Chapter 156: Yan Shiyi Has Arrived
To wait for Cheng Yu to deliver the exact news, Gu Changxiao ordered a halt to their advance. As a result, a disgusting fellow disembarked from the carriage behind:
“Does Lord Li intend to defy the imperial edict? You’re already planning to break camp right after leaving the border city?”
Han Xing and the other soldiers, upon seeing this person, wished they could kick his smarmy face, but could only grit their teeth and say:
“The road ahead is blocked by heavy snow, and we need to clear the obstructions first. If Eunuch Zhou doesn’t believe us, he can go and see for himself first.”
This person was none other than Eunuch Zhou, the inner attendant sent to the border city to deliver the edict. This time, he not only brought the rewards for the border army that Jin Sui had been longing for, but also an edict that almost killed Jin Sui and Gu Changxiao.
Eunuch Zhou stood on the carriage and looked ahead. Indeed, there was vast white snow. He didn’t want to argue with these crude soldiers. Everyone knew this was a perilous mission, and he had offended someone close to the Empress in previous years.
He was deliberately made to take this edict and now only wished to complete it smoothly and return to the capital. However, Prince Yu had specifically instructed him to make things difficult for Lord Li before he left.
He resentfully sat back into the carriage and exclaimed disdainfully, “Change the charcoal basin. This coal stove is smoking too much and choking this old eunuch.”
Hei Hu cursed inwardly, “A wild chicken trying to pass itself off as a phoenix! Are all the dead eunuchs from the palace like this?”
Han Xing glared at him and whispered, “He’s not just any inner attendant; he carries the Emperor’s orders. As the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he has the authority of a supervisor of the army. If he were to die in the border city, it would be suspected that the Prince was planning a rebellion.”
Hei Hu didn’t understand, “Didn’t the Prince already rebel? Isn’t that why he’s here in our border city? Let’s just rebel again and kill this dead eunuch first!”
Han Xing became even more annoyed, “Don’t talk nonsense! Do you think the Prince is willing to endure this humiliation? It’s all to protect the border city!”
To protect Daoist Ji.
Perhaps Daoist Ji would never know what the Prince had sacrificed, but as long as he could live, that was enough.
Seeing that neither the Prince nor Han Xing could do anything about this dead eunuch, Hei Hu, in his frustration, quietly approached Hao Duojin:
“According to Brother Han, this dead eunuch can’t die on the road, but I really can’t stand his arrogant demeanor, acting like he’s got the emperor’s authority just because he’s holding a chicken feather.
What do you think we can do to mess with him?”
Hao Duojin also couldn’t stand Eunuch Zhou; in fact, the entire Black Feather Camp couldn’t stand him.
Hao Duojin was quick-witted and also knew that Hei Hu’s anger had other reasons. He instantly came up with a good idea and chuckled,
“We brothers are riding horses and freezing, while this pale-faced fellow is sitting in his carriage and still being picky. Let’s make sure he can’t sit in it.”
Hei Hu asked bluntly, “How do we do it? Blow up his carriage?”
If he could win, Hao Duojin would have also wanted to kick Hei Hu a couple of times like Han Xing:
“That would be too obvious and give him a reason to cause trouble! The road ahead is uncertain. Let’s dig a pit in advance, get his carriage wheels stuck, and then we can go forward to ‘repair’ it. If we can’t fix it, then so be it.”
Hei Hu slapped his thigh, then patted Hao Duojin on the back of the head, “You’re so smart! The Prince used to always praise you for your brains…”
Before he could finish his sentence, both fell silent. The Prince! Of course, not the current Prince, but another Prince they respected and trusted.
If that Prince were here, they wouldn’t need to rack their brains; the Prince was so good at dealing with people! He would have dealt with this annoying guy long ago.
Hei Hu and Hao Duojin didn’t know that the Prince they missed so dearly had already become a woman.
At this moment, in the Yan family manor, she was leisurely painting, looking at Grandpa Ling’s reply. Grandpa’s opinion was the same as hers: he and Jin An would not return to Yanzhou for now.
After Jin Sui finished her current tasks, she would meet them at Plum Blossom Villa.
