Chapter 38 Dogs and Deer, Rich and Powerful
She had tried to find wives for Underpants before, but it seems she hadn't done enough.
Feng Gou calculated on his fingers: "If these twenty fierce dogs give birth, averaging three pups per litter, there will be sixty pups in a month and a half. Then comes nursing, which will take almost two more months. For the first half of this year, His Highness has been unable to go hunting because of this vicious dog!"
Lu Wensheng coughed lightly and began to make excuses for the underpants: "If Your Highness can't bring dogs for hunting, you can bring people. Besides, in the spring, this female dog will go into heat sooner or later."
Thankfully, she didn't confront Kucha'er directly earlier. This mess was truly huge. She could handle one or two dogs, but twenty female dogs, plus nearly a hundred puppies—what if Shen Hegui found out she was the one raising them and demanded she take responsibility?
Shen Hegui's dog must be fed and clothed with the finest things. Even if she didn't eat or drink, she probably couldn't afford to feed it with her fabricated persona.
But now that we've encountered Underpants, we can't just leave it locked up in the animal park.
“Lord Lu, you may not know this, but His Highness only takes dogs and horses with him when he goes to the hunting grounds, not people.” Feng Gou pointed to the medicine table. “It’s in animals’ nature to go into heat, so every spring, medicine is prepared.”
Feng Gou paused, glanced at the dog cage, and added, "Several of the female dogs are giving birth for the first time."
Lu Wensheng stared at her dog, speechless. She tried her best to keep her expression straight and changed the subject: "Apart from that, it shouldn't have done anything else bad, right?"
Unexpectedly, Shen Hegui's pet dog also suffered! If this gets out... no, we must prepare a countermeasure in advance!
Feng Gou turned to look at the person in charge behind him.
The steward, having caught wind of this, stepped forward and whispered, "During the first month of the lunar year, the eunuchs and servants in the animal park all had their cotton trousers stolen and chewed to shreds by it. Before we discovered it, we thought it was a wild beast that had escaped from its cage."
The person in charge, Lu Wensheng, wanted to hear some interesting stories, so he racked his brains to recall: "Before this dog was locked up, it was a habitual thief! It not only often stole small animals such as chickens and ducks to please the female dog, but it also didn't let go of the fine fodder in the manger. At first, we thought the dog was just stealing for fun, but later we found out that it was secretly keeping a mule with a scar on its butt outside."
Lu Wensheng casually plucked a leaf, forced a natural smile, and asked as if it were an accident, "Interesting, where is that mule now?"
Her mule has always been intelligent and perceptive, so it's not surprising that it would do such things. However, there are no scars on its rump; could it have been injured while it was a stray?
"That's right!" the steward said with a fawning smile. "That mule is working in the side courtyard! His Highness said that since the dog and the mule are on good terms, the mule should work to pay off its debt. It's all thanks to the mule's competence, otherwise His Highness would definitely have gone looking for the dog's owner."
"Heh...hehe..." Lu Wensheng forced out a few laughs, feeling a mix of emotions.
She was determined to take the dog that had caused the trouble with her, but as for the mule, it could stay with Shen Hegui to work and pay off the debt. Besides, along the way, she had found that the food at the animal park was quite good and the accommodations were spacious, which was better than going home with her.
Besides, Shen Hegui gave her a horse yesterday, which is much faster to ride to court than a mule.
Lu Wensheng crumpled the leaves in his hand into tiny pieces, coughed twice, and walked towards the dog cage.
Fearing that Lu Wensheng might be bitten by the dog on his territory, the steward hurriedly chased after him to stop him: "Sir, you mustn't go near it! This vicious dog is very aggressive. If it hurts you, I can't afford to compensate you!"
Blocked, Lu Wensheng was neither anxious nor annoyed. He simply looked up and gestured for the person in charge to turn around and look: "Look at its tail and its eyes. It seems to really like me."
Lu Wensheng turned to Feng Gou and said, "Master, this dog seems to have a connection with me. I find it quite endearing, and my family happens to need a guard dog. How about I sell it to you to save face?"
Feng Gou: "This..."
Seeing Feng Gou hesitate, Lu Wensheng decided to add fuel to the fire, feigning pitifulness: "I'm sure you know my family's situation. Besides me, the only male mosquitoes are mosquitoes. In the future, I'll be working hard for Your Highness, so I'll need to work day and night. I can't be without someone to guard the house at night."
