Chapter 73 (The last part, "ingratiating")
Pei Wu was confused and did something wrong, which angered Jiang Ru.
After Pei Wu walked over, Jiang Ru leaned to the side, her body resisting him. Pei Wu hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I'm sorry."
Jiang Ru ignored him.
Pei Wu lowered his gaze and said nothing more.
After finishing a tasteless meal, Jiang Ru didn't even glance at Pei Wu, her actions and words effectively keeping him at arm's length.
Pei Wu didn't want to make a fool of himself. Since Jiang Ru ignored him, he didn't go up to provoke her.
That evening, Xiao Zhu knocked on Jiang Ru's door. It was already dark when she said that Pei Wu had personally gone out to buy her roast duck. He said that he had bought it to make amends because he was worried that Jiang Ru hadn't eaten much that evening and was afraid she would be hungry.
Jiang Ru glanced outside and said irritably, "Why didn't he come to apologize in person?"
The shadows of the trees outside seemed to shimmer in the wind, the lamplight flickered, and the roast duck smelled delicious. Jiang Ru had indeed been so angry with Pei Wu that evening that she hadn't eaten much and was quite hungry when Pei Wu brought her food.
Xiao Zhu untied the paper bag, and the fragrance became even stronger. It wasn't far from the night market, and Pei Wu was surprisingly energetic.
Jiang Ru sniffed and called out to the door, "Eating roast duck tonight? Do you want me to get so fat?"
There's no reason for her to be fat. Jiang Ru doesn't eat much and is very active. Pei Wu accidentally touched her waist today, and it was so thin that he could feel her spine.
I don't know if Pei Wu heard it, but the roast duck smelled very good. The wind outside seemed to have stopped blowing, and the shadows of the trees were still.
Jiang Ru called out again, "Stop eavesdropping outside the door, I saw your shadow."
Pei Wu was clearly eavesdropping outside the house.
Seeing the shadow dodge to the side as if trying to hide something, Jiang Ru rolled her eyes in annoyance: "If you keep dodging, I'll really get angry."
A few moments later, there were indeed a few knocks on the door.
Xiao Zhu was very surprised and rushed to open the door. When she saw Pei Wu arrive, she left Jiang Ru's room without hesitation.
Jiang Ru held up the roast duck in her hand: "What does this mean?"
Pei Wu said in a low voice, "You're not fat."
Jiang Ru knew, of course, that she wasn't fat. Before she could even speak, Pei Wu added, "If you don't like this, I'll go buy another one."
As he was about to leave, Jiang Ru quickly called out to him, "Come back."
The roast duck was still in Jiang Ru's hand. Jiang Ru broke off a piece and ate two bites in front of Pei Wu. Pei Wu looked at her, and Jiang Ru looked up at Pei Wu as well: "It's a bit greasy. You should eat some too."
Pei Wu didn't move, but simply said, "You eat first."
Even though Jiang Ru has a big appetite, it would be difficult for her to finish a whole roast duck in one go. She impatiently handed over some more: "It's like I'm mistreating you. Hurry up."
Pei Wu had no choice but to reach out, and the two of them sat down at the table and finished a whole roasted duck. Jiang Ru hadn't eaten much tonight, and neither had Pei Wu; their stomachs were equally empty.
After finishing the roast duck, Jiang Ru poured herself two cups of tea. Now she was truly full, with no room left in her stomach. After drinking the tea, she continued her accusations: "You know you were wrong, right?"
Pei Wu nodded.
Jiang Ru emphasized, "You can't make decisions on your own anymore. I don't like it at all."
Pei Wu nodded hesitantly.
He still had questions: Jiang Ru doesn't seem to like anyone, what will happen in the future?
Then he thought that if Jiang Ru didn't get married, and he didn't get married either, then they could live like this for the rest of their lives, and he could continue to treat her well as her cousin.
However, this was different from what normal people thought. Pei Wu felt it was somewhat selfish, only caring about himself and not Jiang Ru's thoughts. Just as Pei Wu was about to speak, Jiang Ru sharply raised her eyes and glared at him: "Don't ask. At worst, I'll shave my head and become a nun."
Pei Wu dared not ask any more questions; he was truly afraid that Jiang Ru would announce her intention to become a nun first thing tomorrow morning.
Jiang Ru was satisfied as long as Pei Wu stopped having such thoughts. She had eaten too much tonight, and after seeing Pei Wu off, Jiang Ru rinsed her mouth and washed her hands again before finally lying in bed again.
