6. Returning Wild Goose

◎Your Majesty, you are so scary◎

Chapter 6

Ji Ci suddenly felt as if these four words were hitting him head-on. After a moment of silence, he said sternly, "Madam Zhang, please respect yourself and don't call me that in the future! You are not allowed to call me brother!"

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and frowned. Perhaps because the young widow grew up in that remote mountain village, she was so ignorant of etiquette.

Although he could see that she seemed to have had no one to teach her since childhood, he was a prince and not everyone could say her name easily.

Jiang Qiuye seemed slightly startled by Ji Ci's serious expression and tone, and pouted.

She put on an aggrieved expression, hung her head, and replied weakly, "Yes, Your Highness."

Ji Ci felt uncomfortable, as if he realized that the young widow was too weak and fragile, like a piece of thin paper, and would become a quail if he was attacked casually.

This commotion and this disgust actually made him forget all his initial doubts about her coming here.

For a moment, after Jiang Qiuye stopped talking, the room became a little too silent and awkward, and the scent of bergamot filled the air.

He didn't linger for long. Seeing she had no other important matters, he left immediately. A moment later, the fragrance gradually dissipated, leaving only the swaying bamboo leaves and the autumn breeze.

Jiang Qiuye lowered her eyes, the grievance and tears in her eyes had long since disappeared. She raised her head and looked at the empty cup on the table in front of her. She gently lifted it to her nose and smelled it, and there was still a hint of bergamot scent lingering.

…

After receiving instructions from Prince Qi, the Dali Temple worked very efficiently, and the dowry was returned to Jiang Qiuye the next day.

She just casually glanced at the boxes of gold, silver, jewelry and cloth without any attachment, and asked Jinhong to sell them all, and finally exchanged them for a lot of silver notes.

With the capital in hand, Jiang Qiuye never returned to the Anguo Mansion. After some twists and turns, he bought a shop in Shengjing City and used the second floor as his residence.

It is located in an area with high passenger flow, and most importantly, it is very close to the Prince Qi's Mansion, on the only way between the Prince Qi's Mansion and Jinhe Palace.

Although this shop is very expensive, it can become an important tool for Jiang Qiuye to get close to King Qi.

She hired a shopkeeper and two assistants, and after purchasing a lot of goods, she had very little money left.

Jinhong didn't understand Jiang Qiuye's actions. In her opinion, perhaps the fastest solution was to sneak into Prince Qi's mansion and steal the list of spies and the city defense map.

But whenever she tried to bring this up to Jiang Qiuye, she was always mocked by him, who said that she was still a fool after all these years and was so ignorant.

She hated Jiang Qiuye so much. She had put in so much effort to become a bronze ghost. But now, in Jin State, she could only rely on this strange woman.

You should know that there are bronze ghosts everywhere in Feiyan Pavilion, but there are only ten silver ghosts and five gold ghosts.

Jiang Qiuye is one of the Silver Ghosts, and it is said that she got to that position because of her extremely strong killing skills.

With reluctance and resentment, she worked as Jiang Qiuye's maid, helping him in everything. Jiang Qiuye's herbal medicine restaurant finally opened at an extremely fast speed five days later and was named Guihongtang.

The shop has an elegant atmosphere, with simple and neat furnishings, no strong fragrances, and only two maple saplings planted in front of the shop.

Jiang Qiuye sat at the door, watching the two saplings swaying in the wind, and thought of the poem again, "Startled wild geese returning home, unable to form a single word, what's the last line?"

She had watched it many times since she was a child, and although she was clearly deeply impressed, she could never quite remember it.

Unlike Jinhong who was anxious and restless all day long, Jiang Qiuye was running her Guihongtang seriously, and seemed to have forgotten about the mission and Ji Ci long ago.

Could it be that she really wants to change her career and become a herbalist?

However, opening a herbal medicine restaurant here is not the wisest choice. All the dowry has been spent, but there are few customers, and now the income is not enough to cover the expenses.

However, Ji Ci will definitely pass by this place on his way to court and back to the palace, and this is Jiang Qiuye’s main purpose.

But if this shop continues to make losses and cannot continue to operate, she is afraid that it will go bankrupt before she has the chance to get close to Ji Ci.

It seems that if you want to gain a foothold in Shengjing, the first step is to run this shop well.

After some inquiries, she found an opportunity.

Years of constant war between the Jin and Li kingdoms led to a decline in their culture. Since the truce three years prior, King Jici of Qi has championed the revival of Jin culture. He holds annual poetry and policy gatherings at the Jingshan Academy in Shengjing, attracting countless scholars who leave behind timeless masterpieces. This has led to the flourishing of Jin's literary elite and the recruitment of many talented individuals for the court.

But there are so many scholars that it is inevitable that talented people will be drowned out and unable to stand out.

The next day, Jiang Qiuye went to Jingshan Academy alone to attend a gathering of people.

The rally lasted for three days before it finally ended. Some people became famous, but most people left in obscurity.

Jiang Qiuye was particularly impressed by a young scholar with a square face who spoke at length about the new policies. She then learned that when Ji Ci first implemented the new policies, they had touched upon the interests of many aristocratic families, and had faced numerous obstacles and difficulties for three years. It was only now that they were finally being implemented in Dajin.

"Big girl."

Jiang Qiuye left Jingshan Academy and when she returned to the gate of Guihong Hall, she saw an old woman standing at the door calling her.

She frowned slightly, she knew this old woman, she was Aunt Xu, the maidservant beside her aunt.

She didn't want to pay any attention to this person and walked straight into the hall without even glancing at him.

Seeing this, Aunt Xu grabbed Jiang Qiuye's arm and said fiercely: "Miss, old..."

