Chapter 41 Chapter 41 [VIP]
Chapter 41
Qian Tong’s mind became more and more confused.
What did he say?
If it weren't for the fact that Prince Song's earlobe was so red that it was almost bleeding, Qian Tong would have thought he had misheard. He quickly realized that perhaps this was the result of his nearly two hours of thinking.
Having been deceived so many times, he would definitely not trust her again. Therefore, in order to solve the case, Prince Song would rather risk his own marriage.
The prince of the Yong'an Marquisate, the current Minister of Revenue, wanted to propose marriage to a merchant woman. Was he mad or just a fool? Qian Tong woke him up: "Prince, my previous actions were already offensive to you. How could I possibly marry you? Wouldn't that be too much for me?"
However, the sword in Song Yunzhi's hand did not move.
Qian Tong felt a bit of a headache, having probably never seen anyone with a knife at their neck come to ask for marriage. He raised two fingers again and assured him, "Your Highness is a noble man, and I am a lowly merchant in this world. We are worlds apart, and I am not worthy of you. Your Highness, please don't let yourself be wronged. I swear, I will never betray you."
Song Yunzhi knew very well what kind of person she was.
No oath whatsoever.
Profits come first. Instead of harboring any hope for her and being on guard against suspicion all the time, the best way is to tie her up.
He married her, and from then on they shared wealth and hardship. He had never set any expectations for marriage. Status was not the most important thing to him, and he could sacrifice it if necessary. He said, "I don't care about family background."
Qian Tong was stunned.
Everyone in the world has a ladder in their heart, which indicates the different levels. In order to leap to the top, everyone is trying their best to climb up. Even the Park family, which is rich enough to rival a country, wants an official position.
The high and mighty prince speaks without any hesitation. Perhaps people who are happy never know how lucky they are.
In order to solve the case, he had to work so hard that even if he had to marry her, a merchant, due to the situation, such a marriage would still be a stain on his life.
How can I discuss marriage with the young ladies from wealthy families in the future?
She should dispel his ridiculous idea. Qian Tong sighed and advised, "The prince wouldn't ask for marriage this way. Put away the sword first. Let's calm down and think about other solutions. What if the prince doesn't have to sacrifice himself?"
Song Yunzhi has thought about everything he should think about.
Other than that, nothing else.
The upright prince became stubborn and no one could pull him back. His ears turned red, but his eyes were fixed on her, as if he would not give up until he got the answer he wanted.
Qian Tong could see that he was not asking for marriage, he was forcing it.
The sword was at her neck. If she dared to say no, the prince would be so angry that he would stab her to death with the sword, erasing the only shame in his life.
In the past, Lu Daozhong tried every possible way to curry favor with the imperial court in order to gain its trust, even using all of the Lu family's assets as a bargaining chip to gain the court's trust.
He never dreamed that Qian Tong did nothing, but Prince Song took the initiative to put a sword to her neck and forced her to marry him.
Being able to marry into an officialdom, especially one that is the son of a marquis, is such a good thing, equivalent to smoke rising from the family's ancestral tomb, and is the dream of all merchants. No matter from which perspective, this idea of Prince Song is an advantage to the Qian family, and Prince Song is at a disadvantage.
Qian Tong had no reason to refuse. "The prince doesn't mind my vulgarity. It would be a blessing for a commoner to marry the prince."
After he finished speaking, she saw the young man's eyes move slightly, as if a taut string in his body finally loosened. He withdrew the sword from her neck, and the moment the sword was sheathed, his cold eyes softened a lot.
Qian Tong escaped from danger, still feeling as if in a dream. Belatedly, he asked, "Prince, will the Lord kill me?" A merchant's daughter dared to covet his precious son. Suddenly realizing this was a serious problem, Qian Tong immediately said, "Prince, you must explain things clearly to her. I'm not forcing you to do this. This plan is merely a balancing act, Prince. We have to go through this process simply to build mutual trust. When this is over, I'll get what I deserve. You'll still be the noble Prince, and I'll still be the daughter of a merchant from Yangzhou. We won't get involved."
She didn't want to be hunted down by his parents as a witch.
How could a merchant fight against the imperial court, let alone the royal family?
Song Yunzhi, who had already started walking towards the beach, said, "I'll report it myself." He frowned slightly again, looked at the girl who was eager to explain herself, and corrected her, "Since I've proposed marriage to you, there's no joking. I have no interest in pretending with you. Others may not know my identity for now, but you know, Madam Qian Qi, please don't treat this as a joke."
