Quick Transmigration: Snatching Golden Fingers

by Usui Takumii

not mine, Konila. Total: 148 chapters.

8. 71 to 80

Chapter 71: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [1]

According to the novel classification of Jinjiang (jjwxc), this time the world should be a sweet farming romance novel.

The female protagonist, Jiang Shu, was originally a female university student from modern times. She accidentally got an electric shock while frantically shopping online on Singles' Day*. When she woke up again, she transmigrated into a village girl in ancient times who was starved to death.

The former owner's family was impoverished, with only four bare walls for a home. Her father broke his leg while hunting and was bedridden, while the mother was too weak to support the family. The family was unable to regularly eat even one meal per day. The two younger brothers were so thin and frail that the little girl was starving to death just to save one more bite for them.

[T/N: 家徒四壁 (jiā tú sì bì) lit. with only four bare walls for a home (idiom) / fig. very poor, with nothing.]

Jiang Shu was originally a kind and compassionate student. Seeing the situation of the original owner's family, she couldn't help but feel sad. And because she had occupied the body of their daughter, she decided to repay this family well.

Then she found that Taobao, on which she was frantically shopping before transmigrating, also came along with her! Jiang Shu was overjoyed by getting this amazing golden finger!

Have no food for the family?

Buy buy buy!

Have no clothes for the family?

Buy buy buy!

No seasoning left?

Buy buy buy!

Fortunately, she still remembered that she was in ancient times. Afraid of being found and burned as a monster, she only secretly bought them. Anyway, as her father was bedridden and her mother had to make buns, as the eldest sister, she was responsible for purchasing stuff from the town. Therefore, her family believed her when she said she met a kind-hearted person who took pity on her and gave those things.

After life was good, Jiang Shu drew her family to sell stuffed steamed buns and started a small business. Starting from a small business and all the way to prosperity, Jiang family restaurants expanded across the country.

She also introduced cabbage, pepper, potato, corn, sweet potato and other crops from Taobao. This way, not only she helped enrich the diet structure but also solved the food problem of the people, thus shocking the whole country. The Emperor appreciated her great virtue and sealed her as the peasant girl of a county, with a fiefdom and a manor. So, the Jiang family became a family of power and prestige, and Jiang Shu's experience was a legend that people talked about.

Up to now, the novel well conveyed the truth, virtue and beauty. The heroine was inspirational, hardworking and kind. Her three-views were pretty positive. Although she behaved like a little Blessed Virgin Mary, it was not a drawback. However, once the male lead appeared; the author changed the whole direction of the novel. The good farming struggle novel instantly turned into a sweet romance one.

The male lead, Prince Huainan, was cruel and ruthless. His secret forces should not be underestimated. After being saved by the heroine by chance, he fell in love with this girl who 'broke the defense line in his heart like the sun.' Because he still had his own enemies, he didn't dare to drag his beloved girl into the muddy water until he solved his enemy, so he only protected her secretly.

Whoever bullied the heroine, made things difficult for her, or disagreed with her were quietly taken care of by him. While on one side he was sprinkling sweetness with the female lead, on the other he was reeking of blood. There were also a lot of unwanted cute people at the end of the novel, not to mention the words 'so sweet,' 'boyfriend power max,' and 'male owner v587'! Anyway, the people who were killed had nothing to do with them, they were just supporting characters...

[T/N: v587 - (Internet slang) The pronunciation of v587 is equal to 威武霸气 in Chinese. 威武霸气 lit. means that a person is really mighty and cool. It's of great convenience to type so that it's popular on the Internet.]

This time, Wen Qing's client was Wei Wen Qing, who was born in the Duke of Zhen's manor. Her grandfather was titled as the Duke of Zhen county, while her father was a first-class Great General of Xuanwei, and her mother was the Grand Princess of the current dynasty. Wei Wen Qing was their only child and the only girl in the Duke of Zhen's manor. Growing up with a lot of pampering, she was the pearl of the entire Duke manor. Just because she accidentally discovered the secret of the female lead, she was killed by the male lead. None of the whole government survived except the Grand Princess.

[T/N: Xuanwei is a county-level city in the northeast of Yunnan Province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the east.]

The client's wish is to protect the Duke manor and let the male lead pay with his life.

This time, there was nothing wrong with the female lead. Wen Qing planned it in her heart and chose the golden finger of the immortal cultivation space.

The Duke of Zhen's manor was in chaos.

"Quick, hot water!"

"Midwife! Where is the midwife?"

"Young Master, the delivery room is filthy. You can't go in!"

"Get out of the way! It's my wife and child! What's dirty there?"

The tall general hurriedly rushed in. There were bursts of cries coming from inside and the yard was still in a state of flurry. As the dawn broke, a cry came from the delivery room.

"Congratulations, second master! Congratulations, Princess! It's a pretty daughter!"

There were bursts of exclamations in the yard, "Ah, it's not spring yet. Why are the flowers blooming so soon?"

"Look, look! The tree that was struck dead by lightning last year has sprouted anew!"

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace, Emperor Yuan Chang suddenly became drowsy because of a wind chill a few days ago. He had a dream that the Goddess of the Ninth Heaven (Xuannü) came down to earth and descended in the Great Zhao to send blessings to the people of Zhao country and protect the Zhao Dynasty for a hundred years.

[T/N: 九天玄女 (jiǔtiān xuán nǚ) A fairy/goddess in Chinese mythology. The goddess Jiutian Xuannü was known to ride a cinnabar phoenix, holding phosphors and clouds as reins. She wore variegated kingfisher-feather garments of nine colors. Link]

The dream was enigmatic and mysterious, but Emperor Yuan Chang still remembered it clearly after waking up, and even the voice and smile of Xuannü were engraved in his mind. This convinced Emperor Yuan Chang and he laughed loudly, "Good! Good! God has blessed my Great Zhao!" After this laugh, even the body of the perennial sickness was also relieved to a certain extent. Therefore, Emperor Yuan Chang became more and more convinced that the matter of Xuannü, the Goddess of the Ninth Heaven, was true. A mere dream of the other side gave him a new vitality!

Then, a eunuch came to report, "Your majesty, the Grand Princess has just given birth to a little county princess, and both mother and daughter are safe."

"Good! Reward!" Emperor Yuan Chang, who was in a good mood, waved his hand and prepared to give something more to his little niece!

After hesitating for a while, the eunuch said, "When the little county lord (xiǎo jùn jūn) was born, a heavenly vision descended from the sky, hundreds of flowers bloomed simultaneously, and withered trees came to life!"

Emperor Yuan Chang was so shocked that he tumbled down from the dragon bed, "Are you serious?"

The imperial eunuch nodded, and Emperor Yuan Chang burst out in laughter again, "Good! Good! Pass on my decree. The heavenly vision is a blessing from heaven! Thereby, We* appoint Xiaojun jun as the County Princess of Anguo, with a thousand tenant farming households and the fiefdom of Jiangnan county!"

[T/N: 朕 (zhèn) - I/ we (imperial use)]

As soon as the imperial edict came out, the whole country was shocked. It wasn't enough to be promoted as a county princess at birth, that even the title county was Anguo! How could a newborn baby, whose birth hairs have not shaved yet, be named as Anguo county lord?! What was even more outrageous was that there was also a fiefdom and that too was the rich county of Jiangnan! The Emperor seemed to be confused, right?

A group of Ministers asked the Emperor to retract the decree, but they were denied using the reason of heaven's vision, though Emperor Yuan Chang didn't mention the dream of the Goddess of the Ninth Heaven Xuannü coming to earth. He was afraid to draw hatred to his niece by mentioning it and becoming a target of other countries. There were several barbarian countries around the Great Zhao, who were constantly eyeing it. If they were to know that the Goddess Xuannü was born as his niece to protect the Great Zhao, wouldn't they send people to assassinate her?

Wen Qing, who was in swaddling clothes, heard the awesome decree just now. It was worthwhile for her to give a dream with a vision of heaven. The Emperor uncle had really given a lot of power. With this extraordinary identity, it would be much more convenient for her to do things in the future.

Meanwhile, the princess mother and the general father were quite scared. Zhao Wan's brows were furrowed with distress. She had just finished giving birth, so her face was slightly pale. Hugging her sleeping little daughter, she said, "What does the Emperor brother mean by this? The heavenly vision is not enough for him to give such great glory. I am afraid that there is some kind of conspiracy..."

Wei Dongyang was not less worried, but he did not dare to show it when his wife was physically weak because of childbirth, so he laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? If the sky collapses, there is a higher one to bear it. Our baby is the Emperor's own niece, you are the Emperor's real sister, how can he harm you? It's probably because the royal family's heirs are declining... and he happened to come across a lucky child with a heavenly vision, so he can't help but be happy."

Saying that, he went to hug the child in Zhao Wan's arms, and kissed it carefully, "Tsk, look at our daughter. She is so beautiful since birth and has such a fair rosy complexion unlike the red monkey in the big brother's house!"

When Wei Dongyang switched the conversation, Zhao Wan was also distracted and looked at her daughter affectionately, "What are you talking about? Newborn children are all wrinkled but they will be fine when they grow up. Aren't Wencheng and the other handsome boys now?"

"They aren't as good-looking as our daughter!"

…

After pacifying his wife, Wei Dongyang solemnly went to his father, Duke of Zhen's study. His eldest brother Wei Dongping was also there. It was unknown what the three had discussed but after this incident, the Duke of Zhen's manor became more and more low-key. The third day's baptismal banquet of the An Guo County princess was not held. They just said that the child was weak and it wasn't suitable to hold a big event.

Many people were secretly gloating over this misfortune. So what if she was favored by the Emperor? What was the point of having the Emperor's favor if the child couldn't even afford this blessing? All the forces that had been surging because of Emperor Yuan Chang's action also calmed down and prepared to wait and see for a while.

Wen Qing just ate, slept, and ate every day. The cultivation with the baby's pure and dirt-free body was more effective. She got the result with half the effort, and quietly built a foundation. At the same time, her divine consciousness could now encompass the entire manor, and nothing could be hidden from her. However, the Duke's manor was a rare clean and peaceful house, and there were very few sordid things.

Soon it was the day of Wen Qing's full moon. The third day of washing could be omitted, but the full moon couldn't be avoided in any case. Many people were eager to see the legendary An Guo county princess, and the Wei family couldn't shirk it anymore.

[T/N: 满月- (mǎn yuè) full moon / whole month / baby's one-month old birthday]

Wen Qing didn't care and still ought to eat and drink. Want to harm her? There is no chance in this life!

[T/N: 双十一 The English name Singles' Day takes its name from the Chinese Guanggun Jie (光棍节), but the date is now more commonly called Shuang Shiyi (双十一), or 'Double 11,' after the date, November 11, which when written 11/11 conjures the image of four singletons and/or four leafless trees. The Chinese term guanggun literally means 'bare branches' and refers specifically to single men. (Single ladies, at least those who've reached the age of *gasp* 28 without finding a husband, are known as shengnu or 'leftover women.') Last year, Taobao launched a separate 'Guanggun Jie' shopping event on their special value app that will run until after Singles' Day.

Chapter 72: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [2]

On the day of the full moon banquet, almost all the prominent families in the capital came. Regardless of what was in their hearts, they still had to give face to the Duke of Zhen. Even if they didn't want to show respect to the Duke, what about the Emperor? The emperor had unabashedly expressed his love for the An Guo County princess, and the people underneath naturally had to go along with his wishes.

Wen Qing was dressed up by Zhao Wan like a festive blessing doll in the morning. And when the time came, she held Wen Qing out for the noblewomen outside to have a look.

"Aigoo, the little princess is so beautiful, just like the little fairy under the throne of Guanyin Bodhisattva!"

"This rare small face looks so rosy and tender that it truly attracts people!"

"Sure enough, a child born with an auspicious omen will definitely have a great fate."

Whether the group of people was complimenting sincerely or falsely, they did not hug the child. Newborn children are very fragile. In case something happened to the child, it would be hard to explain. The higher the family status, the more they refrained from doing so.

However, when they looked at the little princess, she didn't look short-lived like the outside world said. Her little face was ruddy and moist, a look on her face could tell that she was extremely healthy. The bright black eyes full of aura looked particularly beautiful on an adorably snow white face. It was unknown where it was rumored from, that the little princess could die prematurely.

Zhao Wan was about to instruct the mid-nurse to take Wen Qing back when a maid hurried in to report, "Princess, His Majesty is coming to see the little princess."

The people in the hall were shocked; a personal visit from the Emperor himself? It seemed that the status of the little princess in the Emperor's heart had to be reassessed.

Zhao Wan looked calm. After tidying up her appearance, she personally carried Wen Qing towards the front yard. Next to her was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Duke of Zhen, who was also Zhao Wan's sister-in-law. Then all the noblewomen closely followed and the group majestically headed towards the front hall.

In the front yard, Emperor Yuan Chang was sitting in the main seat, while the ministers and nobles stood on both sides. After Zhao Wan and her party saluted, Emperor Yuan Chang happily extended his hand towards Zhao Wan, "Quick, let me see!"

Zhao Wan smiled and joked while handing the child over, "The Emperor Brother should be more careful. If you hurt my baby, I'll be angry with you."

Zhao Wan and Emperor Yuan Chang were from the same mother and always had a good relationship, so no one felt rude when she said that. The Emperor agreed and carefully looked at the child in his arms. The little girl had beautiful eyebrows and a rosy face, so it was foreseeable that she would be a great beauty when she grew up. However, what pleased Emperor Yuan Chang most was that the little girl looked almost exactly like the Xuannü in his dream, just a smaller version.

This made him even more sure that this niece was the reincarnation of the Goddess of the Ninth Heaven, Xuannü!

May God always bless Da Zhao (Great Zhao)! The more he looked at Wen Qing, the more he felt fond of her. If not for the fact that she was just born, he would have wanted to take her back to the palace.

Wen Qing kept her eyes closed and to outsiders, it looked like she was sound asleep. However, when she noticed Emperor Yuan Chang's undisguised fondness with her divine consciousness, she felt touched and transferred a ray of aura into the jade pendant that the Emperor carried with him.

Originally, Emperor Yuan Chang was born weak. Despite having so many imperial doctors in the palace to help medicate, he only lived to 40 years old. And most of the time he was lingering on his deathbed. However, the previous emperor had only one son and he was still the son of the Empress. Even if he was weak and frail, the throne still belonged to him.

However, because of his frailty, he did not have many descendants. Emperor Yuan Chang had only one son until his death. Therefore, he really loved this daughter of his only sister, and this love was undeniably pure.

The death of the original owner had nothing to do with him. The annihilation of the Duke of Zhen's family was not his decree. It was the handiwork of the new emperor and the male protagonist.

