Article 833: The Twisted Scheme
“The prince’s right arm was stabbed when he was besieged by the Western Rong cavalry that day. It had just begun to heal, but last night he angered the Western Rong king, and not only did the old wound reopen, but he also suffered many new wounds on his face,” Ruan Mingzhu replied. “The general was also injured, but he has recovered quite well after so many days, so Aunt Wanwan doesn’t need to worry.”
Zhao Sanniu added, "The prince is of noble status, and the master is a brilliant strategist. The Western Rong Kingdom is wary of the two of them, so they have been keeping a close watch on them."
Cheng Wanwan was once again grateful that she was a woman, and a woman who looked powerless, so the Western Rong King disdained to send troops to guard her.
Even so, escaping from the deep palace was not easy.
“The news of our disappearance will not be reported to the imperial court for at least a month, and the imperial court does not know who kidnapped us. It will take at least one or two months to find out, and then send troops to rescue us. It will probably be after the New Year…” Cheng Wanwan said. “Therefore, we must have someone escape to go back and report to the rescue team.”
It's unrealistic for so many people to escape; she doesn't have that kind of ability.
All she could do was try to arrange for someone to escape from the Western Rong palace and go to the nearest garrison in the Northern Frontier to send a message and ask for help.
Only with the government's rescue can the safety of so many people be guaranteed.
Zhao Sanniu immediately said, "Mother, I'll escort you out."
Ruan Mingzhu nodded: "Count me in, and I'll make sure Aunt Wanwan escapes this wretched place safely."
"You two think this through carefully. What will happen to the others if I disappear?" Cheng Wanwan raised her hand and tapped each of them on the head. "Originally, I planned to have He Xiao find a way to get out, but it might be inconvenient for him. So, this arduous and important task will be entrusted to you two. San Niu is too reckless, while Mingzhu is more meticulous. The two of you working together will achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Zhao Sanniu grabbed Cheng Wanwan's arm: "I'm not leaving, I want to stay and protect Mother."
“Silly child, you ran away so you could get help and rescue your mother.” Cheng Wanwan patted his hand helplessly. “You’re not really going to send Mingzhu, a girl, alone to the northern frontier for help. Her health isn’t as good as yours; what if she gets hurt on the way…”
"I'm perfectly healthy," Ruan Mingzhu patted her chest. "I'm much more capable than Zhao Jingyu, Aunt Wanwan, trust me, I'll definitely get things done..."
Cheng Wanwan didn't distrust her; rather, for something so dangerous, at least two people should be together, so they could look out for each other.
Whether it's San Niu or Ming Zhu, they are both children, and she doesn't want anything to happen to either of them.
After much persuasion, Zhao Sanniu finally nodded.
The next morning, the four guards responsible for guarding the courtyard slowly woke up. When they saw the empty wine jars on the ground, they immediately sobered up. If the Grand Chancellor had come last night and found them drunk, he would have surely given them a good beating. Fortunately, the Grand Chancellor didn't come, and their dereliction of duty went unnoticed...
The four guards exchanged a glance and swiftly destroyed the evidence.
As usual, Cheng Wanwan led the people around her to work in the experimental field.
Ten acres of land need to be deeply plowed once, and then composted with wood ash, manure, and other materials. At the same time, the entire experimental field needs to be enclosed by a wall, and numerous furnaces need to be built inside the wall. The furnaces need to burn charcoal continuously for twelve hours to ensure the temperature of the experimental field. In addition, the soil moisture also needs to be maintained...
When the people of Dayu Kingdom were working, officials from Xirong Kingdom accompanied them throughout the process and recorded everything. Every detail was written down on paper and then copied by a special person, which shows how much Xirong Kingdom valued this matter.
The King of Qin was carried out and sunbathed by the experimental field.
