Chapter 44 Prices "They didn't just kick us out, this level of service..."
Despite their arguments and awkwardness, Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao still had to sit down together to arrange matters related to the Eastern Palace before their departure.
Because this trip will take at least a month, all the affairs of the front of the mansion have been handed over to Steward Lian, while the affairs of the inner quarters have been temporarily managed by Consort Chu.
"As Your Highness has said, in order to avoid being seen during this trip, the Jiangnan Villa has been properly prepared, and the Crown Prince's Palace has also sent people over. Is there anything else Your Highness needs?" Steward Lian stood at the lower end, waiting for the Crown Prince's reply.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen began to ponder. The room was silent. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the person beside him ask, "When will the people from the Duke of Xiang's mansion arrive?"
Shen Yujiao went out under the guise of being the Empress's nephew. For this reason, the youngest son of the Duke of Xiangguo was secretly sent to the ancestral home to study behind closed doors. The person asking this question was none other than the servant who accompanied her, who was hiding his face.
Zhu Yu glanced cautiously at Steward Lian, who was indeed somewhat nervous: "Your Highness, the people from the Duke of Xiang's mansion will arrive tonight."
"You don't need many people, just two or three will suffice."
As soon as Jiang Chen finished speaking, Shen Yujiao immediately followed up, "Two or three are not enough. The Duke of Xiangguo's mansion is not an ordinary family. Leave everything you bring behind."
"This was supposed to be an incognito visit, so why bring so many people? Are you afraid others won't know something's fishy going on?"
"The accompanying servants aren't personal attendants; is it reasonable to only bring two or three?"
Chu Rou sat at the lower end, listening to the two big Buddhas arguing and bickering above. She wished she could return to Jingtan Pavilion immediately. Even the head steward saw that Consort Chu had no intention of smoothing things over, so he looked at Zhu Yu. Zhu Yu noticed the gaze and quickly lowered his head.
For a moment, no one in the room dared to breathe. The silence was suffocating. After a while, Chu Rou tentatively said, "Why don't we wait for them to arrive, let Steward Lian take a look first, and choose those who are reliable to accompany us? The rest can be sent back later."
Upon hearing her words, neither Jiang Chen nor Shen Yujiao raised any objections. Seeing that the two princes were willing to listen to Liangdi's words, even the head steward couldn't wait to glance at Liangdi every time he asked a question.
Having finally settled all matters concerning the Eastern Palace, Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao sat back to back that night, both unable to sleep as they thought about the events of the day.
Shen Yujiao clutched the blanket tightly, feeling wronged that he had contradicted her in front of others during the day, objecting to every word she said.
Jiang Chen crossed his arms and was annoyed that she now argued with everything he said, but she never responded when Chu Liangdi spoke.
As she pondered, the night grew longer than halfway through. Just as Shen Yujiao was drifting off to sleep, a sudden, throbbing pain shot through her calf. In her dazed state, she curled up, and before she could reach out, a pair of warm hands enveloped the painful spot.
By the dim candlelight in the bedchamber, Shen Yujiao struggled to open her eyes and saw Jiang Chen, who was also sleepy. He had his head down and was swaying, clearly not fully awake, but the force with which he stretched her skin was not light.
With each thrust, the pain in her legs gradually subsided, and the pent-up anger in Shen Yujiao's chest dissipated. Looking at Jiang Chen's dazed appearance, her heart felt softer than cotton.
"Okay, it doesn't hurt anymore..."
Hearing Shen Yujiao's words, Jiang Chen nodded heavily, lifted the quilt and lay down. Seeing that most of his body was still exposed, Shen Yujiao reached out to cover him with the quilt, but Jiang Chen was faster than her. Before she could touch the quilt, Jiang Chen stuffed her hand back under the quilt, tucked the corner of the quilt around her, and then covered his head with the quilt and fell into a deep sleep.
"Thank you, Jiang Xiaochen..."
In the stillness of the night, no one answered her question, but Shen Yujiao felt a warm current flowing through her heart. She looked at the little bundle sleeping beside her, whose smiling eyes were curved like crescent moons. The candlelight was still flickering, and the bedroom was quiet.
To avoid crowds, the Crown Prince's carriages set off just after dawn. It wasn't until the carriages left the capital region that Jiang Chen realized something was wrong—Shen Jiaojiao had stopped giving him the cold shoulder.
Why are you looking at me like that?
After adjusting her clothes three or four times, Shen Yujiao finally couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and glared back, which startled Jiang Chen: "No...nothing."
