Chapter 244 I Believe in Him
“Ah Jiao, I believe him.” Zhao Yunjing said as they walked. “Whether he is Chen Liangjin or Li Changyi, I am willing to believe that he is still the young man who wants to defeat me with his strength.”
“I don’t want to doubt him either, but since he became the nineteenth prince, many things have changed. I don’t know what he’s like in front of you, but with me, I can no longer feel any gentle strength from him. Brother Zhao, love can fade, and people can change.”
Zhou Mujiao pressed her hand to her chest and said what she had been worried about for a long time: "Brother Zhao, it seems that my skills are about to disappear."
Zhou Mujiao's abilities were never spoken aloud by her, nor did Zhao Yunjing ask about them. The whole family was actually aware of them, but no one had ever brought them up. It was Zhou Mujiao who brought them up on her own initiative.
Zhao Yunjing held her hand and squeezed it gently: "Ajiao, I am now the top scholar Zhao Yunjing, not that unlucky guy from Peach Blossom Village anymore. You used to take care of me and our family, now it's my turn."
These words were heartwarming, but Zhou Mujiao was still conflicted. She had been using the cheat code properly and hadn't used it to do anything immoral or harmful, so why was it slowly disappearing?
I didn't feel powerless, just a little annoyed.
She inexplicably ended up here, inexplicably possessed mystical powers, and inexplicably became a source of prosperity for her family and husband, making everything she did go smoothly. But now, fate is taking her away without even giving her a heads-up. Anyone would be unhappy about this!
Zhao Yunjing lowered his voice and said, "You always say that man can conquer nature. If things really don't work out, we can always go back to Peach Blossom Village and continue being hunters. But I've always believed that in all the things you've done over the years, you haven't really used your special ability. You've used your wisdom and your own skills."
The guards, standing far away, could only see the couple talking head to head, looking very affectionate.
Zhao Yunjing continued, “You studied medicine by actually reading medical books, and you saved people using real medical skills and real medicine. If you had even the slightest thought of relying on that ‘skill,’ you wouldn’t have needed to go through all that trouble. You could have simply made a wish and let the patient recover on their own.”
Moreover, you have shown me deep affection and know that my wish is to prevent the people of Daliang from going hungry. An ordinary person would have simply prayed for grain to fall from the sky, but you didn't. You guided me step by step, teaching me better farming methods, how to select and cultivate seeds, and even the process of me winning the top scholar title was largely uninterrupted… What we have now is all earned through our own hard work. So what does it matter if it disappears? Besides, possessing a treasure is a crime; its loss is actually a good thing.”
Zhou Mujiao's little bit of inner turmoil disappeared immediately: "Hearing your words is like reading for ten years. Brother Zhao, I'll listen to you and ignore it."
However, Zhou Mujiao still refused to believe it, feeling that this physique wouldn't disappear for no reason, and since it was something given to her, it was impossible for it to be taken back without a word.
So that night she secretly conducted an experiment—when Li Changyi came to talk to Zhao Yunjing, she secretly made a small wish: to let Li Changyi have sex all night.
As expected, Li Changyi had diarrhea all night and didn't show up until noon the next day, looking pale and sickly.
Zhou Mujiao nudged Zhao Yunjing with her elbow: "Brother Zhao, the prince seems to be unwell. As his subordinate, you should go and check on him."
Zhao Yunjing looked down and saw Zhou Mujiao blinking her eyes. He suddenly had a flash of inspiration and stepped forward to greet Li Changyi: "I heard that Your Highness is unwell. I was just about to finish up my current business and go to visit you. You've come first. Is Your Highness feeling any better?"
Even Zhou Mujiao showed genuine concern for a few words, and at the end, she handed over a few brown pills: "Your Highness, these are called Baoji Pills. They are specially used to treat bloating, stomach pain, stomach acid, and other ailments. Here is another bottle. Take them three times a day with warm water after meals. You'll feel refreshed within a day."
It's a good thing that the girl he likes takes the initiative to care about him, but after swallowing those pills, Li Changyi felt uneasy—was the girl caring about him or teasing him?
Ask Sijiu. Sijiu is honest and simple-minded. He is over twenty years old but still a blockhead. He has no sense of reason and doesn't know anything. He only knows how to say, "Master, Doctor Zhou's smile is really handsome."
Isn't that utter nonsense? If she didn't look good when she smiled, would he still be obsessed with her, even after she got married?
It was only because of his relationship with Zhao Yunjing that Li Changyi hesitated to make a move. Zhao Yunjing represented the country, and Zhou Mujiao was also a beauty. He wanted to have both the country and the beauty, so he couldn't be greedy for momentary pleasure.
Zhou Mujiao is someone he should pursue gradually.
A bottle of Baoji Pills relieved Li Changyi's embarrassment, but the five acres of rice seedlings in Nanfeng Village were beyond saving. The families worked hard for several days but failed to save them; in fact, even the roots that were pulled up rotted.
The families panicked and packed their valuables to flee overnight, only to be caught in a roundup by the waiting officials. They were all taken back to the yamen to keep their "idiots" company.
"Those damned bastards! I'll kill them all! Two acres of land! All dead! Not a single tree left!" Hu Quan wailed at the entrance of the yamen. "I have no way to live! My whole family has no way to live! My poor family survived the natural disaster, but we can't escape the man-made disaster. We're going to starve to death!"
Liang Jincai also lost the seedlings of an acre of land. After calculating how much he had lost by harvest time, his face tightened, and he sat down, slapped the ground, and cried loudly. The other households standing nearby felt that their losses were less than expected, but the first two had already made a scene. If they didn't join in, the government might not provide any compensation.
Five or six grown men sat in the county government office, wailing and crying. This scene was truly rare. As soon as the crying started, a crowd gathered around them in no time. People pointed and whispered, and after learning the cause and effect, everyone was discussing it. But the main point was the same: would the government compensate the villagers whose farmland had been destroyed? If so, how much money would they give? If not, how would the government handle the aftermath?
The newly arrived magistrate was surnamed Nie and named Nie Shuang. Nie Shuang was dressed in plain clothes and entered the city with a few attendants. He saw this scene as soon as he arrived at the county government office. After watching for a while in the crowd without seeing anyone from the government office come out to deal with the situation, Nie Shuang stepped forward.
His attendant immediately grabbed him: "Sir, wait a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, a man and a woman walked out of the yamen. They were both good-looking and had an outstanding demeanor. Behind them were five or six young men in official robes.
It was Zhao Yunjing and Zhou Mujiao.
Upon seeing the two, Hu Quan was overjoyed, as if he had seen gods. He rushed forward and grabbed Zhao Yunjing's leg, crying, "Lord Zhao, please help me! Please save my whole family!"
"Stop howling, get up." Zhao Yunjing pulled Hu Quan up with a slight effort, and held Zhou Mujiao's hand with his other hand.
Zhou Mujiao said, "It's not the last moment yet. I think there's still a chance to save it."
It's rotten to the core, how could it possibly be saved?
Hu Quan and Liang Jincai wiped away their tears and followed the Zhao couple back to the village. After thinking for a moment, Lord Nie also followed.
How could Li Changyi miss such a spectacle? He was also particularly curious about how Zhao Yunjing had been rescued, so he followed along.
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