His face was bruised and swollen, and his eye sockets were still swollen, but his mouth was not. He lay on the chair and said angrily, "Lady Sui, do you know what you are doing? Helping the Western Rong Kingdom grow grain is tantamount to betraying my Great Yu Kingdom. You still have three sons in the Great Yu Kingdom. Do you think the Emperor will let your three sons go?"
Cheng Wanwan lowered her head and twirled the soil, saying without looking up, "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Your Highness should really tone down your temper."
"I truly misjudged you!" King Qin roared. "I hereby declare that you are no longer Lady Sui of the Great Yu Kingdom, you are nothing but worthless trash! Guards, carry me inside!"
The two guards immediately put down what they were doing and carried the King of Qin into the inner chamber.
The conversation between the two was relayed word for word to the Prime Minister by the person in charge of surveillance, who then reported it to the King of Xirong.
"To expect a woman to be loyal to the country is far too naive of King Qin," the King of Xirong scoffed. "Look at the noble Princess Taiping of the Great Yu Kingdom back then. When the Xirong attacked the Great Yu Kingdom, did she dare to say a single word in defense of the Great Yu Kingdom?"
Da Xiang laughed and said, "Since the King of Qin has removed her from the title of Lady Sui, why not bestow an official title upon her according to the customs of the Western Rong?"
"What's the rush?" The King of Xirong smiled. "Wait until the two of them are irreconcilable enemies before you step in and bestow official titles upon them. Only then will this woman be truly devoted to my Xirong Kingdom. In addition, this woman has three sons in the Dayu Kingdom. Find a way to capture all three of her sons and bestow official titles upon them as well... For this woman, only her children are the most important. We must firmly grasp all her lifelines in our hands."
“Wang Gaoming is indeed the best.” The Grand Minister stroked his beard. “I will immediately send a letter to the spies in the Great Yu Kingdom, instructing them to find an opportunity to act.”
The King of the Western Rong waved his hand, and the Grand Minister withdrew.
For four or five days in a row, Cheng Wanwan and the people around her worked in the experimental field. Apart from the King of Qin occasionally cursing, everything was no different from usual.
After a day's work, Cheng Wanwan asked to see Da Xiang.
This was the first time in so many days that she had taken the initiative to meet, so Da Xiang rushed over immediately: "Madam Sui, is there anything urgent?"
Cheng Wanwan performed a polite bow and asked, "I wonder if the Western Rong Kingdom has a plant called Lan Yingyun?"
She took out a scroll with a small plant on it.
The Grand Minister scratched his chin. He was a civil official who only studied the classics and knew nothing about farming matters.
“The land in Xirong Kingdom is still too barren. Even if I find a way to compost it, it still won’t reach one-third of the fertility of the land in Dayu Kingdom.” Cheng Wanwan sighed. “This kind of Lan Yingyun has huge roots and can improve the soil and increase the yield per mu of grain. If we could find some, that would be great.”
The Grand Minister immediately summoned officials who knew about this subject, but the officials all shook their heads: "This is a plant from the Great Yu Kingdom; it doesn't exist in the Western Rong territory."
“I remember that when Princess Taiping married into the Western Rong Kingdom, she brought a large number of seeds with her.” Cheng Wanwan’s eyes lit up. “The princess doesn’t understand these things, so it’s normal that she can’t grow them. But I do understand. I can make Lan Yingyun grow on the land of the Western Rong Kingdom… Prime Minister, please arrange for me to meet with Princess Taiping, that is, with the Queen. Is that feasible?”
The Grand Minister nodded: "Such a small matter is of course no problem, but I need to report to the King."
Cheng Wanwan, ever understanding, said, "That's natural."
The Grand Minister was very efficient. The next afternoon, he arranged for a nanny to take her to the Queen's palace.
The Queen's palace was located in the very center, magnificent and luxurious, with countless palace servants coming and going. If Cheng Wanwan didn't know about Princess Taiping's situation, she would definitely think that the princess was very favored here...
She followed the old woman into the palace and waited at the foot of the steps of the main hall for her summons.
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