Jiang Chen scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting around. Seeing him like this, Shen Yujiao became even more suspicious that she was wearing men's clothing incorrectly.
Perhaps unable to bear watching her pat and touch things like a monkey, Jiang Chen raised his hand to straighten her white jade hair ornament. "Alright."
The usually charming young lady was dressed today in a moon-white round-necked brocade robe, her beautiful hair neatly tied up with a white jade hair crown, a white jade belt around her waist with a jade pendant and sachet hanging from it, and a pair of matching brocade boots. Although she wore no makeup or jewelry, her exquisite features gave her a striking air of both heroic spirit and alluring beauty. If it weren't for her identity as a noble young master from the Duke of Xiangguo's mansion, others might mistake her for a handsome young man from some noble family.
Therefore, when traveling, Jiang Chen was always worried that Shen Yujiao would be abducted. Shen Yujiao, on the other hand, took advantage of her men's clothing and frequently flirted with young ladies wherever she went. As a result, after only leaving two prefectures, several young ladies wanted to become "Young Master Jiang's" concubines or maids.
"Shen Jiaojiao, that's enough!" When passing through a small county under the jurisdiction of Yuzhou Prefecture, Jiang Chen finally couldn't hold back anymore. "That was the county magistrate's daughter. If you keep going like this, we really will have to bring in another new concubine for the Crown Prince!"
One Chu Rou was already giving Jiang Chen a headache; he simply couldn't imagine what it would be like if there were a group of women in the backyard of the Eastern Palace.
Hearing this, Shen Yujiao knew she was in the wrong. She stuck out her tongue at Jiang Chen and said, "I know, anyway, we'll be in Jiangnan Prefecture in a few days. I'll behave myself."
Jiang Chen leaned against the inner wall of the carriage and pinched his temples. It had been more than a month since he and Shen Yujiao left the capital. They sometimes rode horses and sometimes rode in sedan chairs. Although they traveled at a fast pace, there were still more than twenty people in their group, so they couldn't go any faster. Now they were finally about to arrive, and the weather had become extremely hot. Jiang Chen, who was already prone to getting a sore throat, was even more troubled by this.
He maintained this menacing look for quite a while, which made Shen Yujiao roll her eyes. She raised her hand and slapped Jiang Chen: "Do you think I'm doing this for fun?"
"Local officials' corruption will inevitably manifest in the lives of ordinary people. Those young women either come from poor families or well-off families, so the impact of local prices is most closely related to them. Moreover, Daxia has a typical family structure where the man works outside the home and the woman stays at home. The information I get from talking to them is much faster and more practical than if you had your subordinates investigate one by one."
Jiang Chen didn't even bother to look at her: "Does gathering information require putting your arm around someone's shoulder and throwing flirtatious glances?"
Shen Yujiao, who had been so confident just moments before, suddenly lost all her arrogance. Seeing that she knew she was in the wrong, Jiang Chen said nothing more. He just wondered how they would explain this to the real Young Master Jiang when they returned to the capital.
I'm afraid Young Master Jiang will never understand how he went back to his ancestral home to study in seclusion for a while, and then came out as a famous playboy in the Great Xia Dynasty.
After passing through Yuzhou Prefecture, they gradually approached the territory of Jiangnan Prefecture. The large group traveled for another ten days or so and finally arrived in Jiangnan Prefecture at the end of July.
Unlike the relaxed atmosphere on the way there, the two became extra vigilant and cautious as soon as they entered Jiangnan Prefecture. After all, this trip was their first time handling a case, especially one involving such a major matter concerning the court and the people's livelihood. It was no exaggeration for them to be extremely cautious.
“Master,” Zhu Yu walked to Jiang Chen’s side and whispered, “I have already sent the rest of the people back to the villa. Only a few guards have been left around. This is what Her Majesty the Empress instructed.”
"Um."
Jiang Chen was strolling with Shen Yujiao when he heard this. A faint smile appeared on his lips, as if a young nobleman was instructing which restaurant to go to today: "Have the guards keep an eye on the area around the villa. If there are any people watching or lying in ambush, we will not return to the villa tonight."
Faced with such an arrangement, Zhu Yu hesitated. Although His Highness the Crown Prince must have his own plan, His Highness the Crown Prince's safety was the most important thing to him. After hesitating for a moment, he still agreed.
Jiang Chen saw Shen Yujiao stop in a silk shop and quickly followed her: "Cousin, what have you taken a fancy to?"
