Chapter 97: The Life of Ordinary People

Bai Mucheng said with a smile, “With you as my wife, you don’t have to worry. As long as the decision is made to deal with the officials, everything will settle down.”

Indeed, with military power in hand, the usual way to handle powerful officials is through marriage alliances. It’s a slow process of cutting off branches and reducing influence and turmoil. Of course, a more direct solution, like Li Longji’s, is to simply cut them off.

But their foundation wasn’t solid yet. Slowly weakening them and reducing their influence was the better strategy.

The Jia family thought the same way, which is why they believed the royal family should opt for a marriage alliance—it was the wisest choice.

But they didn’t choose that route.

Bai Mucheng chuckled, “Instead, it was the Fifth Prince’s wife who died!”

Tian Mi blinked in confusion. What did that mean? Was her intelligence lacking? How could she not understand?

Bai Mucheng laughed, “His father had a concubine who gave birth to the Fifth Prince. When his older brother married, he had his wife killed to establish his control over the family. Now, he’s come to the capital to gain power and influence, so he had his wife killed under the guise of illness.”

Tian Mi was stunned! This was even worse than Ruan Donglai!

There are always scoundrels in every era!

The imperial family is ruthless, and in the battle for power, sacrificing lives is just a normal occurrence.

Tian Mi asked, “So how is this being handled?”

Bai Mucheng replied, “The Empress suspected this from the start and informed the Emperor. He sent the imperial guards and doctors to investigate. Afterward, the Emperor issued a decree stating that the Fifth Prince’s wife died, and that the Fifth Prince would mourn her for three years.”

They still had to save face for the royal family. The Fifth Prince was the only one in this era who would mourn his wife for three years.

It would look like a story of deep love between husband and wife to the public! But the reality was far more ironic!

Haha! The fate of women in this era is so unfair, especially in the royal family. She lost her life, and he only had to mourn her for three years in confinement.

Tian Mi asked flatly, “Was he trying to gain Jia Fu’s support?”

Bai Mucheng shook his head, “How could it be? Once he gains the throne, he’ll focus on the officials. If he wanted to form alliances, it would be with military families.”

He smiled and said, “The Empress said you’re our little lucky star. You shot two targets with one arrow!”

Tian Mi laughed at his words.

It was the Fifth Prince who was truly unlucky—he was absolutely caught in the crossfire!

Looking at the handsome man in front of her, Tian Mi smiled gently, but her gaze turned cold.

She asked, “We’re about to move to your residence soon. Is everything prepared there?”

Bai Mucheng gave her a playful look, “What do you mean by ‘your residence’? It’s our residence. I gave you the keys, and everything in the house is yours to decide. If you want to make changes, just have the housekeeper take care of it. Mi’er, remember, we’re husband and wife, there’s no distinction between you and me.”

Tian Mi felt slightly at fault but nodded, “Alright, husband!”

She then sweetly kissed him.

This little enchantress had always made his head spin even when she was just a little over 100 pounds, and now, as she’d grown into a little fairy, every time she took the initiative, Bai Mucheng quickly found himself falling into her charm.

When Bai Mucheng made up his mind to marry Tian Mi, he had read some books on marriage, not wanting to hurt her. But that night, he lost control, and the next day he regretted it. However, he was surprised that she didn’t mind!

Later, he indulged himself again, but the next day, she still didn’t mind! Mi’er’s body seemed to recover incredibly quickly!

Bai Mucheng held her in his arms, kissing her neck and collarbone, nibbling at her.

Slowly, Tian Mi became exhausted from all the attention, begging for mercy.

Bai Mucheng whispered in her ear, “Mi’er, call me husband!”

Tian Mi obediently complied, but it didn’t earn her any mercy.

The next day, Tian Mi handed Bai Mucheng the design for a heated floor system, asking him to have it built in a location near their residence. The system was large, with walls constructed around it that could double as stoves to maintain the temperature effectively.

Bai Mucheng looked at the design and understood it, smiling, “Understood, little fairy!”

Then he added, “We have a hot spring villa on Mount Li. When it gets colder, we can stay there.”

Tian Mi’s eyes sparkled. This was what a wealthy person’s life should be like! Why didn’t he say that sooner?

There are some things that only the royal family, princes, and those with high status can afford.

“Really? That’s great, we must get that done! The babies can play in there during the winter.”

Bai Mucheng said, “Got it. By the way, you need to make more of those external injury medicines and typhoid remedies, especially the alcohol for cleaning wounds. The court will need to buy them.”

