Golden Branch

Chapter 94 Foodie?

Wang Heng blinked her eyes: "They--" Are they really so bold as to intend to murder Yang Rui?

He is the Prince of Qi, the eldest grandson of the saint.

Whether for the sake of royal dignity or for the sake of family affection, the saint will not forgive those people.

Even among these people, there may be the confidants of the King of Chu (or even himself)!
The saint may be wary of Yang Chong and promote Yang Yi to compete with Yang Chong, but he will not let outsiders interfere in the disputes between brothers.

Now, the innocent third generation has been implicated. If the saint knew the whole story, he would be the first to lose his temper.

"Not only these families in Yizhou, but even their families in the capital and their hometowns may be implicated!"

Just as Wang Heng was thinking to herself, Zheng Yi continued speaking.

As Wang Heng's tutor, she not only taught Wang Heng rules and etiquette, but also explained to her the various aspects of power and wealth, the struggles in the royal family, and the intrigues in the court.

This is not only Zheng Yi's selfish motive, but also truly for Wang Heng's own good.

As a noble lady from an aristocratic family, Wang Heng was destined to marry into a well-matched aristocratic and powerful family in the future.

If you only understand the disputes within the inner house, you will not be able to be a good mistress of the family.

She needs to have basic political literacy, a certain vision and mind, and understand the origins and grievances of various families, royal clans, etc. Only by being exposed to these "common sense" since childhood can Wang Heng be at ease, thoughtful and prudent when she grows up.

Wang Heng's slightly pale face was filled with confusion. She responded blankly, "Oh!"

Zheng Yi: ...Jiu Niang is good in every way, her only shortcoming is that she is too naive.

This was also one of the main reasons why Zheng Yi was eager to change Wang Heng's environment - in the remote village, there were no complicated interpersonal relationships, and people would just eat, drink, and have fun all day long, and any good talents would be worn away.

What's more, Jiu Niang is not that smart.

Therefore, we can only change her environment, let her know the wickedness of human hearts, and force her to grow up.

Prince Qi’s Mansion is a good battlefield.

A calm and peaceful personality?

does not exist!
As long as you enter such a circle of right and wrong, even if you don’t fight, you will be pushed and forced to “fight”!
Wang Heng has the potential to soar into the sky and should not be buried in the countryside like this.

There was a glint of ambition in Zheng Yi's eyes.

She wants to accompany Jiu Niang and reach the top together.

And she, Zheng Yi, Zheng Shizhong——

That year, she fled the capital in disgrace.

One day, she will return to the imperial city in glory!

Wang Heng felt Zheng Yi's ambition almost becoming a reality and lowered her eyelids again.

This matter cannot be delayed any longer!
She is just an ugly woman who is content with mediocrity and cannot give Zheng Ai all the wealth and glory.

In the past two or three years, Zheng Yi has been very devoted to her. Considering this friendship of education, she will not delay Zheng Ai!
Wang Heng silently made up her mind, but she was not in a hurry to reveal her cards.

She hasn't recovered from her illness yet and is not at home.

And at Wang Lin's place—

Thinking of her father, Wang Heng felt a dull pain in her heart.

She had known for a long time that her father didn't love her, but when she was "abandoned" by her father again, she couldn't help but feel sad.

Wang Heng knew her father's ambition - to seize power and revitalize the family!

"You were unkind to me, but at least you gave birth to me and raised me!"

"Well, I'll 'help' you this time, just as a father and daughter!"

"From now on, I don't owe you anything!"

Wang Heng thought silently that she would write a letter to her mother when she felt better.

If father wants to be promoted, give him the opportunity!
However, my father might not realize that he, a small figure who had already been branded as the King of Qi, was promoted too quickly before the King of Qi reached the top, making him an easy target.

Good fortune and misfortune are interdependent, but unfortunately my father may not be able to see through it.

Or, he knows it, but will still strive for power regardless of the consequences.

……

Wang Heng was suffering from nutritional problems, and the dozens of pieces of music she lent to Lou Yu were all sent back to the camp by Lou Yu.

Lou Yu: ...The prince has no shortage of manpower. His Lou family army is just a target to confuse the enemy.

Now, the drama has come to an end. Yang Rui wiped out the bandits on the Yi River with thundering means and eradicated several families in Yizhou. No one in Yizhou dared to disrespect the Prince of Qi anymore.

Six hundred guards were enough for Yang Rui, not to mention that Yang Rui also transferred a total of five thousand palace soldiers and sailors from Qizhou, Qingzhou and other places.

These people are all the King of Qi's men, and they only follow the orders of the Crown Prince of Qi.

Even if there are still people who are blind and fearless and dare to assassinate or murder Yang Rui, they will be shot into sieves and chopped into meat paste by these people.

Lou Yu "consciously" led back his one thousand troops and volunteered to lead the troops to encircle and suppress the remaining forces on both sides of the river.

