The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 89 People's Voice
Feeling the warmth between his lips and looking at the charming and playful Yang Yuhuan in front of him, Li Heng smiled knowingly and asked, "But you have paid so much, but in the end others don't know that it was your own work. Don't you feel wronged?"

Yang Yuhuan did not answer directly, but asked: "What about my husband?"

"What's wrong with me?" Li Ying asked puzzledly.

Yang Yuhuan looked at Li Heng and said seriously, "With your knowledge, talent and strategy, if you stay in Chang'an in good health, the position of the Eastern Palace will belong to you. Or, like Huang Xie and Cui Shi, or, you can imprison me, or even..."

Huang Xie was a minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period. Because the King Kaolie of Chu had been childless for a long time, Huang Xie presented many beauties to the King, but the King still could not have children.

Huang Xie then discovered the crux of the problem, took a concubine, and then gave the pregnant concubine to King Kaolie of Chu.

As for Cui Shi, he was the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, and he jumped back and forth between Princess Taiping and Li Longji. He first slept with Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er, and later it was rumored that he offered his wife and daughter to Li Longji, who was then the crown prince.

Yang Yuhuan paused, then continued, "Any method would be simpler and safer for my husband than going far away due to illness, going on an expedition overseas, and taking every step carefully. But my husband chose none of them. He chose the most difficult path. And he hasn't even complained until now."

"My dear, don't you feel wronged?"

Li Ying looked at Yang Yuhuan's serious expression.

From Yang Yuhuan's words, we can hear that Yang Yuhuan knows that the world is difficult and people's hearts are wicked. She clearly knows the dark and absurd side of this world.

She understood better the difficulty and danger of Li Heng's choice.

Li Ying smiled and said, "These are what I should do."

"Also," Yang Yuhuan paused, "Although I know a little about music and dance, it is not necessary for me to compose the dance music. With your ability to judge people, it would be easy for you to find someone else to do it. But you gave it to me, which means you trust me and respect me, doesn't it?"

Yang Yuhuan said this, holding Li Heng's hand.

"My dear, you have loved me, respected me, and done so much for us. What is this little bit of sacrifice for me? Not to mention this little sacrifice, even if you want my life right now, I am willing to give it to you."

As Yang Yuhuan spoke, her eyes turned red.

Li Heng quickly stroked Yang Yuhuan's eyebrows and said with a smile: "You are not afraid of your life, so why are you crying?"

"No." Yang Yuhuan leaned into Li Heng's arms, "I am just happy."

"Yeah." Li Heng hugged Yang Yuhuan and gently touched her head.

Yang Yuhuan said in Li Heng's arms: "I am very glad to marry you, my dear, because you not only make me happy, but also make me a relatively 'red' person."

"Uh..." Li Heng was slightly stunned, "What do you mean?"

Yang Yuhuan explained: "Because my husband is good, as the saying goes, he who keeps company with vermilion becomes red, and he who keeps company with ink becomes black."

Li Heng heard this and smiled, saying, "With your nature, even if I am not Zhu, you can still emerge from the mud without being stained, and wash in the clear water without being evil."

"This..." Yang Yuhuan smiled, looked up at Li Heng, and said, "My dear, since you said so, I also think so. My dear, are you hungry?"

"Huh?" Li Heng was startled again, then he remembered what happened with Yang Yuhuan the morning after he returned from the expedition, and smiled, "I can be not hungry."

"Okay." Yang Yuhuan giggled and slowly moved closer to Li Heng.

……

……

...Wang Zhihuan, Meng Haoran and Cen Shen sat together, adding details to the drawing of the curved plow.

Cen Shen was younger and his thoughts were more eccentric. He watched for a while and suddenly said, "If I had known that His Royal Highness Shou was so unconventional in employing people, I should have invited more friends over. And my two brothers, you should have brought your families with you."

Meng Haoran shook his head and said, "Although His Highness Shou Wang is not rigid in employing people, you have also seen how he punished Counselor Qian. Counselor Qian is the cousin of Concubine Qian De. With such a relationship, we cannot ask for mercy from His Highness Shou Wang. If we commit a crime, I am afraid we will not have an easy time."

"Isn't this good?" Cen Shen asked in confusion, "Rewarding merits and punishing crimes is impartial and fair."

"Of course." Meng Haoran nodded, "So don't think about these things for now, just follow the picture. If we can't draw it within three days, we will be punished!"

"Wait a moment." Wang Zhihuan suddenly stood up.

Meng Haoran and Cen Shen were startled and asked hurriedly, "What's the matter?"

"Come on, follow me."

Wang Zhihuan said this and ran out in a panic.

Meng Haoran and Cen Shen hurriedly followed. The two soldiers outside the door who had just been assigned to Cen Shen saw Cen Shen leaving in a hurry and followed him all the way.

By this time, it was already dark.

The five people, three in front and two behind, walked out of the government office, crossed the street, and went straight for four or five miles before finding a farmer's house.

Wang Zhihuan finally reached his destination. He bent over and breathed heavily, saying, "This is it!"

"Is there a spy?" Cen Shen had an idea in his mind, and he rushed over with two soldiers and kicked the farmer's door open.

Inside the house, a farmer's family of six were eating. They were all startled when the door was suddenly kicked open.

Seeing that the people coming were government soldiers, he became even more panicked.

The old man in the farmer's family immediately knelt down and said, "Shangguan, we have already paid the taxes we should pay. We are really out of money!"

Wang Zhihuan, who was standing behind him, saw this and ran over, pushed Cen Shen aside, and quickly helped the old man up, saying, "Old man, we are not here to collect taxes. We are here to see your plow and your cows."

"Cow?" The old farmer just stood up and was frightened again, "Shangguan, I only have one cow at home. If you take it away, how can we survive?"

"No," Wang Zhihuan explained quickly, "That's not what I meant. We encountered a small problem in improving the plow, so I wanted to ask you for advice. I know you are from the Central Plains."

"Ah?" The old farmer was startled. "At this time of night, you are not raising taxes or stealing things, but you come to ask for advice?"

Wang Zhihuan said: "We are officials under His Royal Highness Prince Shou, and we dare not do anything wrong."

When the old farmer heard Wang Zhihuan mention Li Heng, he felt relieved and said, "So he is an official of His Royal Highness Prince Shou. That must be true."

Meng Haoran, who had experienced ups and downs in life for forty years, did not have much confidence in the officialdom. Hearing the old farmer's words, he asked curiously: "I would like to ask, why does the old man trust His Royal Highness the Prince of Shou so much?"

The old farmer invited Meng Haoran and the others to sit down, and asked the eldest son of the family to make the only tea in the house for Meng Haoran and the others, and said, "You are officials of His Royal Highness Prince Shou, so you should know."

Meng Haoran explained: "Old man, we just arrived in Qiuci yesterday and took office today."

(End of this chapter)