Feng Gou's heart stirred, and he felt that this made sense, so he suggested, "But dogs are no match for people. Why don't I mention to His Highness that we should arrange a few guards?"
"No, no, no!" Lu Wensheng quickly waved his hand, trying to make an excuse: "Dogs are better. My mother and I both have pretty faces, so whether we assign male or female nurses, it will attract gossip."
If she brings a few of Shen Hegui's men home, wouldn't her true identity as a woman be exposed in no time?
Looking at Lu Wensheng's pretty face, Feng Gou was in a dilemma.
He could make decisions about lynxes or monkeys. But why did Lord Deer have to choose this wolfhound who caused all this trouble?
Feng Gou hesitated, "Lord Lu..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Wensheng took out a small bag of loose silver and stuffed it into Feng Gou's hand. She said, "If His Highness asks, just say that I bought this dog, so that he won't feel bad if he goes to the animal park in the future."
After speaking, Lu Wensheng quickly took out his underwear and gently patted its head to calm it down.
Seeing that Kucha'er was sitting quietly at Lu Wensheng's feet, without the slightest disturbance, Feng Gou didn't say anything more.
The sky was clear and bright, and the wind was gentle and the sun was warm.
After leaving the animal enclosure, Lu Wensheng took the reins from the eunuch with his right hand and led his beloved dog, which he had lost and found again, with his left hand, and went home in a cheerful mood.
Fortunately, it was Feng Gou who accompanied her to the animal park, not Shen Hegui, otherwise it would have been difficult to fool her.
Lu Wensheng has not returned home for two nights, but Song Zhiyun has become accustomed to it.
Song Zhiyun pulled Lu Wensheng over, looked him up and down with concern, and raised an eyebrow: "You brat, where have you been gallivanting for the past two nights?"
"Mother, you've really wronged me this time! I was with His Highness the Crown Prince! We were doing serious business." Lu Wensheng pulled Song Zhiyun outside, his eyes brimming with barely concealed excitement: "Look who I brought back!"
"Woof woof woof—Awooowooowoo—" Upon hearing Song Zhiyun's footsteps, Kucha'er began to jump and wag its tail wildly.
"Oh my!" Song Zhiyun exclaimed, rushing forward to hug the dog's head and giving it a good rub. "Where did you find this dog?" She thought their fate was over and she would never find it again.
"Shh." Lu Wensheng hurriedly gestured for Song Zhiyun to speak softly, then skipped over the mule and explained the whole story in detail, instructing, "From this moment on, this dog will be named Lu Fugui. If outsiders ask, Mother only needs to say that I just bought it from a friend's house. Puppies are too small to guard the house and are easy to die, so it's more cost-effective to have a bigger one."
"Mother understands. I will also make sure to tell Yingniang well, so don't worry." Song Zhiyun was very meticulous. "But what if someone asks where I bought it or if there are any left to sell? What should I say?"
Lu Wensheng thought of the mess that Kucha had made and said, "Just say that the big ones are all sold out, only the small ones are left, they haven't been born yet, and they'll have to wait until June. The price is five taels of silver each." Helping to sell them would make up for any losses.
"As for where we bought it... just say it's a dog from a high-ranking official's household, and we can't reveal its identity." Lu Wensheng paused for a moment, "If anyone really asks about its origin, Mother will consider raising the price. A dog from a high-ranking family is worth a higher price, they can accept that."
Song Zhiyun nodded and exchanged information with Lu Wensheng: "If you're not on duty this afternoon, don't go to the brothels along the Yanzi River. Just as dawn broke, something big happened, and a lot of soldiers surrounded the entire red-light district."
Without giving it much thought, Lu Wensheng casually said, "That place is filthy and dirty; it's only a matter of time before something happens. What about Yingniang?"
"I'm going to pick out the things you'll need for your wedding." Song Zhiyun untied the dog's leash, intending to take Kucha'er to get acquainted with its new name. "The date we've set for you is March 16th."
"Alright, keep it simple, just go through the motions. The only people I have good relationships with in the government are Shang Lian and Huo Qian, so three invitations will suffice, one for each of them, and the last one for His Highness the Crown Prince..."
Lu Wensheng pushed away the underwear that was trying to climb on her. "Prepare paper and ink. I'll write the invitations myself. Just notify the neighbors half a month in advance."
Although Shen Hegui may not come, an invitation should still be sent as a way of expressing affection.
When the topic of marriage came up, Lu Wensheng appeared nonchalant, but Song Zhiyun began to worry about whether the neighbors would be so kind as to attend the wedding banquet: "Our family is used to being independent. If we suddenly invite the neighbors to our wedding, will they come?"
