhou Huaiming and the other three had already set their eyes on one of the women.


    Soon, the soldiers appeared and calmed everyone down. They also sent the people who were trampled to the medical center.


    Fortunately, no one died.


    After the streets were restored to order, many people went home, so the streets became quiet.<div>


    The old man who sold thenterns sat on the chair and cried.


    In order to attract people, he especially took out a hundred taels of silver as a reward for the poem contest.


    He did not expect that, in the end, he would be unable to recuperate his cost.


    Zhou Ying shook her head when she saw this. She did not know what to say.


    About an hourter, Zhou Huaiming and the others walked in.


    ¡°Huaiming, have you caught him?¡± The Emperor asked..

 Chapter 889: 889 Little Ancestor

    Chapter 889: 889 Little Ancestor<div>


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    ¡°We caught them. We sent all of them to the police station.¡± Zhou Huaiming said.


    ¡°It looks like my wish won¡¯te true.<div>


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to trouble you to interrogate them personally tonight. If it¡¯s just human traffickers, they¡¯ll be executed tomorrow.


    ¡°If there are people behind them, dig them all out.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two brothers looked at each other, then turned around and left.


    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go back too. The three children are also sleepy.¡±


    When everyone heard that, they immediately stood up and followed him out.


    All the guards, including Lin Yitian and the others that Gu Chengrui had sent earlier, showed up at their restaurant.


    They escorted Old General Zhou, Mingyu, and her son back to the manor.


    Later, they sent the Emperor and his entourage back into the pce.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui and his family returned home.


    After some trouble coaxing Guoguo to sleep, Gu Chengrui asked Mrs. Lin to bring Guoguo to her room.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to test it out,¡± Zhou Ying said with a smile. ¡°I hope Guoguo is not going to make a fuss tomorrow morning.¡±<div>


    Ever since they suggested that Guoguo sleep with her nanny, they would hand her over to Mrs. Lin to take care of every time she took a nap during the day.


    With a buffer, she would not be so resistant to sleeping alone again.


    ¡°If she¡¯s not ready, we will continue to prep her. Now that Guoguo is a big girl, we should get ready for another one.¡± Gu Chengrui smiled.


    ¡°I knew you were up to nothing good.¡± Zhou Ying rolled her eyes and went to find Kuihua and Qiuxiang for something.


    Knowing they had returned home, she washed up briefly and returned to her room to do her things.


    This time, Zhou Ying focused on the Western Continent and found it was still not raining.


    There were fewer clouds this time, and the new king was fretting in his study.


    If the drought continued, their harvest would be in trouble.


    Zhou Ying saw that the clouds in the sky were quiet and did not move. She tried to use her spiritual sense to push a small cloud to the side and hit arge one.


    Sure enough, with a sh of lightning and a burst of thunder, it began to rain quickly.


    Unfortunately, the rain stopped in less than 15 minutes.<div>


    Zhou Ying suddenly felt a little defeated, as it seemed that she was still powerless. She could only try as much as possible.


    She tried again. After feeling that she was getting tired, she withdrew from the Western Continent.


    It just so happened that the various grains in the space had ripened. After harvesting them, she nted many white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and sesame seeds. The remainingnd was nted with some cotton.


    After she was done, she put away the wild duck eggs and preserved them.


    When she finished her work, Gu Chengrui also finished ughtering many cows, sheep, pigs, and donkeys.


    Zhou Ying stored them all in the storeroom in one go.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Gu Chengrui saw that she was about to leave and quickly stopped her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there more?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Leave some pork belly for me. I want to fry some dried pork belly.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it tomorrow. It¡¯s gettingte, and I¡¯m sleepy.¡± Zhou Ying yawned after she finished speaking.


    Gu Chengrui saw she was in low spirits, so he said nothing more. Instead, he took her to take a shower and quickly exited her interspace.<div>


    Looking at Zhou Ying, who fell asleep in seconds, Gu Chengrui¡¯s face was disappointed. Then, he tucked her in and hugged her until he fell asleep.


    The next morning, the two of them were woken up by Guoguo¡¯s banging on the door.


    Gu Chengrui immediately sat up and said with a depressed expression, ¡°Babe, we¡¯re not raising a daughter. We¡¯re raising a little ancestor.¡±


    ¡°And you said you want another one; let¡¯s settle this first.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she stood up, took her clothes, and began to put them on.

 Chapter 890 - 890 Negotiations

    Chapter 890: Negotiations


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui heard the banging getting louder and louder, so he quickly put on his clothes and went to open the door.


    As soon as the door opened, Guoguo ran in. She climbed onto the bed and asked, ¡°Mommy, Nanny said you were sick. Is that true?¡±


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. She coughed dryly and said in a deep voice, ¡°Ahem. Mommy caught a cold. I was afraid that I would pass the illness on to you, so I let you sleep at Nanny¡¯s ce.¡±


    ¡°Did Guoguo sleep wellst night? Did you cry?¡±


    ¡°No, Guoguo is a good girl.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? What a good girl!


    ¡°Go y with your father first. I¡¯ll braid your hair after folding the nket.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Daddy will bring you to wash your face first.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought her out.


    Guoguo turned around and nced at Zhou Ying, but in the end, she still obediently followed Gu Chengrui out.


    After Guoguo left, Zhou Ying closed her eyes and climbed onto the nket to nap for a while before tidying up.


    On the other end, Gu Chengrui finished washing Guoguo¡¯s face and asked with a smile, ¡°Guoguo, isn¡¯t it much more spacious to sleep on the same bed as Nanny? You can roll around as much as you want.¡±


    ¡°Nanny said that girls can¡¯t roll around when they sleep. That¡¯s not good.¡± Guoguo raised her head and replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but is it more spacious when you sleep with Nanny?¡± Gu Chengrui guided the conversation.


    Guoguo immediately nodded. It was the same big bed, but she slept with Nanny; it was naturally more spacious.


    Then, she thought of something. She looked up at Gu Chengrui angrily. ¡°Are you going to make me sleep by myself again?¡±


    Gu Chengrui secretly cursed. It seemed that it was not a good thing for a child to be this smart.


    He smiled and said patiently, ¡°Why would I? You¡¯re my daughter. Why would I chase you away?


    ¡°But you¡¯re getting bigger and bigger, and the three of us are getting more cramped in the same bed.


    ¡°If we sleep separately, you¡¯ll sleepfortably, and we¡¯ll sleepfortably too.¡±


    ¡°Daddy can sleep by himself. Previously, I slept with mommy.¡± Guoguo replied.


    Gu Chengrui looked at her serious expression and did not dare persuade her anymore. Instead, he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we give and take? When Daddy is at home, he will sleep with Mommy. When Daddy is not at home, you can sleep with Mommy. How about that?¡±


    Guoguo hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. She realized that her father had been at home every day recently, meaning she had to sleep alone every day.


    Gu Chengrui immediately turned around and sighed. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m so sad. Guoguo doesn¡¯t even like Daddy anymore. She only likes Mommy.¡±


    Guoguo looked at his pitiful appearance and was stunned for a moment. She went forward and held his arm. ¡°Then, then let¡¯s swap every day, okay?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Gu Chengrui turned his head and asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Guoguo nodded.


    ¡°You can¡¯t change your mind.¡± Gu Chengrui extended his pinky and said.


    Guoguo smiled and curled her pinky.


    Zhou Ying, who was in the room, shook her head. ¡°How shameless, tricking a three-year-old child. No, technically speaking, it¡¯s only been two and a half years.¡±


    However, she didn¡¯t care anymore. In order to make it easier to enter the interspace, she couldn¡¯t bring Guoguo along anymore.


    After breakfast, Zhou Ying went to the restaurant to check if there were any problems with the operation of the two restaurants before teaching them new recipes.


    She didn¡¯t expect to find a problem.


    Unexpectedly, to save trouble, they had prepared many dishes in advance. However, when it was time to make them, the ingredients were no longer fresh, especially the leafy vegetables.


    After being soaked in water for a long time, the taste was naturally not as good as the fresh ones..

 Chapter 891 - 891 Princess Zhi Shan Arrives

    Chapter 891: Princess Zhi Shan Arrives


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying reprimanded the two managers and made them promise they would not mistreat the ingredients before letting them go.


    Two dayster, Grasnd Taste Restaurantunched Pork Tripe Stew Chicken, a famous dish thatbines pork and chicken. Many people immediately praised it, and the restaurant¡¯s business returned to its booming state.


    On the night of the 20th, Zhou Ying saw that Gu Chengrui was not in high spirits after he returned home. She immediately got up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s not going well?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Do you still remember the group of human traffickers we caught on the 15th?¡± Gu Chengrui sat down and asked.


    ¡°I remember. Is there a result?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this matter has involved many things. Those human traffickers are genuine and specialize in recruiting talents for the various red chambers.


    ¡°However, it is not as simple as that for them to enter the capital this time. They were hired.¡±


    ¡°Hire? For the uing consort selection?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and there¡¯s more than one person involved. The Emperor has decreed that anyone who is involved with human traffickers, no matter who they are, will be exiled to the Northern Lands.


    ¡°Any women involved have their heads shaved and be nuns.


    ¡°Furthermore, all women within three generations of the n would be disqualified from the selection.


    ¡°This time, the families of three officials were implicated, and the Emperor demoted them by three levels.¡±


    ¡°Well done. Those scheming and unscrupulous people should have their hopes crushed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, if such a person enters the pce, the pce will not be peaceful.¡± Gu Chengrui reminded her, ¡°I heard that on the 25th, the Princess of the Northern Continent will arrive in the capital with tributes.


    ¡°At the end of the month, the Princess of the Western Continent would also arrive.


    ¡°Tell the servants in the residence and the people in the restaurant not to get into conflict with their people. You can report it to the Emperor directly if it gets too ugly.


    ¡°The final result will be decided by the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will.¡± When Zhou Ying said this, she thought of Gu Wanning in the pce and wondered if she had ultimately let go.


    In the blink of an eye, it was the day that the Princess of the Northern Continent would enter the capital. Zhou Ying brought Guoguo into the restaurant early in the morning and found a private room to wait for her.


    She wanted to see how the princess behaved and her temperament.


    Not long after they sat down, the sound of horse hooves could be heard.


    The people from the Ministry of Rites who were waiting at the city gate came forward and said, ¡°The son of the Virtuous Prince, Yang Zeheng, and the Minister of Rites, Qin Zhi, wee Princess Zhi Shan, Sovereign King Ke, and the various envoys.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Sovereign King Ke, who was walking at the front, dismounted and said.


    ¡°Pleasee with us. The official servants have been prepared. You can settle down and rest for a day. Tomorrow morning, you can enter the pce to meet the Emperor.¡±


    After saying that, the two led the horses from both sides and mounted them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble the two of you to lead the way.¡± After Sovereign King Ke finished speaking, he mounted his horse and entered the city.


    Behind him were more than ten guards on horseback.


    Then, the princess¡¯s carriage arrived.


    It was a simple carriage, with just an additional frame erected on the carriage.


    However, many things were hanging from the carriage. There were copper windchimes, beautiful leather, and some unique Northern Continent ornaments.


    As for the princess, she was wearing a red riding suit with white fur and a red hat with white fur.


    The princess was fair and beautiful. She had big peach blossom eyes, an oval face, and a high nose bridge.


    She was a rare beauty.


    However, because of their race, their cheekbones were much higher, somewhat ruining her overall beauty.


    Then there was her skin color. Perhaps it was because she had been battered by the wind and sand; her skin color was a little darker and yellowish..

 Chapter 892 - 892 Gift List

    Chapter 892: Gift List


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As soon as Princess Zhi Shan entered the city, themoners watching themotion by the side sized her up curiously. Some were curious, some were praising, and some were picky.


    However, most of them still praised her.


    Zhou Ying paid close attention to the princess¡¯s expression and found a smile on her face from beginning to end after entering the city. She even waved at the people from time to time.


    Not only did her eyes not show any resistance, but she would also take time to curiously size up the buildings on both sides from time to time.


    Other than amazement, there was joy in her eyes.


    Well, it seemed she was willing to marry over, and she looked very satisfied.


    Could it be that she had seen the Emperor?


    Ah, when the Emperor negotiated on the Northern Continent, he stayed there for over half a month. There were bound to be members of the royal family who would take a liking to him.


    Behind the princess was a carriage full of her luggage, and beside her were some servant girls and women. It was obvious that they were her dowries.


    Finally, there were about 2,000 soldiers, and they were escorting these carriages from the city gates to the emissary building.


    After they left, Zhou Ying looked at Guoguo and asked, ¡°Is Princess Zhi Shan pretty?¡±


    ¡°Not as pretty as Mommy; she¡¯s tanned.¡± Guoguo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re really my good daughter. Tell me, what do you want to eat today? I¡¯ll allow it.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    ¡°I¡­ I want to eat the crystal dumplings! Also, also, the green onion pancake!¡± Guoguo replied excitedly.


    ¡°Alright, add on another serving of egg loofah soup.¡± Zhou Ying asked someone to serve the dishes and ordered two more side dishes.


    After the mother and daughter finished eating, they went home.


    Because the emissary arrived from the Northern Continent, the next day was a grand court session. Gu Chengrui did not escape the fate of attending the court session.


    After he left, Zhou Ying did not sleep back out of curiosity.


    Instead, she opened her divine senses and looked into the pce.


    First, it was the same as usual. The morning court session was held first, and many decisions were passed.


    The old general was promoted to Duke, and the son of King An¡ªXiao Heng¡ª and two other generals were in charge of selecting martial examinations and constructing its academy.


    However, each prefecture only had one academy and could only carry 50 students.


    Finally, Eunuch Qian called in the Northern Continent diplomats who were waiting outside.


    Other than Sovereign King Ke, there were two other ministers, one civil and one military.


    They stepped forward and bowed after the three of them entered the main hall. ¡°Long live our Emperor! Long live! Long live!¡±


    When the Emperor heard their awkward shouts, he felt good. It was even better than hearing King Hui call him Emperor.


    Firstly, it was because he had defeated the former ally of King Hui.


    Secondly, the Northern Continent, the troublemaker who had been harassing the Ming Dynasty for many years, finally surrendered.


    ¡°Please get up.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, Emperor.¡± The three of them stood up.


    ¡°This is the list of tributes that my brother asked me to bring. Please ept it, Your Majesty.¡± Sovereign King Ke handed over a list.


    ¡°The King of the Northern Continent is too polite.¡± The Emperor smiled.


    However, he still opened the gift list and quickly nced at it. Other than the white rustic potato seeds he had asked for previously, there were also many furs, precious herbs, and some treasured gems.


    After that, he asked Eunuch Qian to give them his gift in return. Naturally, it was the seeds of the sweet potato and corn. There was nothing else.


    After a few polite words, Sovereign King Ke saw that the Emperor did not mention anything about the marriage and asked, ¡°I wonder what the Emperor thinks about the marriage?¡±


    ¡°What does Princess Zhi Shan think? Will she marry me or a member of the royal family?¡± The Emperor asked in return.

 Chapter 893 - 893 Princess Jiarou

    Chapter 893: Princess Jiarou


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Hearing the Emperor¡¯s words, the members of the royal family immediately perked up their ears. To be honest, the Princess of the Northern Continent held high status, but they did not want to marry her.


    After all, she had a special status and could not be treated lightly. They did not want their household to be in turmoil.


    ¡°Of course, with you, the Emperor. Ever since Zhi Shan met the Emperorst year, she has fallen in love with you.¡± Sovereign King Ke replied.


    After the officials heard this, they all looked at Sovereign King Ke in surprise.


    No one had expected him to openly announce Princess Zhi Shan¡¯s thoughts to the public in the imperial court.


    The Emperor coughed ufortably.


    Of course, he also knew that the Northern Continent was much more open than the Ming Dynasty, so he didn¡¯t care about it and said, ¡°You know, the consort selection is about to start.


    ¡°After the selection ends, let¡¯s announce it together officially.


    ¡°You siblings can have fun in our country for the time being. After all, once you enter the pce, it will be difficult to leave.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou for your understanding, Emperor.¡± After hearing this, the Sovereign King Ke¡¯s heart finally settled down.


    Zhou Ying could not be bothered to look anymore. She nced at Gu Wanning and saw she was coaxing Yangyang to get out of bed with a sincere smile on her face.


    Knowing that she had thought things through, she was relieved.


    Princess Jiarou of the Western Continent arrived at the end of the month. Although this princess was also smiling, there was no trace of happiness in her eyes. Instead, there was a hint of hatred.


    This made Zhou Ying take this matter to heart.


    That night, she told Gu Chengrui about this matter. ¡°I¡¯m sure this person isn¡¯t easy to deal with. She¡¯d better not cause any more trouble.¡±


    ¡°We just defeated the Western Continent. Perhaps her rtives were killed by King Ning and the others.


    ¡°Pay attention to her at night. If she really has evil intentions, we won¡¯t keep her.


    ¡°Otherwise, if she makes a move on the children, it will be a big problem.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°By the way, the doctors who have been transferred from all over the country to learn suturing techniques have already arrived in the capital. I have to start teaching the day after tomorrow, and I¡¯lle home muchter than usual. You and Guoguo don¡¯t have to wait for me for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Got it. You have to take care of your health, too.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    The next morning, the envoy of the Western Continent, General Bai Yang, presented the list of gifts.


    When the court session ended, the Emperor also informed them that the consort selection would officially begin the day after tomorrow, which was the second day of February.


    That day, Princess Zhi Shan and Princess Jiarou would also be heading into the pce to meet the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress.


    After Zhou Ying received the news, she monitored them that night.


    She just so happened to see Princess Jiarou beating a maid up.


    Maybe it¡¯s because of habit, or perhaps it¡¯s because she¡¯s afraid of attracting any attention. The maid tightly clenched her teeth, not daring to make any sound.


    However, cold sweat was dripping down her face and body from the pain.


    Zhou Ying was reluctant to watch, but she didn¡¯t stop it.


    If possible, she might be able to find the source of Princess Jiarou¡¯s hatred from the maid.


    When the maid fainted, Jiarou stopped with a lingering feeling and said, ¡°Someone,e.¡±


    Two women dressed in the same Western Continent attire immediately came in when she spoke out.


    Without Princess Jiarou¡¯smand, they skillfully carried the maid out and threw her into a nearby room.


    General Bai Yang, who had just returned from chatting with Sovereign King Ke, saw the maid being carried out.


    He immediately went over.


    The two other maids were startled when they saw him, but they still greeted him. ¡°General Bai, greetings.¡±


    Bai Yang ignored them and went forward to take a look at the maid. When he saw that she had already fainted, he turned his head and asked the two women, ¡°Is it the princess again?¡±

 Chapter 894 - 894 The Consort Selection Begins

    Chapter 894: The Consort Selection Begins


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The two women met each other¡¯s gaze, an unspoken understanding passing between them. They stayed silent and simply bowed their heads in acknowledgement.


    Bai Yang, recognizing their silence, addressed them sternly. ¡°Do you realize where you are? Have you considered the consequences if someone dies here and the Great Ming officials investigate?¡±


    ¡°If you value your lives,¡± he continued, ¡°persuade the princess to ept her fate and marry the Emperor. Otherwise, none of us will be spared, and you yourselves might even die alongside the princess.¡±


    Following his admonition, Bai Yang arranged for the imperial physician attending their party to tend to the injured maid. He then personally approached Princess Jiarou¡¯s chambers and knocked on her door.


    Upon answering the door, Princess Jiarou offered him not even a single nce. Turning away, she returned to her seat and said, ¡°If your purpose is persuasion, spare yourself the effort.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever considered the potential repercussions?¡± Bai Yang pressed. ¡°Repercussions?¡± scoffed the princess. ¡°I am a mere pawn, discarded and forgotten. As long as I find personal contentment, the rest is of no concern to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ the lives of millions on the Western Continent rest upon your shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Wrong,¡± she countered. ¡°Only the Western Continent royal family¡¯s fate is concerned. The ordinary popce? The Great Ming Emperor wouldn¡¯t dare mistreat them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being petty!!¡± Bai Yang eximed.


    ¡°Exactly. Kill me if you dare.


    ¡°Just like you had in Captain Su.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you are beyond saving.¡±


    ¡°The moment you ordered Captain Su¡¯s execution,¡± Princess Jiarou stated with a chilling smile, ¡°you should¡¯ve expected my revenge. But rest assured, I will fulfill the marriage pact.¡±


    Witnessing the icy defiance in her eyes, Bai Yang shivered. He was unsure whether this marriage would go well or not. Clearly, a serious discussion was necessary.


    Turning away, he spoke with a heavy heart, ¡°Look after yourself.¡±


    He then summoned the other envoys, informing them of Princess Jiarou¡¯s predicament. ¡°What are your thoughts on this matter?¡±


    ¡°At this point, we have no choice but to see it through,¡± one official conceded. ¡°However, why the sudden shift in her demeanor?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Back on the Western Continent, substitutions were possible. With her arrival in the capital and her identity revealed, changing princesses would be impossible.¡±


    ¡°We must act swiftly,¡± a third interjected. ¡°Let¡¯s send a letter to the King. We cannot bear the responsibility if unforeseen circumstances arise.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Bai Yang concurred. ¡°I will dispatch a messenger immediately.¡± Zhou Ying, piecing together the events, understood the situation. Princess


    Jiarou clearly harbored a prior love interest, tragically eliminated by the King for the sake of the marriage pact.


    This ignited a deep-seated hatred within the princess, directed at the Western Continent royal family and potentially at the Emperor.


    With this revtion, Zhou Ying sighed in relief.


    Bai Yang was more fearful than they were and was determined to ensure her safety; then, their situation wouldn¡¯t be quite as precarious as it initially seemed.


    The day of the consort selection arrived. After breakfast, the streets bustled with activity as carriages streamed towards the pce.


    Following the customary luggage inspection, the women entered the pce alongside Princesses Zhi Shan and Princess Jiarou, who, to Zhou Ying¡¯s surprise, engaged in lively conversation, seemingly on good terms.


    Upon entering the pce, they proceeded directly to the Grand Empress Dowager¡¯s quarters, where the Emperor and Empress were also present.


    The two princesses offered their respects, and the Grand Empress Dowager, her voice warm and weing, replied, ¡°Please rise. You two have traveled a long distance. Do you find life in the Great Ming agreeable?¡±

 Chapter 895 - 895 Meeting Face to Face

    Chapter 895: Meeting Face to Face


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°In reply to the Grand Empress Dowager, it¡¯s pretty good. Great Ming¡¯s delicacies are much more varied than those of the Northern Continent. I¡¯ve gained a few pounds after eating these few days.¡± Princess Zhi Shan smiled.


    ¡°Alright, alright, as long as you like it. If you need anything, just let the people from the Ministry of Rites know. They will help you prepare everything.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager looked at her lively and innocent appearance and replied with a smile.


    After that, she asked Mrs. Liu to prepare tea and snacks for them.


    As for Princess Jiarou, she only smiled the entire time and didn¡¯t say anything. She sat down with Princess Zhi Shan and started drinking tea.


    The Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager looked at Princess Jiarou with a lukewarm expression and were somewhat displeased.


    However, no one said anything.


    Instead, they asked them about the situation in their hometowns, including the local customs.


    The Emperor even introduced them to the Great Ming¡¯s situation.


    As they talked, they talked about wine and finally brought up the Grasnd Taste Restaurant.


    Zhi Shan¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard this. ¡°The dishes at Grasnd Taste Restaurant are great, especially the beef and mutton. They¡¯re even more delicious than the beef and mutton we usually eat.


    ¡°Oh right, that Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup is really too delicious. Unfortunately, there¡¯s no preferential treatment at all. I even had to send people to queue for two days to get one.¡±


    ¡°Haha, to tell you the truth, even if we wanted to eat it, we would have to order it a day or two in advance.


    ¡°Their boss is doing this for fairness.


    ¡°Otherwise, with so many officials in the capital, wouldn¡¯t it be chaotic if the high officials suppressed the low officials and the low officials suppressed themoners?


    ¡°So I feel that this reservation method is great for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t they make more?¡±


    ¡°It is said that there are two reasons. One is because of the ingredients. There are a lot of sea products inside, and there is a shortage of them in winter. Without a reservation limit, it will not be enough for everyone.


    ¡°Also, it takes half a month to prepare that pot of soup from start to finish. If they need to prepare too much, they won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that troublesome?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s said that dozens of ingredients are needed for one pot of soup.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, the person who invented this dish is really amazing.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. If Miss Zhou dares to im that she¡¯s second in terms of food, no one would dare im that they¡¯re first. Even the royal chef can¡¯tpare to her.¡± ¡°Miss Zhou, who is it? She doesn¡¯t sound very old.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Marquis An Le¡¯s wife and also the Empress¡¯s cousin-inw. I¡¯ll introduce you to her if there¡¯s a chance in the future.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡±


    The two of them chatted for more than two hours. After the Grand Empress Dowager asked them to stay for a meal, she let them out of the pce.


    After they left, the Grand Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor and Empress and asked, ¡°What do you think of them?¡±


    ¡°Princess Zhi Shan looks innocent and passionate at the moment. In my cousin-inw¡¯s words, she¡¯s a foodie with no bad intentions.


    ¡°Princess Jia Rou is very unpleasant. She always has a cold and indifferent look on her face, as if someone owes her a million taels of silver.¡± Gu Wanning replied.


    ¡°Indeed, Jiarou is obviously against the marriage alliance. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be so cold to us.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor. ¡°Pay more attention to the Western Continent. Don¡¯t let them cause any more trouble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Imperial Mother. I¡¯ll keep an eye on them.¡± The Emperor nodded.


    After that, he instructed the Grand Empress Dowager to keep an eye on the consort selection and went to the study to get busy.


    When he was almost done, the Emperor asked Eunuch Qian to invite King Ning over to dinner.


    ¡°Seventh brother, do you remember Princess Jiarou?¡± The Emperor asked after the meal.

 Chapter 896 - 896 How Embarrassing

    Chapter 896: How Embarrassing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    King Ning was stunned for a moment. He remembered that Princess Jiarou was the marriage partner of the Western Continent and quickly asked, ¡°Why? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I feel Princess Jiarou has something on her mind and doesn¡¯t want to marry.


    ¡°So I want you to help me analyze whether this is her personal intention or someone else¡¯s.


    ¡°Or perhaps we left behind some grudges when we attacked the Western Continent.¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any hatred.


    ¡°The King of the Western Continent, chosen by my younger brother, is the mortal enemy of the original king.


    ¡°After he ascended the throne, he either killed or imprisoned the original direct descendants of the royal family.


    ¡°Moreover, there was another drought on the Western Continentst year. Even if the King had any intentions, he would not implement them so quickly.


    ¡°Thus, I feel if there is a problem, it should be with Princess Jiarou. Why don¡¯t I go and sound her out?¡± King Ning asked.


    ¡°Go. If Princess Jiarou is not willing to marry, it is fine. I will not allow a woman with ulterior motives to enter the pce.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, you only have one main consort right now. Do you want to fill in all the secondary consorts in this selection?¡±


    King Ning hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°Forget about the secondary consort. It¡¯s better to choose a concubine.¡±


    He was satisfied with his consort and did not want to share her power.


    However, her attention was now on the child, so she could find someone to serve her.


    ¡°Alright, take note. If there¡¯s anyone suitable, go to Imperial Grandmother and let her know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if the Emperor has nothing else, I will take my leave.¡±


    The Emperor nodded. After he left, the Emperor said to Eunuch Qian, ¡°Tomorrow, you go to the various Imperial Houses and gather the names of the children of the right age who need to marry. This time, we will hold the selection for them.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty to go around. Let¡¯s take it slow. The pce is not in a hurry to add so many people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this old servant will remember it.¡± After Eunuch Qian finished speaking, he served him tea and left.


    The Emperor then began to approve the memorials.


    On the other end, other than staring at Princess Jiarou asionally, Zhou Ying was also checking on the situation on the Western continent.


    Unexpectedly, after entering February, a cold spring came.


    It was snowing, and it seemed to have been snowing for a whole day and night.


    Although the drought in most areas had been alleviated, the sudden change in the weather weakened many people¡¯s bodies. All of a sudden, many caught a cold.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she simply took advantage of the cloud cover in the sky to push it, relieving the drought on the Western Continent.


    At the same time, she also sent many medicinal herbs to the various state capitals to treat the viral cold.


    After finishing her work, she returned to the vi and went to sleep without even showering.


    Gu Chengrui was done with his work. When he found her and saw her pale face, he knew what was going on. He sighed and wiped her face. He tucked her in and went to the study in the Mother Goddess Temple to read.


    After the two left the interspace the next day, they heard Qiuxiang calling at the door. Only then did they realize that the sun had risen. The two of them changed their clothes and immediately went out.


    ¡°Master, Mistress, Princess Mingyu is here. She is ying at Young Lady¡¯s ce.¡± Qiuxiang lowered her head and reported.


    ¡°Prepare some water for washing up and some food for us.¡± Gu Chengrui said.


    After she left, he looked at Zhou Ying and whispered, ¡°How embarrassing, no? I hope you won¡¯t take risks again in the future.¡±


    ¡°This is an opportunity we can¡¯t miss. I¡¯m also doing this to benefit tens of thousands of people.¡± Zhou Ying pushed him away yfully..

 Chapter 897 - 897 Shopping

    Chapter 897: Shopping


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After washing up, Zhou Ying went to the side room and asked Mingyu, ¡°Why are you free toe and y today?¡±


    ¡°I wish, but I¡¯m looking for you to go shopping with me today. I need to help my eldest uncle prepare a few sets of jewelry as betrothal gifts.¡± Mingyu replied.


    ¡°So it¡¯s finally decided? Is it that Miss Xie?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s settled after all parties are satisfied.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. That girl doesn¡¯t seem to talk much and is generous in her ways. You guys should get along.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but from what I heard, they¡¯ll still have to return to the border after they get married. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll have many opportunities to get along.¡±


    ¡°Back to the border? Isn¡¯t the Northern Continent already a vassal kingdom? There shouldn¡¯t be a need for Brother Zhou to guard it.¡±


    ¡°It is likely they will only partially retreat the troops. I¡¯m not sure about the specifics.¡±


    ¡°I see. We likely have to see their attitude before we retreat our troops.¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°We¡¯re about to have lunch; let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    ¡°You guys eat. We came over after eating.¡± Mingyu shook his head.


    ¡°Guoguo, go eat dinner,¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ve eaten. You guys eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you take Zhuangzhuang along and have fun. I¡¯m going to have lunch.¡±


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui went to the clinic first, followed by Zhou Ying and Mingyu going shopping.


    As for Guoguo and Zhuangzhuang, they were left in the manor with their nannies.


    Zhou Ying and Mingyu first went to a cloth shop and ordered two sets of spring clothes each.


    At the same time, Zhou Ying also sent someone to a manor to order two sets of spring clothes for the servants before going to Cuiwei Restaurant.


    ¡°This lowly one greets Princess Mingyu, Marquis Madam An Le.¡± When the manager saw them enter, he immediately approached them with a smile.


    ¡°Manager Miao, you¡¯re too polite. Did you release a new set of jewelry this year?¡± Mingyu replied.


    ¡°Yes, but do you want gold or jade?¡±


    ¡°Show us everything except the silver ones.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please follow me upstairs. Let¡¯s talk in a private room.¡± After the manager finished speaking, he brought them upstairs.


    Princess Jiarou, who was strolling by the side, looked at the backs of the two people and thought of the Grand Empress Dowager¡¯s words. Her eyes shed, and after buying some jewelry she liked, she left with her maidservants.


    On the other end, Mingyu and Zhou Ying picked out a set of gold jewelry and a set of pink jade jewelry from here. The two of them then went to other shops to pick out a total of six sets before stopping.


    When the two passed by Grasnd Taste Restaurant, they went inside for a simple meal before rushing back.


    Just as they were about to return to the residence, Zhou Ying felt someone was following them. She immediately spread out her divine sense to search the nearby area.


    Sure enough, he found a person dressed like a farmer hiding around the corner.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you stop at the gates?¡± Mingyu looked at her.


    ¡°Nothing, I just suddenly remembered something. Let¡¯s go to the restaurant another day and talk more.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she walked into the residence with her.


    However, she didn¡¯t retract her divine sense. She wanted to see what that person was up to.


    Soon, that person left and went to a small courtyard to change his clothes before hurriedly returning to the official station.


    Zhou Ying looked at the Western Continent¡¯s clothes on him and was a little confused. She did not understand why he would follow her.


    However, she soon got the answer.


    That person looked for Princess Jiarou and reported, ¡°Princess, they visited a few jewelry shops. After that, they went back to Marquis An Le¡¯s residence.¡±


    ¡°In that case, since Princess Mingyu didn¡¯t go home directly, then let¡¯s start with her.¡±


    ¡°Princess, you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t seed by murdering in broad daylight.


    ¡°Besides, she has guards by her side. Even if we seed, we won¡¯t be able to escape..¡±

 Chapter 898 - 898 Reporting

    Chapter 898: Reporting


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I never thought of escaping. Don¡¯t you want to avenge Captain Su?¡±


    ¡°If you want to, then don¡¯t dawdle. I don¡¯t believe that after killing Princess Ming Yu, Great Ming and our country can still coexist without any grudges.


    ¡°Inform your men that once they are caught, they willmit suicide. This is the wish of the Western Continent King.


    ¡°The other purpose of this trip is to assassinate the members of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The man replied helplessly and turned to leave.


    He gathered twenty people and went out to the small courtyard. They changed into the Great Ming¡¯s military uniform and divided into two teams to head out to the streets.


    One team arrived not far from Zhou Ying¡¯s house, while the other team arrived at an alley that Mingyu had to pass through to get home.


    After Zhou Ying understood what was going on, she was instantly enraged. Princess Jiarou was a mad dog, biting people randomly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the toilet. Call Niu Lirong if you need anything.¡±


    After saying that, she hurriedly went to the toilet. After entering, she directly locked the door and entered her interspace.


    Then, she quickly printed out a note inrge traditional Chinese characters on herputer.


    The content was, ¡°Princess Jiarou sent people to kill Princess Mingyu and her son in XX Alley.¡±


    After printing it out, she immediately went to look for Bai Yang, but Bai Yang wasn¡¯t around, so she could only throw the note to an official on the diplomatic mission.


    When the official saw it, he was shocked. First, he was surprised by the contents.


    Secondly, he was confused. Who could silently hand a note to him in broad daylight? More importantly, it fell from above his head.


    If it was a knife¡­


    Thinking of this, he felt a lingering fear.


    Fortunately, he quickly came back to his senses. When he thought of the contents of the note, he was immediately frightened and broke out in a cold sweat.


    He immediately put away the note and went to the guards to find the vice captain who was in charge of apanying the Western Continent¡¯s envoy. ¡°Is there anyone that went out to the streets?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a total of 20 people. They asked for leave to go out, saying they were going shopping to bring back some letters from Great Ming to their families.¡± The vice captain replied.


    ¡°This is bad.¡± After the official finished speaking, he pulled him aside and handed him a piece of paper. ¡°Gather the people now and quickly capture these animals for me.


    ¡°As for the rest, we¡¯ll decide after General Bai returns.¡±


    The vice captain looked at the words on the note and said with surprise, ¡°This, this is Mother God¡¯s instruction!¡±


    The official was stunned for a moment before realizing it was indeed the same handwriting and paper Mother God had used to distribute food to them before the New Year.


    After they looked at each other, the vice-captain immediately gathered his men and left the official station. After asking for the exact location, he went straight to XX Alley.


    The officials stayed behind to protect the princess and sent people to notify Bai Yang to return.


    As soon as Bai Yang returned and understood what was happening, the vice captain rushed back with the twenty men who had changed their clothes.


    ¡°The princess sent you, didn¡¯t she?¡± Bai Yang asked.


    None of the twenty people replied.


    ¡°It seems like you no longer care about your family¡¯s life. Do you believe I¡¯ll bring my men to ransack your entire house when we return to the Western Continent?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to make things difficult for them. It¡¯s what I ordered them to do.¡± Princess Jiarou walked over and dered.


    ¡°You¡­ Didn¡¯t you agree to marry the emperor? Are you courting death?¡± General Bai looked at her with a murderous expression.


    He even wanted to reach out to strangle her.


    Did she not know the consequences of her actions?


    No, she knew.


    But she did it.


    ¡°So you want to destroy the Western Continent?¡± Bai Yangughed in anger.


    ¡°Yes, I promised to marry the emperor, but I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t do anything else. So, who betrayed me?¡± Jiarou asked as she smiled..

 Chapter 899 - 899 A Fool

    Chapter 899: A Fool


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t us,¡± the captain said. ¡°We were always together. We couldn¡¯t have leaked the information.¡±


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± Princess Jiarou was flustered and exasperated, but at the same time, she wanted to make a move.


    Bai Yang grabbed her arm and shouted, ¡°Stop! Do you want to tear apart the Great Ming Empire and the Western Continent? Do you really want to see the entire Western Continent suffer?¡±


    ¡°What does it have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. It¡¯s fine if you and your n don¡¯t care.


    ¡°However, do you not care about Guard Su¡¯s nsmen? Do you want to watch his nsmen die because of you?


    ¡°With your actions, how can you face them in the afterlife?¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°You can say so. If you were to go all out, even if the Western Continent were to perish, the Su n would be beaten into a sinner for eternity.


    ¡°You will be the one who brings disaster to the Su n. Forget about this life or the next life; the Su n will not let you enter the Su n¡¯s door even if it¡¯s ten lifetimester.¡±


    ¡°Who cares about a group of people who fawn over the powerful?


    ¡°Even if Guard Su finds out, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be a member of the Su family in his next life.¡±


    ¡°You are simply crazy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m crazy. I was driven crazy by you!¡± After Princess Jiarou finished speaking, she pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and pressed it against her captain. ¡°You know the whole operation. Tell me if you did it.¡±


    ¡°Enough, Princess. Wake up. It was Mother God who warned us. It can be seen how terrifying your actions are when even Mother God can¡¯t stand it.¡± The official stopped her and revealed the truth.


    ¡°Mother God? Why did she not like it? Why!


    ¡°When she can¡¯t even make it rain?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? The rain the royal family prayed for before the new year ended with a light drizzle.


    ¡°If she can really protect the weather on the Western Continent, we won¡¯t be here as envoys but as masters.¡±


    ¡°How arrogant. Not only are you disloyal, but you¡¯re also looking down on Mother God. Do you really think we won¡¯t dare do anything to you?¡± King Ning walked in with his men and asked.


    Bai Yang¡¯s face turned pale when he saw him. It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of him, but because Princess Jiarou¡¯s words were too much.


    Without waiting for him to speak, he immediately stepped forward and said, ¡°This humble official greets King Ning. The Princess is just rash, and she definitely does not have any disloyal intentions.¡±


    King Ning didn¡¯t look at him but stared straight at Princess Jiarou. At this moment, Princess Jiarou was jolted back to reality, but the emotions in her eyes were hard to hide.


    There was 50% fear, 30% stubbornness, 20% hatred, and a trace of anger.


    She turned around and looked elsewhere.


    Seeing this, King Ning finally understood the Emperor¡¯s meaning. This thorny, angry fool was unsuitable for the Emperor, or even the Great Ming.


    He turned to Bai Yang and said, ¡°The marriage is cancelled. We can talk about the restter.


    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t want any more problems in the capital. Otherwise, we can only invite the Western Continent King toe personally.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, King Ning. I will definitely take good care of her. There will be no more problems.¡±


    ¡°Remember, you only have one chance.¡± After King Ning finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    Bai Yang and the rest heaved a sigh of relief the moment he left. He turned around and red at Jiarou angrily. ¡°So? Did you get what you wanted?¡±


    He looked at the twenty people and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you all one more chance.


    ¡°Put the princess under house arrest. Don¡¯t me me for being ruthless if there are any more mistakes..¡±

 Chapter 900 - 900 A New Deal

    Chapter 900: A New Deal


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°You dare¡­!¡± Jiarou shouted angrily when she heard the word ¡®house arrest.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re no longer valuable. Take him away.¡± Bai Yang said.


    Twenty people immediately surrounded the princess and escorted her back to her dormitory. They sent her in, and they surrounded her like an iron bucket.


    On the other hand, the people of the Northern Continent who were separated by a wall were delighted after receiving the news.


    First, their princess was worry-free. Second, with theparison of the Western Continent, their cooperation with the Great Ming would be smoother in the future.


    After King Ning entered the pce, he told the Emperor the whole story. ¡°Your Highness, should we ask them to send another one?¡±


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s good to cancel it directly. The involvement of a woman is far less worthwhile than the real benefits.


    ¡°It just so happens that the Western Continent is in trouble. Go and discuss what they n to exchange for food.


    ¡°What do you prefer?¡±


    ¡°I heard that there are many mountains and medicinal herbs there. Let¡¯s focus on wood and medicinal herbs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will settle this matter as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Let¡¯s wait for the reply from their king and see what they have to say.


    ¡°In short, we can¡¯t easily reach an agreement this time.¡±


    King Ning was stunned for a moment. He smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Go, roughly count all the food supplies we have. We have to keep enough for our own use first.¡±


    King Ning nodded and walked out.


    When Zhou Ying saw that the Emperor had already noticed Princess Jiarou, who had gone a little crazy, she withdrew her divine sense.


    At night, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about it.


    Gu Chengrui was stunned for a moment. ¡°What a sad story.


    ¡°It seems that the two of them are truly in love. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have gone this far to take revenge.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I reckon that Jiarou isn¡¯t far from truly going crazy.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    At this moment, Guoguo hugged her pillow and came over. ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s my turn to apany Mommy tonight. You should go out quickly.¡±


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Daddy is talking about serious matters with Mommy. You should sleep first.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to hear my bedtime story.¡± Guoguo shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the study.¡± Gu Chengrui shook his head.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Ying smiled.


    After he left, Zhou Ying carried Guoguo up and asked, ¡°Guoguo, what story do you want to hear today?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I tell you a story that¡¯s like deceiving oneself while stealing a bell?¡± Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment and asked.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Guoguo nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°The story goes like this¡­


    ¡°One night, a thief¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, this thief is really stupid. He covered his ears so he couldn¡¯t hear, but others could still hear the bell. So, of course, they could still catch him.¡± Guoguoughed.


    ¡°Guoguo is really amazing. This little story tells us that doing bad things without others knowing is impossible.


    ¡°Do you know what it means to deceive yourself?¡±


    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t lie to yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This thief only deceives himself, so we should try our best to make fewer mistakes. If we don¡¯t make mistakes, we¡¯ll still be good children.¡±


    ¡°One more story, one more.¡± Guoguo nodded and begged.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you a story about Little Red Riding Hood.¡± Zhou Ying continued.


    After eight short stories, Guoguo finally fell asleep.


    After she fell asleep, Zhou Ying called Gu Chengrui over, and he carried her directly to Mrs. Lin.


    Then, the two of them washed up and went into the interspace to get busy..

 Chapter 901 - 901 Zhi Shan’s Request (1)

    Chapter 901: Zhi Shan¡¯s Request (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Sure enough, Zhou Ying looked at Princess Jiarou again on the third day and saw that she had gonepletely crazy. Whenever she saw a man, she would call him Su Lang, and she would hit any woman she saw.


    No one dared to get close to her, and even eating became a problem.


    Even Bai Yang and the other members of the diplomatic corps were exhausted, so in the end, they sedated her.


    At the same time, the results of the consort selection first round were also out. Only a dwarf with a height of less than 1.5 meters was eliminated.


    On this day, Zhou Ying saw that the weather was not bad, so she brought Guoguo to the back garden to watch Mr. Miao trim the flowers.


    ¡°Madam, Princess Zhi Shan of the Northern Continent Dynasty is here to visit.¡± Suddenly, a servant rushed over and said.


    ¡°Princess Zhi Shan, what is she doing here?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t say, and we didn¡¯t dare to ask.¡±


    ¡°How many people came?¡±


    ¡°She only brought a maid and a guard.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s meet in the main courtyard then. We¡¯ll go back now. Guoguo, are you going back with Mommy, or are you going to y here?¡± Zhou Ying looked at Guoguo.


    ¡°y here. Mommy, go back by yourself.¡± Guoguo turned her head and said.


    ¡°Okay, then you must listen to Nanny.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she instructed Mrs. Lin to feed her more water and walked toward the main courtyard.


    When she arrived at the main courtyard entrance, the two of them happened to meet each other.


    ¡°Greetings, Princess Zhi Shan,¡± Zhou Ying hurriedly bowed.


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you, Madam Gu. I came over today to ask you for advice on cooking.¡± Zhi Shan helped her up.


    ¡°Are you going to learn cooking by yourself?¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she led them into the house.


    ¡°Together with my maid. We only need one of us to learn it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, which dish do you want to learn?¡±


    ¡°We want to learn how to cook fish. There are many fish in the Northern Continent Dynasty. It will greatly enrich our dining table if we can cook them well.¡±


    After Zhou Ying heard this, she looked at her in surprise. She was ambitious, wanting to learn a series of dishes.


    ¡°There must be a priority, right?¡± She asked. ¡°What kind of fish do you usually eat?¡±


    ¡°Spanish mackerel or bighead carp.¡± Princess Zhi Shan said, ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve brought some small gifts for you. I hope you¡¯ll like them.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, a maid beside her took out a small box the size of a palm and handed it to Qiuxiang.


    ¡°There are bighead carp in the mansion, so let¡¯s start with that today. We¡¯ll invite you over when we buy some Spanish mackerel. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve troubled you, Madam.¡±


    Zhou Ying served her two cups of tea and a few snacks.


    ¡°Princess, do you like Longjing tea?¡± Zhou Ying asked when she saw that she liked tea.


    ¡°I only liked it after I came here. The faint fragrance is refreshing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it. I¡¯ll pack some for you to bring backter.¡±


    After chatting for a while, the three of them went straight to the kitchen after the stove was ready.


    After killing the fish, Zhou Ying cooked a chopped pepper fish head dish and the body into stewed fish and tofu.


    She exined to them as she did it.


    ¡°No matter what,¡± she finally said, ¡°stewing is universal, and fish can¡¯t be separated from onions, ginger, and garlic.¡±


    ¡°All fish?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the cooking method of stewing fish is simr, no matter which fish.¡±


    Seeing that there were grass carp in the kitchen, she also made a sweet and sour fish and a fish meatbail soup.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. You can try my cooking now that you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°It smells so good.¡± Zhi Shan nodded his head and helped her with the bowls and chopsticks as they walked into the dining room.


    When all the dishes were served, Zhou Ying called Guoguo over. She said to the maid, ¡°Please sit down. Only by knowing the taste of the food can you know how to cook it..¡±

 Chapter 902 - 902 Zhi Shan’s Request (2)

    Chapter 902: Zhi Shan¡¯s Request (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°But that¡¯s impolite.¡± Zhi Shan refused.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. This is my home. I can do whatever I want. Otherwise, the two of us won¡¯t be able to finish this dish alone.¡± Zhou Ying patted the stool beside her and said, ¡°Sit down, and don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I like Madam Gu very much. I don¡¯t like those rules either.¡± Zhi Shan confessed.


    ¡°Exactly, so do as you do at home.¡±


    Zhi Shan nodded her head and allowed her maid to sit down.


    Then, the four of them happily ate together.


    Zhi Shan asked, ¡°Madam Gu, where can I buy this red chili? It¡¯s appetizing and can keep the cold away. It¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°They are not sold in the market. We grow them specially for our restaurant.


    ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll give you some. After two years, you¡¯ll be able to buy more once it¡¯s everywhere.¡±


    ¡°What a pity.¡±


    ¡°I can give you some seeds. See if you can nt them on the Northern Continent.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡±


    When they left in the afternoon, Zhi Shan and the other two brought tworge jars of chopped pepper sauce and tworge bags of Longjing tea. Finally, Zhou Ying prepared a basket of snacks for her.


    After sending her off, Zhou Ying looked at Qiuxiang and asked, ¡°Qiuxiang, what did Princess Zhi Shan give me?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it yet.¡± After Qiuxiang finished speaking, she passed the box to her.


    Zhou Ying opened the box and took a look. Inside were four pigeon-egg-sized rubies, each worth a fortune. They would make a perfect addition to Guoguo¡¯s dowry.


    She scanned them with her divine sense to ensure no hidden dangers, then turned to Qiuxiang and said, ¡°Instruct the kitchen to buy more fish these next few days. Also, see if you can find any mackerel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± Qiuxiang replied and turned to leave.


    After returning to her quarters, Zhi Shan divided everything she had received, except the chili sauce, with Sovereign King Ke. ¡°Third Brother, look at all these delicious things!¡± she eximed.


    ¡°You little glutton, I heard you went to learn cooking from Madam Gu?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We have so much fish on the Northern Continent but don¡¯t know how to cook it, so it all goes to waste. That¡¯s why I went to learn how to cook fish. That way, our people on the Northern Continent can enjoy food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s thoughtful of you, but remember to repay her kindness.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I gave her four rubies. That should be more than enough to buy her recipes. Oh, and about the chili peppers, I asked about those too. They¡¯re not verymon in Great Ming either, and they¡¯re not for sale. Their restaurant grows their own, but Madam Gu said she could give me some seeds to try.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll have someone buy some fish this afternoon, and I¡¯ll try cooking tonight. You have toe over and try it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not free tonight. Let¡¯s reschedule.¡± Sovereign King Ke stood up immediately.


    He had never seen her cook before, and he didn¡¯t think she would be able to make anything good on her first try. He didn¡¯t want to torture his stomach. ¡°Third Brother, what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much; I really do have something to do.¡±


    ¡°You better not be lying to me.¡±


    ¡°How could I? I¡¯m going to visit King An¡¯s heir now. When I return, I¡¯ll try to bring back more flour and rice.¡± Sovereign King Ke finished speaking and hurried out.


    Zhi Shan was annoyed, but she couldn¡¯t chase after him.


    She had someone buy some fish and huffed that he would be begging her to try it once she was done cooking.


    However, as soon as she started cooking that afternoon, she realized it wasn¡¯t as easy as it looked; even killing the fish was a struggle.


    Frustratedly, she looked at the maid and said, ¡°You do it.. It looked so easy when Madam Gu did it, but why doesn¡¯t the knife listen to me now?¡±

 Chapter 903 - 903 Zhi Shan’s Request (3)

    Chapter 903: Zhi Shan¡¯s Request (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The maid chuckled. ¡°Princess, you¡¯ve never cleaned fish before, so, naturally, you¡¯re not familiar with it. You¡¯ll be fine if you try it a few more times.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin then,¡± Zhi Shan pouted.


    The maid took the knife and coughed dryly. She cleaned up the fish, but it didn¡¯t look too good either. Fortunately, she finally cleaned it up the best she could.


    In the afternoon, Zhou Ying thought about it and finally brought two sets of snacks and some tonics into the pce.


    First, she went to the Grand Empress Dowager¡¯s ce to stay for a while and left some snacks before heading to Gu Wanning¡¯s Phoenix Pce.


    Gu Wanning, who had just received the news and rushed back, saw the mother and daughter and immediately weed them with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re just in time. I was just looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± Zhou Ying sat down.


    At the same time, Guoguo went to y with Yangyang.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I just want you to help prepare some sea fish.


    ¡°After the selection, the Emperor will invite the Northern Continent and


    Western Continent envoys to a banquet and officially confer the consort¡¯s title.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there royal merchants supplying it?¡±


    ¡°The imperial merchants don¡¯t have any more stock this season. This isn¡¯t the season for harvesting, so they can¡¯t guarantee that they¡¯ll be able to get anything.


    ¡°Does your restaurant have any? A hundred or so fish is enough.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. Even if her restaurant didn¡¯t have enough, there was still her interspace.


    There were all kinds of seafood in her interspace, after all. She nodded and said, ¡°Alright, leave this to me. How big of a fish do you want?¡±


    ¡°About two pounds. It¡¯s hard to find if it¡¯s too big, but it will look bad on us if it¡¯s too small. Is one tael per fish enough?¡± Gu Wanning asked.


    ¡°It should be. I¡¯ll send it over one to two days in advance. Get someone to prepare the ice cer.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just look for me when the timees. By the way, I heard that Princess Jiarou has gone crazy. Do you know what happened?¡± Gu Wanning asked softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that, either.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    There were no rumors on the streets, so she did not want to reveal how she got her news.


    ¡°No matter what, you¡¯ve lost your most powerful opponent.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, one look, and you know Princess Jiarou came with bad intentions.


    ¡°On the other hand, Princess Zhi Shan is very lively and cute.¡±


    ¡°I came to you today, firstly to see you and, secondly, for the sake of Zhi Shan.


    ¡°She came to me this morning to learn how to cook fish and even gave me four ruby gems. You¡¯d better tell the Emperor, as I don¡¯t want to cause any misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°You taught her?¡±


    ¡°I did. She came to me and begged me. Since she has a special identity, I really couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°As for whether or not to teach, how to teach, and to what extent, I need to confer on the Emperor¡¯s opinion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but I doubt it¡¯s a big problem. I¡¯ll help you ask aroundter. I¡¯ll give you a reply tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Zhou Ying then lowered her head and asked, ¡°How have you been recently? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that my legs were a little swollen at night, but I¡¯ll be fine the next day after resting for a night.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re tiring yourself out. Try to walk less and soak your feet in hot water at night. If you suddenly feel ufortable, get Chunxi and the others to massage you.


    ¡°In addition, your belly is getting bigger now. Try to eat something lighter, and you¡¯ll feel much better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    After that, the two of them chatted for a while. Gu Wanning also told her about the consort selection. The first round was easy. Basically, anyone who is healthy would pass.


    The second round was much stricter. Of course, this round was also the cruellest, as the sabotaging among contestants had started..

 Chapter 904 - 904 Zhi Shan’s Request (4)

    Chapter 904: Zhi Shan¡¯s Request (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    On the way out of the pce, Zhou Ying looked curiously at the consort selection.


    There were two nannies teaching thedies the rules and manners of the pce. If they were slightly wrong, they would be pped with a ruler.


    Therefore, no matter how high her status once was or how arrogant she once was, the women were now being scolded like the nannies¡¯ grandson.


    Zhou Ying wanted tough, but at the same time, she was d that she didn¡¯t have to suffer something like this.


    At the same time, she made up her mind that she would never let Guoguo suffer like this in the future.


    At night, after entering the interspace, Zhou Ying told Gu Chengrui about Zhi Shan¡¯s request.


    Gu Chengrui heard this and replied, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing to report this to the Emperor. However, you must be careful when you speak before them. Don¡¯t mention anything that involves the imperial court.


    ¡°Also, keep an eye on her. Don¡¯t let anyone take the opportunity to frame you for something.¡±


    ¡°I will be careful.¡± Zhou Ying nodded.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying first asked Niu Fugui to go to the restaurant and greet the two managers, asking them to look in private to see if they could find a big yellow croaker and seabass.


    If they had them, she wouldn¡¯t have to take the risk of getting the fish out of her interspace.


    In the middle of the morning, Eunuch Sun carried a basket of snacks to the door and passed down the Emperor¡¯s orders to Zhou Ying that she could do as she saw fit, as long as she didn¡¯t feel that she was losing out.


    After sending off Eunuch Sun, Zhi Shan and her maid came to visit once again.


    Zhou Ying stepped forward and bowed.


    ¡°Madam Gu, you¡¯re too polite. No matter what, you¡¯re still half my teacher.


    There¡¯s no need to bow.¡± Zhi Shanughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I don¡¯t.¡± After Zhou Ying greeted them, she led them inside.


    At the same time, she said, ¡°I bought some Spanish mackerel today. I¡¯ll teach you how to cook Spanish mackerel in a while.


    ¡°Spanish mackerel is easy to make. The most indispensable thing is to add vinegar. As long as the vinegar is in ce, it won¡¯t taste bad with onions and ginger.¡±


    ¡°Can you also teach us how to gut a fish correctly?¡± Zhi Shanughed awkwardly.


    ¡°Of course. Different fish are gutted differently, especially pufferfish. If you don¡¯t handle them properly, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Is it that serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Their livers are poisonous. We can¡¯t eat the fish if we don¡¯t clean them up correctly.¡±


    When they reached the kitchen, Zhou Ying finally understood that they were total beginners at gutting fish.


    Zhou Ying had no choice but to teach them carefully. As for how much they had learned, she did not care; they had to practice more on their own.


    In the afternoon, they had an all-fish feast before the princess and her maid left.


    After that, Zhi Shan came for five consecutive days. She finally seeded in cooking up a decent dish of Spanish mackerel and bighead carp.


    Although the taste was a littlecing, it was good enough.


    Five dayster, another batch of twenty women were eliminated from the consort selection; most of them were from outside the capital.


    One afternoon, three dayster, Zhou Ying ate her lunchte and wanted to go to the restaurant to ask about the batch of seafish. However, just as she was done cleaning up, she saw Gu Chenglin and Gu Chengxi walking in listlessly.


    Especially Gu Chengxi, who was a little agitated.


    Zhou Ying asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two? Why are you here at this time? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± After Gu Chenglin finished speaking, he asked Niu Lirong to prepare them a pot of herbal tea.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t rush him. Instead, she sat to the side and waited for them to speak.


    ¡°Sister-inw, do you know that a group of beautiful girls were rejected from the consort selection?¡± Gu Chengxi asked after a while.


    ¡°I know. I heard that they are mainly from outside the capital. What does it have anything to do with them?¡± Zhou Ying nodded and asked..

 Chapter 905 - 905 Worries

    Chapter 905: Worries


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes, three of my ssmates are making a fuss because their younger sister is targeting me. I¡¯m so annoyed.¡± Gu Chengxi grumbled.


    ¡°Did you spot someone you like?¡± Zhou Ying asked with a smile. ¡°If you do, you can settle down.¡±


    Gu Chengxi shook his head repeatedly. ¡°No, I know they¡¯re not targeting me. They¡¯re targeting the Marquis residence.¡±


    ¡°No matter the reason, as long as they are not enemies with us, you can settle down with someone you fancy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re not young anymore. It¡¯s not too early to get engaged now.¡± Gu Chenglin echoed.


    Zhou Ying looked at Gu Chenglin curiously. ¡°Don¡¯t just talk about him. What about you? Is anyone after you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re much better off than me.¡± Gu Chengxiughed.


    ¡°My backer is strong. I¡¯ll ask them to look for my brother-inw if they want to look for me. It¡¯s not my fault if they don¡¯t dare to go.¡± Gu Chenglin replied proudly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be careless. If you meet someone with thick skin, it¡¯s really possible that their father will go to the Emperor after hearing your request.


    ¡°If the Emperor hears this, feels that you are interested, and decides it for you, you will be in big trouble.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be?¡± Gu Chenglin was stunned for a moment, and his face was full of surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Although you¡¯re still young, you¡¯re the Emperor¡¯s brother-inw. There are too many people who want to be with you, so it¡¯d be better to be careful. You might as well send the Emperor and your sister a message about this.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you should be careful.¡± Gu Chengrui gloated.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the pce now and see my sister.¡± Gu Chenglin stood up.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll go now. It¡¯d be best not to dy this.¡±


    ¡°Alright, remember to bring some gifts for the two kids. Ask Lin Yifan to send you there.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± After Gu Chenglin finished speaking, he ran out.


    ¡°You¡¯re eighteen this year, right?¡± Zhou Ying looked at Gu Chengxi.


    ¡°Yes, eighteen years old.¡±


    ¡°So what are you thinking? You should find a wife soon. If you miss your window, it will be toote.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that intention at the moment. I want to work hard and participate in the provincial examination after autumn.


    ¡°If I get a good result, I want to try to be a schr.


    ¡°If the results aren¡¯t good, or even fail, I want to enter the Medical Law Office and focus on learning medicine from Brother Chengrui.¡±


    ¡°Since you have an idea, make it clear.


    ¡°Otherwise, if you give them hope, they will naturally pester you.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that be breaking their hearts?.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, a decisive rejection doesn¡¯t hurt, especially when ites to rtionships between men and women.


    ¡°If you give them hope, it would only be crueler if you rejected themter.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to reject them directly from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡±


    After that, Zhou Ying asked them about the situation in the academy.


    She then got up and went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks, meat sauce, and other food for them.


    After Gu Chenglin returned, the two carried their things back to the academy.


    As soon as they left, Zhou Ying went straight to the restaurant to check on her business.


    After learning that there was a decline in sales, Zhou Ying nned to introduce a membership card system.


    However, when it came to the seafish, neither restaurant had any good news.


    Moreover, there were no seafish in the capital anymore.


    At night, Zhou Ying checked the situation in various ces and found no big yellow carp or sea bass in the coastal areas..

 Chapter 906 - 906 Squirrel Fish

    Chapter 906: Squirrel Fish


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It seems like I have to give up, or I can only produce fish in the name of Mother God,¡± Zhou Ying muttered.


