31 Chapter 031

◎Eating melons in a restaurant◎

In Liyu Lane, Yao Sanniang sent away another group of neighbors who came to pick up goods and closed the gate.

The subordinate couldn't help but ask, "Mrs. San, the things you always bring with you are worthless. Why bother with all this?"

"Everyone said it was just a matter of convenience, so why did you put so much thought into it?"

Subordinate: “…”

Yao Sanniang sat down at the table, spread out a newspaper, and said, "Most of the people who ask me to bring books are the families of scholars. Anlu is so remote, and the bookstores only sell a few books. Any scholar with even a little ambition wouldn't miss the opportunity to read a new book."

"Mrs. San really cares about those scholars."

Yao Sanniang laughed and did not continue the topic. Instead, she asked, "Has anyone looked for Ji Yalang?"

"I've looked for them," the servant continued, knowing she was referring to the people she met at the dilapidated temple. "They live in Zhuangyuan Lane, renting the old house of Zhang Dianli, the county magistrate."

"Um."

"The Third Lady is going to visit?"

Yao Sanniang shook her head: "Let's go home first."

"yes."

The Prince of Liang's fiefdom was in Anlu, so the palace was naturally built in Anlu as well.

The palace is located in the eastern suburbs of Anlu County, covering an area of ​​40 hectares. The area three miles around the palace is flat land. Standing on the watchtower, you can see any movement nearby.

Yao Sanniang came by car and was allowed to pass only after being checked by the checkpoint outside the mansion.

She sat upright in the car, watching the guards search the inside and outside of the car with cold eyes, a hint of sarcasm on the corners of her lips.

Her father didn't even trust his own daughter.

The main gate of the palace is closed all year round and is only opened when Prince Liang and the Crown Prince are traveling.

After the carriage passed, Yao Sanniang entered through the side door.

She first visited her biological mother, and then went to Prince Liang's study.

The study was a heavily guarded area, and she waited until the guard gave her permission before she stepped in.

The interior of the house is simply furnished, with only a square desk, a bookshelf and a few wide chairs.

There is an antique display shelf on the left side of the bookshelf, which contains only some ordinary objects, which are far from being valuable.

Prince Liang was standing behind his desk, painting with a brush. He glanced up at the sound, then lowered his gaze and said in a steady tone, "I'm back."

"Greetings, Father."

"Well, sit down." King Liang put down the last stroke, stepped back a few steps, and observed it carefully for a moment. He smiled and waved, "Come and see what this painting is like."

As soon as Yao Sanniang's butt touched the chair, she had to get up and walk closer.

She lowered her head and glanced at him for a few times before saying sincerely, "Father, please forgive me. I don't understand painting, but I feel like the landscape in this painting is alive."

"You, you." King Liang shook his head helplessly. "A girl, even if she doesn't have to be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she should at least be able to appreciate a few words. Traveling around the country is not what a girl should do after all."

Yao Sanniang lowered her eyes and said aggrievedly, "Father, are you blaming me for not doing my job well?"

"Of course not. I know you've been strong-willed since you were young, and there's nothing you can't handle." King Liang sighed and sat down. "But you're already twenty-three. If you delay any longer, you'll really become an old maid."

Yao Sanniang: "I won't marry."

"What's wrong with getting married? It's happier than going out in the wind and rain every day. If you don't want to get married, that's fine. Father will find you a suitable son-in-law, and you can live in the mansion and accompany your mother every day. Isn't that good?"

Yao Sanniang shook her head decisively.

"If you are willing, I will ask the Emperor to make you a princess, so that you can have a grand wedding. How about that?"

In the Qi Dynasty, the legitimate daughter of a prince was born as a princess, the daughter of a concubine was born as a princess, and only the daughter of a concubine had no rank.

Of course, there are exceptions. As long as the prince is willing to ask for a title and the emperor is willing to give him this favor, it is not impossible for a concubine to give birth to a daughter who becomes a princess.

In the eyes of King Liang, asking for the title of Princess was the highest honor he could bestow upon his daughter.

Unexpectedly, Yao Sanniang still refused.

He couldn't help but frowned: "You——"

"Father, is Sanniang back?" A gentle voice came from outside the study.

The person who came was Xie Yi, the prince of Liang. He could enter and leave the study of Liang directly without notifying anyone.

King Liang's expression softened: "Come in."

Xie Yu was wearing a blue peacock satin dress with gold embellishments, a jade crown on his head, and walked gracefully and calmly, holding a bamboo fan in his hand.

He looks 30% like King Liang, but among King Liang's children, Yao Sanniang is the most similar.

Her features and eyebrows were almost exactly like those of Prince Liang, and it was precisely because of this that Prince Liang was somewhat patient with her.

