Eight Blessings on the Grassland

"You..." Hachiya stomped her foot, pushed Tang Feng away, and walked straight away. Tang Feng sighed. What sins had he committed in his past life to get himself into this mess? He didn't want to hurt her, but having her following him around all the time wasn't a good thing!

That night was incredibly lively, but Tang Feng, preoccupied with his own thoughts, couldn't muster any interest and returned to his room early. Sitting on his bed, he spaced out for a while, not even noticing Qin Liuliu enter. Qin Liuliu brought in a large plate of mutton, placed it in front of Tang Feng, and patted him on the shoulder. "Brother, Liu Yiwan asked me to bring you something. He said you didn't eat much tonight and just drank alcohol, so your stomach might hurt later." Qin Liuliu talked for a long time, but Tang Feng didn't hear a word. He had a bad feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Coming back to his senses and seeing the mutton in front of him, he waved his hand. "You've been eating mutton for so many days, aren't you tired of it? Just looking at it makes me nauseous."

Qin Liuliu picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. "But there's nothing else here, right? Brother, don't be picky. Just eat a couple of bites. Maybe we can go back to Yanyun in a few days."

Tang Feng nudged the mutton in Qin Liuliu's hand and shook his head. "I think I'd better pass..."

Qin Liuliu pouted and placed the mutton on the table, just in time to see the waterwheel Tang Feng had drawn. "Brother, is this... the gift you're going to give to the Qiang and Hu people?"

"What gifts! It's just a transaction. Here, there are no friends, only interests. The greater the interests, the more successful the transaction." Tang Feng sat up and placed the blueprints of the waterwheels on the candle wick to burn.

"elder brother?"

"We can't keep it, or it'll cause trouble later." Tang Feng saw that Qin Liuliu didn't understand, so he nodded his head. "Some things are better left in your mind. That way, you'll have a reason to live. I can't figure out what the Qianghu Khan is thinking, so I have to be wary of him discarding me after he's done his bidding. Forget it, you're still young. Why am I telling you this? Alright, take this meat back! I really can't eat it. It's so lively outside, go and have some fun! Don't keep bothering me."

After seeing Qin Liuliu off, Tang Feng couldn't help but chuckle, recalling the words Prince Duan had spoken to him at the Lishan Academy: "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet." This trip to the Qiang and Hu tribes was probably just the beginning! Why did Prince Duan suddenly insist on sending him to persuade the Khan to lease the Yan-Yun Ayi Harbor to the Qiang and Hu tribes? The two countries had previously had virtually no connection. Tang Feng sat back in his chair, pondering... Could it be that Prince Duan intended to use this incident to advance his own power? How audacious! It seemed he was going to burn his bridges!

A few days later, the work Tang Feng had entrusted to the craftsmen was completed. After assembling it according to the blueprints, Tang Feng destroyed the blueprints. He then introduced it to the local villagers: "This is what I want to give you. This is a waterwheel, a tool for lifting water for irrigation. The wheel is over 10 meters high, supported by an axle with 24 wooden spokes radiating outwards. Each spoke has a scraper and a bucket at its tip. The scraper scrapes water, and the bucket fills it. When the river water comes, the spokes slowly rotate due to the momentum of the water, and each bucket is filled with water and lifted up step by step. At the top, the bucket naturally tilts, pouring water into the aqueduct." "The water flows into the irrigated farmland." Tang Feng sighed, seeing that the villagers didn't understand. "Never mind... I'll just demonstrate it to you directly!" As the waterwheel turned, the water in the bucket gradually poured into the trough and then into the rice paddies, creating a water cycle. Tang Feng guided the villagers to replant the rice, so they no longer had to worry about their rice being washed away by the surging river. In the end, Tang Feng stayed in the village for another half month. After all, he didn't know if this method would work, but seeing the rice and wheat gradually growing taller, Tang Feng felt much more at ease. He called Liu Yiwan and Binghu and told them to start preparing for their return.

On the day Tang Feng left, the villagers all came to see them off, chasing after Tang Feng's carriage. Tang Feng lifted the curtain and heard the villagers calling him Bafuli. He turned around and asked Haqiya, "What does Bafuli mean?"

"On our grasslands, Bafuli is a hero, a lucky star. To see them off on horseback is the highest farewell gift we can give."

Zhou Ziliang was still handling matters in the military camp when he heard Chen Ke calling out from afar, "Young Marquis! Young Marquis!"

"Ake! Keep your voice down, or those old guys will start making a fuss again." Zhou Ziliang frowned as he watched Chen Ke run into the main camp, squat down, and catch her breath. After a while, she straightened up and said, "Young Marquis, guess who sent the letter? It's the young mistress!"

"Xiao Feng?" Upon hearing that the letter was from Tang Feng, Zhou Ziliang stood up abruptly, picked up the letter, and began to read it.

