She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 149 Killed, an Unusual "Surprise"

Shen Qingtan looked at Zhao Yi in surprise, but quickly understood.

He thought she would invite the Fourth Madam and Qin Yao to Xishan, where there was a horse farm, so he specially selected a foal for her to race and play with them.

"Should we change into riding clothes?" Zhao Yi saw the foal rubbing against Shen Qingtan's waist and opening its mouth to bite her clothes. He tugged on the reins and said, "Just make do for a spin for now, and we'll change into riding clothes tomorrow."

Shen Qingtan frowned: "And you?"

"I'll hold the leash for you." Zhao Yi looked at her intently. "I promised you I would stay with you."

He touched the soft spot in Shen Qingtan's heart, and she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her heart.

Because he never gave her a perfunctory answer and always remembered the promise he made to her.

And they are fulfilling their promises one by one.

She said with a radiant smile, "Then I'll trouble you, Second Master."

Zhao Yi chuckled to himself.

The groom puts the saddle on the horse.

Zhao Yi helped Shen Qingtan mount her horse.

She tensed up, afraid of falling off the horse, her fingers gripping the reins tightly on both sides.

"Don't be afraid," Zhao Yi reassured her. "It's very gentle and won't hurt you."

Shen Qingtan's throat tightened: "Okay."

She tried to relax, but the moment the pony moved, her heart jumped into her throat.

When a hand rested on her waist, her heart instantly calmed down.

The little pony trotted slowly forward, and Shen Qingtan gradually adapted and completely relaxed.

A gentle breeze caressed her face as she stroked the pony's mane: "Erlang, shall we buy another pony? Next time, we can ride together, without galloping recklessly, just like now, slowly enjoying the scenery of the Western Hills?"

Zhao Yi looked up at her bright eyes, her smile radiant, exuding a carefree and relaxed feeling.

He wanted to protect her now that she was free of her shackles, so that she could live a carefree, peaceful, and joyful life from then on.

The endless grassland ahead symbolized their future; he only hoped to walk with her forever.

“Okay,” Zhao Yi repeated, “Let’s walk slowly together.”

-

Prince Yu's Mansion.

Prince Yu sat in his study, holding a secret letter in his hand.

This letter came from Qingzhou, where he had made a fortune selling salt permits in previous years.

Then a natural disaster struck, which affected the sale of salt permits.

Emperor Jing'an decreed that donations of grain could be used to buy official positions, thus providing them with another means of accumulating wealth.

In Qingzhou, commoners no longer needed to donate grain to buy official positions; they could directly purchase them with silver.

When Prince Yu saw the amount of silver recorded in the letter, he lost interest and casually tossed it into the brazier.

The Prince's Chamberlain immediately fetched a tinderbox and burned the letter.

"Your Highness, the disaster in Qingzhou should end soon," the Grand Tutor said worriedly. "For four years, we have been lying about the situation every year. The court hasn't noticed yet because of the distance. But as time goes on, something will inevitably go wrong."

"The disaster in Qingzhou should end now." Prince Yu said with a somber look, "In your opinion, do you have any other good solutions?"

"The disaster relief efforts in various parts of the Great Zhou have just ended, and now the corruption scandal in Guanzhou has broken out. We can't make a fuss about the disaster relief efforts anymore, or it will attract attention." The Grand Master suggested, "The common people of the Great Zhou are required to perform corvée labor, but many well-off people are unwilling to do so."

Prince Yu paused his tapping of the table, signaling him to continue.

"If someone is unwilling to perform corvée labor, they can pay it with silver. The government will then allocate a portion of this silver to hire other people to perform corvée labor in their place."

The Grand Master considered it carefully and said, "The rest is all ours."

“You have always been a favorite of mine.” Prince Yu said with a half-smile, “You are willing to sell your labor and take the place of others in corvée labor, which shows that your family is so poor that you can’t even afford to eat. You are just trying to earn a meal. There’s no need to give them money. Just give them a meal as payment.”

The Grand Secretary was taken aback: "What if the common people are unwilling to take their place?"

Prince Yu's eyes flashed coldly as he said, "Do you need me to teach you such a trivial matter?"

The Grand Secretary was alarmed and hurriedly replied, "This humble official understands."

"Knock Knock-"

There was a knock on the door, and a guard outside said, "Your Highness, I have important news to report."

Prince Yu glanced at the Grand Tutor.

The Grand Master quickly withdrew and invited the guards into the study.

The guard strode into the study, closed the door behind him, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I have discovered that Second Madam Zhao of the Duke of Zhao's mansion has hired people to investigate the disaster in Qingzhou."

Prince Yu's face darkened: "What did you say?"

"Grandma Zhao probably heard the news from elsewhere, and last night she arranged for people to go to Qingzhou to investigate the disaster."

The guard continued, "I led men to pursue him, but he was very cunning and escaped. I saw his face and asked an artist to paint a portrait overnight. I then sent it to Qingzhou by fast horse so that Lord Li could distribute it to all the checkpoints in Qingzhou to apprehend him."

Second Madam Zhao? Shen Qingtan?

Prince Yu's eyes were sinister. Consort Ling forbade him from facing Zhao Yi, but Zhao Yi's men were eager to die, so it was no wonder that he was ruthless.

"You choose the path to heaven but refuse to take it, you insist on forcing your way into hell when there is no way out." Prince Yu said with a smirk, "I will grant your wish."

He looked at the red fox lying on the couch and said coldly, "Kill it."

-

Considering Zhao Yi's health, Shen Qingtan only took a short walk around the horse farm.

It's early summer now, and the sunlight isn't gentle, making her sweat profusely and her cheeks flushed.

When the couple returned to the Forget-Worry Pavilion, the ambiguous and awkward atmosphere had dissipated.

"Go take a shower first, don't catch a cold." Zhao Yi handed her a handkerchief: "I haven't sweated, I'll take a shower later."

Shen Qingtan reached out and touched his neck; his skin was as cool and refreshing as jade.

As expected, I didn't sweat.

"Then I'll go take a shower first."

Shen Qingtan remained completely at ease and turned to go into the inner room.

Zhao Yi was stunned by her sudden action and it took him a long time to come to his senses.

He raised his hand and touched his neck, as if he could still feel her soft touch.

Shen Qingtan was unaware of the shock her unintentional actions caused Zhao Yi.

She took out her change of clothes and inadvertently glanced at the silk robe beside her pillow. She immediately stuffed the robe into her wardrobe before going into the bathroom.

There was no bathtub in the bathroom; instead, a circular bathtub was carved out in the middle.

She put down her clothes and prepared to call Liuyue to fetch water.

Suddenly, she saw something on the wall, and her expression changed instantly.