Southern Chen, Shu Prefecture.
Bai Lu has been busy supervising the production of textile machines these past few days. She's so busy that she only has time to eat one meal a day.
Cheng Chu, her sworn brother, saw this and offered some advice: "You still need to eat and sleep on time, otherwise your health will collapse, how can you do anything well?"
Bai Lu sighed, rubbed her temples with a headache, and said, "It's still because we're short-handed... If that kid Xu Xian were willing to join us, I wouldn't have to work so hard."
As she spoke, she rubbed her lower back and sat down, picking up her pen to start writing down the next plan. Cheng Chu looked at Bai Lu's tightly furrowed brows and couldn't help but laugh: "You're starting to look more and more like a county princess."
Bai Lu was quite pleased to hear this, and smiled at him, saying, "You really know how to talk."
She paused, then asked Cheng Chu hesitantly, "Speaking of Xu Xian... I've felt something's off about him these past few days. Do you feel the same way?"
Cheng Chu frowned, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong? Tell me in detail."
Bai Lu pondered for a moment and said, "He's been following me around these past few days, asking me what I like to eat and what I like to do... Do you think he's trying to find out about the county princess indirectly?"
At this point, Bai Lu's expression changed drastically, and her eyes sharpened: "I understand—he doesn't support the county princess's idea! He probably wants to assassinate her!"
Cheng Chu: "..."
He tentatively asked, "Besides asking what you like to eat and what you like to do, did he ask you anything else?"
Bai Lu thought for a moment, then shook her head: "I didn't ask anything else. But he brings over lots of food every day, along with some wooden sticks..."
As she spoke, she slapped her forehead, suddenly realizing, "He wouldn't be trying to poison me, would he?"
Cheng Chu: "..."
He rubbed his temples: "What wooden stick?"
Bai Lu took a box from the antique shelf next to her, opened it, and handed two or three handmade wooden hairpins to Cheng Chu, complaining, "Here, these are them. I'm still wondering why he gave me wooden sticks... Could there be some other reason behind this?"
Cheng Chu choked for a moment, then looked at Bai Lu with a complicated expression: "Tell me, is there any possibility...?"
Bai Lu perked up, adopting a listening posture, her expression extremely serious and cautious, as if she had already caught Xu Xian trying to harm Shang Shaoyan: "Go on."
Seeing this, Cheng Chu couldn't help but laugh, and then, under Bai Lu's puzzled gaze, he sighed, "Is it possible that he has feelings for you?"
Bai Lu: "...?"
She pondered for a moment, frowned, and shook her head under Cheng Chu's expectant and encouraging gaze, saying, "That's not possible. Next."
Cheng Chu: "..."
Cheng Chu pressed on, unwilling to give up, "Is it really impossible?"
Bai Lu glanced at Cheng Chu in surprise: "Oh, he likes me? What does he want from me? Is it because I'm an orphan who was born a maid? Is it because I'm busy running around and showing my face every day? Is it because I can't afford a dowry?"
After saying that, she calmly said to Cheng Chu in his shocked gaze, "Let me tell you... The county princess said that if a man is reliable, pigs will fly. If you're going to find a man, find one like the Seventh Young Master. He's not only handsome and obedient, but also a model of male virtue. He's the best choice for our business class!"
Cheng Chu picked at his ear, asking uncertainly, "What male virtue? What career? What criticism?"
Bai Lu rolled her eyes, organizing the information according to Shang Shaoyan's method while explaining, "So-called male virtue is the virtue that men should abide by; so-called career-oriented person is someone who only loves their career, a wise man does not fall in love, and a lonely king wins the world... Do you understand?"
Cheng Chu: "..."
He twitched his lips, looking at Bai Lu who was increasingly resembling Shang Shaoyan, and asked curiously, "So you don't like Xu Xian?"
Bai Lu, gradually becoming more composed, nodded: "Yes, what's the use of liking him? Can he help me do things? Can he help my county magistrate conquer the world? No, right? Then get lost."
Cheng Chu chuckled and said, "You're supposed to be a young lady, you should be a bit gentler."
Bai Lu stopped tidying up, then looked up at Cheng Chu seriously and said, word by word, "General Cheng, who said that a woman must be gentle and a man must be strong?"
Cheng Chu paused for a moment, then said, "That's what everyone says."
Bai Lu smiled, shook her head, and said, "Those who say this are nothing but gentlemen—they are afraid that women will surpass them, so they want to tame us. This has been passed down from generation to generation, which is why women must be gentle and gentlemen must be strong. But in reality, everyone has the right to be themselves. Women can take up arms and fight on the battlefield, just like a county princess; gentlemen can also cook soup and go into the kitchen, just like Seventh Gentleman."
After a pause, Bai Lu raised an eyebrow at Cheng Chu, tilting her chin up as she said, "The county princess told me that everyone has things they want to do and people they want to become. This world is not easy, especially for a young lady like me. What she wants to do is create a peaceful and prosperous world, so that everyone can bravely be themselves. You may all think that the county princess embarked on this path because she craved power or was forced into it—but have you ever thought that the county princess also has things she wants to do? She once told me that if this world is riddled with problems and the people are ignorant, then she doesn't need this empire. She wants to create a prosperous world, educate the people, make everyone peaceful and happy, and make the world free of war. That's what she wants."
Cheng Chu was shocked to hear this. He stared blankly at Bai Lu, seemingly lost in thought.
Bai Lu pointed to the blueprints for the spinning machines and the recipes for the floral soaps on the table, and continued, "To get to the bottom of this—if Xu Xian truly liked me, then he should understand what I want to do and what kind of person I want to become, instead of simply and hastily inquiring about what I want to eat or what I want to do. If he wants me to be his concubine, to keep him company, I will not agree; if he wants me to be his principal wife, to manage the household for him, I will not agree either."
Having said that, she looked at Cheng Chu, each word carrying immense weight: "I am Yu Bailu, and I only ever want to be Yu Bailu. The so-called Xu Yu family, the so-called wife of the prefect, or the concubine—no matter which one it is, they will only be shackles binding me… Brother, do you understand?"
Cheng Chu stared at her for a moment, then said meaningfully, "If you say these things out loud, I don't know how many people will gossip about you behind your back."
Bai Lu glanced at him lazily and scoffed, "If I could be defeated by a few rumors, then I wouldn't have the ability or the need to continue working for the county magistrate. If you want to tell other people, Xu Xian, Li Xuan, Chen Shu... whoever you want to tell, just go ahead. Do you think I'll be afraid of rumors?"
After a long pause, Cheng Chu laughed loudly under Bai Lu's sharp gaze: "Why should I tell them? Bai Lu, you are my sworn sister. I originally thought the county magistrate wanted me to protect you, but now I understand that the county magistrate wants us to become her right-hand men, one for literature and one for martial arts. That's exactly right!"
Bai Lu raised an eyebrow noncommittally, didn't reply, and simply continued with her work.
Cheng Chu didn't bother her, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then took his leave.
No one noticed that Xu Xian had been listening outside the door for a very long time, his heart filled with a feeling of shock...
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