Several major families have taken root in Yizhou for hundreds of years.

With so many branches and leaves and so many in-laws, it would take time and manpower to conduct a thorough investigation.

Yang Rui has already captured the main culprit, and the next step is to focus on clearing the river and training the sailors.

The task of clearing out the remaining forces will be the responsibility of his trusted people.

Lou Yu was one of them, and the most trusted one.

Although he was very young, he was busy all day long with his men in Yizhou, Hedong and other counties.

He grew very fast, and gradually became more reserved and calm from being a sharp and aggressive person.

Lou Yu was busy from summer to autumn. After the first autumn rain, the trial results of Li Shishi, Lu Huaixin and other main criminals were sent from the capital to Yizhou.

The main culprits, including Li and Lu, were beheaded in public, their property was confiscated by the government, and their families were exiled to Lingnan.

"Lu Jialan has been exiled! I went to see him, and he's no longer the arrogant and unruly person he used to be!"

Wang Mian leaned close to Wang Heng and gossiped in a low voice.

Her tone was a little complicated, showing sympathy for Lu Jialan, but also a sense of relief that "he deserves it".

Wang Mian had seen Lu Jialan's willfulness and tyranny, so although he had some sympathy, it wasn't much.

It seems unfair that family members are punished for their crimes, but Lu Jialan enjoyed the wealth of the Lu family and also bullied the weak by relying on Lu Huaixin's power. She was "implicated" and cannot be considered innocent.

As a human being, if you enjoy the good deeds, you should also bear the bad consequences.

She felt sympathy, but it was only because Lu Jialan looked so miserable. A girl in her teens, still a half-grown child, had to be tied up like an animal and walked all the way to Lingnan.

Ancient Lingnan was not the prosperous place it is today, but a wild and desolate land full of smoke, miasma and poisonous insects.

Also, along the way, which is two or three thousand miles, you can only walk, sleep in the open air, and you may encounter wild animals, natural disasters, diseases and other accidents.

There is a great possibility that the exiles could not survive the long and difficult journey of exile and died on the way.

A spoiled little girl like Lu Jialan is very likely to not survive.

Wang Mian really hated Lu Jialan and knew that she was not innocent, but when he thought about her death, he still felt a little reluctant.

They are of similar age and used to study and play under the same roof.

But now——

Alas, in this evil ancient times, the victor is the king and the loser is the bandit, and life is worthless!

Wang Heng sipped the milk tea Wang Mian had just made, showing little concern for Wang Mian's melancholy. This was the power struggle—cruel and bloody.

If you win, you will reach the top in one step.

If you lose, there is no recovery.

Wang Heng was unwilling to get too involved because she thought things through.

Don’t fight or compete, avoid anger and greed, live a simpler life, and at least it will be safe.

Of course, Wang Heng knew that the reason she could live a peaceful life today was not only because she was “Buddhist” enough, but mainly because she had a good fortune.

She has a mother who loves her.

After Wang Heng recovered from her illness, she wrote a letter to her mother.

Less than half a month later, there was a response from the capital.

Not only was Wang Lin not implicated in the "Yi River banditry", but he was promoted instead.

Governor Li was beheaded, and the Chief Secretary Wang Lin took over and became the new governor of Yizhou.

Wang Lin: ...Haha! A blessing in disguise!
I knew that A Jiang couldn't bear to leave A Jiu.

As long as he has his daughter Wang Heng in his hands, his official career will be smooth sailing.

Wang Lin completely forgot the nervousness and fear he felt on the pleasure boat that day, and also ignored the fact that he had become the "outsider".

He happily moved into the governor's mansion that had just been vacated by a certain Li, and took advantage of his official position to "buy" several shops along the newly opened wharf by Yang Rui, as well as a large tract of fertile land upstream.

Wang Lin did not keep all these properties to himself. He divided them into three parts. One part went into the Wang family's public account, one part went into his own small treasury, and the remaining part was registered under Wang Heng's name.

Wang Heng: ...That’s fine too!

My biological father is indeed a bit of a scumbag. He doesn't have much fatherly love, but he is willing to give me money.

It’s better than nothing!
Wang Heng handed the shop over to Wang Mian to manage, and the farms were managed by managers according to the Wang family's management model, and the three-dimensional ecological breeding business model proposed by Wang Mian was adopted.

They not only do farming and breeding, but also experiment with new varieties and new planting methods.

"Shisi Niang was also 'sent' away by her cousin!"

After Wang Mian finished gossiping, Wang Heng's new follower Zheng Shisan hurriedly followed suit.

She was wearing a brand new skirt and had new jewelry in her hair, and she looked much better.

She lowered her head, looked well behaved, and spoke softly, "Fourteenth Lady originally wanted to take me with her, but my cousin refused!"

Speaking of this, Zheng Shisan's eyes flashed with relief.

She did not misjudge Jiu Niang, nor did she underestimate her importance to Cousin Lou.

