The Yun Prince Estate was large, almost like a miniature version of the palace.

For the sake of its construction, Yun City was extended almost ten kilometers as it added an inner city. The previous Yun City was now known as the outer city.

The Yun Prince Estate's layout was similar to the palace and of the highest quality. The official residence was at the center with gates in all four directions. It was completely enclosed by walls with a fifteen zhang wide moat surrounding it. This sort of layout made it suitable to call this estate an imperial city, but to avoid the taboo they were usually called estates.

The Yun Prince Estate's main doors were known as the Gates of Ceremony. The eastern doors were the Gates of Benevolence, the western doors the Gates of Righteousness and the northern doors the Gate of Wisdom. Through the Gates of Ceremony were the Gates of Ascension, as well as the three forward palace halls known as the Hall of Ascension, the Hall of Origin and the Hall of Deliberation. This was where the Yun Prince would conduct his daily affairs. Behind the Hall of Deliberation was the hall where the Yun Prince slept. Apart from the palace halls in the center, the "imperial city" still had three pavilions to the east and west, a library, a retirement hall, a treasury, a place in charge of meals, a place to offer tribute, the six departments, and the employees' sleeping quarters. The space the estate occupied was enormous.

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The Yun Prince Estate's front and back section was divided by the Hall of Deliberation's passageways. The front section was where the current prince would handle official business and the back was called the rear court, where he lived with his wife.

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Before the Yun Prince Estate was done, Yan Yan had come to take a look.

She had thought the "estate" would be like those buildings in the capital, for example the Weiyuan Marquis Estate and the Zhenguo Duke Estate. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be no less than a miniature city. Luo Huai Yuan told her some of the general information and regulations. Every vassal prince's estate was this way and their layouts were identical. Of course, some minor changes could be made based on individual preferences.

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How many people would it take to fill up such a large estate?

Yan Yan finally understood why a vassal prince's personal guards weren't counted in the tens or hundreds, but rather thousands. They were allowed three thousand to ten thousand according to regulations. To guard such a large estate, there truly couldn't be too few people.

They started getting ready to move once again. This time they were moving from the outer city's courtyard into the inner city's prince's estate.

Everything was packed into boxes and transported to the Yun Prince Estate carriage by carriage. By the time Luo Huai Yuan and Yan Yan moved in, it was already ten days later.

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They settled down and rested for two days before starting to familiarize themselves with their surroundings. Actually the Yun Prince Estate was still rather empty. Only the area surrounding the Xianyun Hall was a little livelier. The Xianyun Hall was where Luo Huai Yuan and Yan Yan would live in the future. Luo Huai Yuan had stubbornly insisted on using the words "Xianyun".

Afterwards, the two of them started getting busy.

Luo Huai Yuan was busy with the vassal state's affairs and establishing the adjutant's office's organization and assigning roles for the vassal state's officials. Yan Yan was busy organizing the internal affairs, doing her best to make sure everything within the estate was neat and organized.

The Yun Prince Estate started getting on the right track one step at a time.

The internal affairs were handled by the palace maids and eunuchs. The place was too big and there were too many things to handle so they couldn't lead by example as before. With the help of Matron Zou and a few managing aunties, Yan Yan set up a series of regulations for the estate that included reward and punishment. Everything would proceed according to these rules.

The Yun Prince Estate wasn't like other places after all. It was the central government of the vassal state. The daily affairs were conducted on the inside. If there was no order, they would end up being secretly laughed at. Therefore, Yan Yan spent quite a lot of effort.

Compared to Yan Yan, Luo Huai Yuan was suffering a lot more. Not only did he have to plan things in general, he also had to build up his group of trusted personal guards. More importantly, prior to the arrival of the court-appointed Left Adjutant, he had to set up the adjutant's office and its subsidiaries.

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If he had an adjutant's office that was completely loyal to himself, their head, the Left Adjutant, would no longer need to be feared.

This was something he had learned from the Jin Province's Jin Prince. The Jin Prince had used his connections to completely make a figurehead out of the court-appointed Left Adjutant. However, this was a lot harder for Luo Huai Yuan to implement. After all, the Jin Prince was somone many officials in court viewed as a potential successor. The Yun Prince was just a freeloading vassal prince waiting to die.

Comparisons caused people to get angry and objects to get thrown away. The same matter was easily handled by the Jin Prince. He didn't even have to do anything and people would suck up to him. When it came to Luo Huai Yuan, he had to put in a lot of thought and effort.

Furthermore, he had extremely few people he could use. There were many things involved in running a vassal state. These things couldn't be done by anyone off the street. Luo Huai Yuan could only try a different approach and become a recruiter of talent, looking for good seeds everywhere.

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Luckily Luo Huai Yuan had two lifetimes' worth of experience. He had long since secretly invested in quite a few businesses within the Yun Province's borders. His information network also encompassed the entire province. It wasn't too difficult to get information about the officials here. Of course, he wasn't just limiting himself to these officials. Those officials were low in ranking and some weren't even ranked. They could only serve as assistants.

That's right. Luo Huai Yuan was planning to excavate the large corner that was the court.

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He was the one responsible for his vassal state's relocation orders after all. Whenever he scouted someone, the court would fill up the opening. The lower ranked officials in court were ultimately better than anyone Luo Huai Yuan could raise by himself. Of course, those people naturally wouldn't be loyal or treat this place as their home. But they ultimately had desires and it was fine as long as he could fulfill them. This was why Luo Huai Yuan had set his sights on people like registrars and minor functionaries. This was because it was extremely hard for those who didn't pass the imperial exam to advance. The Yun Prince could give them the opportunity to do so and they would naturally know who to be loyal to.

This sounded easy but couldn't be accomplished overnight.

Before the arrival of the Left Adjutant, Luo Huai Yuan merely set up the overall framework.

Sun Shi Min was someone from the Chao Province. He was fifty-three years old and stubborn in nature. He was given the nicknames "old pedant" and "old stick".

Someone like this naturally didn't understand how to advance his career. Otherwise, he wouldn't be assigned as an adjutant to a vassal state.

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The adjutant was someone who gave vassal princes quite the headache but the posting wasn't high in rank. It was merely a major fifth-rank position. This was an example of a low-ranked posting with a lot of influence. A fourth-ranked governor like Qian Cheng Qi and other officials within the Yun Province had to accept the adjutant's regulations.

Of course, this was just within the Yun Province. Outside, only ghosts would recognize whatever adjutant's status. This was also why many officials weren't willing to take this post. There were too many things involved and it also felt a little outside the system. Luckily, the adjutant's posting was only for three years so there wasn't any need for excessive worry.

Sun Shi Min was serious in nature. Before coming to the Yun province, he had thoroughly memorized all the adjutant's responsibilities. As the head official of the adjutant's office, his most important task was to help the Yun Prince become a vassal prince liked by the court.

What kind of vassal prince did the court like?

Sun Shi Min naturally had some thoughts in mind.

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Therefore, after he arrived at the Yun Prince Estate, the first thing he did was to see how the vassal state's citizens were doing, how they were taxed and also the Yun Prince's personal situation.

After getting to know these things, Sun Shi Min started appearing in front of the Yun Prince continuously, reminding him of what he should wear and how he should walk. Luo Huai Yuan even had to ask him for permission before constructing a garden behind the Xianyun Hall to let him and his consort admire the view. Every word out of his mouth was either "not allowed" or that it "went against regulations".

This would have been fine, but he even started nosing into the Yun Prince's personal life. After finding out he only had a single consort, he frequently admonished him to take in some concubines. Only this way can he help propogate the Luo surnamed royal family.

From an outsider's perspective, this Adjutant Sun was a pain. He didn't take care of the things he should, and insisted on sticking his nose into things he shouldn't.

But Luo Huai Yuan could understand him. This was because the court liked a good vassal prince. What was a good vassal prince? Naturally it was one who didn't involve himself with proper matters.

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To put it into modern words, it would be one who had more children and planted less trees.

This was why Sun Shi Min kept his eye on Luo Huai Yuan and recommended he set up his harem.

Many things was different in this life. In his past life, the Yun Province's Left Adjutant wasn't this Sun Shi Min. This sort of adjutant made Luo Huai Yuan feel at ease yet also annoyed. He felt at ease because he didn't bother with the proper matters which allowed him to do many things secretly. He was annoyed because he kept getting fussed at and urged to take in concubines. This was truly quite annoying.

In the back, Yan Yan also knew about Sun Shi Min's actions. If it weren't for Luo Huai Yuan saying that someone like him made it easier for them to do things secretly, Yan Yan would have long since taught this old stick a lesson.

Yan Yan chose to turn a blind eye to things. After all, Luo Huai Yuan was being fussed at, not her.

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This sort of weird situation remained until Sun Shi Min realized the Yun Prince "refused to be taught". He decided to fulfill one of his responsibilities as adjutant….

To address and rectify the prince's mistakes.

He was planning on submitting a memorandum to the court regarding the Yun Prince's lack of children and concubines to have Emperor Xi properly admonish this disobedient son.

Furthermore, this person was extremely inflexible. Prior to tattling, he still notified Luo Huai Yuan. Actually he wasn't really notifying, but rather threatening. But since he was using it as threat, it also counted as a notification.

Luo Huai Yuan was pondering how to deal with this old pedant when Yan Yan received the news and came over.

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As the Yun Consort, Yan Yan was overbearing and unyielding, but that was just occasionally. She understood that often times, the man was supposed to be in charge. If she wasn't angered, she would always give Luo Huai Yuan a lot of face in front of others.

In the entire Yun Prince Estate, she only focused on playing her role and managing the internal affairs. She never asked about the external affairs. This was the first time she appeared in the front part of the Yun Prince Estate. She was provoked to do so by that stubborn old man.

Sun Shi Min was in the adjutant's office writing quickly, preparing to seal the memorandum and send it out. The office doors were kicked open by someone. He raised his head and saw the uniquely beautiful Yun Consort dressed in her royal outfit.

Behind her was a eunuch and a palace maid. Further behind was a group of major and minor officials of the adjutant office's subsidiaries. They were all whispering to each other, their expressions weird.


Seeing the situation, Sun Shi Min's first reaction was to furrow his brows.

Yan Yan was easy to recognize because of her consort's outfit. This wasn't to say Yan Yan was trying to bully others using her status. It was just more convenient to wear the outfit so she wouldn't be stopped and questioned about her identity.

Sun Shi Min stood up and cupped his hands in salute: "Consort, was there something you wished to discuss with this subordinate official? Why knock down the doors? This isn't something a consort should be doing. Hopefully consort will be more mindful in the future."

A group of people were watching the show outside. They were all the adjutant office's subsidiary officials. Everyone knew very well that the adjutant's office had an old stick who constantly preached at the Yun Prince. The Yun Prince was really good-natured. If it were anyone else, he would have been beaten until his parents didn't recognize him.

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Didn't the one in the Qi Province beat his adjutant? The court merely sent a note over rebuking the Qi Prince, but the beating had already happened. If you were capable, you can feel free to strike back! After the adjutant suffered his beating, the Qi Prince didn't lose any skin and submitted a letter of apology. His majesty ultimately still had that adjutant relocated and thrown to some remote corner.

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Therefore, although no one said anything about it, they were waiting for the day the Yun Prince could no longer endure and taught the adjutant a lesson. Actually, Sun Shi Min wasn't only admonishing the Yun Prince daily, he also preached at the others which annoyed them greatly. Unexpectedly, the Yun Prince wasn't provoked but the Yun Consort had been provoked into coming over.

Everyone knew the reasoning behind this. They had heard about Adjutant Sun urging the Yun Prince to take in concubines. This old man was really nosey. He fussed about everything and even fussed about who the Yun Prince was sleeping with. No wonder the Yun Consort's expression was so ugly. He was clearly disrupting the couple's harmonious life. Who else would she go find trouble with?

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"Don't bother preaching to this consort. This consort is just a woman and doesn't understand these things. The reason I came today was to tell you to stop nosing into our rear court's business. As the Yun Consort, I have yet to say anything so what sort of deity are you supposed to be, old man?"

Sun Shi Min saw the Yun Consort's undignified conduct and lamented bitterly. He stomped his feet continuously and spoke a whole bunch of things related to the virtues of women. Yan Yan had never learned this before and didn't understand a word. Seeing him shaking his head and not planning on stopping anytime soon, her gaze fell upon the memorandum on the table.

The whip in her hand curled and the document landed in her hand. After taking a look, Yan Yan grew furious.

"I called you an old man but you really seem to be an old stick! This consort has never seen someone like you. Since when did subordinates request women for their superiors? What great face you have! Aren't you putting the cart before the horse? Whether someone gets admitted to the rear residence depends on this consort. Since when is it your turn to speak?"

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Sun Shi Min was worried his written memorandum would be ruined in Yan Yan's hand while also lamenting over these shrewish and tigress in makeup sounding words.

Yan Yan couldn't be bothered to listen to him. She threw the memorandum into the air and flicked her wrist. That documents turned into a scattering of white butterflies that gently drifted downwards. Then, the whip struck out in all directions and loud cracks rang out. After the sound faded, a scattered mess was revealed.

What startling destructive force!

The crowd of officials all shrunk their necks as they snuck glances at the Yun Consort. They all wondered what it would look like if this whip landed on Adjutant Sun's frail body. They ended up concluding he would probably no longer exist.

Sun Shi Min saw the bits and pieces of paper scattered across the room and was stunned for a long while. Then, he started crying heavily.

Err, he's crying?

At this moment, Luo Huai Yuan hurriedly walked over, his forehead covered in sweat.

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Seeing Yan Yan, he revealed a pleased expression and went over. The pleased expression remained for an instant until he saw the situation. It then became awkward and solemn. He leaned over and said quietly: "Ah Yan, don't be angry. Adjutant Sun doesn't actually have ill intentions. He's just socially inept due to his brain being filled with books."

Yan Yan harrumphed and ignored him.

Sun Shi Min came over crying and grabbed the Yun Prince, "Highness, take a look! Take a look! The consort is truly too excessive. These actions are not something a woman should be doing. How should a woman behave? A woman should should stay at home, assist her husband and educate her children….."

