After speaking, the two exchanged a glance, their expressions inscrutable.

After a long silence, Liu An sighed softly, "What a pity for Lady Wang!"

He should have enjoyed boundless glory, but was destined for a desolate later life.

“I think it’s more of a pity for your wife,” Grand Secretary An smiled slightly. “News has come from the capital that Liu Xun has been imprisoned in the imperial prison, which has greatly affected your wife, and she is now bedridden.”

“She deserved it,” Liu An sneered. “If she had even a little bit of kindness in her heart, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

“That settles it,” Elder An shook his head gently, “The same applies to the Wang family.”

They could predict Wang's fate, but were hindered by her temperament.

However, if she changes her ways or remains kind-hearted, this incident will not cause her any loss; on the contrary, it will provide her with a ladder to heaven.

“That’s true,” Liu An realized. “Whether things turn out well or badly, it’s all her own doing. She can’t blame anyone else.”

Even so, Liu An still felt it was a pity.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the future of the Huang family, but this man, who is blessed with good fortune but does not appreciate it, occupies a core position that others would kill to get close to, yet he pushes himself step by step toward the precipice.

After that, few people mentioned the two of them again.

After learning that Huang Chuan had left, Da Niu didn't say anything. He locked himself in his room for the entire afternoon, and only came out in the evening with red and swollen eyes. "Second Aunt, does Dad not want us either?"

“Of course not,” Xie’s heart skipped a beat. “Why would you think that? Did someone tell you something?”

If she finds out who is gossiping in front of such a young child, she'll at least give them a few slaps.

“But,” Da Niu rushed into Xie’s arms, feeling wronged, “all of Father’s things are gone.”

"Your father is a marquis, he can't always stay at home. He has things to do. Be good, don't overthink it."

"real?"

“Of course it’s fake,” Jiang Nuan walked over and overheard their conversation. She said with certainty, “Your father did indeed abandon you.”

"Mother," Madam Xie said anxiously, "why are you suddenly saying this?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

As she spoke, she walked up to Da Niu, squatted down to look him in the eye, and explained slowly, "Your mother did something wrong before, and your father wanted to protect her. Similarly, the family also wanted to protect you, fearing that one day your mother would continue to hurt you, so they asked him to leave and stay with your mother."

Seeing Da Niu crying with tears streaming down his face, Xie hugged him tightly with heartache. "Mother, the child is so young, why are you saying these things?"

“Things are different now,” Jiang Nuan sighed softly. “In the past, they had a good father even if they didn’t have a good mother. They had people they could trust and rely on. The lies we wove together could make their lives better.”

Now, they can only rely on themselves and must dispel certain unrealistic fantasies.

"What do you mean? Even if we lose our parents, we still have them. Why can't we rely on ourselves?"

“They are different.”

"There's not much difference."

"That's just your opinion."

That night, Da Niu cried until his voice was hoarse and he couldn't speak before Xie Shi coaxed him to sleep.

After that, the little boy completely changed. He became well-behaved and sensible, worked hard, took care of his younger siblings, respected his elders, and so on. He was no longer the innocent and naive child he used to be.

Seeing this, almost everyone felt extremely distressed and tried everything they could to comfort the child, but to no avail.

"What a tragedy!" Old Mrs. Jiang was furious. "Neither of the eldest son and his wife is any good."

"Sigh," Grandma Huang sighed as well, "It's too late to say anything now, let's just take good care of the child."

If she had known it would turn out this way, she would have kept her eldest grandson even if it meant being tied up.

Come to think of it, neither of the couple puts the child first. How unlucky they are to have such parents.

"This is the only way."

After saying this with an embarrassed expression, Grandma Jiang hurriedly went to the kitchen to instruct people to prepare snacks that children like.

Jiang Nuan knew all of this, but she didn't interfere.

Things we have to accept sooner or later are better gotten used to sooner rather than later. Unrealistic expectations are what lead to despair.

After that, the Huang family was completely at peace.

The two Grand Secretaries already felt sorry for Da Niu's plight and greatly admired his intelligence and insight. They took him by their side every day to teach him, as if they were going to take him on as their personal disciples.

The wheels of time keep turning, and before we knew it, it was already July.

On this day, a large number of people suddenly arrived at the resort.

The two usually lazy and health-conscious elders changed into their court robes and walked solemnly into the field.

“Mother,” Xie said, standing by the rice paddy, pointing at the fish rolling around in the mud with a look of joy, “It’s incredible that rice-fish farming can actually work! The fish survived and the rice ripened.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan curled the corners of her lips and said, "This is the power of science. If you are interested, I can teach you."

"No, I want to learn formations from my mother. Don't bite off more than you can chew."

"Alright."

With a loud shout, hundreds of soldiers in civilian clothes went down to the fields to catch fish, and they caught almost all of them in just one hour.

After the baskets of fish were carried out and weighed, almost everyone had a smile on their face.

"Excellent! This is a blessing for the nation and its people!" Grand Secretary An couldn't help but praise.

“Indeed,” Liu An nodded in agreement. “The people are especially lacking in oil and meat. Having fish and meat to fill the gaps is better than having plain soup and water. It can at least help replenish their depleted bodies.”

"If it could be promoted throughout the world, it could conservatively be estimated that it would increase the number of able-bodied laborers by 10%."

“I’m afraid it won’t work,” Liu An shook his head regretfully. “Madam said that rice-fish farming has many requirements and is not suitable for all regions.”

Even so, it's better than nothing.

"really."

Hearing their conversation, Jiang Nuan's mind stirred, and she said, "Besides rice-fish farming, there are also mulberry-dike-fish ponds, intercropping, etc. These can maximize the use of land to increase production and output. If you are interested, you can give them a try."

"What are all these?" Liu An asked, his eyes full of doubt. "Similar to rice-fish farming?"

"They all belong to the concept of ecological agriculture, which simply means using the principle of mutual generation and restraint to maximize profits. For example, intercropping soybeans in a cornfield will not affect the corn yield and will also allow you to harvest soybeans."

What is corn?

"This?" Jiang Nuan looked at the two of them in surprise. "I have already drawn it and given it to His Majesty. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, he has already sent people to look for it. Didn't he tell you?"

“No,” Elder An shook his head. “Perhaps it is of great importance and cannot be disclosed to us. Madam, there is no need to say more, lest you cause unnecessary trouble.”

"Um."

Jiang Nuan lowered her eyes, concealing her surprise.

Such an important matter was kept from the two Grand Secretaries; the reason behind it...

She thought that taking the opportunity to change the government was just a whim of Ji Xuan, but now it seems that she had planned this all along.

It seems that regardless of whether there's that drama in the capital or not, Ji Xuan will find a way to make this happen.

As expected of a ruler of a nation, he is indeed unfathomable!