The aloof and upright Prince Song had a sincere look in his eyes and his words were unquestionable.
Qian Tong stood there in a daze.
Prince Song turned and headed towards the sea. After walking for quite a distance, she came back to her senses and looked at the straight back, as if asking him, and also asking herself, "Then I am the prince's consort?"
Song Yunzhi stopped again and turned around. The girl had her hands tied. The sea breeze blew her dress away. Her hair was messy, almost like a chicken coop. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes were a little dazed, and there were marks of hay pressed out of them.
Although she looked disheveled at this moment, she was very reassuring.
He nodded and responded, "Yeah."
——
The title of 'Crown Prince's Consort', half an hour later, she took a sea fish grilled by Prince Song and cut it into pieces. She held her head up and did not eat a single bite, but just stared at him intently.
She looked like this, so I asked her, "What's wrong?"
Qian Tong sighed, "I will never scold the Ox-nosed Taoist priests again. Now I know that they do have some real skills. Look, I am going to become the Crown Prince's consort..."
she
Ever since he went into the sea, she has been chattering like this, sometimes sighing, sometimes talking to herself.
The two had already spent a night and half a day on the deserted island. They had to fill their stomachs before someone came to pick them up. Song Yunzhi turned his back and ate grilled fish to satisfy his hunger, no longer paying attention to her nonsense.
"Prince, what should I do to live up to this status?" It's not that she was not confident, but Qian Tong was really guilty and felt that she was not worthy of the position, so she chased after him and insisted on talking to him.
Song Yunzhi looked at the girl who was chasing after him and replied helplessly: "No treachery, no deceit, no betrayal."
These words were simple for a gentleman, but she was a merchant after all, and could not be completely dishonest. Qian Tong could only assure her, "Don't worry, my lord. I will never betray you."
With the added bonus of this marriage, Prince Song was not afraid of her betrayal.
She could imagine the benefits that the marriage would bring to the Qian family. Song Yunzhi's attitude returned to its previous state, no longer calling for war and killing her. He asked her, "Aren't you hungry?" He reminded her, "The flares you have won't work during the day. We can only leave after dark."
The boat the two men were on last night was destroyed after they crossed the channel.
Before his identity is revealed, the secret guards cannot show up.
The deserted island where the two of them were located was not far from the island where the Park family was stationed. Once it got dark, she would fire a flare, and the nearest ships, whether from the Qian family or the Park family, would come looking for her.
She seemed hungry too, so she stopped asking questions and turned sideways to slowly tear into the grilled fish in her hand.
The two were silent while eating.
Song Yunzhi glanced at her, swallowing slowly and elegantly, thinking she could finally be quiet for a while. But after a moment, he suddenly saw her look up and ask, "How did you know I had a flare?"
Qian Tong didn't want to ask, but she wanted to know whether Prince Song would take the opportunity to take revenge by pinching her after she fell asleep last night, in addition to tying her hands.
Although Prince Song is not that kind of person, what if?
If it were her, she would definitely take revenge. Last night, one of her ribs was broken by him, and it still hurts a little now. She is not sure if she has been hurt by him again.
Her cautiousness made it difficult for a gentleman. Song Yunzhi's face immediately flushed, and he said with difficulty, "I didn't... touch you." After a pause, after a long inner struggle, he squeezed out a sentence, "I touched it last night on the boat."
Speaking of the boat, one can't help but think of the scene where the two were entangled together.
Qian Tong thought about many things and felt a little embarrassed. He turned around and said comfortingly, "It's a fight of life and death. It's either you die or I die. Don't think too much, my prince. I don't blame you."
Song Yunzhi felt quite powerless.
He didn't think about it.
She stood up and walked out, not giving him a chance to explain. She went to the beach to explore the terrain. "This is the Yellow Sea. It's really beautiful. The water behind Yangzhou is almost churned into rice paste by the fishermen. Look, the sand here is so clean and the water is so blue. When my Qian family's ships enter the Yellow Sea, they will be stationed here. This deserted island can just accommodate a fleet..."
"I wonder if there are any other deserted islands like this nearby. If the imperial court and the Park family come to war in the future, we'll need a place to stay." She turned around and called to the prince who was watching from the sidelines, "When we have time in the future, we should come to this sea area more often and search for a few islands to station troops and store food..."
She boasted shamelessly, holding an island in each hand, as if the entire sea area was already in her pocket.
Song Yunzhi said nothing about her occasional crazy behavior.
