Chapter 61 Blind Date: What Kind of Person is Your Brother-in-Law? ...

"A pair of incense sticks and candles, gold ingots, yellow paper money, your brewed sake and sacrificial meat..."

Yuan Jingming carefully counted the items in the basket and smiled at Jiang Yingyun beside him, "Everything is complete! But should we bring two saplings for Uncle Zheng next year? It won't be convenient to pay respects to him when we go to the south in the future. It would be nice to have trees to keep him company in our place."

Jiang Yingyun still told Yuan Jingming about Zheng Bo's death. After hearing this, he didn't ask her how she had managed to stay away from everyone and live alone these past few days. Instead, he took her to prepare the funeral offerings and went to visit Zheng Bo on a sunny day.

His brows and eyes relaxed, and he talked about such gloomy things as lightly as watching children fly kites, as if Zheng Bo had only moved away and had not left.

Jiang Yingyun squeezed his hand and frankly told him what she had been thinking about for several days: "I actually don't want to go south."

Leaving Luojing meant giving up Yuan Jingming's originally wealthy and stable life, abandoning the livelihood she painstakingly managed, and all the traces of their past growth.

Yuan Jingming would do anything for her, but Jiang Yingyun couldn't act impulsively.

Now that you've decided to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, don't run away in such a pathetic way.

"I still want to become the number one wine merchant in Luoyang. Going south would mean starting all over again, and I can't bear to do that."

The thin winter sunlight shone on Jiang Yingyun's face, making her cheeks rosy and her short, pale golden downy hair very cute. Yuan Jingming was stunned for a moment before he finally grinned.

"good!"

He had made many plans for heading south, but with just a word from her, he would dismiss them all. Because no matter where they went, Jiang Yingyun was the center of attention.

Yuan Jingming held her tighter, and as they walked along the mountain path, their shoulders would occasionally bump against each other and then separate, only to bump into each other again.

Zheng Bo's grave was not far from his home, and the round trip did not take long. When the two returned home hand in hand, it was not yet noon. However, when they saw the house in the distance, thick smoke was rising from it.

"Fire!" Yuan Jingming exclaimed in alarm, and quickly stuffed the basket into Jiang Yingyun's arms. "Don't move, I'll go take a look."

He ran quickly to the vicinity of the house, where thick smoke billowed straight up into the sky like a dragon, forcing him to cover his mouth and nose even when standing outside the door.

This house is ruined.

But the stove was cold and the candle was out when they left, so where did the spark come from? Yuan Jingming sensed something was wrong, kicked open the wooden door with his long leg, and inside, fierce flames engulfed the beams and walls, the temperature was terrifying. At the base of the flames, broken pottery shards stubbornly reflected the firelight, scattering like a galaxy among the broken wood and ashes.

Someone smashed Zheng Bo and Ying Yun's wine cups and deliberately set them on fire.

At this moment, Jiang Yingyun ran to Yuan Jingming's side with a basket in her arms. Looking at the house, which was fine this morning, she trembled and uttered some incoherent words.

The preserved rabbit that Uncle Zheng left her, the wine she hadn't had time to send into the city, all the little things from the past four years... all gone.

As if her bones had been pulled out, Jiang Yingyun slumped to the ground, the heat of the flames burning her face, yet she didn't even flinch.

"Why……"

Yuan Jingming tenderly took her arm and tried his best to pull her away from the flames.

“Yingyun, someone tampered with our things after we left the house.”

He looked at the eerie flames, and the possible culprits came to mind: his father, the Prince of Zhennan, or Yingyun's bastard father?

He gripped her trembling shoulders tightly, staring intently at the raging fire: "Don't be afraid, I will definitely find that person, and no one will be able to bully you."

——

The black piece landed on the board with a "thud," and Meng Shutai picked up the three white pieces that had been captured next to him. Then, he used his index and middle fingers to pick up another white piece and placed it on the board to capture the black piece.

He was so engrossed in his game that he seemed oblivious to the people jumping around him.

