Chapter 11 The Inn Business

After receiving the medicine prescribed by the old doctor, and having nothing else to do at the clinic, Shang Yuji took the three of them to a stall next to the clinic for breakfast while Jiang Xi woke up and regained some strength.

After a busy morning, it's time to eat and replenish your energy.

Considering that Wang Si and his companion were from military backgrounds and had large appetites and ate quickly, she told them to finish their meat porridge and then go find some other food to fill their stomachs.

He then went to have some porridge with Jiang Xi and asked her about her past in hopes of finding any clues related to Gu.

"Haitian, do you remember who took care of you when you were a child? Even if you only met them once, please tell us."

The old doctor said that the Gu poison in his body was planted when he was a child, and given Jiang Xi's awkward position in the Jiang family, there wouldn't be many people serving him, perhaps only a handful.

Use the process of elimination to determine who is most suspicious, and then look for any extra clues.

Although the senior doctor wrote to her senior brother, who had better medical skills, they couldn't put all their hopes for curing the curse on him.

Multiple methods, multiple escape routes.

Jiang Xi put down the bowl in his hand, quietly raised his eyelids to look at her, and saw that she looked normal. He breathed a sigh of relief, but after his fever subsided, he felt a strange sense of guilt.

Knowing that Ah Ji was worried because he had caught a fever from being caught in the rain the night before, he was afraid that Ah Ji would be angry at him for not taking care of his health and would ignore him in a fit of anger.

He had been angry with Aji at the Jiang residence before and ignored him for a long time. His heart ached, and he didn't want to experience the days when he couldn't talk to Aji again.

Jiang Xi tried hard to recall, but fortunately, not many people took care of him when he was young, so he could say it right away: "My wet nurse took care of me the longest, for about four years, then my mother. I don't remember her very well. My wet nurse said she passed away before I was one year old."

After my wet nurse left, the maids and servants who brought me meals every day—well, they changed frequently, there were quite a few of them, like Xiao Fang, Xiao Shi Tou, Xiao Hua… The head steward also came a few times, but I haven't seen him since.”

"And then Yunxiao, you came!" His thoughtful expression turned to joy, and his voice unconsciously rose. "I've been with Yunxiao for one year, one month, and twenty-eight days!"

"Oh, and my eldest brother, second brother, and father... I only met them after I got together with Yunxiao. I don't remember if I met them when I was little."

Jiang Xi's world since childhood was that small, increasingly dilapidated Hongyun Garden. He knew even fewer people there, and most were just passersby who only met briefly. No one ever stopped for him for even a moment.

Apart from his mother and the wet nurse who had cared for him for four years.

Then he met and befriended Aji, and only then did he escape the Red Cloud Garden that he could not cross in his memory, and see the vastness of this world.

Hearing him recount the details with such familiarity, Shang Yuji silently dismissed the possibility in her mind.

The old doctor meant that this Gu was no ordinary Gu, and it couldn't be planted overnight. The fact that the Gu and the person could coexist for so long required extremely high standards from the person who planted the Gu.

That's why the old doctor suspected that this Gu was closely related to the southern border region.

It takes time to cast the spell, and it also requires strength; once eliminated, only two remain.

The deceased Jiangxi went to her mother and her wet nurse who was in poor health.

The wet nurse was easy to find out. When she reached a certain age, she left the mansion and returned to her hometown. Find out where her hometown was, and then ask the neighbors about her character and experiences.

In fact, Shang Yuji did not believe that the wet nurse had used a curse. Not to mention that she did not have enough energy to support it, she had been in the Jiang family for many years and was about to leave the family to enjoy her old age. It was unlikely that she would get herself into trouble at such a critical moment.

Just in case, Shang Yuji still needs to investigate.

The other one is more difficult to investigate. Jiang Xi's mother passed away early, and news about her is from a long time ago. In addition, the people in the mansion have changed several times. To find out about her life, we have to start with the old people in the mansion, and it is not clear how much they still remember about her.

Shang Yuji paused her thoughts and saw Jiang Xi sitting obediently after finishing her bowl, asking, "Are you full?"

Jiang Xi nodded: "Mm!"

Shang Yuji got up to pay, and Jiang Xi followed him. She also took him to buy candied fruit from the pastry shop next door, and then they returned to the clinic.