Therefore, Wen Qing gave him an aura to slowly nourish his body. Although it can't extend his life, it can reduce his suffering from illness. It wasn't that Wen Qing didn't want to extend his life, but this was the mortal world where all life and death were all predetermined. This was especially true in the case of the Emperor, who had been given the mandate of heaven. It was impossible to change the destiny of an emperor at will.

Emperor Yuan Chang reluctantly returned Wen Qing to Zhao Wan, and his performance shocked the ministers underneath who were minutely observing him. His Majesty really loved this child born with a heavenly vision! It was also true that her birth was accompanied by the auspiciousness of hundreds of flowers blooming and withered trees coming to life. All these auspicious signs were heavenly rewards for the Emperor. Besides, this child was the Emperor's own niece, not an outsider.

Perhaps, His Majesty thought that this child could bring blessings? Otherwise, how could she get ennobled and be conferred with a fiefdom! Even the prince in the palace did not have this treatment.

But fortunately, it was just a girl.

Regardless of what the people underneath thought, after Emperor Yuan Chang returned Wen Qing to Zhao Wan, he talked for a while and then went back to the palace. While he was here, the crowd was always on edge, so there was no way for the banquet to continue. Although he wanted to spend more time with his little niece, Emperor Yuan Chang did not want to spoil her full moon banquet by staying here longer.

After Emperor Yuan Chang left, the banquet became lively again. With the exchange of cups and glasses, it soon became a festive atmosphere. But this had nothing to do with Wen Qing, who was carried off by her nanny to rest.

The presence of His Majesty in person enhanced Wen Qing's popularity, but from the moment Wen Qing chose to be born with the auspicious omen, she could no longer keep a low profile.

Winter of the 19th year of Yuan Chang's reign.

It had just snowed and the capital was covered in silver, as if the sky and earth were turning white with snow. Wen Qing, who was already ten years old, walked around the overhanging flowery patterned door to pay respects to her mother.

Zhao Wan and Wei Dongyang were chatting in the warm bedroom, "I wonder how many people will suffer from this heavy snowfall."

"Yeah, I can't agree with you more. At this time, the people of Da Zhao are having a hard time and the barbarians in the north should also be restless. I am afraid that this snow is going to kill a lot of livestock animals. Therefore, when the barbarians have nothing to eat, they will come to rob Da Zhao!"

Zhao Wan's face turned cold and the aura of a royal princess was revealed, "These people must be eliminated sooner or later! If they have nothing to eat, they just come here to rob. Do the people of Da Zhao owe them anything?"

"There's no way out. The barbarians are all fierce. They often walk on the edge of the sword and have high bloodlust. Our Zhao country soldiers really don't have their barbarity. And once the Zhao army passed, they would just immediately run towards the deserted prairie. After that, finding them is nearly impossible!" Wei Dongyang paused, and said, "Because of such a heavy snowfall, the barbarians will certainly come to rob by the end of the year. The emperor has already planned to send someone to the border and I think eight or nine out of ten chances, it will fall on my head!"

[T/N: 刀口上舔血 (dao kou shang tian xue) – Hunters used to bury sharp knives, coated with sheep's blood in the snow. A hungry wolf would lick the knife, and unknowingly cause its own blood to flow thus also increasing its bloodlust. But the wolf would not realize it until it faints or dies from blood loss. It, therefore, is used to describe a life that is full of danger, and cruelty.]

Zhao Wan's moral anger at the barbarians immediately turned into concern for her husband. Although she didn't want Wei Dongyang to go to war, she had realized some things couldn't be avoided simply because she did not want them. As the Grand Princess and a royal daughter, she must set an example for the women in the world.

Therefore, she could only suppress her worries and said, "Now, it's October.* I'm afraid we won't be able to reunite for the New Year..."

[T/N: Here, the author used the term 十月 (shíyuè) which is the modern name used for the 10th month, i.e. between 23 October – 22 November.]

Wei Dongyang smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, it's all just my guess, maybe it won't be my turn at all?" Wei Dongyang said, and sighed while thinking how he had been the fiercest before his marriage. When he heard that the barbarians were coming to invade, he could not wait to fly to the battlefield. But after marriage, he had a wife and young daughter to care about. Therefore, he dare not be as careless as in the past.

As he was thinking, the curtain was lifted and Wen Qing entered the room.

Zhao Wan immediately greeted her with a smile, "Qing Qing came to mother earlier today! Why did you get up so early on such a cold day? You must be freezing."

Zhao Wan could not help but rejoice at the sight of her daughter. The young girl, who was only ten years old, already had the appearance capable of causing the downfall of a city. With the picturesque eyebrows and smooth, snow-like skin with calm and refined demeanor, she didn't look like she was born by her, but more like the daughter of immortals in heaven.

Zhao Wan was used to seeing beauties in the palace, but she had never seen a more brilliant person than her own daughter. Her looks and temperament were all superb!

Wen Qing bowed to her parents before she went to sit beside Zhao Wan and turned to look at Wei Dongyang, "Is father going on a campaign?"

Wei Dongyang looked at his precious baby daughter, and his heart was also really fond of her. He stretched out his rough palm and wanted to rub her head, but he retracted it halfway when he suddenly remembered that his daughter was much older now. He couldn't be as carefree as he was when she was a child. He coughed awkwardly, "Call Dad! Why do you call father, huh? There is no need to be so alienated!"

[T/N: 父亲 (fù qīn): A formal and polite word for "father", not usual for daily use. 爹 (diē) is much more of a traditional and authentic Chinese way of saying "dad." It is literally not used in today's context. 爸 (bà) is the modern term used for dad, pa, or papa.]

Wen Qing obeyed, "Dad."

Zhao Wan angrily scolded him, "What not to call, huh? Can it be the same as when she was a child?"

Wei Dongyang touched his nose, he knew that once his daughter came, his position in Zhao Wan's heart would have to go down the list. Thinking of the topic his daughter had asked him about just now, he couldn't help but say dejectedly, "I'm afraid that I won't be able to accompany Qing Qing to celebrate this New Year."

"Is it because of the barbarians?"

"Mhm," Wei Dongyang nodded, "This year the snowfall is too heavy. A lot of livestock would be frozen to death in the grassland areas. In the absence of food, those barbarians will have to come to Da Zhao to rob."

Wen Qing thought this war should be the one amidst which Wei Dongyang was framed as collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country.

The Wei family was full of loyalty so it wasn't that easy to bring them down. Therefore, even if both parties, i.e. the main protagonist who wanted to kill them and the new emperor who coveted the military power of the Wei family, wanted to eliminate them, there must be a valid crime to charge to do so.

So, this war of Wei Dongyang was taken out to make an issue out of it.

According to the original story, Wei Dongyang led the troops stationed at the border, and immediately noticed when the barbarians came to attack. But, because the snow had been falling incessantly, the weather was so bad that the soldiers of Da Zhao could not adapt to that climate at all. However, the barbarians had long been accustomed to it, so although Da Zhao soldiers were prepared for this battle, it was still very difficult to fight, and a city was even plundered by the barbarians.

In the end, it was Wei Dongyang who risked his life to infiltrate the enemy army with a team of elite soldiers and killed one of their leaders before forcing them to retreat.

However, risking his life to force back the enemy army became evidence that Wei Dongyang was collaborating with the enemy and betrayed the country.

By fabricating a few letters between Wei Dongyang and the enemy's chief, the new emperor convicted Wei Dongyang of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, and then a large family was simply decimated this way. And all this was just because Wei Wen Qing found out the secret of the heroine, then the heroine panicked, and the hero took a shot in anger.

Haha!

Wen Qing felt that this male lead was a lunatic, paranoid and conscienceless person! But since it was the male lead, there must be a reason behind what he did.

[T/N: 蛇精病 (shé jīng bìng) - lit. Snake spirit disease. (slang) (a pun on) a crazy person, nutjob, lunatic. It can refer to a neurotic person or a person with a mental disorder.]

The main protagonist, as a child, could be said to be very pitiful. His mother died early and his father not only didn't love him a bit, but also married a stepmother back. The stepmother treated him really badly. She used to talk sweetly like honey but always wanted to kill him, so he blackened. From then on, he did not trust anyone, and must eradicate the grass from its roots, because he had suffered from not eradicating the grass from its roots... He was really too poor, the whole world was sorry for him. He was so pitiful, therefore what he did was certainly right!

[T/N: 斩草除根 (zhǎn cǎo chú gēn) - To destroy root and branch / to eliminate completely. When weeding weeds, we must even root them so that the grass can no longer grow / Metaphor to remove the bane, to avoid future troubles.]

MMP!

When Wen Qing thought of the whitewashing of the hero in the original book, she couldn't help but want to chop him! Fortunately, this time was not far away!

[T/N: 媽賣批 - mā mài pī (vulgar) ExpletiveThis is a sexist expletive phrase. It means your mom's a prost*****. something like "your mother is a b****" which equals to "son of b****"]

Chapter 73: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [3]

November 16th, Longevity Festival*. This is the 35th birthday of Emperor Yuan Chang. Because of the heavy snowfall last month, Emperor Yuan Chang wanted to cancel his birthday banquet. But the ministry of rites had been preparing for it since six months ago, and the birthday gifts from all over the place had also been transported to the capital. Therefore, this birthday banquet could not be stopped just by saying so.

*T/N: Longevity Festival (万寿节 wàn shòu jié) literally means 'to live as long as a thousand years festival.' It is the birthday banquet for the emperors of ancient China.

Wen Qing packed up early in the morning and went to join Zhou Wan. From time to time, the Emperor uncle liked to pick her up to stay in the palace. This time she had been staying for half a month, so the Empress sent a word to let her simply stay until after the Longevity Festival.

Empress Wang was also very fond of Wen Qing, it was said because Wen Qing was somewhat similar to her daughter, who died at the age of half-year-old. Most probably, it was because she transferred her affection, so she treated Wen Qing as her own daughter, her affection being no less than Emperor Yuan Chang's.

It could be said that Wen Qing's life was very good. She was spoiled by the two big shots on the top of the country, and her parents, uncles, aunts, and several elders loved her. If there was no accident, she would have a lifetime of glory. What a pity.

The birthday banquet started at noon. The men's and women's seats were separated, but there was no partition between them. Therefore, with a glance, Wen Qing could see King Huainan's eldest son, Zhao Yan. As a person who could be the male lead, his appearance was unquestionable. But at the moment, that good-looking face was tightly tensed with an indifferent look that said strangers should not approach.

*T/N: I change the term Prince Huainan to King Huainan as he is of the same generation as the current Emperor, and the term 'prince' is more suitable for the next younger generation (for example, the male lead, Zhao Yan).

Seemingly sensing someone sizing him up, he looked up. His sharp eyes shot out like a sword, but how would Wen Qing let him find out? As early as he noticed, she had retracted her gaze and talked with her mother.

Zhao Yan scanned around but did not find anyone spying on him, and his gaze finally fell on Princess Cui of Huainan. A dark glint flashed in his eyes, and the hand inside the big sleeves couldn't help but clenched into a fist. Detestable! This woman had killed his birth mother, and now she wanted to kill him! His father did not care about it, he had never had this son in his heart, but that bastard son born from that woman was his treasure!

This time, the Cui Clan even took advantage when he went to his uncle's house to send people to assassinate him! If it weren't for being saved, he would really have gone to see his mother!

Thinking of this, he recalled those beautiful eyes again. He could not see that woman's face clearly in the darkness; only those pair of eyes that shined as stars remained in his heart. He thought he must find the girl who had saved him.

Wen Qing snorted. She did not need to think to know what Zhao Yan was thinking. But he probably wouldn't have that chance.

Those nasty things happening in King Huainan's residence were basically common in every big family and nothing rare. However, the affairs of King Huainan's family were still a bit special, and these had to be explained from the time of the previous Emperor.

Like Emperor Yuan Chang, the previous Emperor did not have many sons. There was only Emperor Yuan Chang, who had been soaked in the jar of medicine. Therefore, there were some voices who privately advised the previous Emperor to adopt a healthy son as a crown prince. After all, an Emperor who could die at any time was not good for the stability of the country.

At that time, the previous Emperor did not agree. He had his own son, so he certainly would not pass on the throne to others ah! However, he did make a second plan. While establishing Emperor Yuan Chang as the crown prince, he also focused on training several sons from the imperial clan, among which was the current King Huainan.

King Huainan was Emperor Yuan Chang's cousin and was considered a direct descendant of the Zhao Clan. It was originally the late Emperor's last resort. But he did not want his movement to let someone give birth to ambitions they shouldn't have.

At that time, the Empress, Emperor Yuan Chang's birth mother, did not want anyone to grab her son's throne, so she gave a marriage partner to King Huainan. The other party was a noble lady from the Qing household. She had a first-rate temperament and influential family background. However, because they did not have any meritorious achievements, she could barely be a princess.

When King Huainan married her, it was tantamount to not having strong support from the wife's family, so he was totally unwilling. But he had not achieved his big ambition and thus did not dare to do anything that would make people in the top position notice anything. So he had to marry this useless wife.

But he only married her and didn't care about her afterward. With the silent treatment from him, the beautiful first wife passed away. Fortunately, she at least left a child behind. This child was the male lead, Zhao Yan.

But at this time, the late Emperor passed away. The Empress was deeply in love with him, so she couldn't bear the blow and follow suit. Thus, the medicine pot Emperor Yuan Chang succeeded the throne.

Emperor Yuan Chang was not as shrewd as the late Emperor and had a weak body, so he was a peaceful person in court, and was very tolerant of the people under him. King Huainan naturally had no scruples. Less than a year after his first wife's death, he quickly married a wife from a distinguished family and pulled the other clan to his camp.

*T/N: You might know that in ancient China, a man could marry many wives, but the first wife doesn't represent that she was the first wife taken, but the position as the official or head wife.

Yes, King Huainan had not given up his ambitions. He did not raise an army to rebel, because the price was too high, and the reputation afterward was also not good. Instead, he secretly gave Emperor Yuan Chang a sterilization medicine. With Emperor Yuan Chang having a medicine-jar-like body, it was estimated that he wouldn't live long. When he died, he would have no descendant to succeed him. King Huainan, who had the closest blood relation to him, must be the only candidate to succeed the throne.

King Huainan played a good game, and he almost succeeded only to be destroyed by his son!

King Huainan was busy with his own business, so he naturally didn't care much about what was happening in the family. The new princess* had a good reputation outside for being a virtuous woman who could keep the family matters in good order and did not need him to worry. Towards such a good wife, moreover, her family supported him wholeheartedly, so King Huainan naturally respected her very much and turned a blind eye to what she did.

*T/N: The new princess is the one in the position of the first wife. Because she is the wife of a king, therefore she is called a princess.