Yan Yan glared at him, "You're still going on? Wanna test whether the whip will land on you this time!?"

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The Yun Prince smiled fawningly at his consort and pulled Sun Shi Min to the side, "Speak a little less. This humble prince's consort has a short temper. Everyone knows this. If she really hits you, this humble prince cannot stop her."

Sun Shi Min had wanted someone to mediate for him. Unexpectedly, the Yun Prince was only for show and wasn't any use. A grand six-foot tall man actually had no way of dealing with his wife.

He stamped his foot and howled to the heavens: "This elder is going to report to his majesty! This elder is going to report to his majesty!"

Yan Yan idly gave him a glance: "Hurry up and go. Tell him this consort hit you. Let's see if royal father will be biased towards his daughter-in-law or an old man like you!"

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Being called old man repeatedly made Sun Shi Min's face turn the color of pig liver. He spun in circles on the spot and cried to the heavens again: "What a disgrace to society. This elder has no face to live anymore. Might as well die and be done with it!"

After speaking, he charged over at the wall. Luo Huai Yuan grabbed his sleeve and continuously consoled him.

Yan Yan continued to fan the flames on the side: "That wall won't do. It's made of wood. Choose this spot. That wall is a little harder. Don't worry. After you die, thie consort will personally write a letter of apology. However, royal father probably won't do anything to a woman like me. It's too bad this consort is an insensible woman!"

In the end, Sun Shi Min didn't ram the wall. The Yun Consort's words were truly too infuriating. Death could be a trivial or heavy affair. How could he let a woman spur him on to his death? It would be a useless death at that. Along with the Yun Prince and several minor officials persuading him on the side, Sun Shi Min trembled in anger but also had some excuse to step down.

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Because of this matter, the Yun Consort's name was spread.

Not only did everyone in the Yun Prince Estate know of her, she even became known throughout the province. Everyone said the Yun Consort shouldn't be provoked. She was extremely skilled in martial arts and her status was also high. Furthermore, she was an extremely unruly and headstrong woman. She really shouldn't be provoked.

She could use her identity to suppress you to death. If that didn't work, she would kill you outright. She's part of the royal family and her husband had authority over life and death within the vassal sate. It really wasn't a big deal if she killed someone. Even if they reported it to his majesty, would he punish his own daughter-in-law? Even if he did discipline her for appearances, you'd be dead. Would that be worth it?

Even if this wasn't mentioned, just with the Zhenguo Duke Estate behind her, it was sufficient for her to look down on everyone.

The people outside suddenly understood. No wonder this girl dared to be so domineering!

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After seeing the Yun Prince's interactions with his consort, they had another flash of understanding. No wonder the Yun Prince seemed to be a bit scared of his wife. It turns out this happened within the family too!

On the other side in the Xianyun Hall.

"That Sun Shi Min is behaving recently?"

Luo Huai Yuan rubbed his nose and laughed awkwardly, "So much more behaved than before."

Yan Yan smiled only on the surface and twitched her lips. He hurried over and fluttered his eyes brightly.

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"Ah Yan, you're the best. You're the greatest wife under the heavens, the cutest madam."

"I hear the two of you are getting along quite well recently. You always chat endlessly together and have a lot to talk about?" Yan Yan raised her brows.

"This, how could that be?" Luo Huai Yuan widened his eyes and had an expression of disagreement: "We have nothing to talk about. He's just in low spirits after suffering a blow so I'm doing some good deeds and comforting him a little."

Luo Huai Yuan didn't dare tell her that he was actually the one being comforted. Sun Shi Min saw that he had married a tigress in makeup and gave him many pitying looks.

Luckily, Sun Shi Min was tactful. He was still very fussy but no longer raised the matter of taking in concubines. It seemed the vicious and domineering Yun Consort had given him quite the blow. He also realized that he had to lower his precious head when faced with insurmountable might. He focused on the minor matters, as though nothing had ever happened.

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The only thing was that Yan Yan's fierce reputation was increased by another level.

However, to Yan Yan, she had long since stopped caring about this.

Now that Sun Shi Min was temporarily settled, Luo Huai Yuan put all his thoughts onto Yun Province's commander of the troops Luo Bi Shi, who was about to arrive.

This Luo Bi Shi was someone from the Yun Province and was born into a military family. He had been garrisoned at various outposts for ten years until being assigned as the Yun Province's commander of the guards. He was one of the outstanding figures within the province. However, he had always been low-key and there was no news about him overstepping before.

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Luo Huai Yuan had met him once when he just arrived at the Yun Province. However, Luo Bi Shi had hurried back to the barracks afterwards. They hadn't seen each other again afterwards until the estate was completed and the various officials came to report.

The Yun Province had over ten thousand-troop barracks and around forty hundred-troop barracks. There were over forty-thousand people within the military of the Yun Province.

Luo Huai Yuan naturally coveted this military authority. However, to get involved would require him to go over Luo Bi Shi. Luo Huai Yuan didn't dare underestimate someone who had a decade of experience as a commander. Therefore, it would be extremely difficult to overcome Luo Bi Shi.

To deal with Sun Shi Min only required some minor schemes. To deal with Luo Bi Shi was a huge undertaking.

The commander of the troops Luo Bi Shi arrived punctually and the Yun Prince laid out the welcome mat.

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They both weren't simple people. They went back and forth for several days. Luo Huai Yuan arranged banquets daily to entertain Luo Bi Shi and he attended everytime without any signs of difficulty. However, Luo Huai Yuan had several interactions with him and had tried everything, but didn't manage to get anything out of him.

Luo Bi Shi was like a senior monk and remained calm in a crisis. He didn't reveal the slightest signs. When faced with a senior who was good at tai-chi, Luo Huai Yuan paled in comparison.

On this day, Luo Bi Shi said his farewells. He said it was time for him to return.

Luo Huai Yuan had yet to accomplish his goals but he also knew this matter couldn't be accomplished overnight. He didn't reveal any displeasure. He arranged a farewell banquet and bestowed a large sum of gold, silver and other things prior to his departure.

Luo Bi Shi merely responded with a single mysterious phrase: "I hear the Yun Consort is unyielding and her skills in martial arts are extraordinary."

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These words made the officials at the banquet feel Luo Bi Shi truly had a lot of guts. He actually dared mock the Yun Consort for being a shrew. However, Luo Huai Yuan felt these words were more profound.

After the banquet, he hurried back and asked Yan Yan if she knew this Luo Bi Shi.

How could Yan Yan know a soldier who had been stationed at the Yun Province for so long? Could it have something to do with the Zhenguo Duke, that elder?

The couple inevitably thought of this.

Luo Huai Yuan deliberated and decided to have his subordinates investigate properly. He had naturally investigated Luo Bi Shi before, but there was little information on this person. After another thorough investigation, he confirmed that this person had nothing to do with the Zhenguo Duke. Otherwise, Luo Huai Yuan wouldn't have such a headache.

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Yan Yan stopped him and told him not to make things so difficult for himself. Might as well write a letter to her grandfather. After all, some relationships weren't appropriate to be laid out in the open. Just like how everyone said the Zhenguo Duke and the Ministry of War's high official had an extremely bad relationship. The two often argued until their faces were red in court, and almost came to blows. But Yan Yan knew the two had been friends for a long time. The so called bad relationship was just for others to see.

Luo Huai Yuan didn't argue and had Yan Yan send a letter back to the capital.


The Zhenguo Duke's reply quickly arrived.

It was as Yan Yan had guessed. The Zhenguo Duke truly did have an unusual relationship with Luo Bi Shi. This dated back to when the Zhenguo Duke was battling the southern barbarians.

Luo Bi Shi was commander of a local hundred-troop squad back then. The Zhenguo Duke was the great general dispatched to deal with the southern barbarians. The difference between the two was like heaven and earth.

At that time, the grudge between the southern barbarians and the people of China had been ongoing for a long time. It was seemingly to the point where they couldn't coexist. Luo Bi Shi was garrisoned in the area and the situation was very tough. They had to always be on guard against extremists within the citizens who would incite people and end up causing a rebellion. The sourthern barbarians were all skilled in martial arts and had the habit of bringing their blades everywhere. If a rebellion happened, the outcome would be unimaginable.

Luo Bi Shi had encountered several such instances. The worst occasion had been orchestrated by the rebel army of the southern barbarians. He almost lost his life on the spot but was saved by the Zhenguo Duke who brought reinforcements.

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When the Zhenguo Duke arrived, he wasn't like many of the generals sent by the court who forcibly used troops to suppress the enemy. Instead, he started meticulously investigating the conflict between the barbarians and the Chinese, and why the usually docile southern barbarians would repeatedly revolt to the extent the court sent troops over.

It wasn't a mistake to say this was a long-standing grudge between the two peoples.

During the reign of one of the previous emperors, the southern barbarians became part of the Grand Xi. The court at that time had been singing his praises, saying he had both political and military achievements and that he was a wise monarch. This previous emperor was Emperor Xi's grandfather. The Zhenguo Duke's punitive expedition against the southern barbarians was during this emperor's reign.

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The southern barbarians had been suppressed, but after they were taken over, the court didn't establish a plan for the two peoples to live together in harmony. Instead, they swallowed the territory in one gulp and rushed to send over a batch of Chinese people to live on the land that belonged to the southern barbarians.

The southern barbarians were frightened after the battle. Their corpses had been piled into mountains. For the sake of survival, despite being resentful of the Chinese people's invasion, they still put on a docile appearance.

Just like this, the two different peoples lived together for several decades. The conflict between them also accumulated in the dark bit by bit.

The Chinese disdained the barbarians for not speaking their language, their brutish ways and lack of etiquette. The southern barbarians felt the Chinese were treacherous and cunning. They bullied the honest and sincere southern barbarians for the sake of getting some small benefits. Therefore, they remained separate groups despite living together.

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The Chinese especially felt an innate sense of superiority to the barbarians. They felt that since they lost their homes, these barbarians could only attach themselves to the Chinese in order to survive. The local laws were also more or less biased towards the Chinese. For example, if a Chinese hit a barbarian and it was reported to the authorities, the punishment was extremely light. If it were the other way around, the punishment was unimaginably heavy.

This only added to the arrogance of the Chinese, and although the southern barbarians looked humble, they held smoldering fires inside.

Furthermore, the Chinese had undergone Confucian teachings and had a concrete culture. This was completely different from the southern barbarians who only kept to themselves. Gradually, the Chinese occupied a large amount of the land and the barbarians ended up being laborers.

But this wasn't really the fault of the Chinese. After all, their accomplishments were acquired through their intellect. Of course, there were some bad apples in the bunch. However, the majority didn't take the initiative to bully the barbarians despite looking down on them. But since there was a blood feud between them, with some treacherous people inciting things behind the scenes, a rebellion finally occurred.

With blood being drawn once, a second and third time naturally happened. This was what resulted in the court sending troops to quell things repeatedly. The barbarians lived within the woods and the mountains. Whenever the troops arrived, those rebels would escape into the wilderness.The troops weren't familiar with the terrain. Whenever they pursued them, they would eat a huge loss. After several fruitless attempts, the Zhenguo Duke was finally sent over.

The Zhenguo Duke stayed there for almost five years. He shouldered the pressure from the court by himself. He thoroughly investigated the conflict between the peoples and didn't use any methods to suppress them. Instead, he focused on "comforting" them. He found places for the homeless citizens and also changed the local laws. He ordered people to teach them farming techniques and educate them. He also restrained the Chinese people there and changed the way they treated the barbarians. He told them they were all citizens of the Grand Xi and they should help each other.

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This was an extremely arduous task but luckily the Zhenguo Duke accomplished it.

After the barbarians learned to farm, the citizens gradually became prosperous. With the help of the barbarians, the Chinese gradually adapted to the strange wilderness. The climate there was weird, humid and filled with insects. The thing they hated most wasn't the environment but being bitten by snakes and bugs. Not only was it bitter, it was also life-threatening. This was also the reason troops from the court hadn't dared pursue the rebels into the wildlerness.

The barbarians were born and raised there and had long since adapted. Their ancestors had passed down methods of dealing with snakes and bugs.

The Chinese and southern barbarians became more and more harmonious. The barbarian rebels who remained hidden in the wilderness gradually could no longer sit still. Everyone came from their parents. None of them hatched from a rock. Some of the rebels were fighting for themselves for others were the remnants of the barbarian king from back then. Even more had been tricked or incited by others, or were truly unable to carry on living before taking up arms.

Their parents were all living in place and their lives were improving. These rebels had mixed in with the crowd and returned home a couple of times. They saw that the great official who had come was truly different from those in the past. With their parents persuading them and their wives and children waiting, these men were gradually swayed. The only issue was that if the rebels were caught, their outcome would probably not be good.

At this crucial moment, the Zhenguo Duke proclaimed that apart from the ringleaders, those who turned over a new leaf would be pardoned.

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At first, since the Chinese were crafty, no one dared to believe this decree.

This lasted until one of the men whose mother was sick without anyone to care for her couldn't endure any longer and turned himself in. After his identity was verified and it was confirmed he wasn't one of the main conspirators, the officials let him return home.

This only took a brief period of time and the officials didn't make things difficult for him. It was just a routine questioning.

Once one of them returned safely, the others could no longer sit still. They formed up into groups and turned themselves in. Those who did were allotted land and started a peaceful and industrious life.

Actually most citizens didn't care who was in charge. All they wanted was shelter and three meals, living together with the whole family.

The Zhenguo Duke lived up to his words and didn't use troops to suppress the uprising. Apart from the ringleaders, he also didn't make things difficult for the citizens.

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More and more barbarians knew of the Zhenguo Duke. Even those who didn't really speak the language knew to give him a huge thumbs up, saying that he was a great and kind official.

Towards this, Luo Bi Shi prostrated himself in admiration.

He was an ambitious youth at the time. He had previously wondered how he would handle this matter if he had come with troops to suppress the uprising. After all, the citizens didn't do anything wrong. The two sides merely had different customs. This was the result of a lack of communication and the circumstances.

Luo Bi Shi had racked his brains but felt this matter was very difficult to solve.

