Chapter 123: Miss Yan and Gu Changxiao’s First Meeting
Since clarifying things with Miss Yan the Twelfth that time, the little girl rarely came to the border city. This visit must be to deliver the dividends from the Rouge Shop.
What if she scares people away, making them think our border city is full of terrifying elements and they won’t dare to come in the future? If cooperation can’t be deepened, wouldn’t that scare away the god of wealth, no, the goddess of wealth!
Scaring away this goddess of wealth made her more anxious than the Real Li King, because Gu Changxiao had just agreed that the profits from the cooperation with the Yan Clan would be split equally between the Ji Clan and Li King.
This means it’s not just the company’s money, but her personal shares too! Her future plans to buy land, open shops, and acquire property all depend on the money earned by the Yan Clan, so how could she not be anxious!
Sincerely praying, Miss Yan the Twelfth, please don’t have any accidents!
Seeing the panic on Daoist Ji’s face that he had never seen before, Gu Changxiao slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. You told me you had no feelings for Miss Yan, that you were destined to be without romantic love, but your expression, how can I believe you?
But Gu Changxiao quickly realized he shouldn’t be feeling this way. Even if Daoist Ji truly liked that Yan Clan Daughter, why should he be angry?
He had just said he wanted to form a sworn sisterhood with her, willing to give up half the city to keep her.
Now that he discovered Daoist Ji had a woman he cared about, he should be happy! He could use the Yan Clan Daughter to keep Daoist Ji here.
But why did he feel so miserable? Watching Daoist Ji worry anxiously about another person, he felt like he had swallowed a sour olive, a blockage that made his heart ache with every breath.
He silently followed Jinsui, watching Jinsui rush back to the camp and loudly ask, “Where is Miss Yan? Where is Miss Yan?”
Yan Shiyi Lang was the first to jump out, “You good-for-nothing Jun Yanqing! I’m telling you, if my sister gets scared and has a problem… Ah!”
Before his threat was finished, Hei Hu, who had been waiting nearby, grabbed him by the collar and threw him.
“He’s been making noise here for ages.”
At this moment, Chen Yunniang pushed open the door, “Your Highness, Miss Yan is resting here.”
Jinsui hurried in and stopped Hei Hu and Gu Changxiao with her hands, “You two, don’t come in.”
Hei Hu didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. The room was small, and he wouldn’t even have space to stand. Besides, he didn’t know medicine, so he couldn’t help.
Gu Changxiao, however, was stunned. This was the first time Daoist Ji had refused his company.
Why couldn’t he go in? If it was due to the distinction between men and women, why could Daoist Ji enter the room so directly?
But he didn’t refute Jinsui in public. Instead, he stood silently against the wall, closed his eyes, and listened carefully to the sounds inside the room.
Miss Yan the Twelfth was still unconscious, with Han Xing and Chen Yunniang taking care of her. As soon as Jinsui entered, Han Xing stood up to apologize.
“It was my subordinate’s lack of foresight that frightened Miss Yan.”
Jinsui scolded him in a low voice, “You don’t mean to tell me that you and your soldiers think dead people aren’t scary, but living people are?”
“Any girl in the world would be terrified to see that scene! What were you thinking, letting her go see it?”
“Also, I’ve told you many times, corpses cannot be kept for long in hot weather. They must be promptly burned and buried, otherwise, they will spread epidemics.”
Han Xing did not defend himself, standing by with his head bowed, listening to Jinsui scold him. His eyes, however, kept darting to Miss Yan the Twelfth’s face, and the wet towel in his hand tightened.
Jinsui glared at him fiercely, snatched the towel, and personally stepped forward to wipe Miss Yan the Twelfth’s sweat while taking her pulse.
Chen Yunniang took some peppermint water and smeared it under Miss Yan the Twelfth’s nose, saying softly, “Your Highness, allow this concubine to try pinching her philtrum?”
Jinsui shook her head, took out silver needles, and performed acupuncture on Miss Yan the Twelfth. As the silver needles slowly pierced the philtrum acupoint, Miss Yan the Twelfth’s eyes also opened.