He didn't like that son, anyway. The new princess gave him three sons and a daughter, all of them were clever and filial, unlike the eldest son, who always looked at him as an enemy.

As for Zhao Yan, he wholeheartedly believed that King Huainan, together with his stepmother, forced his mother to death for power. Otherwise, how could he let her in before the mourning period* passed? That woman had three sons. She naturally would not let him live and occupy the eldest son position. So she repeatedly tried to kill him, but that good father of his simply did not care, even acquiesced her to do so.

*T/N: The mourning period is usually held for three years.

So Zhao Yan blackened. He secretly developed his own power, added obstacles to King Huainan, and exterminated the whole clan. He then gathered King Huainan's previous force and finally became the invisible local tyrant, and lived a harmonious and happy life with the female lead.

The female lead should be ignorant of his actions. Because Zhao Yan did not want "his blood-stained self to pollute this warm sunshine." But it wasn't important whether the female lead knew or not. The client's wish was to let the male lead die, and Wen Qing did not care about other things.

To let the male lead die was not difficult. With Wen Qing's current cultivation level, she only needed a twist of her finger to let him die. But Wen Qing did not want to dirty her hand, so just let him have a dog-eat-dog struggle with King Huainan!

She gave King Huainan a big gift!

Wen Qing sneered, then turned to look at another person, a young man sitting in the nearest position next to the imperial table, the only son of the Emperor, Zhao Jie.

Emperor Yuan Chang was drugged by King Huainan after he succeeded to the throne. Before that, he had a daughter with the Empress, who died just when she was six months old. In addition, there was once an accident where the Emperor visited a palace maid, who then gave birth to a son. That was Zhao Jie.

But Zhao Jie's birth mother was only a palace maid in charge of sweeping. She was timid as a mouse, and was paranoid of being killed. After finding out that she was pregnant, she was afraid of being harmed, so she carefully stayed in her palace and did not dare to go anywhere. Ten months later, when she gave birth to her son, she was even more trembling. She gave birth to the Emperor's eldest son, the only prince in the harem. Even the Empress hadn't given birth to a son! Wouldn't people in the inner palace eat her if they knew about this? As a result, she was even more frightened and carefully raised her son alone, not daring to let anyone know.

The Emperor coming to visit her was an accident. Afterwards, he sealed the beauty and put her on the back of his mind. She did not look outstanding, and Emperor Yuan Chang had forgotten her. People in the harem naturally would not be interested in her. Therefore, Zhao Jie was not discovered until the beauty's death when he was six years old.

The whole harem was shocked! The whole dynasty was shocked! Everyone was shocked!

The people originally thought that Emperor Yuan Chang did not have any heir after he succeeded the throne for so long, and there was no hope anymore. Unexpectedly, there was a son hidden in the palace!

Originally, as the Emperor's only son, Zhao Jie should enjoy all the favors and be carefully cultivated as the heir. However, after being raised by his mother for six years, he also contracted the same problem as that woman: paranoid of being killed! More serious than his mother!

He always thought that everyone harbored evil intentions towards him. The Empress got close to him to kill him, the Grand Tutor taught him well to raise him as a waste, the minister trying to please him to murder him... So his whole body was very tense. Emperor Yuan Chang had tried countless times to break his illusion, but it never worked. He was so mad that he didn't care about him anymore!

Then, Zhao Jie felt that his Emperor father was also unkind to him because he was afraid that he would take his seat!

Such a suspicious and sick Emperor naturally wanted to have all the power in his hands after his reign. Therefore, the Duke of Zhen, who was in charge of a large army, became his first target.

Therefore, the second wish of the client was to protect the Duke manor and prevent Zhao Jie from sitting on the throne!

As she was busy thinking, the banquet had reached its climax, offering birthday gifts.

With how fond the Emperor was towards Wen Qing, even if she gave a piece of leaf, he would happily praise her for her filial piety! But Wen Qing would not be so perfunctory. She gave a leaf with spiritual energy. En, it could nourish the body.

Emperor Yuan Chang touched it and noticed the difference in this leaf. There was an extremely comfortable aura that made him feel sleepy. He knew that this niece was not an ordinary person, so he happily said, "An Guo's gift is the most pleasing to my heart. We will bestow upon you a big reward! An Guo, what do you want? Just open your mouth!"

A bunch of ministers complained. What the hell? Don't think they didn't see it. It was just a normal leaf! Don't you just want to find an excuse to give something to County Princess An Guo, oh no, I mean the princess? It looks like it's true!

"Then, An Guo needs a promise from Uncle."

"What promise?" Emperor Yuan Chang was interested. Of course, he must satisfy her!

"An Guo hopes that uncle will agree to be happy every day, go to bed early and get up early, eat regularly, and pay attention to your body." Wen Qing said in a serious manner.

"Haha!" Emperor Yuan Chang laughed loudly. At the same time, he was very moved in his heart. Only Qingqing would care about his body so sincerely. "I promise!"

The ministers congratulated him collectively. But they unanimously agreed in their hearts that, in terms of flattery, Princess An Guo was still one step ahead ah!

After the laughter, the offerings continued, but they were all rare treasures, nothing special, until...

"Prefectural Magistrate of Jiang Zhou, Shen Tong'an, pays respect to Your Majesty. Hail to the ruler of thousands of years of golden age! This official has been entrusted by a strange woman in Jiang Ning County to present to Your Majesty a food that can yield up to a thousand jin* per mu**, potatoes!"

*T/N: One jin (斤) is equal to 500 grams or half a kilogram.

**T/N: One mu (亩) is equal to 666.5 square meters.

Chapter 74: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [4]

A tossed stone raises a thousand ripples.*

*T/N: An idiom that means "a little thing may evoke great turbulence."

Emperor Yuan Chang lost control and knocked over his cup, slowly rising from the Dragon Throne, "Is your word true?"

"A thousand percent true." Shen Tong'an was so excited when he'd just learned about it. A thousand jin of food per mu was unheard of. If it was promoted, it would definitely solve the food problem of millions of people! This was great merit and virtue that came on one's birthday!

"Good! Good! Good!" Emperor Yuan Chang said the word good three times in a row, showing the excitement in his heart. During his reign, a method to produce a thousand jins of food emerged, which was enough to prove his government's benevolent and moral character! After his death, he would have the face to meet his old ancestors!

All along, Emperor Yuan Chang had been worried about not being able to keep the legacy left by his ancestors. He did not excel in literature nor martial arts. He did not have the courage of the Great Ancestor to conquer the world, and he did not have his father's ability to rule over the whole country. Even because of his weak body, he could not do his best in politics. He couldn't even give birth to a son! So he always felt ashamed to face the ancestors of the Zhao Clan after his death.

And now, there was a kind of food that could yield thousands of jins per mu! A thousand jins per mu! What kind of revolution was this? The average yield of the Great Zhao's best fields was only three to four hundred per mu! If potatoes could really yield a thousand jins per mu, it was unbelievable! The people regarded food as their god. Solving the lack of food for the people was something that every generation of monarchs had been working hard for. He did not expect this problem to be solved in his reign!

Emperor Yuan Chang was ecstatic and looked at Wen Qing with excitement. Qingqing is indeed the Goddess Xuannü of the Ninth Heaven who came down to protect my Great Zhao! Since she was born, his body had slowly improved. These years, the Great Zhao had been having good weather, there was no flood or drought, and there was no plague nor crop failure. One might well say the country was prosperous, and the people lived in peace. And now, on his birthday, there was a meritorious achievement about a type of food. Qingqing really is my lucky star!

Emperor Yuan Chang thought so.

After finally suppressing the ecstasy in his heart, Emperor Yuan Chang cleared his voice, "Good! The emergence of potatoes will surely solve the problem of food and clothing for millions of people in Great Zhao. This is a great achievement! Shen Tong'an has made contributions, he will be rewarded millions of gold taels! He will be promoted to the post of Minister of Household Affairs and will be fully responsible to promote and plant potatoes! Let the people have enough to eat as soon as possible!"

"This minister thanked Your Majesty for His grace, but this minister did not dare to be greedy. This potato was contributed by a woman surnamed Jiang in Jiangning County."

"We will reward those who made achievements. If it were not for Minister Shen's insight, this potato would not have reached my desk. It is your merit to introduce it, so you should be rewarded. Tell me about the woman with the surname Jiang. If she has merit, we will not forget her!"

Thousands of miles away in Jiangning County, Jiang Shu anxiously waited for the news. This time, she risked it all to recommend potatoes. It was a desperate move.

The Jiang family restaurant had now opened three chain stores. Because Jiang Shu introduced cooking methods such as stir-frying, deep-frying, and roasting, which changed the single cooking mode of this era, Jiang's restaurant business was booming and earned a lot of money. Naturally, it attracted a lot of people to covet their business. She was a powerless peasant girl who guarded such a big piece of fat meat; who didn't want to take a bite?

It was nothing if they only wanted to take a bite, but now she had run into someone who wanted to swallow her whole and would not even let her alive! The other party was a wealthy family in Jiang Zhou, the local tyrant of Jiang Zhou, and no one dared to provoke them. The big figures that Jiang Shu had taken the trouble to get along with avoided her and did not offer her any shelter. She had no other choice, so she took the risk.

As long as she could be mentioned in front of the Emperor there, even if the Cui Clan wanted to make a move on her, they also had to weigh whether they could withstand the Emperor's wrath after being discovered.

She believed that in this era, where food was scarce, no monarch could resist the charm of potatoes! It was because she knew that the one who ruled this country was a benevolent and tolerant monarch that she made this decision boldly. She also heard that Shen Tong'an, the Prefectural Magistrate of Jiangzhou, was a good and upright official, so she asked the other party to offer it to the Emperor. Otherwise, if you met those black-hearted corrupt officials, let alone offer it as tribute, they might kill her and embezzle her merits!

Now, that Shen Tong'an had been in the capital with the potatoes for some time. The result wasn't yet known, and Jiang Shu waited with trepidation while making a draft to explain how she discovered the potatoes.

During this period, as soon as the Jiang family restaurant opened, the Cui family would send people to smash the place. After several times, the customers were all scared away. Jiang Shu simply closed the door and simply waited for the results from Shen Tong'an to come out.

She and her family could only stay at home and strive to protect themselves.

Mother Jiang looked at her daughter with a sad face. Her daughter had become more capable in recent years, selling buns and running a restaurant. Not only had she supported the whole family, but she had also sent Da Bao and Er Bao* to study in the academy, which she didn't even dare to think about in the past. But...

*T/N: Da Bao and Er Bao refer to her two siblings. 'Bao' means baby or child in English, 'Da' means 'Big', and 'Er' means 'two'. So Da Bao and Er Bao are the eldest son and second son.

"Shu'er, if they want the restaurant, just give it to them. It's good as long as we have enough money to use. These few years, we have also saved up some money. Even if we go back to the farm, we can still live a good life. There's nothing more important than the health of the whole family."

She said this because her two sons were beaten when they came back from the academy a few days ago. Their noses were black, and their faces were swollen, which hurt her heart. She didn't have any big ambitions. She only hoped for the whole family to be safe and sound and live a peaceful life behind closed doors.

Jiang Shu smiled bitterly. For whom was she being so desperate? Had Mother Jiang forgotten the experience when their whole family was starving to death before? She never let Jiang Shu struggle. She felt that everything came so easily, so she thought that it was easy to give it all up. But everything came from her painstaking effort ah, she couldn't let her mother give it away! Besides, most of the money she had earned had been charged into Taobao. Otherwise, how could she have so much balance to buy so many things? When she first came, she had just finished crazy shopping and her balance was only about 300 yuan. Fortunately, she could convert the silver at rate conversion. Otherwise, she would have a mountain of treasure but be unable to use it. But she couldn't say these things to her mother...

"They do not only want the restaurant. That second son of the Cui family, who had 35 concubines, has taken a fancy to me and wants me to be his 36th concubine. Mom, do you want me to go and be someone's concubine?"

"Huh?" Mother Jiang's face instantly turned pale. Jiang Shu had never told her about this before because she was afraid that she would worry about it. But now, she wanted to see what her mother thought about it.

Mother Jiang said without hesitation, "That won't do! Even if mother die, I won't let you marry into their family as a concubine and be tortured by them!"

Jiang Shu felt warm in her heart. Although her mother was a bit of a bun*, she wholeheartedly took good care of the siblings. She took a few steps up the stairs and put her arms around Mother Jiang's shoulder. "Don't worry, mother. I have found a way. The Cui family is powerful, but there are people who can suppress them..."

*T/N: (包子 bao zi) 'Bun' is a kind of internet slang that refers to people who were used to swallow their anger and will not fight back.

As she was speaking, the courtyard door slammed with a 'bang,' and a group of big strong men rushed in. The rare flowers and plants Jiang Shu had bought from Taobao were instantly trampled. She ignored her heartache and glared angrily at those people, "What do you want? Forcibly break into someone's house in broad daylight. Do you not have a law anymore?!"

"Law?" The group of big guys glanced at each other and laughed arrogantly, "In Jiang Zhou, my Cui family is the law! Talking about the law with my Cui family, hahaha, the little lady is really funny!"

Jiang Shu was annoyed to death, but she couldn't do anything about it. If she could buy guns from Taobao, she would have shot these people to death!

The big man in the lead laughed enough before looking at Jiang Shu proudly and said, "This money is a betrothal gift. Our second young master said that it's your honor that he took a liking to a peasant girl like you! Be good and pack up! People from the Cui family will come to pick you up in three days!" He said as he threw two taels of silver, then sneered, "I heard that you went to the capital to rescue soldiers? Stop fooling around. No one cares! Our sister-in-law is Princess Huainan, the royal's official relative. It's useless even if you beg the Emperor!"

Jiang Shu's heart went cold. So it's like that. No wonder the Cui family still had so much courage but no fear when Shen Tong'an went to the capital! Does Heaven really want to kill me?!

The Cui family's purpose was achieved, and they walked out the door mightily. They dropped another sentence as they walked, "By the way, the second young master also ordered that you don't have to take back so much dowry, just take the deeds of the three restaurants!"

Jiang Shu was trembling with anger. These people are too deceitful! They wanted to trade three restaurants with two taels of silver, and still wanted to take her too!

"The imperial decree has arrived! Let the one named Shu from the Jiang family receive the decree!"

Just as Jiang Shu's heart was aching with anger, an iron horse* fell from the sky. The head of the group held up the imperial decree.

*T/N: 铁骑 (tiě qí); iron horse or iron cavalry was equal to the most powerful forces in ancient wars.

Jiang Shu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and knelt down to receive the decree with his frightened family members. The Cui family members had not left yet. Seeing that Jiang Shu had indeed received a decree, they couldn't help feeling a little dazed. The declaring official snorted coldly. "You dare not kneel after seeing the imperial edict?"

