Chapter 102

The day after Zhou Jingchen returned, many more guards were deployed in Khotan, searching door to door. Unsure if this was related to Zhou Jingchen's trip to Kucha, Ye Jia had become much more cautious when leaving the house these past few days.

After getting the deed to the fertile land, he still had to go to the government to register it. Ye Jia thought about buying two more shops. They were located on the south street near Liuxiang.

Since he planned to sell rouge and powder, he naturally had to choose a good location for the shop and arrange for a shopkeeper to run the business. Yutian was quite far from Dongxiang Town, so Ye Jia tried to find a shopkeeper there. However, after examining many of the people brought by the traffickers, Ye Jia wasn't entirely satisfied.

If running a rouge and powder business, the shopkeeper must have a deep understanding of rouge and powder. Ye Jia preferred someone with good looks and good taste. Ideally, a woman with a keen eye for makeup and color. However, considering that women in ancient times rarely appeared in public to engage in business, Ye Jia realized this requirement was a bit demanding. She decided to be more lenient, preferring someone who was also elegant and scholarly.

She always believed that first impressions are more important in business, and people who are good-looking and well-spoken can also make customers feel more favorable towards them.

Ye Jia worked tirelessly for nearly half a month before finally selecting a woman in her thirties. Her surname was Cao Yueru. She was from the Central Plains, but for unusual circumstances, she had settled in Khotan. Her husband, a scholar, was too frail to leave the house, leaving her to support the family. She was also knowledgeable about cosmetics and was known for her eloquence. Ye Jia considered more than a dozen candidates before finally choosing her.

Although the staff had been appointed, the rouge and powder were not yet ready. She would have to wait until she returned to Dongxiang Town to make arrangements. However, before that, Ye Jia took advantage of this time to find a craftsman to renovate the shop.

She was very busy with the shop and recruiting people, and had no other activities.

Ye Jia didn't know that after she had chosen the person, she took a few days off. During these days, she dragged Zhou Jingchen to buy fabrics for clothes.

There was a wealth of silk in Khotan, most of it shipped from the Central Plains and Jiangnan to the Western Regions. There were many varieties, many of which were high-quality materials. Ye Jia had a few days off and had nothing better to do, so he went for a stroll. Since he didn't have many outfits to wear, he decided to buy some to bring back for the Yu family's Fourth Sister, Ye. Zhou Jingchen also had very few clothes, only two or three, so he bought him some extra.

This guy has fair skin and good looks. He looks good in any color and can handle any style.

Ye Jia was just in the mood at first, but later he became obsessed with buying things and simply bought him a set of clothes in various materials and styles.

Zhou Jingchen naturally accepted it with pleasure. He seemed to have been less busy these days, so he let Ye Jia choose his clothes. It was a good thing, after all, that his face could support the flamboyant clothes he wore every day. Every time he changed into an outfit, he felt like a different person. Ye Jia even indulged him in the fun of playing dress-up games. The couple had been inseparable lately. Zhou Jingchen was mostly silent, and Ye Jia bought everything he ate, wore, and used. Others, watching from the sidelines without knowing the inside story, saw that Ye Jia was spending a fortune on this man.

Especially Zhou Jingchen's handsome appearance and young and strong physique make him look like a qualified gigolo.

The people watching secretly didn't see anything unusual, but instead felt a surge of jealousy. They were extremely disdainful of this flashy pretty boy Zhou Jingchen. While feeling disdainful, they couldn't hide their envy and jealousy: "Pah, he just has a pretty face!"

Zhou Jingchen didn't realize how much he was making others grit their teeth. After waiting for almost half a month, there was finally movement from Kucha.

The rumor that the Grand Protectorate had been robbed and that the missing tiger talisman was the missing item spread like wildfire throughout Kucha. Those within the city with ulterior motives naturally seized this opportunity and targeted the current Grand Protector, seeking to dethrone him.