When she opened her eyes and saw Jinsui’s face, her first reaction was to stare blankly, as if she were in a dream, unwilling for the person in her dream to disappear, wanting to look for as long as possible.
To be honest, her gaze was so intense that Jinsui felt very guilty. At that moment, she thought, if only I were a man!
I’d fall madly in love with you, even if it meant bringing down the sky!
Unfortunately, I’m a woman!
“Ahem, Miss Yan, you’re awake.”
Tears suddenly welled up in Miss Yan the Twelfth’s eyes, “Am I… am I not dreaming?”
Jinsui slowly removed the silver needles and brought over the teacup from the table. She had originally intended to help her up herself, but Chen Yunniang beat her to it.
After drinking a few sips of tea, Miss Yan the Twelfth was convinced she wasn’t dreaming; the Prince was truly before her!
At the same time, she recalled the scene she had seen not long ago, and she grabbed Jinsui’s sleeve, crying in terror, “Your Highness, it was so scary! So scary!”
Jinsui patted her back to comfort her, “It’s alright now, those were just the corpses of bandits.”
She then glared at Han Xing, “Don’t do such things again! The refugees are so scared they don’t dare to come out.”
Han Xing cupped his hands, “Your Highness’s reprimand is correct!”
Jinsui glared at him again, “Apologize to Miss Yan.”
Han Xing glanced at Miss Yan the Twelfth, then abruptly lowered his head and said softly, “Miss Yan, I’m sorry, I scared you.”
Miss Yan the Twelfth, however, clutched Jinsui’s sleeve and said urgently, “Your Highness, please don’t scold Captain Han. I insisted on going into the forest myself. He tried to dissuade me.”
This was why Jinsui liked Miss Yan the Twelfth. The little girl was straightforward and honest, not like a “green tea” who would shift the blame to others.
“I thought, I thought Your Highness didn’t want to see me, and you were hiding inside, so I insisted on going in.”
Jinsui sighed softly, “How could I not want to see you? If Miss Yan is willing to interact with me as a friend, you are always welcome to visit the border city.”
She smiled meaningfully, “Besides, we are still cooperating on the Rouge Shop. How could this King hide from a business partner?”
Mentioning this, Miss Yan the Twelfth remembered the purpose of her visit and quickly said:
“I’ve come to give Your Highness the dividends. The Rouge Shop had very good business this month. I thought Your Highness needed silver to build the border city, so I couldn’t wait until the end of the year and brought some dividends to you in advance.”
Jinsui was overjoyed. This was truly the goddess of wealth coming to her door! Her voice became even gentler, “Are you still feeling dizzy? The dividends aren’t urgent, aren’t urgent, you should rest first.”
However, everyone could hear that the two ‘aren’t urgent’ meant ‘urgent’! Miss Yan the Twelfth quickly got up, but her head was still a bit dizzy, and she almost fell.
Jinsui quickly supported her, comforting her, “Don’t rush, come, have some more water.”
“Where is my Elder Brother? The silver notes are with him.” Miss Yan the Twelfth looked towards the door.
Jinsui immediately became anxious and shouted towards the door, “Hei Hu! Please invite the Turtle, no, Eleventh Young Master in!”
I hope he doesn’t break the person! It doesn’t matter if the person is broken, just don’t break my silver notes!
Hei Hu outside the door loudly replied, “Aye!” and quickly ran to grab Yan Shiyi Lang.
Meanwhile, Gu Changxiao, who had been silently watching the scene inside from the back window, directly crushed the straw curtain with his fingers.
From his perspective, he saw Daoist Ji gently supporting Miss Yan the Twelfth, and heard Daoist Ji comforting Miss Yan the Twelfth in a tone of unprecedented gentleness.
The two exchanged affectionate glances from time to time, Miss Yan the Twelfth’s eyes like autumn water, as if she wanted to drown him!