Otherwise, no matter how capable she was, it would be impossible for her to be valued by King Liang just because she was a daughter born to a concubine.

"Your son greets your father." Xie Yi bowed and smiled at Yao Sanniang. "Sanniang, you've been exhausted from the journey. You look much thinner. I've asked the kitchen to make some chicken soup, which will be sent to your room later."

Yao Sanniang also smiled and said, "Thank you, my Lord."

"Are you still being so formal with me?" Xie Yi fanned her and said helplessly, "I've told you so many times, call me Big Brother."

Yao Sanniang thought he was farting.

If she hadn't seen this guy's duplicity when she was young, she would have been deceived by his gentle appearance.

She simply said, "Etiquette cannot be abandoned."

"Sanniang is still so cold." Xie Yi waved his fan, "But with your temperament, you won't suffer any loss after getting married."

Yao Sanniang clenched her fists in her sleeves.

"Anlu County is still too small. It's a pity that there is no outstanding man worthy of our Sanniang."

King Liang nodded seriously, "Indeed, how can my daughter marry those common men? We must look far away."

Yao Sanniang gritted her teeth. Just now he had promised to marry her to the prince's mansion, but now he wanted to marry her off to another place. Her father really didn't care about her feelings at all.

Even pets can get a little love, but what about her?

"I said, I won't marry."

King Liang stopped talking and just looked at her with disappointment.

"Sanniang, you said you would share your father's worries, but have you forgotten now?" Xie Yi asked her with a chilling expression.

Yao Sanniang gritted her teeth and said, "I have always been helping my father with his worries."

"But transporting goods is something anyone can do," Xie Yi said earnestly. "This is the only thing you can do. Father trusts you so much, do you really have the heart to let him down?"

Yao Sanniang could no longer bear it and said with red eyes: "That man is already fifty-three years old, he is a full thirty years older than me!"

"If you think he's too old, you can marry his son."

"His son has already married." Yao Sanniang's voice was almost choked with sobs.

Xie Yu said nonchalantly, "It's just the position of a legal wife. If you want it, isn't it easy to get it?"

"..." Yao Sanniang laughed in anger, trying her best to suppress her temper and said in a hoarse voice, "Father, I'm a little tired. I'll go back and rest first."

"Wait a minute." King Liang finally spoke, his tone unquestionable. "Since you are tired, don't escort any more for the time being. Let your eldest brother handle the escort work. You stay at home and take care of yourself. You've got a tan."

There were bloody marks on Yao Sanniang's palms from being pinched by her fingernails.

She closed her eyes and said in a muffled voice, "The mansion is not as lively as the streets. I want to live outside."

"As you wish."

Yao Sanniang strode out of the study, walking faster and faster. She could hardly suppress her resentment and anger, and needed to find a place where no one was around to vent it as soon as possible.

Every tree and flower in the palace seemed like evil spirits demanding her death, clamoring to devour all her flesh and blood.

It's absolutely disgusting.

She hurried all the way to the side door, and just as she stepped over the threshold, she bumped into someone, and both of them took a few steps back.

"Isn't this our Third Lady?" The man glanced at him with a hint of sarcasm. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Get out of here!" Yao Sanniang couldn't stand it any longer and finally exploded.

"What did you say?" The man's eyes darkened. "Say it again."

Yao Sanniang sneered.

"why are you laughing?"

"I laugh at you for being able to only go through the side door like me, yet you act like a prince all day long. Xie Yu, you're truly pathetic."

"You—" Xie Yu took a deep breath and then laughed, "So you got mad at the prince and came to vent your anger on me. Xie Ni, no matter how pitiful I am, it's nowhere near as sad as you are about to marry an old widower far away."

Xie Ni's breath was stuck in her throat, unable to come out or down. She pounded her chest hard and then coughed it out violently, a cough that was heart-wrenching.

"Tsk tsk, how pitiful." Xie Yu left a word and walked into the side door with his hands behind his back.

A chess piece that has been discarded is not worth wasting your breath on.

*

The shop has been leased and approved by the government, and all that remains is decoration.

The supervisor was Luo Qi. Li Jiuyue finally had some free time and planned to go to Liyu Lane to visit Yao Sanniang and express her gratitude solemnly.

The two alleys are close to each other and it only takes a cup of tea to walk across them.

But when visiting someone, you always have to exchange a few words with the host, and the round trip will probably take half an hour.

Unexpectedly, Li Jiuyue came back in two quarters of an hour.

There was still a trace of pity on her face, and she sighed softly, "Sanniang is ill, and I didn't want to disturb her rest, so I came back without saying a few words."

"What disease?" Xie Mingzhuo was a little surprised. Yao Sanniang looked strong and healthy, and didn't look like someone who would get sick easily.

