"My husband..."
Zhen Wanwan wanted to ask Zhu Yuan why this was.
Turning his head, he saw an assassin about to injure Yuan Huizhou from behind.
In her desperation, Zhen Wanwan fired a shot at the assassin without thinking.
Zhu Yuan felt a sudden silence around him and waited anxiously for the loud bang.
Unexpectedly, he only saw the other person, who seemed to have been injured in the chest, clutching his chest and rolling on the ground in pain.
Seeing that she had hit the target, Zhen Wanwan hurriedly called Yuan Huizhou over: "Zhou'er, come to your aunt quickly!"
Yuan Huizhou was a clever and sensible child; he knew these people were there to arrest him.
Seeing that his aunt and his precious baby were safe, he smiled with relief but did not intend to go over.
Because she was worried that her presence would bring danger to her aunt and her sweet baby.
Zhen Wanwan was anxious, worried that they might encounter danger.
"Husband! You shoot! You must kill them!"
Zhu Yuan paused for a moment, then gave Zhen Wanwan a deep look.
Why is there no sound from this little black iron thing of yours, Madam?
However, the current situation is clearly not the time to ask such questions.
Zhu Yuan took Zhen Wanwan's small pistol and aimed it at the assassins one by one, hitting them accurately with each shot.
He deliberately avoided the victim's vital organs, leaving him alive to interrogate later.
After everyone was knocked down by Zhu Yuan, Zhen Wanwan's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground powerless.
She had imagined this scene many times, but this was the first time she had faced it. How could she not be flustered?
With quick reflexes, Zhu Yuan subtly shifted his body and held the person firmly in his arms.
He quietly put away his weapon so that no one would notice.
Zhen Wanwan didn't have time to care about any of that; she only had one thought on her mind: she needed to pee.
She was so scared she almost lost control of her bladder; her limbs were weak.
Those who didn't know the situation might have thought she had suffered internal injuries and was unable to move.
Qu Huaiyuan rushed as fast as he could, but by the time he arrived, the assassin had already been captured by Zhang Bo's men.
He immediately looked for Zhen Wanwan and saw her being held in Princess Zhuyuan's arms.
Her heart tightened, her fingers trembled slightly, and she stepped forward unsteadily.
"Zhen Niangzi! You..."
Zhen Wanwan noticed Qu Huaiyuan's unusual behavior and knew that he had misunderstood.
She shook her head and smiled innocently, "Brother Qu, I'm fine, I was just scared out of my wits."
It's quite embarrassing to be so scared that my legs went weak.
Zhen Wanwan felt embarrassed and her expression was very awkward.
Qu Huaiyuan's tense nerves immediately relaxed. He looked at Zhu Yuan and asked in confusion, "Do you know the background of these assassins?"
Zhu Yuan nodded: "We'll talk about it when we get back!"
After this incident, everyone lost their interest in sightseeing.
Back at the manor, Zhu Yuan put Zhen Wanwan and her two children to sleep before going out to handle some matters.
He took Qu Huaiyuan with him to the death row cell at the yamen.
The death row cell, which was usually dark, was brightly lit until dawn tonight.
After a good night's sleep, Zhen felt incredibly refreshed.
She thought she would have insomnia or nightmares last night, but she slept soundly until dawn.
She touched the other side of the bed, but it was cold. Could it be that Zhu Yuan didn't come back last night?
Just then, a sound came from outside. Zhen Wanwan put on her embroidered shoes, put on her comfortable pajamas, and got up.
She opened the door a crack and peered out.
The scene outside surprised and delighted her.
Rou'er brought in water to wash Zhen Wanwan's face.
"My lady! You're awake! Would you like to wash up?"
Zhen Wanwan pointed outside and asked, puzzled, "Rou'er, what's going on outside?"
"What do those people do?"
Rou'er smiled upon hearing this and replied, "This was sent by Master. He said it was to stay here to protect Madam and the young masters."
Zhen Wanwan stared wide-eyed at the outside world in disbelief.
Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?
Outside her house, a group of burly men dressed in black tight-fitting clothes surrounded her in three layers.
They were all tall and straight, with fierce eyes, and looked like they were not to be trifled with.
The servants who were serving her all avoided her courtyard gate, and there was not a sound in the huge courtyard.
While serving Zhen Wanwan, Rou'er said, "Madam, Master was only doing it for your own good! What happened yesterday was truly frightening. If we hadn't been careful, that scoundrel would have succeeded."
Yesterday, she was close enough to see clearly that the knife and sword in the thug's hand were sharp enough to slice through a person's bone.
