Chapter 14 They were all actually shrewdly plotting against her…
Having established a tacit understanding on the first day, Yunzhu and Xiao Ming'an naturally continued to spend the next few days together, studying the classics.
Their goal was to thoroughly understand the books on Xiao Mingzhang's bookshelf, so in addition to simply reading together every day, they would also discuss the contents of the books and offer their insights to each other.
Although they didn't speak the same language, Yunzhu was well-educated and understood basic principles, so communication between the two wasn't particularly difficult.
It wasn't until three days later that Madam Ying noticed her daughter was frequently visiting Yunzhu.
At first, when she heard that the two had gone to the temple together, Ying Shi didn't take it to heart. Later, when she heard that the two had spent an afternoon reading together, Ying Shi still didn't pay much attention. But when she heard from the servants that Xiao Ming'an had been visiting Yunzhu and Xiao Mingzhang's courtyard for the fourth consecutive day, Ying Shi finally couldn't sit still anymore.
She had no idea how the two of them had ended up together.
Before Yunzhu came to Yunzhou, Ying had instructed Xiao Ming'an that no matter what kind of person Yunzhu was, she was from the Western Regions after all, and as the county magistrate of Yunzhou, he must not get too close to her.
Who knows if she's secretly working for Cao Cao but her heart is with Liu Bei? What if she secretly sends something from their family to the Western Regions? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?
For the past two years, Xiao Ming'an had listened to her and maintained a good relationship with Yunzhu, neither too close nor too distant. It's unclear what's wrong with her this year.
Unable to sit still any longer, Ying got up and went to Yunzhu's courtyard to see what was going on.
After four whole days, Yunzhu and Xiao Ming'an had almost finished reading all the books on locust plagues and droughts on Xiao Mingzhang's bookshelf, and today was the last one.
Seeing Yunzhu pull out the last book, Xiao Ming'an no longer cared about being a county princess. He stretched lazily in front of her and said, "Finally almost over! After I finish this one, you promised to treat me to your Western Regions roasted lamb leg and milk skin!"
After reading for so many days, Yunzhu was exhausted. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, okay, once I finish this book, I'll take you out to eat right away. Not to mention roasted lamb leg and milk skin, you can eat whatever you want!"
"Hmph, that depends on what other good food you have in the Western Regions," Xiao Ming'an said arrogantly. "If there's anything else that tastes good, then I can certainly do the honor of trying it."
She really does have the airs of a county magistrate.
Yunzhu remained silent, her faint smile tacitly acknowledging Xiao Ming'an's words.
Xiao Ming'an leaned back in his chair, and seeing that Yun Zhu had no intention of resting, she took out a book and was about to open it when she took advantage of the last bit of free time to say, "We've read eight books in the past few days. You have to remember that, besides food, you still owe me eight outings!"
Perhaps this is the key point she wanted to remind her of?
Tomorrow they will no longer need to gather together to read. Yun Zhu understands that it's time to settle the score she owes Xiao Ming'an.
"Okay." Yunzhu nodded solemnly and said, "Eight times it is. I'll accompany you wherever you want to go, alright?"
"That's more like it," Xiao Ming'an said, gesturing with her lips. The locust plague was the priority, and she cared deeply for the people. She genuinely wanted to read more books and work for their well-being, which was one thing, but the conditions Yunzhu had agreed to and the benefits she should have fought for were another matter entirely.
She had to hold on with both hands.
Just as Ying reached the door, the conversation inside had just ended, and the two began to bump heads again, their eyes fixed on the same page of a book.
After listening outside the door for a while, Ying finally couldn't hold back and knocked on the study door.
Xiao Ming'an was sitting close to the door, so she was the one who opened it.
When Madam Ying saw the study door open and standing in front of her was her daughter, who had never lifted a finger before, her brows furrowed unconsciously.
Her gaze kept glancing inside, and seeing that Yunzhu was still sitting motionless, she couldn't help but ask Xiao Ming'an with a hint of annoyance, "What are you doing?"
"Mother?" Xiao Ming'an was surprised by Ying's appearance and said, "We were reading a book."
Ying's voice came from outside the door, and Yunzhu finally realized that it was her. She quickly got up and headed towards the door.
Out of the corner of her eye, Madam Ying noticed Yunzhu's belated arrival. Even though she was facing her own daughter, her tone remained unfriendly: "Of course I know you're reading. What are you reading?"
