Divorced woman with child travels through time

"Greetings, General. Has your journey been arduous?" Yu Long's new green official robes accentuated his fair complexion, drawing all eyes to him from everyone in the camp.

Wang Erniu laughed heartily and offered a gesture of support, "It's not hard work, but you must be tired. It's not easy to become the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination. I heard you've been assigned to the Ministry of Personnel? Is there anything you want to ask?"

"It's nothing much, just a fellow student I know. But there's something I need to tell the General." Yu Long paused, his face slightly flushed, somewhat hesitant to speak, "Um, my marriage..."

"It's just about Princess Shang. Haha, be generous, it's no big deal. Chu Yi already told me that you two are in love, there's nothing shameful about it." Wang Erniu smiled slightly, and Chu Yi and the others in the room all looked at him and smiled.

Yu Long blushed for a long time before finally managing to say, "That would be wonderful! Come to the wedding banquet with us!"

"Good, good, good!" Everyone laughed.

Yu Long then asked Wang Erniu for Wang Feng and the other three to be his bodyguards. Wang Erniu did not refuse and let them decide for themselves. In the end, Wang Feng and Wang Shan stayed by his side, while Tian Shi and Tian Cheng still wanted to go to the frontier with Wang Erniu to try their luck again.

Seeing that he was reluctant to part with them, Chu Yi sent him two more soldiers.

Yu Long then left satisfied. Wang Erniu glanced at him; he recognized him as a member of the Qi Battalion.

A day later, Wang Erniu led Chen Wenfang into the palace. Wang Erniu went to see the Emperor, while Chen Wenfang was led to see Empress Song Yayi.

Inside the Daqing Hall.

Wang Erniu stood tall in the hall, clad in gleaming armor. A soldier's aura of solemnity was hidden within him, and despite his efforts to lower his posture, he could not conceal the righteousness in his bones.

He Tianxia glanced at him sideways and couldn't help but feel envious. He was just a pretty face, what was he so smug about?

Zhao Jian greatly admired him. This was his general, a general who could fight wherever he was told, and he would go north as soon as he was ordered. How wonderful!

"Minister Wang, you must be tired from your journey! You're new here, so please don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything!" Now that the national treasury is full, Zhao Jian speaks with much more confidence.

"I have no requests." Wang Erniu thought for a moment and realized that he really didn't have any requests.

"Hehe!" Zhao Jian chuckled, increasingly satisfied.

He Tianxia's eyes were practically filled with poison.

Wang Erniu noticed this and glanced at He Tianxia. He Tianxia immediately lowered his eyes, while Zhao Guangjun looked at him thoughtfully.

Zhao Lue and Zhao Qi remained expressionless, while the only remaining official, Prince Ningxian, seemed to be asleep. Zhao Jian observed the various undercurrents among the officials in the hall, lost in thought.

"I'll grant you a house, so you won't be without a place to stay when you arrive in the capital." Zhao Jian thought for a moment, realizing he couldn't be too stingy. It would make him, the emperor, seem a bit stingy if a great general like him didn't even have a residence.

"Your Majesty, I will soon be heading north to the frontier. Land in the capital is extremely valuable, and it wouldn't be ideal for me to occupy any place here," Wang Erniu said frankly and with a stern demeanor.

"Well, no matter what, we still need this mansion. Otherwise, where will your wife live after you leave?" Zhao Jian said to himself.

Wang Erniu's face darkened. What? They actually want to leave a hostage in the capital.

He Tianxia's face lit up with delight; he was overjoyed, enjoying seeing Wang Erniu suffer. "How about it? Is this official really that easy to get along with?"

Everyone looked at Wang Erniu with suspicion, watching to see how he would react.

Wang Erniu regained his composure and bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

We'll have to talk about this later.

Harem.

Song Yayi held Chen Wenfang's hand and sat on the couch chatting quietly. Chen Wenfang only brought some snacks and brown sugar this time, without bringing any valuables, so as not to let people see that she was rich. Her attire was also very ordinary, with a few gold hairpins and jade rings to make her look a little more noble.

"Madam Wang is so beautiful, she doesn't have a single wrinkle," Song Yayi said with some envy as she looked at the vibrant Chen Wenfang and listened to her tell interesting stories from outside.

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? Look at your skin, it's as white as jade. I'm just a country bumpkin dressed in fine clothes," Chen Wenfang praised her with a smile.

"Madam Chen has such a silver tongue, no wonder she's a big businesswoman," Song Yayi said, changing the subject to flatter her.

"It's all just a small workshop, nothing special. My husband saw that I had nothing to do, so he let me play around with it."

Chen Wenfang's heart immediately began to pound. Indeed, they knew nothing about her background, especially since she was under the emperor's nose.

"You must be making a lot of money. I wonder how much silver your workshop can earn in a quarter? I'm usually quite idle, and Ze'er is all grown up now. Madam Chen, could you teach me how to make some pastries?" Song Yayi poured her a cup of tea herself, looking at her with a smile.

Chen Wenfang was at a loss for what to do. How was she supposed to answer the Empress's questions? Was she envious of her making money, or worried about her opening another shop in the capital and competing with the common people for profit?

“It’s not much money either. It depends on the size of the workshop and the number of people. For example, in Hubei Road, when we had fewer people, we could only earn ten taels of silver a month at most. If Your Majesty likes it, of course I can teach you. But I’m afraid Your Majesty is too precious and I’m afraid of dirtying Your Majesty’s hands.” Chen Wenfang answered honestly, with a very sincere smile.

"That's alright. Once General Wang goes to the border, if you have nothing to do, you can come to the palace to keep me company more often. I'm quite lonely in the palace all by myself." Song Yayi took her hand again, and her words were very unpleasant.

Chen Wenfang forced a smile, acting like a little girl, "But the general is going to the border, and I want to go with him. Your Majesty knows that most men are unreliable. If I'm not by his side, and he takes a fancy to someone else, how will I live!"

As she spoke, tears welled up in Chen Wenfang's eyes. Between sobs, she vividly recounted her past, picking out some embarrassing and tragic events: from being bought and sold into becoming a concubine, to escaping with her child after being sold, to eating grass roots, gathering herbs, and farming, to the hardships and suffering she endured, how she met Wang Erniu, and what they had worked hard together. She told everything as if she were meeting a relative.

It was a heart-wrenching story that brought tears to the eyes of all who heard it and saddened all who witnessed it. The room was filled with palace maids, nannies, and eunuchs, and as more and more people listened, they all breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that Wang Erniu had become a head constable and dealt with the corrupt officials.

It was already sunset, and Song Yayi hurriedly wiped away her tears, then had someone escort her out of the palace.

"Why are you so late?" Wang Erniu, who was already furious from picking up the person, couldn't help but complain after worrying for a long time.

"Sigh, this Empress, she's so unpredictable, I'm really scared. I had no choice but to tell her stories." Chen Wenfang told Wang Erniu everything in the sedan chair, emphasizing that the two of them would be separated in the future.

Thinking about the government's attitude today, Wang Erniu's mind grew increasingly heavy.