Chapter 117 Matchmaker I want to be bound by a vow of life and death with Her Highness the Princess…
Yan Nian led a cavalry unit of several dozen men northward from Zhudong. The further north they went, the colder the winter wind became. Their warhorses, draped in felt, pounded the frozen, hard ground with their iron hooves. The cold wind howled down their necks.
Yan Nian adjusted the fur collar of her black fox fur cloak.
The cavalrymen following behind pulled up the corners of their headscarves to cover their mouths and noses and protect their cheeks.
Chen Liangyu set up heavy checkpoints along the Shuofang trade route, with strict inspections.
A caravan had just passed in front of Yan Nian, carrying a lot of goods on horses and camels, and followed by a number of thugs with knives and clubs on both sides of the caravan, resembling a small military unit.
The checkpoints were manned by soldiers from the northern border, and the cavalrymen carried eagle and cloud-patterned military flags. The gatekeeper, after examining the token handed over by the woman leading the horse, bowed and greeted her: "Lady of the Marquis of Wu'an."
The gatekeeper returned the token and said, "Let them pass."
Yan Nian asked, "Who are those people going past?" She had seen this group of merchants before in Zhudong.
The customs officer said, "Madam, it is Shen Yan, the caravan of Miss Yan Jiu. You don't recognize her?"
I vaguely heard that Shen Yan had the Zhang family as her backing when she was doing business, and after the downfall of Right Chancellor Zhang Diancheng, this woman climbed up to the Xuanping Marquis's mansion. How come the Lady of Wu'an Marquis seems to not recognize her at all?
It's her.
As the warhorse's iron hooves pounded the ground, pedestrians and caravans on the trade route quickly moved aside, clearing the central passage. Just as Shen Yan brought her carriage to a stop, a tall warhorse abruptly halted in front of her.
A pair of almond-shaped eyes, slightly shrewd.
Shen Yan curtsied to Yan Nian and said, "Lady of the Marquis of Wu'an."
"Miss Yan Jiu, I have long admired your name."
"This humble woman dares not presume. What are your orders, Madam? Or perhaps the General herself…"
Yan Nian laughed heartily through the cloud-shaped shoulder covering her face, "It's nothing. I've often heard Liangyu mention you. It just so happened that we met, so I thought I'd recognize you."
"It is my great fortune to have met you, Madam."
"I'm in a hurry to get going today, so let's have a longer talk another day when you come to my residence."
When they set off from Zhuodong, Yan Baizhang was still trying to persuade her to get back on the horse and travel faster, but she abandoned the carriage and insisted on riding a horse. After crossing the border, the northern frontier was mostly open wilderness, with frozen clouds hanging over the fields, and there wasn't even a place to shelter from the wind.
While the sun is still shining, we must hurry on our way. If we haven't reached Suzhou by sunset, the night will be truly freezing.
Shen Yan suddenly called out to her, "Madam, please wait." She climbed back into the carriage, picked up two small cloth bags, and handed them to Yan Nian.
Yan Nian weighed the two bags in his hand; they contained seeds of some kind of crop.
Shen Yan said, "Dongyin has cotton, which can be used to make winter clothes and boots, but they do not trade cotton with Dalin. Cotton trees are drought-resistant, and they can probably be cultivated in the northern border. I found a way to purchase these cotton seeds. I originally intended to unload this batch of goods in Wuzhou and then go to Dingbei City to pay my respects to the General. Today, I happened to meet you, Madam. Could you please take them back with you?"
“Miss Yan Jiu is very kind. If cotton can be grown in the Northern Territory, it will be a great blessing to all people.”
The air conditioning made me feel stiff.
After riding a horse for a while, you need to stop and rest.
As the afternoon approached, Yan Nian saw a half-built stone wall not far away.
This is the largest pasture in Wuzhou and Suzhou, spanning both prefectures. From here, estimating the distance, it will take less than half a day to reach Dingbei City.
After hesitating for a moment, Yan Nian decided to go to the pastoral administration office to ask the pastoral supervisor for a place to boil a pot of hot water so that everyone could warm up before continuing their journey.
The ranches at Qianjiyuan Ranch are all half dug underground and half built on the ground. The Ranch Supervisor's Office is no exception. Such houses keep warm in winter and cool in summer, and from a distance they look like mounds of earth rising on the grassland.
