Adoption brings disaster

As neither Chongguang nor I had much of an argument about the matter of General Wang, we naturally ignored it.

Of course, it is not appropriate to call him General Wang now. We should call him Lord Prefect.

However, whether it is General Wang or the prefect, to Chongguang and I, they are both dispensable servants and not important matters. My focus is still on Chongguang.

Ever since the Seventh Prince was confined to his house, he has been studying and practicing martial arts in the pavilion every day. The child is very hardworking, and as an elder with nothing to do, I always have to accompany him, so he is not as free as before.

Before, the Seventh Prince was busy, so I could leave the palace whenever I wanted, and go shopping with the Sixth Water Lord whenever I wanted. I lived a very carefree life.

Now the Seventh Prince is in the pavilion, and he insists that I accompany him to study and practice martial arts every day. Although it is very fulfilling, it feels like going to work after a while, which is really annoying.

I was feeling unhappy, so I wanted to sneak out and relax.

Anyway, I am his lover. Even if His Majesty the Seventh Prince is unhappy, he can just wait for me to come back and say a few soft words to coax him. He can't really be angry with me.

Unfortunately, I thought things were too simple. If the Seventh Prince doesn't let me go out, I can't go out.

Even though I took out the badges of Prince Zhenbei's Mansion and Prince Gong's Mansion, the palace guards would not let me out.

These guards did not try to stop me, but just knelt down and begged me to have mercy on them.

I was also a social animal, so I know their difficulties. Naturally, I don’t want to make things difficult for them, and I always go back in a bad mood.

This went on for several times and I couldn't get out. I was so angry that I hardened my heart, pushed away the guards kneeling on the ground, and rushed out of the palace gate.

The guards didn't dare to stop me and could only let me leave the palace. However, before I took a few steps, the two guards on duty were pinned to the ground and beaten with sticks.

The beating with the board was very heavy. Soon the two guards' buttocks were torn into pieces. It was really horrible to see. The two guards were betting on my kindness and screamed heartbreakingly. I really couldn't bear to do it, so I came back on my own.

I couldn't make things difficult for the guards, so I could only vent my anger on Chongguang. When I returned to the pavilion, I had a big quarrel with the Seventh Prince.

Of course, I was the one who was arguing mainly. He was calmly reading a book and drinking tea beside me, admitting his mistakes from time to time, but he just wouldn't let me leave the palace.

When I was tired of arguing, he personally brought me tea and said earnestly, "Qianqiu, things are not peaceful outside the palace right now, and you are my lover. If anything happens to you, the Northern Border Army will suffer endless criticism. Be patient. When this matter is over, I will ask my father for a long vacation and take you out to relax."

I understand the logic, but I just want to go out and have fun. I also know that I am a little ignorant of the overall situation, so I can't make a fuss anymore.

Then he said weakly: "How can I get through this? I have been locked up in this pavilion for three months. Tomorrow, the Gu King and the others will return to Miaojiang."

"It should be soon. These soldiers are human beings too. They can't survive here anymore. They will either die here or leave and find another way out. Once most of them are gone, after some time no one will remember these things, and we can go out."

Hearing these words, I felt a little sad. I was just like these soldiers before.

As a temporary teacher in school, if there are fewer children one day, or if there are enough regular teachers, I may be abandoned at any time and anywhere, no matter how much I have done or how much I have achieved.

When I thought of these things, I felt even more miserable and unhappy. I didn't even want to talk. I just lay on the chair with a sense of despair, letting Xiaotian and Xiaodi serve me.

I am really depressed now. When the manager sees me, he is afraid of angering me, so he naturally dare not say that Xiaotian and Xiaodi cannot enter the house to serve. He can only pretend not to see it and leave in shame.

Seeing that I was so depressed all of a sudden, His Majesty the Seventh Prince thought that I was still unhappy about not being able to leave the palace, so he ordered Ah Da to go outside the palace to find some medical experts to play chess with me to pass the time.

Seeing that I was still not interested, he asked A Da to go to the imperial concubine and get some pearls as big as quail eggs for me to play with.

I was touched when I heard Chongguang asking Ada to search for fun things everywhere to cheer me up, but the rabbit's death and the fox's grief are not something that can be comforted.

I thought about the miserable state of the two guards and said, "The two guards on duty today have also suffered for no reason. Give them some rewards."

