At the dinner table.
Everyone enjoyed the spicy chicken, grilled fish, and various other delicacies. To cater to everyone's tastes, the table was filled with dishes that had a sweet, spicy, and sour flavor.
They had won another victory, and the generals present were overjoyed, raising their cups to toast Zhu Yuan.
Zhu Yuan welcomed everyone, and after a few drinks, he gradually became tipsy and more approachable.
A drunken general nearby began slurring his words: "I've been drinking for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever had such a satisfying drink! This is what you call strong liquor; what are the others compared to this!"
"Tch, you're obviously ignorant! I've had this wine before; it's from the Zhen family tavern in Guangling County!"
Another general squinted and took a sip of baijiu. Feeling that he had drunk this kind of wine before, he couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark to his colleague that he was ignorant.
The general opposite him was someone who couldn't understand good or bad words. Hearing what he said, he chuckled and said that he would definitely buy a few jars to take back to the barracks and drink slowly before returning to the camp.
This remark won the approval of the others, who all expressed their desire to bring it along, and even asked the general who knew about the Zhen family's tavern to take them there.
Upon hearing this, Zhen Wanwan, who had just finished eating, called A Yue over and asked her to take several servants from her household to the tavern in the county town to prepare more wine so that they could take it with them when they returned.
These are all brothers who have risked their lives with my husband. It's just a few jars; there's no need to make money from it.
Seeing that everyone was having a good time drinking, Zhu Yuan didn't stop them and let them drink to their hearts' content. He would simply arrange for someone to take them to the post station later.
As for staying overnight, it might not be very convenient. His family consists of women and children, and the generals are all rough men, so he doesn't feel comfortable with them.
Aside from the children, everyone on the women's side drank two glasses of wine. The wine had a low alcohol content, so it wasn't intoxicating.
Everyone was fully conscious, and seeing that it was getting late, they went home to rest.
Zhen Wanwan asked someone to clean up the mess at the dinner table. The men's table was still making a ruckus, so it probably wouldn't be over anytime soon.
Zhen Wanwan then took the child downstairs to wash up.
Just as Zhen Wanwan was becoming drowsy, Zhu Yuan entered the room, slightly drunk.
By candlelight, Zhu Yuan walked step by step toward Zhen Wanwan. When he saw her frowning, he stopped, then turned around and went downstairs to take another shower and wash off the smell of alcohol.
Zhenwan didn't sleep well at night, but when she smelled the familiar scent of soap, she skillfully climbed into the other person's arms.
"Ah Wan? Is she asleep?" Zhu Yuan gently stroked her forehead and asked softly.
Zhen Wanwan slowly opened her eyes. The sleepiness from before was gone, and she looked into Zhu Yuan's eyes with perfect clarity.
"A-Yuan? What's wrong?"
Zhen Wanwan curled up against Zhu Yuan's chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
Zhu Yuan lowered his head and kissed her forehead before speaking softly, "Awan, do you want to be the Empress?"
Zhen Wanwan stiffened; it seemed she had never thought about this question before.
She has been in this world for four years, almost five. When she first fled the famine, all she wanted was to live peacefully and live a stable life.
Later, she met Zhu Yuan. Because of Zhu Yuan's identity, she received a lot of protection from him, and naturally, she had to support him.
Gradually, within her capabilities, she did her best to provide logistical support for Zhuyuan.
Zhu Yuan declared himself king, and she, as his wife, naturally became the queen.
If Zhu Yuan becomes emperor, then she should be empress too!
The Empress is second only to the Emperor, so she should be happy. But she is afraid, afraid that with her cunning, she might not be able to handle the tricks of palace intrigue.
At the same time, she also resented that her future life would be confined to the palace, never seeing the light of day, gaining wealth but losing freedom.
This was indeed quite difficult for Zhen Wanwan.
But Zhu Yuan is her husband, and she will ultimately stand by his side and support him.
Zhen Wanwan suppressed her thoughts, smiled gently, and cupped his face in her hands, saying, "The Empress is the most respected woman in the world, of course I'm willing!"
Zhu Yuan looked at her intently, and seeing her smiling eyes, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
He had never asked her if she was willing before; he just thought it was for her own good and made the decision on his own, as was the case with bestowing the title of princess.
He was determined to walk this path to the end, and he loved Zhen Wanwan and hoped that she could stay by his side forever.
Zhu Yuan hugged Zhen Wanwan tightly and gently kissed her eyes: "Go to sleep!"
The two slept in each other's arms. Although their hearts had their own thoughts, they both had one goal: to spend their lives with the person beside them.
The next morning.
Zhen Wanwan was awakened by the sound of one adult and three children practicing martial arts. She pulled her loose pajamas tighter, opened the door, and looked at the four people in the courtyard.
"Auntie!" "Mother!" "Mother~"
The three children's eyes sparkled with anticipation when they saw her, but Zhen Wanwan tried her best to ignore their expectant looks.
Practicing martial arts has many benefits for them, and Zhen Wanwan will not indulge them in this regard.
Therefore, she ignored the three little ones' pleading eyes, gave them a thumbs-up, and went straight to the front hall for breakfast.
Zhu Yuan watched Zhen Wanwan's departing figure with satisfaction. His wife was soft-hearted, and he was really afraid that she would take pity on these children and ask him to go easy on them.
The most important thing in martial arts is perseverance; once you slack off, it's very difficult to start over.
"Stop looking! Keep your hands at shoulder level and don't let your legs shake! Just hold on for another half hour!"
Zhu Yuan corrected their movements one by one. Seeing that their backer had left, the three little ones realized they couldn't afford to offend their father, so they obediently followed Zhu Yuan's movements.
After having breakfast, Zhen Wanwan came to the study, but Zhu Yuan had already gone out to handle official business.
Zhuyuan had just recovered two prefectural cities at the beginning of this year, which provided food for tens of thousands more people.
She needs to plan ahead for the crops that will be suitable to be cultivated in those two prefectural cities next year.
In the past three years, Guangling County has become the capital of the grain industry. The surrounding villages are slowly developing into towns and villages. I think that in a few more years, this place will become a small city.
"My lady, Fan Jian is here! He's waiting for you in the front yard."
Zhen Wanwan hummed in agreement, put down her pen, left the academy, and headed towards the front courtyard.
Before long, she saw a man dressed in black. Zhen Wanwan was stunned because Fan Jian's skin was already dark, and wearing all black made him look even darker.
"Your Highness is being nosy!" Fan Jian bowed respectfully.
Zhen Wanwan waved her hand: "Brother Fan, there's no need for such formalities. I wonder if you've come here today because there's been a problem with the library?"
The academy was completed a year ago, but because it took two or three months to carve the reliefs, the library was not built until a month before the end of last year.
Fan Jian took out the blueprints, laid them out on the table, and said, "Your Highness, there are a few details that I am not quite clear about. I hope Your Highness can explain them to me."
After Fan Jian finished speaking, he pointed out several details inside the room, and Zhen Wanwan answered them one by one.
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