flstandardbreds Chapter 106 Prince Duan
Chapter 106 Prince Duan
Jiang Chun: "My mother was ignorant in the past and did many things that wronged you. I apologize to you on her behalf!"
Zisu: "It's alright, I stopped caring a long time ago. It wasn't your fault, so please don't take it to heart, Brother Jiang. Let bygones be bygones, and look to the future!"
"Okay, thank you for your understanding, thank you very much!" Jiang Chun's goodwill towards Zisu rose to another level.
Such a wonderful girl, what a pity! He probably won't have the fortune to be with her in this lifetime. Missing out on her will definitely be the biggest regret of his life.
Zisu shook her head: "Brother Jiang, there's no need to thank me. The reason I'm more tolerant of others is to make myself happier. If I keep dwelling on the past, my mood will suffer, and anger and sadness will affect my health!"
"No matter what, I must thank you! Thank you for your magnanimity, and thank you for your help and support to the Jiang family. If it weren't for you, very few members of the Jiang family would have survived the journey to exile. After arriving in the Northwest, without your help, the Jiang family members would have either starved to death, died of disease, or been killed by wolves! You are a great benefactor to every member of the Jiang family, and I thank you all here!"
As Jiang Chun spoke, he bowed deeply to Zisu at a ninety-degree angle.
In the Western Liang Dynasty, this was a grand gesture expressing the utmost respect and gratitude. It was typically reserved for elders or benefactors.
Zisu quickly dodged the question: "Brother Jiang, you're overthinking it! I helped the Jiang family because, apart from your mother, everyone in the Jiang family has been very kind and respectful to me. They are all good people worthy of respect, which is why I offered my help."
Jiang Chun's smile was exceptionally bright: "Zisu, you're great!"
You are a rare gem of a girl, one in a million. You have entered my heart; you are the most precious woman in my heart, the only woman I have ever loved in my life. Whether or not we can be together, I will sincerely wish you happiness, joy, and a long and healthy life. In the days to come, I will do everything in my power to repay your kindness; I will also do everything I can to protect you and prevent you from suffering any harm!
"Zisu, I'm going to fetch water now. We can have a good chat another day!" Jiang Chun said with a smile to Zisu, who was focused on washing clothes, after he had filled two buckets with water.
Zisu: "Okay, please take care! Don't worry about Hua'er, I'll take her home!"
Jiang Chun nodded, gave Zisu a bright smile, picked up the buckets, and left.
Zisu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
His smile was so radiant and beautiful that it made her heart flutter.
However, she also knew deep down that there was no future for her and him. He had such a mother; no matter how outstanding he was, she would never marry him. One shouldn't make life too difficult for oneself. She was reborn not to be mistreated by her mother-in-law, but to ensure a happy and fulfilling life for herself and her family.
Zisu nipped this budding romance in the bud without hesitation, or rather, she "cut off the threads of love with a sword." However, she did not regret it, nor did she struggle with it.
After all, this feeling of excitement was fleeting. It vanished without leaving a trace.
Jiang Chun was unaware that he had stirred Zisu's heart. Had he known, he would have seized the opportunity and pursued her relentlessly. Perhaps Zisu would have been moved and they would have fallen in love. However, there are no "what ifs" in this world; once missed, it's gone forever.
A few days later, Jiang Chun went to Stone Fortress and picked stones with Jiang Yong.
Peng Zongqi was promoted to commander of a thousand households for discovering coal as a substitute for firewood, and Yu Zhe was recommended by Peng Qianhu to be a junior officer in Shitoubao for contributing his kiln-firing method free of charge. Thus, he had fifty subordinates. He used his power to bring all the Jiang family members under his command.
Yu Zhe established new rules: people could carry stones according to their abilities. Those with more strength could carry two baskets, while those with less strength could choose to carry half a basket, or even a third of a basket.
However, everyone has a quota. Once they've filled their quota, they can go home. Those who are strong can carry a lot at once and naturally get home earlier. Those who are less strong will get home later. But it's still better than forcing someone to fill a whole basket at once, which would be exhausting.
The new regulations were met with enthusiastic support from the public. Those with great strength liked them, and those with less strength liked them even more. The strong quickly finished their daily quota and went home early to help their families cultivate wasteland or tend to the fields.
Days passed by like this.
On this day, Qian Fengqin gave birth to another son.
Unfortunately, it's still a freak.
When Xiao Fan learned of this, he was immediately terrified.
Freak, another freak!
What does this mean? It means that his marriage to Qian was cursed; it means that Qian was a jinx, a harbinger of disaster!
If he had known this would happen, he would never have broken off the engagement with Zisu in the first place!
Oh, right, Zisu was exiled—all Shangguan Zhihua's doing! Because of this, Shangguan Zhihua will never be able to rise another rank in this lifetime. Let her dream of becoming the Crown Prince's consort! Even if Qian Shi is deposed, Shangguan Zhihua will never be able to become the Crown Prince's consort!
Qian gave birth to another deformed child, which terrified her and caused her nightmares every night. Xiao Fan also loathed her; she hadn't seen Xiao Fan even once since she gave birth.
Terrified and heartbroken, Qian grew increasingly haggard and eventually went mad.
The insane Qian Shi was stripped of her status as the Crown Prince's wife by Xiao Fan and sent to a remote estate as a concubine, where she was placed under house arrest.
Shangguan Zhihua was extremely pleased with herself, as if the position of the Crown Prince's wife was already in her grasp. She tried her best to please Consort Mei, hoping to use Consort Mei's influence to achieve her goal of becoming the Crown Prince's wife.
