nycdaug Chapter 112 Clarification
Chapter 112 Clarification
What? We're going to Little Stone Pool? And we're going to eat there? Oh my, this person is really shameless. I didn't invite you!
Zisu couldn't help but mutter to herself.
Xiao Hao took in all the changes in her expression and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. General Shangguan's daughter was quite interesting!
The group lingered in the banana grove for half an hour, cutting nearly a hundred ripe bananas, before returning to Xiaoshitan in a grand procession.
Why such a grand procession? Because Xiao Hao led a ten-man guard, ten tall, fine horses, and was a handsome young man. They were like a striking sight.
Upon reaching the village entrance, everyone dismounted and led their horses slowly toward the small stone pool. Along the way, the girls turned back, shyly casting their gazes at the young men. A few girls, like lovesick fools, even boldly flirted with Prince Duan.
Upon seeing this, Zisu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
She had long noticed Prince Duan's interest in her. However, she couldn't possibly handle such a handsome man. He would inevitably be surrounded by other suitors, and such a man was hardly a suitable husband.
Zisu sighed, and Prince Duan's face instantly turned frosty as he swept his sharp gaze across the infatuated women. The surrounding air seemed to grow colder.
His sweeping glance sent chills down the spines of the infatuated girls, who all lowered their heads, no longer daring to look at him again.
Zisu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
She recognized these women; they were Shangguan Mazi's nieces. They were indeed quite pretty and spent their days trying to seduce and hook up with rich young men.
Because Shangguan Mazi colluded with Shangguan Chengfeng, he harmed the Zisu family. During the Zisu family's exile, he committed many more acts of violence against the old clan chief's family and the villagers. After the emperor restored order, the old clan chief expelled Shangguan Mazi's family from the clan and drove them out of Wuliping.
However, Shangguan Mazi's brothers were relatively honest and didn't follow him in committing any unforgivable acts. Therefore, they escaped punishment. However, their children, like Shangguan Mazi's, went astray. The boys fought, stole chickens and dogs; the girls were vain and constantly dreamed of becoming rich.
Zisu had always had a bad impression of these girls, and hadn't spoken a word to them since returning. Even when they met on the road, Zisu would only nod, which she considered a greeting.
Zisu kept a straight face the whole way and didn't say a word.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Hao couldn't help but secretly rejoice.
Hehe, it seems she does care about me a little! Otherwise, she wouldn't be jealous!
(Perilla: Am I jealous? No, I'm not! I just can't stand how you flirt with everyone, it's so unsightly! Besides, even if you're going to flirt, at least flirt with a few decent ones! Don't attract all sorts of hordes of them, it's just annoying!)
Fortunately, it wasn't far from the village entrance to Xiaoshitan, and we arrived quickly.
Zisu let out a long sigh of relief and knocked on the courtyard gate.
"Coming, coming!" Cherry shouted as she opened the door.
Upon seeing Prince Duan, she was startled, then turned and ran. As she ran, she cried out, "Madam, Madam, Prince Duan is here again!"
Zisu couldn't help but shake her head secretly.
This cherry, she wants everything, except for her loud and boisterous habit, which she just can't seem to shake. Having spent over a year in the Northwest, perhaps scared by the wolves, she's developed this loud and boisterous habit.
Sigh, to be honest, she felt guilty. If it weren't for her, Cherry wouldn't have developed this problem. Years ago, she, Pear, and Cherry went to the mountains to pick wild fruit and encountered a pack of wolves. Fortunately, Cherry was strong enough to drive the wolves away, but she was so frightened that she developed this problem.
Madam Yu couldn't help but scold, "Cherry, you're a grown woman now, you need to get rid of this loud and boisterous habit. So what if Prince Duan is here? He's not going to eat people, why are you panicking?"
Cherry: "Madam, no, it seems the young lady doesn't like Prince Duan. But Prince Duan has come to our house. Won't the young lady be angry?"
Zisu had privately told Xiangli, Yingtao, and Haitang that she wouldn't date someone as wealthy as Prince Duan. Her ideal partner was a noble young man of high moral character who was devoted to love.
