Three Kingdoms: Madam, I am a decent person

Chapter 797 Side Story 2: Wu Ying and Xiao Qiao (Part 3)

Upon hearing Cai Yan's words, Wu Ying covered her mouth and smiled smugly, "Of course! We're sisters!"

Wu Ying patted the child in Cai Yan's arms and opened her arms, saying, "Baby, let your godmother hold you!"

However, the baby ignored her and turned to lie on Cai Yan's other shoulder.

Wu Ying said angrily, "This child is so naughty!"

Cai Yan blurted out instinctively, "You'll know once you have one!"

As soon as she said it, Cai Yan realized she had misspoke and gave Wu Ying an embarrassed smile.

Wu Ying smiled casually and said, "I also want a child."

"Your child is mine now."

"I have no other hope in this life, I can only rely on you, Zhaoji!"

Cai Yan glanced at the baby in her arms and wanted to move her to Wu Ying's arms.

But after all, he was just a two-year-old child and didn't understand the coldness and warmth of human relationships at all.

Getting angry at him won't help.

His eldest son and second daughter were useful; they were both several years old and could read the room.

What's the difference between this thing in my arms and a kitten or puppy?
Cai Yan could only hold onto Wu Ying's hand tightly.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Zhang Sui led Liu Zhang, Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, Zhang Ren, Wu Yi, and others directly to the Prince of Ji's residence.

Although Zhang Sui was still a few days away from being officially appointed King of Ji, he had already moved in.

The Prince Ji's Mansion was built in the last six months.

Zhang Sui did not undertake large-scale construction. He simply acquired several houses near his home, then connected them and surrounded them with a wall.

This saved a significant amount of money.

Because of this action, Zhang Sui received unanimous praise from both civil and military officials.

The Prince Ji's residence is very lively now.

Besides Zhang Sui and his women and children living there, Zhao Yun's elderly mother, Huang Chengyan and Lü Wen's mother, Lady Wei, also lived there.

However, they spend the vast majority of their time in the backyard.

Zhang Sui eventually built some entertainment facilities for these people.

In addition to mahjong and billiards, Zhang Sui also made badminton shuttlecocks.

Although the effect was far less than that of badminton before the time travel, the group still had a great time playing.

Even Ju Shou and Tian Feng would come here from time to time to play a few rounds with a group of children.

At this moment, Zhang Sui, along with Liu Zhang, Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, Zhang Ren, Wu Yi, and others, were chatting and eating desserts in the front hall. They were talking about how the current emperor had set off from Xudu to Yecheng to bestow the title of Prince of Ji upon Zhang Sui.

Meanwhile, Madam Ren, heavily pregnant, was directing the cooks and maids in the kitchen to prepare dishes for the banquet.

Cai Yan greeted Wu Ying and Zhang Sui, and then led Wu Ying to the backyard.

Watching the group of women and children playing happily in the backyard, Wu Ying's pretty face was full of shock and envy as she asked, "Is this the General's backyard?"

"It feels really lively!"

When she was in Mianyang, Yizhou, she was all alone, with only a few maids.

Every day, it's quiet all four days.

As Wu Ying walked alongside Cai Yan, she looked around.

Cai Yan walked ahead and introduced to her, "The game played there is called mahjong, and it was made by my husband."

"When you celebrate your third anniversary here this year, you'll understand that this place will be much more lively than it is today."

"There, playing cards for Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game)."

"You've never seen this before, have you? It was also made by my husband, and it's already a household name in Hebei."

“My husband has a subordinate named Guo Jia who spends all day playing Dou Dizhu with a group of women. My husband has to drag him away before he'll leave the table.”

"That's called a badminton shuttlecock."

"It was also made by my husband."

"This is quite suitable for children and the elderly."

"Swinging a racket every day is good for your health."

"Even the Imperial Physician Hua Tuo and the Dean Zhang Ji said it was good."

"And that one, it's called billiards—"

Wu Ying was completely confused.

How come I've never heard of it?
Why are they all made by the Great General?

The general seems to have plenty of free time all day long!
However, compared to these things, Wu Ying interrupted Cai Yan, saying, "Zhang Ji is here? Although I've never met Zhang Ji, I've heard of him; he was once the Prefect of Changsha. It's said he never served in office. Are these two Zhang Jis the same person?" Cai Yan smiled and said, "It is him!"

