Chapter 34: The Sensible Young Lord
Gu Yan assigned Shi Gun the task of buying eggs, then walked for a while, and ordered him to go to the prefectural school to check.
As soon as they arrived at the prefectural school, the attendant found them: the Eldest Brother-in-law’s cousin, Master Pan, Pan Shiyi, had been transferred to Guangdong. He was passing through Pingjiang Prefecture and said he had a personal letter from the Princess Consort, entrusted by her, to deliver it to the Young Lord in person.
Gu Yan frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and turned to order a return to the villa.
Wang Gui and the attendant who delivered the message were extremely surprised.
The Young Lord had always ignored the countless relatives and in-laws of their estate.
Moreover, the Young Lord had always disliked the Eldest Brother-in-law and the people of the Pan family. Based on their experience, the Young Lord would surely have turned a deaf ear to Master Pan passing by with a letter and would not have paid any attention to it. Unexpectedly, now, their Young Lord was going back immediately, which truly astonished them.
Their Prince was right; their Young Lord had matured!
Gu Yan mounted his horse and trotted back towards the villa, reining it in.
Hearing the name Pan, he missed his Eldest Sister terribly at this moment.
Eldest Sister was currently with Eldest Brother-in-law in Xiangfan on assignment. The last time he saw Eldest Sister…
Gu Yan was somewhat dazed. The last time he saw Eldest Sister, it should have been when she came to bid farewell before accompanying Eldest Brother-in-law to take up his post in Xiangfan. However, that meeting was too long ago in his memory; he couldn’t recall it at all.
In his memory, the last time he saw Eldest Sister was when he was tied to a horse, escorted by a large group of brave light cavalry, and as they exited the Weizhou Gate, he saw Eldest Sister.
Eldest Sister, dressed in bright red, rode a horse like a burning, dancing flame. When she saw him, she drew a long, narrow saber, pointed it at the light cavalry blocking the way, and sternly shouted, “I just want to speak a few words with my brother, nothing more!
“Don’t stop me! Think carefully! What will happen if I kill you? If you injure me, what will happen to you and your families!”
In front of Eldest Sister’s long, gleaming narrow saber, the guards made way.
Eldest Sister urged her horse forward, her horse’s flank brushing against his, and leaning close, she said word by word, “That woman, she is not fit to manage our Prince Rui’s Mansion! If you die beyond the pass, the Prince Rui of this generation will end with you!
“Go with peace of mind. Eldest Sister is here for you. If Eldest Sister dies, you still have Second Sister. If Second Sister dies, you still have Third Sister!”
Gu Yan’s heart burned. He gently patted his horse with his horse whip, urging it to run faster, heading back to the villa.
Pan Shiyi was the cousin of Gu Yan’s Eldest Brother-in-law, Pan Shiwen. He had not expected to see Gu Yan at all when he came to deliver the letter to the villa.
Gu Yan disliked his Eldest Brother-in-law, Pan Shiwen, and consequently disliked everyone else in the Pan family. He had never even given a second glance to Pan Shiyi, who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations and entered officialdom through imperial grants.
Pan Shiyi did not go inside. He sat in the entrance hall of the villa, drinking tea and occasionally picking up a pastry, preparing to continue his journey after eating and drinking well.
Hearing the servant outside loudly announce the Young Lord’s return, Pan Shiyi quickly stood up, took a few steps back, and stood with his hands clasped by the flower stand.
It was indeed a coincidence that he arrived just as the Young Lord returned. This way, he could consider his entrusted task from the Princess Consort successfully completed, having delivered the letter to the Young Lord in person.
Gu Yan stepped onto the steps and stood outside the threshold, looking at Pan Shiyi, who stood with his hands clasped and head bowed beside a potted osmanthus.
Pan Shiyi was of medium build, medium weight, and medium appearance. His entire being could be described by the word “mediocre.”