Before his words fell, the guards behind him pulled out their long swords with a 'swish.' Those several big men were so scared that they almost wet their pants. The five people immediately fell to their knees on the ground. Jiang Shu felt happy when she saw this. The declaring official hurried to Jiang Shu and her family and said with a pleasant tone, "Are you the strange Jiangning woman that Lord Shen speaks of, Miss Jiang?" The attitude he used was completely opposite to that given to the Cui family just now.

Jiang Shu was grateful to him for defending her own face. She steadied herself before replying, "It is this commoner."

The declaring official could perceive her respect and smiled, "Jiang family, received the decree!"

"In the name of Heaven, the Emperor's edict says: The one name Shu from the Jiang family has gained the wonderful plant, potatoes and presented it to the court. This merit was presented on the birthday of the monarch... Especially confer Jiang Shu with the title of the County Lord Yi of Jiangning, and to govern five hundred households... Rewarded with ten thousand gold taels. A memorial gateway will be built in Jiangning County... Receive the decree."

It was a bunch of ancient words Jiang Shu did not understand. In short, it was to praise her and make her the head of Jiangning County. She clearly heard about the rewards of ten thousand gold taels, and there would be some kind of memorial gateway. Anyway, it was a good thing. Jiang Shu couldn't help but kowtow to thank him. She was a modern person and had always been extremely repulsive of kowtow. However, this time she kowtowed very willingly. The Great Emperor was really a good person!

After receiving the imperial decree, the declaring official said again, "Your Majesty said, no one shall suppress the property of the county lord of Jiangning! Otherwise... huh!" This sentence was addressed to the Cui family, and its meaning could not be more obvious. The Cui family's members promised one after another and then fled in panic.

In this era, the people were very respectful of imperial power. The Emperor's words were like golds and jades*, and no one dared to go against it, at least not on the surface.

*t/n: 金口玉言 (jin kou yu yan); it's an idiom that means "the words uttered carry great weight."

In this way, Jiang Shu's hanging heart finally fell back into her stomach. She gratefully hosted a banquet and invited the declaring officials to dinner. A group of people went to the Jiang family's restaurant with great fanfare.

Yesterday, they were forced to close their doors to avoid disaster. Today, the peasant girl turned into a phoenix and reopened their business with the imperial decree. For a moment, the reputation of the Jiang family's restaurant went to the roof, and its popularity was bursting!

In the imperial palace thousands of miles away, Emperor Yuan Chang gave Wen Qing a lot of good things without hesitation, "Qingqing, do you like this? If you don't like it, Uncle will open the private treasury. You can see what you want to take!"

Wen Qing swept a glance. Everything was a rare treasure in the world. She had never been interested in these, but she did not want to brush off her uncle's kindness, "I like it."

Hearing that she liked it, Emperor Yuan Chang was even happier. He said in a low voice mysteriously, "Qingqing is really uncle's lucky star ah! Don't worry, other people don't know. Uncle will remember these merits and credit them to you!"

Wen Qing looked like she didn't understand why Emperor Yuan Chang was very happy. He also did not explain. His niece was now descending to the mortal world and did not know she was the Goddess Xuannü of the Ninth Heaven! He couldn't leak it out!

As he was thinking, Wen Qing abruptly said, "Uncle's birthday banquet is over. An Guo wants to go to the border. Father might have come across some tricky problems."

Chapter 75: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [5]

At Tongmen Gate, Wei Dongyang stood at the entrance of a tent, watching the heavy snow with a cold face. Since he'd arrived, this heavy snow had not stopped. The garrison was okay. The soldier cleaned it every day, leaving no snow, but the snow outside the city was already waist-high, and someplace could even bury people.

After leaving the city, the surrounding area was all white, even the roads were indistinguishable. It was impossible to walk on the road, and the troops couldn't get out. In addition, some soldiers in the army were southerners, who could not adapt to the bitterly cold weather at all, and many of them suffered from frostbite.

Not to mention them, even northerners couldn't stand such cold weather! The locals said it hadn't snowed this much in years, much less been this cold! When the snow fell to the ground, it instantly froze into ice, not the soft snow, but hard snow and ice.

The situation on their side was not good, but the people who lived on the grassland were adapting well as if the snow had no effect on them. The day before yesterday, a powerful force from the grassland had raided a village. They didn't kill anyone, only took away all the food. But in this kind of weather, taking away people's food was no different from killing them.

When Wei Dongyang arrived with his men, the other party had already gone for a long time. They came and went like the wind. It was unknown how their warhorses were not afraid of freezing.

The people on their side couldn't adapt, let alone those horses. Dozens of them had frozen to death.

Wei Dongyang felt some headaches. This battle isn't easy to fight ah, I certainly won't be able to return this New Year. I might even be unable to catch up for Qingqing's birthday...

Because of the worry, Wei Dongyang couldn't sleep well. As soon as there was movement outside, he immediately awakened.

There was chaos outside, constant screams could be heard, but it did not look like an enemy attack. Wei Dongyang got dressed and went out, then calmly asked, "What's going on?" The army had always been disciplined. There was never such chaos during an enemy attack. If I didn't know, I would have thought that a god had come down!

"General! The god has come down!"

Wei Dongyang: "..."

Without waiting for Wei Dongyang to react, the soldiers explained to him in a variety of ways.

"When I was about to finish patrolling, the sky suddenly became as bright as the day, and a strange wind was blowing..."

"What wind? It's obviously celestial wind!"

"Yes yes yes, it's celestial wind, celestial wind. The celestial wind was blowing, and all the soldiers felt warm..."

"Even the frostbite on my hand is mostly healed."

"Me too! I was injured a few days ago, the wound had been split open for the past few days, and it never healed. After the celestial wind blew, it's now surprisingly only leaving a scab!"

"That doesn't count. The celestial wind suddenly rolled up all the snow on the ground, trees, and roof. Such thick snow! and the thick snow was flown away by the celestial wind!"

"We ran after the celestial wind and saw it rolled up more and more snow, covering the sky. I reckon all the snow in Yanzhou City was swept away by it!"

"I have been chasing for 20 miles outside the city and saw that the snow built a wall three feet high, one foot wide, and was so long that the end can't be seen!"

…

Wei Dongyang was surprised when he figured out the whole story, and now brought people with him to take a look at the Immortal Wall.

The Immortal Wall was what the soldiers called it.

At this moment, the sky was faintly bright, and there was not even a single drop of snow left on the ground. The road was frozen hard, and the horses' hoof stepping on it made the regular "ta ta" sound. When Wei Dongyang saw the Immortal Wall from a distance, he was shocked and speechless. Such a big thing was definitely not made with manpower!

On a closer look, the wall was as smooth as a mirror, compact and dense, couldn't be broken by swords, and a knife wouldn't be able to leave a scratch. The wall was three feet high, and the ladder used to climb the city wall was not even half as high. Besides, there was no such thing as a ladder to climb the city wall on the grassland.

Wei Dongyang suddenly thought of the key point. With this wall standing here, the barbarians on the grassland couldn't get through.

Wei Dongyang usually had a half-believing attitude towards those gods and Buddhas. But seeing this wall, he believed. There were really gods in this world.

"You two, go east along this wall and see where it goes! You two go to the west."

"Yes."

The four men rode on their horses and didn't come back until night.

"Report to the General. The east side of the Immortal Wall goes all the way to Phoenix Mountain!"

"The west side went to Wentong Mountain. There is no gap at all!"

"Good! In this way, those barbarians on the grassland won't be able to take one step in!" Wei Dongyang couldn't help laughing. The problem that made him have a headache yesterday was solved today! "This is the miracle from Heaven! God bless our Great Zhao!"

"A miracle has descended from Heaven! God bless our Great Zhao!"

"A miracle has descended from Heaven! God bless our Great Zhao!"

"A miracle has descended from Heaven! God bless our Great Zhao!"

…

The voice started from Wei Dongyang's tent, then the whole barracks followed. The sound was deafening and spreading in the sky!

Since the Longevity Festival ended, Wen Qing stayed in the palace for a few more days. Emperor Yuan Chang dead set on not letting her go. He was afraid that once she was out of the palace, she would slip out to the border gate.

"Uncle, I've gone to the border gate already. I saw my father was fine, so I came back."

Emperor Yuan Chang did not believe her and thought that Wen Qing only said that to coax him. It took half a month to go back and forth while she had been under his nose these few days. How could she have the opportunity to go? It's faster to dream. But he had the patience to go along with his niece's nonsense, so he smiled and asked her, "When did you go?"

"It was the second night of Longevity Day. I went there in my dream."

Emperor Yuan Chang: "..."

She really went there in her dream.

"Then what did you do in your dream? Tell uncle." He totally treated it as coaxing her.

Wen Qing naturally knew he was coaxing her, but did not care. She still said with a serious face, "I saw the snow in the border area is three feet thick as hard as a stone. The warhorses froze to death, and the soldiers suffered from frostbite. An Guo saw father was worried, so An Guo helped him."

When Wen Qing said the first few sentences, Emperor Yuan Chang listened with a heavy expression. Because Wei Dongyang had already reported what Wen Qing said. But when he heard the back, Emperor Yuan Chang did not know whether to laugh or cry. She is indeed a child.

"Then how did An Guo help your father?"

"Anguo piled the snow into a high wall so that we don't have to be afraid of those barbarians coming in!"

She had always had a calm expression, but at this moment, she could not help showing a bit of pride. Emperor Yuan Chang laughed. This niece of his, perhaps because she was the descended Goddess Xuannü of the Ninth Heaven, she had always been a stable and understanding girl since young. Her expression was cold and indifferent. She really looked like a goddess, untainted by mortal life. It was rare for her to be so childish, so he was very happy.

He did not put her words about building up a wall to guard against the barbarians to heart. He only thought it was mere childish words.

Two days later, Emperor Yuan Chang received an urgent letter from the border 800 miles away. "A miracle has descended from Heaven! God bless our Great Zhao!"

"The Immortal Wall stands across the sky overnight!"

"All the ice and snow in Yanzhou turned into a thousand miles long, three feet high wall! Its surface is as smooth as a mirror, unbreakable by the swords."

…

Each character could be understood by Emperor Yuan Chang. But why couldn't he understand them when put together?

Two days later, Emperor Yuan Chang rewarded Wen Qing with a bunch of treasures, and the things were delivered directly to Duke Zhen's manor. The Duke manor had long been used to it, the civil and military officials had long been numb. It was no longer a secret that the Emperor favored Princess An Guo. He even broke the rules and conferred a title to her, rewarding her because the snow stopped, another reward because it rained. Even when Princess An Guo got rewarded because the flowers in the imperial garden bloom, it was not so strange anymore.

His Majesty had gathered thousands of reasons to reward Princess An Guo. They just did not know what reason would be used this time. Because the snow stopped? Or the sky was clear?

But no one thought about the news of the miracle on the border gate that had arrived in the court two days ago.

After solving the border wars and snow disasters, Wen Qing had nothing to do. Thanks to the female lead, the amount of food in the official's house had all increased. She could eat and drink every day while waiting for the New Year.

She was so carefree, but the male lead did not have it easy. After the Longevity Festival, King Huainan and his whole family returned to their fiefdoms. No matter how good the capital was, how could it be more comfortable than being the local tyrant?

On the first day when he returned home, King Huainan did not go to his wife's concubine's courtyard.

In the dead of the night, King Huainan had a dream. In the dream, he planned and schemed secretly. Finally, when that jar of medicine cousin of his was about to die, and that dumb Zhao Jie had a lot of problems that the imperial clan did not want him to succeed the throne, he was elected to succeed him. King Huainan was almost waking up from his dreams, but something happened suddenly. First, the princess's family was revealed to be tyrannical in Jiangzhou and was charged for more than dozens of people's lives, among them was the living Bodhisattva in the heart of Jiang Ning County, which caused public discontent. In order to quell the people's grievances, he had to conduct a thorough investigation. The investigation was not done in a hurry, and they dug up dozens of lawsuits related to the Cui family. The Imperial Court started to get the investigation results, but the whole Jiangzhou knew about it. They couldn't conceal it, so the Cui family could only pay with their life.

The Cui family was over; it was the same as breaking one arm. Then, the other arm had an accident. The whole family's properties were confiscated and executed... Again and again, his secret forces had accidents, one after another. If he still did not notice that someone was targeting him, he must be a fool!

Unfortunately, even if he knew someone was dealing with him, he couldn't find that person. Until the end, the evidence that he had colluded with various forces and prepared to rebel was presented to the Emperor. Emperor Yuan Chang only had one breath left, but he was not ready to let this wolf with a wild ambition rob his throne. So he exiled the whole family, and everyone died on the way.

Only his eldest son was alive and well, inheriting the title of King Huainan. He supported that fool Zhao Jie as the Emperor and became an invisible emperor...

Because the one who reported him was this good son of his, and the one who poisoned the whole family on the road was also him!

King Huainan spat out blood and woke up from his dream with his eyes bloodshot.

"Murder his own father and mother! Poisoned the whole family! Zhao Yan, what cruel heart you have!"

Wang Huainan dreamed of what would happen in the future. His mind was in a rage, and he used a lot of effort to suppress his desire to tear Zhao Yan up. Because according to the situation in the dream, this unfilial son of his was truly capable. He had already developed a lot of power at a young age. He might not get a good end if he beat the grass to scare the snake*. So he had to make a good plan.

*T/N: 打草惊蛇 (da cao jing she); beat the grass to scare the snake; it means "to act rashly and alert the enemy."

Old ginger was hotter than the new*. There was a truth in this phrase. In the original book, King Huainan had never been on guard with this son, so he ended up like that. But when he knew about the future in advance, how could he let Zhao Yan succeed?

*T/N: 姜还是老的辣 (jiang hai shi lao de la); old ginger is hotter than the new; it means "the older ones are more wise or capable."

So the two fathers and sons started fighting each other. You broke my arm, I broke your knife. You die, I live*.

*T/N: 你死我活 (ni si wo huo); you die, I live; it means "two parties cannot coexist together."

At this time, Zhao Yan had not become that powerful yet. If not because of the male protagonist's halo protecting him and helping him exterminate dangers several times, he would have been long killed by King Huainan.

King Huainan also discovered that Zhao Yan was a tough one. After several failures, he wanted to kill Zhao Yan more and more. Otherwise, once this rebellious son was given a chance to grow up, he would have no chance.

In the beginning, the infighting in King Huainan's residence was just for people to watch. But as the fight heated up, more and more cards surfaced. People who watched it as a joke could not laugh anymore, and King Huainan's ambition was revealed.

King Huainan and Zhao Yan's private forces made people's eyes red with envy. Taking advantage of their infighting, many people secretly added fire and waited for them to be burned to death to reap the benefit.

