Fan Zehao looked at his sinister expression and said faintly, "I dare not accept your address, Brother, but I also congratulate you on becoming the confidant of the Wise King!"
"In front of Brother, this is nothing. I came to thank Sister-in-law for taking care of my mother and father. In the future, I will repay you a hundredfold!"
Fan Shurong said insincerely and left.
Fan Zehao held his wife's hand and comforted her, "With me here, don't be afraid. Let's see what tricks he can play!"
Zhao Jiaqi merely nodded and didn't ask about Fan Shurong.
The banquet ended, and Fan Zehao doted on his wife until the middle of the night before they finally quieted down.
Lying in his arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart, she asked, "What's going on between Fan Shurong and the Wise King?"
"The Emperor and the Crown Prince personally led the expedition, and all state affairs were handled by the Wise King. After the Emperor returned to the capital, he transferred the Wise King to the border. To achieve military merits, he went to the battlefield personally despite everyone's dissuasion, but he was injured. It was Fan Shurong who carried him back, and later he became a strategist under the Wise King."
Zhao Jiaqi listened vaguely, and she understood that Fan Shurong had become someone under the Wise King.
What she didn't understand was another matter.
"In all dynasties, when the Emperor personally led the expedition and the Crown Prince presided over court affairs, there was no reason for both of them to be on expedition at the same time!"
Fan Zehao rubbed her clever little head, and he didn't quite understand this question. "I only heard Elder Brother Xiao Ce say something about 'leaving the mother and keeping the son', and bringing the Crown Prince to battle was to let him gain military merits!"
Leaving the mother and keeping the son?
Was the Emperor afraid of the imperial relatives interfering in politics, so he used this tactic?
"Wife, do you know? Huang Qi is actually the Emperor, Huangfu Yifan is the Crown Prince, Xiao Ce is the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and I was specifically asked to join the army, which was the Emperor's intention!"
The news was more shocking than the last, leaving Zhao Jiaqi speechless!
The next day, Fan Zehao's family began to discuss what to do with the property they had acquired.
"Why don't we sell it? We can re-acquire things in the capital. The Emperor has already rewarded us with a mansion, and we also have a royal estate. We just need to buy some servants then!"
She was very reluctant to sell the things she had painstakingly acquired over two years.
She wasn't short of money, and she couldn't possibly sell the foundation she had built.
"Let's keep it as the ancestral home and arrange for a servant to look after it. The greenhouses will be handed over to the village chief to plant. Li Chuang is also back this time, so it's time for him to show his skills."
As they were discussing, Murong Sheng and Xie Kun also arrived at their home.
Seeing the couple, they got straight to the point: "We thought about it yesterday and decided to follow you to the capital to develop. We'll open restaurants and make money from the rich and powerful families in the capital."
Xie Kun busily added, "Sister-in-law, I'll take all the food you make and sell it to farther places, and make a lot of money too."
Without giving Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao a chance to speak, the two of them poured out everything.
"Brothers, the families of officials and nobles in the capital are all deeply entrenched. My husband is just a military general. If he can't protect you one day, it will be terrible!"
Zhao Jiaqi didn't want to take them with her, but she was afraid that if she couldn't take care of them, they might offend someone, which would lead to suffering.
At best, they would be beaten; at worst, they would lose their heads.
It would be better to stay in this small town, where they could walk sideways without anyone daring to interfere.
Murong Sheng and Xie Kun had discussed it all night. They knew the dangers, but there were also many business opportunities.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, we won't cause trouble for Zehao or get into any disputes. We just want to do a simple business. Even if we offend someone, we will never reveal our younger brother's name. We are clear about this!"
Unable to persuade them, Zhao Jiaqi could only let them go.
In the evening, Fan Zehao went to the village chief's house and entrusted his home and greenhouses to the village chief and Li Chuang. However, to his surprise, Li Chuang also wanted to go to the capital.
"Brother, just take me with you. Even if I'm just your servant, I don't want to be mediocre in the village."
"This... Uncle Li, you only have one son. If you leave, what will happen to Uncle Li and Aunt Li!"
Li Wencai and Wang Qian looked at each other. On one hand, they didn't want their son to go far away; on the other hand, they didn't want their son to remain a farmer in the village.
After careful consideration, Wang Qian spoke her true thoughts: "Zehao, you've become successful, so take care of your brother. If he dares to cause you trouble, send him back, and I won't blame you!"
Li Wencai wiped his face and begged him, "Li Chuang is literate and can read and write. He can be an accountant or a steward for you. When there's an opportunity, find him something to do, get married and start a family, and as long as he doesn't starve to death, that's enough."
As an old father, he had put aside his pride to beg a junior.
Since it had come to this, Zehao couldn't refuse and nodded in agreement.
In early July, before dawn, five horse-drawn carriages slowly drove out of the village. They reached the big locust tree, where Fan Dongliang, Fan Biao, and the village chief and his wife had been waiting for a long time.
After bidding farewell, the four of them returned to the village together, watching the carriages depart.
After they left, they didn't know when or if they would ever meet again.
After meeting them in the town, they directly took a boat south.
The large ship took half a month. Those who didn't get seasick were fine, but those who did ate and vomited, and vomited and ate. A lot of their fat was visibly reduced.
Xie Kun, who was originally plump, looked like his clothes had become a size larger when he disembarked. The fat on his face had also disappeared, making him look a few years younger and much thinner.
Fan Zehao teased him, "How many young wives will you charm when you get to the capital? I said we should have let Sister-in-law come with you in the first place, so you wouldn't attract peach blossoms!"
Xie Kun rolled his eyes, touched his face, pouted, and said indifferently, "Even if she were here, I would still take a concubine. The position of the main wife is hers, and no concubine can surpass her. Why should I be jealous of this?"
"A wife is meant to be cherished, not to be treated like you. I don't care how you were at home. When we left, Sister-in-law entrusted you to me, and I won't allow you to mess around. You must remain pure and chaste, and not do anything that betrays Sister-in-law, or I won't acknowledge you!"
Fan Zehao was angry, and his expression was not fake.
Having been with him for the past two years, Xie Kun knew his temper. He felt a little wronged at the moment, but he had no choice but to nod, or their brotherhood would be severed.
"I'll listen to you, alright." Xie Kun agreed readily, but he had his own plans.
If he really liked someone, he would write to his wife at home, and have his wife write back to Fan Jia Xiaoniangzi.
These little tricks were not difficult for him at all.
As the saying goes, there are countermeasures for every policy.