In reality, the position of Grand Protector was an imperial official position, not hereditary. These individuals, relying on the emperor's superior power, sought to control the Anxi Protectorate without imperial appointment, and naturally, they tacitly concealed the news. Apart from other factors, seniority alone would have made it impossible for the young Qiao family's adopted son to take the position. However, the Qiao family's adopted son claimed to possess the old Protectorate's tiger talisman and, with the support of the old Protectorate's trusted aides, maintained a firm grip on the Anxi Protectorate's military power. This deterred some from any rash action.

Now that the tiger talisman has been stolen, the Qiao family's adopted son's reliance is uncertain, and naturally, some people will become disloyal. Where there are people, there will be struggles. If someone can soar to the top, no one wants to be inferior to others.

All of a sudden, half-truths and half-false news were flying around, and all kinds of rumors were spreading. The situation in Kucha City was like a pot of soup.

Although Ye Jia didn't know what Zhou Jingchen was waiting for, she patiently did her own thing.

One evening, Ye Jia was returning from the shop when he bumped into an elderly man and a middle-aged man at the inn's door. They hadn't heard from where, but it seemed as if they had been waiting for Ye Jia. As soon as Ye Jia got out of the carriage, they came to greet him.

The two claimed to be servants of the Qiao family, and close attendants to Old Lady Yang. They claimed to have gotten the news from an inn on the official road to the north, and had taken a detour to find their way to Khotan. They heard that Old Lady Yang had been taken away by a merchant couple of exceptional appearance.

They wiped their tears as they talked: "Madam went crazy overnight since the master passed away."

The middle-aged woman among them said with a sigh, "I've never seen Madam care so much about Master before. She didn't do much after Master passed away. She suddenly ran away with Master's urn. Even those of us who served closely were caught off guard. It just so happened that something else happened in the mansion, and it was a mess. We were incompetent and didn't keep an eye on her. When we found out, Madam had disappeared..."

What they said was sincere and heartfelt. Ye Jia examined them for a long time and then looked at Zhou Jingchen.

Zhou Jingchen didn't react much and didn't mean to stop him. Ye Jia thought for a moment and said, "Come with me."

The two of them looked at each other and were immediately overjoyed: "Thank you so much, kind man."

After staying at the inn for more than half a month, Old Lady Yang was only lucid that time; after that, she was completely dazed and unconscious. Even so, because someone was watching over her, Old Lady Yang wasn't as miserable as before. Ye Jia brought an old man and a middle-aged man to Old Lady Yang's room. When they saw Old Lady Yang lying on the bed, clutching the urn, their eyes welled up, tears streaming down their cheeks.

The middle-aged woman, in particular, burst into tears at the sight of Old Lady Yang, who was so thin and had completely white hair. "Madam, how could you become like this? How could you become like this? If the Lord knew about your condition, he would never be able to close his eyes!"

How much did their old lady cherish beauty in the past? Her clothes and jewelry were exquisite, and even the smallest hair couldn't be out of place. Her hair, once black, had turned completely white in just a few months. Now she couldn't understand human speech and was mumbling something. Her appearance had become so unremarkable that it truly broke the hearts of the personal servants who had cared for her since she was a child.

"You two should talk first."

Ye Jia brought the person over and went back to his room. Zhou Jingchen was sitting by the window, leisurely making tea.

Seeing Ye Jia come in, he waved his hand, and Ye Jia sat down and sighed.

The steam curling from the small stove clouded Ye Jia's face, and she looked downcast, a touch melancholic. Zhou Jingchen looked up at her and smiled, then took a small cup and turned it over. He held his sleeve with one hand, wrapped the handle of the teapot with a handkerchief with the other, and slowly poured Ye Jia a cup of tea. His movements of pouring and brewing tea were truly smooth and pleasing to the eye.

"Try it."

Ye Jia looked up at him, picked up the cup and took a sip, her expression suddenly startled.

Although she rarely drank tea and didn't really know how to appreciate it, she had to admit that Zhou Jingchen's tea tasted much better. Even a cruder person like a cow drinking water could discern some subtle refinement. However… Ye Jia couldn't help but raise her eyelids and glance at the person across from her. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt that Zhou Jingchen's every move had become inexplicably more flirtatious recently.