Judging from my own experience, if I had lost my job or been punished for other reasons in my previous life, I would have felt very miserable and I would have hoped that I would have received the compensation I deserved. So I also hope that these two guards could have received compensation, at least they were beaten because of me.

"I didn't realize how soft-hearted you were. I was just beating you up to show you. It was just a lot of noise but little action. It looked scary, but it didn't actually hurt them."

The Seventh Prince smiled and continued, "Besides, they only took two hits, and you came back. These two guards also received two rewards thanks to you. Now the other guards must be wishing they could be beaten."

It's not that I'm soft-hearted, I just don't want others to suffer because of me.

It’s just like when I was a teacher. There were many things I was unwilling to do even though they were clearly required by the school leaders. However, those parents who didn’t understand thought I was deliberately making things difficult for them. Not only did they scold me, but some even wanted to hit me in anger.

The past is too painful to recall. Now that I have a good life, I will do my best to make other people's lives better. As for other things, they are no longer important.

After figuring this out, I felt better and no longer unhappy, but I still lacked energy and was very sleepy.

Also, because we had to send Gu Wang and the others away early the next morning, I had breakfast and went to bed early.

It is said that the Gu Queen stayed in the house every day and never came out except to see how I was recovering. Even when we met, she ignored me. I was actually still very afraid of her.

I get along very well with her little granddaughter Duoduo. After the Seventh Prince was confined to study, I couldn't leave the palace, so I would hang out with the little girl in the palace, developing all kinds of dark dishes, or catching all kinds of insects in the imperial garden.

I was always dirty, just like a cultist. Even the Seventh Prince disliked me during that time.

"Thank you, Gu King, for traveling thousands of miles to save His Highness Qianqiu. When my grandfather returns to the capital, I will have him go to Miaojiang to personally thank Gu King."

The Gu King looked at him with disdain and said, "Don't let that old bandit come. We in Miaojiang don't welcome him."

I didn't think the Gu King was joking, so I asked myself, "What did the prince do to make the Gu King hate him so much? But strangely, Ah Da went to invite him with the token, and the Gu King came all the way here."

His Highness didn't answer me in his mind, but smiled and said, "Grandpa has always told me that he is really sorry about the things that happened to your disciples, but there is solid evidence that your disciples robbed people, and Grandpa is also acting according to the law."

When the Gu King heard this, he immediately became angry and cursed: "According to the law, what law are you following? When did we Miao people have to follow the laws of your Beishang Kingdom?"

The old woman was very stubborn. She saved my life, and I couldn't say anything. I could only stand there and watch her curse. Fortunately, her granddaughter stood up.

"Grandma, at that time, Miaojiang was already part of Beishang. Besides, according to Miaojiang law, debts must be repaid and murder must be punished. This is not the prince's fault. It's because those brothers and sisters didn't learn the skills well enough. If I were to face the prince and couldn't beat him, I could just act cute. At least I wouldn't lose my life."

These words were so innocent and cute that I couldn't help laughing when I heard them. When the little girl saw me laughing, she also smiled at me coquettishly.

Upon seeing this, the Gu King quickly pulled the little girl behind him, and the Seventh Prince also stood in front of me, blocking the little girl.

"I knew you were attracted to this pretty boy. When I came here, the village wouldn't let me bring you along. They said the scholars in Beishang Country were the best at deceiving little girls like you. And it's true. It hasn't been long since you've turned your back on me."

The Miao people are straightforward and speak bluntly, and they are not very shy about matters between men and women.

The little girl said carelessly, "I actually want to marry Brother Qianqiu and stay in the capital to be a fairy couple, but His Majesty the Seventh Prince won't let me."

The little girl wanted to say more, but Chongguang said, "It's getting late. It's better for Gu King to set off early. There are many bandits and pirates on the road. If Gu King is still angry with my grandfather, just kill these bandits. They deserve to die anyway."

"Grandma, look, His Highness the Seventh Prince keeps a very close eye on His Highness Qianqiu. Your granddaughter doesn't stand a chance at all," the little girl said. "If any of the men in the village were half as good as Qianqiu, then I wouldn't be at a disadvantage if I married them."

"Qianqiu, you must be tired, go back and take a nap. I'll escort King Gu and the others out of the palace."

After the Seventh Prince finished speaking, Ada and Aer were very considerate and invited me into the house.

The little girl yelled at my back, "Brother Qianqiu, when His Highness the Seventh Prince leaves the palace and builds his own residence, come to Miaojiang to play with me."

