Chapter 753
Extra 8
Chapter 753 Extra 8
After the imperial edict was read, the reward was carried away and carefully stored. King Jie happily said to Queen Jie, "Prince Yi has been traveling with me this time, and he has taken good care of me along the way, including in the capital. So I invited him to come to Jie as a guest. You should give the order to have the best guest house prepared, and also prepare the finest milk wine and other delicacies."
Princess Jie looked slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything. She nodded in agreement and went to instruct people to arrange for the preparation of the guest courtyard.
That evening, King Jie hosted a banquet for Lu Zhang. Neither of the former father-in-law and son-in-law mentioned the past, and they only talked about the present. The atmosphere was extremely warm throughout the meal.
Yan Shu naturally dined at the same table. She had always known her father's preferences and originally thought she would be incompatible with Lu Zhang. However, she found that Lu Zhang was actually quite knowledgeable. He spoke fluently about martial arts heroes and local customs, and even knew a little about brewing.
If there's anything that the King of the Tribe truly loves, it's wine.
Or rather, which of these horsemen from the Jie Kingdom doesn't love strong, mellow liquor?
However, the Jie people suffer from the fact that the land is not suitable for growing many grains used for brewing wine. In addition, due to factors such as the climate, the clear and mellow wine that is common in the Jin Kingdom is a luxury for the Jie people.
When this topic came up, King Jie became very enthusiastic and chatted with Lu Zhang for a long time. By the time they had finished talking, Yan Shu had already left the table.
Slightly tipsy, King Jie returned to his bedroom and saw his queen sitting at the table waiting for him.
"Didn't you return long ago? Why didn't you rest?" Seeing that his wife seemed to have something to say, the King of Jie sat down at the table. "Is something the matter?"
"How long does King Nayi plan to stay here with us?" Queen Jie asked.
"This..." King Jie was somewhat puzzled, "How could I possibly know this?"
As you know, our relationship with the Jin Kingdom has been tense for so many years. This time, when the new emperor ascended the throne, I went to the capital to offer my congratulations. Prince Yi treated me very well on both my visits. Now that I've invited him to my residence, do I really need to have someone explain the situation first, and tell him how many days he'll stay before he leaves?"
“Sigh, I know it’s not very proper to say this, but… has Your Highness forgotten that before you went to the capital to pay homage, we chose a day for Yan Shu to hold a martial arts contest to find a husband…” Princess Jie frowned slightly, reminding Prince Jie with some difficulty.
King Jie then remembered that after his daughter Yan Shu had completely divorced and enjoyed some freedom, they felt that dragging things out like this was not a solution. So, after much persuasion, they finally convinced their daughter to agree to hold another martial arts contest to find a husband. This time, no matter what kind of husband she chose, she could decide for herself, and her parents would not interfere.
"Oh dear... I forgot about this! What a day...?" King Jie slapped his forehead.
"It's not imminent yet, there's still more than half a month to go," Princess Jie replied.
"Then let's not worry too much. Maybe Prince Yi will get bored after three to five days and go back on his own," the King of Jie comforted his wife. After considering it, he felt that the timing wouldn't be a problem.
Princess Jie thought about it and agreed. Last time, Prince Yi only stayed for three to five days before leaving, and this time he probably wouldn't stay long either.
So the two of them stopped dwelling on it.
In the days that followed, Lu Zhang and Yan Shu didn't see each other much. It wasn't that they were deliberately avoiding each other, but rather that Lu Zhang had left the palace with several of Yan Shu's brothers to find suitable materials and personnel to try brewing wine in Jie territory using the recipe he had brought. This trip lasted for more than ten days.
During this period, Yan Shu did not go anywhere. On the one hand, her brothers were not around, and there was no one to ride horses and play with her. On the other hand, the day of her marriage selection was getting closer and closer, and the Princess of Jie did not allow her to run around.
Yan Shu herself wasn't very enthusiastic about this marriage contest. She had been forced into marriage last time, which was neither pleasant nor willing. However, after going out and experiencing that process, she had some new thoughts about the husband she wanted to find.
Originally, in her mind, this man's martial arts and horsemanship had to be superior to hers, otherwise what kind of real man would he be?
That's why, before she was betrothed, she didn't find a suitable husband at the marriage contest arranged by her parents.
After traveling around and experiencing so much, especially after meeting Zhu Yu and Lu Qing, Yan Shu suddenly realized that a good husband doesn't necessarily need to be better than her in every aspect. As long as he has one or two skills that she admires, that's enough.
Most importantly, that person must genuinely appreciate themselves and see their own strengths, even those that are difficult for outsiders to notice.
And so, in the blink of an eye, it was a few days before the marriage contest. In the evening, Yan Shu's brothers finally returned, travel-worn and exhausted. Yan Shu ran over to see them and saw that they all looked tired, but their spirits were high. They kept talking about how they had found the most suitable winemaking method for the Jie Kingdom. If this matter succeeded, not only would the Jie people no longer have to regard wine as a luxury, but they might even be able to sell the fine wines they brewed to other countries in exchange for cloth, cotton, and other things that the Jie people needed.
"Really? That would be wonderful! If Father is happy, everyone will be happy!" Yan Shu was also very happy after hearing this.
“That’s right! We never thought of this before. It was Prince Yi who said he was inspired by his brother. His brother took advantage of the terrain and diverted the irrigation canals built on the flooded side to the arid Shuo region, which greatly improved the farming in the Shuo region. So he thinks that many things can be adapted a little… What’s that word again?” Yan Shu’s younger brother scratched his head and looked at his older brother next to him.
Yan Shu's second brother laughed and said, "Adapt to local conditions!"
"Yes, yes, that's the word!" Yan Shu's brother clapped his hands. "He actually figured out a method that none of us Jie people had thought of. It's really not easy!"
He added that once the other regions had recovered and rebuilt, he wanted to assist the new emperor in establishing trade connections among the various vassal states, enabling them to exchange goods and services and making life more comfortable for everyone.
"Yes, I originally thought that Prince Yi was a good-for-nothing, but I didn't expect him to be quite capable." Even the most composed elder brother, Yan Shu, couldn't help but sigh.
Yan Shu then realized that Lu Zhang, who had gone with his brothers, had not returned with them.
"Where's Lu Zhang? He went with you, why haven't we seen him?" she couldn't help but ask.
The brothers were also surprised that she would inquire about this matter. They looked at each other, slightly taken aback.
“He didn’t come back with us; we parted ways outside the capital,” the young man blurted out. “He said your marriage selection ceremony was coming up, so he wouldn’t be coming back to the palace with us.”
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