"Madam, we are very pleased with this outcome. With fewer matters to manage, we won't be so tired. I suspect he isn't blinded by greed, but rather, he cannot tolerate rivals under his own roof! This was to be expected."
Who could possess the magnanimity and broad vision of the late Emperor!
Zhou Qiangwei looked at Zhao Jiaqi's calm demeanor and genuinely couldn't understand, "Aren't you angry at all?"
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled and shook her head, indicating she truly wasn't.
What was there to be angry about? Wasn't living an ordinary life good? Even the dreams she had were sweet.
Before long, Fang Mingjiang, the Minister of Personnel, arrived. He, as an outsider, was deeply angered by the day's events and felt disheartened by the Emperor's handling of the situation.
If meritorious officials could not be treated with favor, one could only imagine how cold the Emperor's heart must be.
"Your Highness, Your Highness Consort, I have resigned my official post today and wish to follow you back to your fiefdom. Would you take me in?"
Fang Mingjiang's words were delivered in a remarkably casual tone, with no discernible emotion on his usually serious face.
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao were quite shocked. The Minister of Personnel was a position that Fan Zehao had painstakingly secured for him, so why was he giving it up so readily?
"The Minister of Personnel is in charge of the transfer of officials. You're giving it up just like that? Are you abandoning your ambitions so easily?" Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but ask, her heart filled with confusion.
She didn't know Fang Mingjiang very well, having met him only three or four times in total.
However, she knew from her godfather, Fang Jingchen, that Fang Mingjiang, though the illegitimate son of his younger brother Fang Jingwan's family, was steady, low-key, intelligent, and capable, the most accomplished in the Fang family.
Her godfather had once told Fan Zehao to help him out if he could, which was why Fan Zehao had chosen him as the Minister of Personnel. She hadn't expected this outcome!
It was truly a cause for sighs.
"Ambitions and ideals are not solely realized in court; they can be pursued elsewhere. Just like you, Your Highness Consort, thinking of the common people and contributing a method for high-yield grain, isn't that also a form of ambition?"
This statement persuaded Zhao Jiaqi. Having such a young and talented individual join their fiefdom would inject fresh blood into the current officialdom, a cause for celebration.
Fan Zehao greatly admired him and patted his shoulder, "I am short of a prefect there, so please do me the honor. Although it may be an underutilization of your talents, I will grant you more authority to work for the welfare of the people and be a parent to them."
A long-unchanging expression on Fang Mingjiang's face softened into a smile. The moment his lips curved, it indicated his satisfaction with this appointment.
"Thank you for your patronage, Your Highness!"
Before the New Year had even passed, Zhao Jiaqi ordered the servants to begin packing, preparing to return to their fiefdom immediately after the first day of the Lunar New Year.
However, Pingting's condition was now quite cumbersome, and she couldn't endure bumpy journeys. The Emperor had specifically permitted Pingting to leave the capital after giving birth and accompany the Grand General of Cavalry back to the border.
Upon hearing this news, Pingting paid no mind to the arrangements and insisted on returning to the capital with her elder sister-in-law. Even the Empress Dowager's persuasion was to no avail.
Having no choice, the Empress Dowager had to let her have her way.
After the New Year, Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao went to see Erlang. One reason was to check on the fellow, and the other was to bid farewell, as their return to the fiefdom would make seeing him again incredibly difficult.
As dusk began to fall, Fan Zehao tugged at the woman who was holding Erlang tightly, unwilling to let go, "If we don't leave now, it will be dark. We can see Erlang again when we return later!"
Tears streaming down her face, she understood that feasts must eventually end. She took a step, then two, looking back at Erlang. It wasn't until they were completely out of sight down the mountain that she boarded the carriage back to the capital.
On the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Song Fei arrived, carrying his baggage. He smiled shyly at Fan Zehao, "I have also resigned my post and will follow Your Highness to the fiefdom. I wish to see the local customs and traditions there!"
Zhao Jiaqi felt her husband had struck it rich, gaining two such talented individuals who would rather forgo official positions in the capital to go to the border.
"I hope you will go, but I suspect the Prime Minister and his wife will be reluctant to part with you. They are probably crying at home!"
Mentioning this, Song Fei's eyes also reddened slightly, "My father wants me to go out and see the world. My mother is reluctant, but she couldn't sway me and agreed!"
With the addition of another person to their entourage, the couple was still very pleased. However, as they were about to depart in their carriage, Huangfu Xian and Fan Mingyue unexpectedly appeared.
"Fan Zehao, I've heard your trade city is very popular. You don't mind if I come for a visit, do you?" Huangfu Xian tilted his chin up, looking at the man taller than himself.
What was going on?
One person after another was showing up, wanting to go to his fiefdom!
Was his home so welcoming?
"As long as you don't cause me trouble, suit yourself!"
Huangfu Xian let out a soft snort and pouted, "Who would willingly seek out trouble? Causing trouble on your territory would mean the person is either a fool or a madman."
Although everyone was unsure of Prince Xian's motives, they treated him and his side consort with politeness.
The large entourage set off northward. Zhao Jiaqi would visit each town or prefecture she passed through.
From large jewelry stores to small seed shops, she scoured them all. What began as a journey with a dozen or so horse-drawn carriages turned into more than ten additional carriages upon reaching the fiefdom, all due to her constant shopping spree.
Fan Mingyue looked at her, utterly speechless, "You are already a princess consort, with no worries about food or clothing, and possess wealth rivaling nations. Why can't you let go of your farming pursuits?"
Wasn't living a life of pampered luxury better? Enjoying flowers, drinking tea, and watching operas and listening to music wouldn't be more comfortable?
"If we don't farm, where will the grain come from? What will you eat?" Zhao Jiaqi retorted.
Fan Mingyue's eyes widened as she said, "Grain, of course, is bought! The common folk grow it. Don't you find it embarrassing to be farming now?"
Zhao Jiaqi put down the seeds in her hand and looked at her properly, "Fan Mingyue, don't forget, you are also from a farming family. It doesn't matter if others look down on you; what matters is whether you look down on yourself!"
"Even though you are now a side consort, and even if your body is gilded, your essence remains. It won't change your origins just because of your status or the addition of gold!"
If a farmer's descendant looks down on farmers, who else would respect you?
Huangfu Xian spent his days by Fan Zehao's side, practically residing in the trade city, truly embodying the spirit of a good prince who asks when he doesn't know and is not ashamed to ask.
Prince Xian's side consort seemed to have a screw loose, constantly following the princess consort, calling her "sister-in-law" and asking all sorts of questions. Prince Xian and his consort had truly perplexed Zhao Jiaqi and her husband.
In private, even Song Fei and Fang Mingjiang were discussing it. Wasn't Prince Xian previously severely reprimanded by Huangfu Xian's maternal family? What was happening now that he was actively becoming the prince's student?
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi, worn out by these two, could no longer endure their antics.