Chapter 78
A few days later, when the wheat was ripe, Liu Che came to Jitian and personally harvested it.
Civil and military officials followed suit. All the princes and princesses in the palace were present, save for the chief guard, who was pregnant and unable to work, and Liu Dan and Yang Shi, two newborns of the past two years who were temporarily unable to care for themselves.
Even Liu Hong, just over five years old, dressed in casual clothes and wielded a sickle. Though his movements were clumsy, his attitude was positive. He never complained about the hardship or fatigue, and worked diligently.
Looking at Liu Ju, he was only a little over ten years old, but with years of martial arts training, he had developed considerable strength. He had also been tending to his farmland, occasionally tending to it, and had learned a few things, so he was now quite proficient. Furthermore, he could even move among the ministers, teaching those from noble families. He was already a semi-expert.
Everyone worked hard in the wheat fields, sweating and working together, and the harvest was completed in less than an hour.
The wheat ears on the left and right sides are piled separately, and the next step is threshing.
The Minister of Agriculture and other officials familiar with agricultural work came to observe and compare the results. Liu Che, Liu Ju, and Liu Hong stayed in the courtyard house to rest.
Liu Che smiled at Liu Ju and said, "I still remember the first time you held a sickle, you almost hurt your hand. Now you are becoming more and more proficient. This shows that you have really been working on the land allocated to you over the years, and not just pretending."
"Of course. Although I don't do much, I always come during the spring plowing and autumn harvest. My father once said that agriculture is the foundation of the nation, and I've always remembered it and never forgotten it. It's because of my father's teachings that I spared no effort to support Zhao Guo, which led to the success we have today."
He affirmed himself and did not forget to compliment Liu Che.
Liu Che laughed, nodded slightly, and looked at Liu Hong: "You did a good job too."
Liu Hong smiled shyly and said modestly, "I can't compare to my elder brother, the Crown Prince. He is my role model, and I still need to learn more from him."
Liu Che narrowed his eyes, and the smile in his eyes became even wider: "Okay. Hong'er has this intention, and the emperor is very happy. But your brother, the crown prince, is very capable. He has more than one or two outstanding qualities. You have to work hard."
Liu Hong nodded heavily: "Don't worry, Father. I will do it."
Liu Che laughed heartily. Thinking that he was also a smart man, he thought again and asked, "Then let me test you. Do you know why I personally go to the fields to harvest and bring all the civil and military officials with you?"
Liu Hong looked at Liu Ju, and Liu Ju gave him an encouraging look.
Liu Hongyan said, "My father values agriculture. Every spring he would perform the rite of plowing the fields and personally experience farming. This was to set an example for the people and convey the world's emphasis on agriculture. This harvest also reflects this purpose."
"Besides, with all the officials present, accompanied by the princes and princesses, the scene is grand and attracts a great deal of attention. News will spread quickly, along with the fact that the Daitian method can increase yields by a quarter per mu.
"Daitian's reputation has risen rapidly. Later, if Your Majesty orders the county and township officials and the Three Elders to work together to promote it, it will be more convenient and effective. Your Majesty, am I right?"
After saying this, Liu Hong looked at Liu Che, waiting for his answer.
Liu Che chuckled: "Not bad."
Liu Hong immediately perked up, his face full of joy.
Liu Che was slightly stunned, as if he saw the appearance of Liu Ju when he was a child.
Alike, truly alike. While this child may not be as good as Juer, he's certainly smart and clever. What's more, he's inherited about 50% of Juer's personality. They're brothers indeed.
Liu Che looked at Liu Hong, then at Liu Ju who was giving him a thumbs up, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
The chief agricultural officer came running over excitedly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! It's out, the results are out. Compared to the yield per mu, just as Zhao Guo said, the yield has increased by a quarter. It's true, it's true!"
Liu Che stood up suddenly and said excitedly, "Really? I'll go take a look."
Liu Hong took a step forward, subconsciously wanting to follow, but saw Liu Ju standing still, his face showing hesitation: "Crown Prince, aren't you going?"
