Chapter 16 Ending

If that's really the case, then Song Luoning is really pitiful.

no!

How could a delicate young lady like Song Luoning withstand the male lead's torment? We absolutely cannot let this happen.

Xiao Yu's expression gradually turned serious. Now that he had guessed the ending, did he still want the female lead to end up with Prince Qi?

Perhaps it's not so bad if the female lead is the only one who's beautiful.

She continued:

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Prince Ning set fire to the palace. In no time, the entire Prince Ning's mansion was engulfed in flames, ending the chaotic struggle between the two princes.

After the fire was extinguished, Qi Wang's men only found a few charred remains in Ning Wang's mansion.

King Qi successfully ascended the throne.

Lu Bairuo stood atop the ten-meter-high city wall. Everything was finally over, but there was no joy on her face. Instead, a faint sadness appeared in her eyes.

Where will she go from here?

Am I destined to be imprisoned in this cage behind me for the rest of my life?

She was unwilling.

At the same time, she understood very well that Prince Qi, no, the current emperor, would definitely not let her leave.

In the evening, the Emperor came to Lu Bairuo's place for dinner and tentatively asked, "I want to make Bairuo my Empress so that she can enjoy this vast land with me. Doesn't Bairuo want more people to learn to read and write? I have already issued an edict to establish a royal academy. At that time, there will be more ambitious students serving me, and the Great Qi will present an unprecedented golden age."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bairuo was startled, but she didn't show it on her face. She had once said that she wanted all women in the world to be able to read and write like men, and no longer to depend on men.

Judging from the current situation, the emperor does not agree with it, and this is a reminder to myself.

Oh well.

Anyway, she didn't want to stay in the palace.

So he feigned flattery: "Your Majesty is right. The country has just been stabilized, so it is natural to select talented people to serve Your Majesty. Your Majesty's move is wise."

The Emperor said, "Then I will officially appoint Bai Ruo as Empress tomorrow."

Lu Bai Ruo hurriedly knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, Bai Ruo only wants to follow you in this life, and does not want to be the empress. Moreover, Bai Ruo's family has no power to help Your Majesty. The court is not yet stable, and there are still some forces eyeing Your Majesty. At this time, for the sake of the country, Your Majesty should choose someone who can help Your Majesty as empress. That would be the wise thing to do."

The Emperor feigned a questioning, then, after much agonizing thought, said, "It's just that Bai Ruo has been wronged."

Over the next few days, Lu Bairuo gathered a few reliable people around him and gave them some instructions. He then took a drug that caused the patient to appear to be in a state of suspended animation. This drug would not cause the patient to die immediately, but would make the patient appear as if they had contracted a serious illness. Doctors would not be able to find the cause of the illness until the patient died.

When Lu Bairuo woke up after her death, she found herself in an unfamiliar room, which was not the place she had arranged in advance.

Lu Bairuo was startled. Before she could figure it out, she saw a woman dressed as a scholar carry in a basin of hot water. She instinctively hugged the quilt tightly and stared at the woman warily.

"Don't be afraid, I mean you no harm." The woman said, carrying the wooden basin to the bedside, wringing out the towel in the basin and handing it to her: "Wipe yourself first."

Lu Bairuo looked at the handkerchief handed to her, hesitated for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Where is this? How did I get here?"

Where are the people she arranged?

The woman didn't press the matter when she saw that the girl wouldn't take the towel. She draped the towel over the edge of the wooden basin and stood up. "I found the girl outside Taoyuan Village. She was unconscious and there was no one else around."

Taoyuan Village?

Unprecedented.

Undeterred, Lu Bairuo continued to ask, "In which county is Taoyuan Village located? And who are you?"

The woman replied, "Taoyuan Village is a small village in Qingzhou County. As for me, I am just a schoolteacher. If you have no other questions, please get up and have your meal."

Lu Bairuo suppressed her doubts and got up to follow the woman to the side hall for a meal.

After spending a few days together, she learned that the woman's name was Minghuan and that she ran a girls' school where all girls could study, and that she didn't charge tuition for some of the girls who came from poor families.

In addition to teaching, Minghuan also treats patients and is well-known in the neighborhood.

Gradually, the relationship between Lu Bairuo and Ming Huan underwent subtle changes. After some time, the imperial taxes became increasingly heavy, causing great suffering to the people, and many people with lofty ideals rose up in rebellion.

Many of Minghuan's female students also joined the rebel army, and several of them were brave and resourceful, quickly distinguishing themselves and becoming outstanding generals.

After the fall of the Great Qi Dynasty, the female student seized the opportunity to establish a new dynasty and became the first female emperor in history. Remembering her teacher's teachings, she founded the first girls' academy, where Minghuan and Lu Bairuo taught together.

