Chapter 88 Preparing to Stay at Lan Yue Pavilion Long-Term
Xie Shang said, "Thanks to you, otherwise I really wouldn't know how to treat this injury. You know, I can't let Granny Wang and Steward Cheng know about my injury, otherwise it will reach the ears of the Empress Dowager."
Wasn't Lin Feng there to help him apply the medicine? It seems Xie Shang wasn't thanking him for this; it appears he's still leaving himself some leeway!
She said, "I am the prince's wife, and these things are my duty."
Jiang Fenghua carefully bathed him, avoiding the wound area. She took care of every other part of his body. She wanted to say: "Your injury is on your back, not your hand. You can do it yourself now!"
Seeing her blushing, Xie Shang noticed her embarrassment and said, "It's been so long, why are you still blushing? It's not like we haven't seen this before."
She said, "A gentleman straightens his clothes and his gaze, so that people look at him with awe and respect..."
"Do you hope that I will treat you with the courtesy due to a gentleman from now on?"
Jiang Fenghua's face turned even redder. "That's not what I meant. Oh dear, Your Highness, you should wash it yourself. The more I try to explain, the more confusing it becomes."
Xie Shang held her wrist, his bare chest pressing her hand against his chest muscles. Jiang Fenghua's heart pounded. Was there really no need for such seduction?
You scoundrel, are you and Su Tingwan like this too?
"I'm hungry. Hurry up and wash up so we can go eat," Xie Shang suddenly said.
Jiang Fenghua carefully washed his chest clean again, then took a bath towel and draped it over his body herself. Xie Shang was now completely unconcerned.
Jiang Fenghua explained to herself, "It's just a lump of meat, everyone has one." Gradually, she let go of the thought.
After leaving the side hall, they went straight to the inner room. Lianye had already brought the medicine box, which included gauze and wound powder. There were only the two of them in the room.
The wound was bleeding a little again. Jiang Fenghua applied medicine to it before carefully bandaging it. As the gauze wrapped around his chest, her face accidentally touched it, and her lips seemed to kiss something on his chest. She trembled all over, and Xie Shang also trembled involuntarily.
After treating his wounds, she found his undergarments and helped him put them on. She did everything herself, just like a proper wife.
During the meal, Xie Shang seemed to have injured his hand and needed her to feed him, as if it would hurt if he exerted any force on his arm.
Because of his injury, Xie Shang did not go to the study or Tingxue Pavilion after dinner. He also had his belongings moved over, indicating that he planned to stay at Lanyue Pavilion for an extended period.
Seeing some plans written on her desk, he asked, "What is this relief center for?"
Jiang Fenghua explained, “It’s about helping the weak, such as women, children, and the poor. I thought that since we were idle anyway, I wanted to ask Steward Cheng to buy some houses to take in some poor people. We could also hire some teachers to teach them knowledge, or hire people from all walks of life to teach them some life skills. I thought that if they entered the relief center to learn skills, they wouldn’t have to live blindly.”
Xie Shang said, "The world is full of suffering. How many people can you, a woman, help?"
Jiang Fenghua smiled and said, "The fact that Your Highness can say that the world is full of suffering shows that Your Highness is a kind-hearted person. My father was right to judge you. He said that Your Highness is well-educated, kind-hearted, and a good person to whom one can entrust one's life."
Xie Shang recently developed a sense of superiority as the Prefect of Jingzhao, saying, "My father-in-law really said that."
"Would I lie to Your Highness? When the Jiang family received the imperial decree of marriage, I was not yet married. I did not know Your Highness's character. It was my father who insisted that Ruan Ruan was suitable for marriage." Jiang Fenghua wore her family's support and admiration on her face, making Xie Shang convinced that the entire Jiang family was on his side.
Her father never said anything about her being a potential husband; it was she who deliberately led him astray.
"Father bestowed this marriage upon me, yet you still criticize my character."
Jiang Fenghua quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had said the wrong thing, and stammered, "Your Majesty, I dare not."
Xie Shang didn't mind her at all. Jiang Shaofu was a teacher who educated people, and the Jiang family had a noble family tradition. Even if the emperor bestowed a marriage upon him, Jiang Huai would still have to see who his future son-in-law was and what his character was like. It was only human nature.
He teased her deliberately, "What if I were of bad character? What would you do then?"
Jiang Fenghua was not fooled by his words and asked in return, "How is Your Highness's character bad?"
Xie Shang was stumped by her question. How was good or bad character defined? He dared not say that he was a good person, but he was not a bad person either.
"In my heart, Your Highness is a man of excellent character and conduct, a true benefactor to the people. My father said that anyone who serves the people is a good person." Jiang Fenghua meant that she had never considered not marrying him; her life plan did not include any "what ifs" or "what ifs."
What makes someone a bad person? Born into royalty, there are no inherently good or bad people. In the end, everyone will become a bad person because good people don't live long. So how could he possibly be a good person?
Xie Shang then asked, "Who came up with the idea for the Rescue Hall?"
"It was my idea." She wanted to put Lingyun Manor under the name of Prince Heng's Mansion. "Every year when my elder brother comes back from his studies, he tells us a lot about the suffering of the people. But we are powerless to help. My elder brother is doing business outside and occasionally helps out, but it is just a drop in the ocean. We always feel that it is futile."
"Actually, I checked the Prince's Mansion's accounts today and found that the mansion's income is quite considerable. Instead of spending the money on jewelry and expensive clothes, why not use it to set up a charity hall? Doing good deeds is also a way to accumulate merit. I won't use all the Prince's Mansion's money for the donations. The charity won't be for just anyone. It can be for the weak, such as children. We can teach them a skill and teach them to read and write."
She meant that although Jiang Jinyan had lofty ambitions, he was of low status and lacked the power to do things effectively. If the Prince Heng's Mansion were to do this, the results would be different.
Xie Shang pondered for a moment. Jiang Jinyan was still out investigating the lost items from the imperial tombs. His willingness to join him meant that he wanted to do something practical.
He said, "This is not a small matter. You are the Princess Consort of Heng. It is not good for you to show your face in public."
Jiang Fenghua was somewhat disappointed. "I understand, so this is just a plan."
Xie Shang flipped through the pages she had written, and figured she must have spent the whole afternoon writing diligently.
He couldn't agree to Jiang Fenghua's request the first time she made one.
"If you're really bored in the manor, I might be able to help you complete this plan."
Before Xie Shang could finish speaking, Jiang Fenghua's face lit up with a smile, "Really?"
Then, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Your Highness has agreed."
Seeing her so happy, Xie Shang said, "I agree, but you really can't do this in your capacity as Princess Heng."
Xie Shang also thought of Lingyun Manor. According to Lin Feng's investigation, Lingyun Manor was founded by Tan Wanqing. She took in many homeless women and even children. The manor survived by escorting goods or taking on jobs. It was not large in scale, but it was very successful, although it was also very poor.
The Great Zhou Kingdom does indeed need more of these types of relief centers, the more the better. Even the government should pay attention to them. It's just a pity that he is only the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. These are issues concerning people's livelihood. If he interferes too much, his father will be unhappy.
In other words, these things are actually very small, but they are very meaningful in practice. He firmly believes that although ants are small, they can shake a big tree.
He said, "I'll take you to meet someone when I have time."
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