"Ziliang, I hope you are well. The butterflies come and go with grace, but the moon shines coldly as people depart. This trip to the Qiang and Hu tribes was fraught with difficulties and lacked manpower. Only after arriving did I realize that things were not as simple as they seemed. The court officials were targeting us from all sides; we were besieged on all fronts. However, don't worry too much. I have my own way of escaping danger. It's just that I haven't had time to write to you since I came here. Also… I want to clarify something. A few days ago, I fell ill, and the princess of the Qiang and Hu tribes took care of me in the carriage all night, but… nothing really happened between us…"

Seeing Zhou Ziliang's increasingly furrowed brows, Chen Ke cautiously asked, "Young Master, has the young mistress encountered some trouble?"

"Is Xiao Feng sick?" Zhou Ziliang placed the letter on the table. "And the Qiang and Hu princess? No way! I have to go to the Qiang and Hu! If Xiao Feng writes this down, he might encounter something bad. This princess is probably clinging to him."

"Oh? What should we do then?"

"Go, help me pack my things, I'm leaving soon." Zhou Ziliang held the letter, somewhat angry. He wasn't angry at Tang Feng, but at himself for not going with her. Otherwise, so much trouble wouldn't have happened. Tang Feng was alone in the Qiang and Hu region; even with three heads and six arms, he would be overwhelmed. The letter said he was sick, but he didn't know what illness it was, how serious it was, or if he was getting better.

Tang Feng was currently lying comfortably in the carriage. Apart from the nagging Haqiya beside him, Tang Feng felt quite happy. It seemed that scolding Haqiya last time had no effect; the little girl was depressed for two days but then clung to him again.

Tang Feng glanced at Hachiya and said seriously, "Princess, along the way... I haven't treated you badly, have I?"

"No! What's wrong?" Tang Feng's sudden seriousness made Haqiya a little uncomfortable. "Tell me! Is there something you want from me?"

"I don't know why your father Khan didn't send troops to accompany me, until I returned to Sangyan..."

"Are you afraid my father will go back on his word?" Hachia looked at Tang Feng in disbelief. "Impossible! My father has always been a man of his word. How could he possibly break his promise?"

Tang Feng sighed. "He's your father, so he'll naturally have the final say in whatever you do. But I'm different. Never mind... you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Anyway, when we get to Sangyan, could you at least be a witness for me or something? Otherwise, my life is in danger."

"Okay! But you have to agree to one condition."

Tang Feng had already guessed the gist of the conditions upon hearing them, and shook his head, "I refuse."

"Tang Feng! You don't even know what conditions I'm going to ask, and you're already refusing me!" Hachiya shoved Tang Feng hard. "Do you think I'm easy to bully?"

"I don't think so. It's just that I've already guessed most of your conditions. I can agree to everything else, but this one is non-negotiable." Tang Feng crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and didn't even glance at Haqiya.

Haqiya grabbed Tang Feng's collar and said, "I just don't understand. Here you can be a prince consort, with all the good food and drink provided for you. As long as I'm around, everyone will gossip about you behind your back, and Father Khan will also promote you. You'll rise to the top in life. What more could you want? Your wife, who's far away in Yanyun, hasn't even entered the palace yet. What's there for you to miss? I'm a princess, so in what way am I inferior to her?"

"If the princess insists on bringing this up today, then I'll tell you, no one from Yan Yun or the Qiang and Hu tribes can compare to him." Actually, Tang Feng intended to explain further, but he was afraid the young girl was too shy, and he was counting on her to be of some use in the main hall and help him out.

As it turned out, Tang Feng had completely overthought things. Haqiya stood up without getting angry, and smiled. "I heard that you and your wife grew up together, childhood sweethearts, inseparable since you were little. You like her so much just because you've spent so much time together. I heard from the palace maids that you Yan Yun people are very sentimental. We haven't spent enough time together yet. Don't worry, I'll spend more time with you on the way back." After saying that, Haqiya got off the carriage. Tang Feng stood there stunned for a moment, then threw the fruit in his hand away angrily. "Damn it! I'm so angry! It's like talking to a brick wall! This child is hopeless!" Tang Feng sat in the carriage, sulking. Liu Yiwan, sitting beside him, said, "Young Master, don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health. What the princess said doesn't make sense. You've finally become a hot commodity. This princess is much richer than the young marquis. Why don't you reconsider?"

"What? What good will it do you if I stay in Qianghu?" Tang Feng squinted at Liu Yiwan, then pulled his ear and said, "Do you want to be the chief eunuch of the palace? If you have that kind of fetish, I'll reluctantly stay here. But I feel sorry for my sister Jiu; my father will probably assign her to someone else!"

"Young...Young Master, I...I was just asking you to seriously consider how to return to Yanyun. The young marquis is waiting for you with a grand procession and a ten-mile-long red bridal procession! We have to go back, whether we can or not." Liu Yiwan smiled obsequiously. Tang Feng slapped him on the head. "Get out! Get out! Don't sit here and get in my way. You're even more annoying than that princess! Understand? Call Liu Liu up here. I need to wash my eyes."

Tang Feng sighed as he sat in the carriage. What was all this about?! He was just hoping nothing else went wrong in the main hall. He'd only come to negotiate, but now it felt like this challenge was getting harder and harder! He'd initially thought that as long as agricultural production was done well, everything would be fine, but now it seemed... this princess was the biggest problem. He should have just let Sujiha take her away in the first place.