    ¡°What are you mumbling about?¡± Gu Chengrui walked over and asked.


    Zhou Ying told Gu Wanning about her promise to find fish but that there were no fish in the market.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s better not to trouble the Mother Goddess with such a small matter. Otherwise, there will be many such trivial matters in the future.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to change the seabass to squirrel fish.


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the appearance or the taste, it¡¯s as good as seabass. It definitely won¡¯t lose face.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll listen to you on that. I¡¯ll buy a squirrel fish and cook it in the pceter for her to try. By the way, why are you here?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Ah, I remember that I bought a set of extraction equipment for drugs. Help me find it. I want to try to extract penicillin.


    ¡°Otherwise, we can only do small surgeries. We can¡¯t do any big ones.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and quickly found it for him, helping him to put it in hisboratory.


    Early the next morning, Zhou Ying brought two squirrel fish and pine nuts into the pce.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve searched all the fishmongers, but they have nothing.


    ¡°However, I have a dish that can rece the sea fish. It definitely will be as good.¡±


    ¡°You want to make it on the spot?¡± Gu Wanning pointed at the basket she was carrying.


    ¡°Yes. You, the Emperor, and the Grand Empress Dowager can taste it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then, let¡¯s do it in the small kitchen here. If you need anything, you can look for Eunuch Sun and ask him to get it from the imperial kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go and prepare first.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the kitchen.


    When the Grand Empress Dowager heard there was good food, she immediately brought her two great-grandkids to visit Zhou Ying, who was busy in the kitchen. ¡°Zhou Ying, why don¡¯t you add on another two new dishes? It¡¯s been boring here.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but what do you want to eat?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you. A total of six dishes would do.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but it will take some time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no problem. What¡¯s the harm in waiting for a change in tastebuds?¡±


    After the Grand Empress Dowager left, Zhou Ying reassessed the kitchen and decided to make pine nuts chicken, fried tofu, steamed eggnts, shredded red potato sd, and squirrel fish.


    Once she decided on the menu, she requested that Eunuch Sun take the ingredients for her along with two helpers.


    When noon was almost over, the dishes were ready.


    Zhou Ying called the kitchen to bring these dishes to the dining table.


    When the Grand Empress Dowager saw the squirrel fish, her eyes lit up. ¡°This color, this shape. It looks great!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a dish simr to sweet and sour carp.


    ¡°To be honest, a great sweet and sour carp dish is worthy of being part of the grand banquet.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and gave her opinion.


    ¡°I guess it was shallow of me to assume only steam seafish is a dish worthy of a banquet.¡± Gu Wanning quipped in.


    ¡°Not really, as seafish were always part of any grand banquet.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°We¡¯re just hosting it in the wrong season. Seafish are not ready for harvesting at the moment.¡± At this point, the Grand Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Ying and said, ¡°You must be tired. Come, take a seat, and let¡¯s eat. The two kids must be hungry, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Let¡¯s eat.¡± The Emperor echoed and picked up some sd for the two kids.


    ¡°Give it a try; I¡¯m sure you two will like it..¡±

 Chapter 907 - 907 Member Card

    Chapter 907: Member Card


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a taste of this squirrel fish.¡± After the Grand Empress Dowager finished speaking, she asked Nanny Liu to give her a small piece.


    The Grand Empress Dowager tried to put it in her mouth and said, ¡°How should I put it?


    ¡°The first thing I tasted was the crispy fragrance of the fish.


    ¡°Sour, then sweet, and finally salty.


    ¡°When I chewed it thoroughly, the three vorsbined, and there was a salty and fragrant aftertaste in my mouth.


    ¡°Moreover, the ingredients and heat control are excellent. It¡¯s a delicacy.¡±


    When the Emperor heard the Grand Empress Dowager¡¯s high evaluation, he immediately picked up a piece and started eating. He quickly nodded in satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s lovely. It¡¯s enough for the grand banquet.¡±


    At the same time, Gu Wanning also took a bite and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s tasty. Later, I¡¯ll have to trouble my cousin-inw to teach this dish to the royal chef.¡±


    ¡°No problem. There¡¯s still a squirrel fish in the kitchen. I can teach them twice, and there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡±


    ¡°The squirrel fish you are talking about is a species from the south, correct?¡± The Emperor asked.


    ¡°Yes, squirrel fish can be fished from spring to autumn. It¡¯s more convenient than sea fish.


    ¡°However, this dish can also be made with carp, but the taste will be a little off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s much more convenient since this kind of fish is rtivelymon in the south.¡±


    After the meal, the Emperor rewarded Zhou Ying with four horses, a new tribute material, and two pounds of Da Hong Pao tea.


    After resting for a while, Zhou Ying asked Gu Wanning to find the royal chef, and she taught him in detail. She also asked him to make detailed notes.


    After he was done, Zhou Ying let him taste it and said, ¡°Remember this taste.¡± ¡°If you are unsure of anything, you cane to my residence to find me.¡± ¡°Thank you, Madam Gu. I will definitely pay you a visit.¡± After the royal chef finished speaking, he picked up a piece and tasted it carefully.


    As he ate, he nodded repeatedly. Although this dish differed from their traditional cooking method, it was more delicious and easier to arouse people¡¯s appetite.


    No wonder the business of Grasnd Taste Restaurant has always been so popr.


    Zhou Ying heaved a sigh of relief after leaving the pce with her rewards.


    At the same time, she was also very happy. It seemed like she had to teach her restaurant¡¯s chef the cooking method for squirrel fish as soon as possible.


    She believed that once the banquet ended, she would definitely be able to take the opportunity to make a fortune by introducing the squirrel fish to the public.


    Right, she also had to prepare the membership card as soon as possible.


    After returning home, she began to design the membership card. After designing it, she stamped it on a thick copper card that was used to make business cards.


    There were two types of cards, gold and silver.


    Silver cards could get a 10% discount, and gold cards could get a 20% discount.


    There was also a ck Supreme Card. She only printed five of them¡ªa 50% discount card.


    One for Mingyu, one for the Elderly Consort An, and another for the Emperor. She nned to keep the remaining two for Gu Chenglin and Gu Chengxi, but she would give them to them after marriage.


    After printing them, Zhou Ying called Niu Fugui over and said, ¡°This is the restaurant¡¯s membership card.


    ¡°If someone spends a thousand taels of silver, give them the silver card, and they can get a 10% discount in the future.


    ¡°The gold card will be given to whoever spends 10,000 taels of silver. In the future, the card could be used for an 80% discount.


    ¡°This card can be used in all of our three restaurants.¡±


    Niu Fugui only hesitated momentarily before he understood the meaning of these cards. One was to stimte their customers to spend money, and the other was to bind them to their restaurants.


    ¡°Understood.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Remember, we must be strict and let these cards be a form of identity.


    ¡°In addition, there were five ck cards, which were 50% off cards. ck cards had priority and could not be lent out.


    ¡°Currently, I only n to send out three. One is for Princess Mingyu, one is for the Emperor, and thest is for Elderly Consort An..¡±

 Chapter 908 - 908 Slide (1)

    Chapter 908: Slide (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I understand.¡± Niu Fugui took the gold and silver cards out of the door and went straight to the restaurant.


    On the other hand, after Gu Chengxi went back, he took the opportunity to invite his three ssmates for a meal.


    He told them his thoughts during the meal and rejected their good intentions.


    Although the three of them were dissatisfied, they temporarily put aside their thoughts of pestering him.


    In the next few days, Zhou Ying went to each manor one by one to check on their progress.


    Soon, the third round of the consort selection show ended.


    In the end, only five beautiful girls were left, and one of them was Miss Chu, who had plotted against Gu Wanning.


    However, Zhou Ying also knew that the Emperor was still nning to choose a wife for the princes and young masters of the royal family, so she was still rtively calm.


    She also believed that when the Emperor returned, he would know about Miss Chu¡¯s actions and not choose her to enter the pce.


    Soon, it was the day of the pce banquet. All the officials of the third rank and above had received invitations.


    Because it was a luncheon, Zhou Ying got up early in the morning. After cleaning up, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°I got someone to make the yground slide you wanted. Do you want to bring it with you today?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. I¡¯d already promised the Grand Empress Dowager a few days ago. It would be rude if I didn¡¯t fulfill my promise.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Alright, then, let¡¯s go to the pce now.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he called for the slide to be installed.


    He then walked into the pce with the mother and daughter.


    When they entered the pce, the Emperor and the others were eating. When they learned that they had brought in arge toy, they curiously went to wee them.


    When they saw the huge box, they asked in surprise, ¡°What did you guys bring? Why is it so big?¡±


    Gu Chengrui did not exin. Instead, he took out the blueprint and handed it to him. He gave him a simple introduction and exined how to y with it.


    In the end, he said, ¡°I asked someone to make it out of ash wood. As long as it¡¯s not deliberately damaged, it won¡¯t be a problem to y with it for ten years.¡±.


    ¡°Sorry for making you spend so much money.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for the children¡¯s. Do you know where I should ce this thing?¡±


    ¡°ce it in the empty space outside the Phoenix Pce.¡± The Emperor hesitated for a moment and replied.


    ¡°Alright, it just so happens that everyone is there. Let¡¯s settle down.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s a good time for me to broaden my horizons.¡± After the Emperor finished speaking, he personally led them out of the Phoenix Pce.


    When they arrived, the carpenters moved very quickly. In less than an hour, a slide was installed.


    Zhou Ying saw this and went forward to try it herself. ¡°The craftsmanship is not bad. It¡¯s quite smooth.¡±


    After saying that, she looked at the surprised Guoguo and said, ¡°Guoguo, do you dare to try? Mommy will catch you downstairs.¡±


    Guoguo immediately nodded. Gu Chengrui went forward to pick her up and put her on top. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Just close your eyes. It¡¯s fun.¡±


    Guoguo excitedly walked to the slide and sat down, then slid down.


    However, as soon as he let go, Guoguo was so frightened that she immediately screamed and reached out to grab the railing at the side.


    Then, she immediately stopped.


    Zhou Ying smiled. ¡°Guoguo, didn¡¯t you see Mommy just now? It¡¯s very safe. Let go. Mommy is below to catch you.¡±


    Guoguo hesitated momentarily, but eventually let go and immediately slid down.


    Zhou Ying stepped forward to catch her. ¡°Guoguo is so brave. Look, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Guoguo nodded. She was no longer afraid as she looked at the slide.


    On the contrary, when she remembered the feeling of sliding down freely, she was a little eager to try again..

 Chapter 909 - 909 Slides (2)

    Chapter 909: Slides (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Guoguo¡¯s shout alerted Yangyang and the Eldest Princess.


    The two children looked at the slide before them and walked over curiously.


    Yangyang was excited as he stood at the bottom and wanted to climb up.


    The Emperor also understood that this slide was not dangerous as long as no one messed with it. He picked up Yangyang and ced him on top. ¡°Close your eyes. Father will y a game for you.¡±


    Yangyang didn¡¯t know what fear was, so he closed his eyes immediately.


    When the Emperor let go, Yangyang quickly slid down, screaming in fear, until he reached the bottom. Zhou Ying quickly caught and hugged him. ¡°Yangyang is so brave! Look, it¡¯s okay. Is it fun?¡±


    Yangyang heard Zhou Ying¡¯s familiar voice and finally opened his eyes.


    At this moment, Guoguo also climbed up and quickly slid down again.


    Although she was still a little afraid, she was even more excited.


    She climbed up and slid down again, no longer afraid of the slide.


    Gu Chengrui saw the Eldest Princess¡¯ eyes shining, so he turned his head and said, ¡°Nannan can try it if she wants to.¡±


    The Eldest Princess looked at the Emperor shyly. Seeing the Emperor nod, she immediately followed Guoguo up.


    However, she was still a little scared when standing at the top of the slide. In the end, under Guoguo¡¯s urging, she closed her eyes and slid down.


    Soon, the two of them became addicted and queued up to y by themselves.


    Yangyang saw this and was unwilling to be left out. He immediately struggled down and said, ¡°y!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s y.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and ced him at the top of the slide.


    Soon, the three children started ying excitedly.


    ¡°This saves me a lot of trouble. I can even let them exercise their muscles and bones.¡± The Emperor smiled when he saw this.


    ¡°Indeed, but it¡¯s better to safety-proof the surroundings of the slide. This is so they won¡¯t get hurt if they fall off.¡±


    The Emperor nodded in agreement. ¡°We must pay attention to this. Eunuch Qian, take some mats and spread them around.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Eunuch Qian responded and turned around to make arrangements.


    After a while, the Grand Empress Dowager came over and said, ¡°I was wondering why I haven¡¯t seen them for so long. So they¡¯re ying here.¡± ¡°Greetings, grandmother.¡± The Emperor bowed.


    Immediately after, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying bowed to the Grand Empress Dowager.


    ¡°Please, get up. You brought this into the pce, right?¡± After the Grand Empress Dowager finished speaking, she looked at Zhou Ying and asked.


    ¡°Yeah, no matter what toy they y with, there will be a time when they get tired of it. This can keep them busy for a few more years.¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s brilliant! I sure wonder what¡¯s going on in your head sometimes.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager praised as she looked at the slide.


    She looked at Yangyang, who was sweating profusely.


    ¡°It¡¯s fun. Grandmother, you y.¡± Yangyang wanted to pull her away after she finished speaking.


    The Grand Empress Dowager smiled and squeezed his little hand. ¡°You can y. I¡¯ll just watch.¡±


    A momentter, Mingyu rushed over with Zhuangzhuang. After bowing, she eximed, ¡°Good gracious, it¡¯s lively here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better for children to be lively. Come, go y with Guoguo,¡± Zhou Ying nudged Zhuangzhuang.


    Gu Chengrui saw that Zhuangzhuang was a little timid, so he picked him up and ced him atop the slide. ¡°Come, Uncle will teach you how to y.¡±


    After he exined what he would do, Zhuangzhuang let go of Gu Chengrui¡¯s hand and screamed as he slid to the ground..

 Chapter 910 - 910 State Banquet (1)

    Chapter 910: State Banquet (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The children quickly started ying together.


    The Emperor saw this and said a few words to Gu Chengrui before walking towards the imperial study.


    On this side, Zhou Ying and the others asked someone to bring a few stools and sat down to chat.


    Soon, the people attending the pce banquet arrived one after another.


    Seeing the Grand Empress Dowager here, everyone quickly gathered around. However, the women from families with young, unmarried girls started to surround the Grand Empress Dowager to chat.


    Their main goal was to leave a good impression and secure a good position for their daughter.


    Seeing this, the Grand Empress Dowager no longer had the mood to watch the children y. She returned to Pheonix Pce.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go visit Wanning,¡± Mingyu said.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s take the children away. They must be tired from ying.¡± Zhou Ying said. After speaking, she gathered all four children and said, ¡°Are you all tired from ying? Let¡¯s go rest and have some water. We¡¯lle back and yter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Auntie Zhou.¡± The Eldest Princess looked at the gathering of people and lost her initial excitement. She pulled Yangyang by the hand and walked toward the pce.


    Guoguo was exhausted, so she hugged her leg directly and refused to let go. Zhou Ying had no choice but to embrace her in her arms.


    Only Zhuangzhuang, who camete, still wanted to y. But after being stopped by Mingyu, he was also lifted into Mingyu¡¯s arms and brought away. Seeing this, Zhou Ying reminded the mothers of the children who wanted to y to pay attention to their children¡¯s safety before walking back with Guoguo.


    However, after walking a few steps, she saw Yangyang start to bezy and not want to walk. She stepped forward and picked him up, asking, ¡°Are you tired? Remember to change your clothes and drink more water when you return to your room.¡±


    Seeing this, Mingyu took the hand of the Eldest Princess and headed toward Pheonix Pce together.


    After entering, the child went to their respective nannies, and they were asked to help change their clothes and feed them some water.


    After changing into clean clothes, Guoguo and Yangyang fell asleep directly.


    Only then did Zhou Ying realize that Gu Wanning was not in the pce. She hurriedly looked at Nanny Yu and asked, ¡°Granny, where is the empress?¡± ¡°Madam Gu, today is not only the state banquet but also the consort conferring ceremony. The Empress is not at ease and has gone to finalize the details.¡± Zhou Ying nodded after hearing her say this and did not ask any further questions.


    Just then, more and more guests arrived, so the two helped greet the guests.


    When Zhou Ying saw Elderly Madam Zhou, she nodded and left.


    Madam Zhou looked at her back and knew about her ever-rising status. She regretted what she did back then for a moment.


    However, the mistake had already been made. She could only sigh that the Zhou family did not have the fortune of being the Emperor¡¯s favourite.


    Soon, Gu Wanning rushed over. Zhou Ying looked at her pregnant body, her forced smile, and her heart ached.


    She then stepped forward and asked, ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everything¡¯s been finalized. I¡¯m just afraid of making a mistake, so I went ahead and confirmed it.¡± Gu Wanning replied.


    ¡°Alright, do a few polite greetings and return to your room to rest. Nothing is more important than the safety of you and your child.¡±


    Gu Wanning nodded. She greeted a few guests and then used the excuse of being tired so she could return to her room to rest.


    Seeing this, the crowd did not make things difficult for her. After all, her belly was getting big, and it was inevitable that she could not stand around.


    However, they were curious about the five women who had passed the consort selection, as well as Princess Zhi Shan, and what concubine title the Emperor would give them.


    After listening to the crowd, Zhou Ying turned to Mingyu and asked, ¡°Who do you think will enter the pce?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. But the higher the woman¡¯s maiden family status, the more likely she is not to enter the pce.¡± Mingyu said this and looked at the high-spirited Madam Chu, ¡°For example, Miss Chu, who has always been very high-profile..¡±

 Chapter 911 - 911 State Banquet (2)

    Chapter 911: State Banquet (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying agreed with her, as the Emperor¡¯s poprity was at an all-time high.


    He had Sun Miaoke¡¯s maiden family¡¯s support from the civil side and the old general¡¯s support from the military side.


    There was no need for him to rely on a harem to stabilize the court, so women with high social backgrounds would instead be taboo for the Emperor.


    After a while, Princess Zhi Shan arrived. Gu Wanning immediately stood up to wee her.


    After a few polite greetings, she added. ¡°The banquet will start soon, princess. You have to hurry over and change into our country¡¯s court clothes.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I will listen to the Empress¡¯s arrangements.¡± Zhi Shan nodded.


    The Empress nodded and then asked Chun Xi and Eunuch Sun to bring her and her maids downstairs to change their clothes.


    After Princess Zhi Shan left, Madam Chu asked, ¡°Your Highness, I wonder what kind of consort title Princess Zhi Shan will be conferred?¡±


    ¡°I only know that it is a consort position. As for what it is, it depends on the Emperor¡¯s opinion.¡±


    ¡°What about those from the consort selection?¡±


    ¡°I heard the Emperor is also helping the Imperial Family¡¯s descendants choose their concubines. As for who can stay and what position they will have, I¡¯m not too sure.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this usually decided by the Empress?¡±


    ¡°That was in the past. I¡¯m pregnant and exhausted from handling the matters in the pce. So choosing the consort is mainly decided by the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor.¡±


    When everyone heard this, they started to ask about who from the royal family would be getting engaged today.


    However, the royal family members were all with the Grand Empress Dowager, so they did not get any useful information.


    Zhou Ying shook her head and let Gu Wanning rest for a while.


    Seeing the Empress¡¯s tired appearance, all the courtiers¡¯ wives quietly retreated.


    Some went outside to watch the children y on the slide, and the hall quietened.


    On the other end, the Grand Empress Dowager was being bombarded with questions. She only smiled meaningfully and did not have any intention of speaking.


    At the courier station, Bai Yang was a little frustrated that he couldn¡¯t get a letter from the King of the Western Continent.


    Seeing that the time for the banquet was almost here, he could only look at the other members of the diplomatic mission and say, ¡°What are they thinking? We can¡¯t dy any longer. We have toe up with a conclusion quickly.¡±


    ¡°But the Great Ming¡¯s conditions are too harsh. If we exchange ording to their requirements, we will be at a major loss.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. If we exchange those wood and medicinal herbs by free trade instead, we could get twice as much food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. Which merchant can gather such arge amount of food? We can only trade through the various countries¡¯ governments.¡± Bai Yang said it with a sullen face.


    Thinking of this, he cursed Princess Jiarou. If she hadn¡¯t caused such a ruckus, he wouldn¡¯t have been in such a passive position.


    Or, at the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer such a huge loss.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work out, I will agree to their conditions by exchanging for half a year¡¯s worth of food first. After we get through this crisis, our fields may produce enough food for the following half of the year.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way.


    ¡°The only saving grace is that we can also bring back the high-yield seeds from Great Ming. Our country can turn the tables next year as long as there is sufficient rain.¡± Bai Yang nodded in agreement.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, an officer immediately came in and said, ¡°Report!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Bai Yang asked.


    ¡°General, a reply has arrived from the Western Continent.¡± After the soldier finished speaking, he handed him a letter.


    Bai Yang was delighted as he opened it up.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± He eximed with a smile. ¡°It rained in the Western Continent a few days ago. We will make it for the spring season farming..¡±

 Chapter 912 - 912 State Banquet (3)

    Chapter 912: State Banquet (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°What are the King¡¯s orders?¡±


    ¡°Just like we discussed, well agree to their conditions for half a year.


    ¡°However, he wants us to exchange seeds. Even if it¡¯s a little more expensive, it¡¯s fine.¡± Bai Yang smiled.


    ¡°It seems that Mother God didn¡¯t abandon us. Why don¡¯t we ask Mother God to give us seeds instead?¡± A member of the diplomatic mission suggested.


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s better to save yourself than to ask for help.


    ¡°Do you still remember the food that Mother God gave us before the New Year?


    ¡°At that time, Mother God only gave it to the areas with actual disasters, and it was only two to three months¡¯ supply. In other words, it could onlyst until the wild vegetables are avable for harvest again.


    ¡°Therefore, Mother God¡¯s meaning was very obvious. She wanted to save the poor, but not to the very end.


    ¡°In the end, we still have to rely on ourselves.¡±


    ¡°So why did she give it to the Great Ming?¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten that it¡¯s a congrattory gift for the new emperor? So, the current emperor must have some background, or perhaps he¡¯s someone with great luck.¡± After Bai Yang said that, he was even more certain of his assumptions.


    Logically speaking, with the Emperor¡¯s forces at that time, he would have suffered heavy losses even if he had defeated King Hui and King Kang.


    Moreover, King Hui counterattacked a few more times after the incident. Ultimately, he failed each time and tormented the Retired Emperor instead.


    The biggest loss was probably the death of thete Empress.


    Although the people from the diplomatic mission didn¡¯t agree 100% after hearing this, they didn¡¯t refute it.


    After all, they had heard many rumors about the current emperor, so they were still somewhat afraid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Bai Yang said. ¡°If the food that Great Ming gave us is not processed, then there is no need for us to talk about the seeds anymore.¡±


    After everyone was briefed, they instructed the people who stayed behind to look after Princess Jiarou, and the group entered the pce.


    After they entered the pce and sat down, King Ning walked over and asked, ¡°How are your considerations? I will present your answer to the Emperor if it¡¯s decided.¡±


    ¡°When the banquet begins, the Emperor will announce his decision.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if the food you gave us is processed or raw?¡± Bai Yang asked.


    King Ning paused for a moment. After understanding his meaning, he smiled and said, ¡°Unprocessed grain, which can be used as seeds. Since there are also seeds in your country, especially sweet potatoes and corn, why don¡¯t we trade? How about we exchange for your type of rice, wheat, and corn?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but their prices and weights are different. You have to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°Understood. These three will do.


    ¡°A total of 1,000 stones is sufficient.¡±


    ¡°Send a representative to sign the agreement with me.¡± After King Wang finished speaking, he walked out.


    Seeing this, Bai Yang greeted the messengers and left with King Ning to sign the agreement.


    When the people in the harem gathered in front of the court, Yangyang and Guoguo also woke up. After giving them a simple washdown, the group began to rush forward.


    On the way, Zhou Ying spread her divine sense to check on Gu Wanning¡¯s condition. Firstly, she was afraid that someone would sabotage her, and secondly, she was afraid that her body could not take the stress.


    When they arrived at the court, the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress took the Eldest Princess and Yangyang to the back hall to wait for the Emperor.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying and Mingyu brought Zhuangzhuang and Guoguo directly into the hall and sat in their respective seats.


    Unsurprisingly, the two families sat next to each other. The two little children sat together and began to eat the desserts that were prepared.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying and Mingyu did not stop them. The weather was still cold, and the food would get cold after the banquet began. It was better to have it while it was hot and eat more snacks..

 Chapter 913 - 913 State Banquet (4)

    Chapter 913: State Banquet (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Soon, the hall was filled to the brim, with seats on both sides.


    King Ning walked in with the Western Continent diplomatic envoys when everyone was almost seated.


    After a while, the son of King An walked in with Northern Continent diplomatic envoys.


    After they sat down, Eunuch Qian jogged in and shouted, ¡°The Emperor has arrived. The Grand Empress Dowager and Empress have arrived. The Eldest Princess and the Eldest Prince have arrived.¡±


    Everyone, including the envoys from both sides, immediately stood up and bowed. ¡°Long live our Emperor. Long live the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress, the Eldest Princess, and the Eldest Prince. Long live the Emperor. Long live the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, please rise and take your seats.¡± The Emperor sat down after he responded.


    After everyone sat down, the Emperor said, ¡°There are two purposes for this state banquet. One is to wee the diplomatic envoys from the Northern and Western continents. The other is to confer the title of Consort.


    ¡°Everyone understands the specifics, so I won¡¯t go into detail here.¡±


    After saying that, he looked at Eunuch Qian. Eunuch Qian understood and took out a gift list. ¡°This time, the Northern Continent has presented a gift list. One hundred pounds of potato seeds and furs¡­¡±


    After reading the list of gifts, he read another list of return gifts for the Northern Continent.


    Finally, he shouted, ¡°Princess Zhi Shan, pleasee forward to receive the title.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Zhi Shan walked in in a peach-colored pce robe. ¡°Long live our Emperor. Long live our Emperor.¡±


    ¡°By the will of the heavens, the Emperor has issued an edict saying: Princess Zhi Shan of the Northern Continent is beautiful, elegant, quiet, gentle, cautious, and deeplyforting to my heart.


    ¡°I will confer upon you the title of Concubine Zhuang.¡±


    After saying that, he handed the imperial edict to her.


    ¡°Thank you, Emperor. Long live our Emperor.¡± Zhi Shan received the imperial edict with both hands and bowed.


    ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll grant you special permission to perform the Northern Continent¡¯s salutations.¡± The Emperor looked at her awkward bow.


    ¡°Thank you, my Emperor.¡± Zhi Shan sat down on the seat that belonged to her, which was below the Empress.


    Zhou Ying sized her up. She looked solemn now that she had changed into the Great Ming¡¯s clothes and was no longer that noisy and rowdy girl.


    After that, Eunuch Qian read out the Western Continent¡¯s gift list again, followed by the trade they agreed upon.


    Although everyone was curious as to why Princess Jiarou didn¡¯t make a marriage alliance, seeing that neither the Western Continent¡¯s envoy nor the Emperor mentioned this matter, no one said anything more.


    Following that, Eunuch Qian took out another imperial edict and said, ¡°By Heaven¡¯s will, the Emperor¡¯s edict says: The daughter of the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, He Jiahui. She is intelligent, agile, dignified, polite, and wise. I shall immediately confer on you the title of Concubine Li!¡±


    He Jiahui was stunned. After she returned to her senses, she immediately went forward to receive the edict and sat down below Concubine Zhuang.


    Next were the four imperial edicts from the Emperor to bestow marriage on the descendants of the royal family.


    However, thest one was to be the wife of King Ning. She was also the one with the lowest social background, the daughter of a fourth-grade official.


    It was King Ning¡¯s choice. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been cedst.


    Although the people from the Chu family found it hard to believe that the Emperor had chosen the unremarkable He Jiahui as his concubine, they did not dare to say anything.


    After all, although their daughters did not enter the pce, her marriage was not bad. Moreover, she was a wife rather than a concubine.


    Next, there were some dance performances.


    After the banquet began, Gu Wanning left once the diplomatic envoys from the Northern and Western Continents finished toasting.


    Zhou Ying spread her divine sense and sent her back into the pce before withdrawing it.


    After the banquet ended, the Western Continent diplomatic envoys finally heaved a sigh of relief. However, they heard the news of Princess Jiarou¡¯s death when they returned.


    Bai Yang¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately ran into her room to check. Princess Jiarou was already dead, and she hadmitted suicide by poison.


    He looked at the person who was guarding her.. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where did the poison in her hande from?¡±

 Chapter 914 - 914 Princess Jiarou’s Death

    Chapter 914: Princess Jiarou¡¯s Death


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sir, my subordinates suspect she brought it with her. This poison is the same poison that killed Captain Su in the first ce,¡± the captain said, pointing at Princess Jiarou¡¯s cosmetic case.


    Only then did Bai Yang notice that Jiarou¡¯s cosmetic case was open.


    Afterwards, he carefully examined it and found some crumpled papers underneath the bed, all saying, ¡®Su Lang, wait for me; we will reunite soon¡¯.


    Some of the others varied but essentially conveyed the same message, ¡®Su Lang, where are you? Wait for me.¡¯


    ¡°This, this¡­¡± The envoys didn¡¯t know what to say when they saw these notes.


    However, their resentment towards her dissipated, reced only by pity. If it weren¡¯t for this diplomatic marriage pact, Captain Su¡¯s efforts might have led to a happy ending for them, but now¡­


    Their hearts weighed heavily.


    Seeing this, Bai Yang said, ¡°Let¡¯s keep this from the Great Ming. Since the weather isn¡¯t hot right now, let¡¯s take her back and bury her with Captain Su.¡±


    The others nodded in agreement after hearing this, then bought some ice to preserve Princess Jiarou¡¯s body.


    Next, Bai Yang actively negotiated with King Ning about the specifics of the trade, finally deciding that after the trade at the border, he would hastily return with Princess Jiarou¡¯s body.


    Upon reaching the border, only Bai Yang stayed behind, while the others hurried back to the capital with Princess Jiarou¡¯s body.


    In the end, Princess Jiarou was buried with Captain Su andid to rest in the Su family cemetery.


    The next morning, Sovereign King Ke visited the pce to see Zhi Shan.


    Seeing her smile, he finally felt relieved, then solemnly said, ¡°I will leave soon. Remember, you are the princess of the Northern Continent. As long as the Northern Continent still exists, the Emperor will not mistreat you.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t need to argue with the pce concubines; just take care of yourself.


    ¡°In addition, the Emperor probably won¡¯t let a prince with the Northern Continent bloodline ascend the throne, so as long as you have a child, just raise him well and let him live a good life.¡±


    Zhi Shan listened to him speaking as if he were arranging post-life affairs; her eyes teared up as she choked back on tears and replied, ¡°Brother, please don¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Silly girl, I want to stay and enjoy a peaceful life here too, but what about our elder brother? I have to go back to help him.


    ¡°Only when the Northern Continent bes strong can you safely guard your beloved one in the pce.¡± Sovereign King Ke said, wiping her tears, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. In the future, I will try toe and pay tribute every year so we can always meet each other again.¡±


    Hearing that they could meet every year, Zhi Shan finally smiled.


    Sovereign King Ke instructed her with a few more advice before leaving.


    Just as he left the Changchun Pce, where Zhi Shan lived, he saw the Emperor and Eunuch Qian waiting not far away.


    He hurried forward to greet them, saying, ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Please, rise. You¡¯ve bid farewell to Zhi Shan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a simple-minded and yful girl. I hope Your Majesty will treat her kindly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a lovely girl,¡± the Emperor smiled.


    He handed him a bag, saying, ¡°These are the chili seeds Zhi Shan mentioned before. Marquis An Le asked me to pass them on to you.


    ¡°He said chili likes sunlight, is drought-resistant, and can be nted at the end of March.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Alright, have a safe journey.¡± After saying this, the Emperor asked Eunuch Qian to escort him out.


    He, on the other hand, went to the Empress¡¯s ce.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying got up early and went to the restaurant to check on the chef¡¯s skills. After confirming they could make a good squirrel fish dish, she asked the manager to write a notice and put it up..

 Chapter 915 - 915 Birth of the Second Prince

    Chapter 915: Birth of the Second Prince


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Following that, the two restaurants were busy from morning until night, bustling with activity, and the revenue increased by more than three times.


    Even Zhou Ying was caught up at the restaurants for seven days.


    By the time the hype over the squirrel fish hadpletely passed, it was already a monthter.


    Gu Wanning also worked hard for a day and a night. When the sun rose the next day, she gave birth to another prince.


    After receiving the news, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor were very happy.


    Because Gu Wanning had given birth to two sons in a row, shepletely stabilized her position in the harem and the court to a certain extent.


    As expected, once the news spread, the truly big families gave up on sending their daughters into the pce.


    The next morning, after receiving the letter, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying prepared supplements for her. On the third day, when it was time for the baby shower, Zhou Ying brought Gu Chenglin into the pce.


    When they arrived at the Phoenix Pce, they saw the Grand Empress Dowager standing in front of the Second Prince¡¯s cradle and bowed.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here. Hurry up and enter the room. The Empress is waiting for you.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager smiled.


    ¡°Thank you, Grand Empress Dowager.¡± After Zhou Ying thanked her, she walked to the bedroom with Gu Chenglin.


    As for Gu Chengrui, it was inconvenient for him to go in, so he brought Guoguo along with the Grand Empress Dowager to see the Second Prince.


    Gu Chengrui saw that, although the Second Prince was tiny, his small body was still healthy. He smiled and said, ¡°The Second Prince looks like the Emperor.¡± ¡°Yes, his facial features havepletely taken after the Emperor. It¡¯s just that his face shape looks like Wanning¡¯s. He¡¯ll definitely be a handsome boy when he grows up.¡± The Empress Dowager smiled.


    Gu Chengrui smiled as well. After that, he seriously examined the Second Prince and found that everything was normal other than a slight appearance of jaundiced skin.


    It was easy for the imperial physicians to treat that, so he did not mention it.


    ¡°Is the child alright?¡± The Grand Empress Dowager asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. His skin is just slightly jaundiced. This imperial physician should be able to treat it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the imperial physicians are already treating him.¡± The Grand Empress Dowager heaved a sigh of relief.


    Sheter changed the topic. ¡°I heard from the Emperor that the medical center you founded is not bad. Not only did it provide free medical treatment, but it also saved many people.


    ¡°They even regted the medicinal herb business, and no one dares to sell fake medicine now.¡±


    ¡°This was my original intention when I established the medical center.


    ¡°Over the next one or two years, we have topletely regte the practice of medicine and strive to make all doctors practice medicine with practitioner licenses to prevent people from using the name of practicing medicine to swindle people.¡±


    ¡°Practitioner license?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like the officials of the imperial court, they have a special seal.¡±


    The Grand Empress Dowager nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. There are some fake doctors on the streets, and not everyone has real skills.


    ¡°Some of them took the silver and ran away. Not only did they scam the patient of their money, but they also dyed their illness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they caused many patients to die and their families to be destroyed.


    ¡°Back then, Nanny Liu¡¯s father had lost his life because of a quack.


    ¡°A series of massive changes happened at home. Ultimately, she had no choice but to sell herself and enter the pce.


    ¡°Later on, she sent someone to find him and discovered he did not know any medical skills. He only knew how to recognize medicinal herbs. Whether he could cure his patients or not depended entirely on luck¡ªa detestable quack.


    On the other end, Zhou Ying and Gu Chenglin handed the prepared tonics to Nanny Yu before entering the house to see Gu Wanning.


    Seeing that she was awake, they went forward and bowed.


    ¡°Sister-inw, Chenglin, you¡¯re here. Please, sit down.¡± The Empress said as she sat up.


    Zhou Ying quickly stopped her. ¡°You¡¯d better lie down. You mustn¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Sis. Just lie down. We¡¯re not outsiders.¡± After Gu Chenglin finished speaking, he sat on a chair at the side..

 Chapter 916 - 916 Baby Shower

    Chapter 916: Baby Shower


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying went to Gu Wanning¡¯s bedside and said, ¡°You¡¯ve suffered greatly this time. Let¡¯s put aside everything else first. The most important thing is to take good care of your body.¡±


    ¡°I will. After giving birth this time, my body feels hollowed out. I really have to listen to you and take good care of my body.¡±


    ¡°Giving birth to children is already harmful to the body, not to mention that you gave birth to two children in session.


    ¡°It¡¯s lucky you¡¯re young. If you take good care, you¡¯ll be able to nurture yourself back to health quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Wanning nodded.


    After chatting for a while, Gu Wanning also asked about Gu Chenglin¡¯s homework.


    Zhou Ying saw she was not in good spirits and brought Gu Chenglin out after a short chat.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m looking for Nannan and Yangyang.¡± Guoguo hugged her thigh with an aggrieved expression when she saw Zhou Yinge out.


    Only then did Zhou Ying realize that she had not seen the two little fellows since she came over.


    ¡°Chunxi, where are the Eldest Princess and the Eldest Prince? Why don¡¯t I see them?¡± She asked Chunxi, who was pouring tea for her.


    ¡°The two of them are now following Grand Schr Sun to learn.¡±


    ¡°But the First Prince is too young to understand anything.¡±


    Chunxi smiled and did not answer.


    Zhou Ying also understood that learning from Grand Schr Sun was an excuse. It was to have them get close to Grand Schr Sun so that they would enjoy studying with him in the future.


    It seemed she also had to start looking for a teacher for Guoguo.


    Not long after, Zhi Shan and He Jiahui rushed over. After exchanging a few polite greetings, they helped prepare the things for the baby shower.


    When almost all the members of the royal family had arrived, the Emperor the Kings walked in and gave the Second Prince a simple baby shower.


    After the banquet, Zhou Ying looked at Zhi Shan and asked, ¡°Are you still adapting to life in the pce?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s difficult to leave the pce.¡± Zhi Shan replied.


    Zhou Ying saw that, although she looked a little depressed, her tone was still light. She knew that she had adapted well.


    ¡°Do you know how to write the Great Ming¡¯s calligraphy?¡±


    ¡°I can write, but not well. My second brother said my handwriting is like a dog crawling, like a child who has just been learning.¡± Zhi Shan blushed.


    ¡°You should practice your calligraphy more. When you¡¯re busy with something, you won¡¯t feel bored and won¡¯t want to go out of the pce to y.


    ¡°Besides, calligraphy is great for proving your status in the pce. You have to practice it well.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ the Great Ming¡¯s words are so difficult to write.¡±


    ¡°Then practice. To be honest, my handwriting isn¡¯t very good, so I practice for an hour every day.¡±


    Zhi Shan looked at her in surprise and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re the same as me!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zhou Ying said, shaking her head. ¡°If we were to rank both our handwritings, I¡¯m at least three levels higher than you. That¡¯s why you have to practice hard.¡±


    Zhi Shan¡¯s face was filled with disbelief.


    Zhou Ying saw this and dipped her hand into the water. She quickly wrote down the words ¡°Zhi Shan¡± on the table.


    It wasn¡¯t too good-looking, but it was smooth and pleasing to the eye.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Zhi Shan said in surprise after seeing it.


    ¡°No, look, that¡¯s top-notch calligraphy. My calligraphy can only be called ordinary.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she pointed at a set of words on the wall.


    If she had guessed correctly, the Emperor should have written the words on the wall. They were vigorous and powerful-looking, showing the might and power of his will.


    When Zhi Shan saw it, she immediately smiled. That was because she recognized that it was the Emperor¡¯s handwriting.


    She felt a little inferior. It seemed that she really should practice more calligraphy.


    Otherwise, she would lose face in front of the children in the future.


    ¡°How is Gu Wanning? Is she alright?¡± Gu Chengrui asked after they left the pce.


    ¡°She¡¯s still in good spirits. It¡¯s just that her difficultbor has hurt her body a little, and she will have to recuperate well..¡±

 Chapter 917 - 917 Teaching

    Chapter 917: Teaching


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make some pills and send them to her.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    ¡°Oh, right. Shouldn¡¯t we find a female teacher for Guoguo?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Guoguo thought of Zhuangzhuang being pped in the palm and immediately rejected it.


    ¡°What do you want, then? Do you want Nannan and Yangyang tough at you for being unable to read? Ultimately, they will despise you for being stupid and not y with you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very possible.¡±


    When Gu Chengrui saw this, he hugged Guoguo. ¡°Do you want to be like the brothers and sisters in the manor? Do you want to work in the fields every day? When you return home, you still have to wash clothes and cook.¡±


    Guoguo immediately shook her head. The sun was so hot, she didn¡¯t want to go out.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t read, how will you manage your subordinates?


    ¡°No one will obey you, and you can¡¯t control them. You can only do it yourself and do most of the work yourself.¡±


    ¡°While we don¡¯t know much, let your mommy teach you a word every day, okay?


    ¡°Moreover, you can choose the words from those short stories that you like. When you learn them, you can read the storybook yourself, and you won¡¯t have to ask us to tell you a story anymore.¡±


    ¡°One word a day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, just one.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded repeatedly.


    Guoguo looked at Zhou Ying. Zhou Ying nodded and said, ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal. One word a day. If you don¡¯t study hard, I¡¯ll find you a teacher.¡±


    Guoguo hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.


    After returning home, Zhou Ying began to teach her. The first word she taught was human, a simple word, so Guoguo did not have any resistance.


    Sure enough, Guoguopleted the task easily the next day.


    Zhou Ying then taught her the word ¡°people¡± and exined the difference between the meanings. Finally, she said, ¡°They¡¯re both the same word, but the way of writing and meaning is very different.¡±


    ¡°Guoguo, can you tell?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the left is human, and the right is people.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Remember this. Mommy will test you soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Guoguo nodded repeatedly.


    Just like that, Zhou Ying taught Guoguo one word at a time. And Guoguo no longer hated studying.


    Gradually, Zhou Ying began to teach her how to count, add, and subtract single digits.


    As for pronunciations, she nned to teach them when Guoguo was older and could clearly hear a difference.


    In the blink of an eye, it was summer. Zhou Ying would visit Gu Wanning and her son from time to time. Because Gu Wanning took good care of herself, she quickly recovered, but she had put on a little weight.


    As for the Second Prince, he was fair and chubby, an adorable baby.


    On this day, the watermelons came down from the manor, so Zhou Ying brought a cart into the pce.


    She bumped into the Second Prince drinking milk when she entered the Phoenix Pce.


    The faint, milky smell made her feel disgusted. She almost vomited, but she held it back.


    However, it was not something that she could hold back just because she wanted to. In the end, she still vomited.


    Gu Wanning was stunned and asked, ¡°Zhou Ying, what¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. The weather is too hot, so I¡¯m a little ufortable.¡± Zhou Ying waved her hand.


    However, she still couldn¡¯t stand the smell of milk and left immediately.


    She thought of something and tried to calcte her period. As expected, a few days passed, and she immediately knew what was going on.


    ¡°Zhou Ying, go to my room and sit down. I¡¯ll get someone to call the doctor.¡± Gu Wanning chased after her.


    ¡°No need. I think I¡¯m probably pregnant.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    Gu Wanning did not insist. Instead, she reminded her, ¡°When you return home, you must ask Cousin to do a thorough check on you..¡±

 Chapter 918 - 918 Pregnant

    Chapter 918: Pregnant


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I will.¡± Zhou Ying saw Gu Wanning wasn¡¯t in a good mood and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°No, Princess Zhi Shan is also pregnant. It was just found out yesterday.¡± Gu Wanning replied.


    Zhou Ying spread out her divine sense and swept a nce. After confirming that there was no one nearby, she asked, ¡°How has the Emperor treated you in the past few months?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. Hees every odd day of the month. Sometimes, hees on even days to check on the children¡¯s homework.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Since you chose this path back then, you have to brace yourself and walk down it. Don¡¯t go the wrong way.


    ¡°Moreover, the Emperor is already quite good. He only selected one person for this consort selection.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I just feel a little ufortable. I¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Think about it. Which would you prefer: spending a day in happiness or unhappiness? Why not let yourself live happily?¡±


    Gu Wanning smiled and asked the pce servants to ce two chairs in the courtyard. She entered her room and moved the Second Prince and his cradle out.


    The two of them chatted for a while, and Gu Wanning asked, ¡°By the way, sister-inw, how is Chenglin? The provincial examination is in two months, and he mustn¡¯t rx.¡±


    ¡°The teachers of the academy are keeping an eye on this matter. Don¡¯t worry.


    ¡°We only need to provide him with good food, drinks, and clothes. It¡¯s better not to worry about anything else. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be good for him if we put too much pressure on him.


    ¡°If he hates studying because of this, it will be troublesome.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll leave Chenglin to you.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I sent in a cart full of watermelons. You can divide themter. I¡¯ll head back now.¡±


    ¡°Alright,e into the pce and chat with me when you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she left the pce.


    At night, she asked Gu Chengrui to check on her, and it was confirmed that she was really pregnant.


    Gu Chengrui smiled. ¡°I was thinking of dying it by two months. I didn¡¯t expect the baby toe so soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s all because you¡¯re impatient.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s all my fault.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded repeatedly.


    He asked, ¡°Oh right, Gu Zheng sent a letter. He said that the aloe tonic and aloe gel are selling well. He also mentioned that he will return to the capital after autumn.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s quite capable. By the way, how¡¯s his family¡¯s matter going?


    ¡°We can support him, but we can¡¯t allow him to implicate the innocent and ruin our reputation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve solemnly instructed him. He won¡¯t dare to act rashly.


    ¡°As for his family¡¯s situation, I don¡¯t know much about it. You can check it outter.¡±


    ¡°Ok, at least we know what¡¯s going on. By the way,¡± Zhou Ying asked, ¡°how¡¯s the matter with the penicillin? Can it be done?¡±


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°The medical equipment outside here is too crude. It doesn¡¯t produce penicillin with enough purity. It can¡¯t be used.¡±


    ¡°But, I want to make ss,¡± he said.


    ¡°Sure, you can check the detailed information yourself. I have to go and get busy soon.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. But now that you¡¯re pregnant, don¡¯t force yourself to make it rain.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Zhou Ying responded and sat outside the storeroom to get busy.


    She first checked the situation in various ces and heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that the weather was turning out great.


    She remembered Gu Zheng¡¯s matter and immediately went to Fuzhou Province.


    She happened to find that Gu Zheng¡¯s father and aunt were praying to Mother god, and their goal was to ask her to punish Gu Zheng, their unfilial son..

 Chapter 919 - 919 Provincial Examination

    Chapter 919: Provincial Examination


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying scoffed after hearing that. It was already good enough that she did not punish them, and to actually ask her to punish him? What a joke.


    She gave a vision to Gu Zheng¡¯s aunt¡ªa vision of a ghost haunting her.


    The aunt was so frightened that her hair stood on end; even Mr. Gu was trembling with fear because of her.


    Only then did Zhou Ying leave. As for the rest, it was up to Gu Zheng.


    Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for the provincial examination. Zhou Ying specially made some instant noodles and prepared some sauce meat, eggs, and so on for Gu Chengxi and Gu Chenglin before sending them to the examination hall.


    Neither of them let her down, as both of them passed it.


    Unfortunately, neither of them had a strong foundation, and their results were not too good.


    Even with the special tuition, Gu Chenglin only got 48th ce out of 150.


    Gu Chengxi, on the other hand, was much further behind at 138th.


    Therefore, if Gu Chengxi wanted to be an official schr, he would have to wait. He might not even have a chance in this life. Consequently, he entered the medical center directly in the name of Gu Chengrui¡¯s disciple.


    Zhou Ying saw Gu Chengxi¡¯s unhappy face. She went forward and knocked on his head. ¡°What are you thinking about? Did you get reprimanded by the Emperor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. He just wants me to continue working hard.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that my teacher took such good care of me and even gave me so much special tuition. In the end, I disappointed him.¡±


    ¡°He said that?¡±


    ¡°No, but the result shows.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just sixteen and still young. It¡¯s already good that you can pass the imperial examination.


    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you know what you were like when you were young? You only studied hard for a few years, so don¡¯t be discouraged.


    ¡°Take it slow. If you don¡¯t want to participate in the general exams tomorrow, you can wait for the next one.


    ¡°You will only be twenty years old by then, and it will be time for you to get married after the exams are over. By then, you will be able to pass the exams one after the other. That will be a great joy in life.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, it¡¯s still too early to get married.¡± Gu Chenglin answered with a blush.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not asking you to marry now. Go back and rest for two days.


    ¡°The autumn harvest ising soon. I¡¯m pregnant and can¡¯t help you much this time. You have to do your own thing.¡±


    ¡°Got it, sister-inw. If you need any help, just let me know. I¡¯ll help you with it.¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you to say this. I¡¯ll leave the task of sending fruits to the pce to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, and leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Remember to keep a close eye on it,¡± Zhou Ying said after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Don¡¯t let someone slip in something.¡±


    Gu Chenglin was stunned for a moment after hearing that. Only then did he remember that every time she sent something into the pce, she would personally inspect it.


    ¡°Understood.¡± He nodded solemnly.


    On the other end, after more than two months of searching, Gu Chengrui finally found the quartz sand he needed and experimented with making ss.


    He even made two special grinding tools to produce a few ssmpshades.


    Looking at the sparkling and translucentmpshade in front of him, Gu Chengrui took a few pieces of ss that could be used as windows and went straight into the pce.


    ¡°What have you been doing recently? I heard that you haven¡¯t been to the clinic for more than two months.¡± The Emperor looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°I went to verify my experiments, and I brought you something good.¡± After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he handed the ss bottle to him.


    After the Emperor took it, he looked at the thing in his hand in surprise. ¡°What is this? It¡¯s so bright!¡±


    ¡°ss. This can cover an oilmp as a recement for paper. There are also t ones like this, with which we can rece our windows.


    ¡°Not only will light transmit better, but it will also be resistant against the wind.


    ¡°Also, as long as you are careful, it won¡¯t be a problem for you to keep using it for more than ten years..¡±

 Chapter 920 - 920 Glass

    Chapter 920: ss


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The Emperor responded thoughtfully and then seriously sized up thempshade.


    Gu Chengrui did not give him any further exnation.


    Instead, he picked up ampshade and walked to the oilmp. After lighting it, he covered the oilmp.


    Instantly, the room became much brighter.


    The Emperor¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. He had been reading memorials at night for many years, so he could not be clearer about the brightness of the oilmp.


    Even if there were eight to ten oilmps in the room, they would not be able to reach such brightness.


    He walked over and muttered, ¡°This is excellent stuff.¡±


    ¡°An idental discovery.¡± Gu Chengrui added as he covered themp with an abandoned booklet on the side. A momentter, the light went out by itself.


    ¡°Why¡­¡± The Emperor was surprised, but he quickly understood what was going on.


    ¡°Themp will burn for a long time, and thempshade will be very hot, so it¡¯s best to prepare a fire-resistant board as a cover.¡±


    The Emperor nodded after listening. He looked at the ss, and his eyes lit up. ¡°Shall we do this business together?¡±


    ¡°I came to find you for this matter. Making ss is the same as making porcin. It requires raw materials, and what we need is quartz sand.


    ¡°It involves mining, so I can onlye to you.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the recipe and the technology, and I won¡¯t care about anything else. All I want is 20% of the profits from ten years of ssmaking.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be a loss for you?¡±


    ¡°If you feel that I¡¯ve suffered a loss, you can give the extra to the two princes as their private savings in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I thank you on behalf of the two of them.¡± The Emperor was stunned for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°How did you discover the making of this ss?¡± He asked curiously.


    ¡°I had an idea when making soap. I wanted to make some equipment for my medical experiments, but porcin isn¡¯t transparent, and I couldn¡¯t see through them clearly, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Experiment¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, experiments for medicine.¡±


    The Emperor nodded his head, and he didn¡¯t ask any more questions.


    After he left, he seriously considered the matter of selecting talents to carry out this project.


    However, he had to think carefully about how to carry it out and who to select to be in charge.


    He decided that he would select those who were involved in previous major projects, such as building bridges or the construction of river embankments.


    He called Zhou Huaiming back from his mission and asked him to be in charge of building a ss workshop. He also began to gather all the construction experts.


    A monthter, thempshades were sold first. As for ss windows, there was a waiting list.


    After Zhou Ying learned that the Emperor had begun to pay attention to architecture, she tranted all the information about architecture stored in herputer, organized it into a book, and printed it out.


    She even printed out the geography and mathematical knowledge involved.


    She threw a total of 20 cubic meters of books to the Emperor.


    When the Emperor received the half-room full of books, he was genuinely shocked.


    Because he really didn¡¯t expect that just building a ss workshop would involve so much knowledge.


    For example, there was a box full of books on building bridges, not including the knowledge needed for them.


    After reading them for a while, he felt dizzy. He even had a feeling that it was more difficult than trying to aim for the top scorer in the imperial examination.


    What was worse was that he could not understand them at all, especially the various calctions in the diagrams, as he had nevere into contact with them before.


    When he saw this, he realized how ignorant he was and how little he knew.

 Chapter 921 - 921 Building Materials

    Chapter 921: Building Materials


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The next day, during the morning court session, the Emperor summoned Grand Schr Sun. He took out what he considered the simplest book on geography. After letting the schr read it once, he asked, ¡°Father-inw, what are your thoughts on this?¡±


    ¡°Though it bears no resemnce to the Four Books and Five ssics we¡¯ve studied, it is still a great book,¡± Grand Schr Sun replied.


    ¡°May I inquire where Your Majesty obtained this book?¡± he asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Mother God suddenly bestowed arge number of books upon me. This one contains the most easily understood knowledge,¡± the Emperor exined.


    ¡°Then I¡­¡± Grand Schr Sun¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± the Emperormanded. After speaking, he led the schr into his study.


    Upon seeing the books piled halfway up the room, Grand Schr Sun stammered, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are many,¡± the Emperor replied frankly. ¡°To be blunt, they are all about building bridges, riverbanks, and houses. One book even ims that houses can be built up to 30 stories tall, with different materials involved.¡± ¡°Thirty floors! Building such a structure would be incredibly difficult, not to mention transporting materials to such heights,¡± the schr eximed.


    The Emperor smiled but did not respond. He probably wouldn¡¯t believe it if not for Mother God¡¯s gift.


    However, this gift meant there was potential for such a building, and it simply depended on their abilities.


    ¡°You can study them here and see if you can understand them,¡± the Emperor offered. ¡°Then, explore how these books can be used.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± the schr replied. ¡°However, I suggest we copy or print some of these books for safekeeping. In case of any mishap, these precious texts could be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the Emperor agreed. ¡°I have already entrusted Zhou Huaiming with finding suitable individuals. Once found, they will be tasked with studying these books in seclusion.¡±


    After finishing his conversation with the Grand Schr, the Emperor called two young eunuchs to assist him and went about his duties.


    However, the Empress¡¯s heart remained unsettled. After two days, he finally summoned Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui immediately understood what was happening. ¡°Your Majesty, do you wish for me to study these books as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You mentioned this knowledge before, so you may have some understanding. Please see if you can grasp any of it.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded.


    However, he had never learned such specialized skills in his previous life. At most, he could offer some assistance in the fields of mathematics, physics, or even chemistry. He would have to dedicate himself to studying these new subjects.


    Half a monthter, Gu Chengrui returned home in a daze. When he saw Mr. Gu and Gu Chengye, he was surprised. ¡°Father, Second Brother, when did you arrive? Why didn¡¯t you let me know beforehand?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to deliver some goods,¡± Mr. Gu exined. ¡°However, your second brother ns to stay in the capital and participate in next year¡¯s general exams. Therefore, I wanted to inquire if you could find a small house in the eastern or western part of the city. It doesn¡¯t need to berge, just enough to amodate a family.¡±


    ¡°What is the budget?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    ¡°Ten thousand taels, or possibly a bit more if the location is ideal,¡± Mr. Gu replied.


    Gu Chengye borated, ¡°We are more concerned about the location.¡±


    ¡°Then I will help you look around,¡± Gu Chengrui concluded. ¡°Are you the only two here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mr. Gu said. ¡°Your Aunt Liu and Madam Sun are here as well. The group is quiterge this time, so I asked your second uncle to rent a small courtyard near their house.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°I will find out about the house as soon as possible. Oh, have you all eaten?¡±

 Chapter 922 - 922 Matchmaking

    Chapter 922: Matchmaking


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Yes, I ate at your second uncle¡¯s ce beforeing here,¡± Mr. Gu said.


    Gu Chengrui nodded and asked Qiuxiang to serve them tea and fruit. He then inquired about their business.


    Only then did he learn that, thanks to Gu Wanning and his own rise in status, their business was thriving. They had reced their medium-sized ships withrger ones and even ventured into sea transport.


    Their primary purpose for this visit was to deliver sea goods to the capital.


    Gu Chengrui listened attentively and offered a reminder, ¡°It¡¯s excellent that business is going well. However, we must maintain a low profile to avoid causing trouble for the Empress or inviting schemes against us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mr. Gu reassured him. ¡°After the past ups and downs, I¡¯ve learned my limits. Earning enough for retirement is more important than anything else.¡±


    He then took out a golden longevity lock and handed it to Gu Chengrui. ¡°Please pass this on to Wanning for the Second Prince.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the pce, we heard the Princess of the Northern Continent has also be a concubine. Is the Empress affected?¡±


    ¡°With two princes securing her position and the Emperor being a nostalgic person, Wanning¡¯s status hasn¡¯t been significantly impacted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    After a pleasant conversation, Gu Chengrui and his father said their goodbyes. Gu Chengrui instructed Niu Fugui to prepare a cart of fruits for them and bid them goodbye.


    Upon Niu Fugui¡¯s return, Gu Chengrui asked him to visit the government offices to inquire about houses.


    Surprisingly, they found a two-story house in the western part of the city. Despite its good location, it was in a state of disrepair, hence theck of buyers.


    Other than this, there were no other avable houses in the eastern or western sections of the city.


    Gu Chengrui informed his family of the news.


    Mr. Gu visited the house and, after some deliberation, decided to purchase it. He then spent an additional 3,000 taels of silver on repairs.


    Gu Chengrui was relieved. As long as they kept their distance, peaceful coexistence was possible.


    A monthter, the construction masters chosen by Zhou Huaiming arrived in the capital, along with officials from the Ministry of Works.


    They diligently studied the books until the end of the year, gaining a basic understanding but stillcking intricate details.


    However, thebined knowledge and experience of the masters significantly improved their progress.


    On a visit before the new year to deliver festival gifts, Mingyu asked Zhou Ying, ¡°Do you have any unmarried cousins studying medicine with Chengrui right now?¡±


    Zhou Ying responded, ¡°Yes, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It seems someone¡¯s interested in him,¡± Mingyu said. ¡°I heard he doesn¡¯t n to take the general exams next year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Zhou Ying confirmed. ¡°He didn¡¯t perform well in the provincial exam, so he decided to pursue medicine.¡±


    ¡°My imperial grandmother wants to arrange a marriage for one of my stepsisters. Could you introduce them?¡±


    ¡°But your stepsister is the young miss of the Imperial Residence of King An,¡± Zhou Ying pointed out. ¡°Why is she interested in Chengxi? He is the son of a concubine, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Mingyu replied. ¡°Speaking of which, her situation isn¡¯t much better. Although she grew up by my imperial grandmother¡¯s side, her mother was a servant who had climbed onto her master¡¯s bed without permission and passed away when my step-sister was born.


    ¡°Therefore, she isn¡¯t considered highly.


    ¡°My imperial grandmother doesn¡¯t aim for a high-ranking marriage, just someone from a decent family who can support her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s somewhat simr to my background,¡± Zhou Yingmented.


    ¡°But her treatment differs. Although her father didn¡¯t favor her, she was still raised by my imperial grandmother.¡±

 Chapter 923 - 923 A Little Girl

    Chapter 923: A Little Girl


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Have I seen her before?¡± Zhou Ying inquired.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe so,¡± Mingyu replied. ¡°Other than the banquets held in the Imperial Residence, she rarely attends outside events.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t sent the gifts to the King¡¯s residence yet, right? I can apany you and introduce you to her. How about that?¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do it the day after tomorrow. I have to visit my hometown tomorrow,¡± Zhou Ying answered.


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Mingyu agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll be returning tomorrow as well.¡±


    They conversed for a while longer before Mingyu departed.


    Zhou Ying extended her divine sense towards the Imperial Residence of King An. Guided by the conversations of others, she quickly located the young girl.


    The girl was following behind a housekeeper, meticulously counting iing and outgoing gifts.


    Zhou Ying observed the girl closely. While childlike features remained on her face, she couldn¡¯t deny the girl¡¯s exceptional beauty.


    The girl was of average height but appeared quite thin. Her figure resembled a slender bamboo pole.


    However, her rosy cheeks and decentplexion suggested it was a nutritional issue.


