Chapter 36
The Prince of the South spoke with undisguised schadenfreude, leaning back in his large chair and putting on airs, "Is it a letter from the Xie family's young lady? Why do you look like this? Did she scold you in the letter?"
Pei Du dismounted, supporting himself on the horse's back with one hand. His riding attire made him appear even taller. He set aside his bow and arrows, divided the letter into two stacks, and ignored his father, who was kicking him while he was down.
The Prince of the South scoffed, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "It's not a good thing for a young lady to talk too much; she's quite a chatterbox."
Pei Du didn't even raise his face, and directly retorted: "It's even more of a bad thing that Mother Consort doesn't talk much, it might mean that she has nothing to say to Father."
The Prince of the South was once again struck at the heart. He immediately thought of how he had tried to present a flower crown to his son, only to be scolded by the Princess as "an old man who doesn't know how to behave," which was very unfair! His face darkened, and he ordered someone to bring his horse over. He grabbed his longbow, mounted the horse, and galloped forward with a flick of his whip.
Pei Du's attention was focused on Xie Qinghong's letter. He carefully read every page and guessed that she had written it in a hurry and put it on the wrong paper. Five pages of the thick stack were about "the feasible inference that one can be ennobled and appointed as prime minister by reclaiming wasteland and farming in the south", but judging from the content of the argument, only half of it was written.
Seeing the words "Southern Land," he initially thought it was written for him, but upon closer inspection, it didn't seem like it—after all, he himself wasn't someone who could farm, and Xie Qinghong was even less so; they could easily step into mud pits while walking on the ridges of the fields, and they were so afraid of snakes that they didn't dare to look closely.
So he pondered, who was she planning to write this for?
As Pei Du glanced at the other pages, a faint smile appeared in his eyes. The girl's pride at winning first place was evident on the page. As for Mr. Zhu, he glanced at him without caring. In any case, his sanctimonious reputation would follow him until he decayed and went to his grave, while the runaway concubine was overjoyed to be free from her misery.
After reading the letter, Pei Du carefully put away the few pages. He thought about the remaining ideas for clearing land and farming, and handed it to the Prince of Nan when he finally dismounted after a satisfying ride, saying, "I think this land reclamation is very feasible."
The Southern King, puzzled, took a few pages of paper, quickly flipped through them, and sneered: "This land can be cultivated, but who will cultivate it? How many people are in these three prefectures and fourteen cities? Unless there is a large-scale southward migration from above the Huai River, even if there are thousands of miles of fertile land, it will be in vain! I have taught you about people's livelihood since you were a child, and you haven't thought about it carefully? I think you have been blinded by greed lately, and you have such unrealistic ideas. Do you want to go and become a vegetarian and chant Buddhist prayers again?"
Pei Du lowered his eyes and sneered silently: "A large-scale southward migration? I'm afraid it's not far off. The Northern King's heir is imprisoned, and the Northern King's prestige has been tarnished. How long can the barbarians tolerate this? Father thinks that we are still as powerful as we were back then, but he doesn't know that there are mediocre officials and corrupt officials hidden in the court. The faction that advocates marriage alliances is the mainstream. They've sent a princess and a dowry. How long can the national treasury keep going like this?"
The Prince of the South stared at him, his gaze seemingly filled with both admiration and helplessness. He said earnestly, "You're still thinking too deeply. Your anger hasn't subsided. It just so happens that your mother is going to the temple to worship Buddha the day after tomorrow. Go with her to calm your mind."
Pei Du met his gaze deeply, snatched the letter back, and turned to walk out of the racecourse. He thought to himself, "The resentment is indeed not yet subsided. He doesn't believe in gods or Buddhas, he only believes in himself."
——
After Xie Qinghong finished writing the second half of the feasible inference, she went to look for the first half but couldn't find it anywhere. She was stunned and remembered that it was when she was writing to Pei Du. Maybe she put those pages in with it?
