After leaving the teahouse, Song Jiaren went to the pawnshop, silk shop and grain and oil shop in turn. Her waist and legs were sore and her face looked a little tired.
"Let's stop here for today. We'll go inspect the manor tomorrow." Seeing that she looked a little tired, Gu Zhen stretched out his long arm, pulled her onto his lap, and held her in his arms. He looked at her with his dark eyes, "Are you tired?"
Song Jiaren was not used to this position, and she twisted her body awkwardly, wanting to get off. "I'll sit by myself."
But the hand restraining her waist exerted some force, and she could not break free for a moment. She could only compromise in frustration and sit in his arms. After a while, she began to feel sleepy. Her head could no longer support itself, and she fell asleep leaning on his neck.
Gu Zhen moved her legs onto a stool so that she could relax more. Two blushes appeared on her fair and tender face, her cheeks were soft, and she was sleeping soundly.
When she woke up again, the room was a little dim. She opened her hazy eyes and looked around, but there was no sign of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. She thought that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was no longer the Crown Prince, so what should she call him? Should he be called Gu Zhen or Husband?
Just as he was thinking, the door was pushed open. Gu Zhen was holding a tray with a few hot dishes on it, which smelled fragrant. He looked at the person who had woken up on the couch at some point. "Just woke up? That's okay."
Anything is fine?
Song Jiaren looked at him in confusion, sat down at the table to drink porridge and eat, and in the evening, she knew what he meant.
After half a night of intense fighting, she was very sleepy. Gu Zhen pulled her out of the quilt early the next morning. She stared blankly at the thin stubble that had just grown on his resolute jaw.
He said cautiously, "Have you practiced some kind of magic? Why do you look so energetic?" But she looked listless, as if she had been drugged.
Gu Zhen chuckled softly, "What nonsense! There's no such thing as magic. It's just that you're out of strength. You need to train more in the future to hold on for a while."
Song Jiaren's face flushed again. It was just a casual question, but it changed its meaning after he mentioned it.
On the way to the house, Gu Zhen wanted to go out for a horse ride to get some fresh air. He talked to the housekeeper from time to time and said that he would take her with him for a horse ride. Song Jiaren quickly hid in the carriage and refused to go out. She supported her head and half-lying on the mattress, too lazy to say a word.
It was not until they arrived outside the manor, changed to a sedan chair, and got out of the carriage that her face turned red in vain when she saw his half-smile.
This farm is located near the outskirts of a village or town. It has vast fields, mountains, and water. It is in a good location and was bought from a wealthy idle family in the capital. The farmers have good farming skills and the harvest is good.
Song Jiaren, wearing a veiled hat, and Gu Zhen sat in a sedan chair, slowly inspecting the ridges of the fields. When the farmers saw the sedan chair coming, they put down their hoes and farm tools, bowed, and lowered their heads in awe.
Back at the Zhuang family compound, Song Jiaren and Gu Zhen asked the housekeeper to call the farm steward over. They sat on the warm couch in the compartment and asked a few questions, "How are the crops this year?"
The steward folded his hands and hunched his waist, saying, "Everything is fine. It's getting warmer day by day. The rice seedlings will soon grow. It looks like the harvest will be better than last year's."
Song Jiaren showed a look of relief. "That's great."
After a few more polite words, he asked the housekeeper to send the man away. There were incense burning in the room, steam coming out of the teapot, and a carpet on the floor. Combined with the clean windows and desks, there was a sense of leisurely comfort.
Gu Zhen picked up a purple clay teapot from the small coffee table and filled her tea. "This place is warm in winter and cool in summer. In spring, there are green mountains and red maples in autumn. It is a great place to enjoy the scenery in spring and autumn."
Just now, Song Jiaren had been watching him for a long time without blinking in the sedan chair, and she was already very happy. Now, after hearing what he said, she thought it would be nice if she could stay for a few more days if she had time.
"Next time you come, bring more gifts and stay for a few days."
Gu Zhen nodded. "That's exactly what I meant. This trip was too hasty, and the manor hasn't been cleaned yet. Next time I come, I'll have someone clean it up in advance."
Song Jiaren didn't want to stay here right away, so she stayed with Gu Zhen for a while and then took a sedan chair out of the manor. She then changed to a horse-drawn carriage and went back home after a bumpy ride as night fell.
At night, Song Jiaren placed her hands weakly on the wheat-colored arm, her fingers pinching so hard that they left nail marks. She raised her long neck, revealing her smooth forehead oozing with fine beads of sweat. Her thick black hair was entangled with Gu Zhen's, covering the head of the bed.
I heard him breathe heavily and then said, "I have another farm with hot springs. Soaking there is good for your health. I'll take you there for a few days later."
The warm breath sprayed behind her ears, and she shook her ears unconsciously, collapsing on the bed as if exhausted, and said intermittently, "... Come less often, it will be more effective than any hot spring..."
The next day, a letter came from the capital. The gatekeeper handed it to the housekeeper, and the housekeeper handed it to Gu Zhen. He opened it and took a quick look. Because he had previously petitioned Gu Shen to give up his title of crown prince, and Gu Shen also understood why he wanted to stay away from the capital and didn't want to cause trouble, he gave him the title of Prince of the Nation and let him stay in charge of the border area for Gu Shen. The title of prince was hereditary, so Gu Zhen accepted it.
