Luo Cuiwei reached out and covered the large hand encircling her waist, feeling a pang of heartache: "Why didn't you explain the reasons to her?"
“Before I was granted permission to establish my own residence, she wouldn’t even bother to say a few words to me,” Yun Lie said in a low voice, then his tone became lighter after a moment. “Never mind that, let’s get down to business.”
After he finished speaking, he stretched out his long finger and pointed at the geomantic map.
Sour jujube tea is usually refreshing and soothing, but Luo Cuiwei found it somewhat bitter today.
Mentioning Jiang Ronghua, the barely concealed pain and loss in Yun Lie's words, coupled with his various expressions and actions in front of Jiang Ronghua, made Luo Cuiwei vaguely guess:
Yun Lie's mother must be the biggest unresolved issue in his heart.
Perhaps too many past memories have deeply hurt him, which is why he always instinctively avoids this topic whenever it comes up.
Although she really wanted to know, she wouldn't force him to reveal his wounds. Since he wasn't willing to talk about it at the moment, she simply changed the subject.
"Then why not consider Yuanzhou or Yizhou?"
Seeing that she didn't press him further, Yun Lie secretly breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her head before patiently explaining.
“Yuanzhou is where the Yun family rose to prominence, and Yizhou is no less so. Many aristocratic families still have their ancestral homes in these two prefectures. These two prefectures are rich and prosperous, and most importantly, they are too close to the capital. My father may not be willing to give them to me; even if he were, Yun Chi, Yun Huan, Yun Xi, and even Yun Pei would never be indifferent.”
The two states are prosperous and close to the capital. If he were to be enfeoffed in either of them, it would be tantamount to standing out too early and making himself a target for the emperor to eliminate before he could even protect himself.
Even if he is lucky and the crown prince fails to eliminate him in advance, he will still find it difficult to have a peaceful end, no matter which of the four men ascends the throne in the future.
Of course, there are other places to choose from besides these two states.
However, he was unfamiliar with other places and did not have much power to rely on as a backing. If he rashly chose an unfamiliar prefecture as his fiefdom, he would not be able to completely control the local military and political power without three to seven years of painstaking management.
Secondly, there are not many places that can compare with Yuanzhou and Yizhou in terms of wealth and prosperity. Therefore, if he had chosen another prefecture, he would never have been able to fill the treasury to the level of Yuanzhou and Yizhou in a short period of time.
In this way, he remains an empty shell of a prince, subject to the control and even the slaughter of others.
The most serious problem is that Emperor Xianlong is getting old, and his health and energy are declining year by year.
If any unexpected changes occur to Emperor Xianlong's regime during his accumulation of power, regardless of who succeeds him, it would be easy to eliminate a prince who is merely an empty shell.
Looking across the entire territory of Dajin, only Linchuan is the safest and most suitable place for Yunlie to return to.
Although there is nothing there right now, "a tall building rises from the ground," and once it is built, it will truly belong to him.
Moreover, precisely because Linchuan is barren, those who intend to vie for the throne will not truly take him seriously, which gives him room to accumulate strength.
Even if Linchuan is unlikely to change much in the short term, given his reputation for leading troops and guarding the border for many years, it would be relatively easy for him to quickly consolidate military and political power to protect himself.
Luo Cuiwei lowered her eyes and looked at the geomantic map on the table. After pondering for a while, she casually pointed and yawned, "Alright, then let's choose Linchuan."
****
Receiving her unwavering support, Yun Lie smiled with relief, but a moment later he raised his hand and covered her eyes, looking preoccupied.
“Then from now on, I’m afraid we’ll be separated by distance even more often, you…”
Although the Luo family were merchants and commoners, Luo Cuiwei had been raised with a life of luxury since childhood; even if she didn't say anything, Yun Lie was reluctant to let her follow him through hardships and trials.
He couldn't take her with him to Linchuan when they had nothing yet; he couldn't let her suffer.
Yun Lie's warm, thick palm trembled slightly with reluctance.
Realizing that he intended to go to his fiefdom alone and leave her in the capital, Luo Cuiwei suddenly and fiercely brushed his hand away, turned around, put her hands on her hips, and glared at him with wide eyes.
"You bastard, you're dreaming!"
This was the first time Yun Lie had ever been scolded by her, and he was immediately stunned. "I didn't..."
"Shut up! You have no right to speak about this!" she said angrily, pointing at him and silencing him.
The newly appointed Princess Consort of Zhao is quite a ruthless woman, and His Highness Zhao is no match for her.
“Yun Lie, I’m warning you, if you dare to secretly abandon me and go to Linchuan to take up your fiefdom by yourself, I’ll confiscate all your military rations and starve you to death… Oh, that won’t do.”
Luo Cuiwei withdrew her hand from pointing at him, placed it on her chin, frowned and muttered, "The military rations aren't just for you. You can't let other soldiers go hungry with you."
After a moment of hesitation, she rallied her spirits and gave him a cunning and ruthless sweet smile.
"If you dare to secretly abandon me and go to Linchuan to take up your fiefdom by yourself, I will teach the children to call you uncle every day!"
Perhaps thinking about how, when he returned from Linchuan, children would jump out of the mansion and politely call him "Uncle," Yun Lie's face turned pale instantly.
"You dare!" he gritted his teeth and glared at her.
Luo Cuiwei raised her chin, "If you have the guts, try it and see if I dare!"
Since she and he have agreed to this marriage and are determined to spend the rest of their lives together, then naturally they should advance and retreat side by side. How can he go out and overcome all difficulties alone while she stays in the capital to enjoy wealth and comfort?
She could give in to him on other matters, but she would never give in on this one.
Completely overwhelmed by her flurry of punches, Yun Lie's face turned from white to pale.
Both of them looked anxious and annoyed, stubbornly confronting each other for a long time, as if they really already had a child.
"Alright, alright, you win! I don't have the guts, I won't try," Yun Lie finally backed down, his lips drooping and his shoulders slumping. He hugged her tightly, bowing his head in defeat. "Then let's go together."
And so, a consensus was reached "pleasantly".
****
Luo Cuiwei, who had won a great victory, let out a long sigh of relief. She slowly composed herself, her previous anger subsided, and reached out to hug him back, patting his back gently as if to comfort him.