Chapter 385 Wake up, old man, we've arrived at Qingquan Village
"Auntie, am I really a princess?" Zhao Niu Niu was excited, but her little face also showed some unease as she looked at Zhao Yuniang with a blank and confused expression.
"Yes, of course it is! Niu Niu, remember that you are different from these peasants!"
Zhao Yuniang squinted her eyes.
He made the wrong bet in his past life, and he will never repeat the same mistakes in this one.
He looked up at the tall gate of Jiang Nuan's house and spat, "Hmph, I never thought that good-for-nothing would be so useful. It's just a pity."
She sighed, but then, thinking of Xie Liangchen's face, she couldn't help but smile again.
In her past life, Chun Tao endured some hardship with Xie Liangchen, which led to a lifetime of wealth and honor.
Now that a princess has been born into Zhao Yuniang's family, and Xie Liangchen values her so much, although he has not yet agreed to marry her, let's see if he can still resist once his niece becomes a princess.
For example, Zhao Yuniang is determined to have Xie Liangchen and his group of men.
In the future, I fear that even lowly and short-lived people like Li Rong will never have anything to do with me again.
He immediately grabbed his niece's hand, glanced contemptuously at Jiang Nuan's house, and said, "Let's go home."
Zhao Niu Niu immediately shouted, "Great! Great! I can go home and see Dad and Grandma!"
Hearing this, Zhao Yuniang frowned, squatted down, and grabbed Zhao Niuniu's shoulders: "Let me ask you, in the future, when you have money, to whom will you give it as a gift?"
Zhao Niu Niu was taken aback, then counted on her little fingers, "Give it to Daddy, give it to Grandma... and... and give it to Auntie!"
Zhao Yuniang was not satisfied with this answer. She gritted her teeth, pulled out a gold bracelet from her bosom, and reluctantly stuffed it into Zhao Niuniu's hand: "Here you go, this is gold!"
"Niu Niu, this is worth more than everything your grandma and dad own combined. Your aunt gave it to you. And who saved you all this time? Who got you the best food and drink? Do you remember?"
Zhao Niu Niu: "Yes... Auntie."
"So, if you have something good in the future, who will you give it to first as a token of your filial piety?"
"Aunt, be filial to your aunt."
Zhao Yuniang smiled and lovingly patted Niu Niu's head.
"Good girl, sweetie."
...
At dawn, as the soft sunlight dispelled the snow fog, the village head was leading the young men to pound the icy path.
The pickaxe was swung in a wide arc, striking the uneven spots on the snowy road. What was originally a narrow, winding path was transformed into a wide, three-zhang-wide trail by the footsteps of starving people from the surrounding villages who came to buy grain. The snowy road was slippery and needed repair.
Previously, Jiang Nuanzhi had announced that he would sell ten shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain to the villagers.
So much so that families from several surrounding villages who were starving came here to buy life-saving food. It wasn't just that Dr. Jiang was a living bodhisattva; the entire Qingquan Village benefited from his kindness.
Furthermore, the bandit problem was also solved by the people of Qingquan Village. Now, everyone in the village speaks highly of them. The village head has become much more confident and upright these past few days.
Now that the snow has stopped for some time, going to town is not as difficult as before.
The imperial court's disaster relief grain arrived twice, though it was thin broth and the rice water was full of sand. But at least people weren't starving. In the past two days, the number of bandits and robbers in the countryside had decreased somewhat.
However, when people go out, they usually travel in groups of three to five men. Therefore, some precautions are necessary.
"Uncle Li! Look, that fancy carriage ahead seems to be heading towards our village."
Shuanzi suddenly shouted in a low voice, his frozen red nose pointing to the end of the road, constantly tiptoeing to look.
The village head squinted and looked over. It was a four-horse carriage with carved sandalwood, the window frames engraved with lotus patterns, and the gold silk curtains jingled as it bounced.
"Go, hurry up and dig up that donkey dung."