    Her clear, bright eyes seemed to hold a wisdom beyond her years. Mingyu seemed to be right; she could be a suitable candidate for Gu Chengxi¡¯s wife. Of course, it would ultimately depend onpatibility.


    Later that night, Zhou Ying informed Gu Chengrui about the girl, seeking his opinion. ¡°What are your thoughts? Should we try to gauge Chengxi¡¯s interest?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him tomorrow,¡± Gu Chengrui decided. ¡°If he¡¯s receptive, we can ask Mingyu to arrange a casual meeting at a restaurant or the clinic. We won¡¯t interfere; it will be up to them to decide.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°We¡¯re simply facilitating, not imposing.¡±


    They then discussed the gifts for their hometown, which primarily included meat, fruits, vegetables, quality clothing, and pastries.


    The next day, around noon, Zhou Ying went over with Guoguo.


    After a friendly conversation, it was time for lunch. Following the meal, Mrs. Guo¡¯s daughter, Gu Zixuan, arrived to help clean the dishes. Zhou Ying expressed her surprise. ¡°Is this Zixuan? She¡¯s grown so much! I wouldn¡¯t have recognized her on the street.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s her,¡± Mrs. Guo confirmed. ¡°She was only eight years old when you left. It¡¯s been six years, and she¡¯s all grown up. She¡¯ll be of marriageable age next April. You might consider matchmaking her.¡±


    Mrs. Liu smiled as she spoke.


    ¡°Seeing her makes me feel old,¡± Zhou Ying remarked jokingly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look old at all,¡± Mrs. Liu countered. ¡°You just seem more mature.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Mrs. Guo agreed. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know your real age, people might think you¡¯re twenty on the street.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zhou Ying asked yfully. ¡°Then you must promise not to reveal my age.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Zhou Ying inquired. ¡°How¡¯s the renovationing along over there?¡±


    ¡°The house is already repaired,¡± Mrs. Guo exined. ¡°However, it¡¯s too humid inside, so your father wants to wait until after spring next year to move in. It might be a good opportunity to celebrate us moving in with Chengye as he might manage to enter the Imperial Rankings next year.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Ying responded. ¡°If he seeds, let¡¯s have a big celebration.¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± they agreed.


    As Zhou Ying saw them off, Mrs. Guo seemed hesitant before finally speaking. ¡°I hope you can help with Zixuan¡¯s marriage. Please put in a good word for her. I¡¯ll greatly appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°What kind of man are you looking for?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not picky. As long as he can protect her, that¡¯s good,¡± Mrs. Guo said. ¡°A simple family background is important.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out,¡± she promised. ¡°But you should also continue your search. We can do both.¡±


    ¡®Thankyou, Madam,¡± Mrs. Guo expressed her gratitude.

 Chapter 924 - 924 They’ve Met Before

    Chapter 924: They¡¯ve Met Before


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When Mrs. Liu overheard their conversation, thoughts of her own daughter surfaced. Still stuck in their hometown, she wondered if the girl would ever make it to the capital.


    Fortunately, Hu Chun seemed reliable and ambitious, a relief that prevented her from future regret.


    Gu Zixuan¡¯s potential marriage advancement also brought joy to Mrs. Liu. Having family in the capital would offer them support if her son chose to remain there.


    That night, Gu Chengrui replied, ¡°Chengxi agrees to meet them. If they findpatibility, engagement follows.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll gather more information tomorrow.¡±


    Zhou Ying was surprised to see the youngdy blush upon hearing her identity before she could say anything.


    Witnessing this, Zhou Ying knew things were settled.


    Mingyu approached them after finishing her stuff. ¡°How is my stepsister doing?¡±


    ¡°She seems well. How old is she?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Eighteen next January first.¡±


    ¡°Still young,¡±


    ¡°Not young anymore,¡± Mingyu countered. ¡°Many in the capital marry after reaching adulthood, unlike me.¡±


    ¡°Women ideally shouldn¡¯t have children before eighteen. It could affect their health,¡± Zhou Ying advised.


    Mingyu paused, then understood the implication. ¡°I guess we can have them wait two years before having children.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Zhou Ying confirmed before apanying Mingyu to see Elderly Consort An.


    Following the greetings, Zhou Ying noticed an unusual flush on the consort¡¯s face. ¡°Are you feeling unwell again?¡±


    ¡°A slight difort,¡± the consort acknowledged. ¡°It feels like a nket is wrapped around my head, quite unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone for medicine. It should arrive soon. Please, do sit,¡± Elderly Consort An gestured.


    ¡°Imperial Grandmother, did you indulge in pork again?¡± Mingyu rushed to support her.


    ¡°Impertinent girl! Since I know how delicious beef and mutton can be, I have sworn off pork,¡± Elderly Consort An huffed with a yful frown.


    However, her eyes flickered. The braised pork with preserved vegetables had indeed been irresistible, leading her to have two extra bites.


    Zhou Ying observed this secretly, confirming her suspicions about the consort¡¯s indulgence. To avoid further embarrassment, she suggested, ¡°This ailment requires consistent medication. If it worsens, it may even trigger without having pork.¡±


    ¡°So, she can never be free of these medicines?¡± Mingyu questioned in surprise.


    ¡°Basically,¡± Zhou Ying nodded solemnly. ¡°Unless, of course, Elderly Consort An chooses a life of daily farm work, four-hour exercise sessions, and strict vegetarianism.¡±


    Elderly Consort An vehemently shook her head. ¡°No, no. What¡¯s the point of life without enjoying delicious food?¡±


    The thought of giving up beef and mutton was simply uneptable.


    Seeing her grandmother¡¯s resistance, Mingyu offered, ¡°I¡¯ll manage feeding her the medicines moving forward.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re far too busy, my dear,¡± Elderly Consort An objected. ¡°Besides, I have household staff to handle such matters. Just remind them.¡±


    As Elderly Consort An spoke, she remembered Zhou Ying¡¯s previous message and shot Mingyu a knowing look.


    ¡°Zhou Ying previously met with my stepsister,¡± Mingyu acknowledged.


    ¡°And what are your thoughts, Zhou Ying?¡± Elderly Consort An inquired.


    ¡°The youngdy seems well, but is she aware of Chengxi¡¯s specific situation? Is she willing to marry into the family?¡± Zhou Ying pressed, wanting to ensure rity to avoid futureplications.


    ¡°No need for concern. They¡¯ve actually met previously,¡± Elderly Consort An revealed with a smile. ¡°Your cousin simply might not be aware.¡±


    Intrigued, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Oh? Do tell me more about this..¡±

 Chapter 925 - 925 Giving Birth

    Chapter 925: Giving Birth


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°They met at the clinic,¡± the elderly consort smiled and reminisced, st autumn, after she apanied me for a doctor¡¯s visit.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded in understanding. After confirming the girl¡¯s health, she asked, ¡°The restaurantunched a new lobster dish before the New Year. It¡¯s real seafood. Have you tried it?¡±


    The consort grasped her meaning immediately. She readily agreed for the girl¡¯s future and good food. ¡°The restaurant representatives mentioned it during theirst visit. However, we haven¡¯t had the chance to try it.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we all go tomorrow afternoon?¡± Zhou Ying suggested.


    ¡°I want toe too!¡± Mingyu chimed in.


    ¡°Of course, you cane too,¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    The three of them continued their chat for a while before the medicine arrived for the elderly consort. After taking it right before lunch, they gathered for a simple meal. Zhou Ying and Mingyu lingered for a while before returning home.


    Zhou Ying then instructed Niu Lirong to inform Gu Chengxi at the clinic to dress formally for the next day. Additionally, she nned to visit and personally inform Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Sun.


    However, the two women expressed concern upon hearing this, appearing slightly worried.


    Zhou Ying, surprised at first, quickly understood their apprehension. ¡°I¡¯ve met her, and she¡¯s both kind and capable. As long as you treat her with sincerity, I believe you¡¯ll get along well.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a significant difference in status between the two families. Will she truly not look down on us?¡±


    ¡°Your status isn¡¯t inferior either. You are, after all, the Empress¡¯s aunt,¡± Zhou Ying reminded them. ¡°While your husband and brother-inw no longer hold official positions, theirck of titles doesn¡¯t diminish your standing. Has anyone in the capital dared to mistreat you?¡±


    The two women exchanged nces and shook their heads. They realized that, despite theirmoner status, their association with the Empress provided them with a certain level of prominence. Many individuals openly and discreetly sought to curry favor with them, which exined the flourishing of their business.


    Seeing their realization, Zhou Ying advised, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to attend tomorrow¡¯s meeting. If they hit it off, don¡¯t dy the engagement. Start preparing for an official matchmaking proposal.¡±


    ¡°We understand,¡± Mrs. Yao nodded in agreement.


    The next day, the arranged meeting went smoothly, and upon returning home, Gu Chengxi confirmed the good news. Mrs. Yao proceeded to gather necessities and visit the matchmaker to formalize the marriage proposal.


    However, they decided to hold the engagement and betrothal ceremony on the 18th day of the first lunar month, coinciding with hering-of-age ceremony.


    By the end of the year, the additional ie from the ssware business had pushed their annual earnings past the $2 million mark.


    On the night of the imperial exams, Princess Zhi Shan delivered a daughter. As the news was announced the following day, Zhou Ying gave birth to a son in the early hours.


    After breakfast, as Gu Chengrui prepared to head to the kitchen to make food for Zhou Ying, Niu Fugui burst in, eximing, ¡°Master, Master! Second Master has passed the imperial exam!¡±


    ¡°Oh, double the happiness! What rank did he achieve?¡±


    ¡°Fifty-eighth. If his performance remains consistent during the court examinations, he should be able to maintain his rank,¡± Niu Fugui informed him.


    ¡°Excellent timing! Can you make another trip to their home to announce the birth of our son?¡±


    ¡°Perfect timing, a good omen. This old servant will depart immediately!¡± Niu Fugui dered before rushing off.


    Gu Chengrui himself took charge of preparing chicken soup in the kitchen.


    Zhou Ying chuckled despite the difort, her smile reaching her eyes.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t favor sons over daughters, and he cherished having children, especially while living with the love of his life.


    From that moment on, his life could be consideredplete..

 Chapter 926 - 926 Double Happiness Arrives

    Chapter 926: Double Happiness Arrives


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The best part was that the sister and brother could support each other when they got old.


    Mr. Gu was especially thrilled to receive the news, even more so than Gu Chengrui.


    After all, although he had three sons, he hadn¡¯t yet weed a grandson.


    This was not only his eldest grandchild but also the first heir to the Marquis lineage.


    This finally secured the future of the Gu family, particrly his branch.


    He immediately bombarded Niu Fugui with questions about the birth details, including the child¡¯s birth hour.


    Hisughter boomed even louder after learning the child was born at midnight. Mrs. Liu, observing his almost delirious state, remarked sourly, ¡°There are neighbors around, dear. If they hear you, they might think you¡¯ve gone mad.¡± ¡°Let them think what they will,¡± Mr. Gu retorted nonchntly. ¡°This is truly a double blessing, and I cannot contain my joy!¡±


    Niu Fugui, having witnessed the exchange, chuckled and said, ¡°Congrattions, Old Master. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    Mr. Gu, still beaming, retrieved a silver ingot worth five taels and handed it to him.


    ¡°Please ept this money as a token of my happiness. Buy some sweet treats for everyone to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you foring today, Niu Fugui.¡±


    As Niu Fugui departed with a smile, Mr. Gu¡¯s exuberance subsided. He turned to Mrs. Liu and instructed, ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Pack some remedies for Zhou Ying and the baby. We¡¯ll visit them together.¡±


    Mrs. Liu, realizing her son¡¯s sessful schr exam meant future favors would be requested from them, readilyplied and began gathering supplies. Meanwhile, within the room, Gu Chengye¡¯s wife, Mrs. Sun, harbored mixed feelings about the news.


    Fortunately, her husband passed the imperial examination in high school. Unfortunately, despite being married for many years, they only had two daughters.


    Now that her husband had passed the imperial examination in high school, his status was significantly different from before.


    She didn¡¯t know if her inws would look down on her or if her husband would start taking concubines.


    Or perhaps, he would consider marrying another wife.


    This kind of thing happened quite often, and she was panicking.


    But who could she talk to about this?


    Suddenly, the cry of her younger daughter woke her up.


    Seeing her awake, she hurried over to pick her up. After changing her diaper, she began to feed her.


    Holding her soft and warm little daughter in her arms and thinking of her just five-year-old eldest daughter, her heart suddenly became firm.


    She needed to find a way to stabilize her position. Only when she was stable could her two daughters have a good life, otherwise¡­


    Thinking of this, after feeding her younger daughter, she called her eldest daughter in and asked her to watch the baby.


    She got up and started searching the room. Finally, she took out a pound of gtin that her parents had prepared for her and went to the main room to hand it to Mrs. Liu, saying, ¡°Mother-inw, here is a pound of gtin. Please give it to my sister-inw. It¡¯s good for her postpartum body.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so considerate. Let¡¯s go togetherter.¡±


    ¡°No, I will wait for Chengye, as he should be back soon. When he returns, I¡¯ll tell him the good news, and we¡¯ll go together.¡±


    After hearing this, Mrs. Liu thought it made sense as it was heading over there before noon. She would also wait for her son to return before going together.


    This way, it would be both dignified and save them a gift, killing two birds with one stone.


    She said, ¡°Quickly change your clothes, and we¡¯ll wait for Chengye. We¡¯ll go togetherter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you go ahead and busy yourself.¡± Mrs. Sun smiled and agreed, then turned around and returned to her room to change clothes.


    She even changed the clothes of her two daughters..

 Chapter 927 - 927 A Visit

    Chapter 927: A Visit


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Fifteen minutester, Gu Chengye entered the room, a wide smile stretching across his face. Mrs. Sun, upon seeing him, rushed forward, eager to share the good news.


    ¡°You already know?¡± Gu Chengye asked, surprised.


    Mrs. Sun filled him in on Niu Fugui¡¯s visit and the news of Zhou Ying sessfully giving birth to a son that morning.


    Gu Chengye¡¯s expression was a mix of emotions. He hadn¡¯t anticipated Gu Chengrui being the first to bear a son. But what truly irked him was that his achievements, the supposed cause for celebration, had been overshadowed by an infant.


    He nced at Mrs. Sun, who donned new attire for the asion. ¡°Are we going to celebrate?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied. ¡°He¡¯s the eldest grandson of our branch, and your father has been eagerly awaiting this day for years.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll change my clothes.¡±


    ¡°Go to the study first. Your father is waiting for you there,¡± Mrs. Sun instructed.


    ¡°Alright, help me find the new purple clothes I got made after the new year.¡±


    Gu Chengye turned and headed toward the study.


    Inside the study, Mr. Gu, busy choosing a gift for his grandson, brightened upon seeing Gu Chengye enter. ¡°Ah, there you are! Splendid news! You¡¯ve finally fulfilled your grandfather¡¯s long-held wish.¡±


    ¡°Father, you tter me,¡± Gu Chengye chuckled. ¡°Third Brother¡¯s achievements far surpass those of mine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same,¡± Mr. Gu exined. ¡°While I yearned for an official in the family, I desired one who passed the imperial exam, served honestly, and benefited the people. My final wish is for you and your third brother to work together.¡±


    ¡°In the future, I hope you climb the ranks steadily, bing an official who humbly serves the people. I and your uncle will handle your financial needs so that you can focus on integrity and duty.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Father,¡± Gu Chengye acknowledged.


    ¡°Good,¡± Mr. Gu said, gathering his things. ¡°Let¡¯s pack and head to your third brother¡¯s residence to see my eldest grandson.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Chengye agreed and took his leave.


    Mr. Gu, after selecting a suet jade safety buckle as a gift, followed suit.


    As they exited, they encountered Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Sun, both waiting in a carriage by the door. Upon learning of their shared destination, the two partiesbined and eagerly embarked on their journey to the Marquis¡¯ residence.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui, having just finished making a meal for Zhou Ying, received the news of theming. Recognizing the impatience on Zhou Ying¡¯s face, he understood she wasn¡¯t up for visitors.


    He turned to Kuihua, who delivered the news. ¡°Inform them to wait a moment. Tell them Mistress is still resting. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Sunflower replied before departing.


    Gu Chengrui tucked Zhou Ying back in, whispering, ¡°Go back to sleep, love. I¡¯m still here.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Ying murmured, her eyes fluttering shut. ¡°Just remember to take good care of the children, especially Guoguo. Don¡¯t let her feel neglected.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will,¡± Gu Chengrui assured her. He ced a gentle kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.


    He then temporarily entrusted the baby¡¯s care to Mrs. Lin and brought Guoguo with him to greet the guests.


    ¡°Father, Aunt Liu, Second Aunt, Second Brother, Second Sister-inw, Aunt Sun,¡± Gu Chengrui greeted everyone upon entering the room.


    Guoguo, spotting her grandfather, immediately ran toward him and jumped into his arms.


    Mr. Gu, his face beaming with joy, scooped her up. ¡°Look at you, Guoguo! You¡¯ve grown so much! Did you listen to your mother and learn to read?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can read stories now!¡± Guoguo dered proudly. ¡°I can even count!¡±


    ¡°Is that so? How many legs does a duck have?¡± Mr. Gu posed a challenge.


    ¡°One duck has two legs,¡± Guoguo answered confidently, ¡°so eight ducks have sixteen legs!¡±


    Mr. Gu, impressed by her response, chuckled. ¡°Not bad, Guoguo! Keep practicing, and you¡¯ll learn even more!¡± He then rewarded her with a peanut.


    Guoguo thanked him with a wide smile and snuggled back into her father¡¯s


    arms..

 Chapter 928 - 928 Catching the Emperor’s Eye

    Chapter 928 Catching the Emperor¡¯s Eye


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Guoguo¡¯s getting smarter every day!¡± Gu Chengye eximed with a smile. ¡°Let Second Uncle test your skills. If we start with ten eggs and eat three, how many are left?¡±


    Guoguo, brimming with confidence, replied, ¡°Seven! Because subtraction means taking away, Daddy already exined it to me.¡±


    ¡°Very good! Now, how many words have you learned?¡±


    Guoguo answered, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I can read picture storybooks now!¡±


    Mrs. Yao, surprised by Guoguo¡¯s progress, asked, ¡°Picture storybooks? The kind Zhou Ying writes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Chengrui confirmed. ¡°They¡¯re simpler books, perfect for beginners like Guoguo.¡±


    Mrs. Liu, eager to hear about the birth, turned to Gu Chengrui. ¡°How is Zhou Ying? Did she have a difficult delivery?¡±


    ¡°Everything went well,¡± Gu Chengrui exined. ¡°She went intobor early in the morning, and the baby arrived at dawn. She¡¯s just a bit tired because the baby is quite plump.¡±


    Mr. Gu¡¯s eyes widened with curiosity. ¡°Plump? How plump, exactly?¡±


    Gu Chengrui chuckled. ¡°Seven pounds and eight taels. He¡¯s almost a whole pound heavier than Guoguo at birth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a chunk!¡± Mr. Gu eximed. ¡°Is the baby awake? Can we see him?¡±


    ¡°He was sleeping soundly when I brought him in for his baby shower,¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°A baby shower? Why did you do a baby shower ceremony this time?¡±


    ¡°We just happened to have some free time,¡± Gu Chengrui exined, ¡°so we decided to get together for a simple celebration.¡±


    Mr. Gu nodded in approval. ¡°That¡¯s a lovely idea. The weather is finally warming up, perfect for gatherings.¡±


    After a pleasant meal and polite conversation, Gu Chengrui escorted his guests out. As they prepared to leave, he addressed his brother.


    ¡°Second Brother, do you still n to return to your hometown after the exams?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Gu Chengye replied. ¡°If time permits, we¡¯ll go back. Otherwise, we may wait until the new year.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°Make sure to focus on your studies for the exams. The Emperor often uses current events as topics, so be prepared.¡±


    Gu Chengye¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. He cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks. ¡°Thank you, Chengrui. After the exams, let¡¯s have a proper family gathering.¡±


    On their way back, Mr. Gu turned to Gu Chengye and remarked, ¡°You saw how much Guoguo has grown today. She¡¯s young but learning quickly. When you return home, you and your wife should also prioritize your children¡¯s education. Remember, a well-educated daughter can excel just as much as a son. When they¡¯re older, we can even consider hiring a female teacher for them.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Father,¡± Gu Chengye responded. ¡°I¡¯ll be more mindful of that in the future.¡±


    The time went by until the official baby shower ceremony. Unlike the previous celebration, Gu Chengrui only invited Zhou Huaiming and his wife. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, the Emperor, Empress, and Eldest Prince graced the asion with their presence.


    The Empress even took the opportunity to introduce the Eldest Prince to the Gu family members.


    Soon, the results of the court examinations arrived, and while Gu Chengye¡¯s performance improved slightly, he only moved up one ce.


    However, the true sensation was Zheng Youan, the young schr from the Zheng family. At the tender age of sixteen, he achieved the top score, shocking the entire nation with his brilliance.


    Even Gu Chenglin, previously confident in his abilities, felt his confidence waver.


    However, everything clicked when news of the Zheng family¡¯s background emerged.


    Understanding their deep-rooted influence in the royal court, the public quickly grasped the reason behind Zheng Youan¡¯s meteoric rise.


    Meanwhile, whispers began to circte within the royal court.


    ¡°Does the Emperor intend to reinstate the Zheng family?¡± King Xian asked after receiving the news.


    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. The Zheng family has remained discreet since their downfall under the previous dynasty. They never engaged in any rebellious activities and kept a low profile. Zheng Youan, a prodigy in mathematics, has caught my eye, so I have decided to put him in an important position.¡±


    King Xian nodded. ¡°We just have to be careful. After all, the Zheng family deeply influenced the previous royal court.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll heed your advice, Imperial Uncle, and use him carefully.¡± The Emperor nodded in agreement..

 Chapter 929 - 929 One-Month-Old Birthday

    Chapter 929 One-Month-Old Birthday


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Then, he thought of something and asked, ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the investigation on the tungsten ore I asked you to investigate? Any progress?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. The problem is that we have no samples. It¡¯s too difficult to find.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing before. Let¡¯s look for it slowly.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Mother God left too many things behind. It won¡¯t be easy to digest it all fully, but no matter the result, we can¡¯t let anyone know about the importance of tungsten ore.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will personally monitor this.¡±


    King Xian left, and the Emperor summoned Grand Schr Sun.


    ¡°Father-inw,¡± the Emperor said, ¡°have you selected the appropriate people?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Grand Schr Sun replied, ¡°everything is ready to begin when you are.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± the Emperor said. ¡°Commence the construction as soon as possible. Discretion is key.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Grand Schr Sun confirmed. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve noticed something in the books gifted by Mother God. Marquis An Le seems to possess the most expertise in those diagrams and calctions.


    ¡°If necessary, we could request his help, either directly or through the academy. His knowledge would undoubtedly be valuable in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve observed this as well,¡± the Emperor acknowledged. ¡°However, his wife just gave birth. Let¡¯s wait a while longer until her birth confinement period is over. We can revisit the matter then.¡±


    Grand Schr Sun understood the Emperor¡¯s reasoning and didn¡¯t press the issue further. ¡°If Your Majesty has no further instructions, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± the Emperor nodded.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui, oblivious to these events, continued his routine. He spent his mornings working half a day at his hospital, then rushed home to prepare Zhou Ying¡¯s meals and care for their two children, especially Guoguo.


    Being the eldest, Guoguo not only required physical care but also emotional support.


    Thus, Zhou Ying slept and ate well for an entire month after childbirth, leaving Gu Chengrui the only one in the family to lose weight.


    After their one-month-old celebration, Gu Chengrui finally copsed onto the bed, exhausted.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying gently covered him with a nket and turned her attention to the children.


    Upon entering the room, she found Guoguo reading aic book to her younger brother, Chenchen. Zhou Ying yfully pinched Guoguo¡¯s cheek and said, ¡°You¡¯re such a big help, Guoguo! Taking care of your little brother already.¡±


    ¡°Chenchen is very good,¡± Guoguo proudly replied, puffing out her chest. ¡°He stopped crying when I read him the story.¡±


    As if on cue, Chenchen started fussing, his arms and legs iling. Guoguo looked at him helplessly.


    Zhou Ying smiled and suggested, ¡°Guoguo, why don¡¯t you practice your calligraphy with Nanny first? Your brother seems sleepy. Let¡¯s give him some space. Once he falls asleep, I can join you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need help; I¡¯m not a child anymore,¡± Guoguo retorted with a harumped expression, closing her book.


    ¡°Alright, Guoguo,¡± Zhou Ying chuckled. ¡°Do your best. I¡¯ll check your writingter.¡±


    With that, Zhou Ying picked up a crying Chenchen, who instantly calmed down and nestled into his mother¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Sigh, children¡­¡± Guoguo muttered, shaking her head with a yful sigh, before turning and walking out with her hands behind her back.


    Amused by her daughter¡¯s mature demeanor, Zhou Ying began feeding Chenchen. Once he was asleep, she called his nanny, Mrs. Zhang, to watch over him and proceeded to review the month¡¯s ounts.


    To her surprise, the rouge shop¡¯s ie had already surpassed the restaurant¡¯s, reaching a staggering 100,000 taels. Notably, the freshener and moisturizer were the top sellers..

 Chapter 930 - 930 New Mission

    Chapter 930 New Mission


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Madam, I have already sorted out the list of gifts and money received today; please take a look.¡± Niu Fugui knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Zhou Ying said that after finishing, she looked up at the door.


    After a while, she took the list and scanned it. ¡°Is there anything wrong with business recently?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going well. I don¡¯t know if you still remember the small shop in the South City?¡±


    ¡°I remember, it¡¯s the one next to the big carriage shop; what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much; it¡¯s just that business is average there. My idea is, should we add some things or sell something else?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what good ideas do you have; do tell me.¡±


    ¡°Now the whole capital has returned to its former prosperity, and even the business in the South City is now very good.


    ¡°The business at the carriage shop is crowded with even more people.


    So my idea is to change it to a proper small restaurant. The price of the food has gone up, and the ie will naturally increase.


    ¡°Since you brought it up, you can try it for a month.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re just adding to the original foundation, let¡¯s see how it works.


    ¡°If it¡¯s good, we¡¯ll keep it. Otherwise, there¡¯s no need to add it.


    ¡°Also, remember, that ce is filled with a mixed bag of people; be careful and don¡¯t let people trip you up.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Niu Fugui turned and walked out.


    Zhou Ying nced at the gift list. This time, the one-month-old gifts were much more luxurious than those for Guoguo, and many more people attended.


    It can be said that almost all the officials of the court in the capital came. No wonder Gu Chengrui was so tired.


    However, this also gave her a warning. In the future, it is better to hold fewer such banquets. Otherwise, if this continues, the Emperor might have some other thoughts.


    What she didn¡¯t expect the most was that her ¡®maiden family¡¯ also sent someone to give a gift.


    It was quite a gift, with the money alone amounting to 100 taels of silver, and some good supplements were in the bag.


    At dinner, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, did you know that the Zhou family came today?¡±


    ¡°Zhou family, Principal Zhou?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he also gave a gift, 100 taels of silver and some supplements, but I didn¡¯t see anyone.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see him either. It should have been someone else who came to give the gift.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry. Many came uninvited, and we will just return the favor when the timees.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really troublesome.¡±


    ¡°I have already informed Uncle Niu about these people. He will help keep an eye on them. When someone sends a post or has something to ask of you, he will report to you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you have worked hard. Leave the family affairs to me next. You just need to be busy with your medical centers.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t overwork. If you can¡¯t handle it, I will return and deal with it at night.¡± Gu Chengrui reminded her.


    Now that he took care of it, he realized that the family¡¯s affairs, especially caring for the two children, were exhausting.


    However, he said this too early. The next day, he was summoned to the pce before going out.


    After learning the purpose of the Emperor¡¯s summoning him into the pce, Gu Chengrui, although mentally prepared, still reluctantly replied, ¡°Your Majesty, the affairs of the medical centers are already busy enough, and I have to take care of the affairs of the agricultural school.


    ¡°Do you really want to give me more new tasks? I am also a mortal, not a man of iron.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I have no choice but to give you so many tasks.¡± The Emperor said helplessly..

 Chapter 931 - 931 Class Begins

    Chapter 931 ss Begins


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Indeed, I would¡¯ve taken it on if I had the ability. This is also a good opportunity to make a name for yourself,¡± Zhou Huaiming said as he walked out of the study.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be famous.¡± Gu Chengrui red at him and muttered.


    ¡°So do you want to be the Emperor? Besides, you were the one who brought this up in the first ce,¡± Zhou Huai Ming pointed out.


    ¡°What you¡¯re implying is that I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to seed in the end. Moreover, these are all highly academic subjects, and there¡¯s no room for mistakes,¡± Gu Chengrui argued.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be careless about this. What if I send two more assistants to the medical center to help you? This way, you can take some time to manage your affairs here,¡± the Emperor suggested.


    ¡°Sure, then please find students with a good foundation andprehension. I will first teach them what I know, and then the rest of you can gradually study together,¡± Gu Chengrui agreed.


    ¡°Excellent. So, in the future, you will handle matters at the medical centers in the mornings and start teaching the students in the afternoons,¡± the Emperor decided.


    ¡°I understand. When will this begin?¡± Gu Chengrui pondered.


    ¡°Three dayster. You will need to spend the next three days exining everything to your two new assistants,¡± the Emperor replied after a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°Understood. Then, I¡¯ll take my leave now,¡± Gu Chengrui said and immediately left.


    The Emperor didn¡¯t stop him. After he left, he looked at Zhou Huaiming and asked, ¡°How have you been recently? Any news from the Northern and Western Continents?¡±


    ¡°While there was some resistance, the progress has been rtively smooth. Notably, in the Northern Continent, aside from a few obstinate individuals, no one has stopped us from conducting business,¡± Zhou Huaiming reported.


    ¡°So, the resistance on the Western Continent is still quite strong?¡± The Emperor inquired.


    ¡°Yes, the Western Continent has many mountainous areas, and the people live scattered. Consequently, towns are few and far between, leading to fiercepetition among local merchants. We will face even greater resistance if we try to enter the market. Additionally, the government turns a blind eye to this matter, making it challenging to establish a foothold.¡±


    ¡°If it truly proves infeasible, we can adapt our strategy. For instance, we could set up a stronghold in each county. Then, they would venture into the countryside under the pretense of collecting medicinal herbs and wood to infiltrate the area,¡± the Emperor suggested.


    ¡°I agree with this. The restaurants and inns from the Great Ming that worked on the Northern Continent would not be sessful there. Therefore, besides the strongholds you mentioned, I propose setting up tea tents along the main roads in various locations. These would sell tea, steamed buns, and other simple food items. These merchants from the south and north are quite well-informed.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of their identity, remember to exercise caution, maintain a low profile, and prioritize your safety,¡± the Emperor emphasized.


    ¡°Understood. Oh, regarding the ss workshop, everything is practically finalized except for locating new mines. Therefore, I intend to make a personal trip to the Western Continent,¡± Zhou Huaiming informed the Emperor.


    ¡°Inform your family and remember to recruit a few reliable individuals from the southwest to apany you. The Western Continent has a higher prevalence of poisonous creatures, so it¡¯s best to be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will be careful.¡±


    After Zhou Huaiming left, the Emperor reviewed the students¡¯ exam papers from the basic mathematics test.


    Following careful selection, he consolidated all the students and created arge ss of forty people for Gu Chengrui to teach.


    Three dayster, Gu Chengrui officially began his ss. However, he opted not to follow the textbook curriculum.


    Since the textbook content began at the high school level, he needed to fill in the necessary foundational knowledge before advancing to the course material they would utilizeter..

 Chapter 932 - 932 Asking for Help

    Chapter 932 Asking for Help


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor¡¯s chosen student proved to be exceptionally skilled, demonstrating a firm grasp of concepts and a solid foundation in mathematics.


    Theypleted the elementary school curriculum within just a week.


    However, the pace slowed down when middle school geometry, physics, and chemistry were incorporated into the lessons.


    Meanwhile, three months had passed since the court examinations, and Gu Chengye, seeing no job offer from the government, decided to visit the Marquis¡¯ residence.


    Zhou Ying, upied with changing Chenchen¡¯s clothes, received the notice and, after a brief pause, invited him to wait in the outer courtyard. She then carried Chenchen outside.


    Gu Chengye stood up upon seeing them approach. ¡°Sister-inw, sorry to bother you,¡± he apologized.


    ¡°Second Brother, please have a seat. The child just woke up and is a bit fussy. I apologize for the wait,¡±


    ¡°No worries. Chenchen is growing quickly! It¡¯s only been three months, and he¡¯s already gained seven or eight pounds.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, he has quite an appetite. If not for the summer heat, he¡¯d be a little plump by now,¡± Zhou Ying agreed. ¡°Speaking of, are you here to see Chengrui today?¡±


    ¡°You can say that. It¡¯s been three months since the exams, but the court hasn¡¯t offered me any suitable positions. I wanted to ask if you had any insights.¡±


    ¡°I see. The Emperor previously spoke with you privately, so we assumed arrangements had been made.


    ¡°However, in all honesty, I haven¡¯t been closely following court matterstely, as I¡¯ve been busy with family, the manor, and our business.


    ¡°Chengrui, on the other hand, has been tirelessly teaching students under the Emperor¡¯s orders. He wakes up earlier than a chicken and sleepster than a dog, leaving him no time for court affairs.


    ¡°Therefore, we haven¡¯t paid much attention to your situation. Nheless, since we¡¯re aware now, we¡¯ll try to help you ask and update you if there¡¯s any news.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll leave it in your hands then. I¡¯ll head back now.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t apany you out with the child in my arms,¡± Zhou Ying replied before instructing Qiuxiang to bring him out.


    Later that night, Zhou Ying informed Gu Chengrui about their visitor. ¡°What are your thoughts? Should we try to help?¡±


    Gu Chengrui, visibly surprised, responded, ¡°Not yet. I believe the Emperor has something else in mind for him.¡±


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he added, ¡°Why don¡¯t we send him a letter tomorrow? If he¡¯s avable, he can assist me temporarily. I don¡¯t believe the Emperor will keep him waiting indefinitely.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll object to helping you?¡± Zhou Ying questioned.


    ¡°If he does, then let it be. Things have changed since four years ago. Many schrs are still waiting for their assignments. He¡¯ll have to be patient.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll inform him of that first.¡± Zhou Ying responded before promptly calling for food service.


    Upon receiving the letter the next day, Gu Chengye readily agreed without hesitation. He arrived at the hospital that morning and observed his brother, Gu Chengxi, working diligently.


    A pang of envy washed over him. He then proceeded directly to the backyard and located Gu Chengrui¡¯s office. Finding him alone, he knocked on the door.


    Gu Chengrui looked up, saw him, and stood up, saying, ¡°Second Brother,e in and have a seat. It so happens I have something for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± Gu Chengye inquired curiously.


    ¡°These are someint letters,¡± Gu Chengrui exined, pushing a small box towards him. ¡°Please help me sort them out and summarize the issues..¡±

 Chapter 933 - 933 A Test

    Chapter 933 A Test


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengye was surprised to see the box full of letters. He knew there was aint box outside the medical center, where people could report medical injustice.


    However, he hadn¡¯t anticipated the sheer volume ofints.


    Without further ado, he carried the box to a nearby table and gathered a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He then began sorting through the letters.


    By noon, he had almost finished organizing them.


    ¡°These letters raise three main concerns,¡± Gu Chengye exined. ¡°Firstly, they allege that Jishi Medical Hall is charging exorbitantly for its medicines and even substituting lower-quality products for higher-priced ones.


    ¡°Secondly, they use a doctor named Feng Zhiyuan of treating patients hically and showing favoritism.


    ¡°Finally, they im that the Qian Family Medicine Store is hoarding essential medicinal herbs such as Coptis, honeysuckles, Forsythia, and Scuteria.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important to note that the Qian Family Medicine Store is an imperial merchant that supplies the Imperial Pce,¡± Gu Chengye continued. ¡°Furthermore, your father-inw, Principal Zhou, is one of the owners.


    ¡°In simpler terms, the store belongs to Principal Zhou¡¯s business ventures. The Jishi Medical Hall belongs to Imperial Physician Li. Both are influential figures.¡±


    Gu Chengrui raised his head and spoke meaningfully, ¡°You and Chengxi will work together to investigate these allegations and verify their uracy.


    ¡°Once confirmed, report your findings to me, and we¡¯ll decide on a course of action. Remember to be discreet and avoid attracting attention.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Gu Chengye replied.


    ¡°Good,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch first. I still need to go to the academy to teach this afternoon.¡± He stood up, stretched, and yawned, revealing his exhaustion.


    Gu Chengye noticed his fatigue and asked, ¡°Would you like to rest for a while? You look worn out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Gu Chengrui assured him. ¡°I just stayed upte grading papersst night. I can sleep at the academy after lunch.¡±


    He reviewed the sortedints, picked up the remaining ones, and handed them to the two assistants sent by the Emperor for further processing.


    This confirmed what Zhou Ying had said the previous day. Gu Chengrui hadn¡¯t had a moment¡¯s rest.


    After lunch, Gu Chengye took a carriage straight to the academy. He found Gu Chengxi, and after a brief nap, they began verifying the three reported incidents.


    The easiest to confirm was Feng Zhiyuan¡¯sck of ethical conduct. They had personally witnessed his behavior and confirmed his biased treatment. It was clear that he was unfit to be a doctor.


    Further investigation revealed that Feng Zhiyuan had a powerful backer-imperial Physician Liu. He treated poor patients harshly but catered to the wealthy and government officials, aiming to secure a position as a royal physician in the pce.


    It took five days for the brothers to investigate all three concerns thoroughly, and they confirmed the validity of every usation. They then presented their findings to Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°Second Brother,¡± Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°what are your thoughts on how to proceed?¡±


    ¡°For the Jinshi Medical Hall, a simple warning and enforcement of corrective measures would suffice, considering it was just an issue of inferior products,¡± Gu Chengye proposed.


    ¡°As for Feng Zhiyuan, his snobbish behavior wouldn¡¯t change with a lenient approach, but a harsh punishment might causeplications. Therefore, I believe it¡¯s best to simply ignore him.


    ¡°Eventually, those who deserve his services will continue to seek him out, while those who can¡¯t afford his prejudice will find alternatives. There¡¯s no need to overreact..¡±

 Chapter 934 - 934 The Reason

    Chapter 934 The Reason


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The Qian Family Medicine Store hoarding essential goods is truly despicable,¡± Gu Chengye remarked after a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°We can inform Dr. Zhou to warn them and request that they immediately restore the original prices and resume selling the medicinal herbs.¡±


    Hearing this, Gu Chengrui pondered for a while before asking, ¡°I recall that when Chenchen was one month old, the Emperor called you aside for a private conversation. Can you tell me what you discussed? Did he ask any specific questions?¡±


    Gu Chengye was momentarily stunned but quickly recalled the conversation. ¡°He primarily focused on court examination questions. I sought diverse perspectives during the discussion.


    ¡°I also asked a question at the end.¡±


    ¡°What question?¡± Gu Chengrui asked eagerly.


    ¡°He asked what I would do if a messenger were dyed by saving someone,¡± Gu Chengye replied.


    ¡°And what was your answer?¡±


    ¡°While the messenger erred, a mere warning would suffice. His actions were understandable.¡±


    Gu Chengrui finally understood why the Emperor hadn¡¯t appointed him. Hecked the ruthless pragmatism necessary for an official and couldn¡¯t prioritize critical matters effectively.


    ¡°In my judgment,¡± Gu Chengrui exined, ¡°the messenger deserved execution for two reasons. Firstly, his role as a messenger demanded strict adherence to orders. Secondly, the documents he carried from hundreds of miles away could be considered extremely urgent, potentially impacting tens of thousands of lives. Unless an insurmountable natural disaster or his death barred his path, he shouldn¡¯t have stopped, let alone prioritized rescuing others.


    ¡°Furthermore, prioritizing personal choices over crucial duties demonstrated his unsuitability for the position. Dying militarymunication constitutes a grave offense.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it wrong to prioritize saving lives?¡± Gu Chengye questioned.


    ¡°He could only realistically save one, two, or at most three people. However, a dy in delivering those documents could potentially cost the lives of ten thousand, twenty thousand, or even hundreds of thousands. Such a burden is simply unimaginable.¡±


    Gu Chengye, realizing his mistake, asked, ¡°What would you do in the signal soldier¡¯s position?¡±


    ¡°I would call for assistance,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°If help were unavable, I would regretfully prioritize the mission. It¡¯s the same for someone who doesn¡¯t know how to swim, witnessing someone else fall into the water. The proper response isn¡¯t to jump in and potentially drown yourself, but rather to seek help or find an object like a stick or rope to assist their rescue.¡±


    ¡°If saving the individual proves impossible after exhausting all efforts, it bes a tragedy beyond our control.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, your investigations into the three concerns were urate. However, the punishments you suggested were too lenient. Observe carefully from now on.¡±


    With that, Gu Chengrui rose and led Gu Chengye to the two imperial assistants. ¡°Lord Liu and Lord Hu,¡± he addressed them, ¡°I entrust this matter to you.¡±


    The two assistants stood up, acknowledged the task, and briefly reviewed the information. They then agreed and proceeded to the government office to request the required individuals.


    Acting swiftly, the duo apprehended Jishi Medical Hall¡¯s manager and sealed the establishment. It would remain closed until the prices of the medicinal herbs were deemed reasonable.


    The head of the Qian family, along with the manager, were arrested, and all their stockpiled medicinal herbs were confiscated.


    As for Feng Zhiyuan, his medical license was revoked, leaving him with the option of practicing only in private households, regardless of his skill.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t these punishments excessively harsh?¡± Gu Chengye expressed his surprise.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head and responded, ¡°Do you remember how Lord Sun dealt with the thieves during the disaster?¡±

 Chapter 935 - 935 Pointing Out

    Chapter 935 Pointing Out


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengye remained stunned for a moment. ¡°However, that was a disaster year. When peace is desired, stricter punishments are often necessary.¡±


    ¡°However,¡± Gu Chengrui agreed. ¡°The principle of harsh punishment for security extends beyond times of disaster, applying equally to critical industries.


    ¡°It is an invible rule. Take the river, for example. Regardless of disaster years, anyone who dares to cut corners or neglect their dutiesmits a serious offense.


    ¡°The medical field is no exception. Even slight negligence can result in the loss of countless lives.


    ¡°Additionally, this is a new department, akin to a newly appointed official. Establishing one¡¯s authority is crucial during this period. Those who dare to challenge it must face the consequences.¡±


    Gu Chengrui looked at him and said, ¡°Perhaps you haven¡¯t encountered a real crisis yet, which exins your lingering kindness.


    ¡°Or perhaps you believe their actions were not serious enough to warrant your attention. Nevertheless, either viewpoint will significantly limit your potential as an official. This is likely why the Emperor has yet to assign you any duties.


    ¡°If not for your outstanding results, he wouldn¡¯t have kept you waiting this long.


    ¡°While assisting me, you should also consider your future. If you find yourself unsuited to the intricacies of officialdom, perhaps teaching at the academy would be a better fit.¡±


    Though slightly annoyed by Gu Chengrui¡¯s words, Gu Chengye found himself pondering their meaning. Could he have been genuinely mistaken?


    Upon returning home that night, he found the study¡¯s light still on. Hesitantly approaching, he knocked. ¡°Father, are you still awake?¡±


    ¡°Chengye, you¡¯re back. Come in,¡± Mr. Gu replied, momentarily surprised. He set down his pen and looked up.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been assigned to work with Chengrui. How is it? Are you adjusting well?¡± Mr. Gu inquired.


    ¡°It¡¯s going well. He takes good care of me,¡± Gu Chengye replied with a smile.


    He then sat down facing his father and asked, ¡°If you were the Emperor, how would you handle a situation where a messenger on an urgent 800-mile journey dyed a critical document due to stopping to help someone?¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t even be a question¡ªexecution,¡± Mr. Gu asserted.


    ¡°Urgent documents over such distances typically concern war or major disasters. Even a quarter-hour dy could drastically alter the situation, especially during war. A moment¡¯s dy could mean losing a city.¡±


    Mr. Gu¡¯s face paused slightly upon seeing his son¡¯s growing paleness. ¡°Who asked you this question?¡±


    ¡°The Emperor, during Chenchen¡¯s one-month-old celebration,¡± Gu Chengye admitted. He then shared the events he¡¯d dealt with that day and Gu Chengrui¡¯s subsequent remarks.


    After hearing everything, Mr. Gu remained stunned for a while. Finally, he sighed and said, ¡°It seems your mother, and I may have sheltered you too well. Youck experience, which led to apse in judgment regarding the appropriate course of action.


    ¡°Since Chengrui has offered you an opportunity, stay by his side for a while and observe how others handle various situations. If the Emperor doesn¡¯t assign you any tasks after the New Year, it might be best to consider returning to your hometown and teaching at the academy.¡±


    Gu Chengye understood his father¡¯s point. He was just one schr among many in the capital, struggling to find his ce. Returning to his hometown and securing a position seemed like the better option.


    ¡°Thank you, Father,¡± Gu Chengye replied. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should rest as well. I¡¯ll head back now..¡±

 Chapter 936 - 936 Rejection

    Chapter 936 Rejection


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Mr. Gu watched him leave with a sigh. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Gu Chengye, despite being thirty years old, still possessed a childishness that prevented him from bing truly independent.


    Gu Chengruiter entrusted Gu Chengye to the two imperial officials, assigning him various errands.


    When Gu Chengye had free time, he was brought to the academy to observe and participate in lessons.


    Notably, over the past six months, Gu Chengye¡¯s approach to handling situations has grown increasingly, likely due to his focused learning.


    The following morning, Imperial Physician Li, owner of Jishi Medicine Hall, arrived to plead for leniency. Upon seeing the gifts in his hands, Gu Chengrui understood his purpose.


    ¡°It is an honor to have you here, Imperial Physician Li,¡± Gu Chengrui greeted him with a smile while standing up.


    ¡°Marquis An Le, you mock me,¡± Imperial Physician Li replied, his face etched with shame. ¡°An old man like me has no right toe through these doors.¡±


    He then presented the gift, saying, ¡°Please ept this humble token of my appreciation.¡±


    ¡°If this gesture stems from our personal rtionship, I¡¯m happy to ept it. We¡¯ll undoubtedly have ample opportunities to exchange medical knowledge in the future,¡± Gu Chengrui responded. ¡°However, if it concerns the Jishi Medicine Hall issue, I cannot ept your offer.


    ¡°Remember, we are both members of the medical field. If the Medicine Hall¡¯s prices were simply high, there would be room for discussion. But I trust you understand the gravity of selling counterfeit medicine as genuine medicine. You are well aware of the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Is there truly no room forpromise?¡±


    ¡°Imperial Physician Li, you¡¯ve undoubtedly heard about theint letters. Their sheer number signifies widespread dissatisfaction with your establishment¡¯s practices. If this continues, the future consequences are readily apparent, I believe. It would be in your best interest to rectify your mistakes and establish a positive reputation. Such actions will ensure the longevity of your business. What do you think?¡±


    Seeing Gu Chengrui¡¯s unwavering stance, Imperial Physician Li perceived the futility of further negotiation.


    He deeply regretted supporting the establishment of the medical center and could only leave, fuming and frustrated, with his gifts untouched.


    After lunch, while seeking a brief respite at the academy, Gu Chengrui was approached by Principal Zhou.


    ¡°Is the Qian n your reason for visiting?¡± Gu Chengrui inquired, offering him a seat.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Principal Zhou confirmed. ¡°How does the medical center n to handle them?¡±


    Gu Chengrui, feigning boredom, asked, ¡°If you were in my position, how would you handle it?¡±


    ¡°Confiscate all fake medicine and their silver, perhaps,¡± Principal Zhou offered tentatively.


    ¡°And what bes of the royal merchant¡¯s medicine stock?¡± Gu Chengrui countered. ¡°How do you imagine the Emperor would react upon learning of this? Beheading? Confiscation of property?¡±


    ¡°No, no, they wouldn¡¯t supply fake medicine to the pce,¡± Principal Zhou hastily assured him. ¡°All imperial physicians are intelligent.¡±


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s expression turned stern as he questioned, ¡°So, does that imply themoners are fools?¡±


    Principal Zhou remained speechless, raising his hand twice in an attempt to speak but ultimately lowering it in resignation.


    Gu Chengrui snorted in response. ¡°As an imperial physician and head of the hospital, surely you understand the dangers of fake medicine. Now, regarding your aplice¡­¡±


    Before Gu Chengrui could finish, Principal Zhou, visibly panicked, shook his head rapidly. ¡°Absolutely not! If I had known, I would have broken their legs myself!¡±


    ¡°Then fret not,¡± Gu Chengrui reassured him. ¡°The medical center has consistently strived to eradicate fake medicine since its establishment.


    ¡°However, the Qian family not only dared tomit this crime but also brazenly distributed it throughout the capital. This act is a tant mockery of the medical center¡¯s authority..¡±

 Chapter 937 - The Results

    The Results


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Please, could you spare their lives?¡± Principal Zhou pleaded nervously.


    Gu Chengrui met his gaze, his expression turning solemn, as if a dark cloud loomed over him.


    The sudden shift in his demeanor startled Principal Zhou, who felt a surge of fear he hadn¡¯t anticipated.


    ¡®Him, harmless?¡¯ he thought, bewildered. ¡®How else could he have repeatedly eluded the remnants of the Hui Prince¡¯s party and established medical centers under such scrutiny? We clearly underestimated him.¡¯


    Sensing Principal Zhou¡¯s apprehension, Gu Chengrui softened his tone. ¡°They won¡¯t be executed, but the royal merchant title and the counterfeit medicine will be confiscated. The rest remains undecided.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s good,¡± stammered Principal Zhou, turning to leave.


    ¡°With three generations of imperial physicians in your family, I trust you won¡¯t jeopardize your esteemed reputation,¡± Gu Chengrui called after him.


    Principal Zhou mumbled, ¡°It won¡¯t happen,¡± before scurrying out.


    As he disappeared down the street, a servant emerged from a nearby courtyard and rushed to the Li Manor, informing Imperial Physician Li about the conversation.


    ¡°So, I underestimated him,¡± Imperial Physician Li mused, swirling his teacup in contemtion.


    He then instructed the servant, ¡°Tell my second son to pay the fines. Reduce the medicine prices at our shop and dispose of all inferior quality products.¡± ¡°Yes, master,¡± replied the servant, departing hastily.


    After he left, Imperial Physician Li chuckled, ¡°Marquis An Le, you certainly stirred the pot. Offending three imperial physicians in one go¡ªI wonder how long you¡¯llst.¡±


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui remained unfazed by their scheming. A clear conscience was all that mattered to him.


    Half a monthter, an investigation into the Qian family¡¯s background revealed years of using the royal merchant title to peddle fake medicine.


    Upon learning this, the Emperor¡¯s face contorted in anger. He couldn¡¯t believe they¡¯d use the royal merchant¡¯s reputation for such deceitful acts.


    He swiftly stripped the Qian family of their title, ordering the execution of the patriarch and confiscating their entire estate. The family was forced into military service.


    Principal Zhou, deemed negligent in his oversight, was dismissed from his position and subjected to a year-long sry reduction by half.


    This incident was a stark warning to the imperial physicians, who became significantly more cautious in their conduct.


    Both Imperial Physician Li and Imperial Physician Liu felt a lingering fear, grateful their offenses weren¡¯t severe enough to warrant direct intervention from Gu Chengrui.


    Returning home, Imperial Physician Li sternly warned his shopkeepers against any future price gouging, although the Jishi Medical Hall did raise their diagnosis fees by 20%.


    The Emperor, rather than appointing a new royal merchant, entrusted the matter to the medical center.


    As winter approached, Gu Chengxi married the fifth daughter of Consort An. Second Uncle Gu secured an independent courtyard for him on the West City-North City border, while Gu Chengrui and his wife gifted them a hundred acres ofnd.


    By year¡¯s end, Zhou Ying had learned of Gu Zheng¡¯s sessful revenge. His entire family, except his crippled father, was gone.


    Now, his crippled father lived in a small farmhouse with an old caretaker.


    Zhou Ying heard his report and asked, ¡°So, what are you going to do next?¡±

 Chapter 938 - 938 Marriage Request

    Chapter 938 Marriage Request


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The grudges are over. I will be your loyal servant in the future, but I do want to ask you for permission to marry someone.¡± Gu Zheng¡¯s face flushed crimson by the end of his sentence.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Zhou Ying inquired curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s the manager of the rouge workshop in the capital, Sun Rusu,¡± Gu Zheng replied.


    Zhou Ying was momentarily stunned. Despite Sun Rusu¡¯s youth, she was a widow. She then asked, ¡°Do you know her past?¡±


    ¡°I do. She was not valued by her family when she was young. After her marriage of convenience failed, she was sold by her inws.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and said, ¡°Then you should ask her own opinion. If she agrees, the two of you cane together and tell me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress, for your help.¡± Gu Zheng replied.


    On the afternoon of the 30th, Gu Zheng and Sun Rusu came together.


    When Zhou Ying saw theming in, she smiled and said, ¡°No wonder the birds kept chirping at the door early this morning. It turns out that there is excellent news.¡±


    After hearing this, the two of them looked at each other and said, ¡°Thank you, Mistress, for your help.¡±


    ¡°Please, get up. It¡¯s toote this year, so we¡¯ll hold your wedding next spring.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know your ns for the future. Will you live in the capital or near the workshop?¡±


    ¡°We would like to live near the workshop so she won¡¯t have to travel back and forth.¡± Gu Zheng said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Zhou Ying then gave them a thousand taels of silver and said, ¡°This is a housing subsidy for you. You can arrange it yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± Gu Zheng took it without hesitation.


    He knew all her servants who got married would receive a subsidy, but the amount varied depending on their rank.


    ¡°Go on. After you have chosen a date, let me know in advance.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Zheng responded, and the two of them retreated.


    After the New Year, Gu Chengye finally received his first official job, a civilian position in the Zhili government office.


    Upon receiving the letter, Mr. Gu advised, ¡°Work hard. Do your best for two or three years. Once you¡¯re ustomed to officialdom, I¡¯ll find someone to help you apply for an external transfer.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will definitely give it my all,¡± Gu Chengye responded solemnly.


    ¡°Good. Listen attentively, observe carefully, and ask questions if you¡¯re unsure. The Zhili government office is an excellent training ground,¡± Mr. Gu instructed.


    ¡°I will,¡± Gu Chengye said resolutely.


    After the New Year, Chenchen finally learned to crawl and stopped clinging to Zhou Ying.


    Guoguo¡¯s studies progressed smoothly. After discussing it, the couple decided to hire a female teacher to teach Guoguo various skills. The husband and wife still took charge of her cultural education.


    One day, witnessing the blooming spring flowers after Gu Zheng and Sun Rusu¡¯s wedding, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Rui, when can you take a few days off? Let¡¯s go to the manor and enjoy a two-day break.¡±


    Gu Chengrui hesitated, wanting to decline. However, looking at Chenchen, who could now eat an apple on his own, he said guiltily, ¡°In two days. I¡¯ll arrange some small tests in these two days. After the exams, let¡¯s go out and rx for two days.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but there¡¯s no rush. Your health is more important,¡± Zhou Ying reassured him.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve really worked hard this year. I just hope I can finish teaching this ss as soon as possible. Only then will I have a lot of time to spend with the three of you.¡± Gu Chengrui held her hand and said.


    ¡°Yes, with that foundation, everything will be much smoother in the future.¡± Zhou Ying nodded in agreement..

 Chapter 939 - 939 Holiday Ruined

    Chapter 939 Holiday Ruined


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Three dayster, the Gu family was finally ready to depart for their manor when Eunuch Qian arrived unexpectedly.


    ¡°Lord Gu,¡± the eunuch announced, ¡°the Emperor summons you to the pce immediately.¡±


    Gu Chengrui apologized to Zhou Ying and approached Eunuch Qian. ¡°May I inquire about the reason for the Emperor¡¯s summons?¡±


    He discreetly slipped Eunuch Qian a five-tael silver ingot.


    ¡°Do you recall,¡± Eunuch Qian exined after pocketing the silver, ¡°that the Emperor sent expeditionsst year to search for mineral deposits? Many shipments have arrived since the New Year. His Majesty requests your assistance in identifying them, particrly any rare minerals you might be seeking.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I remember,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°However, I¡¯ll need to return home to obtain some verification tools and reagents.¡±


    ¡°Please hurry back,¡± Eunuch Qian urged. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here.¡±


    Gu Chengrui thanked him and returned to inform Zhou Ying before heading back inside.


    Using her powers, Zhou Ying prepared a box containing the necessary equipment and chemicals.


    Despite the setback, Zhou Ying hired ten guards to ensure their safety during their two-day stay at the manor.


    Guoguo even spent the time gathering peach and apricot blossoms.


    Upon his return, Gu Chengrui excitedly shared his findings. ¡°Aluminum, tin, nickel and chromium-based alloys, coal, and even an unidentified ore!¡±


    ¡°The Great Ming seems rich in mineral resources,¡± Zhou Ying observed.


    ¡°Indeed. Coal mines are abundant. Perhaps steam engines and thermal generators are possibilities in the future.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss thatter,¡± Zhou Ying said gently. ¡°You¡¯re already overwhelmed.¡±


    Gu Chengrui agreed, nodding in understanding. He picked up the children, yfully asking, ¡°Did you miss your father?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Guoguo harumped, ncing back at him asionally, while Chenchen, still unfamiliar with him, simply stared.


    A pang of sadness flickered across Gu Chengrui¡¯s face. He kissed them both and led them to y in the manor.


    Zhou Ying joined them after preparing a warm dinner for the family. It was a rare moment of peace, but short-lived, as Gu Chengrui needed to return to the medical center early the next morning.


    Back in the capital, he went straight to work without even stopping at home.


    Zhou Ying, upon her return, entrusted the children to the nanny. Soon after, Gu Zheng entered with some news.


    ¡°Mistress, I have something to report.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± Zhou Ying pointed to a chair. ¡°Please take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s just a short report. The flower beds in the capital are no longer sufficient to meet our workshop¡¯s needs, especially for rare flowers. I propose purchasingnd outside the city for cultivation, ideally with convenient transportation. We can then process them into semi-finished products before shipping them here..¡±

 Chapter 940 - 940 Heading Together

    Chapter 940 Heading Together


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhou Ying agreed. ¡°Go ahead and handle thend purchase as you see fit. Arger plot will be more convenient for managing any crops you choose to nt.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Gu Zheng replied. ¡°Also, my wife is pregnant. You mentioned pregnant women shouldn¡¯t work in the workshop. So, about the management¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold an open interview,¡± Zhou Ying interrupted. ¡°Whoever can convince the workers will be chosen. This will encourage everyone to contribute their best.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Gu Zheng acknowledged. ¡°Is that all for now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for now. Just remember, quality control is paramount. No defective products or items with problems are to be sold.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Gu Zheng said before taking his leave.


    Zhou Ying, alone again, found the recipe for puffs and ventured into the kitchen. The aroma of cream soon wafted through the air, attracting Chenchen.


    ¡°The little glutton is here,¡± Zhou Ying smiled, noticing him peering in. ¡°But be careful; it¡¯s still hot.¡±


    Chenchen, clearly eager and wary of past burns, retracted his tongue. He couldn¡¯t resist staring longingly at the te of puffs, though.


    Amused by his cuteness, Zhou Ying prepared two puffs and handed them to the nanny. ¡°There are only two, so make themst. Don¡¯t spoil him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± Mrs. Zhang replied, whisking Chenchen away.


    Momentster, Mingyu and Zhuangzhuang arrived, also drawn by the delicious smell. ¡°Wait a bit,¡± Zhou Ying instructed, cing the first batch in the oven and starting another.


    Mingyu took Zhuangzhuang to wash their hands, and then they each enjoyed a puff.


    ¡°You went to the manor without me?¡± Mingyu yfullyined. ¡°That wasn¡¯t nice.¡±


    ¡°It was a spur-of-the-moment decision,¡± Zhou Ying exined. ¡°Besides, with Huaiming gone, who would look after the house?¡±


    ¡°The butler can manage,¡± Mingyu countered. ¡°Speaking of outings, I heard the Emperor built a five-room building at the Mother Temple for tourists. Should we check it out? Apparently, there¡¯s also a mountain with stunning peach blossoms nearby.¡±


    The idea of staying in the ancient building intrigued Zhou Ying.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed. ¡°When are you free?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow works. Oh, should I invite my fifth sister?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant, so maybe a noisy outing wouldn¡¯t be ideal. We can visit her next year.¡±


    After chatting for a while, they enjoyed a leisurely lunch and packed half the puffs before setting off for the Mother Temple with Mingyu and Zhuangzhuang the next morning.


