When Xingxing was about to leave, the person who was most reluctant to part with her was Wu Chong. As long as the princess stayed in Xiaoxiyan, she could bring many benefits to Xiaoxiyan, such as having people send various kinds of grain seeds. Although every household in Xiaoxiyan had received a little bit, the amount was not much, and Dali still needed to cultivate the seeds and save them for planting next year.
Unlike the warm climate of the south, the northwest can only grow one crop a year, so it needs to cultivate as large an area as possible. The land can be reclaimed, but unfortunately, there is not enough grain.
If the princess were here, she could definitely help get more grain seeds. Wu Chong's mind was racing. Although he really hoped that the princess could stay for a while longer, he also knew that this was impossible.
Fortunately, Song Wu didn't leave so soon. He wanted to stay and help Wu Chong manage Xiaoxi Salt. If it were in Xiyan City, he wouldn't have needed to do this. But the tens of thousands of people had fled here, and relying on Wu Chong alone might cause trouble.
The Emperor decreed that Song Wu should temporarily assist Wu Chong in Xiaoxi Salt, and return to the capital after a year when the people return to Xiyan City.
Two days later, Xingxing and the others left in a carriage, and Zhang Xiantao followed them. The latter did not have a specific destination in mind, so she just followed Xingxing around.
When they stopped to rest along the way, Bai Yushuang sat down next to Xingxing, looking like she had something to talk about. Zhu Lin and the others did not avoid her and stayed to the side as if nothing had happened.
What Bai Yushuang wanted to say wasn't a secret, so she said it directly in front of everyone: "Young lady, when our Chen family fled, my master said that we were going to Changping City, which is my mother-in-law's ancestral home. There are two uncles in Changping City, so we won't be completely lost and have no one to help us when we get there."
At this point, Bai Yushuang looked pleading. "So, could we go to Changping City first? Perhaps we can find my master and his two other children. At the very least, some of our clansmen should be there so we can ask around for information."
"Is Changping City far from here? But it doesn't matter if it is. We're not in a hurry to get anywhere, so let's go to Changping City first to help find someone." Xingxing smiled slightly, not really caring.
"Thank you for your kindness, young lady." Bai Yushuang was overjoyed and bowed deeply to Xingxing.
"Aunt Bai, you don't need to be so polite. We're all family, let's talk things out." Xingxing waved her hand, indicating that she shouldn't keep bowing and making gestures.
Changping City is located in the north, but compared to other prefectures in the north, it is closer to the south. Zhu Lin thought that he could go to Changping City first, and after dealing with the matters in Changping City, he could head directly south.
Because the people of Xiyancheng were properly resettled, there were no large numbers of refugees. They only encountered a few groups of refugees along the way, each group consisting of about a dozen or several dozen people.
The refugees watched as several of their carriages drove past, glancing at them listlessly without giving them much thought.
The guards followed at a distance on horseback. In short, the journey from the Northwest was smooth, without any accidents or bizarre or violent incidents at any of the places where they stayed.
A month later, the group finally arrived at Changping City. Some villages below Changping City had also been affected by the disaster, but it was not serious, so there was no large-scale exodus of people.
However, there were still many refugees who had fled from other places gathered outside the city gate. Normally, ordinary people could enter the city as long as they had a warrant, but once there were refugees, the government would start to restrict them.
Entering the city requires paying an entry fee, which can vary greatly depending on the mood of the officials. The magistrate of Changping City seems to be quite reliable, charging one tael per person for the entry fee, which is not too expensive and ordinary people can afford it if they grit their teeth.
Xingxing and the others paid the silver and entered the city smoothly. The city was relatively peaceful. The street vendors' shouts rose and fell, and pedestrians walked and stopped normally, without any abnormalities.
“My mother-in-law’s family name is Yang. The Yang family is quite prominent in Changping City. They mainly deal in jewelry. I’ll go and inquire. I should be able to find out soon.” Bai Yushuang said as she got off the carriage.
“Aunt Bai, you don’t need to go down. I’ll send someone to inquire. What was the name of the Yang family’s jewelry shop again?” Xingxing said, tilting her head.
“Jinlai Jewelry,” Bai Yushuang replied.
The guards received the order and immediately went to inquire. After Xingxing and her group found an inn to stay at, the guards who had gathered information returned.
"I found out that there are three Jinlai Jewelry Shops in Changping City, and I heard that there are two in the prefectural city as well, and several in other counties. The Yang family is indeed very powerful. Just ask anyone and you'll find out where the Yang family residence is." Qingyan relayed the message to the secret guard who had gathered the information.
"I've found out the news. Are you planning to go and reunite with them now, or...?" Zhu Lin looked at Bai Yushuang and the other person.
"Let's go to the Yang residence tomorrow. Actually, I've only met those two uncles once. Since the two families live far apart, the relationship isn't very close. Never mind, let's not waste time on this useless talk. We'll visit the Yang residence tomorrow and then talk about it." Bai Yushuang's mood didn't improve after learning about the Yang residence's whereabouts; instead, she became even more worried.
This might be what is called intuition. Before coming to Changping City, she couldn't wait to come and find the person. But the closer she got to Changping City, the more panicked she felt. Her eyelids had been twitching for the past two days, and she always felt that she had a bad premonition.
"Don't overthink it. Let's get some rest for the night, and we'll have an answer tomorrow." Bai Yue'e knew what was bothering her and whispered a few words of comfort.
Xingxing was very considerate. Seeing that Bai Yushuang and Bai Yue'e didn't look well, she said, "If you're not feeling well, don't go downstairs for dinner. I'll have someone bring it to your room."
"Thank you, young lady." Perhaps because the people accompanying Xingxing were too extraordinary, Bai Yushuang and Bai Yue'e could never call her by her name freely and always blurted out "young lady".
The stars are tired of hearing it; let them do as they please.
"Qingyan, arrange for a few people to inquire in Changping City if there is a person named Chen Tu with a son and a daughter. The son is named Chen Shuhang, who is sixteen years old, and the daughter is named Chen Yuexin, who is fourteen years old. Their ancestral home is in Luoping City..." Xingxing told Qingyan all the information she knew and instructed the other guards to find the person as soon as possible.
The guards were very efficient. After a night of investigation, they had found a clue. The information came from a gatekeeper at the Yang residence.
The guard slipped five taels of silver to the man, and the old gatekeeper spilled the beans, saying, "More than a year ago, a family of poor relatives fled from Luoping City and came to seek refuge with our master. However, our master kicked them out, and we don't know where they went after that."
"The Yang family doesn't have two masters, so which master kicked them out?" Zhu Lin sensed something amiss.
The guard replied, "It is the second master of the Yang family. However, the second master is now the head of the Yang family. As for the eldest master of the Yang family, he passed away eight years ago. After the eldest master passed away, the Yang family's property fell into the hands of the second master. The eldest master's children and wife were separated from the family, and no one knows where they went afterward."
There's something fishy about this Second Master Yang right away.
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