In the main hall, Huang Rang walked to the center and bowed to Huang Shu.
Huang Shu’s skin was yellow with a dark tinge, but his build was quite robust. This made him lack refinement even when dressed in silk and satin. Seeing Huang Rang, he was rather pleased and said, “Ah Rang, quickly pay your respects to the Eighty-Sixth Your Highness!”
He thought this address of “Your Highness” was flattering, but didn’t see Di Yiqiu’s furrowed brow.
The current emperor, Shi Wenyu, had many children, and to prevent them from coveting the throne, he simply expelled all his children from the imperial family, forcing them to change their names and surnames. The current Di Yiqiu had the reality of a father-son relationship with him, but not the name.
Huang Rang felt that the identity of imperial prince probably didn’t make Di Yiqiu feel honored.
She smiled slightly, gracefully walked before Di Yiqiu, and performed a curtsy, saying, “This common woman Huang Rang pays respects to the Jianzheng.”
When commoners paid respects to imperial family members, they should perform the grand ceremony. But she performed the lady’s courtesy. The lady’s courtesy was gentle and elegant, and with her slender frame, when she gracefully bowed down, she was even more like a weak wind supporting a willow, like delicate leaves concealing flowers.
Because of this elegant bearing, over these years, no one had ever found fault with her.
Sure enough, Di Yiqiu didn’t either. He extended his hand in a gesture of support, saying, “Miss, please rise.”
Huang Rang lifted her head, across more than a hundred years of time, and looked at Di Yiqiu. At this age, the smile on his face reached his eyes, still very sunny and handsome. The him from one hundred and fifteen years later in the Chengyuan era often feigned this kind of warmth.
So sometimes, he seemed rather passive-aggressive.
Standing beside him were none other than Li Lu and Baowu.
It seemed that at this time Si Tianjian had just been established, and he didn’t have many people he could use. So the two who would later become famous Deputy Jians could only serve as attendants, following him on this trip.
Huang Rang sat down beside Huang Shu. Only then did Huang Shu say, “This is my Little Ten, and also my, Huang’s, most beloved daughter.”
He acted like a loving father, and Huang Rang immediately stood up, gave him a gentle curtsy, and said bashfully, “Father exaggerates. How can one praise one’s own daughter so in front of outsiders?”
Huang Shu laughed heartily and said, “This time the Eighty-Sixth Your Highness has come personally because Si Tianjian has calculated that next year there will be a great drought. Your Highness wishes to cultivate the most drought-resistant seeds.” Every sentence he spoke couldn’t leave the words “Your Highness,” almost as if he was rushing to slap Di Yiqiu in the face.
Sure enough, Di Yiqiu’s smile was already quite forced.
Huang Rang picked up the conversation, saying, “The growth of all things follows its own way. Even the most drought-resistant seeds, if facing scorched earth for thousands of miles, would likely find it extremely difficult to grow. For the Jianzheng to request such drought-resistant seeds, I’m afraid it won’t be easy.”
This address of “Jianzheng” at least won her some favor. Di Yiqiu obviously preferred to talk with her. He said, “Precisely because it’s not easy, I’ve been searching everywhere for famous breeders. I’ve heard that the Huang family of Immortal Tea Town are also skilled at breeding. Can we not give it a try?”
At this moment, Huang Shu quickly said, “Try, of course we must try. Ah Rang, these days you must set aside all matters at hand. Carefully cultivate this drought-resistant hybrid for the Eighty-Sixth Your Highness!”
As he spoke, his tone was already becoming heavier. Huang Rang knew her father’s temperament and immediately said, “Your daughter obeys.”
Only then did Huang Shu smile and say, “Eighty-Sixth Your Highness can rest assured, the Huang family will definitely spare no effort to share Your Highness’s worries.”
He kept saying “Your Highness” with every breath, yet Di Yiqiu remained very patient. He said, “Then I’ll trouble Miss Ah Rang. In ten days, I’ll come again.”
Saying this, he stood up to leave.
