Twenty Yu Prefectures

  Zhang Yan came out of the front yard, Liu Ying was bidding farewell to Shangshan Four Old Men, "Ying cannot stay here for long, today will return to Chang'an, four gentlemen can slightly in Shangshan to tidy up, three days later, Ying will send someone to pick you up."

  The four of them bowed their heads and said, "Yes."

  Liu Ying turned around and saw Zhang Yan standing in the courtyard, her lips slightly raised. She immediately became serious and lightly scolded, "Enough fooling around, go back and see how your mother-in-law and brother-in-law are dealing with you."

  She wasn't afraid of him at all, this paper tiger, and she pulled on his hand softly, saying "Uncle, meeting a good minister is a joyful occasion, you can't still be angry with Ayue."

  The child's words were music to the ears of Sima Zhao and his three sons. Tang Bin smiled, "Your Highness need not rush to instruct Zhang Madam, do you know why we four decided to pledge our loyalty to Your Highness in the end?"

  Liu Ying cupped her hands together and said, "Please, sir, instruct me."

  "Because the Crown Prince is a humble gentleman." Tang Bing said seriously, "Now that the Han Dynasty has just been established, what is needed is not an overlord but a benevolent ruler. In the eyes of others, the Crown Prince may seem mediocre and inferior to Your Majesty, but in our opinion, this is not the case. The Crown Prince's words are sincere and his heart is kind and compassionate, which is benevolence; he does not use his power to force people to follow him, but instead waits for their intentions, which is stability. He advances and retreats with propriety, respects his teachers and values morality, which is reverence. When Zhang Niangzi repeatedly disturbed him, the Crown Prince patiently waited, which is tolerance. With a mind that has benevolence, respect for talent, stability of intention, and tolerance for others, how can the world be worried about not being able to govern with ease?"

  Zhang Yan was stunned, only to realize that so-called superior people have the ability to reinterpret very simple things with very complex theories. The four old men of Shangshan would eventually come out of the mountain to help Liu Ying, which she knew from the beginning, so there really wasn't any idea of helping Liu Ying, just thinking it was a purely outing to escape the stifling air of Chang'an.

  But however

  Can being mischievous and causing trouble help Liu Ying?

  Great god, Zhang Yan is speechless and asks the heavens, what kind of golden finger have you opened?

  On the side, Liu Ying bowed her head and said, "I will follow your teachings."

  After bidding farewell to Shangshan Si Hao and Jingniang, Zhang Yan sat in the carriage on the way back, leaning against the curtain to look at the scenery outside, her eyes swirling, "Uncle, I said I helped you this time, didn't I?"

  "Yes." Liu Ying said helplessly, "A Xiang big sister, what do you want me to thank you for?"

  "I want... huh," Zhang Yan was thinking about what else she wanted, then "This road seems to be different from the one we took when we came?"

  Although she didn't care about the scenery on the way here, she vaguely remembered that the road was flat all the way, but now the carriage had gone up a slope.

  As they spoke, the carriage turned onto another road, where a large cart was parked in front. Chang Yu stood waiting by the cart and bowed, saying "Your Highness."

  "Yes," said Liu Ying with a smile as she and Zhang Yan changed cars, "Uncle plans to sell you off, aren't you afraid?"

  "Alright." She snorted back, "You'd better find someone who can afford me!"

  "Hmm."

  The carriage rode smoothly, but after half a day's journey, it arrived outside the city of Luyi. Liu Ying suddenly said, "Stop the carriage." The horse carriage stopped, and the inertia woke up Zhang Yan, who rubbed her eyes and asked, "Have we arrived?"

  Liu Ying smiled and got off the car, standing on the ridge. In front of her were endless fields, a vast expanse of dark land. Among them stood a middle-aged farmer, wearing coarse linen clothes, bent over using an iron hoe to till the soil, his hem covered in mud.

  "Hey," Zhang Yan jumped down and followed Liu Ying to his side, curiously saying, "Uncle, what's so great about farming? I'm hungry."