In the past, when he was fully promoting the new policies, Pan Shiyi had once entrusted his Eldest Brother-in-law, Pan Shiwen, to deliver a letter to him. Because Eldest Sister had brought him the letter, he had patiently skimmed through it, and it was filled with trivial matters…
After sizing up Pan Shiyi from head to toe, Gu Yan stepped over the threshold and said with a smile, “I saw your appointment. Calculating the journey, you should have passed through Pingjiang City around the middle of the month. Why are you so many days early? Was the journey smooth?”
“Smooth, very smooth.”
The situation was so unusual that Pan Shiyi was stunned and forgot to answer.
“Come in and talk. Are you going to your post alone?” Gu Yan asked with a smile, appearing amiable and approachable.
“Yes, no.” Pan Shiyi was quite bewildered. “My wife and children have a lot of things to pack, so they will depart half a month later.”
“How old is your eldest child? I heard he’s much better at studying than you?” Gu Yan’s demeanor and words were extremely casual and familiar.
“He’s fourteen, and indeed much better than me, but he’s still just average. I’m just too stupid.” Pan Shiyi subconsciously raised his hand to wipe his face.
Is this person before me the Young Lord?
Gu Yan first chatted with Pan Shiyi about everyday matters for over half an hour, then meticulously inquired about official business for another hour. They ate dinner together, and after dinner, they chatted about official business over tea for another hour. He personally escorted Pan Shiyi out of the second gate.
Pan Shiyi boarded the boat at the villa’s water gate wharf. Standing at the bow of the boat, he watched the Prince Rui’s Mansion villa recede into the distance, feeling as if he had dreamt it all.
The Prince said that after a serious illness, the Young Lord had grown up and become sensible. This wasn’t just growing up; it was a complete transformation!
The current Young Lord was truly astonishing and unexpected.
Pan Shiyi sighed for a long time. He entered the cabin, personally ground ink, spread paper, and picked up his brush. He wrote a long letter to his cousin Pan Shiwen, describing in detail the situation of meeting the Young Lord today.
After Gu Yan saw Pan Shiyi off, he heard that Shi Gun had not yet returned and couldn’t help but frown.
For such a small task, why hadn’t he returned yet?
Hmm, it must be that those two little girls are still shopping and haven’t gone home yet.
Gu Yan walked forward with his hands behind his back, continuing to survey the villa.
When Shi Gun returned to the villa, Gu Yan had just finished dinner and was sitting under the corridor, drinking tea and reading a few newly arrived tabloids.
Listening to Shi Gun’s detailed report on how he found a cart, how he bought eggs, and how he delivered them, Gu Yan’s eyebrows rose higher and higher.
“You bought out the eggs from five egg shops in Pingjiang City?”
“Yes, Master gave the order late, so I could only buy this much. The very top of the Taiping cart could still hold two baskets, but there were no more eggs to be found.” Shi Gun bowed his head.
“You’ve piled up the Li Family’s courtyard so much that no one can get in?” Gu Yan glanced sideways at Shi Gun.
“Yes, most of the backyard is planted with vegetables, and they’ve grown quite tall. I didn’t dare to crush them, so not many baskets could be placed in the backyard. They were all squeezed into the front yard, and their courtyard is really too small.” Shi Gun glanced at Gu Yan obsequiously.
The tone of his master’s words didn’t seem quite right. Had he handled this task incorrectly?
“Hmm~” Gu Yan drew out the sound, glanced sideways at Shi Gun, and slowly praised, “You handled this task well, very well! Hmm, quite well. Go and collect five taels of silver as a reward.”
“Thank you, Young Lord, for the reward!” Shi Gun replied crisply. He withdrew with his hands clasped, went out through the hanging flower gate, slowed his pace, and knitted his brows.
This reward from his Young Lord didn’t feel quite right. There must have been something improper about how he handled this task!
But, what was improper?
Watching Shi Gun leave, Gu Yan swayed his folding fan, lost in thought for a moment. He then ordered Wang Gui to be summoned and instructed him, “Send someone to watch and see how that little Xiucai scholar deals with that courtyard full of eggs.”
Today, I consolidated the team leader’s work, the refrigerator is full, and I don’t have to worry about food for the time being.
Now there’s new stock again, so tired.
