Yanran dreamed of a vast green wheat field, the wheat already growing tall, the north wind howling past, the wheat field rustling softly.
She stood at the edge of the wheat field, sickle in hand, and asked Tang Zhuyun, "Mother, can we harvest the wheat now?"
Tang Zhuyun smiled and said, "Of course."
"But this wheat is still green."
Yanran had seen wheat fields before and knew that when they were ripe, they should be vast expanses of golden yellow.
"Mother can help them."
Then Tang Zhuyun raised her sleeves, which flowed freely in the wind, and as if by some kind of magic, the wheat suddenly blossomed into cotton-like flowers.
Yanran sensed something was wrong. "Mother, how could wheat bloom with such flowers?"
Tang Zhuyun's expression was quite playful. "Because I've never seen wheat flower before, I imagine it should be similar. Whatever, as long as it ripens, that's fine."
The next moment, she waved her sleeve again and "cast a spell," turning the wheat field into a golden expanse.
Yanran was overjoyed, "Mother is so amazing, please teach me!"
She reached out to tug at Tang Zhuyun's sleeve, only to find that she hadn't grasped anything.
She watched helplessly as Tang Zhuyun vanished like smoke in the wind.
At the same time, the once-ripe wheat began to wither and die in large swathes...
Then Yanran woke up in fright.
She sat up, stared blankly at the candlelight for a while, before realizing she had just had a nightmare.
Yanran raised her hand and touched her forehead, which was covered in sweat. She then realized that her back was also covered in a layer of sweat.
What a load of rubbish nightmare!
Yanran cursed under her breath, then lost all sleepiness. She simply got up, put on her clothes, and poured herself a bowl of cold water.
The cold water made her even more awake.
Yanran suddenly remembered that if wheat flowers, does it mean it will wither?
I don't know why I had such a dream.
After sitting for a while, Yanran still couldn't fall asleep and really wanted to talk to someone.
But looking at the thick, impenetrable darkness outside, and glancing at the dripping water clock, I realized it was only the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).
Cui Xiaoqiu should have just fallen asleep after studying hard, while her mother should already be sleeping soundly.
Yanran thought for a moment, picked up the sword hanging on the wall, and went out to practice swordsmanship for half an hour.
Jiang'er was sleeping in the outer room, got up. Yanran told her to go back to sleep, Jiang'er didn't. Instead, she sat on the veranda, hugging Yanran's cloak, and dozed off.
Sword dancing, bathing, daydreaming... Finally, it was the second quarter of the Yin hour (3:45 AM), and Grandpa next door should already be preparing to go to court.
Yanran dressed and jumped over the wall to the Tang Family, easily finding Tang Mingfan's main courtyard.
The servant was indeed helping him get dressed, and Lüzhu brought over a food box with his men.
"Grandpa," Yanran said with a smile.
Tang Mingfan, whose hearing was no longer impaired, smiled broadly and beckoned her forward, saying, "Why don't you sleep a little longer? You're at the age where you're growing, you need to get enough sleep."
"I had a nightmare and woke up in a fright." Yanran sat down on a chair next to her, watching the servant help her grandfather adjust his court robes.
"What nightmare? Tell me about it and you won't be afraid anymore."
"Grandpa, I dreamt that the Zidu blossomed and then withered and died. Is that a bad omen?"
Tang Mingfan laughed and said, "Wheat isn't bamboo, so how could it wither and die after flowering?"
Yanran slapped her forehead. "I knew something was wrong! Turns out I'd put the wrong thing in the wrong place."
You still need to study hard, otherwise you'll easily make a fool of yourself and never understand it, even in your dreams.
Now I can rest easy.
"Grandpa," she tilted her head and asked, "What benefit would someone get if they sold wheat seeds at a low price?"
Selling wheat seeds at low prices?
"Um."
Tang Mingfan didn't dismiss the question just because it was from a little girl. After thinking carefully for a moment, he said, "Let's divide it into a few types. One is wanting to accumulate merit and do good deeds. After all, giving someone wheat seeds will result in a bountiful harvest and feed them, which is a great act of merit. Even for those who seek fame and fortune, doing so is indeed a good deed."
Yanran nodded. "Yes."
For example, she had thought so before, but the Wen Family denied it.
"Or perhaps they want to sell at a low price this year, so that when everyone has a good harvest next year, they will buy their wheat seeds again. This is a long-term business. Merchants pursue profits, so it's not a bad thing to give up profits temporarily," Tang Mingfan said with a smile, stroking his white beard.
Grandpa is right! Is there anything else?
This possibility is indeed very high, but the thought of using the Wen Family's name makes it seem somewhat unreliable.
"And then there's the deliberate sabotage," Tang Mingfan said. "Back then, in order to State of Wu, didn't the State of Chu send roasted seeds to State of Wu? But such a thing is too immoral. If it were just a dispute between two countries, doing this would be going too far."
Yanran was startled.
She finally realized the potential trap hidden beneath this pie.
No wonder she was so uneasy; subconsciously she felt that such a huge discount might be hiding a trap.
"I understand!" she said, standing up.
Tang Mingfan, still confused, laughed and asked, "What happened? Did you encounter something interesting in the marketplace? Tell me when Grandpa comes back tonight."
Although the grandfather and grandson are not related by blood, they have an extremely close relationship.
Yanran spends her days mingling in the streets and alleys. Her family spoils her, but others always have some criticisms of her.
Tang Mingfan was quite open-minded about this, and often discussed Yanran's experiences in the city with her.
Being down-to-earth, doing good deeds, and always mindful of the suffering of the people—these are the things that people in high positions should do.
Even if Yanran is not a boy, the man she marries in the future will be either rich or noble, and the children she raises will influence many people.
From this perspective, Tang Mingfan possessed extraordinary open-mindedness and foresight.
Yanran hadn't investigated thoroughly yet, and everything was still just speculation, so she vaguely replied, "Alright. You wait here, I'll go investigate this matter and let you know when I find out. You should go to court now!"
After saying that, she ran out.
Tang Mingfan looked at her simply tied ponytail and her neat back view, a tolerant and loving smile appearing on his face, and said, "Let's go."
Yanran went home to find Linlin and told him about it.
Linlin's expression immediately turned serious.
"Brother, do you think someone might be trying to tamper with the wheat seeds?" Yanran asked, resting her chin on her hand. "But I can't figure out their motives."
Is this only happening in the capital, or is it happening everywhere?
If this kind of layout were spread everywhere, how much money would that cost?
If it were just the capital city, even if production decreased or failed, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the overall situation, because the main grain supply still came from the Jiangnan.
Of course, she always thought of the worst-case scenario.
Linlin said, "I'll go tell my father about this, and then send someone to investigate what happened."
These people certainly weren't spread out on a particularly large scale, otherwise they would have attracted attention long ago.
Is their purpose really just as simple as doing good deeds?
Linlin dared not delay and immediately dressed neatly to go find the Prince of Jin.
Yanran didn't go with them, waving her hand and saying, "Brother, I'm going out. I need to go and find out what's going on!"