PNB Chapter 308 Feigning Ignorance
Chapter 308 Feigning Ignorance
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaonuan immediately realized that the Wang family they were referring to was the former empress.
However, she didn't interrupt to ask. The sins committed by the Wang family were countless; one after another, they could take three to five days to count them all.
From their conversation, it is clear that this guard, Tian, was also one of those persecuted by Wang Jingwei.
"Sister, come quick! There are little turtles in this pond!" Li Xiaonuan was lamenting the state of the world when she heard Xiaogang call out.
A little turtle? That's a good thing.
Putting aside any talk of auspiciousness, the nutritional value of turtles alone is incredibly tempting.
"Sister Xiaonuan, there's more than one! We saw three little turtles!" Yilou exclaimed excitedly.
It seems that after arriving in Zhoucun, Yilou developed an interest in everything.
Li Xiaonuan walked forward in a few steps and looked at the little turtle that Xiaogang had poked into the water with a small twig. She felt her mood instantly lighten up.
These days, besides dealing with all sorts of wealthy relatives visiting her door, she's already feeling quite annoyed.
Adding to the woes of Wei Yu, whose fate remains uncertain, Li Xiaonuan is utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Before Wei Yu could send any word, the Wei family in the city sent someone to deliver a message. They said that the eldest son of the Wei family had already arranged a marriage in the capital and would no longer be returning to the prefectural city. They asked Li Xiaonuan to take good care of the guests whenever she had free time.
To put it bluntly, they just wanted Li Xiaonuan to help take care of Binzhirugui. That way, if something happened to Binzhirugui because the authorities were far away, the Wei family wouldn't be able to get there in time to handle it.
Along with the messenger came a letter of concession. It stated that 20% of the net profits from the future prosperity of the prefectural city would belong to Li Xiaonuan.
This is basically paying Li Xiaonuan a salary so she can be a hands-off manager.
That's not bad. By lending out a name, one can enjoy dividends without lifting a finger; it's definitely a win-win situation.
"The weather is still so cold, why are the turtles out?" Li Xiaonuan asked curiously.
Although spring always arrives earlier in the south than in the north, the lingering chill of early spring still applies there. Even though it will be February in just two days, the damp and cold atmosphere has not yet dissipated.
“Princess, perhaps you’ve gotten used to living here and don’t feel the warmth. We all feel it’s been warm enough these past few days.” Granny Jin smiled warmly, her face no longer as serious as before.
"Yes, it's certainly warm enough here. Even in the dead of winter, everything is lush and green. However, the climate here is a bit damp," Guard Tian added.
As the weather warms up in the south, it's often accompanied by dampness. Everything is always humid, clothes never dry, water droplets condense on the cold, hard stone floors, and even dry clothes and bedding smell and get moldy.
"It's been a bit humid these past few days. When we get back, I'll have someone burn some mugwort to fumigate your house. I'll also have the kitchen cook some barley and red bean porridge for everyone to have. If you can handle it, chew some ginger slices every morning." This is a common method used by southerners to combat dampness.
“The princess is so thoughtful. I’ll have them get started when we get back.” Granny Jin said, standing by the pond and looking at the little turtle floating in the water with its limbs outstretched.
Now, Granny Jin has taken on the air of a steward in the Li family, managing the people she brought with her in a very proper manner.
"Does the princess intend to use this place as a separate residence?" Guard Tian asked after looking around and seeing that pavilions and corridors had already been built by the pond.
Looking with satisfaction at the buildings with distinctive ethnic characteristics, Li Xiaonuan replied, "No, I plan to use this place as a place to make money. Look at those shallow ponds that have been dug out; we're going to plant aquatic flowers like lotus there."
"No!" Granny Jin immediately stopped her, "Princess, you are a person of status, how can you do such business? Doing so is disrespectful to Her Majesty the Empress."
Li Xiaonuan disagreed: "Granny, even the daughters of powerful families in the capital have shops in their dowries. Aren't those all businesses of merchants? When I was planning this, I was just a poor girl. Besides, these are just businesses of the Li family, not just mine."
Granny Jin opened her mouth, about to offer further advice. But remembering the instructions the Emperor and Empress had given her before she arrived, she wisely kept quiet.
Guard Tian carried the same mission as Granny Jin. Therefore, upon seeing Granny Jin's appearance, he asked, "When does the Princess intend to teach us those characters?"
That's right, most of the people who came this time were there to learn Li Xiaonuan's simplified Chinese characters, Arabic numerals, and English letters.
“This can’t be rushed. I’m sure Granny Jin has seen it too. Since returning home, I’ve been making the most of all my free time to write tutorials.” Li Xiaonuan is even using Pinyin now.
“Granny Jin, Guard Tian, I don’t think you two can learn these things very well. But the children might learn them faster.” Li Xiaonuan planned to have Da Bao and Er Bao learn with her.
"Does the princess have any candidates in this regard?" Guard Tian asked.
These things are actually men's business. Therefore, Granny Jin usually doesn't speak up.
“There are a few candidates. You can also write to the Emperor and the Empress and ask if they can send some children to study together.” Li Xiaonuan was thinking that the children she had chosen must not enter the palace.
However, if the child is personally chosen by the emperor and empress, then she doesn't need to worry about the child she has chosen.
Li Xiaonuan knew that the emperor wanted to treat this knowledge as a royal secret. However, Li Xiaonuan had no intention of complying with the emperor's wishes.
Well, many people now know that Li Xiaonuan is very knowledgeable about those things. If, in the future, someone with ulterior motives were to target her for those things, it would be quite troublesome.
Moreover, the situation in Qi and Song is currently so dire. The fact that so many spies could be sent to infiltrate Qi and Song without anyone noticing shows how meticulously the person behind it planned.
If things go wrong, Qi Song could easily descend into chaos. At that point, Li Xiaonuan, who is an expert in the manuscripts left behind by the founding emperor in the palace, could become a target of fierce competition among various countries.
The Li family will definitely suffer then.
To avoid such a situation, Li Xiaonuan had no choice but to pretend she didn't understand the emperor's deeper meaning and began teaching more people simplified characters and other things.
Guard Tian glanced at Li Xiaonuan with surprise. He didn't think Li Xiaonuan was stupid enough to not be able to guess the emperor's thoughts.
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Li Xiaonuan stopped talking and instead led Xiaogang and Yilou on a walk along the barren mountain.
The shallow pools that were dug out contained not only clear stream water, but also a lot of lime and fertilizer, for the purpose of disinfection and fertilization.
“These shallow ponds will be ready for lotus root cultivation in another month or two,” Li Xiaonuan said to the two children.
"Sister, our wheat has turned green again. This year, we should save more wheat. I want to eat pancakes, steamed buns, dumplings, and fried dough sticks," Xiao Gang said excitedly, pointing to the wheat field not far away.
"Brother Xiaogang, don't you like noodles? Every year on my birthday, my mom cooks me a bowl of noodles with an egg in it. It's the best thing I've ever eaten," Yilou said longingly.
Seeing the unnatural sadness in Yi Lou's eyes, Li Xiaonuan felt a pang of sympathy. Just as she was about to offer some words of comfort, Xiao Gang called out:
"Sister, look, those are Da Bao and Er Bao, and their mother. There are also four children, I don't know who they are. They are weeding in our wheat field."