Chapter 039 The Prince Eats Peaches
On the way home, Su Shi was a little confused: "Strange, how could that young man see through my plan at a glance?"
It was indeed as Lu Sen said, Su Shi laughed on purpose when he heard Ringo complain that the sweet tofu pudding was not as delicious as his own sweet juice, in order to provoke him to go and try the delicious food.
Because he thought that children would not lie, and children were very fond of sweets and could naturally taste which sweetness tasted better, so what the little girl said must be true.
Su Shi had eaten a lot of delicious food in his hometown of Meishan, but desserts were rare.
After all, there is less sugar at this time, and fewer people know how to make desserts.
He was tempted by an unknown sweet food.
Originally in his hometown of Meishan, his method of provoking others had always worked and he could often get delicious food, but he didn't expect that he would be discovered in Bianjing City.
"Brother, the capital is full of talented people, so don't use the tricks you have at home all the time." Su Zhe followed beside him and shook his head and said, "Look, it's only the fourth day since you came to Bianjing City, and you've been laughed at. You're so embarrassed."
Su Shi stiffened his neck and said, "How could I know that handsome, white-faced boy was so cunning."
"Only you are allowed to be smart, but others are not allowed to be intelligent?" Su Che laughed beside him.
Su Shi said depressedly: "It is so rare that there are people of the same age as me who are as smart as me."
When Su Che heard this, he shook his head and had nothing to say.
He had grown up seeing his elder brother's narcissistic behavior and was already used to it.
As for Lu Sen, after eating some snacks, he returned to the low mountain.
The Cao brothers still come to visit and chat from time to time.
After more than half a month of leisure life, Lu Sen found a good day and went to visit the Yang and Cao families with two baskets of fruit.
Two or three peaches, pears, and loquats can make a fruit basket.
Moreover, these fruits look great, with no signs of being bitten by insects on the skin, and each one is very juicy. It is very prestigious to give them away in early spring.
The Yang family was very happy, especially Yang Jinhua, who personally received Lu Sen.
I have to say that Yang Jinhua seems more beautiful with her hair tied up, and her eyes are full of charm.
I visited the Yang family in the morning and went to the Cao family in the afternoon.
After all, the two brothers of the Cao family always come to visit, and it would be unreasonable for me not to pay them a return visit.
When Lu Sen arrived at Cao's house, he just gave his name and the doorman was surprised. He asked Lu Sen to wait for a moment, and he hurried back to report.
Cao Guojiu brought his two sons and personally entertained Lu Sen.
He first thanked Lu Sen for saving his youngest son, and then he approached him as Lu Sen's uncle and chatted with him enthusiastically.
The two sides were talking and laughing, and the host and guest were getting along well. After two hours, Lu Sen, feeling a little thirsty, found an excuse to leave.
After Lu Sen left, Cao Yi and his two sons were still sitting in the hall.
He took a sip of tea and said, "Nephew Lu is finally willing to step into the doorstep of my Cao family. The efforts you two have made during this period have not been in vain. Your father must praise you two a few words."
The Cao brothers were all laughing happily.
It is a rare thing for these two sons to be praised by their father.
After laughing, Cao Ping asked, "Dad, since Brother Lu is willing to befriend us, should we help Brother Lu gain momentum?"
"That's not necessary. I think that nephew Lu doesn't seem to have any intention of becoming famous. Otherwise, just by sending his bottle of honey to the palace, he would be able to get himself an official position and gain the emperor's favor." Cao Yi shook his head: "Besides...if nephew Lu really catches the emperor's eye, it will not be so easy for us to get a share of his things in the future."
Cao Ping understood what his father meant.
It is to keep Lu Sen's secret as secret as possible, so that the Cao family can occupy more or monopolize the "magic" that leaked from Lu Sen's fingers.
"But Governor Bao also knows about Brother Lu's affairs and is afraid that he will spread it." Cao You said on the side.
Cao Yi smiled and said, "I know Bao Xiren. He cares about the people of the world and is particularly disgusted by ghosts and gods. When he was young, he also wrote an article to refute the previous emperor's search for immortals and alchemy. Such a loyal minister will not let the emperor indulge in alchemy. Not only will he not report the matter of Lu Shiji, he will even try to conceal it."
"That's no wonder." Cao Ping suddenly realized and slapped his palm with the fan in his hand. "So many people in Kaifeng Prefecture saw Brother Lu cure his younger brother. It was so miraculous that the news should have spread all over the city. But I haven't heard any news about it outside during this period. It seems that Prefect Bao has also issued a gag order."
Cao Yi laughed as he listened: "Bao Xiren probably thinks that a greedy person like me wants to hold Lu Xiaolang in his hand, which is probably what he wants."
Just as Cao Yi was laughing, the doorman came over and reported with a fist: "Sir, the Prince of Runan is visiting."