She hurriedly sent someone to find the messenger, but the messenger had already left the city and could not be caught up with. It was also her fault for having spent so much time thinking and wasting time.
It's too late for regrets now.
After considering it for a while, Xie Qinghong felt that this was a good opportunity to see Pei Du's response. If he thought it was feasible after reading it carefully, he would definitely try to win him over; if he said she was being unrealistic, then she was not suitable to travel with him and he would have to be more careful in their future interactions.
However, before they could receive Pei Du's reply, the latest news from Wangjing had already spread throughout Huaizhou. It was said that Song Lingxi, whose talent was unparalleled in the capital, was an evil spirit incarnate, possessing two souls in one body, which was extremely terrifying.
Emperor Xingde, a devout Buddhist, could not tolerate the appearance of evil spirits in the world. He immediately ordered Song Lingxi to be imprisoned in a Buddhist pagoda and have a high monk chant sutras to cleanse her sins. After being imprisoned for a day and a night, Song Lingxi suddenly regained consciousness. Her speech and behavior were not like usual. She said, "I am Song Lingxi, but there is a remnant soul in my body that is trying to take my place. I beg the high monk to save me."
Such a bizarre and unpredictable event naturally attracted many rumors, and the pagoda gained many more believers, with a constant stream of people seeking divination every day. If it were only this, the news wouldn't have spread to the southern prefectures so quickly. However, because Song Lingxi mysteriously disappeared inside the pagoda, Emperor Xingde ordered people to draw a portrait overnight and send it to various prefectures and counties, determined to find her.
Xie Qinghong saw the portrait at the busiest city gate. The painter's brushstrokes were vivid, depicting Song Lingxi's appearance with remarkable realism. She sat in the carriage, listening to the not-so-quiet whispers of the pedestrians on the street through the carriage wall. Dark clouds pressed down, brewing a torrential downpour.
Even before the rain arrived, the wind howled. The beaded curtains hanging inside the carriage clattered and rattled. Xie Qinghong leaned against the carriage wall, the side window half-open, and the cool breeze rushed in, ruffling her hair.
Yuan Qingqing was also in the carriage. Even though there was a lot of noise around her, she still looked down at the paper in her hand. After reading it, she felt a surge of heroic spirit and immediately wanted to become sworn brothers with Xie Qinghong. The two of them had such similar ideals that it would be a real pity not to become sworn brothers.
“Ah Yao, I think what you wrote is very feasible. I have tested seven or eight kinds of soil in and around the city in the past two days, and there is no problem with cultivating them. Yuecheng is not far from Huaizhou, so even if the land changes, it will not be completely unrelated. Clearing wasteland and expanding territory will surely lead to becoming a marquis and prime minister in no time!”
When talking about her area of expertise, Yuan Qingqing spoke enthusiastically and attentively, while Xie Qinghong listened attentively. The two of them revised and modified the feasible inferences together, preparing to go back and make a new copy.
After roughly finishing the revisions, Yuan Qingqing cupped her face in her hands and dreamed: "If you become the Princess Consort of the South, wouldn't the entire South be land we can cultivate?"
Xie Qinghong paused for a moment, then suggested tactfully, "The Princess Consort of the South is still a long way off. We can take it one step at a time. How about we try planting an acre in Huaizhou first?"
Yuan Qingqing's enthusiasm remained undiminished. Holding her hand, she asked earnestly, "Then let's take it one step at a time. When are you going to marry the Prince of Nan? I'll be your dowry! I haven't been to Yuecheng yet. For matters like this, we need to investigate in person. It's better to do it sooner rather than later!"
Xie Qinghong thought for a moment and replied, "It will probably be next spring. I still have two older brothers who are not yet married."
Yuan Qingqing sighed in disappointment, "Alas, I've really delayed your special day."
Xie Qinghong was both amused and exasperated; Yuan Qingqing was probably even more anxious than Pei Du. However, thinking of the chaos in the capital and the numerous bizarre events, she sighed. A storm was brewing, but the south was unusually calm.
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