Ling Jingxuan and Dugu Yu drank tea while discussing the growth of crops and the working conditions of the people along the way, and discussed what to say to the emperor and how to say it after returning.
Not long after they started chatting, the village chief's wife and daughter-in-law came back, carrying a large bamboo basket filled with freshly picked vegetables.
The two of them were too reserved to come over to say hello. They carried the vegetables to the kitchen to prepare cooking. Then they could hear the sound of them pushing and shoving each other.
Qin Qingyao didn't want to listen to these two people talking about political affairs anyway, so she followed them.
In the kitchen, the two people were fighting for the work and didn't let Baiji get involved in anything, which made Baiji very helpless.
Baiji looked at Qin Qingyao for help. Qin Qingyao came over and asked softly, "Auntie, do you usually go home to cook at this time?"
"That's not the case. I'm too busy with spring planting right now. I only go home to cook when it's dark and I can't see anymore."
"In that case, you can just follow your previous schedule. We have servants with us when we go out, so there's no need for us to come over and help with the cooking. After all, Chun Miao has to be delayed, right?"
After Qin Qingyao finished speaking, she looked at the terrified mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, bent down and whispered in her ear, "Let me tell you, the two high-ranking officials in this room are here to see if anyone is lazy at home and not working hard!"
"If I'm lazy and leave the land uncultivated, getting spanked is one thing, but what if the land is confiscated? Don't you agree?"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finally gave up, put down the vegetables they were washing, and ran away.
Baiji covered her mouth and giggled in the back, "Princess, you still have a way."
"The most senior official these people usually see is probably their village chief. The county magistrate might even know a few people. With so many people suddenly arriving, they're worried about offending someone and being unable to handle the consequences. They're definitely nervous."
"Although the two princes have repeatedly warned us not to disturb the people, it's impossible not to. We can only try not to take up too much of their time and affect their farming."
As Qin Qingyao spoke, she sat on the small stool where the village chief's wife had just sat and began to wash the vegetables.
"Oh, Princess, what are you doing? I'll do it, please don't do anything!"
"I'm not disabled, so what if I use my hands? I also tinker in the small kitchen at home. Don't get excited!"
Baiji pursed her lips, feeling bitter. She wasn't excited, she was afraid that the prince would feel distressed if he saw her and punish her...
"Besides, there are two grown men in the room talking about serious matters. It would be inappropriate for me to sit there."
Baiji sighed softly. She couldn't win the argument against the princess. "Well, there are so many dishes. What would the princess like to eat?"
…
Dugu Yu actually didn't want to talk to Ling Jingxuan alone. He was already well aware of the essence of lazy politics and peace.
He followed Qin Qingyao's instructions and always showed that he was completely uninterested in government affairs and was totally hopeless, so that others would not think that he was greedy for military power and was trying to rebel.
But Ling Jingxuan was still very open and just like before, whenever she wanted to say something to the emperor, she would first inform Dugu Yu and other adults and ask everyone to lend their support.
Dugu Yu now had no interest in the court forces and complicated interpersonal relationships, so he was quite impatient.
He felt that there was no need for him to mention these things. It would serve no purpose other than to make others mistakenly believe that he was on Prince Duan's side and was always on the same side with Prince Duan.
He had never thought carefully about which camp he belonged to, nor had he thought about how the "brotherly" relationship between him and Ling Jingxuan would appear in the eyes of others.
But now, he can finally look rationally and objectively at how others felt when he and Ling Jingxuan were "in cahoots" and "alongside each other like a shadow".
This should be the feeling Qin Qingyao had when looking at Ling Anli...
The so-called brothers were nothing but self-deception between him and Ling Jingxuan. In the eyes of everyone, he was just a follower who served Ling Jingxuan faithfully.
And Prince Duan has always known how to exploit his value.
In fact, he had no regrets or resentment about his previous help to Prince Duan. After all, Prince Duan always had the ability to convince him and make him willingly stand on the same side with him.
But now he suddenly felt a little bored. He realized that apart from government affairs, military affairs, and helping Ling Jingxuan speak to the emperor, his daily life seemed to be nothing special?
What's the fun in life? Nothing!
What are your expectations for the future? None!
What plans do you have for your life? None!
…
Dugu Yu was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice when Ling Jingxuan stopped talking. Instead, he kept staring at him, watching him turn his head to look at the door from time to time, without disturbing him or reminding him.
He knew with his toes that Dugu Yu was distracted and not listening to him because Qin Qingyao had gone out. He kept looking at the door to see when she would come back.
By the time Dugu Yu realized that he was distracted, Ling Jingxuan had already finished two bowls of water.
Ling Jingxuan looked at Dugu Yu who had come back to his senses and asked with a smile, "What is life like after getting married?"
Dugu Yu, "Your Highness Prince Duan will know once he gets married."
Ling Jingxuan, "I mean, what is it like to live after marrying Qin Qingyao?"
