Chapter 56 Erlang Wants to Marry Me
The human heart is the most difficult thing to fathom.
Unable to make a judgment, Prince Duan looked at Chao Li.
As the person involved, you should be able to sense a man's attitude towards a woman.
"Chao Li, what do you think? Is he truly sincere towards you?"
Chao Li couldn't figure it out either. "Second brother, what do you think?"
The problem ultimately came back to Zhou Chuanxing.
Zhou Chuanxing couldn't quite figure out Wei Minzhao's personality either.
"Observe for a while and see. No matter who he's on his side, there will be a result eventually."
He then asked his own little girl, "Which one do you prefer?"
Tang Xinuan analyzed carefully and answered seriously: "Does Wei Minzhao have a bad relationship with his father?"
Zhou Chuanxing is not often in Beijing and does not know much about this.
Prince Duan replied, “The Wei family has three legitimate sons and two illegitimate sons. The title will definitely go to the legitimate sons. Moreover, Wei Minzhao’s birth mother is not favored, so the title will never be his. If he wants to stand out, he can only work hard on his own. Just like when he was imprisoned, as long as the Duke of Wei is willing to step in, my second brother will have to give him some face.”
But the Duke of Wei was unwilling to even ask someone to intercede on his behalf, let alone do so himself.
If Wei Minzhao were any smarter, he wouldn't tie his future to the Duke's mansion again.
Tang Xinuan has thought about many things today, and she even tricked Prince Rui out of 500,000 taels of silver.
I'm exhausted today and don't want to think about anything.
"Erlang, I can't think of that. Anyway, it's always right to treat people with sincerity. That's what the books say."
Zhou Chuanxing said helplessly, "You're so slippery. Alright, go have fun."
Tang Xinuan skipped and hopped back to the inner courtyard with Xiaoqian.
Chao Lixin had a question: "Second brother, when did you get together with Miss Tang? Prince Chu has turned the entire capital upside down. Is this appropriate?"
Zhou Chuanxing said without hesitation, "Miss Tang will be your second sister-in-law from now on. She is different from ordinary people. Take good care of her, and your second brother will be grateful to you."
Chao Li understood what this care meant.
The Empress would never agree to her second brother marrying a girl from the Tang family. This matter must be handled properly before her second brother's throne is secured.
"Second brother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Having a simple-minded sister-in-law is always easier to get along with than marrying one who is full of bad intentions.
Chao Li could still distinguish between what was important and what was not.
However, I was still worried about my second brother. "What about Miss Wang from the Grand Tutor's family? And Miss Tang's family... I'm afraid they can't help you much."
Zhou Chuanxing understood his sister's concerns. "Who says she can't help me? Sun Qingzhao was recommended by her, and so is Yao Lin. Although she didn't directly recommend him, I wouldn't have paid attention to Caiyuelou's competition without her."
"Whose fault was it that your fourth brother was so angry today?"
Chao Li understood that helping her second brother didn't necessarily require her family to be powerful; intelligence and talent were also a helpful asset.
Furthermore, my second brother is the regent, and he can take two concubines; he can get as much help as he wants.
Although Prince Rui left the Regent's Palace, he was both unwilling and angry.
He arrived at the place he had arranged to meet Wei Minzhao and waited there.
About an incense stick later, the two met.
"Wei Minzhao, you'd better find a way to appease me, otherwise my second brother won't let you off the hook, and neither will I."
Wei Minzhao's eyes were deep, and he said with humility and respect but also a hint of anger: "The Regent has gone too far. I will make him pay the price sooner or later."
Prince Rui liked his ruthless pursuit of revenge. "We have the same goal. Now tell me what to do."
Wei Minzhao asked him, "Prince Rui, do you know why I was imprisoned?"
Prince Rui overheard a bit of it, "It seems to be because of his male favorite."
Wei Minzhao gritted her teeth and said, "Hanxi is his male concubine. I only had a few words with him, and he locked me up in prison and tortured me. If it weren't for Princess Chaoli, I would have gone crazy in there."
