Chapter 64 Why I'm Angry
He was always thinking about strange things. Jiang Ru couldn't quite put her finger on it. She stared at him for a while and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Zhao Tuo continued, "I've heard that Miss Jiang is almost seventeen. Why don't you marry me and I'll take you back to the Southern Kingdom?"
Jiang Ru was doing well in Bianjing. She would only go to the South with Zhao Tuo if she was thinking something crazy. She kept smiling and said, "Young Master Zhao, you should find someone else."
Zhao Tuo is probably casting a wide net, hoping to catch as many as he can. He just ran into a wall with Song Shu not long ago, and now he's coming here to humiliate himself again.
Even after being rejected, he became increasingly convinced: "Miss Jiang had previously tried to obstruct me in every way, and even deliberately set a trap to invite me to dine together, which shows that Miss Jiang also had feelings for me."
Jiang Ru: "..." I should have known better than to eat those four crabs; Zhao Tuo has been nagging me about them ever since.
Jiang Ru thought that he must have lost his mind because Pei Wu had beaten him earlier, which was why he was talking nonsense.
Moreover, in the Great Xia Dynasty, marriage between men and women was arranged by their parents; no one could arrange their own marriage on their own.
Jiang Ru could hardly bear to look at him. She tried to reason with him, saying, "You probably don't understand the rules of our Great Xia. In our Great Xia, if you want to propose marriage, you have to get past the matchmaker first. Not only that, but both sets of parents have to be satisfied before you can propose. It's not like you, who just comes here with nothing but your mouth."
Zhao Tuo understood: "Then I'll send someone to visit another day. Your parents now..."
Jiang Ru: "My parents are gone."
With both parents gone, how could Zhao Tuo possibly mention it?
Zhao Tuo was also taken aback for a moment, then his gaze suddenly fixed, as if he had thought of something, and he hesitated before saying, "Your cousin..."
This gave Jiang Ru a clue, and she quickly said, "Yes, you should ask my cousin about this kind of thing."
If Zhao Tuo dares to go to Pei Wu, given Pei Wu's protective nature, Zhao Tuo will definitely suffer a terrible death.
Jiang Ru thought she was too smart. After saying that, she turned and ran away. But she ran too fast and her head bumped directly into a warm palm. She fell forward and thought she was going to fall, but luckily she smelled a faint fragrance on the person. So Jiang Ru hugged the person's waist without worry.
His waist and abdomen were very hard. Jiang Ru straightened up with the help of him, her hands still wrapped around Pei Wu's waist. She looked up blankly, but Pei Wu pulled away first, and Jiang Ru let go half a beat later.
This was indeed the time when Pei Wu was on duty, but Jiang Ru was still surprised: "Why are you here?"
Pei Wu didn't have time to stop Jiang Ru, so he could only hurriedly use his hand to stop her, but it wasn't very effective, and Jiang Ru still bumped into his arms.
Pei Wu looked down at her, his palm touching Jiang Ru's face. When Jiang Ru rushed over, she carried a rich fragrance, the face cream she used to use mixed with a fresh scent of spices.
The warm fragrance and soft jade made Pei Wu not have time to think much before he saw Zhao Tuo opposite him, and his expression also became serious.
This is the only way to the Prime Minister's residence. Pei Wu only heard part of it and barely understood Zhao Tuo's meaning. In just a few days, he stopped pursuing Song Shu and started pursuing Jiang Ru instead.
Pei Wu's first reaction was anger. Who was Zhao Tuo? How dare he block Jiang Ru's way? He stepped forward, blocking Jiang Ru's path, and asked coldly, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
Zhao Tuo then said, "It's perfect timing, Lord Pei, that you've arrived. I was just discussing marriage with Miss Jiang. We are mutually in love. Lord Pei, when would be a good time for me to propose?"
Pei Wu: "..."
He glanced at Jiang Ru behind him. Jiang Ru looked shocked and completely out of the loop. She blinked at Pei Wu blankly and shook her head frantically: "I didn't mean that! I never meant that! I don't like him at all!"