Since he had to wait until dark anyway, Qian Tong walked around the entire deserted island before dark. He caught some crabs and shrimps from the rocky peaks by the sea and threw them into the fire of Prince Song. It seemed that he had accepted the "Crown Princess" who had fallen from the sky. He was no longer shy and sat on the stone slab covered with hay with the prince, using the stone as a table and started to peel crabs.
She gave the fattest crab to Prince Song.
Prince Song rewarded her with the best crab roe and a pile of cracked crab legs.
Qian Tong looked at the young man who was silently peeling the shells, and became distracted again.
It was beginning to darken. Before going to meet the Park family, Song Yunzhi asked her, "What is Park Dae-mo like?" He had heard her say that this man was different from the other members of the Park family. He had good character and a gentle temperament.
This was the same as what he had heard before coming to Yangzhou.
The head of the Park family, Park Huailang, has three sons. The youngest son, Park Chengjun, runs a gambling house in Yangzhou. He is decisive and experienced in his work, but he has a bohemian temperament. The head of the Park family deliberately puts him under the name of the third lady of Yangzhou, hoping to use the third lady's boldness to control and restrain him.
The third son, Park Seung-ji, was a mediocre man who lived by the rules. He stayed with Mrs. Park and was responsible for managing the dealings with the court.
The eldest son, Park Seung-woo, guarded the first strait, now known as the Yellow Sea. He excelled in pharmacology and was a business prodigy. He was best known for his ability to navigate the various factions during times of war, spanning two straits and expanding his business into the Liao Dynasty.
At that time, he had just turned eighteen.
Therefore, a large area of shipping routes was occupied, which is the second strait line, Dengzhou, which is now guarded by Park Huailang, the head of the Park family.
At the beginning of the establishment of the new dynasty, it was the eldest son of the Park family who came forward and presented ten cargo ships as gifts to the new emperor to congratulate him on his accession to the throne. After that, he would offer a shipload of goods as tribute to the court every year.
This move also made the emperor give up the idea of retaking Yangzhou first. He focused on people's livelihood and let the people who had suffered from war for more than ten years to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, one country cannot have two masters.
The Park family occupies half of Dayu's business. They can turn a blind eye to it, but the court can no longer sit idly by and watch it grow stronger.
If this Park Dae-mo does everything perfectly, he will be difficult to deal with.
Qian Tong ate the crab roe he handed her, and she understood the principle of being soft-hearted. She said without hesitation, "He is not as good as the prince."
Song Yunzhi looked at her.
Knowing she had misunderstood.
Before I could explain, she said, "He can't peel crabs for me."
He didn't ask about their love history, nor was he curious about how they used to get along. Song Yunzhi threw the half-shelled crab in front of her without asking any more questions, "Eat now, fire the signal flare."
Qian Tongdao didn't like eating crabs, so he buried his head and continued to chew them. "Prince, please hold on for a while. When we get to the Park family, I'll go get some good wine and food..."
Song Yunzhi stood up and walked further away.
Qian Tong finished eating two crabs by herself. It was getting dark, so she went to the beach to wash her hands and took the opportunity to tidy up her appearance. Her hair was too messy, so she tied it up with a hairband again and washed her face with water.
Song Yunzhi stood behind her and looked at her coldly for a long time.
Seeing that she had finally packed up, she took out a cowhide bag from her waist. There was a flare in it that was not wet at all. She sent a signal into the night sky.
Just like what I saw last time at sea, the brilliant fireworks condensed into a copper coin in the air.
Afterwards, Qian Tong walked to Song Yunzhi's side, and the two of them looked at the sea together, quietly waiting for the ship ahead. After waiting for about an incense stick of time, a ball of dim light slowly appeared on the sea in the distance.
Soon a flag with a sea lion painted on it came into view.
It’s the Park family’s boat.
The muffled sound of the horn came closer from afar. Song Yunzhi looked at the girl waiting quietly on the side and reminded her, "Remember what you said."
Qian Tong nodded, leaning closer to him and saying, "I'm not stupid. I'm about to become the Crown Prince's consort, so I will definitely stand on his side." She also had something to tell the Crown Prince, "Everything we say and do later is just acting. Don't take it seriously, Crown Prince. If you see any doubts, we can discuss it privately."
Song Yunzhi remained silent.
The ship ahead was approaching at a visible speed.
A moment later, the Park family's boat landed on the beach in front of the two men. The first to disembark was Park Damozi, who stepped onto the deck in a hurry. He stood in front of the two men and saw that the girl in front of him was unharmed. He smiled and asked, "Why are you in such a mess?"
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