Therefore, even though they wanted sweet potato seeds, they would not go against the Northern Hu people, but would secretly manipulate things behind the scenes to gain benefits.
After much deliberation, Chen Yong stood there nervously, feeling a little regretful for asking on behalf of his old comrades.
If his master finds out, he'll probably be punished.
Just as he was about to brush it off with a laugh, Zhen Wanwan spoke up.
"That's right, I will definitely plant sweet potato seeds for everyone, but I still have some concerns and need to talk to them about it."
The heavy burden on Chen Yong was lifted. Although it wasn't the answer those people wanted, having hope was better than having none at all!
“What you say is right, we should certainly have a chat, but… when would be a convenient time for you? I’ll have them set aside some time so we can all sit down and talk.”
After thinking for a moment, Zhen Wanwan said, "Three days later! Just have them come directly to the yamen, and I'll come over early then."
"By the way, remember to have them compile statistics on the population and real estate in their area, as well as the basic information of each household, within this timeframe."
Chen Yong sighed several times. Since Zhen Wanwan said so, then the matter was settled.
He had to go back and reply to his colleagues; otherwise, his residence would become a post station.
After the two finished talking, they waited another fifteen minutes before Zhu Yuan arrived.
"My husband!"
Zhen Wanwan looked him up and down with concern. Seeing that he was clean and his complexion was rosy, her worries seemed to have lessened.
After glancing at the two men, Chen Yong wisely withdrew.
Zhu Yuan took the baby from A Yue's arms and then let her go down as well.
Only the four members of their family remained inside.
Without further ado, Zhen Wanwan frowned and asked directly, "I heard you went home last night? And you had blood on you? Were you ambushed and injured?"
She asked a series of question marks, and the other three looked at her in surprise.
Guaibao and Tianbao looked at Zhuyuan with worried expressions, wondering how badly he was injured.
Looking at the mother and her two children before him, Zhu Yuan felt incredibly soft-hearted. This was the first time he had ever experienced such care and concern.
Suddenly he understood how Chen Yong felt when he talked about his wife and children.
He parted his lips slightly and replied, "I returned late yesterday and found you asleep, so I came back... I wasn't injured; the blood on my body came from interrogating the spy."
"Really?"
Zhen Wanwan was worried that he would only report good news and not bad news, so she personally checked him over and was relieved to find that he had no wounds.
"Phew... thankfully you're alright. By the way, do you still have the gift I gave you with you?"
Zhen Wanwan gave Zhu Yuan a small pistol before, which is considered invincible in this era.
With it by Zhuyuan's side, Zhen Wanwan felt much more at ease.
Zhu Yuan cautiously looked around, then took Zhen Wanwan's hand and sat down on the chair next to her.
"Madam, there's something I feel I need to tell you."
Zhen Wanwan was taken aback; it was the first time she had ever seen Zhu Yuan with such a serious expression.
Suddenly feeling a little nervous, she asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Why are you being so cautious?"
"It's about a small pistol. Although I don't know where you got it, I can tell you for sure that this thing is a weapon that is ahead of its time compared to cold weapons."
"I am certain that its lethality is unmatched by any other weapon in the world."
Zhen Wanwan listened with trepidation, trying her best to overcome her nervousness.
Although she was willing to give this thing to Zhuyuan, she had no intention of telling him about the space!
Moreover, she is not from this time and space, and if he knew, she would not dare to test human nature.
After all, the most difficult thing to guard against in the world is the human heart.
Zhu Yuan noticed the subtle change in Zhen Wanwan's expression. His eyes darkened, but he quickly concealed the emotion in them.
In fact, he had long since discovered that his wife had too many secrets.
But no matter what she has, he will do everything in his power to protect her and ensure she has a worry-free life.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuan came back to his senses and continued speaking.
"What I want to say is that you should not tell others about such weapons, nor should you show their functions to others."
"The reason why people in this world establish friendly relationships with each other is because of mutual benefit."
"But if this benefit exceeds their inner desires, I'm afraid their hearts will not be able to resist the temptation."
"Wan'er, do you understand?"
With the last sentence, Zhu Yuan gazed intently at Zhen Wanwan.
Zhen Wanwan was touched by his earnestness and unconsciously swallowed, then nodded obediently.
"I...I understand."
Seeing this, Zhu Yuan gently ruffled her hair.
His tone became much lighter, easing Zhu Zhenwanwan's tension.