Locals call this type of semi-subterranean dwelling a "diyinzi".
From afar, a ranch official came running to greet them, saying, "This humble official, Qianji, former ranch supervisor at Shitan, greets Lady Wu'an."
Yan Nian said, "Shi Tan, when did you come to the ranch instead of serving as the Prefect of Wuzhou?"
"Does Madam remember me?"
Yan Nian had a good understanding of the officials, both high and low, in the three northern prefectures, and even knew a little about their family affairs.
Shi Tan looked embarrassed and said, "I did something stupid and I'm too ashamed to stay in the Wuzhou government office, so I asked to be transferred to the ranch to take care of these horses and cattle."
Yan Nian, mindful of his reputation, did not ask any further questions.
When Xie Wenjun was inspecting the fields in the north, he arrived in Wuzhou and temporarily stayed at the Qunfang Garden in Wuzhou. He planted a garden full of flowers in the drought-stricken area and placed more than twenty handsome young men around him to serve him.
According to Jingming, Chen Liangyu kicked down the door of the Wuzhou border post station because of this incident, and almost twisted the head off Du Peisun, the prefect of Wuzhou.
As a result of this incident, Xie Wenjun returned to Yongdu to deal with the case of the students of the Imperial Academy causing trouble at Lingjiu Academy. He did not hesitate to offend the families behind many aristocratic families. He made a veiled suggestion to strip the students of their academic titles and ban them from taking the imperial examinations for ten years, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the students involved and almost gave others a handle to make a big fuss about it.
Knowing he had made a mistake, Shi Tan wisely requested to be demoted early on and hid in the vast pasture where he could find three burrows.
Yan Nian said, "It's cold outside. We'll be passing through a pasture, so please trouble yourself to prepare a few pots of hot soup and some hay for the horses."
"Of course, I will have someone heat up the soup right away."
The largest burial mound in sight is the Pastor's Office.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze was lifeless.
He ignored the people who came in, but his gaze lingered on the two cotton seed pockets that Yan Nian was wearing around his waist. There was an embroidered character for "sinking" on the pockets.
A pot of tea was boiling on a small stove in the pastoral office. The bottom of the boiled water was covered with limescale. Shi Tan planned to take the pot of hot water out and distribute it to the cavalrymen outside.
Upon seeing that person, Shi Tan's face instantly turned pale.
He shouldn't be here today. There are several cows in the western cowshed about to give birth; he should be there to register them.
Shi Tan glanced at Yan Nian's expression and silently prayed to the gods that Yan Nian would not recognize this person. He personally brought over a soft chair covered with sheepskin and deliberately placed it far away from the desk. "Madam of Wu'an, please have a seat."
There were no fancy tea sets here, so he poured a bowl of hot soup and handed it to Yan Nian first.
Marquis Wu'an's name was highly respected in the northern border. Upon hearing Yan Nian's identity, the man behind the desk did not come over to pay his respects. Yan Nian had no intention of arguing with him about etiquette. Shi Tan, however, quickly smiled apologetically and said, "Please forgive me, Madam Marquis Wu'an. He's just a menial worker. This man has some mental issues. Please don't take offense at him, Madam Marquis Wu'an."
Hearing that he seemed to be unwell, Yan Nian finally asked, "Young Master Zhang, are you alright?"
Zhang Jialing's eyes trembled. He didn't speak.
Shi Tan lowered his head, blaming himself for obviously deceiving himself. Back when Zhang Diancheng was the Right Chancellor, how prominent the Zhang family was! Now, Chen Liangyu, the military commander of the three northern prefectures, had some past connections with him. How could the people of the Xuanping Marquis's mansion not recognize the young master of the Zhang family?
After Crown Prince Yizhang died at the hands of the rebels, Right Chancellor Zhang Diancheng was beheaded, and Zhang Jialing was exiled to the border, where he spent several years moving ore in the mountains of Xiling Yunshan County. The following year, Emperor Zhenyuan Xie Yuan ascended the throne. A few years later, the country was stable, and the civil service examinations were held. The faces of officials in the court were changed many times over, and gradually the Zhang family was no longer mentioned.
