She felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her, and suddenly understood everything!
Eating the rice in her bowl, Zhao Jiaqi found it no longer tasted sweet. They, as bystanders, saw things clearly, but could Junjun perhaps consider this point?
"Regardless, Yingxiong hasn't taken a wife all these years, which shows he was deeply devoted to Junjun's mother!"
She tried to find another reason to convince herself. She still believed in true love in this world, but her wish was once again extinguished by her husband.
He said, "How do you know Yingxiong hasn't had any women all these years? Even if he hasn't, it's likely out of guilt, not true love. If it were me, I'd rather give up the empire, give up all my wealth, and I would definitely marry you!"
His resonant words echoed in Zhao Jiaqi's ears, making her heart feel sweet, comparable to eating honey!
Finally, a smile appeared on her face, the corners of her mouth curved upwards, and her mood improved significantly!
"Stop joking and hurry up and eat. We still have to see off the emperors from various countries, and you'll be busy for the morning. Eat more!" In her good mood, she took food for the man beside her!
Fan Zehao looked at the food on the plate and felt surprisingly happy. It wasn't because his wife was serving him, but because he saw his wife's shy face again.
During the meal, Zhao Jiaqi voiced her doubts from the past few days. She said, "I remember when the former Emperor was in power, whenever it was the Emperor's birthday, the envoys from various countries would bring their female companions. This time, among the people who came, why didn't I see the empresses or princesses from various countries? Not even maids among the accompanying personnel, all of them were young male attendants!"
Had these emperors not married? Did they not even have a single concubine in their households?
Fan Zehao chuckled, almost spitting out the rice in his mouth. His wife only realized this matter today?
He laughed and said, "Have you forgotten about Du Chun, the former Crown Princess of Jin? She insulted and offended you at the imperial banquet. Since then, have you ever seen me invite those so-called superior women to attend court banquets?"
Zhao Jiaqi froze. She recalled the incident with Du Chun. It seemed to have happened many years ago, after her husband returned victorious from a campaign, when the Crown Prince of Jin brought his Crown Princess to surrender. So many years had passed in a blink of an eye. At that time, Huangfu Jintao was still alive!
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that ever since that time, Fan Zehao had not invited princesses or crown princesses from various countries to attend banquets!
She shook her head with a smile. Her husband was indeed quite petty, but she liked the way he was petty in this regard!
"Seeing how well-behaved you are, I'll give you a good reward tonight!"
Upon hearing this, Fan Zehao's eyes sparkled with excitement. He whispered, "How about tonight, you listen to me?"
Seeing his lecherous expression, Zhao Jiaqi felt both amused and exasperated. She nodded, "Alright, tell me what dishes you want, and I'll cook for you tonight!"
Hearing this, Fan Zehao, no matter how foolish, knew that the reward tonight was her cooking for him. He immediately gave up his intentions and said dejectedly, "You'd better not cook. If you accidentally cut your finger, I'll be heartbroken again. Let the chef do it!"
It was disappointing. His anticipated reward was ultimately just a cooking task. Fine, if his wife couldn't bring herself to do it, then he would have to seek his reward through practical means!
After the meal, Fan Zehao went to the separate courtyard. The heads of various countries were leaving today. Before they departed, Fan Zehao prepared several portions of specialties from the inner city. Each person received the same gifts, with no distinction.
These specialties alone filled two carriages. Seeing this, Ji Yinghao sighed, "The specialties from the inner city alone are this many. If we were to collect all the produce from the entire Yun Kingdom, wouldn't it require an entire merchant fleet!"
Liang Long also felt the same way and couldn't help but ask Fan Zehao, "Your Highness, among the gifts this time, are there any fine wines and that preserved sausage?"
Fan Zehao smiled. This person must be the glutton his wife mentioned.
He said, "Ten jars of wine, ten jin of preserved sausage, and ten jin of air-dried sausage. That should be enough for you on the road. If you want to eat more, don't forget to patronize my business in the future."
Everyone burst into laughter. This wasn't a farewell gift, but a clear attempt to solicit business!
Prince Ale of the Axi Tribe, being straightforward, laughed and said, "Your Highness, our tribe really likes your fine wine and delicacies, but we don't have much money to buy them. How about we trade them for livestock like cattle, sheep, and horses?"
Speaking of the grasslands, what was most abundant were these things!
Fan Zehao's eyes lit up. This was an excellent idea. "You can trade for livestock, or you can sell them to me. I, as your elder brother, will definitely not treat you unfairly, you can rest assured of that!"
Unintentionally, Ale and Fan Zehao struck a deal. He laughed heartily, "Then it's settled. As soon as I return to the tribe, I'll have people bring them here, and then we'll buy back the things we need. This way, we can have a peaceful winter!"
Fan Zehao was quite fond of this loyal follower. He had never experienced tribal life, at most he had heard about it. But from his words, he felt that tribal life in winter must be very difficult, and he felt a pang of sympathy.
He didn't intend to profit from their tribe. He would help them as much as he could within his capabilities!
With Prince Ale as an example, the others who followed felt that this was a viable plan!
They only needed to exchange goods for goods, without spending money. They felt more at ease about this.
In reality, the logic was the same. It was just that when these people were asked to spend money, they felt uncomfortable. The reason was that they did not have as much money as the princely manor in the inner city!
The remaining emperors also expressed their ideas of bartering. Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi welcomed this.
After seeing these emperors off, the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief!
Zhao Jiaqi looked at their departing figures and lamented, "If we could mutually exchange each country's best techniques, that would be perfect!"
The man beside her listened to his wife's lament, and his red lips curled upwards. "This is normal. If I hadn't been with you all these years and been able to accept such things, the former me would never have handed over such techniques, as they are related to the fate of a country!"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded. That was true, the human heart was the most difficult to fathom!
"It's fine if they don't share. We can send people to learn. Stealing techniques should not be illegal, right!"
Fan Zehao was stunned, and then chuckled. This was not a good idea, and it was a wonder his wife could think of such an unusual plan.
"I'll find someone to handle this. Let's go back to the separate courtyard. There are still people there who haven't left!" he said meaningfully.
The woman glanced at the red lacquered gate of the separate courtyard. Her eyelids twitched slightly. She looked up at him and asked, "Why hasn't Huangfu Xi left yet? Is there something that hasn't been resolved?"
The man took her hand and walked towards the separate courtyard, shaking his head slightly. "You'll know when you see him later. Why guess blindly here!"
With that, Zhao Jiaqi stopped asking!