The late spring cold came and went quickly. When the Xipingcang special envoy and the deputy envoy arrived outside the Yongzhou city gate, it was already late April.
The spring weather is bright and the sky is clear.
"Hey, we've finally arrived at Yongzhou City."
Cuimei lifted the curtain and looked out, exclaiming excitedly, "Wow, the city gate is really busy, but most of them are people transporting stones and wood."
Jiang Yushu was full of energy. "There's a lot of work to be done. If we want the people to live and work in peace and contentment, the government must first take charge of repairing the city walls, rebuilding houses, and building new ones wherever there are dilapidated areas."
This door only allows entry, not exit.
There were crowds of people inside and outside the city gate. The crowded crowd slowly poured into the gate, and the carriage slowly moved forward.
Cuimei was very excited. "Look, there are so many people, one after another, at least several thousand people. Where did the government get these people?"
Jiang Yushu glanced outside for a few moments and briefly explained, "According to customary practice, it would be nothing more than conscripting civilians, requesting border troops, or forcing prisoners to perform forced labor."
"Prisoner"
Jiang Yushu nodded. "That's what happens when the government is short-staffed. Alas, during the fall of Yongzhou, civilians and prisoners were either massacred or fled south. The area was devastated, and I don't know when it will fully recover."
"Poor thing." Cuimei sighed with pity.
At noon, they handed in their entry permits and were interrogated by the guards. They were then allowed to pass one after another and finally entered Yongzhou City.
They happened to be traveling the same route these past few days, and the Longshun Escort Agency's carriages had been following them. After entering the city, Du Laosi rode closer, clasped his fists, and said to Wei Xu, "Master Wei, I know you're in a hurry to get to the government office. I'll say goodbye now. We'll meet again someday. Goodbye."
After spending some time together, the two sides had developed a bit of a rapport. Wei Xu smiled and replied from the car window, "I wish the Longshun Escort Agency success in opening a branch."
"Thank you very much. I hope your wish will come true." Du Laosi clasped his fists again.
In the rear carriage, Du Feiyan, dressed in a crimson dress, rode her horse closer, knocked on the wall of the Guo family's carriage, and asked crisply, "Mrs. Guo?"
Jiang Yushu lifted the curtain.
"We're about to part ways." Du Feiyan bent down and said reluctantly, "I really don't want to leave. I don't know if we'll have the chance to meet again in the future."
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "We'll meet again if we're destined to."
The young girl, just beginning to fall in love, has a lover and is about to separate from the only relative she knows. She can hardly hide her melancholy. Du Feiyan bit her lip, her eyes flashing, and asked tentatively, "How long will Madam stay in Yongzhou?"
Jiang Yushu knew it well, but she never pointed it out. "It's hard to say. It depends on when the job is done."
"Oh." Du Feiyan nodded and asked, "Then, where will you stay during this period?"
Jiang Yushu patiently shook her head, "I'm not sure yet. This is our first time in Yongzhou. After we meet the prefect, our accommodation should be arranged by the government office."
"Oh." When Du Feiyan wanted to continue asking, she was interrupted by her returning brother. Du Lao Si clasped his fists and said, "Mrs. Guo, goodbye."
When her brother came, Jiang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile.
"Sister, let's find an inn to stay." Du Lao Si said without hesitation, holding his own reins with his right hand and his sister's reins with his left hand, and urged, "Let's go, don't block the road."
"Hey, fourth brother!" Du Feiyan was no match for her brother's strength. Her horse was dragged along, and she could only twist her waist and shout, "Madam Guo, we'll meet again later."
"Let's have a good chat someday when we're free," Du Feiyan said eagerly.
Jiang Yushu could only wave her hand and said, "Goodbye."
After a while, Wei Xu in the car ahead ordered, "Let's go to the government office and pay our respects to the prefect."
"Yes." The servant waved his whip and the carriage moved forward, rushing to the government office.
In the back car, Cuimei couldn't help curling her lips and said with a sense of relief, "From now on, I finally don't have to deal with Miss Du's questioning."
