A Cai's work The Emperor's Phoenix: Abandoned Concubine The Emperor's Phoenix: Abandoned Concubine Volume 1 045 Visiting a friend, the awkward ninth uncle
After leaving Jiangnan, the Ninth Prince and Feng Qingchen’s next stop was to go to the border town in the northwest.
Of course, their trip was not for official business, but to visit friends, and at most to take a look at the situation at the border and understand the people's sentiments...
Different from the beauty and richness of Jiangnan, the Northwest is rugged and majestic, and vaguely a bit desolate. Looking around, many places are empty, completely unlike Jiangnan where there are people and houses everywhere.
The houses here are not as beautiful and luxurious as those in Jiangnan, but practical. Near the outer city, all the houses are stone. It is said that in the past, the enemy often came to the border town, and the stone houses are sturdy.
As soon as the Ninth Prince and Feng Qingchen arrived in the northwest, they changed into local clothes, but their skin was delicate, without any of the roughness and weathering of the people in the border town.
"You are coming from the south, right?" The old farmer who was driving the ox cart saw the Ninth Prince and Feng Qingchen, who were walking alone outside the city. He kindly stepped forward to talk to them and stopped the ox cart beside them.
The Ninth Prince and Feng Qingchen had already noticed it, but since the other party was harmless, they did not stop him. When they saw the other party stop, the Ninth Prince and Feng Qingchen also stopped.
The Ninth Prince stood aside as usual without saying anything, while Feng Qingchen smiled and said to the old farmer, "Master, we came from the capital to visit our old friend here."
"Oh... I was saying that you two are from an extraordinary family. It turns out that you are nobles from the capital."
As people get older, they have more or less good eyesight. The old farmer is generous and not afraid of strangers.
The local officials in the border town are approachable and the local people are not afraid of seeing them. Although the Ninth Prince and Feng Qingchen have elegant demeanors, the old farmer is not afraid of them either.
This is a border town, and the people there are tough and ferocious. If those dandy young men who ride horses and play with birds bully others at will, they might be beaten to death.
Although beating someone to death is a crime, once the person is killed, revenge will not save their life.
The people here are hot-tempered, and many cases of beating officials' children to death have happened in the past. Although those who killed people suffered great misfortune, their families and children were taken care of by the clan.
Once or twice is not a big deal, but after too many times, those playboys will know that these people are not easy to mess with, and it is not worth losing their lives for it.
As a result, the atmosphere in the border town is better than that in the capital.
Feng Qingchen and the Ninth Prince, at the invitation of the old farmer, got on the ox cart and listened to the old farmer introduce local customs along the way.
Of course, when he got on the ox cart, the Ninth Prince was quite nervous. He stood there awkwardly for a long time and couldn't sit down...
Are you sure that black mass is not cow dung?
Even if it wasn't cow dung, he didn't want to sit on it, it was too dirty!
The dissatisfaction of the Ninth Prince was so obvious that even the old farmer noticed it. However, the old farmer did not care. Instead, he said with a smile: "Your Excellency, you think it is dirty? It's okay... It's coal slag, but it's a good thing. We rely on it to burn firewood and pave the road. Don't worry, your Excellency, I'll put a piece of cloth under it."
The old farmer stepped forward, patted the wooden board, and found a piece of cloth in the corner that was so dirty that the color could not be seen. The Ninth Prince's face became even darker...
It’s better not to use a pad.
"Hehe..." Feng Qingchen laughed stiflingly and enthusiastically took the cloth from the old farmer's hand: "Don't worry, sir. He is just a spoiled child. It's okay. I'll do it..."
Feng Qingchen used the cloth to wipe off the coal slag on the wooden board, then patted the board and said to the Ninth Uncle: "Sit down!"
"I..." I can walk.
"Hurry up. It's a good thing that you are willing to give us a ride into the city. If we had to walk, we don't know how long it would take us." Feng Qingchen pulled the Ninth Uncle, who did not struggle anymore. He could only suppress the disgust in his heart and sat down with gritted teeth.
Feng Qingchen sat very comfortably, but the Ninth Prince felt uncomfortable and felt something was not right. Fortunately, he was well-educated and would not twist around even if he was unhappy. He just pursed his lips and said nothing, looking at Feng Qingchen with a little bit of pretended ferocity in his eyes.
It was Feng Qingchen who clearly didn't want to ride in the carriage, saying that he wanted to experience the customs and culture of the border town. What about now?
Riding a bullock cart!
If you want to take a ox cart, just take a ox cart. Why don’t you change to a clean one?
What kind of truck is this that carries coal slag? How dirty must it be?
The Ninth Prince was extremely unhappy. His awkward expression not only made Feng Qingchen laugh, but also amused the old farmer.
These people from the capital are just fun.
"Young lady, you have a great man who treats you well." The old farmer was driving the ox cart and did not forget to look back and give Feng Qingchen a thumbs up.
"What's wrong with him?" Feng Qingchen asked with interest.
The Ninth Prince didn't say a word, so why couldn't she see what was good about him?
