Fields of Gold

Zhu Junyang hugged the little lad’s chubby body as he patiently instructed him, “You need to remember this lesson clearly; you can only dote on your wife! She can hit you, but you can’t lay a finger on her. If your wife beats you, it means that you didn’t perform your husbandly duty well enough. You have to correct your mistakes until she’s happy, do you understand?” 

Fang Haolin looked confused as he looked up at him. How could a three-year-old child understand his words? Zhu Junyang said this mostly for his future mother-in-law and wife to hear. 

Lady Fang’s teeth ached when she heard his sappy speech. She pulled her son over, put some warm clothes on him, and handed him over to the wet nurse standing to the side. She smiled and said, “Since the two of you have some official business to discuss, I will take Lin’er to the main courtyard first. Junyang, you should stay for lunch. You can ask Xiaocao to make something you like!” 

“Linlin wants to eat cream puffs!” Fang Haolin was unwilling to leave her sister, he immediately reached out his claws. 

Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue at him and snorted, “You a little traitor! There’s no cream puffs, cakes, or biscuits for you today!” 

“Older Sister——Older Sister is the best! Sister is the prettiest! You’re the most amazing sister in the world!” Fang Haolin threw himself into her embrace. Xiaocao was startled by his sudden action; she quickly put away the needles she was holding in her hand and patted the little lad’s chubby bottom. That was too dangerous. If the knitting needle had accidentally stabbed the little lad’s face or eyes, then the consequences would’ve been unthinkable. 

Lady Fang broke into a cold sweat. She glared at the stunned wet nurse standing to the side and rebuked her son harshly, “In the future, when someone has something in their hands, then you are not allowed to throw yourself into their arms. What if that needle has accidentally poked you?” 

“I’m not afraid because Older Sister has a lot of medicine!” Fang Haolin grew up drinking Xiaocao’s medicine concoction. He stared at Xiaocao with his big round eyes and seemed to be a little confused. 

Yu Xiaocao had a solemn expression on her face, “It’s no excuse to be careless just because I have medicine. Did it hurt when your hand was cut by a knife last time? Your wounds would still hurt if you get punctured by a needle, even if you have medicine. In a more serious case, if you were blinded by a poisonous needle, then you will never be able to see me or your parents anymore!! Do you know what’s wrong now?” 

When he heard that he might never be able to see his sister and parents again, Fang Haolin immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. He cried out, “I don’t want to never be able to see my sister again. Linlin still wants to be able to see my parents. Wah wah waahh...Linlin knows that Linlin is in the wrong. I will never do that again!” 

Yu Xiaocao watched as the little lad cried so much that his face flushed red. She felt distressed for him, so she embraced him in her arms and comforted him softly, “Linlin, be obedient, and stop crying! As long as you know that you were wrong and learn from your mistake, then you’ll still be a good boy!!!” Then, she took this opportunity to tell the little lad a few cautionary children’s fairy tales. The little lad listened to the fairy tales with great interest and soon forgot about crying. 

Seeing that the little lad was lively and full of energy again, Lady Fang hurriedly asked the wet nurse to take him away. Didn’t you see how restless and helpless Royal Prince Jun looked by the sideline? They should stop acting like bad guys and leave the two for a chance to be alone. 

“Tell me, what important matter did you come across that made you come running here instead of staying at home and resting?” Yu Xiaocao picked up the knitting needle again and skillfully started to knit again. 

Zhu Junyang took off his shoes, climbed on the kang bed, and sat cross-legged next to Xiaocao. His little lass was lazily leaning on the pillow while she sewed. He wanted to pull her into his embrace, but the maidservants were staring at them with bright eyes. He was in his future in-laws’ house, and he didn’t dare to act too rash since he wanted to leave a favorable impression of himself to his future in-laws. 

The gloves that Xiaocao was sewing were slowly taking shape. He smiled at her and said, “Is there anything more important than accompanying my future wife? I was afraid that you missed me, so I came here to ease your lovesickness.” 

“You’re being insincere!” She never expected that the cold-hearted, apathetic, and cruel Royal Prince Yang would act like a rogue. 

Zhu Junyang leaned toward her ear, blew softly toward her ear, and whispered, “Not only do I have a glib-tongue, but I also have a ‘skillful mouth’. Would you like to...experience it?” 

“Scram!” Yu Xiaocao pushed away his handsome face that was inching towards her. His charming face was squished into a deformed shape under the palm of her hand, turning his handsome face into——an ugly face! 

“Okay! Let’s talk about important matters! Thanks to Chief Steward Su praising and flattering us around the emperor’s side, he was very pleased with our assignment. I’ve heard that the emperor shifted our vacation to an earlier date as a reward. I suppose we will be able to go on vacation once the matter with the horse farm is settled!” Zhu Junyang pulled off the tender and fair little hand that was covering his face. He fiddled her small hand in his palm. Wutong, who had just entered the room to arrange the plum flower in the vase, remained calm when she caught sight of the couples’ intimate actions. 

“Oh right, the emperor asked us to write a proposal for the horse farm exhibition. Once we’re done writing the proposal, we will be handing it over to the imperial horse supervisor to be implemented…” Zhu Junyang was already in charge of managing the Xishan Barracks, so he didn’t have the spare time to personally manage the matter related to the horse farm located beyond the borders. It was beneficial for him to split this task with her because he already had too much power in the court and some people were already eyeing him warily. However, he was a little worried about his little lass because by passing this task to her, she would be making the biggest contribution to this assignment. 

