Chapter 104 Princess Carry
The snow has melted, which means that Song Shu and the others will soon be leaving Tanzhou.
Raindrops from the melting snow were still dripping from the eaves. Jiang Ru had never looked forward to another snowfall so much. However, judging from the weather, it would not only not snow today, but the sun might even come out.
Jiang Ru leaned dejectedly against the window. The weather was coldest after the snow melted, and the chill seeped into the room from outside. She could feel it even without going outside. Jiang Ru shivered and sneezed uncontrollably.
She ran too fast; after struggling out of Pei Wu's arms, she ran towards the window without any warning, and Pei Wu couldn't stop her.
Pei Wu draped an outer robe over her shoulders and stood with her by the window, listening to the dripping sound of water.
After a long pause, Jiang Ru sighed, "Are they leaving tomorrow?"
After packing up today, it's almost time to set off.
Even without Pei Wu's reply, Jiang Ru could guess that Song Shu had delayed telling her until yesterday because she had no choice but to do so with her departure imminent.
Jiang Ru listlessly looked out the window. Realizing that she couldn't change anything, she didn't show much emotion, just remained silent.
At Chenshi (7-9 AM), everyone got up one after another, and the mansion gradually became lively. The journey to Zhen Ding Prefecture was too long, and a lot of preparations were needed.
People were coming and going in the mansion all day long, and it wasn't until dark that their carts, horses, and provisions for the trip were finally prepared.
Jiang Ru helped pack some things, busy all day long. At dinner time, Song Shu called her over.
She took out a jade pendant from her bosom, one that she had worn since childhood. She placed the pendant in Jiang Ru's hand and said, "This is a piece of jade that I have worn for more than ten years. I want to give it to you. When we meet again in the future, I will ask you to take it back."
It was like a promise that they could meet again.
Jiang Ru nodded repeatedly, wanting to find something to give to Song Shu as well. She was reluctant to buy any expensive gold or silver jewelry; all the things she had were gifts from Pei Wu.
Jiang Ru took out a piece of jade from her bosom. It was a birthday gift from Pei Wu when she first arrived in Bianjing. At that time, neither she nor Pei Wu had much money, and this piece of jade was not considered particularly good. However, in Jiang Ru's eyes, this jade surpassed everything else.
Jiang Ru placed the jade into Song Shu's hand and said, "Then when we meet again, you should return this jade to me."
Song Shu nodded as well.
The two held hands and talked for a long time until the moon was high in the sky and the night was quiet, at which point they reluctantly parted.
The next morning, just past Chenshi (7-9 AM), the carriage was already waiting outside the mansion. After a tasteless breakfast, it was time for Song Shu and the others to leave.
Jiang Ru had said what she needed to say many times in the past few days. She hugged Song Shu. She knew that Zhen Ding Prefecture was not as peaceful as she had imagined. It bordered the Northern Qi border and was likely to be plagued by small wars.
All Jiang Ru could say was, "I hope you're safe."
Even if it's dangerous, Xie Jun can protect her, right? Jiang Ru glanced at Xie Jun. Unlike the two of them who were holding hands and looking at each other with tears in their eyes, Xie Jun seemed much more carefree. He only told Pei Wu that he would spar with him another day, and then got into the carriage first.
Song Pingzhang was also reluctant to part with Pei Wu and gave him many, many instructions.
Jiang Ru glanced at them and then looked away. Both she and Song Shu had red eyes, and they held hands tightly, unwilling to let go. Only after Song Pingzhang and Pei Wu had finished speaking did Jiang Ru release Song Shu's hand.
She tried to be as calm as Pei Wu and waved to Song Shu, saying, "Go on, it's not like we're never going to see each other again, why are you crying?"
Song Shu forced a smile: "Then I'm leaving."
Jiang Ru kept turning back to look at Song Shu, almost burning a hole in her with her gaze. She watched Song Shu board the carriage and then watched it slowly depart. Jiang Ru took a step forward, and Song Shu was just lifting the curtain to look at her.
Even though she didn't want to part, the carriage still left. Song Shu's curtain was also lowered, and Jiang Ru could only see the carriage wheels rolling, not the people in the carriage. She only knew that they were going further and further away.
Back in Bianjing, Song Shu would always see Jiang Ru off like this whenever she left with Pei Wu, and now it was her turn to see Song Shu off.