Huang Shu saw him all the way to the door, watching him mount his horse and depart before turning back and saying, “Listen carefully, the imperial court has promised a handsome reward this time. This matter, no matter what, cannot fail!”
Huang Rang’s face was wreathed in smiles as she said, “I spoke of difficulty earlier only to let Your Highness know Father’s struggles. After all, the entire Huang family, from top to bottom, is supported by Father’s efforts alone. Seeing Father work so hard, how could your daughter not share Father’s worries?”
Her appearance was unmatched, her voice sweet and soft, and every word she spoke was pleasing to the ear. Huang Shu naturally withdrew his anger. He grasped Huang Rang’s hand and gently patted it, saying, “Among all my children, only you are the most sensible.”
Huang Rang supported him back to the inner chamber, where his two concubines had already been waiting. Seeing him enter, the two concubines hurried forward to help him remove his outer robe and attended to him as he sat in the reclining chair. One concubine removed his shoes and began massaging his feet.
With a gesture from Huang Rang, a maid brought over a pipe. She skillfully rolled tobacco made from immortal grass, saying, “Your daughter will roll a pipe of tobacco for Father.”
Huang Shu nodded with satisfaction, saying, “Ah Rang still understands Father’s heart best.”
Huang Rang quickly rolled the tobacco and handed the pipe to him. After Huang Shu took several puffs, his two beloved concubines began massaging his legs and shoulders. Before long, Huang Shu was as if sinking into clouds and mist. He closed his eyes, his entire body going limp.
Only then did Huang Rang stand up and quietly left the inner chamber.
Immortal Tea Town.
Di Yiqiu, Li Lu, and Baowu rode their horses together. Now spring was in full bloom, all things sprouting.
Baowu said, “That old man Huang Shu, when I, Old Bao, hear him speak, it’s truly like carrying manure into the city—stinking to the point of suffocating people.”
Li Lu laughed and said, “But his daughter is quite good—gentle and polite, with a pair of watery eyes that are quite alluring.”
Di Yiqiu didn’t participate in such conversation, only saying, “They all say the Huang family are famous breeders of fine varieties, but I see Huang Shu has lecherous eyes, a weak and frail body, and no real brains. He doesn’t seem like a person of genuine talent.”
He was young, so Li Lu inevitably took extra care of him and thus explained, “Over these years the Huang family has indeed cultivated quite a few famous varieties. Perhaps there are other capable people in the family, only their achievements are claimed by him, so their fame isn’t prominent. In a few days, let’s see what he says.”
Di Yiqiu made an affirmative sound. Seeing villagers passing by the roadside, he dismounted and stopped the villager to ask, “They all say the Huang family excels at breeding famous varieties. Is this true?”
That villager looked at him and cursed, “Who are you? Don’t you understand the principle that good dogs don’t block the road…”
He had just said this much when Li Lu had already caught up and very quickly passed over a small piece of silver. The villager looked at that ingot of silver, and what he’d just said became, “Hey, this humble one blocked the lord’s road—truly not a good dog. My lord, this Huang family is indeed skilled at breeding famous varieties, but their family head Huang Shu is just a worthless bag of wine and rice. If you want to breed varieties, you still need to find the Huang family’s Tenth Miss. Hehe.”
He pocketed the silver and ran off in a flash.
The Huang family’s… Tenth Miss?
Di Yiqiu looked thoughtful. Li Lu said, “Huang Rang?”
The three exchanged glances, silent for a long while.
They continued to ask several more people, but all gave similar accounts.
Meanwhile, at the Huang family, in Huang Rang’s small courtyard.
Before long, over a dozen villagers came running. They didn’t enter but just stood at the courtyard gate. Huang Rang looked at these dozen or so people, stunned for quite a while before remembering—back in the day, she had found many town villagers to secretly give them fine varieties, only requiring that when people inquired, they subtly boast about her.
So these people were actually her… shills.
“Hehe, Tenth Miss.” The villagers smiled very ingratiatingly, “The matter you entrusted to us has been done well. You can rest one hundred and twenty percent assured, not a single flaw!”