The fundamental reason Grandpa Ling didn’t write down was that he and Jin An didn’t want to become Jin Sui’s burden or a bargaining chip for others to threaten her.
They also didn’t want to affect Jin Sui’s choices because of them. Grandpa Ling knew very well that Jin Sui, deep down, didn’t want to leave; she was reluctant to abandon the border city she had built with her own hands.
This time, she would be allowed to figure out her future path on her own. All he, as her grandfather, could do was support his granddaughter’s decision and not hold her back.
Although Yan Jiu hadn’t visited for several days, she sent Jin Sui a letter saying that the imperial edict for rewards had arrived at the border city. Cheng Yu, Han Xing, Hei Hu, and others had all been promoted and received rewards.
In addition, the imperial court also granted the border city a sum of money for city construction. Although it wasn’t much, it was equivalent to the imperial court giving Lord Li the qualification to build the city. Lord Li could build whatever he wanted on his fiefdom.
The policies Jin Sui had previously discussed with Gu Changxiao, such as opening up border trade and resettling refugees, were also approved by the imperial court.
Although Jin Sui repeatedly said that matters concerning the border city were no longer her concern, how could Yan Jiu not see that she was clearly still very invested in the border city’s affairs?
Therefore, she informed Jin Sui of all the recent events in the border city in detail, starting with the official end of the polo match. Because the Black Feather Camp withdrew midway, Yan Shiyi’s Yan Cloud Team won the championship.
Yan Shiyi donated all the prize money he received, as well as the money he won by betting on himself, to the border city refugee camp.
Under his lead, many teams donated money. Those young masters were not short of money; they were more in need of fun activities and hoped that the border city could hold polo matches twice a year.
Cheng Yu reciprocated the favor by giving customized jerseys, mallets, and equestrian gear to those who donated a certain amount.
Upon hearing that Gu Changxiao had deposited the money donated by the teams into the treasury and fully entrusted it to Cheng Yu for the resettlement of refugees, Cheng Yu purchased a large quantity of grain, opened ten soup kitchens, and built a refugee camp to house the people who came to the border city.
Jin Sui breathed a sigh of relief. Her greatest fear was that Gu Changxiao would not be attentive to the refugee issue. It was difficult to build prestige among the common people, but it only took a single night for their reputation to collapse.
She had no idea that Yan Jiu was only reporting the good news and not the bad to her.
It wasn’t until she finally finished drawing the design. In reality, she had only been pretending to draw outside; the part she truly needed was copied from reference materials found in her space.
Just as she was about to say that if Yan Jiu didn’t come soon, she would leave this villa and look around.
A maidservant announced, “The Head of the Family is here.”
Jin Sui went to greet him at the veranda. Yan Jiu’s carriage drove directly to the area outside the second gate. Steward Yan laid a linen carpet from the footstool of the carriage all the way to the veranda.
This ensured that Yan Jiu’s snow-white cloak and deerskin boots did not get stained with any snow or mud.
Jin Sui’s mouth twitched. The first image that flashed in her mind was that if this linen carpet were dyed red, Yan Jiu would be perfectly poised for a celebrity red carpet walk!
The second image that flashed was of Young Miss Xiao Ai alighting from the carriage, and Mr. Hei Ji swiftly laying out a red carpet…
Jin Sui instantly burst into laughter. In both her lives, she had never met anyone as refined as Yan Jiu, regardless of gender.
As for herself, there was no comparison. She could use the same cup for drinking water, tea, coffee, or beverages, whereas Yan Jiu used different cups for different teas.
No wonder he had carried her inside when he saw her barefoot that day; he must have been afraid of dirtying his luxurious thick carpet.
Hearing Jin Sui’s laughter, Yan Jiu looked up and saw the girl, who was like a banished immortal, standing at the veranda, smiling at him.
In that instant, Yan Jiu’s heart felt as if it had been lightly brushed by a feather, ticklish and sweet.
This was originally just an ordinary manor of the Yan family, but because she was here, this manor had become the most beautiful place in the world.
