Chapter 194: Going to the Border City
“Your Highness must prepare early! Prince Yu intends to completely ruin your reputation!” Wei Qingquan’s voice was low, but sincere.
Wei Yingzhi felt the seriousness in her father’s tone and quickly said, “Father, don’t worry, I will definitely deliver the letter. But Father, if you delay for a while, can’t we wait for His Highness’s message?”
Wei Qingquan shook his head and sighed, “His Highness has not yet returned to the border city from the Northern Frontier, and I don’t know when I will receive my letter.
Besides, I have already been targeted by Prince Yu, and he will not give me a chance to delay.”
Wei Qingquan knew very well that Prince Yu would be the first to strike him, precisely because he had served as a clerk in the border city and had earned the trust of King Li.
Wei Qingquan now deeply regretted not returning to Chang’an. A small figure like him getting involved in this dragon’s den would be instantly crushed.
He should have listened to the Prince and brought his wife and daughters to the border city, to that thriving and ever-changing border city.
Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world, but my Yingzhi must survive!
That night, the couple stayed up with their daughter, offering earnest advice and meticulous instructions. The mother’s tears never stopped.
When the firecrackers for the new year sounded, taking advantage of the fact that neighbors in the four streets were all setting off firecrackers amidst the lively noise, little Yingzhi was put into a vegetable basket by her mother and taken out the back door.
Soon, a wheelbarrow passed by and moved the vegetable basket onto it. The cart was full of vegetable baskets. There was no curfew tonight, and delivery wheelbarrows were everywhere, attracting no attention at all.
Little Yingzhi did not sleep. She stared out from the holes in the vegetable basket. She saw a group of black-clad constables go to her house. She was very scared and wanted to go home to inform her parents, but she did not.
Because her father had said that once she left home, she should not concern herself with anything else, not look back, and must go to the border city to see the Prince.
After an unknown amount of time, the wheelbarrow swayed, and she was taken outside the city. She heard her maternal uncle’s voice:
“I’ve taken the person. This matter must not be told to anyone, otherwise, both you and I will be in mortal danger!”
The delivery man took the money and said, “My lord, rest assured, this matter will be buried with me.”
Yingzhi thought she would see her maternal grandfather, maternal aunt, and cousin, but instead, her uncle took her to a small ruined temple: “Yingzhi, don’t run around here. Uncle will find a cart to take you home.”
Little Yingzhi did not forget her father’s words: “But Uncle, Father told me to go to the border city.”
A cold glint flashed in Yingzhi’s maternal uncle’s eyes: “I know, I will send you there.”
Her uncle left, and Yingzhi, hugging her luggage, huddled in a corner. Soon, several beggar children came into the ruined temple. Seeing her alone, the beggar children did not bully her but instead asked if she was lost.
Yingzhi just shook her head, saying nothing. After waiting for an unknown amount of time, a little beggar child suddenly said, “This is bad, a group of constables are coming, let’s leave quickly.”
A little beggar child came to grab Yingzhi: “Hurry, the constables will take you to the orphanage!”
Yingzhi naturally refused to go: “I’m waiting for my uncle.”
“Are you stupid! Your uncle hasn’t come for so long, he’s abandoned you! If you go to the orphanage, you’re so pretty, you’ll be sold to a brothel!”
Yingzhi refused to leave no matter what. Just then, she saw her uncle from the back window pointing the way to those constables. These constables were dressed the same as the ones who went to her house last night!
Yingzhi couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Why was her uncle leading the constables here?
She stopped struggling and was pulled out of the ruined temple by the little beggar children, hiding in the nearby bushes. Then she heard a truth that broke her heart and confused her:
“The Wei family’s young lady is inside! Capture her, and no matter how tough Wei Qingquan’s bones are, he will obediently listen.”
Her uncle had betrayed her! He wasn’t going to send her to the border city, but to use her as a hostage for Prince Yu to force her father.
Little Yingzhi’s tears flowed uncontrollably. She wanted to rush out and question her uncle, and go home to check on her parents.
But she knew even more clearly that she absolutely could not move now! She could not be caught.
She saw the constables, unable to find her, turn and arrest her uncle. She heard her uncle anxiously and desperately shouting her name.
It seemed as if he was worried and scared that he couldn’t find her. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that her uncle would do this to her.
Although her mother and she were often bullied by her maternal aunt and cousin during the years her father was away, her uncle had always been good to them!
If even her uncle couldn’t be trusted, then who in this world could she trust? How could she get to the border city alone?
“Hey, your name is Yingzhi, right? Did your uncle want to sell you? What’s there to cry about? Adults are all like this, they don’t care about children’s lives for their own benefit!”
Yingzhi bit her lip, wanting to retort, but had no words to say.
“Do you have anywhere to go? If not, join our beggar gang! I guarantee you won’t starve.” The beggar child said heartily, imitating an adult’s tone.
