Chapter 47 I heard she's a female tyrant

"Your Highness, I have a small question, and I don't know if it will offend you."

Deep in the secluded back mountain of the Taoist temple, a group of people sat around a bonfire, watching the golden-brown, sizzling roast chicken skewered on a wooden frame, their Adam's apples bobbing imperceptibly.

Qi Zheng sat upright on the futon, head down, turning the roast chicken on the rack, saying nothing, as if the others didn't exist. Until he heard Song Jin's pretentious words, his hand paused, and he looked up into Song Jin's overly bright eyes.

He sensed that what was about to happen wouldn't be anything pleasant, and remained silent for a while.

"You ask."

Song Jin sat on the futon he had prepared beforehand, her legs crossed, chin resting on her hand, a sly glint in her phoenix eyes: "Your Highness, as a prince, what do you usually eat?"

Song Qingzhi, who was completely absorbed in the roast chicken and pondering its unique spices, choked on his saliva and turned around in disbelief. Just by looking at Song Jin's eager expression, he already knew what she was going to say.

In front of the person being gossiped about, he frantically gave Song Jin meaningful glances.

Shut up, shut up now!

This is a prince, the emperor's only biological son.

The only

It's enough to talk badly about them behind their backs; you really can't afford to mess with them.

...

Song Jin pretended not to see it and continued to prop her chin up, waiting for Qi Zheng's reply.

Qi Zheng glanced at her, then at Song Qingzhi, whose green eyes were practically turning into lakes, and remained silent. He continued, "The manor usually prepares meals, which are delivered when we're on duty."

It sounds a bit too plain.

Song Jin asked in surprise, "That's it? Besides being at the manor?"

Qi Zheng glanced at her: "There are many banquets and feasts in the capital, and there are always two or three that I can't refuse every month. Then I go to the palace once every ten days to dine with my father, and I come to the Taoist temple after a half-month break."

Judging from his practiced manner, this wasn't his first time roasting chicken at the Taoist temple.

Song Jin then explained why he had suggested she come to the Taoist temple to get the roast chicken; apparently, it was another of his hideouts, convenient indeed. But it was understandable; while the capital was bustling, staying inside every day would really stiffen your muscles and bones, so you needed to get out and move around from time to time.

After finding out, she looked mischievously at Song Qingzhi and teased, "Did you hear that? His Highness Prince Renqi has a full schedule, how could he have time to eat at Huixianglou?"

Song Qingzhi: "..."

It's obvious that the younger sister really wants him dead. Doesn't she realize that if he's really gone, the Song family won't have anyone to provide her with a dowry? He's the only one with money among the five brothers in the family, okay?

He gritted his teeth: "Your Highness, please forgive me, I had no other intentions."

Qi Zheng didn't feel he had committed any crime, but upon hearing the words "Huixianglou," his face reflexively darkened.

Heavy sinking

He glanced at the green-eyed owner of Huixianglou across the street. Because of Song Shang, he had specifically inquired about the Song family—he had sought out the most skilled information gatherer in the world—his father, Qi Ye.

Therefore, he knew many secrets unknown to outsiders, and he also knew that the green-eyed young man in front of him came from the Northern Desert, was raised by Northern Desert wolves, and was later seen by Song Shang, who brought him back and adopted him.

This kid, at such a young age, before he could even speak, already knew how to use an abacus and count money. Compared to the Northern Desert Wolf, it seems he was raised by a money-making tortoise; he's very good at making money.

It is said that Song Shang initially named him Song Beizhi, meaning to commemorate his background, but changed it to Qing—hoping that he would be honest, upright, and incorruptible—after his greedy nature became apparent.

To this, Qi Zheng could only say that hope is good, but reality is far away.

Huixianglou

Qi Zheng felt heavy-hearted as he thought about it: "I can find the time if I squeeze it in, but the price is a bit too expensive."

Although he had considerable wealth from various other businesses, his official salary as a prince was only around five thousand, and even with his on-duty stipend, it didn't exceed six thousand. Six thousand sounds like a lot, but when spread out, it's only about five hundred per month. After deducting three hundred for the wages of the maids and servants and their basic living expenses, he only had a little over two hundred left.

