There are two kinds of schemes in this world.
One type is called a conspiracy, which involves racking one's brains to achieve a result.
One type is called an open conspiracy, where the opponent knows it but is helpless against it.
Fang Yuan exposed Xu Mo's identity at the entrance of the examination hall, inciting resentful students to trip him up, a scheme he devised openly.
The current banquet, which pushes the selection of imperial concubines, is also a calculated move.
No matter how helpless the person who pretends to be weak to deceive others may feel, the help brought by the principal wife is extraordinary, and he is absolutely unwilling to give it up.
However, there weren't many women of marriageable age in Fengjing who could satisfy his ambitions.
Jiang Sheng delivered a message to Jiang Chengyu, and Xu Mo relayed Miss Dou's instructions. Even the He family and Min family had spies on the side, waiting for the prince to make his move.
Whether it's a chance encounter or a hero rescuing a damsel in distress, some tactics are so clichéd that they're effective precisely because they work.
But before the prince could make a move, Jiang Sheng received a letter from her dear second brother.
From setting off last September to returning this January, Zheng Ruqian's journey was arduous, and he even missed the Spring Festival reunion.
Fortunately, there's still the Lantern Festival coming up, so we can at least have a family reunion dinner.
Jiang Sheng excitedly opened the letter, only to find that it was written at the end of last year. At that time, Zheng Ruqian was halfway there when the huge number of sheep pushed the wooden frame apart. The master and servant, plus the newly hired shepherd, a total of five people, were almost covered in dust before they managed to find the scattered sheep.
Next, he had to reorder the wooden frame, feed the sheep as he walked, and clean up the sheep droppings from time to time, which almost drove Zheng Lao Er crazy.
In his letter, he roared, "Whoever wants to transport this sheep can do it from now on. I will never touch it, nor will I eat the mutton."
When he turned the container to the other side, he changed his mind again, "No, we need to eat more. We've gone through so much trouble to bring it back, we have to eat more to make up for the hardships of the journey."
Jiang Sheng wholeheartedly agreed.
Second Brother didn't just encounter frost, he clearly encountered snowstorm. The heavy snowfall during the New Year's festival hasn't melted completely yet, and there are still thick, crunchy snow piles up in places where the sun doesn't reach. This has delighted the wild children who are having snowball fights. They make snowballs and throw them around all day long, which makes the snow melt even slower.
She continued reading. The letter described how they had covered nearly half the distance in a month and were scheduled to arrive home before the New Year. If they hadn't arrived, it meant they had been delayed on the way. The letter told their family not to worry and to prepare to welcome them.
It seems that Zheng Ruqian himself had foreseen that this trip to transport sheep was destined to be anything but simple.
Despite all the precautions, I never expected to encounter such a heavy snowfall, the likes of which are only seen once every ten years.
"If we take away the time when the roads were blocked by heavy snow, and then use the previous travel time to estimate, isn't Second Brother coming back soon?" Jiang Sheng put down the envelope, her little face full of excitement.
"What do you want to do?" Zhang Xianglian reminded her, "Xiao Mo isn't home right now, you can't make decisions on your own."
Thinking of this, Jiang Sheng became discouraged again.
In the past, only her three older brothers were busy. Her fourth and fifth brothers would always accompany her, whether they were giving bad advice or doing bad things, they would always be there for her.
Time flies, they've grown taller and slimmer, but they can no longer huddle together in a corner whispering and discussing their plans.
Jiang Sheng pursed her lips, her eyes red-rimmed, reminiscing about the past while also feeling sentimental about the present.
They can't go back to the past, and they can't control their growth. Life changes constantly in the long river of time, and will eventually become unrecognizable.
As long as her brother is still hers, that's all that matters.
When Xu Mo returned that evening, Jiang Sheng hesitated for a long time before finally revealing her intentions: "I miss my second brother. I want to go pick him up. It won't be too far. It'll be at most half a day's journey from the north gate."