Gradually, women's colleges appeared one after another throughout the country, and women were able to enter the government as officials and establish female households, just like men.

The new dynasty was no longer male-dominated, and the powerful could no longer buy and sell slaves at will; instead, it emphasized equality for all.

Now that things have come to this point, Miss should understand, right?

Sure enough, after the story was finished, Song Luoning seemed to be thinking. After a while, she said, "Your story is unprecedented and very novel. It is something that many people would not even dare to dream of. Where did you read these stories? Such shocking stories, even if they were not charged with treason in today's world, would at least be thrown into prison and tortured."

"......"

Good heavens!

She's here telling her stories; she just wants to hold onto herself.

She couldn't admit that she had made up the rest of the story, as she was worried that Song Luoning would actually report her.

This is no small matter.

I had no choice but to deceive her. Actually, it wasn't really a lie; except for the last part, which I made up myself, the rest was all from novels I read, or what were called storybooks back then.

"I read these words a long time ago, and I don't know where they are anymore." When asked further, they said they knew nothing.

Anyone can play dumb.

In any case, we can't let Song Luoning have any leverage over us.

Song Luoning pursed her lips and stared at her through the bed curtains for a long while.

It gives me the creeps.

Xiao Yu cleared his throat.

The coughing was particularly noticeable in the quiet room.

Song Luoning looked away. There was nothing she could do if this lecherous man wanted to play dumb. However, the story he told was much more interesting than the one told by the storyteller in the teahouse.

Let's not argue with her for now.

Song Luo Ning thought for a moment and asked, "Husband, do you have any other stories to tell Luo Ning tomorrow?"

How come you're so addicted to listening to it?

It's just storytelling; she's very good at it. As long as Song Luoning doesn't report her, it's fine to pamper the young lady occasionally.

"Yes, I do, but only if I have time." Xiao Yu deliberately didn't make a promise to her, wanting Song Luoning to know that whether she wanted to hear the story depended on her mood.

He easily manipulated the young lady.

"Then I'll tell you when my husband has time." She said, turning to lie down on her side, pulling the blanket over herself, her eyes fixed on Xiao Yu's direction.

Seeing her lie down, Xiao Yu didn't say anything more, and lay straight down on the quilt, so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open.

Although the workload of this day was incomparable to the intensity of the usual training, my physical condition was really too poor. By the end of the day, my back ached, my legs hurt, and I had no strength at all.

Before my mind could process it properly, my consciousness drifted away.

Not long after, he let out a soft snore.

Only then did Song Luoning close her eyes with relief.

If I hadn't been worried that this lecherous man might take advantage of me, I would have fallen asleep the moment I lay down. Although I hadn't done anything all day, I was still very tired.

She was so tired yesterday that when Song Luoning woke up, she was the only one left in the room. There was rice porridge and a plate of stir-fried eggplant that was a little dark in color on the table.

She got up and searched the yard, but didn't see Xiao Yu. She frowned, turned around and went back into the house. After washing up and having breakfast, she picked up a storybook and leaned against the bed to read.

Around noon, I heard a noise coming from the yard. When I opened the door, I saw Xiao Yu cleaning the dirt off his hoe, holding a piece of paper in his hand.

Song Luoning pursed her lips and stepped forward, saying softly, "Husband, you're back. What's this in your hand...?"

Xiao Yu didn't hide anything: "I just bought the homestead from the village head; it's the land right next to it."

She got up early this morning to make breakfast for Song Luoning and went to the fields to till the land. On her way back, she ran into Chen Ziyi and asked him about the homestead. He then took her to his house. His father was the village head. She explained the situation to him, paid the money, and he readily approved the homestead for her. He even promised to help her find a few people to build the courtyard wall.

Song Luoning frowned upon hearing her words, her gaze falling on the open space, wondering what this lecherous man was up to.

However, it's best to find out more details to prevent her from doing anything reckless.

"Is my husband going to build a house?"

Um?

Building a house?

Xiao Yu didn't understand why Song Luoning would think that way, and shook his head.

Song Luoning frowned even more. Why buy a plot of land if not to build a house? What kind of crooked idea is this lecherous man up to now?

“I’m planning to build a wall around the courtyard. The courtyard is too small now; it’s simply not enough. This carriage alone takes up most of the space, and the horses also need a stable,” Xiao Yu explained.

Anyway, we can't talk about the earthen huller and the fan yet.

That makes sense, and that's what she told the village head.

After hearing Xiao Yu's explanation, Song Luoning's furrowed brows relaxed a bit. Keeping horses in the yard did indeed create a strong odor, so adding another yard would be feasible.

Song Luoning smiled and said, "My husband is so thoughtful."