This doesn't even include the exorbitant social obligations.

It was his own father who made up for his lost salary over the years, and the estate also provided a monthly surplus. His father would also occasionally send him various rewards; otherwise, he wouldn't just be stingy, he would be truly strapped for cash.

Song Qingzhi had considered many reasons, but he never thought it was because he thought it was too expensive. He was stunned and exclaimed, "Expensive?"

Qi Zheng and Song Jin both looked over, saying nothing, but their expressions were clear.

Is it not expensive?

Song Qingzhi grabbed his hair incredulously and yanked it hard. Feeling the pain, he hissed and said, "Your Highness, are you joking with me? The Emperor has already made up for your annual salary and fiefdom after your return. You're short of money? You have thousands of acres of fertile land!"

At the beginning of the Dayan Dynasty, the country was beset by internal and external troubles, and the people suffered greatly, including the royal family. As a result, the annual stipend of the imperial family was reduced considerably compared to the past. Previously, it was five thousand taels of silver per year, but with tens of thousands of acres of land under their names, they were certainly not short of money.

Logically, royal princes are usually granted the title of king after reaching adulthood, as was the case with Prince Gong, Prince Jin, and Prince Li. Therefore, their reigns were short-lived, lasting at most ten years or so. While they may seem wealthy, the initial expenses upon leaving the palace and establishing their own residences were substantial. Annual social obligations and daily expenses added even more, and any remaining wealth was used to acquire antiques, paintings, and real estate. For these princes, even raising ten thousand taels of silver on their own was a struggle.

Qi Zheng's annual salary as a prince was 100,000—the emperor directly supplemented his princely fief for twenty years. Although some people objected at the time, he used his own private funds, so those who objected had no grounds for protest.

As for differential treatment? Isn't it normal to treat one's own biological child differently from a child forced into adoption?

So, to put it bluntly, Qi Zheng is currently the richest member of the entire royal family.

Leaving aside the three princes, even the other ducal families couldn't compare to him.

Many people have sought out Qi Zheng in the past six months, partly because he is the emperor's son, and partly because they want the money he possesses. However, he largely ignores them, declining banquets and feasts whenever possible, diligently performing his duties every day, and spending his days off at the Taoist temple, rarely interacting with anyone.

Looking at it this way, this prince really lives a life more like a Taoist priest than a Taoist priest himself.

Song Qingzhi was filled with complex emotions, but in the end, he could only tactfully say, "Generally speaking, when princes and nobles dine at Huixiang Restaurant, they keep a tab. If it doesn't exceed one hundred per month, we just cancel the bill."

However, most people aren't that shameless. Even if they skip paying on time every month, they'll still book two or three tables of good food at Huixianglou throughout the year, and in the end, they still break even.

"..."

Song Jinfeng's eyes widened slightly: "Your Huixianglou is that rich?"

In the past, each person could easily amass several thousand taels of silver. Was she too poor, or were they too rich?

Qi Zheng remained silent for a long time: "It can be like this?"

The waters of this capital city are truly no shallower than rivers and lakes.

Faced with the two men's uncouth behavior, Song Qingzhi didn't know whether to feel frustrated or relieved. Torn by a complex mix of emotions, he could only sigh deeply and gaze melancholically at the roasting chicken over the fire.

"It's time to flip it over, it won't taste good if it's burnt, Your Highness."

Song Anzhi, who had been silent the whole time, nodded.

That's right, let's stop talking about money. When it comes to money, he's the one who's broke among everyone here. Their ministry is really poor; he lives entirely on subsidies from his family and his fifth brother.

Just thinking about it brings tears of bitterness.

The group exchanged glances, all feeling dazzled by each other's wealth. They ended the conversation and tacitly looked at the fragrant roast chicken, their mouths watering slightly.

Qi Zheng moved the grill around again, and when it was almost done, he picked up the prepared spices and poured them on top. Just as he was about to speak, Song Jin clapped her hands knowingly and excitedly.

