Chapter 184 (End of Main Story)

 

As the Twelfth Month began, officials from the six ministries in the capital begin to get busy again and started their annual year-end summary of their political achievements.

Even though the final result had not yet come out, Hua Yang got the news from her brother when she entered the palace. Because of the implementation of the two new policies of unified tax payment for clan members, officials and gentry, and tax rate distributed according to the land area, the treasury surplus this year would be at least 8 million taels of silver!

This was only the first year, but every year after this, the national treasury would receive 18 million taels of silver every year. The court would have the money to strengthen the army and provide disaster relief, and the money to reinforce the border defense and develop firearms. Why would we worry about the country not being peaceful and the people not being safe?

Although Emperor Yuanyou wanted to appear more prudent in front of his sister, he could not hide the smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, nor could he hide his high spirits.

Hua Yang was happy that the new policy was going smoothly, and was also relieved to see such brother.

In her previous life, her brother exiled the entire Chen family. It seemed that he had finally turned things around and escaped from the control of mother empress and her father-in-law, but her brother was not looking proud. There was always a layer of depression surrounding him, and he didn’t even have a bit of the youthfulness of a teenager. He was more like a lonely and gloomy emperor.

Hua Yang was certain that at that time her brother and the Chen family both suffer losses, and the only ones who was happy were the corrupt officials and powerful gentry who opposed the new policy.

“In the next few years, is it enough to just consolidate the new policy?”

“Not only that. Teacher said that we also need to rectify the merchants and lift the maritime ban. For the guard stations in various places, we also need to completely eliminate all the past malpractices, just like Prince Consort rectified the Lingzhou Guard.”

Hua Yang was surprised and said, “There are so many things to do. You will be very busy.”

Emperor Yuanyou did not take it seriously: “Those who are not busy are incompetent. Emperors should be diligent in their work. Only diligence can make the country prosperous.”

Hua Yang looked at her brother with a smile.

Emperor Yuanyou felt his face turn red for no apparent reason: “Sister, why are you looking at me like that?”

Hua Yang: “I am so happy. My little prince brother has really grown up. Not only can he be my backer, but also worthy of the trust and reliance of the people of the world.”

The young emperor, who was about to turn seventeen, was so embarrassed by his sister’s big dragon fart that he spoke incoherently: “This, this is what I should do. Also, Zhen summoned several border generals to return to the capital to celebrate the New Year. They will all be in the capital in the next few days.”

Hua Yang: “General Qin gave you a Sea Green Falcon last month. Will he prepare another generous gift this time?”

Emperor Yuanyou said with a smile, “Who cares about his Sea Green Falcon? I just teased it for a while, and Mother Empress reminded me in a roundabout way not to lose my ambition with playthings. Instead of giving these things, I am more looking forward to his new progress in the development of firearms.”

Hua Yang smiled but said nothing.

A wise ruler was also a human being. He had his own preferences and would seek some fun after finishing state affairs. It’s good that her brother like the Sea Green Falcon, it’s better than him indulging in women too early.

No one knew how that day when her brother ran happily to tell that General Qin had given him a Sea Green Falcon, Hua Yang’s heart tightened when she heard the word “sea”.

Fortunately, it was a Sea Green Falcon, not a sea lion kidney!

.

The tenth day of Twelfth Month was a day of rest.

Early morning, Chen Mansion, Chunhe Hall.

While still lying down, Sun shi poked the old man next to her and said, “The Old Four sent Fu Gui over last night, saying their little couple is going home today, and he specifically asked you to be available. Tell me, did something happen?”

Chen Tingjian: “There must be something, but I have no clue. It’s useless to guess. We will know in another hour or two.”

Sun shi snorted, “Our side always keep to ourselves. You’re the one that may have offended someone outside. Is it possible that Grand Princess wants you to play chess again?”

Chen Tingjian stroked his beard. Almost all the things that made the emperor unhappy were taken care of by He Qingxian. What else could grand princess advise?

But Chen Tingjian could not rule out this possibility.

“Well, let’s get up.”

Thinking of this, Chen Tingjian no longer felt like staying in bed, so he pulled back the quilt and sat up.