Although he knew it was impossible, Pei Wu was only somewhat relieved after receiving Jiang Ru's affirmation. He said coldly, "My sister and Your Highness are not suitable. Your Highness should give up on this idea."
After saying that, he ignored Zhao Tuo, turned around and said to Jiang Ru, "Let's go."
Jiang Ru quickly took a step forward, standing side by side with Pei Wu. Pei Wu was probably angry; his jaw was clenched, his expression was blank, and he exuded a chilling aura.
Jiang Ru had known all along that Pei Wu would definitely get angry, given his personality. Perhaps because someone was protecting him and she had even witnessed Pei Wu lose his temper, Jiang Ru felt comforted and said with a smile, "I knew you were going to get angry."
Pei Wu was naturally angry, as if his own cabbage had been stolen; his anger was beyond words.
But this anger came out of nowhere. He had always wanted to find a good husband for Jiang Ru, but now, after what happened with Zhao Tuo, he suddenly didn't want Jiang Ru to marry anyone anymore.
But why?
Pei Wu himself wasn't sure; he just felt a tightness in his chest and was rather unhappy, probably because he was angered by Zhao Tuo.
Pei Wu knew his anger had come suddenly. He didn't know if it was because Zhao Tuo had brought it up, but he put himself in Zhao Tuo's shoes and thought about what would happen if someone else had proposed to Jiang Ru...
He couldn't accept it either.
Pei Wu turned to look at Jiang Ru. Jiang Ru was no longer as wary and defensive as she had been when she first met Zhao Tuo. At this moment, she was humming a song softly, her steps light and cheerful.
Pei Wu, for some reason, asked Jiang Ru, "You're so happy that he proposed to you?"
Jiang Ru paused, looking at Pei Wu with a puzzled expression: "What are you thinking? How is this possible?"
She hates Zhao Tuo so much, how could she possibly be happy?
Pei Wu pursed his lips, unsure what to ask. Jiang Ru pouted, "Zhao Tuo's marriage proposal disgusts me. Would I be happy about it?"
Her disgust was practically overflowing. Pei Wu wanted to ask, "Then why are you so happy?"
He couldn't get an answer because Jiang Ru was drawn to something as she walked. She suddenly ran a few steps forward, abandoning Pei Wu, and walked to a stall belonging to a southern merchant.
This vendor was selling rice, the most ordinary kind of rice, which was only sold in Daxia. Clearly, he had come to the wrong place. Daxia had its own rice, so why would it settle for rice from the south? Therefore, his business was sluggish and he had no customers at all.
However, this rice looked different. It was likely indica rice, somewhat different from the rice grown in the Great Xia Dynasty. Moreover, the southern merchant had placed a few seedlings in a small basin. Jiang Ru stared at them for a while, then asked, "How much are these?"
When the vendor told her the price, Jiang Ru said, "I'll take them all."
She started buying rice for no apparent reason, and Pei Wu didn't notice anything amiss. He stood to the side, his mind a jumble of thoughts, unable to spare a moment to see what Jiang Ru was doing.
Pei Wu was dressed in official robes, making him stand out in the crowd. However, the merchants from the southern country did not recognize him and naturally did not notice anything amiss.
After buying the rice, Jiang Ru wanted to pay, but when she reached into her pocket, she realized she hadn't brought any money. She patted Pei Wu on the shoulder and said, "Pay."
Pei Wu was still in a daze, staring blankly at Jiang Ru after she patted him. Jiang Ru repeated, "Pay up."
Pei Wu glanced down at the rice in front of him, then at Jiang Ru. Although puzzled, he quickly paid her.
The southern merchants had been here for a long time, but they hadn't sold any rice. Finally, a big customer came. He was all smiles, took the money, and said some flattering things with a smile on his face.
There were several large bags of rice, not too many, not too few. Jiang Ru was at a loss when she saw the bags. The merchant, afraid that they would change their minds, quickly said, "I will take this rice back to you. I have a cart here."
