pjbooks Chapter 280 Princess Changning Likes the Second Young Master
Chapter 280 Princess Changning Likes the Second Young Master
The tribute sent by the Northern Expedition included many fine items, and the Emperor naturally bestowed some upon the Chu Prince's residence. Gu Qingwan counted them, kept two pieces of leather to have them made into clothes, and selected some suitable ones to have Shishu deliver to the Ningguo Duke's residence later.
"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the north." The attendant entered with the letter.
Gu Qingwan opened the letter and read it almost instantly. It was a letter from her second cousin. Just then, the King of Chu returned to the main courtyard. Seeing Gu Qingwan reading the letter, he didn't approach her but went to the stove to warm his hands.
After reading it, Gu Qingwan said to Shishu, "Go and deliver the things I gave to my maternal grandmother and aunt to the Ningguo Duke's Mansion. There is a family letter here, take it with you. Come back to my place later, I have something to tell you."
"I'll go and do it right away."
After Shi Shu left, Gu Qingwan picked up the letter and walked to Xiao Jingchen's side, saying, "Second cousin said that their journey was relatively smooth and they did not encounter any refugees. However, it is strange that the weather in the north is not as cold as in previous years, but that is often what is worrying."
After reading it, Xiao Jingchen said, "This abnormal weather is not optimistic. There is a possibility that a blizzard is waiting for them."
“After the blizzard comes severe cold. People are complacent now, but they will surely suffer a serious disaster when that time comes,” Gu Qingwan added. “We still need to plan ahead.”
"I have already sent people along the way to purchase some grain and cotton to get through the winter, and I have also sent people to purchase some charcoal."
"I just don't know if it will be enough. My brother is getting older and more wary of gods and ghosts these days. If I tell him rashly, he will become suspicious when a real disaster comes."
Hearing this, Gu Qingwan felt a pang of sympathy for Xiao Jingchen. He was the brother she had risked her life to protect all the way. Could he also be subject to the emperor's suspicion, who was like a tiger in the court?
As if sensing Gu Qingwan's worry, he touched his clothes, which were already warmed by the fire, and pulled her into his arms, his large hand enveloping her small hand as they held the hand warmer together.
"Don't worry about me, Your Majesty is just getting old, it's nothing. I will know how to handle things."
Gu Qingwan nodded, got up and took out a drawing from the study, marking the two circled areas on it.
"I made a special trip to see this place when I returned from Yunhun Pass in the Northern Territory. It consists of two mines, one a coal mine and the other an iron mine. I have bought them both, but I haven't arranged for anyone to develop them yet. Your Highness, do you know if there are any suitable people who can take over? I don't have enough people."
These two places were first discovered by people close to Xiao Yuheng. Xiao Yuheng secretly pocketed these places and colluded with local officials to keep them from the imperial court.
He fattened his own pockets and the army's weapons by buying and selling coal and smelting iron ore. What's even more terrifying is that Gu Hanjiao somehow obtained a method for smelting metals, and the weapons she made were even tougher and more durable than before.
Xiao Jingchen looked at the two hills and was surprised that his princess was so rich that she could buy two hills so easily. She not only had a long-term vision, but was also very bold.
"I will find someone to take over these two hilltops as soon as possible."
"The Third Prince's people will definitely be looking for these two mountains soon, so be careful not to let them take advantage of any loopholes."
"You can rest assured about that. I will personally arrange for people to go there. With these two mines, not to mention anything else, the coal mines alone can solve the problem of getting through the winter in the north."
"Yes, if someone tries to take advantage of the situation to raise prices and disrupt the market, we won't be in a very passive position."
Xiao Jingchen hugged Gu Qingwan and asked, "Did Xiao Yuheng discover all of these in your previous life?"
Seeing how cautiously he asked, Gu Qingwan couldn't help but find it a little funny: "Your Highness, there's no need for that. I no longer mind. Being with Your Highness in this life is the most important thing."
