Chapter Sixty-Seven: Jade Encircles the Fields of Nanyang
Although the streets and alleys of Nanyang are not as bustling and noisy as those of Jizhou, they are still filled with a rich atmosphere of everyday life. Along the way, there are vendors calling out their wares everywhere. Rather than exploring the area, Yang Xiao and Mu Fei seem to be two leisurely strollers, wandering around the streets at a leisurely pace.
"Although they are not as approachable as our lord, the people here can be considered to live in peace and contentment." Yang Xiao passed by a stall selling candied hawthorns, bought two, and casually handed them to Mu Fei.
"Thank you, Miss," Mu Fei nodded, accepting the candied hawthorn, finally getting used to his new way of addressing Yang Xiao after infiltrating the city. He looked around the streets and alleys following Yang Xiao's hand, "But looking around, it doesn't seem like there are any government officials patrolling around."
Yang Xiao turned to look at him, and couldn't help but nod and smile. "Our soldiers in the city can chat and play with the people. You can tell just by looking at you. As for here," she took a bite of her candied hawthorn, twirled the bamboo skewer in her hand, and said indistinctly, "you can tell a thing or two just by looking at the attitude of the guards at the gate."
Mu Fei nodded in agreement, then looked down at the candied hawthorn in his hand. "This sugar has been cooked for a bit too long. If it were cooked for a shorter time, it would be perfect."
"It seems you're not only good at cooking," Yang Xiao said with a smile, looking at Mu Fei, "you're also great at tasting. Next time I'll buy some hawthorns, and you can make some for the army too."
"Alright," Mu Fei nodded to Yang Xiao, "I'll show you my skills when we get back." He looked at the sun on the horizon, then back at Yang Xiao, a bright smile appearing on his face. "Speaking of which, I feel like I've learned a lot from you during my years in the military."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao looked at Mu Fei with great interest, "Oh? What do you mean?"
Mu Fei let out a long sigh, raised his hand, and peered through his fingers at the golden halo. "It feels like these past few years with you have been completely different from my past. Before, I was just learning cooking from my parents, but during this time with you, I've learned formations, martial arts, and so many other things I never had the chance to experience before..."
He lowered his hand, turned his gaze and smiled at Yang Xiao, "I feel that you are not only my superior, but also more like my mentor."
"It seems you've grown taller in these past two years," Yang Xiao said with a smile, looking at the insightful young man beside her. "With your dedication, you're bound to learn. Not just from me, but from anywhere you look, you can learn what you want." She chuckled and pointed at Mu Fei. "If you didn't have this dedication, why would you have volunteered to join the army back then?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Fei couldn't help but chuckle and scratch his head. "Before I came here, the villagers said I was just a kid in my early teens and couldn't handle the army's relentless training. When I went back recently, no one said that anymore. By the way, Miss Jiang," he turned and looked at Yang Xiao with hopeful eyes, "since I've already learned so much from you, why don't I just become your apprentice?"
"Are you serious?" Yang Xiao couldn't help but laugh and tapped him with her candied hawthorn. "Even so, I've learned quite a bit from you," she said, laughing as she counted on her fingers, "like how to knead dough, how to wrap wontons..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Fei recalled the mess he used to make in the kitchen, and he couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. "Why do I feel like you're saying I'm not good at teaching?"
“Not at all,” Yang Xiao waved her hand with a smile, “After all, the soup isn’t bad, right?” As she spoke, she looked up and slowly stopped. Before her lay a mansion, with two hidden passageways on either side of the courtyard. She chuckled softly and nodded in satisfaction, “Looks like we’re in luck.”
Mu Fei also looked up and followed Yang Xiao's gaze, his hand holding the candied hawthorn stopped in mid-air. "Is this the prefectural seat?" He looked at the empty eaves, frowned in confusion, and tilted his head. "Why isn't there even a signboard?"
Yang Xiao finished the last hawthorn on the candied hawthorn. "This is the back gate. You can tell from the vendors." She twirled the bamboo stick in her hand and glanced at Mu Fei. "Usually, the front gate of this prefecture is the busiest place in the city, but the back gate is not necessarily so." She pointed lightly along both sides of the road with the bamboo stick. "There are many trees and not many people here. If something happens in front of the palace, it can be dealt with at the back gate to avoid suspicion."
Mu Fei frowned upon hearing this, "Then we..."
“This is no place to linger,” Yang Xiao nudged Mu Fei with her elbow and turned to walk to the side. Before she had taken two steps, she spotted another gate on the side of the county seat. She couldn't help but chuckle and sigh, “This place really has a lot of connections. Just think, if the banquet isn't over yet, and a force of men pours into this mansion from all sides, will the people inside have even the slightest chance of escape?”
Mu Fei pondered for a moment, then gasped, "Chen Rang seems so amiable on the surface, but I never imagined he was so treacherous behind the scenes."
Yang Xiao chuckled softly, then tapped Mu Fei on the head with her other hand. "How can you speak ill of someone behind their back? What does it matter how well they've arranged things?" She turned to look at Mu Fei with a smile, confidently raising her head. "We're here now, aren't we? With us here, no matter how many people we plant, it won't make a difference."
She continued walking forward, carrying the bamboo skewer. "I already know where the ambush is. Let's walk around and see if we can find the jade that Yude is looking for."
Mu Fei nodded and jogged a few steps to catch up with Yang Xiao. "Is it the Dushan jade from here? It seems to be quite famous."
