Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1397: Chapter 1399: A Couple of Tips_1

Little Dengdeng, excited, jumped off Bai Zepei’s back and, imitating the adults, paid his respects, then stuck out his little belly and said, ”Do I look like an official lord?”

The whole family was amused by his antics, and Lin Ping’er laughed heartily, asking, ”Why are you sticking out your belly?”

Little Dengdeng, with a look of a little smart aleck, said, ”That’s how the official lords act in the operas.”

The family burst into laughter again. A few days earlier, Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong had taken Little Dengdeng to watch an opera, and he had remembered how the officials stuck out their bellies.

Bai Zepei found it funny and, with a smile, asked, ”Is Second Uncle like that? Is he not an official then?”

Little Dengdeng looked puzzled, tilted his head to think for a moment, and said, ”You’re different from them; you’re my Second Uncle, much more handsome than they are.”

”Just look how sweet-talking this little one is, wonder who he takes after,” Lin Ping’er said, laughing so hard that the wrinkles on her face deepened, but she was in a great mood recently because of the good news at home, and she seemed to have grown several years younger.

At that moment, a maid announced from outside that the second young miss had returned.

Guizhi walked briskly into the main hall and cheerfully said, ”The servants at home brought the news that Second Brother has been appointed an official, so I rushed back to have a closer look at what the official uniform looks like.”

Now in charge of the Beauty Pavilion, her dress and appearance couldn’t fall behind the times. Moreover, dealing daily with the noblewomen of the capital, her demeanor and poise had considerably changed; she was no longer the country girl who used to stoke the fires.

”Guizhi is back; come here and take a look. Our Little Dengdeng has also become an official,” Lin Ping’er beckoned Guizhi to sit next to her.

Guizhi went over, paid her respects to her parents, then to her elder brother and sister-in-law, and finally to Bai Zepei, offering some congratulatory words.

Looking at Bai Zepei’s still indifferent face, Guizhi thought to herself that for such a perfect man to have reached this point today, he must have put in a lot of effort. The sourness at the bottom of her heart slightly dispersed, then vanished without a trace; she had long discarded that wild fantasy and his shadow from her mind.

She had completely let go.

In the recent imperial examination, Bai Zepei performed consistently, and Tang Feng also displayed his literary elegance. In the end, the rankings of the two men did not change. Some of those behind them did shift, however, as Mr. Xie, due to an outstanding performance and the Emperor learning of his delayed examination because of years of observed mourning for his parents, felt moved by his filial piety and promoted him to the sixth place.

As the news spread, the Bai Family’s home was swamped with well-wishers. Since the Bai Family was not short on food or clothing, Lin Ping’er immediately ordered the chefs to prepare a feast to host a banquet at home to thank all the friends and relatives who had come to congratulate them. It was on this occasion that many people realized just how delicious the Bai Family’s food was, truly on par with what was offered to welcome guests!

In the midst of this, a small episode occurred: someone tried to poach the Bai Family’s chef, but the attempt was promptly rejected by the chef.

Today, the Emperor decreed new official positions for the scholarly graduates, and Bai Zepei was surprisingly promoted to the Imperial Secretary Assistant, which is to serve as a secretary to the Emperor in the Imperial Study Room. Do not underestimate this position; it allows access to domestic affairs and even knowledge of the Emperor’s immediate decisions.

And with this, the Bai Family truly stepped into the ranks of the scholarly clans.

In the past, the Bai Family had a son-in-law serving as an official in the court, but after all, he was just a son-in-law and was not taken seriously by other families in the capital. But now, with a daughter managing a lucrative business, an intimate courtier of the Emperor in Jiang Yichun, and a son appointed as the Imperial Secretary Assistant close to the Emperor, the Bai Family is not to be underestimated!

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Bai Ruozhu was unaware of her second brother’s joyful news; otherwise, she would have been over the moon with happiness.

She was discussing with Jiang Yichun about leaving the palace. Previously, when she had arranged for Xuan Jizi and his wife to go undercover, she had said that the great elder would surely send Xuan Jizi to attack her in order to test whether the two were loyal. Therefore, she would find an excuse to leave the palace every few days, providing Xuan Jizi and the others an opportunity to assassinate her.

This assassination would injure her, but she managed to escape.

Jiang Yichun originally disagreed with this plan; he couldn’t bear to see his little woman get hurt and even said, ”How about I protect you instead, and they can injure me.”

Bai Ruozhu immediately vetoed the idea, ”You can’t follow me out of the palace. With you around, the great elder won’t order them to take action.”

Seeing Jiang Yichun about to object again, she took out a small fish bladder and showed it to Jiang Yichun, who couldn’t help but widen his eyes; what was this red stuff inside?

”This is a prop I’ve made for acting; I’ve put some fish blood inside the fish bladder. When the time comes, and I’m cooperating with Elder Xuan Jizi, as their swords slash through my clothes, I’ll just squeeze the bladder, and the blood will flow out. Doesn’t it look just like I’m injured?” Bai Ruozhu said, proud of her ingenuity.

A smile appeared on Jiang Yichun’s face, ”I have to hand it to you for coming up with something like this.”

Pfft, back in my previous life, when we needed blood scenes in plays, wasn’t it always done with blood bags? In ancient times, there were no plastic bags. It gave me quite a hassle to figure it out. Fortunately, the fish in my space were big enough, and the fish bladders were sturdy and useful. I even dried some to make fish glue.

With such a plan in place, Jiang Yichun no longer raised objections but still arranged for Hao Feng and Muyu to stay by her side, not at ease with the situation.

Bai Ruozhu had no objections either. If she was to leave the palace alone without Jiang Yichun accompanying her, wouldn’t it be suspicious not to take more guards?

After the two had settled on a plan, they decided to leave the palace immediately, but unexpectedly, Princess Yingtong paid a visit.

”Lady Bai, my mother’s poisoning hasn’t been completely cured. I beg you to help save her, as the imperial doctors in the palace are clueless,” Princess Yingtong said, no longer as flamboyant as before, having thinned down considerably.

”You should ask your father, the king. As long as the sovereign agrees, I will immediately treat your mother; otherwise, even if she is healed, your mother might not be able to keep her life,” Bai Ruozhu reminded her.

Princess Yingtong’s body trembled, and her eyes reddened, ”I have pleaded with my father many times, but he has never agreed.”

Bai Ruozhu sighed, thinking to herself that this princess wasn’t smart; no wonder Hao Feng only taught her some magic techniques and acted as her teacher but not a true master.

”The same person who tied the bell must untie it. Your mother did wrong; she should be the one to step forward, shouldn’t she?” That was all Bai Ruozhu could tell her; whether she could handle things properly depended on Princess Yingtong and the Queen themselves.

Enlightened, Princess Yingtong bowed and apologized to Bai Ruozhu, ”Thank you for your guidance, Lady Bai. I shall take my leave.”

After Yingtong left, Jiang Yihong joked, ”Are you practicing the virtue of returning good for evil here?”

”It’s just a piece of advice. Now, get ready, I’m about to set off.” Bai Ruozhu suddenly felt a rush of excitement, as if she was about to shoot one of those bloody martial arts blockbusters herself.

Jiang Yichun gave Hao Feng and Muyu a few instructions before Bai Ruozhu, accompanied by them and Jianqi, left the palace.

Indeed, they hadn’t gone far before someone secretly followed them, indicating that news had quickly been relayed to the great elder. With a calm demeanor, Bai Ruozhu led her group towards Yakebu’s shop.