Chapter 40: I Really Want to Marry a Rich Man

The more beautiful a thing is, the more toxic it tends to be, but Tang Zhao truly never imagined it could be this toxic.

Standing in a corner, Song Kai listened to the Princess sighing and lamenting with trepidation, wanting to offer comfort but not daring to.

Tang Zhao composed herself and instructed, "Go to Mingxia Manor and draw me a map. Find out exactly what is being planted there and what the yield per mu is."

Song Kai nodded.

Tang Zhao borrowed a guard from Gu Ci, and the two of them set out from Lanzhou City on horseback that very day.

Mingxia Manor belonged to Mingxia County and was less than a hundred miles from Lanzhou City. By the hour of the Dragon at noon the next day, Song Kai had arrived at the manor.

It was late August, the height of the autumn harvest. The entire manor—men, women, old, and young—was mobilized. Some were in the fields, some were gathering stalks, and others were drying crops; no one rested for a moment.

A young child walked wobbly and cautiously along the field ridges, carrying a wooden basket, until she found her busy family in the field. "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Uncles, Aunts, Big Sister, Second Sister, it's time to eat!"

Standing under a massive ginkgo tree, she placed the basket on a stone table, laid out chipped pottery bowls, and poured water that had just been chilled in the well.

The famished farmers, hearing the shout, deftly tied up the wheat they had just cut, stacked it neatly, and then hurried over to eat.

A seven or eight-year-old girl stuffed the largest millet cake from the basket into her father's and uncle's hands. The man refused, "We'll just have bean rice," and reached for the woman's bowl.

The woman dodged him. "Husband, Niu Niu made these cakes specifically for you and your uncle. You do the most heavy lifting; how can you not eat something good?"

"But we don't need to eat millet cakes every single meal!" the man said anxiously; these were meant to be saved for making dumplings during the New Year. "Besides, we already ate them yesterday. Today it should be your turn and Niu Niu's second aunt's turn."

A tall, dark-faced youth nearby nodded solemnly and added, "And Jinhua and Yinhua."

The women all shook their heads, as if what they were offering wasn't millet meant for the New Year, but poison.

"Just eat. There are still ten or so days left of the harvest. You need to eat well to have strength," an old man sitting silently on a stone slab slapped the table. "The sun is strong. Women, go home and rest after eating; head back to the fields when the sun is lower this afternoon."

The women responded cheerfully.

The men had no choice but to relent; they quickly tore off small pieces of cake to put into their wives' and daughters' bowls before greedily eating the rest.

Song Kai watched with envy. The Northwest was harsh and cold, filled with vast stretches of thin soil. The grain yield per mu was far inferior to fertile lands, and the commoners worked hard all year only to barely scrape by—and that was only when Heaven was kind.

If Heaven turned its face away, it meant the destruction of families.

It was even worse for tenant farmers. If they met a kind landlord, a little surplus during natural or man-made disasters could provide them with food; if they met those who were cursed, they would starve even in normal years.

The tenant farmers were lucky; first, they had the generosity of the Princess Consort of Xuan, and now they had the benevolence of the County Princess. Life would surely get better and better.

The manor foreman, Sun Qing, was not as optimistic as Song Kai. He had not told the tenants about the change in ownership, fearing that if he did, they would become unsettled and jeopardize the vital autumn harvest.

Squatting on a field ridge, he wondered which young mistress had become the new owner. After much hesitation, he decided to pay his respects at the manor's residence after the harvest.

A youth came running up barefoot. "Uncle Sun, someone is looking for you!"

"Who?" Foreman Sun stood up.

The youth pointed behind him. "He says he's the manager for the new owner." He scratched his head. "Uncle Sun, are we getting a new owner?"

Foreman Sun gave him a sharp smack on the head. "Don't go poking your nose into things that aren't your business. Don't spread this around, do you hear me?"

"Huh?" The youth said blankly, "But a lot of people already know!"