Prince Rui felt great sympathy for Wei Minzhao. "My second brother has always been cruel and ruthless. I'm really worried about what will happen to the Great Zhou Dynasty if the divine artifact falls into his hands one day!"
Wei Minzhao continued through gritted teeth, "Therefore, the Great Zhou Dynasty absolutely cannot fall into his hands."
Prince Rui was secretly delighted. "You have a plan?"
Wei Minzhao had naturally come up with a foolproof plan. "Your Highness, 500,000 taels of silver is a small matter for you. Talent is the big deal. Let's find a way to win over Hanxi. The Regent likes him, and that would be like cutting off his supply line from the ground."
If Han Xi were to aim her sword at the Regent again, what chance would he have of survival?
Prince Rui liked the plan, but asked, "How exactly will it be implemented?"
Wei Minzhao told Prince Rui the method he had prepared.
"Your Highness, the Grand Tutor plans to marry his daughter to you. The Grand Tutor's daughter is arrogant, domineering, and most importantly, brainless. If we make good use of her, we won't have to worry about anything."
Prince Rui was still confused. "How can we utilize it?"
Wei Minzhao: "First, we need to find a way to arrange the marriage. Miss Wang will definitely not tolerate the Regent keeping a male concubine. She will naturally force Hanxi to leave. Where can Hanxi go then? It will be right here with Your Highness."
Prince Rui was delighted, "That was a brilliant move!"
Wei Minzhao had an even more brilliant idea: "Your Highness, Miss Wang is a fool. Her subordinates have another method, which is rather insidious."
Prince Rui was not afraid of underhanded tactics. "Go ahead," he said.
Wei Minzhao: "As long as you and Miss Wang reach an agreement, Miss Wang can bring your child and marry into the Regent's Palace. Even if the Regent becomes the Emperor in the future, won't the Crown Prince still be your son?"
Prince Rui: "..."
Wasn't Wei Minzhao's father a military general? How come Wei Minzhao would know such underhanded and despicable schemes? But he liked them.
Wei Minzhao, unaware of Prince Rui's intentions, hurriedly knelt down, "It was my fault for giving Your Highness such a bad idea. Your Highness, please pretend you didn't hear it. I'll take my leave."
Prince Rui naturally wouldn't agree verbally.
But that doesn't stop him from taking action.
He'll let his second brother raise his son; whoever inherits the Great Zhou dynasty in the future, he won't lose out.
...
Tang Xinuan has become fascinated with the scenery of the outdoors these past two days.
I've had enough of the city, so I want to take a walk in the suburbs.
Having swindled Prince Rui out of 500,000 taels of silver, she stayed obediently in the mansion for three days without hearing any news. She then planned to take Xiaoqian, Zisu, and Lianqiao outside the city.
For years she had been confined to the Marquis's mansion, completely isolated from the outside world, and she longed to see what ordinary people's lives were like.
Xiaoqian was a little worried. "Miss, you just offended Prince Rui. You should behave yourself for a few days."
Lianqiao loves excitement; if she stays cooped up any longer, she'll grow mold.
"What's there to be afraid of? With my sister and me here, what can Prince Rui do to the girl?"
Xiaoqian said speechlessly, "If you instigate the young lady and something happens, you'll be responsible."
Lian Qiao wasn't afraid at all. "I'll take responsibility, Miss Tang. Please go out. My sister and I will protect you."
Tang Xinuan readily complied, changed into men's clothing, and rode in a carriage with the three of them from the Prince's mansion, slowly making her way to the outskirts of the city through the east gate.
Once outside the capital, the fields stretch as far as the eye can see, a lush green expanse that is incredibly refreshing.
A few red, blue, and yellow wildflowers and grasses dot the scene, making it so beautiful that words cannot describe it.
"Is this the crop the farmers grow?" Tang Xinuan was in a great mood, lifting the curtain to stare at the plants in the distance.
Zisu was knowledgeable; she knew all the crops commonly grown in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Yes, this area is millet, that area is sorghum, and that area in the distance is wheat."
Tang Xinuan is well-read. Although she can't recognize the plants, she has learned about them from books.
