When the earthquake occurred in Jinli Town, there was a lot of work to do, and everyone from Minister Zhao to the petty officials were extremely busy.
Yu Jian was deeply loved and trusted by the people of Jinli Town. Many things could be promoted easily with his presence, so he was no less idle than the officials.
Only the prince became a completely idle person.
Ever since that night when the prince casually promised to give out a large sum of money and cheated these officials, in order to prevent the prince from causing trouble again, everyone specially picked a smart clerk to accompany the prince on a tour in Wuji Town.
There was nothing interesting to do in Wuji Town, and the prince did not dare to wander around elsewhere, fearing that an earthquake like the one in Jinli Town would occur. Bored, he ordered the eunuch, "Let the clerk take you to the place where the people of Jinli Town stayed. When I was talking there yesterday, I found a young lady in green, who was quite pretty..."
The eunuch said in embarrassment: "Your Highness, the young lady wore a green dress yesterday, but she may not be wearing the same dress today. I am afraid I have taken the wrong person..."
The prince was much smarter in this regard. He rolled his eyes at the eunuch and scolded him, "Fool, don't you think that those are the victims of the disaster, their homes have become ruins, how can they have clothes to change? The young lady wore a green dress yesterday, so she must still be wearing a green dress today."
"Your Highness is wise!".
Fearing that the eunuch might have brought the wrong person and spoiled the mood, the prince thought for a moment and said, "That young lady has a small mole on her cheek, remember that."
"I've remembered it. But——"
"But what?"
"Your Highness, what if the young lady doesn't obey? After all, we are outside now——"
The prince smiled and said, "It's easier to do it outside. I'm the prince, and I want to sleep with a country girl. Who dares to say anything? If the young lady doesn't want to, you can give her more money and use the money to throw at her until she agrees."
"I understand."
The eunuch called the clerk and mentioned the matter in a low voice.
The clerk was slightly surprised but then returned to normal.
It is very common for the prince to leave the bustling capital and come to this small place to have some fun.
Well, compared to the glittering Prince of Yan, this prince is exactly what he imagined a nobleman should be like.
Without hesitation, the clerk led the eunuchs and quietly went to the place where the people of Jinli Town were staying.
The watery young lady in green——
The eunuch's eyes rolled around, and he took a look at all the women with girlish buns. There were quite a few women wearing green clothes, but Shui Ling was not one of them.
In the end, he even spared no girls of twelve or thirteen, but couldn't find a pretty one.
Now the eunuch was worried.
Seeing that he had wasted a lot of time, the clerk couldn't help but ask, "What kind of person are you looking for, sir?"
The eunuch said weakly, "The one wearing green, pretty, with a mole on his cheek."
The clerk pointed and said, "Sir, look at the woman washing clothes by the stream. Is she the one you are looking for?"
Woman?
The eunuch's first reaction was denial, and he looked in the direction the clerk pointed.
Many women were washing clothes by the stream.
In the past, when the women gathered together to wash clothes, they would chat and laugh, and there was a lot of noise. But now that their homes were destroyed, they could no longer laugh. Most of them washed the clothes in silence, and those who spoke only whispered.
The eunuch's eyes fell on a woman in blue.
The woman looked to be in her early twenties, with a slim figure and a fair face. She was certainly not pretty, but compared to those women with rough skin, she was indeed pretty.
More importantly, there was a black mole on the young woman's cheek.
This is the person the prince is looking for!
The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief at first, but then was dumbfounded.
This, this is a married woman...
Seeing the eunuch in a daze, the clerk said sympathetically, "Don't worry, sir. A married woman is easier to deal with than a young lady."
"Um?"
"Your Highness will definitely not bring this woman back to the capital in the future, right?"
The eunuch said with a straight face: "Of course."
A woman of this beauty is far inferior to even the maids in the palace. She is just a good-looking girl in this remote and poor village. Your Highness will certainly not take her away.
Besides, Your Highness is here to comfort the disaster victims. If you really bring a woman back with you, you will definitely be reprimanded by the Emperor.
The clerk smiled and said, "That's it. If His Highness is interested in a young lady who has not yet married, it would take some effort to get rid of her. After all, the young lady will have to get married in the future, and losing her virginity will always be a problem. It's different for married women. As long as you give her enough benefits, she will leave without leaving any trace..."
The eunuch laughed and patted the clerk on the shoulder: "You are a good person. I will tell His Highness about it later."
"Thank you for your kind words, sir."
"Then let's do it." The eunuch nodded.
Naturally, it would be best for local people to handle matters like this.
The clerk was not in a hurry. He first asked others to find out who the woman in green belonged to. He did not go to talk to the woman, but went directly to the woman's husband.
The man got anxious when he heard this: "How can this be possible!"
The clerk stuffed a small purse into the man's hand.
The man took it out and looked at it, his expression changed immediately: "This, this is gold?"
There were some gold leaves in the purse.
The clerk laughed and said, "You haven't seen it before, have you? Let your wife accompany the noble for a few days, and you will enjoy endless benefits."
Looking at the dazzling golden leaves, the man hesitated.
Seeing the man's hesitation, the clerk immediately said, "Brother, I have something to say from the bottom of my heart. With so much gold leaves, you can buy a fairy, right? Besides, the nobleman will reward you generously in the future. You can take this money and continue to live with your wife when she comes back, or you can change her to a younger and prettier wife. There is only profit and no loss. What are you still hesitating about?"
The man became more and more excited.
The clerk continued to persuade him, "I have inquired about it. You have been married for many years, but your wife has not given you any children. To put it bluntly, she is a hen that does not lay eggs. Brother, with so much money, even if you are reluctant to change your wife, you can at least marry another daughter..."
The man finally nodded.
The clerk laughed when he saw this.
Money makes the world go round, this is the truth. With so many gold leaves, not only the farmer, but even he would be tempted.
The clerk was delighted when he touched the gold leaf hidden in his secret pocket.
It is true that geese pluck feathers when they pass by.
At night, the prince got his wish and slept with the pretty "young lady". He even felt more amused because the girl was married.
The incident with Concubine Yang was both a nightmare for the prince and left an indelible mark on him.
The prince had to admit that he was now much more interested in married women than young girls.
Of course, these cannot be told to outsiders.
The prince was so obsessed with the pleasure of love that he no longer cared about anything else.
The ministers were eager to prevent the prince from causing more trouble, so they did not pay much attention to it.
It was not until this day when two imperial messengers, Inspector Yu Shi and Pan Hai's apprentice Xiao Lezi, arrived that the prince was greatly shocked and hurriedly sent the people back.