But they thought too much. The Emperor today was not the jar of medicine with only a breath left, he was alive and brimming with energy. Both sides of King Huainan's family suffered losses. He even picked up a good bargain. Therefore, after King Huainan's family was imprisoned, the two forces fell into the hands of Emperor Yuan Chang.

Chapter 76: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [6]

In the spring of March, hundreds of flowers bloom. The Empress invited various unmarried young girls to participate in the Hundred Flowers Banquet. Wen Qing was among them.

It was called the Hundred Flowers Banquet, but in reality, it was a blind date banquet. Nowadays, they didn't value women much, so the selection of talented people* had also been stopped for a few years. Each family's unmarried men and women could marry freely. Although the separation between men and women in this era was not very strict, they still paid attention to letting men and women sit separately after 7 years old**. These young masters and young misses usually did not see each other on weekdays. They did not want to be married blindly by their parents, naturally, they wanted to choose the one they loved. Therefore, the Hundred Flowers Banquet held by the Empress gave them an opportunity.

*T/N: It is more or less the imperial examination.

**T/N: In ancient times, children after the age of seven were considered mature and already able to differentiate between genders.

Wen Qing was dragged by Zhao Wan to dress up. "You are also fifteen this year, almost all girls your age are already betrothed. Although you are a princess and don't have to worry about marriage, it is unsightly to let others pick first and leave you the ugly ones. Mother do not force you, just pick the one you like and let your uncle grant your marriage..."

Wen Qing nodded indifferently.

Zhao Wan saw her not taking it seriously and could not help but fume, "Mother tell you that you have to pick one today. If you don't choose any, mother and father will choose one for you!"

"Oh, mother, remember to choose the most good-looking."

Zhao Wan: "..."

She really believed it now. Her daughter didn't care about getting married at all!

But, the good-looking one...

The flowers in the palace had always been carefully taken care of by artisans. The rare and exotic plants competed with each other, just like various noblewomen inside the palace.

Jiang Shu entered the palace for the first time and felt curious about everything, her appearance falling into contempt in other people's eyes. Those who were well-educated would not show what they thought of in their heart on their face in the slightest. Those who were being sarcastic couldn't help but ridicule.

"What a country bumpkin! She had no insight!"

"Look at her appearance! Such an ordinary person is also rare!"

"Her clothes and makeup are not up-to-date, I don't know what year that style came from!"

"How come this kind of person is allowed to enter the Hundred Flowers Banquet? I can smell a shabby smell from afar!"

…

It took Jiang Shu a long time to figure out that they were talking about her and she couldn't help but frown. But she just arrived here and did not know the background of these people. It was better to get one less trouble, so she simply turned around and left, and didn't bother to lower herself to argue with those people.

Fortunately, those people still had their status as a noblewoman and wouldn't follow her just to throw insults.

Jiang Shu could finally clear her ears from those filthy words when she accidentally bumped into someone. The other person had a very neat appearance, and there was a whiff of the nice fragrance of bamboo leaves. Jiang Shu rubbed her sore nose and looked up.

The stranger was like a jade, a peerless young master in the world.

For no reason, Jiang Shu thought of this sentence.

The white-clothed gentleman had a smile on his lips. "Young lady, are you okay?"

His voice was very nice. Jiang Shu blushed red as she quickly replied, "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I don't know that someone was here..."

This scene happened to fall on Wen Qing's eyes. What a coincidence, the female lead and the loyal supporting male dog met for the first time.

In the original book, during the Hundred Flowers Banquet, a lot of things happened, and the meeting between the female lead and the supporting male lead was one of them. The second one was when the cannon fodder noblewomen ridiculing the female lead lost their reputations because of the male lead's plan. The third one was when the Empress got a sudden heart attack, and the female lead bought medicine from Taobao to save her. Wei Wenqing ran into the heroine taking a medicine bottle out of thin air, tearing off the packaging, and exclaimed that Jiang Shu was a monster, was the fourth. Later on, the male lead comforted the female lead and their relationship heated up. What followed after was the male lead taking revenge on Duke Manor.

But now, Zhao Yan was still locked up in prison and probably had no chance to ruin the noblewomen's reputations or retaliate against Duke Manor. Because of the absence of the male lead, the plot of the original book had long deviated.

The plot had changed, but some subplots had not. For example, the Empress still had a sudden heart attack, and Jiang Shu still bumped into Wen Qing when she bought the medicine, but she did not yell. Jiang Shu had a good heart, so why bother to cause trouble?

After taking the medicine, the Empress got better, and her goodwill towards Jiang Shu went up a notch. She rewarded her with a bunch of treasures and promised her that if she had a man she liked, she could help her grant a marriage. At this point, Jiang Shu succeeded in getting into the eyes of the Empress and got her protection. Those noblewomen who had thrown sarcastic remarks towards Jiang Shu turned pale and regretted treating her like that before.

Wen Qing didn't care about these things. What she cared about was that in the original plot, Emperor Yuan Chang died three months after the Hundred Flowers Banquet.

The banquet wasn't over yet when Wen Qing was called by Emperor Yuan Chang to Qing Ning Palace, which was the place where the Emperor handled government affairs.

"Qingqing, quick, come here! Do uncle a favor!" As soon as Wen Qing entered, Emperor Yuan Chang greeted her with a big smile on his face. Wen Qing never needed to kneel when she saw him, so she complied and walked to his side.

"You youngsters are eating, drinking, and having fun at the back. Your poor uncle has to deal with so many memorials that my head is now dizzy from it. Qingqing helps uncle work on the rest, ba."

Emperor Yuan Chang smiled like usual, yet the words that came out were no different than throwing down a heavy bomb, which surprised Qingqing. "Uncle, you want me to do the memorials?!"

What's with this situation! Letting his niece do the memorial? Although her uncle had always spoiled her, he couldn't spoil her this way!

Emperor Yuan Chang still smiled and said, "What? Qingqing is not willing to help uncle? Sigh, uncle dote on Qingqing for nothing. See, uncle have worked so hard, yet you don't know how to help uncle!"

Wen Qing was silent for a moment. She had a vague conjecture in her heart, but did not question it. Rather, she obediently picked up the writing brush dipped in ink. She had once been an Emperor. She had helped her uncle organize the memorials. These things on the table were especially left for her to practice. It wasn't difficult, so she quickly got started.

She probably understood what her uncle meant. He probably wanted to pass the throne to her, right?

Even so, she had previously thought about who would inherit the throne from her uncle a hundred years later. Zhao Jie was impossible. King Huainan and his family, who had the closest blood relationship, had already been imprisoned, and there was no good candidate from the imperial clan. She'd also thought of taking over, but she did not want to hurt her uncle's heart. Uncle's love for her wasn't mixed with selfishness. If she'd said she wanted the throne, she was afraid her uncle would be suspicious that she got close to him only for the throne.

Therefore, this option was passed* off by her. In the end, she was planning to assist whoever her uncle chose, but she did not expect her uncle to give her the throne.

*T/N: The raw wrote the word "pass" in English. I've tried my best to fit it in.

There might be no suitable candidate that could be found.

Emperor Yuan Chang made this plan after careful consideration. He had only one son, Zhao Jie, but that son had a problem with his brain and always felt that others wanted to harm him. He invited a grand tutor for him, but he said the grand tutor wanted to raise him as waste and beat him away. After three times in a row, no one was willing to be his grand tutor.

Without the grand tutor's teaching, he did not even finish the basic education, and it was said that he could not fully recognize some characters. How could you expect him to have a clear understanding if he didn't read? Therefore, many people called him a fool at the back.

Giving a throne to a fool? Emperor Yuan Chang thought that the ancestors of the Zhao family would jump out and slap him to death! But he found that he had been sterilized at an early age and would have no other sons, no more children. In the end, the throne would eventually fall to Zhao Jie's hand. Choose a few more loyal ministers and good generals to assist him, wait for him to give birth to the prince, and train him well. It might not be impossible.

However, yesterday's dream changed Emperor Yuan Chang's decision. In the dream, it was indeed his son Zhao Jie who succeeded to the throne, but he was just a puppet. Zhao Yan, who inherited his father's title, is the true holder of Great Zhao. Zhao Yan was so ruthless, he could even kill his own father. How could he expect him to have any feelings for the Great Zhao? There were only him and that Lord of Jiang Ning County.

So, after taking revenge on all the enemies and leaving a pile of mess for the Great Zhao, Zhao Yan took his wife and children to a paradise and lived a life like a divine couple.

Then, The Great Zhao fell into Zhao Jie's hands. No one controlled him anymore, so he became unscrupulous. Within a few years, he killed all the loyal ministers in the court! Because he felt that these officials wanted to harm him! Then, he selected a group of useless ministers who only knew how to bootlick, indulge in pleasure, and neglect the government. Within two years, the country of Zhao was overrun by barbarians, and perished.

This result was something that Emperor Yuan Chang didn't want to see. He did not choose a good successor and let the country of Zhao perish. This was his fault! Once he thought of the Zhao family's hundreds of years of foundation being ruined in his hands, what face did he have to meet the ancestors?!

So, he must choose his successor carefully. Zhao Jie was definitely not good! No matter how many loyal ministers were left for him, he would kill them! But, after adopting sons from the imperial clans, Emperor Yuan Chang saw that none was good. Not to mention that they had distant blood relations, he was unwilling to give the throne to someone he had no relationship with. Just by their characters, no one could make him feel at ease! Therefore, after thinking for a long time, only his niece was pleasing to his eyes.

Although his niece was a woman, she had the blood of the Zhao Clan. Moreover, she was the Goddess Xuannü of the Ninth Heaven who descended to the earth to protect the Great Zhao for hundreds of years. He didn't worry that the Zhao dynasty would perish in her hands. To have the protection of immortals was the honor of the Zhao Clan. Who knows, the ancestors might even have to praise him for doing a good job!

The more Emperor Yuan Chang thought about it, the more he felt it was feasible. He made up his mind and no longer hesitated. Because of the dream, he saw that he only had three more months to live. His body was weak and frail, he was satisfied with living until he was in his forties. Moreover, because of his niece, he was healthy for the rest of his life, and he was already very satisfied without suffering from illness. People have to learn to be content. How many emperors in history were not satisfied and sought longevity? But, what was the result? Emperor Yuan Chang had seen it clearly.

Wen Qing didn't know that because Emperor Yuan Chang had dreamed of the historical trajectory of the original book, he made up his mind to choose her as the heir. She quietly looked over the memorials and asked him if she had any questions. By the time she was finished, the palace had been closed. Wen Qing often lived in the palace, so she naturally had her own palace. After bidding farewell to Emperor Yuan Chang, she was going to return to her residence.

Emperor Yuan Chang called out to her, "Qingqing, from today onwards, you will stay in the East Palace."

The East Palace had always been the residence of the crown prince. This time, Wen Qing could not pretend to be stupid even if she wanted to. Her expression was calm as she looked at Emperor Yuan Chang, "Uncle, do you know what you are doing?"

Emperor Yuan Chang smiled, "Uncle is not yet old and confused, of course, I know what I'm doing."

Wen Qing was silent for a moment and asked again, "Then, do father and mother know?"

"I already spoke to the Duke of Zhen. He will tell your parents. Tomorrow, uncle will change your Jade slip and put it under the Empress name. From then on, you will be a genuine and proper first princess. Of course, your parents are still your parents, and uncle is still your uncle, it's just that..."

"You become the Crown Princess."

Chapter 77: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [7]

After the Hundred Flowers Banquet, a heavy bomb was suddenly thrown on the calm courtroom—

His Majesty wanted to make Princess An Guo the crown princess!

As soon as the news came out, the court exploded! How can a woman inherit the throne?! His Majesty must have gone crazy!

It was fine that he previously spoiled Princess An Guo too far. After all, she was just a baby girl, so just let her be spoiled. But now he wanted to make her the crown princess! To let her inherit the throne! Impudent?!

I oppose, resolutely oppose! A dignified 1.8m tall man* definitely can't stand being ruled under by a woman!

*T/N: 堂堂八尺男儿, it literally means "a dignified 8 chi(s) man," and 8 chi(s) is about 1.8m. It's the equivalent of a dignified man.

None of the officials agreed. What's more, some officials slammed their heads against the pillars on the spot, risking their life. The general holding the military power was ready to make trouble in the dark. The scholars held a meeting, gathering crowds to protest, and praying that His Majesty would withdraw the order...

However, no matter how they were, Emperor Yuan Chang made no other move. The officials who hit their heads against the pillar were sent to a doctor to get proper treatment. The general with the military power had an unstable mind and secretly suppressed the Duke of Zhen. The leader of the scholars who caused trouble was arrested and locked up in jail...

Emperor Yuan Chang, who had a lukewarm personality all his life, showed a thunderous attitude this time and quickly suppressed all the voices of opposition. He didn't have much time. He had to pave the way for his niece at his last moment.

Fortunately, in this era, the power of the Emperor was greater than the sky. No matter how the minister tossed around, they still had to listen to the Emperor. The establishment of the Crown Princess was not a trivial matter, and Emperor Yuan Chang was in a hurry, so he hurried the Ministry of Rites to prepare the coronation ceremony. Although a lot of procedures were simplified, in the end, it still took a month to finish.

Everything was difficult at the beginning. Some things once started can't be stopped. Emperor Yuan Chang believed, as long as Wen Qing was given a rightful identity, he did not need to worry about the following matters at all.

In fact, he guessed it right. His niece's ability was not weaker than him. Her methods were sharp and decisive; she was more like a qualified emperor than him. More importantly, she was more susceptible to government affairs, absolutely surprising, which was the reason he chose her in the first place.

The Emperor's method and state affairs were all time-consuming to learn. If he had to choose another heir, he would have no time to teach them. On the contrary, his niece seemed to be born to know these and only needed one or two pointers from him. He could be assured to give the throne to her.

On June 16, year 25 of Yuan Chang, the Emperor passed away.

When Emperor Yuan Chang passed away, he was free from illness and disaster. As if he had a premonition that his time limit was approaching, he laughed and said goodbye to the people around him. "An Guo, we leave the Great Zhao to you!" Then he tidied up his clothes and lay on the dragon bed, then he shut his eyes and was gone forever.

The Empress mourned and went after the Emperor the next day.

From the funeral of the late Emperor to the ascension of the new Emperor, it was busy until October before gradually stabilizing. Although Wen Qing had ascended the throne, there were many people who were dissatisfied with her. Wen Qing had no time to play trickery games with them. Even if you were a loyal and upright person or a minister for three generations, those who disobeyed would be directly dismissed!

Heartless? Forgetting old favor?

Sorry, she did not care about that at all. The history books were written by the victors. You could happily scold her right now, but the one who would be rained with praises by the future generations would be her.