"No. The outcome is already known, so what's there to see? If the emperor wants to know more about the details of the farming, Zhao Guo will handle it, not me. The Minister of Agriculture and the other ministers will discuss and finalize the promotion matters, so I'm not needed either. Isn't it better to sit here and eat and drink comfortably? Why are you looking for trouble?"
Liu Hong: ...Suddenly I didn’t know whether to leave or not.
Liu Ju chuckled: "If you want to go, go. If you don't want to go, don't go."
Liu Hong nodded, thought for a while, and finally did not go, sitting below Liu Ju.
The two of them ate fruits and chatted about some meaningless things.
After a while, a maid came over and said, "Second Prince, it's time to take the medicine."
Liu Ju was stunned and turned to look at Liu Hong suspiciously: "Medication?"
Liu Hong coughed twice. "I've caught a bit of a cold lately. The court physician has checked it out and it's nothing serious. It's okay to skip meals every other day. But Madam Yu was worried that if I stopped taking the medicine, my condition would relapse, even though I was almost recovered. So before leaving the palace, she told the maids to put some medicine in a bamboo tube and warm it for me to eat when the time came."
Madam Yu had treated Liu Hong very well over the past few years. Even after she gave birth to her own child, Liu Dan, two years ago, she still treated him the same way.
Liu Ju frowned slightly: "Why did you come if you are sick? Even if it was the emperor's order, your circumstances are special. Just tell him."
"It's nothing. Just a common cold, a slight cough, that's all. I'm almost well now. It wouldn't be right to refuse for such a small matter. I don't want to. I... I'm not like the Crown Prince who can come and go in the palace whenever he wants. I don't have many opportunities to leave the palace, so I don't want to miss it."
Liu Ju understood instantly. After all, he was also someone who couldn't stay in the palace. He smiled and said, "You are still young, there is no rush. When you are older, find an opportunity to ask your father for grace, and you will be able to leave the palace freely. I will help you then."
Liu Hong narrowed his eyes and said, "Okay, thank you, Prince."
The maid came forward and handed the medicine to Liu Hong.
Liu Ju glanced at her briefly, not paying any attention at first. But at that glance, he suddenly paused, frowning: "It's you?"
The maid hurriedly knelt down: "Your Highness..."
His voice was trembling and his body was shaking too.
Liu Hong was confused: "Does the Crown Prince know her?"
Liu Ju didn't answer, but asked: "How did she get to you?"
"Ah?" Liu Hong reacted and explained, "Brother Crown Prince knows. Sometimes when I excel in my studies or perform well in other areas, and the Emperor rewards me, I'll take the opportunity to ask the Emperor to allow me to go out of the palace to play.
"The day before yesterday, when I left the palace, I saw her being bullied by a bully. How could I allow such a thing to happen near Chang'an, at the feet of the emperor? I naturally stepped forward to stop it. She was grateful to me and said she would repay me by becoming my slave.
"I thought her appearance was too striking. If something like this happens once, it will happen again. Luckily, I caught her this time and was able to resolve it. I might not be so lucky next time.
"Since that's the case, I might as well be a good person and keep her with me for the time being. I'll let Matron teach her some manners first, and then make arrangements. I've already reported this to the Queen Mother. She said she'll investigate, and if she proves her innocence, I'll do whatever I want with her."
"Brother Crown Prince, is there something wrong with her?"
Liu Ju chuckled, looking down at Zhao Gouyi from above. "Why, the scene of clenching your fists to find your destined benefactor can't continue, and now it's the bully bullying and the hero saving the beauty?"
Liu Hong looked at Zhao Gouyi and then at Liu Ju: "What do you mean by clenching your fists and meeting a noble person?"
Liu Ju recounted what happened in the teahouse that day.
"It was just a minor incident. Neither my father nor I took it seriously, so we didn't mention it to anyone after returning to the palace. Who knew she would take advantage of it and bring it up in front of you?"
Good man, you are taking advantage of the Liu family and you are taking advantage of them.