"It's good that you know. I'm being honest with you for two reasons: first, to put your mind at ease, and second, to let you know that I'll take care of everything for you, so you can live the way you like."
Zhen Wanwan stared blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly realized something, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.
She always felt that as soon as she stepped out of her own front door, it was as if someone was following her.
As expected, Zhu Yuan said calmly, "I have arranged for people to protect you near my home. If there is any accident, or if any ill-intentioned people approach, they will handle it themselves."
Zhen Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief when her doubts were answered.
Suddenly, she remembered something and asked in confusion, "How did the Herbalist Doctor manage to sneak into the back mountain?"
Zhu Yuan smiled and explained softly, "I deliberately lured him there, and I was the one who knocked him unconscious."
"Madam, do you know why?"
Zhen Wanwan thought for a moment and said, "To get his help? And to cover our tracks?"
She stared at Zhu Yuan expectantly, waiting for his answer.
Zhu Yuan didn't keep her waiting long and replied directly, "What you say is true, Madam. There are a few little tails following the Herbalist. We should shake them off."
"But... Hua Yan came here openly and honestly, didn't she?"
Zhen Wanwan was still puzzled. How could she keep the herbalist from finding out that he was with them?
But isn't Hua Yan's arrival a tacit indication that Bai Cao Shi is being kept hidden in their home?
Zhu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and explained softly, "Hua Yan did come openly and honestly, but his purpose in attacking was not for Bai Cao Shi!"
"It's for me!"
"For you? Why?"
Zhen Wanwan felt her head buzzing; she couldn't understand why Zhu Yuan and Hua Yan didn't seem very familiar with each other.
"Yes, for my sake! Does Madam still remember Yuan Yongtai?"
Recalling that arrogant and domineering boy, and his unexpected death, Zhen Wanwan nodded in confusion.
"Do you remember what your relationship was with him?"
Zhu Yuan pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on the two children.
In particular, he glanced at Tianbao.
Thanks to the abundant nutrition, Tianbao is now much bigger than other children.
As she grew older, her features became more and more like Zhu Yuan's.
Zhu Yuan recalled the past, when he was three or four years old, only the size of a sweet baby.
A toddler under one year old is almost the same size as a three- or four-year-old, which shows how difficult his childhood was.
Zhu Yuan couldn't resist gently rubbing Tian Bao's little head.
Seeing the interaction between the father and daughter, Zhen Wanwan smiled.
"Although my identity is not something that can be made public, I did study with the royal family when I was young."
“They know that I serve under General Xiao. Now that General Xiao is seriously ill and unable to mobilize troops, and I hold a high position in the army and have some prestige.”
"Then the man sent Yuan Yongtai over, trying to win me over and make me work for him."
"What he didn't expect was that Yuan Yongtai had an accident and failed to take me down as a pawn... The Hua family has a prominent prestige and a superior status in the Hua Dynasty. He dared not offend the Hua family, but he had the means to manipulate the Hua family's collateral branches."
"Hua Yan was born out of wedlock. His father wanted to use him to gain merit, so he secretly allied with the Third Prince and wanted him to come and gather information."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Wanwan's tightly furrowed brows never relaxed.
If Hua Yan is really an envoy sent by the Third Prince, then aren't they letting a wolf into the house?
"After I learned about this relationship, I came up with a counter-espionage plan to get Bai Caoshi to work for me first. In this way, it would be even less likely for Hua Yan to side with them."
Moreover, they can gain the assistance of Bai Caoshi and Hua Yan all at once.
Although he couldn't win over the Hua family for the time being, with Hua Yan around, he would still have a say in the future.
Zhen Wanwan's eyes suddenly brightened, and she became somewhat excited.
She gave Zhu Yuan a thumbs up and said, "Brilliant! That was an amazing move!"
"In this way, Hua Yan has become our spy planted in Kyoto!"
Suddenly, Zhen Wanwan's eyes flashed, and she said, "If that's the case, then was Hua Yan's departure something my husband had planned all along?"
Thinking about Hua Yan's sudden departure, she initially felt something was off, but now, connecting all the dots, everything makes sense.
Zhu Yuan's lips curled slightly, and he hummed in agreement.
Zhen Wanwan suddenly realized and nodded with a click of her tongue: "No wonder!"
"Then our darling sweetheart has done a great job!"
