The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 367 - 363 Do You Like Me?

The next day at mealtime, Ruo Xuan smoothly settled back beside Xuanyuan Que.

As soon as Ruo Xuan sat down next to Xuanyuan Que, she immediately said, "Xuanyuan, I want to eat rabbit meat."

Xuanyuan Que obediently picked up a piece of rabbit meat for her.

Ruo Xuan ate it with a delighted smile. Indeed, the dishes served by the Divine Monarch tasted the best!

After finishing, Ruo Xuan added, "I want to eat venison."

Xuanyuan Que then picked up a piece of venison for her.

Afterward, Ruo Xuan didn’t even need to speak. As soon as she finished eating, with just one look, Xuanyuan Que would pick up the dish she wanted to eat.

The two of them seemed almost telepathically connected.

When Ruo Xuan dirtied her hands while eating lamb skewers, she simply stretched her hands out in front of Xuanyuan Que.

Xuanyuan Que skillfully took out a cloth and wiped her hands clean.

When there was dirt at the corner of Ruo Xuan’s mouth, she didn’t even have to say anything; a cloth would already be presented in front of her.

Yan Jiaojiao saw how content and well cared for Ruo Xuan was, and suddenly realized she had been wrong.

Xuanbao was sitting beside her and Ruo Zhou, yet he wasn’t receiving such thorough care.

Of course, Ruo Zhou took great care of Xuanbao, just without that telepathic connection, lacking the aspect of knowing what to do without being told.

Yan Jiaojiao no longer stopped Xuanyuan Que and Ruo Xuan from sitting together.

After eating and as they were traveling, Yan Jiaojiao thought about how Ruo Xuan had always clung to her Ninth Cousin from a young age, commanding him to do this and that, while Ninth Cousin rarely took the initiative to seek out Ruo Xuan.

She wondered if she might have misunderstood something?

Normally, it was always Ruo Xuan who actively got close to Ninth Cousin. If Xuanbao didn’t seek him out, he surely would never take the initiative to find Xuanbao.

They felt that Ninth Cousin treated Xuanbao specially because Ninth Cousin never refused Xuanbao.

Others could hardly expect such treatment from Ninth Cousin, who was too lazy to even respond to them.

She couldn’t help but ask Ruo Xuan, "Xuanbao, has Ninth Cousin ever done anything inappropriate to you?"

Ruo Xuan: "No! You’re overthinking it! Xuanyuan would never do anything intimate to me. I kissed him last time, and he got angry and ignored me!"

Yan Jiaojiao: "..."

Indeed, she had misunderstood!

"Ninth Cousin must be shy, otherwise he wouldn’t have given you the gold flower!"

Ruo Xuan: "That was because I threatened him. Didn’t I kiss him? I told him he had to take responsibility for me."

Yan Jiaojiao: "..."

Well, then!

She had really underestimated Xuanbao.

Tough!

She even dared to threaten Ninth Cousin.

"But, this also proves that Ninth Cousin likes you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been threatened by you and given you the gold flower. Who could threaten someone who doesn’t even care about the Emperor!"

Ruo Xuan felt a stir in her heart. Oh! Who could threaten the War God of the Nine Heavens?

That evening, staying at the inn, Yan Jiaojiao didn’t sleep with Ruo Xuan anymore.

A person as ascetic as Ninth Cousin would never do anything to Xuanbao.

Finally sleeping alone, Ruo Xuan went to find Xuanyuan Que.

She set up a barrier so that no one could overhear their conversation.

Ruo Xuan: "Xuanyuan, Jiaojiao said you like me, and that’s why you gave me the gold flower, right?"

Xuanyuan Que glanced at her: "What do you think?"

Ruo Xuan: "I think it’s true!"

Xuanyuan Que said nothing more and closed his eyes to meditate.

Ruo Xuan: "..."

Not talking again!

"Xuanyuan Brother, do you actually like me or not?"