Liu Hong suddenly realized and lowered his head: "Brother Crown Prince, I... I don't know."
"Nothing, you're still young, I don't blame you for not seeing clearly."
He spoke gently to Liu Hong, but his expression turned cold towards Zhao Gouyi.
Zhao Gouyi trembled all over. "Your Highness, I... I didn't know it was Your Highness and... and Your Majesty that day. I was wrong. I deserve to die. But since Your Highness exposed me that day, I have never done such a thing again.
"I swear I didn't set those bullies up. I was truly being bullied, and I didn't know that the young master... the young master was actually the Second Prince.
"I have been a very outstanding girl since I was young. In the past, I lived in the countryside, and few people coveted me. Later, my family took over the teahouse to make a living. I originally wanted to make some money, but unexpectedly, I encountered several people who teased me.
"But at first, they knew the teahouse was under government supervision, so they didn't dare to act rashly. At most, they would just verbally bully them. My father told them to just bear with it and it would pass.
"Who would have thought... who would have thought that gradually, their words became more explicit, and some even took the opportunity to touch my hands and offered to take me home.
"I... I have no other choice, so I discussed with my parents that since I can't avoid it, instead of getting into trouble, I might as well set up a trap and find an opportunity to choose someone with a higher status and more power.
"My parents and I have seen a lot of people in the teahouse, and we've developed a good eye for people. So I want to find someone with a good family background and a decent personality. That way, I'll be better off than being abused by someone else someday."
"I admit that I did have the intention of currying favor with the rich and powerful. I also admit that I did fabricate rumors about the alchemist to lure myself into a trap. But I absolutely did not seek out bullies to perform a trick. Those bullies..."
Zhao Gouyi gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, you know that for a family like mine, having good looks is not a blessing, but a curse. We have no ability, no one to support us, and no protection at home. What else can I do except go with the flow and take advantage of this situation to find a better way out for myself!"
Zhao Gouyi wept bitterly and swore to the heavens, "Those bullies have nothing to do with me. I am disgusted and hate them, so how could I deliberately invite them to bully me? I am telling the truth this time. There is absolutely no falsehood. If there is any, may I be struck by lightning and die without a burial place."
Zhao Gouyi bowed again and said, "Your Highness, my family has taken over the teahouse for nearly two years. These past two years have been the limit for my parents to find various excuses to use the government as an excuse and do their utmost to keep me as a commoner.
"It seemed I was about to lose my protection. That's why... that's why I was so anxious to escape, and that's why...
"I honestly didn't know the identities of your Highness and the others. Now that I know, how dare I lie? Before, I had a reason to say it, but now that I know, isn't that deceiving the king?
"Your Highness, I would never dare to do that. Please understand."
His words were sincere and his attitude was genuine, without any of the seductive gestures he had shown in the teahouse that day.
Liu Ju didn't comment and looked at her carefully.
A man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. Her appearance could easily cause trouble in a commoner's home, especially in a roadside teahouse where all kinds of people pass by.
His expression flickered and he looked at Liu Hong: "What do you mean?"
Liu Hong looked at Zhao Gouyi and then at Liu Ju, his expression showing hesitation.
"If you have any ideas, just tell me."
Liu Hong then spoke, "Brother Crown Prince, I didn't know she had plotted against you and Father before. But I had that bully handed over to the authorities, and they have already convicted him according to the law."
"I've even had someone investigate, and that bully has had his eye on her for a long time. This kind of thing has happened before, and last time we gave her three months to think it over. The day before yesterday, the bully saw the three-month deadline was approaching, so he went to get her answer.
"During the past three months, the bully has asked this question a total of four times. It was clear that she was getting impatient that day and didn't want to give her face anymore, so she started to attack. I don't think she was the one who planned this."
Liu Ju nodded: "So?"
"So..." Liu Hong pursed his lips and spoke thoughtfully, "Since she has learned from the previous experience, it is naturally inconvenient for her to stay in the palace. But the issue of her appearance that she mentioned is a problem. If no one protects her, it can indeed become a disaster.