The lady pointed her finger and poked Cherry's forehead hard: "She brought her back herself. Whether she's angry or not is her own business. Why do you care so much?"
Cherry was speechless.
That's right, if the young lady doesn't like Prince Duan, why did she bring him home? What does the young lady mean by this?
Cherry shook her head vigorously, indicating that she didn't understand.
Prince Duan bowed respectfully to Lady Yu: "Greetings, Madam. May you be well!"
Madam Yu: "Your Highness, please come in. Lunch is almost ready. Please wait a moment and you can eat!"
Prince Duan chuckled and said, "Thank you, Madam. Then I won't stand on ceremony!"
Madam Yu said, "Don't be so polite, just make yourself at home!" She then instructed Shugen, "Take the prince to the thatched cottage and settle him in the master bedroom in the backyard so that he can rest for a while."
Shugen respectfully agreed and gestured to Prince Duan, "Your Highness, please follow me."
Prince Duan was no stranger to the thatched cottage; he had heard about it from the Eldest Princess's letters. Upon seeing it in person, he immediately fell in love with it: "Hmm, this is a wonderful place, reminiscent of picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, truly refreshing and delightful."
It was late autumn, and golden wild orange blossoms were blooming everywhere in the thatched cottage. A gentle autumn breeze carried a faint fragrance through the air; taking a deep breath truly brought a sense of tranquility and peace.
Tree Root: "These wild orange blossoms were all dug up by the girl herself in the deep mountains back then, and the bayberry trees were also transplanted from the mountains by the girl."
Prince Duan: "Your daughter is a person of noble character and knows how to enjoy life. She is very good!"
Tree Root said with a proud look, "That's right. My daughter pays great attention to health, is good at eating and drinking, and has many ingenious ideas. She lives a more comfortable and carefree life than anyone else. Even the gods would envy her."
Prince Duan couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Yes, even immortals would envy that!" He was also very envious, being able to live so freely and happily, so fulfilling and accomplished, making his journey in the mortal world worthwhile.
The higher you climb, the colder it gets. Even as Prince Duan, his life wasn't all that wonderful. He had many worries. Zisu is a very interesting person; if he could spend his life with her, life would be much more interesting!
Lunch was very lavish, featuring braised deer meat, pheasant and mushroom soup, steamed crucian carp, stir-fried pork belly with wild peppers, twice-cooked pork, chopped chili fish, and five side dishes. The large table was piled high with food, making it incredibly appetizing at first glance.
After lunch and a quarter of an hour's rest, Zisu had a plate of banana leaves brought out. She smiled at Prince Duan and said, "Your Highness, please try it! I guarantee you'll want more!"
"Hmm, thank you!" Prince Duan didn't stand on ceremony, reaching out to take a banana. He looked at it from left to right, but didn't know where to start: "Can I eat the peel?"
He had never eaten this kind of fruit before.
Zisu couldn't help but laugh. She took a banana, peeled it, and took a bite. She didn't say a word, just ate the banana calmly and naturally, without the slightest awkwardness. Unlike other young ladies from wealthy families who would cover their mouths even when drinking water in front of men.
Prince Duan followed her example, peeling the banana and taking a bite. He nodded in satisfaction, "Mmm, very delicious, truly exquisite! Of the bananas harvested today, keep ten and buy the rest to send to the palace. Zisu, is that alright?"
Zisu looked at him and said in a serious tone, "A banana tree costs half a tael of silver, and there is no bargaining!"
"Oh dear, why do you need money? No need for money, just give it to the Prince!" Upon hearing her daughter's words, Madam Yu panicked. How could this child dare to say anything? She even dared to ask for money for something meant for the Emperor, and at an exorbitant price at that.
Zisu said dismissively, "Mother, these banana trees were cultivated by me, they're a unique and precious thing. How can I not charge money? Of course I will, half a tael of silver per tree, and that's a friendly price! If I were to sell them to the Good Days Restaurant, I'm planning to charge one tael of silver per tree, that's what they call scarcity making things valuable!"