"What are you thinking about, Jia Niang?" Zhou Jingchen laughed, not shying away from Ye Jia's scrutiny. "Looking at me like that?"

"No," Ye Jia lowered his eyes and drank the tea in one gulp. "I'm just a little curious about the Qiao family. From what those two servants said just now, it seems that the relationship between Old Lady Yang and the former Grand Protector is not as harmonious as I thought."

Zhou Jingchen nodded: "Yes, it is."

"What do you mean?" He suddenly became so sure, and Ye Jia became interested. "Do you know something?"

"I know a little." Zhou Jingchen poured Ye Jia another cup of tea. The aroma of tea lingered in the air as he slowly opened his mouth and spoke, "The story between the former Grand Protector and his wife isn't really a secret. Actually, they're more like a forced couple than a married couple."

"Hmm? Tell me, tell me." Ye Jia was already a little curious, but after hearing him say that, she became desperate to know. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she stared intently at the person brewing tea across from her.

It was the first time that Zhou Jingchen received such focused attention from her, and for a moment his hand holding the tea was stunned.

His Adam's apple bounced up and down, and he felt a mixture of laughter and tears at Ye Jia's behavior. Zhou Jingchen didn't deliberately keep him in suspense, but after a moment's thought, he spoke: "The former Grand Protector Qiao Xiqing was also the descendant of an exiled official. The Yang family was a wealthy family in Kucha, and their ancestors had served in official positions, making them considered a wealthy and powerful family in the area. However, their descendants were few and far between, and by the time of Old Lady Yang's father, they had only one daughter..."

"When Old Lady Yang was young, she had a crush on a man who was a son of a wealthy family in Kucha. They grew up together as childhood sweethearts and had a deep bond. However, things didn't go as planned and they couldn't get married. The Yang family only had one daughter, and Yang's father couldn't tolerate his daughter marrying out and ending the Yang family's lineage. From a young age, Old Lady Yang was destined to marry a son-in-law in her life, protecting the family fortune and the Yang family's lineage."

Zhou Jingchen took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Old Lady Yang naturally couldn't accept it. She has a strong character and even in adulthood she would never give in. However, the man she has her eyes on doesn't have her determination. Since her proposal to marry him failed, she chose another good match and gave her up."

"I see..."

Ye Jia blinked, guessing what was going on. "So, out of anger, she chose someone else? And the one she chose was Qiao Xianqing?"

"Not really," Zhou Jingchen glanced at Ye Jia strangely, paused, and then said politely, as if considering for a moment, "The Yang family has only one daughter. When Old Lady Yang was young, she was spoiled and had a very arrogant temperament."

Zhou Jingchen always kept to the point and never used extreme words to describe anyone. This was the first time he used the word "very spoiled" to describe someone.

"...What does this mean?" Normally, if you don't care, I'll just give up, right?

Zhou Jingchen smoothed his sleeves and smiled. As if not wanting to speak harshly of someone over fifty, he simply said, as subtly as possible, "In short, even though Old Lady Yang was forced by her father to marry Qiao Xiqing, she never let go of the past. For over fifty years after their marriage, until Qiao Xiqing's death, she only cared about the old man and the old things."

Ye Jia's throat suddenly became constricted. After a pause, he asked, "...What do you mean by 'always thinking about old times?'"

Zhou Jingchen couldn't help but laugh when he saw her expression suddenly become complicated. He didn't want to say anything too harsh about other people's affairs, so he just said, "Jia Niang, why do you think they have been married for more than 50 years and have no children?"

"...You can't treat someone else's husband as your own, or someone else's offspring as your own, right?"

Zhou Jingchen didn't expect Ye Jia to guess everything at once, and raised his eyes in surprise.

"Guessed it right?!" When Ye Jia saw his surprised look, his throat choked and his heart felt like he had eaten something dirty.

