Chapter 216: Must Capture the Bride

"How could that be? I'm not that bloodthirsty."

The old master's inner thoughts—there certainly are some—those dozens of lives by the water pit; if you hadn't done it, I'd have swallowed the plate.

"How did you solve it?"

"By administering medicine,"

"That would just be death."

"I never said it was poison!"

Qiao Mai ate while answering the two's quasi‑interrogative questions.

"Then what are you?"

"It's a medicine called Forget Dust Pill; after taking it one forgets this matter. However the pill has a time limit—after five or six years the memory returns. By then, even if she says anything, no one will believe her; they'll treat her as a madwoman. She'll already be married at that point, so such a thing would probably never be brought up, and she'll only be left stewing in resentment."

"Aren't you afraid she'll secretly take revenge?"

This incident became a celebrated story in Tianshui Town; otherwise, during this period those two old fools wouldn't have shown up, fearing the townsfolk would mock them.

The next day the bride performed the tea ceremony; the two elders still tried to show off, but a single glance from Tian Sanzhuang startled them back to normal.

It was actually the County Deputy's invitation; the County Magistrate went to his house, and Tian Sanzhuang neither got angry nor dared to provoke.

"Alright then."

"She was rejected?"

Jixiang Yuan also returned to calm, and Tian Sanzhuang settled in the County Town. On his wedding day, he summoned members of the Tian Family and also his Wang Jiaru's Colleague to support the occasion.

"Got it, I'm leaving."

He even escorted him onto the Guan Dao himself; Yuan Jiaqi kept looking back at her, truly reluctant to part.

"Half of the imperial Hedao has been dug; it's almost reaching our side."

"Hmm, remember to space the trees ten meters apart; when each tree is planted, water it with a small bowl of the colored water I gave you—make sure to water, so their roots will develop vigorously."

At that moment on the Guan Dao, a carriage was traveling north to south at a leisurely pace; a lady in splendid robes rested her chin and gazed into the distance.

Qiao Mai went back to the house, fetched him a book, and then asked, "Are you staying at home this time?"

"Momo, I seem to have forgotten many things; no matter how I try, I can't recall them."

"Revenge?"

As the Emperor's words fell, the outing with Heyi Princess came to a halt.

"I, the maid, too!"

"Madam, do you have a book on planting trees? I'd like to see it."

A man in black entered, half‑kneeling before the Emperor.

Yuan Jiaqi cast grateful looks at the two elders; the whole family sat down, eating and chatting.

The weather was dry and hot; after Yuan Jiaqi returned to Shexian, he began planning. Based on the suggestions the Madam offered and the current situation in Shexian, he used the money the Madam gave to purchase all the wasteland surrounding Shexian.

The Wang Jiaru's Wedding went fairly smoothly, except his parents insisted on staying at his house, stubbornly refusing to leave; if there weren't other guests, he would have simply driven them out.

"I really can't believe you could come."

The two elders swallowed, and Qiao Mai, after asking nothing else, finished his meal and ran off.

So Qiao Mai was dragged by the two, leading the whole family in a grand procession to Shexian.

Momo looked at the other two Wang Jiaru's Servant Girls and said, "Princess, the old servant seems the same."

"I've bought all the wasteland around the County Town; I plant a pine every ten meters—already a lot. Shall I take you to see later?"

Just then, a voice sounded at the door, "Your Majesty, there is news about Heyi Princess."

"Heh, perhaps my body is just material for martial training; eat, eat, as long as you remember I have the ability to protect you, that's enough."

"Indeed, thanks to some unknown divine being who dug such pits and stored so much water; otherwise our people here would have fled to Nanfang long ago."

"It's already August, yet it's still so dry—let it rain a bit; if the ground never gets wet, it'll be ruined."

"I, too, that voice is neither male nor female, urging me to hurry back to Jingcheng."

"It was me and the old man dragging her here."

Thus, every ten days he returns home, and Qiao Mai makes sure to have a thousand saplings ready for him.

