The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 1711 - 1705: Illusion?

Qi Le merely mentioned it in passing, and now, kneeling before her were all her followers.

Those who truly harbored malice towards her, constantly thinking of pulling her down from her position as Queen Ah Lan, were not here; talking about them would be pointless.

From the moment Great Chu conveyed the idea of opening up trade routes to the grasslands, those old stubborn men were happy for two reasons: first, Great Chu was the one who conceded first and they could potentially leverage this in the future.

Secondly, they were wary of her. Now that these old stubborn men’s power was not what it used to be, they feared that if trade routes were opened with Great Chu, and she allied with Great Chu’s forces, the grasslands might no longer be a place for them to stand.

A bunch of short-sighted brutes, completely unaware of the significance of opening trade routes.

She was curious to see Song Chongjin’s tactics, and hence agreed to let the old stubborn men insert their people into the mix.

As expected, stupidity and shortsightedness run in their veins.

After those few individuals whispered in Wu En and Bayin’s ears a few times, they foolishly believed them.

Fortunately, when these two silly deer pledged loyalty to her, she never took it seriously, treating it merely as a joke.

If those had been her own people, so easily swayed with no intelligence, she would have dealt with them even before the old stubborn men could make a move.

Now, Song Chongjin delivered a loud slap to those old stubborn men. Surely, in the upcoming negotiations, those old stubborn men would dare not act recklessly.

As for the follow-up, she already arranged everything. She just wondered if her clever nephew would take the hint she was offering.

And regarding the old stubborn men, she couldn’t let such a good opportunity pass without biting a substantial chunk out of them.

Qi Le lifted a smile filled with a murderous intent.

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Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin were in no rush, after all, the grasslands would naturally inform Great Chu of their reactions and solutions.

When the time comes, they still needed to stretch them a bit.

Old Granny Zhang was quite bored with nothing to do. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Now that Old Madam Wu hadn’t visited her for a long time to chat, given that Lady Shen’s belly was quite visibly large and she would be giving birth in about a month.

Old Madam Wu was wholeheartedly focused on her soon-to-arrive eldest grandson, worried that any negligence might result in mishaps.

How could she step out? She took care of Lady Shen every day without fail.

As Lady Shen’s body became heavier, she handed over the matters of the Embroidery Store half a month ago.

Wang Yongzhu checked her pulse and confirmed both mother and child were safe, allowing her to peacefully await childbirth.

Thus, Old Granny Zhang was intent on seeing those wild boars, planning to capture a hundred or so before the new year to raise them, so they could be eaten next year.

In Qilidun, Old Granny Zhang used to slaughter festive pigs before the new year and then catch piglets after the first lunar month to raise them for the entire year, which would be just right.

Having heard that wild boars were rare, Old Granny Zhang, based on experience, believed that people would certainly be rushing to catch piglets after the new year, which would raise prices and even risk unavailability.

She intended to take advantage of the timing, beat others to it before the new year, and perhaps even get better prices.

Wang Yongzhu complimented Old Granny Zhang’s thorough consideration, thinking upon reflection that since arriving in Chicheng County, she hadn’t traveled much.

She had previously mentioned taking her to see the whole country, but in fact, they hadn’t visited many places.

Yunzhong County wasn’t far, and given the current peace, with Gu Zikai stationed there, staying for a few days wouldn’t be an issue.

She decisively slapped the table, making the decision.

Immediately, she ordered the packing of luggage, intending to take Old Granny Zhang to inspect the wild boar market.

Song Chongjin found it both amusing and exasperating; he wanted to go along, but with the negotiation delegation’s officials still in the county, he couldn’t just leave.

Despite his reluctance, he knew it was rare for his mother-in-law to have such a strong desire to do something, and naturally, he should go along with it.

He personally arranged the escort and sent a message ahead to Gu Zikai to prepare for their arrival, and then, reluctantly, saw his mother-in-law and wife off out of the city.

Song Chongjin and his entourage had a fast-paced return from Yunzhong County to Chicheng County as they were on horseback, eager to return, and with the boundary between the two counties being connected by a food transport military road, the journey was smooth and took only a day.

However, Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang’s journey, meant for sightseeing and leisure, accompanied by luggage and maids, had no such rush.

With the carriage’s poor shock absorption system, even the best carriage on the best road would result in sore backsides after a long ride.

Old Granny Zhang wasn’t young anymore and couldn’t endure such exertion.

Therefore, Wang Yongzhu instructed the coachman to prioritize smoothness over speed, focusing on comfort.

When they encountered anything interesting or unusual on the road, the mother and daughter could request the carriage to stop and take a closer look before continuing.

If they were hungry, they would set up a stove to cook a meal.

When darkness fell, they would find a suitable spot to pitch a tent for the night.

It was like a journey of leisure and it took them three to four days to reach Yunzhong County.

Gu Zikai, having guessed that they wouldn’t arrive too quickly, only sent someone to wait at the city gate after two days.

Even so, they had to wait another two full days before seeing Wang Yongzhu’s party’s carriage.

He hurried to greet them, escorting them to the accommodation Gu Zikai had arranged.

The county yamen in Yunzhong County was much smaller compared to Chicheng County, with only a single courtyard in the back.

Gu Zikai, having not married yet, lived with the Master and some attendants, sufficing him well enough.

But with Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang visiting, they couldn’t possibly crowd into the back courtyard of the county yamen.

Gu Zikai was not comfortable letting them stay at an inn either; having them lodge there on his own turf would be like slapping his own face.

Fortunately, someone had tried to curry favor, mentioning a few days earlier about a serene courtyard in a prime location, not far from the county yamen, surrounded by respectable families, which they wished to present to Gu Zikai.

He initially didn’t intend to accept it but having received the message from Song Chongjin about arranging accommodation for Old Granny Zhang, he thought it might be useful in the future, decided to accept the gift, and bought the courtyard at an appropriate price.

The courtyard was newly constructed, originally intended as a retirement home with quality materials and complete furniture.

If it weren’t for trying to win over the newly appointed County Magistrate, Gu Zikai, the giver would have hesitated to part with it.

Therefore, after a bit of tidying and preparing daily supplies, it was ready to accommodate guests.

Gu Zikai was very meticulous, and as soon as Old Granny Zhang and her party entered the courtyard, hot tea and snacks, along with warm water for washing, were prepared.

After the mother and daughter freshened up, Gu Zikai arrived punctually for the visit.

Though they were close relatives, being an unmarried man meant some propriety had to be maintained: Gu Zikai brought Master Yi and several attendants along.

Master Yi was met before, only nodding with a few cursory exchanges, not leaving any impression.

Upon this meeting, despite the customary openness of the region and both Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang being married women, and with the presence of their relative Gu Zikai, meeting was acceptable.

After exchanging courtesies and seating themselves in guest positions,

it seemed that Master Yi’s gaze lingered more on Old Granny Zhang.

Although he was very discreet about it, carefully avoiding detection from the average person.

But who was Wang Yongzhu? Her senses were sharp, especially sitting beside Old Granny Zhang; she could tell if a gaze had strayed their way.