Zhen Wanwan paused for a moment. Not to mention Rou'er was scared, even she was quite frightened.
It's good to have someone protecting you closely, but there are just too many in her yard.
It would be better to send more people to guard Yuan Huizhou. If she guessed correctly, those people yesterday came for Yuan Huizhou.
Aside from Xiao Yizhi, only she and Zhu Yuan knew Yuan Huizhou's true identity.
The other party came with great force, clearly having already discovered Yuan Huizhou's true identity.
They failed this time, but they'll definitely come back again.
Zhen Wanwan was determined to protect Yuan Huizhou no matter what.
But now the enemy is in the shadows while we are in the open, so there's not much we can do except take precautions.
"Rou'er, where is my husband now?"
Rou'er pointed to the study and said, "Master is in the study giving Young Master Zhou a lecture!"
Zhen Wanwan hummed in agreement and went to the study after breakfast.
When they arrived at the study, Zhu Yuan and Yuan Huizhou were still inside exchanging messages.
Zhen Wanwan walked straight past the guards, who did not stop her when they saw it was her.
Zhu Yuan had told them long ago that there was no need to announce the arrival of the lady.
Therefore, after Zhen Wanwan entered the room, Zhuyuan was still testing Yuan Huizhou's studies.
"Husband! Zhou'er! Are you hungry? I brought some pastries, come and have some."
Zhen Wanwan naturally placed the cookies and other snacks in the space onto the tray.
As soon as she entered, she found a spacious spot on the table to place the tray.
Yuan Huizhou's eyes lit up, and his initial nervousness was immediately relieved.
He walked up to Zhen Wanwan and gave her a junior's bow. Zhen Wanwan patted his little head affectionately.
"Zhou'er, come on, have something to eat so you can study better!"
Yuan Huizhou was overjoyed and instinctively wanted to take the snacks that Zhen Wanwan handed him.
But he still glanced timidly at Zhuyuan.
For some reason, my uncle, who is usually very kind to him and speaks to him in a gentle tone, was like he had been hit by a firecracker today.
They can explode at the slightest provocation, and their words can be incredibly hurtful.
Moreover, Yuan Huizhou really didn't want to look at his cold eyes again.
When Zhen Wanwan arrived in the courtyard, Zhu Yuan withdrew his murderous aura.
Now he put his arm around Zhen Wanwan with a harmless expression.
He didn't even glance at Yuan Huizhou, who was staring at him expectantly; his attention was entirely focused on Zhen Wanwan.
"Madam, why are you up so early? Have you had breakfast yet?"
Zhen Wanwan felt a warmth in her heart; she loved that Zhu Yuan always put her first.
“I’ve already tried it, my husband. Zhou’er is still young, so you must be patient with him when you teach him. You must not use the traditional education methods.”
What Zhen Wanwan said was not fabricated, but based on solid evidence.
She didn't miss the two tear tracks on Yuan Huizhou's cheeks.
She knew her husband well; he had a good temper and a gentle personality.
She couldn't think of any other reason that could have made Yuan Huizhou cry so bitterly, except that her words were too blunt and hurt the child's self-esteem.
Zhu Yuan shook his head helplessly, then nodded with a smile in agreement.
"My wife is right. I was too hasty."
Yuan Huizhou, who was standing to the side, breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Seeing his uncle acting unusually strangely today, he felt extremely panicked.
It seems that he is still as good to his aunt as ever, and he is obedient to her.
Suddenly, Zhen Wanwan remembered something and said, "You have too many bodyguards in my courtyard. It's making people feel uneasy. Why don't you divide these people among Zhou'er and Xiao Yizhi?"
Zhu Yuan raised an eyebrow, and the smile on his lips faded considerably.
He gave Zhen Wanwan a deep look, then smiled and said, "Madam, don't worry. I've already arranged for people to help Zhou'er. You can stay here without worry."
Zhen Wanwan pouted, somewhat unhappy, but thought that Zhu Yuan was doing it for her own good.
She still said gratefully, "I know my husband is thinking of my safety, but there are just too many people."
"Think about it, if there are more of us, wouldn't we attract the thieves' attention more easily? Isn't that indirectly telling them that the target is right here? Aren't we just making ourselves a sitting duck for them?"
In short, Zhen Wanwan simply didn't want to keep so many people around.
Although she felt safe in a crowd, there were just too many people, and she felt very pressured.
Zhu Yuan pursed his lips; he was unwilling.
After all, those people are quite influential, and if he is not careful, his wife and children could easily be harmed.
But he didn't want Zhen Wanwan to be unhappy.
Seeing that his expression softened, Zhen Wanwan immediately switched to her clingy mode.