"You know quite a lot." Yang Xiao replied, then glanced back at the dirt road beside her, paused, and frowned slightly. "This road leads to the military camp, doesn't it?"
The dirt road was covered in mud, riddled with potholes, and filled with hoofprints and wheel tracks. Mu Fei peered over, his eyes widening in amazement. "You could even spot that? How did you do that?"
“Just look at the mud marks,” Yang Xiao said, looking around. “Looks like I’ll have to draw a map tonight and then send a letter out of the city.”
Mu Fei pondered for a while, then nodded in sudden realization, "This way we can cut off the reinforcements' path..."
"You're almost done," Yang Xiao said with a playful smile, tapping Mu Fei. "I've let you say all my thoughts."
"Sorry, sorry," Mu Fei scratched his head, "I understood what you meant just now, I was too excited." After speaking, he looked around again, patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief, "Luckily there's no one around, otherwise they would have become suspicious."
Yang Xiao also looked at the streets and alleys that were gradually becoming lively again, and chuckled as she raised her hand to tap Mu Fei on the head, "With the sneaky look you were just now, someone should have arrested you long ago."
As we walked along, the shouts of vendors echoed endlessly in our ears. The evening clouds gradually appeared on the horizon, their warm orange light making the bustling streets and alleys seem even more gentle and peaceful. Although it was a time of chaos, Nanyang had not fought with others for a long time and had also received much help from Xiao Yan. The peaceful and harmonious lives of its people seemed to have long since been separated from the fierce battles between warlords.
"Miss, would you like to take a look?" A shout suddenly came from Yang Xiao's ear. She looked back with interest and saw an old man sitting in front of his stall, calling out to her, "We have all kinds of jade. Would you like to take a look? This hibiscus jade is perfect for young ladies like you."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao stopped and looked down at the table. She saw that the low wooden table was covered with all kinds of jade bracelets and pendants. She looked up at the old man and smiled gently, "I don't know much about jade, but I've heard that Nanyang jade is good, so I came all the way from Jizhou. I would be grateful if you could explain it to me."
"Miss, you are... from Jizhou?" Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately stood up and ushered Yang Xiao into the house. "Isn't this a coincidence? It is said that in a few days, your Lord Zhongli will take over this place. As soon as this news was released, the whole city was excited." He pointed to the street and said, "Look how lively the street is."
Yang Xiao turned and exchanged a glance with Mu Fei, then looked up at the shopkeeper with feigned interest, "Oh? Lord Zhongli is coming, why are you all so happy?"
"Miss, have you been enjoying too much luxury?" The shopkeeper smiled and turned back to greet Yang Xiao as he walked into the shop. "This place wasn't always this prosperous. When Jie Liang reorganized the military, those officers and soldiers secretly raised taxes and exploited the people. Although we could still make ends meet, but..." He clicked his tongue a few times and shook his head helplessly.
Yang Xiao followed the shopkeeper into the dimly lit yet warm room. Under the warm glow of the candlelight, tiny fluff and dust drifted slowly down from the sky.
“I had the honor of visiting Jizhou once before,” the shopkeeper pulled out a drawer from his cabinet. “It was about a year ago, and it really opened my eyes.” He turned around and pointed at Yang Xiao seriously. “I’ve never seen any governor do things like that. The land was filled with peace and tranquility. Even if the Jizhou army was starving, they would never harm the people in the slightest.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao nodded slightly in agreement, "According to you, that is indeed the case."
Hearing this, Mu Fei, standing behind him, also felt proud and quietly straightened his back.
"Right?" The shopkeeper seemed to have become interested and took two steps in front of the two of them. "I heard that when Lord Zhongli was rising to power and pacifying Jizhou, one of his female generals set fire to someone else's granary."
Yang Xiao froze on the spot, a smile welling up in her heart, which she then forced down.
The shopkeeper seemed oblivious to everything and continued excitedly, "After the victory, Lord Zhongli spent a lot of time rebuilding the granary and stabilizing the people's hearts. He was busy for more than a month and it was repaired."
Upon hearing this, Mu Fei couldn't help but laugh. Taking advantage of the shopkeeper's inattention, he secretly whispered in Yang Xiao's ear, "Zhang Ping did it."
Upon seeing this, Yang Xiao burst out laughing. She quickly coughed twice to cover her embarrassment and swiftly changed the subject away from burning the granary. "So, the bustling scene in Nanyang today is all for the arrival of Lord Zhongli?"
The shopkeeper nodded and brought a tray of jade from the cabinet to the table. The cloth covering it, which hadn't been lifted for a long time, was covered with a layer of dust. "Who says otherwise? With the way it usually looks, who would come to buy jade? This pile of jade has been sitting in the cabinet for almost half a year."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I'm just joining everyone here, trying to ride on Lord Zhongli's good fortune, that's how I reopened."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao shook her head and sighed softly, "These past few years have truly been tough on you all."
“This is nothing,” the shopkeeper said with a smile, waving his hand. “Now that Jie Liang is about to give Nanyang to Lord Zhongli, things should get better.” He dusted the tarpaulin with a small broom. “To be honest, even if Lord Zhongli sends troops to attack, it’s still better than letting these corrupt officials continue to prey on the people.”
Yang Xiao frowned immediately, all the joking expression on her face disappearing. "Even if Zhong Li'an sends troops to attack, you'd still be willing?"
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