A Qiao

"At least they had a one-night stand, what's wrong with me?"

"Is it my luck at work, or is it the twists and turns brought about by fate that have a guiding effect?"

Li Shang was worried that Zhang Xuezhou's illness would be difficult to cure, thus causing trouble for the King of Huainan's Household.

Zhang Xuezhou was embarrassed by Li Shang and others' treatment of his illness and could no longer shamelessly try to curry favor with the King of Huainan's Household.

He felt somewhat lucky to have discovered a new way to unblock the magical Law Power of the Jieyang seal under such a passive situation, giving his sealed Law Power an additional outlet. However, the sudden appearance of multiple women, and even the possibility of becoming a father unexpectedly, caused him great emotional turmoil, making him feel that life was full of surprises.

"That's enough!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding had high standards for choosing a partner, so finding a suitable woman to marry was relatively easy for them.

Especially since Zhang Xuezhou had broadened his horizons and met many outstanding women, how could he settle for just anyone?

But seeing Zhang Zhong's joyful expression inside the carriage, Zhang Xuezhou finally felt that the situation was acceptable.

Even if Aqiao could help him overcome the drawbacks of Jieyang, just being able to continue the lineage for Zhang Zhong and others for a third generation would be a joyous occasion and fulfill the long-held expectations of their parents.

"Ah Qiao, I heard from Li Shang that you can still receive some money from the King of Huainan's Household?"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered and made up his mind, then glanced at the woman, A Qiao, in the carriage.

By ordinary standards, A-Qiao's appearance was already excellent. Her face was as delicate as a camellia bud, and she possessed the fresh and elegant beauty of a young woman, making her a pleasure to behold.

Zhang Xuezhou looked up and saw A Qiao quickly bow her head in greeting.

"My lord, the Prince's manor provides me with three hundred shi of grain every year," A-Qiao replied quickly. "Only if I can find a place to stay with you will the Prince's manor stop providing it!"

"So, if you can't find a place to stay, will the Prince's Mansion continue to provide you with food?"

Zhang Xuezhou asked a follow-up question, which caused A Qiao to quickly lower her head.

Grain was the most stable and effective currency. The salaries of officials in the Great Han Dynasty were calculated in grain. Zhang Xuezhou's annual salary was one thousand shi (a unit of dry measure).

One shi (石) weighs over a hundred jin (斤), and Zhang Xuezhou's annual salary is equivalent to 100,000 jin (斤) of grain.

When food is plentiful, it doesn't fetch much money, but when it's scarce, it sells for exorbitant prices. This is the most effective way to solidify one's wealth.

Aqiao's 300 shi (a unit of dry measure) adds up to more than 30,000 jin (another unit of weight), enough to feed dozens of people for a year.

Zhang Xuezhou's annual salary as a Grand Master of the Palace was only three times that of A Qiao. A Qiao was clearly not an ordinary person in the King of Huainan's Household, but rather held a high position, and the mansion even promised to cover her expenses.

Such a thing as providing a safety net is extremely rare. Either Aqiao has a family connection in the King of Huainan's Household, and the mansion will give her special consideration, so she can still receive supplies after leaving the mansion, or Aqiao is still of use to the mansion.

"I heard from Li Shang that you have a residence in Chang'an City?" Zhang Xuezhou continued to ask.

"There's a small house over on Lin'an Street," A-Qiao quickly nodded in response.

"That's great!"

After asking a simple question, Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that A Qiao probably didn't have many relatives.

Aqiao's small house on Lin'an Street is similar to Zhang Xuezhou's house in Laoshu Hutong, except that it belongs to the residence of wealthy merchants and has little to do with officials who control power.

"What does the princess want from you that she asked you to come with me?"

After closing his eyes for a while, Zhang Xuezhou calmed his thoughts on magic and stopped the distracting ideas about the conflict between men and women and social structures. His mind was almost completely at peace, and he was able to sort out many things with relatively normal thinking.