Old Chen drove over at this moment, and Shang Yuji told Jiang Xi to take the carriage back, and told Wang Si to brew him a dose of medicine after returning home.

Jiang Xi pitifully lifted the bamboo curtain of the car window and leaned on the windowsill: "Isn't Yun Xiao coming back with us?"

She shook her head: "I have things to do. Go back, take your medicine and rest well. If you find the medicine bitter, you can eat the candied fruit I just bought."

He knew he couldn't disturb Aji while she was working, and said dejectedly, "Then Yunxiao should come back soon. I'll be waiting for you at home."

Shang Yuji responded and waved to Lao Chen to drive. The streets were getting crowded, and they had to leave before the peak of the crowd.

Seeing the carriage move away, she turned around to look for a shop, naturally not seeing Jiang Xi leaning under the bamboo curtain by the carriage window, staring intently at her as she disappeared around the corner. Only then did she dejectedly lower the bamboo curtain and return to the carriage.

He held the edges and corners of the candied fruit packaging that Aji had bought, reluctant to crush the candied fruit, yet always wanting to crush something.

He felt a sour and uncomfortable feeling in his chest, but he didn't know what it meant and thought that his heart was also sick.

Sitting to the side, Wang Si saw the longing look on his face as he couldn't control himself after the Shang girl had been gone for a short while, which reinforced the stereotype that the two were indeed deeply in love.

Unfortunately, apart from their keen military sense, Wang Si and his companion were only vaguely knowledgeable about matters of the heart. They were both lonely individuals, so they couldn't see that what seemed like enlightenment was actually just a half-hearted understanding based on instinct.

On the other side, Shang Yuji found the Fulai Inn where she had stayed when she first arrived in Yangzhou.

Upon entering the inn, the waiter approached solicitously: "Are you here to stay, sir?"

Shang Yuji: "No, I want to do some business with the shopkeeper."

"Alright, please have a seat, sir. I'll go and call the manager right away."

She sat down in the lobby on the first floor, a cup of tea on a wooden table, and waited quietly for the manager to arrive without looking around.

While Fulai Inn may not have spread throughout Da'an, it certainly has a presence in half of the city.

This is because it not only operates an inn, but also privately takes on intelligence gathering jobs.

If you want to know where the best news flows, you'll mostly find it in teahouses, taverns, and inns. Where there's a lot of movement of people, there's bound to be plenty of news.

Most importantly, Fulai Inn is backed by the Wanshang Alliance, which has a martial arts background. People are willing to give the inn face, and those from third-rate sects and minor sects who cause trouble will consciously avoid the inn's area.

The inn's guests came from all walks of life, and to avoid potential conflicts, she dared not look around aimlessly.

Who knows if martial arts practitioners might sense something amiss in the other party's glance, immediately slam their fists on the table, and launch into a large-scale martial arts fight?

However, it is said that since the new leader of the martial arts world took office, the tempers of the martial arts community have improved considerably, and there have been far fewer cases of people going to the yamen due to personal grudges or gang fights.

Actually, the martial arts world isn't that much of a problem. Shang Yuji really admires their righteous and chivalrous character, who put righteousness first and disregard personal gain.

In addition, this year's martial arts leader has a granddaughter who founded the Wanshang Alliance. She increases the employment rate and income of martial arts practitioners by escorting goods and collecting information, and she also reduces social disputes by using rules to restrain them.

If there is no money to support the basic survival of martial arts practitioners, it is hard not for someone to draw their sword against the common people for money. It is obvious at a glance who is stronger and who is weaker between a martial arts practitioner with martial arts skills and an unarmed commoner.

Once the Wanshang Alliance was established, as long as one was not so disabled that they could not survive, everyone could find a legitimate job within the alliance to support their family.

Meanwhile, for those who are unable to take care of themselves, the Alliance of Merchants will act out of loyalty and consider whether the person is a criminal. If not, the Alliance has a dedicated department that will provide regular assistance.

A righteous alliance that provides a safety net for the martial arts world and sets a bottom line for not committing evil is nothing more than this.

Unexpectedly, this information was only mentioned briefly in the restricted text, and the details mentioned above were what she learned from Wang Si.

The eldest princess once discussed cooperation with the leader of the Wanshang Alliance. Before cooperating, she investigated the background of the Wanshang Alliance and learned about its rise to power.