Remembering that this boy was the manor's famous "leaky bucket," Foreman Sun kicked him away in exhaustion and brushed the dust off himself as he stepped forward to greet the visitor.

"Manager, I am Sun Qing, the foreman of Mingxia Manor. May I ask under which young mistress you serve?"

Song Kai returned the greeting. "I am the dowry manager from the maternal family of the County Princess Zhaoshan. My surname is Song."

County Princess Zhaoshan? Foreman Sun's eyes widened. "The County Princess Zhaoshan who donated her entire dowry to relief the refugees?"

Song Kai smiled and affirmed it.

Foreman Sun felt so happy he nearly fainted. He had never dared to dream that the manor would fall into the hands of the County Princess.

Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, your believer will surely worship you with sincerity day and night from now on! Thank you for your protection!

With a grin that wouldn't fade, Foreman Sun led Song Kai on a tour of the estate.

Meanwhile, Mei Guanya took the teacup handed to her by Qiu Yu with trembling hands and took a mechanical sip. The imperial tea tasted of absolutely nothing. In her heart, Mei Guanya was weeping, *I truly deserve to die!*

Chunfeng gave her a look and said softly, "There is no need to be afraid, Manager Mei. We have come because the County Princess needs your help with something."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," Mei Guanya waved her hands repeatedly, hurrying to show her loyalty. "To serve the County Princess is my great fortune. Please, Miss, say whatever it is; I will certainly do my utmost."

"Rest assured, Manager Mei, what the County Princess asks of you will surely be within your scope of work," Chunfeng first gave her a peace of mind. "The County Princess has just arrived in the Northwest and needs to acquire some properties. She would like to ask Manager Mei to help find a suitable storefront."

Mei Guanya breathed a massive sigh of relief. "I do not know what the County Princess's requirements are. Please, Miss, enlighten me."

"A three-entry courtyard with a storefront at the front. It must be large, and ideally, it should have its own well," Chunfeng listed the requirements one by one. "It doesn't matter if it's a bit remote, but the roads must lead in all directions, and it should be close to residential areas."

The requirements were many, but not difficult. Mei Guanya pondered and asked, "I wonder what price range the County Princess is looking for?"

Seeing that Chunfeng only smiled without speaking, Mei Guanya stopped asking. She rose and said respectfully, "Please convey to the County Princess that I will treat her instructions as my highest priority. I ask the County Princess to await good news."

"Once the matter is successful, the County Princess will certainly not mistreat you, Manager Mei," Chunfeng offered a promise of future rewards.

Mei Guanya left in high spirits.

"The Mistress only has eight hundred taels of silver in hand; I don't even know if that's enough to buy a shop," Qiu Yu said, looking sympathetically at Mei Guanya's retreating figure.

"The Mistress is already writing a story," Chunfeng said as they walked.

Qiu Yu's eyes lit up. She hurriedly climbed into the carriage and urged, "Go faster!"

She had to go back and prepare the ink and brush for the Mistress.

***

Tang Zhao sat on the swing Bai Cheng had just finished making, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds like a wise sage contemplating life.

Bai Cheng used a large broom to sweep the fallen ginkgo leaves into a pile, waiting for the County Princess to utter some profound truth that would enlighten his life.

Heaven does not fail those who try; Tang Zhao finally spoke her first words of the morning.

"I really want to latch onto a big spender!"

As she spoke, she began to sing, "Aha, I had a dream last night, a big spender took a fancy to me, gave me a high-rise building, and even wanted to be my husband! Ahhh, thunder rumbles outside the window, breaking my beautiful dream, and everything turns to nothing!"

Bai Cheng listened with a look of utter confusion. What... what does "latch onto a big spender" mean?

*Zhaozhao: I'm so poor I'm dreaming of big spenders.* *Big spenders, please toss some recommendation votes and monthly tickets to Zhaozhao.* *And to the poor author...*

(End of Chapter)