Because if he became a real commoner, Zhuangzi and his shop would cause trouble when interacting with other countries, and using the title of prince would also make it easier for him to guard the border.
After reading it, Gu Zhen no longer took it seriously and put the letter away. However, Gu Shenyuan in the capital was still thinking about this matter. He didn't want the officials in the court to think that he had seen through the former crown prince, so he passed the message down layer by layer and announced to the world that the former crown prince was now the prince guarding the border.
This time, the seventh-rank prefects and unknown county officials in the border areas and along the river had all heard the news. The journey to the capital was too long and their ranks were not high enough, so they could not see the emperor. However, the prince was right under their noses, so they had to pay a visit. As a result, the threshold of the newly renamed Prince Zhenguo's Palace was about to be trampled down.
As a female member of the family, Song Jiaren was not able to receive them, so she used this excuse to send them away for the first two days, and did not even let them in through the main gate. Later, she received one visiting card after another, all of which were from the wives of prefects and county ladies. She could not refuse them all, so she could only receive them at the same time at a fixed time every day.
When she first learned that she had become a princess, she was so shocked that she couldn't recover for a long time. She had thought that she would work hard to become rich in the second half of her life, but now she became a member of the royal family again.
Gu Zhen patiently explained the reason. He and the emperor were brothers, and the two were inextricably linked. If a war like the one between the Wusun and Xianbei happened again, he could not stand idly by, but he did not have enough status to intervene. It would be better for him to accept the title of Prince of the Nation.
However, in order to avoid suspicion in the court, he could only hide in the camp and avoid seeing these people who came to visit him, and let Song Jiaren come forward to solve the problem.
I also told her that she didn't need to pretend to be nice. If she wanted to talk, she could talk for a few minutes, and if she didn't want to talk, she could just stay away from him.
Song Jiaren was willing to meet with these family members and held a tea party in the garden pavilion.
Several ladies wearing exquisite clothes and hairpins looked young, some cheerful and some quiet. As they followed her, they kept praising the exquisite and beautiful garden.
Song Jiaren understood what they meant and exchanged a few compliments with them. However, she didn't expect that after they had a good chat for a while, these two brainless people would cause trouble.
The two ladies sitting on the right, wearing very similar double-breasted gowns, one blue and one yellow, said softly, "The princess has just arrived. I wonder if there are any inconveniences in your life? Men are always careless and don't understand these things. We can come here to help your wife with some of her worries."
Song Jiaren said with a smile, "It's not inconvenient at all. The servants and maids in the mansion are still useful."
After chatting about some insignificant things for a while, the ladies from each family went back home. However, the lady from the previous house did not leave, but looked at her for a moment.
When she smiled, a dimple appeared on the side of her face. Before she spoke, she smiled and said, "To be honest, there is something I don't know if I should say it to you."
Then don’t say anything.
Although Song Jiaren rejected it in her heart and had a hunch that there was trouble, it was difficult to deny it, so she could only ask, "Tell me, is there any difficulty?"
The lady said with some embarrassment, "I have a cousin who is still unmarried. She is pretty and charming, far from what you can compare to, but at least she is an obedient and sensible child. My family has been looking for a husband for her recently, but there isn't anyone they like. I just talked to the lady, and it seems that there is no one around who can serve you, so I was thinking..."
Song Jiaren interrupted her next words, her eyebrows and eyes turned cold. Is this to send someone to Gu Zhen under the guise of a visit?
If it were in the past, she would definitely not care or ask, but now, although the two of them didn't express their feelings explicitly, their relationship did not allow for anyone else.
So he said with a cold expression, "I don't know about other families, but my family has clearly stated that we don't want anyone else, so you should find another good family for your cousin."
Then she looked up at the sky, stood up and patted her skirt. "Madam, if you like the scenery in this garden so much, please stay and enjoy it for a while. I'm a little tired, so I'll leave first."
The lady also stood up with an embarrassed look on her face, but before she could say anything, she saw the man had already walked away. She was annoyed and a little unwilling, but there was nothing she could do.
Song Jiaren was still feeling depressed all the way back to the house. It's true that strange things happen every year, but there are especially many this year!
After sending away one Talina, another one appears.
Gu Zhen came back from the camp and brought Song Jiaren some dried meat and a handful of dried fruit from the camp kitchen. Seeing that she looked unhappy, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Song Jiaren said angrily, "You are smart enough to hide away."
"If you don't want to see me, then don't see me." Gu Zhen took off his coat and put it aside. He sat down in his pajamas and ate with her.
Song Jiaren raised her eyebrows and looked at him, shaking her head. "Others are fine, but the wife of the prefect makes me a little angry."
"Tell me about it." Gu Zhen picked up a few pieces of meat for her and listened to her while she ate.
Song Jia said angrily, "That lady actually wants to push her cousin in front of you, and she also uses the excuse that I have no one to serve me." Then she stared at Gu Zhen for a long while, and said with a fake smile, "I heard that her cousin is pretty and well-behaved. If you have that idea, I will agree to it for you."
Gu Zhen looked at her with a half-smile, "Do you really think there's nothing wrong with this?"
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