The old farmer was not polite and said immediately: "Look at his appearance and demeanor, he is obviously a young master. Although he didn't say anything, I can see that he doesn't like the old man's ox cart."
No one in the capital spoke so directly, let alone to strangers. However, the old farmer spoke straightforwardly, and his words did not annoy people at all.
"It's normal for a young master to look down on an ox cart, but you, as a man, are not looking down on others. Not to mention that your man looks down on it, even I, an old man, think that this ox cart is suitable for you, and your man should ride on a tall horse."
"If I hadn't seen you two walking here alone, this old man would not dare to come forward, for fear that you would think I was meddling." What the old man said was absolutely true. He saw Feng Qingchen and the Ninth Prince from a distance and hesitated for a long time before coming up to talk to them.
"Master, you misunderstood. It's not that he dislikes the ox cart, he just likes cleanliness and can't stand dirt." Feng Qingchen explained for the Ninth Uncle happily.
Cows are important livestock for ordinary people. The Ninth Prince has always encouraged people to raise cattle, so how could he look down on them?
Moreover, in recent years, the Ninth Prince has specially established a cattle farm, and the calves born every year are sold to ordinary people at low prices.
Farming, farming, having a big buffalo to help can save a lot of effort. In the past, the people were poor and cows were expensive and could not afford them, but now it is all right. The emperor's good policies, ordinary people just need to be a little more diligent, save for a year or two, buy a calf and take good care of it for a few years, and when it grows up, it can go to the fields to work, which is more powerful than a few men.
The old farmer grinned when he heard it, "I told you that your man doesn't dislike me. My dear, your man is great. He doesn't like you, but he will accommodate you for you. When you two sit on my ox cart, it makes it look more expensive."
"Young lady, this man is really great. You have to be nice to him. Your man is not good at speaking, but I can see that he is a good old man. He is a good one to you..." The old farmer gave another thumbs up and praised the Ninth Prince.
People are just like that. Even though the Ninth Prince didn't say a word from beginning to end, the old farmer liked him more and more. He liked him more and more.
"My husband is just not talkative, and I've suffered a loss because of this. People who don't know him would think he's hard to get along with." Feng Qingchen also responded generously...
The slight dissatisfaction in the Ninth Prince's heart was eliminated by the old farmer's repeated calls of "your man" left and right. Although he still had a stern face, his expression had softened.
Especially Feng Qingchen's words "my man", which made the Ninth Prince satisfied from the bottom of his heart. The pink petals kept bubbling out, and he wished Feng Qingchen would say a few more words.
Although these words were a bit rough, he felt happy to hear them, so they were good words.
The Ninth Prince raised his lips slightly, no longer minding the dirtiness of the ox cart...
Feng Qingchen took a secret look, chuckled, and continued to talk to the old farmer. The old farmer was also good at speaking, and it could be seen that he attached great importance to his ox cart because he mentioned the ox cart again.
"Young lady, you have to talk to your man. Don't look down on the ox cart. This ox cart is a good thing. I, an old man, rely on it to travel."
"My dear girls, you were born in a rich family, but you don't know that in the past, this ox cart was a precious thing, and ordinary people couldn't afford it. Even the landlords only had one ox cart. In our whole village, only the village chief's family had an ox."
"It is only in the past two years that our emperor has been wise and kind to the people. The calf can be exchanged for grain. Otherwise, when you come here, you can't even see the shadow of the ox, let alone the ox cart. You two can only walk into the city."
Talking about his current life, the old farmer looked very satisfied and said cheerfully, "If someone had told me in the past that I could have an ox cart, I would have said that the other person was bragging. But now, I really have one. I have to thank the emperor for his great grace. Even the people in our border town can benefit from his grace."
When the old farmer talked about this, the smile on his face became even more intense, and his words were full of admiration and respect for the emperor.
This kind of respect cannot be compared with a simple "Long live"; it comes from the heart...
What the people want is a peaceful and prosperous life. Whoever can bring them peace and prosperity is a wise ruler in their hearts.
As the queen, how could Feng Qingchen not be happy when someone praised the emperor? She quickly asked, "Is the current emperor really that good?"
As soon as this question was asked, the old farmer was unhappy: "What are you talking about? If the current emperor is not good, how can there be good people? Young lady, let me tell you, our border town can become prosperous, and my grandson can survive, all thanks to the emperor. If it weren't for the emperor, my grandson would be born and I wouldn't be able to raise him..."
"You are right, sir. I said the wrong thing. The emperor is a very good man. Without him, I would not be here today. Without the emperor's grace, I would not be able to come to the border town, let alone meet you, sir." How could she not be happy when someone praised her man?
Feng Qingchen admitted her mistake very readily. When she mentioned the emperor's kindness, she deliberately glanced at the Ninth Uncle...
Not surprisingly, this seemingly thick-skinned man's ears turned red, and his expression became more and more uneasy...
Hahahaha... Feng Qingchen was trying very hard to hold back her laughter...
A word to readers: I’m sorry, I was busy looking for editors and technicians this morning, so I started writing a little late... I’ll try to finish two more chapters before three o’clock.