Yingzhi shook her head: “I want to go to the border city.”
The beggar child’s eyes lit up: “You’ve heard of that good place too? What a coincidence, we’re also planning to go to the border city.”
“My name is Li Linfeng, and these are my brothers and sisters. We are refugees from our homeland. Then let’s travel together!”
“Let me tell you, on our way fleeing, we met two immortal-like Taoist priests. I heard they are in the border city…”
“I see the border city!” On horseback, Jin Sui said excitedly, holding a telescope.
She saw the tallest watchtower in the border city, towering above the mountain pass, revealing a unique five-pointed star-shaped top. Soldiers patrolling outside the pass used this tower as a lighthouse at sea.
For this reason, Jin Sui had specifically instructed that the fire on the tower should not be extinguished all night.
Gu Changxiao also let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like he had finally returned home after a long journey.
This feeling he would never have in Chang’an. Returning to Chang’an was like returning to another battlefield, even more bizarre and terrifying than a battlefield with real swords and guns.
Only the border city was different.
Not only Gu Changxiao, but all the soldiers of the Black Feather Camp cheered: “We’re going home!”
They even patted the shoulders of the Northwest Army soldiers: “I’ll treat you to drinks at my place! Ask the Prince to settle you near the Black Feather Camp, so it’ll be convenient for us to drink.”
At this point, they noticed many oilcloth sheds set up in the wilderness not far from the pass, and they all found it incredible:
“No way! They’re reclaiming land here! Aren’t there enough barren lands around the border city for them to farm? They’ve even cultivated this place into fields!”
Jin Sui smiled and said, “Naturally, the land here is fertile, and the high-yield crops shouldn’t be left to go to waste.”
The soldiers of the Northwest Army were curious: “What kind of land requires such sheds?”
“It should be for growing tomatoes! That sour and sweet fruit we ate on the road, it’s delicious stewed in soup, used in dishes, or eaten directly.”
At this moment, several border soldiers from the Tuntian Camp emerged from the greenhouses. As soon as they saw the Prince, they immediately saluted and greeted him, rushing to spread the word: “The Prince is back!”
This amused Jin Sui, and she nudged Gu Changxiao with her elbow: “Listen to them shouting, the Prince is back, but they’re not getting paid, yet they’re so excited!”
Gu Changxiao joked, “I think they’re just happy that the fake Prince is back.”
Jin Sui was startled and suddenly felt embarrassed: “It’s a bit shameful! To be honest, in the past, when I did those absurd things, I always thought, ‘It’s King Li’s reputation that’s being tarnished anyway, what does it have to do with me, Ji Sui?'”
“Now everyone knows that Ji Sui is the fake King Li, and she’s a girl! How can I face anyone!”
Gu Changxiao laughed heartily: “I don’t think anything you’ve done is shameful, they are all good deeds that benefit the people!”
Jin Sui raised an eyebrow: “Really? Then King Li’s impotence is also not shameful?”
This time, Gu Changxiao blushed and said helplessly, “I really don’t know what you were thinking back then.”
Jin Sui burst into laughter: “In any case, you have to admit to the shameful things, you can’t drag me into it. I am Miss Ji now, not Daoist Ji.”
As they spoke, they entered the pass and suddenly saw a gust of sand and dust flying. Cheng Yu, leading the remaining soldiers, came out as if to meet an enemy, with an excited expression, their horses galloping.
No, if you’re picking someone up, why not have a banner, fresh flowers, song and dance, and you’re galloping like this, making it look like a fight is about to break out!
The soldiers of the Northwest Army’s first reaction was that these people were here to fight, and they all reined in their horses and drew their sabers. This startled the soldiers of the Black Feather Camp, who quickly said:
“These are our brothers who stayed behind. They’re just too excited, they’re not here to cause trouble.”
“Your Highness! You’re finally back!”
“Your Highness! It’s great that you’re safe!”
…
Cheng Yu was relatively calm, but other brothers were so excited they were in tears, shouting and yelling. After dismounting, they all rushed towards the Prince… no, towards Jin Sui.
“Your Highness, you’re actually a girl!”
“I was too careless. The woman in Yan Jiu’s carriage back then was Your Highness, wasn’t she? I didn’t recognize her!” Cheng Yu said with annoyance.
The soldiers of the Northwest Army were stunned and confused: “What’s going on? Don’t they recognize the Prince? Why are they calling Miss Ji ‘Your Highness’?”
Hei Hu chuckled: “This is a long story, let me tell you slowly.”
Jin Sui really wanted to say, don’t talk about the embarrassing past! But it seemed that everyone else, except her, didn’t think it was embarrassing.
They even thought she was amazing! This also eased some of their concerns. If Leader Ji were a man, being close to him would make them worry about the Prince’s feelings.
