After everyone had dinner at the inn, they went back to their rooms to rest. Only Zhang Xiantao was still busy, working on it until midnight. This Miss Zhang was really persistent. She searched for a cow all night, and in the end, she actually managed to buy one.
One has to admire her abilities.
The next day, when it was time to set off, Miss Zhang insisted on giving the oxcart she had bought the night before to Zhao Mingyue.
“Don’t you miss Da Niu? Here’s a cow for you. Looking at this cow will remind you of Da Niu, and you won’t feel sad anymore.” Zhang Xiantao said earnestly, thinking she was quite the clever little devil.
However, Zhao Mingyue looked down on the big water buffalo. He said with some disdain, "The big buffalo is much smarter than this. The big buffalo is irreplaceable. Moreover, I think this buffalo is clumsy and heavy. I'm afraid it won't be as fast as a horse when pulling the cart. If I ride in the oxcart, I will be left behind by everyone."
Well, this is something Zhang Xiantao hadn't considered. But oxen really can't run fast, not even as fast as mules. They are very useful for pulling heavy loads, but she had already bought the ox, which cost her a full thirty taels of silver. Was she just going to throw it away like that?
But if they set off in an oxcart, they might not be able to catch up with the princess and her entourage. What should they do then?
Seeing her troubled expression, Zhao Mingyue kindly offered a suggestion, "Why don't you sell the cow back to the owner and lower the price a bit? That way you won't lose too much."
"That's all we can do. I thought you'd like the water buffalo. Your cow and the water buffalo look quite alike." Zhang Xiantao was a little disappointed. She had gone to great lengths to buy the cow, hoping to please Zhao Mingyue, but who knew he wouldn't like it.
What a miscalculation.
Zhao Mingyou found it baffling, "Why did you give me a big water buffalo? We're not even that close."
His mother had said that people outside the family would exchange gifts with each other if they were acquaintances, but he had only known this Miss Zhang for a few days and hadn't had much contact with her along the way, so he really couldn't understand why she would suddenly give him a gift.
Zhang Xiantao blushed and glared at Zhao Mingyue with a resentful look. How could this brat speak so bluntly and not know how to mince words? How could she, a young lady, possibly answer him?
Why did she suddenly send a water buffalo to Zhao Mingyue?
Of course it's because she's taken a liking to him, but she can't say it now. After all, she's already fifteen, while Zhao Mingyue is only thirteen. They'll have to wait another two or three years before the boy grows up.
However, she wasn't in a hurry. A good young man should be waited for, after all. Haste makes waste. In short, only she knew what she was planning, and she absolutely couldn't reveal it to anyone.
Zhang Xiantao thought she was being discreet, but anyone with eyes could see what she was up to. For example, at that moment, Xiao Huan whispered to Xiao Yuan, "Xiao Yuan, I think our young lady is thinking about Chun?"
Xiaoyuan: "Be confident, Miss just wants to get married."
However, since the young lady is shy and doesn't want anyone to know, they'll just pretend they don't know.
"Zhang Xiantao has lost her mind. Last night she spent the whole night buying a cow for thirty taels of silver, and this morning she sold it back to the owner, but the price was lowered to only twenty taels. She lost a whole ten taels of silver. How could she be so stupid?" Xingxing couldn't understand.
"Just watch, this little girl is still going to cause trouble. She'll probably keep acting foolishly until she gets married. Things should get better after she gets married," Zhu Qingruo said meaningfully.
"What does being mentally challenged have to do with getting married?" Xingxing was confused again.
"Well, let's talk about this later. It's hard to say now. Let me tell you, we'll be in Qingyang City in a few days. We'll stay there for a few more days and there's no rush to go to Xiyan City." Zhu Qingruo abruptly changed the subject.
Meanwhile, Fu Ge and his friends had returned to Yegou Village, bringing back many things from the capital, all gifts from the Emperor and Empress, and some that Xingxing had bought to give to Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua.
"Father, Mother, this is a thousand taels of silver notes. We didn't have a chance to spend them when we went to the capital, so we brought them back." Zhou Dafu scratched his head and grinned.
"Xingxing also asked me to bring back five hundred taels of silver. She said the palace is poor now and doesn't have much silver to give us. She told us not to complain about the small amount and to keep the five hundred taels of silver for now. She said that when the world becomes prosperous, the palace will no longer be poor, and she will take our whole family to the capital to live a life of luxury." Zhou Dafu was not exaggerating or embellishing; these were Xingxing's exact words.
"Pfft." Zhao Guihua couldn't help but laugh, but she quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. Her daughter was gone, and she really didn't come back. She felt so empty inside.
"Alright, the children just got back, don't keep your eyes red, cheer up," Zhou Laoda patted Zhao Guihua's shoulder and gestured with his chin, "Erfu, Sanfu, you guys tell me what happened in the capital, how that fake princess was exposed, and how the palace responded when Prince Gong led his men into the palace?"
Erfu waved his hand and said, "Don't mention it. We weren't in the palace at the time, so we couldn't help at all. We were only invited to the palace to meet the emperor after everything had settled down."
After listening to Erfu's words, Zhao Guihua thought about it a lot and asked with some concern, "The eldest prince and the third prince are so difficult to deal with, did they make things difficult for you brothers afterward?"
"No, they wouldn't dare. If the Emperor found out, he wouldn't forgive them. In short, everything is going smoothly for us in the capital," Zhou Sanfu said in a low voice.
Zhao Guihua understood Sanfu's implied meaning and asked nervously, "Did those people cause any trouble on the way?"
"No, Mother, look at us, we're perfectly fine. Not only were we protected by the emperor's secret guards along the way, but Brother Lin also sent people to protect us secretly. Nothing will happen to us." Zhou Sifu patted his chest to prove that he was in good health.
Others also came forward to show her, indicating that she was really not injured, not even a minor injury. She had just been sitting in the carriage eating and sleeping the whole way, and had returned in a daze.
However, Fu Ge didn't mention that Xingxing had left Beijing with them. They had originally agreed to come back together, but she ditched them on the way and secretly ran away with Zhu Lin, afraid that Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua would worry.
"It's good that nothing happened. If the eldest prince and the third prince really hold a grudge and come looking for trouble, we can't fight them. We can't go to Xingxing and complain to the emperor and empress, which would only upset Xingxing." Although Zhao Guihua said this, for some reason, she still felt uneasy.
“Let’s be careful. I’ve heard in the capital that the First Prince and the Third Prince’s mothers are sisters, and they like to work together. I’ve also heard that the First Prince’s mother is a Consort, and she’s known for holding grudges. I wonder if she’ll extend her reach to the south. If she really wants to harm us, we’ll have a hard time dealing with her.” Zhou Sanfu was a thoughtful man.
Ever since he clashed with the First and Third Princes in the Imperial Garden, he had kept this matter in mind. With the Emperor protecting Xingxing, the two empresses certainly wouldn't dare to do anything. When the five brothers were in the capital, no one dared to touch them either.
But things might be different once he returns to the South. It's not that he's trying to scare his family, but this is a serious matter, and he feels he needs to remind everyone.
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