Right now, she needs to investigate Jiang Xi's mother, wet nurse, and the southern border region related to Gu poison.

If only the first two cases were investigated, she could trouble the Princess, but once it became involved with the mysterious and unpredictable Southern Frontier, those from all walks of life who frequented the martial world were more flexible and adaptable than the soldiers from official backgrounds.

Moreover, who among those who can make their way in the martial world doesn't have some special skills of their own?

When danger arises, they run faster than officials.

How wonderful! They have their own information channels and can protect their own safety. Most importantly, they won't easily break their promises because of their sense of righteousness.

The eldest princess needs to sell sea salt and soap soon, and the progress of the sugar-making method she submitted later needs to be followed up. After that, preparations need to be made for the sale of ice in the summer.

With so many tasks already underway and a shortage of manpower, she didn't want to trouble the Princess with something else that offered an alternative.

The innkeeper was the same one they had stayed with last time; he had a warm smile that made one think of the saying "harmony brings wealth."

"Sir, I apologize for being late. The inn was very busy today, and it took a lot of time to deal with everything. Please forgive me."

"It's nothing." Shang Yuji smiled the standard smile she wore when discussing matters with others. "I'm looking for the manager to start a small inn business."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper quickly led her to a separate small room, where she readily revealed the information she wanted to investigate.

"Southern Xinjiang..." The innkeeper hesitated for a moment, then continued helplessly, "Sir, you may not know this, but the Southern Xinjiang region dislikes outsiders entering. If you want information about the Southern Xinjiang, the reward will be..."

She naturally understood the unspoken meaning: "I know this matter is difficult, but I will certainly not refuse the reward."

After discussing with the shopkeeper, they finally agreed on a deposit of 500 taels, with an additional 1,500 taels to be added after the deal was completed.

Fortunately, he was in a hurry to leave today and only had a small bundle with large denomination banknotes in his pocket. Shang Yuji paid two thousand taels on the spot.

The shopkeeper was pleased to see the customer pay so readily and said, "I'll make a note of this and will arrange for someone to notify you once someone has taken on the task."

Shang Yuji nodded: "I'll trouble you, shopkeeper. The more urgent this matter is, the better."

"Please rest assured, young lady!"

The rains during the plum rain season come irrationally, falling whenever they want, without much convenience for people.

Sure enough, just after I finished speaking with the shopkeeper and stepped out of the secluded hut, it started raining again outside the lobby.

She hadn't brought an umbrella when she arrived, but luckily the inn sold them. She bought one with a light and elegant color, walked to the eaves, opened it, and left.

The raindrops hit the umbrella silently, only dripping down the edge of the umbrella.

As the footsteps receded into the distance, the chaotic conversations in the inn also dissipated.

With the matter of Gu to be put aside for now, the huge weight on her heart felt much lighter.

However, she always felt that she had forgotten something.

As she stepped on the rain-washed blue bricks, she frowned, trying to recall what she had forgotten.

Some vendors whose stalls were not covered packed up their goods and found shelter under eaves where they usually kept out of the rain, waiting for the rain to stop so they could set up their stalls again.

Shang Yuji's gaze was inevitably drawn to their movements. Gradually, she heard the hurried footsteps in straw raincoats muttering rapidly:

When will this rainy weather end?

"Don't let it rain any more, the seedlings in the field will be ruined if they get soaked!"

"..."

In an instant, her mind cleared.

Rainy season, grain, Jingzhou!

A month later, Jingzhou was hit by a flood. The once-in-twenty-years heavy rain caused the dikes to break, flooding many fields and killing countless people. Those who survived were displaced and forced to leave their homes, ultimately leaving Jingzhou almost deserted.

Half of the cause of this disaster was due to the severe and sudden flooding, which caught Jingzhou off guard.

The other half involves the court's disaster relief efforts. Ministers in the court pass the buck to each other, making difficult decisions on disaster relief, while the relief grain is embezzled by various officials who line their own pockets.

In the end, the situation that the governor of Jingzhou had finally managed to stabilize was ruined due to insufficient supplies.

Should she try to lend a hand?

Not for the sake of the imperial court, nor for the plot of the book, but only to save millions of people and families in the region.

A note from the author:

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Just to clarify: the martial arts world depicted in the story is consistent with the background setting and will not contain any mystical elements. [Applause][Applause]