Li Jiuyue shook her head: "I don't know. She was lying in bed, her face didn't look good, and she was not in the mood to talk."

In the first few days after Yao Sanniang returned, the neighbors heard the news and ran over to get things, which means she was not sick at that time.

How could he suddenly fall ill?

"Old Yang."

Xie Mingzhuo called Yang Yunkai into the room and asked, "You followed Yao Sanniang yesterday. She went to Prince Liang's mansion, and after she came back, she never left the house again?"

Yang Yunkai was needed to collect intelligence, so she told Yang Yunkai Yao Sanniang's true identity.

A coachman would not have much interaction with Yao Sanniang, and Yang Yunkai is good at disguise, so there is no need to worry about being exposed.

"No." Yang Yunkai said firmly.

The illness came so suddenly that Xie Mingzhuo had a hunch that something was fishy going on. However, it was difficult to conceal one's presence around the Prince of Liang's mansion, and the Imperial Guards couldn't infiltrate it, so there was no way to investigate what had happened inside.

"I will go and visit him in person tomorrow."

The next day, Xie Mingzhuo followed Li Jiuyue and came to Liyu Lane with some eggs and brown sugar.

Yao Sanniang lived in a two-story house, with her bedroom in the main house in the backyard.

The two followed the doorman into the main courtyard. Yao Sanniang was half leaning on a low couch under the porch, with her legs stretched out in the sun and her upper body hidden in the shade of the eaves.

If you ignore his pale face, he looks quite relaxed and at ease.

There were two round stools placed next to the couch. They must have been brought there specially when they knew they were coming.

"I'm not feeling well and am too lazy to move. Please don't blame me for being rude, Jiuniang and Erniang." Yao Sanniang forced herself to cheer up and said self-deprecatingly.

"Sanniang, please don't say that," Li Jiuyue said with a guilty look on her face. "I shouldn't have disturbed your recuperation, but after I went back yesterday, Niang heard that you were ill and wanted to come and see you."

Yao Sanniang looked at Xie Mingzhuo and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Second Mother."

"Second Mother will always remember your kindness in protecting the dilapidated temple that day." Xie Mingzhuo sat on the round stool, close to the low couch, and could clearly see the dark circles under Yao Sanniang's eyes.

"It's just a small favor, you don't have to take it to heart."

"It was a simple favor to you, but it's a great favor to me." Xie Mingzhuo said lightly but seriously, "It was my first time out, and I encountered something like that. I was really shocked and at a loss for words, I even forgot to thank you."

Yao Sanniang was speechless for a moment.

She did so much, but her biological father pushed her into the fire pit without hesitation; the people who protected her on the road were able to remember this kindness.

"I just heard from Aunt Jin that you live here. A few days ago, there were many people at your house, so my aunt and I didn't want to disturb you. I wanted to come here with you yesterday, but that thing happened and I had an unbearable stomachache. Please don't blame me, Sanniang."

"How could that be?" Yao Sanniang laughed. "That day in the temple, I thought you were aloof and taciturn, but today I have a new understanding of you."

Xie Mingzhuo said confidently: "It doesn't matter who you talk to."

"Hahahahaha," Yao Sanniang couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Second Mother, you speak in an inexplicably humorous way."

Xie Mingzhuo was surprised: "People always say I'm boring, no one says I'm funny. Sanniang, I think you're too bored recuperating."

"Yeah, it's so boring."

"Would you like to read the storybook?"

"This story is nothing more than a story about talented men and beautiful women. I know the ending after reading the beginning. It's not interesting."

Xie Mingzhuo raised his eyebrows. "I guess you don't like reading those, but I found a new book in the bookstore a couple of days ago. Would you like to take a look?"

"Oh?" Yao Sanniang became interested.

Xie Mingzhuo pulled a newspaper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and pointed to "The Heavenly Book: The Path to Success in the Imperial Examinations." He introduced it, saying, "This is the first time I've seen this heavenly book. I find it very interesting."

Yao Sanniang had already read the newspaper, but she didn't want to pour cold water on Xie Mingzhuo, so she didn't say anything and took it and read it carefully again.

"It's really unique. Why are there only two?"

Xie Mingzhuo explained: "The bookshop owner said we should wait a little longer."

"Okay." Yao Sanniang put down the newspaper. "Let's read it together when the next issue comes out."

"Okay." Xie Mingzhuo agreed immediately, then hesitated again, "When is Sanniang's next escort mission? Will you be out of town when the newspaper arrives?"

Yao Sanniang's smile faded, her gaze fixed on the clear sky above the courtyard. She said calmly, "I'm not feeling well, so I won't be traveling for a while."

"Your health is the most important thing. It's not too late to escort the goods after you recover." Xie Mingzhuo comforted.