It wasn't the first time she became the Emperor, and Wen Qing was familiar with the process. Promoting water irrigation; changing agricultural tools; promoting potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes; first solving the problems of people's food and clothing. Then building the imperial college, establishing schools for women; to spread education, teaching common people professional skills. Promoting trade, developing the economy, encouraging invention and creation, etc. Within ten years, under Wen Qing's hands, the Great Zhao became prosperous, and the people lived in peace, a powerful and rich country.

Wen Qing also opened a trade with the northern barbarians, exchanging food, salt, and other materials for their wool and mutton. Being able to trade sheep for food to survive, the northern barbarians and herdsmen naturally gave up raising horses and raising sheep instead. Thus allowing Wen Qing to control their economic lifeline. Once war broke out and the Great Zhao cut off their food trade channel, they would no longer be able to survive.

In the same way, Wen Qing exchanged rubber and cane sugar from the southern barbarians, and exchanged mineral products from the tribe Yi in the west. Firmly controlling their economic lifeline.

Therefore, Wen Qing had not waged a war in fifty years of her reign, but the border was stable and the barbarians never attacked. The country was even more prosperous, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, honesty prevailed throughout the society, which was a peaceful and prosperous time.

Of course, creating a peaceful and prosperous world was only incidental; Wen Qing still remembered her mission. Between the client's two wishes, one was to let the male lead die, which had been completed long ago. When King Huainan and his family were imprisoned, Wen Qing deliberately let people put the male lead and King Huainan to be locked together.

In his last life, because his father was meddlesome, he killed his parents. In this life, he failed on the last step and went to jail. You can imagine what King Huainan would do to Zhao Yan. The two people tore and bit each other off, hurting each other. The guards also did not care about them, so in the end, the two were bitten to death by each other.

As for the second wish, it was to protect the Duke of Zhen's Manor. This didn't require her to do anything at all. The first granddaughter/daughter was in the palace as the Emperor. Even if you change the jade slip, the blood relationship is inseparable. Who would be blind enough to mess with the Duke of Zhen's Manor?

As for the original heroine, Wen Qing didn't plan to do anything to her from the beginning. Although she did not have the male lead, she married the loyal dog supporting the male lead. She gave birth to a girl and had a good life. Wen Qing took her Taobao golden finger after she (WQ) died.

In the fourth year after Wen Qing ascended the throne, her mother chose a beautiful imperial husband for her, and she gave birth to two sons. When Wen Qing was sixty-five years old, she passed the throne to the eldest son and then left the world.

The golden finger she chose this time was not much of use. Although the cultivation of immortality had much use, it had many restrictions too. One of them was, cultivators were not allowed to attack mortals. This was the protection Heaven gave for the weak. Sadly, she had been an Emperor in her last life, but she didn't kill anyone!

Wen Qing returned the golden finger to Vanity Space, absorbed the power of merit, then teased the little Phoenix. She obviously saw it in advance, and in a blink of an eye, it unexpectedly took some effort to change back into a palm-size. It really made people not know what to say.

While playing around, the soul-calling bell at the door again rang. Wen Qing threw the little Phoenix and used her soul consciousness to check on the Past Life Stone. She already had a plan in her heart and was waiting for the client to come in.

A dull-face, thin, middle-aged woman came in. She wore a short-sleeved shirt, modern clothing. It just so happened that Wen Qing had just gone to ancient times, so she didn't want to immediately go back there.

Following the same pattern of the opening speech, they finally came to the topic:

"My life is not very good..." said the thin woman.

It was not very good. Based on what Wen Qing saw, it could indeed be called miserable. The client's surname was Wang, her name was Wang Wenqing, she was born in a small isolated mountain village. Once she was born, she was nicknamed "mother's killer" because her mother died because of a difficult birth. Although there was a younger twin brother and her mother died after giving birth to the little brother, she was the only one who killed their mother because her old grandmother Wang didn't want her treasured golden grandson to carry such a reputation.

Since childhood carrying the nickname "mother's killer," the star of disaster, or such money-losing nicknames, Wang Wenqing didn't have enough food daily and still needed to do the most work. It would be fine if the Wang family was poor, but the Wang family could be considered as one of the richest families in their village, and they still treated her harshly, not treating her as a human being at all. After her father married her stepmother, her life became more difficult. After the stepmother gave birth to a child, even her younger brother was not treated well.

Fortunately, the two siblings had been close since they were young, supporting each other and growing up filled with hope. When they were eight and nine years old, there was a group of urban youngsters who came to the countryside. Later, there were another group of "bad influencers" who came to reform through labor*. Wang Wenqing was busy working and serving her family, and didn't know what was happening outside.

*T/N: 劳动改造(Láodòng Gǎizào), abbreviated as 劳改 (Láo Gǎi) is a criminal justice system involving the use of penal labor and prison farms.

Later, her brother suddenly fell into the river and drowned. Someone secretly told her that he was pushed into the river by the stepmother's child. She had been submissive for more than ten years and finally exploded when the little brother who depended on her was killed. She broke relations with her family and set up her own business.

She moved out by herself and happened to be neighbors with those bad people who were being reformed. She received a lot of help from those people, and then she was moved by one of the teenagers of the same age.

At that time, she didn't know what was a stinking intellectual* was, what was an evildoer**. It was when the villagers saw her close with them that they told her about it. So the little girl ran away in fright and never interacted with them anymore. Later, she married an educated youth in the village; he abandoned her when he returned to the city.

*T/N: 臭老九 (chòu lǎo jiǔ), lit. means stinking number nine, is one of the labels given during the "cultural revolution" in 1966-1976. As the "Nine Black Categories" were landlords, rich farmers, anti-revolutionaries, bad influences, rightists, traitors, spies, capitalists, and intellectuals. The ninth is intellectual.

**T/N: 坏分子(huài fèn zi) refer to the fourth in line, which is the bad influencers.

Later, she married two more husbands. One was addicted to gambling and sold her when he had no money to gamble. The other was a drunkard who would resort to domestic violence as soon as he got drunk. She'd had a miscarriage twice during her pregnancy, and she could no longer give birth due to her injured body... She reached middle age, had no one to rely on, and could only pick up trash on the road to make a living. At this moment, she met the young man who moved her heart. He was still young and handsome, wearing a well-ironed military uniform with two bars and four stars on his shoulder. However, the woman he was affectionately holding was actually Wang Zhaodi, who came from the same village as her...

Wang Wenqing was struck to death by a car in her trance.

Her whole life was a tragedy, Wen Qing couldn't help but sigh.

"...I just hope to find a good man and live a good life."

Wen Qing: "…"

She took back what she'd said earlier. The poor man must have something hateful. She had met three scumbags; not only she didn't think about standing on her own feet, but she still hoped to rely on men. Her thinking was too naive.

But since it was the client's wish, then she would do it according to her wish.

After settling down the client, Wen Qing asked the little Phoenix, "Staying here is boring, right? Do you want to take a stroll with me? There is a lot of fun and delicious food outside!"

The little Phoenix was immediately moved. Although this space was full of energy and helped it cultivate quickly, the only bad thing was that there were no other living creatures. Once the master left, it was the only thing here, and it was boring to always cultivate. But it felt very conflicted. It wanted to go out and play but didn't want to get too close to Wen Qing. The shadows from the past still lingered, it was still afraid of being roasted by her. After hesitating for a long while, the temptation to go out and play finally prevailed, "Okay, take me out with you."

Wen Qing said with a smile, "Ah, I'm sorry. I suddenly remembered that in this world, you are not allowed to be a spirit animal, or you will be caught and slaughtered!"

Little Phoenix: "…"

Bastard! You deliberately tempted me without intending to take me! Purposely watching me feel conflicted! Bastard! Bastard!

Looking at the teary-eyed little Phoenix, Wen Qing's wicked heart was satisfied. She waved her hand and left happily.

Chapter 78: Reborn Female Lead Has Space [1]

This world was about a rebirth of a female lead, Wang Zhaodi, whose formal name was Wang Qiumei. She died in her last life after a lot of suffering and returned with a space golden key. Relying on her previous memories, she hugged the golden thigh in advance, got rid of the scumbags, taught the family members who had good qualities, and lived a prosperous life.

A very inspirational story about the rebirth of a female lead seemed to have nothing to do with the clients, but why was Wang Wenqing said to be cannon fodder? First, she had a crush on the male lead. Those who snatched a man from a female lead would usually not end well. Second, she was the one who got the female lead's last life's scumbag husbands.

It was hard to say whether there was the female lead's contribution to it. The client's wishes had nothing to do with the female lead, so she would just find a good man and live a good life.

"Da Ni'er! Da Chuan fell into the river! Quickly see him!"

Wen Qing was combing through the original plot but was abruptly interrupted by a sharp voice. A thin middle-aged woman with yellow skin was shouting at her.

She was called Da Ni'er now. The original owner lost her mother when she was born, and she was a silly girl. Her grandmother Lady Li didn't even give her a name. Everyone in the family called her dead girl, so outsiders just went along and called her Da Ni'er*. The name Wang Wenqing was given by the original owner's first husband, the educated youth, Jiang Chunyao, because he felt Da Ni'er was too crude.

*T/N: 大妮儿 (Da Ni'er) lit. means 'big girl.' It's not a name, just a nickname. I doubt that Da Chuan is his name but let's just see.

Realizing that the middle-aged woman was calling her, Wen Qing quickly returned to her senses and ran towards the small river in her memory. Da Chuan was the original owner's twin younger brother. The original owner didn't mention this brother, so she almost ignored him!

When Wen Qing arrived, Wang Da Chuan had been fished out. There was a dark-faced man who checked his breath, then shook his head, "There's no breath anymore!"

Everyone in the surrounding took a deep breath. They all said he was really pitiful, that fate was unkind, and so on. Wen Qing pushed away from the crowd, kneeling on the ground. She first cleaned the dirt in Wang Da Chuan's nose and mouth, then ripped open his clothes and started doing CPR.

People around her looked at her and thought she would not accept the reality, and they all persuaded her.

"Da Ni'er, your brother is gone... Sorry for your loss."

"Let him go peacefully, don't be sad."

"Did you inform Da Chuan's father yet?"

"Someone has already gone to inform him, he might haven't arrived."

"Da Chuan and his sister are both so pitiful. They lost their mother after birth and Wang Jingui married a stepmother in no time and left them on their own. Last winter, Da Ni'er didn't even have shoes to wear, she was cooking in the kitchen barefoot. It made people feel sorry for them. You said that their family is not poor and doesn't lack food, so why are they torturing a child like this?"

"Who knows? This motherless child is not even as worthy as grass! Even raising a cat or a dog for several years will make people develop some feelings. How can this biological child be so badly treated?"

"Grandma Li's family is not stingy, the stepmother's children are treasures, but the one in front of us was just like grass! I tell you, Da Chuan falling into the river was Wang Erhu's doing! No matter what, they are brothers with the same father, but he pushed him into the river! If it weren't because of their family's education, how could a little kid think of this?"

…

A group of people were wildly discussing. Although they were pitying Wen Qing and her brother, their tone was no different than discussing what to eat today. After all, no matter how pitiful they were, they had nothing to do with them. But their mouths kept opening and closing, it became something for them to chat about.

"Hey, he's alive! He's alive! Da Chuan is alive again!"

With an exclamation, the crowd gathered around again. Seeing Da Chuan really coughing up water and slowly opening his eyes, those who watched the excitement were amazed. They began to say what a great blessing, it must be a blessing to survive a catastrophe, and so on.

Wen Qing ignored them and used her hand to hold Wang Da Chuan while asking, "Da Chuan, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Wang Da Chuan saw his sister once he opened his eyes and cried loudly, "Jie! I thought I'd never see you again. The water is so cold, I'm scared..."

*T/N: 姐 (jie) means "big sister;" I'll leave this kind of form of address as it is from now on.

Wen Qing lightly patted him, "Da Chuan, don't be afraid. It's okay now, it's okay..."

The siblings hugged each other, depended on each other. People couldn't help but feel saddened. They were pitiful children, ah.

Wen Qing comforted Wang Da Chuan, then looked up to the crowd. When she saw the woman who had notified her just now, she said to her, "Aunt Guihua, please look after Da Chuan for me."

Gao Guihua, who was being called, hurriedly came over to hold Wang Da Chuan, "Okay, aunt will help you watch over him. Husband, come give me a hand. Take the child home first, change to dry clothes, don't let him get cold."

Seeing that Wang Da Chuan had settled down, Wen Qing went home following her memory. The original owner's family was in a good condition. Grandmother Li was patriarchal, sarcastic, and mean. The stepmother, Li Cuihua, was her niece from Li's family, who also had the same wickedness in her blood.

These two were still okay; one was a grandmother one generation away, the other was a stepmother they had nothing to do with. But the most inconceivable was her father, Wang Jingui. After all, the original owner was his own daughter, but he still let those two harm her! Since young, the original owner had never eaten a full meal or worn decent clothes; she lived in a straw hut that was leaking everywhere and ate leftover food. But the food this year was expensive, where could there be any leftovers? Therefore, the original owner often had no food to eat; she was hungry and skinny. A twelve-year-old child surprisingly had a large head and thin limbs, looking like an African refugee.

As soon as Wen Qing entered the yard, she heard people bustling and eating in the hall. Humph! Her brother was pushed into the river by Wang Erhu and almost met the King of Yama, yet they were eating happily! Wen Qing rushed into the kitchen, picked up the kitchen knife, and slammed aggressively with killing intent to the hall.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Wen Qing swung around the large kitchen knife and chopped the dining table along with the table of food. The soup was splashed everywhere, wood chips flew, and the room was a mess.

The Wang family, who was eating, shrieked and dodged in all directions, thinking that the bandits had entered the village. After seeing that the evildoer was Wen Qing, Lady Li screamed, "You dead girl, do you want to die?! Damn it! Aiyo, the fish stew for my grandson was all ruined by this b*tch! You bad omen! My table ah, the bowl is all broken!" Lady Li squealed in distress, busy picking up the food on the floor.

Stepmother Li Cuihua also reacted and yelled, "You dead girl only know to throw money away! Are you jealous seeing my son eating fish? You smashed it all up because we're not letting you eat! How can there be such a selfish and vicious girl like you!"

"Waah*, Granny, I want to eat fish!"

*T/N: If it's not clear enough, it's the sound of crying.

…

The room was in chaos. Wen Qing looked at them coldly, raising the shining kitchen knife in her hand. All the voices stopped abruptly, her eyes staring at them coldly like they were dead.

"Da Chuan was pushed by Wang Erhu to the river and almost drowned to death, yet you're still in the mood to eat fish?! A room full of heartless wolves! So what if I chopped your fish? I want to chop you all! Anyway, I have a bad life, so it's not a loss to kill all of you!"