"Wheat is the white flour we usually eat."
Xiaoqian didn't understand: "But this wheat looks like it's in individual ears, how can it be made into flour?"
Tang Xinuan has fair skin that is so delicate it looks like it could be broken with a touch.
At this moment, her little face was beaming with a very proud smile as she explained to Xiaoqian little by little: "After the wheat ripens, it needs to be harvested. Inside the wheat ear are individual grains of wheat. After the grains are threshed, they are ground. The resulting products are refined white flour and coarse wheat bran. Wealthy families eat white flour, like the royal palaces and the mansions of marquises. Poor families can't bear to throw away the wheat bran, so they eat it all."
She turned to Zisu and asked, "Am I right?"
Even Zisu, a girl who had done farm work, wasn't as observant as Tang Xinuan.
“The girl is right, that’s exactly it.”
Xiaoqian sincerely praised, "Our daughter is really amazing; she knows so much without even leaving the house."
Tang Xinuan said happily, "I can read! It's all in the books."
Xiaoqian was a little annoyed, "It's a pity I can't read, otherwise I would have studied with Miss."
Tang Xinuan bluntly exposed her: "When I was little, you said it was easier to do laundry than to write."
What could Xiaoqian say? "This servant is destined to work."
As the carriage traveled further and further away, it suddenly saw someone in the field mending something with a net.
Tang Xinuan was curious and ordered Lianqiao to stop the carriage so she could go over and take a closer look.
Several people were catching the blazing insects.
Tang Xinuan didn't recognize the Huangchong and asked curiously, "Uncle, what are you doing?"
A dark-skinned man in his forties saw several young people dressed in luxurious clothes, all of whom were rich and powerful and knew nothing of the hardships of ordinary people. Out of politeness, he casually replied, "They're catching grasshoppers."
He wore a straw hat and a blue long robe with one corner tucked into his belt.
After answering, he continued catching his grasshoppers.
Tang Xinuan was not good at reading between the lines, so she naturally did not know that his expression was one of impatience.
I asked the man with the net, "Uncle, could you lend me your net? I'd like to catch a couple too."
The man refused, saying, "I'm busy."
Tang Xinuan gestured to Xiaoqian, who understood and took out a few copper coins from her pocket. "Here, lend us your net bag."
Although the uncle was reluctant, he still handed over the net to them.
However, he didn't take the copper coin. Instead, he went back to the field, squatted down, fiddled with it for a while, and made a net bag.
Noticing Lian Qiao staring at him, he handed her the net, saying, "Here, you don't have to pay if you catch a hundred."
We were far away and no one noticed, but now that we're walking, we've disturbed the crops, and grasshoppers are popping and splattering all over the ground.
Zisu exclaimed in surprise, "How come there are so many?"
The uncle said with a sigh, "We're still short. I've been leading the villagers to catch them for three days now. I heard that the crops in the neighboring villages are almost all gone."
Tang Xinuan was chasing a grasshopper when she caught up with the old man. "The crops have all been eaten, what will the farmers eat?"
The uncle sighed: "What will we eat? If there's surplus food, we'll eat it; if there isn't, we'll go hungry."
Tang Xinuan frowned: "But there are so many grasshoppers, we can't just catch them all."
While they were talking, several grasshoppers pounced on Tang Xinuan's head, messing up her hair and tickling her face. Her playful mood vanished, replaced by annoyance.
The uncle's ancestors had made great contributions in destroying Huang, and the clan still displays the award.
The uncle had read about it in a book and knew several ways to destroy Huang.
However, he was of low status and his family had fallen into ruin, so no one would believe him if he spoke out.
This land belongs to their village, and he comes here every day to catch the locusts as they pass through these days.
When asked, the uncle couldn't resist sharing his story, and he talked at length to Tang Xinuan about the harm caused by locusts and his ancestors' achievements in controlling them.
He concluded with a sigh, "These methods require the cooperation of both the government and the people; they cannot be eradicated if only one or two families use them."