Consort Mei summoned Princess Rong'an to the palace and brought up the matter of promoting Shangguan Zhihua to the rank of principal wife. Princess Rong'an said tactfully, "Your Majesty, I actually think Zhihua is a good child too, but Fan'er specifically told me that Shangguan Zhihua can only be a concubine in this life, and he will not even give her the rank of secondary wife! You know that Fan'er is a very stubborn person. Once he makes up his mind, no one can change it. Not even nine oxen could pull him back!"
"Oh, is that so? Go back and tell him to come see me! I'll personally persuade him and see how it goes!" Shangguan Zhihua served Consort Mei very well, and Consort Mei was willing to help Shangguan Zhihua.
Princess Consort of Rong'an: "Very well, Your Highness, please give it a try!"
Upon returning to the Prince's residence, the Princess Consort sought out Xiao Fan and conveyed Consort Mei's message to him.
Xiao Fan: "I said no, and that's final! In this life, Shangguan Zhihua is destined to be a concubine, not even a secondary consort! Let alone a noble consort, even if His Majesty or the Empress personally persuades me, I will not agree!"
Princess: "Not to mention you, even I couldn't agree to it. I saw through Shangguan Zhihua's wickedness a long time ago. If she weren't still somewhat useful, I wouldn't have agreed to promote her rank back then. I would have just let her remain a concubine! If she were still a concubine, she would definitely be more obedient than she is now, and wouldn't always be running around like this."
Xiao Fan: "Mother is right. If I had known this would happen, she would still be a concubine. Mother, I will say it again, she has no chance of becoming the Crown Prince's wife! If Mother is not afraid of hardship, then take Jin'er to raise by your side. If she is even slightly disobedient, she will not be allowed to see her son!"
Jin'er is Xiao Jin, the son of Shangguan Zhihua.
Princess: "Very well, there are so many maids and servants anyway, I don't need to take care of the child myself. Bring him here today, I will help you raise this child well, so that he will be close to you and me, and distance himself from Shangguan Zhihua. If this child is obedient and sensible, in case something happens to him in the future, we can treat him as the legitimate son!"
Xiao Fan: "Judging from what Mother Consort said, I will definitely marry the Crown Princess again. Mother Consort, if I had known this would happen, I would have been better off not breaking off the engagement with Zisu! I heard that Zisu sold the tofu, many recipes, and dessert recipes for Good Days Restaurant to Good Days Restaurant. If I hadn't broken off the engagement with Zisu, she would have given all of those things to Shili Xiang."
Princess: "Alas, it's all fate's cruel joke. Who knew your cousin would give birth to a deformed child? And who knew Zisu had such great abilities? If you had known earlier, perhaps all your troubles would have been avoided if you had married Zisu!"
Xiao Fan: "Mother, I regret it so much now. When Shangguan Chengfeng's family was dealing with Zisu, I didn't stop them. As a result, Zisu's family was exiled to the Northwest! I wonder how Zisu is doing in the Northwest? Is she suffering a lot?"
Princess: "Oh dear, son, you're not still thinking of marrying her, are you? That won't do! With her current status, she's not even fit to be your concubine! An exiled criminal! That's a huge taboo! You mustn't be so foolish!"
Xiao Fan: "Mother, do you really think I'm that foolish? I only thought about it because she was once my fiancée, and because she's such a good person, I thought I could take a little care of her so she wouldn't freeze or starve to death in the Northwest, or be worked to death. After all, she was wronged; it was Shangguan Chengfeng's family who forced her into this situation."
Moreover, to be honest, I actually bear a great deal of responsibility. The reason the Shangguan Chengfeng family dared to do this, the reason they were able to do this, is because Shangguan Zhihua is my woman. The Shangguan Chengfeng family borrowed the power of the Prince's Mansion, which is why they were able to bring the Zisu family to this state! To be honest, I feel a little ashamed, a little guilty, and a little uneasy!
Princess: "What you say makes some sense. It's true. If Shangguan Zhihua weren't your woman, she would never have been able to curry favor with Consort Mei. Without Consort Mei's support, she wouldn't have had the confidence or ability to harm Zisu's family. Moreover, it's said that she used the Prince's residence as a cover when she was harming Zisu's family. In a way, you do bear some responsibility. Sigh, I've heard so much about Zisu; she's truly a girl of exceptional quality."
"If her father hadn't died for his country, she would have been a very good candidate to be your heir apparent! Her current predicament has drawn criticism from outsiders, who have many reservations about the Prince's residence and you, since the one who harmed her is your woman, Shangguan Zhihua. Therefore, if you want to take care of Zisu, then go ahead! That way, your mother will feel a little more at ease."
The reason she thought and said these things was because when she went out for social events, she would often hear people whispering that Zisu was pitiful, having been ruined by the woman of a man who had broken off his engagement. In short, they were implying that the Rong'an Prince's Mansion bore undeniable responsibility for Zisu's fate.
Some people went even further, pointing the finger directly at their own son, Xiao Fan. They said that Xiao Fan was narrow-minded and couldn't stand seeing the woman who had broken off her engagement with him doing well, so he used Shangguan Zhihua to drive Zisu's family into a corner.
Xiao Fan was clearly surprised that his mother agreed so readily, and asked in astonishment, "Mother, don't you object at all?"
Princess: "What's there to object to? Why did you and Zisu become betrothed back then? Wasn't it because Zisu's father saved you? For that reason alone, we can't stand idly by any longer! Here's what we'll do: send someone to the Northwest to have a good talk with the officials in the exile area and ask them not to make things difficult for Zisu's family and to take good care of them as much as possible!"
"By the way, have your men take plenty of money with them. Money makes things easier. Ideally, when you leave the Northwest, leave several thousand taels of silver for Zisu's family. That way, it will be our Xiao family repaying the kindness Zisu's father showed you when he saved you!"