Everything that happened today left her emotionally shaken. Now that the dust had settled, she felt she had been too easy to appease. Pei Wu had made such a serious mistake, and she had only given him a beating; she had been far too lenient with him.
Jiang Ru decided to postpone making Pei Wu's sachet for a few days.
She delayed giving him the sachet for several days. Pei Wu, seeing that she had no intention of doing it, assumed that she was still angry with him. He couldn't wait any longer and subtly asked Jiang Ru when she would give him the sachet.
Jiang Ru regretted that she had torn the sachet herself, and now she had to make it again for Pei Wu. She wished she hadn't torn it in the first place, so that she wouldn't have wasted her time and have to make one again.
What's said can't be taken back, so Jiang Ru could only make another one for Pei Wu, still in light green embroidered with bamboo leaves, exceptionally elegant.
Pei Wu put it on that very day, hanging it around his waist, and it swayed as he walked.
At the matchmaking banquet meticulously prepared by Lord Song and Lord Pei, neither Jiang Ru nor Song Shu took a liking to either of them. However, the young ladies and gentlemen from the other families took a liking to each other and were extremely satisfied with one another, quickly moving on to the process of proposing marriage.
Lord Song was greatly discouraged. Seeing that none of the eligible young men in the capital had a chance with Song Shu, he set his sights on Pei Wu. He spoke in a grand and respectable manner, saying that Jiang Ru and Song Shu were good sisters and would become family in the future, so they could often be together.
Pei Wu politely declined, saying that he wanted to spend his life with his cousin.
Watching the departing figure, Song Pingzhang angrily said, "Then why don't you marry your cousin! That way you can live a lifetime together!"
The younger generation was disobedient, and Song Pingzhang sighed, turning his grief and indignation into motivation to continue opposing the Chen faction.
Since Chen Ming left the Chen faction, the situation in the court has become delicate. The Su faction is indifferent to everything and just sits idly by, so it can be left alone for now. Only the Chen faction continues to confront Song Pingzhang.
Both sides impeached each other, each wanting to kill the other, yet neither could bring down the other.
Amidst such undercurrents, Jiang Ru is tending to her small plot of land.
Liaocheng rice is very adaptable, and she hired people to plant the remaining Liaocheng rice outside the city. Fortunately, Pei Wu had a lot of land in his salary, and the wages for hiring a few farmers were not too expensive, at least Jiang Ru and Pei Wu could afford it.
Pei Wu had been tasked with planting rice in Liaocheng for some time, so he would often come over and go outside the city with Jiang Ru, spending more time together.
Sometimes, Pei Wu would take notes while Jiang Ru did the same. Their notes took different directions and had different focuses, and they would also record points that the other might have overlooked. Later, when they combined their notes and organized them, they could basically be used.
The two leaned against each other. It had been a long time since they had experienced something like this. Jiang Ru said nostalgically, "I feel like I've returned to Muxi Village."
Back then, there wasn't so much scheming and backstabbing. Although life was tough, the two of them were very happy, experiencing the purest kind of happiness without any worries.
Just stay in your own little corner of the world and make a living is good enough.
After three months, the Liaocheng rice is finally ready for harvest. The rice in the back garden is golden yellow, with a fresh fragrance of rice filling the air. The grains are plump and the ears are full.
Pei Wu was unable to harvest the rice planted in Muxi Village, but now he can finally personally reap the harvest of the rice planted in the imperial palace's rear garden.
Liaocheng rice has many advantages over the rice currently grown in Daxia, such as drought resistance, early maturity, and long panicles. If it is invested in on a large scale, it may be able to alleviate many disasters in the future.
Although it cannot completely cure the root cause, it can be considered a fundamental solution.
Pei Wu immediately submitted a memorial to the emperor, inviting him to view it.
Even though the emperor frequently came over during these days and knew everything about Liaocheng rice, he still took advantage of this time to often come and freeload off the food that Jiang Ru brought from outside the palace. He had become quite familiar with Jiang Ru, but the necessary procedures still had to be followed.
After the memorial was submitted, it quickly attracted the attention of all the officials in the court. The rice was grown in the palace, so anyone could see it. Moreover, it was said that the rice was drought-resistant, so all the officials wanted to find out more.
On that day, at the suggestion of all the officials, the emperor led all the officials to visit the rear garden.