For example, to prevent this, the land should be turned over after the autumn harvest to freeze and dry the locust eggs, thus eliminating the locust plague at its source.
Tang Xinuan thought it made sense and asked, "Do you still have any books on locust control at home?"
The uncle nodded: "Yes, it's kept in the ancestral hall."
Without hesitation, Tang Xinuan said, "Then give it to me."
How could the uncle possibly give away something so important?
Zisu rushed over to explain, "Someone in my family is an official in the imperial court. They want to present this book to the court so that the court can lead all the people in disaster relief. Uncle, this is a great act of kindness and virtue. Once the locust plague is eliminated, all the people will be grateful to you."
The older man still refused.
Tang Xinuan suggested, "Then can I borrow it for a bit, and I'll copy it down, okay?"
The man hesitated.
Xiaoqian took out ten taels of silver from her purse. "Uncle, my young master likes this. He really wants to do something for the people. What do you think of this..."
The uncle finally agreed, considering the money involved.
"Okay, come with me."
The uncle led a few people to the village ancestral hall, where books on tackling locust plagues were indeed placed on the offering table.
The books are old and worn, and some parts have been gnawed by rats.
The methods recorded were all complete.
Tang Xinuan sat at her simple desk and copied down the words one by one.
...
This morning, Zhou Chuanxing was bothered by a troubling memorial at court.
Locust plagues have occurred in many areas, causing devastating damage to vast tracts of crops, and some places are destined to have no harvest at all.
If there is no effective solution and the locust plague is allowed to continue, not only will tax revenue be lost, but all the people will have to go hungry during the New Year.
Zhou Chuanxing berated each of the six ministers in turn, but none of them could come up with a solution.
He was so angry that he flung his sleeves and left the court, returning instead to his small, diligent hall.
Before leaving, he pointed at the court officials and yelled, "I'm giving you three days. If you still can't come up with a solution, go to the fields and catch them all."
Zhou Chuanxing sat in his study for an hour reviewing memorials, but he couldn't help feeling that the Prince's mansion was strangely quiet today.
"Miss Tang is not here?"
Noticing Zhou Chuanxing's pale face, Eunuch Wei carefully replied, "He's not here. He took Xiaoqian, Zisu, and Lianqiao out of the city."
Zhou Chuanxing sighed helplessly; she, on the other hand, seemed quite relaxed.
This mess of government affairs will keep us busy for ages.
When will I be able to find the time to chat and take a walk with the girl I like?
I barely ate any lunch, and then dealt with several important matters in the afternoon.
Some time ago, the Left Prime Minister was sent to Jiangnan to investigate a corruption case. The local magistrate rebelled, and the Left Prime Minister was injured. He then mobilized the local garrison and executed more than two thousand rebels.
Zhou Chuanxing felt something was wrong the more he thought about it.
If Jiangnan weren't so far away, he would definitely go there to investigate in person.
“Second brother, putting everything else aside, I know the local magistrate. His grandmother lives in the capital. How could he possibly be plotting a rebellion?” Prince Duan also did not believe the rebellion was true.
Zhou Chuanxing pondered for a moment: "Send another imperial envoy."
Prince Duan asked instinctively, "Who would be suitable to send?"
Having no suitable candidate, Zhou Chuanxing hesitated and said, "Summon the Crown Prince of Chu. I see he's very idle every day."
Seeing that Prince Duan was about to leave, he added, "I'll give him a secret decree, instructing him to go directly and conduct a secret investigation without alerting the local authorities. Once he has found out the truth, he should return and report back to me."
Prince Duan understood Zhou Chuanxing's meaning.
The embezzlement case initially resulted in the deaths of over a dozen people. After the Left Chancellor visited the area, the embezzlement case was escalated into a treason case, leading to the deaths of over two thousand more.
The waters of Jiangnan are deep; without capable people, I fear I will never see the truth.
"Second brother, I understand."
Zhou Chuanxing was still worried. "Tell Prince Chu to think carefully before making any decisions. The honor and disgrace of the Marquis's mansion are in his hands."
In the evening, Tang Xinuan, who had been out all day, finally returned.