“It’s a book about locust plagues and droughts!” Xiao Ming’an’s eyes were clear and earnest. “Mother, are you coming with us?”
"..." Madam Ying glared at her good-for-nothing daughter, wondering how she could ask such a foolish question.
Moreover, locust plagues and droughts?
She looked at Xiao Ming'an suspiciously: "You've been coming to this courtyard every day these past few days, just to read these books?"
“Yes.” Xiao Ming’an knew that his mother probably wouldn’t easily believe that he liked reading these books, so he said that he was going back to get the books from her. Ying Shi then said, “Alright, alright, you take those books, I don’t want to read them…”
She glanced at Yunzhu, and seeing that she had finally come to her, she craned her neck and asked again, "You too? Have you been reading these books lately?"
"Yes, Mother." Yunzhu bowed respectfully to Ying Shi, who finally felt more at ease.
She then questioned Yunzhu: "Why are you reading these books so easily? Didn't you just see a doctor recently who said you should go out more? Why are you cooped up at home reading books instead?"
“Recently, Qingzhou has been plagued by locusts, and the situation has not improved for a long time. So, on a whim, I wanted to look at some books on this subject,” Yunzhu explained. “But I don’t know much about the Central Plains script, so I had to ask my sister Ming’an to read to me and explain things.”
So that's how it is.
Ying suddenly realized the reason why her daughter and Yunzhu had suddenly become close.
But why would Xiao Ming'an be so kind as to invite her over?
After all, she was her daughter, and Madam Ying knew perfectly well that Xiao Ming'an's demands for Yunzhu to agree to her conditions were probably not so simple.
"Mother, what brings you here?" Seeing his mother standing at the door for a long time without saying anything, Xiao Ming'an couldn't help but urge, "If there's nothing else, we still need to read, so please don't disturb us."
What? She interrupted them?
For a moment, Ying looked at Xiao Ming'an in astonishment, wondering what kind of thing she had given birth to that she was now saying she was disturbing them.
Originally, Madam Ying wanted to let them read on their own, but after Xiao Ming'an said that, Madam Ying was no longer willing to see Xiao Ming'an and Yunzhu alone together.
She pursed her lips and remained silent, only sternly scolding Xiao Ming'an.
Yunzhu stood to one side, having witnessed the mother and daughter's interaction clearly. Normally, she wouldn't have bothered with their arguments, but today was different; she was counting on Xiao Ming'an to read to her today.
Before Ying could completely lose her temper, she quickly squeezed between the mother and daughter and said, "Mother, it's rare for you to come all this way. Are your legs tired? If you are, why don't you sit with us in the study for a while? I had someone roast a leg of lamb and make some milk skin tonight. I wonder if Mother has tried these Western Region delicacies? If you're interested, we can try them together!"
"Milk skin?" As the princess consort of the Prince Huan's mansion, Madam Ying had naturally tasted these imported products before.
She was surprised that Yunzhu would actually take the initiative to ask her to stay; it seemed that she wasn't completely clueless after all.
She went along with it and quickly said, "Since you've said so, then I'll stay and try it."
Yunzhu smiled and welcomed her inside.
Once Ying Shi sat down, it was no longer possible for Xiao Ming'an and Yun Zhu to have a free discussion. But at least they could still read the book, and they could still huddle together at the desk.
Ying sat at the round table, calmly observing the two people.
She could tell that because of her sudden appearance, both Yunzhu and Xiao Ming'an became very cautious at first, speaking and communicating cautiously, like two puppets being restrained. But gradually, as they became more and more engrossed in the contents of the book, they changed.
They started to act naturally.
Xiao Ming'an read the contents of the book to Yunzhu word by word, and when Yunzhu didn't understand something, she would point to the words and ask Xiao Ming'an a question. Sometimes Xiao Ming'an would patiently explain to Yunzhu, but when she asked some very simple questions, she would complain, "Why would she ask such simple questions?"
They would then start arguing.
They argued until they were red in the face, then realized that she was still sitting in the room. So they both lowered their heads guiltily and continued reading.
Ying was helpless, wondering what kind of monster she was that made them so afraid.
She watched them silently, thinking she was already heartless enough, but before she knew it, Ying felt a lump in her throat.
Her gaze was fixed on Yunzhu, on her beautiful face. It's hard to say, but before Yunzhu arrived, this was exactly the scene she had imagined Xiao Mingzhang's wife would enter the house.