“My husband previously led his army south from Jingzhou, and Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha, surrendered without a fight.”

“When welcoming my husband to his new home, he specifically asked for this machine and said that he wanted to build a hospital for him, make him the director, and have him help spread the methods of preventing plagues to all medical workers, and then have the medical workers spread them to the people.”

"Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji, a man in his fifties, wept uncontrollably."

"Later, my husband told me that she wasn't moved, she was heartbroken."

"This machine originally came from a prominent family in Nanyang."

"However, after several plagues, his family was wiped out."

"His wife and children are all dead."

"He had proposed methods to the court to prevent the plague on several occasions, but the court ignored them."

"Therefore, he resigned from his position as governor of Changsha and began to resist taking up an official post."

"He originally thought that he could only save the common people by himself in this life, but unexpectedly, his husband was willing to build a hospital for him and make him the director of the hospital, so that he could popularize the methods of preventing the plague."

Cai Yan said with some pride, "With such an enlightened ruler, how could Zhang Ji possibly miss the opportunity?"

Wu Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Eh~ So the general is so young, yet he is truly an extraordinary person."

Cai Yan chuckled and said, "More than that?"

"Do you know that my sister Yueying and I are both PhDs now?"

"How many female PhDs have there been in the four hundred years of our great Han Dynasty?"

Wu Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Zhao Ji, you're actually a PhD?"

Cai Yan smiled and said, "Yes."

"You'll stay with me for a while. I'll take you around the academy so you can see where I work and also let you get to know Yueying."

Wu Ying leaned closer and whispered teasingly in his ear, "Are you sure you want me to live with you? What if the General comes and can't find you?"

Cai Yan glanced around and said, "There are so many sisters here. If he sees that I don't have time, he will naturally find someone else."

Wu Ying asked suspiciously, "You gave your man to another woman?"

Cai Yan whispered, "He's about to become the Prince of Ji; he'll soon be at the top of that position."

"As his woman, I can't be too narrow-minded, otherwise I'll make things difficult for him."

"Today, relying on his favor, I act recklessly."

"What will others do if I lose power one day? Do I even need to think about that?"

Wu Ying exclaimed, "Zhao Ji, you've changed so much!"

"You used to be someone who couldn't tolerate even the slightest imperfection."

"In the past, you would never have tolerated your man having other women."

Cai Yan glanced around and said, "People need to be flexible."

"Back then, I was young and didn't know the importance of things."

"Take this place for example, which woman here has an ordinary background?"

"The principal wife, Madam Yuan, is the eldest daughter of the Yuan family, which has produced four generations of high-ranking officials."

“Madam Zhang is the former mistress of the Zhen family, a prestigious family in Wuji, Zhongshan County.”

"Madam Liu was Yuan Shao's former favorite concubine."

"Madam Du is also a lady from a prominent family."

Lowering her voice, Cai Yan whispered, "My husband has a favorite, a woman of unparalleled beauty, who is also from the Zhen family. She is the daughter of Madam Zhang, but she lives outside the family."

"The others, aren't they all renowned?"

"They're willing to lower themselves, so what can I say?"

“I have no parents and no family to support me, yet my husband still dotes on me so much. What more could I ask for? Why should I be a petty, resentful woman?”

Suddenly, Cai Yan stopped and looked at the two young and beautiful women walking towards her. She smiled and nodded at them, saying, "Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, are you going out?"

The two women bowed to Cai Yan and Wu Ying in unison.

Da Qiao said, "I had a few sets of clothes made for my husband at the Mi family's shop before, and now Xiao Qiao and I are going to pick them up."

Cai Yan said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Da Qiao hummed in agreement and gestured for Xiao Qiao to leave.

Cai Yan turned her head and looked at Xiao Qiao holding Da Qiao's arm, her two ponytails bouncing up and down. She laughed and said, "This is Da Qiao, the eldest daughter of Qiao Guolao, the patriarch of the Qiao family, one of the two major merchants in our Han Dynasty."

"Her younger sister has been of marriageable age for several years, and suitors have been lining up to break down the threshold, but she just won't agree."

(End of this chapter)