"Count to fifty, right?"

Qi Zheng's gaze fell on Song Jin's face. He considered telling the truth directly, but the image of the overturned campfire and sparks flying flashed before his eyes. He lowered his eyes and hummed in agreement.

"right"

Counting is fine, it doesn't affect the roast chicken anyway, it just makes it look a little...

Silly

He looked down at the golden, glistening meat, listening to her happily counting one, two, three, but if he listened carefully, he could still hear the sounds of her greedily swallowing.

Song Jin didn't notice his momentary unease. She sat cross-legged on the futon, propping her chin up and happily counting, speeding up as she counted. When she reached fifty-one, she clapped her hands loudly and spread them out, excitedly saying, "Give them to me quickly! The other two should be ready soon too, right?"

It has to be said that Qi Zheng has a wealth of experience in the business world. He can not only roast fragrant chickens, but also roast three at once! The chickens in his hands are perfectly roasted, and the skin of the chickens roasted over the side fire is glistening with butter.

The smell was absolutely amazing.

Song Jin hadn't eaten before leaving home, thinking she should eat as much as possible now. Three roast chickens—one for her today, one for tomorrow, half for her mother, and half for herself—she'd already planned it all out perfectly.

I could only think of her and her mother.

Qi Zheng watched as she eagerly stuffed the roast chicken into her mouth, his gaze lingering on her oil-stained face. Without a word, he looked away and picked up another chicken, turning it over.

He is indeed good at roasting chicken.

In the past, when he was traveling the martial arts world, he often relied on this thing to gather information and exchange items.

Wandering swordsmen are free-spirited and eccentric, and many don't care much about money.

Two people, one roasting chicken and the other eating chicken.

Song Anzhi and Song Qingzhi hadn't eaten breakfast either. They had originally planned to come to the Taoist temple for a vegetarian meal, but now, hungry, they couldn't stand it. They were almost intoxicated by the incense, and seeing that Song Jin completely ignored them and started eating by himself, they finally couldn't resist.

Song Qingzhi stared at the roast chicken, swallowed hard, and hinted, "Little sister, Lao Si and I haven't eaten either."

This chicken is clearly a wild pheasant from the mountains; it's not very big, but the meat is firm and tender, making it perfect for grilling.

Song Jin took a bite of the chicken leg, her white teeth tearing at the meat with force, her words muffled: "Isn't there vegetarian food at the Taoist temple? You guys go eat over there, take your time, I'll be here for a while."

They're really pretending to be ignorant when they know the truth.

Seeing that Song Qingzhi's hints were ineffective, Song Anzhi, with her delicate, flower-like face, leaned closer and coughed weakly twice: "Oh dear, my body isn't as strong as yours young people's. I've been riding horses and climbing mountains all day, and I'm too hungry to walk anymore."

Song Jin crunched her teeth, saying, "If you can't walk anymore, go lie down and rest. I'll go to Zhushan myself in a bit, so you don't hold me back."

Song Anzhi: ...

What a cold and heartless sister!

It seemed that being tactful was useless. Song Qingzhi gritted his teeth and stepped forward, his light green eyes fixed intently on her. Then he held up his index finger and made a "one" sign.

Song Jin glanced at it and continued clicking her tongue: "Don't even think about it. Even ten taels wouldn't be enough for me, let alone one tael."

Money can be earned anytime, but good food isn't something you can eat whenever you want.

This stuff was roasted by Prince Qi Zheng. We should enjoy it while we can; who knows when we'll have another chance to get his help? Let alone ten taels, even...

One hundred taels

Song Qingzhi spoke slowly. At that moment, his light green eyes seemed to gleam with gold, and his entire being exuded an oppressive aura of wealth.

Song Jin slowed her chewing, glanced at the two roast chickens she still had left, and met Qi Zheng's gaze, who was also slowing down. She looked away and turned to Song Qingzhi, speaking slowly.

"I only have four, so I have to leave one for my mother. This one was roasted by His Highness Prince Qi."

Watching her haggling, Song Qingzhi thought to himself, "She's truly his sister." He added another finger, his face full of determination.

