Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family-Chapter 842 - Sisi’s Calculations
Chapter 842: Chapter 842 Sisi’s Calculations
Liu Sisi frequently left the manor, naturally drawing the attention of Di Yelei.
However, he did not stop her actions; instead, he spoke with gravity and concern, “Sisi, the capital city is more complicated than you imagine. Although you have not taken action personally, your frequent departures from the manor have probably been noticed by many people with ulterior motives. This matter can be trivial or significant, and I think it would be better to leave it to Second Sister when she arrives. Just say it’s for Second Sister’s arrangements to avoid future troubles.”
“You consider things more thoroughly than I do; I hadn’t even thought about this aspect.”
Liu Sisi pondered briefly before shaking her head in rejection, “Leaving it to Second Sister is nearly the same as keeping it with me. It could turn into evidence for those with ulterior motives to attack us at any moment. I actually have a better idea. Just you wait and see! I’ll make sure those schemers not only lose their wife but also their troops!” A peculiar smile spread across her face.
Three days later, His Majesty performed a sacrifice to heaven in Daqing Hall.
He also summoned Liu Sisi and her husband to the Palace and officially recognized Liu Sisi’s claim to her ancestral roots, allowing the officials of the clan manor to add a record to the historical archives.
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Meanwhile, unlike the previous verbal rewards, this time an Imperial Decree was formally issued, ennobling Di Yelei as Marquis Yongping and concurrently appointing him as Crown Prince’s assistant. The Yingchang Prefecture was designated as Marquis Yongping’s fiefdom, and additionally, a large amount of gold, silver, and jade articles were bestowed upon him. Princess Ruyu also received a generous reward, along with a few children, including Zhang Peng and Tang Ji, who had followed Di Yelei through battles in the south and north, and even Di Cheng received their respective rewards.
Such generous rewards caused Di Yelei to repeatedly decline, yet he could not refuse them.
Liu Sisi was dressed in the formal attire of a princess today, her head adorned with a phoenix hairpin, her face powdered, standing with an elegant grace in front of the crowd.
At the moment, she turned her beady eyes and stepped forward a few paces before gracefully bowing down, “Father Emperor, if you assign these positions to Marquis, and he becomes occupied with official duties, Princess Ruyu will have no one to accompany her in the future. What shall we do then?”
Zhao Yuanlang, gazing at Ruyu before him, felt increasingly moved in his heart. Upon hearing Liu Sisi’s words, he burst into hearty laughter.
“No worries, no worries at all! I shall excuse Marquis Yongping from attending early morning sessions. From now on, he only needs to attend once a month; the rest of his time can be spent accompanying you, how about that?”
“Father Emperor is wise! Ruyu thanks Father Emperor for his favor.”
Liu Sisi hurriedly expressed her gratitude, her face filled with joy, “Father Emperor, some days ago, I was so idle that I recalled the several shops we had back home, and on a whim, I took over a few shops just for fun and to reminisce about the days in Macheng County. But when I returned to the manor, the Marquis said Ruyu was neglecting her duties…” She appeared increasingly distressed as she spoke.
Remembering Ruyu had not been by his side since she was little, Father Emperor’s face softened with indulgence.
He looked up at Marquis Yongping, only to catch a fleeting look of astonishment in his eyes, which made him all the happier.
“After all, there are only a few shops, which are no big matter. However, remember, you are a princess of the state after all. Since you like those, keep them to pass the time. But always remember not to neglect important duties for trivial matters.”
“Father Emperor, you are the best, the very best Father Emperor.”
Liu Sisi’s face beamed with joy, looking admiringly at him.
Zhao Yuanlang rose from his seat and approached Liu Sisi, smiling down at her with a low gaze. To his satisfaction, he saw his reflection in those clear, crystalline eyes, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“You little imp. A few shops are nothing. Whatever you want to do, just go ahead and do it! Don’t worry, you still have Father Emperor here!”
Actually, Father Emperor must know my intentions, right?
At this moment, Liu Sisi felt as if she were laid bare before Zhao Yuanlang, with nowhere to hide.
She didn’t flee, but instead, she smiled at Zhao Yuanlang.
“Father Emperor, the kinship Ruyu desired, you’ve already given…”
In her previous life, her parents had died early in a car accident, and she grew up with her grandpa; the word ‘father’ was quite foreign to her. However, the man before her, Zhao Yuanlang, evoked a different feeling.
Her words made Zhao Yuanlang’s smile on his face freeze for a moment, then, he raised his hand and paused in the air, finally gently landing on her shoulder.
“Silly child, besides being the revered His Majesty by all, I am also your father. It is only natural for parents to love their children!”
“Ruyu thanks Father Emperor!”
Not until Zhao Yuanlang was tired and returned to Zichen Hall, and everyone had left the Palace and boarded their carriages back to the Marquis Mansion, did Liu Sisi finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thinking about today makes me happy, especially seeing the changing faces of several officials when I talked about opening a shop. At that moment, I couldn’t help wanting to cheer aloud.”
“You might be happy, but you scared me into a cold sweat.”
Di Yelei disapproved: “If you had plans in your heart, why didn’t you tell me? What if His Majesty had disagreed with you opening a shop?”
“Today is the day I, Princess Ruyu, officially recognized my ancestral roots. How could Father Emperor bear to ruin my face?”
Liu Sisi’s lips slightly curved upward as she sat down in front of the dressing table, slowly removing the headdress from her head, the heavy jewelry almost breaking her neck.
“Even if Father Emperor disagreed and really took it back, it wouldn’t matter. After all, I’m only officially recognized as a royal princess today. For past matters, can’t I just say I was ignorant and get away with it? Besides, I knew Father Emperor wouldn’t refuse me.”
“How did you know that? You, you…”
Di Yelei moved forward with both concern and mild reproach: “It’s just a few shops. When we return to our fiefdom, won’t all the shops there be yours to do as you please?”
“I’m not looking to earn money from shops…”
Liu Sisi sighed softly and repeated her objective: “There’s a path for officials and a path for civilians; how can we always be passively beaten? Haven’t you said it yourself? It’s fine not to harbor ill will, but one must guard against it. My actions are just precautions. Besides, we’re not in need of silver…”
What Liu Sisi said was true.
Initially, the gold mine discovered in the Nine Dragon Cave in Macheng County had been mined for years. Most of the gold extracted was secretly transported to the border city and handed over to Di Yelei for the army’s daily expenses. A smaller portion was kept by Liu Sisi, and to say the Di Family was making money hand over fist would not be an overstatement now.
However, the gold was currently in their hometown, and what Liu Sisi needed was a legitimate source for this batch of gold.
“If you really want to open shops, then open them by Jinhua Gate. The shops there trade in clothing, food, the latest fruits, fish and shrimp, crabs, gold, silver, and treasures… Gathering the world’s wonders, describing them as making money hand over fist isn’t an overexaggeration. However, once the shops start to turn a profit, it would be best to give most of the silver to His Majesty to enrich the national treasury; keeping a small portion for yourself should suffice…”