  The loud noise startled the farmer, Tanaka, who stood up, turned around, and shaded his eyes to gaze in this direction. Seeing Liu Ying, a big smile spread across his face as he waved his hand and shouted, "Hey, Yingzi!"

  Zhang Yan's jaw dropped.

  Unexpected, truly unexpected.

  Zhang Yan secretly glanced at the middle-aged man who had changed into clean clothes and walked out, really unexpected, casually bumping into a farmer on the road who looked more like a farmer than an ordinary farmer, turned out to be the king of the Great Han.

  To be exact, it was the former vassal kings.

  This middle-aged man, who personally carried a hoe and went down to the fields to cultivate without relying on others, was Liu Zhong, the eldest brother of Emperor Gaozu of Han. Taishang Huangdi Liu Ang had four sons, with Liu Zhong being the second son. In the past, when Liu Bang was the head of the local government, he did not engage in farming and did not manage the household well. Taishang Huangdi was disappointed and once scolded him, saying "You are far inferior to your second brother." When Liu Bang ascended to the throne as Emperor, conquered the vast territory of the Han Dynasty, and asked Taishang Huangdi with a smile, "How do I compare to my second brother now?" He then enfeoffed his brother Zhong as King of Dai in the spring of the first month of the sixth year of the Han Dynasty.

  In the eighth year of Emperor Gao, the Xiongnu invaded Dai territory. Liu Zhong was afraid and could not fight, so he fled back to Luoyang overnight. This time, Emperor Gao was disappointed and felt that Liu Zhong was not living up to his expectations. After the Xiongnu army retreated, he removed Liu Zhong from his position as King of Dai and demoted him to Marquis of Heyang.

  Liu Zhong, who had lost the throne, did not become disheartened, but instead seemed to have finally let out a sigh of relief. He said to his brother, "I also feel that I'm not suited to be some laborious prince, it's better this way." He patted his head and moved back to his old father's side, once again taking up his former hobby of farming. With the honor of being a marquis, he occupied over 100 hectares of land near Lüyi City, happily cultivating the land. His wife and children repeatedly advised him, but he refused to turn back.

  Zhang Yan clapped her hands and laughed, "Wow, that's amazing!"

  The fame and wealth are like floating clouds, not everyone can achieve a carefree state of mind. Zhang Liang chose to retire at the height of his success, fearing the emperor's suspicion and wanting to leave a way out for the friendship between him and his former lord. In terms of realm, he is actually inferior to Liu Zhong, who truly regards fame and wealth as shackles, feeling relieved only after breaking free from them. He can also truly regard the gaze of others as floating clouds, living a carefree life.

  Maybe it's people like this who can truly transcend worldly concerns and feel happy.

  "Hey," Liu Zhong looked at the lively and beautiful Zhang Yan beside his nephew, his eyes lit up, and he asked in surprise, "Who is this little girl, sticking to you so tightly, isn't she the child bride your mother chose for you?"

  Liu Ying and Zhang Yan were both in a state of shock, Liu Ying coughed and put down the hand covering her mouth, saying helplessly, "Second Uncle, this is Ah Yan. My sister's daughter."

  Zhang Yan also scolded, "Uncle, you are being disrespectful as an elder, what nonsense are you talking about."

  "Ah," Liu Zhong exclaimed, staring blankly at Zhang Yan, his eyes slightly dazed, and after a long while, he smiled and said, "The daughter of Manhua has also grown up so big."

  "I still remember," he chuckled, gesturing to his waist, "she was only this tall, and now she's the Grand Princess too. - Hey, Princess, I never thought that in my old Liu family's generation, a princess would emerge."

  Liu Ying smiled slightly, "Second Uncle, you're still not used to your identity as the Marquis of Heyang?"

  "How can I get used to it?" Liu Zhong said with a bitter smile, "Every day when I carry the plow and pass through the village to go down to the fields, I feel that all kinds of strange eyes are staring at me until I'm dead. They're all saying, 'You're a marquis, what are you doing going down to the fields for? You're just pretending.' Liu Ying," he turned his head, carefully looking at Liu Ying, "Is it really true that your second uncle is hiding here farming and making you and your father lose face?"

