Chapter 201 1/3

Li Qingzhi did not bring Madam Qian on this trip to the provincial capital.

Madam Qian’s health was quite good, and staying home to rest was enough; there was no need for her to endure the hardship of traveling to the provincial capital.

Of course, she had to go to the capital city. When Madam Qian gave birth, it was better for him to be there to look after her.

Li Qingzhi took out a walnut, cracked it with his hand, and gave the kernel to Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye did not eat it but gave it to Li Damao and Li Ermao first.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi cracked another walnut. This time, Jin Xiaoye ate half and gave the other half to Zhao Xiaodou.

“Ah Qing, I want one too,” Li Laogen said, holding a walnut and looking at Li Qingzhi eagerly.

Li Qingzhi took the walnut from his hand and cracked it open.

The walnuts they bought were not the easy-to-peel paper-shell walnuts of later generations. These walnuts had very hard shells, which Li Laogen couldn’t crack open with his hands.

Seeing Li Qingzhi easily crack open the walnut, Li Laogen couldn’t help but mutter, “Young people are just stronger.”

It wasn’t just that young people were strong; Li Qingzhi was particularly strong.

Li Qingzhi cracked open another walnut and then saw Li Damao and Li Ermao taking the walnut kernels and feeding them bit by bit to the chickens.

Sigh, his sons cared more about the chickens than him now.

Li Qingzhi stuffed the walnut kernel into his own mouth and didn’t give them any more.

While Li Qingzhi and his group were happily traveling, Xu Yuandong was rushing back to the capital city, looking travel-worn.

“Are you Mr. Xu?” The gatekeeper of Prince Jin’s mansion was a bit surprised to see Xu Yuandong.

Xu Yuandong had always been elegant, but today he was unshaven, with bloodshot eyes and disheveled clothes.

The gatekeeper almost didn’t recognize him.

“It’s me! I urgently need to see the prince!” Xu Yuandong said.

Prince Jin was discussing strategies with his subordinates when he learned that Xu Yuandong had returned.

Prince Jin was determined to take the throne.

He had to obtain it, for if he didn’t become emperor, he likely wouldn’t have a good end in the future.

Because the stakes were so high, he was anxious, but fortunately, he had some clever advisors who could offer him some comfort.

“Your Highness, Lu Qingxi has recently targeted Prince Yan. We can sit back and watch the tigers fight.”

“I think we can ally with Prince Yan and first find a way to deal with Lu Qingxi. The emperor favors Lu Qingxi but hates Prince Yan. Once Lu Qingxi is dealt with, the emperor will surely choose you, Your Highness.”

“No, Prince Yan’s hidden power is unexpectedly large. He’s not simple. I think we should deal with him and Lu Qingxi together.”

…

They were discussing when they heard Xu Yuandong had returned.

Prince Jin was a bit surprised and delighted: “Let him in quickly!”

Prince Jin had sent Xu Yuandong to Jiang’an Province to trouble Governor Zhang, and now that Xu Yuandong had returned, it must mean the task was accomplished!

Xu Yuandong quickly arrived before King Jin, and seeing his state, King Jin was taken aback: “Yuandong, what’s the matter with you…”

Xu Yuandong, disheveled and tearful, knelt on the ground: “Your Highness, you must guard against Prince Yan!”

Prince Jin frowned, and his advisors all perked up their ears.

Then they heard Xu Yuandong recounting his experience while crying.

Xu Yuandong had targeted Governor Zhang through a local official, a strategy that was sound, but Prince Yan interfered, causing him to fail. Now, people thought Prince Jin had tried to assassinate the official!

This would damage Prince Jin’s reputation, and it was Xu Yuandong’s failure.

People tend to shift blame, and Xu Yuandong was no exception.

Afraid of being blamed for the failure, he put all the blame on Prince Yan.

He also said, “Your Highness, I went to great lengths to learn that the relief silver missing from the Yuxi flood seven years ago was taken by Prince Yan’s people! Moreover, he has many spies around you, causing your frequent troubles!”

Prince Jin’s pupils contracted.

“Your Highness, Prince Yan is like a viper, lurking in the dark and biting you at every opportunity!” Xu Yuandong said.

King Jin thought it over: “No wonder Lu Qingxi started targeting him these past few months. He must have discovered something!”

Prince Jin had faced many setbacks in recent years. He had blamed Lu Qingxi, but now he had another scapegoat.

If it weren’t for Prince Yan, he wouldn’t be in such a predicament!

For now, Prince Jin put aside his issues with Governor Zhang, focusing all his hatred on Prince Yan.

However, Prince Jin had no immediate way to deal with Prince Yan until one of his advisors said, “Your Highness, if Lu Qingxi can write a book, so can we!”

“Yes! We can write too!” Prince Jin said.

Prince Jin began investigating the people around him while also commissioning books, becoming quite busy.

Meanwhile, Prince Yan, targeted by both Lu Qingxi and Prince Jin, suffered significant losses, even having to close his Yulong Trading Company.

Yet, this struggle brought him to the forefront, gaining more attention and support…

In the court, some officials remained neutral, but most had sided with Lu Qingxi, Prince Jin, or Prince Yan.

These three factions fought and competed, turning the court into a chaotic mess.

Hexing Prefecture, Haizhou County.

Haizhou County was a coastal county in Hexing Prefecture.

Though it had many residents, they were not wealthy—its fields were not as fertile as those in Chongcheng County.

As for living off the sea… not everyone had the skills for it; most were still farmers.

Fang Xiuniang, accompanied by a hired woman, walked along the country path, observing the surroundings.

Finally, she stopped at the door of a dilapidated house.

Inside, a man in his forties was scolding a woman: “You useless woman, look at what you’ve cooked! Wasting my food! You better not eat anymore!”

The man continued berating the woman.

The woman, older but still somewhat attractive, huddled and cried.

Fang Xiuniang watched happily for a while until the woman looked up at her.

Her expression didn’t change until the woman looked away and continued crying. Then she chuckled softly.

Her mother didn’t recognize her, which was just as well.

Fang Xiuniang inquired about the family.

“The man is surnamed Tian, a scoundrel who used to beat his previous wife.”

“His first wife died not long ago, and he married this woman, supposedly to take care of his children, but they’re grown and don’t need care. He just fancied her looks.”

“His son even fought with him over it! The son is old enough to marry, but the father used the family’s money to marry this woman. Now the son can’t afford a wife.”

“This woman is also delicate, unwilling to do any work.”

“She keeps saying her son will come to take her away… wishful thinking! Her son never returned after leaving.”

…

Fang Xiuniang listened, feeling even better.

This scolded woman was her mother, Fang Mu.

Knowing her mother was here, she came specifically to see.

If it had been her sister, seeing their mother suffer would have been heart-wrenching. But for her, it was satisfying.