"If I chase her away now, she'll probably fall into the clutches of a tiger. So I thought, since the Crown Prince and my father are so magnanimous and don't care about her previous behavior, why not buy a farm and move her there?"
"She can weave and farm in the village to make a living. Spread the word that it's my village, and naturally no one will dare to trouble her. She can live a stable life, and it will be worth my saving her. And..."
Liu Hong glanced at Liu Ju, then lowered his head. "I have a farm outside the palace, and I can grow some crops like the Crown Prince and visit occasionally. I promised my father that I would learn from him."
Liu Ju rolled his eyes and said, "Don't make such high-sounding statements. Don't you just want an excuse to ask Father to let you leave the palace more often?"
Liu Hong smiled awkwardly, "That's indeed my intention. I can't hide anything from my prince."
Liu Ju snorted, "All these things you're playing are left over from my games. Of course you can't hide them from me."
He sighed again, "It's really stuffy in the palace. How can it be as happy as outside the palace?"
Liu Hong nodded in agreement: "Third brother, you all know that it's more lively and interesting outside the palace."
The third brother was Liu Dan, the third son of the Emperor, born to Madam Yu. He was not yet two years old. Ever since Liu Ju, on a whim, had carried him out of the palace in the early spring to see the various acrobatics, ventriloquism, and cockfighting at Shengping Tower, he had danced with joy whenever he saw Liu Ju, shouting, "Leave the palace, leave the palace!"
After two or three quarrels, Emperor Wu of Han kept scolding him for setting a "good" precedent. He was thinking about running out of the palace all day long, and now all his brothers followed him.
At this point, Liu Ju felt that he had died unjustly: "It's better outside the palace. Isn't it normal that everyone likes it? You blame me for this. It's so unreasonable. Father himself doesn't necessarily like the palace that much, otherwise why would he go incognito? Humph."
"Crown Prince is right." Liu Hong agreed and looked at Zhao Gouyi, "Then she..."
Liu Ju waved his hand: "The servants in the palace need to be cautious, but since you are not in the palace, it is up to you."
Liu Hong grinned and thanked him crisply.
Zhao Gouyi escaped death and cried with joy. He kowtowed three times to express his gratitude and left tactfully.
Not long after, Liu Hong left the house on the pretext of going to the toilet.
In an empty corner, Liu Hong looked at the guards around him and said, "Wait until the manor is bought and we can place our people there."
"yes."
He was still young and had few people on his staff, only three or four in total, all of whom he had recruited by showing favors through various opportunities over the years. Even these three or four had already taken a lot of effort on his part.
Being young and trapped in the palace, it is very inconvenient for him to do things. This is a big taboo.
But it will be fine in the future.
His target was never Gouyi, and he never thought of letting Gouyi stay in the palace to seek opportunities to perform in front of Liu Che and follow the old path of history.
Just because there were Gouyi in history doesn't mean there are Gouyi now. Furthermore, if Gouyi is feasible, it doesn't have to be Gouyi; either Jinyi or Silveryi will do. Gouyi, a weapon Liu Ju had a strong liking for, was actually more difficult to deal with.
Therefore, Gouyi was just a cover he created. By using Gouyi, he could get through to Liu Ju and even Liu Che.
In this way, he would have a stronghold and more excuses to leave the palace, so he could slowly lay out his plans and make careful plans.
Liu Hong turned around and looked back at the house where Liu Ju was. His eyes were deep, and there was no trace of his previous well-behaved look.
He had come here thinking he was holding the golden finger and the Long Aotian script, but he hadn't succeeded in his mission. Not only did he lose half of his golden finger, but he also nearly lost his soul. If he hadn't escaped quickly and found another way to survive, he would have died.
Liu Hong took a deep breath. If it weren’t for Liu Ju, how could he have fallen to such a state?
Everything is because of Liu Ju, and the complete defeat is due to Liu Ju!
Liu Hong closed his eyes and opened them again, looking at the house in the distance, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
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