At that time, the wife she chose for Xiao Mingzhang was Wang Jun, the daughter of the Wang family. She had watched the child grow up since she was a child, and the whole family was very loyal to the Wang family. She imagined that after the daughter of the Wang family married into the Wang family, their family would be harmonious, and Xiao Ming'an could also get along well with this sister-in-law and become close friends.
But everything changed after the imperial decree for the marriage was issued.
All her fantasies came to naught, and she no longer wanted her daughter to have much contact with her sister-in-law.
As she pondered this, Ying finally turned her face away.
She stopped looking at Yunzhu and Xiao Ming'an, her slightly reddened eyes fixed on the scenery outside the window, until they finished reading the last book in their hands. Only then did she turn around and listen to them talk about what happened next.
After listening for a while, Ying finally couldn't help but ask, "What exactly do you want to do with these books?"
Xiao Ming'an countered, "Mother, don't you know about the recent locust plague in Qingzhou?"
"Yes." Ying's mind was even more confused. "Could it be that after reading these books, you're also going to Qingzhou to help?"
“We probably won’t go to Qingzhou,” Xiao Ming’an said. “But Mother, we have recently consulted many ancient books and found that after locust plagues, many places are often followed by droughts. Once a drought occurs, it affects a large area. If Qingzhou really suffers from a drought, then it will not only be the Sui Prince’s Mansion that will be affected!”
"What nonsense are you spouting?" This concerned matters of national importance, and Madam Ying instinctively rebuked Xiao Ming'an, "Even at home, you are not allowed to speak recklessly!"
"Mother, I'm not speaking nonsense!" Xiao Ming'an argued firmly, "Yunzhou isn't too far from Qingzhou, so we need to think things through and plan ahead. It's already autumn, Mother, look, has Qingzhou had any rain this year? How many rains have we had in Yunzhou? If we don't pay attention this year, and then realize next spring that the land can't grow any crops, then it will be too late!"
"you……"
Xiao Ming'an's words were really unpleasant to hear, and Ying Shi subconsciously wanted to scold her daughter, but what she said made a lot of sense, so Ying Shi held back halfway through her sentence.
Ying was born into the Ying family in Jinling. Her father was a Grand Secretary in the imperial court. From childhood to adulthood, she was not just a pampered young lady raised in the inner chambers. She had read all the books that were supposed to be read and learned all the principles that were supposed to be learned.
However, in recent years, she has been confined to the inner quarters of the Prince's mansion and has wasted much of her life.
She stopped scolding Xiao Ming'an and instead said, "Your father must have known about these things long ago, so why do you need to worry about them?"
“What are you saying, Mother?” Xiao Ming’an replied. “I am, after all, the county princess of Yunzhou City. Since I am supported by the people, I should naturally do my part for them!”
Ying said with disdain, "So, have you thought about how you're going to contribute?"
"..." Xiao Ming'an really hadn't thought it through.
She and Yunzhu exchanged a glance.
In the past two days, they have only read through the records of locust plagues and droughts in the books. How could they possibly come up with a strategy to deal with them?
"But we have also looked at many solutions from our predecessors, and I'm sure they will come in handy in time!"
They were incredibly naive. Ying shook her head, but ultimately didn't discourage them further.
That day, she accompanied Xiao Ming'an to Yunzhu's courtyard for a delicious meal of roasted lamb leg and a bowl of milk skin before finally leaving with her daughter.
It seemed like a harmonious day, but in reality, as soon as Ying pulled Xiao Ming'an back to her room, she immediately instructed him: "You can get along with Yunzhu, but remember, you absolutely must not be too intimate with her, understand?"
Xiao Ming'an knew that his mother would have to explain this matter to him again sooner or later.
She skillfully dealt with Madam Ying: "Alright, Mother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Ms. Ying was not entirely at ease, feeling that she was not so reliable.
Xiao Ming'an noticed his mother's distrustful gaze. After much deliberation, he had no choice but to say, "Mother, do you dare to tell me the truth? I've spent quite a few hours in my brother and sister-in-law's courtyard these past few days. They seem to get along just like any other couple, even quite affectionately. But they still don't have any children. Mother, have you and Father done anything about this?"
Mrs. Ying was taken aback, finally meeting the cunning yet incredibly bright light in her daughter's eyes.
A note from the author:
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Today's chapter is really, really long—but our male lead didn't appear, hehe~
I can't wait to write the scene of the entire royal family being cremated later on! Even the younger sister has so many little thoughts of her own...
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