If they weren't suppressed, it would be hard to explain things to the court. The chaos would only grow worse. If they were suppressed, they might be driven to desperation. He didn't think that the Zhenguo Duke who was known for his unyielding might would use such a soft and gentle method. Using "comforting" to pacify things and accomplish something many officials before him could not.

Ezoic

Luo Bi Shi was still young and hotblooded. He left his squad on the spot and went to pledge allegiance to the Zhenguo Duke. He was even willing to become a personal guard.

But how could the Zhenguo Duke accept a court-ordered official as his own guard? He was appointed by the court and his majesty. Furthermore, although the education of the barbarians seemed effective initially, the Zhenguo Duke couldn't possibly remain here forever. If there was another benevolent person here, it would help the civilization of the area.

This was the relationship between Luo Bi Shi and the Zhenguo Duke. To say it was a debt of life was a little exaggerated. After all, the Zhenguo Duke had saved him because of the situation at hand.

The two had only met that one time.

Towards Luo Bi Shi, the Zhenguo Duke's actions were carved into his heart and affected his future actions. Towards the Zhenguo Duke, after leaving the south he actually didn't remember this Luo Bi Shi that much. Only after Luo Bi Shi gradually revealed his edge did he remember the hot-blooded little soldier from back then.

Ezoic

Seeing his firm and steady progress, despite the two not really having a relationship, the Zhenguo Duke was also filled with admiration.

Within the Zhenguo Duke's letter, he merely stated that the two had some prior relationship and didn't say too much about it. The rest had all been pieced together by Luo Huai Yuan based on the clues and from what had happened back then.

To put it in his words, the Zhenguo Duke, that elder, inadvertently got himself a fan. This little fan had worshipped him for many years, and by now could already be upgraded to a diehard fan.

Of course this was just what Luo Huai Yuan had guessed. It still had to be verified.

After a few more interactions, Luo Huai Yuan pretty much figured out Luo Bi Shi's thoughts. It was naturally not possible for him to commit men and horses to help Luo Huai Yuan openly. However, due to being influenced by the Zhenguo Duke, he wouldn't make things difficult for him.

Ezoic

This was to say, he could do what he wanted. As long as he didn't overstep, Luo Bi Shi would turn a blind eye.

This was all Luo Huai Yuan wanted. He wasn't hoping to obtain the troops under Luo Bi Shi's command and rely on the sparse forty-thousand men to invade the capital.

In this sort of place, it wasn't as simple as it seemed to ascend the throne. You needed more than military might and wealth. You also needed the conditions to be right. Nothing could be lacking. You also had to have righteousnous and propriety behind you. Otherwise, those scholars would drown you in their spit. As for those sitting on the sidelines, they would naturally help get rid of the "evil tyrant" and come duke it out with you.

The reason the Jin Prince could succeed in his past life was due to him having a good mom. Luo Huai Yuan didn't have a good mom. He could only remain obediently in place, watching the situation and prodding things secretly.

Luckily, it was still too early to be going all out.


In the blink of an eye it was New Year's again.

Luo Huai Yuan and Yan Yan had already arrived at the vassal state by this time a year ago and the two had spent a rather lonely New Year's. This year, the Yun Prince Estate had just been completed and they naturally couldn't spend it the same way. On the first New Year's, the Yun Prince would entertain the vassal state's officials at his estate and lead them in offering tribute to the heavens, officially establishing the vassal state.

Compared to the Yun Prince who had settled quietly for a while, the Jin Prince and the Qi Prince were much more outstanding. Last year Emperor Xi had summoned both of them back to the capital for the New Year's and he already sent out the edict for this year's summons as well. They were extremely favored and in the limelight. There essentially wasn't anyone who could object.

Along with the clearly not favored Yun Prince, there was another person who was favored even less by Emperor Xi. That was the fifth prince Luo Jing who had just been conferred as the Jing Prince.

Ezoic

The fifth prince Luo Jing was mute from birth and was also a block of wood. If the Yun Prince was said to be not favored, the Jing Prince was said to be hated. This was because the fifth prince's existence reminded Emperor Xi of his shortcomings and inability.

Ezoic

Luckily, many people were aware of the Venerated Concubine's insanity back then. They all assumed it was due to the Venerated Concubine duping the monarch that resulted in the fifth prince being this way. Otherwise, an innately handicapped prince being born into the royal family would be seen as an inauspicious omen. To exaggerate a little, there was even the possibility of impeaching Emperor Xi.

Therefore, the fifth prince Luo Jing rarely appeared in front of others. Emperor Xi also remained indifferent to him. It was to the extent that due to the Minstry of Rites asking a single question, Emperor Xi had the fifth prince who just came of age leave for his vassal state.

Ezoic

This gave everyone the feeling he was kicking him out of the capital.

Of course, the invisible little fifth prince had never appeared in their eyes. No one felt any derision or sympathy. It was like watching an insignificant person leaving somewhere he didn't belong.

When Luo Huai Yuan left the capital, he lamented how his procession couldn't be compared to the Jin Prince and Qi Prince's splendor and was mocked by Yan Yan for being vain. The Jing Prince's procession was even more lacking. The guards, palace maids and even the carriages seemed to have been hurriedly thrown together. They were scattered and strung out into a long line, but a closer look showed that everyone was rather listless.

After all, having to travel to the bitterly cold Jing Province in such weather would make anyone look as if their father had died. Even though the people going with the Jing Prince weren't favored to begin with, the capital still had more opportunities to advance. Going to the Jing Province truly meant being exiled.

Ezoic

The procession had two extremely luxurious carriages that clearly weren't for someone ordinary.

Within one of them sat the Jing Consort Xiao-shi. At this moment, her face was filled with resentment and she complained with all her might to the palace maid by her side.

She first complained that Emperor Xi was too heartless, kicking his son and daughter-in-law out of the capital during such a time. She then complained about Empress Xiao. Despite being her aunt from the same clan, why couldn't she take some responsibility? Leaving the capital in such a hurry lost the Xiao clan a lot of face. She complained most about her own husband, the Jing Prince. She complained that he was incapable and also a mute, forcing her to suffer along with him.

The palace maid didn't dare stop her, knowing the Jing Consort's personality. If anyone disagreed, she would argue without end. Might as well let her vent a little and leave it at that. Luckily the people on the carriage were all her trusted aides. If the Jing Prince or his people found out….

It was still fine if it were the Jing Prince. He didn't have much of a temper. But when Xiao-shi's wet nurse Nana Li recalled the general manager Eunuch Fu's expression, she couldn't help but shiver.

"Consort, you should speak a little less. His highness caught a fever yesterday and it hasn't broken yet. Shouldn't you send someone over to check on him?"

Nana Li and Xiao-shi's relationship was extraordinary. She had raised her from a young age. After Xiao-shi got married, Nana Li came as part of her dowry into the palace. She naturally didn't have to be as reserved with her words.

Ezoic

Xiao-shi's lips curled mockingly, "Like I said, twisted people like making mischief. Looks like this mute also learned to make a ruckus. Unfortunately, no one loves him and no one cares about him. Even though he got sick, he was still kicked out of the capital."

Nana Li no longer dared to speak, terrified the consort would say something even more thrilling.

Actually, Xiao-shi wasn't so harsh normally. It's just that due to being kicked out of the capital at this time, her resentment from marrying a mute prince became even heavier.

Xiao-shi was the principle daughter of one of the Xiao clan's side branches. Her marriage had been arranged early on to her cousin whom she grew up playing with. Unexpectedly, Empress Xiao intervened and matched her with the fifth prince.

This marriage wasn't happy from the get-go. Xiao-shi was filled with resentment. Seeing her mute husband who was also a block of wood without any emotions, she cursed the heavens and blamed others even more. Although the fifth prince couldn't speak and didn't show much emotion, he wasn't a fool. He also had a few thoughts about his wife.

Ezoic

The two didn't become affectionate as newlyweds and things became even duller afterwards. They gradually became strangers. Of course, Xiao-shi still put on appearances when necessary. For example, within the palace. If things got out of hand, she would be the first to fall.

On the other side, in the fifth prince's carriage.

This was a long journey so the prince's carriage was naturally extraordinary. This carriage wasn't just extremely gorgeous on the outside, it was also extremely spacious on the inside. It was like a moveable room. It had two parts. The front had a small table, chairs, cabinets and a writing desk. It was like a living room. The back had a bed for resting and even a toilet.

In the front part, a palace maid auntie sat there sobbing. A eunuch sat next to her and consoled her.

"Don't cry anymore. Imperial Physician Hu is following along. Prior to leaving, I also ordered people to prepare some medicinal herbs. Our highness will definitely be fine."

"Say, how can his majesty be so heartless? Is this not his own son? His highness is seriously ill but was still kicked out in a rush."

The eunuch looked around forty, his face pale without any hair. There were fine wrinkles around his eyes, showing that he was someone who often smiled. At this time his cheeks twitched and he sighed: "Enough, don't say such words in the future anymore. Think of it this way. It's good that we've left the capital. Being far from that place would mean smoother days in the future."

Ezoic

Auntie Qi wiped her tears and said: "I also know that. But I just feel sorry for our highness."

Eunuch Fu rolled his eyes and said with a dark expression: "What are you feeling sorry about? The one who should be feeling sorry isn't feeling sorry, but you're feeling sorry instead."

His words implied Emperor Xi, but were also a criticism of the consort Xiao-shi who was in the carriage behind them. To Auntie Qi, it seemed he meant Xiao-shi a little more. After all, as the Jing Prince's wife, she had never come to check on him despite his fever not breaking.

Auntie Qi sighed: "This consort is truly undeserving!"

Eunuch Fu sneered coldly. Only now did his usually smiling face reveal some maliciousness, "Don't call her that in the future. How is she worthy? Xiao-shi, this one will remember this!"

Ezoic

"Enough, you should consider his highness's face."

……

Luo Jing lay on the bed staring at the carriage roof. His ears listened to the movements outside.

He had a high nose-bridge and thin, pale lips. His side-profile was elegant and his brows seemed to be painted with ink. Luo Jing was an extremely beautiful man, so beautiful he was a little androgynous. The only issue was that he showed no emotions on his face. At first glance he looked like a jade sculpture.

Actually Luo Jing had woken up a while ago. He just remained spaced out.

Ezoic

Many things were going through his mind. These things he didn't dare imagine, but had no choice but to accept. This was because that person was him, and he was also that person.

Put it this way. Luo Jing was someone who lived two lifetimes. In his past life he had just died from a cup of poisoned wine. When he opened his eyes again, it was the day before his departure to his vassal state.

…..

"…..You spent your entire life muddling along at a loss, without any accomplishments, without any ambition. You were essentially a spineless coward. You wanted peace and tranquility, but is this a peaceful world? You didn't struggle and didn't fight for things, yet this is the outcome…."

Xiao-Shi's face was eerily twisted. This woman who was supposedly his wife was suddenly extremely unfamiliar.

Ezoic

Luo Jing always thought he hated such contempt and disregard. In the past when he encountered this, he always felt uncomfortable despite not showing anything on the surface. Having converted to Buddhism recently, he had found inner peace. However, looking at the twisted face of the woman before him, his actually felt it was preposterous.

"…..your prince's throne will belong to our Heng'er in the future….his majesty has said that once you are dead, everything will belong to us mother and son….stop struggling, there's no use in struggling….."

"…..You're just a mute. Leaving a mute alive is merely squandering resources…."

Luo Jing merely looked on silently. He looked at her deranged appearance.

"……..how about you drink it yourself. Don't force me to do it. His majesty has said that if you aren't willing to drink, I can personally handle it….."

Ezoic

Luo Jing's white jade-like yet withered hand gripped the wine cup, and drank the wine inside. He drank in the same way he normally drank wine, his posture normal, his expression normal, his gaze apathetic. Yet he continued to stare at her.

The Jing Consort's heavily made-up face was suddenly flooded with tears. She seemed to be crying and laughing at the same time. She bent over and used her hands to cover her face, but couldn't stop the stream of tears from falling.

"Luo Jing, don't blame me. I had no choice. People are selfish creatures. It was for Heng'er's sake….If you don't die my son will have to die…..I only have this one son left, I can't let him die….."

Luo Jing felt something leaking from the corner of his lips. He opened his mouth…..

He really wanted to say: you fool….

Ezoic

But was unable to say it out loud….

…..

The story was like a clichéd tragedy. Luo Jing's past life was the same as his present prior to leaving the palace.

He was born mute and his wooden expression was unable to display emotions. Such a prince was destined to be disliked by the entire palace.

Even his own father shunned him. Could he hope for anyone not to?

Ezoic

Luckily this was also a layer of protection, allowing him to mature, marry and leave for his vassal state.

It wasn't possible for him not to be resentful. However, resentment was an extremely heavy burden for Luo Jing, so heavy he couldn't shoulder it. He didn't know what he would turn into if he allowed the resentment to fester. He could only do his best to ignore everything and wall off all the negativity.

He knew his place and obediently left the capital. He respectfully and cautiously did everything a vassal prince should. All he asked for was some peace and quiet as he distanced himself from wordly affairs. Unfortunately, he misjudged the hearts of others.

In his past life, the Jin Prince had rebelled as a vassal prince. Since he himself had overturned his brother's throne, he clearly understood the hidden threat posed by the other vassal princes. The moment he consolidated his position, he started dealing with them. The first to go was his own brother the Qi Prince who had helped him onto the throne.

When that happened, Luo Jing knew he was in trouble.

As expected, things closed in one step at a time. The Jin Emperor constinuously used all sorts of excuses to take back the various rights of the vassal princes, only leaving them their hereditary title. He even restricted the vassal princes within their own estate, just like captives.

To dispel the Jin Emperor's wariness or perhaps to leave his children a path of survival, Luo Jing had chosen to convert to Buddhism. It wasn't just an act. Apart from not shaving his head and leaving home, he abstained from meat and prayed in meditation. He had no desires or wishes and was no different from a monk. However, the Jin Emperor still didn't let him off in the end. A cup of poisoned wine ended his life short.

In his past life, Luo Jing died at thirty-three.

