Hold on a second, miss. Where exactly did you come from? Do your parents even know how shamelessly direct you are?
Li Xiyue’s blunt proposal actually drew a dry laugh from Zhu Qingshan. Even so, he found himself seriously considering her suggestion. He was no longer some inexperienced youth. He had long reached the proper age for marriage, and since there was no particular woman he loved deeply, marrying one person was no different from marrying another. In his previous life, Li Xiyue had been his wife, and the current “Li Xiyue” could just as easily fill that same role.
Once he sorted through his thoughts, the last traces of hesitation faded from his mind. Looking back at her, he calmly told her that he would seriously consider the proposal.
The moment Li Xiyue returned to her room, her thoughts immediately drifted back to the strange sentence Zhu Qingshan had whispered earlier.
“Your family’s well. Count down five bricks from the top, directly in line with the pomelo tree.”
What exactly was hidden there?
A man who had returned from the future after dying once would never casually say meaningless things.
Peeking into the courtyard, she confirmed that Zhu Tiezhu and Wang Dani were still gathered beneath the giant banyan tree, completely occupied by the village meeting. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she quietly pushed aside the heavy stone slab covering the well.
Squatting beside it, she lined herself up with the direction of the pomelo tree and carefully counted down five bricks from the top.
There really was a narrow crack there.
She pressed against the stone with her fingertips and discovered the mortar had loosened long ago. Moving carefully to avoid falling into the well, she slowly pried the brick outward. After several tense minutes of effort, the stone finally shifted.
“Finally…”
With one last hard pull, she removed the brick entirely and revealed a hidden hollow compartment behind the wall.
Li Xiyue reached inside and felt a rough cloth bundle hidden within. Unfortunately, the opening was too narrow to pull it out. She quickly removed several more bricks before finally managing to extract the package.
The bundle was astonishingly heavy, easily weighing over ten catties.
Her heartbeat instantly accelerated.
Without changing her expression, she immediately stored the bundle inside her pocket dimension, then carefully restored every brick to its original position and cleaned away the scattered dirt.
Just as she finished, the distant sound of Zhu Tiezhu and Wang Dani returning reached her ears. Li Xiyue quickly slipped back into her room and shut the door.
After dinner, she had just been preparing to return to her room and inspect the mysterious bundle when Wang Dani suddenly stopped her.
“Xiyue, listen carefully. You’ve lived under our roof for many years now. As the saying goes, when a man grows up, he marries, and when a woman comes of age, she weds. Your father has already sent word asking us to escort you back to the city tomorrow morning for your marriage preparations. Go pack your belongings tonight. We leave at dawn.”
Wang Dani forced an unusually warm smile onto her face.
This little disaster is finally leaving.
“Really?” Li Xiyue’s eyes lit up with delight. “Father finally remembered me? Then I’ll go pack immediately!”
Watching her happily run back to her room, Wang Dani spat viciously onto the ground.
“Hmph. Miserable little brat. Let’s see if you can still smile once you discover what kind of life is waiting for you.”
The mere thought of Li Xiyue being forced into the bed of a disgusting old man filled Wang Dani with immense satisfaction.
The instant the bedroom door closed, however, the smile disappeared from Li Xiyue’s face.
In the original novel, the original owner had cried, threatened suicide, and caused endless trouble before finally forcing Li Dong to allow her to marry Zhu Qingshan.
But Li Xiyue was not the original owner.
She fully intended to marry Zhu Qingshan.
At the same time, she also planned to tear a huge chunk of flesh straight off Li Dong before she was done.
Meanwhile, in another part of the village, Wang Zhen’er carefully carried a steaming bowl of chicken soup into her room.
Over the past several days, Brother Zhao’s condition had improved rapidly. In only a few more days, he would likely be able to leave the bed entirely.
After feeding him the soup herself, Zhao An leaned comfortably against the pillows and casually asked, “Did something major happen in the village earlier today? Even from inside this room, I could hear the gong ringing nonstop.”
“Oh, that?” Wang Zhen’er replied carelessly while fluffing his pillows. “The village chief said Grandmaster Yuanzhen predicted a major natural disaster. Floods will supposedly devastate Yunzhou and Jinling this summer, and next year there’ll be a nationwide drought. He ordered everyone in the village to stockpile grain before merchants heard the news and raise prices.”
She sounded completely unconcerned.
With her Lucky Koi System, she had no fear of starvation whatsoever.
Zhao An’s expression changed instantly.
“Are you certain this prophecy is real?” he demanded sharply, suddenly grabbing her wrist.
“Brother Zhao… you’re hurting me…” Wang Zhen’er said softly.
“Of course it’s true. The village already sent people to neighboring counties to buy grain.”
A dark look settled over Zhao An’s face.
Although he was currently fighting his brothers for the imperial throne, he had no desire to inherit a ruined empire destroyed by famine.
Wang Zhen’er had long suspected that Zhao An’s status was extraordinary, and his reaction only confirmed it further. After a moment of thought, she carefully organized her words.
“If I were governing those provinces,” she began confidently, borrowing ideas from modern disaster management, “then regardless of whether I believed the prophecy, I would immediately issue four orders.”
