At this moment, Emperor Hongxing felt an indescribable sense of loss and anger.
He actually fell to this state because of such a foolish woman.
He was furious at his own mistaken decision to leave the palace, at the disappointment Wan Shu had brought him, and even more furious at the betrayal of his followers.
Emperor Hongxing knew he was not a benevolent person, but he never treated his subordinates harshly.
As long as they work diligently, he will try his best to satisfy their every need.
Even many ministers in the imperial court could not treat their subordinates so well.
But he never expected that even so, his most trusted attendant, the one who had served him since childhood, would still betray him.
If that attendant were here now, Emperor Hongxing would definitely kill him without hesitation to vent his anger.
Unfortunately, his attendants had left Sishui County long after he faked his death, and now all that remained before him was Wan Shu, who had utterly disappointed him.
If he had known Wan Shu was this kind of person, even if the astrological pavilion had given him such a divination, he would never have left the palace for Wan Shu's sake.
However, Emperor Hongxing also knew that this was not Wan Shu's fault. Wan Shu was just an ordinary village woman. She had not made any mistakes. She was just not as clever as he had expected.
Emperor Hongxing sighed, picked up the book in his hand, and prepared to go inside to read and calm down.
But as soon as he pushed the door open, Wan Shu called him back.
"Wait, what are you doing coming into the room in broad daylight?"
Emperor Hongxing: "Reading a book? What's wrong?"
"You don't work to pay off your debts, and you want to go inside and read books in broad daylight, and you even ask me what's wrong?" Wan Shu looked shocked and disgusted.
This expression and appearance completely baffled Emperor Hongxing.
Emperor Hongxing pointed to himself, incredulous: "Me, work? Are you sure you want me to work?! And when did I ever owe you a debt?!"
Emperor Hongxing firmly believed that he had never owed anyone a debt in his life!
Seeing Emperor Hongxing's spontaneous and confident expression, Wan Shu smiled and began to recount the events.
"Do you really think that the medicine I used to save you, and the food I gave you, were all free?"
"Oh, right, there's also the two taels of silver you asked me for today to buy the books, and the cost of the carriage ride."
"You treat my son like a rickshaw driver, don't you think you don't have to pay a single penny?"
"You don't actually think that everything you used above is something I'm obligated to give you, and that you don't have to pay it back, do you?"
"Even if you are the emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty, there is no reason why you should use other people's things and spend other people's money without having to pay back a single penny, right?"
After Wan Shu recounted each and every one of the incidents, Emperor Hongxing's originally arrogant and confident expression gradually turned into one of guilt and shame.
He had long been accustomed to living in the palace and to everything around him serving him, so even though Wan Shu gave him many things, he never took them to heart.
Only now, when Wan Shu pressed him for answers, did he realize that he had done something shameless.
He blushed, a rare occurrence for him, and explained, "It's not that I don't want to pay you back, it's just that I haven't regained my memory yet. Once I do, and I return home, I will repay you a thousandfold."
Even before Wan Shu could speak, Meng Wenyuan, who had had a similar experience, knew how to refute these words.
"Brother, whatever you say about the future now is just empty talk, all just pie in the sky. Who knows if you'll actually regain your memories in the end?"
"And are you sure you can successfully go home after you regain your memories?"
"Even if you go home, are you sure your family will have that much money?"
As the ruler of a country, Emperor Hongxing was certain that he could afford such a small amount of money.
Unfortunately, his current public statement is that he has lost his memory, and he cannot say it out loud.
In the end, he could only watch helplessly as this young nobleman, who was fairly handsome but whose eyes were full of stupidity, shoved a greasy, dirty, and disgusting piece of lard into his hand.
And they issue orders.
"See that basket of lard? Aunt Liang needs it. Go and wash it all out now. That will cover your carriage fare and meal expenses for today. If you don't wash it, you won't get any food for lunch or dinner."
Meng Wenyuan spoke with such joy and satisfaction!
Because I've been caught in the rain, I want to tear other people's umbrellas apart.
Meng Wenyuan himself had come this far step by step, so he couldn't wait to let Emperor Hongxing experience it for him as well.
He can't suffer alone, right? And to be honest, he also had some selfish motives. Emperor Hongxing is indeed a bit too deserving of a beating.
Emperor Hongxing, holding the pork fat, was on the verge of exploding with rage.
But after carefully considering his current situation, he realized that he had no right to lose his temper at all...
Although he has already sent a secret letter to his subordinates in the capital, it will take at least ten days for the letter to arrive and for his subordinates to get there, even with the fastest horses.
He had no money, and if he left Wan Shu's house within these ten days, he would go hungry, and his wounds, which had not yet healed, might worsen.
He could go to the prefect or the county magistrate.
He didn't know the county magistrate, but he knew that the prefect of Jingzhou was someone he could trust.
However, the prefect's residence is crowded with people and eyes, and even if the prefect does not reveal his true identity, it is very likely that others will notice it.
In other words, once he leaves, his whereabouts will be exposed, and the mastermind behind his murder will never be able to be found.
A small lack of patience can ruin a great plan; a small lack of patience can ruin a great plan; a small lack of patience can ruin a great plan...
Emperor Hongxing repeated these words to himself countless times before finally suppressing his anger and frustration. He squatted down and began to clumsily wash the full basket of lard.
Seeing that Emperor Hongxing was obediently starting to clean, Wan Shu finally felt much better. He took out the distillation equipment and began to distill the gardenia flowers.
Wan Shu bought so much lard and flowers today because what she wants to make is actually very simple: soap.
She first distilled the gardenia hydrosol and essential oil for later use.
Then she added salt, gardenia hydrosol, and most importantly, the lye water she bought from the mall to the slightly cooled lard.
After adding everything, Wan Shu began stirring frantically.
This was the first time Wan Shu had ever made soap.
She wasn't confident she could succeed on her first try, so she specifically bought over 100 jin of lard, planning to try again if she didn't succeed the first time.
Surprisingly, she succeeded on her first try!
The originally turbid liquid gradually turned into a milky white solid under her stirring!
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