Xiao Jingchen smiled.
"These are all things that Gu Hanjiao said, but the actual implementation was done by people around Xiao Yuheng. At that time, Xiao Yuheng made a fortune from the disaster and then pretended to give things to the disaster victims to gain a good reputation."
"hypocritically?"
"He's just a hypocrite." Gu Qingwan thought to herself that she wanted nothing more than to chop off that scoundrel's head.
"On the surface, he used the money to buy disaster relief supplies, but in reality, he sent people to intercept the supplies that the imperial court was sending to Yunhun Pass. At that time, the disaster relief supplies and provisions were transported in batches. The roads were difficult to travel, so this made it more convenient. Those were the hope of the people in the disaster area and the food supply for tens of thousands of people on the border. He decided their destination so easily."
Xiao Jingchen never expected that Xiao Yuheng would do such a thing. If it is not handled properly, the soldiers on the border will freeze or starve to death.
“It was my maternal grandfather who took a large amount of money and asked people to buy things in the surrounding areas, and my second brother risked going to the northern border to buy them, which is how tens of thousands of people survived that winter.”
It's just that Xiao Yuheng deserves to die. He actually had people use this to make a fuss, saying that his maternal grandfather had long been colluding with the Northern Border, otherwise why would the Northern Border be so kind as to sell them the winter supplies?
“I was also at the border at that time. Yunhun Pass was really cold that year. We could only eat one meal a day. When our clothes were torn, we would quickly mend them. We didn’t dare to take them off at night, and we couldn’t take them off anyway. During the day, we would fight and sweat, and our clothes would get wet. At first, we didn’t feel anything because our bodies were hot, but later, when the sweat came down, our clothes would freeze stiff…”
Xiao Jingchen tenderly pulled Gu Qingwan into his arms. She should have been a delicate girl, but she had been forced to the battlefield to fight for her life alongside a group of men.
Did he send you?
Gu Qingwan was silent for a while before saying, "He said he needed my help to pacify the border and reorganize the army. Actually, he was planning to wipe out the Ning family army at that time, wasn't he? Heh, just a worm living in a dark and damp corner."
Xiao Jingchen pulled the girl in his arms up a little higher, rubbing his chin against her cheek. Soon, her fair cheeks turned red.
Xiao Jingchen gently rubbed the pink spot with his fingertips and said in a low voice, "Still so delicate, it turns red at the slightest touch."
Just as she was about to kiss him, Baoqin came in from outside: "Your Highness, Princess Changning has arrived, you..."
Baoqin felt that she was really ungrateful and didn't know what was good for her. How could she have disturbed her masters' good time at this time? She deserved to die. The two of them quickly turned around and stood at the door.
"Ahem." Gu Qingwan awkwardly got out of Xiao Jingchen's arms, straightened her clothes, and said, "What's wrong, Baoqin?"
"Your Highness, it is Princess Changning who has come to see you and have a word with you."
"Changning? Want to talk to me?" Gu Qingwan was a little surprised. From the first time she met Princess Changning after returning to the capital, Princess Changning had not been very welcoming to her, let alone taking the initiative to come and talk to her.
Gu Qingwan glanced at Xiao Jingchen, who then picked up a military treatise and leaned against the soft couch to read it. "It's probably about a marriage alliance. Go and take a look."
Gu Qingwan nodded and headed in that direction with Baoqin.
Princess Changning nervously clasped her hands together, biting her lower lip as if making a decision. She showed no interest in the tea and snacks brought by the servants.
She didn't know if Gu Qingwan would see her. After all, she had treated Gu Qingwan so badly in the past, and it was already generous of Gu Qingwan not to use her status as an elder to retaliate.
But now she had no choice but to come to her, because Princess Changning didn't know who else to turn to besides her. She'd heard that she had a very good relationship with that person, so it must be...