"Damn it! We had already caught the arsonist's trail, but who would have thought that his family members would hang themselves! Now there's no way to prove anything!" Yuan Jingming was furious and slammed his fist on Meng Shutai's chessboard, causing all the chess pieces to shift.

Meng Shutai lazily raised his eyes and tossed the black chess piece, which he hadn't yet placed, back into the chessboard. "Jiang Si Niangzi is already at your residence. Instead of focusing on important matters, you're wasting your time on this kind of thing?"

Yuan Jingming pulled out a chair and sat down in front of Meng Shutai. “I know that important matters are important, but the arsonist destroyed Yingyun’s emotional attachments over the years. Besides, Zheng Bogang has only been gone for a short time. How heartbroken she must be.”

He propped his head up with one hand, his gaze fixed on the intricately patterned carpet. It was indeed just a small house in the countryside, of little value and utterly worthless. But human emotions are immeasurable; even if the murderer were brought to justice, the pain in Yingyun's heart would likely never be erased.

The thought of this made his heart ache along with hers.

However, Meng Shutai glanced at Yuan Jingming, his eyes filled with confusion.

It was a dilapidated house that caused Le Jin to get a red burn. So what if it burned? Besides, Jiang Yingyun has nowhere else to go but to rely on Yuan Jingming. Isn't that a good thing? What are you all being so dramatic about?

He didn't understand; he only thought Yuan and Jiang were stupid and ignorant.

But the more foolish they were, the less Meng Shutai understood why Le Jin would care about such mediocre people. A sour feeling welled up inside him, and his expression turned cold.

Meng Shutai tapped his fingers on the chessboard and, suppressing his temper, reminded Yuan Jingming: "You'd better get married to Jiang Si Niangzi this winter."

"This winter?"

Yuan Jingming clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his head: "How could it be so fast... I'm still waiting for His Majesty to promote me to General of the Capital Guard after the New Year, it won't be until next spring at the earliest."

His mission to quell the rebellion in Qingzhou wasn't for nothing. Now that the Prince of Zhennan has lost his military power, the court will inevitably promote its own family members to command the army. Yuan Jingming should try to seize power; once he has real power, even his father won't be able to control him. Yingyun can then marry into the Prince of Pingning's mansion in style, and no one will be able to mistreat her.

Meng Shutai picked up the teacup beside him, lifted the lid, and blew away the foam on the surface of the tea. "How come you've only grown physically but not mentally these past few years in the army?"

"If you really become the General of the Capital Guard, in charge of the inside and outside of the Imperial City, and if a noble lady with even greater power than Princess Zhaode is eager to marry you, will your Fourth Sister Jiang still have a chance?"

Meng Shutai took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and suddenly noticed that there was sugar in the tea. After Le Jin fell into the water and fell ill, drinking bitter medicine for several days, he had the servants adjust the tea to be sweet. He didn't like sweet things, but he still followed Le Jin's taste, so the servants never changed it back.

The sweet taste lingered on his tongue. Although she wasn't there, Meng Shutai could still sense her presence, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

“Oh, right…” Yuan Jingming suddenly realized, but then became conflicted again: “Ever since my father learned that the Prince of Zhennan had been stripped of his power, he hasn’t forced me to marry the princess, but what about the Prince of Zhennan…”

Perhaps Xie Xianheng is clinging to his sister's marriage as a lifeline and refuses to let go?

"Don't worry, I've already found a place for Princess Zhaode."

Yuan Jingming's eyes widened, he could hardly believe his ears, "You..."

When Meng Pusa was at the horse farm, wasn't she helpless in helping him with this mess? Why is she now so eager for him and Yingyun to get married immediately?

Overjoyed, he excitedly approached Meng Shutai and exclaimed, "Bodhisattva, it's no wonder we grew up together!" A long-standing knot in his heart was finally untied, and Yuan Jingming's heart felt like it was blossoming with joy with every beat.

He leaned back comfortably in his chair, his eyes crinkling with laughter as he murmured, "So fast, too fast..."