    Upon entering the temple grounds, the abundance of incense offerings surprised Zhou Ying, indicative of the thriving business.


    As they approached an incense shop, a woman in her forties abruptly rushed towards them, blocking their path. The guards immediately drew their swords in response¡­.

 Chapter 941 - 941 Grudge

    Chapter 941 Grudge


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    A woman in her forties who suddenly approached them had a sword held against her throat, forcing her to kneel in fear. ¡°Madam, I¡¯m innocent! I¡¯m just an incense seller!¡±


    She then swiftly produced incense sticks from her bag, offering them with a smile and a hint of ttery. ¡°Please buy some incense, Madam, please!¡±


    From the incense shop, a woman in her thirties rushed out, brandishing a broom. ¡°Sun Guixiang, I¡¯ve had enough!¡± She yelled, whacking the kneeling woman repeatedly.


    ¡°Sun Juxiang, you bitch!¡± Sun Guixiang, surprisingly nimble, stood and avoided the broom. Brandishing her fist, she confronted his attacker. ¡°I took you in, gave you a job! Yet you stole my opportunity and suppressed me everywhere. Today, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    The guards from both sides immediately intervened, ushering Zhou Ying to safety. They watched as the two women brawled fiercely, seemingly on the verge of killing each other.


    Intrigued, Mingyu asked a nearby snack vendor, ¡°Uncle, what¡¯s going on? Why are they fighting, and why doesn¡¯t anyone stop them?¡±


    The vendor shook his head. ¡°Nasty business. Anyone who tries to intervene with the sisters gets ckmailed. So, nobody bothers anymore.¡±


    ¡°Sisters?¡± Mingyu queried, surprised.


    ¡°Cousin sisters, I heard,¡± the vendor exined. ¡°They just can¡¯t stand each other anymore.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Zhou Ying inquired.


    ¡°Sun Guixiang, a widow rted to a temple maid, started selling incense here after the temple¡¯s renovations. When Sun Juxiang, childless and evicted, came along, Sun Guixiang took her in and got a job selling incense. They lived well together.


    ¡°The trouble beganst year. Shops were built at the mountain¡¯s foot, and a fight erupted when they tried to buy a shop as it first came first served.


    ¡°They agreed to open a shop together, but after the New Year, Sun Guixiang hooked up with an old man and wanted to go solo, employing her cousin. Sun Juxiang refused, and the old man bought a shop solely for her, shutting Sun Guixiang out. That¡¯s how the feud started. People tried to mediate, but they wouldn¡¯t listen. Now, nobody cares.¡±


    Zhou Ying frowned. ¡°What about the old man? Can¡¯t he do anything?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him since they bought the shop. Probably busy elsewhere.¡±


    Concerned about themotion, Zhou Ying ordered two guards to stop the fight. She addressed the women directly, ¡°Don¡¯t you fear disturbing the Mother God and incurring her wrath? Continue this chaos, and you¡¯ll face consequences..¡±

 Chapter 942 - 942 Failure

    Chapter 942 Failure


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Someone immediately echoed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why don¡¯t you take a look at where you are? Stop being so rowdy, or we might chase all of you away one day.¡±


    ¡°People like them aren¡¯t fit to be sellers here. They¡¯re tarnishing the eyes of the Mother God.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we should chase them away.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go up the mountain.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she brought the two children up the mountain.


    ¡°What about our incense?¡± Mingyu said.


    There was only one incense shop here. No, there were technically two.


    ¡°The Mother God Temple also has them. We can just buy them from the maidservants.¡±


    Mingyu immediately followed after that.


    The Sun sisters were like two crazy women, sitting on the side and gasping for breath. At the same time, they looked at the backs of Zhou Ying and the others with unwillingness.


    Because Zhou Ying and the others were obviously rich and wanted to buy incense, but now they had lost their business because of a fight.


    Then, they looked at each other. Their eyes were full of sparks. Fortunately, they did not have the strength to fight anymore.


    After Zhou Ying and the others went up the mountain, they first bought incense sticks at a high price and lit them up before going to the small building.


    The building was quite sturdy. Other than the main beam being made of red pine, the rest of the building was made of elm wood. It was rtively sturdy. It would not be a problem for them to live for at least 30 years.


    It was a pity that the interior design of the house was not satisfactory. Although it was designed and built ording to a hotel¡¯s design, the bathtub and toilet were not built to standard.


    Fortunately, there were iron pipes below the bathtub. Otherwise, draining the water would be a problem.


    After lying down, Zhou Ying realized that Guoguo was tilting her head, tapping her lips with her finger, and looking at her thoughtfully.


    ¡°Why are you so serious? What are you thinking about?¡± She smiled and rubbed her head.


    ¡°I feel Mommy and Mother God look alike,¡± Guoguo replied.


    Zhou Ying was stunned for a moment. Although she knew that they looked at least 80% alike, no one had ever noticed it, or rather, no one had ever thought about it.


    Unexpectedly, Guoguo noticed it; Zhou Ying asked curiously, ¡°How are we simr? Why didn¡¯t I notice it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You look like her, but not all. I can¡¯t tell.¡± Guoguo replied with a troubled expression.


    Zhou Ying understood what she meant.


    They looked alike, but their temperament and charm were different.


    In addition, the Mother God statue was carved by someone else, so it lost some of its authenticity, making it look less alike.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence that we look alike.¡±


    Guoguo nodded and did not pursue the matter. Instead, she looked at Chenchen, who was pulling the nket and throwing it down. ¡°Ah, Chenchen, you¡¯re not allowed to throw it! We need to cover ourselves with this nket at night.¡±


    Chenchen grinned when he heard Guoguo calling his name. He let go of her hand and smiled even more happily.


    ¡°You little rascal!¡± Zhou Ying chuckled. She grabbed the nket and pulled it up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll show you what this building looks like.¡±


    After saying that, she picked Chenchen up, carried him in his arms, and walked with Guoguo.


    When she came out, she happened to meet the two nannies. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± The two of them responded and followed behind them.


    The green brick construction offered good soundproofing, but the wooden floors creaked with every step, especially noticeable with the new wood. This would only amplify with time.


    ¡°It looks like getting the recipe for cement and ceramic tiles is a priority,¡± Zhou Ying concluded.


    It seemed she had to think of a way to get the cement and ceramic tile recipe out first, as this building was technically a failure..

 Chapter 943 - 943 Encounter

    Chapter 943 Encounter


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After exploring the upstairs area, Mingyu and Zhou Ying decided it was time for dinner. They gathered the guards and headed to the Mother God Temple kitchen for a simple meal.


    Later, they each also donated 1,000 taels for incense.


    Once dinner was finished, Zhou Ying noticed the stunning disy of blooming peach blossoms on the mountain. ¡°How about we go take a closer look?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Mingyu agreed. ¡°I heard there are stone benches for resting on the mountain.¡±


    The group ascended the mountain with the guards automatically forming a protective circle around them.


    It wasn¡¯t umon to see people enjoying the mountain scenery, particrly artistic students. Groups of three to five sat together, writing poems and painting.


    Suddenly, Guoguo pointed and shouted, ¡°Little Uncle!¡±


    Zhou Ying turned to see Gu Chenglin sketching on a stone bench with some ssmates.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see your uncleter. He seems busy right now,¡± Zhou Ying exined to Guoguo.


    Though slightly disappointed, Guoguo followed along toward the peach blossoms.


    Gu Chenglin and his ssmates nced up curiously, noticing Guoguo. He exchanged a few polite words with hispanions before hurrying after her.


    ¡°Greetings, Princess Mingyu,¡± Gu Chenglin said upon reaching them.


    Mingyu gestured for him to rise. ¡°Get up, you¡¯re wee.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± He then turned to Zhou Ying. ¡°Sister-inw, Guoguo, when did you arrive?¡±


    ¡°Just now. How about you?¡±


    ¡°We came early this morning, not for leisure but for schoolwork assigned by the principal. We each have to create a poem or painting upon returning.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you should continue working then. If you¡¯re not in a rush to return, you can stay another day and return with us tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, the principal expects us back tonight. Maybe we can meet another time.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It is still chilly, so bundle up for your return trip.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sister-inw. Enjoy your walk. I should head back now.¡± Gu Chenglin turned to leave.


    He then looked at Guoguo. ¡°Would you like to join us and see us draw?¡±


    Guoguo¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhou Ying.


    With a nod, Zhou Ying agreed, ¡°Sure, but you have to be on your best behavior and not cause any trouble for Uncle, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy. Guoguo will definitely listen to Uncle,¡± she promised, nodding repeatedly.


    ¡°Wait here with the guards,¡± Zhou Ying instructed, pointing to the two guards. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up when wee back.¡±


    The guards acknowledged this and promptly fell back from the group.


    Mingyu watched Guoguo skip away. ¡°They say girls love flowers,¡± she remarked with a smile. ¡°But your Guoguo doesn¡¯t seem particrly interested in the peach blossoms.¡±


    ¡°The novelty has worn off,¡± Zhou Ying exined. ¡°We saw the peach blossoms at the manor two days ago, and she even helped pick many of them.¡±


    ¡°To make rouge?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and also peach blossom tea. It¡¯s said to aid weight loss, improve digestion, and clear blemishes. It¡¯s especially beneficial for those with poor cirction but slightly toxic, so moderation is key. People with sensitive stomachs should avoid it altogether.¡±


    ¡°Do peach blossoms have such health benefits? That¡¯s fascinating! I want to pick someter.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Look for the flower buds. Once picked, steam them three times and dry them thoroughly before brewing them as tea..¡±

 Chapter 944 - 944 Punishment (1)

    Chapter 944 Punishment (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Mingyu, eager to pick blossoms, enlisted the guards¡¯ help. They wandered through the vibrant peach forest.


    Suddenly, Zhou Ying heard whispers. ¡°Second Miss, are you certain about this within the Mother God Temple? What if the Mother God discovers and punishes us?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± the Second Miss scoffed. ¡°She isn¡¯t all-seeing. Here, take this powder. Discreetly slip it into her tea tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Second Miss,¡± the guard replied, hurrying away before Zhou Ying could notice.


    Using her divine sense, Zhou Ying easily tracked the nervous servant and the cunning Second Miss with a malicious glint in her eyes. She then followed them to another young woman, seemingly downtrodden.


    Concerned, Zhou Ying steered Mingyu away and soon arrived at the spot where she and Gu Chengrui had fought Mrs. Tian.


    Mingyu paused, taking in the sea of pink blossoms. ¡°In a year or two, this will be a popr spot for schrs,dies, and even matchmaking.¡±


    Zhou Ying teased, ¡°Why not call it a ce for lovers¡¯ rendezvous?¡±


    Mingyu, scandalized, countered, ¡°Vulgar!¡±


    ¡°Vulgar has its charm,¡± Zhou Ying smirked. ¡°Besides, peach blossoms symbolize romance, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Mingyu, speechless, simply changed the subject. ¡°Alright, enough. It¡¯s time to find a rest spot. My feet are killing me.¡±


    ¡°Mama, I can walk!¡± Zhuangzhuang whined, struggling to climb down.


    ¡°Careful, darling,¡± Zhou Ying warned. ¡°Snakes might be out. Stay close.¡± Zhuangzhuang settled down, joining Chenchen in their yful search for stones. Zhou Ying and Mingyu chatted for a while, then began their descent as the midday sun dipped lower.


    On their way down, they encountered Gu Chenglin and his group. They descended together, parting ways at the mountain¡¯s foot.


    Back in her room after dinner, Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t shake the afternoon¡¯s eavesdropping. She wouldn¡¯t tolerate such scheming within the Mother God Temple. This youngdy needed a lesson.


    Using her divine sense again, Zhou Ying saw the young woman leaving the dining hall, looking troubled. Her servant rushed to her side, leading her toward a secluded part of the forest. The young woman soon fainted.


    The servant gave two meows, summoning a man and the Second Miss.


    ¡°Cousin,¡± the Second Miss addressed the man, ¡°I did as you requested. Now, you need to hold up your end of the bargain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the man smirked. ¡°The academy closes in three days. Wait at the designated spot, and I guarantee you¡¯ll be the imperial brother-inw¡¯s woman.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t bother you now, then,¡± the Second Miss said, dismissing the servant before leaving.


    Witnessing their plot, Zhou Ying delivered a swift lightning bolt, causing both the Second Miss and her servant to cry out and faint.


    Jolted from his sinister n, the man looked around in terror and attempted to flee.


    Zhou Ying boomed in the voice of the Mother Goddess, another bolt of lightning apanying hermand. ¡°The Mother God Temple is sacred ground.. Do not defile it!¡±

 Chapter 945 - 945 Punishment (2)

    Chapter 945 Punishment (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Two bolts of lightning and Mother God¡¯s voice echoed through the mountain, sending a jolt of fear through everyone. They scrambled to find the source of the divine anger.


    The four maids, swifter than the rest, rushed toward the back mountain, guided by the lightning strikes. They soon stumbled upon the unconscious figures¡ªthree struck by lightning and one seemingly drugged.


    Panic gripped the families as they recognized their loved ones. They quickly carried them to the front yard, desperately seeking a doctor. The maids, hearts pounding, learned the drugged woman was unconscious from a potion, not lightning.


    ¡°Please wake them up, doctor!¡± a maid pleaded.


    ¡°Just ssh them with cold water,¡± the doctor replied.


    The maids wasted no time, bringing a bucket of well water. While the icy water was no longer freezing, it was enough to jolt the four unconscious figures awake with shivers. The drugged woman, however, needed two injections from the doctor before regaining full consciousness.


    The tension remained thick.


    ¡°What angered Mother God?¡± a maid questioned. ¡°Her heavenly lightning is a rare sight, reserved only for the truly wicked. Confess your wrongdoings!¡±


    An uneasy murmur spread through the crowd. ¡°Indeed, Mother God¡¯s lightning strikes are umon, and those struck are always evildoers. Come clean!¡±


    ¡°We did nothing wrong!¡± one of the used stammered. ¡°We were just talking in the back¡­¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± a maid countered sharply. ¡°Talking wouldn¡¯t necessitate drugging someone!¡±


    Suddenly, the drugged youngdy turned to her servant, Qing Yu, her gaze chilling. ¡°Tell the truth. You were the one who drugged me, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    The servant girl shook her head, denial trembling on her lips. Before she could speak further, a deafening boom resonated again.


    ¡°Lies.¡± Another bolt of lightning apanied the voice of the Mother God, this time striking near her feet.


    Terror overwhelmed Qing Yu, forcing a full confession. The crowd erupted in an uproar. The druggeddy, enraged, pointed at the Second Miss and shouted, ¡°As expected of a concubine daughter, ever so ruthless and cunning! Why didn¡¯t you die from the lightning bolt?!¡±


    Whispers came from the crowd as they recognized the used. Fingers were pointed, and usations were hurled.


    ¡°The Mother God Temple is a sacred ground, not a ce for your schemes!¡± boomed the voice of the Mother God once more. ¡°Defile it again, and you shall be cast out, forsaken by the divine!¡±


    Everyone dropped to their knees, offering desperate pleas and kowtows. But Zhou Ying, cloaked in her divine voice, remained silent.


    A maid rose from her kneeling position and addressed the crowd. ¡°Everyone, please stand. Let this day be a lesson. Spread the word¡ªlet¡¯s purify the Mother Temple and return it to its former glory. As for you four,¡± she directed her gaze to the used, ¡°descend the mountain and seek proper treatment. You will not be wee here again.¡±


    A woman pleaded, ¡°Lady, please! I¡¯ll punish her severely when we return¡­¡±


    The maid waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Spare your empty words. True believers respect Mother God and do not defile her temple. Leave! Our goddess sees through such hypocrisy.¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± someone in the crowd chimed in. ¡°True faith resides in the heart, not just on the lips..¡±

 Chapter 946 - 946 Harmony

    Chapter 946 Harmony


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No, we meant no disrespect to the Mother God at all,¡± the woman stammered, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. The crowd, now convinced of their guilt, red disdainfully and walked away.


    Even skeptics were shaken. This divine intervention had undeniably bolstered their faith.


    Once everyone dispersed, the maid prepared to usher the woman and herpanions away.


    ¡°Lady Maid,¡± the druggeddy interjected, his voice thick with gratitude. ¡°Tonight, Mother God served as my guardian angel. Her intervention was akin to saving my life. To express our deepest gratitude, I wish to serve Mother God for half a month.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± the maid conceded, ¡°but only you may stay. The servant girl must leave.¡±


    The woman understood. ¡°Thankyou. We understand.¡±


    The maids promptly escorted the remaining individuals down the mountain that night. Not daring to linger, they hurried back to the city to seek medical attention for their injuries.


    Fortunately, Zhou Ying¡¯s wrath was limited to a warning this time. Though they escaped serious harm, their shaved heads were a constant reminder of their transgression. Zhou Ying couldn¡¯t help but smirk, confident that Gu Chenglin¡¯s troubles would be over in three days.


    What she hadn¡¯t anticipated was the news spreading like wildfire over the next two days. The tale of the three punished individuals became a cautionary one, reaching not only their families but even the government.


    As a result, the three culprits, including the Second Miss¡¯s mother, were all exiled to the harsh northwestern region. The incident served as a stark reminder of the Mother God¡¯s power and intolerance for trickery within her temple. From that day forward, order and piety prevailed in the Mother God Temple.


    Later that night, after everyone was asleep, Zhou Ying used her dream maniption to instruct four maids to clean up the shops below. Competition was strictly forbidden, or they would be expelled. She repeated this message to all the maids within her interspace, emphasizing control over the surrounding businesses.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying and her group descended the mountain to a transformed scene. Harmony and prosperity reigned among the shops below. The small merchants and hawkers had been relocated elsewhere.


    As they walked, Mingyu asked, ¡°Sister Zhou, did you hear about the Mother God¡¯s manifestationst night?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhou Ying replied. ¡°Such amotion was impossible to miss. Though I didn¡¯t participate directly.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Mingyu agreed. ¡°Mother God¡¯s intervention was crucial. Without it, who knows how many more unsavory events would gue this prosperous temple with its beautiful peach forest.¡±


    ¡°Why must women create problems for each other?¡± Zhou Ying sighed.


    Mingyu rolled her eyes yfully. ¡°Spoken like someone truly cherished by Gu Chengrui. He¡¯s shielded you from the harsh realities of female rivalry.¡±


    ¡°As if you have firsthand experience,¡± Zhou Ying countered.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve witnessed it countless times. It truly baffles me sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps most of it stems from jealousy.¡±


    ¡°True. Regardless of the reason, it¡¯s simply tiresome.¡±

 Chapter 947 - 947 Stabilize

    Chapter 947 Stabilize


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Summer arrived, bringing the harvest season. Apricot, early plum, and mulberry trees were ripe for picking.


    Zhou Ying started preparing gifts, a basket each of apricots and plums, and tworge jars of mulberry wine, and brought them to the pce, splitting them between the Grand Empress Dowager and Gu Wanning.


    Seeing the Second Prince ying on the slide, Zhou Ying greeted Gu Wanning, who was watching nearby. Gu Wanning smiled upon seeing the gifts. ¡°Fresh fruit! I haven¡¯t had any in a while. Thank you, Sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy them,¡± Zhou Ying replied. ¡°They¡¯re delicious, but go easy, especially for the children.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll watch them.¡±


    Pointing to therge jar, Gu Wanning asked with sparkling eyes, ¡°Is that wine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s mulberry wine,¡± Zhou Ying exined. ¡°It has a gentle taste and is good for the spleen, stomach, and intestines. It¡¯s even said to promote beauty! Have a sip or two asionally.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect! Drinking wine has be a habit,¡± Gu Wanning confessed. ¡°I feel iplete if I don¡¯t have a ss every day.¡±


    ¡°Have the mulberry wine instead. I have plenty of fruit wines, and strong wine isn¡¯t good for you. Moderation is key.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Gu Wanning agreed. They watched Guoguo y with the Second Prince for a while before heading inside for a private conversation.


    Soon after, Princess Zhi Shan arrived. Zhou Ying, wanting to change the subject,unched into gossip, particrly the recent events at the Mother God Temple.


    ¡°Really?!¡± Zhi Shan eximed. ¡°Did you truly see Mother God appear?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Zhou Ying confirmed. ¡°I was quite shocked. Everyone¡¯s praising the Mother God for stopping those with bad intentions and protecting women.¡±


    ¡°A good deed indeed,¡± Gu Wanning added, nodding in agreement. ¡°So many nobledies lose their virtue every year. It¡¯s truly tragic.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but think back to her own past, wondering what her fate would have been if her cousin and the others hadn¡¯t intervened.


    ¡°Mother God is sure blessed and mighty!¡± Zhi Shan praised with admiration.


    ¡°A savior, just and kind!¡±


    Zhou Ying simply smiled at Zhi Shan¡¯s reverence.


    They then turned to pce news. The eldest princess and prince were now fully engaged in their studies¡ªsix hours daily, divided between morning and afternoon sessions.


    Notably, the Emperor personally took the Eldest Prince to practice martial arts in the horse stance every morning, much to the prince¡¯s dismay.


    He Jiahui, on the other hand, had been well-behaved since entering the pce. Aside from the mandatory morning and evening greetings, she rarely visited. Already three months pregnant, she remained hidden, seemingly content to stay out of sight.


    Zhou Ying wondered if this was genuine meekness or well-calcted prudence. After all, someone entering via a talentpetition was more likely to be thetter.


    Lunchtime arrived, and Zhi Shan left to be with her daughter. Zhou Ying and Gu Wanning exchanged a few more words. Learning that the Emperor remained unchanged, Zhou Ying finally felt relieved after her half-month visit.


    Stay strong,¡± Zhou Ying offered before leaving.

 Chapter 948 - 948 Evading

    Chapter 948 Evading


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Wanning understood what Zhou Ying was indicating to her about He Jiahui¡¯s pregnancy.


    She smiled reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will.¡±


    Leaving aside suspicion from the Emperor, silencing gossip from meddling ministers is reason enough for her to tolerate it.


    Zhou Ying saw her eptance and felt a pang of sympathy. It was clear Gu Wanning had endured much to maintain her position.


    ¡°Still, if you need anything¡ªfood cravings, anything at all¡ªjust ask Eunuch Sun to send word to the residence. I¡¯ll bring it myself.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, but that won¡¯t be necessary for now. The Emperor wants to move us to the summer pce to escape the heat. But please do keep the wine flowing.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I nted another 200 acres of grapes this year. You¡¯ll have plenty.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! Set aside a thousand pounds for us. The Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor enjoy it too.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I should get going.¡± After saying their goodbyes, Zhou Ying left the pce with Guoguo and Shizhu.


    Niu Fugui had just returned when he arrived with an invitation. It was from the Minister of War, the Chu family, for their youngest daughter¡¯sing-of-age ceremony.


    Zhou Ying recalled that the minister¡¯s daughters were already married. ¡°Is this a daughter from a concubine?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s the merchant daughter of Lord Chu¡¯s younger brother.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded. ¡°Then send a gift in my name, Uncle Niu. I won¡¯t attend.¡±


    Niu Fugui hesitated. ¡°But I heard this youngdy is marrying the second son of the He family¡ªHe Pin¡¯s rtives?¡±


    ¡°The He family?¡± Zhou Ying paused. ¡°Ah, I heard the wedding¡¯s at the end of the year.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, we should maintain distance from the Chu family and avoid forming alliances.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Niu Fugui replied before leaving.


    Alone, Zhou Ying sighed. He Jiahui¡¯s pregnancy worried her. Hopefully, it was just her anxiety. She ryed the news to Gu Chengrui so he could be prepared.


    Gu Chengrui smiled. ¡°Rx. The Emperor isn¡¯t easily manipted. He has his own power base, along with the Retired Emperor¡¯s legacy. Anyone scheming against him is asking for trouble. We¡¯ll just observe.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Casual friendships with court officials are fine, but avoid intimacy.¡±


    ¡°Any signs, perhaps?¡± Zhou Ying asked.


    ¡°Some ministers are urging the Emperor to appoint a crown prince.¡±


    ¡°The First Prince?¡±


    ¡°Most likely, barring any unforeseen events.¡±


    ¡°Being the second prince isn¡¯t easy. History shows young crown princes rarely ascend the throne. They often meet tragic ends.¡±

 Chapter 949 - 949 Analysis

    Chapter 949 Analysis


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°So, it¡¯s not good to get close to anyone now.¡±


    ¡°I understand.


    ¡°By the way, ording to Wanning, the Emperor wants to bring the people in the harem to the imperial manor to avoid the summer. Does he also have the intention of avoiding crowning a prince?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. A monarch¡¯s heart is hard to predict. We just have to do our job and live our lives well.¡±


    After that, as expected, the number of invitations received was much higher than before. If there were nothing to do, they would even find an excuse to hold a flower banquet or something.


    When Zhou Ying saw this, she immediately brought the three children to the hot spring manor.


    It was not until the Emperor returned to the capital that Zhou Ying returned to the capital. However, she did not stay for long. Instead, she took the two children back and forth in various ways, busy with the autumn harvest.


    At the end of the year, He Jiahui gave birth to a son.


    The call for a crown prince was getting louder and louder. Gu Wanning naturally received the news as well.


    When Zhou Ying came to deliver the New Year¡¯s gift, she pulled her into the bedroom and asked, ¡°Does Sister-inw know about the request for a crown prince?¡±


    ¡°I do. There was movement half a year ago.¡±


    ¡°What do you and my cousin think about it?¡±


    ¡°How should I put it? There are pros and cons.


    ¡°The good thing was that if the Crown Prince¡¯s position was taken over early, he would definitely be able to nurture a group of his people. If there were no idents, he would be able to ascend the throne rightfully.


    ¡°Of course, this is also a disadvantage. The Emperor is in his prime. Even if another forty years passed, the Emperor would only be in his sixties.


    ¡°If he lived longer, it might be even longer.


    ¡°Who would want their throne to be constantly in the eyes of his sessor?


    ¡°Once there is fear, the Crown Prince will be suppressed. If the Crown Prince had a good temperament, it would be best.


    ¡°However, no matter how good one¡¯s temperament was, it was impossible for him to be suppressed for more than ten years or even decades.


    ¡°If any people had terrible intentions to sow discord, the Crown Prince would not have ended well.


    ¡°Therefore, it¡¯s better to wait until they¡¯re of age andpete with their abilities.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t agree with the crown prince being appointed now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no need. Being a crown prince sounds nice, but he¡¯s sometimes a living target for people.


    ¡°So in the end, it still depends on the Emperor¡¯s intentions. Don¡¯t be too enthusiastic.¡±


    Gu Wanning nodded and did not say anything else, but she was shocked by the meaning behind her words.


    Yes, the Emperor is in his prime. If possible, living for forty years is not a problem.


    Forty years. The First Prince would be in his forties by then. Being the Crown Prince for the rest of his life would make anyone impatient.


    It seemed that being the Crown Prince was not that easy.


    The Emperor naturally knew that Zhou Ying had entered the pce. So, after dinner, he specifically asked, ¡°Wanning, the ministers have submitted a memorial asking me to appoint a Crown Prince. What do you think about this?¡±


    First, he wanted to hear her thoughts. Secondly, he wanted to understand Gu Chengrui and the others¡¯ true thoughts.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust the couple, but the benefits involved were too great, so he had to be cautious.


    Gu Wanning¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. Luckily, she had asked her sister-inw for her opinion. Otherwise, she really did not know what to say.


    ¡°Hmm, do you want to hear the truth or lies, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the truth?¡±


    ¡°I feel that it¡¯s better to wait a little longer. We¡¯ll talk about it when they¡¯re older. Right now, all of them are only focused on eating and ying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want the First Prince to be the Crown Prince?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that when he grows up, he will not have the ability and will betray your trust.


    ¡°Also, you are in the prime of your life. If you are healthy, you can be the Emperor for another 60 years. What¡¯s the hurry?¡±

 Chapter 950 - 950 Rejection

    Chapter 950 Rejection


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Sixty years,¡± the Emperor chuckled after a surprised moment. ¡°Living up to seventy is quite rare. Won¡¯t I be an old monster living for another sixty years?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Gu Wanning countered. ¡°The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, with a team of imperial physicians at your side; reaching eighty or ny is a possibility.¡±


    The Emperorughed again. ¡°Well, then I have your blessings.¡±


    But a touch of sadness crept in, not for himself, but for the Retired Emperor. Back then, though not in perfect health, the Retired Emperor could¡¯ve ruled for another twenty years if not for the worms.


    This served as a cautionary tale. He couldn¡¯t appoint a crown prince too early, nor could he be overly controlling.


    With a n forming, the Emperor announced his decision during the year-end court session¡ªthe appointment of a crown prince would wait until the princes came of age.


    On New Year¡¯s Eve afternoon, Zhou Ying was finalizing ounts and distributing silver to the servants when Gu Chenglin burst in. ¡°Sister-inw! Cousin Chengsi¡¯s family is here!¡±


    Zhou Ying, briefly surprised, quickly regained herposure. Gu Chengsi¡¯s four years as county magistrate were up, and it was time for a promotion. He must be in the capital for his evaluation.


    She rose up and went outside. Gu Chengsi, sporting a small mustache, greeted her, ¡°Greetings, Sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°Wee! It¡¯s cold; pleasee in.¡± Zhou Ying ushered them inside.


    Mrs. Bai, seeing Zhou Ying¡¯s elegant yet simple attire, couldn¡¯t hide her surprise. Zhou Ying¡¯s status, power, and wealth were evident, yet she dressed with such understated elegance. If not for the delicate fabric, one might mistake her for an ordinary woman.


    Though just two years younger, Zhou Ying looked remarkably youthful, especially in her figure.


    Mrs. Bai couldn¡¯t suppress a pang of jealousy. Unlike Zhou Ying, the sole wife in the marquis¡¯ residence, her husband had chamber maids despite not taking concubines.


    Once settled, Zhou Ying ordered tea and snacks. Mrs. Bai instructed her three children to bow to Zhou Ying. The children received smiles, gentle pinches on the cheeks, and each a pair of silver peanuts before being whisked away to y by Niu Liying.


    Zhou Ying then instructed Shizhu to prepare the East Cross Courtyard next door for their stay.


    ¡°Sister-inw, that¡¯s unnecessary,¡± Gu Chengsi protested. ¡°We can stay at the official post house.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯re home now,¡± Zhou Ying insisted. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve. Your brother and I haven¡¯t seen you in years. We should celebrate together.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to impose, sister-inw,¡± Gu Chengsi insisted. ¡°By the way, where is Brother Chengrui? Isn¡¯t he home for the Eve?¡±


    Zhou Ying chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. He¡¯s been so busytely, he doesn¡¯t return until dark.¡± Just then, the curtain lifted, and Gu Chengrui walked in, holding a jar of wine. ¡°Here I am! Were you just talking about me?¡±


    ¡°Brother Chengrui!¡± Gu Chengsi eximed, standing up. Mrs. Bai followed suit, bowing respectfully.

 Chapter 951 - 951 Chatting

    Chapter 951 Chatting


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Please, everyone, rise. We¡¯re family,¡± Gu Chengrui greeted, helping them up.


    Settled, they ced the wine on the table. Zhou Ying excused herself. ¡°I¡¯ll help in the kitchen; we¡¯ll have dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°May I join you, sister-inw?¡± Mrs. Bai offered.


    ¡°Absolutely! Let¡¯s see what everyone wants to eat. Tonight¡¯s a celebration,¡± Zhou Ying replied, leading her to the kitchen.


    As they entered, Zhou Ying spotted Gu Chenglin and a few children enjoying a te of meatballs.


    ¡°It looks like someone¡¯s getting a head start,¡± she said with a chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t spoil your appetites for dinner, though.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t, sister-inw,¡± Gu Chenglin promised sheepishly.


    ¡°Alright, what are your wishes for tonight¡¯s feast?¡± Zhou Ying asked, offering them a chance to choose dishes.


    ¡°Squirrel Mandarin Fish!¡± Gu Chenglin blurted out.


    ¡°Big lobster,¡± Guoguo chimed in.


    ¡°We¡¯re out of lobster, but how about abalone vermicelli?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Guoguo agreed.


    She turned to Chenchen. ¡°Anything you¡¯d like in particr?¡±


    ¡°Meat! Meat!¡± Chenchen dered.


    ¡°Plenty of meat it is!¡± Zhou Ying confirmed. Then, noticing the shy trio from Gu Chengsi¡¯s family, she added, ¡°Gu Chenglin, remember to offer them some water after they finish their snacks.¡±


    With that, she led Mrs. Bai into the kitchen, where conversation flowed as they prepared the meal.


    Zhou Ying learned about Gu Chengsi¡¯s progress. He had diligently followed Gu Chengrui¡¯s advice, focusing on seed production, particrly wheat. Now, several northern provinces rely on his seeds.


    He¡¯d also established a sessful vermicelli workshop.


    While his political achievements were modest, his work had significantly improved the lives of the county¡¯s residents, earning him the respect of the locals.


    When the conversation turned to the chamber maid¡¯s situation, Zhou Ying saw Mrs. Bai¡¯s resentment simmering.


    Empathy clouded Zhou Ying¡¯s response¡ªshe understood the frustration, but offering solutions in this feudal society proved difficult.


    After Mrs. Bai vented, she inquired about Zhou Ying¡¯s youthful appearance. ¡°Sister-inw, how do you stay so young? I¡¯m two years younger, but I look ten years older!¡±


    ¡°A good outlook helps,¡± Zhou Ying replied vaguely, ¡°along with proper nutrition and skincare. Our skin needs extra care at our age. I can give you a skincare set¡ªit¡¯ll work wonders.¡±


    Mrs. Bai understood that Zhou Ying was suggesting a positive attitude and financial investment, both of which Mrs. Bai wasn¡¯t readily willing to embrace.


    Sensing this, Zhou Ying simply put on a pot of white fungus lotus seed soup and continued preparing the feast.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui and Gu Chengsi discussed the vermicelli workshop on their end. ¡°Do you have the confidence to get a promotion?¡±

 Chapter 952 - 952 Dinner Party

    Chapter 952 Dinner Party


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Gu Chengsi admitted. ¡°My performance reviews were excellent the past three years, but the first year¡¯s rating was just so-so.''¡±


    ¡°Excellent is good enough. Hopefully, a promotion opens up this time,¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°Speaking of promotions,¡± Gu Chengsi continued, ¡°I heard Chengxi married King An¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a concubine¡¯s child. Second Uncle gave them a separate house after their marriage, and they¡¯re doing quite well.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a family gathering tomorrow at noon; let¡¯s have a nice meal together.¡±


    ¡°Separate houses are best. It keeps everyonefortable,¡± Gu Chengsi agreed. ¡°How¡¯s the Empress doing?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine. The pce is peaceful, with only three of them now. Besides managing affairs, she cares for the children and livesfortably,¡± Gu Chengrui exined.


    ¡°A rare and good Emperor,¡± Gu Chengsi remarked. ¡°Especially in his self-control regarding women.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°Agreed. Now, about the capital, there¡¯s been a shift in power dynamics.¡±


    ¡°With the Third Prince¡¯s birth, some court officials advocate for a Crown Prince,¡± he exined. ¡°The Emperor rejected it, but with life¡¯s uncertainties, be cautious and avoid getting entangled in court politics.¡±


    ¡°Is the First Prince a frontrunner?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s too early,¡± Gu Chengrui said with a smile. ¡°An early appointment wouldn¡¯t necessarily benefit him either.¡±


    He then exined the reasoning he¡¯d shared earlier.


    ¡°So, appointing one too early has drawbacks,¡± Gu Chengsi mused.


    ¡°Pros and cons exist, but the drawbacks seem stronger,¡± Gu Chengrui agreed.


    Gu Chengsi nodded in understanding, and they switched to discussing business matters.


    Zhou Ying prepared a delicious feast of twelve dishes and soup that evening. The two families celebrated the New Year together. Afterwards, the brothers conversed while Zhou Ying and Mrs. Bai entertained the children with riddles.


    Impressed with Guoguo¡¯s literacy, Mrs. Bai asked, ¡°Sister-inw, when did you start teaching Guoguo?¡±


    ¡°Almost two years ago. I began after I got pregnant with Chenchen.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that raising her like a son?¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s interested, let her learn. Girls in the capital typically will learn something, some even starting as soon as they can hold a needle.¡±


    ¡°No wonder the girls in the capital are so talented!¡± Mrs. Bai eximed.


    ¡°Seeing the Eldest Princess start her education inspired me to do the same with Guoguo.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I need to get tough on Xin¡¯er,¡± Mrs. Bai said, then yfully tested Guoguo¡¯s knowledge. To her surprise, she struggled with questions Guoguo easily answered.


    A sense of inferiority and urgency washed over her. With her husband¡¯s rising position, how could he look favorably on someone unrefined like her? Perhaps she needed to learn more.


    Later, as the children grew drowsy, Zhou Ying handed them to a nanny and led Mrs. Bai to the East Courtyard. ¡°The room¡¯s a bit small,¡± Zhou Ying apologized, ¡°but the children are young, so it should be manageable..¡±

 Chapter 953 - 953 New Year’s Money

    Chapter 953 New Year¡¯s Money


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, Sister-inw,¡± Mrs. Bai insisted.


    ¡°If you need anything at all, just ask Qiuxiang. She¡¯ll be staying here to assist you for now.¡± Zhou Ying acknowledged Mrs. Bai¡¯s thanks with a nod towards Qiuxiang.


    ¡°Thankyou, Sister-inw. Understood.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Zhou Ying said, ¡°get some rest. We can discuss anything else tomorrow.¡± With that, she turned and left.


    The next morning, Gu Chengrui requested, ¡°Prepare two more tables of food today. I¡¯m inviting rtives from our hometown and Second Uncle¡¯s family. Let¡¯s have a big gathering.¡±


    ¡°Noon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, noon. It¡¯s safer during the day.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll start preparing after lunch.¡±


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui said, ¡°I¡¯ll take Chengsi to meet the family. Remember to give the children red envelopes.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Zhou Ying replied. She went to her room to prepare twenty red envelopes. Besides Gu Chenglin¡¯s containing 1,000 taels of silver, the rest held ten taels each.


    She entrusted the red envelopes to Niu Lirong for safekeeping before heading out. As soon as she sat down, Gu Chenglin arrived for a visit, and Zhou Ying presented him with a red envelope.


    Following greetings from Guoguo and Chenchen, Niu Lirong distributed red envelopes to them as well. Mrs. Bai then entered the room.


    Guoguo saw her and led Chenchen forward. ¡°Happy New Year, Auntie! May you be even more beautiful this year!¡±


    ¡°Such a sweet mouth you have, Guoguo,¡± Mrs. Bai replied with a smile.


    She gave them a silver peanut each, a pair of silver butterfly hairpins with red crystals for Guoguo, and a small golden lock for Chenchen.


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie,¡± Guoguo beamed as she took the hairpins. She immediately ran to Zhou Ying, requesting that she put them on for her.


    Gu Chengsi¡¯s eldest son, Gu Jieming, approached with his siblings, Jieyuan and Gu Xin. ¡°Happy New Year, Aunt! May you have good health and prosperity in the new year!¡±


    ¡°A lovely New Year¡¯s blessing!¡± Zhou Ying chuckled, handing each of them a red envelope. ¡°May theing year bring you all the best as well.¡±


    Niu Lirong promptly distributed the red envelopes, but Mrs. Bai interjected. ¡°Sister-inw, you shouldn¡¯t have! I gave them theirs yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday¡¯s gifts were greetings,¡± Zhou Ying exined with a wave of her hand. ¡°Today¡¯s are for the New Year, a different asion. Let the children keep them both.¡±


    She pointed at the hairpin in Guoguo¡¯s hair. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you also prepare New Year¡¯s gifts for my kids? Don¡¯t worry, the ones I gave are just a small token.¡±


    Mrs. Bai hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s perfectly fine.¡±


    After a few more pleasantries, Zhou Ying entrusted the children to Gu Chenglin before returning to the kitchen with Mrs. Bai.


    Fortunately, many dishes were already prepped, so the meal came together quickly.


    Three tables were set¡ªone for the men and two for the women and children.


    As noon approached, guests from both families began to arrive. Once preparations were nearlyplete, Zhou Ying delegated tasks to Chun Xiang and the others.


    She then ushered everyone into the dining room and invited them to sit.


    As soon as Mrs. Yao entered, shemented, ¡°The heated floor tiles here are wonderful. I¡¯m determined to install them in my new house next summer, no matter what! A brazier just can¡¯tpare.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like Second Brother Shen has acquired a new house as well?¡± Zhou Ying inquired with a turn of her head.


    ¡°Yeah, a two-in-one with ayout simr to our hometown house. By the way, could I get a copy of the floor tile blueprint when the timees?¡± Mrs. Yao requested..

 Chapter 954 - 954 Reunion

    Chapter 954: Reunion


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°No problem,¡± Zhou Ying replied. ¡°I can give it to you before you leave.¡± Ushering everyone to be seated, she offered tea and a variety of dried fruits, peanuts, melon seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and more.


    After a while, Mrs. Liu and her daughter-inw excused themselves to join Mrs. Bai in conversation.


    Turning to Mrs. Guo, Zhou Ying asked, ¡°Aunty Guo, has Zixuan¡¯s wedding date been set?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mrs. Guo replied, ¡°it¡¯ll be on the 18th of April. It¡¯s afortable time, neither too hot nor too cold.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! Once Zixuan gets married, you¡¯ve truly done your duty. Time to rx and enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°There might still be some work to do,¡± Mrs. Guo confessed with a blush.


    Zhou Ying¡¯s surprise was evident as she noticed Mrs. Guo¡¯s hand on her stomach. ¡°Are you pregnant again?¡± she eximed incredulously.


    ¡°Yes, well,¡± Mrs. Guo chuckled sheepishly, ¡°the old oyster seems to have produced another pearl. It¡¯s quite embarrassing, really.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zhou Ying reassured her. ¡°You¡¯re in your early thirties, hardly old. Plenty of women in their forties have children. Just rx and focus on delivering a healthy baby.¡±


    Mrs. Yao chimed in with agreement, ¡°Indeed. I¡¯ve even heard of women having children in their fifties and sixties. Your age is nothing to worry about.¡±


    Mrs. Yang simply smiled, silently acknowledging that witnessing childbirth in their fifties or sixties wasn¡¯t umon.


    Zhou Ying saw that they were chatting and got up to sit next to Yang Siqi, Gu Chengxi¡¯s wife, who was sitting quietly on the side. She asked, ¡°Seventh sister- inw, how¡¯s your belly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, as long as I don¡¯t sit for long periods of time.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well, be sure to speak up.


    ¡°By the way, have you seen a doctor? When is your due date?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said to be at the end of this month. Fortunately, my father installed heated floor tiles in the house back then. Otherwise, both me and my baby would¡¯ve suffered.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad either. It¡¯s better than giving birth in the dog days of summer. That¡¯s real suffering.¡±


    Yang Siqi smiled and said, ¡°Hearing you say this, I suddenly feel that I¡¯m very lucky.¡±


    ¡°No worries. If you need any help, just ask.¡±


    ¡°No problem; please don¡¯t mind me bothering you then.¡±


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui and the men engaged in lively conversation, transitioning from personal matters to business and finally to discussions about the imperial court. Gu Chengrui, observing no inappropriate remarks, remained silent.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯m the only useless brother here,¡± Gu Chengzhimented.


    ¡°Big Brother, your business is thriving,¡± Gu Chengye countered. ¡°Far better than any of us.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gu Chengsi echoed. ¡°Everyone has their own path. Look at Chengxi; he pursued his passion for medicine, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You have more talent for business than your father and I do. In such a short time, you have already surpassed us by far.¡± Mr. Guughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re ttering me, Uncle.¡± Gu Chengzhi said this and paused for a moment. He looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, ¡°By the way, Chengrui, do you know what this is?¡±


    After he finished speaking, he took a paper bag from his pocket, opened it, and ced it in front of him.


    Gu Chengrui took it and sifted through it. He looked at the tiny ck seeds, even smaller than sesame seeds, and couldn¡¯t identify them.


    He then picked up a few and put them in his mouth to taste. After a thoughtful chew, he said, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, these are the seeds of a fruit.¡±


    He was pretty certain they were dragonfruit seeds, but he didn¡¯t say that out loud. Instead, he looked up and asked,


    ¡°Did these seedse from overseas?¡±

 Chapter 955 - 955 Shopping

    Chapter 955: Shopping


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengzhi chuckled. ¡°I thought it was ck sesame, but it turns out it wasn¡¯t after I bought them.¡±


    ¡°Lucky find then! These seeds are worth much more.¡±


    ¡°You can have them then. I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try nting them. If sessful, I¡¯ll share them, and everyone can try them,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. He wrapped the seeds carefully and set them aside. With dragon fruits already thriving in the interspace, sessfully cultivating them would be another unique feat.


    After further conversation, the banquetmenced. Zhou Ying presented red envelopes to the children before everyone enjoyed the delicious meal.


    Following a post-meal chat, most guests departed, except for Gu Chengye.


    Gu Chengye and Gu Chengsi retreated to the east courtyard for a private conversation, catching up on the past few years.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying took the children for a stroll, while Gu Chengrui headed straight to bed after a long day of hosting guests.


    Early on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Ying¡¯s family whisked Gu Chengsi and his family away for a few days of rxation at the hot springs estate. They rushed back on the afternoon of the fifth day.


    On the sixth day, they visited the Empress in the pce. By the seventh day, Gu Chengrui and Gu Chengsi had returned to their busy schedules. Shops reopened, and Zhou Ying entrusted the children to Gu Chenglin¡¯s care before venturing out with Mrs. Bai for a shopping spree.


    Their first stop was a jewelry store, where everyone picked out a piece. Next, they ordered custom clothes at a tailor¡¯s shop. Finally, Mrs. Bai selected some toiletries and skincare products at a beauty shop.


    As they passed Hongyun Restaurant, Mrs. Bai paused and asked, ¡°Sister-in-w, how about we head home for dinner? The children are waiting.¡±


    Mrs. Bai was embarrassed to continue eating at their restaurant after the shopping spree.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not hungry, I¡¯ll just grab some roast chicken for Chengrui and the kids. They love it,¡± Zhou Ying said, already turning toward the restaurant.


    Mrs. Bai sighed in relief and followed her in. The manager greeted them warmly and offered to prepare a meal. Zhou Ying politely declined, exining she only needed roast chicken for takeout¡ªfour, to be precise¡ªand ensured they were fresh.


    Suddenly, Mingyu entered. ¡°Zhou Ying! A rare guest at Hongyun Restaurant!¡± she eximed.


    ¡°Not at all; you¡¯ve visited our Grasnd Taste Restaurant many times,¡± Zhou Ying replied, then introduced Mrs. Bai.


    Mrs. Bai stood up in greeting. ¡°Greetings, Princess Mingyu.¡±


    Mingyu graciously told her to rise.


    ¡°Lunchtime already? Why not join me?¡± Mingyu suggested, taking a seat.


    ¡°Perhaps another day. We have five children waiting at home.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them; the servants will take care of them. Come, I have something to discuss,¡± Mingyu insisted, pulling Zhou Ying towards the stairs.


    Seeing this, Zhou Ying waved goodbye to Mrs. Bai and followed Mingyu to a private room upstairs.


    After ordering six dishes and a pot of Da Hong Pao tea, Mingyu leaned in with a sly smile. ¡°Sister Zhou, any more secret recipes Grasnd Taste Restaurant isn¡¯t using? Could you spare me a couple¡­¡±

 Chapter 956 - 956 The Reason

    Chapter 956: The Reason


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Business is down at Hongyun Restaurant since Manager Liu left for the Northern Continent,¡± Mingyu revealed. ¡°They haven¡¯t introduced any new dishes, and it¡¯s hurting their bottom line, especially here in the capital.¡± Zhou Ying pondered for a moment before requesting writing materials. She then penned down the recipes for Cherry Meat and Iron Lion¡¯s Head.


    Briefly hesitating, she added vinegar and potato shreds to the list and handed them over. ¡°Let¡¯s start with these three. We can discuss the otherster.¡± ¡°Thankyou so much!¡± Mingyu beamed. ¡°Be sure to order plenty at dinner!¡± ¡°Three recipes for six dishes¡ªa real bargain, no?¡± Zhou Ying teased. ¡°Speaking of which, I heard you have some calligraphy copybooks in your dowry. Could I borrow them?¡±


    ¡°Borrow? Consider it a gift. I¡¯ll bring two sets overter; let Guoguo choose the one she likes.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou on Guoguo¡¯s behalf.¡±


    After their meal, Zhou Ying collected the four roast chickens and hurried back with Mrs. Bai.


    ¡°Sister-inw,¡± Mrs. Bai inquired, ¡°why did you share the recipes with their restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Because that would be bad for us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you arepetitors, after all.¡±


    ¡°Hongyun Restaurant belongs to both the Zhou family and the Emperor. We have a strong alliance.¡±


    ¡°Also, a unique restaurant like Grasnd Taste Restaurant shouldn¡¯t rely solely on a few secret recipes. Besides, attracting customers with variety keeps us ahead of thepetition.


    ¡°Lastly, having a monopoly isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone jealous of you?¡± Mrs. Bai expressed surprise.


    ¡°Naturally. The capital is full of powerful families. Our Gu family is new here, regardless of the past or present. Our current stability hinges solely on the Emperor and Empress¡¯s favor. Without that, we¡¯d face constant challenges.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Mrs. Bai nodded in understanding.


    Zhou Ying, seeing herprehension, didn¡¯t borate further.


    Upon returning home, the children were done eating and ying ball in the courtyard. Seeing their flushed faces, Zhou Ying urged them inside, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough ying for today. Go inside and rest; don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± ¡°Understood, sister-inw. I¡¯ll keep an eye on them,¡± Gu Chenglin assured her.


    ¡°Be careful not to break the ss windows. A shard could be dangerous,¡± Zhou Ying cautioned before heading inside.


    Little Chenchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily, toddled toward Zhou Ying and hugged her leg. ¡°Mama, hug,¡± he whimpered.


    Zhou Ying scooped him up and said, ¡°Alright, Mama will carry you to sleep.¡±


    She turned to Mrs. Bai and said, ¡°Sister-inw, please excuse me. I¡¯ll take Chenchen to his room.¡±


    With that, she walked towards the main house. Mrs. Bai picked up Xinxin, covered in dirt, and headed for the east courtyard.


    After the two children left, the remaining children continued ying until exhaustion set in. They then headed to the west courtyard for bed.


    That night, Gu Chengsi returned to his room and noticed new clothes and jewelryid out. ¡°My wife, did you buy all this? It must have cost a fortune.¡± ¡°It came to 800 taels, but your sister-inw insisted on helping out, saying it was for appearances. I wanted to refuse, but she wouldn¡¯t hear of it.¡±


    Gu Chengsi was surprised, considering Mrs. Bai¡¯s usual lifestyle, and didn¡¯t think much of it back in their county town.


    However, upon arriving in the capital, their belongings did seem rtively modest.


    He nodded and said, ¡°If she insists, then ept it. But in the future, if you find something nice, remember to share it with your sister-inw and the others.¡±

 Chapter 957 - 957 Promotion

    Chapter 957: Promotion


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Mrs. Bai sighed. ¡°The manor harvested good wheat this year. Let¡¯s save some seeds for your sister-inw.¡±


    Gu Chengsi remained silent. He knew the manor was purchased with the 5,000 taels Gu Chengrui had given him.


    Without that, his meager sry wouldn¡¯t support his family.


    He already owed a debt; a little more wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    He should start a business soon, or he might be strapped forever.


    On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, the Ministry of Personnel Affairs announced Gu Chengsi¡¯s promotion¡ªtwo levels up to Zhizhou of Qianzhou.


    He returned to his current county to hand over and take up his new post.


    By November 1st, Zhou Ying had prepared sufficient funds and sent an escort to bring Gu Chengsi¡¯s family back to the capital.


    Another year flew by. Gu Chengrui finished his work at the academy. He covered advanced mathematics, mechanics, and light in physics, but electricity, which was absent from Zhou Ying¡¯s books, wasn¡¯t taught.


    Chemistry focused on analyzing mineral deposits, including some basic medical purification techniques.


    Additionally, cement and improved wheels were introduced that year.


    As a result, the Ministry of Works used cement for the continent¡¯s strongest dam, and Gu Chengrui set a goal to rece all dams with cement ones within the next few years.


    The following spring, the Grand Empress Dowager passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. The Emperor used this opportunity to hold another consort selection.


    Three yearster, Gu Chengrui, after nearly four years of effort, built his own, albeit less advanced, purification equipment.


    The Emperor had also cultivated batches of talented individuals in math, physics, and chemistry, allowing Zhou Ying¡¯s book to be fully utilized.


    One day, while outside making penicillin for the army, Gu Chengrui suddenly fainted. Shocked, Zhou Ying turned to Gu Chengxi upon seeing him carry his brother in. ¡°Chengxi, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, I don¡¯t know,¡± replied Gu Chengxi with a worried frown.


    ¡°Chengrui fainted after returning from the pce today. The imperial physicians found nothing wrong, so I brought him here.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get him inside,¡± Zhou Ying instructed.


    Gu Chengxi nodded and carried him in. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister-inw. His pulse seems to be normal. The physicians suspect exhaustion. I¡¯ll stay here and help. Let me know if anything changes.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Ying agreed. ¡°The east courtyard is prepared. Shizhu, please show him out.¡±


    Once everyone left, Zhou Ying took Gu Chengrui to her interspace and examined him with the equipment.


    Still, there were no signs of illness. ¡°Rui, what¡¯s wrong? Please don¡¯t scare me!¡± She cried, taking his hand in hers.

 Chapter 958 - 958 Unconscious (1)

    Chapter 958: Unconscious (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui remained unresponsive, like someone in a deep sleep.


    Zhou Ying examined him again, her hope fading with each pass.


    Forced to leave her interspace, she was met by a tearful Guoguo at the door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, sweetheart. Your father¡¯s just tired. He¡¯s sleeping.¡±


    ¡°But everyone says he fainted!¡± Guoguo sniffled, her eyes red-rimmed.


    Zhou Ying smiled gently. ¡°Do you trust Mommy or the others?¡±


    ¡°Mommy,¡± Guoguo mumbled, wiping her tears.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl. Now go learn your embroidery. I¡¯ll be here with Daddy.¡±


    Alone again, Zhou Ying watched Gu Chengrui¡¯s still form. Tears welled up, blurring her vision.


    Pulling a chair close, she grasped his hand and began to talk about their children.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui found himself trapped in a foggy maze, his frantic calls echoing unanswered.


    The path led him past a dpidated hospital delivery room, where he saw a younger version of his father and grandmother from his past life.


    A newborn¡¯s cry shattered the scene, followed by a montage of his childhood mischief.


    As he ran, he witnessed simr scenes¡ªeach a child, a doctor, saving lives with exceptional skill.


    Unaware of his internal journey, Zhou Ying saw no improvement. But his parched lips worried her.


    She got up and had someone bring two cups of water.


    She drank one cup herself and then tried to give him the other.


    Luckily, he could still swallow, and the water went down quickly. This relieved Zhou Ying a little, as it meant he could at least have liquids to sustain himself.


    In the evening, Gu Chengye and Second Uncle Gu rushed over in a hurry. Seeing Zhou Ying, they anxiously asked, ¡°How is Chengrui? Did he wake up?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s alright. Chengxi will check his pulse every hour.¡±


    ¡°Unconscious but stable?¡± Second Uncle Gu furrowed his brow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It¡¯s like he¡¯s asleep. Maybe he¡¯s been too tiredtely,¡± Zhou Ying said, shaking her head.


    Second Uncle Gu¡¯s frown deepened instead of disappearing upon hearing this.


    ¡°Would it be alright to go in and see him?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Zhou Ying nodded and led them inside to take a look.


    The two men saw Gu Chengrui lying there as if nothing was wrong, and their hearts filled with worry.


    After all, the Gu family relied heavily on him. If something happened to him, their future would be in trouble.


    They then turned and walked out, saying to Zhou Ying, ¡°We¡¯ll stay in the guest house from now on. If there¡¯s anything, please let us know.¡±


    Zhou Ying was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°No need for that. Chengxi is here, and I¡¯ll send someone to inform you if anything happens. Besides, there are so many guards around. You wouldn¡¯t be much help staying here.¡±

 Chapter 959 - 959 Unconscious (2)

    Chapter 959: Unconscious (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Alright, let us know if there¡¯s anything.¡± Second Uncle Gu hesitated before nodding. They knew they couldn¡¯t be of much help here.


    News of Gu Chengrui¡¯s condition spread quickly.


    Mingyu, the sons of King An and King Xian, and several friendly officials arrived to offer support.


    Despite her exhaustion, Zhou Ying received them and had Gu Chengxi exin the situation.


    The princes briefly visited Gu Chengrui before departing with worried expressions.


    Alone again, Zhou Ying reached for water when Guoguo and Chenchen entered. ¡°Mommy, is Daddy alright?¡± Guoguo asked, her voiceced with worry.


    ¡°He¡¯s just very tired, sweetheart,¡± Zhou Ying reassured her with a forced smile.


    ¡°Can I see him?¡± Chenchen chimed in.


    Zhou Ying nodded, and Guoguo led him to the bedroom.


    Just then, Gu Chenglin, a recent Hanlin Academy recruit andst year¡¯s third- ce schr in the second-ss exam, rushed in. ¡°Sister-inw, I heard about Brother. What happened?¡±


    Tears welled up in Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nothing seems physically wrong, but he¡¯s unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Could it be sabotage? But that wouldn¡¯t exin his normal vitals,¡± Gu Chenglin asked, his voice tense.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not that.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head.


    Traditional and Western medicine showed nothing amiss.


    Her experience with Mother God pointed toward a soul issue, but the cause remained a mystery.


    Anxiety gnawed at her. Tonight, she would try entering his dream to investigate.


    ¡°Daddy, wake up! You haven¡¯t checked Chenchen¡¯s homework!¡± Chenchen¡¯s voice echoed from the room.


    ¡°Should I go check on him?¡± Gu Chenglin offered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together,¡± Zhou Ying replied, rising from her seat.


    Inside, they found Guoguo wiping tears. Zhou Ying offered a hug. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your father will be fine.¡± Guoguo nodded silently.


    Gu Chenglin examined Gu Chengrui. Thoughcking recent medical training, his knowledge told him his brother wasn¡¯t in immediate danger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Uncle will check your homework today.¡± He gave a reassuring nod to Zhou Ying before leading Chenchen out.


    ¡°Come on, Guoguo,¡± Zhou Ying coaxed, ¡°let¡¯s get some food. Your daddy will be alright.¡±


    Guoguo, taking onest lookback, allowed herself to be led out. Zhou Ying instructed the kitchen to prepare food, emphasizing thin millet porridge.


    Later, Gu Chenglin finished Chenchen¡¯s homework and took him to Gu Chengrui¡¯s pharmacy. Finding Gu Chengxi engrossed in a book, he asked, ¡°Brother Chengxi, what¡¯s wrong with Chengrui?¡±


    ¡°Still investigating,¡± Gu Chengxi replied without looking up.


    ¡°Any leads?¡±


    Gu Chengxi shook his head. ¡°Nothing yet, but it resembles the Daoist concept of Soul-dissociating Illness.¡±


    Gu Chenglin¡¯s breath paused. ¡°But we never believe in ghost, let alone diagnosing someone with it?¡±

 Chapter 960 - 960 Unconscious (3)

    Chapter 960: Unconscious (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Rx, Chenglin; I¡¯m still finding a reason for hisa,¡± Gu Chengxi soothed. ¡°Based on his vitals, our brother should be fine for a while, so don¡¯t panic.¡±


    Gu Chenglin heard that and remained silent.


    Chenchen piped up, ¡°Lets, let¡¯s pray to Mother God!¡±


    Gu Chengxi and Gu Chenglin exchanged nces, considering the suggestion. ¡°Three days,¡± Gu Chengxi decided. ¡°If there¡¯s no improvement after three days, we¡¯ll seek Mother God¡¯s help.¡±


    Gu Chengxi rechecked Gu Chengrui¡¯s pulse after dinner. ¡°No change. Sister-in-w, keep feeding him liquids periodically.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Go get some rest. I¡¯ll stay here and notify you of any changes.¡±


    After they left, Zhou Ying fed Gu Chengrui some porridge with Shizhu¡¯s help. She then instructed the kitchen to prepare more for ater feeding.


    Following that, she bathed the children and put them to bed. Alone in the courtyard, she sipped chrysanthemum tea while extending her divine sense to cover the capital. Worried someone might exploit the situation, she discovered anxieties stirring within the Third Prince¡¯s family and his supporters, but no malicious intent.