Her voice choked, a chill ran through her forehead, and she was shocked by Jiang Qiuye's deadly look.

But that look disappeared in an instant, and the usual sweet smile appeared on her face again.

"It's Aunt Xu. It's getting late today, so I didn't notice the person at the door. Please forgive me."

Aunt Xu breathed a sigh of relief. She was still the same girl she had always been, kind and polite to everyone, yet also timid as a mouse. She looked up at the dark clouds covering the moon today. She knew that knife-like glare from before must have been a mistake.

She then became confident and said, "The master asked you to return home as soon as possible. He has something important to ask you."

Important matter?

Jiang Qiuye recalled that day in the teahouse when she complained to Ji Ci about her cheap father.

She smiled slightly and replied in a clear voice, "I understand, Madam. I will be back early tomorrow morning."

After Aunt Xu left, she chuckled and said that she must have been sick to go back to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion.

As expected, the Duke of Anguo and his men woke up early the next morning, waiting for Jiang Qiuye to return home to teach her a lesson. No one showed up until noon. They sent Madam Xu to deliver another message. Jiang Qiuye politely agreed to finish her work and return in an hour. They waited all afternoon, and by evening, she still hadn't shown up.

Duke Anguo was furious. He smashed the cups and teapots and overturned the table. He said, "A daughter once married is like spilled water. She has long forgotten her last name is Qiu. I don't know how she became friends with Prince Qi and even filed a complaint with him. This little bastard would rather be a widow than go home."

Seeing this, Concubine Qian felt secretly worried, but she tried to comfort him: "The eldest young lady has just opened a shop, and she is full of fresh energy. It is not easy to run a shop. When this period is over, she will naturally come back if she can't hold on any longer. Master, don't be angry, and don't hurt yourself."

An Guogong regained his composure and looked back at Aunt Qian. "You and Ying'er are still the best. This Qiu Ziye is just like her mother."

After calming down, Duke Anguo continued to send people to invite Jiang Qiuye back to his mansion every day. She always agreed to it gently, but never replied. After being perfunctorily ignored for so many days, he stopped sending people to invite her.

…

Under the dim light, it was past midnight and Ji Ci was still handling paperwork. When he saw Tian Qu put the new investigation file of the Zhang family case in front of him, he suddenly remembered that he had not asked about the young widow for a long time.

"What has she been doing lately?"

"she?"

Tian Qu was stunned, with dark circles under his eyes, scratching his head, not understanding what Ji Ci said.

Ji Ci rolled his eyes and said helplessly, "Qiu Ziye."

Tian Qu blinked and immediately replied, "Your Highness, according to the secret guards, Qiu Ziye hasn't acted suspiciously since she left the Ministry of Justice. However, she recently opened a herbal medicine restaurant called Guihongtang. She doesn't do much on a daily basis, and just stays in her shop."

Ji Ci was startled and murmured, "Guihong Hall, so it was opened by her."

The startled returning wild geese cannot form a word, and the falling leaves from the branches are the best sign of autumn.

"Has anyone approached her recently?"

"The only people she interacted with were the shopkeepers and clerks at Guihongtang, and the ones who went to the pharmacy to buy supplies."

Ji Ci nodded, feeling a little confused and having a headache.

The question is, if the young widow was not innocent, why would she be busy taking care of a store all day long?

The trouble was that the young widow wasn't important enough to the Zhang family murderer. It seemed the case was indeed a vendetta, and that was why they spared the young widow, who had only been in the mansion for a day.

Tian Qu suddenly thought of something interesting and added, "By the way, Qiu Ziye's Guihong Hall used to have few guests. But recently, she's been hosting poetry and policy discussions there. Many scholars who hadn't left Shengjing after the Jingshan Academy conference have flocked there. It seems that if they didn't make a name for themselves at the conference, they're going to her smaller gathering to try and shine."

Ji Ci put down the ink brush in his hand. He had always known that the young widow had some harmless little tricks and cleverness, and she did a really good job in this matter.

By taking advantage of the tail end of the conference, she can also attract a lot of customers and spread her medicinal food.

"Your Highness, the medicinal food at Guihongtang is indeed delicious, better than any other place. In just a few days, it's already packed with customers."

Ji Ci looked up at the sky, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did you eat it privately?"

Tian Qu was shocked, realizing that he had been slacking off while doing his job. He immediately knelt on one knee and shouted, "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"...It's okay. Seeing that your eyes are dark, your cheeks are sunken, and your hair is hanging down, you might as well take some more medicine to treat kidney deficiency."

"Your Highness..." Tian Qu's hands trembled.

My Lord, you are so scary...

Ji Ci turned back and continued writing, saying, "Go down and rest early. If you are too tired, let the sky take care of you."

"No, Your Highness, I am not tired. I am willing to die for Your Highness." After saying that, he turned and left the study, his figure trembling slightly.

Ji Ci looked at the closed door and didn't quite understand why Tian Qu was so scared.

Thinking of his appearance, it must be that his kidney deficiency is too severe and has affected his brain.

Suddenly, I recalled the bowl of aconite and mutton soup the young widow had presented to me in the Ministry of Justice. It seemed I needed to take Tian to Guihong Hall to replenish his kidneys and brain.

Well, the main purpose is to find out what this weird little widow does every day.

By the way, can a young widow with mental problems really make good medicinal food that nourishes the brain?

It seems that I still need to replenish my kidneys first.

The author has something to say:

"The wild geese, startled home, are unable to form a single word; the falling leaves from the branches signal the arrival of autumn." Quoted from Huang Tingjian's "Autumn Rain in the Official Residence of Ren Jun"