Zhao An looked at her with interest. “Go on.”
“First, I would ban large-scale grain exports to ensure local granaries remain full. Second, I would strictly control grain prices to stop merchants from profiteering. Third, I would encourage the widespread planting of drought-resistant crops like sweet potatoes and potatoes. Fourth, I would limit refugee movement between counties to prevent disease outbreaks.”
Zhao An looked at her with genuine admiration.
“My Zhen’er truly is a female Zhuge Liang.”
Wang Zhen’er lowered her head shyly. “Brother Zhao flatters me.”
After carefully tucking in his blanket, she quietly left the room.
Alone once more, Zhao An stared silently at the ceiling.
The Emperor’s health had been deteriorating rapidly. After hearing rumors about a legendary thousand-year ginseng hidden deep within the Baitou Mountains, Zhao An had personally entered the mountains to retrieve it as a gift for the Emperor.
Unfortunately, before obtaining it, he had been ambushed by assassins sent by one of his brothers.
If not for his bodyguard sacrificing himself to block the fatal strike, Zhao An would have died there long ago.
Unexpectedly, Wang Zhen’er had not only saved his life, but somehow managed to locate the legendary ginseng as well.
With that treasure in hand, his standing before the Emperor would increase enormously.
Now that his injuries had stabilized somewhat, he needed to contact his hidden forces as soon as possible.
This disaster might become a tragedy for the empire.
But for him, it could also become the perfect opportunity to seize the throne.
The next morning, Li Xiyue followed behind Zhu Tiezhu and Wang Dani on the road toward Qingtian County.
After the exhausting two-hour mountain journey, painful blisters had formed across her feet.
Fortunately, before leaving, she had secretly eaten a huge bowl of river snail rice noodles inside her pocket dimension. Otherwise, she might have collapsed halfway through the trip.
“Phew…”
“Do you smell something strange?” Wang Dani muttered, elbowing Zhu Tiezhu. “It smells awful, but weirdly delicious at the same time.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhu Tiezhu snapped irritably. “The weather’s so hot your brain’s melted.”
Walking behind them, Li Xiyue silently smirked.
You uncultured ancient people could never understand the glory of river snail rice noodles.
Meanwhile, inside the county, Zhu Qingshan had already finished handling matters at the escort agency.
He waited near the rear entrance of the magistrate’s office until a familiar figure finally appeared.
“Brother Qingshan!” Shen Zhengming called excitedly as he ran over.
Zhu Qingshan handed him the pair of handmade cloth shoes Zhu Qinghe had asked him to deliver.
Watching Shen Zhengming hold the shoes with an idiotic grin nearly made him laugh.
“Brother Qingshan,” Shen Zhengming whispered nervously while pulling a silver hairpin from his robes, “I bought this for Sister Qinghe. Could you give it to her for me?”
Then his expression turned serious.
“There’s also something important. Rumors are spreading within the magistrate’s office about a coming nationwide disaster. Make sure your family stores as much grain as possible.”
Zhu Qingshan nodded calmly to show he understood.
After putting away the hairpin, he headed toward the city gate, only to unexpectedly run into Li Xiyue and the others.
“Ah, Qingshan! Heading back to the village?” Zhu Tiezhu asked with a fake smile.
Wang Dani still remembered the kick Zhu Qingshan had given her earlier and deliberately ignored him.
“Yes, Uncle Tiezhu,” Zhu Qingshan replied politely.
His gaze briefly swept over Li Xiyue, who looked surprisingly relaxed.
Curious about how this transmigrator intended to handle her current situation, he suddenly said, “Since our paths align, I’ll accompany you to pay respects to Uncle Li.”
Wang Dani nearly exploded.
“Why would you come with us?!”
“Naturally, to formally ask for Uncle Li’s permission to marry his daughter,” Zhu Qingshan answered calmly. “Although what happened at the village pond was accidental, I still damaged Miss Li’s reputation. The only honorable solution is marriage.”
Wang Dani stared at Li Xiyue, who instantly lowered her head shyly.
“You shameless fool!” Wang Dani screamed. “Her father already arranged a marriage for her! She’s going to become the principal wife of Master Zhang, the owner of the biggest restaurant business in the county! A poor peasant like you isn’t worthy of her!”
“Whether I’m worthy or not is for her father to decide,” Zhu Qingshan replied coldly.
Ignoring Wang Dani entirely, he walked alongside the group toward the Li residence.
Although Qingtian County sat high in the mountains, its location made it an important trade route connecting northern provinces. The streets were packed with bustling carts, merchants, and crowds of people, giving the city an energetic atmosphere.
Li Xiyue watched everything with genuine curiosity.
Compared to the cold, sterile feeling of modern cities, this ancient marketplace felt vibrant and alive.
She silently decided she would thoroughly explore the city later.
Before long, the group arrived outside the grand Li estate.
Looking up at the plaque hanging above the gates, Li Xiyue suddenly felt a deep sense of irony.
This mansion had originally belonged to the Zhu family.
Now every brick belonged to someone else.
History had proven one truth time and time again.
People blinded by love rarely meet a good ending.