Chapter 4: Farmer, you take a rest first, I'll go take a shower
Lu Tingwan walked slowly to the window, her lotus steps light and gentle. Suddenly, a breeze blew past, scattering the papers on the table. She bent down to pick them up, her sleeve accidentally brushing against a porcelain vase on the shelf. The vase swayed slightly, and the peony buds on the vase trembled in the breeze, the petals stretching out, as if smiling.
She stared for a moment, a smile gradually forming in her eyes, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly, as if she had realized something. A gentle breeze blew outside the window, and the window lattice creaked softly. Lu Tingwan's smile became even more intense, and suddenly she said in a loud voice: "I got it, I got it, I have a solution!"
Feng Xin was hanging clothes in the yard when he looked up at the sound, only to see a beautiful face peeking out from behind the screen. Lu Tingwan smiled and said softly, "Feng Xin, come with me tomorrow to pack up and we'll leave the city."
After hanging up the clothes, Feng Xin walked into the house and saw Lu Tingwan sitting back at her desk, tapping the abacus beads in her hand. Feng Xin placed a cup of hot tea beside her and asked quietly, "Second Madam, you've only been married for a few days, and you're out all day long. You're going out of town tomorrow too. What are you going out of town for?"
Lu Tingwan raised her eyes, a sly glint in them, and said with a smile, "Feng Xin, I want to open a flower shop in the city. The merchants in the city are charging too high a price for their flowers. I plan to go out of the city to look for flower growers. If I can buy flowers directly from them, wouldn't it save me a lot of money?"
Feng Xin was a little worried when he heard this, "Feng Xin is afraid that the eldest lady will find out..."
Lu Tingwan interrupted with a wave of her hand, "Feng Xin, you've said this twice. The Madam has no time to take care of us, so just follow my instructions. I'll take care of the rest."
After saying this, she put away her abacus beads, stood up and walked towards the bed, her steps light and confident.
In Yingyue Pavilion, Gongsun Xue sat alone by the window, gazing at the fading moonlight, a sense of melancholy welling up in her heart. She had waited all night, but Cheng Xianzhi was still in the study, discussing matters. He had only stayed in Yingyue Pavilion on their wedding night. The next day, her attendant, Cang Shu, arrived with a message: his master was staying in the study due to official business.
Cang Zhu walked into the study and saw Cheng Xianzhi buried in paperwork. Han Zhou sat quietly beside him, teacup in hand. He lowered his voice and said, "Master, Mr. Han Zhou."
Han Zhou is Cheng Xianzhi's aide. He comes from an official family, but because his family was persecuted in a case in his early years, he was originally working in the Hanlin Academy, but one day he was imprisoned and his family members were beheaded and exiled. By chance, he became Cheng Xianzhi's aide.
The room was silent for a moment. Han Zhou glanced at Cheng Xianzhi out of the corner of his eye, and Cheng Xianzhi finally spoke, "What's the matter?"
Cang Shu was having trouble speaking. Han Zhou was holding a teacup. Cheng Xianzhi said, "Han Zhou is one of us. Just tell me what you want to say."
Cang Shu then reluctantly spoke, "Master, someone has come from the Madam's courtyard to ask you to be careful despite your busy work. The night dew is getting darker and the moon is high, so go to bed early."
Han Zhou, who was sipping tea, accidentally choked when he heard this, which sounded particularly harsh in the originally quiet room. The coughing continued for a long time. Cheng Xianzhi frowned, thinking that he was doing it on purpose.
"Han Zhou? Is this tea hot?"
Han Zhou stood up, put down the teacup in his hand, and said with a bow, "It's getting late. I'm sorry for disturbing you. I forgot the time for a moment. Your Excellency is newly married and has endless official duties."
Cheng Xianzhi said to Cang Shu, "Go tell the Madam that I'm discussing important matters with Mr. Han Zhou and will be there later. Tell her to rest first and there's no need to wait any longer."
After Cang Zhu left, Han Zhou could no longer hide the smile on his face, "Then Han Zhou left too."
"You'd better stay." Cheng Xianzhi didn't do what he wanted.
