Chapter 45 Going Down to Yangzhou 2

Lower Yangzhou 2

After asking the questions, Chen Guanxue had a better understanding of the situation and began to make arrangements for Fushou's future.

There was no rush for marriage. In Kangxi's eyes, Fushou was already quite fortunate, but she thought it best to wait six or seven years before getting married.

The Tong family has a young girl, about the same age as Fu Shou, who will also be of marriageable age in seven or eight years.

Chen Guanxue wasn't worried about the Tong family's objections, after all, a real prince's wife was a much better deal than gambling on a future prince's wife.

As for fortune and longevity...

Chen Guanxue will ask him again later. If he is willing, even if he doesn't like his wife after marriage, he won't treat her coldly.

If he had a girl he liked, he could ask Emperor Kangxi to grant him a marriage.

As Chen Guanxue was pondering this, Kangxi walked in. Seeing her deep in thought, he didn't say anything, but simply sat down and watched.

"When did the Emperor arrive?" Chen Guanxue came to her senses and noticed the striking bright yellow color.

Kangxi placed the new picture album in her hands, saying, "I just arrived and was thinking of taking you out for a stroll."

Not far from this post station is a small town with famous food; if you're staying here for a few days, that town is a must-visit.

After explaining everything, she changed her clothes.

Chen Guanxue's clothes were as luxurious as ever; although they were Han-style folk clothes, they were still exquisite and beautiful.

Because of her preferences, the clothes that Kangxi wears now have many more embroidered patterns, and he also wears many accessories.

Chen Guanxue almost burst out laughing when she saw his newly dressed-up appearance.

When Kangxi looked in the mirror, he knew what she looked like. Seeing that she was smiling somewhat mischievously, he didn't say anything, but simply carried her out of the post station and put her into the carriage.

"You just want to make a fool of me." Kangxi smiled helplessly.

She covered her lips with a handkerchief, but her eyes were curved, and whether she covered them or not made no difference.

Chen Guanxue wasn't laughing at him; she was just a little surprised by his flamboyant attire, his status, and his age.

She laughed at him the whole way, but Kangxi calmly looked at the mountains and rivers. She only stopped laughing when they arrived at the town.

Seeing that Runxi had already extended his hand, Chen Guanxue composed herself and offered her hand in return.

This town isn't exactly bustling, since the most prosperous place is the capital, but it's not exactly desolate either.

At a glance, Chen Guanxue saw wealthy families dressed in fine silks and satins, as well as beggars in tattered clothes, and mostly ordinary people engaged in trade.

When Emperor Kangxi walked alongside her, pedestrians would keep their distance wherever they went.

"Your jewelry and bracelets are packed in several boxes, so you don't need anything." Kangxi stopped in front of a small stall.

Chen Guanxue followed his gaze and saw several strings of brightly colored red bean bracelets lying there, attracting much attention.

“But there isn’t one like that,” she replied.

The Imperial Household Department sent all sorts of things, including red coral and rubies, but they had never sent anything as ordinary and inexpensive as this before.

Liang Jiugong took out a copper coin to pay.

"Hmm." Kangxi picked up a string of beads, looked at it, and found that it fit perfectly on her wrist without slipping off.

His palms were calloused, and when he picked up her well-maintained hands, her skin looked even more like jade. The red bean bracelet on her wrist looked no different from the jade bracelet she was already wearing.

That string of red beans seemed to have become something as precious as pearls and jade.

She only bought a few wooden bird figurines that the children liked, and then went into a restaurant that looked pretty good.

"Our restaurant has a lot of delicious food. You two seem to be from out of town, so you should definitely try our signature dishes."

The waiter, who led them upstairs to their seats, enthusiastically made recommendations.

"Tell me what your signature dish is?" Kangxi asked.

"Our signature dish here is mushrooms." Seeing that they weren't surprised, the waiter continued, "These mushrooms aren't picked from the mountains; they're grown by our manager himself. They're available all year round, and we have many mushroom dishes. The best one is a pot of mixed mushroom soup."

Growing mushrooms in this place requires a lot of effort.

However, Emperor Kangxi only ordered one pot of mushroom soup, and the rest were the dishes that Chen Guanxue liked to eat.

Fresh mushrooms may be novel, but it's good enough to try them once in a while.

As the dishes were being served, Chen Guanxue fiddled with her red bean bracelet and whispered, "When we return to the palace, let's plant a red bean tree in Changchun Garden."

Emperor Kangxi smiled upon hearing this, "Why wait until we return to the palace..."

Chen Guanxue interrupted him, "I'm not asking others to plant it; the Emperor and I will plant it together."

Kangxi seemed to realize something and nodded, "Alright."

It's just a tree; once it's planted, that's that.

When the dishes were served, Kangxi first ladled out a bowl of soup for her.

The soup is clear and bright, made by stewing mushrooms and an old chicken that has been simmered for many years, and it has an irresistible aroma.

It tasted good, and both Chen Guanxue and Emperor Kangxi ate an extra bowl.

Before leaving, Emperor Kangxi instructed Liang Jiugong to inquire with the shopkeeper whether the recipe for cultivating mushrooms could be purchased.

The waiter replied that the shopkeeper was not in the shop and was currently out, and it would take some time for him to return.

Judging from the waiter's appearance, the shopkeeper was willing to sell, so Kangxi ordered someone to handle the matter.

Mushrooms can be grown, and once the cost of cultivation is understood, they could potentially generate a considerable amount of money throughout the year.

Even if it doesn't fill one's private coffers, simply finding a good place to run this business can ensure a comfortable life for the local people.

Chen Guanxue had been traveling with him these past few days, and upon returning to the post station, she wrote countless things. She shook her head, looking somewhat helpless.

Emperor Kangxi wrote for quite a while today, so Chen Guanxue washed up early and lay half-reclined on the bed, reviewing the lessons on longevity and fortune.

Fu Shou had been studying for several years and had homework every day, which she only checked occasionally.

Today his homework was a policy essay, which she read through and thought was quite good.

It was only because Emperor Kangxi had said that Fu Shou was too immature when he read it earlier that she had the idea to read it.

After reading it, Chen Guanxue also agreed with Kangxi's idea.

He wasn't purely kind-hearted; he was just too naive in his essay on the plight of refugees.

So naive, almost innocent.

"Starting tomorrow, let Fushou go out for a walk with his older brothers," Chen Guanxue said.

Kangxi didn't even look up, just said, "Hmm."

After he finished writing, he said to her, "I had the same idea. Fu Shou has been living in the palace and hasn't experienced much. It would be good for his older brothers to take care of him."

The royal family cannot tolerate overly naive people. Even if one does not contend for fortune or longevity, one cannot be ignorant of everything, otherwise one will become a knife in someone else's hand.

It will not only hurt others, but also hurt yourself.

"We'll be arriving in Yangzhou in a few days. I'll take you on a private tour. With the Crown Prince watching over things here, I don't think anything will go wrong."

Chen Guanxue didn't know what he was planning, so she could only nod.

They probably wanted to make an incognito visit, firstly to observe the local customs along the way, and secondly to do some things without being noticed by others.

Since they were going to travel separately, Chen Guanxue wanted to keep a low profile, so she asked Runxi to prepare a few simple and plain clothes.

And so, a merchant couple, accompanied by servants, appeared outside Yangzhou city.