Wei Hong nudged the person lying on the cool mat with his foot and said with his head down.
Liancheng grunted and turned over, half-opening his sleepy eyes, scratching his head as he sat up.
"Your Highness, are you awake?"
Wei Hong sat down cross-legged opposite him and picked up the wine pot on the table.
"Why didn't you invite the girls from the bamboo house to keep you company today? Why are you sleeping here all by yourself?"
Liancheng snatched the wine he had just poured and took a sip.
“I have traveled a long way to see the prince, but he has his beautiful wife in his arms and ignores me. I am heartbroken and have no desire to visit prostitutes.”
Wei Hong almost spat out his drink when he heard the last part. He put down his glass and looked up at him.
"I think your brain got kicked by a horse, didn't it?"
"No, not at all," Liancheng replied seriously, "but I was indeed a little injured. My delicate skin almost didn't hold up. It's really not easy to come back alive to see the prince."
As he spoke, he lifted his sleeve to show Wei Hong a scar on his arm that was less than an inch long and so shallow that it was almost invisible.
"Look, look! How can I let the girls see such an ugly scar? What if it scares them?"
Wei Hong pushed his hand away, his disgust practically written all over his face.
Liancheng looked at his arm with heartache and lowered his sleeve.
"Speaking of which, Your Highness, you have so many scars on your body. Doesn't the Princess find them ugly?"
He had known Wei Hong for many years and they had even jumped into the river together to bathe in the sweltering summer heat, where he had seen the crisscrossing scars on Wei Hong's body.
Wei Hong scoffed softly and slightly raised his chin.
“These wounds I sustained while protecting my country are the mark of a hero. How could they be ugly? Only those narrow-minded and ignorant women would say they are ugly.”
This time, Liancheng almost spat out his drink, staring at Wei Hong in disbelief.
The Mark of a Hero...
Even someone as shameless as him wouldn't dare say such a thing to praise himself, yet Wei Hong actually said it!
He paused for a moment, then said, "Could this be what the princess said? That mark of a hero?"
Wei Hong ignored him and skipped the topic.
"Do you still have time to loiter around here? Aren't you afraid that if you linger out there, someone else will steal your thunder?"
Lian Cheng scoffed, "They don't have the guts, and even if they did, they wouldn't have the ability. Putting aside everything else, they'd at least need more money than me, right? Otherwise, who can afford such huge expenses these days?"
What's the most important thing in war? Money.
The soldiers need to eat, be equipped with good weapons and horses, have warm clothes and even drinks when it gets cold, and their provisions and supplies are indispensable.
These supplies required a large number of laborers to carry them, and the laborers needed to be well-fed to have the strength.
In the end, it all comes down to money. Without money, even if you can gain the upper hand temporarily through sheer grit, you will inevitably be dragged down in the long run.
This is why, after arriving in Shangchuan, Wei Hong devoted himself to reclaiming land and opening up trade routes, in addition to training troops.
"You can decide for yourself. Although it doesn't matter to me who I cooperate with, it would be too much trouble if I had to negotiate with someone else."
Wei Hong said.
Liancheng blinked: "I know Your Highness will miss me. Don't worry, I'll miss Your Highness too!"
Wei Hong glanced at him and said coldly, "Don't always be so joking. If something really happens to you one day, I'll take everything I have from you without hesitation."
"Since it's cheaper for others anyway, I might as well get it for myself."
Liancheng nodded: "Same here, so Your Highness, please take care of yourself!"
The two chatted back and forth, finishing a whole pot of wine before finally getting down to business.
After Wei Hong left, Liancheng stood on the terrace and watched him go. After his figure disappeared, she sat back on the blanket and muttered to herself.
"The Mark of a Hero..."
After saying that, he spat three times: "So what if you got a wife?"
Look at how smug he is!
...
Two days later, Li Tai and his wife arrived in Hucheng. They rode in a carriage directly from the East Corner Gate into the Prince's Palace, only stopping in front of the Second Gate.
Yao Youqing had been waiting here since early morning when she learned that they were about to arrive. She jumped over to them happily when she saw them.
"Uncle, Aunt!"
Mrs. Song smiled and took the outstretched hand, carefully examining her from head to toe.
"Didn't I tell you to eat properly? Why are you still so thin?"
“I ate well and didn’t miss a single meal,” Yao Youqing said. “You can ask Aunt Zhou if you don’t believe me.”
Madam Zhou stepped forward with a smile: "The Princess has not forgotten your instructions and has been taking good care of herself. Her appetite has even increased recently, but she just can't gain weight, which worries me."
Since the arrival of her little darling, Yao Youqing often went out to ride horses. Later, she even moved to the estate with the prince and would swim in the pond whenever she had free time.
Perhaps due to her increased activity level, her appetite has gradually increased, but she hasn't gained weight.
He was a little taller, but still looked tiny in front of the prince.
After hearing what Zhou's mother said, Madam Song nodded slightly: "I'll have your uncle take your pulse later, otherwise I won't feel at ease."
Previously, when Yao Youqing was in Cangcheng, whenever she went to Li Tai's residence, Li Tai and his wife would always take her pulse to check her health.