Han Zhou raised his eyebrows, his tone teasing: "You neither want to discuss business nor let me go, but only care about the paperwork in your hand. Are you afraid that the eldest lady will urge you?"
Cheng Xianzhi sighed deeply, a rare hint of hesitation showing in his expression. Han Zhou rarely saw him like this.
"If you had known this would happen, why did you make this decision?" Han Zhou sat back down and said earnestly, "You went to the trouble of marrying into the Gongsun family to secure the position of Shangshu Ling. Now that you've married her, you can't avoid her for the rest of your life."
Cheng Xianzhi sat upright, his gaze deep. "I didn't call you here to listen to these rhetoric. You know I'm determined to get the position of Shangshu Ling. Lu Mingqian has the support of the Queen Mother and Jiang Haiyi. If I don't borrow the power of the Gongsun family, my chances of winning are slim."
"If I were to ask you, you and Gongsun Xue are childhood sweethearts, so you're not completely devoid of affection. Why would you want to hide?"
"Although it's a marriage between two families, it's consensual," Cheng Xianzhi looked out at the darkness outside the house, thoughtfully, "but I'm ruthless to her."
Han Zhou shook his head. "But Gongsun Xue has feelings for you. If this matter is not handled properly, whether the Gongsun family can be used for your benefit is another matter."
Cheng Xianzhi's expression was calm: "I have my own plans."
"After all, Gongsun Xue's heart is with you, sir. This is easy to deal with. But the same cannot be said for the girl from the Lu family," Han Zhou reminded.
Cheng Xianzhi sneered, "Lu, I have my own uses. If the Queen Mother wants to keep an eye on me, then it will be as she wishes. I will repay her double when the time comes."
The moonlight grew darker, and the two discussed for another half an hour before Han Zhou left the house. Cheng Xianzhi walked out of the study and walked towards Yingyue Pavilion in the moonlight. Gongsun Xue leaned against the head of Babu's bed, waiting for someone to come back and go to bed. Unexpectedly, after Cang Zhu came back with the message, she waited for another half an hour, and she almost couldn't hold on any longer.
The body fell straight down. Cheng Xianzhi, who had just entered, saw this scene. Gongsun Xue woke up with a start. She felt her head heavy in a trance. The shadow in front of her eyes became clearer and clearer, and the tall and straight body gradually came into her sight.
She was almost awake and smiled at the man, "Master, the Master is back."
As she approached, she could feel the coolness of Cheng Xianzhi's body from returning from outside. Noticing Gongsun Xue approaching, Cheng Xianzhi quietly moved away, "Didn't I ask Cang Zhu to tell you not to wait?"
Gongsun Xue's expression darkened, and then she said, "I can't sleep if you don't come back."
Cheng Xianzhi found a chair and sat down. His tone was gentle, but he showed no intention of going to bed. "Xue'er, I've been busy with important matters at court lately. I may not be able to return home every day. If I come back late, I'm afraid it will disturb your rest. I will stay in the study."
"What?" The smile on Gongsun Xue's face faded. They had been married for only a few days, and not only was her husband not intimate with her, but now he wanted to sleep in a separate room from her. If this got out, how would people look at her?
The disappointment on Gongsun Xue's face was clear, but Cheng Xianzhi remained calm and soothed her, "No matter what, from now on, every fifteenth day of the month, no matter how busy I am, I will return to Yingyue Pavilion to accompany you. Is that okay?"
The deep eyes seemed to be examining people, and the handsome face struck people's hearts. Gongsun Xue's heart was throbbing. Such a handsome face, this was her husband, but she could only look at him, and could not even touch him without his consent, and she could not get close to him.
"When I become the Shangshu Ling, Xue'er can do whatever she wants."
Gongsun Xue had nothing else to say, so she could only nod in agreement.
She suppressed her frustration and said, "Then my lord, tonight..."
"You rest first, I'll go take a shower." Cheng Xianzhi turned and went into the bathroom.