"Hey, why is he here?" Cao Yi said, "Please invite him quickly."
"Dad, my brother and I will take our leave first."
The adults in the family were entertaining guests of very high status, so it was not appropriate for the two younger ones to be present.
"Well, let's go!"
Not long after the Cao brothers left, the doorman bent down and led a middle-aged man in.
The man was wearing a white suit with a jade python belt around his waist. When he saw Cao Yi from a distance, he clasped his hands together and said with a laugh, "Long time no see, Brother Gongbo."
Gongbo is Cao Yi's courtesy name.
Cao Yi stood up and clasped his fists, saying, "It's been a long time since we last met. What brings you here, a busy man like you?"
"Oh no! Forget about it." The Prince of Runan walked in, sat down without any courtesy, and said, "Those damned gangsters made a big fuss in Fanlou some time ago. Not to mention the two sons of the Chai family, the death of the two sons of Li Shilang made me very anxious. More than 30 wealthy families and several officials also died. Because of this matter, I ran around day and night to apologize and pay compensation. It took me half a year to suppress the matter. Alas!"
Fanlou was the property of the Prince of Runan. Someone died on his territory, so he certainly had some responsibility.
I don't know how much money I spent, how much effort I put in, and how many favors I owed before I got the job done.
Cao Yi said sympathetically: "It is indeed an unprovoked disaster."
"Who said it wasn't... Wait, peaches!" The Prince of Runan was stunned when he saw the fruit basket on the corner of the table. He then reached out and grabbed one to examine it. "It's only the beginning of spring, and the peach blossoms haven't even bloomed yet. Where did these peaches come from?"
Oh no!
Cao Yi remained calm on the surface, but under the table, he pinched his thigh hard.
I felt angry and depressed. How could I have forgotten to put the fruit basket away?
It was actually seen by outsiders. Am I stupid?
"I put it in the ice cellar specially last year to keep it cool." Although he was cursing himself in his heart, Cao Yi explained with a calm expression.
"Can it be frozen for so long? It doesn't seem like it... The skin of this peach is tender and smooth. Fruits in the ice cellar will become dry after a long time, just like an old woman's face."
The Prince of Runan took a bite as he spoke. He immediately felt a ball of honey in his mouth, which was extremely sweet but not greasy, and had the unique fragrance of peach flesh.
He couldn't help but continue, "It's delicious. How did you freeze it? It tastes better than freshly picked ones."
As he spoke, the Prince of Runan took a few more bites, and the peach went into his stomach, leaving only the peach pit.
Cao Yi's face wrinkled, he felt heartbroken... These were the fairy peaches that nephew Lu Shi created in the fairyland on earth, real fairy peaches, and yet one of them was eaten by someone.
"It's really delicious." Prince Runan felt that this was the most delicious fruit he had ever eaten.
He looked at the fruit basket and wanted to eat another one, but there were not many fruits left, and he was a guest, so it would not be good for him to eat any more.
I could only give up unwillingly.
Cao Yi resisted the urge to ask someone to put the fruit basket away. If he did so, it would only give people the impression that he was stingy and did not know how to entertain guests.
But he felt frightened when he saw the Prince of Runan glance at the fruit basket from time to time.
I was afraid that the other person would take another one and put it in his mouth and eat it.
Fortunately, this did not happen. After taking a look at the fruit basket, the Prince of Runan said, "I came here this time to ask you something, Brother Gongbo!"
"Your Majesty, please speak."
Cao Yi spoke quickly. Now he just wanted the Prince of Runan to finish his words quickly, make his purpose clear, agree to everything that could be agreed to, and then send him out of the house.
It’s so scary. I always feel like the other party is eyeing my own fruits.
"A few months ago, my Lian'er was nearly kidnapped by a beggar from Wuyou Cave while she was walking on the street, but she was fortunately saved by a young man." The Prince of Runan County sighed and said, "I initially suspected that the young man and the beggar were in the same group, and that he saved Lian'er just to be a hero saving a beautiful woman, and that he had other dirty plans. So I sent someone to investigate secretly, but who knew that I was overthinking and judging others by my own standards. I wanted to send someone to bring a generous gift to thank her, but the incident at Fanlou disrupted my plan, so that the matter has been delayed until now."
"What do you mean, Your Majesty?" Cao Yi was a little confused.
If you want to thank someone, go ahead. Why are you coming to me?
He even ate one of my peaches!
"My subordinates accidentally noticed that the two Qilin children of Gongbo's family seemed to be familiar with the young man who saved my daughter, so I came to ask... what is the true character of that young man?"
Cao Yi hesitated for a moment. He was familiar with his own son? Then he suddenly realized: "Are you talking about Lu Sen, the nephew of Lu?"