Such a prestigious and influential family in the imperial court seemed to have been completely forgotten.
People leave and things cool down; that's just how the world is.
Unexpectedly, not long after, an old acquaintance of the Zhang family who had received favors from Zhang Diancheng secretly lobbied and brought Zhang Jialing out of the deep mountains, settling him in the Qianji Plain ranch in the northern border. Although it was still a place of constant wind and sand, fortunately no one came to investigate, and he no longer had to do manual labor. During the years he moved ore, the bones in his fingers became deformed and twisted, and his back became somewhat hunched. Fortunately, he had passed the imperial examination and had excellent handwriting. He worked as a clerk in the Qianji Plain ranch, a ninth-rank official, but due to his status as the son of a disgraced official, he was not considered a high-ranking official and had no official title.
The Thousand Horses Pasture was full of grooms and herdsmen; few people knew Zhang Jialing's former identity.
Shi Tan dared not make a sound.
Now that Yan Nian had seen through Zhang Jialing's identity, Shi Tan stopped trying to cover up his theft of the bell. Yan Nian didn't seem to care either. He apologized and went out to urge the herdsman to make hot tea.
The pastoral administration fell silent for a moment. Then the sounds of grinding ink and putting down pens echoed from the desk.
The Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau was originally established by Zhang Diancheng to curb the annexation of farmland by officials and nobles from commoners. In view of this, Yan Nian always held a part of respect and admiration for this right prime minister, who was both praised and criticized.
Even though Zhang Diancheng was the subject of much slander and his reputation was difficult to erase after his death, a trace of admirable integrity remained in his name after his death.
Yan Nian had no interest in kicking someone when they were down or making things difficult for his descendants.
Now that he has a place to settle down, hopefully this young master of the Zhang family will live a peaceful life from now on.
Rou asked Shi Tan to cut a thick piece of animal hide, tied it into a bag, filled it with hot water, and gave it to Yan Nian so that he could warm his cold hands on the road.
After parting ways, Yan Nian took a shortcut from Qianjiyuan Ranch and arrived at the Xuanping Marquis's residence in Suzhou at dusk.
Chen Liangyu went out of the mansion to greet him, but the person had already entered first.
"Sister-in-law, you must be tired from your journey."
Yan Nian said, "You've grown taller."
Chen Liangyu was tall with long legs, and always walked with large strides, towering over Yan Nian. She said, "I haven't grown much in a long time. You must not have seen me in a long time and think I'm still a child. How has Uncle Yan been feeling lately?"
"Still the same."
Upon entering the main hall, two cloth bags were tossed onto the table one after the other. Yan Nian sat down imposingly by the charcoal brazier, his palms almost touching the flames, turning the bag over and over to roast it.
Yan Nian said, "I met the Miss Yan Jiu you mentioned on the Shuofang trade route, and she asked me to bring you these two bags of cottonseed."
"Cotton? Cotton has never been grown in the North."
Yan Nian said, "When spring comes, have someone cultivate a few acres of wasteland and plant some crops; maybe we can succeed."
Chen Liangyu untied the cloth bag and grabbed a handful of oval-shaped cotton seeds, not much larger than wheat grains, a mixture of brown and black, one end larger than the other, some of which were still entangled with cotton fibers that had not been removed.
If the military settlements needed to grow grain and plant cotton seeds, they had to reclaim the land.
"Who should plant them? There's really no one idle in the Marquis's mansion."
"Isn't the Eldest Princess searching for seeds all over the world? My sister-in-law is also going back to Yongdu to arrange my second brother's marriage, so why don't we send them to the Eldest Princess's residence?"
Yan Nian said, "The northern border is vast and sparsely populated, with few crops that can survive. If cotton can be grown in the north, it can be traded, which will be a way for the people of the north to make a living."
Chen Liangyu winked and said, "Sister-in-law, you have foresight. I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."
"Stop being so cheeky."
"By the way, are you aware that Zhang Jialing is at the Qianji Plain ranch? Everyone in the court is eager to find fault with you, wishing they could dig three feet into the ground to find any mistakes. At this time, you must know your limits." Yan Nian said, "After all, he is the descendant of a disgraced official."