Jiang Ru turned her back, a few glistening tears sliding down her cheeks and falling to the ground. She bit her lip, and Pei Wu stood in front of her. She hugged Pei Wu and couldn't help but cry.
No matter how nicely she put it, she knew that once Song Shu left, they might never see each other again.
After Song Shu left, Jiang Ru was depressed for several days and couldn't muster any enthusiasm for anything. Perhaps it was because she was saddened by parting with Song Shu that she was afraid Pei Wu would leave as well, so she became overly clingy to him.
During their nine-day honeymoon, Jiang Ru and Pei Wu were inseparable, spending all twelve hours of the day together. As a result, Jiang Ru began to feel uncomfortable when Pei Wu's honeymoon ended.
Tanzhou is, after all, a local prefecture. Back in Bianjing, Jiang Ru at least had some things to do, such as going to the beverage shop, and she could often go out with her girlfriends like Song Shu. Now that she has come to Tanzhou, a place she doesn't know, and Song Shu has left, Jiang Ru sits in the pavilion and finds herself with nothing to do.
Jiang Ru took the pastries to the government office. Pei Wu was about to leave when he saw her. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked over and took her hand.
Pei Wu asked in surprise, "Didn't I send someone to the manor to tell you that I wasn't at the manor today?"
Naturally, the news reached Jiang Ru's ears, and Jiang Ru said, "I want to go with you too."
Pei Wu hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
The trip was to the Drum Tower outside the south of Tanzhou City. From afar, Jiang Ru saw many workers carrying stones and soil, working enthusiastically. Jiang Ru turned her head and glanced at Pei Wu, who explained, "I plan to build an academy here."
The open space outside the Drum Tower was enormous. Just by looking at the area, Jiang Ru could tell that this was probably a huge project. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Isn't this place too big?"
Tanzhou does have an academy, but it is too small and only children from wealthy families in the city can attend. Local education is inadequate, and many children from poor families simply cannot afford to go to school.
In fact, this is a common problem in all states of Daxia. Despite the large number of people taking the imperial examinations every year, the number of illiterate people in Daxia is actually incalculable. Many families' children can only work for wealthy local families after they grow up.
Pei Wu had ordered the establishment of this academy when he came to Tanzhou. At that time, he and Jiang Ru were busy with their wedding, but they didn't neglect this project. Now, the academy is taking shape.
Perhaps we can recruit some students when spring arrives.
Pei Wu held Jiang Ru's hand and spoke to her in his usual gentle manner: "These past few days, I've sent people to various villages to post notices about the academy. Tuition fees can be reduced or waived upon enrollment, which will allow us to recruit many students."
Jiang Ru nodded and followed Pei Wu on a tour of the academy. Pei Wu spoke a few words with the foreman and offered some suggestions.
They considered the academy as just a side trip, as they had another destination in mind. After leaving the academy, they boarded a carriage, which bumped along for a long time before finally arriving at a village ancestral hall outside Tanzhou City.
The carriage stopped outside the village shrine. There was still a narrow path to the shrine. Jiang Ru followed Pei Wu through the narrow path, which was only wide enough for one person to pass through. After passing through the path, the view suddenly opened up. There was a large open space outside the village shrine, which looked like an altar.
At first, she didn't realize anything was wrong, but when she got closer, she discovered that what was enshrined in the ancestral hall was not a Buddha at all.
It was neither human nor ghost, with a sinister face and scarlet lips. Jiang Ru took a step back: "What is this?"
Pei Wu said, "This is a Buddha statue worshipped by the people of Tanzhou."
“This is no Buddha at all,” Jiang Ru blurted out without thinking.
It doesn't resemble a Buddha at all; it's more like a witch or ghost.
Pei Wu smiled and said, "The people of Tanzhou love witchcraft. It's not obvious in Tanzhou city, but in the countryside, many families have such Buddha statues."
When Pei Wu said the words "Buddha statue," he emphasized them. Jiang Ru looked at the Buddha statue located at the foot of the mountain and felt uncomfortable. She wanted to pull Pei Wu away.
However, Pei Wu shook his head: "Wait a little longer."
Before long, some people dressed in strange clothes came over and started dancing around the "Buddha statue." They even saw Jiang Ru and the others and invited them to join in.
The ritual looked extremely strange, and Jiang Ru would never participate. The villagers didn't insist either, and they jumped up on their own.
Jiang Ru frowned. She looked around and felt a chill in the air. The more she jumped, the colder she felt.