Judging by the speed of the carriage, it was still roughly within the Fengjing area.
Xu Mo pondered, feeling a little worried.
Jiang Sheng grabbed his wide sleeve and shook it from side to side. "Big brother, I'm taking Jiang San and Jiang Si with me, and I'm also taking He Rui. It's only a half-day's journey. If I can't see Second Brother, I'll come back, okay?"
Who can resist the charm of a chubby little girl?
Xu Mo smiled wryly, pulled out his sleeve, and carefully instructed, "Be careful on the road, bring a few extra people with you, in case there are a lot of sheep, you can help out. Oh, and tell Lao Er that I miss him too."
It's been almost half a year since we last met, who wouldn't miss each other?
The next day, Jiang Sheng gathered three burly men and drove two horse-drawn carriages northward.
They passed through the north gate, crossed the city wall, and traversed the long villages, heading towards Zheng Ruqian's location.
He Rui hadn't traveled far much before, and he kept asking along the way, "Miss, are we really sure we won't miss Master Zheng? What if we take the wrong path?"
This earned him a big eye roll from Jiang San, who said, "There's only one official road; how could you possibly miss it?"
“That’s right, that’s right. These days, merchants travel on official roads, and there are officials patrolling the roads, so it’s very safe,” Jiang Si in the other car shouted.
Otherwise, Xu Mo wouldn't dare let Jiang Sheng go out alone.
Madam Jiang would not agree with that.
When it comes to real danger, the most important thing is to keep the horse tightly reined in and prevent it from colliding with pedestrians or vehicles.
He Rui completely relaxed, and the three of them took turns driving, driving their little princess in a Mercedes.
As the sun rose from its zenith to midday, half the day was almost over, and there wasn't a trace of sheep.
Jiang Sheng's heart jumped, and her already round eyes widened even more as she looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her second brother.
Look and look, I still can't see a single wool.
However, it was the carriage that suddenly accelerated behind her that caught her attention.
As a child who has grown up through trials and tribulations, you may suffer losses because of things you haven't encountered before, but the losses you have suffered will turn into experience.
I remember the last time, when we were transporting lychees, the Liao family bumped into us like this.
Jiang Sheng immediately perked up and reminded Jiang San and Jiang Si, "Be careful of that carriage."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the accelerating carriage suddenly veered and hurtled towards her.
Jiang San was shocked and lashed the horse's rump with his whip. The horse, startled by the pain, sped up and narrowly escaped the attack.
Jiang Si, whose eyes were bloodshot, also swerved his carriage and rammed into it first.
Poor He Rui, who only knew how to do odd jobs, followed him, his heart was about to jump out of his throat, his legs were so weak that he couldn't get up, and he could only sway weakly and bonelessly in the carriage.
Then, to Jiang Sheng's utter astonishment, Jiang Si drove his horse into the carriage that had come from behind.
With a loud thud, Jiang Si jumped off the carriage carrying the limp He Rui, with pieces of wood flying everywhere and the horses neighing in pain behind them.
Jiang San quickly reined in the carriage, cautiously surveyed the surroundings, and only dared to leap forward and shout angrily, "Who is so blind as to provoke our young lady?"
That's Jiang Sheng.
The Jiang family's granddaughter, whom they had felt guilty about for ten years, was the most beloved family member of the newly appointed top scholar, the fifth prince's most cherished younger sister, and the apple of the eye of the aunts and uncles in the workshop.
Putting everything else aside, if Jiang Sheng were truly injured, General Jiang, in a fit of rage, would return from the border and give that person a run for their money.
I really can't understand who could possibly mess with Jiang Sheng.
Jiang Si released He Rui and stepped forward to examine the people thrown out of the carriage, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. "Won't we know once we've thoroughly investigated them?"
He stepped forward alone, about to step on the man's head.
A gentle, yet somewhat helpless voice appeared, "Excuse me...excuse me, are you facing any difficulties?"
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