Seeing her disheveled appearance, Zhou Chuanxing couldn't help but tease, "Is it that nice outside? You haven't seen anyone all day?"
Tang Xinuan walked up to him with her hands behind her back, her steps slow and deliberate, her words playful and lively.
"Erlang, what's troubling you the most right now?"
Zhou Chuanxing did indeed have many worries.
The most worrying thing is, of course, the locust plague.
The locust plague swept through, leaving no survivors. If it is not controlled soon, the people will not survive this winter.
"Recently, a locust plague has been rampant, and none of the officials in the court can do anything about it."
Tang Xinuan took out the locust control methods she had copied down today from behind her back and waved them in front of Zhou Chuanxing. "Erlang, guess what this is?"
Zhou Chuanxing was overjoyed, yet found it hard to believe.
He received a report this morning that the young girl was not at home, which conveniently provided him with the disaster relief plan he needed.
Tang Xinuan noticed that his smile only lasted a moment before it faded.
Although she wasn't good at reading people's expressions, she could tell that Zhou Chuanxing was unhappy.
Having spent so much time together, they must have a mutual understanding.
She unfolded the cover and showed him the words on it.
"Erlang, look what this is."
Locust plague relief measures.
Zhou Chuanxing couldn't contain his excitement and snatched it over to open it.
Everything, from the eggs to the adult insects, including their capture and control, is written down clearly.
Someone hands you a pillow when you're sleepy, a miracle doctor appears immediately when you're injured, and a glimmer of hope appears in the darkest of times...
Zhou Chuanxing couldn't describe his feelings at that moment.
Unable to contain his joy, he grasped the little girl's hands and exclaimed, "You are truly my lucky star."
Tang Xinuan was overjoyed to be able to help Zhou Chuanxing. Now she had also learned to be humble. "I was just wandering around and met an uncle catching grasshoppers. It just so happened that one of his ancestors had made meritorious contributions in controlling locust plagues. I originally wanted his original copy, but he couldn't bear to part with it, so I copied it down for him."
I didn't expect it would actually help you.
She had already heard Eunuch Wei mention Erlang's worries when she entered the manor.
"Erlang, I'm so happy as long as I can help you."
Zhou Chuanxing took her soft, delicate hand and kissed it, noticing the calluses on her little finger and feeling heartbroken.
"How can I thank you enough? How about... I repay you with my body?"
Tang Xinuan knew what it meant to repay someone with one's body. "Usually, a woman dedicates all her emotions and body to the man she loves. Erlang, are you going to give me all your emotions and body?"
Zhou Chuanxing took her hands and placed them on his chest. "Do you want them?"
“I want to,” Tang Xinuan said without hesitation, “but without the consent of our parents and the words of a matchmaker, our marriage will not be recognized, and we will still not have a formal status.”
She's been reading a lot lately, and has specifically studied how to give people a proper status.
Zhou Chuanxing couldn't wait to marry her right now.
But the two of them are pitiful; neither of them has parents anymore.
They were in the same boat, both having an older brother.
However, the little girl's brother is a death row inmate and cannot be brought to light.
His brother lay in bed looking like a living dead.
Their gazes fell on Eunuch Wei standing at the door.
Wei Gonggong served his father for decades, and after his father passed away, he served his mother for more than ten years.
It can be said that Wei Gonggong deserves great credit for the fact that he and his siblings were able to grow up healthy and strong.
“Nuan Nuan, if you don’t have parents, we’ll just adopt one.”
He got up, pulled Eunuch Wei into the room, and sat him on the royal chair.
Then he pulled Tang Xinuan down to kneel down with him.
“Eunuch Wei, from today onwards, you will be the godfather of me and Nuannuan.”
Eunuch Wei was terrified and jumped up from his chair in a hurry.
He waved his hands like a rattle drum, saying, "This is unacceptable, this is unacceptable. How can this old servant be the prince's godfather?"
Zhou Chuanxing pressed the person down again, "Godfather, please help us out since Nuannuan and I are both orphans. Nuannuan and I will definitely take care of you until you die."
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