This question is indeed sharp.
Zhao Jiaqi had not paid excessive attention to this matter, but that did not mean she had no opinions or thoughts of her own.
She said, "My son is like me; what use is silver to him! My son is not like me; if he inherits the family fortune, he will squander it. Rather than leaving endless wealth to our children, it is better to give them a skill, enough for them to survive. Perhaps, they will live better than we do now."
After hearing these words, Su Ya and the Gan sisters fell completely silent. Even the well-traveled Gan sisters were stunned by the Princess Consort's idea.
Conversely, Zhao Jiaqi had already planned everything for her husband and children. As for dividing the family property, the couple planned to kick them out of the manor once the children got married and find them separate places to live, so they wouldn't show off their affection in front of her and upset her.
As for their daughter, whether she wanted to marry or take a son-in-law was up to her, but she could not stay in the manor either. She understood the principle that proximity breeds contempt.
Fan Zehao, outside the carriage, heard every word his wife said and felt that his wife was very foresighted. Leaving wealth to children was not as good as using that money to cultivate their various life skills. Money could be spent, but these skills would accompany them their entire lives.
Fan Zehao looked at the carriage window and met his wife's gaze. He smiled and said, "My dear, don't worry. In this life, there is only one Princess Consort in the manor, and the children have only one mother. You have no chance of divorcing me in this life, so just be my wife peacefully."
This sudden confession made Zhao Jiaqi's heart bloom with joy. The other maids in the carriage, hearing these naked words of love, became shy, and more importantly, they envied the love between the Prince and the Princess Consort.
Zhao Jiaqi waved her hand at him, smiling charmingly, "Good boy, I'll add an extra dish for you tonight."
Hearing his wife's words, Fan Zehao's mouth curled up with happiness, his spirits soaring, and he didn't even feel tired riding his horse.
Xiao Ce glanced sideways at Fan Zehao, who was grinning uncontrollably, and shook his head helplessly. He said to Shi He beside him, "See? Our Princess Consort only used one dish to appease the Prince, and the Prince is still beaming. "
Shi He looked and then smiled, turning back, "If my new sister-in-law, Su Ya, said a word to you, you would definitely be happier than the Prince, and you wouldn't even need a dish. You're just talking about others when you're just as bad."
Xiao Ce heard Shi He looking down on him and pouted, his face full of arrogance. He boasted, "She would have to make me at least two dishes, and both would have to be dishes I like."
Shi He smiled and didn't reply. After all this fuss, he only dared to ask his wife for an extra dish. He had thought General Xiao would have more impressive aspirations.
Just as he was shaking his head slightly, Su Ya's voice came from inside the carriage, "General Xiao, the wind is strong outside, be careful not to tie your tongue."
"Hahaha..."
The guards and masters traveling outside heard it clearly and burst into laughter. Xiao Ce awkwardly touched his face and turned to Fan Zehao, who was riding his horse. "Brother Fan, my sister-in-law is quite formidable, training Su Ya to be so sharp-tongued. In the future, I won't worry about my wife being bullied when she goes out."
Fan Zehao was naturally happy to hear his wife praised, but when it came to her being sharp-tongued, he felt it was inappropriate, so he retorted, "My wife is indeed very good. She does and says nothing unreasonable. If anyone wants to bully her, my wife is not made of mud."
Xiao Ce shrugged, with a look of "I knew it." He nodded repeatedly and said, "Brother Fan, what's gotten into you? I wasn't saying anything bad about your wife, just that she's well-taught. You're even bragging about your sister-in-law to me now. Everyone knows the Princess Consort is reasonable, kind to her subordinates, and never bullies others with her status, etc. However... your fear of your wife seems even worse than before."
Fan Zehao had become very indifferent to the matter of fearing his wife and didn't care at all. "What's wrong with fearing your wife? A grown man arguing with a little woman, wouldn't he be ashamed to even say it? Moreover, fearing your wife brings family harmony and makes my woman happy, so why not?"
He continued, "Besides, I may fear my wife at home, but I am feared by others outside, and that's enough."
He wasn't the kind of useless man who feared his wife at home and was also feared by others outside. If he were like that, let alone his wife looking down on him, even he himself would despise himself.
These words, though spoken unintentionally, were heard with purpose by the listeners. They felt that what was said was very true, especially Xiao Ce. With his wedding approaching, he found a new model for marital relations from Brother Fan.
Although he was driving the carriage, his mind was filled with thoughts of how to learn the art of being a husband from Fan Zehao. When he had free time at home, he would also be like them, loving each other as ever, with children around.
After several days of travel, they finally arrived at a border town as night fell. They would only wait until dawn to pass through the pass and head directly to the territory of the Axi tribe.
After arranging for lodging, the group rested for a while, and Zhao Jiaqi then dragged Fan Zehao to stroll through the border town.
Although the town was small, it had everything one could need, with provisions for eating, drinking, and living, and even several brothels, all of which appeared to be doing good business.
Passing by a gambling house, it was crowded. Exotic clothing stood out prominently in this small town.
Zhao Jiaqi stood at the entrance of the gambling house, pointing at the men gambling cards inside, and said to the man beside her, "Those men in exotic clothing are all tall and strong. They look much taller than our group. Especially the muscles on their bodies, they look like seasoned martial artists."
Fan Zehao followed his wife's gaze. After his wife's reminder, he indeed saw that those men were tall and mighty, with fierce appearances and a bloodthirsty look that was rather terrifying.
However, the matter of muscles made him unhappy. He pouted and asked, "These people are wearing clothes, how does Madam know they are martial artists? Could it be that Madam has X-ray vision and can see the flesh through their clothes?"
Calling her "Madam" with every other word, and pouting as if he wanted to stick his ears out, it was clear he was jealous.
Zhao Jiaqi gave him a pair of white eyes, "I don't have X-ray vision, but are those bulging muscles on their arms, or are they silver? Use your brain and think, don't be jealous for no reason. By age, I'm not much different from being their mother."
After hearing his wife's words, Fan Zehao's mouth twitched. Judging by their appearance, those men were at least twenty-five or twenty-six years old. For his wife to be the mother of people this age... heh, more like a stepmother.
Seeing that her husband remained silent for a long time, Zhao Jiaqi touched her chin and frowned, "Logically speaking, this is a border town, and the pass is ahead. How can these people be here?"
It seemed there wasn't much trade here. How could people from the Axi tribe appear here?
Fan Zehao gently patted his wife's head a few times as a symbolic punishment, and secretly tugged at her silky black hair. Before she could get angry, he quickly said, "As far as I know, these people should be here to sell cattle and sheep, and then use the money to buy some grain to store for the winter. It seems these people have finished selling their cattle and sheep and have come here to try their luck."
With this explanation, Zhao Jiaqi understood. All right, she was ignorant. She really wasn't clear about these things.