…..

Luo Jing moved slightly and parted his lips: "Fu…."

Ezoic

His voice was hoarse and faint. It couldn't be heard without listening carefully.

Luo Jing still wasn't used to using his mouth. He stretched out his hand and lifted a golden bell on the small table next to him, giving it a ring. A sound of rustling cloth rang out and the partition doors were opened.

"Highness, you're awake?"

"It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake. What does highness need? Water?"

"Water."

Ezoic

Auntie Qi and Eunuch Fu looked at each other with unconcealed excitement.

Ezoic

"Highness really knows how to speak…." Auntie Qi wiped her tears. These were tears of joy.

When Luo Jing fainted yesterday, he had suddenly uttered "you fool" when he awoke, giving Auntie Qi and Eunuch Fu a huge shock. Afterwards, he never opened his mouth again. The two of them assumed they had misheard. Unexpectedly, they got a huge pleasant surprise today.

This voice wasn't nice, and could even be described as ugly. However, it sounded like heavenly music to the two of them.

"Keep, secret."

Ezoic

Eunuch Fu and Auntie Qi both nodded.

They had both muddled along in the palace for a long time. The reason they could protect the fifth prince until he grew up was because of his status as a mute. Even Luo Huai Yuan was jealous of Luo Jing for being able to avoid suffering much within the palace at a young age. Of course, it was also due to having two loyal and capable servants by his side.

The carriage continued to move and the wheel of fate slowly started turning.

Author's notes:

(Starry eyes) Repressed Jing returns….

Little fatty is also about to act.

Ezoic

I remember some readers worrying whether there will be overlap with Repressed Jing's novel. Don't worry, there won't. The overlapping parts will be briefly summarized. The parts that need to be mentioned will be written from a different perspective. For example, this part wasn't written in detail in the other novel. Used a different perspective to mention the conflict between Xiao-shi and Luo Jing, and also what happened in the past. The Yun Prince and his wife are still the main characters. This author won't stray off-topic.

Translator's notes:

Repressed Jing's novel here as my first translation project. It's also my only completed project for now….can I say I'm still quite new at this?


Starting on the 23rd of December, the Yun Prince Estate started getting lively.

Everywhere was swept clean. The palace maids and eunuchs methodically busied themselves. This was the Yun Prince Estate's first large banquet and there was more involved than expected.

Yan Yan wasn't experienced with this sort of thing. She could only discuss and work with the meal management center's managing auntie. Luckily, this Auntie Liu worked in the palace's esteemed meal department before. Everyone just had to follow her instructions so it wasn't too difficult.

On the 29th, the various officials of the Yun Province hurried over to the Yun Prince Estate in an endless stream. The Yun Prince set up the banquet in the Hall of Ascension to entertain the officials. They spent the entire day in a lively manner before going their separate ways that evening.

Ezoic

This year the Yun Prince didn't get summoned back to the capital. The officials were well aware that he wasn't favored, but no matter how out of favor he was, he was still above them. None of them were tactless enough to say anything. Sun Shi Min did say a few words of comfort to Luo Huai Yuan, whose expression was very weird at the time.

Ezoic

One year ended and a new one began.

As time went by, the Yun Prince Estate got into the swing of things. The state affairs all had officials assigned.

Luo Huai Yuan had appointed his own people to several of the most important positions. On the surface they were managed by Sun Shi Min the old pedant. Although he wasn't quite normal, he wasn't a bad person and was also rather capable. He wasn't going to be breaking new ground, but there was no problem in getting him to run things by the book. Especially since this person was particular about loyalty, righteousness and justice. He definitely wouldn't let any corruption squeak by.

Ezoic

After the outside matters were arranged, Luo Huai Yuan started living his freeloader life. All the official matters were thrown to his subordinates while he shut himself in and spent time with his consort.

At first there would be people reporting things to the Yun Prince. After Luo Huai Yuan had his subordinates deal with it themselves several times, people stopped bothering him.

Everyone pretty much figured out that this Yun Prince was a lazy person. No wonder he got so large.

Sun Shi Min both lamented and felt gratified by this. He lamented because he seemed to have gone about things the wrong way previously. He was gratified because this sort of vassal prince was one that the court liked. If the person at the top behaved, those underneath would naturally suffer less. Sun Shi Min's weird emotions were truly unsuitable to be spoken out loud.

Ezoic

However, he worked even harder than before, putting his all into it. He fell just short of telling Luo Huai Yuan "highness, leave everything to this subordinate".

Luo Huai Yuan was pleased those underneath were so understanding, allowing him to slack off openly. An idle prince's days should be spent precisely like this. If he needed to worry about doing every little thing, how was he supposed to live?

Of course, Luo Huai Yuan wasn't as uncaring as he seemed on the surface. Rome wasn't built in a day and many things in the vassal state needed time. Furthermore, there were other important things he needed to do at this time.

Managing a vassal state wasn't actually as easy as it seemed.

Once a vassal state was assigned, it would become completely dependent on itself. In times of shortage, the vassal prince would have to make up for the lack of taxes with his own savings. The Yun Province wasn't a wealthy place. The taxes collected every year was merely enough to keep things running.

Ezoic

Luo Huai Yuan looked over the taxes collected within the borders for the past several years. He compared it to the various expenses and came to a conclusion. If he wanted to do anything else, he would have to rely on money elsewhere. Getting money from his vassal state was a pipe dream. Of course, the vassal prince could raise taxes on the commoners, but how could Luo Huai Yuan try to skin these impoverished citizens?

In his past life, the freeloading Luo Huai Yuan never worried about these problems. Now, he had to consider them all.

The more things he controlled, the more Luo Huai Yuan understood how something minor could affect everything. In the past he felt he had a lot of money. He had more than he dared dream of in his past two lives. Now, it seemed he was a little shortsighted.

Therefore, he pondered for a while before deciding to make a trip to the Fu Province.

When he told Yan Yan this, her face immediately turned dark. She didn't give him a pleasant expression for several days.

Actually Yan Yan knew she was being unreasonable, but who told him to spoil her?

Yan Yan was a little annoyed and angry that Luo Huai Yuan always did things without consulting anyone. He would merely tell her the outcome after making up his mind. She wasn't able to get involved, and could only follow along in confusion.

Ezoic

Especially since after hearing his decision, she finally understood why he put on such a lazy appearance and didn't bother with official affiars. It turns out he had long since made up his mind to leave. Otherwise, why would he make it so that Sun Shi Min and his helpers would be used to not having him around?

What made Yan Yan even angrier was that he had long since made up his mind before telling her.

Luo Huai Yuan was a little agitated. Ah Yan had never been a petty woman. She was quick to anger but it was also quick to fade. She would vent her anger on the spot and it was very rare for her to ignore him like this.

Especially since she didn't let him get in bed at night, making Luo Huai Yuan feel the heavens were collapsing.

However, based on the thickness of his skin, not letting him in bed wasn't able to stop him. He acted shameless, pitiful, and would wail and make a fuss, making the servants raise their eyebrows. Yan Yan could only swallow her anger and let him roll into bed before turning her back to him.

Ezoic

The chubby claws rubbed at her from behind and Yan Yan scooted further inwards, acting extremely distant. He wasn't discouraged at all and perservered until Yan Yan was forced to the innermost part of the bed.

"Just what are you trying to do?"

She suddenly turned around and sat up, glaring at him fiercely.

Luo Huai Yuan shrunk his chubby claws back to his chest and looked pitifully at her, saying quietly: "Yan Yan, did I make you angry? Speak if something's up and vent if you are angry. As your husband, I will accept it all."

Yan Yan had never been able to endure such an expression and these types of words. Normally she would be coaxed into laughter. However, this time she was truly angry so she didn't laugh out loud. Her mouth twitched imperceptibly.

Ezoic

Luo Huai Yuan saw this and capitalized on it. He rolled over and buried his face in her lap, wrapping his chubby arms around her waist.

"Just tell me if I did something wrong. It's also fine if you hit me. Just don't ignore me. When you ignore me I panic. I'm not able to eat or sleep."

She exerted herself as she tried to push the face that was rubbing against her legs away, but unfortunately didn't succeed.

Yan Yan gritted her teeth in anger. It was always like this. Such a large man had no reservations about acting cute. The term "acting cute" was something Yan Yan had heard from Luo Huai Yuan. This fellow was praising himself for being cute and accidentally let it slip.

"You keep acting! You're planning to go to the Fu Province, but what about me? What should I do?"

Ezoic

Her tone was off. Luo Huai Yuan stopped his movements and carefully looked at Yan Yan.

"I definitely have to stay here and cover for you. Then tell me now, what are you going to the Fu Province for?"

His voice was tiny, "I'm going to earn money."

Yan Yan didn't hold back and slapped his outstretched chubby hand, "Don't lie. The private ledgers are in my hands. We have enough to last two lifetimes. There's also the taxes from the vassal state. Why do you need to earn so much money?"

His chubby face had a flattering smile, "To spend of course. To buy Ah Yan tasty things, fun things, and beautiful clothes to wear. Men earn money for their woman to spend."

Ezoic

Yan Yan's face darkened, "You're still not telling the truth even now. I could understand dealing with Sun Shi Min since that old man is truly annoying. But what's going on with Luo Bi Shi? He has nothing to do with us, so why put so much effort into him?"

Seeing him not answering, Yan Yan pushed him away. This time she succeeded. Actually, based on Yan Yan's strength, she could push away two Luo Huai Yuans, let alone just one of him. When she wasn't successful at times, it was because she didn't want to in her heart.

She lay back down and turned her back to him once again, no longer speaking.

After a long while, a deep and drawn out sigh sounded out. Someone stuck to her back.

"Ah Yan, do you trust me?"

Ezoic

Yan Yan didn't speak.

"Trust me. Everything I do is for us. Everything is so we can stay together forever."

Yan Yan still didn't turn around but her voice was a little choked up.

"Then why can't you tell me your goal? You do everything by yourself and I only find out about it afterwards. It doesn't feel good."

Luo Huai Yuan pulled Yan Yan into his arms. His face was filled with heartache as he tenderly kissed the tears from the corner of her eyes, "It's all my fault. I will definitely tell you before I do anything in the future. As for the reason, trust me. I will definitely tell you at a suitable time."

After a long silence, Yan Yan suddenly said: "Are you after that seat?"

The air froze.

Actually this wasn't hard to guess. As the emperor's son, he just had to be content with his place and could spend his days worry-free in his vassal state. From Luo Huai Yuan's actions, he seemed to be working a little excessively. Of course outsiders couldn't see this but that didn't mean Yan Yan, who slept by his side, couldn't see it.


Are you after that seat?"

This question was really penetrating and pratctical.

After saying these words, Yan Yan no longer spoke. She merely tensed up as she waited for the answer.

After a long time, Luo Huai Yuan sighed and said: "Trust me, I really don't want that seat."

Yan Yan turned and looked at him, "Then we are completely able to stay in place and live our lives. Why are you busying yourself for no reason?"

Ezoic

"You don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

He held her fast and said: "We don't want that seat, and while royal father lives it's still fine.However, once he's gone, we need some capital to protect ourselves."

Ezoic

"Capital to protect ourselves?"

"That's right. That way we'd be able to advance or retreat. Preparing more in advance means we won't have to panic when the situation is imminent."

Yan Yan's gaze froze, "You mean to say, once his majesty is gone, we might very well be swept into things?"

Luo Huai Yuan nodded, "You can put it that way."

Yan Yan didn't agree with his words: "Even if something happens to his majesty, he will definitely pass an edict proclaiming his successor. The rightful monarch will be the monarch and the officials will remain officials. How can things become chaotic? For example, as long as his majesty doesn't demote the crown prince, he will remain the Grand Xi's successor. No matter what the second prince and the rest think, they won't dare do anything openly."

Ezoic

Luo Huai Yuan patted her shoulder and said: "It's not as simple as you think. If things were really that simple, that would also be nice. Look how everything appears peaceful and prosperous in the palace, but everyone knows Empress Xiao and Senior Concubine Xu don't get along. However, is this apparent on the surface? They seem to be as close as sisters! Also, compared to the other three, old fifth and I are more miserable. Why is this the case? There's a reason for everything. Also, is royal father really unaware of everything? He naturally knows. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to leave the palace smoothly using my clumsy methods when I was twelve."

After that matter, Luo Huai Yuan had carefully considered it. He had thought his plans were extraordinary, but that was just his own assumption. After thinking about it, there were plenty of gaps. The reason no one suspected anything was merely because Emperor Xi had helped cover for him.

In his past life Luo Huai Yuan had thought Emperor Xi was an incapable ruler. Otherwise, he wouldn't be manipulated in circles by the two women. After seeing more, he slowly understood. It turns out he wasn't as obstinate and rash as he appeared on the surface.

To put it plainly, the world was unpredictable. Even as the monarch of a nation, there were many things he couldn't control.

Ezoic

Everyone had their own schemes. The empress and crown prince had theirs, Senior Concubine Xu and the second prince had theirs and Emperor Xi had his own as well. The civil and military officials also had their own considerations. To put it more severely, even the lowliest sweeper eunuch in the palace probably has his own thoughts.

Ezoic

They were all depending on imperial authority to survive. When an emperor gradually ages, the younger generation gradually matures and becomes just as outstanding. At this time, various thoughts would involuntarily arise. They had to seize the initiative and take the biggest cake under the heavens. The saying a new emperor brings in new officials could apply to those above, and also to those below.

These hidden thoughts constantly collided underneath the surface. They weren't visible but would effect everything. The two sides locked in struggle just had to control their own people and advance towards their goal. As for the person who seemed to be moving the pieces on the board, was he truly doing so? To put it plainly, he was merely someone trapped by the board long ago. Very often, there were very many things that he himself couldn't control.

The struggle for the throne was like this. It was like a giant chariot rumbling forwards. Everyone in the vicinity would involuntarily be swept along. The winner is king and the loser the beggar.

Luo Huai Yuan used many extremely minor events as proof, making Yan Yan shiver after listening.

Ezoic

"Don't be scared, we still have grandfather." Yan Yan didn't know if she was comforting herself or Luo Huai Yuan.