And Daoist Ji’s eyes sparkled like the star clusters under the telescope that night, as if looking at the most precious treasure in the world at Miss Yan the Twelfth.
Daoist Ji, is this what you call having no personal feelings! Absolutely no romantic love for Miss Yan the Twelfth?
How can you make me believe you?
Did you so readily agree to continue playing the ‘Li King’ because this identity is more conducive to you contacting Miss Yan?
At this moment, Gu Changxiao’s heart felt like a spilled bottle of five flavors, yet he was also very clear that he couldn’t blame Daoist Ji for anything.
The group came out of the small room and into the courtyard. Yan Shiyi was angrily hugging his arms, glaring at Hei Hu:
“Big Black Guy, if you dare to throw this young master again, just once! This young master will definitely not let you off!”
Hei Hu rolled up his sleeves, “Come on, if you want to fight, let’s have a fight.”
Yan Shiyi jumped three feet high and hid behind Han Xing, “Who wants to fight you!”
His eyes rolled, and he said, “One-on-one is individual heroism. If you have the guts…”
Hei Hu chimed in, “A group fight is fine too. You call your people!”
Yan Shiyi Lang scoffed disdainfully, “Fighting the Black Feather Camp, you’re bullying people! If we’re going to compete, let’s play polo. Whoever wins has to respectfully greet the other when we meet from now on.”
Hei Hu was about to refuse. Playing polo was a pastime for the wealthy, and they, the border soldiers, had no time for such things.
But he heard the Prince speak first:
“Alright! Then it’s settled. Half a month from now, we’ll have a polo match in the border city. Two teams are too boring. If we’re going to play, let’s play big and set stakes.
The Black Feather Camp and the Tuntian Camp of the border city will each field a team. How many teams you can gather depends on your ability.”
Yan Shiyi excitedly said, “You said it! Then it’s settled. Let’s set it for August 18th, and we’ll compete on the border city field!”
Yan Shiyi raised his hand. Jinsui was about to step forward to high-five him, but Gu Changxiao stopped her. He high-fived Yan Shiyi on Jinsui’s behalf.
Yan Shiyi equally disliked all of Li King’s Personal Guards!
After glaring at Hei Hu, he then glared at Gu Changxiao. After the high-five, he even rubbed his hand on his clothes with disdain.
He then went to Miss Yan the Twelfth and whispered to her, “Sister, look, it’s this guy. He eats and sleeps with Jun Yanqing every day, sharing a bed in that small room!”
Miss Yan the Twelfth quickly glanced at Gu Changxiao. She saw that this man’s appearance was different from the men of Yandi. He was tall and straight like a pine, handsome, but a bit gloomy, making him seem fierce.
When she looked at him, their eyes met, and Miss Yan the Twelfth felt afraid.
This feeling was very similar to when Elder Brother Yan Jiu was angry. He wouldn’t say anything, just give you a calm look, and you’d be so scared your legs would go weak.
After being looked at by Gu Changxiao, she quickly shifted her gaze, but she felt indignant. Although he was handsome, he wasn’t as handsome as the Prince!
He’s just a Personal Guard, this young lady isn’t afraid of you!
She wanted to glare back fiercely, but ultimately didn’t have the courage, so she just said to Second Brother:
“Who asked him! Where are the silver notes?”
Yan Shiyi Lang took out the silver notes from his embrace, and Miss Yan the Twelfth quickly snatched them and personally handed them to Jinsui.
The casual way they treated the silver notes made Jinsui’s heart tremble. Those were silver notes! What if a corner was torn off? Couldn’t you two pay more attention to my money?
After receiving them, Jinsui quickly flipped through them. There were ten notes of a thousand taels each!
Her surprise was evident. The Rouge Shop was that profitable?
Miss Yan the Twelfth was very pleased with the Prince’s expression and secretly resolved to manage the Rouge Shop even better and earn more money for the Prince!
Yan Shiyi mumbled, “If you want to exchange them for silver or gold, you can do so at my Yan Clan’s bank. The handling fee is three taels for every hundred taels.”