The whole family was scared by her murderous words and could not help but take a step back. Li Cuihua directly hid her son behind her husband's back. Wang Jingui swallowed her saliva, his face turned ugly, "Da... Da Ni'er, put the knife down first. Let's talk properly. I'm your father. Are you really going to kill your father?"

Wen Qing sneered, "Now you remember that you are my father? Did you remember me when I was asked to wash everyone's clothes with ice water in winter? Why didn't you remember me when I was cooking for you barefoot in the ice and snow? Why didn't you think of me when you made me eat pig food and sleep in a straw hut? Why didn't you remember me when I was beaten by Li Cuihua and couldn't get out of bed..."

The people outside heard the commotion and surrounded the place. Hearing Wen Qing's words, they looked at them with condemnation. The sins committed by this family could not be concealed at all. Everyone didn't say anything, but their hearts were as clear as the mirror. Wang Jingui's face was flushed red, not because of Wen Qing's words, but because he felt that he was seen as a joke. But, fearing the knife in Wen Qing's hand, he didn't dare to do anything.

"It's fine for you to trample on us siblings in the past, but this time you want to kill Da Chuan! You should be grateful he was okay! Else, you would have been chopped to pieces by now!"

"Anyway, my life is not worth much. Instead of being harmed to death by you guys, It's better to hack you to death. It could count as sharing the same fate!"

The Old Lady Li wailed, "Aiyo, what have I done to deserve this, ah? My granddaughter wants to chop her grandma to death, ah! You unworthy granddaughter! How did my Wang family give birth to such a vicious girl!" The Old Lady Li didn't believe Wen Qing dared to kill them; she only thought she was bluffing.

Wen Qing raised the knife in her hand. The sharp blade grazed her cheek and stuck on the wall behind before being pulled again by Wen Qing. The Old Lady Li's cheeks were tingling, and she dropped on the floor in fear.

Wen Qing glanced at them coldly, "Don't think I'm joking. If you don't leave me and Da Chuan alive, then I can only fight to the death with you!"

That move just now not only scared Old Lady Li but also shocked Wang Jingui and his wife. The Wang family was the type that bullied the weak and feared hardships. Encountering such stubborn Wen Qing made them completely wimpy and dare not act rashly.

Wen Qing took the knife, went to Lady Li's room, and dragged a bag of grain out. He scanned around and said coldly, "From now on, Da Chuan and I have nothing to do with your family! If you dare mess with us, I will take you down with me!"

After saying that, she dragged the grain while carrying the kitchen knife, then went away. Although the Wang family was reluctant to part with the bag of grain, they didn't dare to let out even a fart.

Wen Qing walked to the door and faced a group of a dumbfounded melon-eating* crowd, "You have seen what happened today. Wang Erhu was instructed by Li Cuihua and almost killed Da Chuan! This is not the first time. If we still live in this house, we won't even know how we die! Let uncles and aunts here today become witnesses. Today, Da Chuan and I have cut off our relationships with the Wang family!"

*T/N: Eating melon or melon-eating refers to people who are watching gossip/excitement/drama.

After saying so, she broke the black shining kitchen knife and tossed it to the ground. Watching her breaking such a sturdy knife, the onlookers felt their hearts tremble.

No matter what their reaction was, Wen Qing left with a bag of grain.

The best way to deal with the original owner's trash family was to cut off relations with them quickly. One move to remove the pest. This would save her from future gibberish!

After she walked far away, the Old Lady Li shouted, "Damn it! That was 50 jins of grains, ah!" It's killing her!

*T/N: 1 jin equal to 0.5kg.

The people watching the excitement asked her, "Are your granddaughter and grandson not worth a bag of grain?" Even though the granddaughter and grandson cut off relations with them, she unexpectedly still cared about fifty jins of grain!

"Definitely not worth that much, ah!" Old Lady Li replied without thinking.

The people around were dumbfounded, and then they shook their heads. No wonder a quail person like Da Ni'er was forced to go crazy. Alas...

Wen Qing went to the chief village's house, briefly explained the situation, then asked him to borrow a house at the foot of the northern mountain. That was originally a house of a family with no children. After the old couple passed away, the house was empty, and it was far from the village. No one had any idea what to do with the house. Anyway, the house was empty, so the chief readily agreed.

"Ai! This brother and sister are so pitiful!"

There was no secret in the village. Everyone saw what Lady Li did in the house, but didn't say anything. After all, they harmed their family's children, it wasn't good for them to say much. The incident this time, although Da Ni'er used a knife to scare them, it was also because Da Chuan was almost killed. Such an honest and quiet child was forced to this point, wasn't it because their family was too much?

I have to say, the original owner's quail character was rooted too deeply in everyone's heart. When she exploded and almost chopped the family this time, unexpectedly, other people didn't think it was her fault. They just felt that these people had forced her hand.

It was also why Wen Qing cut a big mess quickly, not letting Lady Li and the other people have a chance to speak. If they were allowed to cry and howl, maybe people would sympathize with the weak again, thinking that she was too cruel.

Wen Qing refused Aunt Guihua's kind invitation for dinner. Dragging the grain in one hand and holding Da Chuan's hand in the other, she walked towards their new home.

"Jie, from now on, there will only be the two of us, right?" Wang Da Chuan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly came up with this question. Wen Qing turned her head to look at him. Da Chuan was a grandson. Before Wang Dahu, Wang Erhu, and Wang Sanhu were born, Lady Li also loved him for some time. Therefore, his fate was not as bad as the original owner, a little happier than the original owner's, but he still had a yellow and thin appearance.

"Is Da Chuan reluctant to leave that family?"

"No, that's not my home anymore! Wherever my Jiejie is, is where my home is. I only have Jiejie as a family." He had long understood that no one in that house treated them like family.

Wen Qing smiled and stroked his head, then pulled out candy from her pocket. "Eat, ba. Jiejie will let you live a good life!"

Wang Da Chuan's eyes lit up. This is candy! He had seen Wang Dahu eat it before, but he never ate it. "Jie, where did you get it?!"

"Jiejie secretly took it when I went to grandma's room to take the grain. Don't tell other people, or they will scold me for stealing things."

Wang Da Chuan hurriedly nodded his head, "I won't tell, definitely won't tell. Jie, you eat too. We both eat a half."

"Okay."

Chapter 79: Reborn Female Lead Has Space [2]

Wen Qing took Wang Da Chuan to their new home, a two-room broken house. Because it was uninhabited for a long time, the house exuded a musty smell. It was empty and had no furniture. But the good thing was, there was still a heatable brick bed and the doors and windows could still be used. Wen Qing opened the doors and windows to ventilate first. Today, they could only temporarily make do for one night and go to buy some furniture tomorrow.

Next to the two rooms was a little wooden shed, where the original owner of the house had used to cook. Wen Qing walked in and was about to check if the pots and stoves could be used, but found that it was clean, and there were pots and pans.

Wen Qing was stunned, and immediately thought that this should have been left behind by those "stinking intellectuals."

In the original story, after Wang Wenqing broke relations with her family, she also lived in their current house. No more than 20 meters from here was the detention house, and the people who were being reformed through labor lived in it. Because people in the detention house had big appetites, they came here to cook. No one lived here anyway. Because of this, they found that there was a little girl that lived here and gave Wang Wenqing a lot of help.

But Wang Wenqing was not Wen Qing. When she cut all ties with her family, she dragged a bag of grain. When Wang Wenqing had gone out of the house, she didn't bring anything! In the beginning, those "scholars" saved a bite of food for her and didn't let her starve to death. Those people had little rations, so it was hard to eat half-full. Such precious food was kindly distributed to the original owner, but when the original owner found out that they were the "stinking intellectuals," she immediately hid away. How could this haven't made them sad?

That's why, after the reborn female lead appeared, her enthusiasm, kindness, respect, and how she never looked down on them were remarkable and made them more grateful!

Wen Qing refused to comment. She knew that these people would return to their position, their future achievements were limitless. As long as they had a normal brain, they would choose to be kind to them for greater returns.

But what the female lead had done had nothing to do with her. It was good as long as she could fulfill the client's wish. But then again, the female lead's wish was to find a good man and live a good life. If it was a good man, did it count if she trained Da Chuan into a good man and kept him for a lifetime?

Of course, Wen Qing was only thinking and quickly dismissed this idea. Although the client didn't say it clearly, it was obvious that she meant to find a husband. If she really used her younger brother to make do, wouldn't the client get angry and cry?

Wen Qing was thinking while carrying the bag of grain on her back. She found someone to exchange it with 20 jins of wheat flour, 2 Chinese cabbages, 3 eggs, and a worn quilt that was pretty new. On the way back, Wen Qing secretly brought a new quilt from Taobao and replaced it.

The golden finger she brought this time was the Taobao system. In this era, where there was a lack of clothing and food, Taobao was undoubtedly the best choice. Although having the space was not bad, this was a mortal world, so using Cultivating Immortality had a lot of restrictions. The things in the space were limited and not as complete as Taobao.

Moreover, Jiang Shu from the last life could be said to be having wealth equivalent to the entire nation. She had top up a lot of money on Taobao and there was sufficient balance for her to buy, buy, buy.

Wen Qing also brought non-eye catching oil, salt, and seasonings, as well as bowls, chopsticks, etc. She took this opportunity to bring these things home. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain to Da Chuan how she could get so many things. When she got home, Wang Da Chuan saw that she had brought back so many things, so he hurried over to take it from her. "Jie, what did you exchange it for? There are so many things, I told you that I would go with you, but you refuse."

"It's not heavy. Today, I will make you something delicious!"

Once he heard there was something delicious, Da Chuan's eyes were sparkling, "What will you make?"

"Wait for a while, you'll know soon. You go sweep the house first, I'll call you when it's time to eat."

After sending Da Chuan away, Wen Qing entered the kitchen, kneaded noodles, chopped the filling, and wrapped the dumplings. Although dumplings were very luxurious in this era, firstly, Da Chuan had received a shock after escaping death; secondly, they'd just escaped from the sea of suffering and regained a new life. So, it was time to celebrate.

Wen Qing wrapped the cabbage and egg as the filling. Although there was no meat, Wen Qing was not stingy with the oil, so it smelled good. The dumplings were cooked, so Wen Qing washed the bowls and chopsticks she'd just bought and filled the bowl to the brim. Wen Qing carried the two bowls of dumplings to the door towards the hall. Da Chuan was cleaning the room with a handful of branches. There was no broom here, so he could only make do with this.

"Da Chuan, stop first. Come and eat." The dust flew all over the room, so Wen Qing carried the food but didn't go in. She called Da Chuan from the door.

"Jie, what did you make?" Once Wang Da Chuan heard about eating, he immediately dropped the tree branches in his hand and ran over with excitement. When he saw the two bowls of white and fat dumplings Wen Qing was holding, he stared with wide eyes. "Dumplings?! Jie, you make dumplings!"

As Wang Da Chuan spoke, without waiting for Wen Qing's reply, he immediately took one bowl, squatted at the door, and started eating. "Woah, it's delicious!" During the New Year of the Wang family, Lady Li would also make dumplings. But the amount was fixed; one person got five, no more. Because flour was expensive, they couldn't even afford to make vegetarian dumplings. However, Wang Wenqing and her brother could only watch, they didn't even get a dumpling soup.

"I took that bag of grain and exchanged some food with the villagers. I exchanged it for 20 jins of flour, 2 white cabbages, and some eggs. I remember that you've just escaped from death today, so we should celebrate. Eat slowly. In the future, you can eat as much as you want!"

Wang Da Chuan nodded as he ate, too busy to speak. After all, he was just a child and he had never eaten such good things when he grew up. Naturally, he gobbled it up like a hungry wolf.

Wen Qing saw him eating so well, she gave him a few more, but he dodged and vaguely said, "Jie, you eat too. I have enough."

Wen Qing was also afraid he would eat too much at once, and it would be bad for the stomach, so she no longer insisted. The siblings squatted on the doorstep, eating with gusto.

After they ate and drank their fill, Wen Qing felt really comfortable. Since she transmigrated into this body, every cell in her body had been screaming hunger! She'd secretly nibbled on a piece of chocolate to last until now.

Wang Da Chuan was equally bubbling with happiness. "Jie, it's good if we could eat dumplings like this every day."

Wen Qing patted his head and didn't say anything. No matter how she said it, he would not believe it in his heart. Let's just wait until it was realized.

The siblings swept the house clean and washed the pots in the kitchen, filled the used up water, and went to the mountain at the back to pick up some firewood to make up for the ones that Wen Qing had burned for cooking. When they finished all these, the sky was already dark.

"These people will be back soon. Remember what I told you!" Wen Qing warned.

"Jie, I'll remember."

Not long after, the villagers were released from work. Wen Qing watched from afar as several people entered the detention house. After a while, they came this way with a bag of things.

"Old Xu, you can just go back and rest when you are sick. I'll make the food and let Zhuang Yan send it to you!"

"It's not a problem. It's good to take a walk, I'll feel more energetic. Laying in bed made me feel like a patient, it was uncomfortable."

The sound of conversation got closer. In a while, they arrived. There were a total of four people, two old people with gray hair, one youth, and one teenager. The four of them were stunned when they saw Wen Qing and her brother. They didn't seem to expect someone here.

Wen Qing didn't speak. Wang Da Chuan stepped forward to greet them. "Grandpas, uncles, from now on, my sister and I will live here. So we're sorry to disturb you."

The villagers never had a good expression when they saw these people. To suddenly encounter such a kind young boy made Old Xu and the others feel quite surprised. They felt warm and smiled. "It's us that is disturbing you. This is where you live, but we used your kitchen. We will immediately pack our things and leave."

Wang Da Chuan said quickly, "No need, no need. You guys can continue to use it, there are only me and my sister, I may have to trouble you..." Wang Da Chuan scratched his head in embarrassment. "Grandpa, I'm sorry. We borrowed your pot today."

Xu Jian'guo waved his hand, "No big deal. No need to apologize, you guys can use it."

"Thank you, grandpa."

As they spoke, Wen Qing watched from the side and analyzed the identities of these several people.

One of them was Xu Jian'guo, who had a flushed face, dry lips, and had a military aura on him. The one wearing glasses and a gentle-looking young man was his son, Xu Niansheng. The refined and handsome young man was named Xu Zhuangyan, Xu Niansheng's son. A family of three generations.

Another old man with a somewhat refined temperament was He Qiong, who was a doctor before the revolution.

The Xu family was not an ordinary family. Even if they were now beaten into the stinking intellectuals, they had people as their backers. Otherwise, they wouldn't be sent to the foot of a mountain in the Wang family's area. The Wang family's area had a complex terrain. The surrounding mountains were steep and there was only one trail leading to the outside world. The nearest village from the Wang family's area was a two-hours walk. The village was secluded, but it became the best protection during the turmoil era. Because those Red Guards were not willing to walk for a few hours just to abuse them.