Sun shi was still lying there, glancing at him and smiling: “In the past two years, except for when having cold, when did you not get up before dawn? If you hadn’t sighed just now, I would have thought you were born to work hard, and the earlier you get up, the happier you are.”

Chen Tingjian put on his shirt and tilted his head, and saw his wife smiling with her eyes curved, just like when she was young, especially easy to laugh and good at entertaining herself.

Chen Tingjian did not enjoy being busy, but the higher his official position, the heavier the burden on his shoulders, so he had to get up early.

He only felt guilty towards his wife.

Sun shi saw her husband looking at her for a while, then suddenly bent down and kissed her on the face.

Sun shi: …

Chen Tingjian smiled.

Sun shi came to her senses, pushed him, and scolded in low voice, “You old pervert!”

The couple got up at the same time. One had breakfast and went to school to check his grandchildren’s homework, while the other took her two daughters-in-law to prepare to welcome the grand princess.

No matter how close the person to her, she still could not be disrespectful in front of the grand princess.

When the sun had reached the apex, the grand princess’ carriage slowly stopped in front of the Chen Mansion.

Everyone in the Chen family had already waiting.

Under the smiling gaze of everyone, their fourth son, fourth brother-in-law and fourth uncle, who did not require them to mobilize a large force to welcome him, jumped out of the carriage first.

There was nothing strange about it, but Chen Tingjian discovered that when the Old Four’s eyes swept over him, there was a hint of smile in them.

This was so strange. Even if his son never really disrespected him in his heart, he always treated him arrogantly in front of others. When had he ever smile at him like that?

At this moment, the grand princess also leaned out of the carriage.

“Slow down.” Chen Jingzong placed the footstool and held grand princess steadily.

This was what he was used to doing. Except for grand princess pursing her red lips slightly, no one in the Chen family find anything amiss.

After the two sides exchanged greetings, they were about to go inside.

As a result, Chen Jingzong came closer to Hua Yang again. When Hua Yang raised her foot to step over the threshold, he held her left arm with one hand and put his arm around her shoulder with the other: “Slow down.”

Even though Hua Yang had become a little more thick-skinned because of his influence, her face still turned red when Chen Jingzong shouted “slow down” twice.

Sun shi, Yu Xiu, Luo Yuyan: …

Chen Tingjian: …

Should he pretend not to understand, or what?

Wan Yi was already at the age of getting married, so she understood a little bit. Plus, she could remember things when her cousin Wan Qing was born, and Fourth Uncle’s behavior was so obvious, so Wan Yi just smiled secretly.

There were several thresholds from the main entrance to the hall.

Chen Jingzong insisted on staying by Hua Yang’s side, reminding her again and again.

Sanlang couldn’t stand it anymore: “Why is Fourth Uncle acting so strange today? It’s not like Fourth Aunt can’t walk, does she need you to remind her?”

Chen Jingzong: “You know nothing.”

He glanced at his mother.

Sun shi scolded him with a smile: “We all understand, alright? Look at you, so unpromising!”

After saying that, Sun shi pulled her son away and supported her daughter-in-law herself.

Hua Yang: …

The grand princess was pregnant, so Chen Tingjian took the Old Four away, and Wan Yi also took her younger brothers and sisters away, letting their grandmother and others to accompany the fourth aunt.

Hua Yang listened to sharing experiences for a whole morning.

After lunch time, Chen Jingzong accompanied her back to Siyi Hall.

When Hua Yang washed her hands and face and lay down on the bed to take a rest, Chen Jingzong came over. A tall and straight man stood like a pole beside the bed, staring at the grand princess with ambiguous expressions.

Hua Yang guessed that he had nothing serious to say, so she glared at him and then lay back down.

Chen Jingzong smiled: “Do you know what I’m thinking?”

Hua Yang said calmly: “I don’t know, and I’m not interested.”

Chen Jingzong: “Then I have to tell you, I was thinking about our wedding night. We also slept on this bed that night.”

Hua Yang: …

Chen Jingzong lay down, hugged her and kissed her hair: “At that time, I could never have thought that I, Chen Jingzong, can have today too.”

Hua Yang: “Shut up!”

Chen Jingzong also knew that he could do nothing, so after hugging her for a while he just lay down obediently beside her, with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling of the bed, occasionally letting out a low laugh that only he could understand.