"I have no idea!"

Aqiao replied in a low voice.

She lowered her head and then secretly glanced at Zhang Xuezhou.

Many officials in the imperial court were incompetent and held their positions without merit, but those who could enter the court were all elites, surpassing ordinary people in both ability and intellect.

Dealing with these people was not easy. Zhang Xuezhou had already begun his investigation shortly after leaving the King of Huainan's Household.

Physical pleasure is fleeting, and the disruption of the antidote to enchantment is not irreplaceable. Only if Li Shang and others manipulated things to make her pregnant could she be bound and kept by Zhang Xuezhou's side.

Aqiao felt uneasy, unsure of her fate.

"If you can cure the illness in my body, you will be free to travel between the Prince's Palace and your own residence!"

Zhang Xuezhou did not ask any further questions, but instead gave a response.

This response made A-Qiao happy for a moment, but also a little anxious.

She was happy because Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't reject her based on personal preference or other reasons. She was worried because Zhang Xuezhou only talked about her illness, didn't mind what information she obtained and relayed to the Prince's Mansion, and even allowed her to return to her own residence in the future. However, Zhang Xuezhou's implication was that he didn't like to talk about feelings.

As a person planted in the King of Huainan's Household, her work went very smoothly.

But as a woman, her life was clearly not as wonderful as she had imagined.

For a moment, the insightful person in the carriage fell silent, while Zhang Zhong looked around with a delighted expression.

Zhang Zhong had to run away with You Lady Yourong to get married and start a family. He never expected that Zhang Xuezhou would have such a stroke of good luck. He went to the banquet at the King of Huainan's Household and lay down for ten days and was rewarded with a lady from a prominent family.

Zhang Zhong held A Qiao's contract in his hand and found it pleasing to the eye no matter how he looked at it.

"Judging from her face, Ah Qiao has a gentle and kind face that comes after a life full of ups and downs. After suffering comes sweetness, and she will live a good life from now on!"

Zhang Zhong looked at A Qiao and couldn't help but compare her face to Zhang Xuezhou's. He felt that A Qiao's face was good and that she had a lucky face.

His words inevitably drew another laugh from Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't take Zhang Zhong judgment seriously, but A Qiao's eyes widened in disbelief, completely surprised that the people in Zhang Xuezhou's household all had the ability to read faces.

She didn't dare to speak to Zhang Xuezhou for a moment, but she got along very well with Zhang Zhong, nodding and asking questions in a low voice.

When the carriage from the King of Huainan's Household's residence came to a stop, and the coachman lifted the curtain covering the carriage, A-Qiao's heart began to pound.

She looked up out of the carriage and saw that the houses outside were even worse than her own, and even though the courtyard was cleaned, the stench of pigs lingered.

Compared to the extravagance of the King of Huainan's Household's mansion, the conditions of Zhang Xuezhou's residence were obviously extremely poor, making it hard to believe that this was the official residence of a Grand Master of the Palace.

Zhang Xuezhou went home as usual, and Aqiao glanced around before quickly following him.

"Grown ups..."

"You'll be staying in this room with me for now. Feel free to eat whatever you like!"

Ah Qiao mustered up her courage and came up to ask, while Zhang Xuezhou pointed to the room where they were staying.

Although Zhang Xuezhou bought a luxurious house, due to the current construction standards, the house was a single-story building with a courtyard covering hundreds of square meters, so the actual living space was limited. Even when Dong Zhongshu came to the Zhang Household, he had to sleep on the floor in the study.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't treat Aqiao as a guest either; he pointed to where she was staying.

But Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache, as he felt he was seeing the fate of Chen Zhang after he got married and had children.

His conflict with Huang Daoxian was not yet over, and he was in a difficult mood. The unexpected involvement of this matter also forced Zhang Xuezhou to face the reality of ordinary life.

(Note: Aqiao is not the female lead; she is a character inspired by the historical figure Dongfang Shuo.)