The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 30

Bai Zhi fell silent, unsure of how to respond. In life, eight or nine out of ten things don’t go as planned.

All she could do was protect herself.

The moonlight was gentle, and the night breeze was cool. Neither of them spoke, as if walking a little longer under the moon could ease the heaviness in their hearts.

The next day, Officer Ma and his men took Auntie Chen away, but Chen Da refused to leave and insisted on staying at the estate to continue working as a cart driver.

Surprisingly, Bai Li agreed to this.

Upon hearing the news, Wei Ziwan whispered, “It seems we have one more person to be wary of now.”

Bai Zhi paused, not saying a word.

She didn’t know what to say. Was this so-called elder brother of hers foolish?

He sent Auntie Chen to prison but kept her son, who might very well be the real murderer. Wasn’t that just leaving a ticking time bomb?

And this bomb posed a greater threat to them…

Wei Ziwan, seeing Bai Zhi’s expression, knew exactly what she was worried about. She smiled faintly and said, “Don’t fret, We’ll deal with things as they come. Now, we can finally plant the radishes.”

“You’re right. Let’s go find Mr, Qiu.”

When Mr. Qiu heard they wanted to learn about farming, he immediately agreed and told them to wait in the fields.

About half an hour later, Mr. Qiu arrived, carrying two books.

“Here, one for each of you. See how the seeds should be sown.” Mr. Qiu said, handing them the books.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan exchanged a glance and silently took the books—one titled Agricultural Records and the other Essential Farming Techniques.

Bai Zhi frowned. “Sir, we’ve already read these books. They discuss general issues and methods for crops but don’t specify how to plant any particular crop.”

Was this the expert their uncle had hired to teach them farming? Seriously?

Mr. Qiu’s face darkened. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I wasted so much time looking for these. What are you waiting for? Just do what needs to be done!”

He waved his hand, looking at them as if they were fools.

Bai Zhi: “…” I’ll hold it in!

Wei Ziwan, however, couldn’t hold back. “Sir, are you really here to teach us farming?”

“Of course, once you grow the crops, I can officially teach you.” Mr. Qiu said, lifting his chin proudly.

Wei Ziwan rubbed her temples, trying to be patient. “So, we need you to teach us how to grow the crops first.”

This man looked like a wise sage, and yesterday he seemed highly respected by Bai Shu. He must have some skills.

But upon closer interaction, it became clear that sages were also experts at infuriating people.

“Are you two daft? I already said you need to grow the crops first, and then I can teach you.” Mr. Qiu said, looking at their frustrated expressions. He almost couldn’t resist tapping their foreheads.

He looked utterly disappointed, as if to say, What hopeless blocks of wood! Such a simple concept, and you still don’t get it after all this time.

Wei Ziwan: “…” I’ll hold it in!

She took a deep breath and glanced at Bai Zhi, her eyes conveying, I can’t get through to him. You try.

Bai Zhi inhaled deeply, trying to stay calm. Stay calm, stay calm. Just explain it clearly.

“May I ask, sir, have you often worked in the fields before?”

Please don’t tell me he has no farming experience at all. Was this the kind of person her uncle had found for them?

Mr. Qiu raised an eyebrow. “Fields? No, but I’ve often dealt with books.”

Books?

Bai Zhi’s breath hitched. She knew it! These unreliable people. A teacher who dealt with books but not fields—how was he supposed to teach them farming? With no practical experience, was he going to rely on theoretical knowledge to grow crops?

Mr. Qiu, seemingly unaware of the problem, shifted the topic to his past.

“In my youth, I was quite famous. By the age of twenty, I had surpassed all the scholars in Baiyue and came first in the imperial examinations. But alas, what a pity.”

He shook his head and sighed, glancing at them as if to say, You two have no sense of timing. It’s your turn to chime in.

Bai Zhi took another deep breath, forcing a polite smile. “Why is it a pity, sir?”

Mr. Qiu pointed to the sky. “Because His Majesty, the Emperor, is blind. Not only did he not name me the top scholar in the palace examination, but he also stripped me of my scholarly title and banished me to commoner status, never to be employed again.”

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing: The Emperor is wise.

Mr. Qiu sighed repeatedly, seemingly lost in memories.

“Twenty years ago, when His Majesty had just ascended the throne, after the palace examination, he gathered all the scholars in the Golden Hall to discuss knowledge. He posed us a question: ‘If you were to face the enemy at Pingxiang Mountain, how would you achieve victory with fewer troops?'”

“The scholars offered various suggestions, which could be summarized as water attacks, fire attacks, and ambushes. After listening, His Majesty proudly declared that he had an idea: lure the enemy into the valley and crush them with falling rocks. Everyone immediately praised this answer as ingenious and hailed His Majesty as wise. Whether genuine or not, they all knew how to flatter.”

“Only I remained silent. So, His Majesty called on me, the top candidate, to share my thoughts.”

At this point, he paused and looked at them again.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan exchanged another glance. They got it—this was their cue to respond.