He thought about the journey here. The moment he thought about seeing Miss Ji, he didn’t even feel the cold wind or snow.
So, this was what it felt like to have someone in your heart.
Yan Jiu lowered his head to look at himself, then looked up and smiled, “Miss Ji, is there something improper about Yan Jiu that makes you laugh?”
Jin Sui shook her head, “Of course not. I’m happy to see Jiulang! You haven’t been here for so long, and I’ve been feeling bored.”
Another warm current flowed through Yan Jiu’s heart. Just as he was looking forward to seeing her, she was also looking forward to his arrival.
Seeing him standing still, Jin Sui smiled and called out, “Come in quickly! I’m making roasted tea, let’s drink it together!”
In just a few days, the red plum blossoms in the courtyard had bloomed. Jin Sui had specially cut a branch to put in a vase that morning. It had to be said that these days staying in the Yan family’s separate courtyard were her most leisurely and carefree times.
Every day, she didn’t have to worry about food or clothing. Whatever she asked for, the maidservants would immediately provide it. She hadn’t even entered her space to bathe; this was her first time trying a large bathroom.
No wonder ‘Spring cold bestowed a bath in the Huaqing Pool’ was so praised. Aristocratic families truly knew how to enjoy themselves! The bath in this small separate courtyard was no less than a hot spring villa in later generations; it was very enjoyable to bathe in the middle of winter.
She couldn’t help but think of Gu Changxiao. He was washing in the river with the soldiers in the border city. In this cold weather, he must be heating large barrels of water to wash, right?
It was quite pathetic for a dignified imperial prince to be reduced to this.
Uh, continuing with Yan Jiu’s arrival, he brought her more good news: “Cheng Yu has been promoted to a Seventh Rank County Magistrate. The border city can establish three counties, and currently, two are vacant. Cheng Yu has immense power.
He is very intelligent and has signed many business deals with the young masters of various gentry families through the polo match.
Heh heh, he has also divided the coal ball business into regional agencies. Although our Yan family was the first to cooperate with the border city in the coal ball trade, we only obtained the agency rights for Yanzhou.”
Jin Sui said verbally, “How can Cheng Yu do this! The Yan family is an old customer, they should be given preferential treatment.”
But the corners of her mouth couldn’t be suppressed, and she roared inwardly, “Well done, Cheng Yu!
I didn’t expect that after drinking for so many years, your brain hasn’t gone numb! I had forgotten this trick, but you thought of it.
Exactly, there are so many businesses that can be developed in our border city, why should we beg others! Merchants from the Sixteen Prefectures of Yandi should be the ones begging us!”
This agency system is brilliant! It can balance the gentry merchants from various prefectures and prevent them from monopolizing the border city’s business.
Jin Sui then urgently asked, “What about the sea salt?”
Yan Jiu deliberately took a sip of tea, not in a hurry to answer, looking at the anxious Jin Sui, her big eyes full of anticipation. He found her appearance very beautiful.
After a while, he smiled and said, “I thought Miss Ji was no longer concerned about the border city’s affairs.”
Jin Sui was immediately embarrassed and said dryly, “I was just bored. You started talking about the border city, so I asked a few more questions!”
Yan Jiu couldn’t bear to tease her any longer and smiled, “Cheng Yu has kept the sea salt business a secret. Currently, there are only small transactions with the Yan family. Because it’s impossible to sun-dry salt in the long winter, he’s worried about insufficient supply.
Moreover, the sun-drying salt method is too easy to learn. How long can the border city monopolize it, and how long will it benefit? It’s better not to expand the business too quickly.
However, he has expanded the seafood business, especially dried kelp, which sells well in prefectural cities far from the coast and is a very good home-cooked dish in winter.”
After Yan Jiu finished speaking, seeing Jin Sui deep in thought, he softly asked, “Do you have anything you want me to tell Cheng Yu?”
Jin Sui shook her head, “Forget it, it’s like having lingering attachment, which is not good.”
Yan Jiu was stunned and wanted to remind her that lingering attachment was used to describe romantic relationships, not her connection to the border city.