When Yu Xiaocao heard this, she stopped knitting the gloves. She looked up at Zhu Junyang and saw that the expression on his face was the same as usual. She pursed her lips and asked cautiously, “Is the emperor trying to divide the power in your possession? Is it because you have performed overwhelmingly well in the past two years and caused the emperor’s suspicion to rise?” 

Zhu Junyang didn’t expect that his little lass would directly ask him about this matter and she even took a step farther by realizing the scheme behind it. He smiled at her and tried to appease her, “It’s not as serious as you have described! The main reason is that I control the barracks in charge of the capital’s safety. If I also take charge of the horse farm, then it will definitely earn some criticism from the ministers of the court. Besides, I also have to manage the Xishan Barracks. I already don’t have enough time to accompany you because of my duty, so if I shoulder more responsibility, then I would barely have any time to accompany you. I’m afraid that you, like a fish swimming back in the water, would forget about me if I stay away for too long!” 

“Are you sure that the emperor really doesn’t suspect you?” Seeing how Zhu Junyang had nodded his head solemnly, Xiaocao lowered her head and started knitting again. As long as the ultimate boss in this world didn't harbor any suspicions, then she was fine with distributing their powers. Besides, telling other people that they raised horses as a job didn’t sound like a good job. 

“However, the emperor still wants you to help prepare the potions that will help with the horses’ growth and reproduction.” Zhu Junyang hesitated for a moment, but he couldn’t hold back by asking, “Little lass, does the emperor know your secret?” 

“The emperor is so clever and wise (sly like a fox). How can I ever keep a secret from him?” Yu Xiaocao replied dispiritedly. Moreover, he knew more of my secret than you! He even knew about the secret of my transmigration. Alas...he got a hold of my weakness. She deserved to be a servant to him for a lifetime! 

The expression on Zhu Junyang’s face turned serious. It was natural that a person’s talent would arouse the envy of others. What should he do if the emperor suddenly became interested in the little lass’s secret and wanted to kill her to rob her treasure? No, he mustn’t let that happen. He needed to work harder so that if the emperor ever wanted to touch his little lass, he would have to consider his position before doing that. Once he possessed that much power, then he would be able to protect his little lass properly. 

“Don’t worry about me! The emperor knows that Little Glutinous Dumpling’s life and mine are connected. If I die, then Little Glutinous Dumpling will also disappear from this world. He can’t hurt me and he must always guarantee my safety. After all, if the emperor wants to become a good ruler, then he will have to rely on my farming skills!” Yu Xiaocao was afraid that Zhu Junyang might do something inappropriate, so she quickly explained the relationship between her and the little divine stone. 

Zhu Junyang was relieved after hearing Xiaocao’s explanation. It turned out it was not because the emperor didn’t want to steal the treasure from her, but it was because he couldn’t! The little lass was correct. In this case, as long as the treasure was in her hands, then the emperor would need to rely on Xiaocao’s ability to provide peace, prosperity, and ample food and clothing for the nation. Xiaocao’s safety was related to this country’s welfare and people’s livelihood! As long as the emperor didn’t have any desire to hurt the little lass, there would only be a few people in this world who could hurt her! 

Zhu Junyang was fully confident that he would be able to provide a safe and quiet haven for his little lass with his own ability. He would take care of everything and guard her for the rest of his life! 

Zhu Junyang loitered around the Fang Family until they were all fed up with him. He finally left reluctantly at nightfall. But before he left, he made an appointment with the little lass to pick her up the next day to shop together...with Lady Fang. 

It stopped snowing the next day and the sky was filled with brilliant rays of sunlight. The snow on the streets had been swept away by the residents of the area. The snow was neatly piled up on both sides of the road. There were even a few eye-catching snowmen of various shapes piled in front of some shops. 

It was now the twelfth month of the lunar year, and the capital was shrouded in the cold wind. As a result, there were barely any pedestrians on the streets. Xiaocao carried Fang Haolin’s chubby little body onto the custom carriage and sat down. The carriage was gifted to her by Zhu Junyang. There was a separate compartment below the carriage that had anthracite burning inside. The four walls of the carriage were built with similar fireproof linked to the compartment below the carriage. Once they entered the carriage, it was like they had entered a warmly heated room. It was a luxurious and extravagant carriage. However, Zhu Junyang had worked hard to make sure that his little lass would stay comfortable when going outside! 

The carriage was very spacious. Even though Xiaocao, Lady Fang, and Fang Haolin, as well as two servants were in the carriage, there was still more than enough space left. Wutong and Linglong were able to bask in their master’s glory and sit in a warm carriage on such a cold day like this. They were able to see the pedestrians shivering outside in the cold when they lifted up the curtain of the carriage. 

It must be said that the maids from wealthy and influential families lived more comfortably than ordinary people. This was especially true for them since they had such a kind and easy-to-serve master; it was a blessing from their previous life to be able to serve someone like their master. 

Besides the bodyguards from the Fang Family outside the carriage, Royal Prince Yang was also present. He was wearing a thick black coat made from a fox. The grave and stern expression on his handsome face contrasted beautifully against his dark clothing, making him appear more charming than usual. Hou Xiaoliang was Zhu Junyang’s personal guard, so he naturally stayed by his side at all times. He shrank his neck and from time to time, he would look back at the carriage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman he yearned for day and night. 

“Why is Imperial Bodyguard Hou acting so silly? What is he trying to do?” Lady Fang glanced outside the carriage and didn’t notice the unnatural expression on Wutong’s face. 

Yu Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and glanced at Wutong. Wutong had become more steady and capable over the years. She was also two years older than the body Xiaocao possessed, so it was time to start thinking about arranging a marriage for her soon. She originally planned on keeping Pipa and Wutong by her side, grooming them to become her left and right arms. However, it seemed like her plan would have to change!