Jinsui frowned. Before she could say more, Miss Yan the Twelfth spoke for her:
“How can we charge Your Highness a handling fee? If you insist on charging, I’ll go exchange them myself. Does Your Highness want silver or gold?”
Jinsui looked at Twelfth’s eyes even more gently. What a good girl! So thoughtful. She knows this King loves money and even saves me the handling fee!
Gu Changxiao couldn’t stand the way she looked at the Yan Clan Daughter and nudged her with his elbow, “Miss Yan is asking if you want silver or gold?”
Jinsui quickly said, “Silver, convert it all into cash silver.”
Miss Yan the Twelfth, however, felt that Gu Changxiao was too disrespectful to the Prince. Although she found this man terrifying, she wanted to protect the Prince. She stepped forward, took back the silver notes, and glared fiercely at Gu Changxiao:
“Your Highness, don’t worry, I will deliver the silver notes to you without losing a single tael.”
Gu Changxiao was bewildered. Why are you glaring at me? Daoist Ji is so gentle with you, and you still have objections?
Little did he know that this glare made Jinsui’s heart stir. The first emotion that surged was secret joy. Could it be that Miss Yan the Twelfth had taken a liking to Gu Changxiao?
It’s understandable. Gu Changxiao is so handsome and has a noble aura; any young girl would be moved.
If the two of them truly developed feelings for each other, it would be great for the development of the border city if Gu Changxiao married Miss Yan the Twelfth!
Bringing her home would be a living god of wealth! And with two ‘mama’s boys,’ with Yan Jiu’s support, the Yanzhou Gentry would never bother the border city again.
Making money, stockpiling grain, buying pig iron and horses, etc., would all become much simpler.
She had to set these two up!
But soon, a faint sadness washed over her. Gu Changxiao and she were from different worlds. Whether as Ji Sui or Ling Jinsui, both should have different affections.
She was very good at self-consolation. Now, she was surviving on the border and shouldn’t be spending her time and energy on romantic matters.
Whether from a strategic or personal perspective, she approved of Gu Changxiao and Miss Yan the Twelfth as a couple.
Miss Yan the Twelfth was so good! Her impersonation of the Li King hadn’t harmed anyone, except this good girl.
She couldn’t be her husband, so it was only right for her to find another husband for her.
Her gaze flickered between the two, and she quickly formed a general plan. She cleared her throat and said:
“Miss Yan has just been frightened and is not suitable for traveling. Why not rest in the border city for two days before leaving?”
Yan Shiyi Lang was about to protest with his neck stiffened when he heard Miss Yan the Twelfth say joyfully, “Okay! Your Highness promised before to take me to see the borderlands scenery. This is a good opportunity.”
Jinsui instructed Han Xing, “You are responsible for Miss Yan’s safety and escort. Please, Sister Chen, tidy up a room.”
Chen Yunniang happily agreed and went to prepare things.
Jinsui turned to look for Hei Hu, but saw that the guy had already run off to talk to the round-faced Miss Bai. The two stood together, like Bear Big and Pretty Sheep.
Yan Shiyi Lang hesitated between staying himself and quickly returning to the city to announce the polo match, but his sister pushed him,
“Second Brother, you go home first and help me exchange for cash silver. Come back to pick me up in two days.”
Yan Shiyi whispered to her, “If you don’t go home, Elder Brother will beat me to death!”
Miss Yan the Twelfth smiled, “He won’t. Just say I’m learning new rouge recipes with the Prince. With so many servants here, I won’t get lost, will I?”
Yan Shiyi anxiously said, “Is that the problem? You, a young lady, staying overnight at Li King’s place, people outside will gossip.”
Miss Yan the Twelfth said in a low voice, “The gossip that should be spread has already been spread. I’m not afraid of that! Besides, I know very well that the Prince and I will have no outcome.”
Yan Shiyi seemed to have just realized this and burst out laughing, “I forgot, Jun Yanqing is impotent…”
Before he finished speaking, he was once again grabbed by the collar by Hei Hu and thrown out.