Soon Jin Sui noticed something was wrong, “Why are you only talking about Cheng Yu? What about the others? Han Xing, Hei Hu, and… Lord Li? The imperial edict has arrived, they should have many plans too, right?”
Yan Jiu’s expression remained unchanged, and he chuckled, “There are too many business dealings with Magistrate Cheng. General Han and the others are involved in military matters. The Yan family is just a gentry family in Yandi, so it’s not appropriate to interact too deeply with them.”
“As for Lord Li, he is currently receiving the inner attendant delivering the edict. It would be even more inappropriate for the Yan family to associate too closely with him at this time.”
Jin Sui felt that what he said made sense. Yan Jiu had been like this before, not seeming to want to get too close to Gu Changxiao.
She said gratefully, “Thank you, Jiulang, for bringing me so much good news. I don’t know how to repay you.”
Yan Jiu looked at her earnestly and said, “Miss Ji knows.”
Jin Sui chuckled, “Do you have any female stewards or shopkeepers under you? I’m not suitable! If I stay in Yanzhou now, I’ll only cause you trouble.”
Yan Jiu tightly gripped the Longquan tea cup and saucer. His nature was such that he couldn’t say anything presumptuous or impolite.
He was only afraid that his gaze was too intense and would scare Miss Ji.
He could only lower his eyes to look at the tea cup, suppressing all his emotions and turning them into a light chuckle, “Miss Ji can stay in this villa for as long as she wishes.”
There is plenty of time in the future; the important thing now is not to scare her.
Miss Ji seems to be very good at running away!
Jin Sui laughed heartily, “For now, I can only stay at Jiulang’s place. But don’t worry, I won’t stay for free. I’ll give you something good after a while.”
Yan Jiu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, “Okay, I thank Miss Ji in advance.”
Yan Jiu then said, “The young coachman has already been buried. I’ll take Miss Ji to offer incense at his grave another day.”
Jin Sui sighed inwardly, “Yes, he died for me, I should go and pay my respects. Jiulang, have you found any clues about those black-clothed men?”
Yan Jiu shook his head, “I apologize, I will continue to investigate. They seem to have already left Yandi.”
He still didn’t stay overnight, perhaps worried that his staying overnight would harm Miss Ji’s reputation.
He treated her with genuine courtesy, making Jin Sui feel that her efforts as a woman were not entirely in vain.
The carriage he brought this time was filled with things. Jin Sui thought they were for his own use, but after he left, she realized they were all gifts for her.
Cotton clothes, cloaks, capes, boots, jewelry, hand warmers, hats, as well as scented creams and perfumes from the Rouge Shop, and so on. As the maids tidied up the scattered items, they smiled and said, “The Head of the Family truly cares for Miss Ji.”
Another smiled and said, “Miss Ji is so beautiful, she deserves to be treated with care.”
The two looked at each other. Seeing that Jin Sui wasn’t listening, they whispered, “It’s a pity, the Head of the Family doesn’t seem to plan on taking her back to Yanzhou City.”
What was supposed to be a normal conversation, but hearing the maid’s tone, it sounded as if Yan Jiu was keeping her as a mistress.
Jin Sui couldn’t help but frown, feeling a bit displeased. It was true that staying here for free, eating and using Yan Jiu’s things, was quite improper.
She should settle her affairs as soon as possible and extricate herself! She would give Yan Jiu some extra thank-you gifts then.
A few more days passed. Although it hadn’t snowed again, the old snow had not melted, and the world was still covered in white.
One afternoon, Jin Sui was drinking tea at the veranda, enjoying the snowy scenery. She couldn’t help it; she was a southern girl in her past life and had no money to travel north, so she had developed an obsession with snow.
It was already a sign of restraint that she wasn’t running out into the snow to lie down right now.
Then she heard the sound of horse hooves outside. She thought it was Yan Jiu arriving and was filled with joy, when suddenly she heard an angry voice:
“Where is she? Let her come out! I want to see what kind of beautiful woman my brother is hiding here, to the point where he’s neglecting such important matters!”
Jin Sui’s eyes twitched. How did that fool Yan Shiyi find this place?
My dears, please vote for me.