She wanted to leave, but she felt somewhat at ease only because Pei Wu was there. If she were alone, she probably would have run away long ago.
As the villagers danced, they were also chanting incantations, seemingly unrelated to any spells. Jiang Ru quietly approached Pei Wu: "What are they chanting?"
Pei Wu finally showed a hint of difficulty. After waiting for a while, he leaned close to Jiang Ru's ear and whispered a few words.
Jiang Ru never expected that what they were singing were obscene songs and lyrics, and not only obscene lyrics, but also full of vulgar language.
Especially when such vulgar language came from Pei Wu's mouth, Jiang Ru felt a sense of being cut off. After saying these few words, Pei Wu couldn't stand it anymore and turned his head away.
He pursed his lips, looking like he was no longer listening. Jiang Ru was stunned for a long time before asking, "How did you understand what he was saying?"
The villagers were singing in their own dialects. The dialects in different parts of Daxia are more or less different. Jiang Ru is from Shuzhou, which is different from Bianjing in Jinzhou, but not by much. So she can understand Bianjing dialect.
However, after arriving in Tanzhou, she couldn't understand what many of the villagers were saying, let alone what the villagers who were "shamans" were saying.
Pei Wu explained, "I've learned some, but I'm not very proficient."
Since he was serving as the prefect of a local area, it was impossible for him not to learn the local dialect. Many of the clerks in the prefectural office were from Tanzhou, and he learned it through constant exposure.
It's alright if someone like Jiang Ru doesn't understand; if she could, she'd probably want to crawl into a hole in the ground. She was feeling hot all over from listening. Pei Wu was also a little uncomfortable, but he didn't want to run away as much as she did.
Since arriving in Tanzhou, Pei Wu used to always ask her to come along when he went out. Today was a rare occasion when he didn't ask her. Only now did Jiang Ru understand Pei Wu's good intentions.
It wasn't that Pei Wu didn't want to take her along; he was just afraid she wouldn't be able to handle hearing those words.
Actually, it wasn't too bad. Jiang Ru had read some erotic novels before, after all, she was old enough to know a thing or two. It was just that this was the first time she had seen someone sing it so openly, and sing and dance at the same time. She was so embarrassed that she couldn't even hide.
Fortunately, after the others finished dancing, Jiang Ru finally raised her head, but she still held onto Pei Wu's hand, trying to escape. However, Pei Wu held her hand tightly, preventing her from running away.
She grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve and whispered, "Are we going to stay here?"
Pei Wu responded and took out a few sheets of paper from his pocket. Jiang Ru glanced at them; these were some of the poems Pei Wu had written during their recent marriage.
More like a folk song than a poem, these lines are perfect for singing. Jiang Ru asked, "Are you going to have them sing this?"
Pei Wu hummed in agreement: "What they sang wasn't suitable; this one is better."
That's true, but such habits are hard to change overnight. Jiang Ru hesitated, "Will they listen?"
Speaking of this, Pei Wu took out his token from his pocket again. It was the token of the prefect of Tanzhou, and everyone in Tanzhou had to listen to him.
This could be considered using power to intimidate others, and the people opposite seemed rather eccentric, so Jiang Ru began to back down: "Why don't you go ahead, I'll wait for you here."
Pei Wu looked at her calmly, making Jiang Ru feel increasingly guilty. Well, she had come along on her own initiative, and she and Pei Wu were husband and wife; they shouldn't abandon each other when disaster struck.
Jiang Ru took a deep breath and followed Pei Wu's footsteps, holding hands and standing menacingly in front of the villagers.
The villager leading them was over sixty years old, with gray hair and a gray beard, and cloudy eyes. When he saw the two approaching, a sharp, scrutinizing look appeared in his eyes.
Pei Wu first showed the leader his prefectural governor's token, and then took out his few pieces of paper.
They communicated in the Tanzhou dialect, which Jiang Ru couldn't understand very well. She only knew to look at Pei Wu when he spoke and at the villagers when they spoke.
The negotiations between the two sides seemed amicable, and their tone suggested there was no intention to argue. Pei Wu pointed to the pages of paper and explained them to the villager, sentence by sentence. The villager nodded from time to time, and his furrowed brows relaxed.
The process went very smoothly, perhaps because Pei Wu was the prefect, or perhaps because Pei Wu's poems were excellent; in any case, they eventually accepted those few pages of paper.