Luo Huai Yuan smield bitterly: "Don't think of grandfather as all powerful, ok? At times like this, the Shen household is in the center of the maelstrom. If he had such authority, would he have to send all the juniors in the household away? Oh right. My trip to the Fu Province this time is also to check up on Shen Qi. Who knows how he's doing over there."

This matter truly seemed more important than expected. Yan Yan wasn't able to understand the blades hidden within the palace. However, she could see a few things based on her grandfather's household. Perhaps this matter was truly as little fatty was saying, and not as peaceful as she had thought. Everyone was making preparations. How could they not do so as well?

She suddenly felt she had been unreasonable. Yan Yan revealed a slightly ashamed expression.

"Alright, no need for you to overthink things. Don't worry about the matters outside. Let your husband handle it."

The two spoke a little longer before holding each other and falling asleep.

After a few days, Luo Huai Yuan took his trusted aides and secretly left the Yun Prince Estate.

Ezoic

This didn't cause any waves, as though nothing had happened.

Ezoic

At this time, the Shen Qi who Yan Yan was worried about was doing rather well in the Fu Province.

After his depression from leaving his home faded, the Fu Province's many wonders had attracted his gaze.

As soon as he arrived, Shen Qi went to rely on his cousin Shen Xuan. Afterwards he followed Luo Huai Yuan's suggestion and considered starting "his own business". However, he realized he didn't have much interest in this and ended up entering the Fu Province's navy.

Although this was also enlistment, it was very different from entering the military on land. Shen Qi took quite a while before gradually getting accustomed to it.

Ezoic

Since the Grand Xi opened its ports, the sea merchants entered the Fu Province for commerce like carp crossing the river. At the same time, the amount of troublemakers also increased.

After the envoy from Fusang was expelled that time, the court had a discussion over this matter the next day. They all felt the small nation of Fusang had been too daring and didn't put the Grand Xi in their eyes. For the sake of punishing them, the city's shipping office prohibited any trade with Fusang, and any goods from there were prohibited from being brought ashore.

Daimyo Kana didn't expect the lofty Grand Xi whose reputation spread far and wide to be so petty. They actually placed such a prohibition just because of some minor conflict. But it was already too late. The diplomatic group he led was marched onto their ships and sent out of the Grand Xi's waters.

He knew that if this matter got out of hand, he wouldn't be able to escape responsibility. Daimyo Kana had a bright idea, and made sure to set the story straight with his group. Their excuse was that the Grand Xi had refused Fusang's friendship and that they were humiliated and driven out. Actually the people with him also understood. For the sake of not getting blamed, they agreed to Daimyo Kana's explanation.

After returning to Fusang, Daimyo Kana complained tearfully to the general of the Edoku Bakufu. Seeing the group of envoys he sent looking bedraggled and dispirited, the general didn't doubt them.

Ezoic

The Edoku Bakufu's envoys were humiliated, stirring up the various bakufus of Fusang. Since negotiations had broken down, the Fusang also cared about dignity and no longer thought about establishing friendly relations with the Grand Xi.

It was good to care about dignity but the danger Fusang faced was still present. The nation's agriculture and craftsmanship was lacking and all their daily necessities were imported. Most of it came from the Grand Xi. Now that relations were cut off, how were they supposed to survive?

There was no choice. They could only go back to their old ways. Just like when the embargo was active, they went to plunder the seas.

But the Grand Xi wasn't like before. After lifting the embargo, they became familiar with ocean trade. The navy was garrisoned by the coast. Since the Fusang weren't able to plunder within the Grand Xi's waters, they could only go plunder Korea, Ryukyu, Siam and other smaller nations, as well as merchant vessels sailing the ocean.

Fusang didn't dare go too far. Even when they plundered, the spread it out and didn't dare fly their own flag. They pretended to be people from other countries. This sort of venture required no starting capital and there was a lot of profits to be had. There would never be a lack of those willing to risk their lives or those who were exiled. Successfully robbing a single vessel would mean having enough to eat for several years. Many scattered pirates also got involved and the fleet grew stronger and stronger.

Ezoic

These people were afraid of the Grand Xi's navy and didn't dare enter their territory. However, the situation outside was awful. Many of the merchant vessels were robbed which gradually resulted in the Fu Province's harbor becoming a little bleak.

How could the Grand Xi's officials, who had tasted the benefits, permit someone to steal the food from their mouths? They unanimously passed a resolution to strike fear into the hearts of these snakes and rats, so they knew not to provoke the tiger.

The cannons on the Grand Xi's ships were renowned. Back then when they sailed west as escorts, they had struck down many pirates. The pirates had come to rob merchant vessels and were like chickens in front of a dog, unable to take a single blow.

Shen Qi accompanied the navy and participated in a couple of raids against the pirates. Not only did he expand his horizons, he also matured very quickly.

Therefore, by the time Luo Huai Yuan arrived at the Fu Province and saw Shen Qi, he couldn't believe this tanned person with white teeth, this tall and sturdy fellow, was that little second Shen.

Ezoic

"How did you get taller? What were you doing to get so tanned? Your cousin didn't make you scrub the decks every day, did he?"

Luo Huai Yuan had hit the mark. Shen Qi was still a rookie in the navy and shouldn't be able to ride the warship. He only managed to tag along on the raids because he made a fuss. Shen Xuan didn't let him go, saying everyone had their duties aboard the ship. They wouldn't take someone out for a pleasure ride. For the sake of going, Shen Qi found a job as a deck-scrubber.

However, his tan wasn't entirely due to scrubbing decks. The Fu Province was hot year round and tanning was inevitable when just living normally, let alone for a soldier who drilled daily.

Shen Qi scratched his head and revealed his white teeth in a smile: "Are you very jealous that I got taller? Look, I'm taller than you now. How did you get fatter again? My poor little sis Ah Yan. How can she withstand your weight?"

Luo Huai Yuan rubbed his chin in embarrassment, "This brat has also gotten a glib tongue. You dare make fun of your little sis Ah Yan? Don't make me go back and tell her, and have her come settle accounts with you."

Ezoic

The barracks was a great forge. No matter how honest the child, they would end up getting corrupted. This was because there would be no women around for an extended period of time. It wasn't clear if this was the case in the navy as well.

Luo Huai Yuan nudged Shen Qi with his shoulder and smiled vulgarly, "Little two, you've become bad. Have you popped your cherry yet? How about big bro take you to do it? I know this Fu Province's city very well. I guarantee I'll find you a pretty girl."

Shen Qi's tanned face turned looked embarrassed. Right as he was about to speak, Shen Xuan walked over.

"What's this about finding a pretty girl? Bro Chen, you're here."

Shen Xuan slightly nodded his head. His cold gaze was stern and his face chiseled. It was clear he had a military background. His aura was solemn, making others involuntarily shiver.

Ezoic

He didn't address Luo Huai Yuan by his actual surname. Instead, he called him by his alias "Chen Yun", which he used back then in the Fu Province. The two hadn't interacted much but could be said to know everything about each other. Now that Luo Huai Yuan was married to his cousin, the usually taciturn Shen Xuan gave a rare greeting.

Luo Huai Yuan was never proper, and feared an extremely proper person the most. He rubbed his nose and chuckled, changing the subject: "It's nothing. Ah Yan is always concerned about Shen Qi's marital matters so I'm helping her inquire."

Shen Xuan nodded his head slightly, "You guys carry on. I still have some business." After speaking, he left.


Luo Huai Yuan naturally wouldn't bring Shen Qi to some brothel. He was just mouthing off.

The two chatted for quite a while, telling each other about their own circumstances. Luo Huai Yuan hadn't come to the Fu Province in a while and heard about many of the recent changes from Shen Qi.

That night, Shen Qi arranged a banquet for Luo Huai Yuan. The two of them drank until they were wasted. The next day, the two went their separate ways. Shen Qi returned to the barracks and Luo Huai Yuan busied himself with his own affairs.

The businesses here had developed extremely smoothly. With Xie Mao and Shen Xuan's people keeping watch, along with Luo Huai Yuan's aides managing things, they were raking it in. Just the textile production was a money-making machine. Luo Huai Yuan would only take some of the surplus, and the rest was invested into merchant vessels after discussing with Xie Mao and Shen Xuan.

Ezoic

At this moment, the three of them already owned over seven vessels.

Ezoic

Currently, trading overseas was extremely profitable. Merchant vessels were golden geese to those who owned them. Even if they didn't need that many ships for their own goods, the moment a ship was setting sail, merchants without ships of their own would flock over. Merchant vessels took a cut dependant upon the amount of goods being transported. It was clearly very profitable.

Luo Huai Yuan made a tour of his various businesses before meeting with Xie Mao. The two of them were business partners, but ultimately Xie Mao had put in a little more effort. While Luo Huai Yuan was in the capital and Shen Xuan was busy with the navy, Xie Mao was one of the navy's commanders in name but wasn't actually that busy.

Ezoic

After not seeing him for a few years, Xie Mao was currently glowing. It seemed he had been living very well these years.

This was truly the case. Many people sucked up to him due to his current position. With power and wealth, everything was going smoothly for him.

Xie Mao naturally didn't forget who had brought his current success. After interacting with him for several years, he could tell that this junior called "Chen Yun" didn't have a simple identity. Xie Mao was a trusted aide of the Zhenguo Duke and was naturally familiar with the Shen household's situation in the capital. Based on this, he was pretty much able to figure out the truth. A fatty that was extremely close with the Shen household. Who else could he be apart from the husband of the Zhenguo Duke's granddaughter, the fourth prince?

But since the other party didn't say it, Xie Mao was content with acting oblivious. Often times, it was better for people to be a little more tactful.

Ezoic

Xie Mao hosted a banquet to entertain Luo Huai Yuan and the two spoke a lot during it. After chatting casually, Luo Huai Yuan got to the point.

This was his goal for coming here this time. He had such plans long ago, but the time hadn't been ripe. Now, it was the perfect moment.

On the way to the Fu Province, Luo Huai Yuan had gotten information on the circumstances of some small nations from people he knew. It seemed that the thoughts of people during this era wasn't that advanced yet. Perhaps after some time, some insightful businessmen would be able to notice this, but it wasn't the case at this moment.

Luo Huai Yuan slowly laid out his thoughts. Xie Mao was astonished and then alarmed, until finally his mouth fell open.

After a long, long time, he finally spoke: "Bro Chen, if what your saying really works out, we, we….."

Xie Mao's eyes had turned red. This was because what Luo Huai Yuan was saying went against all conventions. It clearly sounded like a fantasy, but he was someone who had created miracles before. Perhaps it was also because of the merchant's blood flowing in Xie Mao's veins, but he actually felt it might be feasible!

He stood up restlessly and paced back and forth. After a while, he finally sat down across from Luo Huai Yuan. Seemingly realizing that he had lost his composure, he lifted his glass to cover it up and said: "This matter definitely isn't as simple as Bro Chen is making it out to be. Is it possible to speak about it in detail?"

Ezoic

Luo Huai Yuan spoke about his thoughts in further detail.

Actually, this insight from Luo Huai Yuan had come from his modern knowledge of a piece of the Ming Dynasty's history. In the later part of the Ming Dynasty, because of the flourishing trade on the waters, many merchants had discovered a sort of business opportunity. It was something known in the modern world as speculating on foreign currency.

At this time, the Grand Xi's circumstances were similar to the Ming Dynasty's. However, due to the diverging of history, there were many things that were different. It was similar in that the Grand Xi's position in the world was very significant. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the center of the world. The Grand Xi's silk, tea leaves, porcelain and cloth, along with many crafted objects, were extremely popular everywhere. Even something common like its currency was valuable.

Many of the small nations weren't proficient in smelting copper. However, due to the sea trade, they needed a universally trusted currency to use in their deals. Minting their own currency would first of all require their own copper mines or a steady source of copper. They would also need sufficient skill and the proportion to other materials was also important. If the proportions weren't appropriate, the resulting coins wouldn't last long. Of course, the most important thing was whether this coin could be circulated, and whether its value would be recognized when doing business.

These were all problems that needed to be overcome. The simplest way was to import currency from a trusted nation to use as their own.

Because the Grand Xi was a strong and prosperous nation, its economy was ranked amongst the best. The quality of its copper coins were first class and it could be stored for a long time. With its power and wealth, its coin was very secure. To some of the smaller nations, it was better to import some of the Grand Xi's copper coins to use as their own currency.

Ezoic

With such large influence, there were many opportunities.

For example, they could import some copper from overseas and export copper coins from Grand Xi. As people at the peak of the Grand Xi, it wasn't difficult for Luo Huai Yuan, Xie Mao and the Zhenguo Duke to do what those smaller nations couldn't. The Grand Xi also circulated silver, not just copper coins. It was only due to the scarcity of gold and silver that copper became the standard circulated coin within the Grand Xi. However, what was lacking in the Grand Xi wasn't necessary lacking in other nations. They could absolutely send over copper coins in exchange for silver from the outside. This was essentially making money without any work, and could also be called speculation.

Luo Huai Yuan had heard about the exchange rate of copper and silver in some of the countries. A tael of silver could be exchanged for around nine hundred copper coins in the Grand Xi. In other countries, the same tael of silver only needed three hundred copper coins. The purchase power of copper coins exceeded that of silver.

These were all business opportunities that made one shiver all over when thinking about it.

Therefore, Luo Huai Yuan wasn't too surprised that Xie Mao lost his composure. Was there anything more exciting than making money without doing any work?

Of course, there were bound to be problems when doing this. For example, the large influx of silver and the outflow of copper coins woud result in inflation and deflation.

Ezoic

It was just that Luo Huai Yuan could faintly see a trace of danger when the Grand Xi opened up its ports. The overseas trade was truly lucrative, but underneath the shadow of the major benefits, the Grand Xi was using its national produce to exchange for countless coins. The national treasury seemed to be increasing but ultimately the economy didn't really receive any improvement. Instead, it was those small nations that grew.

Of course, it wasn't correct to say there were no benefits. However, as the largest exporter, could the Grand Xi sustain this volume?