"Two hundred taels for one."

Song Jin swallowed the chicken in her mouth, extended her hand covered in oil and ash, and gave Song Qingzhi's white hand a high five, indicating a deal. Then she turned her painted face to the silent Qi Zheng and asked, feigning seriousness.

"Oh dear, this is something His Highness Prince Qi promised me. I hope His Highness won't mind how I handle it."

As she spoke, her phoenix eyes blinked rapidly, filled with the unspoken message of "split equally, split equally."

Selling two chickens would earn four hundred taels of silver. It's not unreasonable for her, as the middleman, to make half of that, right? And he could earn two hundred taels just by roasting two more chickens. Why wouldn't he take advantage of such a good business?

Thinking of how she had given him five hundred taels of silver with just a few words last time, Qi Zheng nodded silently.

Well, compared to last time, two hundred taels is nothing.

...

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Song Qingzhi and Song Anzhi finally got to eat the roast chicken worth 200 taels of silver.

It's expensive, but the taste is absolutely amazing.

This money was well spent; Song Qingzhi was filled with boundless pride.

The group had quite large appetites, and they ate everything up, leaving only bones and meat, which they buried in the small pit they had dug. Chrysanthemums grew all around, giving one a glimpse into how many pheasant carcasses lay buried beneath that ground.

Song Jin picked two chrysanthemums, broke off the petals, and casually scattered them, muttering, "I'll come see you again next time."

She only meant to pick a couple of flowers to play with, but she ended up picking more and more petals, scattering them like a shower of blossoms, which she found quite amusing. As she played, she lost track of time, and when she came to her senses, she had almost completely ruined a patch of chrysanthemums, leaving only a few trembling little buds.

Song Jin looked at the petals scattered all over the ground, and the chrysanthemums that looked like they'd been chewed by a dog. She casually scrambled the petals with her foot, then turned and met Qi Zheng's gaze.

She chuckled, a little guilty, "Haha, these flowers are quite pretty, aren't they?"

Back in Linxi Town, Niu Tielan absolutely forbade her from approaching her garden; she practically wanted to put up a sign next to it that read, "Song brocade and insects are prohibited."

Qi Zheng stood there, glanced at the messy chrysanthemum patch, then at Song Jin's furtive and guilty look, and gently shook his head.

He did this simply to prevent too many chicken bones from causing an infestation of insects and cats. As for chrysanthemums, he used to plant a few occasionally, but now they cover the entire hillside.

He didn't say anything, but simply asked, "Are you going to Zhushan again later?"

Song Jin quickly walked away from the crime scene, nodding her head: "Yes, yes, I'll go check on Huang Huang. I wonder if she's been behaving herself these past few days."

Qi Zheng nodded: "Huanghuang is so well-behaved, it shouldn't run around."

Song Jin blinked and suggested, "If Your Highness Prince Qi has nothing else to do, why don't we go for a ride? It's only an hour and a half on horseback, and it'll be a good way to stretch your muscles."

She had a great experience going into the mountains with Qi Zheng last time.

This man is highly skilled in martial arts, a man of few words who is also hardworking; he'd be a great companion for going out.

Qi Zheng was somewhat surprised, and pondered for a moment: "A lone man and a lone woman?"

It's just a bit old-fashioned.

"They're coming too, just like going out for fun," Song Jin said, pointing to the Song brothers, Song Qingzhi and Song Anzhi, who were still fussing over their food and letting their breath linger. He added eagerly, "I brought a really good horse this time; let's see who rides the fastest!"

Qi Zheng: "You didn't ride your mule?"

Song Jin tugged at her hair, sighed deeply, and berated herself: "What a fickle and cruel master I am! I'll feed him more beans when we get back."

Qi Zheng: "...I'm going back to the manor tomorrow, and I'll be on duty the day after."

Song Jin: "We'll head over there in a bit and be back later. If anything unexpected happens, we can just stay at the inn over there for the night; it won't cause any problems."

Qi Zheng thought for a moment and agreed: "Okay, then I'll ask Li Qingshan to prepare."