“Not expensive at all, not expensive at all!” Prince Duan said hurriedly, taking out a one-hundred-tael silver note as he spoke: “Here is one hundred taels, keep the change!”
Zisu accepted it without hesitation, saying, "Thanks!" She didn't give him change, but added, "Keep the change. Tomorrow I'll give Your Highness a hundred yellow bananas. Your Highness can take them back and properly honor your elderly mother!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan was secretly delighted. It seemed that her words tacitly approved of him staying overnight.
Sure enough, Zisu said again, "Since Your Highness is here, why not stay one night before you leave? If we set off tomorrow morning, we can reach the capital by evening if we ride at full speed! There are still some remnants of the Song family causing trouble, so it would be best if Your Highness did not spend the night on the way, as it would not be safe!"
She knew that Prince Duan had taken some detours on his way here because he was unfamiliar with the route. Unable to find a way out, he spent the night in a county town. In the middle of the night, he encountered a significant assassination attempt, but fortunately escaped unharmed.
Prince Duan: "I understand, thank you! However, General Shangguan will be back in Wuliping the day after tomorrow. I'd like to wait for the general here, is that alright?"
“Alright, there’s nothing wrong with that! Just settle down here. Anyway, the house is empty and no one lives there, so it’ll be quite convenient for you to stay!” Before Zisu could refuse, Madam Yu quickly interjected.
With her mother having spoken, it was too late for Zisu to object. She had no choice but to accept the outcome.
Xiao Hao then instructed his two guards, "You two must quickly deliver the bananas to the palace. Ripe bananas don't keep well, so don't delay on the way. You must deliver them at the speed of an express courier!"
"Yes, Your Highness, we obey!" the two guards replied, bowing.
Zisu sighed, "Since you're not familiar with the route, why don't you let Li Mao accompany you? If you know the route well and the horses are good enough, you can reach the capital by nightfall if you march at full speed! It would be even better if these bananas could be delivered to the palace tonight; they won't taste as good after a night!"
Prince Duan: "That's wonderful, thank you!"
Li Mao accepted the order and, accompanied by two guards, hurried to the capital.
Along the way, every fifty li (approximately 25 kilometers) at a post station, the three would change to a different fine horse. Their speed was indeed incredibly fast. By nightfall, they had arrived in the capital.
Li Mao stayed at the Good Days Restaurant and brought Jiang Shichang three bananas. This was Zisu's idea, to invite Jiang Shichang, Jiang Shihua, and the Princess to taste them. Then, they would discuss the price of the bananas.
The three of them happened to be at the Good Days Restaurant, and after eating the bananas, they all praised them highly. Soon, the price of the bananas was settled at half a tael of silver each.
However, the price of a banana at the Good Days Restaurant was set at two taels of silver, aiming for an aristocratic market. These days, many wealthy people weren't afraid of expensive things; they were afraid of not being able to buy good food even if they had the money.
Moreover, with Prince Duan's help, bananas will likely become a tribute item. That means that besides the palace, bananas will only be available at the Good Days Restaurant.
Prince Duan settled down in Wuliping, and he followed Zisu whenever she went out. He was extremely attentive, and anyone with discerning eyes could see that he was very sincere.
Upon arriving at the Sunflower Manor, Zisu, feeling helpless, simply stated bluntly, "Your Highness, your status is far too noble for me to be worthy of. My ideal husband should be a refined young master from a noble family, skilled in both literature and martial arts, devoted to love, and without multiple wives and concubines. However, you are a prince, and His Majesty's most beloved nephew. With your status and position, you are destined to have many wives and concubines in this life, and you are not the right person for me!"
Wow, this young woman is truly extraordinary, daring to say such things to him. Impressive indeed! Quite audacious, truly astonishing! However, he likes straightforward women like this; they suit his temperament perfectly!
"So you mean that whoever marries you in the future will only have you as their woman for the rest of their life?" Prince Duan asked seriously.
Zisu nodded firmly: "Yes, that's exactly what I mean! And he can't be a womanizer or have an affair. I like clean men, and I can't accept a man who has been touched by other women!"
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