Jiang Yushu brushed her hair sideways and closed her eyes, "What did she ask you?"
"So many." Cuimei counted on her fingers and said with emotion, "These days, no matter what the topic is, she always ends up talking about my cousin."
"For example, name, age, place of origin, family background, number of family members, and even inquiring in a roundabout way whether the cousin is married." Cuimei was angry and amused, "Listen, is this new?"
Jiang Yushu opened her eyes and asked, "You didn't tell her everything, did you?"
"How dare I?" Cuimei hurriedly shook her head. "Most of the servants said they couldn't explain it clearly or hadn't heard of it, and Zou Gui didn't dare to casually reveal your cousin's private affairs. But Lord Wei's servant Shitou, well, Shitou seems to answer every question."
Jiang Yushu sighed, "Forget it. The Du family has been running the escort agency for generations, so they're well-informed. Even if we don't tell her, she'll find out from somewhere else."
"What does she mean?" Cuimei stood up, took off the small food box and water bag hanging on the wall of the compartment, and prepared to eat some cakes.
Jiang Yushu smiled helplessly, "Can't you see it's obvious that Miss Du is attracted to my cousin? Maybe it's love at first sight."
"I've seen that a long time ago," Cuimei explained, "but the strange thing is, she should know that it's impossible for her and her cousin to be together, so why is she pestering us to dig deep into the matter? Isn't she afraid of being laughed at?"
Jiang Yushu, not born and raised in the area, had no aversion to lively and outgoing girls. For now, she brushed the matter off, calmly stating, "At sixteen, love is just beginning, and impulsiveness is common. It's not surprising that a sudden encounter with a handsome young official would tempt her. Curious, I've been asking around. But it's nothing serious. It was just a chance encounter. After a while, I think Miss Du will calm down and gradually move on."
"That's true."
Cuimei opened the food box and selected some snacks, muttering, "Anyway, I'm convinced by her. No matter how graceful a girl is, she can't arrange her own life on her own. Think about it, when it came to me and Brother Rong, the engagement and marriage were decided by the young lady and the young man. If we did it ourselves, it would seem against the rules. Actually, her brother is quite strict, but she refuses to listen to his advice."
"We have no right to interfere in other people's family affairs."
"Hey, let's not talk about her anymore." Cuimei passed the lunch box to the side, "It's noon, have some snacks to fill your stomach."
Jiang Yushu lifted the curtain and observed the sky. "Forget it, let's find a place to have lunch first, and then go to the government office."
"Okay." Cuimei swallowed a piece of cake in a few bites, stood up and told Zou Gui. After the group finished their meal, they calmly went to the government office.
The afternoon is bright
"Haha, we finally arrived safely," the two escorting officers breathed a sigh of relief and dismounted happily.
Shitou jumped out of the car and turned to support Wei Xu, "Sir, slow down."
"We're here!" Cuimei and Jiang Yushu got out of the car and stood at the bottom of the steps, gazing up at the Yongzhou government office within sight. The flagstone road was bumpy and uneven, and carts loaded with stone, wood, mud, and sand were busily brought in through the side gate, each worker sweating profusely. The sounds of "ding-dong-dong" and "bang-bang-dong" were heard constantly, as craftsmen were repairing the house.
The whole city is bustling with activity.
Wei Xu examined it for a moment and couldn't help but frown. "It's so messy and noisy. How do the officials inside work?"
"You'll know if you go in and take a look." Jiang Yushu was the first to climb the stairs.
Zou Gui ran away and said, "I'll go and tell the doorman."
The concierge asked a few questions and then politely said, "Please wait a moment. I'll go and inform you right away."
Unexpectedly, the doorman said "right away" but did not return for a long time.
After waiting for a long time, Wei Xu couldn't help but frown and asked in confusion, "What's going on? Where did he go to report and why didn't he come back for so long?"
Jiang Yushu always had the habit of taking naps, so she endured the sleepiness and replied, "Please be patient. The officials in Yongzhou are very busy with official duties right now, so the other party must be busy with urgent matters."