Chen Liangyu said, "Shen Yan came to me about his matter back then. Someone in the court was behind the scenes manipulating things to send him to the Northern Border, hoping to find him a place where he could live a peaceful life. I didn't stop him and just pretended not to know anything about it."
"That's good."
Yan Nian's cavalry carried a wooden box into the mansion.
Yan Nian said, “Bei Yong has a large army stationed on the border. I have revised the blueprints for the repeating crossbow and catapult several times, as well as made some other improvements. Transporting heavy weapons from Zhu Dong is too time-consuming and laborious, so I made some easy-to-carry wooden models, which are all in boxes. The dimensions are all on the blueprints. You should have the craftsmen make them as soon as possible.”
Chen Liangyu said, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
Yan Nian glanced at her, then lowered his head and said casually, "Liangyu, there are some things I haven't asked you. Tell me, why was the iron letter tube given to the Princess?"
Cottonseeds leaked through Chen Liangyu's fingers like sand through a leaky window.
Chen Liangyu paused for a moment, then said, "Sister-in-law, I originally intended to explain this matter to you after the world had settled down."
“I don’t mean to blame you. Do you really trust the Princess so much? Or do you have some other scheme? If you do, you need to tell your father and me in advance so that we can help you.”
Chen Liangyu said, "I wish to be bound to Her Highness the Princess for life and death, and to be with her for a hundred years."
Yan Nian was stunned.
"My parents have passed away, and I am the eldest sister-in-law. When the land is at peace, I would like to ask my sister-in-law to act as my matchmaker."
...
"Oh, I see." Very indifferent.
Yan Nian stood there motionless for a while, then stood up woodenly as if her soul had been captured, not knowing where to go. She even twisted her ankle as she started to walk. "Don't follow me."
Rou helped Yan Nian walk towards the backyard.
The memorial tablets of Chen Yuanqing, He Yunzhou, and Chen Linjun are enshrined in the Marquis's residences in Yongdu and Suzhou.
After closing the ancestral hall door and dismissing the servants, Yan Nian knelt down straight and kowtowed to Chen Yuanqing and He Yunzhou for a long time. She then held Chen Linjun's memorial tablet in her arms and wept for a while, saying that she felt ashamed of her ancestors and that if anyone was to blame, it was her, as the eldest sister-in-law, for not being a good one.
Rou tried to persuade her, but Yan Nian wouldn't listen to a word.
"Madam, perhaps the General is talking nonsense."
Yan Nian twitched her nose and retorted, "No, she doesn't talk like that when she's delirious."
"Perhaps it was just a moment of confusion."
"She wasn't like that even when she was delirious."
"Madam, what is the General like when he is confused?" Rouze had watched Chen Liangyu grow up since she was a child, and she really couldn't remember when she had ever been confused.
Yan Nian succinctly stated: "Disheveled and pacing back and forth." Upon reflection, it's clear that Chen Liangyu's disheveled pacing in the Liangyuan Garden of the Yongdu Marquis's residence was also due to Xie Wenjun.
She was absolutely certain that Chen Liangyu was serious.
It wasn't a discussion with her, nor was it a question for her opinion; it was clear that a decision had already been made, and she was only being informed as a formality.
The kitchen prepared dinner quickly, and when it was almost time, Chen Liangyu followed the road and found her. She knelt on the prayer mat to Yan Nian's right and kowtowed three times to her parents' memorial tablets.
After I finished kowtowing, I went outside.
Reaching the threshold, Chen Liangyu knocked on the doorframe.
"Sister-in-law, are you still crying? Hurry up, the food won't wait."
Yan Nian sighed, "I can't eat. Let me have some peace and quiet..."
A wisp of aroma, carrying the scent of smoke, drifted into the ancestral hall on the wind, wafting into one's nostrils. One could almost hear the sizzling sound of oil cooking, making one's throat itch.
"...It's been a long time since I've had roasted lamb leg from Suzhou."
Chen Liangyu smiled and said, "It's ready."
The author's note: The cotton seeds are related to a policy of Jiang Ning's sanctions against Dong Yin in "A Tale of Two Wounds". Chen Liangyu and Jiang Ning also make cameo appearances in the second part as important supporting characters. Removing the perspective of following the viewpoint will objectively strengthen their attributes as military strategists and politicians, and the decision-makers behind the scenes will seem less... kind.
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