Zhang You rested at Mrs. Xue's house for three days. The Xue couple were very welcoming and Zhang You had no way to repay them, so he stayed temporarily to help them with work and earn some money.
When she was better, she went with them to town early one morning.
It was almost summer, and there were still many flowers and plants growing by the river near Xuejia Village. Zhang You picked some and made rouge, which she took to the town to sell.
The town is some distance away from Xuejia Village, but it is much more lively and prosperous than Xuejia Village. The Xue couple came to the town to do some shopping. After entering the town, they separated temporarily. They agreed to meet at the gate of the West Market at noon.
Zhang You carried the rouge in the basket and sold it everywhere. Because the rouge was cheap and bright in color, it attracted many women and young women to buy it. Zhang You quickly sold it all out.
Zhang You weighed the heavy purse in his hand and felt a little funny.
Surprisingly, one day, she would destroy her own stall - there was a rouge shop in the town, which sold the rouge styles she had made for Qiao Er before. However, the price was a bit expensive for ordinary women, which allowed Zhang You to take advantage of the opportunity and make a small profit.
After making some money and seeing that it was still early, Zhang You asked around and found out which restaurant was the busiest in town, and went in to get some information.
A middle-aged storyteller was sitting in the lobby on the first floor, enthusiastically recounting the wonders of the capital. Zhang You casually found a seat, poured herself a cup of tea, and listened as he continued, "Speaking of this young Prime Minister, he's truly a young talent, incredibly gifted. To have reached such a high position at such a young age, his future is limitless!"
"Hey? Then tell me more about the new Prime Minister's past. How come I haven't heard of such a powerful figure before?"
"Alas, sir, that's not the way to say it. Those figures in the capital are full of romantic affairs. Previously, there was the arrogant Princess Xianyu, and later, there was the former Crown Prince and Prince Han's jealous rivalry over a woman. Naturally, these figures aren't as lively and eye-catching as theirs. But this guy, you should all have heard of him. He's the exceptionally talented and handsome number one scholar from a few years ago!"
It is said that he is the eldest son of the Wei family, whose given name is simply "Nian". He has been a brilliant man since childhood, and he is the best in all six arts: ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics!"
"Wow! There are such geniuses in this world!"
"No wonder he could become the Prime Minister at such a young age? He's so amazing!"
"But I heard that he offended the emperor some time ago and was banished. How could he still be promoted to the position of Prime Minister?"
"No, no, sir, please listen to my story!
After passing the imperial examination, he was highly valued by the emperor and received successive promotions within three years. It's no exaggeration to say his career has been smooth sailing. However, last year's battle with Chiyan, rumor has it, implicated high officials, so the emperor secretly sent him to investigate, leading to the exile you heard about.
"So... this was a setup between the Emperor and him? Could it be that Prime Minister Xu's downfall and confiscation of his property were their doing?"
"Good!" The storyteller stroked his short beard with a smile, and looked happily at the group of people in the audience who were attracted by his words.
Zhang You remained expressionless, but sneered in his heart.
Oh.
Can the dog emperor have this awareness?
How is that possible?
Every day he was either suspicious that someone was going to betray him or worried that someone was going to kill him. He condoned treacherous officials and persecuted loyal officials, wishing that everyone in the court would praise him.
Could he set up a scheme with Wei Nian?
That's ridiculous.
Rumors are indeed rumors.
I can't believe it at all.
But Xu Zhicheng had actually fallen? Wei Nian had returned to Beijing and taken over everything Xu Zhicheng had done, which would have likely led to a reshuffle of the court. However, based on this information alone, it was impossible to tell whether Qiao Si and the others were safe...
"Mr. Ye! You only talked about his official career, but what about his private life? A man of his brilliance must have many admirers among the ladies, right? Are there any interesting stories about his romantic life?"
"Hahaha! Cheng Lao Er! You're here again! You really can't forget those things about Yingying and Yanyan!"
"What do you care about me! Come on! Mr. Ye! Tell me quickly!" As he said that, the man threw a piece of silver onto Mr. Ye's table.
Zhang You's eyes lit up.
Tsk!
So rich!
If it weren't for my identity that prevents me from speaking out, I could also make a fortune from these gossips!
Zhang You was heartbroken and jealous.
Mr. Ye quickly grabbed the silver coin, stuffed it into his arms with a grin, and then said with a smile, "Oh? Don't tell me! This young Prime Minister really doesn't have a single romantic partner, hahahaha."
"Hey! Old man Ye! Don't try to trick me out of my money! If you don't know, just say you don't know. How can you lie to me and say there's nothing? I don't believe there's a man in this world who doesn't like beautiful women! Has he become stupid from reading too much?"
"What are you talking about? What don't I know? But this Prime Minister really doesn't have any romantic affairs. People say that he is a man of integrity, but..." Mr. Ye changed the subject and slowly swept his eyes over everyone present, whetting their appetite. Even Zhang You was attracted by his words and stared at him without blinking.
"Ouch! Stop keeping me in suspense! Tell me now!"
"According to my friend in the capital, this Prime Minister once had a childhood sweetheart. He was deeply in love with her, but unfortunately, she eventually married someone else. He then sealed his heart and locked away his love, no longer coveting worldly love."
!!!
This this this this this!
Zhang You was shocked.
Where did this rumor come from? It actually spread out and it’s really true!
"Didn't you say he has no romantic interests? Then what about this childhood sweetheart? Is there anyone in the capital who is worthy of such a person?" A woman retorted unconvincedly.
Perhaps she was amazed by the storyteller's description of Wei Nian, and she had become a die-hard fan of Wei Nian, believing that such a banished immortal should be alone.
"This girl doesn't know something. I heard that the person that the top scholar wanted but couldn't get was the former Prince Qiao's beloved daughter, Princess Dingjia."
Wow!
It turned out to be Qiao Si!
"Is it Prince Qiao who guarded the border of Dingzhou? That's really sad. I heard that when they were in Dingzhou, their family was ambushed by assassins from the north. Many died, many were injured, and in the end only Prince Qiao and his three children were left. Later, even his only son died on the battlefield, and he was eventually killed by corrupt officials. The Qiao family, alas, is really pitiful."
"Now that you mention it, I remember a little bit. In the legendary love story between the crown prince and the prince, wasn't Princess Dingjia one of them? But didn't she finally marry Prince Han as she wished? I heard that she was deeply in love with him and pursued him for a long time. So how did she get involved with this prime minister?"
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