"What brings the princess to the Chu Prince's residence?" Gu Qingwan's voice interrupted Princess Changning's thoughts.
“Gu…Imperial Aunt.”
"It's rare to see the princess so well-behaved. Is there something you need from me?"
Changning smiled awkwardly, pursed her dry lips, picked up the lukewarm water beside her and took a small sip. Then she looked at the servants around her and said, "Aunt, could you please have them all leave? I have something to say to you."
Gu Qingwan was taken aback, somewhat unable to believe that this was the same second princess who loved to cause trouble, but she still agreed to Changning's suggestion.
After everyone left, Changning held the cup in her hand, hesitating about something. After a long while, she spoke.
"Aunt, do you know where Young Master Ning has gone? And when will he return?"
"Young Master Ning? Ning Chengze?" Gu Qingwan didn't expect Changning to come for her second cousin.
"Yes, Auntie, to be honest, I... I like Young Master Ning. You know that once I like someone, I won't let go. I've tried to find him many times in private, but he's always avoided me. Later, I stopped trying to find him because I was too embarrassed to do so. And when I was able to go out again, I couldn't find him anymore."
“Princess, you are a royal princess. What are you doing seeking him out? Even if you like him, you shouldn’t do this.”
"I know, I am a princess and I naturally have the pride of a princess, but I just like him. From the first time we met at the palace banquet, to the time when my aunt and uncle got married, that person walked into my heart."
Gu Qingwan never expected that this willful princess would fall for her second cousin, but their relationship was doomed. Her second cousin didn't like Changning as she was, and the Ning family wouldn't allow their own son to marry a princess. Besides, Princess Changning was going to be married off to a foreign ruler.
Just as I was thinking about it, Princess Changning brought up the matter herself.
“Aunt, Father told me today… the prince from the Northern Border has chosen me for a political marriage. My mother and brother strongly agree, but I don’t want to. I have someone I love, how can I marry someone else? I had a fight with my mother and brother, and I was thinking of finding him to ask him what he means. If he also has feelings for me, I will fight tooth and nail to avoid the marriage, so…”
"So you came to me because you couldn't find him, is that right?"
"Yes, my dear aunt, please tell me where Ning Chengze is. I ran away from home, and my mother will definitely send someone to bring me back. My time is running out."
Gu Qingwan remained silent for a while. Princess Changning was notoriously willful and capricious. She hadn't expected that she would actually put aside her pride for her second cousin. However, when she thought of the hesitant look on her second cousin's face as he left, she realized that this was probably what he wanted to say.
"Changning."
Silence filled the air; Changning held her breath, as if awaiting the verdict.
"You should go back now. Ning Chengze has left the capital."
Changning murmured to herself, "Left? Was it... to avoid me?"
"Yes and no. He went back to Yunhun Pass. As you know, the Ning family has guarded the northern border for generations, preventing the northern border from invading. The Ning family is also looking for an opportunity to help your father recover the northern border. Therefore, the Ning family has very few opportunities to return to the capital."
“But didn’t Father Emperor want him to stay in the capital to take up a post? That way we can be together. I’ll wait for him to come back, I will definitely wait for him to come back. When he does, I can change all my bad habits and become a virtuous wife and loving mother, as long as I can be with him.”
“Changning, Ning Chengze volunteered to go. You’ve been pursuing him for so long, he must know how you feel, so you two are not a good match.”
"We're not a good match?" Changning repeated the sentence with her head down, then suddenly widened her eyes, stood up, and yelled at Gu Qingwan.
"What do you know? How are we not a good match? You're just short-sighted. Marrying into the Ning family will only bring you benefits, not harm! I don't care, Gu Qingwan, you go! Go to the Ning family and have the matriarch of the Ning family arrange for Ning Chengze to marry me. That way, I won't have to go through the political marriage, and both our families will be happy! You know how capable my brother is; the Ning family will definitely not suffer any losses in the future, I..."