Within minutes, Zhuyuan was defeated.
Fine, at worst he'll just add more people in the shadows to protect his wife and children.
After Zhen Wanwan returned, she dismissed everyone, leaving only a few people to guard the courtyard.
She then allocated a portion of the remaining people to Yuan Huizhou and Xiao Yizhi.
As for Guaibao and Tianbao, they live next door to her; the four of them live in the same courtyard.
Seeing that half of the courtyard had suddenly become empty, Zhang Mama felt a vague unease.
She had experienced such assassination attempts before, and the danger involved was terrifying.
After what happened yesterday, it's certainly better to have more people protecting the lady and the young master and young lady.
Unbeknownst to them, Zhang Mama and Zhu Yuan had surprisingly similar ideas; they both wanted to treat them like rare treasures.
However, although Zhang Mama did not agree with her master's decision, she did not object.
She is very clear about her position and identity, and will never do anything out of line.
Zhen Wanwan originally wanted to go to the department store, but considering what happened yesterday...
If Zhen Wanwan wants to go out, Granny Zhang will have to arrange for a row of bodyguards to accompany her.
Zhen Wanwan shook her head, feeling a headache coming on, and chose to give up.
Let's postpone our trip to the department store for another day.
On the other side, Zhu Yuan tapped the edge of the table with his fingers.
A moment later, a person suddenly appeared in the study, silent and with extremely high martial arts skills.
"Has that gift been sent yet?"
The stranger nodded, his forehead beaded with sweat, looking extremely nervous.
"Rest assured, Master, the gift has been delivered."
The thought of the other person's screams made his body tremble involuntarily.
I secretly admire the lady; how did she manage to win over such a master?
If it were him... no... he wouldn't even be qualified.
Zhu Yuan didn't care what the other person was thinking; the only people he cared about were his wife and children.
He only regretted that he hadn't done enough.
About half a month later.
The news that the Fifth Prince had been attacked and lost an arm caused a great uproar in various places.
It is said that it was because his eldest son got into trouble outside and was retaliated against.
His only son had become a useless eunuch, unable to perform sexual acts or continue the family line.
The fifth prince was diagnosed by the imperial physician with difficulty conceiving, and this lineage was destined to end.
The advisors who originally followed the Fifth Prince had already quietly found a way out for themselves.
They would be willing to assist the Fifth Prince because they were after his future and wanted to become meritorious officials who had helped him rise to power.
A prince who is destined to have no offspring has no chance of ascending to the throne.
Who would want to enthrone a eunuch as emperor?
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhu Yuan recruited many talented individuals from the Fifth Prince.
Taking advantage of the time when the agents came for training, Zhen Wanwan established a friendly relationship with them and made sure they would build the department store as soon as possible.
To further expand the business empire, and incidentally establish an information network across various prefectures.
If you want to accomplish great things, you must keep up with the facts.
She wanted to compete with Zhuyuan for the world, so she had to pave the way first.
Relying solely on force won't solve the problem; ultimately, we need to use our brains and be observant to better respond to various emergencies.
Currently, Zhuyuan is playing the vanguard role, while she is supporting him from the rear.
She has planted all the crops that Zhuyuan gave her in the properties that could be grown.
Of these grains, she mostly chose potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn, which are very filling and have high yields.
These grains are easy to store and carry, and most importantly, they taste good no matter how you cook them!
In her estate in Guangling County, she has also instructed Ma Xiaosi to supervise all the tenants to plant sweet potatoes.
Springtime is a good time for planting sweet potatoes, so they can be harvested in the summer.
Then loosen the soil again and plant another season of sweet potatoes.
She was confident that once the grain was harvested and the villagers saw the yield, they would naturally want to plant it themselves without her having to say anything.
However, without a leader, it is very inconvenient for her to vigorously promote the crops.
Thinking of this, Zhen Wanwan went to find Zhu Yuan and told him her thoughts.
Zhu Yuan was aware of what Zhen Wanwan was doing, and he supported her.
"Husband! Tell me the truth, how much power do you actually have within Anqing Prefecture? I know you want to develop your strength discreetly, but I'm too timid when it comes to doing things."
"Without a core leader to direct this, it will be much more difficult to fundamentally change our production, improve the lives of our people, and enable us to store up our own grain for major undertakings..."
Zhen Wanwan tried her best to persuade her, until her mouth was practically steaming, but she only had one thought in her mind.
Give her a definite answer so she can go ahead and do it without worry!
Without any power to back her up, it would be really difficult for her, as a woman, to command the obedience of all the counties and villages in Anqing Prefecture.
Although I hate to admit it, it's true!
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