The Second Prince’s goal to form alliances must be with the Duke of Zhenxi’s family. With the turmoil in the court these past years, the only major threats have been from the west, and the Duke of Zhenxi has been guarding that border for generations, which ensures peace. The crown prince’s idea is to send military doctors who’ve learned suturing to spread that skill, and send some medicine too.

We can’t let them think the court doesn’t care about them, or they’ll find an opening.

For the money-making part, Tian Mi eagerly agreed.

Bai Mucheng took the plans and left!

Qiu Wu came to report, “Princess, the renovation of Hongyanxiao is complete, and it’s ready to open.”

The rich lady still preferred to make money. She also needed the business to legitimize the vast amounts of silver in her hands.

Tian Mi had already picked the opening date for Hongyanxiao, and it was set for the 20th. She had asked her second uncle to arrange the delivery of goods with Chun Yi, and everything would be ready by then.

Tian Mi rarely went out now, because as a princess, even a simple outing required significant preparation. To avoid attention, she would always change her appearance.

Today, she had to go out to familiarize herself with the capital and also to look for wine. The wine in this era was thick and cloudy, and alcohol could be extracted from it.

Tian Mi dressed as a dashing young nobleman and added a seductive touch with a fan.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her skin like white jade, her smile enchanting. Hmm! Not bad, she was very satisfied!

Chun Er and Chun San were startled when they saw her.

Even the three secret guards hiding in the shadows were taken aback. How could there be a stranger here?

Tian Mi walked over, teasing Chun Er, “Girl, smile for me!”

The two maids shyly brushed her hand aside and shot her a playful glare.

The three secret guards let out a sigh of relief. The princess was so playful—no wonder even the usually serious prince had become more cheerful.

After teasing the two maids, Tian Mi avoided the guards and climbed over the wall to leave the mansion! One of the secret guards secretly followed. Bai Mucheng had instructed them: two were to protect the children, and one was to protect the princess.

She strolled down the street with her fan, heading to Qipan Street to check on the store’s business. From Xu Feiyan’s daily accounts and performance, it was clear that things were going well, but she still wanted to see for herself.

When she arrived at the store, she saw Xu Feiyan cheerfully talking to a few scholars who had come in to inquire about learning. “Don’t worry, the academy will be renovated in two days, and we welcome everyone to come. As long as your handwriting meets our standards, we will accept you.”

Unexpectedly, Jin Wenwen was also in the store, picking out brushes and ink with her maid.

The two assistants were also busy helping customers, and everything was running smoothly.

Xu Feiyan was a pretty decent girl—bold and straightforward, though not the brightest, but she certainly had drive.

Tian Mi turned around to leave, just as she saw Wang and Xu Yunfei, and Huang Yuanying walking into the shop. Wang felt a chill when he saw the lively Xu Feiyan. How did he run into this wild woman again?

None of them recognized Tian Mi, and they brushed past her.

Tian Mi walked down the bustling streets of the capital, where people came and went, creating a lively atmosphere.

She stopped by Hongyanxiao, where Chun Yi was directing Qiu Wu and Qiu Shi to arrange the goods.

The location of Hongyanxiao was excellent, on a busy main street where many well-dressed ladies and young girls walked by.

The shop’s interior was exquisite, perfectly catering to the tastes of the noblewomen.

Tian Mi then visited her second uncle’s medicine shop. She found him and her two cousins organizing the goods. The shop was two streets behind Hongyanxiao, and it was in a less fashionable area. The people here wore simpler clothes, and the atmosphere was less relaxed than the main street, where people strolled casually, chatting and laughing.

However, for a pharmacy, this location was still acceptable—after all, who would visit a pharmacy just for fun?

Tian Mi then set off to find the alcohol she needed for distilling. She headed toward the North Gate, where the common people lived. The alcohol there would surely be cheaper.

As Tian Mi walked, her mood grew heavier. The people here had dull, yellowed faces and wooden expressions. It was already late autumn, but many people still wore only light clothes, and some even walked barefoot on the wet, slippery ground.

Tian Mi put away her fan and stopped walking seductively. Since coming to this era, she hadn’t experienced hunger or poverty, not even during the famine. She had always assumed that everyone else was the same.

But after experiencing natural disasters and war, struggling for food and warmth was the reality for most ordinary families.

Though the capital wasn’t as dry as their home, the food shortages were still severe.

She didn’t find any alcohol shops in the North City, so she left. With so many people unable to even fill their stomachs, alcohol seemed like an unnecessary luxury.