    Thankfully, most officials remained loyal, offering only concern.


    After finishing her tea, Zhou Ying prepared a warm bath and changed Gu Chengrui into pajamas. Just as she was about to bathe herself, a servant announced the arrival of the Emperor and Empress.


    ¡°Quick, move the bathtub to the west room.¡± Zhou Ying instructed.


    The servant hurried toply. Zhou Ying quickly changed and went out to wee the royal couple.


    ¡°Greetings, Your Majesties,¡± she bowed.


    The Emperor helped her up, his voice filled with concern. ¡°What happened to Chengrui? Is he still unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Gu Wanning echoed. ¡°How is my cousin?¡±


    ¡°Everything seems normal physically, but he remains unconscious. The doctors are at a loss,¡± Zhou Ying exined with a shake of her head.


    The Emperor¡¯s heart sank when he heard that before asking, ¡°May we see him?¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded and led them to the bedroom, exining, ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up since returning. However, he can swallow liquids.¡±


    The Emperor sat beside the bed, studying Gu Chengrui intently. ¡°This is strange. Could it be exhaustion from purifying the penicillin?¡±


    He worried deeply, not just about losing a close friend, but also about the potential loss of penicillin production, Gu Chengrui¡¯s skills, and the ensuing political chaos.


    The situation for the Empress and her children could worsen too¡ªan oue he desperately wanted to avoid.

 Chapter 961 - 961 Unconscious (4)

    Chapter 961: Unconscious (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that he¡¯s just too tired and needs a good, long sleep,¡± Zhou Ying agreed. ¡°Maybe he will wake up once he¡¯s well rested.¡±


    The Emperor sighed and left with the Empress, pulling Gu Chengxi aside to inquire about the details.


    Meanwhile, Gu Wanning offeredfort. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister-inw. I believe Chengrui will be alright.¡±


    ¡°I believe so too,¡± Zhou Ying replied with a nod.


    Learning that Gu Chengrui seemed to be deeply asleep, the Emperor turned to Zhou Ying. ¡°Until he wakes, send someone to the pce twice daily with updates.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Lin Yifan will handle it,¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to ask for help if needed,¡± the Emperor nodded. ¡°And most importantly, keep him safe.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    ¡°It¡¯ste. Get some rest. We¡¯ll return to the pce.¡± The Emperor then left with the Empress. Zhou Ying had Gu Chengxi see them out.


    Reaching the outer court, the Emperor summoned Lin Yifan and bestowed a wooden token for pce ess. ¡°Stay vignt against anyone with ill intentions. Inform me of any changes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Lin Yifan acknowledged, taking the token. He then arranged their return.


    Using her divine sense, Zhou Ying confirmed their safe arrival and withdrew it.


    Alone, she showered, secured the room, and brought Gu Chengrui into her interspace. She settled him on the vi bed and entered his dream.


    There, she found him calmly watching dream-like scenes. Her attempts to call him were ignored.


    She tried to touch the scenes, but they repelled her. Soon, she was ejected from his dreamscape.


    Zhou Ying, relieved to see him still asleep, remained troubled.


    The dream¡¯s nature and potential harm were unknown. She feared something sinister had taken his soul.


    Repeated attempts to enter the dream were met with resistance. Dejected, she could only watch him with worry.


    Suddenly, an urgent cry for help forced her to leave.


    An unexpected flood ravaged the Western Continent, with mudslides in some areas. The Mother God Temples near the disaster zone were overwhelmed,cking water and food.


    After hesitation, Zhou Ying distributed cornmeal, sweet potatoes, and firewood to each temple. Boiling rainwater was their only option for water, but providing containers with such arge number was impossible.


    After assisting with food distribution, she focused on rescuing people from the floodwaters.


    Finally, she piled up the animal carcasses on a high mountaintop, doused them with oil, and set them aze.


    Turning her attention back to the Great Ming, she found three prefectures bordering the Western Continent at risk of flooding.


    Zhou Ying appeared in the dreams of the person in charge, urging them to evacuate low-lying areas immediately.


    With that done, she moved on.

 Chapter 962: 962 Unconscious (5)

    Chapter 962: 962 Unconscious (5)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Finally, Zhou Ying scanned the remaining areas. Aside from a few drought- stricken regions, everything seemed normal.


    She exited her interspace and tidied up before heading to the kitchen. There, she made a pot of chicken soup, skimmed the fat, and fed arge bowl to Gu Chengrui.<div>


    As a precaution, she changed his clothes and put on an adult diaper retrieved from the storage beforeying down with him for the night.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying changed the soiled diaper by burning it in her interspace and gave him a basic wash before putting on a fresh diaper.


    By the time she finished, dawn had broken.


    She quickly showered and changed inside her interspace before stepping back out. After breakfast, she fed Gu Chengrui some rice soup again.


    Gu Chengxi entered then, asking, ¡°Sister-inw, any unusual behavior from Chengrui yesterday?¡±


    ¡°No, everything¡¯s the same,¡± Zhou Ying replied.


    Gu Chengxi checked on Gu Chengrui. ¡°He¡¯s alright, just a little dehydrated. Keep him hydrated.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhou Ying acknowledged.


    ¡°I¡¯ll inform Big Brother Yifan,¡± Gu Chengxi said before leaving.


    The morning was filled with visitors seeking updates.


    Concerned ones were received, and others were politely dismissed.<div>


    This constant disruption frustrated Zhou Ying. She instructed Niu Fugui to restrict entry to familiar faces or someone bearing good news only.


    Caring for Gu Chengrui, especially wiping him down in the summer heat to prevent rashes, became a full-time job.


    Evening arrived, and with Gu Chengrui still asleep, Zhou Ying¡¯s anxiety grew.


    Entering his dreams with her divine sense proved futile.


    Just then, Niu Fugui rushed in. ¡°Madam, Old Master He is here. He wishes to see Master Gu. But¡­¡± He hesitated.


    ¡°Master He, the Third Prince¡¯s grandfather?¡± Zhou Ying asked, surprised.


    Niu Fugui mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m worried he might spread bad news if denied¡­¡±


    Zhou Ying sighed. ¡°Let him in. But move Master Gu to the west room first.¡± She didn¡¯t want him in the bedroom.


    She went to wee Lord He, leading him inside after cleaning the west room.


    ¡°Thankyou for visiting, Lord He,¡± Zhou Ying said, offering tea. ¡°We appreciate you taking the time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Furen. Marquis Gu is a role model to many. It¡¯s only right,¡± Lord He replied before inquiring about Gu Chengrui¡¯s condition.<div>


    ¡°He seems healthy, just unconscious,¡± Zhou Ying exined. ¡°Would you like to see him?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Lord He requested. Zhou Ying led him to the west room, her divine sense discreetly monitoring his every move.


    ¡°This is a cool room,¡± Lord Hemented upon entering. He examined Gu Chengrui, noting hisck of visible illness aside from unconsciousness.


    ¡°He does look remarkably healthy,¡± Lord He observed.

 Chapter 963: 963 Unconscious (6)

    Chapter 963: 963 Unconscious (6)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Indeed, and it looks like he might wake up at any time. That¡¯s why the imperial physicians said he might just be exhausted and fine after a good sleep.¡± Zhou Ying smiled and nodded.


    Lord He was stunned for a moment. He turned his head and looked at her thoughtfully. He found that she did not look tired at all, nor did she look worried.<div>


    He immediately started to mutter inwardly. Could they be overthinking, and Gu Chengrui was simply so tired that he fell asleep?


    After checking again and confirming there were no ws, he turned around and walked out. Then, he said a few polite words and left.


    ¡°Thankyou for your trouble. Uncle Niu, send Lord He off for me.¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Lord He, please.¡± Niu Fugui nodded and respectfully led Lord He out.


    ¡°I won¡¯t disturb you further, Madam.¡± Lord He cupped his fists at Zhou Ying.


    Zhou Ying nodded and sent him out of the main room. Then, she turned around and returned to the room.


    After dinner, Gu Chengxi retook Gu Chengrui¡¯s pulse. After confirming that there were no abnormalities, he reported them to the Emperor.


    After everyone left, Zhou Ying drank a pot of tea and rested momentarily. Only after that did she wash Gu Chengrui up and bring him into her interspace.


    She tried her best to enter his dream again a few times, but failed.


    Looking at him lying on the bed like a living dead, Zhou Ying felt as if a knife was cutting her heart.


    She knew something was wrong with his soul, but she could not do anything about it. She could only watch as he struggled alone in the sea of consciousness.<div>


    She was so worried that she shed tears at the thought of this.


    She grabbed his hand and crawled to the edge of the bed to cry.


    She only stopped when she was done venting.


    Later, she forced himself to focus and deal with the matters in the Mother God Temples.


    At this time, it was still raining heavily on the Western Continent. Not only did the flood level not drop, but it was also getting higher and higher.


    Zhou Ying had no choice but to try to dig through some rivers to let the flood flow down, easing the momentum of the flood.


    At the same time, she checked and found that the disaster victims from all over had been given some grains, dry wood, and the like.


    Finally, she swept her gaze across the three prefectures at the border of the Great Ming Dynasty, noticing some low-lying areas had already been flooded.


    Fortunately, a magistrate had already acted ording to her instructions.


    However, there was still one who did not take it seriously and was instead fooling around with his concubine in the residence.


    Zhou Ying was already angry, seeing how he didn¡¯t take human lives seriously.<div>


    A bolt of lightning struck the table in front of him. Because the wine was spilled, the table caught fire.


    The magistrate and his concubine were so frightened that they immediately screamed.


    At the same time, it attracted many servants. When they saw the situation in the room, they immediately started to put out the fire.


    Fortunately, the fire wasn¡¯t serious, and it went out after a while.


    However, the magistrate was scared out of his wits. His life would have been over if the lightning bolt had not been a little off.


    Zhou Ying looked at him as if he had just survived a disaster, and the anger in her heart grew even greater.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she was afraid that his death would cause the local people more trouble and make them unable to survive the disaster, she would have struck him long ago.


    At the thought of this, she struck three more lightning bolts at him in a row, blocking all his escape routes and leaving him nowhere to escape even if he wanted to.


    At the same time, the magistrate was so frightened that he screamed repeatedly.


    However, when his concubine saw this, she kneeled down and said, ¡°Mother God, please calm down. If you have any instructions, please tell me.¡±


    When the magistrate heard the concubine¡¯s words, he immediately thought of the dream he hadst night.<div>


    He did not take it to heart at first, but¡­


    Thinking of the few bolts of lightning specifically aimed at him, he immediately kneeled down and begged, ¡°Mother God, please calm down! I will follow your instructions and immediately move the people in the low-lying areas!¡±

 Chapter 964 - 964 Waking Up (1)

    Chapter 964: Waking Up (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°One more misstep,¡± Zhou Ying warned, ¡°and the lightning won¡¯t miss.¡± With that, she turned her attention to rescuing people from the flooded areas and informing local officials about the impending disaster.


    The terrified magistrate, his pants wet with fear, abandoned decorum and scrambled to gather his subordinates, barking orders for evacuation.


    Back at her interspace, Zhou Ying reheated leftover chicken soup and fed Gu Chengrui some oats before taking a shower and bringing him out.


    As dawn approached, Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes fluttered open.


    His gaze, however, held an unnerving intensity, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.


    It seemed to pierce through facades, like a form of irvoyance. Zhou Ying noticed this shift instantly.


    He turned to find her, his expression softening. Yet, there was a strange pressure beneath that tenderness, almost oppressive.


    Then, he noticed her frown and the evidence of restless sleep. Leaning in, he gently kissed her forehead and smiled. ¡°Qing¡¯er, we¡¯re still together.¡±


    The kiss jolted Zhou Ying awake. Disoriented, she saw arge figure looming over her and instinctively punched at his temple.


    ¡°Trying to assassinate your husband?¡± Gu Chengrui chuckled, easily catching her fist.


    Zhou Ying froze, then frantically checked the space beside her.


    Relief washed over her as she realized Gu Chengrui was awake. Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Rui, you¡¯re finally awake! You scared me half to death!¡±


    She threw herself into his arms, tears soaking his shirt. The fear of him remaining unconscious had been a constant torment.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright now,¡± he murmured, holding her close. ¡°Everything is over.¡±


    As Zhou Ying calmed down, fresh tears streamed down her face. The ordeal had been terrifying.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early. Go back to sleep, love. I¡­ I need to go to the toilet.¡± Gu Chengrui said, attempting to get out of bed.


    When he left the bed, he felt something off. He touched below his waist, and realization dawned on him as he rushed out of the room, flustered.


    Zhou Ying considered bringing him into her interspace, but seeing him head for the toilet, she held back.


    Alone, Zhou Ying pinched herself, a smile spreading across her face as she confirmed she wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    She drank some water, went to the toilet in her interspace, and returned to bed.


    Momentster, Gu Chengrui walked in, holding a wet adult diaper. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the interspace,¡± he requested awkwardly. ¡°I need another shower.¡±


    Zhou Ying, bewildered by his uncharacteristically calm demeanor, simplyplied.


    Inside the space, Gu Chengrui headed straight for the vi¡¯s bathroom. Zhou Ying, her mind in a whirl, prepared him a meal¡ªchicken noodle soup, poached eggs, braised beef, and fresh strawberries.


    As Gu Chengrui approached, impably dressed in a fresh set of clothes, he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m starving. Thank you for taking care of everything.¡±


    The unfamiliar calmness in his voice finally struck Zhou Ying.


    Gu Chengrui, a military doctor, grew up in an army camp. He wouldn¡¯t be caught dead speaking so unhurriedly, and this wasn¡¯t him. Something had fundamentally changed.

 Chapter 965 - 965 Waking Up (2)

    Chapter 965: Waking Up (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    His walk was another clue. Even after changes, Gu Chengrui still carried the telltale posture of a soldier. This newfound elegance felt alien to her.


    Zhou Ying pushed the noodles toward him. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten in two days. Eat quickly.¡±


    Gu Chengrui started eating, his movements devoid of their usual roughness. He even picked up the noodles with chopsticks instead of slurping them.


    A glint flickered in her eyes as she observed him. In a sh, a dagger materialized in her hand, held against his throat. ¡°Who are you? What have you done to Chengrui?¡±


    Gu Chengrui, or whoever inhabited his body now, chuckled, pushing the hand holding the weapon away. ¡°Let me finish first, then I¡¯ll exin everything.¡±


    ¡°You better,¡± Zhou Ying warned, refusing to rx her vignce.


    Despite the smile ying on his lips, Gu Chengrui devoured the noodles with uncharacteristic speed, yet remained silent.


    Zhou Ying found no amusement in his refined behavior, only annoyance. She grabbed two strawberries, popping them into her mouth with a frustrated grimace.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t prolong the wait. Within fifteen minutes, he polished off the noodles, soup, and even a strawberry to cleanse his pte.


    ¡± Silly girl,¡± he said, pping his hands,¡±don¡¯ t fret. It¡¯ s still me.¡±


    ¡°But not quite. I¡¯ve merged with the memories of all my eleven lifetimes,¡± he rified.


    ¡°Eleven lifetimes?¡± Zhou Ying echoed, bewildered.


    ¡°Remember when you mentioned the thick light of virtue around me, like a gilded Buddha statue?¡±


    Zhou Ying, recalling her words, nodded for him to continue.


    ¡°While unconscious, I absorbed memories from eleven lifetimes. In each, I was a skilled doctor, umting immense merit.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    Gu Chengrui paused, then asked, ¡°Do you recall anything about the Divine Doctor Yaoshan?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Zhou Ying shook her head, but the sound seemed to trigger a surge of memories¡ªmemories of Mother God.


    The revtion almost knocked her off bnce. Gu Chengrui caught her swiftly, guiding her onto the bed. ¡°Rest now. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±


    He turned and headed toward the kitchen to clean the dishes.


    Alone, Zhou Ying grappled with the influx of memories.


    Images shed before her. A devastating gue, a desperate search for the Double Flowers on Jade Mountain, encountering the Divine Doctor Yaoshan, their journey as healers, blossoming love¡­


    Their ns for marriage were cut short by the Divine Doctor¡¯s tribtion. He entered the cycle of reincarnation to ovee it, while Mother God remained to protect the continent.


    When cmity threatened, Mother God, drawn to the technology and resources of Earth, made her arrangements and descended.

 Chapter 966 - 966 Waking Up (3)

    Chapter 966: Waking Up (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    No wonder they felt an instant connection upon meeting. Their past lives had forged an invisible bond.


    Another revtion struck Zhou Ying. She had always believed the interspace¡¯s water held some nourishing properties. It turned out that the fertility of the interspace stemmed from the divine array set up by the Divine Doctor Yaoshan within the Mother God Divine Hall. This array transformed animal waste, dead branches, and other organic matter into potent fertilizer, sustaining the interspace¡¯s remarkable growth.


    Reaching the final fragment of memory, Zhou Ying sensed a barrier¡ªa sign it wasn¡¯t meant to be essed yet. She retreated, opening her eyes to find Gu Chengrui sipping chrysanthemum tea on the bed.


    ¡°Did you see everything?¡± he asked gently.


    Zhou Ying nodded, a mix of emotions swirling within her. This wasn¡¯t the same Gu Chengrui she knew. A sense of estrangement gnawed at her.


    Gu Chengrui, sensing her turmoil, offered her a warm smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Our bond transcends lifetimes. We¡¯ll find our way back to each other.¡± He held out a cup of tea. ¡°Here, you must be parched after those tense days.¡±


    Zhou Ying epted the tea without hesitation, the warmth spreading through her chilled core.


    ¡°You seem more¡­ vibrant now,¡± Gu Chengrui observed, his gaze lingering on her face.


    ¡°Is Mother God old-fashioned, then?¡± Zhou Ying teased.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± he chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s kind, gentle, and, above all, responsible. I suppose I¡¯ve simply grown ustomed to calmness in my advanced age.¡±


    Zhou Ying looked up, understanding dawning. ¡°So, you¡¯ve sessfully passed your tribtion?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he confirmed, a hint of sadness in his eyes. ¡°But my time in this body is limited. Three years at most.¡±


    ¡°Three years¡­¡± Zhou Ying echoed, the weight of the limited time settling in. ¡°So, you can remain in this form during these three years?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The Mother God Temple here is nearlyplete. We need to establish them on the smaller continents as well. Once all the temples are operational, it will be time for you to reim your identity as the Mother God.¡±


    A pang of concern shot through Zhou Ying. ¡°What about the children? Can they cultivate?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t be able to be deities, but I can guide them on the path of cultivation. They can catch up over time.¡±


    Zhou Ying¡¯s voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°If I had known this, I would¡¯ve waited to have children until after your identity was restored.¡±


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s eyes softened. ¡°Qing¡¯er,¡± he murmured, using her true name for the first time. ¡°You wish to bear my child?¡±


    ¡°Qing¡¯er¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is Mother God¡¯s true name.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been together for ten thousand years, yet with our restored divinity, children will no longer be an option.¡±


    ¡°Did you have any children in your previous lives?¡± she asked.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°Because I had feelings for you before I transcended my tribtion, it was a merciless tribtion. I could only get married when I met you.¡±


    Relief washed over Zhou Ying. The thought of him having children with others had been a nagging worry.


    Sensing her relief, Gu Chengrui gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear. ¡°The dawn is approaching. Let¡¯s return.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Ying agreed, leading him out of the interspace.


    Sunlight streamed through the window. Zhou Ying turned to him, a curious question forming on her lips. ¡°Can you sense the dawn from within the interspace?¡±

 Chapter 967 - 967 Waking Up (4)

    Chapter 967: Waking Up (4)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The interspace is practically transparent to me now,¡± Gu Chengrui exined.


    ¡°Quite the change,¡± Zhou Ying observed, a touch of concern in her voice. ¡°Be mindful not to arouse suspicion, especially from the Emperor and the royal family. They¡¯re a naturally watchful bunch.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nodded. ¡°Tell them that I¡¯ve awakened, but remind them that I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯ll need two days of rest before returning to my duties at the medical office.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± he added, ¡°I n to record some medicine recipes and seal the memories of my past nine lives until I leave this body in three years.¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s surprise was evident. ¡°Seal your memories? You¡¯ve just rediscovered them, barely had a chance to experience the world again. Why so sudden?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you noticed the difference in me so quickly speaks volumes,¡± he exined. ¡°My personality in this life clearly differs from before. To avoid any suspicion, sealing my memories seems the only option.¡±


    A secret delight flickered across Zhou Ying¡¯s face. Gu Chengrui¡¯s smile widened at the sight. ¡°Just be happy you have three years to adjust,¡± he teased.


    Zhou Ying offered a silent nod and stepped outside, a pleasantly surprised expression adorning her face as she ryed the news. She then instructed Qiuxiang to prepare water for their washing.


    Just as they finished cleaning up, a burst of energy filled the room as Gu Chenglin and Guoguo barged in, along with a worried Gu Chengxi.


    Guoguo, ovee with joy,unched herself into her father¡¯s arms. ¡°Daddy! You¡¯re finally awake! Guoguo was so scared, I thought¡­¡±


    Gu Chengrui scooped her up lovingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Guoguo. Daddy¡¯s just tired. He needed extra sleep.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but marvel at his precocious daughter. Perhaps this tribtion wasn¡¯t entirely in vain, and he also had a mischievous son to cherish.


    ¡°Chengrui, how are you feeling? Let me check your pulse,¡± Gu Chengxi offered eagerly.


    Gu Chenglin chimed in, ¡°Yes, yes. Get yourself checked. We¡¯ve all been worried sick.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Chengrui assured them. ¡°I know my own body. Apart from not having eaten properly in two days, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°A doctor can¡¯t heal themselves,¡± Gu Chengxi countered. ¡°Let me take a look. The Emperor¡¯s still expecting a report.¡±


    Gu Chengrui nced at Zhou Ying, who confirmed that the Emperor and Empress had visited and requested daily updates.


    With a nod, he agreed, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Gu Chengxi proceeded with a solemn examination, ultimately confirming Gu Chengrui¡¯s self-assessment¡ªa slight fever, but otherwise healthy. He held back from further debate.


    ¡°Just a touch of heat, nothing serious,¡± Gu Chengrui announced.


    ¡°d to hear it,¡± Gu Chenglin sighed in relief. ¡°Finally, some peace of mind.¡± ¡°Breakfast together?¡± Zhou Ying suggested, sensing the right moment.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Chenglin readily agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll deliver the message to Lin Yifan and return in a jiffy.¡±


    Anticipation bubbled over as he practically jogged out, turning back for a spin before disappearing.


    Following breakfast, Gu Chengxi returned to the hospital, and Gu Chenglin headed to the government office.


    Zhou Ying, after issuing a few instructions, found Niu Fugui. She tasked him with notifying several families close to Gu Chengrui about his recovery.

 Chapter 968 - 968 Arrangement (1)

    Chapter 968: Arrangement (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui spent some time ying with the children before sending them off to ss. He then retreated to the study, meticulously recording the exquisite prescriptions gleaned from his nine past lives.


    News of Gu Chengrui¡¯s awakening reached the pce, eliciting a heavy sigh of relief from the Emperor. ¡°Two days off is too little,¡± he dered. ¡°Grant him five days to recoverfortably at home.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s kindness will be ryed to my lord,¡± Lin Yifan responded gratefully.


    ¡°Go. Fetch him some tonics as well,¡± the Emperor instructed Eunuch Qian. He then dispatched another eunuch to inform the Empress, who immediately burst into tears upon receiving the news.


    The pressure of the past two days has been immense. While she enjoyed the Emperor¡¯s favor, Gu Chengrui¡¯s absence threatened her sole source of support at court.


    With him gone, whispers of selecting new consorts would surely resurface, jeopardizing herfortable position.


    Back in their residence, Gu Chengrui simply smiled upon receiving the Emperor¡¯s extended leave and the delivered tonics.


    By nightfall, he continued working diligently and had sessfully memorized and stored all the prescriptions within his space.


    Zhou Ying, finishing her tasks, found Gu Chengrui rxing outside the vi¡¯s shade, sipping tea while engrossed in medical texts. ¡°You¡¯re incredibly fast,¡± she remarked as she approached.


    ¡°My current divine sense is much broader than yours,¡± he exined. ¡°Memorizing those prescriptions was a simple task.¡±


    He poured her a cup of tea. ¡°Come, rest for a while. I have something to discuss, Qing¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me feel awkward,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°ThenYing¡¯er it is.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± she replied, taking arge gulp of tea. Gu Chengrui, surprised, swiftly refilled her cup.


    ¡°I want the children to start cultivating immediately,¡± he announced. ¡°The earlier they begin, the stronger their foundation will be. Guoguo, especially, is already a bit behind.¡±


    ¡°But what if someone discovers them cultivating?¡± Zhou Ying expressed her concern.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gu Chengrui assured her. ¡°I¡¯ll ce seals on them to prevent them from revealing anything.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I trust your judgment. Make the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Later, I¡¯ll retrieve two jade stones from the interspace and carve pendants with spirit gathering formations for the children. Remind them to wear them at all times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember.


    ¡°Wait, you can ess the warehouse?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, anyone with divine sense can ess it.¡±


    ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you look for what you need and also gather anything we might require soon?¡±


    Zhou Ying finished her tea as Gu Chengrui waved his hand, materializing a palm-sized imperial jade she had bought earlier. He tossed it into the air, where it spun rapidly, shattering into jade dust before reforming into five jade pendants.


    He presented three pendants to her. ¡°These are for Gu Wanning and her son. While they can¡¯t cultivate, wearing them will nourish their bodies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite considerate of them,¡± Zhou Ying acknowledged with a nod.


    ¡°Heaven¡¯s secrets cannot be revealed,¡± Gu Chengrui replied enigmatically.


    Zhou Ying rolled her eyes yfully, but still tucked the pendants away.

 Chapter 969 - 969 Arrangement (2)

    Chapter 969: Arrangement (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Under the pretense of a summer vacation, the family of four ventured to a hot spring manor.


    There, Gu Chengrui prepared a special medicinal bath for the children.


    Afterpleting the bath, he examined their spiritual roots.


    Guoguo, like Divine Doctor Yaoshan, possessed a wood attribute, while Chenchen inherited Mother God¡¯s chaotic spiritual roots.


    Relief washed over Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui; they had worried the children wouldn¡¯t have any spiritual aptitude.


    Nightfall found the family back in their interspace. Gu Chengrui, acting as their guide, imparted suitable cultivation techniques and assisted them in opening their meridians, officially embarking them on their cultivation journey.


    ¡°For your own safety and the safety of our family,¡± he exined, ¡°I¡¯ll be cing a restriction on you both. It will prevent you from leaking any information about the interspace or cultivation, whether spoken or written. Don¡¯t be rmed if you find yourself unable to speak in such situations. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daddy,¡± Guoguo said, and Chenchen nodded in agreement.


    Gu Chengrui supervised their cultivation for two more days before the family of four returned to the capital, a cartden with juicy watermelons and peaches trailing behind them.


    The next day, Zhou Ying visited the pce to deliver the fruits.


    She personally presented three jade pendants to Gu Wanning. ¡°They say jade nourishes the body,¡± Zhou Ying exined. ¡°The aura surrounding these three pieces feels especially gentle. They¡¯d be perfect for that purpose. Please keep them safe.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, sister-inw. I will,¡± Gu Wanning replied, her eyes drawn to the intricate patterns on their backs. ¡°What do the patterns symbolize?¡±


    Zhou Ying faltered for a moment. ¡°We just took them to the Mother God Temple for blessings. We don¡¯t know the specifics.¡±


    Gu Wanning didn¡¯t suspect anything, her smile widening. ¡°That¡¯s thoughtful of you. Thank you so much, sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d they¡¯re useful. Please get some rest. I have things to tend to at home.¡±


    ¡°Of course, take care.¡± Gu Wanning escorted Zhou Ying out of the Phoenix Pce.


    On theirst night of vacation, after finishing his work in the interspace, Gu Chengrui sealed away his memories of the previous nine lives.


    The next morning, Zhou Ying awoke to find the familiar Gu Chengrui beside her. A smile graced her lips as she leaned in for a kiss. ¡°You¡¯re finally back,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard these past two days,¡± he replied with a returning kiss. ¡°Speaking of which, how long was I unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember our trip to the manor for the summer?¡± Zhou Ying inquired, confused.


    ¡°The manor trip? When did we go?¡±


    Aplex expression washed over Zhou Ying¡¯s face. This exined his recovery. He didn¡¯t have any recollection of the past few days. Nevertheless, she ryed all she knew.


    Gu Chengrui gaped in astonishment. He had no idea he held such an elevated position. ¡°So you figured him out?¡± he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhou Ying confirmed, ¡°it became clear after a meal. Perhaps he sensed my initial distance and chose to seal his memories to prevent suspicion with the sudden change.¡±


    ¡°Was there a big difference between us?¡± Gu Chengrui questioned, a hint of insecurity creeping into his tone.


    Zhou Ying met his gaze with a reassuring smile. ¡°He exuded a greater presence, like a true immortal¡ªelegant and otherworldly. But the ordinary you¡ªthat¡¯s who I still prefer.¡±


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Hearing you say that makes me eager to see you reim your role as Mother God.¡±


    Zhou Ying, however, envisioned the stoic and holy demeanor of the Mother Goddess and couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Honestly, she wasn¡¯t keen on bing that kind of figure.

 Chapter 970 - 970 Traveling

    Chapter 970: Traveling


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Only three years left,¡± Zhou Ying stated with a touch of urgency. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you¡¯ve ever wanted to do, let¡¯s do it now before it¡¯s toote.¡±


    Gu Chengrui understood the weight of his words. ¡°I know. It seems I¡¯ll be quite busy from now on. I¡¯ll need your help at home, then.¡±


    A moment of hesitation passed before Zhou Ying spoke again. ¡°Perhaps we should have another child? After three years, who knows if we¡¯ll have the chance again?¡±


    Gu Chengrui, surprised by the suggestion, shook his head. ¡°We already have Guoguo and Chenchen. Let fate decide on this one.¡±


    Zhou Ying simply nodded and requested someone prepare their bath water.


    Following their meal, Gu Chengrui donned his court attire and headed to the pce to report his recovery to the Emperor. He then rushed back to the hospital, eager to make the most of his remaining time. Driven by the knowledge that his days were numbered, he implemented several initiatives.


    He organized another training ss, focusing on Western medicine and pharmaceutical knowledge.


    He diligently taught Gu Chengxi the recorded prescriptions.


    He also began grooming a few capable individuals to take over the medical centers.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying received arge amount of faith after aiding the Western Continent during a flood. To her astonishment, her divine sense range had more than doubled.


    In return, she gifted them a variety of grain seeds.


    Zhou Ying procured rubber trees for improved travel and convenience and had tires, pressure wells, and other inventions constructed, significantly enhancing people¡¯s daily lives.


    Furthermore, she implemented the use of bicycles after the Great Ming¡¯s steel refinement process was perfected.


    These innovative advancements solidified Gu Wanning¡¯s position in the pce.


    Two and a half years flew by.


    Zhou Ying decided to have another child and was blessed with another son.


    Coincidentally, Gu Wanning also gave birth to a baby girl after many years, finallypleting her family with a child of each gender.


    One day, as Zhou Ying fed their youngest son, nicknamed Third Fatty, Gu Chengrui entered the room. He yfully pinched the baby¡¯s chubby cheeks. ¡°Third Fatty¡¯s hungry again. If you eat any more, you¡¯ll be a little pig!¡± Zhou Ying chuckled. ¡°How can you say that about our son? Being slightly chubby is healthy! Besides, he¡¯s not particrly fat, right, Third Fatty?¡± She followed her words by feeding the baby another bite of shredded chicken porridge.


    Third Fatty, oblivious to the conversation, happily patted his chubby belly and eximed, ¡°Fat, fat!¡±


    Zhou Ying, ignoring his antics, turned to Gu Chengrui. ¡°Why are you back so early today?¡±


    ¡°Finished my duties early,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°There¡¯s still almost half a year left. I thought it would be nice for you to take a break and visit our hometown.¡±


    Zhou Ying¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s true, I haven¡¯t had a chance to rx sinceing here.¡±


    The next day, they informed the Emperor of their nned trip. Despite his initial reluctance, he conceded in recognition of their years of service. The Emperor even entrusted Gu Chengrui with a token.


    ¡°While you¡¯re traveling,¡± the Emperor instructed, ¡°keep an eye out for any major corruption cases. If necessary, you can take action before reporting back to me.¡±


    Gu Chengrui grimaced. ¡°Your Majesty, please spare me! This is supposed to be a family vacation.¡±


    The Emperor chuckled, undeterred. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for detailed investigations. Just report anything serious youe across. It won¡¯t dy your trip, I promise.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried, why not travel in disguise?¡± Gu Chengrui suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± the Emperor admitted, ¡°but the pce can¡¯t do without me for too long. Maybe in another two years, when Wanning matures a bit, traveling in disguise might be an option.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Chengrui conceded, understanding his limitations. Since the task wasn¡¯t mandatory, there was no need to push it.

 Chapter 971 - 971 Something Urgent

    Chapter 971: Something Urgent


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After bidding farewell to Gu Wanning with a hundred thousand taels of silver and a few pleasantries, Zhou Ying emerged from the pce with the three children. They found Gu Chengrui waiting by the carriage, a glum expression clouding his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    Gu Chengrui sighed. ¡°Nothing major, just some tasks the Emperor entrusted me with.¡± He proceeded to exin the Emperor¡¯s request.


    Zhou Ying smiled reassuringly. ¡°ept the token. If you encounter someone tantly abusing their power, handle it. But if things seem overwhelming, simply report back to the Emperor.¡±


    Inwardly, however, she doubted they¡¯d encounter such a situation.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Chengrui conceded, epting the token. He scooped up their youngest son, Third Fatty, before returning to the pce.


    Later that afternoon, Zhou Ying paid a visit to Mingyu, bearing gifts of fruit.


    Mingyu, ovee with envy,mented, ¡°Your Chengrui is so thoughtful. Mine, Huaiming, wouldn¡¯t dream of taking us out for leisure. Three to five months at home a year is all I can manage with him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too stubborn, Mingyu,¡± Zhou Ying chided yfully. ¡°Now that you¡¯re in charge of the residence, why wait for him? Take the children on outings! Even if you can¡¯t travel together, venturing out asionally broadens their horizons. It¡¯s a win-win-win situation.¡±


    Mingyu¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°You¡¯re right! I need to explore sometime. It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t join you all. But if you encounter anything interesting, do bring me back a souvenir.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you and Wanning won¡¯t be forgotten,¡± Zhou Ying promised. After exchanging more pleasantries, she left to pack for their journey.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui ryed instructions to the medical yamen andter hosted a dinner for Gu Chengxi and Gu Chenglin.


    The next day, Zhou Ying summoned Niu Fugui and Gu Cheng to entrust them with guarding their property. By afternoon, their family of five, apanied by twenty guards, had embarked on their southward journey.


    Thanks to the newly installed tires on their carriage, they opted to forgo changing waterways and enjoyed a leisurely journey south. They lingered at any location, boasting delicious food, spending afortable two days at each stop.


    They also inspected their own businesses along the way, offering rewards or reprimands depending on their performance.


    As dusk settled upon their current inn, Tiger, one of their guards, abruptly knocked on the door. ¡°Master,¡± he announced, ¡°urgent business requires your attention.¡±


    Gu Chengrui, momentarily startled, passed Third Fatty to Zhou Ying before stepping outside with Tiger. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°While tending to the carriage in the backyard, I found a seriously injured man in the woodshed,¡± Tiger exined. ¡°He ims to be a servant of Master Chengsi, and it seems something has befallen his family.¡±


    Concern washed over Gu Chengrui. ¡°What did he say? Did he borate?¡±


    Tiger shook his head. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t trust me enough to share further details.¡± ¡°A servant from Zhizhou Manor seeking help in Qianzhou points to either internal conflict or a more serious event,¡± Gu Chengrui concluded. ¡°Let¡¯s head in and investigate.¡± With that, he strode towards the back, followed closely by Tiger.


    Upon reaching the backyard, they found the injured man gone, but a trail of blood marked his path. They followed the trail, eventually locating him inside the neighboring hay shed. This man, clutching a small bag, was barely breathing.


    ¡°Brother, are you alright? I¡¯m Gu Chengrui. I can help treat your wound.¡±

 Chapter 972 - 972 Saving Them (1)

    Chapter 972: Saving Them (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°How can you prove who you are?¡± The man rasped, struggling to open his eyes.


    ¡°After all this, you don¡¯t even recognize me?¡± Gu Chengrui countered with a hint of sarcasm.


    ¡°How can I be certain who you imed to be then?¡± Gu Chengrui countered.


    The man raised his head, scrutinizing Gu Chengrui and then Tiger. Sensing no hostility, he fumbled for a jade pendant and presented it. ¡°Marquis, perhaps this will jog your memory?¡±


    Gu Chengrui examined the pendant carefully. It was indeed the one he¡¯d gifted to Gu Chengsi upon his entry into the capital for the examinations two years ago.


    In return, he retrieved his official seal from the medical center and handed it to the man.


    Under the moonlight, the man inspected the seal for a long moment before returning it. ¡°My lord,¡± he rasped, bowing deeply, ¡°please save my master. This is¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, the man in his arms reached for the bag clutched to his chest. But as he lifted it, he fainted abruptly, sending the bag tumbling.


    ¡°Careful; he should be inside. Be careful so that he does not escape again.¡±


    A low, chilling voice spoke from the shadows, followed by soft thuds.


    Gu Chengrui reacted swiftly, grabbing a packet of knockout powder from his pocket and charging out with Tiger at his side.


    Five figures surrounded the tiny house.


    Gu Chengrui and Tiger unleashed the knockout powder without hesitation, rushing at the assants.


    A struggle ensued. Though the powder didn¡¯t fully incapacitate the attackers, it disoriented them. Even the strongest among them could barely maintain his bnce. Consequently, Gu Chengrui and Tiger swiftly subdued them.


    Themotion alerted the other guards. ¡°Tie them up,¡± Gu Chengrui instructed. ¡°Inform the manager that the backyard is off limits¡ªno one is to enter.¡±


    A guard promptly acknowledged the order and raced off.


    Gu Chengrui directed someone to move the injured man to an empty room in the back. He then ascended the stairs, requesting the medicine box from Zhou Ying. Returning downstairs, he personally treated the man¡¯s wounds. Fortunately, the injuries were superficial¡ªtwo shes that led to unconsciousness due to blood loss.


    Once the treatment wasplete, Gu Chengrui assigned Tiger and the others to guard the man. Taking the bag the man desperately protected, he entered a guest room. He untied it, revealing an ount book and a small booklet.


    Gu Chengrui flipped through the ount book quickly. The incriminating details centered around corruption involving food supplies, treasury silver, and special funds recently allocated for repairing the river embankment.


    The booklet, on the other hand, seemed to be a memorial outlining the current situation in the government offices.


    Closing the booklet, Gu Chengrui addressed Zhou Ying with a serious tone. ¡°Babe, check on Chengsi. I fear he¡¯s in grave danger.¡±


    Zhou Ying¡¯s gaze fell on the bloodied memorial in his hand. A solemn nod followed as she extended her divine sense to investigate Zhizhou Manor.


    Soldiers had already surrounded the residence, effectively trapping Gu Chengsi¡¯s family. His youngest son, Gu Jiehao, was held hostage by a general.


    ¡°Lord Gu,¡± the general taunted, tightening his grip on the young boy, ¡°have you made your decision? Will you choose the ount book or your youngest son?¡±


    ¡°Hong Li,¡± Gu Chengsi countered, his voice firm, ¡°remember your allegiance. Killing us won¡¯t go unpunished.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fear the Emperor¡¯s wrath for such a brazen act?


    ¡°Reconsider your path, Hong Li.


    ¡°Join the light, and I can plead for your life with the Emperor.¡±

 Chapter 973 - 973 Saving Them (2)

    Chapter 973: Saving Them (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Status? You¡¯re just a mere cousin of the Empress,¡± General Hong sneered. ¡°Do you think anyone will care about what happens here tonight?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Chengsi sputtered, outraged.


    ¡°Make your choice,¡± General Hong pressed. ¡°The ount book or your son¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Husband,¡± Mrs. Bai pleaded, ¡°just give it to him! The child is more important!¡±


    Gu Chengsi clenched his fists, torn between his family¡¯s safety and duty. ¡°I told you, the ount book isn¡¯t with me!¡±


    Despite his defiance, a flicker of doubt betrayed his words. He knew that handing over the evidence would doom them all.


    ¡°Stubborn old fool,¡± General Hong snarled. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± He drew his saber, aiming for Gu Jiehui.


    The young boy shrieked, tears streaming down his face.


    Mrs. Bai¡¯s scream of ¡°No!¡± echoed through the night.


    General Hong relished their terror. ¡°Change your mind yet? ount book for your son¡¯s life.¡±


    Mrs. Bai¡¯s vision swam with despair. She looked at Gu Chengsi, his face rigid with anger and fear, and fainted.


    Before he could respond, a sudden crack of thunder split the sky. A bolt of lightning struck General Hong directly, his hair standing on end as his body convulsed.


    He crumpled to the ground, lifeless.


    Gu Jiehui, momentarily stunned, bolted towards Gu Chengsi, seeking refuge in his father¡¯s arms.


    The soldiers surrounding them erupted in confusion. Shouts filled the air as they checked on their fallen leader. Several rushed him away, desperately seeking a doctor.


    The remaining soldiers exchanged fearful nces. Witnessing the divine intervention, none dared approach the Gu family. However, they tightened their siege around the residence, unwilling to retreat.


    Relief washed over Zhou Ying as she witnessed the scene unfold. With a focused thought, she directed her spiritual awareness like a needle, piercing Mrs. Bai¡¯s pressure point, and her eyes fluttered open.


    ¡°My son!¡± she cried frantically. Spotting Gu Jiehui safe in Gu Chengsi¡¯s arms, her anger red.


    She turned to confront her husband, ready to unleash a torrent of me, only to stop when she saw her son crying in her husband¡¯s arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright, you¡¯re alright,¡± Gu Chengsi reassured them, wiping his son¡¯s tears.


    ¡°It must have been Mother God. He struck Hong Li with lightning.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. For now, they shouldn¡¯t bother us further. However, it¡¯s difficult to say how long this reprieve willst.¡±


    Turning serious, he addressed his wife and son. ¡°No matter who asks, remember to deny any knowledge of the ount book.¡±


    ¡°But what if they kill us?¡± Mrs. Bai challenged, her voiceced with defiance.


    Gu Chengsi exined solemnly, ¡°Handing over the ount book seals our fate. This way, there¡¯s still a chance.¡±


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying followed General Hong¡¯s entourage. Hey gasping for breath, his life fading with each shallow intake.


    The local doctor¡¯s limited skills offered no hope for recovery, and General Hong could only cling desperately to life.


    Suddenly, a richly dressed middle-aged man rushed in, apanied by another doctor.


    The soldiers immediately bowed as the man entered. ¡°Greetings, Magistrate,¡± they murmured.

 Chapter 974 - 974 Arrest

    Chapter 974: Arrest


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Rise,¡± the magistrate demanded, disbelief etched on his face. ¡°What happened to General Hong? Was he truly struck by lightning?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± a soldier stammered. ¡°A bolt of lightning struck General Hong¡¯s head like a blinding sh. His hair burned instantly.¡±


    The revtion contorted the magistrate¡¯s expression. He understood the power of Mother God¡¯s intervention. But her meddling in this affair threw his ns into disarray. If Gu Chengsi remained alive, their own lives were at stake.


    ¡°Guard General Hong well,¡± he barked. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the government office.¡±


    Upon reaching the office, he gathered the other officials for a tense discussion.


    Observing their scheming, Zhou Ying realized it was a den of vipers.


    It was no wonder that they sought Gu Chengsi¡¯s demise.


    Returning to Gu Chengrui, Zhou Ying ryed what she witnessed and overheard. ¡°The Qianzhou soldiers¡­ I can¡¯t tell if they¡¯re loyal or not. This situation is a real headache.¡±


    Gu Chengrui mmed the ount book shut. ¡°They¡¯re all in cahoots. Everything is documented in this book.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s our course of action? Transfer troops from another region?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Chengrui countered. ¡°Speed is paramount. With your power and swift action, we can take down this corrupt group quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright, what do you need me to do?¡±


    Gu Chengrui nced at their children and noticed they were still ying around. He leaned closer and whispered a n into her ear.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Zhou Ying cautioned, a flicker of worry in her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gu Chengrui reassured her. ¡°You take care of yourself too. I¡¯lle back for you.¡±


    With that, he gathered fifteen guards and rushed to the prefecture after a quick meal.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying provided directions to the medical center where they were holding General Hong captive. ¡°Turn left at the intersection, then right. It¡¯s the fifth house on the left.¡±


    ¡°How many guards are there?¡±


    ¡°Five, currently. Be cautious.¡±


    ¡°You be careful too,¡± Gu Chengrui replied before dismounting and leaving the horses at the inn. He marched straight towards the medical center.


    Taking the soldiers by surprise, Gu Chengrui and his men subdued and tied them up. He then approached the barely conscious General Hong.


    Though he was breathing weakly, the strong electric current ravaged his body, leaving him critically ill. With proper medical care and half a year of recuperation, he might survive, but as a frail shell of his former self.


    Otherwise, his demise was imminent within three days.


    Gu Chengrui left five men here to guard everyone and then led his men to the mansion of General Liu, themander of the garrison.


    Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t barge in but notified Zhou Ying and asked someone to announce his visit.


    When General Liu heard that Gu Chengrui was visiting, he didn¡¯t believe it at first.


    But soon, his forehead started to sweat. Was this guy here to support Gu Chengsi? If that were the case, it would be bad.


    He then looked at the butler and asked, ¡°Did hee alone, or did he bring people with him?¡±


    ¡°He brought ten people with him,¡± the butler replied.


    ¡°Ten people?¡± After hearing this, General Liu pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°Invite him in. Also, gather our guards. If there is a conflict, put them under house arrest first.¡±


    ¡°General, but he¡¯s the Marquis?¡±


    ¡°So what if he¡¯s the Marquis? Once he¡¯s on our territory, even a dragon has to coil up for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The butler, though disapproving, didn¡¯t say anything more and went out to carry out the order.

 Chapter 975 - 975 Surrender

    Chapter 975: Surrender


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Zhou Ying ryed the news to Gu Chengrui.


    He immediately requested a packet of knockout powder and a crossbow. Turning to Lin Yitian beside him, he instructed, ¡°If I haven¡¯t emerged within 25 minutes, return to the medicine shop and watch over everyone.¡±


    ¡°Marquis,¡± Lin Yitian protested, ¡°let me apany you. It¡¯s too risky to go in alone.¡±


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°He¡¯ll only be off guard if I enter alone. Besides, I¡¯m not defenseless.¡± He discreetly revealed the hidden crossbow.


    ¡°Then why not seek help from the Hongyun Restaurant?¡± Lin Yitian countered.


    ¡°News of such a significant event in Qianzhou wouldn¡¯t have escaped thempletely,¡± Gu Chengrui countered. ¡°Their silence can only mean two things. Either they¡¯ve growncent, or, a possibility I hope isn¡¯t true, they¡¯ve been bribed.¡±


    ¡°The first option is preferable. If it¡¯s the second, we¡¯re in a precarious position, our lives even at stake.¡± Lin Yitian nodded solemnly. ¡°We¡¯ll ensure no one escapes the mansion and alerts anyone.¡±


    Just then, the Liu family butler hurried over. ¡°Marquis An Le, my master invites you in. Please follow me.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± Gu Chengrui acquiesced, nodding at Lin Yitian before walking in with the butler.


    Night had fallen, so the butler escorted Gu Chengrui directly to the study at the front.


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Marquis.¡± General Liu bowed deeply upon seeing him enter.


    ¡°General Liu, there¡¯s no need for such formality. Please, rise.¡± Gu Chengrui responded, stepping forward to assist him.


    Once General Liu stood upright, Gu Chengrui invited him to be seated, and tea was served.


    After dismissing the butler and attendants with a wave of his hand, General Liu finally inquired, ¡°May I ask the reason for yourte-night visit, Marquis?¡±


    Gu Chengrui smiled and produced the Emperor¡¯s token. General Liu was momentarily stunned. Recognizing the object in Gu Chengrui¡¯s hand, he immediately rose and bowed low.


    ¡°Discretion is key. Keep this under wraps,¡± Gu Chengrui interrupted.


    ¡°Understood,¡± General Liu affirmed, rising again with a sudden sense of foreboding. He nevertheless forced himself to ask, ¡°Then, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I believe you have a better grasp of the situation in Qianzhou. Today, I offer you a chance to redeem yourself. The choice remains yours,¡± Gu Chengrui dered pointedly.


    General Liu¡¯s heart lurched. He knew the jig was up. The Emperor was clearly sending a message.


    He reached for the dagger at his waist.


    Bribery was out of the question; the Gu family¡¯s wealth held no sway over them. But outright murder?


    Even ignoring the issue of winning such a fight, the Emperor would undoubtedly discover the truth within half a year.


    Escape would be futile¡ªa dead end either way. His failure to eliminate Gu Chengrui would mean his own immediate demise.


    Imprisonment wasn¡¯t an option either, not wanting to risk usations of rebellion. Such a charge could spell doom for his entire family.


    After much internal struggle, General Liu ultimately yielded.


    The best-case scenario, he reasoned, was securing his family¡¯s safety through cooperation.


    With that thought, he reluctantly withdrew his hand.

 Chapter 976 - 976 Report

    Chapter 976: Report


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    A smile spread across Gu Chengrui¡¯s face. ¡°So you agree?¡±


    ¡°This lowly official is at yourmand,¡± General Liu confirmed, cupping his fists.


    ¡°Excellent. Gather your troops and raid the residences of the magistrate, the judge, and everyone implicated in this scheme. First, imprison their families.¡±


    ¡°All the officials involved, remember that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll see to it immediately,¡± General Liu affirmed. ¡°However, what about my¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the key culprits,¡± Gu Chengrui stated frankly. ¡°While I can guarantee your family¡¯s safety, you¡¯ll have to confess about the embezzled funds. Ultimately, the Emperor will decide whether you retain your position.¡±


    General Liu understood. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll handle it right away.¡± He retrieved his official seal and wasted no time carrying out the orders.


    Gu Chengrui exhaled, a weight lifted from his shoulders. ncing at the token in his hand, he acknowledged its significance. Without it, even subduing General Liu wouldn¡¯t guarantee his cooperation.


    With newfound resolve, he rose and exited the study.


    ¡°My lord, are you alright?¡± Lin Yitian greeted him with relief.


    ¡°Everything is under control,¡± Gu Chengrui assured him. ¡°When we conduct the raidster, your men must be present to prevent any opportunistic chaos.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Please be cautious,¡± Lin Yitian cautioned.


    ¡±Don¡¯ t worry,¡± Gu Chengrui replied before turning and heading back to the medicine shop.


    Meanwhile, General Liu issued orders to mobilize his deputy and soldiers. He then proceeded to Gu Chengsi¡¯s residence, withdrawing all soldiers before surrounding the medicine shop.


    News of Gu Chengrui¡¯s arrival in Qianzhou stunned Gu Chengsi momentarily. Initial disbelief gave way to overwhelming joy. Punishing the corrupt officials would be a much smoother process with him there.


    He ryed some instructions to Mrs. Bai before rushing to the medicine shop. Upon entering, he saw the main culprits already bound. Relieved, he bowed to Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°No need for formalities. You¡¯ll assist General Liuter,¡± Gu Chengrui instructed.


    Gu Chengsi nced at him in surprise, then at General Liu. Seeing them both nod in confirmation, he finally grasped that Gu Chengrui had truly entrusted General Liu with a vital role.


    ¡°At yourmand, Lord Gu,¡± General Liu acknowledged with a cupped fist.


    Gu Chengsi nodded and followed him out. Learning about the nned raids left him shocked. He hadn¡¯t anticipated such a bold move from Gu Chengrui upon his arrival.


    Simultaneously, he understood that Gu Chengrui must have received the letter sent by his emissary.


    A wave of gratitude washed over him, as it was a rare disy of suchplete trust.


    Throughout the night that followed, Gu Chengsi apanied General Liu, working tirelessly but feeling surprisingly energized.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui borrowed writing materials from the medicine shop andposed a memorial addressed to the Emperor.


    He entrusted Zhou Ying to deliver his memorial, Gu Chengsi¡¯s, and the ount book to the Emperor.


    Their fate now rested on the Emperor¡¯s verdict. Gu Chengrui couldn¡¯t decide the punishment for so many officials at once, and a swift recement was also necessary.


    The following morning, the Emperor, returning to his study, spotted the three items on his dragon table. A surge of anger red up within him, almost causing him to faint. He meticulously examined the ount book.


    The ount book, started three years ago, revealed a pattern of increasing audacity year after year. By the end, more than half the funds allocated for repairing the embankment had been embezzled.


    The Emperor gritted his teeth in fury. However, he was also aware of the proverb, ¡°If the water is too clear, there are no fish.¡±

 Chapter 977 - 977 Intimidation

    Chapter 977: Intimidation


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor finishedposing the imperial edicts. These pronouncements exiled the bigger culprits to the remote southwest, while lesser offenders were demoted by three ranks and forced to disgorge their embezzled funds.


    Left with no choice, those demoted officials resigned themselves to their fate and returned to their homes.


    General Liu remained in a precarious position. He felt uneasy about his future, but the Emperor needed someone to maintain order in Qianzhou. With this in mind, the Emperor summoned King Xian¡¯s son after dinner.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to receive your Majesty¡¯s orders,¡± King Xian¡¯s son, known as Prince Xian, replied.


    The Emperor smiled and presented him with the two memorials¡ªGu Chengrui¡¯s and Gu Chengsi¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯d like you to take over General Liu¡¯s position in Qianzhou,¡± he exined. ¡°Of course, if you find it overwhelming, we¡¯ll find a suitable recement to relieve you.¡±


    Prince Xian, however, surprised him. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m more than willing to take on this responsibility. After all, it¡¯s a promotion of two ranks. I am truly grateful.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. In that case, General Liu will be demoted three levels. Additionally, I want you to discreetly investigate his character. If he proves to be a valuable asset, we can keep him on. Otherwise, any minor misstep can be used as an excuse to dismiss him.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Good. Pack your belongings; you¡¯ll be leaving this afternoon. Remember to bring some capable personnel with you.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, Your Majesty,¡± Prince Xian bowed in gratitude before taking his leave.


    The Emperor then continued finalizing the imperial edicts. One edict appointed Prince Xian as the new general, while another promoted Gu Chengsi to prefect of Qianzhou.


    Additionally, he selected a skilled individual from the Ministry of Works and dispatched them to Qianzhou alongside him. He also sent a contingent of secret guards to investigate the managers at Hongyun Restaurant.


    Meanwhile, in Qianzhou, Gu Chengrui had finished confiscating the stolen funds and imprisoning the corrupt officials.


    He then arranged for Zhou Ying and his children to join him, spending the next five days in the prefecture.


    Until the arrival of Prince Xian, Gu Chengrui managed the ongoing affairs.


    On their final night, after handing over their responsibilities, Gu Chengrui presented Gu Chengsi with ten thousand taels of silver.


    ¡°Taking on the prefect¡¯s duties along with the river management will be demanding,¡± he exined. ¡°This silver is for your well-being and can be used as a buffer. I trust you won¡¯t resort to any dishonest practices.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ we already owe you so much,¡± Gu Chengsi stammered. ¡°We can¡¯t possibly ept this.¡±


    ¡°Take it,¡± Gu Chengrui insisted. ¡°Your children are growing, and their expenses will increase. Use it to purchase some property. After all, you need to maintain a certain image as an official.¡±


    Before Gu Chengsi could further protest, Gu Chengrui pressed the money into his hands. ¡°We leave tomorrow. Coborate well with the Prince.¡±


    Gu Chengsi nodded in understanding. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Remember, just focus on your work. The Gu family has enough money.¡± Gu Chengrui reminded him once again.


    The following morning, the family of five set off early. Mrs. Bai, ever thoughtful, had prepared a generous amount of snacks and cooked food for their journey.


    Zhou Ying, not one for formalities, epted them readily. ¡°Thankyou,¡± she said. ¡°See you in the capital.¡±


    With that, the group embarked on their journey south.


    News of their mission, particrly in the major riverside cities, began to spread despite Qianzhou¡¯s attempts at secrecy. Local officials, particrly those who had embezzled river repair funds, scrambled to investigate and address any discrepancies preemptively. As a result, the whereabouts of Gu Chengrui and his group became an open secret.


    Upon their arrival in each city, they were invariably met by officials eager to please. Staying in inns, they readily epted invitations to the Hongyun Restaurants, where the formerly arrogant staff now catered to them with the utmost deference.


    Zhou Ying, ever cautious, would always inspect the establishments beforehand.


    Gu Chengrui, for his part, simply noted down any minor transgressions, reserving harsher punishments for more serious offenses.

 Chapter 978 - 978 Nosy Business (1)

    Chapter 978: Nosy Business (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    They had reached the heart of the South after a month of travel. One day, as they ascended Mount Liang, they overheard the locals talking about amotion in a nearby vige.


    ¡°Go check what¡¯s going on up ahead,¡± Gu Chengrui instructed Tiger.


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tiger acknowledged. He returned shortly, panting. ¡°Master, there¡¯s a girl used of premarital pregnancy. Her n is about to put her into a sinking pond.¡±


    ¡°Only the girl?¡± Gu Chengrui raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes, only the girl,¡± Tiger confirmed.


    Gu Chengrui exchanged a nce with Zhou Ying. He couldn¡¯t intervene directly without causing trouble. Zhou Ying, however, could.


    Of course, they could simply bypass the situation if they chose not to get involved. Zhou Ying understood his unspoken message.


    She quickly used her divine sense to assess the situation. A young girl, no older than sixteen, stood locked in a bamboo cage with six clips on her body. Tears streamed down her face, but there was no pleading in her eyes.


    Her parents, however, were a different story. Kneeling on the ground, they cried and begged the surrounding vigers for mercy. It seemed they only had one daughter. Losing her would destroy their entire family.


    ¡°Daddy,¡± Guoguo piped up curiously, ¡°what is a sinking pond¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Sinking pond is a barbaric custom where men and women who vite female chastity are drowned,¡± Gu Chengrui exined.


    ¡°But can¡¯t they just get married?¡± Guoguo questioned. ¡°Why kill them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s their n rules.¡±


    ¡°Then can¡¯t we save them?¡±


    Gu Chengrui pondered. ¡°Are you sure you want to interfere? You¡¯d be taking on the karmic burden. If the n forbids their marriage, how would you handle it?¡±


    Looking at Guoguo¡¯s distressed expression and the parents¡¯ tearful pleas, Zhou Ying made a decision. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look. If they deserve saving, I will.¡±


    She disembarked from the carriage and called for two guards to apany her.


    As she approached, she saw them preparing to drown the girl. Zhou Ying stepped forward, feigning confusion. ¡°This is strange. Shouldn¡¯t there be two people? Why is just one being punished? Are you attempting murder?¡±


    Everyone turned to stare at her, bewildered by her words. Yet, they sensed an air of authority about her, which filled them with unease.


    A white-haired elder waved his hand dismissively, muttering a few iprehensible words.


    Before Zhou Ying could ask for rification, the girl¡¯s parents rushed towards her and kowtowed repeatedly. ¡°Please, have mercy! She was a victim, not a willing participant!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! This is a n matter; none of your business!¡± the elder retorted.


    ¡°Are you trying to distort the truth?¡± Zhou Ying countered.


    ¡°Silence!¡± The elder roared.


    Zhou Ying interrupted, her voice firm. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m taking charge. Release her immediately, or face the consequences of attempted murder.¡±


    At hermand, the two guards moved to intervene and prevent the bamboo cage from being submerged.


    A schrly-looking man stepped forward, cupping his fists in respect. ¡°May I inquire, madam, who you are? This is a matter of our n¡¯s tradition. Please don¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°Do the n¡¯s rules supersede thew?¡± Zhou Ying challenged.


    ¡°But this custom has been passed down for generations,¡± the schr stammered, surprised by her audacity.

 Chapter 979 - 979 Nosy Business (2)

    Chapter 979: Nosy Business (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°So, in your eyes, the n rules hold more weight than thew?¡± Zhou Ying pressed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare suggest that,¡± the schr stammered, bowing deeply.


    ¡°Enough with the pretense! This is Wang n territory, and I have the final say,¡± The n leader boomed, striding forward.


    The schr¡¯s brow furrowed into a cold sweat. If Zhou Ying meant trouble, they could be used of rebellion at worst, or disrespect at best.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a citizen of Great Ming, are you?¡± Zhou Ying inquired coolly, waving her hand.