Just now, Pei Wu seemed unable to function without Jiang Ru by his side, but once they were actually together, he was completely at ease and showed no signs of difficulty. Apart from tightly clenching his hands, he didn't seem uncomfortable at all.
Finally, the conversation between the two sides ended pleasantly. The villagers glanced at Jiang Ru, who was being led by Pei Wu, first at her double buns, then at the acacia ribbon on her skirt, and sincerely said something that sounded like a blessing to Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru couldn't understand what they were saying, but she could roughly tell from their tone of voice, so she smiled and nodded at them.
The paper was accepted, the task was assigned, and Pei Wu led Jiang Ru away.
Once they were a little further away, Jiang Ru asked in a low voice, "What did they just say to me?"
Pei Wu lowered his eyes, looking at her wide, curious eyes, before saying, "They say they hope that you and the prefect will have a long and happy marriage."
If that's the case, Jiang Ru wasn't too surprised. She took Pei Wu's hand and, this time, didn't lower her voice, saying in a cheerful tone, "Yes, we will."
Once back in the carriage, Jiang Ru finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask: "So, are you going to find all the people who sing this kind of song and give them all the poems you wrote? Wouldn't that be too much trouble? You should have called the constables."
If Pei Wu really had to travel from place to place, it would probably take him several months, since Tanzhou is quite large.
Pei Wu looked out the window and said, "The old man who spoke to me just now is the sorcerer of Tanzhou. As long as I give him the new poem, he will teach it to the people of Tanzhou for me."
That sounds much more reliable. Just now, Pei Wu only whispered a few words in her ear, and Jiang Ru already found it unbearable, let alone the fact that they sang so many songs, one after another.
Not only the folk songs, but even the Buddha statues need to be replaced. The temple needs to be rebuilt and new folk songs need to be sung, which will take several months to complete.
Jiang Ru leaned against Pei Wu's chest and sighed, "That is truly a long and arduous task."
Tanzhou is still too remote and is known as a barbaric land. There is indeed too much that needs to be changed. What Pei Wu is doing now is just the tip of the iceberg for Tanzhou.
When it came to actually doing things, Pei Wu was just like someone from the Ministry of Works. He spent his days repairing city walls and academies, and occasionally even the Confucian Temple. Not only that, he also got all the big and small things done. In just a few months, Tanzhou had changed dramatically, but at least everything was truly improving.
The academy was built, and after the New Year, Liuzhang Academy enrolled hundreds of students. In addition to this nearest academy, several other small academies also opened one after another.
The most special of these was Liuzhang Academy, because Pei Wu invited Cheng Hao, the former prime minister and duke of the previous dynasty, to be a teacher at the academy. This was a huge gimmick, and Liuzhang Academy became famous overnight. Not only in Tanzhou, but even in several neighboring prefectures, people expressed their envy.
Jiang Ru also found a job at the academy. She had studied with Pei Wu for several years. Although she couldn't compare to the students who had studied for more than ten years, she could still help people with their early education and teach them to read and write.
However, Jiang Ru didn't stay at the academy for long before changing jobs again.
Jiang Ru discovered Liaocheng rice in Bianjing, and it has now been promoted to various prefectures. Initially, it was only promoted in coastal areas, but now Liaocheng rice has had several bumper harvests, and there are enough rice seeds, so even Tanzhou has received some.
Jiang Ru was the first to plant Liaocheng rice, so she volunteered to teach the people of Tanzhou how to grow it.
The villagers had been farming for so many years, so they didn't need much instruction on how to grow rice. But Jiang Ru had experience, and since this rice was a relatively new variety, she spent all her time in the fields helping out.
Perhaps she had an inextricable connection with farming in her past life. Strangely enough, whether in Bianjing or Tanzhou, Jiang Ru could not escape the matter of farming.
Returning to her old ways, Jiang Ru quickly adapted. Every day, she would run along the ridges of the fields, bringing lots of delicious food from the mansion. Most of the time, she would share it with the farmers, and she would also exchange it with them for a few cakes, which she would happily take home to share with Pei Wu.
It was at this time that Jiang Ru discovered a small number of terraced fields in Tanzhou. However, the people of Tanzhou rarely used terraced fields for farming. Jiang Ru asked the nearby farmers, "Why don't you use terraced fields?"
The farmers looked at each other, clearly confused.
