Eavesdropping on Fu Bao's inner thoughts, emptying the stored grain and fleeing the famine

"Who did you say?" Lian Rongrong's expression turned incredulous. Had Li Yuanqi really gotten his hands on her like this?

"Prince Qi, the eldest prince of our Great Sheng."

"Prince Qi? Wasn't he sent to the Kingdom of Shang as a hostage a long time ago? I heard he only recently returned."

Lian Rongrong looked at Manager Yu with a puzzled expression, while the other waiters also gathered around.

Since there weren't many customers in the store, I might as well have a good chat with the owner to build a relationship.

"I know about this." Shunzi, who had just been praised by Lian Rongrong for being clever, squeezed forward.

"I heard that the eldest daughter of the Hua family was once betrothed to Prince Qi when they were children."

"A marriage between children?" Lian Rongrong never expected that buying a shop would lead to such a juicy scoop.

I wonder what Li Yuanqi, sitting in the carriage, would think if he knew about this?

"Really? I heard that Prince Qi just got married a couple of days ago, and Princess Qi isn't some rich girl from a brothel, is she?"

Lian Rongrong had a gossipy look on her face, her expression just like those of bored women chatting about this and that at the crossroads.

If there's anything missing, it might be the roasted sunflower seeds that are almost a treat.

“Of course it’s true.” Shunzi said as if he knew the inside story. “Boss, you don’t know this, but the princess that Prince Qi has married is surnamed Lian.”

I heard she's General Lian's eldest daughter, the only young lady in the general's mansion. Think about it, why would Prince Qi marry the eldest daughter of the Lian family?

Shunzi looked around at everyone with the expression of a wise man. However, only the gossipy female boss spoke up.

"Why? Isn't it because Prince Qi likes the eldest daughter of the Lian family?"

"Are you kidding me? Boss, you're too naive."

Being called naive by a mere fourteen-year-old kid left Lian Rongrong feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Then tell me why?"

"Naturally, it's because of the Lian family's power. Think about it, Prince Qi was sent to the Shang Kingdom as a hostage from a young age. Even if he is the eldest son of the emperor, what can he do?"

Over the years, there have been few people in the entire Dasheng who do not know the Prince of Yi, but what about the Prince of Qi? If it were not intentionally brought up, who would remember him?

Therefore, although he is the eldest son of the emperor, Prince Qi no longer has any foothold in the Dasheng Dynasty.

Now that he has returned to the country, he must be facing suppression everywhere. So the question is, how will Prince Qi break out of this predicament?

"Should we arrange a marriage between us and a high-ranking official in the imperial court?" Lian Rongrong countered playfully.

"Smart!" Shunzi clapped his hands excitedly. "Think about it, what kind of family is the Lian family?"

The family of the most powerful military generals in the Great Sheng Dynasty—how could they seize power without troops? Therefore, our Prince Qi is quite shrewd.

He understood what kind of wife could provide him with the greatest support. It was just a pity for the young lady from the Hua family.

But what can be done? Throughout history, men who achieve great things are never swayed by emotions.

Shunzi looked regretful, as if she felt sorry for the young lady from the Hua family.

"Shunzi, isn't Hua Ji a match for us? Why do you seem to have quite a bit of a crush on the young lady from the Hua family?"

Upon hearing Lian Rongrong's words, Shunzi immediately pledged his loyalty: "That's not true. I'm definitely on everyone's side against Hua Ji. However..."

"But what?" Lian Rongrong couldn't help but ask when she saw Shunzi's expression.

“However…” Shunzi’s voice trailed off, “Hua Ji is Hua Ji, and Miss Hua is Miss Hua. Miss Hua is beautiful and kind-hearted, unlike others.”

"Now that you've said that, I'm starting to become quite interested in this Miss Hua."

"Boss, Shunzi is right, Miss Hua is really a good person."

"When Shunzi was bullied and beaten by the customers in the shop before, it was Miss Hua who stepped in to help him out," Manager Yu replied.

"Oh? You guys aren't a match for Hua Ji?"

"They are rivals, but isn't it precisely because of this that Miss Hua appears to be a kind person?"

Shopkeeper Yu's words seemed reasonable at first glance, but upon closer examination, the statement "That's precisely why Miss Hua seems so kind" revealed the problem.

What if Miss Hua did this on purpose? For a merchant's daughter to establish a public image, the only options are to spend money or do charity. It seems Miss Hua chose the latter.

However, Lian Rongrong was not a rash person. Although she had doubts, she did not immediately label the Hua family's young lady. But there was one thing she still needed to clarify.

"From what you've said, this Miss Hua is truly a good person. But what exactly is the story behind her betrothal to Prince Qi?"

"We heard about this from the employees at Hua Ji," another employee named Zhuzi said in a simple and honest voice.

"I heard that Miss Hua's mother and the late Empress were once close friends. Their marriage was arranged by the late Empress and Madam Hua."

We've also heard that Miss Hua remains unmarried because she's waiting for Prince Qi to come and marry her. Now that Prince Qi has returned, good news must be just around the corner.

"Is something good coming soon?" Upon hearing this, Lian Rongrong felt a surge of anger for no reason.

"Of course! I've heard that the young lady from the Lian family is quite fierce. What man could stand a woman like that?"

"Look at Miss Hua, always speaking softly and gently. If I were Prince Qi, I'd know who to choose even with my eyes closed."

“You’re right. I bet this Miss Hua will soon become Prince Qi’s concubine.”

“That’s right. Even if Miss Hua is beautiful and kind-hearted, Prince Qi also has to fulfill the late Empress’s last wish because of filial piety, doesn’t he?”

The crowd was getting more and more excited as they talked, but Lian Rongrong was already furious.

"That's not entirely true, actually," a waiter who hadn't spoken until now suddenly said.

"These past few days, I've heard from my mother that during the prince's wedding, he publicly punished a high-ranking official who had slandered the princess."

Besides, the prince and princess have been together for a long time. They even have a son. My mother says the princess is a remarkable woman, very admirable.

"You idiot, you can believe your mother's words?"

"Why can't we believe it? My mother happened to be at the banquet at the time. Although she didn't see what happened clearly, she heard a lot of news."

"You yourself said you couldn't see it clearly, so it's probably not true. In my opinion, Prince Qi and Miss Hua are a better match."

A debate quietly unfolded among the staff about who Prince Qi truly loved.

Lian Rongrong looked at everyone speechlessly, and had new thoughts about the Miss Hua she had never met before and the wedding preparations.

In retrospect, the public opinion generated by the wedding did not achieve the desired effect. After all, in this age of information overload, word of mouth can easily distort the facts.

As for that Miss Hua, although she hadn't met her yet, Lian Rongrong already had a vague feeling that she was not a simple person.

Or perhaps, the Hua family is not simple. Merchants were the lowest class in this era. No matter how wealthy you were, it was extremely difficult to establish a relationship with the government.

But the Hua family on the other side wanted to form a marriage alliance with Li Yuanqi, the eldest son of the Dasheng dynasty. And they didn't just want to; they actually worked hard to make it happen.