Ezoic

These weren't problems Luo Huai Yuan could concern himself with. Whether the he had the capability to worry about it was one matter. The issues of economy and foreign exchange between nations was an extremely complicated topic even in modern times. How could it be something an otaku like him could understand?

Due to his foresight he did see some of the underlying issues. However, for him it was a problem for the future. As of now, victory and defeat were still undecided. He was struggling for his own future so any responsibility towards the nation was still very far away.

Taking ten thousand steps back, if fate was truly inevitable and his outcome was bad, might as well leave a hidden explosive behind for the Jin Emperor that sinister fellow. Blowing him to bits was also a pretty good idea.

Ezoic

Ultimately, all Luo Huai Yuan wanted to do at the moment was to get a large amount of money. Then he would recruit people to his side and make preparations. He wasn't considering anything else at the moment.

The two of them discussed for a long, long time. The dishes at the banquet were switched out several times. Only when it was almost midnight did Xie Mao let Luo Huai Yuan return to his guest room to rest. He himself returned to his room and pondered how things should be arranged.

After accomplishing his main task, Luo Huai Yuan seemed to be a little idle.

Therefore, he recalled the existence of Yan Zhi.

Ezoic

Yan Zhi was Yan Yan's eldest uncle after all. Prior to leaving, Yan Yan had also told him that even if it was just for Xue-shi's sake, he should take care of him a little.

Luo Huai Yuan asked Xie Mao and learned about Yan Zhi's situation.

After arriving at the Fu Province, Yan Zhi entered the city's shipping office. With Shen Xuan, Xie Mao and Luo Huai Yuan helping him, his starting point was higher than most people.

However, Yan Zhi was also a tactful one. They gave him benefits but that didn't mean he could wantonly squander it. After entering the office, he didn't mention these relationships to anyone. He worked hard one step at a time, as though he had no backing at all.

Yan Zhi was quick-witted and had a golden touch. Soon, he got into the swing of things. Not only was his relationship with his direct superior pretty good, he slowly started getting some connections with many local merchants.

Ezoic

After figuring out the situation, he easily used his job to ask the merchants he was close with to bring him stuff from overseas. He started off doing just a little bit and saw his coworkers doing the same. Gradually, he started getting bolder.

From the fourth prince's description previously, he knew there were quite a few benefits to be had. After spending some time here, Yan Zhi finally understood the details. It wasn't an exaggeration to say riches were falling from the heavens. The minor officials in similar positions were all eating their fill.

Furthermore, this wasn't something illegal. After all, they weren't embezzling the court's silver. They were just using the many merchants who wanted to curry favor, and had them conveniently bring some things back. The goods were paid for with their own money. They used the merchants and had them bring back whatever was popular within the Grand Xi. The moment the goods arrived, there would be people looking to take it off their hands.

Within a few months, Yan Zhi had saved quite a good amount of silver.

He pondered for a while and bought a residence. He had someone quietly send word back to the capital, telling Xue-shi to come over with their sons.

Ezoic

When the old madam passed away, Yan Zhi didn't hurry back for the funeral. In theory, the court required officials to have a period of mourning when their parents passed away. However, Yan Zhi understood this opportunity was hard to come by and he had resigned his official's post prior to leaving for the Fu Province. He had told everyone he was starting a business. The Fu Province's shipping office didn't have a regulated system for its officials. Although he was a ninth-ranked functionary in name, he was actually just doing some odd jobs. This wasn't within the court's regulations and was just part of the local organization.

The lofty emperor was far away and Yan Zhi was a minor character. With Xue-shi helping wave things away in the capital and him living by himself in the Fu Province, no one knew about it.

After Xue-shi received the letter, she was a little bewildered.

Prior to leaving, Yan Zhi had said to wait until he found his footing and settled down before going over. He hadn't been gone for a year yet, but had already settled down?

Of course Xue-shi also knew her husband wasn't one to speak wildly. She secretly packed up and left the capital with her sons.

Xue-shi only told Shen Yi Yao and the married Yan Ru about this, and they naturally wouldn't blab.


Xue-shi brought her two sons and rode the carriage all the way to the Fu Province.

When they entered its borders, they could see that this place was just as flourishing as the capital. By the time they arrived at the Fu Province City, the three of them had their horizons expanded.

The streets were wide enough for four carriages to drive along and the road was neat and clean. The various-sized buildings on either side had curved awnings, many of them being stores and restaurants of all kinds. There were many people going to and fro on the streets, their clothing bright. There were also quite a few weirdly dressed foreigners with eyes and hair that were different colors compared to the people of the Grand Xi.

Xue-shi felt she was in a daze. Yan Xiao and Yan Rui were the same way.

Ezoic

Because Yan Zhi didn't know when they would arrive, there wasn't anyone there to receive them. Luckily, for the sake of their safety, Shen Yi Yao had sent four guards to escort them on their trip. They also brought along some errand boys, maids and grannies. They found an inn to stay at before ordering someone to send Yan Zhi a letter informing him of their arrival.

Ezoic

When the guard delivered the letter, Yan Zhi hadn't been home. Only when it was almost dark did he hurry over.

Xue-shi's eyes turned red on the spot when she saw him.

Ezoic

This was because Yan Zhi had gotten thinner and tanner. He wasn't as fair or portly as before, and looked like he aged quite a bit.

Xue-shi was both excited and saddened. She cried for a long while. Yan Zhi busied himself with comforting her, saying persistently that he hadn't suffered hardship. The reason he lost weight and got tanned was merely due to the hot climate.

After a round of fussing, the group of people dragged their luggage over to Yan Zhi's newly-bought residence.

Yan Zhi was a prudent person. Despite having enough to buy a larger place, he wasn't that extravagant. Therefore, he bought an unobtrusive three-compound residence. It wasn't big but it wasn't small. It was enough for their family of four.

Ezoic

After they settled down and had dinner, the couple sat together and spoke about what they each encountered after separating.

When the old madam's death was mentioned, Yan Zhi was a little silent. In theory, not going back home for the funeral wasn't a filial act. However, he didn't know if this opportunity would still be waiting for him if he had to leave for three years.

Xue-shi comforted him and said that she and their sons had observed the old madam's wake and were in mourning according to convention. They had also made all the offerings and burned the incense as required. Xue-shi was even still wearing plain clothing, and apart from a single silver hairpin, she merely had a white pearl flower in her hair.

Yan Zhi wasn't an inflexible person and no longer looked depressed. Afterwards, he took out a chest from under the bed and had Xue-shi open it with a rather meaningful expression.

Xue-shi opened the chest and was essentially stunned.

It wasn't because there was some huge amount of money inside. It was because she knew Yan Zhi had just purchased this residence. With the Fu Province flourishing, house prices were definitely not low. Such a place definitely cost over a thousand taels, but with all the gold, silver and banknotes inside the chest, there was around eight thousand taels inside.

Xue-shi's heart beat wildly. She first didn't dare to believe it, and was then pleasantly surprised. Then, she became worried.

Ezoic

"Hurry and tell me. Did you take bribes or do something illegal?"

She repeatedly questioned him until Yan Zhi swore he didn't do anything of the sort before she felt relieved. After the two got in bed, Yan Zhi told her the details involved.

Because of this, Xue-shi was even more grateful towards Shen Yi Yao and Yan Yan.

Yan Zhi naturally wasn't satisfied with just this. His connections needed to be put to good use. Due to his relationship with the navy, Yan Zhi had quite a lot of face with the many merchants. The Fu Province's navy was the best equipped and best funded out of the entire Grand Xi due to the prosperous trade. In theory, many of the commanding officers should have had bulging coin pouches. However, Shen Xuan ran things strictly and such actions were prohibited.

Of course, to compensate the troops, Shen Xuan helped open up a so-called shortcut, allowing them to also earn some adequate silver. That was to use their positions to escort merchants and receive renumeration, as well as using warships to bring a set amount of goods for overseas trade and bringing foreign goods back to sell. The obtained profits would be split amongst the entire navy, with the participants getting a larger share.

However, everyone was of military background and their main concern was the nation's safety. Everything else was secondary. It was fine to have these troops go fight pirates, but making them act as merchants was a little difficult. Usually these trades were left for others to handle, or undertaken with other merchants who came along.

Ezoic

Those merchants were all cunning and crafty. On the surface they bent the waist and nodded at these military lords and acted like grandsons. In reality, they didn't refrain from buying low and selling high.

In light of this, Yan Zhi had purposefully accepted this role for the sake of getting in the navy's good books. He became the one responsible for finding the merchants who would handle the goods. Because Yan Zhi was an official of the shipping office, he was very familiar with the market's situation. The merchants also didn't dare try any tricks with him. Therefore, the navy received quite a lot of profit.

Along with Yan Zhi's skills in flattering others, everyone in the navy had a rather good impression of him. He didn't have to use his identity as Yan Yan's eldest uncle to ask Shen Xuan for help. He took care of any issues that cropped up by himself.

Yan Zhi constantly improved himself. Not only did he handle this matter with the navy, he also used his connections to send his aides along with the ships. Firstly it was to familiarize himself with the circumstances outside and secondly to help the troops who weren't adept at these matters to sell their goods.

With such back and forth, his relationship with the navy became firmer and he also got quite a lot of new connections. Using his connections with the merchants and the navy's warships, he started selling his own goods. He bought a small merchant vessel with the money he saved, and by the time Luo Huai Yuan arrived at the Fu Province, he was like the local head who was eating on both sides. He was definitely flourishing.

Luo Huai Yuan was very pleasantly surprised at the extent of Yan Zhi's development.

Ezoic

He needed someone like this, who could mix in with the officials while also thriving in places where snakes mixed with dragons. The things Luo Huai Yuan needed to do in the future wasn't appropriate for people like Shen Xuan and Xie Mao to handle. It was best if he could have a local mixed in.

After Xie Mao discussed things with Luo Huai Yuan, he quickly sent a letter back to the Zhenguo Duke Estate in the capital.

Unexpectedly, the Zhenguo Duke Estate wasn't going to participate this time.

The Zhenguo Duke didn't explain his reasoning in his reply but Xie Mao understood. The princes were all mature now. Empress Xiao and the crown prince represented the orthodox faction while Senior Concubine Xu and the Jin and Qi Princes represented the favored faction. The two were struggling more and more, and the court was also swept into it. Although the Yun Prince and the Jing Prince remained silent, the Yun Prince could still be considered a contender. If he did so many things in private, people would inevitably wonder if he had the same thoughts as Senior Concubine Xu's faction.

The Zhenguo Duke Estate had always been neutral. They couldn't pretend not to know of the Yun Prince's actions and get in cahoots with him.

Ezoic

They were distancing themselves and declaring themselves as spectators.

Luo Huai Yuan wasn't surprised. Prior to marrying Yan Yan, he had transferred all the businesses the Zhenguo Duke Estate was involved in to Yan Yan. His actions were different from the Zhenguo Duke Estate's actions, but they were implying pretty much the same thing.

This was a sort of mutual understanding, and also giving each other a final path of retreat.

When Xie Mao received the news, he was extremely hesitant. He was firmly part of the Zhenguo Duke's faction. Now that the Zhenguo Duke Estate distanced themselves, should he do the same?

Luo Huai Yuan didn't push Xie Mao for his answer. He spent his days idling around the Fu Province City like he had nothing to do. Every now and then he would chat and drink with Shen Qi or meet up with Yan Zhi, seeming especially leisurely.

Ezoic

This was also why he put Yan Zhi in place as a backup plan. Even if Xie Mao wasn't willing to proceed, he could choose to start on a small-scale by himself.

Xie Mao didn't disappoint Luo Huai Yuan. Perhaps he was a speculator at heart or perhaps he couldn't resist the allure. Before long, he gave Luo Huai Yuan his answer and also sent a letter back to the capital.

After receiving the latter, the Zhenguo Duke read it and gave it to Shen Ding.

Shen Ding seemed a little worried, "Father, this Xie Mao…."

The Zhenguo Duke waved his hand unconcernedly, "We've distanced ourselves but that doesn't mean Xie Mao has to do the same."

Ezoic

"What about Xuan'er and Qi'er?"

The Zhenguo Duke smiled profoundly, "The interactions between juniors has nothing to do with us."

Shen Ding nodded his head in understanding.

"Don't tell Yao'er about this matter. That fellow is also a smart one and understands our meaning."

"Of course."

Ezoic

These words meant that Shen Ding would tell Second Madam Shen not to let Shen Yi Yao know about the things happening in the Fu Province. Let her assume her daughter and son-in-law were living well in the Yun Province.

Author's notes:

It's about time for the little fatty to go back and steam buns 1 He will head back tomorrow. The Fu Province's matter won't be written about in detail. It's just the little fatty getting some money while paving the road for the future. This fellow never forgets that if he cannot win against the Jin Prince, he plans to escape with his whole family.

Make children.


With Xie Mao's participation, things developed a little easier than expected.

The three parties carried things out individually. Yan Zhi was responsible for sourcing copper and asking people to purchase large amounts. Xie Mao had a little more to do. Not only did he have to send subordinates to help Yan Zhi, he also had to find skilled craftsmen and prepare workshops and the other materials needed for making copper coins. Luo Huai Yuan's tasks were relatively easier. He just had to instruct his subordinates to gather copper coins and send them to the Yun Province. He also ordered those below to use only copper coins instead of silver or banknotes when sending up the dividends. This increased the burden on his subordinates. Just the transportation was extremely troublesome.

Ezoic

Time feels like it goes by quickly when it's busy. Luo Huai Yuan had arrived at the Fu Province prior to June, and it was now entering winter. Even in winter, the Fu Province was extremely warm. It couldn't compare to the Yun Province at all. There, they already had to wear large fur coats while in the Fu Province a single layer was enough.

The ships exporting the first batch of copper coins had already returned. The results made Xie Mao extremely pleasantly surprised. Just a simple exchange had netted them almost three times the value in silver. Then, he ordered the people to distribute the silver in exchange for more copper coins and gathered them in the Fu Province again.

Ezoic

Because transporation wasn't too developed in this era and the process of gathering copper coins was also extremely troublesome, the entire process took around two or three months. This was to say they could only do this sort of exchange four or five times a year.

