The Three Spirit Stones

The three of them returned to Cheng's house in silence. Sun Yuechan wanted to send Ah Cai back to her bedroom, but Cheng Yu stopped Ah Cai.

"Cai, can we talk?"

Ah Cai snorted, ignored him and walked back, Cheng Yu followed her in. Yuechan was afraid that they would quarrel again, so she waited in the next hall.

As soon as the door was closed, Ah Cai was so excited that she almost screamed.

"Five thousand taels, five thousand taels of gold. This time it's not copper coins!"

Cheng Yu quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Shh! Keep your voice down, Yuechan is still next door."

Ah Cai lowered her voice and asked,

"Hubby, let's not tell her. She's so worried."

"It's a secret. She can't tell anyone, and neither can mother. There are more than a hundred people in our house. Who knows if there are any spies?"

"Oh!... Am I a good actor?"

"Good, very good, the Oscars are short of a little golden statue for you,"

"Haha, husband, I think my strength has increased a lot, I can actually hurt you,"

"You wish, I can force the blood out of your little hands."

"No wonder! It gave me a fright."

"Don't go out these few days, practice your aim at home.

"Ah? Didn't you help me get the arrow in then?"

"I helped you get it in, but it can't be too far off. The pot is on the left, and you swing it to the right. People will be scared to death when they see the arrow turning in the air."

"Well, all right then,"

"I will be accompanying Yelu Yuan these days. This woman is not simple. I want to find out why she is targeting me."

"That's hard for you, you still have to be an escort,"

Cheng Yu laughed softly.

"What do you mean by three companions? Can you please stop making me laugh to death? I almost got caught laughing tonight."

"I will be more careful next time."

"I'll sleep in the study these few nights and come over at midnight."

"Hmm~"

The two of them stayed together for a while, and Yuechan heard Ah Cai yelling "Get lost" from the next room.

Then Cheng Yu came out and said to her, "You stay with her for the next few days. I'll sleep in the study."

Without waiting for her to speak, he walked straight into the study and closed the door.

……

At the same time, Cheng Yu and his partner were discussing how to plot against Yelu Yuan, while Yelu Yuan was also discussing with her staff how to plot against him.

Her courtier, Mr. Li, asked, "Princess, do you really want to marry the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?"

"Yes, this time when I came to Song Dynasty, my target was him,"

"Princess, please don't blame me for overstepping my authority. You... don't really like him, do you?"

"Hahaha! You are worrying too much, sir. He is indeed a rare talent, but he is an official of the Song Dynasty. I am not a fool."

"That's good,"

"This Cheng Yu is no ordinary man. According to the information collected by my spies in Song State, he not only brought back new crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn that are high-yield and drought-resistant, but also made some new agricultural tools. The hardness, strength, and toughness of these agricultural tools are very high. If they are used to make weapons... that would be incredible. I asked our craftsmen to see them, and they didn't know how to make them."

"In addition to these, he also has a soap factory. Soap is a hot commodity in our Liao Dynasty. These days I found in Bianjing City that the hot-selling sugar is also produced by his factory."

"Sir, what do you think... Is such a man worth fighting for? It doesn't matter whether he likes me or not. What matters is that I want to find out how he does those things. Of course, it would be best if he likes me, and it would be even better if he could submit to the Liao Dynasty."

After listening to this, Mr. Li couldn't help but feel admiration.

Yelu Yuan was no ordinary princess of the Liao Kingdom. She was gifted and intelligent. She grew up in the presence of Empress Rouzhen. Emperor Shizong of Liao treated her like his own sister and invited many great scholars to teach her the art of war and military strategy. She was very ambitious and learned a lot at a young age. She was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, archery, horse riding and shooting.

Therefore, Emperor Shizong of Liao would often discuss state governance strategies with her, and she was like a national teacher beside the Liao emperor.

The Liao Kingdom was a nomadic people, and the people lived in hardship. As a daughter of the royal family, Yelu Yuan always took it as her responsibility to make the Liao Kingdom prosperous and strong.

So when potatoes were introduced to Liao and successfully planted, she sent people to Song to collect information in this regard. She had long remembered the name of Cheng Yu, the Loyal and Brave Marquis, until she saw him in person at the banquet, and then she realized that this man was better than she had imagined.

She came up with a plan to get closer to him through marriage.

Everything was going very smoothly, even Emperor Zhenzong of Song was willing to grant the marriage, but unexpectedly Cheng Acai showed up halfway.

When Yelu Yuan thought of Ah Cai, he felt so angry that his teeth itched.

This woman was extremely shameless. She relied on the fact that her father was Cheng Yu's benefactor. She was rude and unreasonable. She was lawless and fearless.

She thought, Humph! When I win and marry into the Cheng family, I will punish you!

……

……

From the first to the seventh day of the first lunar month, Sun Yuechan accompanied Ah Cai. Ah Cai did not go anywhere and practiced pitching pots at home every day.

But the more Yuechan practiced, the more disappointed she became. Her accuracy was so poor that she couldn’t hit the target once in a hundred attempts. When she occasionally hit the target, she would be extremely proud!

well! never mind!

Once that person comes in, I have to be careful to keep an eye on this fool, otherwise he will be eaten till not a bone is left!

She now had no confidence in Cheng Yu. He went out every day these days. Cheng Chang said that the Marquis would fulfill his duties as a good host and take Princess Yelu to travel around the city of Bianjing. He also vividly described the Marquis's thoughtfulness towards her.

This man actually hasn't changed. As long as he likes someone, he will treat her very well. The only difference is that it was Acai before and it is Yelu Yuan now.

She believed that as soon as the woman came in, the man would immediately forget about Ah Cai, because she knew very well how cold he was to women he didn't like.

Without Cheng Yu's favor, Ah Cai's life will be very difficult.

She made up her mind that if she couldn't make ends meet in the future, she would take her back to the Sun Mansion.

……

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, a high platform was set up in Xuandemen Square, with a large banner hanging on it, which read: The Lady of Song Huaning Zuo and Princess Yelu of Liao competed in a pot-throwing competition.

This competition was hosted by Kaifeng Prefecture. The prefect ordered that ropes be used to separate spaces around the stage, and people were posted to guard each space. Once a certain number of people were allowed in, no one would be allowed to enter. This would effectively prevent stampede accidents caused by too many people.

This match was very sensational. First of all, it was a match between the Song people and the Liao people. A match that rose to a national level would definitely move people's hearts.

Secondly, the news of the New Year's Eve dinner in the palace had already spread everywhere. Acai challenged the Liao princess to defend her love, and this brave act was supported by many women in the capital.

Thirdly, Marquis Zhongyong is now a popular upstart, rich, handsome, and well-known to the emperor. Everyone wants to see what kind of man is he who can make the princess of Liao fall in love with him at first sight.

Fourthly, at the beginning of the new year, almost everyone in Bianjing City is on holiday. Who would not be interested in such a new thing?

There are even many people who are betting on which of them will win.

Tossing pots was a very common leisure sport in the Song Dynasty, and people were very familiar with it, so a huge number of people participated in gambling in this game!

The only difference is that the odds of betting on Ah Cai to win are 1 to 200, which means that only one person out of 200 bets on her to win.

It seems that many people know the glorious history of Lady Hua Ning Zuojun!