Thinking about the recent days, Zheng Chi has been making trouble.

She didn't want to be sent back to the capital. Her life in Lou's Fortress was much richer and more comfortable than Zheng Chi had imagined.

Originally, she was worried that Lou Yu would force her to eat and then turn her into a fat person.

For this reason, she did not hesitate to keep her two half-sisters so that in case she encountered such a situation, there would be someone to help her "share the burden".

However, after staying there, Zheng Chi discovered that Lou Yu did not live in the fort all the time.

He followed the Prince of Qi all day long, either patrolling the river, suppressing bandits, or training troops...Occasionally, when he returned to the fort, he would go to Wang's farm.

Zheng Chi hardly saw Lou Yu all day long.

Instead of being "bullied" as he had imagined, he enjoyed the luxurious life of the Lou family and the awe and fawning of the people towards the Lou family.

Zheng Chi, the cousin of the Lou family, finally realized the dignity of being a noble lady from an aristocratic family surrounded by people.

This is an experience that the Zheng family has never had.

In the Zheng family, people around her might be polite to her on the surface because of her surname, but their eyes always held ridicule and disgust for the "downtrodden" woman.

Those little girls seemed to be saying: "Why are you so proud? Wearing dresses from a few years ago and wearing faded jewelry, even the poor and the nouveau riche can't compare to them!"

The Zheng family is so "noble" that they have nothing left except the surname!
Zheng Chi was fed up with that look and the Zheng family's increasingly difficult life.

The Lou family is still the best, with both face and substance. The only person she is worried about is Lou Yu, who has never bullied her.

Zheng Chi couldn't help but think: If that's the case, marrying my cousin wouldn't be a bad idea!

Zheng Chi had a good idea, but the incident with the painted boat angered Lou Yu.

Although Zheng Chi tried his best to explain to Lou Yu and Wang Heng afterwards:
"I'm just so scared! I-I don't want to be left behind!"

"Besides, I didn't do anything! I just wanted to follow Jiu Niang!"

As for delaying Wang Heng's escape time and jumping off the boat first, it could only be considered selfish.

She had absolutely no ill intention to murder Wang Heng!

Lou Yu: ...Humph! I knew you didn't do it on purpose, so I just sent you away!

As long as you intend to do something bad, you can't leave even if you want to.

Lou Yu wanted to be a gentle gentleman like Yang Rui, but even Yang Rui was not a pushover who would repay evil with kindness.

Yang Rui also has the "wrath of King Kong". When he takes action, he is decisive and swift, and he will never show mercy!

Lou Yu was determined to send Zheng Chi away, ignoring Zheng Chi's pleas and the letters of appeal written by Mrs. Lou.

However, Zheng Chi fell seriously ill after falling into the water.

He was already thin and could not withstand such torture.

Although they were all sick, Wang Heng and others had already recovered, but Zheng Chi was always slow and procrastinating. She was so sick that she couldn't get out of bed several times, and Lou Yu couldn't really drag her out and send her away!

Lou Yu: ...

He couldn't let Zheng Chi leave him with a bad reputation, but he wouldn't condone him either.

He took the time to write a letter to Lou Jin, and through Yang Rui's relationship, he "took care" of Zheng Henian, who was an official in the capital. In less than half a month, the Zheng family sent someone to pick up Zheng Chi.

Zheng Chi knew that he could no longer pretend to be sick and stay in the Lou family fort, so he could only prepare to leave.

But her domineering nature would not allow her to be kicked out of the house in disgrace, leaving Zheng Shisan, a concubine's daughter, to enjoy the good life in the Lou family.

She asked to take Zheng Shisan and Zheng Shiliu with her.

Zheng Shisan was extremely scared, worried that she would really be taken away. After all, her surname was Zheng, not Lou, let alone Wang.

It was Lou Yu who directly stated that he wanted to keep Zheng Shisan and the two exotic concubines sent by the Zheng family from their hometown.

The person who came to pick up Zheng Chi was Madam Lou's confidant, so he naturally understood Madam Lou's thoughts.

Without having to think too much, the housekeeper agreed to Lou Yu's conditions.

If all the daughters of the Zheng family were taken away, the relationship with Lou Yu would be severed.

If you agree to Lou Yu, it means that the two families are still close family members.

When it comes to family matters, you must not be angry like Zheng Chi!
In this way, Zheng Shisan, Zheng Shiliu and others were kept, and only Zheng Chi was sent away!
Wang Heng said that the two annoying little girls, Zheng Chi and Lu Jialan, had "disappeared", and she had a better appetite for food.

"A Mian, turn it over quickly, don't let it get mushy!"

Wang Heng sniffed her little nose, put aside the gossip for the time being, and turned her attention to the food.

Almost at the same time, a slightly old voice came from not far away: "Huh? What a domineering fragrance!"

(End of this chapter)