“How did you answer, sir?” Wei Ziwan asked obediently.

Bai Zhi rolled her eyes internally. How did he answer? Definitely not to the Emperor’s liking, or else he wouldn’t have been stripped of his title and banished.

Mr. Qiu closed his eyes, recalling the moment. “In my youth, I had been to Pingxiang Mountain. So, I told them that Pingxiang Mountain lies at the intersection of Xiangnan Prefecture, Xiangbei Prefecture, and Rangnan Prefecture, located in the central-northern region of Baiyue. The area is scarce in rivers, making water attacks impossible. The vegetation is sparse, so fire attacks wouldn’t work. The mountain paths are narrow and long, with no suitable valleys for ambushes, nor any loose rocks to throw.”

“Therefore, all the suggestions offered were mere theoretical nonsense. The question itself was unreasonable and utterly baseless.”

Bai Zhi was stunned. “Who did you say posed this question?”

Mr. Qiu glared at her. “His Majesty, the Emperor. That’s why I say he’s foolish and blind.”

“Sir, you must never say such things again. Not to anyone.” Wei Ziwan said, her expression complex. This man was indeed a sage—the kind who excelled at infuriating people. He even dared to insult the Emperor.

“Yes, yes, you must never say such things again.” Bai Zhi quickly added. This man was terrifying. How had he survived this long? His audacity was more dangerous than ten troublemakers combined.

Mr. Qiu scoffed at their reactions. “Look at you two, so timid. Don’t tell anyone I’m your teacher in the future. How boring, I’m off to drink.”

He turned around, hands behind his back, a faint smile creeping into his eyes. There’s plenty of time ahead.

Bai Zhi was momentarily stunned, then called out, “We won’t tell anyone you’re our teacher!” Could they even say that? More importantly, dared they? Who knew when a careless word might lead to disaster and cost them their heads?

This lifetime, she absolutely did not want to be beheaded and displayed publicly again. She wanted to live a long life and die of old age.

Wei Ziwan fell silent for a moment. “He is, after all, a man of integrity. What a pity.”

Bai Zhi glanced at Mr. Qiu’s retreating figure. A man of integrity? Perhaps.

But if it were her, she definitely wouldn’t have spoken to the Emperor like that. At most, she would have remained silent. Then again, who knew?

People often hesitate. Until the moment comes, no one knows what they would do or how they would act.

“Let’s go.” Bai Zhi sighed, turning away.

“Go where?” Wei Ziwan asked instinctively.

Bai Zhi gave her a look. “To the place where we hired people to clear the weeds. We’ll hire a few more to plant the radishes.” They had about ten taels of silver. When it was time to spend, they had to spend.

“But we only have a little over nine taels left.” Wei Ziwan said with a faint smile, not moving.

This eunuch only knew how to hire people for everything. What was the point of having them around if they couldn’t do anything themselves?

Bai Zhi frowned. “If we don’t hire people, do you have another solution?” This troublemaker was so stingy. Even when it was time to spend money, she refused. Sigh, she really had no sense of the bigger picture.

Wei Ziwan hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering. “No other solution, let’s go hire people.”

She couldn’t very well say that she knew a thing or two about farming. How would she explain why a princess of a nation knew how to plant radishes?

Sigh, this eunuch didn’t even know how to plant radishes. Life was hard.

The two of them arrived at the place where they had hired workers before. Wei Ziwan glanced at Bai Zhi, signaling her not to act rashly.

She approached an elderly man and pretended to lament, “Ah, I don’t know what’s wrong. We planted the radish seeds, but few sprouts came up, and even those looked wilted. How are your seedlings doing, uncle?”

The old man looked at her, puzzled. This girl, though dressed in rough clothes, had delicate features and fair skin. She clearly wasn’t someone who usually worked in the fields. Had he misjudged her?

Was she a farmer?

“They’re doing fine, my family didn’t plant radishes this year. You need to dry the seeds for an hour before planting. Water them sparingly before the leaves sprout, and increase watering once the leaves grow bigger.”

Wei Ziwan’s eyes lit up. She stood up, bought two bowls of sweet water from a nearby stall, and brought them over. “Uncle, have some water. To be honest, my husband and I have no experience with farming. But life has brought us to this point, and we have no choice but to push through. Could you kindly share some wisdom on planting and give us a few pointers?”

The old man remained silent. Indeed, she wasn’t a farmer. She must be a young master or lady who had fallen on hard times.

Seeing that he hadn’t refused, Wei Ziwan waved Bai Zhi over and pleaded, “Uncle, you seem like a kind-hearted person. Just tell us how to sow the seeds and what to pay attention to before and after. Please, have some water first.”

The old man hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out to take the bowl. “What I say may not be entirely correct, but you can listen and see.” Fine, consider it a good deed for the day.

Bai Zhi was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. Her eyes lit up just like Wei Ziwan’s as she looked at the old man with admiration.

The old man smiled slightly, took a few sips of the sweet water, and began, “Actually, there’s not much to say. First, loosen the soil…”