He put down his chopsticks and said, "He has fallen for the princess, so he went to find Murong Sheng and Xie Kun. Who knew these two would lead him to a brothel? He thought that maybe after getting drunk, he would feel better, but who knew... but looking at the second brother like this, he must be heartbroken this time."
Fan Zehao lifted his eyelids, put some food into his wife's bowl, and said, "The second brother is quite bold. If the Emperor knew he was infatuated with Princess Pingting, he might break his legs into three sections."
"Don't just say sarcastic things. As an elder brother, you should guide him. There's nothing wrong with liking someone!"
It's just wrong that they are not from the same social standing.
She didn't say these words aloud, for if she did, it would only make people more heartbroken.
The meal was eaten without any flavor.
The next day, as soon as the morning court ended, Prince Xiaoyao invited Fan Zehao away. The two discussed the matter of Zongshenguo's visit to the court.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jiaqi immediately handed the child over to her mother-in-law and went to the imperial farm with Fan Xiaofeng.
More than a hundred mu of land were being raced to build greenhouses under the leadership of Fan Guangping.
The two walked along the fields and the borders of the land.
Zhao Jiaqi had always been concerned about Xiaofeng and Li Chuang's affairs. Since they had come to the capital, they had to achieve something.
Although he was an accountant in the general's mansion, in the end, he was still inferior, which did not align with the original intention of bringing him here.
"Xiaofeng, I asked you out today because I want to talk to you about your future development."
Xiaofeng looked at the endless land and then at his elder sister-in-law. He said, "The path of imperial examinations is too difficult, and I'm not as suited for the military as my brother."
"However, I do like being a businessman like Sheng Ge and Kun Ge, free, with no shortage of money, and challenging."
With this confession, Zhao Jiaqi understood his thoughts.
"This is easy to handle, not a difficult matter." It was just that she needed to plan carefully.
She patrolled the imperial farm for a whole morning and then chatted with her father and elder brother for a while, mainly about whether the hundred mu of land could be completed on time.
"With your father here, second daughter-in-law, you can rest assured. This land will definitely be completed and will not delay us from planting winter green vegetables."
Her father had never exaggerated before, so Zhao Jiaqi was relieved and smiled, "Alright, then I won't bother you anymore. We've hired long-term workers, so you two don't have to do the work yourselves. Just direct them."
Although Fan Guangping and Fan He, father and son, had agreed very well, after seeing them off, they turned around and went to the fields to work with the hired laborers.
The father and son were honest and hardworking people. They were able to go from having enough to eat to eating well and wearing warm clothes, and now they lived in a large house in the capital and had money in their pockets. They dared not forget this kindness.
As soon as Zhao Jiaqi stepped off the carriage, Li Chuang rushed out, sweating profusely, "Sister-in-law, the princess is here. She almost overturned our general's mansion when she saw brother Xudong injured. She's waiting in the front hall for you and elder brother to return and demand an explanation!"
As soon as she heard the word "princess," Zhao Jiaqi's head buzzed. Such a troublesome person. She turned to leave, "Chuang, just pretend I didn't come back and let her keep waiting."
When the head steward saw his sister-in-law trying to escape, he immediately stopped her. "Sister-in-law, please forgive your Chuang. This princess has already broken four teacups and five teapots. She even demands pastries from that century-old shop in the capital. Chuang really can't handle it anymore. Please go and see her quickly!"
He pulled her into the mansion without further ado, and Zhao Jiaqi went to the front hall with a heavy heart.
It wasn't that she was afraid of the princess causing trouble, but she was afraid that if the princess injured herself in the mansion, the Emperor and the noble consort would be heartbroken. If this matter were blamed on her husband, how wronged he would be.
Xiao Jiu was guarding at the door. Seeing a woman's attire, she immediately went to the front hall and reported to Pingting, "Princess, Madam Fan is here."
Huangfu Pingting raised her eyes and looked towards the door. Seeing her walk gracefully, she put down her teacup and said, "Madam Fan is finally back. You have kept this princess waiting for a long time!"
Her tone was so sharp, she was clearly not here for a pleasant chat.
Fan Jiaqi bowed, then stood up and smiled, "If this humble woman had known the princess was coming today, she certainly would not have gone out."
The implication was that she had come uninvited, so it was not her fault for making her wait all day.
The two women clashed as soon as they met, each using their words to provoke the other.
Huangfu Pingting's expression was displeased, and she questioned, "Who beat my benefactor to this state, unable to get out of bed? Tell me!"
"Xudong is my brother. Do I need the princess's permission to hit him?"
"He is my benefactor!" Huangfu Pingting emphasized again.
Zhao Jiaqi shrugged, "So what! He's just a benefactor, not a驸马 (imperial son-in-law). Besides, an elder brother is like a father, and an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Hitting him is caring for him. He hasn't said anything, why is the princess so anxious!"
"You... you have a sharp tongue, you spout nonsense, you are clearly... clearly..."
"Clearly what?" Zhao Jiaqi smiled, looking at her fuming self.
This outburst of hers today showed that she had feelings for Xudong.
She wanted revenge, but no matter how noble her status, it was useless here at the general's mansion.
Huangfu Pingting clutched her silk handkerchief, wishing she could wring ten or eight holes out of it. Faced with the general's wife's aggressive attitude, she couldn't retort anything and could only fret.
"Why is the princess so angry today? He is merely someone who helped you out of a difficult situation before, why should the princess think of him so much!"
Huangfu Pingting turned her head away, remaining silent, not wanting to talk to her.
Zhao Jiaqi felt she had hit a dead end. She touched her nose and said, "Forgive this humble woman for speaking frankly, but my brother Xudong is now of marriageable age. This humble woman has already started arranging his marriage. Given the princess's noble status, and the fact that a man and a woman are alone... such interaction is indeed inconvenient!"
Upon hearing that the general's wife had already started looking for a wife for her benefactor, Huangfu Pingting's heart trembled.
She quickly said, "You... this princess thinks that young Master Fan is not old yet, why is there such a hurry to find him a wife?"
Zhao Jiaqi sighed in response, and regretfully replied, "Your Highness, you may not know, but my silly brother has fallen for a girl. However, due to her noble status, he knows he is not worthy and drowned his sorrows in wine, getting extremely drunk. When he returned, his brother beat him. I thought since he has aspirations of getting married, it might be better to find him a suitable match. Perhaps after marriage, he will forget that girl."
Huangfu Pingting's heart was filled with mixed emotions upon hearing this.
She knew who the girl the general's wife was referring to, but she felt helpless when she thought of her own status.
She lowered her eyes, feeling very dejected. Uncharacteristically, she didn't lose her temper, but looked at the broken porcelain scattered around the room with some embarrassment.
"Madam, I didn't intentionally break these teacups. I will go to the storeroom later and select some good ones to send to you as compensation."
After the princess finished speaking, she was about to leave the general's mansion. Zhao Jiaqi escorted her out. On the way, she said, "If you both like each other, what does status matter! If you marry someone who doesn't love you, what will the long years ahead be like?"
Pondering Zhao Jiaqi's words, Huangfu Pingting left. Looking at the princess's departing carriage, she shook her head almost imperceptibly.