Zhou Jingchen said nothing, only refilled a cup of tea: "Drink some tea to cool down."

"What are you trying to calm down?" She wasn't angry. Even so, Ye Jia still grabbed the teacup and drank it all.

She scratched her hair, feeling a little unbelievable. Thinking back to how Old Lady Yang had been obsessed with her late husband, she felt a little strange. It wasn't disgusting, but at least she wasn't quite as moved. "...Even so, how did they manage to stay together for over fifty years? Shouldn't they have parted ways long ago? Oh, and the Yang family is so powerful, they can't divorce."

"Not really," Zhou Jingchen looked at her and shook his head, "When Qiao Xiqing married Old Lady Yang, it wasn't as if she were marrying into the family."

"Then how can it last for more than 50 years? Aren't men not willing to suffer any loss?" Ye Jia said this casually, but it pointed out the essence of the matter.

Zhou Jingchen's smile faltered. After a pause, he put down the cup in his hand and looked up at Ye Jia with a rather resentful look in his eyes: "...That depends on the person. Jia Niang, don't lump everyone in the same basket."

Ye Jia shrugged, noncommittal: "Either Qiao Xianqing is afraid of the Yang family and doesn't dare to do anything to Old Lady Yang, or Qiao Xianqing himself has something to hide..."

Having said this, Ye Jia curled his lips and didn't say anything else.

As the saying goes, the dead are the greatest. She wasn't involved in the incident and had no idea what was going on. It was indeed a bit unkind of her to speculate about the dead. However, it wasn't that Ye Jia looked down on men's friendship, but rather that men were superior to women in today's society, with women in a subordinate position. It was common for men to be unfeeling and disloyal.

"If there is any hidden secret, even if Qiao Xiqing was not recruited by the Yang family, it is because he met Old Lady Yang by chance when he was young and fell in love with her at first sight."

Zhou Jingchen had always been reluctant to discuss other people's affairs, but the misunderstanding between Ye Jia and the other woman made him feel threatened. Actually, the past between Qiao Xiqing and Old Lady Yang wasn't exactly secretive; a little digging would reveal the truth. Old Lady Yang was a notoriously confused person in Kucha, a well-known foolish beauty.

Nowadays, the people of Kucha use Old Lady Yang as an example to scold women who are unfaithful and disloyal.

Zhou Jingchen's brief summary left Ye Jia speechless: "...Is her reputation really that bad?"

"Um."

In her youth, Old Lady Yang, relying on her husband's affection and the Yang family's wealth and influence, freely used the Qiao family's belongings to support her beloved's family. Now, their adopted son, Qiao Zhengyuan, is the son of Zhang Yeyu, the man Old Lady Yang had longed for her entire life. Old Lady Yang, stubbornly severing her own lineage with a bowl of medicine, then, claiming she needed a child without a successor, openly adopted a illegitimate son from her beloved's family.

The truth behind this matter is such a mess that it is hard to tell any of it. Old Lady Yang's reckless behavior disgusted both families.

Ye Jia frowned, and could easily guess the feelings of Old Lady Yang's beloved wife. Such reckless behavior would naturally lead to conflict between the two families. While childhood sweethearts benefited their families greatly, they likely wouldn't have a good life with constant interference from an outsider. As for the Qiao family, Old Lady Yang was determined not to leave Qiao Xianqing with offspring, and they were willing to raise someone else's child, which was a disservice to both themselves and others.

"...Since you hate each other so much, wouldn't it be better to divorce early? Why torture each other for more than fifty years? What's the point of showing such affection after the person is dead?" Ye Jia couldn't feel sad at all now.

"Who knows," Zhou Jingchen never commented on Old Lady Yang's actions, "maybe she realized it too late."

Ye Jia: “…” Damn your hindsight.

Although this is someone else's family affair, Ye Jia, as an outsider, does not need to invest too much emotion.