Apart from the people in the village who avoided them like tigers saying some sarcastic remarks, doing labor every day, and not getting enough to eat, there was nothing else. They were much better than others.

How many people could not withstand the pressure and committed suicide or fell ill less than two years after they came? The four of them, however, went back intact. Xu Jian'guo and He Qiong returned to their post, and they still worked for a long time.

They spoke a few more words. Wang Da Chuan followed Wen Qing into the house, leaving Xu Jian'guo and the others to cook.

Xu Jian'guo and the others went back after eating. He Qiong couldn't help but sigh, "Those siblings are really interesting."

Xu Jian'guo said, "Niansheng, you keep an eye on them tomorrow, see why these two kids moved here."

"Okay."

The next morning, Wen Qing took advantage of Da Chuan still sleeping to secretly get up and go to the mountain. After walking around, she bought a chicken and a rabbit from Taobao, deliberately choosing the one which had fur like a pheasant.

It has to be said that this Taobao was pretty easy to use. It had a complete range of things, they even had fresh products. They also had a nine-square compartment. Each compartment could hold the same items and the upper limit was 99. But Jiang Shu was smarter, she packed different things in exactly the same boxes, which took up three spaces. When Wen Qing checked it out, the 99 boxes in the first square were all filled with gold and silver jewelry, the second square was filled with antique porcelain, and the third square was filled with authentic paintings and calligraphy.

*T/N: For those who got confused, there is a nine-square grid compartment, each compartment could hold an item, with a max capacity of 99. So, Jiang Shu, instead of directly putting 99 pieces of gold in one square and other things in the other squares, puts 99 boxes in one square, then filled those boxes with things.

These things were originally prepared by Jiang Shu just in case she crossed again, but Wen Qing now profited from it. However, she was in the era of Destroy the Four Olds*, so she didn't need antique calligraphy or painting. The things on Taobao were more useful.

*T/N: 破四旧 (po si jiu), Destroy the Four Olds refers to the campaign of the Cultural Revolution. The Four Olds were: Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Customs.

Wen Qing carried two "wild animals" back. Da Chuan just woke up. Wen Qing shook the things in her hand at him and said, "Da Chuan, we have meat to eat!"

Da Chuan saw the things in her hand and leaped from the bed, "Jie, where did you get them?"

"I caught it from the back mountain. We will look for more after we eat, who knows if there'll be more."

Da Chuan nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. His brain was now filled with meat and he could not think of anything else.

The brother and sister, one burned the fire, the other cooked the meat. The fragrance soon wafted out. Fortunately, they were far from the village, so no one could smell it.

Chapter 80: Reborn Female Lead Has Space [3]

After eating a delicious chicken stew, Wen Qing took Wang Da Chuan to the back of the mountain to search for treasures.

The Wang Family Col was surrounded by mountains. Because of the so-called eat from the mountain if you live by the mountain, the villagers often went to the mountain to hunt for the treasures. Nowadays, not getting enough to eat was normal. Some people were so hungry they could chew on grass, so all the things inside the mountain had almost been swept clean.

Wang Da Chuan felt that his sister had hit a jackpot that she could catch two things this morning, and this time they probably wouldn't have such good luck. However, they saw a big fat rabbit as soon as they arrived on the mountain. Moreover, the rabbit was so stupid that it did not run away when it saw people. Wang Da Chuan pounced on it and caught it.

Wang Da Chuan excitedly held up the rabbit, "Jie, I caught a rabbit!"

"Hush, keep your voice down, don't let people hear." Wen Qing was not afraid of being found out then having to give the rabbit to them but she was afraid of people who became green-eyed once they found out. Because their village was being closed off, the regulation of the hunt was not very strict. For little animals like rabbits or pheasants, they would belong to whoever caught them, and the chief would also close one eye. On the other hand, large animals like wild boars must be handed in.

Wang Da Chuan also realized that he was too excited just now, so he hurriedly lowered his voice. "Jie, this rabbit is really stupid, it did not even hide when it saw us coming. Otherwise, with how fast it runs, it will not be easy to catch."

Isn't it a silly rabbit? She had bought a few more artificial rabbits from Taobao on purpose this morning and put them here as cover. But her mouth said, "Maybe it becomes dumb from hunger."

Wang Da Chuan was convinced. People couldn't get enough to eat these days, let alone this little thing. Wang Da Chuan was immersed in the joy of his harvest and subconsciously ignored how the rabbit was fat and big, not looking like it was starving at all.

It might be that their luck had come and they couldn't block it. In one afternoon, Wang Da Chuan had caught three rabbits and two pheasants, so he was very happy. He was running back excitedly while carrying a pile of things, ready to free up his hands to continue to work again!

Wen Qing slowly followed from the back. Was it easy for her to make the things she bought from Taobao appear?

This time, there was meat. Wen Qing simply cut the remaining Chinese cabbage in half, mixed it with rabbit meat, and chopped it into dumpling filling.

When scooping flour from the flour bag, Wen Qing smoothly added another two jins to it. When she dragged grain from Li's house yesterday, she deliberately dragged a bag of wheat, because this was the most expensive. The Wang family also only had this one bag of fine grains. The rest were sweet potatoes, corn, and such.

Yesterday, when she'd gone to the village to exchange the flour, the aunt relentlessly persuaded her to exchange all the grains to coarse grains, but she declined. Anyway, no matter what she got, she would secretly replenish them from Taobao. Naturally, she would choose the better options! Moreover, corn was more expensive than flour on Taobao!

Wen Qing was cooking the dumplings when Wang Da Chuan returned. This time, he only caught a rabbit and there was some regret in his expression. Wen Qing smiled. "It's enough, come eat quickly. The mountain has been cleaned up long ago, it's already good enough to find these. I guess these are also because of the busy farming period and because fewer people go to the mountains."

"I also know it is great luck, but somehow I always think that there might be more?" Wang Da Chuan scratched his head and laughed.

Wen Qing picked up a bowl of dumplings and handed it to him. "All right, eat ba. Tidy up the remaining rabbit and pheasant after you finish eating, we'll make them into bacon," she said, before lowering her voice and leaned into Wang Da Chuan's ear and whispered, "Let's sell this meat to the city."

Private trading was an act of profiteering and you'll be beaten like a bad egg if caught. However, Wang Da Chuan did not know about this profiteering at the moment. He only felt that Wen Qing lowering her voice to him just meant that it was an important thing, so he also followed along and whispered, "I'll listen to Jie."

Although Wang Da Chuan was the same age as the original owner, the original owner was the big sister who had yielded to him and protected him since young. Therefore, Wang Da Chuan trusted her very much. Especially after Wen Qing transmigrated over, she had a more convincing aura. If she said to sell it, Wang Da Chuan would not object at all. Because he knew what his big sister did was for their good.

The two of them ate a delicious meal of meat dumplings, then took out the remaining four rabbits and two chickens, rubbed salt on them, and hung them up to dry.

"Jie, the road to the city is so far away, how are you going to get there?"

"I won't go from Lijia Village, I'll go from the back of our house, over three mountains to reach the main road, then hitch a ride there. It's closer." Lijia Village was the closest village to the Wang Family Col* and it took more than two hours by foot. After arriving at Lijia Village, the road would be smoother, because people who wanted to go to the city had to pass Lijia Village.

Wen Qing was talking about taking a shortcut, but the difficulty factor for crossing the mountains was not small.

*T/N: The house where Wen Qing and Da Chuan live is on the foot of the mountain. The raws says 王家坳 (wang jia ao), which literary means "Wang Family Col" or the Wang Family that was located in the depression between mountains.

Once Wang Da Chuan heard of it, he disagreed. "No way, it's too dangerous for you to go alone, what if something happens?"

Wen Qing smiled. "Don't worry, I've been running in the mountains since I was a child. Other people might feel it's dangerous, but isn't it just like a flat ground for us? Besides, if I went from Lijia Village, I have to get an explanation letter from the chief. We definitely can't let people know that we are selling things. I'll go from this side secretly and come back after selling it quietly in the city. I'll be able to make a round trip in one day."

Wen Qing tried every way possible to reason and persuade Wang Da Chuan. After all, he was still a child and wet behind the ears, easy to fool.

Early the next morning, Wen Qing went on the road with more than twenty jins of meat. After crossing the first mountain, she took the things to Taobao's storage compartment and walked the mountain road empty-handed. Although there was a lot less burden, crossing three mountains was not an easy task.

Fortunately, she could buy things on Taobao to replenish her strength at any time. It took nearly two hours before she got to the main road. No wonder few people entered the city from this side even though it was obviously closer. Walking on flat ground was naturally much easier than climbing the mountain!

Wen Qing was lucky. Just when she got to the side of the road, a tractor came over. Seeing a child standing on the side of the road, they took the initiative to ask if she wanted to get a ride.

There was a two-wheeled handcart hanging behind the tractor, which was full of people. As soon as Wen Qing got up, they rushed to ask her what she was going to do in the city.

"My Didi is sick, I'm going to town to buy medicine." Wen Qing lowered her head as if she was shy.

Some people asked her where the elders in her family were. Wen Qing said their parents were both gone. So everyone stopped asking, looking at her with eyes full of pity.

Wen Qing pretended not to see and separated from them when she entered the city. She found a hidden alley, took out the bacon, and secretly searched for buyers.

Now was not the New Year nor some festival, so the amount of meat supply from the marketing cooperative* was very pitiful. Even if they had money, they were not able to buy it! Therefore, Wen Qing's 20 jins of bacon soon sold out. After selling the meat, she bought some dried noodles and eggs from Taobao. These fine grains were so popular. In the end, Wen Qing exchanged for a total of more than twenty yuan and a pile of colorful bills.

*T/N: 中华全国供销合作总社 (All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives), abbr. 供销社 (gong xiao she) is a National Supply and Marketing Cooperatives jointly organized by the country in the planned economy era. At that time, the government was responsible for controlling, organizing, and distributing agricultural products from rural and urban areas. Therefore, they can only sell it in the marketing cooperative stores and private trading is not allowed.

She went to the marketing cooperative and department store to take a look. Wen Qing had a plan in her heart when she saw the products in this era and then left. When passing by the health clinic, Wen Qing went in and bought some fever-reducing medicine before going to meet up with the people from the same tractor.

Those people had never suspected her, so seeing that she only bought a few packs of medicine, they believed her even more.

When Wen Qing returned to the Wang Family Col, the sky had turned dark. Wang Da Chuan was worried and waiting for her on the first mountain. Fortunately, Wen Qing has already carried the things she'd bought from Taobao in her hands.

Wang Da Chuan took the bags in her hand while asking, "Jie, are you tired? Is it safe on the road ba? You did not meet any bad guy ba? I saw that it's so late yet you haven't come back, you scared me to death!"

Wen Qing smiled. "Not tired, and I did not meet any bad guys. I even met good-hearted people who gave me a ride."

"It's good then, next time I won't let you go alone no matter what you say. You don't know how scared I am." He was afraid that something would happen to his big sister, his only relative.

"Don't be afraid. didn't Jie come back already?"

The two talked while descending from the mountain. When they got home, the Xu family was cooking. Wen Qing helped Wang Da Chuan to take things into the house first and she took the medicine to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, four people were eating around the stove, each with a bowl of very thin rice gruel that the bottom of the bowl could be seen, and a piece of black pancake the size of a child's palm.

The four of them were all stunned when they saw her enter. As they reacted, He Qiong greeted her, "Little girl, have you eaten yet? Do you want to eat with us?"

After saying that, he felt a little awkward, the dinner they'd made was just in the right amount, and there was not much left. Xu Jian'guo put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at her, smiling kindly. Xu Niansheng pushed up his glasses and looked at her with neither a servile nor overbearing attitude without the slightest embarrassment. On the contrary, Xu Jinyan* pursed his mouth and had a somewhat indifferent expression.

*T/N: In the last chapter, I wrote it as Xu Zhuangyan. I'm sorry guys, the right one is Xu Jinyan, it's my fault.

Wen Qing glanced at the four people's expressions and said in a low voice, "I've eaten." Then she put down the things in her hand and left.

Several people looked at each other, and finally, Xu Niansheng picked up what Wen Qing had put down and opened it. He was a little surprised, "It's medicine."

After saying that, he handed the medicine to He Qiong. He Qiong looked at it and said, "It's an antipyretic, ei? That little girl couldn't have known you had a fever and bought it for you especially, right?" He Qiong said as he looked at Xu Jian'guo.

"It's not right, didn't they say that this pair of siblings broke their relationship with the family and only brought a bag of grain when they came out? Where did the money to buy the medicine come from?" He Qiong said again.

"This little girl has a good heart, she kindly sent the medicine over, let's not pry into people's privacy, who doesn't have any secrets?" Xu Jian'guo said.

"That's true, this medicine is really timely. Your high fever keeps coming back and forth, I was afraid that your fever would get worse." He Qiong was a doctor. He spoke while taking out the medicine, then handing it to Xu Jian'guo.

Xu Jinyan lowered his head, you couldn't see his expression. But Xu Niansheng glanced towards the house of Wen Qing and her brother thoughtfully.

In the central room, Wen Qing took out the things she'd bought today and showed it to Wang Da Chuan, "The meat in the city is so little that they can't buy it even if they have money. When Jie took the meat out, it was swiped clean by people. After I sold it out, I bought a pair of shoes and pants for us..." It was autumn, but the siblings still wore straw sandals and their trousers were full of patches, not to mention that it had become ankle pants*. The first thing Wen Qing thought of was to buy shoes and pants first. The shirts were too eye-catching, it was better to think about it later.

*T/N: A ⅞ long pants.

Thanks to the omnipotent Taobao and something like the "60s and 70s performance costume props." Otherwise, she would have to buy a piece of cloth and make the clothes herself.

Wang Da Chuan had his own new clothes for the first time since he was a child, he happily hugged them, not wanting to let them go. "Jie, help me put them away, I will wear them for the Chinese New Year."

"There will be new clothes for the New Year. It's already autumn, won't you freeze to death if you wait for the New Year? Don't worry, Jie still has some money on hand." Wen Qing said and continued to take things out.

"I also bought two quilts. It will be winter soon, so one quilt is not enough. There's also a piece of fabric, I'll make a New Year's cloth for you with it. I also exchanged some coarse grains. We don't have much flour anymore, so we have to use it sparsely. Jie also bought you some candy and mung bean cake, the city people all eat this..."

Wen Qing rambled on, Wang Da Chuan touched this and looked at that. He was so excited and didn't know what to do. He thought this must be the happiest moment in his whole life.