"Second Mother, I'm actually very envious of Wu Chuanyue."

"You also want a heavenly book?"

"Pfft." Yao Sanniang was amused by her naiveté. "What's the use of the Heavenly Book? What I envy is that even though he was down and out, even though he suffered humiliation, he was able to rise to prominence through the imperial examination."

Xie Mingzhuo looked her straight in the eyes: "Are you envious of his status as a man?"

"Second Mother understands me." Yao Sanniang seemed to have found a kindred spirit. "How lucky he is! Even without the Heavenly Book, he still has many ways out."

Xie Mingzhuo understood the meaning of the music: "Is your father forcing you to get married again?"

Yao Sanniang didn't reply, but her expression said it all.

"There are many ways to expand trade routes, why do you have to get married?" Xie Mingzhuo asked.

“Because the cost is minimal.”

"But you'll have to pay for it your whole life."

Yao Sanniang smiled bitterly: "Do I have any other choice?"

Xie Mingzhuo didn't answer, but his face showed that he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Go ahead."

"There are still options." Xie Mingzhuo cited a ready-made example. "Do you know the wealthy Shanxi merchant Lü Fei? She's the woman who donated 90,000 dan of grain before the snowstorm and another 3,000 taels afterward, as the newspapers reported."

Yao Sanniang understood instantly: "Are you asking me to follow her example and marry a son-in-law?"

"That's right."

"I'm different from her. She's an only child, and I have brothers. Even if I marry into the family, it won't be my turn to inherit the family business."

"You want to inherit the family business?"

"No, I never have any delusions," Yao Sanniang said softly, "I just hope to live the life I want without interference from others."

Xie Mingzhuo already understood why Yao Sanniang fell ill, and also saw through the objective contradictions existing in the Prince Liang's Mansion.

Yao Sanniang's current look of great shock should be due to her disappointment with King Liang, but this disappointment is not enough to make her rise up in resistance.

It is easier said than done to deal with King Liang without spending a single soldier.

Yao Sanniang provided her with a feasible idea.

Internal differentiation may be more appropriate than external intervention.

It's just that the time has not come yet, and the conflict between Yao Sanniang and Prince Liang and Prince Liang's son is not enough to make her give up her family ties.

Xie Mingzhuo did not continue the topic and instead picked some interesting things to share with her.

Her story has been tested by countless netizens. It is both humorous and philosophical. Yao Sanniang laughs constantly and sometimes falls into deep thought.

"Second Mother, I have benefited a lot from talking to you."

Xie Mingzhuo smiled and said, "I'm glad you don't find it boring."

"When we first met in the dilapidated temple that day, I felt you were quite something," Yao Sanniang's admiration grew even stronger. "And listening to your conversation today, I can tell you've read quite a bit."

Xie Mingzhuo: "They're just some idle books to kill time."

"Do you think scholars don't read idle books?" Yao Sanniang snorted. "Aren't those sentimental novels all written by scholars?"

Xie Mingzhuo agreed: "You are right."

As the sun rose to its zenith, Yao Sanniang stood up and said, "After chatting with you for so long, I feel like all my illness has disappeared. Second Mother, Ninth Mother, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll treat you to a feast at Jun Zai Lai Restaurant. Don't refuse, or I'll be upset."

Jun Zailai Restaurant is located in the center of Yushui Street. It is a time-honored brand in Anlu County. Although the prices are high, the dishes and dining environment are well-known.

From the second floor of the hotel, you can see the Fuhe River not far away. Merchant ships gather on the Fuhe River, and occasionally the river breeze blows, bringing a hint of coolness.

Yao Sanniang was generous and directly booked a private room on the second floor with the best view. She opened the window and the wind swirled in, blowing away the hot mist above the teacup.

"I really should go out and relax. Staying stuck at home makes me have wild thoughts." Yao Sanniang sighed, "I feel much better now."

Xie Mingzhuo said seriously, "Indeed, being melancholic about the passing of time is not suitable for the righteous Lady Yao."

"Hahahahahaha," Yao Sanniang laughed heartily. "Second Mother, anyone who says you're boring must be deaf."

Xie Mingzhuo felt secretly ashamed, thinking that Yao Sanniang had wronged them.

The reason is that as the company leader and Princess Rong'an, she cannot joke with others casually.

Now she is just Meng Er Niang, and nothing she says is surprising.

Two people entered the private room next door and heard talking.

The windows of the private rooms were all open, with only a wooden partition in the middle, so it was easy for sounds to travel between rooms.

Yao Sanniang suddenly raised her index finger, put it on her lips, winked at her, and pointed to the next door.

Xie Mingzhuo smiled.

As expected, no one can resist eating melons.

【Author’s words】

Muah muah muah muah, love you guys!