FID – Chapter 329

Hearing the villagers ask about the current emperor, the Lius there all have twitchy faces and strange expressions.

If the folks knew that the little boy who climbed up the mountains to shoot birds and fish in the river with the children in the village was the current emperor, they didn’t know what their reactions would be.

When the family learned about it, it scared the living daylights out of them.

Liu Yusheng answered everyone’s curiosity one by one, describing to them the lively and prosperous capital city, which caused frequent marveling within the crowd.

Then she talked about the popularity of the fruit wine and nourishing wine in the capital that the village winery produced, which made everyone proud.

Fu Yuzheng also failed to escape. Knowing that she was from the capital, and had been there for many years, their questions were even more detailed.

For example, can you bump into officials in the capital when you go out, and whether the noble children and the rich family were fighting all day long…

Fu Yuzheng never imagined that she would one day participate in gossip, and still the very one who spread it.

The people in the room listened with rapt attention and interest, and from time to time would break into cries of surprise. Every time they uttered amazement, Fu Yuzheng secretly sweated from embarrassment. She seemed to be on the verge of wickedness.

She was once a spy, so she always remembered to keep her mouth shut, and her tight lips were a major part of her survival. She actually spent a day of gossiping behind people’s backs with a group of great aunts and grandmothers …

“Wow! What happened afterwards? Yuzheng, quickly tell. Don’t keep us hanging!” Among them, the most enthusiastic one was Liu Yusheng, who she least expected.

Phew, how did the world suddenly become a little different?

Near noon, after more than an hour of full gossiping, they downed two big pots of hot tea. The old men and women left, they were still panting for more.

“Yuzheng, let’s continue next time. We’re going to go home to cook lunch for now!”

“You must remember where we stopped today, lest it’ll slip from your memory and can’t pick it up when we get back.”

“I’ll remember. I have an excellent memory. I usually remember the trivial things in the wine shop alone.”

Fu Yuzheng sat next to the fireplace with sweat trickling down her temples. She didn’t know whether it was from the cold or to the heat.

When everyone was gone, Liu Yusheng was in stitches and leaned askew to rub her sore belly. “I have never seen you speak so much. After sorting out those stories, I can go to teahouses and retell them. Add a nice flair to the voice and it will earn tears and hilarity.”

The corners of Fu Yuzheng’s mouth twitched, “If those noble ladies and gentlemen in the capital knew that I told them so many secret stories behind their backs, I would immediately become a public enemy.”

“Don’t worry, our villagers have a sense of propriety. At most, they just want to hear something new, and will not spread it outside.” Grandma Liu smiled. “Although we are all country folks, we are tight-lipped. Over the years, how many people secretly inquired about the winery’s recipe, but none of them can ferret it out of our village.”

“I’ll go back and repeatedly advise the elderlies. I’m sure they won’t spread it out.” The grandpa also promised, and then he sat down on a stool. Later, Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin also moved next to the brazier.

Seeing this, Liu Yusheng sat down immediately. With experience, one glance at their pre-battle stances told her that a three-court joint trial was to be staged.

“Grandpa, Grandma, do you have something to say?”

Grandpa Liu nodded. “You just came back yesterday, but I didn’t ask, seeing how tired you were. Nannan, do you know about the emperor’s consort selection?”

The family had been harboring this question since last night. They waited with great difficulty for everyone to leave, but if they waited any longer, they would never be at ease.

Liu Yusheng did not understand what her grandfather meant by bringing up this topic, so she answered with some confusion, “I know. The news has spread all over Nanling. The capital is also drafting women.”

“You’re also listed for the selection, do you also know about this?”

“…” She and Fu Yuzheng exchanged glances, and the other was equally stunned. She was obviously unaware. “Grandfather, are you kidding me?”

The old man instantly took out the official document hidden on his sleeves and unfolded it. “Look, this is an official document to let you directly participate in the final screening! I asked Yan Hong to notify Axiu about the matter and said that he can announce that you were betrothed since childhood with your parents approval as a last resort! Didn’t Axiu not tell you about it?”

It was the family’s turn to be bewildered.

It couldn’t be!

That bastard, Axiu wanted to be with their Nannan. He couldn’t have failed to seize such a good opportunity. What went wrong in the middle?

Liu Dalin was most uncomfortable, “That bastard is hiding it. Is he going to deny it?” Did he not want Nannan anymore?

If that brat dared to discard her after dallying with her, he would break his legs!

After reading the official document from beginning to end twice, Liu Yusheng made sure that she had read it correctly.

Fu Yuzheng whispered, “I am afraid that this matter is Imperial Consort Liu’s idea.”

Liu Yusheng nodded and mused, “She is in charge of the harem, so it must be her handiwork. Feng Qingbai didn’t tell me what happened, probably because he had already thought of a better solution and didn’t want to upset me.”

“Really? That kid doesn’t have any other thoughts? Isn’t it because he took a fancy to a noble lady in the capital?” Liu Dalin was doubtful.

When that kid was pestering their Nannan, he was upset.

Now that he seemed to have stopped pestering her, he was even more upset.

Nannan’s heart has fallen on that kid. How could he be irresponsible?

“Grandpa, grandma, father, mother, don’t think too much about it. Feng Qingbai must have other solutions, so he did not tell me about the matter, and did not consider your ideas. When he comes back next time, let him explain to you guys properly,” Liu Yusheng said soothingly, “Or maybe we don’t have to wait until then. The final imperial consort screening will start in the spring next year. We will know how he is going to respond by then.”

“Don’t worry, our King is devoted to Nannan and will never let her down. The King has a plan, so he must already have a way to deal with it,” Fu Yuzheng also helped to explain.

The family finally felt more at ease.

They knew very well Axiu’s disposition, and he would definitely not let Nannan suffer.

All they have to do now was to wait for the coming spring and see how things were going to develop then.

The grandpa’s attention was drawn to Fu Yuzheng’s words just now, “What’s the matter with that Imperial Consort Liu you mentioned? Imperial Consort, she should be someone from the palace. Why would she make things difficult for our Nannan for no reason? Doesn’t she know that Nannan and Axiu are a couple?”

Although they were far away from the capital, they had received letters several times about the capital so the family knew what was happening to Nannan in the capital.

Nannan went there and stayed in King Nanling’s Mansion. The two kids also have never covered it up to the outside world. The entire capital knew what King Nanling thought about Ruyi County’s Lady, so how could a consort in the harem be unclear?

Wasn’t this a blatant tactic to steal someone and use Nannan to deal with Axiu?

“Grandpa, Consort Liu and Feng Qingbai are rivals, and she belongs to a political enemy in the court. It’s good for you to know clearly about these things. As for her tactics, we have means to resist. In any case, we will not let her get what she wants.”