    Gu Chengrui, who had been observing the scene, promptly dispatched Lin Yitian and his men.


    The n leader¡¯s face contorted upon seeing the armed men approach. ¡°Who are you? Why interfere?¡±


    ¡°Is saving a life considered meddling?¡± Zhou Ying countered. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the Retired Emperor¡¯s decree, or the current Emperor¡¯s edict to increase the poption at all costs? It¡¯s been in ce for years!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhou Ying scoffed, then produced her jade token. ¡°Perhaps you haven¡¯t heard of me. I am a second-rank imperial envoy. Do you think I have the authority to intervene?¡±


    The schr stepped forward, stole a nce at the token, and immediately fell to his knees.


    The n leader, upon hearing this, trembled and followed suit. Marquis An Le¡¯s name resonated throughout thend¡ªnot just for being the Empress¡¯ cousin and Princess Ping Yang¡¯s son, but for his remarkable aplishments over the years.


    Regret gnawed at the leader; if he¡¯d known their status, he wouldn¡¯t have dared provoke them.


    Though most vigers remained confused, witnessing the jade token and the patriarch¡¯s reaction prompted them to kneel as well.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t allow them to rise immediately. Instead, she instructed someone to fetch the girl from the brink of the pond.


    Once brought over, Zhou Ying addressed the girl directly in the local dialect. ¡°Did you trulymit premarital rtions?¡±


    Shamefaced, the girl nodded in response.


    ¡°Who is the father of the child?¡±


    The girl bit her lip, refusing to answer.


    ¡°Foolish child!¡± Her parents interjected desperately. ¡°Tell her! Tell her so the noblewoman can help us!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, who is that scoundrel?¡± someone else yelled.


    Still, the girl shook her head, remaining silent.


    ¡°Is she mute?¡± Zhou Ying inquired.


    ¡°No, no, not at all! My daughter is just a bit shy,¡± the girl¡¯s mother stammered repeatedly.


    ¡°I understand she¡¯s your only daughter,¡± Zhou Ying said.


    ¡°Yes, and I nearly bled to death during childbirth. I couldn¡¯t conceive any more children after that. Please, save our daughter! We have no one else if we lose her.¡±


    ¡°This madam has a kind heart,¡± an onlooker remarked. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you raise a more obedient daughter? Look at her, protecting her lover at the cost of her own parents¡¯ well-being. If she¡¯s so set on dying with him, why trouble yourselves and ask for help? You might as well follow her!¡±


    ¡°A wasted infatuation, indeed,¡± Zhou Ying added with a shake of her head. ¡°Perhaps your lover is even celebrating his freedom right now.¡±


    The vigers, though confused by her fluent localnguage, were surprised by her sudden shift.


    Hadn¡¯t shee to save them? Why was she advocating for their demise?


    However, a few sharper minds understood¡ªshe was trying to provoke the girl into speaking the truth.


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not like that.¡± The girl finally opened her mouth to defend this statement.

 Chapter 980 - 980 Nosy Business (3)

    Chapter 980: Nosy Business (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°So, for this so-called love, you¡¯re willing to abandon your parents? Isn¡¯t that unfilial? Have you ever considered how they¡¯ll survive after you¡¯re gone?¡± Zhou Ying¡¯s words resonated with the crowd, particrly the parents. Several kind- hearted vigers began urging the girl to reconsider.


    The schr, the n leader¡¯s son, grew increasingly nervous. His gaze remained fixed on the girl, fearing her potential confession.


    Sensing his apprehension, the girl¡¯s father joined the pleas, tears streaming down his face.


    Finally, the girl raised her head to look at Zhou Ying. However, her eyes met the schr¡¯s nervous stare, filled with sweat.


    Zhou Ying followed her line of sight, spotting the nervous schr. In a swift movement, she grabbed his cor and kicked his leg, sending him sprawling in front of the girl.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Madam?¡± The n leader demanded, rushing forward.


    Lin Yifan and his men immediately formed a protective circle around Zhou Ying.


    With a feigned smile, Zhou Ying turned to the leader. ¡°You know better than me, don¡¯t you? Do you truly want me to expose everything?¡±


    The n leader froze, realizing the jig was up. He mumbled incoherently before falling silent.


    Understanding dawned on everyone, and murmurs of discussion erupted.


    Fueled by newfound rity, the girl¡¯s father lunged at the schr and rained blows upon him. ¡°You little scoundrel! You took advantage of my daughter and dare to deny it?¡±


    ¡°No wonder you and your father pushed for the n to drown Xiu Xiu after the truth came out!¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not like that!¡± The schr scrambled to defend himself.


    The n leader, however, intervened, silencing him. ¡°Enough! You make it sound like your daughter is meless. If not for her seducing my son, how else could she be pregnant?¡±


    ¡°So, if a woman can get pregnant on her own, what¡¯s the point of having men?¡± Zhou Ying scoffed.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The n leader began but was interrupted by the schr¡¯s desperate plea.


    ¡°Father, please stop talking! I will marry Xiu Xiu!¡±


    ¡°I refuse to consent.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s follow your n¡¯s rules and drown both of them. After all, we¡¯re both here,¡± Zhou Ying dered.


    This silenced everyone.


    The girl, on her knees, crawled toward Zhou Ying. ¡°Madam, I don¡¯t want to marry him. I¡¯m willing to sell myself. Please take me in.¡±


    ¡°Xiu Xiu!¡± her father cried out in panic.


    ¡°Father, a forced marriage is a life of misery,¡± the girl turned and said. ¡°Besides, the n leader and his wife don¡¯t like me.


    ¡°Even if a noblewoman intercedes, I fear my future wouldn¡¯t be bright. I might even lose my life. I don¡¯t dare take that risk.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± the girl¡¯s father stammered, looking at her stomach with worry.


    The schr made a move to approach the girl, but the n leader held him back. His son had a promising future as an official, so marrying a poor, illiterate peasant girl was out of the question. Concubines were even forbidden, and a firstborn son from such a union would make his son¡¯s future marriage prospects bleak.


    ¡°I beg the noblewoman to take this servant in,¡± the girl pleaded, kowtowing again.


    Zhou Ying hesitated, not providing an immediate answer. Instead, she addressed the girl¡¯s parents. ¡°Are you two willing to sell your property and leave with me?¡±


    The girl¡¯s father clearly struggled with this proposition.


    Unexpectedly, the girl¡¯s mother stood up. ¡°Madam, thismoner is willing to follow you.¡±


    Turning to her husband, she continued, ¡°I know you¡¯re in a difficult position. I feel terrible that I haven¡¯t been able to give you a son all these years. Why don¡¯t we get a divorce? You can remarry and fulfill your desire for a son.¡±

 Chapter 981 - 981 Ascending the Mountain

    Chapter 981: Ascending the Mountain


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°The girl¡¯s father was speechless, overwhelmed by the sudden decision.


    Zhou Ying, sensing his hesitation, offered a solution. ¡®We¡¯ll be spending two days up in the mountains. Take that time to consider your answer. If you choose to leave, bring your household registry. Otherwise, you¡¯re free to do as you wish. However, this barbaric practice of drowning must cease. It¡¯s tant murder.''¡±


    With those words, she signaled to Gu Chengrui. After the carriage arrived, they rejoined the group and ascended the nearby mountain.


    Once a significant distance separated them from the vige, the crowd dispersed.


    The n leader red at the girl¡¯s family of three before flicking his sleeves and storming off with his son.


    Witnessing their departure, the girl¡¯s father¡¯s heart sank. He understood that they were destined to be enemies without a marriage alliance. Perhaps leaving wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all.


    On that note, the family began making preparations.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying¡¯s group reached a t area after their climb. They set up three tents, establishing a temporary camp.


    After lunch, Gu Chengrui addressed Zhou Ying. ¡°Babe, why don¡¯t you let Third Fatty rest for a while? I¡¯d like to take Guoguo and Chenchen on a trek in the mountains. They can practice their skills.¡±


    Zhou Ying considered this for a moment, observing Third Fatty, who was drifting off to sleep. Finally, she agreed. ¡°Alright, but be cautious. The southern mountains are teeming with poisonous snakes and insects.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯vee prepared with plenty of insect repellent. You take care as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Once they departed, Third Fatty fell fast asleep. Taking precautions, Zhou Ying ced him in a sleeping bag. While a little stuffy, it ensured his safety.


    Exiting the tent, she surveyed the surrounding area, addressing Tiger and the others who seemed idle. ¡°Why not explore yourselves? Just stay nearby.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, Mistress. We¡¯re a bit tired and require some rest,¡± Tiger declined.


    He understood the potential dangers lurking in the deep mountains. He¡¯d never dare leave Zhou Ying and Third Fatty alone. After all these years under their care, the thought of failing to protect them in a critical moment was unbearable.


    Seeing his resolve, Zhou Ying didn¡¯t press the issue. Instead, she positioned herself on a nearby peak and extended her divine sense, scanning the surroundings.


    The southern mountains boasted greater height and density, resulting in a richer ecosystem. This included a variety of medicinal herbs, mushrooms, and more.


    To her surprise, she discovered tigers, leopards, and even wolves inhabiting these mountains. Fortunately, they were far removed from their current location, residing deep within the mountain range.


    Uninterested in disturbing them, she focused on collecting precious herbs, mushrooms, and trees and storing them within her interspace. This included rare, high-grade medicinal herbs typically found only in the deep mountains, like ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, Chinese knotweed, treme, and Tianqi. She even stumbled upon a vast area teeming with Kudzu Root and Wormgrass.


    But her greatest delight came from discovering arge amount of wild honey.


    Finally, she cast an overview over the entire mountain range. Despite the nearing winter, the southern mountains disyed a vibrant spirit. Certain areas were even adorned with colorful wildflowers. Selecting some particrly beautiful blooms, she added them to her collection within her interspace.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui led his two children, Lin Yitian, and five others on their trek.


    After securing their leggings and applying generous amounts of insect repellent, they ventured deep into the mountains.


    Initially, Lin Yitian worried about the children¡¯s ability to keep pace. However, he was surprised by their agility, easily outpacing the adults despite their small stature.


    Guoguo, in particr, seemed to be in her element, exploring the mountain with boundless enthusiasm.


    In just a short while, they had disappeared into the dense foliage.

 Chapter 982: 982 The Fledgling Flying (1)

    Chapter 982: 982 The Fledgling Flying (1)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The intoxicating aroma of the monkey wine was enough to make one drunk just by smelling it. Coupled with its amber color, it was an irresistible temptation.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t take advantage of them. She gave them about 20,000 pounds of various fruits in exchange for 500 pounds of monkey wine.<div>


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui led his two children, Lin Yitian, and five others on their trek.


    After securing their leggings and applying generous amounts of insect repellent, they ventured deep into the mountains.


    Lin Yitian initially worried about the children¡¯s ability to keep pace. However, despite their small size, they bounced and skipped along, even faster than the adults.


    Especially Guoguo, who acted as if she had entered her own backyard the moment she entered the mountains. She yed carefree and happily, quickly leaving them behind in the dust.


    ¡°Guoguo, don¡¯t run too far!¡± Gu Chengrui called out hurriedly.


    ¡°Got it, Daddy! I won¡¯t go too far from you guys,¡± Guoguo shouted back without turning her head.


    At the same time, she picked medicinal herbs and wildflowers along the way and even found some wild vegetables.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui wasn¡¯t worried about her. Although Guoguo was only at the fifth stage of her cultivation training, she now had a certain range of spiritual awareness. She could still handle it as long as it wasn¡¯t arge predator like a tiger or a bear.


    Chenchen, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t interested in flowers and nts. As soon as he entered the mountains, he used his specially made crossbow to hunt for prey, not even sparing the small birds in the trees.


    Gu Chengrui noticed this and stopped him. ¡°If you want to hunt, go for wild chickens or rabbits. There¡¯s no point in killing small birds that aren¡¯t edible. It¡¯s better to let them live in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, okay, Daddy,¡± Chenchen chuckled, then started picking and choosing what to shoot.<div>


    He looked up just in time to see a flock of geese flying overhead. He immediately nocked an arrow and fired.


    A mournful cry followed, and one goosended not far away, pping its wings a few times before going limp.


    Lin Yitian eximed in surprise, ¡°Eldest Young Master, good archery! You can practically shoot through a willow leaf at a hundred paces!¡±


    ¡°Just average,¡± Chenchen scratched his head and grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite modest, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Chengrui said as he tapped Chenchen¡¯s head jokingly.


    Realizing his father¡¯s yful tone, Chenchen didn¡¯t argue back. Instead, he ran over to pick up the goose. Just as he reached the vicinity, he saw a venomous snake, about as thick as his arm, slithering toward the goose.


    The snake saw him approaching and immediately turned its head to attack.


    Chenchen was startled.


    Gu Chengrui saw him stop and immediately ran over. He saw the snakeunching itself at Chenchen, and his heart lurched. Just as he was about to step forward, Chenchen suddenly swung the crossbow in his hand, smashing it directly onto the snake¡¯s head and sending it flying to the side.


    He then quickly took a few steps back.


    At the same time, Gu Chengrui ran up and threw the dagger in his hand, hitting the snake¡¯s vital point. The venomous snake was instantly pinned to the ground, writhing and struggling for a while before finally dying.<div>


    Gu Chengrui sighed in relief. ¡°Remember, you have to hit a snake at its seven inches; otherwise, it¡¯s very difficult to kill it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Chenchen mumbled, a low response.


    Gu Chengrui then turned to him and asked, ¡°Scared?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve just never seen such a big snake before,¡± Chenchen insisted stubbornly.


    However, his still-tense body betrayed his fear.


    Gu Chengrui hugged him up and patted his bottom. ¡°Snakes are much easier to deal with than big dogs if you aim for their seven inches.¡±


    Chenchen nodded, but still didn¡¯t dare to look at the snake. Gu Chengrui didn¡¯t force him any further.


    He instructed Lin Yifan and the others to pick up the snake and the goose, and the group quickly ran toward Guoguo.

 Chapter 983: 983 The Fledgling Flying (2)

    Chapter 983: 983 The Fledgling Flying (2)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    At that moment, Guoguo stood defiantly, clutching a short sword, facing down a wild boar. Neither dared to make the first move, but neither wanted to back down.


    Themotion from Gu Chengrui¡¯s group reaching their location startled them both, particrly the boar. It let out a frustrated grunt and took two menacing steps back. Then, with a lowered head, it charged aggressively at Guoguo.<div>


    Panic surged through Guoguo, but she reacted quickly, swinging her sword and shing diagonally at the boar¡¯s head as she dodged to the side. The impact severed half of one of the boar¡¯s tusks.


    Enraged by the attack, the wild boar let out a shriek and pivoted to charge again. Guoguo met its turn with another swing of her sword, this time leaving a deep gash on its body, drawing blood. The boar¡¯s fury intensified and charged at her even more ferociously.


    Just then, Gu Chengrui and his men arrived on the scene. Witnessing the confrontation, Lin Yitian instinctively raised his sword and rushed forward.


    ¡°Guoguo!¡± Gu Chengrui called out, raising his hand to halt Lin Yitian. ¡°Aim for its eyes! Then, mount it and strike its head!¡±


    Following his instruction, Lin Yitian and the others grasped their swords, surrounding the area, ready to intervene if necessary.


    Guoguo, despite her experience sparring with guards in the residence, hadn¡¯t faced realbat before. However, her father¡¯s words instilled a surge of confidence in her.


    Hearing his instructions, she jabbed the boar¡¯s head with the sword, then sprinted towards a nearby tree. She flipped onto the boar¡¯s back with practiced agility, attempting to ride it like a horse.


    Unlike a horse, the wild boar reacted violently to her presence, bucking wildly to dislodge her. Startled, Guoguo clung desperately to one of its tusks.


    Seizing the opportunity, she hacked at its head repeatedly. Despite already having a deep gash and a split nose, the enraged boar mmed its body against the tree, trying to throw her off.


    Terror etched itself into Guoguo¡¯s face. Reacting quickly, Gu Chengrui yelled, ¡°Eyes!¡±


    The urgency in his voice jolted Guoguo out of her fear. Dropping the sword, she swung her fist and connected with the boar¡¯s eye. This blow,bined with the previous sword wound, ruptured the boar¡¯s brain, eliciting a final squeal of pain.<div>


    Simultaneously, Guoguo kicked off the tree and attempted to stand clear of the boar. However, the sudden movement caused her to stumble and fall.


    Gu Chengrui rushed forward, scooping her up and gently lowering her to the ground.


    The wild boar, its struggles ceasing, lurched forward two steps before copsing with a heavy thud.


    Suddenly, a round of apuse erupted. Chenchen, filled with admiration, raced towards his sister. ¡°Sister, you were amazing!¡±


    Guoguo managed a weak smile in return. But soon, the adrenaline subsided, and her legs gave way, sending her to the ground.


    Mounting his horse, Gu Chengrui urgently inquired, ¡°How are you? Are you injured?¡±


    ¡°Just a scratch on my leg,¡± Guoguo responded, pointing to her right leg where she¡¯d been grazed by a branch while dodging the boar¡¯s collision with the tree.


    Relief washed over Gu Chengrui upon confirming it was a minor wound. ¡°Take the boar and head back immediately,¡± he instructed Lin Yitian and the others.


    Turning to Guoguo, he asked, ¡°Think you can walk?¡±


    ¡°My legs are a little wobbly,¡± Guoguo admitted with a weak smile, ¡°I might need a moment.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 984 - 984 The Fledgling Flying (3)

    Chapter 984: The Fledgling Flying (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°It¡¯s alright; there¡¯s no need to be embarrassed,¡± Gu Chengrui reassured her. He crouched down beside her. ¡°Come up; I¡¯ll carry you for a while. We need to leave this area quickly. We wouldn¡¯t want to attract any wild beasts if we stay too long.¡±


    Guoguo readily climbed onto his back.


    They set off at a brisk pace, Chenchen trailing behind with Guoguo¡¯s cloth bag full of medicinal herbs.


    By the time they reached camp, the sun was dipping towards the horizon. Tiger and the others had already gathered a substantial pile of firewood.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Ying had taken Third Fatty into the mountains to forage for wild vegetables and edible greens. Unfortunately, the season wasn¡¯t ideal, and she wasn¡¯t able to find anything. She resorted to retrieving a few radishes and Cherokee Rose Fruit from their interspace, leaving only the tender middles for Third Fatty to munch on during their return trip.


    Third Fatty was yfully upied with a sparrow whose legs were bound.


    As they approached the camp, Gu Chengrui and his group arrived. Zhou Ying noticed they wereden with small prey and a hefty wild boar. She greeted them, ¡°Well done; you¡¯ve brought back quite a haul! We won¡¯t be able to finish all this.¡±


    ¡°Mummy, Mummy, look! I caught the wild chicken and the hare! Here¡¯s also a goose!¡± Chenchen rushed forward, eager to im credit.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhou Ying ruffled his hair with a smile.


    Then, she spotted Guoguo trailing behind everyone, looking listless. Most concerning were her messy hair and torn clothes. Zhou Ying hurried over and asked, ¡°Guoguo, what happened? Are you injured?¡±


    ¡°Just a scratch on her leg, but she managed to take down a wild boar. Here, let me help her with her wound,¡± Gu Chengrui exined as he carried her towards their tent.


    Learning that Guoguo had killed a wild boar, Zhou Ying was momentarily stunned. She turned to Chenchen for confirmation. After understanding the situation, she decided not to press the issue. The path of cultivation was fraught with dangers, and Guoguo needed to adapt quickly.


    ¡°Chenchen,¡± Zhou Ying instructed, ¡°keep an eye on Third Fatty. Don¡¯t stray too far. Mummy needs to start cooking.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I want to eat the goose I caught!¡±


    ¡°Alright, just watch over Third Fatty,¡± Zhou Ying reminded him before turning her attention to the bounty on the ground. Seeing the snake and wild boar, she decided to make a pot of dragon and phoenix soup.


    The remaining goose and hare would be roasted beggar-chicken style forter. As for the wild boar¡­


    Zhou Ying addressed Lin Yitian and the others. ¡°There¡¯s a stream nearby. Take all the prey there and clean them. Discard the fur and entrails; we just need the meat.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mistress,¡± Lin Yitian acknowledged for the group. Tiger and the others offered to take over the task and carried the prey towards the stream.


    With everyone upied, Zhou Ying started preparing the lotus leaves, mud, and seasonings for cooking.


    Once they returned, dinner was served. She had cleaned and chopped the radishes and Cherokee Rose Fruit for a pickled side dish alongside arge bowl of dragon and phoenix soup. Thest dish was roasted meat, but they didn¡¯t cook all the pheasants and rabbits.


    Instead, Zhou Ying sliced pork ribs and some streaky pork, skewered them, and roasted them over the fire.


    After dinner, she marinated the remaining pork to preserve it as dried food.


    Over the next two days, they ventured into the mountains again. The focus remained on training Guoguo and Chenchen. However, this time, they didn¡¯t resort to excessive hunting.


    Instead, Gu Chengrui stayed on the sidelines, guiding Guoguo and Chenchen as they battled the beasts. Of course, he and the others would intervene if they encountered genuine danger.


    Meanwhile, besides caring for Third Fatty, Zhou Ying took full advantage of the opportunity to harvest a significant amount of high-quality wild medicinal herbs.

 Chapter 985 - 985 The Choice

    Chapter 985: The Choice


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Two dayster, after both brother and sister sessfully defeated a tiger together, the group finally departed from the mountains.


    ¡°Daddy, can¡¯t we stay for another two days?¡± Chenchen turned back to gaze at the sprawling mountain range, a reluctant plea in his voice.


    He felt cultivation progressed much faster in the mountainspared to elsewhere. Plus, there were no bothersome cultural studies to contend with.


    ¡°There will be many opportunities for training in the future,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°But our time is limited right now. Perhaps we can discuss it next time.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, there are plenty of chances to practice,¡± Zhou Ying echoed. ¡°But listen to your body. It wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to exhaust yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Who¡¯s the one whoins about being tired every day?¡± Guoguo teased yfully.


    Seeing the decision was final, Chenchen grumbled but followed everyone towards the vige nestled within the mountains.


    By the time they arrived, darkness hadpletely nketed the sky. The group approached the vige chief, requesting an empty house and setting up their tent for the night.


    The next morning, everyone packed up the carriage and set off. They picked up the girl¡¯s family along the way before returning to the county town.


    Upon reaching the town, they checked into an inn for a well-deserved rest. After freshening up, Zhou Ying prepared some things in their room.


    The following afternoon, Zhou Ying went to the next room to find Xiuxiu and her mother. ¡°I have three options to present to you,¡± she began.


    ¡°The first is to sign a contract with us and then find work in a nearby vige or shop.¡±


    ¡°The second option is toe directly to the manor and be long-term workers.¡±


    ¡°The third option is for you and your family to strike out on your own. This would allow Xiuxiu to start anew as a widow.¡±


    ¡°Where is this long-term worker position located? In the capital?¡± Xiuxiu¡¯s mother inquired after a moment of deliberation.


    With Xiuxiu now having a child, regardless of gender, the child would be considered their grandchild. Frankly, she didn¡¯t want Xiuxiu to be a helpless servant for the rest of her life.


    Therefore, she wasn¡¯t keen on signing a contract if given a choice. However, settling elsewhere would likely result in further bullying due to their small family size. Ideally, they¡¯d havend to work on long-term, where everyone held the same status and wouldn¡¯t be looked down upon.


    ¡°It¡¯s in a neighboring county,¡± Zhou Ying rified, shaking her head. ¡°The area primarily produces aloe vera.¡±


    Xiuxiu¡¯s mother lit up upon hearing this. She¡¯d heard about this vige. The word on the street was that long-term workers there received good food and earned double the wages in other ces. Additionally, the proximity was a plus. ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with the head of my family and get back to you tonight, alright?¡± she replied.


    ¡°Just let me know before we leave tomorrow morning,¡± Zhou Ying instructed before taking her leave.


    Everyone enjoyed a restful night¡¯s sleep.


    The next morning, Xiuxiu and her family ultimately decided to ept the long-term worker position at the manor in the neighboring county.


    The group rerouted their journey slightly for Xiuxiu¡¯s family, including a brief patrol of the manor to confirm its safety before continuing their journey.


    Two monthster, Gu Chengrui began experiencing episodes of vomiting blood. He ventured into the interspace for a checkup and discovered that, despite his seemingly robust exterior, his body felt like a flimsy construction, liable to crumble at any moment.


    Gu Chengrui presented the results of his examination to Zhou Ying. ¡°Babe,¡± he spoke, his voice heavy, ¡°let¡¯s return to our hometown and bid farewell to the patriarch.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Ying replied with a heavy heart. ¡°We¡¯ll send a letter to Father and Second Uncle in the capital. Let¡¯s spend a happy New Year¡¯s back home.¡± She knew this day was inevitable, and she¡¯d prepared herself mentally. Yet, at that moment, a wave of sadness washed over her.

 Chapter 986: 986 Preparing a Backdoor (1)

    Chapter 986: 986 Preparing a Backdoor (1)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad,¡± he murmured. ¡°I haven¡¯t changed. These challenges are just something we have to face eventually.¡±


    Zhou Ying nodded, burying her face in his embrace and holding on tightly.


    The next morning, Lin Yitian approached Gu Chengrui, concern etched on his face. ¡°Marquis, how are you feeling today? Should we consult a doctor?¡±<div>


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Gu Chengrui replied with a smile, patting Lin Yitian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s just an old ailment. I¡¯ll be alright once I return home and rest.¡±


    ¡°Remember, if you feel any difort, speak up immediately. If need be, we can take a boat back to the capital. Most importantly, prioritize your health upon your return.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the offer,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s take a boat. I¡¯d prefer to return directly to our hometown. Guoguo and the others haven¡¯t gone back yet, either.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Lin Yitian acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯ll get everything arranged right away.¡±


    Gu Chengrui then prescribed himself some medication. It served two purposes: firstly, to slow the deterioration of his body, and secondly, to prevent anyone from suspecting anything amiss.


    That night, the group rented a boat and hurriedly embarked on their return journey. However, their progress was halted midway due to frozen river conditions, forcing them to switch to a carriage.


    During the journey, Zhou Ying presented an idea. ¡°Rui,¡± she began, ¡°why don¡¯t we purchase arge ship under the guise of a seafaring adventure? It would serve two purposes.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, it would deter the He family from making things difficult for Gu Wanning and the others. Secondly, it would provide Guoguo and the others with a safe haven if they ever needed to retreat or train.¡±


    ¡°What are you two whispering about?¡± Guoguo chimed in, momentarily diverting her attention from the building blocks she was ying with Third Fatty. Even Chenchen, engrossed in hisic book, looked up curiously.


    Gu Chengrui peeked outside, ensuring no one was in earshot, before whispering, ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t be surprised by what you¡¯re about to hear, alright?¡±


    The siblings exchanged nces and nodded solemnly. ¡°We can keep a secret.¡±


    Satisfied, Gu Chengrui beckoned them closer. Zhou Ying took Guoguo¡¯s ce, joining Third Fatty in their ytime as she subtly extended her divine sense outward, remaining vignt for any potential leaks.<div>


    This time, Gu Chengrui chose not to sugarcoat their past. He revealed their true identities and his experiences as a transmigrator.


    Surprisingly, the news didn¡¯t faze the siblings. After all, the concepts of interspace and cultivation were already familiar to them. Their surprise stemmed from the revtion of the couple¡¯s transmigration.


    Curiosity sparking within her, Guoguo asked, ¡°Tell me about the modern world! Is it very different from the Great Ming?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different,¡± Gu Chengrui began, finally ready to share everything. Heunched into a detailed exnation of modern life.


    ¡°So, all your skills and knowledge came from the modern world?¡± Guoguo asked, a hint of astonishment in her voice.


    ¡°Yeap,¡± Gu Chengrui confirmed. ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t have amounted to anything without our hard work in this world. Even with modern knowledge, we wouldn¡¯t have achieved sess if we didn¡¯t adapt and apply it here.¡±


    Guoguo couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of longing.


    Chenchen, ever the curious one, piped up, ¡°Daddy, did you say there are guns you mentioned in the warehouse? What about airnes and tanks?¡±


    Gu Chengrui chuckled. ¡°There are drones, but actual airnes are out of reach for now. We¡¯d need a pilot¡¯s license to operate one, anyway. Guns and tanks are restricted items, not avable for civilian purchase.


    ¡°If you¡¯re ever curious about them, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to wait until your mother and I regain our true selves, or perhaps until you cultivate to the level of immortals.¡±

 Chapter 987: 987 Preparing a Backdoor (2)

    Chapter 987: 987 Preparing a Backdoor (2)<div>


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Oh,¡± Chenchen acknowledged with a disappointed sigh. His curiosity then shifted to other aspects of the modern world, asking about martial arts, food, clothing, and more.


    Five dayster, on the afternoon of the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, the group arrived in town. However, apprehensive about the inconvenience of cooking at home, Zhou Ying decided to take everyone to Grasnd Taste Restaurant.


    Zhao Cheng, recently promoted to manager, was speechless upon their arrival. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. ¡°My Lord, Madam, when did you return? Why wasn¡¯t there any word sent in advance?¡±<div>


    ¡°Just a surprise visit,¡± Zhou Ying replied after settling down with Third Fatty nestled in her arms. ¡°How¡¯s everyone doing? Are all well?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s wonderful! Those who were ready to marry have found spouses, and even one of the apprentices has be a chef,¡± Zhao Cheng reported enthusiastically as he ushered everyone to their seats.


    Momentster, a waiter arrived with tea for the group. Finally, he inquired, ¡°By the way, have you all eaten yet? Just let me know what you¡¯d like, and I¡¯ll arrange for the kitchen to prepare it.¡±


    ¡°You can help us decide,¡± Zhou Ying replied. ¡°It¡¯s quite chilly today. Perhaps some soup and a hearty staple dish would be perfect.¡±


    ¡°Excellent timing, actually,¡± Zhao Cheng responded. ¡°We¡¯ve just made a delicious mutton offal soup. Would everyone like a bowl? We can also prepare some tbread and side dishes.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. However, prepare some beef noodles for the three children.


    They might not be ustomed to eating mutton offal.¡±


    ¡°Beef noodles it is, then. Why don¡¯t you all have some water first? I¡¯ll head back and get everything arranged.¡± With that, Zhao Cheng hurried off to the kitchen. Gazing around the establishment, Gu Chengrui remarked, ¡°This ce wasst renovated while we were still here. It looks like it¡¯s due for another one.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Zhou Ying concurred. ¡°Perhaps we can discuss it during the spring off-season.¡±


    Turning to Lin Yitian and the others, Gu Chengrui asked, ¡°Is there anything in particr you¡¯d like to eat? The menu here is quite simr to those found in the capital.¡±


    ¡°Themb offal soup sounds excellent,¡± Lin Yitian replied. ¡°Dinner shouldn¡¯t be too far off, anyway.¡±


    Suddenly, Third Fatty interjected with a shout, ¡°Pee!¡±<div>


    ¡°Me too!¡± Chenchen quickly chimed in.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Gu Chengrui chuckled. ¡°Go wash your hands while you¡¯re at it.¡± After these words, he picked up Third Fatty and greeted Lin Yitian and the others before leading everyone towards the back.


    Observing Guoguo¡¯s listless demeanor, Zhou Ying inquired with concern, ¡°Are you tired? Didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night?¡±


    ¡°A little sleepy,¡± Guoguo mumbled. ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep very soundly.¡±


    ¡°Just hang in there a little longer,¡± Zhou Ying soothed. ¡°We¡¯ll head home and get you to bed after dinner.¡±


    As if on cue, Zhao Cheng emerged with two waiters, each carrying six tes overflowing with snacks.


    ¡°Madam, is there anything else you might like?¡± Zhao Cheng approached them to inquire.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s all for now. By the way, will the restaurant be closed tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, with the New Year approaching, we¡¯ll be closing for a holiday starting the day after tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s an idea,¡± Zhou Ying proposed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we stay open until noon tomorrow and gather everyone for a celebratory dinner tomorrow night?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful idea! There are many new faces in the restaurant now who haven¡¯t had the pleasure of meeting you both. It would be a great opportunity for everyone to get acquainted.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave the arrangements to you,¡± Zhou Ying said. ¡°As for the meal, how about a hotpot? It¡¯s a perfect way to warm up on a cold evening.¡±


    ¡°Noted on that,¡± Zhao Cheng acknowledged before returning to the kitchen to handle the preparations.<div>


    Everyone then made their way back to the front, with Zhao Cheng giving a brief nod before disappearing into the kitchen.


    Later, Zhou Ying apanied Guoguo to the restrooms. Upon their return, the group enjoyed a warm and satisfying meal together.


    Following the meal, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui settled the bill, and the group set off for their vige, but not before making arrangements for Lin Yitian and the others to stay in a manor.

 Chapter 988 - 988 Returning to the Village

    Chapter 988: Returning to the Vige


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Even before entering the vige, the tantalizing aroma of cooking meat wafted through the air, sending their senses into overdrive.


    ¡°Mmm, that smells delicious!¡± Chenchen poked his head out of the carriage window. ¡°Whose beef stew is that?¡±


    ¡°You little glutton,¡± Zhou Ying yfully swatted his head. ¡°You haven¡¯t even finished the beef you had earlier.¡±


    ¡°But this one smells even better!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry again, we¡¯ll cook something tonight. Now sit back down properly.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I want lobster!¡± Guoguo suddenly chimed in.


    ¡°Eat!¡± Third Fatty raised his hand excitedly.


    His big, round eyes fixated on Gu Chengrui, a trail of drool escaping the corner of his tiny mouth. He looked utterly adorable and undeniably eager.


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Gu Chengrui chuckled, wrapping his cloak tighter around him. ¡°Tell me, what would you like to eat?¡±


    ¡°Leg, big leg,¡± Third Fatty dered.


    ¡°Chicken drumstick, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Chicken drumstick!¡± Third Fatty confirmed with a vigorous nod.


    ¡°You three certainly know how to order! Three dishes in one go? Are you trying to wear me out?¡± Zhou Ying interjected, fatigue catching up with her after days of travel. Cooking was thest thing she craved.


    ¡°Here¡¯s apromise,¡± Gu Chengrui suggested. ¡°We¡¯ll hold off on the lobster for Guoguo and enjoy it tomorrow afternoon. Tonight, we can have a simple meal of fried steak and braised chicken drumsticks.¡±


    Guoguo hesitated for a moment, stealing a disgruntled nce at her younger siblings before conceding, ¡°Alright, but you definitely have to make it tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promise,¡± Zhou Ying echoed, relieved.


    Upon entering the vige, they found it mostly deserted, save for a few children ying in the street. Naturally, the children didn¡¯t recognize them. However, their curiosity piqued at the sight of the unfamiliar carriage, prompting them to follow it for a short distance before scattering.


    Emerging from the carriage, Guoguo surveyed their dpidated mud house with disbelief. She turned to Gu Chengrui and blurted, ¡°Dad, is this really our old house? It seems¡­ a bit shabby.¡±


    ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Chengrui admitted. ¡°I never bothered selling it since I didn¡¯t see a need. But hey, at least there¡¯s a brick bed inside, which makes it somewhatfortable.¡±


    With that, Gu Chengrui disembarked from the carriage, opened the door, and led the horse inside.


    Seeing the open door, Zhou Ying ushered Guoguo and Chenchen into the house. Surprisingly, the interior wasn¡¯t particrly cold, and it seemed rtively clean. She knew Qiu Niang, their neighbor, had likely helped tidy it up.


    Gu Chengrui briskly straightened up the ce before heading to the kitchen. The stove was still warm, so he promptly opened it and tossed in some firewood, intending to get a fire going.


    Next, he returned to the interspace to boil two pots of hot water. He grabbed a new basin and towel, and went back to the room to clean up the three children.


    Refreshed, the children shed their coats and happily upied themselves by ying on the brick bed. Meanwhile, the couple settled down at the square table, sipping tea.


    As the room warmed up, Gu Chengrui let out a sudden cough. Zhou Ying immediately asked with concern, ¡°Do you want some medicine?¡±


    ¡°No need; just some water will do,¡± he replied through his coughs. ¡°It looks like returning to the capital needs to be prioritized.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Let¡¯s get arge seafaring ship by the end of the year.¡±


    Just then, a voice boomed from outside, ¡°Chengrui, Chengrui, are you back?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Brother Chengen.¡± Gu Chengrui was momentarily stunned before replying.


    He quickly stood up and headed outside. There, he found both Gu Chengen and Qian Jiaxi.


    ¡°You really are back! And so discreetly too,¡± Gu Chengen chuckled. ¡°Coming back to the vige without so much as a whisper.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in grand pronouncements,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside and chat.¡±


    Zhou Ying rose to greet them. ¡°Brother Chengen, Uncle Jiaxi. Please,e in and have a seat.¡±


    She then retrieved two clean cups and prepared tea for each of them.

 Chapter 989 - 989 On the 29th

    Chapter 989: On the 29th


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Guoguo, bring your younger brothers down here,¡± Gu Chengrui instructed.


    ¡°Come greet Uncle Chengen and Grandpa Jiaxi.¡±


    Guoguo promptly led her two younger siblings down from the brick bed.


    Gu Chengen waved his hand dismissively. ¡°No need, no need,¡± he chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no call for such formality. Just meeting and acknowledging each other is enough.¡±


    He then cast a scrutinizing gaze over the three children. ¡°Guoguo¡¯s already grown so tall! It seems like just yesterday she was still a milk drinker.¡±


    As for the two younger children, this was his first encounter with them. Not only were they striking in appearance, but they also exuded a certain strength. ¡°You can tell at a nce they¡¯ve been well-raised,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Qian Jiaxi chimed in with a yful grin. ¡°The hesitant one here must be your third brother. His chubby face is as fair as a steamed bun! Such a cutie, I could almost take a bite out of him.¡±


    Third Fatty immediately reacted with a flurry of hand gestures of protest.


    Qian Jiaxi, momentarily taken aback, chuckled. ¡°Sharp one, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said. ¡°Quite aware of your own good looks, I see.¡±


    A smile finally graced Third Fatty¡¯s face.


    ¡°Those two little rascals can be quite a handful,¡± Gu Chengrui admitted with a smile. Following that, he offered a detailed introduction of the children.


    Finally, Gu Chengrui turned to Gu Chengen and inquired, ¡°Big Brother, how are things with Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt? Are they doing alright?¡±


    ¡°Rtively well, I suppose,¡± Gu Chengen replied. ¡°They¡¯re getting on in years, of course. With the cold weather setting in, I wouldn¡¯t dare let them venture outside.¡±


    ¡°Taking precautions is wise,¡± Gu Chengrui agreed. ¡°But with the dry weather today, consider cing a basin of water inside their house to add some humidity.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to do that,¡± Gu Chengen acknowledged.


    After a while of catching up, Gu Chengen rose to leave. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe over for a nice gathering at our house?¡±


    Gu Chengrui shook his head in decline. ¡°Another day, perhaps. We rushed back all the way from the south, and we¡¯re quite fatigued. Let us rest for a couple of days before catching up again.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. By the way, is there anything you need here? I can have it sent over right away if necessary.¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°We already purchased everything we needed in town on our way back. We do need some extra firewood here, of course.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Gu Chengen said. ¡°I¡¯ll have some carted overter. You can use that.¡±


    After exchanging farewells, Gu Chengen returned a whileter, pushing two carts loaded with firewood.


    The following morning, the family of five embarked on a visit to both workshops to assess their current operations.


    In the afternoon, a gathering was held with everyone from the restaurant, including the managers of the manor and the two workshops. A lively hotpot dinner capped off the evening, with Zhou Ying gifting everyone a red packet containing ten taels of silver.


    The next afternoon, after returning home, the family prepared some gifts and took the three children on a visit to the patriarch¡¯s house. While they had noticeably aged, their health remained good, thankfully.


    During their visit, Gu Chengrui also learned that the patriarch intended to pass his position on to Gu Chengen on New Year¡¯s Eve, the day of the ancestral worship ceremony.


    Leaving the patriarch¡¯s residence, they happened to spot Mr. Gu, Second Uncle Gu, and others entering the vige in a carriage. They waited briefly, exchanged pleasantries, and then all retired to their respective homes.


    On the morning of the twenty-ninth, Gu Chengsi and his family arrived in a flurry.


    Early the next morning, Zhou Ying rose before dawn. After dressing the three children in new clothes, she turned to Guoguo and instructed, ¡°Once we reach the ancestral hall, keep an eye on your younger brothers, especially Third Fatty. Don¡¯t let him run around, causing a scene.¡±


    ¡°I know, Mommy. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Guoguo promised with a confident pat on her chest.


    The family then proceeded to the ancestral hall. The men began preparing incense, joss paper, and other supplies, while the women prepared the offerings and food.


    During the busy process, Zhou Ying found that other than the patriarch¡¯s wife, Mrs. Wang, and Sixth Aunt Gu, who could chat a little, the others either did not dare to speak to her or hid far away.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t say much when she saw this. She only wanted to talk to those who dared to talk to her.

 Chapter 990 - 990 Worshipping their Ancestors

    Chapter 990: Worshipping their Ancestors


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Before the festivities began, the ancestral hall was opened for two important matters. The first was to record Third Fatty and other children who hadn¡¯t yet been added to the family tree within the past week, and the second matter was to deal with the inheritance of the patriarchal position.


    Once these tasks werepleted, the celebratory banquetmenced.


    During the meal, Mr. Gu turned to Gu Chengrui and inquired, ¡°You¡¯ve been away for half a year. Where have all your travels taken you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve basically made the rounds of all the state capitals,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°Just enjoying myself and inspecting my various business ventures at the same time.¡±


    ¡°The capital has been stable these past six months, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Chengrui inquired.


    ¡°There haven¡¯t been any major disturbances, but you did miss Zixuan¡¯s wedding day. You¡¯ll need to bring her a gift when you return.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Gu Chengrui agreed. ¡°By the way, do you have any leads on arge ship capable of long-distance voyages?¡±


    ¡°A big ship, huh? Thinking of starting a shipping business?¡± Mr. Gu chuckled.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m actually interested in taking a long voyage myself. I¡¯ve heard rumors of a country on the other side of the sea, and I¡¯m curious to explore it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s certainly truth to that,¡± Mr. Gu conceded. ¡°But going there wouldn¡¯t be a walk in the park. Besides the distance, there¡¯s also the potential for danger. Pirates are a real threat out there. Honestly, being a Marquis is a prettyfortable life as it is. If you need anything procured, just send someone. There is no need to take unnecessary risks.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± echoed Second Uncle Gu. ¡°Listen to your father on this. Even seasoned veterans like us wouldn¡¯t dare venture into unfamiliar territory for business dealings, let alone someone with no experience in the industry. It¡¯s a harsh world out there, and danger lurks around every corner.¡±


    ¡°I understand your concerns,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°But the urge to explore is strong. Perhaps I might stumble upon something new and exciting.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Mr. Gu attempted to continue his persuasion, but Gu Chengrui cut him off. ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling to share this information, I¡¯ll simply have to find it elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just listen to reason?¡± Second Uncle Gu pleaded.


    ¡°In this life, which only spans a few short decades, I already have all the power and wealth I could ever need,¡± Gu Chengrui insisted. ¡°What I crave now is the thrill of exploration, the possibility of discovering a new world, maybe even witnessing a miracle or two.¡±


    Seeing his son¡¯s unwavering resolve, Mr. Gu sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t have ships here in the vige. The only ce to acquire one would be the sea port. If you¡¯re truly set on this venture, I¡¯ll apany you after the New Year.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Second Uncle Gu started disapprovingly.


    ¡°If he insists on going, we can¡¯t stop him. It¡¯s better to help him choose a good ship and teach him some survival skills at sea.¡± Mr. Gu replied helplessly.


    If there was another way, he would be the first to object, but he knew his third son was a stubborn person, and they couldn¡¯t persuade him.


    It was better to let Zhou Ying and the Emperor persuade him.


    On this side, Mrs. Yao asked curiously, ¡°Zhou Ying, where have you been all this year? Tell us what interesting things you have experienced, so we can open our eyes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I have never been out of our county since I was born.¡± Sixth Aunt Gu nodded in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. None of us here have ever been out of Yunhe County.¡± Mrs. Wang replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Zhou Ying, tell us about it.¡± Mrs. Fang agreed.


    Zhou Ying didn¡¯t hesitate. She took care of the three children while slowly exining.


    During this time, the three children asionally added a sentence, making everyoneugh.


    It also aroused the curiosity of the men¡¯s table.


    After hearing what they were discussing, everyone also asked Gu Chengrui about his experience.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengrui simply introduced them to what he had seen and heard outside, especially the n concept in the south, which was much stronger than here. Of course, the rules were also much more strict.

 Chapter 991 - 991 Giving Silver

    Chapter 991: Giving Silver


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    As the banquet drew to a close, Gu Chengrui pulled out a thousand taels of silver and presented it to Gu Chengen. ¡°I believe the ancestral hall is overdue for renovations. Perhaps we can tackle that project next year.


    ¡°Any leftover funds could be used to renovate our n¡¯s school and cultivate more promising talent.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Gu Chengen murmured, his gaze instinctively flitting towards the old patriarch upon hearing this suggestion.


    The old patriarch responded with a smile and a nod. ¡°If he says take it, then take it, Chengen. The ancestral hall could certainly use a refresh. It¡¯s a worthy cause.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Gu Chengen acknowledged, then turned back to Gu Chengrui. ¡°On behalf of everyone, I thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a member of the Gu n as well,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°It¡¯s simply my duty.¡±


    Witnessing this exchange, Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu each retrieved five hundred taels of silver and offered them to Gu Chengen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s consider building additional schools and recruiting more students from neighboring viges,¡± Mr. Gu proposed. ¡°This will not only benefit our n¡¯s education system but also serve to bolster our reputation in the surroundingmunities.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Gu Chengen said, epting the money and bowing respectfully to the two men. The others present followed suit, expressing their gratitude with bows of their own.


    New Year¡¯s celebrationsmenced, and Gu Chengrui¡¯s family journeyed to their hometown to ring in the festivities with Father Gu, Second Uncle Gu, and the others.


    On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Chengrui brought his two older children along on their New Year¡¯s visits, paying respects to the n elders and those who had offered them assistance from the Qian n. He extended an invitation for them to gather at their hometown residence that evening.


    He kept his instructions brief, simply urging them to maintain a low profile to avoid attracting unwanted attention.


    Upon returning home, Gu Chengrui sought out Big Brother Tian. ¡°How have you been these past few days, Big Brother Tian?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°Quite well,¡± Big Brother Tian replied. ¡°With that job at the restaurant, life is prettyfortable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°Thankyou for keeping an eye on the house for us all these years.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure, truly,¡± Big Brother Tian assured him. ¡°Just a few houses, no trouble at all.¡±


    Gu Chengrui smiled, patting Big Brother Tian on the shoulder before offering him a dagger. ¡°I¡¯m unsure when I¡¯ll be back next,¡± he exined. ¡°Please ept this as a token of appreciation.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ far too valuable,¡± Big Brother Tian stammered, his eyesnding on the gemstone adorning the dagger¡¯s sheath.


    ¡°Take it,¡± Gu Chengrui insisted. ¡°We¡¯ve shared life-and-death situations together. Surely a dagger isn¡¯t too extravagant a show of gratitude?¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, Brother Gu,¡± Big Brother Tian said gratefully.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Gu Chengrui continued. ¡°I actually n to return the house to the Qian family. Once we leave, you won¡¯t have to worry about tending to it anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not nning oning back?¡± Big Brother Tian asked, surprised.


    ¡°We may return, but we intend to purchase arger house in town. Anyone visiting in the future can stay there directly.¡±


    ¡°True enough,¡± Big Brother Tian agreed. ¡°This small courtyard is definitely a bit cramped for your family.¡±


    The second day of the new year saw the return of Gu Ziqiu and Gu Zishan. The family of five then reunited once more at their hometown for a gathering.


    The two sisters seemed practically inseparable, and it was evident they hadn¡¯t endured any hardships.


    The moment theyid eyes on Guoguo and the other two children, the sisters immediately called out greetings and showered them with silver lockets as gifts.


    Witnessing this exchange, Zhou Ying called over their seven children. She handed each of them a red packet containing one hundred taels of silver. ¡°For the boys,¡± she exined, ¡°this is for your studies. For the girls, consider it a starting point for your dowries in the future. Take good care of them.¡±


    Gu Zishan, upon hearing the substantial sum, understood the significant gesture. She quickly interjected, ¡°Third Sister-in-Law, you¡¯re spending far too much! We can¡¯t possibly ept this.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to return it. We really don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll meet again in the future. Let them keep it.¡±


    ¡°If she gives it, just take it. Their family doesn¡¯tck silver now.¡± Mrs. Yao smiled and added.


    Seeing this, neither of them refused. Instead, they asked about Zhou Ying¡¯s life in the capital.


    It was only on the way back that the two of them took a look inside the red packets.

 Chapter 992 - 992 Red Packet

    Chapter 992: Red Packet


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    When they saw each red packet containing a hundred silver taels, the two sisters were quite surprised, but they refrained frommenting. Instead, Zhou Ying focused her attention on the boys, urging them to dedicate themselves to their studies.


    Just then, Gu Ziyi came in, carrying a child. Gu Ziyi smiled warmly. ¡°It¡¯s been a few years since we¡¯ve seen each other. You look more mature and settled now, but you haven¡¯ t aged a bit!¡±


    ¡°Sister, you tter me,¡± Zhou Ying replied. ¡°Please,e and sit down.¡± Her gaze thennded on the child. ¡°Is this the little one you and my brother-inw hadter?¡± She inquired after Gu Ziyi had settled in.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gu Ziyi confirmed. ¡°His name is Zhangjinsong. Come on, great your aunt.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Aunt,¡± Zhang Jinsong echoed with a smile.


    ¡°There you go, a good boy,¡± Zhou Ying patted him. She then observed him closely. ¡°You resemble your father quite a bit. You have the build for martial arts.¡±


    With that, she called Huanhuan and Lele over, handing each of them a red packet containing one hundred taels of silver.


    ¡°Huanhuan¡¯s not a child anymore,¡± Zhou Ying remarked. ¡°Has a wedding been arranged yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± Gu Ziyi responded. ¡°She¡¯s betrothed to the son of County Magistrate Bai, Bai Jingping. Their wedding is scheduled for April.¡± ¡°Magistrate Bai? The son of Bai Jingping?¡± Zhou Ying echoed in surprise.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Ziyi confirmed. ¡°He passed the preliminary examinationsst year and seems like a reliable young man. We know the family well, so we decided it would be a suitable match.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful news,¡± Zhou Ying dered. ¡°Magistrate Bai is a well- respected man.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± Gu Ziyi asked, ¡°where are Chengrui and the children?¡±


    ¡°Chengrui went to the vige chief¡¯s house to handle some matters,¡± Zhou Ying exined. ¡°As for the children, they¡¯re back by the stables, tending to the horses.¡±


    ¡°They can handle horses already?¡± Gu Ziyi asked, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zhou Ying confirmed. ¡°Both Guoguo and Chenchen know how to ride, so I taught them the basics of horse care.¡±


    ¡°Then can Song¡¯er go back there and take a look?¡± Zhang Jinsong piped up, eager to see the horses.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhou Ying agreed with a nod.


    Zhang Jinsong wasted no time, turning and dashing out of the room. Huanhuan and Lele exchanged nces before following suit.


    Gu Ziyi chuckled, shaking her head.


    ¡°I actually think it¡¯s a good thing,¡± Zhou Ying countered. ¡°If girls are too well- behaved all the time, they cane across as stuffy and unlikeable.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Gu Ziyi conceded. ¡°Though I figured you might change after bing a noble wife. Seems like you¡¯re still the same Zhou Ying I know.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to put on airs,¡± Zhou Ying scoffed. ¡°Besides, I prefer a more simple life. Speaking of which, is your brother-inw still working as a constable?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is,¡± Gu Ziyi replied. ¡°It¡¯s not the most prestigious position, but it allows us to be together as a family every day, and that¡¯s what truly matters.¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± Zhou Ying agreed.


    They continued chatting for a while before Guoguo and the others returned. Gu Ziyi¡¯s eyes immediately lit up upon spotting Third Fatty. ¡°Oh my!¡± she eximed. ¡°This must be your third son! Such a handsome and lively child! He¡¯s simply adorable.¡±


    ¡°Tell Eldest Aunt how old you are today,¡± Zhou Ying instructed Third Fatty, lifting him into her arms.


    ¡°Three years old,¡± Third Fatty announced, holding up three fingers.


    ¡°Such a clever boy!¡± Gu Ziyi gushed, promptly adorning his wrist with a small silver bracelet.


    She then bestowed gifts upon the other children, presenting Guoguo with a pair of pink hairpins and Chenchen with a nice inkstone.


    ¡°Thankyou, First Aunt,¡± Guoguo said politely, bowing in gratitude. Chenchen and Third Fatty followed suit.


    ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll get some snacks for the children.¡± After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she went to the west room and took out a te of nuts, dried fruits, and jerky from her interspace.


    ¡°Guoguo, please help me entertain your elder cousins.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡± Guoguo greeted them and invited them to sit by the brick bed before making them chrysanthemum tea.


    After a while, Gu Chengrui rushed back, and the siblings chatted for a while. Gu Chengrui asked,¡± Why didn¡¯t brother-inwe over today?¡±

 Chapter 993 - 993 Property Assignment

    Chapter 993: Property Assignment


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it,¡± Gu Ziyi grumbled. ¡°He¡¯s a constable. Yesterday, some drunkards caused a scene and ended up killing someone. My husband¡¯s been out investigating the case since yesterday afternoon. When we left this morning, he still hadn¡¯t returned.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be hard on him,¡± Gu Chengrui consoled her. ¡°He can¡¯t exactly stroll around when he¡¯s on duty. As long as he¡¯s safe, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°I understand that, of course,¡± Gu Ziyi conceded. ¡°Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have made it this far.¡±


    Following their reunion, a steady stream of visitors arrived to pay their respects. However, the couple only entertained those they considered close acquaintances. Everyone else was politely turned away, and any gifts they offered were declined.


    After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Chengrui apanied Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu to secure arge ship for their voyage. They returned on the eighth day, and the entire group set off for the capital the following day.


    Due to Gu Chengrui¡¯s health concerns, they maintained a brisk pace, finally reaching the capital on the fifteenth.


    ¡°Uncle Niu,¡± Zhou Ying called out to Niu Fugui once they were settled back in. ¡°How has the residence fared these past six months?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s in order,¡± Niu Fugui replied. He ced the twenty or so ount books he¡¯d brought with him on the desk.


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Zhou Ying acknowledged. ¡°Everything will continue as usual. Be sure to reward those who deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Niu Fugui responded before turning to leave.


    After he departed, Zhou Ying utilized herputer to scrutinize the ounts. Satisfied that everything was in order, she retrieved her ount book. Apart from the windfall they¡¯d recently acquired, their holdings amounted to a staggering ten million and three million taels of silver¡ªa truly remarkable sum.


    Later that night, after the children were sound asleep, Gu Chengrui and Zhou Ying entered the interspace. Zhou Ying presented the ledger to her husband. ¡°Since we¡¯re leaving,¡± she began, ¡°we need a n for the silver and property. What are your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Technologies like ss, rubber, and bicycles,¡± Gu Chengrui suggested, ¡°we can leave those to the Emperor. It doesn¡¯t matter whether they be his personal possessions or end up in the treasury.¡±


    ¡°As for the rest,¡± he continued, ¡°Gu Chenglin can oversee it for the time being. If we have the chance to return, it remains ours. If not, we can entrust it to the Empress for her to manage.¡±


    ¡°The cash can be partially exchanged and brought with us as a safety,¡± Zhou Ying added. ¡°The remaining funds, we can divide¡ªsome to the n and some to the Emperor¡ªto bolster the national coffers.¡±


    ¡°That sounds reasonable,¡± Gu Chengrui agreed. ¡°Before we leave, do you think we should offer the Emperor some new technologies?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we could share knowledge about engines and power generation? We¡¯ll provide as much detail as we can manage.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Zhou Ying dered. ¡°Let¡¯s split up for the next two days and finalize these arrangements as soon as possible. Time isn¡¯t on our side.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Gu Chengrui replied, pulling her into a hug. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ the thought of being apart is difficult.¡±


    While regaining his memories had restored his core identity, he wasn¡¯t entirely the same person. Naturally, their feelings for one another would be different.


    ¡°The feeling is mutual,¡± Zhou Ying admitted, returning his embrace. ¡°Let¡¯s make the most of our nights together from now on. Everything else can wait.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Gu Chengrui said, a smile gracing his lips. He lifted her chin and ced a gentle kiss on her forehead before carrying her back to their bedroom.


    The following day, after breakfast, Gu Chengrui sought an audience with the Emperor. He presented a detailed report on everything he¡¯d been involved in and discovered during his time away.


    This even included the incident where Xiuxiu was forced to drown. He believed the schrcked the necessary responsibility for an official position. If the schr hadn¡¯t already embarked on such a career path, perhaps things could have been different.


    However, given the current situation, Gu Chengrui felt the schr couldn¡¯t be rmended for further advancement.

 Chapter 994 - 994 Rejection

    Chapter 994: Rejection


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Emperor reached for Gu Chengrui¡¯s memorial book and flipped through the pages with distracted eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been a long and arduous journey,¡± he acknowledged.


    ¡°To be able to contribute to Your Majesty is an honor,¡± Gu Chengrui bowed respectfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m very grateful to hear that,¡± the Emperor replied. ¡°I understand you only returned to the capital yesterday. Take the next two days to rest before resuming your duties at the medical center.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou for your understanding, Your Majesty,¡± Gu Chengrui expressed his gratitude.


    ¡°In fact,¡± the Emperor continued, ¡°I had intended to promote you to Prime Minister. What do you think of that?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Minister Chen performing admirably in that role?¡± Gu Chengrui inquired after a moment of surprise.


    ¡°He unfortunately suffered a stroke before the New Year,¡± the Emperor exined. ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have considered recing him.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Gu Chengrui interjected, ¡°I can treat Minister Chen. As for the position of Prime Minister, I must humbly decline. It¡¯s not a matter of false modesty; I truly believe I¡¯m not suited for such a role.¡±


    The Emperor studied Gu Chengrui¡¯s resolute expression and sighed. ¡°I recognize your capabilities very well. Consider this carefully; don¡¯t rush to reject my offer.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Gu Chengrui hesitated to refuse outright. ¡°There are still others in the court who would be capable Prime Ministers, Your Majesty. You should consider them as well. I don¡¯t believe I¡¯m the best fit for the position.¡±


    Having voiced his reservations, he proceeded to exin his n to embark on a voyage.


    The Emperor was stunned by this revtion. ¡°What prompted this idea?¡± He asked incredulously.


    ¡°Your Majesty is aware that there are foreign merchants constantly traveling the seas, right?¡± Gu Chengrui began.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the Emperor acknowledged, ¡°but the risks are significant. Eight out of ten don¡¯t return. You certainly don¡¯t need to take such a chance.¡±


    ¡°Then has Your Majesty ever considered this?¡± Gu Chengrui countered. ¡°These merchants who reach our shores have likely already gained a thorough understanding of our situation, while we remain ignorant of theirs. What happens if they establish control over the oceans in the future?


    ¡°For example, on the Eastern Continent, couldn¡¯t they cross the ocean andunch an offensive? We must be prepared.¡±


    The Emperor was struck by these words, falling into deep contemtion. After a long silence, he finally spoke. ¡°Do you truly believe they will?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my conviction that they will,¡± Gu Chengrui confirmed. ¡°While the risk is high, knowing oneself and one¡¯s enemy is the key to victory, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Are you certain about this journey?¡± the Emperor pressed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Chengrui responded resolutely. ¡°I¡¯ve already secured a ship. If the initial voyage proves sessful, I intend to make it a regr endeavor.¡±


    ¡°Have you given any thought to the Empress?¡± the Emperor inquired.


    ¡°The Empress has Your Majesty by her side,¡± Gu Chengrui replied. ¡°Besides, Chenglin is grown now. They shouldn¡¯t rely on me indefinitely.¡±


    The Emperor shot him a look of exasperation. ¡°Go and discuss this with the Empress yourself,¡± he instructed. ¡°If she agrees, then I have no objections.¡±


    Truth be told, a part of him yearned to embark on such a journey himself, to see the world beyond their borders.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± Gu Chengrui said. ¡°Since you have matters to attend to, I shall take my leave.¡± With that, he headed straight for the harem.


    Upon learning of his intentions, the Empress reacted with panic. ¡°Cousin,¡± she eximed, ¡°you need to think carefully! This is a matter of life and death, not a casual decision.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Gu Chengrui acknowledged, ¡°but one needs purpose in life. The truth is, I truly despise the politicalndscape.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being mean,¡± the Empressmented. ¡°What will we do if you leave?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this,¡± Gu Chengrui offered, presenting her with the small statue of the Mother God that Zhou Ying had given him.