As he spoke, he began to move the rice, diligently following behind Jiang Ru and the others.
Jiang Ru happened to have some questions as well, so she let him deliver them. On the way back, Jiang Ru struck up a conversation with the merchant: "Your rice was transported from the South, right?"
The vendor nodded repeatedly: "Yes, this is rice from our southern country. This rice is different from that of the Great Xia. This kind of rice is grown all over the southern country."
After a moment's thought, Jiang Ru asked Pei Wu, "Among the items presented by the envoy this time, was there any rice?"
Pei Wu was lost in thought and did not answer her.
Jiang Ru, unable to bear it any longer, reached out and pushed his arm: "What are you thinking about? I'm asking you a question."
Pei Wu was once again forcibly pulled from his thoughts by Jiang Ru. He stared blankly at her, looking utterly innocent.
Jiang Ru could tell at a glance that he hadn't listened to her at all, so she could only patiently repeat herself: "I'm asking you, did the envoys present rice as tribute during their trip to the capital?"
Pei Wu had a good memory; he remembered the long list of tributes from the Southern Kingdom's envoys very clearly, so he nodded and said, "Liaocheng rice, one hundred shi."
The merchants overheard their conversation and roughly guessed Pei Wu's identity. They quickly said, "Young lady, this rice cannot be returned."
Jiang Ru knew, of course, that she couldn't return it, but she still had something she wanted to ask the vendor. Pointing to the rice on the cart, she said, "This rice is Liaocheng rice."
The vendor had nothing to hide, so he nodded: "The rice we grow in the south is all Liaocheng rice."
Jiang Ru thought for a moment, then reached out to Pei Wu. Pei Wu was confused, so she stepped forward, put her hand on Pei Wu's waist, and directly untied Pei Wu's money pouch.
Pei Wu stood frozen, wanting to move but daring not to, and could only let her do as she pleased.
Jiang Ru took Pei Wu's money pouch, handed some copper coins to the merchant, and said, "I have something to ask you."
The vendor was naturally delighted to receive the money and quickly said, "Please tell me, young lady."
Jiang Ru thought for a moment: "Does your southern country have very little rainfall and often experience droughts?"
Speaking of this, the vendor sighed and said, "It's amazing that you even know this, young lady. We in the South have little rain and often suffer from drought, so life is really tough."
Then he went on and on about all his grievances.
Jiang Ru had a pretty good idea of what was going on, and since she had just arrived at her doorstep, she asked the vendor to help them put the rice on the ground.
Jiang Ru opened each bag of rice and looked at it. Yes, it was confirmed without a doubt. She was a little excited and looked up at Pei Wu: "Pei Wu, perhaps this rice is very useful."
Pei Wu glanced at the rice, unable to discern any difference, but he was happy because Jiang Ru was happy. However, he only then realized that Jiang Ru had bought so much grain and asked in confusion, "Why did you buy so much rice?"
Jiang Ru said, "I bought it to grow."
Pei Wu: "Are you going to farm again?"
If Jiang Ru goes back to farming, he probably won't be able to help her, because he has to take up his post now and can only help her on his days off.
Jiang Ru shook her head: "It's not me planting it, it's everyone planting it."
Pei Wu didn't understand. In fact, ever since Zhao Tuo's sudden "marriage proposal" today, he had been out of sorts, sometimes thinking about who Jiang Ru should marry, and sometimes getting angry at himself.
He felt that no one was good enough for Jiang Ru, and he would get angry whenever anyone approached her. The thought that Jiang Ru might marry someone else fueled his rage.
This was a very strange idea, and Pei Wu knew that something was wrong with him, so he needed time to sort out his thoughts.
He looked at Jiang Ru with a calm gaze, his dark eyes seeming to be brewing something, but he quickly suppressed it.
Jiang Ru finished inspecting her rice with satisfaction and was about to stand up to call for help to lift it when Pei Wu suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
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