However, just this frequency was already enough for a pleasant surprise. This explosive profit was easy money.

On the other side, the craftsmen and workshops were already set up and had long since started producing coins. They experimented with all sorts of different proportions in the formula for copper coins, trying to find the best quality product that most closely resembled what was on the market.

Ezoic

Actually there were quite a few people who cast their own copper coins in the past. However, the ones made by the court had more accurate proportions. Having a little higher copper content than necessary meant operating at a loss, and having a little less meant the coin would have inferior quality. The commoners were able to tell if the coins were privately made and didn't really accept them as currency. Therefore, the amount of people doing this in the Grand Xi dwindled and there were now extremely few. The profits weren't high and there was the risk of the goods being confiscated and losing their lives.

Having seen the explosive profits in exchanging copper coins for silver, Xie Mao wondered why Luo Huai Yuan was putting so much effort into sourcing copper from overseas to craft into coins here.

Luo Huai Yuan didn't know how to explain the concept of deflation, and could only use a simple analogy. There were still a lot of impoverished citiens in the Grand Xi. If they took all the copper coins on the market, which was the standard currency, there would be nothing for commoners to use. If it were more serious, they would have to use silver to exchange. At this time, the purchase power of "coins" would decrease significantly and it would become worthless. What would be the use of having a lot of silver? It would have been wasted effort. Therefore, it was best to keep a sort of equilibrium.

Xiao Mao understood this reasoning. He knew that they shouldn't overdo this sort of exchange. It would be most suitable if they found a steady source of copper overseas. It was best to take from those who had excess. Therefore, he started paying close attention to places with copper mines.

Ezoic

Soon, the end of the year approached and Luo Huai Yuan needed to return to the Yun Province.

He handed over the matters to Yan Zhi and Shen Xuan, as well as his own aides. After saying farewell, Luo Huai Yuan hurried back to the Yun Province, trying to get there before the New Year.

Having been apart from Yan Yan for almost half a year, he had missed her. However, he understood this separation was so they could be together for a long time in the future. The occasional letters were long since unable to satisfy the thirst in his soul. Luo Huai Yuan's heart was set on speeding home.

Ezoic

On the other side by the Yun Prince Estate.

Yan Yan was extremely bored while Luo Huai Yuan was gone. The Yun Prince Estate's system for internal and external affairs had been set up extremely clearly. Everyone had been methodically arranged and followed procedure in handling things. There was no need for her to do anything normally.

Now that she was idle, she put her thoughts onto Mei Xiang, Yi Yun and Yi Meng.

These three personal maids had already become old maids. They never spoke up and Yan Yan didn't know what to say. But seeing that they weren't young but were still unmarried, Yan Yan couldn't bear it considering they had been with her for a long time.

Ezoic

Without any other choice, she could only forcibly give the orders for the three of them to find a partner and get married before the end of the year.

Actually, it wasn't that they weren't worried about this matter, but having stayed inside the inner residence, the number of boys they met could be counted on one hand. They all knew they should be getting married, but who should they marry? Would they have a good life after marriage? Wouldn't it be better to remain by the consort's side? These were all things to consider.

Especially since these people were all born into the household. They had often seen their sisters or maids with good connections get married. The next time they saw them, these young lasses had all become women with worries in life. This truly made them tremble in fear.

Of course, Mei Xiang's group weren't like the others. They were the Yun Consort's palace maids after all. They had come with her to the Yun Province from the Weiyuan Marquis Estate. Yan Yan naturally wouldn't match them with someone random. Furthermore, Yan Yan had also said they could pick whoever was suitable within the estate. As long as they had their eye on someone, she would send people over for matchmaking. There shouldn't be any difficulties.

Of course, choosing someone suitable needed some consideration. They were of rather low birth, and although they didn't have to worry about being on the slave registry since Yan Yan just had to say the word to release them, just what sort of partner was suitable? The three knew they couldn't delay any longer and discussed things in private. They all decided to have the consort choose for them.

Thus the difficult problem was thrown back at Yan Yan.

In her helplessness, she could only spread the news that her three personal palace maids were looking for a husband. Those who were interested should come propose. The requirements were to be of similar age, no bad habits, decent appearance and a good character. Of course, just because you came to propose doesn't mean you could carry a beauty back home. They had to get past Yan Yan first, and then get the approval of the bride-to-be.

Ezoic

When the news was released, there were many hearts stirred.

Ezoic

The people in the front and rear residences were all eunuchs and palace maids. Within the entire estate, those who suited Mei Xiang's group of three most were the estate's guards. These guards were of different ages. Those who followed the Yun Prince over certainly didn't have great backgrounds. They were mixed in with a bunch of crude fellows year round. To be able to marry a beautiful wife, who was even the consort's personal high-ranked palace maid, was essentially a blessing from the heavens. They all started evaluating themselves to see if they were suitable, and whether they would be spurned if they stepped up.

The estate guards suddenly started showing off their good sides. They used to be a bunch of coarse fellows who didn't care about their appearances. Recently, they started taking care of themselves.

When the news was sent back to the Xianyun Hall, Yan Yan couldn't help but laugh for several days. Mei Xiang's group turned red and were incessantly shy. Only now did they feel they seemed to be on the verge of marriage.

Seeing that everyone had some thoughts, there would inevitably be some impatient people who secretly sent word to the Xianyun Hall.

When the first one appeared, the second and third followed soon after. Yan Yan didn't respond and instead collected these people's information. She sorted through them and picked out some suitable ones for the three to look through.

Ezoic

This was a long process. Not only did Yan Yan put in quite a lot of effort, Mei Xiang's group were also putting in a lot of effort at this stage. After finding some potentially suitable candidates, they started privately investigating them on their own. During this time, many low-ranked palace maids and eunuchs went out of their way to stop by where the guards lived.

The guards also understood what this meant. Those who didn't meet the requirements all teased those who had put themselves forwards. Those who were being teased couldn't help but wonder whether they were being eyed.

This won't be mentioned for now. In the end, the choices were made.

Yan Yan found an excuse to have those three young guards come speak with her.

The questions were just a pretext. They were actually there to be seen. When the three guards left, Mei Xiang's group who had been hiding behind the screen all bashfully and timidly nodded their heads.

Ezoic

The marriage was thus settled. Yan Yan said the wedding would be arranged when his highness returned.

The Xianyun Hall's servants were all aware that the Yun Prince wasn't in the estate. In theory he would hurry back before the end of the year, but no one knew if this would truly be the case.

The weather started getting colder. The end of the year approached day by day.

Because Luo Huai Yuan wasn't present, Yan Yan announced that they wouldn't make such a large fanfare this year. Of course, this announcement supposedly came from the Yun Prince. Since the Yun Prince didn't receive summons back to the capital this year again, everyone assumed he was in a bad mood and didn't think too much of it.

Ezoic

Although things were simplified, what needed to be arranged still needed to be arranged. Such a large estate required quite some preparations if they wanted to have a sumptuous New Year's.

The bestowals were handed out and the entire estate was in high spirits. However, Yan Yan who had just finished all this work felt a little listless.

In the past she would always feel that fellow was annoying when he clung onto her the whole time. Now that he was really gone, Yan Yan realized that she had frighteningly gotten used to it. Not only was it hard to get used to sleeping alone, even during her martial arts practice when she was the most focused, Yan Yan had started getting easily distracted.

On the twenty-eighth, Yan Yan had given up hope that he would return by the end of the year.

The snow was falling heavily outside and the Yun Province's winter was extremely cold.

Ezoic

On the twenty-ninth, Yan Yan was unexpectedly lazy. Not only did she skip her practice in the morning, she was even too lazy to move. She spent the entire day curled up on the kiln, idly flipping through the military book in her hands.

The palace maids in the hall all held their breaths, and even spoke more quietly than normal. This lasted until late evening when Yan Yan suddenly threw the book down and returned to her room to sleep.

She slept for a while and was suddenly startled awake. Before she could react, she was pulled into an embrace still filled with the chill from outside.

It was soft and wide. Before she could express her pleasant surprise, her mouth was blocked by his kiss.

This person seemed to have rushed back and didn't tidy up his appearance. The stubble on his chin prickled Yan Yan's tender skin painfully. His hands kneaded and groped under the blankets like a vicious wolf. Yan Yan wasn't able to react before being swept into the storm.

It was swift and urgent, making Yan Yan forget herself and also making her feel a little startled after it was over. Tha person seemed to have noticed her surprise. The skin on his face trembled as he leaned in shamelessly once again.

"When did you get back? Do you need to eat something?"

That person's hands and mouth didn't stop, "The only thing I want to eat now is Ah Yan. I've been starved…."

His muttering was cut off because Yan Yan truly couldn't listen to his lewd words any longer and blocked his mouth.

Compared to the urgency of the first time, Luo Huai Yuan was much more laid back the second time. He was no longer in a rush, and also knew to change up the angles and positions, taking it slowly and carefully. In the end, he lifted Yan Yan onto his body and said he was truly out of energy from hurrying back the entire way.

Ezoic

Ezoic

Seeing that this person had truly gotten tanned and seemed extremely haggard, Yan Yan went along with his wishes. They tossed and turned like this until the next day before finally resting.

They had the servants prepare water and a change of clothes. After washing up, Yan Yan ordered for a table of midnight snacks to be prepared. Luo Huai Yuan had a good meal before the two went back to bed.

Yan Yan felt she had spent the entire New Year's in bed.

Luo Huai Yuan said he had rushed back the whole way from the Fu Province, and that he had suffered hardship, was very pitiful, and needed to rest up properly to recuperate. This so-called resting meant making Yan Yan stay in bed with him. It was naturally impossible for them to only be chatting under the blankets. Things would often get twisted until it became crooked.

Ezoic

The overly frequent rounds made Yan Yan a little worried.

She was currently in mourning. Altough the two of them didn't really view it as something important and the people by their side wouldn't dare speak about their personal matters outside, they hadn't done it too frequently in the past, relatively speaking. The two were intentionally trying to avoid getting pregnant in the capital, and after she was in mourning, it would naturally inappropriate to get pregnant. Therefore, they continued to take steps to avoid it.

Yan Yan had been drinking birth control soup the entire time. This sort of soup naturally wasn't the low quality kind that was harmful to the body. This was a secret formula from Luo Huai Yuan that didn't harm women's bodies. Instead, it even had some nourishing effects.

It's just that this birth control soup needed to be drunk half a month in advance to be effective. When Luo Huai Yuan was present, Yan Yan never stopped taking it. After he went to the Fu Province, she had stopped. Who would have thought he would hurry back and be in such a rush? This meant that they didn't use any protection during these days.

Yan Yan had forgotten about this in the heat of the moment. By the time she remembered, several days had already passed. Yan Yan was a little hesitant about taking that medicine again. Perhaps she had already gotten pregnant?

Ezoic

When she told Luo Huai Yuan about this, he seemed a little rascally. He said might as well not drink it for now. They could discuss it when her period was due next month.

Yan Yan was very tangled up due to this matter and naturally wasn't willing to let Luo Huai Yuan touch her anymore. She insisted on waiting until they found out the result. But this fellow hadn't gotten any meat for over half a year. Now that this fragrant, spicy and justified meat was next to his mouth, how could he not eat?

For the sake of achieving his goals, he duped Yan Yan by saying he had another temporary solution.

Unable to overcome this thick-skinned person, Yan Yan tried it out. She listened to his explanation and saw the method in action. It seemed like it would be effective so Yan Yan no longer insisted.

Luo Huai Yuan spent the entire month in an extremely happy manner.

Ezoic

Days spent away were truly not suitable for people. Holding this soft, warm, fragrant bundle in his arms was what he was after in life.

When the date of her period approached, Yan Yan started getting nervous.

The day of, there was no period.

Yan Yan had always taken good care of her health and her period was rarely not punctual. However, it was still normal for it to delay a couple of days. Might as well wait a little longer.

Two days later, it still hadn't come.

Ezoic

She was nervous to begin with, and seeing that person smiling sneakily, Yan Yan didn't hold back and gave him a good beating on the kiln. Luo Huai Yuan suffered a round of superficial punches before pulling Yan Yan into his arms and coaxing her.

He always had some twisted reasoning, and after a round of it Yan Yan was coaxed into not being so worried anymore.

This was truly the case. What was there to worry about?

Getting pregnant during mourning could be treated as something serious, but also as something trivial. It depends how they and others looked at it. First of all, Yan Yan didn't have any good feelings towards the old madam and Yan Ting, so she didn't feel ashamed. Secondly, Yan Yan didn't need to observe this mourning period. As mentioned before, she was part of the royal family now. The royal family's status was higher than anything else. Their daughter-in-law didn't have to observe a mourning period unless it was her next of kin.

Even if it was, it could be decided based on the situation. Those who were filial or who were afraid of being judged naturally had to put on appearances. Back then, Yan Yan put on mourning robes which showed she was in mourning. Therefore, whether she maintained it for three years didn't really matter. It's just that Yan Yan was used to thinking of herself as in mourning so Luo Huai Yuan followed along.

Now that things were different, it was ok to use some twisted reasoning to wave things away.

Especially since the matter of children was more important than the heavens for the royal family.

Although they had left the capital, Luo Huai Yuan still knew the circumstances of the other princes. The crown prince didn't have a son yet. The Jin Prince and the Qi Prince were the same way. Despite having married, it wasn't clear if there was something wrong with their genes. The two princes had gotten concubines pregnant like the crown prince, but they either miscarried or gave birth to girls.

As of now, the principal wife Yan Yan was pregnant. Even if she was in mourning, would anyone dare say anything? Only if they were tired of living!

Along with Yan Yan's pregnancy, Luo Huai Yuan thought of the dangers from the other princes, making him raise his guard.

Ezoic

He didn't believe in whatever fate that made it hard for those surnamed Luo to have children. To put it plainly, the so called difficulty was merely due to people scheming against each other and harming each other.

The crown prince consort didn't show any signs of pregnancy. The eastern palace had quite a lot of concubines, but he merely had two young daughters. Since the crown prince hadn't given birth to a son, would his faction who had struggled with Senior Concubine Xu's faction for so long allow them to have a son? It wasn't clear how much effort Empress Xiao put into this!