Jiang Ru remained calm in front of so many people, introduced their achievements to everyone, and dealt with the questions in a timely manner, leaving all the officials speechless.
Jiang Ru was radiant. Pei Wu, standing slightly forward among the officials, fixed his gaze on Jiang Ru and followed her every move.
It wasn't until someone deliberately brought it up: "I remember Jiang Xiaoniangzi is someone's cousin, but I'm mistaken."
Jiang Ru looked at Pei Wu, unsure if she could speak, and Pei Wu stepped forward and admitted it.
The officials praised both of them, and some even flattered Pei Wu. Pei Wu replied, "I didn't contribute much to the Liaocheng rice; it was all thanks to my younger sister."
In fact, Jiang Ru felt that it was fine for either of them to take credit, and it would be good if Pei Wu took the credit. After all, she would only get a little reward, while Pei Wu would probably get a promotion. It would be better for Pei Wu to get a promotion, as he would be less constrained in the future and would have more opportunities to speak.
Most importantly, I won't be bullied anymore.
Pei Wu naturally knew Jiang Ru's thoughts. In fact, there was no need to refuse. They were all tied together, so there was no reason to reward one of them while not rewarding the other.
The emperor seemed to share this sentiment. He smiled and said a few words praising the deep affection between Pei Wu and Jiang Ru, then turned to Song Pingzhang and said, "Minister Song, what do you think should be done in rewarding them?"
Song Pingzhang cupped his hands and said, "I believe that Lady Jiang should be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold. As for Minister Pei..." Song Pingzhang continued, "My Secretariat is currently lacking a Vice Minister, and Minister Pei is just the right person to fill that position."
Jiang Ru lowered her head, but her eyes were actually wide open. Song Pingzhang was really daring to make such a request, wanting to reward Pei Wu with ten thousand taels of gold and appoint him as a high-ranking official. Who could agree to this? It was simply too outrageous.
Pei Wu had stood beside her since stepping forward, and neither of them spoke directly. Soon, an official retorted, "The national treasury is empty; isn't ten thousand taels of gold too much?"
The money confiscated from the Chen family was already substantial, far exceeding the national treasury's reserves, let alone leaving it empty. Yet, to bestow such a large sum so casually is indeed excessively extravagant.
The emperor didn't speak, probably because he also felt that ten thousand taels of gold was too much.
He didn't speak immediately, but his ministers understood his meaning and offered suggestions one after another: reduce the reward money slightly and send more gifts, such as jewelry and precious stones from the national treasury, which would be perfect for the young lady.
If Song Pingzhang had already rejected one of the proposals for the brother and sister, it would be inappropriate to reject the other as well. If Liaocheng rice were to be invested in on a large scale, it would be a great benefit to the Great Xia Dynasty, and there was no reason not to reward them.
The emperor smiled and said, "Since Minister Song strongly recommends him, then Minister Pei shall be promoted to the rank of Vice Minister of the Chancellery, a third-rank official."
Jiang Ru: "!"
It actually happened; Song Pingzhang dared to propose it, and the emperor actually dared to bestow the title.
Just as everything was going according to Song Pingzhang's wishes, Chen Ling spoke up: "Your Majesty, Pei Sheren is young. Isn't his promotion a bit too fast? Besides, the Empress Dowager is currently ill. Have you consulted her opinion yet?"
Song Pingzhang glared: "You mean, the Emperor needs to consult the Empress Dowager before he can bestow titles upon anyone?"
Everyone understands this, and it wouldn't be appropriate to say it out loud. Chen Ling immediately apologized, saying, "It was my slip of the tongue, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The emperor wasn't angry; he simply waved his hand and said, "Then it's decided. As for Lady Jiang..."
Jiang Ru knew that Wan Jin was having some difficulty, so she just gave her some silver, and Jiang Ru didn't complain at all.
Until the emperor spoke, "A reward of a thousand taels of gold." He paused for a moment, "In addition, some jewelry and jewels from the national treasury will be sent to Lady Jiang's home, as well as the coral that was presented to us by Dongzhou a few days ago."
Jiang Ru's eyes lit up. So much money, enough for her and Pei Wu to spend for a long time.
Through the crowd, Jiang Ru saw the emperor give her an apologetic look, as if he felt he hadn't given her enough. Jiang Ru thought to herself: He really deserves all the food I've given him, he's such a good person!
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Author's Note: I'm late, sorry for the disappointment.
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