Gongsun Xue waited for a long time, until the sound of running water could be heard from within the room. It was unknown when Gongsun Xue had fallen asleep. Cheng Xianzhi leaned back in the tub, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. The hot water had long since cooled, and his fatigue had dissipated as he soaked in the water. Then, gradually, he cooled down again. At the hour of Mao, he emerged from the clean room, changed into court robes, and left Yingyue Pavilion.
The next morning, Lu Tingwan took Feng Xin out of the city early in the morning. About ten miles east, there was a farm famous for growing flowers. This was the farm that the flower vendor on Changqing Street mentioned.
Hibiscus flowers were in full bloom along both sides of the road. The scenery along the way was beautiful and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. When they reached the village entrance, many farmers were picking flowers in the fields with baskets on their backs. The passing farmers saw that they were unfamiliar with the two people. One of them, Old Zhang from the village, stopped them and asked cautiously, "Are you two gentlemen here to pick flowers?"
Lu Tingwan heard the voice and happened to be looking for someone to ask for directions. She lowered her voice and pretended to be deep to avoid revealing her identity as a woman, "That's right, uncle, could you lead the way?"
Old Zhang looked at the two men and asked doubtfully, "You two gentlemen look unfamiliar. Have you never been here before?"
Lu Tingwan didn't answer but asked, "There must be a lot of merchants coming to the farm every day to see the flowers. Why can't so many flowers be sold?"
"The price of flowers has increased this year, which is different from the selling price expected by farmers in previous years. Farmers don't want to sell if the price can't go up. However, the flowering period is short. If merchants are not negotiated to purchase flowers when a large number of flowers are in full bloom, then these flowers will rot in the fields." Lu Tingwan said bluntly. It was for this reason that the merchants who came to negotiate prices were reluctant to make an offer.
Old Zhang's face suddenly changed when he heard this, thinking it was just another profit-seeking businessman trying to lower the price. Without waiting for Lu Tingwan to say anything, Old Zhang grabbed a branch from the roadside and swept it at the two men.
"Swindlers, get out, you are not welcome here."
Lu Tingwan was quick to pull Feng Xin back and explained, "Uncle, we're not here to bargain, we just want to negotiate with you."
"What are you discussing? You're all in touch." Old Zhang swept the branch in his hand over again.
Lu Tingwan protected Feng Xin and retreated repeatedly. She had encountered these situations many times when she was in Jiangling. Compared with Feng Xin, she was much calmer.
"Uncle, I haven't finished what I was saying just now. If you don't want these flowers to rot in the fields, it wouldn't hurt to listen first. If the deal doesn't go through, you can always send me away."
"Sir, this flower farmer is really rude, let's go."
"Feng Xin, do not speak nonsense."
Old Zhang put away the branches and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The near-summer sunlight made it difficult for people to open their eyes. Occasionally, a breeze blew through the flower fields, but it could not withstand the scorching heat brought by the sun.
"Is what this young master said true?"
"Of course it's true. I'm here to discuss business sincerely. Uncle, can you take me to the village first?"
Lao Zhang pondered for a moment, "Then follow me."
Lu Tingwan followed behind him, and in less than a quarter of an hour, Lao Zhang led his men into the village.
After settling the people in his own thatched cottage, Lu Tingwan drank two large bowls of cold water before he quenched his thirst. "Uncle, how many farmers are there in this village?"
Old Zhang fanned himself with his bamboo hat, "Including our family, there are a total of twenty-three households."
"So roughly how much flower farmland does each household own?"
"The village chief owns the most, with 15 or 16 mu (approximately 16 acres), and the smallest has 6 or 7 mu (approximately 16 acres). We've been cultivating flowers for generations, and we have some skills. Kyoto has had bad weather in previous years, but we've always managed to survive. But the prices have never been lower than this year."
Lu Tingwan looked around. Although the furnishings in the house were simple, they were decorated with flowers, making her feel as if she were actually there. There were also streams hanging on the walls, which dripped down onto the hydroponic plants, adding a touch of elegance.
In addition to the natural floral scent, the room also smelled of a light incense, but no incense was burned in the house. Lu Tingwan asked in confusion, "Uncle, where does this fragrance in the room come from?"
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