"Even if he is busy, he shouldn't leave us outside the government office. This is too rude." Wei Xu paced a few steps in frustration.
Jiang Yushu had experienced many hardships and was very patient. She comforted him, "The whole city is heavily guarded, so it's not easy to get into the government office."
"Are we just going to stand there and wait like idiots?" Wei Xu was young and energetic, and felt very ignored and unhappy.
Jiang Yushu remained calm, "Of course not. Don't worry, the concierge won't just disappear forever."
As a result, they waited for a full quarter of an hour until they all returned to the carriage and sat down. Only then did the doorman come out, sweating profusely.
Everyone walked back to the gate of the yamen, and Wei Xu asked in a calm tone, "How can we get in?"
The doorman wiped his sweat with his sleeve, his face showing embarrassment. He bowed and replied, "I'm truly sorry. Unfortunately, several important officials at the government office are out on business. I've informed the others one after another, but they're all busy and can't spare the time. Please come back another day."
"What?" Wei Xu's face darkened in disbelief.
Jiang Yushu was stunned for a moment, "I wonder where Master Pan and Master Pei are now?"
"I only know that they went out, but I don't know the details."
Wei Xu took a deep breath, raised his head and said, "This is simply..."
"Okay," Jiang Yushu quickly interrupted, "In that case, we'll come back another day to pay our respects to the prefect."
"Goodbye, both of you." The doorman bowed.
Jiang Yushu gave a look, and Zou Gui and Shitou immediately surrounded Wei Xu and hurried back to the carriage.
"This is outrageous! This is really too much!" Wei Xu said angrily. "Humph, they clearly don't take Xipingcang seriously at all. They look down on the ninth-rank officials and openly despise them."
Jiang Yushu was also disappointed, but she had no choice. She forced herself to cheer up and said as she got into the car, "Calm down, let's go, find an inn to stay in, and then we can make a long-term plan."
Wei Xu was furious and had a dark face. He was persuaded by the servant to get into the car, and the group returned empty-handed.
At the same time, the capital Jiang Mansion
Ever since the Pei family broke off the engagement, Xu has been busy with her daughter's marriage.
That day, when she stepped into her daughter's boudoir, her beloved daughter was embroidering to pass the time.
"Shan'er, what are you busy with?"
Jiang Yushan looked up, put down her needlework, stood up, and replied listlessly, "Embroidering a handkerchief. Please sit down."
"Mom, take a look. Hmm, not bad, not bad." Mrs. Xu picked up the half-embroidered handkerchief and took a closer look, praising it highly.
Jiang Yushan lay on the table without saying a word.
"Child, you're always gloomy. It's really bad for your health." Mrs. Xu hugged her daughter and said lovingly, "Mother has good news for you. You'll definitely be happy to hear it."
Jiang Yushan bit her lip and said, "Tell me what good news you have."
"Mother has chosen a good marriage for you"
Jiang Yushan suddenly became nervous, "Whose family?"
"Dongqinbo Mansion"
Jiang Yushan was stunned. "But the Xia family has fallen on hard times. I heard they are so poor that they can't make ends meet." After a pause, she asked intently, "Which one have you chosen?"
"Don't worry, the eldest granddaughter of the Duke of Dongqin was recently made a princess. I think the fifth young master Xia Zhenyun is a perfect match for you." Xu smiled.
"What"
"Xia, Xia Zhenyun"
Jiang Yushan's face suddenly changed, she stood up suddenly, and asked in shame and shock, "Is it the one who was engaged to my cousin?"
"Yes, that's him."
Jiang Yushan felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave, as if she had suffered a great humiliation. She blurted out, "I won't pick up what my cousin left behind. Besides, I saw him from a distance a few years ago on my grandmother's birthday. He was not only fat, but also bald."
"How can you judge a person by appearance?" Mrs. Xu interrupted her daughter and said earnestly, "He did break off the engagement once, but you did it twice."
"Mr. Xia doesn't dislike you, but you dislike him."
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