While there was still time, Jiang Ru hurriedly went to the government office to find Pei Wu and quickly explained her idea. Pei Wu nodded and said that as long as she did it, he would arrange everything for her.
Ideas are one thing, but putting them into practice requires a lot of effort. Fortunately, there was the support of Prefect Pei Wu; otherwise, Jiang Ru alone would not have been able to accomplish it.
Pei Wu also invited several "experts" to help Jiang Ru. After in-depth planning, Tanzhou conducted terraced field experiments in several places and quickly achieved water diversion, and even rice was planted.
Although Jiang Ru hates farming to the core, it must be said that, combined with her modern experience and ten years of farming experience, she seems to have quite a bit of expertise in this field.
It's not just about rice seeds; since we've already started, let's go all out and do it boldly.
Therefore, Jiang Ru asked Pei Wu to have someone buy some saplings. The people of Tanzhou only rely on crops to make a living. Farmers in Bianjing often grow peonies. When peonies bloom, their price can be driven up to astronomical levels every time they bloom.
Tanzhou cannot grow flowers like Bianjing, but it can grow more practical fruit trees and precious trees, so that Tanzhou can have more income when the harvest is good.
Jiang Ru is extremely conscientious in her work. She runs to the fields every day and is even busier than Pei Wu, the prefect. At first, she went to the government office to find Pei Wu every day, but now Pei Wu goes to the fields to find her every day.
Especially after spring arrived, the muggy heat of Tanzhou gradually became apparent again. Jiang Ru was exposed to the scorching sun every day, and her cheeks were always flushed when she returned home.
Pei Wu would help her apply face cream, but it didn't seem to work very well, so he would change her into various straw hats, which could barely protect her from the sun.
Fortunately, Jiang Ru knew she couldn't stay in the sun for too long, so she would hide under the trees when the sun was too strong. Besides, it wasn't that Jiang Ru was asked to plant the trees herself; most of the time, she was the one giving instructions. So, apart from her, she didn't get much sun exposure.
Pei Wu let her run errands for a while without worry, picking up Jiang Ru every day after his shift ended. Today was different; before he even got close, he saw a crowd gathered around, and he could see a glimpse of Jiang Ru's skirt among them.
Pei Wu walked over and saw Jiang Ru frowning, rubbing her sprained ankle, her eyes brimming with tears.
Upon seeing Pei Wu, she looked up and said pitifully, "Please don't blame me, I didn't mean to."
Knowing that Pei Wu would be angry when she found out she had twisted her ankle, she preemptively said that she hadn't done it on purpose.
Pei Wu couldn't blame her at all; he was too heartbroken to even think about it. He could only sigh and bend down to check Jiang Ru's ankle.
Jiang Ru's wrist was red, probably from being twisted too hard, and her ankle was also red and swollen.
As soon as Pei Wu arrived, the farmers who had been surrounding Jiang Ru dispersed on their own. Jiang Ru didn't feel uncomfortable at all. She stretched out her foot for Pei Wu to see. After Pei Wu looked at it, she blinked to clear the mist from her eyes before saying, "It still hurts a lot."
Pei Wu really didn't know what to say to her. He felt sorry for her, but he couldn't stop Jiang Ru from staying at home every day. He could only resign himself to his fate and bend down: "I'll carry you on my back."
Jiang Ru hesitated and shrank back, glancing around at the people around her. She felt like everyone was staring at her, and muttered, "Forget it, I can walk by myself."
Pei Wu's jaw tightened: "Then how are you going to get there?"
Jiang Ru looked left and right but wouldn't look at Pei Wu: "Just have two old ladies help me into the carriage."
The more she spoke, the darker Pei Wu's face became. If Jiang Ru hadn't married him, Pei Wu would have actually listened to her. But since they were already married, Jiang Ru still wanted to avoid suspicion.
After a moment of silence, Pei Wu turned around and picked up Jiang Ru from the ground.
Suddenly lifted into the air, Jiang Ru was startled and leaned back, then hurriedly hugged Pei Wu's neck. Feeling the probing gazes from all directions, Jiang Ru quietly buried herself in Pei Wu's arms and whispered to him, "Pei Wu, I've noticed that you seem to have become much bolder and more unrestrained since we got married."
Before, let alone holding her like this, even a slight touch would send her jumping three meters away.
Pei Wu moved his lips, about to say something in rebuttal, when Jiang Ru buried herself closer to him and said even more softly, "But I like you like this."
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