Zhen Wanwan suddenly remembered that the reason Hua Yan left was because Guai Bao and Tian Bao beat him up, which angered him.
Guaibao and Tianbao listened quietly to their parents talking, still processing the information they had just heard.
Suddenly, his mother told him that he had unintentionally performed a great service.
The two looked at Zhuyuan in confusion, which made their parents burst into laughter.
Zhu Yuan tried to force a smile to save face for his two children, but he couldn't resist the infectious laughter of Zhen Wanwan.
He also smiled, showing his teeth, just like Zhen Wanwan.
The two little ones were puzzled. Although they felt the credit had come so suddenly, they were very proud of their achievement.
See? They said that Hua Yan deserved to be beaten! And now look what's happened!
After having a good chat today, Zhen Wanwan was in a much better mood.
She waited for Zhu Yuan to finish his business, and then the two of them went to the department store to buy some snacks for the children at home.
Although she could take it directly from the space, she still really liked the sense of ritual of the family of four going to the supermarket!
That's what a loving family should be like!
The group returned to Meizi Village before dinner.
When Grandma Li learned that her son-in-law had returned, she went to the village and bought chickens and ducks to prepare an extra meal for dinner.
As soon as they returned, the older sisters snatched away the adorable baby and the sweet baby.
Zhen Wanwan was enjoying her leisure time, lying on a deck chair in the yard and gazing at the blue sky.
Zhu Yuan followed Grandpa Zhen and Zhen Fugui to the study.
Although it's called a study, it's actually just a main room where guests are received on weekdays.
Zhen Wanwan didn't find it strange, since as long as they came over, Zhu Yuan would be called away by Grandpa Zhen.
I don't know what the three of them were talking about in the room, but they kept chatting away.
However, Zhen Wanwan is lazy by nature, and she takes these things lightly unless something serious happens.
I didn't have the inclination to study it.
She lay lightly on the recliner, eating the fruit that Da Ni and Er Ni had just picked from the mountain, while catching up on some sleep with her eyes closed.
This idyllic scene attracted the attention of many villagers.
Old Mrs. Li chased the people away and then closed the courtyard gate tightly, cutting off the villagers' view.
The mother and son smiled at each other, and then went on to do their own things.
This scene has been repeated countless times; everyone in the family is used to it.
Wang Cuihua was now completely charmed by Zhen Wanwan's gifts and wished she could worship her. Seeing her acting this way, she had no ulterior motives whatsoever.
Therefore, whether in their own house or at Zhen's house, Zhen Wanwan lived a relaxed and carefree life.
A short while later, Zhen Xiaohu and Yuan Huizhou returned from school.
The group was traveling home in the same carriage, and before they even entered the courtyard, they could hear a cacophony of chatter.
Yuan Huizhou and Zhen Xiaohu got off the carriage and came over to greet Zhen Wanwan first.
As usual, Zhen Wanwan gave each of them some snacks.
The other boys played around with each other for a while, and only came over to say hello when they saw there was food to eat.
Zhen Wanwan, harboring a mischievous intent, deliberately made things difficult: "You're late. Today, only the first two people can receive snacks unconditionally. The rest must recite two ancient poems before they'll get any!"
"Oh no! How could this happen?!"
"Auntie, two songs are too many!"
"Yes, Auntie, can we just memorize one song?"
Zhen Wanwan waved her hand and refused, "No way! Two poems each, not a single word less!"
Dog Egg and Er Niu instantly lost their enthusiasm; they simply didn't have any talent for studying.
They are simply literate, unlike the blind and illiterate.
On the contrary, Xiao Yizhi confidently raised his chin. Although he had no parents to teach him since childhood, he was still from a prominent family.
She started her education at the age of three. Although she didn't have much talent for reading, she could still recite a few poems.
He recited two poems off the top of his lungs, leaving Gou Dan and Er Niu speechless.
They looked at Xiao Yizhi with expressions of surprise and disappointment, as if to say that he had betrayed their friendship.
We agreed to play together, but you secretly competed against us behind our backs.
Xiao Yizhi snorted coldly. In his world, those who were his friends were either of noble status or exceptionally talented.
As for Gou Dan and Er Niu... they were nothing special.
"Alright everyone! Wash your hands and come eat!"
Wang Cuihua wiped her dripping hands as she shouted loudly.
Zhen Wanwan went to wash her hands without being called and helped serve the dishes.
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