A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

After the meeting, Nanxing was summoned away by the ministers, who said they had important matters to discuss. Wutong himself had been the King of Dongqi and knew very well how busy the daily life of a ruler of a country was.

Therefore, instead of following Nanxing and finding things to do, she had Yang Bainiu carried to her side hall, fed him some water, and stood by his side waiting for him to wake up.

Yang Bainiu followed his body's biological clock quite well, and slowly opened his eyes after an incense stick had burned.

He looked around blankly, wondering how he got there. It wasn't until he saw the sycamore tree that he remembered what had happened before he fainted. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the sycamore tree.

"I'm so sorry... I was blind to your greatness... I didn't know who you were. Those words I said before weren't intentional. If you mind, I'll... I'll... I'll slap myself, okay?"

Wutong was both amused and exasperated, and squatted down to look at him.

"What are you afraid of? I'm not blaming you."

"You don't blame me?" Yang Bainiu murmured, "How could I? You're from the palace, and I'm just an accountant. I spoke to you like that before..."

Wutong said, "What you said is true, there's no need to blame yourself."

Yang Bainiu stared at her blankly, then suddenly slapped himself hard across the face, the sound loud and clear, and spat out:

"I really have a sharp tongue! But you're no better, you actually dressed up as a man to fool everyone..."

Wutong said, "Although I lied to you, I didn't cause any losses to anyone, did I?"

"Who said there's no loss? I feel..." Yang Bainiu couldn't finish his sentence, stood up angrily, and said, "I'm not talking to you anymore, I don't want to stay with you, I'm leaving now!"

He walked briskly and stepped out of the gate.

The sound of sycamore trees came from behind.

"Yang Bainiu, you can't leave without the Emperor's permission."

"This is kidnapping! I still need to see my Cui'er..."

Yang Bainiu turned around, his eyes red.

Wutong knew he didn't want to stay in this unfamiliar place, but being alone in the palace, she had to find someone to help her.

Swallowing the bitterness in her heart, Wutong smiled and said, "Come here, I'll give you something to eat."

Yang Bainiu walked over slowly, and she took a peach from the fruit plate and placed it in his palm.

The peaches were plump and glistening with raindrops, very fresh, and you could smell their sweet fragrance just by holding them.

Looking at the gentle smile on her face, Yang Bainiu suddenly felt powerless.

The peach fuzz poked at his skin, and he whispered, "Don't you have a heart?"

Wutong was stunned, and murmured, "Why do you say that?"

Yang Bainiu looked at Taozi and said, "You clearly know I don't want to stay, yet you force me to stay and give me Taozi... You pretend to be such a good person, but what's the difference between that and holding a knife to my throat? I always thought we were friends, but I never expected... Although I don't know why you have a relationship with the emperor, I'm not a toy in your hands. How could you treat me like this?"

As Yang Bainiu spoke, his eyes reddened and his voice trembled with sobs.

Just as Cui'er commented, he was not like a real man at all.

His words reminded Wutong, making her ask herself if she was really wrong.

Looking back, she always wanted to make the right choice, without considering her own or others' feelings. She tried to turn herself into a bloodless machine, living only according to her beliefs... She had to become strong, she had to save people, she had to save the world.

But deep down, is that really what she thinks?

Wutong recalled her initial wish: she only wanted a warm home and a life free from worries about food and clothing.

However, she had long since strayed from that path, letting herself go further and further astray.

Isn't it time to turn back?

The outside world is devastated; how can she turn back?

Yang Bainiu ultimately stayed, not because of Wutong's coercion or enticement, but because he dared not disobey Nanxing's orders, and even less dared to oppose the valiant soldiers who were always guarding outside the palace.

That evening, he changed into the servant's uniform given to him by the palace attendants, and walked awkwardly to her. His hat drooped down, covering half of his eyes, which he kept fiddling with.

Wutong sat behind the dining table, smiling as she looked at him.

Yang Bainiu rolled his eyes. "What are you laughing at?"

"You look great in this outfit."

"Is...is that so?" Yang Bainiu's cheeks flushed slightly, and he seemed a little flustered, but he still kept a straight face and said, "What does it matter to you whether it looks good or not?"

Although Wutong and he weren't on the same wavelength, she was very happy to spend time with him. She didn't have to think about anything, and her mood was relaxed and carefree.

And what she said was the truth.

When Yang Bainiu was working at the escort agency, he wore his tattered robe all day long. It was not only riddled with holes, but it was also much too big for him. He was already thin, and it looked like the robe was bending him over.

The uniforms in the palace were fitted, consisting of a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and sturdy leather boots.

His sleeves were a little long, so he rolled them up to his elbows, making him look even more neat and efficient.

"When do you plan to see Cui'er?" Wutong asked.

Despite his displeasure, Yang Bainiu still diligently carried out his work, placing the food from the lunchbox onto the table one by one, and casually replied, "Who knows when you'll let me go? Let's wait and see."

Wutong said, "Whether I let you go or not is not up to me; it requires the Emperor's approval. However, if you have decided on a date, I can put in a good word for you."

Yang Bainiu was surprised and looked up at her, asking, "Really?"

Wutong smiled slightly and took out a heavy bag, tossing it to him.

Yang Bainiu hurriedly caught it, opened it, and was almost blinded by what was inside.

It's all money!

"You, you are..." He stammered when he got nervous, and almost bit his tongue before he could finish a sentence.

"Here's some travel money for you," Wutong said with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't keep you here forever."

Yang Bainiu stuffed the money bag into his pocket and continued serving the dishes. "That's more like it. At least you have some humanity."

Wutong was both amused and exasperated. After he finished serving the dishes, she asked him to eat with her.

He absolutely refused, saying he was afraid Nanxing would chop off his head if he came.

Wutong had rarely heard rumors about Nanxing, except for that time at the execution ground when the guard said he had a bad temper. She carefully recalled the time they had spent together; Nanxing was taciturn and aloof, rarely talking to anyone other than her.

His temper was neither good nor bad, but he was a good person overall, at least he didn't do anything bad while he was with her.

Surely such a person wouldn't become like his father after becoming emperor?

Feeling uncertain, Wutong pulled Yang Bainiu to her side and asked in a low voice, "Can you talk to me about him?"

"Who?"

When Wutong pointed towards the Golden Palace, Yang Bainiu immediately shuddered.

"Are you... are you crazy? Do you think he's someone you can just chat with casually?"

=