Meng Shutai took another sip of tea and gently put the teacup down.

It needs to be fast, of course it needs to be fast.

He won't have much time left, at the latest by March next year.

"Oh, by the way, I actually have something I'd like to ask you for today." Yuan Jingming suppressed his joy and looked at Meng Shutai with sincere eyes: "If you have time, please have your precious wife come to my residence more often. Yingyun doesn't have many friends, but she's one of them."

Although Yuan Jingming still harbored lingering fears towards Le Jin, Yingyun desperately needed the company of a friend at this moment. He could not replace the mutual understanding and comfort between the girls.

Meng Shutai's fingers had just left the teacup when he heard this, he froze for a moment, his eyebrows twitched slightly, and he paused before replying:

“Ah Jin is in poor health, and going out too often in winter makes her susceptible to catching a cold. Moreover, she deeply regrets leaving home in a fit of pique last time, and when she came back, she said she never wanted to be separated from me again…”

Yuan Jingming glanced at Meng Shutai's sweet, love-struck expression and frowned.

Is that so? But why does he feel that the other person isn't someone he's deeply in love with?

——

The fabric shop was bustling with people, ladies and young women from various families crowding around the latest fabrics to choose their favorite patterns and materials. They were originally chatting and laughing animatedly, but as soon as they caught a glimpse of someone approaching, their voices immediately subsided, and before long, they left the shop in twos and threes, abandoning their beloved fabrics.

Upon seeing this, the cloth shop owner wiped away a bead of sweat, but quickly put on a cheerful face and went to greet her: "Young Madam, why have you come in person?"

Le Jin noticed that the atmosphere in the shop had changed because of her, and felt a little disappointed. She forced a smile and explained to the fabric shop owner, "My mother ordered a piece of Moon Shadow Yarn from your shop last month, and I've come to pick it up for her."

Ever since her "running away from home" incident, Madam Meng's attitude towards her had worsened. Although Le Jin felt no guilt, no one wanted to see such a disgusted face hovering in front of them every day. So she decided to act obediently in front of Madam Meng to appease her anger.

The shop owner nodded repeatedly, then turned and instructed his assistant, "Go and fetch the Moon Shadow Yarn quickly."

Le Jin was sitting in the armchair that the boss had brought over, waiting for them to retrieve the goods from the warehouse, when a surprised, unfamiliar voice suddenly came from behind her: "It's you!"

Before Le Jin could turn around, she was patted heavily on the shoulder, and a tall figure came around from behind to the front of her.

"I can't believe I ran into you here!"

"Princess Zhaode?"

The girl in front of me had a high ponytail and wore a smart and stylish riding outfit. She smiled at me, bright and generous.

Xie Lianhui put one hand on her hip and the other on the armrest of the armchair, leaning down close to Le Jin. Her dark, smiling eyes reflected Le Jin's awkwardness as she was encircled by her.

"I haven't had a chance to thank you yet for reminding me to watch out for the river sand!"

After Le Jin left that day, Xie Lianhui and her brother had a quarrel and neither of them could convince the other. She walked closer to the riverbank and raised her foot to kick a stone into the river to vent her anger, but she found that right where she had just stood, less than two steps away, there was a hole that had been eroded by the river!

She was a very easygoing person, with no manners whatsoever. Now, as she drew close, her breath brushed against Le Jin's skin, making Le Jin's face ticklish and a little shy.

"It's nothing, as long as the princess is safe..."

Xie Lianhui already thought Le Jin was a magical girl with uncanny foresight, and seeing that she was pretty and charming, she was overjoyed and felt a strong sense of closeness to her.

"I was thinking of asking you something else! What kind of person is your brother-in-law?"

Meng Cizhang?

Le Jin's pupils dilated, and she blinked repeatedly. "What does the princess want him to do?"

"We met today and had a blind date, and it was your husband who arranged it, didn't you know?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: Yuan Jingming: I'm skeptical of your public displays of affection...

Meng Shutai (a severe case of delusional disorder): She really, really loves me!