After learning the truth, Ye Jia's impression of Old Lady Yang was no longer so favorable. She put away her unnecessary sympathy and said, "...Qiao Xianqing has no children, so he only adopted a child. As long as he raises the child diligently, that should make up for his regret. But how can that adopted son inherit the position of Grand Protector with such impunity? Such behavior is a bit too arrogant."

"Arrogance naturally comes from being fearless."

Ye Jia thought about it and sighed, "Peace and security on the border are so important. It's absurd to have such lax control over key border areas."

"The court has always acted in absurd ways, and this is nothing new." Zhou Jingchen's expression shifted to a less relaxed tone when he mentioned the court. He lowered his eyelids to block out the sharp light in his eyes.

"..." Ye Jia thought about it and it was true. There were indeed a lot of absurd things happening in Dayan.

Official positions were being sold, favoritism and fraud were rampant, and even the imperial examinations were suspended for three years. It wasn't uncommon for a second-rank official's death to be concealed, and for someone below him to be replaced without the court's knowledge. Ye Jia couldn't help but feel sick at the thought. A government that could descend to this level was truly capable: "After Qiao Xianqing's death, Old Lady Yang was forced to leave the palace..."

"Although Qiao Xiqing loves Old Lady Yang and dotes on his adopted son, it doesn't mean that Qiao's adopted son will be grateful." Zhou Jingchen said lightly.

The idea of ​​exchanging hearts for each other only happens to people with conscience. How can we expect people without conscience to remember our kindness? Ye Jia was silent.

"That tiger talisman..."

"Of course I won't return it." Zhou Jingchen said confidently.

Ye Jia saw his attitude and rolled her eyes at him: "...No need to return it, I gave her your fake one."

Zhou Jingchen raised his eyebrows and suddenly smiled: "Jia Niang is my lucky star."

…

As the sky darkened and night fell, the old servants of the Qiao family who had come to look for someone finally appeased Old Lady Yang and came to thank Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen. They had nothing else to thank Ye Jia for, only a seal and a token.

Needless to say, the token was the fake tiger talisman that Ye Jia had given to Old Lady Yang. The seal, given along with the token, must have been a similar token of trust.

"This is the ancestral property accumulated by the Yang family for generations."

The middle-aged woman who spoke was her mother, a personal maidservant to Old Lady Yang. She was also raised by Old Lady Yang, and although she was a servant in name only, she was raised as a daughter in the Qiao family. Having served Old Lady Yang for so many years, she truly treated her as her own elder. "Given my master's current condition, it would be a crime to possess these treasures."

This woman seemed to be well-educated and spoke in an elegant manner.

Ye Jia glanced at the fake token. She felt the Yang family seal strangely burning in her hand. Although Zhou Jingchen always said she was a lucky star, Ye Jia felt her luck was a bit excessive. How could she just pick up an old woman and claim her family's inheritance? She wasn't some kind of destiny.

"As the saying goes, one cannot receive reward without merit..." Giving these things to her must have other intentions. Ye Jia said nothing and waited quietly.

Sure enough, after the middle-aged woman presented the things, she knelt on the ground with a thud.

After waiting for a while and not seeing any special escorts from Ye Jia, he immediately started crying to himself: "Madam, the ancestral property under the name of the Yang family is spread all over the Anxi Protectorate. Shops, fields, servants, livestock, everything. I took the initiative to deliver the Yang family's ancestral property to you because I have a favor to ask. I hope that you will agree to it."

A servant raised as a daughter in the Grand Protectorate was naturally special. Old Lady Yang had no biological children. Although she adopted a child and cherished him like a treasure, it didn't stop her from liking the little girl. The middle-aged woman had been raised by Old Lady Yang as her own daughter, having grown close to her and followed her around. Naturally, she was knowledgeable.

The middle-aged woman had long suspected that the couple's identities were not simple after all her inquiries. They were now in such a state that they had no other choice but to try any possible means. After a moment's internal struggle, she steeled herself and told them everything.

What the middle-aged woman wanted to say was more detailed than what Zhou Jingchen said.