He was always accompanied by a large group of guards whenever he left the city, but now that he was going to the mountains, there was no need to bring so many people; Li Qingshan alone would suffice. However, arrangements still needed to be made for the others.

Seeing that he agreed, Song Jin's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Then Your Highness, please go and make the arrangements. I'll go to the temple and take a look. Everyone says the fortune tellers here are accurate; I want to see just how accurate they are."

Qi Zheng stood there, watching her overly joyful and excited back, a bad feeling creeping over him. But then he remembered the two Song brothers were with them, and he felt relieved. He turned around to prepare for their departure.

There weren't many things to prepare; the most troublesome part was getting these guards, who were so concerned for his safety, to stay put. He spent a lot of time persuading them, and then he prepared the rest.

Mainly tinder, water-filled sachets, dried cakes, and some basic medicines.

He was used to traveling the world and prepared these things well in advance, carrying them with him on both long and short journeys, even if he might not need them, just in case.

The whole process of tidying up took only about 15 minutes.

Qi Zheng and his bodyguard Li Qingshan came out of the courtyard of the Taoist temple, intending to go outside to meet up with Song Jin and the others.

The Sanqing Temple is quite large, and there were many worshippers coming and going today. They were prepared to wait a while, but they didn't expect there to be so many people.

Layer upon layer, group upon group, completely blocking the way in front.

Although this was Qi Zheng's first time experiencing the Mid-Autumn Festival at Sanqing Temple, he had arrived yesterday and was certain that it wouldn't be this crowded under normal circumstances.

He said, "Go ask."

Upon receiving the order, Li Qingshan swiftly grabbed a man struggling to push his way through the crowd.

"Who is it? Have you no morals? Don't bother me while I'm here!" The man's small eyes darted around, his face filled with eagerness to join the fun. He was quite impatient at being caught, and when he turned his head and saw Li Qingshan with a long sword at his waist, he stammered...

"Sir, sir, what business do you have with me? I... I was just joining in the fun, I didn't take advantage of anyone!"

It's like admitting guilt without being asked.

Li Qingshan put the person down with disdain: "There are young ladies and wives inside, what are you doing squeezing in? Be careful."

The man quickly replied, "I know, I know, I'll be more careful."

Li Qingshan then asked, "Why are there so many people inside?"

The man scratched his head: "I don't know if it's true or not. I just heard that there's a noble person hanging on the marriage tree inside, and I wanted to go see what was going on. I heard it was done by a female tyrant, which is really strange."

"..."

I feel like there's no need to ask any further.

Li Qingshan turned around and asked

Qi Zheng nodded with a stern face: "Let him go."

The man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly slipped away, running to squeeze into the other group of men's houses.

Looking at the densely packed crowd, Li Qingshan felt a pang of pain in his teeth and whispered, "Your Highness, could it be Miss Song? Aren't Fourth Young Master Song and Fifth Young Master Song with her?"

Qi Zheng countered, "Do you think you can control it?"

Li Qingshan, recalling the two brothers' silence around Song Jin, had nothing to say.

Qi Zheng looked up, his gaze passing over the dense crowd to the ancient marriage tree. Amidst its lush foliage, figures swayed gently. He added casually, "Besides, they might not even want to interfere."

Li Qingshan was taken aback.

Qi Zheng didn't continue speaking, and turned to walk around the wall in front of him.

With a light touch of her toes, she stepped on the wall tiles, using the branches and leaves for leverage, and floated lightly to the open space in the middle of the crowd.

A group of strong, burly men were huddled together, exhausted and groaning in pain, while the culprit sat atop the pile, casually crossing his legs, practically cracking sunflower seeds.

Behind them, a man hung motionless upside down from a tree branch, while elderly people, women, and children dressed in brocade clothes anxiously called for help from below.

Right and wrong are obvious at a glance.

Qi Zheng landed steadily, his face solemn. Before he could speak, the bully-like Song Jin jumped down, ran over, nimbly knelt and slid to his side, grabbed his leg, and howled loudly.

"Your Highness, you must stand up for me!"

Qi Zheng: ...