Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 856 - 854_1

Chapter 856: Chapter 854_1

After Gong Qinghua was released by Shangguan Xuanyi, he knew that his secret stockpiling of copious amounts of grain could no longer be hidden. The servant who had come to pick him up had also informed him about the territorial reparations.

When Gong Qinghua heard this, he was filled with rage. What a ruthless move by Shangguan Xuanyi!

Settling into the carriage, Gong Qinghua quickly calculated his next move as the servant offered him a handkerchief to clean the blood and wounds on his face. He declined the offer.

Intentionally, he didn’t change his clothes or treat his wounds and went straight to see the emperor of Nangong Country with a bloody face and wounded head.

Once in the imperial study room, Gong Qinghua immediately kneeled and pleaded guilty without waiting for the Emperor to speak, "Your Majesty, I have failed you. I’ve been calculating and scheming for years to stockpile such an amount of grains, aiming to surprise you on your birthday. I met Princess Rui from Minze Country and thought if I could learn the cultivation method of the super rice from her, you would be even more pleased. However, I messed things up, leading you to offer territorial reparations to fix my blunder. Your Majesty, I have committed an unforgivable crime against Nangong Country."

At this point, Gong Qinghua couldn’t hold back his tears.

The Nangong emperor gazed at his most beloved son—his head wounded, face smeared with blood, appearance unrecognizable, and clothes dirty and disheveled. The state of disarray was a far cry from his usual grace and charm.

The Nangong Emperor was moved. The Prince of Minze Country was indeed ruthless and vengeful.

The Prince Rui’s wife was unharmed, but his own son had been turned into a scarecrow. Moreover, Minze Country gained Zhan’er County and 100,000 taels of silver from his hands!

If his son had really done something to Princess Rui, would he have to cede the whole Minze Country as indemnity?!

However, as a monarch, how come the Emperor’s own sons always bring honor while his own need him to clean up their mess by paying territorial reparations?!

The Nangong emperor stared coldly at Gong Qinghua, not missing any expressional changes on his face. After a long pause, he finally said, "What exactly happened? How were you able to kidnap Princess Rui? Tell the truth! I do not want to hear any lie."

Gong Qinghua, already nervous under the Nangong emperor’s scrutiny, brightened when he heard these words. He realized his father was willing to believe in him. Wiping his tears, bowing his head and appearing contrite, Gong Qinghua responded with apparent sincerity, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for wanting to hear my explanation. My offences are unforgivable, but I hope you won’t misunderstand. I know how much you care for me, so I must explain all to spare you any disappointment or heartbreak. If not for this, I would rather die to atone for my sins."

Indeed, Gong Qinghua was his most beloved son. The Nangong Emperor’s face softened slightly at Gong Qinghua’s heartfelt words.

Gong Qinghua knew the Nangong Emperor well; seeing his softened expression, Gong Qinghua continued. "Your Majesty, I saw how envious you were when Minze produced super rice. Frequently, you lamented why didn’t Nangong have such talent.

We cannot cultivate super-rice seeds ourselves, so we have to buy from Minze. However, Minze sells the super-rice seeds at an exorbitant price and also limits the quantity. Because of this, you were frustrated and decreed that anyone who can grow crops yielding 1,000 pounds per acre would be awarded the rank of Marquis!

This shows how much you wished your citizens were capable of cultivating super rice.

Unfortunately, in the entire Nangong country, no one was capable of doing so!

To please you and ease some of your worries, I secretly bought the super-rice seeds of a county in Minze and started cultivation. Year after year, I stored the harvested grains, intending to give you a big surprise when the stockpile was large enough.

I originally did not intend to kidnap Princess Rui. When I left Nangong, I just wanted to transport the grains stored in Zhenyang County’s granaries back. However, I unexpectedly ran into Prince Rui and Princess Rui there.

The county magistrate of Zhenyang County was an audacious fool. Apart from selling seeds to me, he was corrupt and framed others, stirring up resentment amongst the people. He even dared to frame Prince Rui, which led to a thorough investigation by the Prince...."

Gong Qinghua continued to explain why he kidnapped Xiao’er. It was as though heaven had delivered her into his hands. However, he didn’t expect that despite his deliberate plan to divert Shangguan Xuanyi, Shangguan Xuanyi still managed to catch up quickly with a ship full of elite soldiers, catching him off guard.

He then detailed the humiliation he suffered under Shangguan Xuanyi.

As Gong Qinghua continued, he became more earnest, his true feelings revealing themselves. After all, he truly detested Shangguan Xuanyi, so there was no need for pretense—his expressions were most convincing!

"Such outrageous bullying!" The Nangong Emperor smacked the desk in anger after hearing the story.

He must have been out of his mind to agree to the territorial reparations back then!

Now they had so much grain; why offer land and reparations?!

Gong Qinghua’s words seemed reasonable and there were no mistakes. The emperor had half a mind to believe him, and remembered that before Gong Qinghua left, he indeed mentioned giving him a surprise.

His son always gave him the most thoughtful birthday gifts. He remembered one year’s gift that took several years to prepare and indeed it brought him great surprise.

And if it weren’t for the territorial reparations this year, receiving so much grain would be a wonderful surprise as well.

Thinking about the grain, the Nangong Emperor softened his tone and seemed a bit eager, "Where is the grain now?"

"Most of it is stored in two villas you bestowed upon me in the suburbs. I renovated them into granaries. A small portion is still in Minze Country. Because of what happened, I was unable to transport it back. I’ll send someone to transport the grain from the suburbs back to the national reserve. Your Majesty, I will take my leave now." After finishing his words, Gong Qinghua rose to his feet, ready to leave.

Seeing his urgency, the Nangong Emperor said, "Alright, it isn’t urgent. The grain can be transported back tomorrow as well. Your injuries seem severe, and you look like a mess. Go clean up and get the imperial doctor to bandage you up."

Gong Qinghua bowed again respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, I will take my leave now."

The Nangong emperor nodded. After Gong Qinghua left, he wrote a secret order and sent it to the Magistrate of Yi’er Island with utmost urgency.

Shangguan Xuanyi wanted to rob him of his lands with empty hands? He should first ask whether his troops would agree!