Hearing those laughs made Hua Yang’s heart itch, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Annoyed, she turned and hit him with a backhand.

Chen Jingzong: “Is it not okay for me to laugh?”

Hua Yang: “No. Go lie down on the floor. I don’t even want to hear your breathing.”

Chen Jingzong: …

He bit her ear: “Just as domineering as that night.”

Hua Yang wanted to hit him again, but Chen Jingzong quickly jumped off the bed and went to make his bed on the floor.

.

A few days later, there was a heavy snowfall in the capital, just like in the previous life, but this time, no one was exiled to the frontier in shackles, and there was no carriage to see people off alone in the snow.

That night, Hua Yang leaned in Chen Jingzong’s arms and slept soundly.

She was no longer so sick that she was bedridden, but she started to have some morning sickness, which fortunately was not serious.

On the 18^th of First Month, Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan were about to leave the capital, one going to Jiangnan to join Chen Xiaozong, and the other to Guangdong to reunite with Chen Bochong.

Hua Yang took Chen Jingzong to live in the Chen Mansion the day before departure. When she woke up in the morning, she found that it was snowing outside again.

Chen Jingzong: “In this weather, it’s enough to just send Eldest Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law to the gate. There’s no need to send them outside the city.”

Hua Yang: “I want send them outside the city.”

The thing grand princess insisted on doing, could prince consort object?

Not to mention him, even her mother-in-law Sun shi‘s dissuasion was of no use. Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan were moved to tears by grand princess’s deep affection and tried to dissuade her too, but it was still of no use.

In the end, Chen Jingzong rode a horse wearing a cloak, and the three sisters-in-law sat in a carriage and slowly left the city gate.

When the carriage stopped, the time for separation had arrived.

“Eldest Sister-in-law and Third sister-in-law, don’t cry. I’m just happy that you can be reunited with Eldest Brother and Third Brother, not that I can’t bear to part with you.” Hua Yang looked at her two sisters-in-law with red eyes and spoke her true feelings again.

Yu Xiu just wiped her tears, while Luo Yuyan sniffed and said: “Grand Princess, there is no need to explain, we all understand!”

Hua Yang knew that they didn’t understand.

Chen Jingzong’s teasing voice sounded from outside the carriage: “Since Eldest Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law are so reluctant to part with Grand Princess, why don’t we turn the carriage around and go back instead?”

Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan: …

Although grand princess was nice, they miss their husbands whom they have been separated from for a year more.

After quickly wiping away their tears, they got off the carriage one after another.

“Grand Princess, please don’t get off. We’ll move to our carriage soon.”

Hua Yang only stretched out her hand to Chen Jingzong.

It was snowing heavily and there were almost no people on the road, so Chen Jingzong simply carried the grand princess down.

Hua Yang put on a cloak, stopped her two sisters-in-law from crying, and urged them to get in the carriage quickly.

“Grand Princess, please go back. We are leaving now!”

After a while, Yu Xiu and Luo Yuyan both leaned out of the carriage window and waved to the grand princess who was looking at them with a smile like a red-petaled peony on the roadside.

Chen Jingzong: …

He is standing here too!

Hua Yang also waved her hand and asked the coachman to drive.

The convoy set off slowly, and the increasing snow blurred each other’s faces.

Chen Jingzong turned around and saw Hua Yang was still smiling, as if she had eaten candy. He wondered, “You are like this, it looks like you dislike Eldest Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law and wish they would leave quickly.”

Hua Yang looked at him and said, “I am happy for Eldest Brother and Third Brother.”

Chen Jingzong: …

-The end of main story-

The author has something to say:

It started with flying vinegar and ended with flying vinegar. The main story ends here. Thank you for your company during this autumn and winter. As the New Year is coming to an end, I wish everyone happiness and peace. The following plan are temporarily made for the extra chapters:

1. Extra chapters about the eldest brother and his wife, including the happy daily life of the Chen family’s four brothers when they were young.
2. Extra chapters about the previous live, Hua Yang will avenge Chen Jinzhong.
3. Extra chapter about the double rebirth, mainly from his perspective.
4. Postscript to main story.

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