"This silk is quite nice."
Although the two were talking in hushed tones, the shop assistant, who was very perceptive, heard this and quickly stepped forward to take down the piece of fabric that Shen Yujiao had been eyeing for a few more times. He then slowly unfolded it in front of Shen Yujiao and said, "Young master, you have a good eye. This is the best-selling piece of fabric in our shop this year."
"This piece of silk is called Falling Clouds Silk. Its white and black colors complement each other, and when you walk, it's as if the beauty of our Jiangnan region is displayed on your body like an ink painting. This piece not only complements the skin of young ladies, but it is also very suitable for a gentleman like you. Look at your noble air, you deserve to have a piece of Falling Clouds Silk to match you."
Shen Yujiao looked at the bolt of cloth and thought it was indeed quite nice. She imagined that if Chu Rou wore it, her cool and aloof temperament would be even more stunning. With that in mind, she asked, "How much do you want for this bolt?"
Seeing that she wanted to buy, the waiter's smile became even brighter: "Sir, each piece is priced at one hundred taels."
"How much did you say?" Shen Yujiao's voice rose involuntarily, her face filled with disbelief.
Along their journey, they had gained a basic understanding of the prices in the Great Xia. In some prefectures, five taels of silver could buy an excellent acre of land, and even less desirable land could be bought for two or three taels. But now, the shopkeeper was saying that a mere bolt of cloth would cost a hundred taels of silver, which was equivalent to wearing dozens of acres of land on one's body.
Although the Luoyun gauze looked beautiful from afar, upon closer inspection, its workmanship was not worth a hundred taels of silver. Even Shen Yujiao, who had been born into a wealthy family, could not believe what she had heard.
Seeing her reaction, the waiter's enthusiasm waned considerably. He put the cloth back down, saying as he did so, "Sir, although our shop is not the top cloth shop in Jiangnan Prefecture, the reputation of this Luoyun yarn justifies its price. Not to mention the high cost of its production, it's not easy to keep such a piece of cloth in good condition."
Shen Yujiao frowned slightly. She turned her head and glanced around, then casually pointed to another piece of cloth: "How much do you want for that one?"
"Oh," the waiter glanced at it and said, "That one is cheaper, forty taels a piece. Would you like to change to that one, sir?"
If Shen Yujiao didn't quite understand the value of the Luoyun gauze she had just seen, then this piece of light gauze completely confirmed her suspicions. Even in the capital, such a piece would only cost fifteen to twenty taels. Not giving up, she casually asked about a few more types.
The waiter initially answered her questions patiently, but seeing that the young master asked about more than a dozen different kinds, each cheaper than the last, he figured it was fine to ask, but since the young master didn't seem to want to buy anything, he became impatient after answering so many questions and made an excuse to go to the back.
As Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao left the store, Shen Yujiao was still remarking to him, "They didn't kick us out directly, so the service is pretty good."
"You know you've gone a bit too far?" Jiang Chen had tried to pull him away several times earlier. "Even if you just buy any horse, it's not like we can't afford it. If you ask every store like this, we'll end up on their blacklist sooner or later."
"What do you know?" Shen Yujiao pinched his waist. "Such a big piece of cloth will attract more attention if carried on the road."
Jiang Chen winced as she pinched him, and could only pretend to laugh and dodge away. The two then visited several shops and stalls, and the results showed that compared with the market research prices Shen Yujiao had conducted along the way, almost all kinds of goods were one or two times more expensive in Jiangnan Prefecture, and the already precious types such as Luoyun yarn were even more expensive.
Witnessing all this firsthand, Shen Yujiao's anger intensified; the corruption in Jiangnan Prefecture had reached such a level.
In such an economic environment, wealthy families may not be greatly affected, since the money comes from their own pockets and is earned back through their own businesses. However, for ordinary people, even the most basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter must be carefully saved.
As for those impoverished families, Shen Yujiao didn't even dare to dream of it.
"Tell me, is the Shen family involved in this matter?"
As she hesitated to ask the question, Shen Yujiao felt an indescribable sense of loss. Jiang Chen saw this and understood what she was thinking. He reached out and patted Shen Yujiao's shoulder to comfort her, saying, "Now that we're here, we must find out the truth."
Yes, now that we're here, we should investigate thoroughly.
Shen Yujiao tightened her grip on the fan slightly. If the Shen family was truly involved in all of this, then she could only feel sorry for Miss Shen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
