A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

“I insisted that he give a reason, and he said, ‘I don’t want to put pressure on you.’”

As He Jinglan spoke, she couldn't help but cup her hands around her heart, deeply moved.

“He has always been aggressive and capable. Since I was a child, I have seen him get whatever he wanted, whether it was power or status.”

"I never thought I would live to see him take a step back for someone."

"Oh dear, I was looking outside and wondered if the sun was going to rise in the west this morning?"

Gu Xixi calmly replied, "Fortunately, there wasn't."

He Jinglan knew that Gu Xixi was in a state of confusion, so she considerately didn't press her for more information.

After walking a few steps, Gu Xixi spoke up, "You haven't finished telling me the origin of this land."

He Jinglan was taken aback. "Oh right, we were just talking about Mu Nanzhao telling His Majesty the reason. Let's continue."

"His Majesty guessed that the 'she' Mu Nanzhao was referring to was a woman. He said that he originally thought the Regent was neither greedy for money nor interested in women, but he was afraid that one day he would suddenly have a change of heart and go to the temple to eat vegetarian food at a young age, causing the court to lose a pillar of the state."

"Your Majesty is quite pleased to learn that the Regent also shares the sentiment of 'the peach tree is in full bloom and its blossoms are dazzling.'"

When asked to press further, Mu Nanzhao simply said that the girl was just an ordinary woman, and besides, she had not yet responded to him. Even if His Majesty asked, it would be in vain.

"Why not give him some time? Perhaps His Majesty can enjoy the first batch of fresh peaches from the peach orchard in the future."

"It is said that His Majesty laughed heartily at the time, saying that he never expected there to be a woman in the world who made the Regent wait, and immediately bestowed this whole piece of land upon the Regent's Palace."

Gu Xixi sighed, "Even someone as high-ranking and powerful as him has to be so cautious in the face of imperial power."

He Jinglan nodded, "My brother also said that Mu Nanzhao's move was brilliant."

"Being honest with His Majesty about embarrassing things that no one else knows can help to get closer to him."

"It can further dispel His Majesty's suspicions."

If the new emperor's power base is not yet stable, and Mu Nanzhao is in a hurry to form marriage alliances with powerful ministers and aristocratic families at this time, it will inevitably arouse suspicion.

Therefore, he told the emperor that he had someone he loved, and that the woman came from a humble background.

Compared to a flawless, aloof immortal.

The emperor preferred close advisors who were flesh and blood, capable of joy and sorrow.

Clearly, Mu Nanzhao had long understood this.

Gu Xixi thought to herself, "So she's already taken on the role of a tool before she even arrived in the capital."

He Jinglan looked at Gu Xixi with some concern and said, "Although he has other plans in this matter and wants to achieve multiple goals at once, I believe what he said is true."

Gu Xixi raised her eyes and smiled back at He Jinglan, "I believe it too."

However, Mu Nanzhao could not give up his pursuit of power for Gu Xixi.

Just as Gu Xixi wouldn't give up her dream of an agricultural empire for Mu Nanzhao.

When the two entered the peach grove.

Anqing ran over excitedly, clutching a newly picked peach blossom in her hand, some in full bloom and some still in bud.

"Xixi, this is the most beautiful one I've ever seen. I'll put it on you."

In ancient times, both men and women could wear flowers in their hair, which was considered elegant.

Anqing and her husband each had two hairpins tucked into their temples.

Seeing his bright smile and expectant eyes, Gu Xixi couldn't bear to refuse him.

"Thank you, this flower is indeed very beautiful. You can have it, I'll wear it myself."

An Qinghe was a little disappointed that he couldn't personally put the peach blossom in Gu Xixi's hair, but he still smiled and placed the peach blossom in her hand.

Watching her awkwardly gesture a few times before finally placing the flower behind her right ear, all I could see was her adorned hair.

An Qinghe smiled and nodded, "It looks good, just as I thought it would suit you."

He Jinglan watched from the side, her gaze shifting, a playful thought creeping into her mind: this kid is probably a little too deeply involved.

So she laughed and changed the subject, "Why were only your and Xixi's portions lost, but mine wasn't?"

An Qinghe put away his silly grin and said seriously, "In my hometown, although flowers are also for beautiful women, it's not something just anyone can do when a man gives flowers to a girl."

He Jinglan retorted, "Am I just anyone? Aren't the three of us good friends?"

An Qing glanced at Gu Xixi, about to say something.

Gu Xixi, however, had already entered a state of focus on her work. She patted the peach tree beside her and exclaimed in surprise, "It's at least twenty years old."

As she walked forward, she examined each peach tree she encountered closely, remarking, "This one must be twenty-five years old."

……

This peach orchard grew gradually, with some trees being as old as thirty or forty years old.

He Jinglan couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Since they have been growing here for so long, why have they never borne any peaches?"

If there were fresh peaches, it would at least attract people from the surrounding area, and this place wouldn't be so little known now.

Gu Xixi said, "Look, the trees are growing in all sorts of places and their ages vary, so it's clear they weren't planted by humans."

An Qinghe temporarily forgot his romantic thoughts and focused all his attention on the peach tree.

"If they weren't planted by humans, where did all these trees come from? They don't bear fruit on their own, so without any peach pits falling to the ground, where did the peach trees grow from?"

Gu Xixi thought for a moment and guessed, "It might be some kind of small animal that ate peaches and carried them here."

“They live nearby, and there are also farms that grow peaches.”

To confirm their suspicions, the three continued walking forward from the center of the peach grove.

A hundred meters outside the peach grove lies the end of the Regent's Palace territory.

Only after reaching this side did I see the signs indicating private property and no entry for outsiders.

The monk from Anqing, unaware that this was Mu Nanzhao's place, was astonished upon seeing the sign:

"Oh no, we've barged in uninvited and even picked their flowers. We've brought this upon ourselves without asking any questions."

He Jinglan glanced sideways, "You picked them, we didn't."

Gu Xixi said, "Stop teasing him."

She confessed to An Qinghe, "The willow-lined path we took when we got ashore, and the sign we saw when we left the peach grove, all belong to Mu Nanzhao."

Anqing was taken aback, and the joy of the spring outing quickly faded.

Gu Xixi smiled and comforted him, "Jinglan invited us to come today with his permission, so you don't need to feel indebted to anyone."

An Qinghe suddenly understood, "That's right, we were invited by Miss Jinglan, so if we owe her anything, it's her."

He Jinglan smiled and waved her hand, "No, no, I owe you a lot. You took good care of me when I was in the Northwest. It's only right."

Walking a little further ahead, we indeed saw vast peach orchards.

He Jinglan looked around and remembered, "This is Xianguo Village! I've been here before, but I took a different route this time and didn't recognize it at first."

An Qinghe's eyes lit up. "Fairy Fruit Village? Is that the name? Does that mean the whole village grows peaches?"

He Jinglan smiled and said, "That's right."

“Every summer, half of the fresh peaches supplied to the capital come from their village.”

She followed Gu Xixi's gaze and said, "But they also grow grain, just less."

Gu Xixi didn't respond. She didn't even look at the magnificent orchards. She quickly crossed the path and headed towards the green farmland on the other side.

She bent down and picked something from under the wheat seedling leaves.

Then, when you open your palm, there is a string of sticky things with reddish-orange granules showing at the edges, each one like a long grain of rice.