Wang Zebang observed the general's wife's expression and realized that she didn't seem to be jealous or resentful, but simply curious.
Given the current situation, although he was unwilling to gossip behind people's backs, he still introduced Princess Sheng'an's situation.
"Actually, Princess Sheng'an has a bad reputation. I heard that she built a courtyard in the princess's residence called Jimei Courtyard, where she has collected more than a dozen handsome male concubines from all over the country, and some of them were gifts from others. She likes handsome men and has said that she wants to marry the most handsome man in Ye Kingdom."
Zheng Quchi listened with his face in his hands, repeatedly expressing his surprise: "She's so daring!"
Wang Zebang was almost amused by his wife's jaw dropping in surprise, yet also by her secret envy.
The lady sometimes appears quite clever, and at other times quite naive and innocent. Such behavior is universally despised among noble ladies. Those who adhere to the precepts for women all regard Princess Sheng'an as a cancer in Da Ye.
"Later, she met the general at a victory celebration banquet and insisted on marrying him. However, the general refused to agree. Even though the Prince of Ye tried to match them up, the father and daughter did not forcefully grant the marriage due to the general's power. Perhaps they both thought that the general would eventually give in, after all, no woman had ever appeared by the general's side all these years."
"She likes handsome men and wants to marry the most handsome man in Ye Kingdom. So, she has seen Yuwen Sheng's true face under the mask?" Zheng Quchi said thoughtfully.
Yuwen Sheng is indeed good-looking, but not in the ordinary sense; no wonder he's so popular.
“I am not aware of the specifics of what happened between the General and Princess Sheng’an,” Wang Zebang said.
Zheng Quchi stroked his chin: "Is it possible... that your general doesn't like women?"
Thinking of how chaste Yuwen Sheng had been back then, and how he had no such thoughts about her after their marriage, always holding his chastity firmly in his hands, she felt no pressure at all even though they slept in the same bed. They lived peacefully like sisters.
Wang Zebang watched speechlessly as the general's wife spoke ill of her husband. If the general didn't like women, why would he have married her?
He blurted out without thinking, "Madam, the general only loves you."
Zheng Quchi's expression froze, then her eyes stiffly moved towards him: "W-what are you saying?"
Wang Zebang was somewhat annoyed that he had spoken carelessly, so he quickly changed the subject: "Madam, recently many bandits have appeared in our Fu County, specializing in robbing travelers from other places. However, their behavior is very strange. They often disappear after being chased. The county is under pressure from higher-ups and has come to us, wanting us to help them suppress the bandits."
When it came to serious matters, Zheng Quchi also adopted a serious attitude: "Is there any compensation? Do we have any spare manpower in our camp?"
remuneration?
Wang Zebang paused for a moment, then thought deeply before saying, "I will talk to them about... compensation."
Things are different now. Being aloof won't put food on the table for them. It's reasonable for the county to provide the money and they to contribute their labor.
The lady's idea is good; instead of trying to increase revenue and cut costs, it's better to increase production and profits.
“Then let’s do it! It benefits the people and makes money at the same time, so why not?” Zheng Quchi agreed wholeheartedly.
Hearing that his wife did not object, Wang Zebang clasped his hands and said, "Then I will arrange for people to do it immediately."
Zheng Quchi nodded: "Yes, actually I was thinking that if we caught these bandits, we might also be able to find out some information about Princess Sheng'an."
“The lady’s thoughts are the same as mine,” Wang Zebang said.
Of the three urgent matters mentioned earlier, two are now on track, leaving only Princess Sheng'an's matter remaining unresolved.
Hopefully, this campaign to suppress the bandits will make some progress.
——
The next day, Zheng Quchi stayed up half the night again and finally finished the design draft for "Black Bear". She immediately ran to Chefang in Fuxian County and found Shi Hetong and Mu Gaoyi.
They had been working from dawn till dusk these past few days preparing for everything. When they saw the general's wife arrive, they immediately put down their work and went to greet her.
Zheng Quchi then discussed with them the preparation, manufacturing process, and related aspects of completing the shipment of the "Black Bear" and another tricycle.
When the two of them received the design draft of the "black bear", their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"Madam, you finished the design so quickly?"
“Of course we need to hurry. Is the matter at the cart workshop settled?” she asked.
With their eyes glued to the design draft, they replied absentmindedly, "Oh, Madam, you should ask Su Tian about this. Let's see just how powerful this black bear really is."
Seeing that they only cared about the manuscript and not the person, Zheng Quchi shook his head in annoyance.
"Alright, I'll go find him. Where is he now?"
"In that small office building on the east side."
Following their instructions, Zheng Quchi found the small house, gently pushed open the half-closed door, and saw a man intently writing at a desk.
He wore a soft, easily wrinkled blue cloth robe, had narrow eyes and a straight nose, and a mustache on his pale lips. This man had a truly contradictory air about him; he seemed both shrewd and upright, both young and mature.
"Is this Mr. Su?"
Knock knock... Zheng Quchi gently knocked on the door.
He raised his head, his gaze lingering on Zheng Quchi for a moment before he suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly stood up to bow: "My name is Su Tian, greetings to the General's wife."
Zheng Quchi was surprised that he recognized him so quickly, even though they were complete strangers: "No need for formalities, Mr. Su, how did you guess who I am?"
He immediately began to flatter, saying, "Madam's appearance and temperament are naturally extraordinary..."
She couldn't stand the flattery and interrupted, "Tell the truth."
Su Tian swallowed his words back. He said, "This is all a men's quarters. Only the General's wife, a woman, can come and go so freely."
That's not untrue.
Zheng Quchi walked around him and went to the desk to see what he had written. She saw that there were templates for government contracts to fill out, tax forms, and some application forms... Upon looking at them, she realized that she could only read the characters, but it was difficult to understand the meaning from the obscure language written by these professionals.
The word count is low, but the content is not. This is the written expression of classical Chinese, which is on a completely different level from her plain language.
She quickly looked away, trying to save her eyes from being blinded by the glare: "Um, Mr. Su, how are you doing with the preparation of these materials?"
"It's basically done. I'll go to the county office to hand it over a little later," Su Tian replied.
Wow, it was all done in just two days! No wonder it was recommended by the incredibly efficient Young Master Zhang.
Her expression suddenly changed, and she said seriously, "There is something I want to ask Mr. Su seriously: Did you come here to work as my accountant voluntarily, or was it forced upon you by your young master?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
