bookcurios Chapter 140 I hope she has
Chapter 140 I hope she has
As soon as Zhou Qinghe left the Ministry of Revenue, he headed straight for the Zhao family.
Others may not know, but he knows it best.
With the Third Prince and several other princes around, the rice merchants in the capital would certainly not be willing to sell him a single grain of food.
It's not just about taking sides, but also about the instructions from the princes' mothers' families.
But there’s none in the capital, but there are some in other places, right?
Zhao Fangyu opened several rice shops in Jiangnan, and they were doing quite well. She couldn't be said to be the industry leader, but it was enough for her to connect with several major grain merchants in Jiangnan.
Although his Cao Gang also knew these people, the Cao Gang was a hidden chess piece arranged by Zhou Qinghe for the safety of Zhao Fangyu. Under no circumstances could he allow the Cao Gang to have any relationship with him in front of others.
Otherwise, all the previous hiding efforts will be in vain.
Zhou Qinghe touched his nose and felt guilty for a moment.
He knew that his visit was presumptuous, so he bought some snacks that girls would like at Fanlou in advance, thinking that he could at least please her.
Zhao Fangyu didn't have any particular preferences when it came to food. She liked everything that was delicious. Not only did she love to eat it, she also loved to cook it herself. Zhou Qinghe picked two more dishes.
He knew that Zhao Fangyu had many servants, so he bought more. It was up to her to decide whether to eat them or give them as a reward.
Zhao Fangyu wore her hair in two buns at home. She had had a lot of hair since she was a child, and the two buns on her head looked bigger than those of other people. Diecui braided a few small braids inside for her and put turquoise beads on them, which made her look beautiful.
Hearing that Zhou Qinghe was coming to see her, Zhao Fangyu changed into a lilac-colored wide-brimmed wisteria jacket with two red grasshopper knots of medium thickness on the left and right sides of her waist. When she walked, the red knots floated slowly in the breeze, making her waist and figure look even slimmer, like a willow or a bamboo.
Zhou Qinghe had heard a lot of news about Zhao Fangyu, but he had never actually met her many times. However, every time he met her, he would be amazed by this young wife who had not yet married him.
Zhao Fangyu moved forward and bowed to Zhou Qinghe and the eldest lady.
The eldest lady was watching him closely, so it was impossible for Zhou Qinghe to behave like a gangster as he did to the officials from the Ministry of Revenue.
If a good girl from another family wants to marry him, people will doubt whether she will be beaten every other day after marrying him.
Zhou Qinghe stood up to return the greeting, his posture as firm as a pine tree, with an air of royal elegance.
The two of them were a perfect match in appearance, but Zhao Fangyu thought Zhou Qinghe's aesthetic taste was not very good, and his clothes and makeup were too gaudy.
The eldest lady sat at the top, watching the two people below asking and answering each other. The progress was quite good. As soon as the news of the prince's personal expedition spread in the court, the eldest lady began to secretly arrange rice and grain for the second prince.
Behind the other princes stood their maternal relatives, the emperor, and countless supporters, except for the second prince, who had no maternal relatives, and the emperor might not necessarily care about his affairs.
So ever since Zhou Qinghe arrived, the lady knew that he was coming for the grain shop under Zhao Fangyu.
But she had to see whether the Second Prince would ask Zhao Fangyu to buy it or just ask for it directly.
There is a big difference between the two.
Not long after, the lady found an excuse to leave in a legitimate way, and only two people were left in the hall which was drafty on all sides.
Zhou Qinghe was helpless and didn't show it on his face, but anyone smart enough would know what he meant.
But the young lady in front of him talked about everything under the sun and refused to get to the point, which made the Second Prince both love and annoyed.
"I heard that Miss Zhao opened several rice shops in Jiangnan?"
Zhao Fangyu smiled and replied, "Yes, I just did it for fun, I didn't expect to save it all."
It is not easy to run a rice shop, but if it can survive it is still a sign of good management.
Zhou Qinghe was used to doing rogue things outside, but he couldn't do any of them in front of her, and he was unwilling to do so in front of her.
Zhou Qinghe immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Fangyu.
"Qinghe came to ask the young lady to help Qinghe connect with the big grain merchants in Jiangnan."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fangyu glanced at Zhou Qinghe in surprise. The man had a handsome face, a body as straight as a pine tree, and a clear and upright gaze. He looked very upright.