  Liu Ying was taken aback and lost her smile. "How could that be?" He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Father... Father built this empire for the comfort of our family members. Second Uncle felt that the current king's burden was too heavy, so Father yielded to your wishes and demoted you to a marquis. If you are willing to come to Lüyi and fulfill your filial duties to Grandfather on behalf of Father, Father would be grateful beyond words. Who could say that you are not?"

  "Really?" Liu Zhong laughed heartily.

  "Why not?" Zhang Yan jumped down to the field, grabbed a handful of Guanzhong black soil and held it in her hand, smiling, "Is Lord Bo a marquis or what? Can't he do whatever he wants? What kind of rule is this that a dignified marquis can't even make his own decisions about what he wants to do? Lord Bo, what do you plan to plant on this land?"

  Liu Zhong patted the back of his head and smiled foolishly, "The residents around here all plant millet, so I'll also plant millet."

  "But then again," Zhang Yan patted her hand and smiled slyly, "since Master Bo is a marquis after all, even farming has to be done differently from others, that's the style of a marquis."

  "Huh," Liu Zhong said with a hint of surprise, "since ancient times, farming has always been done in that way, what else can be different?"

  "Of course, it can be different. Which," pulled Liu Zhong's hem and made him bend down, "Uncle, you see, everyone plants crops for a harvest, when the millet is ripe, asking for a warm meal isn't that right?"

  Yes.

  "Is it necessary for Master Bo to consider this matter now that he is already a marquis?"

  Liu Zhong furrowed his brow in serious thought, "As a marquis, although I'm no longer the crown prince, I've heard that I have a fiefdom with an allowance. That should be enough, right? But I still have my wife and son at home..."

  Zhang Yan was greatly annoyed and scolded, "Uncle, are you afraid that my emperor will starve his brother's wife and children?"

  "Yes." Liu Zhong patted his palm, "It's settled then."

  "So," Zhang Yan said seriously, "even if we are farming, we must use the noble method."

  Liu Zhongchi hesitated for a moment before lowering his head and asking shamelessly, "A Yan, what is the aristocratic method of cultivating one's fields?"

  "Look, Duke," Zhang Yan said with a sly smile, "you are who you are, the Marquis of Heyang. You don't have to just focus on one type of millet, do you? We will plant all sorts of crops from Jiangnan to Sai Bei - rice, wheat, beans, and various vegetables, each acre different from the last. Don't you have hundreds of acres of land? The Great Han is rich in resources, I'm determined to plant a variety that's never been seen before."

  "Is that so?" Liu Zhong rubbed his hair, looking dull and seemingly unable to react.

  "Besides, besides," she said, this was Zhang Yan's old profession in her previous life, and naturally, she spoke fluently, "Ordinary families only have iron plows and iron hoes, and they can only cultivate the land a little bit by themselves. Who are you, sir? Are you a great Han nobleman? I heard that in the southern regions of Qi and Lu, people use cattle to cultivate the land, which is both fast and labor-saving. Why can't your lordship do it when others can? Let's go to the market and buy two heads of cattle later. Other families have rough hands and are busy, and they just scatter the seeds casually. You have plenty of time, sir, so we can dig a hole for each seed and plant them carefully; if you're too busy, we can hire someone to help us; besides, besides, other families only plant one thing per mu of land, which is both monotonous and unattractive. We can..."

  "Slow down, slow down," Liu Zhong hastily waved his hand and said, "A Yan, you've said too much at once, Uncle Bai won't remember."

  Zhang Yan turned her sparkling eyes and smiled with a hint of complacency, but was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by Liu Ying behind her. "You're just a sly ghost," he scolded.

  "What's going on?" Zhang Yan complained, rushing to Liu Zhong's side and complaining, "Uncle, you see, my uncle is bullying me."

  Silently continue to ask for pink tickets and pray for the heroine to grow up soon.