In fact, the story of the Qiao family was exactly as Zhou Jingchen had said. When Old Lady Yang was young, she was so infatuated with her childhood sweetheart, a wealthy young man, that she refused to give up even when he married someone else.

"But this is not entirely my wife's fault."

The woman took a deep breath and said, "Zhang Yeyu often gives Madam the gifts they gave each other privately when they were young, and he often reminisces about the past. It's his obsession that has caused Madam to be unable to let go of the past."

The old man of the Zhang family has passed away now, but the middle-aged wife still hates him when she mentions him: "Although the Zhang family is a wealthy merchant family, Zhang Yeyu is not good at business. After marrying a wife, the family has even more money than they had. For so many years, he relied on his thick skin to live a carefree life under the protection of the Yang family, but he secretly ridiculed my wife for being shameless..."

"It was my wife's fault in this matter. She suffered such a retribution and cannot be blamed on others. But what about Qiao Zhengyuan?"

The middle-aged woman burst into tears when she mentioned the past, and she really wanted to cry blood. "Qiao Zhengyuan was a member of my Qiao family, and he used my Qiao family's money. My master taught him hand in hand and made him a talent. But he actually didn't care about the kindness of his education at all, and colluded with the Zhang family to take advantage of my master's serious illness and poison him. This revenge must be avenged no matter what!"

...The seal suddenly became hot.

Ye Jia blinked and put the seal on the table with a click. As expected, there is no free lunch in the world.

"Young Madam, I know this request is difficult, but we've been kicked out of the Qiao Mansion and have no other recourse." The middle-aged woman knew her request was difficult, but she was confident. "This black token is a tiger talisman. Qiao Zhengyuan inherited the position of Grand Protector without authorization, and in fact, he never even got the tiger talisman. He now occupies the Grand Protectorate, relying on outsiders' ignorance and our Madam's hysteria to prevent him from being exposed. As long as you, as long as you can expose this matter, someone will take his life."

As soon as she finished speaking, the middle-aged woman wiped her tears and began to kowtow.

Ye Jia narrowed his eyes for a moment, then slowly raised the corners of his mouth. In reality, the middle-aged woman wasn't stupid, and neither was Ye Jia. "If it were just about exposing this, wouldn't you two be able to do it? Why would I need to do it?"

Although she was greedy for money, she wouldn't sacrifice her life for it. The Yang family's ancestral property was indeed very attractive, but in the current situation, who knew how much of it would actually fall into their hands? Now that Qiao Zhengyuan had already occupied the Grand Protectorate, would he let the Yang family's ancestral property fall into the hands of others? Even if the middle-aged woman was a servant, even if she had the master's trust, she would not have more say than the adopted son. Their expulsion from the Qiao Mansion was proof of this...

The woman's body suddenly stiffened and she fell silent. Looking at the bright and beautiful young woman before her, young but not easy to fool, the woman's body suddenly began to tremble, bit by bit.

Ye Jia didn't say anything either, just looked at her indifferently.

The middle-aged woman pursed her lips for a long time, not knowing what to say.

Since she didn't speak, Ye Jia naturally wouldn't speak either. The atmosphere suddenly became cold.

The middle-aged woman's face was covered in cold sweat. After a long moment, as if unable to bear the stalemate, she finally conceded. Her tears dripped onto the ground, and she clutched the hem of her skirt with such force that veins popped out. She spoke carefully, "I manage a merchant shop owned by the Yang family. I've heard there's a brave general in the Beiting Protectorate named Zhou. His wife is a keen merchant. They're both very easy to spot and are incredibly good-looking."

"Um?"

Ye Jia raised an eyebrow and tilted his head: "...You can recognize it just based on this? That's too hasty."

Although she didn't say anything harsh, her light words were very intimidating.

The middle-aged woman finally realized that Ye Jia, despite his youth, was not someone to be trifled with. She immediately stopped making careless remarks. She lowered her head, a look of struggle evident on her face. After a moment, she swallowed hard before finally making up her mind. "...Actually, it wasn't that. It was just our private speculation. Someone informed me of Mr. Zhou's identity."