But Zhao Fangyu knew that the Second Prince, who looked upright at the moment, was actually the best actor among all the princes, and his acting was to perfection.
Zhou Qinghe was not ashamed to expose his weakness: "I will lead the troops to the battle in a few days. The army is short of food and grass. The Ministry of Revenue cannot provide enough food and grass for us to lead the battle personally. That's why I have no choice but to resort to this last resort."
She doesn't have to spend any money, it's just a matter of matchmaking. It's a free favor. There aren't many good things like this, so she'll take it as a win if she gets one.
Zhao Fangyu agreed immediately and asked Zhou Qinghe how much food he needed.
The food gap Zhou Qinghe needed was huge, and it was beyond the capacity of her few small rice shops to fill it. Moreover, Zhao Fangyu did not intend to have any connection between her rice shop and the prince. Otherwise, before she could become a giant grain merchant, the third prince would be the first to crush her to death.
But it didn't stop her from preparing.
Let’s take a look at how daily military rations need to be prepared and how much they need to be prepared.
The two talked for a while, and the most important thing was solved. Zhou Qinghe pushed the snacks he brought to Zhao Fangyu with ease. There were only a few six-layer food boxes, even in Fanlou.
Fortunately, these were all Zhao Fangyu's favorite foods, so he picked a piece of each to try. After eating them all and drinking a bowl of tea, his stomach felt as full as if he had eaten a meal.
"I am full?"
Zhou Qinghe didn't expect Zhao Fangyu to have such a small appetite. His long crow-feather eyelashes fluttered a few times, and his eyes couldn't help but fall on Zhao Fangyu's lips which were much lighter than those of ordinary people.
Her facial features are all delicate, but unfortunately she has been weak since childhood, and has been worried and anxious, so she has been taking medicine to maintain her health.
It seems to have little effect.
Zhou Qinghe was wondering which physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau was the best at treating patients while fanning Zhao Fangyu.
Neither of them spoke. One was drinking tea from a teacup, while the other was thinking about something and fanning someone. When the lady came back and saw this scene, she couldn't help but smile.
He looked at Zhao Fangyu twice more for fun, and Zhao Fangyu naturally noticed Zhou Qinghe who was fanning himself even though he was in a daze beside him...
My face couldn't help but get hot, and I lowered my head silently. All I could see was a neck as white as jade and earlobes that were turning slightly red.
"Since you are here, have lunch before leaving. You will be going on an expedition in a few days, so we will have fewer opportunities to meet."
"Yu'er will be coming of age in a few months. I just hope the world will be at peace by then."
The eldest lady was thinking about whether Zhao Fangyu's coming-of-age ceremony could be held in a grand manner, but what Zhou Qinghe was thinking in his mind was that now that she had reached the age of marriage...she could also marry him.
Having someone by his side, sharing joys and sorrows with him, was something he had never dared to imagine before.
Zhao Fangyu glanced at his neck which was also turning red, and his face turned a little redder.
Zhou Qinghe fanned himself repeatedly. He had clearly been threatening those officials who had been causing trouble in the Ministry of Revenue an hour ago by saying that he would dig up people's ancestral graves and dump their bodies in the wilderness, but now the person in front of him was the only thing in his mind.
If he could be a leisurely prince, it would be nice for the two of them to live like this for the rest of their lives.
He doesn't ask for three wives and four concubines and a large family. He just hopes to meet a devoted person and live with him forever.
Don't follow the same path as your father and mother.
When he came out of Zhao's house, Zhou Qinghe couldn't stop smiling.
The cantilever makes me feel sick just looking at it.
"Your Highness, do you like Miss Zhao so much?"
Zhou Qinghe gave the cantilever a push without even thinking.
"She is my wife-to-be. You should be more respectful in your actions from now on."
Cantilever is not very smart, and sometimes he looks stupid. If Zhou Qinghe, who was out playing at the dock when he was a child, hadn't seen him carrying sandbags and brought him back, he would probably be even more stupid now.
"She is my wife. For the rest of my life, she and I will be one and the same. We will rise and fall together. She is like a second me. How can I not like her?"
He has never been loved by anyone, but he knows how to love someone.
Treat the other person as another self, with respect, propriety, and a sense of security.
These are things he has never had, but he hopes Zhao Fangyu can have them.
He also hoped that Zhao Fangyu could feel him and respond.
What he seeks is long-term, not momentary pleasure.
He wanted the best for her, and for them all.