Dugu Yu frowned, and Ling Jingxuan probably realized that what he said was not right, and that he showed his envy too obviously.
"I just think you've changed a lot lately."
"What's changed?"
"I can laugh and I can get angry."
Dugu Yu still frowned. When did he smile? When did he get angry?
Besides, is it strange to be able to laugh and get angry?
"Any normal person would laugh and get angry!"
Prince Duan said "Oh" and lowered his head to continue drinking tea.
Then he asked, "Can you remember now if anyone did anything that made you angry before you got married?"
Dugu Yu had no expression on his face, "..."
"What happens after you get married?"
After getting married? Haha, that’s too much!
Not to mention such a long time, just today, Qin Qingyao, a stinky little girl, actually dared to say that other men are handsome! How dare she ask for other men's flowers!
Right now, what have you been doing out there? Why haven't you come back in such a long time? I really want to catch you and give you a spanking!
Ling Jingxuan glanced at Dugu Yu, whose expression was unpredictable, then lowered his eyes to look at the tea leaves tumbling up and down in the tea bowl. "Are you thinking about Qin Qingyao?"
Dugu Yu: “…”
I wonder what my wife has to do with you?
He felt that he could no longer chat with Ling Jingxuan, so he stood up and left, going out to find out where Qin Qingyao had disappeared to!
I wonder how Qin Qingyao would feel if she knew that she was defined as a missing person by Dugu Yu just after she left for a while.
Dugu Yu is really angry with Ling Jingxuan now. He wants to know what life will be like after marriage. Wouldn’t it be better if he could just marry one and bring it home?
There are so many people waiting to marry into Prince Duan's Mansion, what's the point of always talking about his wife?
Especially the sentence "life after marrying Qin Qingyao", which made Dugu Yu feel that what Ling Jingxuan cared about was not the married life, but Qin Qingyao as a person!
When Dugu Yu found Qin Qingyao, Baiji was making a fire and she was stirring eggs.
Baiji was stunned when he saw the prince actually running into the kitchen.
Not to mention the saying that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, even in the farmers' homes in this village, as long as there are women in the house, almost no men will enter the kitchen.
Dugu Yu didn't think there was anything wrong with his actions, nor did he feel how small the dim kitchen of the mud and thatched house was.
He walked straight to Qin Qingyao and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Would you like some help with stirring the eggs?"
Dugu Yu took the ceramic bowl and chopsticks with great interest. Qin Qingyao instructed him, "Be gentle, don't puncture the bowl. Stir in one direction, don't change directions!"
"good."
Baiji's eyes almost fell to the ground when he saw their prince helping the princess stir eggs with such a serious look on his face.
This was the first time Dugu Yu saw Qin Qingyao busy in the kitchen.
The sleeves were rolled up above the elbows, revealing two slender, snow-white arms. There were beads of sweat on her forehead, and her eyes were a little red from the smoke from the fire that Baiji, the idiot, had started.
Yes, there are so many things in the kitchen, but someone only has eyes for his wife.
"Honey, have you ever had steamed eggs?"
Dugu Yu shook his head, "No."
"Then I'll make it for you. When I was a kid, I saw people feeding their children steamed eggs. They were so tender, delicious, and nutritious that I drooled. I really wanted to have a bite."
Qin Qingyao shrugged and said, "Unfortunately not."
Children who grew up in an orphanage should be thankful if they can eat steamed eggs or drink porridge to fill themselves up.
Dugu Yu, "Why not?"
Qin Qingyao, "..."
Why are you expressing your feelings so randomly? Is it unbelievable that the daughter of a noble minister cannot afford steamed eggs?
Even if Qin Shangshu was not a Shangshu eighteen years ago, he would have been a Jinshi already!
She was thinking about what to say when Zhao Jinghan came back, carrying a tree trunk as thick as his arm on his shoulder. Tied to the trunk was a wild boar weighing nearly 100 pounds, and it was still alive.
"Where did you get this?"
"I was just about to go up the mountain to take a look when I saw it digging up the crops in the field and caught it right away."
"On the way back, I heard from the locals that wild boars often destroy crops and even hurt people. If Princess doesn't want to eat them, I'll go see if there are any rabbits or something. We can kill this wild boar, otherwise it will cause trouble to the people."
Qin Qingyao, "Why not eat it if you've already caught it? It's so big, enough for the whole village!"
Dugu Yu, "Take it to the river, don't do it at home!"
"yes!"
Qin Qingyao, "Hey, after you kill it, bring back the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, etc. for me first!"
"What is the princess going into the water for?"
"Just take it if I tell you to. I haven't told you to take the large intestine yet!"
Zhao Jinghan, "Yes!"
He went out again carrying the wild boar. Lu Hui had just communicated with the village chief about everything that needed to be communicated and was about to come back to report to Ling Jingxuan when he was pulled away by Zhao Jinghan to help.
Killing a pig was a first for both Zhao Jinghan and Lu Hui...
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