Qiao Mai snorted coldly: not that I'm not afraid of her now; in five or six years I'll have matured, it's they who should be afraid of me. I don't kill her because I don't want to cause trouble for the family; her survival is purely a matter of my family's honor.

Qiao Mai also gave him a large barrel of nutrient solution, which is essentially water infused with Spiritual Energy; fearing the workers would drink it, she mixed in some pigments.

"I won't go; I'm used to living at home, staying elsewhere feels unfamiliar."

Yuan Jiaqi was about to leave; Qiao Mai had someone pack some food the household could store, loading an entire cart for him to take away.

"The Princess is already on the road back to Jingcheng."

Yuan Jiaqi was overjoyed, promptly sending the Steward to procure all necessities, and also reserving a large banquet at a wine house.

No one blocked her, nor tried to retrieve her; they hoped that upon seeing Yuan Jiaqi she would get a definite answer and be satisfied.

Yuan Jiaqi's face flushed red, "I won't stay; the saplings must be planted quickly, otherwise I can't be at ease. So, Madam, could you deliver saplings to me every ten days?"

"Yes."

"As long as the pits always contain water, Beifang will remain stable, though the common folk will have to bear the burden of carrying water to irrigate."

"Mother, may we ride ponies together with you?"

"Hmm, giving up is fine; I must quickly find a consort for her, then proceed."

Her casual words sent a chill through the old lady and the old master.

"Indeed, there's always a voice in the maid's ears urging me to bring the Princess back to Jingcheng."

But there's still a long road ahead; when winter comes to Beifang, we won't need to plant trees anymore. Then, when we return home for a short stay, he will definitely secure the Madam, turning raw rice into cooked rice, and thus he won't be plagued by doubt any longer.

"Princess, if you can't recall, stop trying; whatever illness you might get, as long as you're fine, that's all that matters."

This is Heyi Princess and the group she leads, only that everyone has forgotten something; they can only follow that inner voice toward Jingcheng.

"How's the tree‑planting matter going?"

Qiao Mai looked at the two elders' surprised expressions and suddenly felt her words were too blunt.

After drinking tea and having breakfast, Tian Sanzhuang asked Wang Jiaru's Colleague for help and forcibly sent the two elders back to Taohua Village.

"You both forgot?"

The people who signed up were quickly lined up from the Yamen to outside the city; it was a bit exaggerated, but there were indeed many of them.

"Not going, I'm dead tired; you and your wife go, just have her return and tell us about it."

The Emperor was reviewing memorials in the Yushufang; he knew about Heyi Princess leaving Jingcheng.

"You, your martial arts are unrivaled in the world?"

The old man and old lady, in order to match the two, insisted on pulling Qiao Mai to Shexian to take a look, saying that since he's taken office, he should at least go see it; it's absurd otherwise.

But thinking they'd still have to offer tea, they reluctantly let them stay for one night.

Then they publicly recruited workers for the whole county, calling for specialists in tree planting, paying daily wages—pay for each day worked, never in arrears.

"Come in and reply."

He originally wanted to ask the County Magistrate, but unfortunately the County Magistrate of Shexian gave no one a chance to curry favor with him; as soon as he heard about this, he immediately refused.

"Alright then, I'll finish my work as soon as possible and return to stay."

Ten days later, he returned home with his men; by then Qiao Mai had already prepared the seedlings for him.

"Got it!"

Although the Emperor was somewhat irritated, he greatly admired Yuan Jiaqi's spirit—he does not bow to wealth, does not lower his head to power, and would never abandon his humble wife because of a woman's beauty; that is what makes a real man!

But the Emperor was curious about Yuan Jiaqi's wife—what kind of woman could make such a man utterly devoted to her?

When Yuan Jiaqi is promoted, he will be summoned to the palace for a proper look.

Qiao Mai smiled and said, "Fine!"

Yet inside she kept muttering, "What the heck, a huge sun up there, to dry oil? There's no comfort staying at home."

That was what she said, but the children were happy, so she took them along.

After lunch, Qiao Mai bought several sun hats from the Platform, gave one to each person, then rode a horse following Yuan Jiaqi to the wasteland.

(End of chapter)