The peasant woman was holding a broom, and it looked like she was going to pounce on him at any moment. Zhao Huan was frightened and took a few steps back, wanting to run.
"You kids are killing me!" The thing she was talking about was the gold hairpin that Nangong Lian'er gave her.
The peasant woman's eyes widened as she saw Zhao Huan holding a silver ingot in his hand. "Is it enough?"
Of course it's enough, more than enough to buy dozens of chickens. A fierce woman immediately turned into a kind old lady: "My child, are you rich?"
Zhao Huan nodded. "Yeah, I made a little money doing business. I missed your chickens again, so I came here."
The peasant woman looked at the chickens in the fence. This time she had learned her lesson and locked the chickens in the fence. "But my child, the gold hairpin that girl gave me last time is too valuable. I dare not accept it. You take it back, and as for the chickens, I will give them to you for free."
Not everyone in this world is a money-grubber; Meng Gurao wasn't one, and neither was the peasant woman. In fact, when the peasant woman later took the gold hairpin Nangong Lian'er had given her to a pawnshop (called "changshengku" or "zhiku" in the Song Dynasty), the pawnshop owner was shocked. The hairpin's craftsmanship was so intricate that the bead alone was worth a fortune.
The pawnshop owner, hoping to cheat the peasant woman, offered her three thousand taels of silver. The woman turned pale with fear. She had never imagined the hairpin would be worth so much. It would have been more than enough to buy thousands of chickens, and she was so frightened that she refused to pawn it again. The pawnshop owner, however, assumed she was a connoisseur of value and, without further deception, offered a reasonable price of twenty thousand taels of silver.
The peasant woman's eyes widened. She couldn't even imagine the concept of 20,000 taels of silver. Terrified, she took the hairpin and ran home, feeling incredibly guilty for accepting such a valuable item. She hoped Zhao Huan and his men would return soon so she could return this difficult situation.
Zhao Huan thought she was here to call him to task, but he didn't expect that she was not here for that at all: "I will give you the golden hairpin."
The peasant woman said nothing, but returned to her house and took out the gold hairpin. She had wrapped it in layers of white cloth, presumably cherishing it. "My child, you probably don't know this. I went to the pawnshop and asked for it. 20,000 taels! 20,000 taels of silver! Take it back quickly."
Zhao Huan was surprised: "If you knew it was worth so much, why did you return it to us?"
The peasant woman glared at him and said, "Why, who do you take me for? A chicken is worth so little. This hairpin is enough to buy a whole mountain of chickens. Go home and I've just remembered that you don't look like professional chicken thieves. Look at that delicate little girl wearing such gorgeous clothes. She must be the daughter of some wealthy family. I don't think she knows how valuable this hairpin is. Take it back."
Nangong Lian'er was extremely fond of this gold hairpin, a gift from Zhao Huan. Made of purple gold from Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, with beads sourced from the South China Sea, it was crafted by Wang Tong, a renowned Northern Song Dynasty craftsman, who spent three years crafting it. It was incredibly valuable.
If I return it to Nangong Lian'er, she will definitely be very happy. Zhao Huan thought about it and finally took it: "Thank you very much, this is for you." Zhao Huan took out a handful of banknotes.
The peasant woman shook her hands: "No, no, how can this be done?"
"Of course, of course. Just take it. I have plenty more." Zhao Huan took out a large stack of banknotes from his arms like waste paper.
The peasant woman was shocked. Zhao Huan stuffed a few bills into her hands and left. He wanted to go to the mountain to see Meng Gu Rao.
Looking at the more than 1,000 taels of silver in her hand, the peasant woman stayed where she was.
When Zhao Huan arrived at the mountain, he saw a man lying leisurely on a rocking chair under the shade of a tree in front of the stone house. It was Chen Guoting.
This old guy seemed to be living a comfortable life. Zhao Huan quietly approached behind him, hoping to scare him.
"Your Majesty, I am sorry that I did not come to greet you from afar. Please forgive me!" Chen Guoting stood up and bowed.
Zhao Huan was shocked: "You old thing, you are becoming more and more cunning. I think you are almost like Zhuge Liang. You have already noticed my arrival, right?"
Chen Guoting smiled and said, "Your Majesty, thank you for the compliment. I wonder why Your Majesty has time to come to my humble abode today."
"I missed you, so I came to see you." Zhao Huan looked at the neatly arranged surroundings and said, "Yes, this is a really nice place. When I am no longer the emperor, I would also like to find a place like this to retire."
Chen Guoting chuckled: "Your Majesty is in the prime of youth, how could he have such thoughts. But this place is really beautiful, haha."
"I am jealous, and after hearing what you said, I am doubly jealous."
Chen Guoting looked around and asked, "Where are those people, Your Majesty? You didn't come here by yourself, did you?"
"Why can't I come here by myself?" Before Chen Guoting could greet him, Zhao Huan went to the stone house and brought out the tea, placing it on a stone table at the door: "I ran away secretly."
Chen Guoting was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well, this is very much like something your Majesty would do."
Zhao Huan brewed some tea and asked Chen Guoting to sit down. "I don't want to be bothered by others every day. I want to sneak out and have some fun by myself."
"Then, what is this?" Chen Guoting sat opposite and pointed at Zhao Huan's two eye circles.
If there was anyone in the world who dared to speak to Zhao Huan as an equal and as a friend, it would be Chen Guoting. If this were a relationship between a ruler and his subjects, Chen Guoting wouldn't have dared to speak to Zhao Huan in this way even if he had ten times the courage. But now, he was just a commoner, posing no threat to anyone. That was why he dared to be so bold, and Zhao Huan seemed to like it.
The emperor has no friends, no one to confide in when encountering political difficulties. Having chosen the path of an emperor, one must be prepared to endure loneliness.
Zhao Huan rolled his eyes at him and said, "Why are you bringing up such a topic? I deserve a beating." He said it quite frankly.
Chen Guoting naturally did not ask why he was beaten. He only asked: "Your Majesty, did you come here just to see me? Did you encounter any difficulties?"
The teacup that Zhao Huan sent him stopped in mid-air: "I was wrong when I said you were like Zhuge Liang. You are Zhuge Liang. I really have something to do. I want to start a war." As he said that, he placed the teacup in front of Chen Guoting.
Chen Guoting was surprised: "Your Majesty wants to declare war on Mongolia?"
Zhao Huan nodded. "I now have over twenty cannons, armored soldiers, heavily armored cavalry, crossbows, weapons, provisions, and so much more. The Mongols will sooner or later become a threat to the Song Dynasty. I came here to hear your opinion."
Chen Guoting sighed: "Since Your Majesty is determined to start a war, what's the point of me saying anything?"
"You're against me going to war?" Zhao Huan took a sip of tea and nodded, "This tea is good."
Chen Guoting also nodded: "I don't want Your Majesty to start a war. I can't bear to see the people suffer from war again!"
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