When we got to the house, I broke free and cursed, "I won't sleep."

"Your Highness, Seventh Prince, is also doing this for Your Highness Qianqiu's sake. The Miaojiang Gu poison is difficult to guard against. Your Highness should not get too close to the Gu King's granddaughter."

"Come on, even if I die, I'm still a rich idler in this capital. The girls from the rich families in the capital may not even like me. Besides, she is no worse than the ladies from the capital. If I marry her, I won't suffer any loss."

........................

I kept cursing, and soon His Highness the Seventh Prince came back. Ah Da and the others hurriedly saluted and said, "Greetings to His Highness the Seventh Prince."

"Have you arranged the people to protect the Gu King?" The Seventh Prince asked casually.

"Everything has been arranged. They are all the best soldiers who retired from the army this time. I have also told the Gu King about it." Ah Da said, "The Gu King is also feeling uneasy. After all, more than ten disciples, including his own daughter, were all killed by the prince. It's hard not to feel uncomfortable."

The Seventh Prince did not want to talk about the Gu King. He glanced at A Da, who also knew that he had overstepped his authority and quickly kowtowed to admit his guilt.

Chongguang waved his hand, asked Ah Da to stand up, and said, "The money has been given enough. Let those people find a way to make a living in Miaojiang. It is better than being plotted against and killed in the capital." After saying that, he looked at me with some ill intentions.

The look in His Highness the Seventh Prince's eyes when he looked at me seemed very aggressive, which made me feel scared. I didn't dare to look at him, let alone continue the topic of the Gu King's granddaughter. I could only say, "There are many bandits and pirates in Beishang."

"It's not that many, but in some places that are easy to defend but difficult to attack, there are some bandits who block the road and ask for money. Some just want money, while others want both money and life."

"These bandits are very powerful, why don't we wipe them out?" I asked puzzledly.

"What's so powerful about them? I can kill them all in less than an hour if I go up on them alone," Ah Da said. "It's just that these guys are so slippery. If they show any signs of being defeated, they'll immediately scatter and flee. And as soon as you leave, they'll come back and attack you. It's really annoying."

"Once you get up there, of course you can kill them at will. But how can you get up there? Not to mention the terrain that is almost a cliff, I'm afraid you won't be able to avoid the various traps." Ah Er complained.

"I'm not a scout. Do you believe that Wu Da can raid eight bandit camps by himself?"

After listening to them, I had an idea, so I interrupted them and said, "I've listened to what you said and summarized three points. Do you think so? First, Beishang is plagued by bandits, and the people are suffering. Second, these bandits are not strong and only rely on the terrain to commit crimes. Third, there are people in the Northern Border Army who can easily eliminate these bandits. Is my understanding correct?"

"Except for the first one, the others are completely correct." said the Seventh Prince.

"They are bandits, so they are bound to plunder and rob, and the people suffer terribly. Isn't that right?"

"Not only ordinary people, but also businessmen and even officials are suffering."

"They even dare to rob officials? Is there no one to do anything?" I said in shock.

"Your Highness Qianqiu has made a mistake. Our Northern Border Army is composed of skilled warriors who can defeat a hundred with one. We are well-trained and disciplined. Naturally, it is easy for us to deal with these bandits, but others do not have this ability."

After Ah Da finished speaking, Ah Er continued, "A few years ago, some people wanted to use these bandits to gain military merit. They fought for a long time but failed to defeat them. Instead, many people died. So everyone turned a blind eye to these bandits. Instead of killing the bandits, it's more convenient to recruit some experts."

After hearing this, I had a bold idea in my mind. Seeing that I was smiling a little proudly, His Highness the Seventh Prince asked, "Qianqiu, what are you planning?"

"What are you planning? It's naturally a good thing to make a fortune."

"If Qianqiu is short of money, just ask A-da to get it for you. Don't bother with it anymore." The Seventh Prince said, "You are too soft-hearted. You can't fight those unscrupulous businessmen. Don't waste your energy."

I looked at His Highness the Seventh with disdain and said, "Don't interfere with my wealth. Don't be jealous of me if I become rich."

I had a few more words with His Highness the Seventh Prince, and then the steward came to report that General Lu wanted to see him.

I wanted to take a nap, but the Seventh Prince insisted on taking me with him to see General Lu. I had no choice but to go with him.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.