Su Ya was amused by her words, and the mistress and servant did not continue talking!
They had planned to go shopping. After this incident, their identities were exposed. Now they were probably famous in Hedong Prefecture. If they walked out, everyone would know it was them. How could they conduct their secret investigation!
Deeply understanding his wife, Fan Zehao quietly pulled Zhao Jiaqi to the side and whispered, "How about we disguise ourselves and go out to play? We can't leave for a day or two anyway, so why not find some fun for ourselves!"
Hearing the word "disguise," Zhao Jiaqi's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea, let's do it!"
In the bedroom, Zhao Jiaqi found a servant's outfit and rubbed it vigorously a few times. The originally clean and tidy clothes were turned into rags with holes and even tears after her efforts!
Seeing the result, she happily put on the clothes but almost wore them as a skirt. Fan Zehao's face darkened with displeasure!
"Do I not have enough clothes you like? You have to wear another man's clothes. I'm not so poor that I can't afford linen clothes for you!"
Facing someone who was extremely jealous, Zhao Jiaqi couldn't be bothered with him. She waved her hand at him, telling him to look closely at how she had dressed: "When I wear these clothes, don't I look like a child stealing adult clothes?"
Fan Zehao glanced at her and snorted coldly, "Yes, a pretty wife stealing her mother-in-law's clothes. You don't look like you're from a good family!"
"Speak human!" Zhao Jiaqi, hearing the hidden meaning in his words, put her hands on her hips and angrily retorted.
This person was asking for trouble. He needed to be disciplined every few days, otherwise, she really didn't know how long he would act up!
After shouting, he behaved himself and finally looked at her properly!
"It's okay, but a woman wearing men's clothes looks awkward. It will be even more eye-catching if we go out."
Zhao Jiaqi listened, sat down at the vanity, and began to tidy herself up. In a short while, she appeared before him in the guise of a plain-looking man.
She twirled around in front of Fan Zehao and asked with a smile, "How is it? Do I look like a down-on-his-luck scholar?"
This time, Fan Zehao looked at her seriously and gave his sincere opinion: "You don't look like a scholar, but if you carried a stick and a broken bowl, you'd look exactly like a beggar!"
Scholars were indeed frail, but they were not so poor that their clothes were wrinkled. Everyone knew that scholars had a certain integrity. Even if they were poor, their clothes would be washed and neat!
Facing her husband's sharp words, Zhao Jiaqi had no energy left to argue. She simply let him think and say whatever he wanted, as she would do as she pleased anyway!
After dressing up, they no longer went out shopping as a couple, but as brothers!
Walking on the street, Fan Zehao tugged at the borrowed clothes he was wearing. The sleeves were short, but the pant legs were even shorter, exposing his ankles. When the wind blew, his calves felt cold and chilly!
"Wife... Younger brother, do we really need to dress like this? Look at how many people on the street are staring at us. I feel like a monkey, being laughed at by others!"
Fan Zehao was unaccustomed to and disliked these clothes. Especially when he saw people squatting by the roadside begging, their clothes looked neater than theirs. This comparison made him feel even more pathetic!
Zhao Jiaqi glanced at him: "You're a perfectly fine person, but you want to be a monkey. What can I do!"
In this era, some people picked up money, some picked up things, but no one had ever seen anyone who picked up scolding. Today, she had witnessed it. This person kept picking up scolding, and it was himself who was scolding himself, which was truly remarkable!
After speaking, she straightened her back and strolled along the road, looking around. She was a little excited about this prosperous prefectural city!
She recalled that in the past, the entire Hedong Prefecture had been ruined by that scoundrel Zhao Qing Sui. The prefecture had no money and no people, and the surtax was so heavy. The past tragic and desolate scenes were still vivid in her memory, showing how desolate Hedong Prefecture was back then!
After nearly two years of reforms by Sun Mo, it had changed a lot!
"Brother Fan, after this matter is resolved, if Sun Mo made no mistakes during his tenure, we should poach him and bring him back!"
Fan Zehao raised an eyebrow, his sharp eyes like an eagle's fixed on his wife: "Where will we put him after we bring him back?"
"It seems that all the officials in our inner city are quite responsible, and there are no hypocritical villains in our fiefdoms. There's no place to put him. Don't make them cry to death, it's not worth it!"
Zhao Jiaqi gasped. What was going on today? Why was this fellow targeting her at every turn?
"Our fiefdom's officials must be rotated every three years, with their positions promoted or demoted based on performance. They cannot stay in one position for too long!" Zhao Jiaqi said, then began to arrange matters for Sun Mo: "Let him be an imperial envoy, inspecting performance in one or two places a year, conducting on-site secret investigations. How about this arrangement?"
Hearing his wife's gritted teeth, Fan Zehao had to nod, even if he didn't want to!
"You arrange it!"
He replied spinelessly, secretly thinking to himself that Sun Mo was still a person of the Wise Prince. She was already arranging things. He would have to inform the Wise Prince later and tell him that Sun Mo was a good person. If they lost such an important person, Hedong Prefecture might become desolate again.
The couple each had their own thoughts and hidden agendas, one for public, the other for private!
After wandering around, there was nothing particularly rare that attracted her. The food here was similar to that in Jianghe Town!
After a walk, her stomach started rumbling. She didn't have much appetite, but she still needed to fill her stomach!
"There's someone selling pancakes over there. It smells good, but it looks a bit dry. Do you want to eat some?"
Zhao Jiaqi followed his finger and saw an old man setting up a clay stove at the foot of the wall. Next to the cutting board were oval-shaped pancakes that had been rolled out, and he was sticking them into the stove!
Although it was a thin layer, it was filled with vegetables, and sesame seeds were sprinkled on the dough. It looked appetizing!
"Old sir, what is this food called?"
The old man heard someone talking and looked up to see two beggars at his stall. He thought that the two brothers were not very old and must be desperate and starving, so they came to him for food.
"This is called crispy flatbread. I've just started baking it. It will take about half a cup of tea time to be ready. Why don't you two sit down for a while and have some water to fill your stomachs?"
The couple didn't know the old man's real thoughts. They just felt that the food looked very delicious, so they followed the old man's words, sat on small stools, and waited for the crispy flatbread while drinking water!
Both of their eyes were fixed on the hot stove. Soon, the aroma wafted out from the stove. Zhao Jiaqi took deep breaths and shook her head with a "tsk tsk tsk!"
"This is too fragrant! I haven't even eaten it yet, and I'm already drooling!" Her squinting eyes and sniffing actions amused the man beside her!
"If you like it, have someone learn how to make it. When we get home, you can have them make it whenever you want to eat it!"
He affectionately stroked his wife's loose hair, his eyes and heart full of her. However, this was also one of the few times he had seen his wife show such an expression towards a type of food!