Chapter 51 The young master called for water seven times in his room.
The Prime Minister was very pleased to see the newlywed couple so affectionate. He knew it all along. Shi Qingchen's feelings for Yunxi were nothing more than youthful infatuation. Once that passion wore off, he would realize who would be best for him to marry.
Recently, the Shi and Liu families have been secretly stockpiling grain together, keeping the news tightly under wraps. If all goes well, in another three months, all the grain will be converted into a large sum of silver.
Liu was a sensible woman. Even after her son caused those scandals, she remained calm and took good care of Shi Qingchen without making a fuss. She was truly a pleasing daughter-in-law.
This marriage alliance can be considered very successful, and the best bond to solidify it is the children. Thinking of this, the Grand Secretary instructed Shi Qingchen:
"You've only been married a short time, so don't stay in the study all the time. From today onwards, you should move back to the bedroom and give me a grandson as soon as possible. That's the proper thing to do."
Upon hearing this, Liu lowered her head shyly. Shi Qingchen's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly adjusted to a submissive and obedient look and nodded in agreement.
After the dinner party at the Shi family's residence, Shi Qingchen and Madam Liu returned to their bedroom together. They had both drunk some wine during the meal, and now it was time for them to go to bed.
Lady Liu took the initiative to straddle Shi Qingchen's arm and said sweetly, "Husband, why don't I help you rest?"
Shi Qingchen understood what Liu was implying. He could no longer ignore Liu, after all, even if he didn't like his wife, she was very helpful to him at the moment.
The problem was, however, that while he wanted to do something to Lady Liu, he simply couldn't muster the slightest interest. Having no other option, in order to get Lady Liu away, he had to say:
"Madam, please go to the washroom to bathe and change. Just... put on the gauze dress you wore before."
When Liu thought of the dress her mother had prepared for her, as thin as a cicada's wing, she immediately blushed, but still obediently nodded and went to prepare it.
As soon as Liu left, Shi Qingchen took out the bottle of Qi and Blood Pills from the cabinet, took three pills, and then sat on the edge of the bed to recall Yunxi's appearance.
Fifteen minutes later, whether it was due to the medication or his fantasies about Yunxi, Shi Qingchen's body indeed showed a normal reaction.
At this time, Lady Liu had also finished bathing and changing, and wearing a cloak, she entered the bedroom. Shi Qingchen first blew out the lamp in the room, and then, by the dim moonlight, led her to the bed and hurriedly climbed on top of her.
Shi Qingchen, unwilling to see Liu's face, turned her over. And not wanting to hear her speak, he took a ribbon and tied it into her mouth. With her tongue gagged, Liu could only make muffled sounds.
Shi Qingchen wanted to treat the woman beneath him as a complete substitute for Yunxi, and he called out Yunxi's name in his heart again and again.
He felt extremely regretful. If God could give him another chance, he would choose Yunxi without hesitation, and would not marry any other woman, nor would he even make Yunxi angry.
But...where would he find another chance?
Aside from the somewhat unsatisfactory first time they consummated their marriage, Lady Liu noticed that Shi Qingchen had completely changed from his previous listless and short-lived state, as if he had become a different person altogether.
This relieved Liu Shi greatly. It seemed that the reason they consummated their marriage that day was because he was still recovering from his serious injuries and therefore lacked the strength. Now, he was in his normal state.
When the Grand Secretary heard from a servant that the young master had called for water seven times the previous night, he was both surprised and somewhat worried. However, he decided to leave it at that. Everyone has been young once; he'd wait until they had a legitimate son.
Yongwang Mansion
The three large granaries where the Shi family stored grain had long been firmly secured by Gu Nanxiao. The daily amount of grain transported in and out was meticulously recorded by his secret guards.
However, Gu Nanxiao instructed his guards to keep their movements well hidden. Yunxi said to hold back for now; she would make the Shi family swallow whatever they wanted, and then they would spit it all out.
According to the report from the people sent by Qi Jinxiu, in some areas severely affected by the drought, 70% of the crops in the fields have died, and there will probably be no harvest this year.
Therefore, when some tenant farmers were preparing to sell their land, Qi Jinxiu, following Yunxi's instructions, began acquiring the land.
Yunxi not only instructed Qi Jinxiu to acquire the land, but also to retain the tenants and hire them to continue farming. If those who stayed behind ran out of food due to the drought, they could be given grain on credit.
Next year, when I work the land for the master, I can get the monthly pass and then pay back the money at the fair price.
Tenant farmers work year after year. If they don't have a harvest this year, they worry about where to get seeds for the following year, and they will be completely destitute.
But now someone has bought their land, giving them cash on hand. And in return, they're being hired to farm, so all they need to do is put in the effort for a stable income every year.
Such good news quickly spread like wildfire throughout the village. Now, not only are people wanting to sell their land, but even entire tracts of medicinal herb mountains are starting to change hands.
Those who cultivated medicinal herbs followed the example of the tenants, volunteering to stay and cultivate the herbs, hoping to earn wages through their labor.
After hearing these things, Yunxi told the messenger to go back and tell Manager Qi that they would buy anything, whether it was mountains or land, as long as someone was selling. Just don't try to drive down the price; just go with the flow.
Land will be sold even cheaper in the future. Those who sell their land first are doing so because of their keen intuition, which is why they sell more than others. Those who sell later will suffer losses, but they have no right to complain.
Gu Nanxiao had been stationed on the border for many years. Although he had never been to the Northwest, he had some understanding of the situation there. The Northwest was vast and sparsely populated, mostly consisting of continuous mountain ranges. The land was relatively barren and received little rainfall throughout the year.
Even without a famine, the land wouldn't produce much grain. Gu Nanxiao was worried that Yunxi might be stuck with so much land.
But he didn't stop her. After all, Yunxi had earned all this money through her own abilities. Even if she lost it all, he would just pretend she never earned it.
Yunxi was very satisfied with Gu Nanxiao's sense of propriety, and grateful for his trust in her plans. She was also glad that she hadn't met a man who loved to boss her around.
Yunxi couldn't take the land she bought with her. If Gu Nanxiao could provide her with significant assistance, then she would give him half of the land.
However, if Gu Nanxiao performs poorly, he will leave all these lands to Qi Jinxiu and Feng Xun, which can be considered as leaving them with the means to make a living.
Looking at Yunxi's expression, Gu Nanxiao didn't know what she was plotting, but he felt it was related to her wanting to leave.
Just then, a servant came to report: "Master, Miss Shen and Miss Xu are waiting outside the courtyard gate. They have brought ginseng soup and hope to see you."
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