Lu Wensheng patted the dog's head slightly to calm it down: "That's easy. Mother just needs to tell them that they don't need to give gifts. There will be chicken, duck, fish and meat at the banquet, and they can eat their fill. They can even take the leftovers home."
For ordinary people who can only afford to eat meat a few times a year, getting married in ancient times must be very tempting. Getting married in ancient times was really troublesome! In order to make it real and not leave any evidence, they couldn't hire people to make it look real.
“That’s a good idea.” Song Zhiyun nodded, then thought of the strange men who had barged in uninvited the day before yesterday. “By the way, the day before yesterday, a group of masked men came to the house and ransacked it. I don’t know what they were looking for. Did you get into trouble outside?”
Lu Wensheng paused in his act of petting the dog.
The day before yesterday was the day Shen Hegui found out she had an imperial edict. Could it have been Shen Hegui who did it?
No, Shen Hegui doesn't need to do that. She's right beside him; it would be faster to just ask directly.
Lu Wensheng frowned and asked, "How many people came? What were they wearing? Were you and Yingniang injured?"
“They weren’t hurt. They were just wearing ordinary black clothes and black face masks. They were quite polite.” Song Zhiyun pointed to the vegetable garden in the corner: “They stepped on a few seedlings and bent them out of shape. They even helped straighten them. And they were very careful when they were turning things over.”
Lu Wensheng: "..." Fortunately, she kept all her usual personal clothing with Yingniang.
She quickly ran through her thoughts but couldn't think of anyone who would do something so pointless. But if it happens once, it might happen again, so it was better to be prepared.
"Mother, wait for me." Lu Wensheng walked back to the room quickly, took out a heavy bag of silver and handed it to Song Zhiyun. "Choose a good day and find some craftsmen to raise the walls around our house. After some time, I will strengthen the relationship between the prince and his subject and try to get some firearms back."
Song Zhiyun looked troubled: "This wall is already high enough. If it gets any higher, it will block the sunlight. How can we grow vegetables? If the vegetables don't grow well, what will we eat?"
"You don't know whether our family is truly poor or just pretending." Lu Wensheng paused for a moment, then said tactfully, "Have you set your sights on some expensive item? If we don't have enough money, we can send a letter to the south and ask them to send some as tribute."
Song Zhiyun: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Lu Wensheng waved his hand, "As long as it's not too outrageous, or you flaunt it after you get it, I can still cover one or two items. And after nightfall, the pants... Lu Fugui doesn't need to be tied up anymore."
"Okay, Mother will think about it."
...
Lu Wensheng enjoyed a pleasant day, and the next morning, she asked Yingniang to find Huo Qian and submit a leave slip for her, because her period had started.
Lu Wensheng lay on the bed resting his back, while Xiao Yuan slept soundly beside him.
I don't know if it's a side effect of digging holes and hiding soap last night, but my lower back is particularly sore and the flow is heavy this time. Fortunately, my stomach doesn't hurt as usual.
Otherwise, if you're caught in a pincer attack, life would be incredibly difficult.
Thinking back, her sudden emotional outburst and crying the night before last was probably due to hormones. And Chen Xin, what bad luck, coming at just the time when she was about to get her period—he practically begged for a beating.
Nothing happened yesterday, and I wonder if anyone will impeach her at today's court assembly. If things get serious, will Shen Hegui summon her? No, I need to change into a thick pair of cotton trousers; I absolutely cannot let anything slip.
While Lu Wensheng was worried about the sudden increase in the amount of water from the sunflower, Shen Hegui was lost in thought in the imperial court.
The Fengtian Hall was in an uproar, with the same old topic being discussed: where to get money to fill the national treasury.
Shen Hegui calmly looked at the civil and military officials who were arguing and their faces were red and their necks were thick.
Yesterday afternoon, he secretly dispatched Lin Shoubai to thoroughly investigate the temples in the capital region and Jiangnan, hoping to gain a comprehensive understanding from a single instance. Whether or not the situation described by Lu Wensheng is true will be known tonight.
Shen Hegui changed to a more comfortable position.
Let them argue, the more lively the better, so he won't be alone and have his mind in turmoil. And who knows, maybe these old foxes will come up with some good ideas once they get into a heated argument.
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Author's note: I'll post it as soon as I finish writing tomorrow, then I'll relax in bed for a while and let the classroom atmosphere dissipate. [Crying emoji]
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