    ¡°This will surely protect you. Furthermore, you¡¯re grown now; it¡¯s time for you to be independent.¡±


    The Empress epted the statue, examining it closely. ¡°I never imagined the statue of the Mother Goddess to be so small,¡± she remarked in surprise. ¡°Has it been consecrated?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has the same effect as praying at the Mother God Temple. When we attacked the Northern Continent, I relied on this to ask Mother God for medicine so that the military camp would not run out of medicine.¡±


    Hearing this, Gu Wanning knew that he had made up his mind, so she didn¡¯t say much more. ¡°Just make sure you think it through; we respect your decision.¡±

 Chapter 995 - 995 Unable to Keep Them

    Chapter 995: Unable to Keep Them


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably stay for another month,¡± Gu Chengrui informed her. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need to arrange or handle, let us know as soon as possible. We¡¯ll definitely help in any way we can.¡±


    Gu Wanning hesitated for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I need at the moment,¡± she admitted. ¡°However, I would like to ask you to offer some guidance to Chenglin before you leave. I¡¯m worried that he won¡¯t be able to manage a household once you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret about that,¡± Gu Chengrui assured her. ¡°While he got his results, we deliberately allowed him to begin learning the duties of a butler. However, it¡¯s also high time he found a suitable wife. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be a constant struggle to keep him in line.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a specific candidate in mind?¡± Gu Wanning inquired.


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°This matter primarily depends on you and the Emperor¡¯s wishes, followed by Chenglin¡¯s own preferences. Since we¡¯re unsure of our return date, our opinions really aren¡¯t crucial.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and there¡¯s one other thing. I¡¯d like to approach Chenglin about moving into his original residence, the King¡¯s Residence. We can keep our current residence.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean you two aren¡¯t nning on returning?¡± Gu Wanning asked, her voice serious.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Gu Chengrui rified. ¡°It¡¯s just that our return date is uncertain.¡±


    Gu Wanning fell silent after hearing this. After a while, she finally spoke. ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯lle down to the residence and arrange a marriage for Chenglin as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Gu Chengrui responded. ¡°Once it¡¯s finalized, please let us know. We¡¯ll help with the betrothal gifts and then set sail after the marriage ceremony.¡±


    With that, Gu Chengrui rose and excused himself. He had only walked a short distance when the Emperor entered the room. Seeing the Empress sitting motionless in a chair, he approached her and inquired, ¡°You weren¡¯t able to persuade them either?¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty,¡± Gu Wanning acknowledged quickly, standing to bow.


    ¡°Rise,¡± the Emperor instructed, helping her up.


    ¡°It seems Cousin and the others are clearly prepared,¡± Gu Wanningmented. ¡°I¡¯m afraid even if we tried to stop them, it wouldn¡¯t change their minds.¡± ¡°What a shame,¡± the Emperor sighed.


    While a niggling suspicion lingered in his mind regarding certain things¡ª ss, steel production, rubber tires, and other technologies¡ªhe knew they weren¡¯t solely the work of one or two individuals.


    Furthermore, a single person couldn¡¯t master advanced academic fields like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and high-level medicine.


    However, besides their obvious love for money, the couple had always disyed indifference to fame and fortune. Most importantly, Gu Wanning remained devoted to him and undeniably loyal.


    Therefore, despite his doubts, he never pressed the issue for the sake of Great Ming¡¯s development. He had hoped they would stay and continue aiding his grand endeavors. Unfortunately, it seemed persuasion wouldn¡¯t keep them.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gu Wanning agreed, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. ¡°They¡¯ve been incredibly helpful over the years, far more so than my own blood rtives. However¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, filled with a deep sense of loss.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± the Emperor consoled her, cing aforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°They¡¯ll return someday.¡±


    Gu Wanning offered a weak nod and rested her head against his shoulder. After a moment¡¯s pause, she spoke again. ¡°Cousin mentioned finding a wife for Chenglin as soon as possible. That way, they can travel with more peace of mind.¡±


    The Emperor was momentarily stunned, then quickly grasped Gu Chengrui¡¯s meaning. This realization only deepened his regret.


    ¡°Do you have anyone in mind?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Honestly, no,¡± Gu Wanning admitted. ¡°Has Your Majesty considered anyone?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only a small number of court officials, both civil and military,¡± the Emperor mused. ¡°Perhaps we can summon Chenglin to the pce within the next few days and ask about his preferences. If there¡¯s a suitable candidate, as long as they¡¯re trustworthy, I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t object. Otherwise, we canpile a list for him to choose from.¡±

 Chapter 996 - 996 Engagement

    Chapter 996: Engagement


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit much?¡± Gu Wanning questioned. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too shy?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the Emperor countered. ¡°I¡¯ve watched Chenglin grow up¡ªhe¡¯s practically like a younger brother to me. Besides, the boy is upright, wouldn¡¯t he be able to choose from the finest youngdies in the capital together with his wealth?¡±


    ¡°Then I shall defer to Your Majesty¡¯s judgment,¡± Gu Wanning conceded.


    ¡°You¡¯re just too cautious,¡± the Emperor chided yfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m your wife, Your Majesty,¡± Gu Wanning reminded him. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t simply favor your family without considering my concerns. It would be disastrous if it caused problems within the court.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we can both agree that if Chenglin isn¡¯t interested, we won¡¯t force the issue.¡±


    The Emperor was momentarily taken aback by her words. He yfully flicked her forehead. ¡°Are you asking for a scolding? Do you truly think I¡¯m that kind of person?¡±


    ¡°That actually hurt!¡± Gu Wanning eximed with a mock pout, standing up. ¡°The Emperor only knows how to bully people.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I apologize,¡± the Emperor conceded. ¡°Can you go ahead and prepare a couple of dishes for me? I¡¯m famished.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Your Majesty,¡± Gu Wanning replied. ¡°Please keep the Third Princesspany for a while. The food will be ready soon.¡± With that, she called the two pce maids over and began bustling around the kitchen.


    Meanwhile, once Zhou Ying received confirmation from Gu Chengrui, she gathered Sun Hongliang and Gu Chengxi in the capital to start preparing betrothal gifts for Gu Chenglin.


    Back in the capital, Gu Chengrui began the process of handing over his duties at the medical center. He also took advantage of this time to teach Gu Chengxi everything he could. During his evenings and breaks, he focused on educating Gu Chenglin, striving to fill any gaps in his knowledge.


    Half a month flew by in the blink of an eye.


    After consulting with Gu Chenglin regarding their choice, the Emperor and Gu Wanning ultimately settled on Qin Xiushu, the daughter of the Empress Dowager¡¯s nephew.


    News of the imperial edict reached Zhou Ying, who promptly sent someone to gather information.


    Qin Xiushu wasn¡¯t strikingly beautiful, but she wasn¡¯t unattractive either. Most importantly, she had a well-deserved reputation for exceptional household management skills. Despite her young age, she kept the Qin household running smoothly.


    Additionally, the Qin family has maintained a low profile in recent years due to respect for Empress Dowager. However, this century-old n boasted a deep- rooted reputation and a strong foundation.


    Therefore, when the official engagement ceremony took ce, they not only invited the official matchmaker but also enlisted the help of Consort An to apany them in delivering the betrothal gifts. They had also meticulously prepared a substantial dowry, totaling two hundred thousand taels of silver. While not the most extravagant disy, it certainly surpassed the offerings of ny percent of previous engagements.


    After reviewing the list of gifts, Mrs. Qin¡¯s smile remained constant as she turned to Consort An, who sat at the head of the table.


    ¡°I understand Gu Chenglin doesn¡¯t have his own residence,¡± Mrs. Qin asked, addressing Zhou Ying. ¡°May I ask where they¡¯ll be residing after the wedding?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that,¡± Zhou Ying assured her. ¡°The Emperor generously gifted us his mansion. However, since we wouldn¡¯t be living there, we offered them the Emperor¡¯s previous mansion as their marital home. Spring is approaching soon, and we n to renovate the entire mansion when the flowers bloom. Please feel free to voice any concerns you may have.¡±


    Mrs. Qin was quite pleased to hear this. The King¡¯s Mansion was already considered a fifth-tier residence, and any renovations would easily elevate it to the top tier.


    ¡°However, it seems rather awkward,¡± she stammered. ¡°After all, you¡¯re the elders, and they¡¯re the younger generation. Isn¡¯t it inappropriate for you to take the smaller residence while offering them the grand one?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about it at all,¡± Zhou Ying countered with a smile and a shake of her head. ¡°The smaller residence offers its own advantages¡ªless upkeep! Besides, we simply don¡¯t have enough people to fill therger mansion.¡±

 Chapter 997 - 997 Distribution 1

    Chapter 997: Distribution 1


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll trust your arrangements,¡± Mrs. Qin replied with a warm smile.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Zhou Ying concurred with a nod. ¡°In two days, when Chenglin has a break, I¡¯ll ask him to bring Xiushu over to the residence to take a look. Let¡¯s see what they think. After all, they¡¯re the ones who¡¯ll be living there. The final decision is ultimately up to them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you so much,¡± Mrs. Qin gushed. ¡°We can then adjust the size of the house they¡¯ll be using and prepare the furniture ordingly.¡±


    Consort An chuckled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be ttering you, but your Xiushu is truly fortunate to have Zhou Ying as a sister-inw. Her future is bright.¡±


    ¡°My aunt is right,¡± echoed a young woman sitting beside Mrs. Qin. ¡°The Marquis¡¯ wife has considered everything soprehensively. It¡¯s truly Zhu¡¯er¡¯s blessing.¡±


    After a pleasant conversation and a delicious dinner at the Qin Manor, Zhou Ying and Consort An took their leave.


    Three dayster, Zhou Ying consulted Qin Xiushu and instructed Niu Fugui to begin renovations to the house.


    As the month neared its end, Sun Hongniang and Gu Cheng rushed back to the capital. That afternoon, Zhou Ying called Gu Chengrui and Gu Chenglin into a meeting with Niu Fugui.


    Niu Fugui and the other two weren¡¯t slow on the uptake. Seeing their three superiors gathered, they sensed something significant was afoot. Consequently, they sat down obediently and waited for the meeting to begin.


    Once everyone was present, Zhou Ying addressed them. ¡°I¡¯ve called you all here today for an important announcement. Please pay close attention.¡± After finishing her statement, she turned her gaze toward Gu Chengrui.


    Gu Chengrui understood her cue. He retrieved an agreement he had personally drafted and distributed copies to everyone present.


    Gu Chenglin was stunned upon seeing the document, particrly the part naming him the next master. His face contorted in disbelief. He quickly pushed the agreement back towards Gu Chengrui and stammered, ¡°Cousin, I¡¯m already incredibly grateful for your help with the betrothal gifts and the house. How could I possibly ept your property on top of that? Even if you n to take the three children with you, wouldn¡¯t Uncle and the others still be here? It wouldn¡¯t fall to me.¡±


    ¡°They have their own businesses to manage,¡± Gu Chengrui exined. ¡°Furthermore, they might not be able to adequately protect an enterprise like the Rouge Pavilion. Besides, I n to leave a golden goose like the Rouge Pavilion to your sister and the two princes, with you managing it on their behalf.¡±


    Gu Chenglin carefully read through the agreement. As expected, the restaurant and the manor were designated as his. The ownership of the Rouge Pavilion, however, belonged to his sister.


    Sun Hongliang raised his head to address Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui. ¡°My Lord, Madam,¡± he inquired, ¡°where are you nning to go that necessitates dividing your assets?¡±


    ¡°We intend to embark on a voyage,¡± Zhou Ying exined. ¡°We¡¯re unsure of our return date, hence the need to clearly distribute our holdings to prevent future internal conflicts arising from these assets.¡±


    ¡°My Lord,¡± Niu Fugui interjected after reading the agreement, ¡°what about the dividends from the ss factory, rubber production, and steel mill?¡±


    ¡°I will entrust those to the Emperor¡¯s care,¡± Gu Chengrui stated. ¡°No one else can guarantee their safety.¡±


    Niu Fugui and the other two men nodded in agreement. These ventures weren¡¯t just crucial for the livelihood of the people and military affairs; their profitability was also exceptional. Only in the Emperor¡¯s hands could they be genuinely safe.


    ¡°Are there any other questions? If not, everyone please sign the agreement with your fingerprints. Starting next month, responsibilities will be assigned ording to the document.¡±


    ¡°What about Uncle and the others? What if¡­¡± Gu Chenglin began worriedly. He didn¡¯t want these matters to create a rift within the Gu family. The potential losses would outweigh any gains.

 Chapter 998 - 998 Distribution 2

    Chapter 998: Distribution 2


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Gu Chengrui saw right through his worries. He turned his head and assured him, ¡°Don¡¯t fret. I¡¯ll ensure they receive a share of the family¡¯s assets. Besides, I¡¯m simply entrusting you with its management, not ownership. There¡¯s no need to be concerned.¡±


    Gu Chenglin nodded in understanding.


    Niu Fugui¡¯s eyes flickered upon hearing this. He silently hoped there wouldn¡¯t be any trouble brewing over there. After all, with Gu Chenglin¡¯s current status and abilities, any issues would necessitate seeking help from the Emperor.


    Once Gu Chengrui received confirmation from everyone, he reiterated the instructions before letting them leave.


    After they departed, Gu Chengrui handed over the deeds for the three people and the shopkeeper to Gu Chenglin. ¡°Hold onto these securely,¡± he advised. ¡°There¡¯s a saying, ¡®Still waters run deep.¡¯ Always be on guard and don¡¯t let yourself be deceived.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cousin,¡± Gu Chenglin replied gratefully. ¡°After years of your teachings, I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    A thought seemed to strike him as he looked up at them. ¡°Cousin, Sister-in-w,¡± he began, ¡°have you two been nning this day for a long time? Otherwise, why would you have insisted on teaching me about business?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Gu Chengrui admitted thoughtfully. ¡°Besides, it never hurts to have more knowledge.¡±


    He continued in a serious tone, ¡°The Emperor¡¯s arrangement for this marriage holds great significance. However, the Qin family wields considerable power, a double-edged sword. Remember, should they ever overstep the boundaries of peaceful coexistence, you must remain vignt. If pushes to shove, seek help from the Emperor immediately. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so worried about us, Cousin, why are you so determined to leave?¡± Gu Chenglin questioned. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you dy your departure for a few years?¡± ¡°Everyone has their own aspirations,¡± Gu Chengrui exined. ¡°The court life doesn¡¯t suit me. Once you¡¯re married, you¡¯ll officially be part of the officialdom. I¡¯m entrusting the family fortune to you. I hope you¡¯ll be an honest official who serves the people, understand?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Gu Chenglin pledged solemnly, nodding his head.


    After Gu Chenglin left, Zhou Ying turned to Gu Chengrui and inquired, ¡°What are your ns for the Gu family? It would be best to address it beforehand.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Gu Chengrui confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ll be with them shortly.¡± With that, he retrieved a copy of the agreement.


    He then proceeded directly to Second Uncle Gu¡¯s residence, where they found Mr. Gu.


    Once everyone was seated, Gu Chengrui presented the agreement to them. ¡°Father, Second Uncle,¡± he addressed them, ¡°you¡¯re both highly knowledgeable. The future of the n rests heavily on your shoulders.¡±


    After they finished reviewing the agreement, he exined his distribution n to them.


    After reading the agreement, Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu harbored aplex mix of emotions. They were disgruntled at losing a substantial sum of money but also a tad apprehensive.


    Previously, their primary method of contacting the Empress had been through Gu Chengrui. With his departure, they would have to rely solely on Gu Chenglin. ¡°Must you leave? The sea is a dangerous ce,¡± Second Uncle Gu questioned after a moment of silence.


    ¡°I simply have a yearning to explore,¡± Gu Chengrui replied.


    ¡°Then let Zhou Ying and the others stay behind,¡± Mr. Gu suggested. ¡°They¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t bear to separate the children from their parents,¡± Gu Chengrui countered. ¡°Besides, I also want to bring the children along for the experience.¡± Seeing his unwavering resolve, the two men didn¡¯t attempt to persuade him further.


    Gu Chengrui then freely distributed a million taels of silver. ¡°There¡¯s no end to the well of wealth,¡± he advised them. ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore. Avoid venturing out and fighting as much as possible in the future.¡±


    With that, he excused himself and went to find Gu Chengxi alone, presenting him with two hundred thousand taels of silver.


    Upon returning home, he sent Lin Yitian and Lin Yifan to deliver two hundred thousand taels each to Gu Chengsi and Gu Chenglin.

 Chapter 999 - 999 Karmic Ties

    Chapter 999: Karmic Ties


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The couple then sent someone to exchange two hundred thousand taels of silver for smaller denominations and store them in their interspace. They also deposited five million taels of silver notes into the interspace for safekeeping. Finally, Zhou Ying took out the remaining six million taels. ¡°You can decide how to distribute this. If there¡¯s no other choice, you can give them to Gu Wanning. It would help ensure herfort within the pce.¡±


    ¡°Should we leave something for the Zhou family?¡± Gu Chengrui asked.


    After all, Zhou Ying was still technically the daughter of the Zhou family. By leaving, she was effectively severing a karmic tie. It was simr to the situation with the Gu family.


    While he wasn¡¯t thrilled about Mr. Gu and the others taking advantage of him, he ultimately epted it as a consequence of inhabiting his host¡¯s body. Providing them with a million taels of silver could be considered a form of retirement payment, definitively severing the connection.


    ¡°Let¡¯s retrieve a hundred-year-old ginseng from the interspace,¡± Zhou Ying replied after a thoughtful pause. ¡°Principal Zhou and I are only bound by blood, and Old Lady Zhou had already severed our ties. Giving him this ginseng can be seen as a symbolic severing of that blood rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Gu Chengrui agreed with a nod.


    That night, he entered the interspace and located a top-grade, hundred-year- old ginseng root. He then retrieved a mahogany box and carefully packed the ginseng inside.


    The next day, he instructed Niu Fugui to deliver the gift to Principal Zhou, who personally oversaw the exchange.


    Principal Zhou stared at the exquisite ginseng in his hand, disbelief etched across his face. Since his daughter¡¯s return, it had be increasingly clear that she desired to sever ties with him.


    When his son-inwunched his attack, she offered no help.


    Why, then, would Zhou Ying suddenly think of sending him this precious ginseng?


    ¡°Did your mistress have any messages for me?¡± Principal Zhou questioned.


    Niu Fugui was momentarily stunned. The couple hadn¡¯t mentioned a word. However, he understood their intentions.


    He then ryed, ¡°My Marquis and Madam are nning to embark on a voyage soon. Their return date is uncertain. This ginseng is for your health. Please take care of yourself in the future.¡±


    ¡°Out to sea? Where to?¡± Principal Zhou inquired further.


    ¡°I¡¯m unsure of the destination, but I¡¯ve delivered the gift. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I must take my leave.¡± With that, Niu Fugui turned and swiftly departed.


    Principal Zhou remained bewildered, but he didn¡¯t pursue further questions. He knew very well that pressing Niu Fugui wouldn¡¯t yield any additional information.


    Over the rest of their time, Gu Chengrui leveraged his connections to order high-quality silk, tea leaves, ssware, and porcin, which were then shipped to the port.


    The family then began packing their luggage in preparation for their departure. Gu Chengrui also assembled all the guards. ¡°I believe you¡¯re aware that my wife and I intend to set sail soon. If any of you wish to join us, go back and pack your things now. We¡¯ll depart promptly in the morning three days from now. Those of you who choose to stay behind will be tasked with guarding the residence and assisting Chenglin in my absence.¡±


    ¡°Mistress, we¡¯d like to apany you,¡± Lin Yitian dered. Since joining them, his treatment has steadily improved.


    Furthermore, the couple treated him with genuine sincerity, which fueled his desire to join their voyage.


    ¡°I¡¯lle as well. As a bachelor, I wouldn¡¯t mind broadening my horizons by traveling with y¡¯all,¡± Tiger echoed his sentiment.


    Thirty additional individuals stepped forward, most having been with the couple for the past six months.


    Gu Chengrui observed them and replied, ¡°Very well then. If your families have no objections, we can explore the world together. The rest of you will remain at the residence and ensure Chenglin¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°Marquis,¡± Niu Fugui hesitantly inquired, ¡°may I apany you as well?¡±

 Chapter 1000 - 1000 Got Discovered

    Chapter 1000: Got Discovered


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I appreciate your loyalty,¡± Gu Chengrui said with a hesitant sigh. ¡°You¡¯re getting older, and traveling wouldn¡¯t be ideal for you. Besides, the residence needs someone to look after it in our absence.¡±


    Niu Fugui¡¯s shoulders slumped in disappointment. ¡°Then I shall await your return,¡± he replied dejectedly.


    Later that night, while tidying up his books in the study, Gu Chengrui was struck by a sudden tightness in his chest. A violent coughing fit ensued, culminating in a bloody expulsion from his mouth.


    Staring at the crimson stain on his hand, he froze for a moment before uttering, ¡°I hope I can hold on until we set sail.¡±


    The door creaked open abruptly, revealing Gu Chenglin standing on the other side. Gu Chengrui swiftly concealed the bloodstained hand behind his back.


    Gu Chenglin initially paid little mind to what his cousin was hiding. However, upon noticing the blood at the corner of his mouth, he was jolted awake. He rushed forward and grabbed Gu Chengrui¡¯s arm. ¡°Cousin, what did you just try to hide?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Nothing. Why are you here sote?¡± Gu Chengrui countered firmly, his voice betraying no hint of his illness.


    Gu Chenglin, however, remained unconvinced. Recently, he noticed his cousin¡¯s increasingly gaunt and haggard appearance. He initially attributed it to exhaustion. But now, the evidence pointed towards illness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to deceive me,¡± he challenged, raising his hand to wipe away the blood at the corner of Gu Chengrui¡¯s mouth. ¡°Cousin, how long do you intend to keep this from me? Is this the reason behind your sudden urge to embark on this voyage? You¡¯re sick, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild,¡± Gu Chengrui dismissed his concerns. ¡°It¡¯s merely a nosebleed, an effect of the recent heatwave.¡±


    Gu Chenglin leaned against the table, his gaze fixated on his cousin. He had undeniably be thinner, and hisplexion had darkened¡ªno, it was a sickly pallor. His skin had lost its former vibrancy, leaving him with a dull appearance. The green tinge in his eyes had intensified.


    Despite possessing only rudimentary knowledge of medicine, Gu Chenglin could discern that something was seriously wrong with Gu Chengrui¡¯s health.


    Ignoring his questions, Gu Chengrui continued tidying up the books in the study.


    Realizing his cousin wouldn¡¯t budge, Gu Chenglin turned around, ready to storm out in a huff.


    Sensing his frustration and fearing his n wouldn¡¯t hold, Gu Chengrui stopped him. ¡°I assure you, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t breathe a word of this to Chengxi and the others.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to tell me there¡¯s no problem here?¡± Gu Chenglin countered, spinning around to meet his gaze directly.


    Gu Chengrui yfully struck him on the head with a book. ¡°You rascal! Can¡¯t you simply wait for me to call for you?¡± he chided. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve been terribly worn down these past years. I simply yearn for a quiet ce to retreat for a while. While it¡¯s true there are some issues with my body, it¡¯s nothing major. After two years of recuperation, I¡¯ll be back to my usual self.¡±


    ¡°What kind of illness is it?¡± Gu Chenglin pressed, his brow furrowed with concern.


    Gu Chengrui hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Tuberculosis. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    ¡°Is this the truth?¡±


    ¡°I might lie to others, but remember, you mustn¡¯t breathe a word of this to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you organize your books,¡± Gu Chenglin offered.


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Chengrui refused gently. ¡°You have your own responsibilities now, and they won¡¯t be light. You need to mature quickly. Focus on your own affairs.¡±


    With that, he gently pushed Gu Chenglin out of the study before he could protest.


    Seeing his cousin¡¯s resolve, Gu Chenglin offered no further argument and retreated back to his own room. However, the image of Gu Chengrui coughing up blood haunted him, preventing sleep from iming him. He felt helpless, unable to do anything to help.


    Finally, he got up and headed to the clinic to find Gu Chengxi. Unfortunately, Gu Chengxi couldn¡¯t leave his patients unattended all day, so he returned to the residence.


    The next morning, unable to bear the worry any longer, Gu Chenglin rose early and made his way directly to Gu Chengxi¡¯s house.


    Gu Chengxi, practicing boxing in the courtyard, saw Gu Chengline in. He was stunned for a moment, then retracted his fist. ¡°You¡¯re suffering from insomnia. You came to me early in the morning with a pair of dark circles under your eyes. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

 Chapter 1001 - 1001 Verification

    Chapter 1001: Verification


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Gu Chenglin sighed, shaking his head. ¡°A colleague dragged me into ate-night shift.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I came here today to ask if you can still treat tuberculosis that¡¯s progressed to the point of vomiting blood.¡±


    ¡°Vomiting blood? Tuberculosis typically doesn¡¯t cause vomiting of blood. At most, you¡¯d cough up blood, possibly with blood-tinged phlegm.¡±


    Gu Chenglin was momentarily stunned. ¡°My bad, I¡¯m not as experienced as you,¡± he admitted sheepishly. ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s coughing up blood.¡±


    ¡°In the past, it was difficult to say for sure. But with the invention of penicillin, it¡¯s bepletely manageable, even curable,¡± Gu Chengxi exined. ¡°You need to tell your colleague toe here for quarantine treatment. Otherwise, it could get messy if the entire family gets infected.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. I¡¯ll let them know soon,¡± Gu Chenglin replied absentmindedly before exiting the clinic.


    ¡°That kid left without even saying goodbye,¡± Gu Chengxi muttered after his brother left, resuming his boxing routine.


    A sense of unease gnawed at Gu Chenglin. In his mind, Gu Chengrui must have contracted a terminal illness. If it were simply tuberculosis, he could easily treat it himself. It seemed he had been misled again. His cousin was definitely hiding something.


    With this thought in mind, he marched straight into the pce.


    The morning court session had just concluded, and he seized the opportunity to pull the Emperor aside and confide in him. He couldn¡¯t convince Gu Chengrui himself, but perhaps the Emperor, as their friend, could devise a solution. He couldn¡¯t simply let his cousin sail off without a reason. If something truly happened, the guilt would forever gue him.


    ¡°Did you actually witness him vomit blood?¡± The Emperor inquired with seriousness.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Gu Chenglin confirmed with a nod.


    Hearing this, the Emperor¡¯s mind began to race. Could it be that Gu Chengrui¡¯s supposed sea voyage was merely a cover for retirement? No, he had to get a clear answer¡ªwas his friend truly sick? If so, he would create the ideal treatment environment to facilitate his recovery rather than letting him disappear without a trace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t inform your sister about this yet,¡± the Emperor instructed. ¡°I¡¯ll summon him to the pce myself.¡±


    Following that, he waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll go to him personally.¡±


    He then proceeded to escort Gu Chenglin to breakfast.


    After they finished eating, the Emperor changed into more casual attire and exited the pce along with the guards.


    First, he visited various government offices before using the pretext of seeking a meal to visit the Gu residence.


    Both Zhou Ying and her husband were stunned upon receiving news of the Emperor¡¯s arrival. They hurried out to greet him.


    As soon as he saw them approaching, the Emperor waved his hand dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s no need for formalities. I¡¯m out on official business today, and I specifically came by your residence hoping for a meal.¡±


    ¡°It will be our pleasure to host Your Majesty,¡± Zhou Ying replied graciously.


    ¡°Might Your Majesty have any specific dishes in mind?¡± Zhou Ying further inquired.


    ¡°It¡¯s spring, and the weather is dry,¡± the Emperor responded. ¡°Please prepare whatever you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Please wait a moment,¡± Zhou Ying acknowledged before turning around and departing.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui escorted the Emperor back inside. Catching sight of Gu Chenglin following obediently behind them, his heart sank. It seemed certain things could no longer be kept hidden.


    After the Emperor took a seat, he observed Gu Chengrui for a moment, his keen eyes detecting an abnormality in hisplexion.


    Niu Lirong entered to serve tea after a few questions were posed regarding the travel preparations.


    ¡°So, what illness have you got?¡± After hearing that, Gu Chengrui was relieved but still red at Gu Chenglin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with him,¡± the Emperor interjected. ¡°He simply came to me out of concern for you both.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps we should discuss this in the study,¡± Gu Chengrui suggested, rising from his seat.


    ¡°That sounds reasonable,¡± the Emperor agreed, following him into the study.

 Chapter 1002 - 1002 Honesty

    Chapter 1002: Honesty


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Reaching the study door, Gu Chengrui turned to Gu Chenglin and pointed a finger toward it. ¡°Keep a watchful eye. No one is to enter,¡± he instructed firmly.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Gu Chenglin replied obediently, taking his position at the door alongside the guards.


    Inside the study, Gu Chengrui offered the Emperor a seat. He then retrieved the document containing the bonus agreement from a drawer and presented it to him. ¡°Since you¡¯vee, it saves me another trip,¡± he exined. ¡°Please take these back with you.¡±


    ¡°You want to relinquish control of these lucrative ventures?¡± The Emperor inquired, his surprise evident.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gu Chengrui confirmed. ¡°Not only would clinging to these industries prove useless for Gu Chenglin, it could even be detrimental. However, I suggest you retain firm control of sectors like iron and salt production, integrating them into the national treasury if need be.¡±


    The Emperor nodded in agreement. ¡°But before we discuss that further, you haven¡¯t addressed my question. What¡¯s truly ailing you?¡±


    Gu Chengrui understood he couldn¡¯t avoid the truth when the Emperor was serious. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be entirely urate to call it an illness,¡± he began hesitantly after a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°I¡¯m afraid my body won¡¯t hold on for much longer.¡±


    He then proceeded to reveal his and Zhou Ying¡¯s true identities in hushed tones. ¡°Are you trying to pull my leg?¡± The Emperor responded incredulously. However, a sliver of belief flickered within him.


    Firstly, Gu Chengrui¡¯s extraordinary abilities had a clear source. Secondly, they received undeniable assistance from Mother God. Without her timely warnings and deliveries of food and medicinal herbs, his journey wouldn¡¯t have been nearly as smooth¡ªthe smallpox outbreak back then could have easily imed his life.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Gu Chengrui assured him. ¡°Do you remember thete Emperor? He experienced several episodes of fainting and vomiting blood.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Emperor recalled. ¡°His health steadily declined from that point onward.¡±


    Gu Chengrui shook his head. ¡°He suffered the consequences of epting Zhou Ying¡¯s kowtow. While detrimental to his health, three specific tonics could have remedied the issue. Bluntly speaking, the true culprit behind the former Emperor¡¯s decline was the Heart Devouring Worm nted by King Hui.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I been affected then?¡± The Emperor inquired curiously.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Great Emperor Ziwei?¡± Gu Chengrui asked. ¡°Your past life surpasses ours, thus¡­¡±


    The revtion left the Emperor speechless. He had never imagined his previous life would hold such a high standard.


    ¡°When did you discover this?¡± He pressed with curiosity.


    ¡°Zhou Ying was the first,¡± Gu Chengrui exined. ¡°While she never fully regained Mother God¡¯s cultivation, fragments of Mother God¡¯s memories surfaced within her. As people began kneeling and offering worship at the Mother God Temple, more and more of these memories returned.¡±


    ¡°So, the food used for disaster relief and the seeds that followed were all acquired by Zhou Ying?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Chengrui confirmed. ¡°She foresaw a devastating cmity striking thesends a century ago, and so she began preparations. However, the scale of the disaster proved far greater than anticipated. Ultimately, she could only ensure no one starved to death.¡±


    ¡°As for your identity, she discovered it when you offered a sincere prayer. I was thest to recover my memories. After fainting upon the invention of penicillin, my memories flooded back. However, my mortal body couldn¡¯t withstand the surge in soul power. It¡¯s reached its limit.¡±


    ¡°So, these past few years have been dedicated to creating the advancements you wanted to unleash on the world.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Gu Chengrui acknowledged. ¡°Unfortunately, time is a preciousmodity. Thankfully, some of the foundational knowledge has already been transferred. The future, however, remains veiled by fate.¡±


    The Emperor found himself bewildered yet strangely relieved. However, this revtion only strengthened his resolve to ensure their safety.


    After a moment of silence, he rose to his feet and bowed with cupped hands. ¡°Then, congrattions on your recent union.¡±

 Chapter 1003 - 1003 Farewell (1)

    Chapter 1003: Farewell (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thankyou,¡± Gu Chengrui replied, returning the greeting.


    They chatted for a while longer, with the Emperor primarily seeking Gu Chengrui¡¯s insights on Great Ming¡¯s future development ns. Their conversation only concluded when Zhou Ying finished preparing dinner and sent someone to fetch them back to the main room.


    Upon returning to the main room, the Emperor¡¯s gaze fell upon Zhou Ying once more. He scrutinized her intently; indeed, a resemnce to the Mother God statue was undeniable. Unfortunately, this detail had eluded him previously. Perhaps more urately, he had never considered the possibility of such an extraordinary background.


    He cupped his fist and said to her, ¡°Thankyou.¡±


    Zhou Ying was momentarily stunned, assuming he was referring to the meal. Pulling out a chair, she greeted him warmly. ¡°Your Majesty, there¡¯s no need for such courtesy. It¡¯s a simple meal, truly.¡±


    ¡°By the way, these mussel seeds are grown wild. Though slightly bitter, it possesses potent antipyretic properties. Feel free to enjoy it in moderation,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Yeah, it boasts remarkable properties, improving digestion, replenishing blood, and promoting overall health,¡± Gu Chengrui added in agreement.


    ¡°Now that you mention it,¡± the Emperor remarked, ¡°I¡¯m eager to try it myself.¡± He then washed his hands and proceeded to sample the wild mussel seeds personally.


    Zhou Ying, her husband, and Gu Chenglin readily followed suit in eating lunch.


    After they finished eating, the Emperor led Gu Chenglin out of the manor grounds.


    Gu Chenglin hurried after him, his voiceced with urgency. ¡°Your Majesty, how did your discussion with Cousin go? Do you have any idea what¡¯s happening?¡±


    The Emperor turned and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°The future burdens of the family fall solely on your shoulders now,¡± he dered solemnly. ¡°As for your cousin, he¡¯s simply exhausted. Years of unrelenting pressure have taken their toll on him. Unfortunately, the likelihood of a cure for his tuberculosis is slim. Therefore, he requires a ce to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°So serious?¡± Gu Chenglin eximed, his voice filled with concern.


    ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± the Emperor confirmed. ¡°The past few years have burdened him immensely. Remember, it¡¯s crucial for you to prioritize healthy eating and sleep habits in the future.¡±


    With that, the Emperor hurried back to the pce, with several pressing matters demanding his immediate attention. He couldn¡¯t risk forgetting anything important.


    Following the Emperor¡¯s departure, Zhou Ying sought out Mother Qiu. ¡°Mother Qju,¡± she began thoughtfully, ¡°what are your ns? If you wish to remain at the residence, I¡¯ll ensure Chenglin takes care of you in your golden years.¡±


    ¡°However, if serving as a servant no longer appeals to you, the manor awaits. Its mountains, rivers, and serenity offer the perfect sanctuary for retirement.¡±


    ¡°Or, I can purchase a hundred acres ofnd for you, allowing you to return to your hometown and embrace a life as a smallndowner.¡±


    Mother Qiu smiled. ¡°Actually, I was just about to discuss this very topic with you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting older, and the manor no longer sees much of our presence. We¡¯ve been nning to purchase a small courtyard in South City, a ce to retire and perhaps reunite with your Brother Dong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful news!¡± Zhou Ying eximed. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the deed for the shopter. The shop used by Brother Dong and the others will be yours from now on.¡±


    With that, she handed Mother Qiu five thousand taels of silver and a ginseng root. ¡°Please ept this for your security. Should you face any difficulties in the future, don¡¯t hesitate to seek Chenglin¡¯s assistance. He wouldn¡¯t turn you away.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, this is far too much,¡± Mother Qiu protested upon seeing the amount on the banknote.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that the kindness shown during upbringing surpasses that of birth,¡± Zhou Ying countered. ¡°No matter the past, you raised me. Frankly, if not for the fear of overburdening you, I would have provided more. Please ept this for my peace of mind.¡± With that, she firmly ced the items in Mother Qiu¡¯s hand.


    Tears welled up in Mother Qiu¡¯s eyes as she heard Zhou Ying¡¯s words. ¡°To be honest,¡± she confessed, ¡°with our identities, these years of living in such grandeur have already been a great blessing.¡±


    ¡°Then consider it a reward for the good fortune you¡¯ve umted throughout your life,¡± Zhou Ying offered gently.

 Chapter 1004 - 1004 Farewell (2)

    Chapter 1004: Farewell (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The day of departure arrived in the blink of an eye. The entire Gu household bustled with activity early in the morning as everyone started packing.


    After breakfast, Gu Chengrui observed the tearful Gu Chenglin. ¡°Enough tears,¡± he chided gently. ¡°How old are you? Remember, the residence will be yours to manage in the future.¡±


    ¡°One crucial piece of advice¡ªif the First Prince or Second Princee knocking, maintain a low profile as soon as possible. Otherwise, things could turn ugly for you.¡±


    ¡°Though your concern seems a bit premature, I¡¯ll definitely keep it in mind,¡± Gu Chenglin replied with a nod.


    ¡°Help me with the luggage,¡± Gu Chengrui instructed, picking up his suitcase and heading outside.


    Seeing this, Gu Chenglin immediately grabbed the luggage and followed suit.


    Soon, Zhou Ying and the others joined them.


    Outside, a group of guards awaited them, escorting a carriage. After a while, Gu Wanning arrived with the three children, disembarking from the carriage.


    ¡°Guoguo, Chenchen, are you really leaving?¡± The Eldest Prince rushed over to them upon seeing them.


    ¡°Yep, we¡¯re off to sea! I heard it¡¯s vast and beautiful. Want toe with us?¡± Chenchen chirped excitedly.


    ¡°Nonsense! The First Prince has his duties. He can¡¯t just abandon them,¡± Zhou Ying interjected.


    ¡°Auntie, are you absolutely certain you can¡¯t bring me along?¡± The First Prince pleaded with Zhou Ying, his eyes filled with hope.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s impossible. Your position demands a certain level of responsibility, and a heavy burden awaits you in the future. Now is the time to hone your skills, so ytime will have to wait,¡± Zhou Ying exined patiently.


    ¡°What about me? Can Ie? Auntie, I promise I can behave!¡± The Second Prince piped up, eagerly pointing at himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re his brother,¡± Zhou Ying countered gently. ¡°You too must dedicate yourself to your training. You and your brother will share this responsibility. Naturally, that means no vacations for you either.¡±


    The Second Prince¡¯s face immediately fell upon hearing this. In contrast, the First Prince couldn¡¯t help but feel a flicker of relief at his brother¡¯s disappointment.


    The two brothers then approached Guoguo, Chenchen, and Third Fatty, eager to present the gifts they had prepared.


    Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui strolled over to Gu Wanning. ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked, concern etched on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not safe bringing the three children with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright for now,¡± Gu Wanning replied, her eyes tearing up. ¡°Since you¡¯re leaving, I wanted to see you off.¡±


    With a hint of hesitation, she asked, ¡°Must you leave?¡±


    Sensing that the Emperor hadn¡¯t shared the whole story, Gu Chengrui just nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll escort you out of the city.¡± Gu Wanning nodded in response.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Gu Chengrui insisted. ¡°Now that we¡¯re family, there¡¯s no need for such formalities anymore.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Gu Wanning began, trailing off.


    ¡°No buts,¡± Gu Chengrui cut her off gently. ¡°You and your children have your own responsibilities. We have plenty of guards for protection, and there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    Gu Wanning nodded in agreement. She then retrieved two food boxes and two bags from the carriage. ¡°A small token of my appreciation,¡± she offered. ¡°Please ept these. And remember,e back and visit soon.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Chengrui promised. ¡°You all must take care as well. Remember, if you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to speak with the Emperor. Additionally, the jade pendant I gave you before has health-boosting properties. Wear it at all times.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Gu Wanning acknowledged solemnly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Gu Chengrui dered, picking up his luggage and walking past her. He then stowed the luggage in the carriage and helped Zhou Ying and the others settle in before taking his seat.


    Just as they were about to set off, Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu, apanied by their families, arrived in a flurry. After exchanging farewells, Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu joined the carriages, slowly making their way toward the city gate.

 Chapter 1005 - 1005 Farewell (3)

    Chapter 1005: Farewell (3)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After the convoy disappeared from sight over the horizon, the Emperor remained atop the city gate, his men standing watch beside him. He finally turned and descended only once they werepletely out of view.


    Meanwhile, Gu Wanning was about to return to the pce after seeing Gu Chengrui and the others off.


    ¡°Sis,¡± Gu Chenglin called out to her. ¡°Come with me. Cousin left a box for you. Take it back.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s inside?¡± Gu Wanning inquired.


    ¡°Not sure, but¡­¡± He trailed off, then leaned in and whispered, ¡°Probably banknotes.¡±


    He led her to Gu Chengrui¡¯s study and presented her with the small box resting on the table.


    Gu Wanning took the box, gently stroking its surface before opening it. Inside, she found two small bottles of pepper spray and another slightlyrger box. This box contained a thick stack of thousand-tael silver notes and two vials of antidote pills tucked away in the corner.


    Tears welled up in Gu Wanning¡¯s eyes as she finished examining the contents.


    ¡°Sister, don¡¯t cry,¡± Gu Chenglin pleaded, his voice cracking. ¡°You have to be strong. What will I do if you aren¡¯t?¡±


    He began to sob uncontrobly, and Gu Wanning, noticing his sorrow, wiped away her own tears. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± she soothed, ¡°don¡¯t cry. We have to stay strong and protect the property Cousin left behind.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± Gu Chenglin mumbled, wiping his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister-inw left me with a lot of prescriptions.¡±


    ¡°Then guard them well,¡± Gu Wanning instructed.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± he confirmed.


    Half a monthter, the group arrived at the East Continent¡¯s harbor. With the assistance of Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu, they quickly located suitable boatmen and conducted thorough tests on the ship. Meanwhile, Zhou Ying employed her spiritual power to examine the vessel for potential problems meticulously. Once she confirmed its seaworthiness, Gu Chengrui began loading the previously purchased silk, tea leaves, and other goods onto the ship.


    That evening, Gu Chengrui had arranged a special dinner in gratitude to Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu. Just as the dishes were being served, Zhou Huaiming burst through the door in a frenzy.


    ¡°Gu Chengrui, you sly dog!¡± He roared upon seeing him. ¡°Do you still consider me a brother? You¡¯re setting sail and didn¡¯t even bother to tell me?!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you on the Northern Continent?¡± Gu Chengrui asked, momentarily stunned. He then rose to his feet.


    ¡°So what if I was? Couldn¡¯t Ie back?¡± Zhou Huaiming grumbled, storming over and taking a seat directly opposite him. He red at Gu Chengrui.


    ¡°My apologies, my apologies,¡± Gu Chengrui offered catingly. ¡°You must be famished after rushing back like that. Tell me, what would you like to eat?¡±


    He swiftly instructed the waiter to bring additional sses and cutlery for Zhou Huaiming.


    ¡°After you guys leave,¡± Zhou Huaiming sighed, ¡°it¡¯ll be a long time before I have the pleasure of enjoying such delicious food again. The least you can do is whip up a couple of dishes I haven¡¯t tried before, right?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely no problem,¡± Gu Chengrui assured him. ¡°Zhou Ying¡¯s currently in the kitchen preparing provisions for the ship. I¡¯ll head over and check on things.¡±


    With those words, he turned and headed towards the kitchen. As he made his way back, he happened to be carrying a te of freshly fried dumplings.


    The four of them then settled into conversation, though it was primarily Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming who did the talking. Zhou Huaiming raised his cup in a toast, naturally attempting to persuade Gu Chengrui to stay, but his efforts ultimately proved unsessful.


    Witnessing this exchange, Mr. Gu and Second Uncle Gu swallowed back their own words, opting instead to offer advice on navigating the dangers of the sea. After much deliberation, Zhou Ying finally decided to contribute. She retrieved some ingredients from her hidden space and prepared two dishes for Zhou Huaiming¡ªa pot of ¡°Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,¡± and braised tofu with Luohan meat.


    Zhou Huaiming¡¯s appetite seemed to have vanished despite the enticing dishes before him. Instead, he resorted to drowning his sorrows in alcohol.


    After the meal, Gu Chengrui turned to Mr. Gu. ¡°Father,¡± he stated, ¡°we¡¯ll be setting sail early tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help take care of General Zhou.¡±

 Chapter 1006 - 1006 Recovering His True Body

    Chapter 1006: Recovering His True Body


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; leave it all to us,¡± Mr. Gu instructed worriedly. ¡°The journey is long, and the vast ocean awaits you. Be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Second Uncle Gu echoed. ¡°When the wind and fog are strong, seek refuge in a harbor. Safetyes first.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Gu Chengrui replied solemnly, bowing in gratitude.


    He then escorted them to their guest room and informed them of the exact departure time for the following morning.


    Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Huaiming woke up shortly after their departure, tears silently streaming down his face. The news he¡¯d received painted a grim picture ¨C Gu Chengrui was critically ill and needed to retire.


    In all honesty, their rtionship hadn¡¯t always been smooth, even teetering on the brink at times, but the thought of him leaving was unbearable.


    But¡­


    At dawn the next day, Gu Chengrui and his group boarded the ship in hushed tones. They then raised anchor and set sail for the open sea.


    On the distant shore, Mr. Gu, Second Uncle Gu, and Zhou Huaiming stood in separate spots, watching them disappear into the horizon.


    Once they reached the open ocean, Gu Chengrui¡¯s physical body could no longer hold out, reverting to his true form. Zhou Ying, too, revealed her true identity to everyone.


    The hired boatmen, especially those handsomelypensated, were ready to ept their fate when they knew they were going out on an unknown. Upon hearing this revtion, they were met with overwhelming excitement.


    Part of it stemmed from witnessing a true god, while the other half was fueled by the joy of potentially having their lives assured.


    Gu Chengrui¡¯s predecessor, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor, then issued a strict decree¡ªwhile they were aware of his and Zhou Ying¡¯s true identities, they were forbidden from disclosing them.


    Following a lengthy discussion, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor summoned his attendants and instructed them to bring Guoguo and Chenchen back to Yaoshan for focused cultivation.


    With that, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui truly embarked on their seafaring adventure. Though their living conditions weren¡¯t ideal, their well-being remained satisfactory.


    Ten years passed, and the group traversed the entire continent, establishing connections between all the inhabited areas. Furthermore, the Mother God Temple had spread its influence to every corner of the.


    Zhou Ying had also fully regained her true form as the Mother God, her divine sense epassing the entire world.


    The final fragment of Mother God¡¯s memory held the method for integrating the bedroom into the Mother God Temple upon reaching a certain faith threshold.


    A decade of shared experiences and oveing challenges had forged inseparable bonds. Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui, the Mother Goddess and Yaoshan Divine Doctor, all blossomed into devoted couples.


    Guoguo and Chenchen eventually returned from Yaoshan, having spent two years honing their skills in the cultivation world. They had both reached the Nascent Soul realm, with Guoguo faintly nearing thete Nascent Soul stage.


    Third Fatty, meanwhile, had grown into an eighteen-year-old young man, never straying far from his father¡¯s side. Yet, with the unwavering support of Yaoshan and the abundant resources of the Mother Goddess, he hadn¡¯t fallen behind. He had already broken through to the Golden Core stage at such a young age.


    Inheriting both fire and wood spiritual roots, his aptitude was considered average, but he possessed a remarkable talent for alchemy, sessfully taking on the mantle of the Yaoshan Divine Doctor.


    One day, after the family reunited at the Mother God Temple, they enjoyed a joyous meal together. Chenchen, putting down his chopsticks, spoke up excitedly, ¡°Mother and Father, when are we going to this Blue Star you mentioned?


    ¡°I still remember how you promised to show us airnes and tanks!¡±


    ¡°You can go,¡± Mother God replied, ¡°but be aware that your cultivation will be suppressed there. Everyone must promise to obey my instructions.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother, we¡¯ll definitely follow your orders,¡± all three of them chorused in unison.


    Mother God nced at the Yaoshan Divine Doctor. ¡°Then let¡¯s go and take a look. It just so happens that your grandparents are there as well.¡±


    The Yaoshan Divine Doctor smiled and nodded. ¡°Anything you want, babe.¡±

 Chapter 1007 - 1007 Landing

    Chapter 1007: Landing


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Then go pack your things,¡± Mother God instructed. ¡°Remember to pack light.¡±


    After obtaining permission from the guardian of the Blue Star, Mother God granted her former followers a six-month reprieve in her interspace. Meanwhile, their family embarked on their journey to Blue Star under the watchful protection of Mother God and the Yaoshan Divine Doctor.


    Upon entering the Blue Star, the family¡¯s cultivation levels were suppressed to a minimum. Theynded in the midst of a scorching summer, and the heat immediately sent shivers down everyone¡¯s spines.


    Zhou Ying, noticing their difort, quickly located a restroom. There, she retrieved a set of summer clothes for each family member and embarked on a shopping spree.


    The three children, wide-eyed with wonder, gazed out at the towering skyscrapers and the ceaseless flow of vehicles. Third Fatty, unable to contain his curiosity, blurted out, ¡°Look, Mother! The buildings here are so tall! Why are they built so high?¡±


    Feeling the bewildered stares of onlookers who mistook them for country bumpkins, Mother God chided him gently. ¡°Learn from your brother and sister, Third Fatty. Admiring the sights is fine, but there¡¯s no need to shout and draw attention.¡±


    Third Fatty sheepishly closed his mouth, realizing the numerous curious eyes fixated on him. Their long hair, too, attracted the attention of reporters, prompting the Yaoshan Divine Doctor to use the excuse of being filmed as a reason to leave.


    Next, Zhou Ying rummaged through her space and retrieved 50,000 Blue Star currency. She then hailed two taxis to transport them to the city center.


    The vibrant night lights overwhelmed the two younger children. Third Fatty, mesmerized by the towering skyscrapers, inquired, ¡°Mother, why are the buildings here so tall?¡±


    ¡°There are two main reasons,¡± Mother God exined. ¡°Firstly, for aesthetics, and secondly, to make efficient use ofnd. Didn¡¯t you notice how densely popted this ce is?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, there are so many people, even at night. But I¡¯m hungry! What are we going to eat?¡± Third Fatty whined.


    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s treat you all to a delicious meal,¡± Mother God dered, leading them to arge restaurant. She settled them in and ordered a variety of exquisite dishes.


    Guoguo, however, wasn¡¯t impressed. ¡°This food isn¡¯t good,¡± she dered. ¡°It¡¯s nd and full of impurities.¡±


    Chenchen, on the other hand, devoured the steamed bass inrge bites, eximing, ¡°It may not be the best, but it¡¯s still tasty.¡±


    Third Fatty shook his head in agreement with Guoguo. ¡°It doesn¡¯tpare to Mother¡¯s cooking.¡±


    Mother God smiled warmly. ¡°Eat up, everyone. You can have your fill. We¡¯ll cook our own meals in the future.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, where are we staying tonight?¡± Guoguo inquired.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Yaoshan Divine Doctor admitted. ¡°Finding a ce to stay will be tricky. Hotels require identification cards, and renting or buying a house would be a whole other ordeal. We¡¯ll need a n if we want to stay here long-term.¡±


    Third Fatty¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°Can we live in the tallest building?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this outside,¡± Mother God cautioned, shooting him a warning look. ¡°Finish your food first. We need to maintain a low profile here. It wouldn¡¯t be good if we attracted unwanted attention.¡±


    Third Fatty obediently shut his mouth.


    After emerging from the restaurant, the family turned to Yaoshan Divine Doctor with expectant eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to our previous residence first,¡± he instructed. ¡°If it hasn¡¯t been sold or rented out, we can stay there for the night. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to retreat back to your space for now and figure out a way to acquire identification documents so we can rent a house tomorrow. Remember, discretion is key.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Mother God agreed. She hailed another taxi, and they set off for their former home. The three children were brimming with curiosity, eager to see their new, earthly home.

 Chapter 1008 - 1008 What Happened Back Then

    Chapter 1008: What Happened Back Then


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Disheartened, the family of five found themselves shut out of their former home; new upants resided there. With no choice but to retreat, they located a secluded spot devoid of surveince cameras and entered Mother God¡¯s interspace for a night¡¯s rest.


    The following day, Mother God took Guoguo and the other two children to a hair salon for a makeover and a shopping spree. Their priority was acquiring modern clothing; adapting to this new world was crucial.


    Meanwhile, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor sought out an inte cafe. Here, he hacked into the household registration system and created legitimate identities for his family. He then ventured to the household registration office to procure official identification cards.


    By afternoon, armed with their household registration certificates, he managed to rent a small vi. When Mother God rushed over to settle the rent, a jolt of realization struck her as 50,000 yuan had already been spent.


    The next day, faced with financial constraints, she had no choice but to visit a traditional medicine shop. There, she reluctantly sold a seventy- to eighty-year-old ginseng root for 800,000 yuan.


    With this temporary house secured, the family began to settle in.


    That evening, after dinner, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor addressed the three children with a serious tone. ¡°Coming back wasn¡¯t easy. Don¡¯t waste time solely on ying. Consider your interests and find something you¡¯d like to learn. We didn¡¯t return here for nothing.¡±


    ¡°But Father, you haven¡¯t shown us the nes and tanks yet!¡± Chenchen interjected.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± he assured him. ¡°You can see those at the military museum.¡±


    Guoguo, brimming with curiosity, voiced her aspirations. ¡°I want to learn medicine! You mentioned people here can even perform heart transnts. That¡¯s what I want to learn!¡±


    Chenchen, captivated by the concept of automobiles, piped up, ¡°I want to learn how to make cars! They seem pretty cool. Maybe if I learn how, I can build one when we go back.¡±


    Third Fatty, not wanting to be left out, chimed in, ¡°Then I¡¯ll learn how to make machinery. It would be more useful when we return.¡±


    The Yaoshan Divine Doctor nodded in approval. ¡°Alright, then. From tomorrow onward, you three will report to the library every day. Try to memorize the basics as quickly as possible. I¡¯ll then find a way to connect you with suitable teachers.¡±


    A hint of worry flickered across Third Fatty¡¯s face. ¡°What about you guys? You won¡¯t just abandon us and go y by yourselves, will you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Besides, we have some things we need to take care of. Once we¡¯re finished, we¡¯ll take you out for some fun.¡±


    True to their word, the following days saw the three children diligently reporting to the library. Unexpectedly, Chenchen stumbled upon a stroke of luck. While not exactly a car manufacturer, he encountered a seasoned mechanic with impressive engine repair skills¡ªa valuable mentor!


    Meanwhile, Mother God and the Yaoshan Divine Doctor embarked on a visit to Food City, a project they had personally established. To their dismay, they discovered that a mere two years had seen a leadership change. Their sessor in this life,cking the necessarypetence to manage Food City, had ultimately resorted to selling it.


    Intrigued, they delved deeper, uncovering the truth behind their past ident. Evidently, it wasn¡¯t a random event. Someone, captivated by Food City¡¯s potential, sought to acquire it by force. They hired an aplice to orchestrate the car crash.


    As they diligently gathered evidence, they stumbled upon another individual on the same mission¡ªthe very truck driver responsible for their ident! He, too, had narrowly escaped silencing and was now actively collecting evidence for awsuit against the mastermind.


    Mother God and the Yaoshan Divine Doctor exchanged a silent nce, opting to maintain a neutral stance. Instead, they discreetly assisted him, aiding in evidence collection and providing necessary protection. With their support, the driver disyed remarkable efficiency. Aprehensive case was assembled and presented in court in less than half a month.


    At the trial, Mr. and Mrs. Gu, along with Gu Chengrui¡¯s younger brother, Gu Chengjun, received the court summons. Mother God and the Yaoshan Divine Doctor, present in the courtroom, watched in quiet contemtion as their eyes met those of the aged couple.


    The passage of time had etched its mark on Mr. and Mrs. Gu, particrly Mrs. Gu, whose frailty was evident.


    As for Gu Chengjun, he looked much more mature and steady, protecting the two elders tightly.

 Chapter 1009 - 1009 Meeting Up

    Chapter 1009: Meeting Up


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Seeing how Gu Chengjun has matured so much, I¡¯m truly relieved,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor remarked.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Mother God agreed. ¡°When do you think we should reveal ourselves to them?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s assess their situation first,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°If the elders can regain their strength, perhaps there¡¯s no need to subject them to the pain of separation again.


    ¡°If they falter, then we¡¯ll step in and offerfort.¡±


    Mother God nodded silently, epting his reasoning.


    Thanks to the presence of witnesses and concrete evidence, the driver swiftly secured a favorable verdict in thewsuit. However, due to his involvement in the past murder, he faced immediate imprisonment.


    As for the masterminds, the Yao family, their initial pursuit of acquiring Food City backfired spectacrly. Their business plummeted, and coupled with pressure from opposing forces, they were forced to shut down.


    But, that was a story for another time.


    On the day the verdict was announced, Mrs. Gu was hospitalized. Mother God and the Yaoshan Divine Doctor wasted no time visiting her, remaining by her side for three days.


    Indeed, the elderly woman¡¯s health deteriorated with each passing day, and Mr. Gu¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t much better. While taking a break in the hospital courtyard, the two decided to bring some of the Yaoshan Divine Doctor¡¯s concoctions and approach them.


    Mr. Gu was taken aback when he saw them. ¡°We¡¯re here to visit,¡± Mother God exined. ¡°We¡¯re friends of Gu Chengrui. Would it be possible to find a quiet ce to talk?¡±


    ¡°A friend¡­ of my son?¡± Mr. Gu stammered, scrutinizing them with suspicion. Chengrui hadn¡¯t had many friends, and those he did have, he recognized. The couple before him were strangers.


    Then, a thought struck him. Their resemnce to his deceased son and daughter-inw was uncanny. He pointed at them, speechless.


    Mrs. Gu, misinterpreting his gesture, cried out excitedly, ¡°Chengrui, Ying¡¯er!¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Mr. Gu began to protest.


    ¡°Mom,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor interjected, squatting down and taking her hand in his.


    ¡°You, you¡­¡± Mr. Gu sputtered, on the verge of fainting. The Yaoshan Divine Doctor swiftly supported him, offering a calming massage.


    Regaining hisposure, Mr. Gu addressed them directly. ¡°Who are you exactly? We personally sent the bodies of our eldest son and his wife to be cremated. Don¡¯t try to deceive us.¡±


    Realizing her mistake, Mrs. Gu kept her gaze fixed on them, a flicker of fear lest they vanish if she looked away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move aside and talk,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor suggested, guiding them to a secluded grove nearby.


    He then proceeded to provide a brief ount of their experiences. However, upon witnessing their disbelief, he recounted his foolish mistakes when he was young.


    ¡°You¡¯re really¡­¡± Mrs. Gu breathed, ovee with a wave of emotion.


    ¡°We are,¡± they both acknowledged. ¡°We apologize for worrying you. We didn¡¯t want to disturb you further or cause you more grief. Little did we know, it would affect your health so drastically.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we had no choice but to reveal ourselves and try tofort you,¡± Mother God added.


    ¡°Yes, and we have a lot on our te right now. We even have three children,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor announced with a smile.


    ¡°Can we meet the children?¡± Mrs. Gu inquired eagerly.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor reassured her. ¡°But you have to keep taking these medications diligently. Once you¡¯re recovered, visit this address to find us.¡± He then handed them a collection of medicine packets.


    Mr. Gu took them but couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Can¡¯t you alle home?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor replied. ¡°There are too many people who recognize us back there. It¡¯s safer if we maintain a low profile.¡± Understanding the situation, Mr. Gu could only nod in agreement. It wouldn¡¯t be prudent for them to return home publicly.

 Chapter 1010 - 1010 Return

    Chapter 1010: Return


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After their chat. Mother God and the Yaoshan Divine Doctor bid farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Gu and returned home.


    The day for Mr. and Mrs. Gu¡¯s arrival quickly dawned. The Yaoshan Divine Doctor decided to keep the three children busy, enlisting their help in cleaning the house and preparing a meal.


    By 9:30 am, Gu Chengjun arrived at their doorstep with his parents.


    The Yaoshan Divine Doctor ushered them inside and called for Guoguo and the others to join them for a proper greeting.


    Upon seeing Guoguo and the other two children, a wave of surprise washed over Mr. and Mrs. Gu, particrly Mrs. Gu.


    The image of a child she longed to embrace was shattered by the reality of a much older individual.


    ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother, and Second Uncle, pleasee in and have a seat,¡± Guoguo greeted them with a smile. ¡°Mother has prepared some special tea today. Would you like to try it?¡± She then gently guided Mrs. Gu to a seat at the coffee table.


    Meanwhile, Chenchen and Third Fatty offered their greetings to Mr. Gu and Gu Chengjun, respectively, while the Yaoshan Divine Doctor took on the role of gift-bearer.


    Once everyone was settled, Mother God emerged from the kitchen with a steaming pot of water. ¡°Dad, Mom, Little Jun,¡± she addressed them, ¡°your tastes haven¡¯t changed, have they?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing¡¯s changed,¡± Gu Chengjun replied with a smile. ¡°However, Mom and Dad are on medication now, so perhaps something light would be best for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Please make yourselvesfortable. We have fruits and snacks on the table. Feel free to help yourselves if you¡¯re hungry,¡± Mother God instructed, cing the kettle down before returning to the kitchen.


    Conversation flowed freely among the family members. After hearing their extraordinary experiences, Gu Chengjun finally epted their story as truth, as their unique features also solidified their identities in his mind.


    Following lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Gu stayed behind while Gu Chengjun departed for work.


    Two months passed, during which the three children diligently studied the materials at the library. Mr. Gu, leveraging his connections, arranged for Guoguo and the others to begin training.


    Meanwhile, under the Yaoshan Divine Doctor¡¯s care, Mr. and Mrs. Gu¡¯s health steadily improved. They even appeared remarkably younger, looking as if ten years had been shaved off their age.


    Over the next three months, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor and Mother God managed to earn a respectable sum by selling fruits and duck eggs.


    After acquiring everything they needed, they still had roughly five million yuan remaining.


    That evening, after dinner, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor presented them with a bank card. ¡°Dad, Mom,¡± he announced, ¡°there¡¯s some money on this card. You¡¯re both in much better health now. You¡¯ve worked hard all your lives. If you want to travel and enjoy yourselves, please do. We¡¯ll only do better in the future, so don¡¯t worry about us. We¡¯ll visit whenever we have the opportunity.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Mr. Gu inquired, his voiceced with concern.


    ¡°Yes, Ying¡¯er has responsibilities that require her attention,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor exined. ¡°She can¡¯t be away for too long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news,¡± Mrs. Gu replied. ¡°Knowing that you¡¯re all doing well brings us immense relief.¡± She then epted the bank card.


    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare some more medicine for you before you leave. Two more months of treatment, and you should be healthy for another thirty years with no problem.¡±


    ¡°You two take care of yourselves,¡± Mr. Gu echoed, nodding in agreement. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine here.¡±


    The next day, Gu Chengjun came to pick up his parents. Before they departed, Gu Chengrui, still cautious, issued a set of warnings.


    After seeing them off, the family was about to return home when Guoguo unexpectedly voiced his apprehension. ¡°Mom, Dad, I just started my training,¡± she began. ¡°It would be a shame to leave now. Why don¡¯t you two go back first? I can stay for another year or two before I follow.¡±


    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Chenchen and Third Fatty chimed in enthusiastically.


    The Yaoshan Divine Doctor and Mother God exchanged nces, silentlymunicating with each other.


    Finally, Mother God broke the silence. ¡°Alright,¡± she conceded. ¡°But remember, stay


    low-key and don¡¯t cause trouble.


    Also, don¡¯t look for partners here. Your identities are special, and you won¡¯t be able to take them with you when the timees.¡±

 Chapter 1011 - 1011 Tuition Fee

    Chapter 1011: Tuition Fee


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we just want to focus on learning,¡± Guoguo reassured them with a chest bump. ¡°Forget boring rtionships. Besides, what kind of beauty haven¡¯t we seen in the cultivation world? We wouldn¡¯t be easily swayed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Mother God replied, turning to Chenchen and Third Fatty. ¡°Guoguo, as the elder sister, you¡¯re responsible for watching over them in your free time. Make sure they stay out of trouble.¡±


    She then directed her gaze at the boys. ¡°And you two, as men, take good care of your sister. Don¡¯t let here to any harm.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mother!¡± Chenchen responded solemnly. ¡°We have phones here, so we can definitely keep an eye on each other.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Take care of yourselves,¡± Mother God instructed, leaving them with various ingredients from her interspace. She also provided them with pearls and medicinal herbs to sell in case of financial need.


    After bidding farewell to their children, the couple teleported to a secluded area within the interspace. Here, numerous houses had been built around the mountain¡¯s base.


    Upon their return, Lin Yitian and the tiger immediately materialized beside them. ¡°Mother God, Divine Doctor!¡± they eximed in unison. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had enough rest. I was wondering when you might be interested in venturing out to sea again.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t too keen on the sea anymore. You all have been gone for quite a while, and it¡¯s time to head back to Big Ming. Remember to map out a safe route for future use on your return voyage.¡±


    A momentary silence fell before Lin Yitian nodded. ¡°Sure thing. It is time to return and check on things.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Get everything packed and check the ship for any issues. If everything looks good, you can set sail tomorrow.¡±


    Lin Yitian frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not returning with us this time?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be apanying you, but I¡¯ll ensure your safety,¡± Mother God assured him.


    ¡°Then, how do we¡­ return?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten, have you? You¡¯re still human and need to return to your roots. Go back and live a good life. We¡¯ll visit whenever we have the opportunity.¡±


    Lin Yitian and Tiger exchanged a stunned look before eventually nodding in agreement.


    While they busied themselves with preparations, Mother God and the Yaoshan Divine Doctor moved to the factory area, where they produced many meat buns, and vegetarian buns were frozen forter consumption. They also stocked the ship with various beverages, lotus root flour and root jelly.


    Furthermore, all the rare items and species they¡¯d collected from their travels, including thetest acquisitions like steam engines and sr light bulbs, were loaded onto the ship.


    ¡°Lin Yitian,¡± Mother God called out. ¡°Remember, everything we brought back this time is quite valuable. Take it back and present it to the Emperor first. It¡¯s best to keep these things under wraps.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Lin Yitian replied. ¡°You two take care of yourselves as well. When you have some free time,e visit us in Great Ming.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Mother God confirmed. ¡°Here¡¯s a map of the route. Take it with you. You¡¯ll be leading the way back this time. We¡¯ll only intervene if absolutely necessary.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡±


    Once Lin Yitian and Tiger departed, Mother God took the Yaoshan Divine Doctor¡¯s hand. ¡°Finally, some peace and quiet,¡± she sighed.


    The Yaoshan Divine Doctor chuckled. ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯ll tire of it soon enough. Once we¡¯re settled, let¡¯s head to Yaoshan Mountain. We can send some ordinary medicinal seeds, extinct on the Blue, to the owner there. Consider it tuition for the children¡¯s education.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Mother God readily agreed.


    For the next few days, the couple enjoyed their well-deserved respite. During their free time, they¡¯d sip spiritual tea together or return to the Mother Temple to cultivate. Whenever Mother God was upied, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor kept an eye on Lin Yitian and the others.

 Chapter 1012 - 1012 Saving Someone (1)

    Chapter 1012: Saving Someone (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    A monthter, Lin Yitian and his group finally returned to the Eastern Province and made their way to the capital. Mother God had also finished handling most outstanding matters in various locations.


    The couple then spent a rxing month residing at Yaoshan Mountain. After presenting the item to the owner of the Blue Star, they journeyed back to the Great Ming.


    Their days settled into afortable routine. During the daytime, they would visit areas experiencing difficulties, investigate the situations firsthand, and deliver judgments. By nightfall, they returned to their interspace to enjoy their lives.


    Two years flew by, and the time came for them to bring Guoguo and the other two back.


    One day, after the family of five had finished indulging in a delightful seafood feast, the Yaoshan Divine Doctor furrowed his brow in sudden concern. ¡°Something must have happened to Wanning or her two children,¡± he dered after calcting using her fingers.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Mother God mused. ¡°The three princes are all grown up now. They¡¯re even fathers. It¡¯s natural for them to develop independent thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Fuzhou has been ravaged by two typhoons recently,¡± the Yaoshan Divine Doctor continued. ¡°The devastation is apparently quite severe. Could it be that something has befallen the Second Prince, who went there to provide disaster relief?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility,¡± Mother God agreed. ¡°One of the jade pendants I gave them is broken.¡±


    Chenchen, eager to help, immediately spoke up. ¡°Mother, let me go! I haven¡¯t seen them in years. I can check on them.¡±


    Third Fatty quickly voiced his agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll go too! I can try building some small-scale agricultural machinery to help ease the people¡¯s burden.¡±


    The ce they stayed was nice but a little boring for them.


    ¡°Alright, then you two may go,¡± Mother God conceded. ¡°However, to avoid incurring bad karma, you must be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll definitely be careful,¡± Guoguo assured them, standing up.


    Mother God nodded and retrieved her private seal from the past. ¡°This was my seal from when I was the Marquis¡¯ wife,¡± she exined as she handed it to Guoguo. ¡°If you run low on silver, you can use it to ess any property registered under my name.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, Mother. I still remember all the shops we used to visit,¡± Guoguo replied with a smile, epting the seal.


    Following that, she retrieved her flying ship and transported herself and her younger brothers back to Fuzhou. Their objective was to locate the Second Prince.


    After their search, they discovered the Second Prince unconscious at the bottom of a cliff. Without hesitation, Guoguo stowed the flying ship andnded.


    Upon rescuing the Second Prince, she examined him and announced, ¡°He¡¯s alright. He just fainted from the impact. His injuries aren¡¯t serious.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s been poisoned,¡± she added with a frown.


    ¡°Then hurry up and treat him!¡± Chenchen urged. ¡°There¡¯s no poison in the secr world that¡¯s beyond your capabilities.¡±


    ¡°It looks like a storm¡¯s approaching,¡± Guoguo observed. ¡°Chenchen, carry him. Let¡¯s find a cave to take shelter from the rain first.¡± After giving the instruction, she assisted in lifting the Second Prince.


    Chenchen readily stepped forward and hoisted the Second Prince onto her back. They then located a dry and well-ventted cave to seek refuge.


    Determined to save him swiftly, Guoguo bypassed the usual poison identification process. Instead, she directly employed silver needles and her spiritual power to forcefully expel the poison from his body.


    The expelled poisonous blood sizzled and released a puff of green smoke upon contact with the cave floor.


    ¡°That¡¯s some potent poison!¡± Third Fatty eximed.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Guoguo confirmed, putting away the needles. ¡°He must have been taking medication to suppress it; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t havested this long.¡± ¡°Being a prince sure seems tough,¡± Chenchen sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable,¡± Guoguo remarked with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Evenmoners struggle for every inch ofnd they own. Imagine the pressure of governing such a vast territory.¡±


    Taking action, Guoguo retrieved arge pot from her spatial bracelet.


    She then gathered ingredients like chicken, wolfberries, and ginseng slices and started stewing a pot of chicken soup.

 Chapter 1013 - 1013 Saving Someone (2)

    Chapter 1013: Saving Someone (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The Second Prince wrinkled his nose at the rich aroma of chicken soup, stirring him awake.


    Disoriented, he scanned his surroundings and gasped upon recognizing the three familiar faces.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he stammered, bewildered.


    ¡°Seriously, brat? You don¡¯t even recognize your big sister?¡± Guoguo yfully swatted his head with a chuckle. ¡°Here we are, rescuing you all this way, and you greet us with that?¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± The Second Prince sucked in a breath of pain, rubbing the spot where she hit him. He then squinted at Guoguo, studying her intently before breaking into a wide grin. ¡°You¡¯re Sister Guoguo!¡±


    ¡°At least you haven¡¯tpletely lost it,¡± Guoguo harrumped.


    ¡°Wow, you guys have all changed so much!¡± he eximed, his eyes wide with amazement.


    ¡°Each of you is practically superhuman! No, not even humans anymore. You look like immortals, with the bearing of celestial beings.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you knowhow to shower us withpliments,¡± Chenchen remarked yfully as he sat down beside him. ¡°So, how have you been all these years? Any trouble?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad,¡± he replied. ¡°Just some ambitious folks causing a bit of a stirtely.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of trouble,¡± he continued, a serious note creeping into his voice, ¡°you mentioned you came all the way here to save me. Where do you live now? Why haven¡¯t youe back to visit in all these years?¡±


    ¡°We live on an ind,¡± Guoguo exined. ¡°We¡¯re free there. We don¡¯t have any desire to leave.¡±


    ¡°You guys are truly heartless¡­¡± the Second Prince muttered in mock disappointment.


    Guoguo responded with another yful swat to his head. ¡°Shut it, you brat! If we were heartless, we wouldn¡¯t have bothered saving you. Now spill the beans. What happened this time? Howe you ended up falling off a cliff?¡±


    Third Fatty chimed in, adding his curiosity to the mix. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s a prince doing out in the middle of nowhere anyway?¡±


    The Second Prince¡¯s expression turned grave. ¡°This time, I was here to deliver silver and food to the disaster relief effort.¡±


    ¡°But things went south,¡± he continued, shaking his head in frustration. ¡°Only about thirty percent of what we brought actually reached the people in need. Investigating that discrepancy was like a ho¡¯s nest waiting to be poked. People started assasinating me after I started digging around.¡±


    ¡°So, you ended up fleeing into the mountains,¡± Chenchen summarized, piecing together the story.


    A sudden realization dawned on the Second Prince. ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯ve been poisoned!¡± he eximed.


    ¡°Tookyou long enough to figure it out,¡± Chenchen teased. ¡°Guoguo has already removed it for you.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, cousin,¡± the Second Prince said sincerely, cupping his fists in gratitude toward Guoguo. ¡°By the way, are we far from where I fell? My men might be looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Not too far,¡± Guoguo reassured him. ¡°Have some food first. We can help you get back once you¡¯re done eating.¡±


    She thendled a steaming bowl of chicken soup for him and ced it in his hands.


    The four of them devoured the three chickens with gusto. By the time they finished the meal, the Second Prince seemed noticeably more energetic.


    With renewed strength, they returned to the ident site. As expected, they encountered three of his men, all heavily injured.


    Guoguo promptly retrieved some medicine and instructed Chenchen and Third Fatty to treat their wounds.


    ¡°Dark Five,¡± the Second Prince addressed the lead guard, his voiceced with concern, ¡°what happened to the others? Why are there only three of you?¡±


    ¡°Master,¡± Dark Five replied weakly, ¡°only us three managed to get here quickly. We have no information about the others.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then you all get some rest,¡± the Second Prince instructed. ¡°We¡¯ll search the area nearby. We give ourselves an hour, and then, regardless of the oue, we have to head down the mountain.¡±


    Hearing this, Dark Five and the other guards knew better than to rest. They immediately joined the search party.


    With Guoguo and her siblings lending a hand, they meticulouslybed through the entire mountain. Their search yielded a positive result, as they found another one of the guards, barely alive and hidden away.


    Chenchen swiftly administered medical attention and brought him back to the others.


    The following day, the Second Prince sent his remaining guards to investigate the people who were assassinating them.


    The Second Prince, Guoguo, and her siblings followed him to investigate the grounds.


    Five dayster, they found out the whole story.

 Chapter 1014 - 1014 Return To The Capital

    Chapter 1014: Return To The Capital


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Although the corruption involvedyers of exploitation, there were only three main criminals at its heart. The magistrate, the general judge, and the Salt Law Office yed a key role. The garrison army, supposedly responsible for maintaining order, had also beenpromised by bribes, turning a blind eye to the corruption. The regional governor was a coward, so he didn¡¯t participate directly, but he did nothing to stop them, only attempting to smooth things over afterwards.


    The people who chased after the Second Prince were abination of enforcers from the Salt Law Office and members of the Salt Gang. Upon receiving this news, the Second Prince burned with fury. He never imagined the officials in Fuzhou could be so brazen.


    However, he held off on immediate action. Instead, he started with the Salt Gang, meticulously investigating them until he finally unearthed the culprit¡ª the He family, the Third Prince¡¯s extended family.


    ¡°Hmph! I knew the He family was rotten to the core!¡± Guoguo eximed after receiving the letter. ¡°They even had the audacity to visit Father when he was unconscious, pretending to be concerned.¡±


    ¡°Father knows about their involvement too,¡± Chenchen added. ¡°But he didn¡¯t catch them red-handed in the past, so he couldn¡¯t punish them severely. Let¡¯s see how they¡¯ll squirm out of this one.¡±


    ¡°Our top priority is to prevent them from spreading word to the capital,¡± Chenchen emphasized. ¡°Otherwise, all our efforts so far will be for naught.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the Second Prince concurred, nodding solemnly. ¡°Then, I shall apany Imperial Brother to seal the letter.¡± He swiftly penned a letter and entrusted it to a secret guard for immediate dispatch.


    Equipped with the Emperor¡¯s golden medallion as his symbol of authority, the Second Prince marched towards the Garrison Mansion. First, he arrested the corrupt garrison soldiers. Then, using his personal token, he reassigned all the loyal soldiers back to the military camp.


    The main criminals and their families were apprehended and thrown into prison. Aplices were documented but left unarrested for the time being. All the recovered silver and food were then distributed back to the people. Guoguo even seized the opportunity to request some seeds from Mother God to aid in a swift renting effort.


    With the Second Prince leading the way, the magistrate and several other key figures were escorted back to the capital under the watchful eyes of Guoguo and her siblings. Unexpectedly, their journey was interrupted by bandits.


    Upon investigation, they discovered the mastermind behind the bandit operation was none other than the very magistrate they were transporting! Apparently, they had been lining their pockets with illegal government fees for years, leaving them with no shortage of money.


    Enraged by this discovery, the Second Prince wasted no time dismantling the entire bandit operation. All the recovered funds were sent directly to the national treasury in the capital.


    After a sessful rendezvous with the First Prince¡¯s men in the capital, Guoguo and her two siblings headed straight to the Second Prince to bid farewell.


    ¡°No, please hold on!¡± the Second Prince pleaded in a panic. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other in years. It¡¯s a rare reunion! We must celebrate properly. At the very least, we must visit the pce and see my mother.¡±


    ¡°We can certainly meet in two days,¡± Guoguo offered. ¡°I understand you¡¯re swamped these next few days. We can head to the mountains and rx in the hot springs for a few days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a must!¡± the Second Prince insisted. ¡°My mother will have my hide if I don¡¯t bring you along. She¡¯s been looking forward to seeing you all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, we¡¯ll definitelye,¡± Guoguo conceded with a chuckle. Following their conversation, Guoguo led Chenchen and Third Fatty directly into the mountains. Their first stop was the Mother Temple, where she reported her safe return to the Mother God. While there, she also took the opportunity to check on everything and ensure things were running smoothly. Satisfied that all was well, the three siblings gathered some fruits and proceeded to the hot spring vi for a rxing two-day getaway.

 Chapter 1015 - 1015 Entering the Palace

    Chapter 1015: Entering the Pce


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°Thankyou for your trouble, Auntie,¡± Guoguo said as she stood up.


    ¡°Your father¡­¡± Gu Wanning hesitated momentarily before finally asking, ¡°How is he doing now?¡±


    Guoguo was stunned momentarily before replying, ¡°Father is very well. However, he couldn¡¯t handle the fatigue of traveling, so he didn¡¯te over. He did ask us to tell you that he¡¯s safe, though.¡± After saying that, she shot a warning nce at her two younger brothers. Their parents were no longer the same as before. They couldn¡¯t be affected by any karma, so it was better not to involve them again.


    ¡°Yes, Father¡¯s body can¡¯t take the dry weather up north,¡± Chenchen chimed in in agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to know you¡¯re all still alive. It puts me at ease,¡± Gu Wanning sighed in relief. ¡°But you won¡¯t be staying this time, will you?¡±


    ¡°No, we mainly came back to see everyone,¡± Guoguo exined. ¡°After that, we need to go back to keep our parentspany.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of keeping your parentspany,¡± Gu Wanning continued, ¡°you¡¯re not young anymore. You should be thinking about starting a family, right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± Guoguo replied dismissively.


    ¡°You¡¯re already in your twenties! If you don¡¯t get married soon, you¡¯ll be considered an old maid,¡± Gu Wanning teased. ¡°There are many talented young men in the capital now. Would you like your aunt to help you find someone?¡±


    Guoguo shook her head firmly. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m actually quite envious of the monogamous rtionships they have in other ces. If I can¡¯t find someone trulypatible, I¡¯d rather not settle for anything less.¡±


    ¡°What about you two?¡± Gu Wanning turned her attention to Chenchen and Third Fatty.


    ¡°We¡¯re still young. We don¡¯t need to think about that yet,¡± the two brothers dered in unison.


    ording to their extended lifespans, they were still considered young by cultivator standards. They weren¡¯t interested in being tied down so early. Moreover, with their status, even if they didn¡¯t actively seek out cultivators, any potential partners would need to have spiritual roots. The thought of being abandoned by someone ipatible halfway through a rtionship was simply too sad.


    Seeing their resolve, Gu Wanning didn¡¯t press the issue further. However, she couldn¡¯t help but worry about her cousin and his wife. With their particr preferences, she wondered when they would ever find suitable partners and have grandchildren.


    The conversation then shifted to the situation at sea and the current state of affairs on other continents. Learning that no country could currentlypete with the Great Ming brought a smile to Gu Wanning¡¯s face. At least the empire would be free from external threats for the foreseeable future.


    Just as everyone was engrossed in conversation, Eunuch Qian hurried in. He bowed and announced, ¡°Miss Guoguo, Young Masters Gu, the Emperor has requested your presence.¡±


    ¡°Thankyou, Eunuch Qian,¡± Guoguo acknowledged as she stood up.


    Gu Wanning also rose to her feet with a smile. ¡°The Emperor misses you all dearly. You should head over now. Remember toe by my ce for lunch at noon.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, Auntie. We¡¯ll be there shortly,¡± Guoguo replied. After saying goodbye to her two younger brothers, she followed Eunuch Qian towards the Emperor¡¯s study.


    Upon entering the room, they immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.


    The Emperor, holding a teacup, set it down and quickly rose to greet them. ¡°Wee back! Please, make yourselves at home. If you¡¯d like a specific type of tea, I¡¯ll have someone prepare it.¡±


    Hearing this, Guoguo discreetly retrieved two cups of tea from her purse and handed them to Eunuch Qian. ¡°We actually brought our tea, Uncle. Why don¡¯t you try some and see if you like it?¡±


    ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll dly ept your hospitality today,¡± the Emperor chuckled. ¡°But if I enjoy it, you¡¯ll have to give me some to take home.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Guoguoughed in agreement.


    A momentter, the rich aroma of freshly brewed tea filled the room.


    ¡°Even without tasting it, I can tell it¡¯s good tea,¡± the Emperor remarked, sniffing the air appreciatively.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two packster,¡± Guoguo promised.


    After the tea was served, the four took a cup of tea. The Emperor then sent the pce servants out and asked, ¡°How are your parents?¡±


    ¡°Have they recovered their godly states?¡±

 Chapter 1016 - 1016 Temporary Stay (1)

    Chapter 1016: Temporary Stay (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The three of them were stunned for a moment. It seemed that his parents had told the Emperor everything.


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re doing quite well,¡± Guoguo replied carefully. ¡°They¡¯re living a carefree life on a small ind now. Whenever they have free time, they travel the world, offering medical help wherever they go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± the Emperor nodded. He then pointed to the sr lightbulb on a side table. ¡°Do you recognize where this came from?¡±


    ¡°We do, Uncle,¡± Chenchen chimed in, stepping forward to take a closer look. ¡°Would you like to know about themp itself or the technology behind it?¡±


    ¡°Tell me everything,¡± the Emperor instructed eagerly.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Chenchen agreed. ¡°If you¡¯d like moremps, we brought a small stock with us¡ªabout a hundred or so. However, creating them here would be a significant undertaking.¡±


    ¡°So difficult?¡± the Emperor queried.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chenchen confirmed. ¡°While the light bulb itself is rtively simple, the real challenge lies in the sr panel. It requires abination ofplex techniques and specific materials. Even with your full support, replicating it would likely take at least twenty years due to the specialized knowledge involved, particrly for the surface coating.¡±


    ¡°That troublesome, huh?¡± The Emperor sighed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chenchen admitted. ¡°The light bulb itself is easy, but the sr panel is a different story. The techniques are varied, and the materials pose a problem as well. For example, the coating on the surface is quite intricate to create.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of creating things,¡± Chenchen continued, ¡°I recall Mother mentioning she left behind some notes on the principles of a generator. Has the country managed to develop electricity yet?¡±


    ¡°We have,¡± the Emperor replied, ¡°but it¡¯s not very user-friendly. Weck a transformer.¡±


    ¡°Can you help with that?¡± the Emperor inquired hopefully.


    ¡°I have some understanding of transformers, but not everything,¡± Chenchen admitted. ¡°Fortunately, there are pre-madeponents we can experiment with.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s fantastic! Let¡¯s go and see what we can do right away!¡± The Emperor eximed, his enthusiasm like that of a young boy. Guoguo stifled augh at his eagerness and quickly followed him.


    They eventually located the generator in the Cold Pce. Chenchen frowned as he examined the bulky device. After a thorough inspection to confirm everything was in working order, he retrieved a set of tools from his storage ring and proceeded to measure the voltage. He then carefully selected and connected a suitable transformer. Finally, he attached a light socket and bulb.


    The bulb flickered to life with someone providing a spark, bathing the room in a warm glow. The Emperor studied the setup intently, his gaze eventuallynding on the transformer. ¡°Chenchen,¡± he asked, ¡°would you be able to build more transformers?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, as long as I have the necessary materials,¡± Chenchen assured him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to let me know if you need anything,¡± the Emperor urged. ¡°I¡¯m very hopeful that you can develop a functional transformer.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done,¡± Chenchen replied confidently.


    ¡°And a battery too, please!¡± Third Fatty piped up excitedly. A hint of dejection flickered across his face as he realized the limitations here. While his initial ideas for hot-blooded, fuel-powered machines were impractical without diesel or gasoline, electricity opened a new world of possibilities. ¡°With electricity, we can definitely build some small machines,¡± he exined.


    The Emperor turned his head, his curiosity piqued. ¡°What kind of machinery are you talking about?¡±


    Third Fatty didn¡¯t hesitate tounch into a detailed exnation of somemon tools, including harvesters, shredders, and electric grinders. The Emperor¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement as he listened. He then turned to Guoguo and inquired, ¡°Guoguo, did you learn any new skills while you were away?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been diligently studying medicine.¡±


    ¡°How are your skillspared to those of your father?¡± the Emperor asked.


    ¡°While it might not be on par with traditional medicine, my Western medicine skills should beparable,¡± Gu Wanning replied confidently.


    ¡°Excellent, excellent!¡± the Emperor boomed. ¡°Your parents are truly a blessing to the Great Ming!¡± he dered with a heartyugh.


    After a lengthy conversation, the three siblings decided to extend their stay for three years to assist in developing the necessary technologies.

 Chapter 1017 - 1017 Temporary Stay (2)

    Chapter 1017: Temporary Stay (2)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    After returning to the study, Eunuch Sun was already waiting at the door. When he saw the Empress beaming with joy, he immediately followed suit and bowed. ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress has prepared a banquet in the Phoenix Pce. Pleasee over for lunch with Miss Guoguo and the two young masters of the Gu family.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! I¡¯m famished,¡± the Emperor boomed. ¡°Right, Eunuch Sun, invite the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the two princesses as well.¡±


    ¡°They should already be there, Your Majesty,¡± Eunuch Sun replied.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s head over,¡± the Emperor dered. ¡°Your tastes haven¡¯t changed, have they? If there¡¯s anything specific you¡¯d like to eat, feel free to mention it,¡± he inquired of the three siblings.


    ¡°Nothing much has changed for us,¡± Guoguo replied. ¡°We can manage with whatever is served.¡± Due to their altered dietary needs, they rarely ate with others besides their parents. Their meals were typically simple and consistent.


    ¡°Alright, let me know if there¡¯s anything you crave in the future,¡± the Emperor conceded. He then led them towards the Phoenix Pce.


    As they approached the doors, amotion reached their ears.


    ¡°It sounds like the children are already here,¡± the Emperor chuckled. ¡°It will be quite lively today.¡±


    Guoguo and her siblings exchanged a worried nce. Firstly, they hadn¡¯t brought any gifts for the children. Secondly, their preference was for peace and quiet, and children were notoriously energetic.


    There was no turning back, however. Resigned, the three of them exchanged another look and retrieved some ss balls. Whether valuable or not, they were at least a novelty.


    Upon entering the hall, they found themselves surrounded by six children. Through conversation, they learned that the eldest prince and princess each had two children, while the second prince and fourth princess each had one.


    Pleasantries were exchanged, and the Guoguo siblings presented the ss balls to the children, cautioning them not to put them in their mouths.


    The banquet soon began, and during the meal, the eldest princess engaged Guoguo in conversation, while the eldest and second princes chatted with Chenchen and Third Fatty. Feeling left out, the fourth princess sought out her two sisters-inw forpany.


    After the meal, the eldest princess remarked, ¡°It¡¯s been quite a journey for you all. You must visit the family residence these next few days to reconnect.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s been far too long,¡± echoed the first prince. ¡°We¡¯ve all missed you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the Emperor interjected with a smile. ¡°They¡¯ll be staying for three to four years this time.¡±


    ¡°Truly? That¡¯s wonderful news!¡± the Empress eximed. ¡°You muste visit the pce more often in the future to chat with your aunt.¡±


    Guoguo and her siblings remained silent, their eyes shifting towards the Emperor. If their work truly became demanding, they likely wouldn¡¯t have much time for leisurely visits to the pce.


    The Empress, noticing their hesitation, looked toward the Emperor with a frown. The Emperor coughed lightly. ¡°Ahem, I was the one who implored them to stay and update our technology. I¡¯m afraid their free time will be scarce.¡±


    While somewhat disappointed, the Empress understood the importance of this endeavor for the country and the two princes. She wouldn¡¯t stand in their way. However, she couldn¡¯t help but remind Guoguo, referencing her father¡¯s past illness, ¡°Your aunt is incredibly proud of you. However, please don¡¯t neglect your own health, just like your father did.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Chenchen spoke up, ¡°we would appreciate it if you could assign two servants each to assist with our daily needs.¡±


    ¡°No problem at all,¡± the Emperor readily agreed. ¡°Leave that arrangement to me.¡±


    ¡°In addition,¡± Chenchen continued, ¡°we¡¯ll require an assistant familiar with technology to join us.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely! Bring as many as you need,¡± the Emperor encouraged. ¡°Choose whoever you feel would be most beneficial.¡±


    After further conversation, Guoguo and her siblings finally took their leave of the pce and returned to the mansion. While they began selecting suitable candidates for their assistants, they also took turns visiting their rtives to assure them of their safety. Finally, each of them retreated to their respective research rooms, eager to begin their work.

 Chapter 1018 - 1018 The Grand Ending

    Chapter 1018: The Grand Ending


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    A year flew by. Chenchen sessfully built a functional transformer, significantly boosting the generator¡¯s efficiency. Electricity became a reality, with the entire capital connected to the power grid.


    Meanwhile, Third Fatty dedicated himself to constructing various agricultural machines. The impact was immediate; the following autumn harvest waspleted in a quarter of the time it typically took.


    Next on Chenchen¡¯s agenda was finding lithium mines, crucial for developing batteries. It wasn¡¯t until three years after their arrival that he finally created a working prototype.


    Third Fatty, on the other hand, focused on creating small household appliances, making life easier for the residents.


    Guoguo, in addition to producing some oral Western medicines, developed infusion equipment and introduced several skilled surgeons, further advancing medical care.


    During this period, the power struggle between the three adult princes intensified. Fortunately, the Emperor intervened decisively, dismissing several from the Third Prince¡¯s faction and appointing the eldest prince as crown prince. The contributions of the Gu siblings also brought a temporary period of peace to the court.


    The agreed-upon time for their departure arrived. After packing their belongings, the siblings went to bid farewell to the Emperor.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stay for a couple more years?¡± the Emperor pleaded. ¡°Look at the incredible progress you¡¯ve made possible in such a short time.¡±


    ¡°Uncle,¡± Guoguo replied, ¡°the advancement of society and the future of the country rest not just on our shoulders, but on the continuous efforts of future generations. We¡¯ve passed on what we¡¯ve learned, and it¡¯s time to reunite with our parents.¡±


    The Emperor hesitated. ¡°Then promise to visit again in the future. By the way, when are you leaving? I¡¯d like to hold a farewell banquet in your honor.¡±


    ¡°No need for that, Uncle,¡± Guoguo declined. ¡°We don¡¯t care much for grand banquets. We¡¯d rather have a simple gathering with close friends.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but before you leave, remember to leave some spiritual tea for me. It¡¯s good for my health.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Guoguo agreed. ¡°If you need more in the future, just ask Mother directly.¡±


    On the third night, the Empress hosted a small gathering. This time, all the Emperor¡¯s concubines and children were present. She also invited Zhou Huiming, Gu Chengye, Gu Chengsi, Gu Chengxi, and Gu Chenglin¡¯s families.


    When they left the pce the following night, Guoguo left two pounds of spiritual tea for the Emperor and some precious medicinal materials for Gu Wanning.


    Early the next morning, the three siblings returned to Mother God Temple.


    Gu Chengrui was amused to learn that Gu Chengsi had be the Minister of Officials.


    Fifteen years passed. Though the Emperor remained remarkably healthy, the eldest prince was no longer young and already well-versed in handling government affairs. The Emperor decided to abdicate.


    After serving as a Grand Emperor for two years, he felt confident that the new emperor could handle his duties independently. He approached Gu Wanning and suggested, ¡°Wanning, how about we go on a trip?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± he confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard all my life. It¡¯s time to see the world a bit. While we¡¯re at it, why don¡¯t you contact Zhou Ying and the others? We could all travel together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to write to them,¡± Gu Wanning enthused. Confined to the capital her entire life, the prospect of a journey filled her with joy.


    After sending the letters, the Emperor, Gu Wanning, their little granddaughter, and the eldest princess¡¯s grandson left a note and quietly slipped out of the pce.


    Upon reaching the Hongyun Restaurant in the south, Zhou Ying and Gu Chengrui disguised themselves with ordinary clothes and gray hair. A broad smile spread across their faces as they greeted them. ¡°Sister, brother-inw, long time no see!¡±


    ¡°Cousin, cousin-inw, I finally get to meet you again!¡± Gu Wanning eximed, ovee with emotion. The Emperor simply smiled and nodded in response, recognizing their desire for anonymity.

 Chapter 1019: Side Story 1 (1)

    Chapter 1019: Side Story 1 (1)


    Trantor: Dragon Boat Trantion Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Winter gripped the capital in the second year of the new emperor¡¯s reign. Inside the Gu residence, Mr. Gu, his hair a stark white, coughed relentlessly, each spasm wracking his body as if threatening to expel his very lungs. Gu Chengye, whose own hair had begun to silver, rushed to his side with a small bowl of loquat paste.


    ¡°Dad, drink this quickly,¡± he urged, scooping a spoonful and holding it near his father¡¯s lips. ¡°It will soothe your throat.¡±


    Mr. Gu initially attempted to push the bowl away, but a sudden itch in his throat forced him to relent. He drank the paste obediently andid back, hoping to catch his breath. However, a persistent rattle echoed in his throat, a sound that sent shivers down their spines.


    Gu Chengye sighed, setting down the empty bowl. He turned and left the room, his worry evident. ¡°Is Butler Liu still not back?¡± he inquired of the servant guarding the door.


    ¡°No, sir,¡± the servant replied. ¡°Finding the Seventh Master is always difficult. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to wait a while longer.¡±


    Just as the servant finished speaking, Butler Liu hurried through the door, apanied by Gu Chengxi. Seeing Gu Chengye by the entrance, Gu Chengxi rushed forward. ¡°Second Brother, how is Uncle?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain,¡± Gu Chengye replied in a low voice. ¡°Go in and see for yourself. At least you can offer somefort.¡± He gestured for Gu Chengxi to enter.


    Gu Chengxi approached the bed and studied Mr. Gu, hisbored breathing causing a moment of stunned silence. He quickly checked his pulse before carefully using a stethoscope to listen to his lungs. After a brief examination, Mr. Gu reached out and grasped his hand before he could utter a word.


    ¡°Chengxi, you¡¯re the closest to Chengrui,¡± Mr. Gu rasped. ¡°Have you been in contact with him recently? Did he say when he might return?¡±


    ¡°Uncle,¡± Gu Chengxi responded, ¡°thest time wemunicated with them was three years ago, and only with Guoguo. As for Chengrui, we haven¡¯t heard from him in many years.¡± He paused, then added, ¡°Uncle, if you wish to say something, please tell us. We¡¯ll do everything in our power to fulfill your wishes.¡±


    ¡°I just want to see Chengrui,¡± Mr. Gu weakly pleaded, shaking his head.


    Gu Chengxi exchanged a helpless nce with Gu Chengye, who only offered a bitter smile in response.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle,¡± Gu Chengxi assured him. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to contact himter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Hurry,¡± Mr. Gu urged, coughing violently.


    Seeing his distress, Gu Chengxi swiftly retrieved a silver needle and performed acupressure to ease his coughing fit. He then prescribed and administered two doses of cough medicine through injection.


    Once Mr. Gu calmed down slightly, Gu Chengxi offered some reassurance. ¡°Uncle, try not to worry so much. Your health is rtively stable. Living another three to five years shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Mr. Gu merely nced at him before closing his eyes. He knew all too well the state of his own body. This persistent phlegm could quickly turn fatal with one wrong move.


    After Mr. Gu drifted off to sleep, they left a servant girl to attend to him. Once outside, the two brothers shared their concerns.


    ¡°Chengxi,¡± Gu Chengye began, his voice heavy with worry, ¡°how is Father¡¯s health?¡±


    ¡°You should start preparing for the funeral.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡± Gu Chengye eximed, his voice filled with disbelief.


    ¡°Uncle has hot phlegm,¡± Gu Chengxi exined. This time, the heat hasplicated it. At his age, it¡¯s difficult to say if he can pull through.¡±


    ¡°What about the new medicines? Won¡¯t they be effective?¡± Gu Chengye pressed.


    Gu Chengxi shook his head. ¡°I just administered some of the new medicine, but it didn¡¯t have much impact on Uncle.¡±


    Another violent cough erupted from the room as if on cue, growing louder and more desperate with each spasm. Then, a servant girl¡¯s panicked scream pierced the air. The brothers exchanged a worried look and rushed back into the room.


    They found the servant girl supporting a pale Mr. Gu, who was spitting profusely into the spittoon. His spit contained not just phlegm but horrifying ck, coagted blood.

 Chapter 1020: Side Story 1 (2)

    Chapter 1020: Side Story 1 (2)


    Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Seeing the horrifying sight, Gu Chengye rushed forward to support Mr. Gu, gently patting his back to ease his difort. Gu Chengxi swiftly reced the servant girl, taking over and attending to their father.


    The violent episode eventually subsided, but Mr. Gu was left pale and weak. Even keeping his eyes open seemed like a herculean effort.


    Witnessing this decline, Gu Chengye¡¯s heart ached. He couldn¡¯t help but agree with Gu Chengxi¡¯s earlier assessment¡ªthey might truly need to start preparing for the funeral.


    Gu Chengye poured a ss of pear water sweetened with rock sugar and carefully fed Mr. Gu two sips. However, his father was too weak to swallow effectively, struggling even to keep his eyes open.


    Gu Chengye then called his eldest son and instructed him to stay with Gu Chengxi while he began gathering their family members to prepare for the funeral.


    Mrs. Liu, supported by a servant girl, approached them, her face filled with worry. She wanted to speak, but hesitation held her back. ¡°Your father, he¡¯s truly¡­¡±


    Gu Chengye, his voice heavy with emotion, replied, ¡°We¡¯ve reached that stage, unfortunately. Go in and see for yourself. In short, it¡¯s not good.¡±


    Mrs. Liu¡¯s body stiffened upon hearing his words. Leaning on the servant girl for support, she entered the room.


    The sight that greeted her was devastating. Mr. Gu¡¯s pale face andbored breathing sent a wave of despair crashing over her. Her body instinctively curled up, a silent expression of her grief.


    ¡°Husband! Husband!¡± She cried out softly, approaching him and gently touching his face. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±


    Mr. Gu¡¯s eyelids fluttered, but he didn¡¯t manage to open his eyes.


    Seeing her distress, Gu Chengxi spoke up. ¡°Auntie, Uncle is tired. You should go back and rest.¡±


    Mrs. Liu, her voice shaky, replied, ¡°Chengxi, I¡¯ll leave your uncle to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auntie,¡± Gu Chengxi assured her. ¡°I¡¯ll be here for now.¡±


    Mrs. Liu simply nodded repeatedly, unable to form a coherent response. Though she initially intended to return to her own quarters, she found herself drawn to the small bed in the side room, where she copsed andy down.


    At dawn, Mr. Gu was wracked by another coughing fit. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t just phlegm but a horrifying mixture of pus and blood.


    Gu Chengxi¡¯s heart sank. He exchanged a solemn nce with Gu Chengye, silently conveying the gravity of the situation.


    Gu Chengye understood. He immediately summoned his children and grandchildren and stationed them outside the door to guard their father.


    By the time the coughing subsided, Mr. Gu was gasping for breath. He managed to open his eyes and look at his assembled family. With a weak hand, he beckoned Gu Chengye closer.


    ¡°Father, just say what you have to say,¡± Gu Chengye urged, stepping forward to hear his father¡¯s words clearly.


    ¡°Take this opportunity to retreat,¡± Mr. Gu rasped, his voice barely a whisper. ¡°Remember, the family business will always belong to Chengrui.¡± His breaths became shallower and morebored.please visit ¡± sitestorys(.)c0m ¡± maybe y0u will enj0y the captivating sh0rt st0ries.


    ¡°I promise you, Father,¡± Gu Chengye pledged solemnly. ¡°No matter when Chengrui returns, his children and grandchildren will be well provided for. They will have an estate.¡±


    A faint smile touched Mr. Gu¡¯s lips at this reassurance.


    Just then, Mrs. Liu shuffled in, her voice trembling with fear. ¡°Husband, you can¡¯t leave us alone,¡± she pleaded.


    As their eyes met, Mr. Gu was suddenly struck by a painful memory¡ªthe years of neglect and suffering endured by his third son and his wife at Mrs. Liu¡¯s hands. He remembered how they had refused proper medical care for them. Fueled by this recollection and with a final surge of strength, he straightened his neck and uttered, ¡°Retribution. Retribution.¡±


    These were his final words. He coughed again, expelling another mouthful of blood. His eyes widened, and his hand fell limply at his side.


    ¡°Father!¡± Gu Chengye cried out, devastated by the loss.


    The room erupted in wails of grief.


    Mrs. Liu, haunted by Mr. Gu¡¯s final words, couldn¡¯t help but recall her past actions. Guilt gnawed at her heart.


    Consequently, when Gu Chengye returned with the coffin to their hometown, Mrs. Liu also fell ill, sumbing to a cold. Like Mr. Gu, she didn¡¯t recover.


    Gu Chengye mourned for four years, bringing his children and grandchildren back to his hometown.


    After his mourning ended, he did not enter officialdom again. Instead, he went to his hometown to teach the next generation.

 Chapter 1021: Side Story 2 (1)

    Chapter 1021: Side Story 2 (1)


    Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    The night King Kang¡¯s pce echoed with screams, a single, inconspicuous carriage slipped out of the capital under the cloak of darkness.


    Lord Hong and his wife waited anxiously just outside the city limits. As they spotted the approaching carriage, they rushed forward to greet it.


    A figure emerged from the carriage and handed the reins to Lord Hong. ¡°We¡¯ve delivered the person,¡± they announced. ¡°The Emperor has prepared a dowry for Miss Li Lijun and wishes her a happy future.¡±


    With that brief message delivered, the figure quickly retreated.


    Madam Hong watched them disappear, then turned to her husband, her face filled with disbelief. ¡°Husband, does the Emperor mean our daughter can remarry?¡±


    Lord Hong shot her a stern look. ¡°What daughter? That¡¯s your niece, Li Lijun, remember?¡± He emphasized the name, a reminder of the precarious situation. If the truth were exposed, their daughter would still face execution, and they themselves would be implicated.


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course, Lijun,¡± Madam Hong stammered, nodding rapidly.


    Casting a suspicious nce at the carriage, she inquired, ¡°Why isn¡¯t there any movement?¡±


    ¡°She likely fainted,¡± Lord Hong replied. He then lifted the carriage curtain and peered inside. As expected, their daughtery unconscious.


    Madam Hong couldn¡¯t help but think of the dowry mentioned earlier.


    Lord Hong pulled out a two-foot square box and popped it open. Under the moonlight, he quickly surveyed the contents.


    Inside, nestled amongst a stack of silver notes totaling roughly 100,000 taels, were a pair of exquisite jade pendants and a collection of gold and jade jewelry.


    It seemed the Emperor was returning their daughter¡¯s original dowry in full.


    ¡°Take good care of these things,¡± he instructed Madam Hong. ¡°Keep them safe for your daughter. Whether or not she marries again, this will provide her with a means to rebuild her life.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Madam Hong replied, aplex mix of emotions swirling within her. Her beloved daughter had already tasted the perilous life within the pce walls, and while she had survived, the future remained uncertain.


    Without further dy, Lord Hong climbed into the carriage, followed by his wife. They hurried towards the Li family estate.


    Upon arrival, the couple sought out the third master and his wife, exining the situation about Li Lijun¡¯s recement.


    Third Master Li simply looked at them, offering noment.


    Third Madam Li, however, was initially struck with a wave of grief upon hearing her deceased daughter¡¯s name. However, the thought of a new daughter, one as talented and beautiful as Li Lijun, quickly reced her sadness.


    ¡°Elder Sister, Brother-inw,¡± she chirped, her voice filled with forced cheer, ¡°don¡¯t worry at all. We will take excellent care of Hong Suzhi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Li Lijun,¡± Lord Hong gently corrected her.


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course, Li Lijun,¡± Third Madam Li hastily agreed, her voice dripping with forced enthusiasm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave the rest to you then,¡± Lord Hong said. ¡°We¡¯ll stay until she wakes up. Perhaps Sister-inw could kindly prepare a guest room for us? We would appreciate a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course, follow me,¡± Third Madam Li offered, leading them to the courtyard.


    By the time the couple awoke, Hong Suzhi had already regained consciousness, though she remained disoriented and confused. She could scarcely believe the poisoned wine hadn¡¯t imed her life and that she was even back in her uncle¡¯s home.


    After a simple meal, Lord and Madam Hong joined their daughter.


    Seeing her vacant expression, Madam Hong couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. ¡°My child,¡± she cried, ¡°I fought tooth and nail to save your life. Don¡¯t dwell on what happened.¡±


    Hong Suzhi¡¯s mind snapped back into focus at the sound of her mother¡¯s sobs. She looked at her father and asked bewilderedly, ¡°Father, what¡¯s going on? Why am I still alive?¡±


    Lord Hong opted for honesty. He exined the Emperor¡¯s intentions and the matter of the dowry. ¡°Remember, child,¡± he cautioned, ¡°you must keep this dowry a secret. Write to us whenever you need something, but always use Li Lijun¡¯s name.¡±

 Chapter 1022: Side Story 2 (2)

    Chapter 1022: Side Story 2 (2)


    Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I understand,¡± Hong Suzhi replied, bowing deeply. ¡°Thankyou, Father, for saving my life.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Lord Hong chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re family. There¡¯s no need for formalities. However, you must be cautious from now on. Never reveal your true identity.¡±


    Madam Hong chimed in with her advice. ¡°And when you do eventually remarry, make sure you choose someone who makes you happy.¡±


    Hong Suzhi offered a dryugh. While she held no resentment towards the deceased King Kang, the experience of being his wife had left her utterly exhausted. If possible, the thought of another marriage held little appeal.


    The couple spent some additional time offering instructions before Third Madam Li sent word that dinner was ready. The three of them then gathered to share a meal.


    Afterward, the time came for the Hongs to depart.


    ¡°Greetings, Father and Mother,¡± Hong Suzhi bowed respectfully to the Li couple upon her return. For the sake of this charade, she adopted the name Li Lijun.


    ¡°Alright, alright, child.¡± Third Madam Li smiled warmly, helping her to rise. ¡°Take good care of yourself when you return home. Don¡¯t hesitate to ask if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mother,¡± Hong Suzhi replied with augh.


    Third Master Li, observing his daughter¡¯sck of grief over King Kang¡¯s demise, finally sighed in relief. However, a flicker of concern crossed his face.


    ¡°Ahem, Lijun,¡± he began, dismissing the servants with a wave of his hand. ¡°Do you have any ns for the future?¡±


    ¡°I want to meet with my two cousins and live on the farm for a while to rx,¡± Hong Suzhi requested, eager for some peace and quiet.


    ¡°That¡¯s good too. You can pick two maids to follow you,¡± Third Master Li readily agreed. After such a traumatic event, it was natural for her to need some time to heal.


    In the evening, Third Master Li called his two sons over and informed them about the situation. He emphasized the importance of secrecy. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, keep this matter in your stomach. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, we¡¯re not stupid,¡± Mr. Li Er, the elder son, assured him. ¡°But Cousin Lijun and little sister really look alike in almost everyway. If they changed their clothes, outsiders might not recognize the difference.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Third Madam Li chimed in. She had been carefully observing Hong Suzhi. ¡°Let¡¯s change her hairstyleter.¡±


    After dinner, Third Madam Li took matters into her own hands. She styled Hong Suzhi¡¯s hair in a way that closely resembled her deceased daughter¡¯s. ¡°This looks very simr,¡± Third Madam Li dered with a satisfied smile. ¡°Use this hairstyle as much as possible in the future.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Hong Suzhi replied, grateful for the woman¡¯s kindness.


    Third Madam Li beamed. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful; my daughter is back,¡± she whispered, ovee with emotion.


    Early the next morning, Third Madam Li took Hong Suzhi shopping. They purchased some practical clothes and jewelry, along with two maidservants. Later, they set off for the Li family farm.


    Third Madam Li stayed with Hong Suzhi for three days, ensuring she was adjusting well. Once satisfied, she returned to the main residence.


    Hong Suzhi embraced the peace and quiet of farm life. She helped out with the chores, cooked with the other women, and found a sense of normalcy amidst the chaos of her recent experiences.


    She returned to the Li mansion just before the New Year celebrations.


    On the 15th day of the first lunar month, after dinner, Mr. Li Er came over and extended an invitation. ¡°Little sister,¡± he said, ¡°the Lantern Festival is especially grand this year. Would you like to go out with us?¡±


    Hong Suzhi hesitated for a moment, a flicker of longing for normalcy crossing her features. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she finally agreed. ¡°I haven¡¯t seennterns in years.¡±


    With two maidservants in tow, she joined her brother and hispanions for a celebratory outing.


    As they walked through the bustling streets, Hong Suzhi¡¯s natural talent and grace quickly attracted attention.


    When it was time to part ways, one of Mr. Li Er¡¯s ssmates couldn¡¯t help but inquire, ¡°Brother Li, has your sister been engaged?¡±


    Mr. Li Er was momentarily taken aback. He scrutinized the young man for a moment before responding with a sly smile, ¡°Do you like my little sister?¡±


    ¡°Why, is it not okay? Although I¡¯m not as good at studying as you guys, I¡¯m better at business than you guys, right?¡±

 Chapter 1023: Side Story 2 (3)

    Chapter 1023: Side Story 2 (3)


    Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    Mr. Li Er¡¯s mind raced as he considered the young man¡¯s proposal. On the surface, things weren¡¯t bad.


    Sure, the guy tended to ther on, but he wasn¡¯t a notorious womanizer, and at least he remained unattached.


    More importantly, his family lineage was clean¡ªno concubines for three generations. He¡¯d even met his sister¡ªnot exactly a paragon of virtue, but refreshingly straightforward. All in all, it could be a decent match for his little sister.


    However, Hong Suzhi¡¯s situation was far from ordinary. Her true identity was a secret, and she was also a widow. These were not details most men would readily ept.


    With a sigh, he offered apromise. ¡°Listen, Runsheng,¡± he began, ¡°why don¡¯t I ask around a bit and see what she feels? I¡¯ll let you knowter.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but be quick about it,¡± Runsheng pressed.


    ¡°Why the urgency? You¡¯ve been single for twenty years!¡± Mr. Li Er countered with augh.


    ¡°That¡¯s different! Once you find someone you like, you have to act fast. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be left crying into your pillow when someone else snatches her up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll get back to you tomorrow.¡± With that, Mr. Li Er bid farewell to his friend and returned home with Hong Suzhi.


    Upon entering the house, they were greeted by Third Master Li and his eldest brother, as well as Mother Li.


    ¡°Lijun, how were thenterns? Did you enjoy yourselves?¡± Mother Li inquired as soon as they walked in.


    ¡°They were lovely,¡± Hong Suzhi replied with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen such a disy.¡±


    After some pleasantries, Mr. Li Er hesitantly brought up the topic of Runsheng. ¡°Little sister, what are your thoughts about Young Master Yao, the one we call Runsheng?¡±


    ¡°Does he have an interest in Suzhi?¡± Mother Li interjected, her voiceced with concern. ¡°No, no, that boy is far too flirtatious. Suzhi wouldn¡¯t be happy with him as a husband.¡±


    ¡°Mother, you¡¯re only seeing one side of him,¡± Mr. Li Er countered. ¡°He might be a bit loose with his words, but that¡¯s just his personality. He doesn¡¯t even have a concubine or a servant girl!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a bad person,¡± Eldest Young Master Li agreed. ¡°He¡¯s quite resourceful. Most importantly, the Yao family is well-established, making them a suitable match in terms of social standing. Plus, both families are majorndowners.¡±


    ¡°Lijun, what do you think?¡± Mother Li finally turned the question to Hong Suzhi.


    ¡°Marriage isn¡¯t something I¡¯m considering at the moment,¡± Hong Suzhi confessed.


    ¡°Silly girl,¡± Mother Li chided gently. ¡°Finding someonepatible isn¡¯t easy. If you feel something for him, give it a chance. Regret can be a bitter pill to swallowter.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re not getting any younger.¡± Third Master Li echoed his wife¡¯s sentiment.


    While Hong Suzhi didn¡¯t dislike the young man, she didn¡¯t exactly feel warmth toward him either. The talkative young man was an enigma to her.


    Seeing her hesitation, Mr. Li Er offered a solution. ¡°Why don¡¯t I invite him over tomorrow? You two can have a proper conversation. If you see potential, then you can consider it. If not, let me know privately, and I¡¯ll handle the rejection.¡±


    Hong Suzhi pondered for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. ¡°Alright, that sounds fair.¡±


    The following day, when Hong Suzhi met Young Master Yao, he resembled a blooming lotus, desperately trying to impress her with his eloquent rambling. However, to her eyes, he seemed too mboyant, leading to her swift rejection.


    As Mr. Li Er escorted his friend out, Runsheng inquired in confusion, ¡°Brother Li, did I say something wrong? Why the sudden rejection?¡±


    ¡°You put on too much of a show,¡± Mr. Li Er exined with a chuckle. ¡°Think peacock with a fully fanned tail. Most women would be intimidated. Besides, my sister has a quiet personality, and your constant chatter might grate on her.¡±


    Runsheng pondered this feedback, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. Finally, he raised his hand and pped his mouth, seeminglying to terms with the situation. ¡°It looks like I really have to be more mindful of my mouth in the future.¡±

 Chapter 1024: Side Story 2 (4)

    Chapter 1024: Side Story 2 (4)


    Editor: Dragon Boat Trantion


    ¡°I truly hope so, but honestly, your constant chatter can be quite overwhelming at times.¡±


    Runsheng¡¯s face fell, but a flicker of determination reced it. ¡°Yes, Ipletely understand. I will definitely work on curbing that tendency. Brother Li, please give me another chance to interact with your sister, just one!¡±


    Mr. Li Er hesitated, about to decline. However, upon seeing Runsheng¡¯s genuine sincerity, he found himself nodding in reluctant agreement. ¡°Alright,¡± he conceded, ¡°but you only get one more shot.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Runsheng dered with newfound confidence, ¡°I won¡¯t waste this opportunity.¡±


    Five dayster, Hong Suzhi ventured out with two maidservants. She wanted to inquire about buyingnd.


    No matter what the future holds, she will be prepared.


    As they neared the clinic, amotion drew Hong Suzhi¡¯s attention. A crowd had gathered, and curiosity piqued, she approached. To her surprise, she witnessed a young woman attempting to sell herself into servitude to bury her deceased father.


    However, Hong Suzhi¡¯s keen eye immediately spotted a w in the performance. The supposed corpse¡¯s skin color was far too lifelike. Dead men don¡¯t have rosy cheeks, do they?


    Just as she was about to turn away, the woman lunged at a young master d in luxurious clothing. ¡°Young Master,¡± she pleaded desperately, ¡°Please buy me! I¡¯ll be your devoted servant for the rest of my days!¡±


    The young master recoiled in disgust. ¡°Absolutely not! My household is overflowing with maids¡ªmany far prettier than you. Besides, that man over there just gave you ten taels of silver. Surely, that should be more than enough to bury even five bodies! Why didn¡¯t you express your gratitude to him instead of harassing me?¡±


    He dismissively swatted her hand away with his fan. ¡°Honestly, what bad luck! My perfectly good clothes are now ruined.¡± With that, he stormed off, leaving the distraught woman in his wake.


    Hong Suzhi froze, her heart pounding in her chest. That voice¡ªit couldn¡¯t be! Runsheng? But how could he be so heartless? Perhaps, it was just his decisiveness in recognizing a scam.


    Her gaze fell upon the woman, who watched Young Master Yao depart with clenched fists. Hong Suzhi shook her head in silent sympathy and continued on her way.


    Three dayster, while visiting the Mother God Temple to offer prayers, Mr. Li Er revealed her location to Runsheng so that he could meet her.


    As Hong Suzhi began her descent from the mountain, she was unexpectedly bumped into by none other than Runsheng, who had conveniently ¡°appeared¡± on the path. He then offered her an escort back to the city, his demeanor far more subdued than their previous encounter.


    Throughout the journey, Runsheng initiated conversations, this time focusing on topics rted to Mother God. It was a genuine conversation, starkly contrasting his previous mboyant ramblings. Hong Suzhi, in turn, found herself drawn to this new side of him.


    Their paths crossed twice more over the following days.


    ¡°Did my brother spill the beans?¡± Hong Suzhi inquired with a yful smile during one of their encounters.


    Runsheng grinned sheepishly. ¡°Actually, it was my sincerity that swayed him. Miss, I truly admire you. Please grant me the chance to court you.¡± He cupped his fists in a gesture of earnest respect.


    Hong Suzhi, momentarily taken aback, dismissed her maidservants. ¡°There¡¯s something you should know,¡± she began hesitantly. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, perhaps we could discuss it further in private?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Runsheng readily agreed. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Hong Suzhi braced herself and revealed a shocking truth. ¡°The reason I left the capital¡­ was because I lost my virginity. I even had to undergo an abortion.¡± With that, she fell silent, refusing to meet his gaze.


    Runsheng went speechless. After a long pause, he finally managed to speak. ¡°Was it consensual?¡± he asked, his voice serious.


    ¡°No,¡± Hong Suzhi mumbled, the lie heavy on her tongue.


    However, the fabrication served a purpose. If she and Runsheng were to have a future together, this secret couldn¡¯t stay buried forever. It was better to reveal it now than risk futureplications.


    Runsheng cut her off, his usual exuberance reced by a gentle yet firm tone.


    ¡± I only feel sympathy, not scorn.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make any rash decisions. Let¡¯s talk more in three days.¡± Hong Suzhi replied and started walking away.


    This time, Runsheng didn¡¯t chase after her. Instead, he watched her retreating figure, a flicker of unwavering determination recing his initial shock. Her confession, at this point, spoke volumes about her trust and honesty. Since his heart was already set on her, a past mistake wouldn¡¯t deter him.


    Three days passed, and Runsheng returned, his answer clear. He epted her, past and all.


    Half a yearter, they were married. Two years after that, with their firstborn son by their side, Hong Suzhi finally unburdened herself, revealing the truth about her past¡ªher identity and her marriage to the deceased King Kang.


    Runsheng held her close, a mix of sorrow and relief washing over him. His heart ached for the hardships she¡¯d endured. Thankfully, King Kang was gone, or he wouldn¡¯ t have had the chance to meet this extraordinary woman. At the same time, a wave of gratitude washed over him for thete emperor¡¯s demise, for it paved the way for their unlikely yet beautiful love story.


    From that day forward, they became a beacon of generosity, readily offering aid to those in need during times of hardship. Their love story, born from a chance encounter and nurtured by honesty and understanding, became a testament to the power of second chances.


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