Xuanyuan Que didn’t answer.

"Do you or not?"

Xuanyuan Que, becoming a bit exasperated by the persistent questioning and not even opening his eyes, said indifferently, "If you say so, it is so. Go back to your cultivation!"

Ruo Xuan happily returned to her room to sleep and cultivate.

After the room was empty, Xuanyuan Que finally opened his eyes.

A little while later, once his mood had calmed and become still, he continued to close his eyes and cultivate.

A month later, a group of people finally arrived at a small frontier town in Nanzhou.

This small town was located at the border of two countries, divided by the Nanjiang River.

North of the river was Xuanyuan Country, and south of the river was Nanling Country.

Nanling Country, a major country, had been established for nearly a hundred years and was world-renowned for its silk and porcelain. The land was flat and fertile, rich in resources, and with access to the maritime Silk Road, its silk and porcelain were exported to many countries overseas, making it exceedingly wealthy.

Today was precisely the day the two countries conducted trade.

On the streets, one could see carts loaded with various goods and traders carrying loads everywhere.

The scene was bustling and extraordinarily lively!

This was a lively city.

The Empress Dowager and her entourage, disguised as common folk, walked on the main street.

The Empress Dowager explained: "Every 4th, 7th, and 10th day of the month are the days of trade between the two countries. On these days, citizens from both countries can take ships to the neighboring cities to trade."

The Empress Dowager had originally established these days.

Very familiar with this city, she led everyone to the docks.

The docks were built on a long dike, which was lined with parked carts.

Many workers were efficiently loading and unloading goods off the ships.

The Emperess Dowager, looking at the bustling trade with rows of ships, was filled with immense pride:

"Don’t look at this as just a small frontier town. This dock is the largest dock in Xuanyuan Country! Every day countless merchant ships set sail from here, selling goods from our Xuanyuan Country to neighboring lands and overseas."

"See the docks on the opposite side in Nanling Country? Don’t they look smaller than ours in Xuanyuan Country? Aren’t their dikes lower than ours?"

Yan Jiaojiao nodded: "Indeed, they are."

The Empress Dowager: "This dike was built over eight years by tens of thousands of local citizens working voluntarily every day, moving mountains and filling dikes to reinforce and raise it! Spanning hundreds of miles and passing through two cities! Since the dike was built, the people in this region of Xuanyuan Country have not suffered from floods, unless a once-in-a-century flood occurs."

Due to the presence of many people from the neighboring country, the Empress Dowager did not mention that because the dike was built higher, and the dike in Nanling Country on the opposite side was a meter shorter, if a flood really occurred, the floodwaters would first pour into Nanling Country.

Therefore, their side in Xuanyuan Country should be quite safe!

In the past, before Xuanyuan Country was established and didn’t have a high dike, during the former dynasty, local officials only cared about making money and did nothing substantial. The Imperial Court completely disregarded the well-being of the common people, so every year when the floods came, it was their side that was inundated.

Before Xuanyuan Country was established, the founding emperor began organizing people to build this dike.

It was only completed five years after the foundation of Xuanyuan Country.

In the early days of the nation, when the national treasury was particularly empty, the Empress Dowager still insisted on allocating a large sum of silver to ensure the construction of this dike and dock!

Now, looking at the commerce and trade here, one could tell how much silver flowed back into the national treasury each year, allowing the Imperial Court to have more silver to do more things that benefit the country and the people.

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager’s introduction, Old Lady Lei remarked, "A benefit to our age and a legacy to future ones, eight years of construction were well spent!"

"That’s the truth!" the Empress Dowager said, watching a large ship from Nanling approach the dock and smiling in response.

In the distance, after a large merchant ship from Nanling Country docked, someone disembarked and discreetly handed something to the guard on the shore.

Then, the Empress Dowager saw boxes being unloaded directly from the ship.

There was no inspection by the soldiers beforehand.

The Empress Dowager’s good mood vanished completely!