The village head kicked Shuanzi, but couldn't help wiping his nose with his sleeve.
As the carriage drew near, the copper-clad shaft bore the imperial seal, startling the village head.
"You, come here, let me ask you, is this Qingquan Village?"
The guard with a sword reined in his horse and demanded an explanation; the gilded dragon patterns on the scabbard were so dazzling they made one's eyes dizzy.
The village head immediately bowed and stepped forward to reply in a trembling voice.
"Father-in-law, wake up! We've arrived at Qingquan Village."
Inside the carriage, where a subtle fragrance wafted, Xiao Linzi gently nudged the handsome man leaning against the cushion.
"You damned monkeys! You'd be happy if you just tossed my old bones around like that! What kind of hellhole is this? It's freezing me to death!"
The man appeared to be in his forties or fifties, dressed in a brocade robe, and slammed a string of sandalwood beads on a small table in frustration.
He had never grown a beard or hair, and looked slightly younger than his normal age. His voice was gentle, but it couldn't hide his sharp tongue.
Frustrated, he stood up abruptly, pulling his clothes tighter around himself: "That filthy bastard An Dehai! He talks about getting a job showing his face in front of the Sixth Prince, ugh! I think he's in cahoots with that Liu guy!"
They left that Liu fellow to enjoy a life of luxury with the Sixth Prince, while sending me to this godforsaken place!
I finally got some sleep, and now you heartless people are making so much noise!
As he said this, he glared fiercely at Xiao Linzi beside him.
Xiao Linzi immediately smiled apologetically and presented the white porcelain plate, on which crab roe soup dumplings were oozing golden oil. He pushed it forward and said, "Godfather, please calm down. We've arrived at our destination, haven't we? Steward An said that His Highness values this lady very much. I was thinking that we should wake you up and get this done as soon as possible, lest you catch a cold from being out in this freezing weather for too long."
As he said this, he massaged her shoulders again: "Godfather, don't worry. The reason we sent you on this trip is because the Imperial Concubine trusts you. When you get back, not only will His Highness reward you, but the Imperial Concubine will also reward you. How is it not a good job? It's just that you've worked hard, Godfather. When we get back, I'll give you a good massage to loosen your muscles and bones, and I guarantee you'll forget all the fatigue of the past few days."
"Ha, a good job?" Eunuch Wang sneered, pushed away Xiao Linzi's hand, and used his little fingernail to lift the carriage curtain. He said with disdain, "I don't know what kind of dirty and filthy place it was that allowed them to get such a good deal and save the precious Sixth Prince. But our Sixth Prince is soft-hearted and still remembers the kindness of this country bumpkin."
With a frustrated flick of his sleeve, he asked, "Have you packed up the things His Highness ordered?"
Xiao Linzi immediately presented a brocade bundle and quickly opened it.
The enormous luminous pearl instantly bathed the dimly lit carriage in a glow.
Eunuch Wang's Adam's apple bobbed as he lightly touched the luminous pearl with his fingernail: "This kind of quality... is it something that a country bumpkin like her could afford? Doesn't she worry about shortening her lifespan? She should be worshipping it in front of a Bodhisattva."
As he spoke, the red jade headdress slipped into his sleeve pocket. He also put the luminous pearl into his box.
Xiao Linzi lowered his head and stared at the pattern on the carriage carpet, pretending not to see anything. Originally, an official was supposed to accompany him on this trip, but an accident occurred on the road, and the official had to go to help someone and couldn't leave. This was the decision made by his godfather.
After picking and choosing for a while, Eunuch Wang frowned and casually pushed the package away: "Send it over, at least leave that village woman some dignity."
Xiao Linzi glanced over and saw that there were only a few bracelets of decent quality left in the package. He couldn't help but look worried and said with a hint of caution, "Godfather, if things are exposed later, it will be difficult to explain. Besides, His Majesty also instructed us to deliver the gifts. They're already here; why don't you go and see them?"
(End of this chapter)
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