If Li Tai is present, he will come in person; if Li Tai is not present, Song Shi will come.
Yao Youqing nodded and took Song's arm as they walked inside.
"Then Uncle and Aunt, please come inside with me. Let's not stand here talking."
As they talked, the group headed towards the main courtyard.
The path that leads directly through the garden is shorter, and Yao Youqing is used to taking this route, so she led them along this path as well.
Both Li Tai and Song Shi had visited the Prince's Mansion before, and Li Tai even frequented it for a period of time, so he knew it very well.
But now that I'm walking in, I find that this place is completely different from before, yet it looks very familiar.
"This... how come the Prince's mansion is exactly the same as your courtyard in Cangcheng?"
Li Tai asked.
He had visited Yao Youqing and his family's residence in Cangcheng and seen the garden there.
This garden is exactly the same as that garden, only much larger.
Yao Youqing smiled, her expression somewhat shy.
“When I first married into Shangchuan, I wasn’t used to the place, so I modified the garden to resemble the garden in my parents’ home.”
"Later, when we moved to Cangcheng, the prince was afraid that I wouldn't be used to living there, so he changed the place to be like this as well."
I see……
Li Tai nodded, and Madam Song also looked pleased, saying from the side, "Your Highness is very thoughtful."
With a smile in her eyes, Yao Youqing walked through the garden and returned to the main courtyard with them.
As soon as Song Shi sat down, before even taking a sip of tea, she had Li Tai take Yao Youqing's pulse. Only after confirming that she was healthy and in good health did she pick up her teacup and chat with her about everyday matters while drinking tea.
"Duckling?"
When Song heard Yao Youqing say that she had been learning to swim a few days ago, she was somewhat puzzled.
Why would you need to learn this?
“I’m not doing anything, I just want to learn,” Yao Youqing said. “I have nothing to do at home anyway, and the prince happens to know how, so I asked him to teach me.”
Then, with a beaming smile, she told her that Wei Hong had dug a large pond for her on the estate, and that if Song had time, she could go and see it with him, and they could also stay on the mountain for a few days.
This naturally led to the topic of having Li Tai and his wife stay in Hucheng temporarily. Upon hearing this, Madam Song frowned and did not immediately agree.
Seeing that she seemed reluctant, Yao Youqing asked, "Auntie, are you not used to living in a new place? I can have someone prepare a courtyard and decorate it just like the place you and Uncle lived in Cangcheng."
“No, that’s not it,” said Madam Song, “it’s just…”
Living in someone else's house is never as comfortable as living in your own home, and besides, the Prince's mansion used to be almost entirely men, with very few maids, so she was even more unwilling.
But now the palace has a mistress, a charming and lovely little girl who bears a striking resemblance to her deceased daughter, and she likes her very much.
Since that's the case... then living here doesn't seem so bad. She can take care of her often and check on Douzi often, so she won't worry about things back in Cangcheng.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Song swallowed back the words she was about to say and nodded, saying, "Alright, if you don't mind us old folks being a bother, then we'll stay here."
Yao Youqing was overjoyed and immediately stood up from her chair to show them the courtyard prepared for them.
Mrs. Song was somewhat surprised: "Are you ready?"
Yao Youqing nodded repeatedly: "I thought that if my uncle and aunt agreed, we could move in immediately without any last-minute arrangements, so I had someone prepare in advance."
However, she didn't mention it when she spoke to them earlier, probably because she was afraid that they really didn't want to stay, and they would feel bad going against her kindness and reluctantly stay.
Mrs. Song chuckled: "Then let's go take a look."
The courtyard was indeed very similar to the courtyard of Li Tai and his wife in Cangcheng. Song Shi only glanced at it and knew that Yao Youqing must have put a lot of thought into it.
She and Li Tai left the things they had brought with them here. After everything was settled, Yao Youqing left so that they could get some rest.
Song was exhausted from the long carriage ride and soon fell asleep.
Li Tai was thinking about a little tavern he used to love, wondering if it had closed down after all these years. So, after Song fell asleep, he tiptoed out and went out alone into the street.
Hu Cheng was much the same as he remembered, not much had changed. The little-known tavern was still thriving, and although the drinks weren't great, the side dishes were quite delicious.
After finishing a pot of yellow wine, Li Tai hummed a tune as he walked out of the tavern, swaying his head contentedly as he headed back. However, before he even reached the palace, a light rain began to fall from the sky, growing heavier and showing no signs of stopping.
Pedestrians scattered like birds and beasts on the street, and Li Tai had no choice but to quickly find a place to take shelter from the rain.
He took shelter in a roadside shop, and the shopkeeper did not chase him away because he had come in to take shelter from the rain. Instead, he poured him a cup of hot tea.
"Sir, please have a cup of tea to warm yourself up, so you don't catch a cold."
Li Tai accepted the gift and thanked him, then looked at the rain outside and muttered, "How can the weather change so suddenly? It was fine just now."
"That's right, summer weather is like that. It was sunny just a moment ago, and now it's raining."