"Oh, Brother Gongbo, you call that young man your nephew?" The Prince of Runan asked with great interest, "It seems that Brother Gongbo also agrees with the character of that young man?"
Cao Yi's eyes widened slightly: "Your Highness, are you planning to marry off your daughter? I remember your daughter hasn't reached the age of marriage yet."
The Prince of Runan said sadly, "It will be soon! Only half a month."
The daughter was first confined to her house for two months and then ordered not to leave the outer city.
I thought that in this way, my daughter would gradually forget about the young man.
As a result... ...my daughter has been sighing and thinking a lot recently. She has no appetite and has lost some weight.
As a person who has experienced this, how could the Prince of Runan not know that his daughter has someone in her heart?
A girl is no longer under the control of her mother or her father when she grows up!
" So I came to ask you what kind of personality that young man Lu Sen has. Is he worthy of being the son-in-law of the Duke of Runan?"
Cao Yi felt his scalp tingling.
Personally, he didn't really want to help become the Prince of Runan. As I said, why should I share the profits with others if I can enjoy the benefits alone?
And now, he feels more and more that it is really difficult for his family to not have a daughter.
First, the young lady of the Yang family would stroll in the hills from time to time.
Now the Prince of Runan wants to marry his daughter.
Clearly he made the first move, but the Yang and Zhao families both used unconventional tactics and actually brought the big dragon straight to Tianyuan.
Cao Yi felt tired. He was silent for a while and said, "There is nothing wrong with nephew Lu's character. He is really gentle and is definitely a good match. But he... is a person from the outside world. He practices in the mountains and his life is a bit miserable. Your Majesty, your young lady is used to a life of luxury. She may not be able to endure such a lonely life if she marries him."
"That's no problem." The Prince of Runan said with a smile, "I own Fan Tower, and my family name is Zhao. If you marry my daughter, you will surely be rich and powerful."
That’s true!
Cao Yi was silent for a while, then said: "It's just that my nephew Lu is proud..."
"It's good to be proud. Without pride, how can you marry my daughter, Zhao Yunrang? At most, my family will give in a little, so what!" The Prince of Runan slammed the table heavily, looking very satisfied, but then his face fell and he said helplessly: "But you also know, uncle, Lian'er is not included in the family tree, she has no name and no status, so the wedding can't be a big deal."
Cao Yi was also aware of Zhao Bilian's affairs.
Zhao Bilian was born to a prostitute and had lived outside the palace in her early years.
Later, the brothel girl died of illness, and Zhao Bilian was taken into the Zhao Mansion.
Unfortunately, due to his mother's identity, he was tabooed and never included in the family tree, and was not liked by the wives and concubines of the Prince of Runan.
Fortunately, the Prince of Runan felt guilty about Zhao Bilian and took good care of her.
Therefore, although Zhao Bilian seemed insignificant in the Prince's Mansion, she would not be bullied at all.
The servants in the palace would not usually greet her or call her Princess, but secretly, they still treated her as such.
Everything from food, clothing and other necessities is at the princess' level.
“It doesn’t seem so bad that we can’t have a big event.”
The Prince of Runan shook his head: "We can't have a grand ceremony. It will easily hurt my daughter's heart and chill my son-in-law's heart. It's difficult."
"Then find someone who doesn't care." Cao Yi said with a smile.
"Lian'er likes it, it's not good to change it rashly." Zhao Yunrang stood up and said, "Since Brother Gongbo said that the young man is really a good person, I think he should be a good person. But I will ask someone to take another look, after all, seeing is believing."
After saying this, the Prince of Runan took his leave. But before leaving, he glanced at the fruit basket and licked his lips, which scared Cao Yi so much that his scalp went numb.
As soon as the figure of the Prince of Runan disappeared, Cao Yi immediately picked up the fruit basket and hurried back to his study.
So two days later, a group of people came to the low mountain and arrived outside Lu Sen's yard.
Zhao Bilian stood opposite Lu Sen with a smile on her face, holding her younger brother's hand with her right hand.
On her left side, there was a young man who was probably in his early twenties.
Seeing Lu Sen, the young man clasped his hands and said, "I am Zhao Zongsheng, and I am here on the orders of my father to thank Lu Xiaolang for saving my sister Lian a few months ago!"
At this time, Zhao Bilian smiled and said, "The one who is speaking is my ninth brother, and the one I am holding hands with is my thirteenth brother, Shu."
Zhao Shu broke free from his sister's hand, clasped his hands together, and said calmly like a little adult: "I thank Brother Lu for saving Sister Lian. I will never forget your kindness."
The two princes of the Zhao family called themselves "young men" as soon as they opened their mouths, which was already a very humble attitude.
Lu Sen was silent for a while, then he clasped his fists and said with a smile: "It's just a small favor, you are too polite, please come in!"