Also, who would dare say Senior Concubine Xu had nothing to do with the crown prince having difficulty conceiving?

Because it was still early, it wasn't possible to tell via her pulse. Therefore, Luo Huai Yuan didn't call for a doctor from the medical center. He merely ordered Yan Yan's people to pay attention normally. By the time the month was over, Yan Yan's period still hadn't come.

Ezoic

There was no more need for guessing. She was definitely pregnant.

Ezoic

Because things were different now, Yan Yan's lifestyle underwent some drastic changes.

First of all, she couldn't practice martial arts anymore. Secondly, she had to eat and sleep well, and couldn't get angry. Therefore, Luo Huai Yuan fell just short of putting her on a pedestal and worshipping her as an ancestor.

Becoming a dad for the first time and raising his child with a woman he loved, this sort of feeling was far too wonderful. Luo Huai Yuan no longer wanted to do anything and put all his thoughts on Yan Yan and the child in her stomach.

He racked his brains and squeezed all his relevant knowledge from the modern world dry.

Ezoic

It was said women lacked calcium when giving birth, and needed to drink more milk and other nourishments. Therefore, Luo Huai Yuan put in a lot of effort and managed to bring over some cows from other places. He had people meticulously feed them so they could produce milk for his wife's nourishment.

Pregnant women also needed to eat various fruits and vegetables to replenish their vitamins. Knowing that the Yun Province's climate was cold, Luo Huai Yuan was already planning on constructing a warm room despite it almost being spring. This was so the fruits and vegetables could be grown in the cold for his wife to eat.

Also, she had to eat more fish and seafood since it was good for the body. The Fu Province happened to have all sorts of seafood. Now, Luo Huai Yuan's subordinates had another task: to send seafood to the Yun Province.

Couldn't be kept alive? Already dead by the time it arrived?

No matter. The smart and resourceful Yun Prince had already thought of a way to transport seafood over a long distance. However, based on the Grand Xi's level of technology the cost was a little high. It was even higher than the cost of the Tang Dynasty's emperor procuring fresh lychees for his concubine who liked to eat them.

Ezoic

But what was money?

To Luo Huai Yuan, money was something that could be spent one day and earned the next!

He didn't have much of anything except money.

His wife wanted to eat fresh seafood?

Eat! There's plenty!

Ezoic

He was clearly the one forcing Yan Yan to eat it! Based on the Grand Xi's lacking knowledge, how could they know eating seafood replenished protein and calcium?

Yan Yan hadn't felt any nausea from pregnancy at first, but after being tormented by him like this she had some problems swallowing the food.

Seeing Yan Yan's lack of appetite, Luo Huai Yuan was even more worried than she was.

First he urged her, and when that didn't work he went into battle himself. The Luo Huai Yuan who had earned his first bit of money with meat skewers was revived once again. He mastered the art of various snacks overnight.

Of course, he only knew how to instruct, and not how to make it himself. Therefore, the cooks in the Xianyun Hall's kitchen got quite the headache.

Ezoic

When the things were brought over, Yan Yan was able to eat a few bites.

She understood now that this person worried too much. If she expressed any signs of not being able to eat, he would make an even bigger fuss.

Looking at this person busying himself all day so she could eat a bite of food, and not getting tired of fussing back and forth, Yan Yan's eyes couldn't help but turn wet.

With a good husband, what more did she need!?

Yan Yan's lack of appetite spontaneously recovered.


Yan Yan's pregnancy was pretty stable.

She didn't get any nausea or other symptoms. Her stomach merely swelled up extremely quickly.

June arrived in the blink of an eye. The Yun Province's summers weren't hot, and along with Luo Huai Yuan's care, Yan Yan didn't feel unwell despite summers supposedly being unbearable for pregnant women. Perhaps it was due to her martial arts training over the years. Overall, Yan Yan was quite well-adjusted.

The cries of cicadas sounded ceaseslessly. Several towering trees stood by the lakeside, filling the surroundings with shade. The summer's fierce sun was completely blocked off, and the breeze added an additional layer of comfort.

Under the trees was a chair, upon which sat a person.

Ezoic

Ezoic

That person leaned against the back of the chair with eyes squinted in pleasure. A fishing rod stuck out towards the water. The surface was calm, occasionally disturbed by some ripples.

Suddenly, the person's eyes opened and he sat up. He exerted some force with his hand and pulled on the rod. A fish was actually hanging on the end of the line.

This fish wasn't big but it also wasn't small. It was just the right size for a stew. Luo Huai Yuan's left cheek revealed a small dimple as he took the fish off and put it into a bucket next to him.

Ezoic

"I knew you'd be here!"

A girl's voice sounded out. Yan Yan walked over from the distance. She wore red robes embroidered with gold-threaded chrysanthemums, paired with a verdant skirt with cloud and ripple patterns. Her little stomach was extended but it didn't seem to affect her movements. She walked over graceful as usual.

"Aiyo my great aunt, walk a little slower…."

Luo Huai Yuan leapt up extremely nimbly and threw the rod to the side. He swiftly went up and took her by the arm.

"What are you all good for? Don't you know to urge the consort to walk slower!?"

Lan'er and Liu'er pursed their lips and didn't dare argue. The two of them were Yan Yan's new personal palace maids after Mei Xiang's group got married off.

Ezoic

"Enough, you shouldn't blame them. I'm just pregnant, it's no big deal. It's only been a few months!"

With Luo Huai Yuan's support, Yan Yan went and sat in the chair. She took a glance at the bucket.

"Oh, pretty good. There's three of them already."

Luo Huai Yuan put his hands on his waist and said smugly: "Precisely. We'll take it to the kitchen later and have them make carp and tofu soup for you to drink."

Ezoic

Yan Yan smiled and didn't say anything.

Ever since Yan Yan was confirmed to be pregnant, Luo Huai Yuan had started busying himself. He still mostly busied himself with making food for Yan Yan.

Eating too much seafood would get stale, so he started getting some freshwater fish. When the Yun Prince Estate was constructed, they built a large garden in the back. There was a lake in the garden that initially had quite a lot of fish. Luo Huai Yuan felt there wasn't enough variety and brought back quite a few hatchlings and shrimp. After a few months, the small fish gradually grew bigger, and along with the original fish, there was plenty of shrimp and fish for Yan Yan to eat.

Furthermore, it was also a source of amusement for him. During these idle summer afternoons, he would take a fishing rod over and go fishing, using the excuse of wanting to supplement the consort's dinner.

Luo Huai Yuan clapped his hands together, seemingly having recalled something. He looked around and saw that Xiao An Zi had appeared at some point. He waved for him to go check the net hanging by the shore.

The net was woven with fishing lines. The mesh was extremely fine, and when it was lifted up there were things moving inside. Luo Huai Yuan received it and opened it for a look. He immediately smiled.

"My dear, how did you get in here? Don't you at all these small ones."

As he spoke, he lifted a large blue crab brandishing its claws, and threw it back into the lake. He then said to Yan Yan: "Look, there's also some freshwater shrimp. We'll stir fry them for you to eat tonight."

Yan Yan glared at him, "Eat, eat, eat. Look how I've become!"

Luo Huai Yuan squinted in a smile and said: "Not fat, fat not."

Ezoic

During this time, Yan Yan had gotten fatter compared to before her pregnancy. However, she wasn't like most pregnant women who would swell up like balloons. In the past, her figure was slender, upright, curvaceous and delicate. Now, she had gotten quite a bit rounder. She was white, tender and rosy, her fine complexion making others jealous.

Someone had already brought over another chair and a small table. There were a lot of snacks and fruits on the table, along with a cup of fresh milk.

Ezoic

This was Yan Yan's afternoon snack. Everything was requested by Luo Huai Yuan.

He said that pregnant women needed to eat well and be well for the baby to come out healthy and cute. Yan Yan had laughed at him. He hadn't given birth before, so why did he know more than someone who was pregnant? That fellow had put his hands at his waist and said he was proficient in everything. To put it plainly, he was just being considerate. Who said men couldn't be concerned just because they couldn't give birth? When a woman's husband was more concerned than her about her body, she would feel very blessed.

This was probably happiness.

Yan Yan had never regretted marrying Luo Huai Yuan. Perhaps it wasn't just a lack of regret. There were probably many other things, but it wasn't very clear to her. She just felt she was very happy, as though drifting in a warm ocean.

Yan Yan lifted the cup of milk and took a small sip. This thing actually wasn't tasty. It had a faintly raw taste, but after drinking it for a while it wasn't hard to swallow. Luo Huai Yuan held a cup of Holly Tea. His large physique made him suffer in the summer. While others didn't feel it was hot, he felt it was unbearable. But since Yan Yan was pregnant, they couldn't put anything cold in the room. Therefore, hiding in the shade of the trees was the best place to spend the summer.

Ezoic

"You should lose weight. Not only is this bad for your health, you will also suffer."

The tea was clearly cold but Luo Huai Yuan was covered in sweat after drinking. Yan Yan couldn't watch any longer and helped him wipe it off with a handkerchief.

"I know, I know. I will definitely eat less and exercise more in the future." Luo Huai Yuan said.

Yan Yan gave him a glance and ignored him.

Having been married for so long, no one knew better than her when he didn't mean something. His words were clearly just for show. However, Yan Yan also knew this wasn't the time for Luo Huai Yuan to lose weight. The two of them had discussed this in the past. Luo Huai Yuan's reasoning was very sufficient and convincing.

Ezoic

His words were thus:

"I'm tall and upright like a tree facing the wind. I'm outstanding and handsome. It's not an exaggeration to say no one was ever as good looking, and no one will ever be. Why would I remain fat for so many years? It's because I don't want to steal those people's thunder. Think about it. My current appearance is already deeply rooted in the minds of others. I'm just a fat, stupid and timid person. If I suddenly underwent a major change, wouldn't it scare everyone!? How eye-catching would that be?! What if I accidentally attrcact jealousy? It's better to remain fat…."

Yan Yan was struck quite hard by his self-confidence.

It had to be admitted that based on his features, Luo Huai Yuan wasn't an ugly person. When he was young, he was cute and chubby. However, it wasn't to the extent where his looks were unrivalled like he was saying. To put it plainly, he was just lazy, too lazy to move. Regardless, Yan Yan had never seen him exercise or practice martial arts.

Whenever he could sit, he definitely wouldn't stay standing. Whenever he could lie down, he definitely wouldn't stay sitting. Furthermore, he liked to eat. He ate whatever was tasty. Based on how he whipped up food for Yan Yan, it was clear how he bulked up over the years.

Ezoic

Of course his words weren't unreasonable. This truly wasn't a good moment for him to attract any attention. It was best if they laid low and lived their own lives.

At this moment, a eunuch hurried over and reported that the consort's mother, Madam Shen, had arrived. The carriage was outside the Gates of Righteousness.

Yan Yan stood up with a swish, her expression extremely astonished.

She had only sent word last month to the capital about her pregnancy. Since she was still supposed to be in mourning, she didn't make a big announcement. Only the people in the Yun Prince Estate were aware of it, as well as the Zhenguo Duke Estate and Shen Qi in the Fu Province.

After sending the letter to the capital, there had been no response. How did her mom end up coming over to the Yun Province? This place was thousands of miles away!

Ezoic

Yan Yan felt impatient and vanished with a step of her foot.

Lan'er and Liu'er's jaws dropped in astonishment. Luo Huai Yuan was the same way. However, he snapped out of it faster than the other two. He called out "great aunt" while chasing after her.

When Shen Yi Yao received Yan Yan's letter, she had been unable to sit still.

She was a woman and knew a woman's suffering. When she first got pregnant herself, she had been both pleasantly surprised and worried. She was especially emotional and missed her mother. She would return home whenever she was free and stay by her mom's side. Her thoughts were all over the place and along with her body's discomfort, she was tormented quite a bit.

Now, she wondered if Yan Yan was the same way. Her daughter and son-in-law were in the distant Yun Province, and it was hard to see them. Shen Yi Yao thought about this day and night, and her eyes couldn't help but turn red. In the end she couldn't endure and decided to make a trip.

No one in the Shen household stopped her. They all felt it was good for her to go. If the situation had permitted it, Second Madam Shen and the Zhenguo Madam would have gone as well. Although the Zhenguo Duke looked steady on the surface, he was also a little worried about his granddaughter.

Since Shen Yi Yao was going, Yan Mo was naturally not going to be left out.

Ever since the Weiyuan Marquis Estate was no more, Yan Mo started studying diligently, intending to stand out through the imperial exam. This was an important moment in his studies. He had been planning on taking the exam next year to try it out. Now that his sister was pregnant, she was naturally more important in his mind. The relationship between brother and sister had always been very good. After not seeing her for several years, to say he didn't miss her would be a lie. Shen Yi Yao didn't want to let him go at first, but couldn't talk him out of it. Therefore, the two of them packed up and departed.

They rode the carriage wearily to the Yun Province. Only after reaching the Yun Prince Estate's gates did the two finally feel relieved.

It naturally wasn't possible for Shen Yi Yao to be travelling lightly. Not only did she bring a bunch of maids and grannies, she also had quite a large retinue.

Ezoic

The long line of carriages were stopped outside the Gates of Righteousness, giving off the air of a wealthy household. When the name was given, someone hurriedly went inside to report.

Ezoic

Then they waited for a good amount of time. The closer they were, the harder it was to wait patiently. Shen Yi Yao frequently lifted the curtains and looked outside, hoping to see her daughter right this instant.

A weathered yet stalwart man in his forties got off his horse and came to the carriage window.

He was tall and sturdy, dressed in a slightly worn cloth robe. He didn't look handsome and seemed quite ordinary. However, the radiance within his eyes revealed that he wasn't simple.

"Sis Yao, don't be anxious. This prince's estate isn't small and it'll take some time to report."

Ezoic

Shen Yi Yao nodded and looked a little sour, "It's my fault. I should have listened to you and had someone send the news in advance. I just felt that since we were about to arrive, there was no need to go through the trouble."