As Jin Sui had guessed before, she thought Gu Changxiao wanted her to leave because he was afraid she would take the Black Feather Camp with her.
But with Leader Ji being a girl, it was completely different! Even the Prince himself respected and admired her.
Jin Sui was surrounded, and Gu Changxiao, the real Prince, led her horse for her.
Well, now I can say without exaggeration that I am the darling of the border city! From the Prince of the border city to the stable hands and ordinary soldiers, everyone respects me as Leader Ji!
Jin Sui walked with her hands behind her back, head held high, with the demeanor of a big sister.
Until she saw Grandpa Ling, she instantly transformed into a little girl: “Grandpa!” Her eyes reddened, full of longing.
Although they had only been apart for a few months, the old man seemed to have aged exceptionally quickly. Grandpa Ling’s hair had turned completely white, he was thinner, and the wrinkles on his face had deepened.
“It’s good that you’re back! It’s good that you’re back!” Grandpa Ling’s eyes were also red. He patted Jin Sui’s hand and looked her up and down. Seeing that his granddaughter was not injured, just thinner and darker, he was relieved.
“Where is Jin An?”
“He’s at school. I didn’t call him.”
“Right, right. We’ll see him when we get home. We can’t delay his studies.”
“Grandpa, let me tell you, I found a disciple for you in the Northern Frontier…”
“Disciple? What disciple? What will he learn from me?”
“A disciple of the Taoist sect! Don’t you remember we are from the Taoist sect! You wouldn’t believe how popular our Taoism of the Three Pure Ones is in the Northern Frontier now.
Oh, right, I earned ten thousand mu of fertile land for you, and the Prince is also going to build a Great Taoist Temple for you in the border city.
Oh, what a shame, King Batel of the Northern Frontier was almost going to build a Great Taoist Temple for us in the Royal Court…”
Jin Sui excitedly chatted with her grandpa about the Northern Frontier. Everyone stopped riding their horses and walked along, looking around. The border city had changed so much!
In the earliest days, within a hundred li of the pass, it was all desolate and uninhabited, both inside and outside the pass. The people inside the pass dared not approach, and the herdsmen outside the pass would occasionally graze their livestock. More often, there was no sound for a hundred li.
After Jin Sui arrived, refugees came down from the mountains, herdsmen came to trade supplies, and the area near the pass became lively.
Then, after Jin Sui burned down the old border city, the new border city was closer to the pass, and now the area inside and outside the pass had become lively.
The barren land was reclaimed into fields, all the refugees came down from the mountains, and the herdsmen wanted to be closer to the border city.
Cheng Yu spoke about the greenhouses: “Not only in Yandi, but merchants from Jiangnan and Shu Province also come specifically to buy tomato sauce and chili sauce. Our previous land was not enough to plant, so we added so many greenhouses.”
At this moment, Jin Sui saw a new cluster of buildings with tall chimneys emitting thick smoke. She pointed and asked, “What is that for?”
Cheng Yu quickly replied, “Your H… Your Leader Ji, that’s the kiln area. Besides brick, tile, and porcelain kilns, there are also glazed glass kilns, refined iron workshops, and coal ball production all in this area.
Because of the strong smell, I arranged it far from the urban area and built wider roads for convenient goods transportation. It also connects to the river channel, which will be convenient for building a pier when water transport is possible in the future.”
Jin Sui praised highly: “You’ve considered everything very thoughtfully. This industrial zone should be far from the main city area for easier management.”
The soldiers of the Northwest Army were all stunned. Why were they more respectful to Miss Ji than to the Prince? Moreover, Miss Ji was far more familiar with the border city than the Prince.
Looking at our Prince, who was smiling at Miss Ji the whole time, with pride in his eyes. Xie Maolin was not stupid and naturally saw it.
In the future, this Miss Ji would surely become the Princess Consort!
“The gentry of Yandi didn’t cause trouble, allowing you to build these workshops and trade with merchants from all over the world?” Jin Sui was genuinely curious.
Cheng Yu was about to answer when, at that moment, everyone heard a loud shout: “Ji Sui!”
Gu Changxiao frowned. Who dared to call Sui’s name directly? He looked up and saw Yan Shiyi.
This guy was galloping on his horse and even rode into the rapeseed field, trampling on quite a few rapeseed plants.
Jin Sui became more and more angry as she watched. When he ran closer and dismounted: “My Eldest Brother and Miss Twelve? Why are you the only one back?”
Jin Sui grabbed his ear and pointed at the rapeseed field, angrily saying, “Why didn’t you take the main road, but instead trampled on the crops? Pay up!”
Gu Changxiao took Jin Sui’s hand and squinted at Yan Shiyi: “This King is also back!”
We came back with so many people, and you only saw Sui?
Yan Shiyi covered his ears and wailed: “Still so fierce! Didn’t you get beaten in the Northern Frontier?”
