Chapter 4 Under the Persimmon Tree, You and Me
The carriage rolled toward the Princess's residence. Two guest rooms that the Princess had temporarily stayed in before leaving the capital were vacated there. The steward had arranged for people to prepare them in advance so that the Princess could check in directly upon arrival.
Jiang Xi followed Shang Yuji without saying a word. Surprisingly, she was not afraid of the unfamiliar environment or curious about everything around her. She followed step by step, like a beautiful puppet, quietly following along.
Shang Yuji didn't see his expression, but she could tell that Jiang Xi was not in a good mood. However, she was busy talking with the steward of the Princess's residence and couldn't spare any attention.
The steward immediately recognized that one of the two was Shang Yuji, the person in charge, and explained the details of the household to her.
"Use what's in the house. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thank you, Steward Wang. If there's anything I might have to say, please forgive me."
"It's nothing, you are honored guests of our household after all!"
Shang Yuji sweetly saw the steward off and then pulled Jiang Xi into the house.
Not long after the steward left, the kitchen brought in warm food. The food at the Princess's residence was much better than the leftovers at the Jiang residence. Coupled with their hunger after a hard day's work, the two of them finished the food.
After a quick tidying up, the night was filled with sparse stars and a pale moon, occasionally punctuated by the chirping of unknown insects.
Shang Yuji sat on a mahogany stool in the room, lit a high-quality candle, and looked at Jiang Xi across the table through the flickering candlelight: "Young Master, you've been looking downcast since you came to the manor. Can you tell me about it?"
The moonlight was dim, and the candlelight flickered, illuminating his slightly furrowed brows: "Aji, am I really useless?"
He quieted down, his face showing obvious hesitation, his naturally red lips pursed: "Ah Ji is doing everything, and I can't help at all..."
Shang Yuji smiled and said, "No, Young Master helped me a lot."
"Really?" Jiang Xi placed her palm on the edge of the table, buried half her face in the back of her hand, and stared intently at her with her eyelids raised.
"Young Master helped me smash the cabinet, move the round table, and kick the bed legs. He carried the package himself the whole way without complaining of being tired. He even helped me collect the dishes just now. Young Master has been doing all of this."
The smile in her eyes was like melting honey. She added, "Most importantly, if it weren't for Young Master accompanying me, I wouldn't dare to leave the Jiang residence alone. With Young Master by my side, I have more courage."
"Young Master, Ah Ji needs you."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi's face flushed red, and she covered her chest with both hands, her breathing becoming rapid: "Aji, my face is so hot, and my heart is beating so fast, am I getting a fever?"
Shang Yuji quickly stood up, walked to his side, and nervously touched his forehead.
Normal warmth, not fever.
She breathed a sigh of relief: "It's alright, young master, your temperature is normal."
His gaze followed her hand intently, staring blankly as it landed on his forehead. He muttered, "But it's so strange, Ah Ji, the place you're touching is getting hotter and hotter."
She's not a hand warmer; she doesn't generate heat.
Upon hearing this, Shang Yuji withdrew her hand, but Jiang Xi tried to get up after her hand, only to be pressed down on her shoulder and forced to sit back down.
After a lot of commotion, Jiang Xi's heart, which felt like it was about to burst out of her body, finally calmed down.
He said, "I almost died."
Seeing the lingering fear on his face, Shang Yuji wondered if she had misjudged him: "Young Master, do you still feel unwell anywhere?"
He shook his head, his dark blue hair swaying with the movement: "I don't know, my heart is pounding wildly, it's making a lot of noise."
She realized what was happening and laughed out loud: "It's alright, everyone's heart beats faster, don't worry, just take a few slow, deep breaths and it will calm down."
"Really?"
Jiangxi's fox-like eyes, aside from their confusion, were filled with clarity, even more ethereal than the cold pools deep in the mountains and forests.
He mimicked her deep breathing and found that his wildly beating heart indeed calmed down: "Ah Ji's words are so effective, it's not beating wildly anymore!"
"Alright, you should get some rest. We're leaving Beijing tomorrow, so you need to be in good spirits."
Seeing that she had no intention of continuing the conversation, Jiang Xi was coaxed into going to bed to rest.
Before extinguishing the candle, Shang Yuji turned to look at him. The blanket was neatly draped over his chin. Jiang Xi turned his head to the side and blinked at her.
When their eyes met, he closed them as if burying his head in the sand, as if to say that he had been obediently sleeping and had no intention of peeking at her.
A moment later, Jiang Xi opened her eyes a crack and found that she was still there. Caught red-handed, she gave a soft, pleading smile and said, "Aji, sweet dreams."
"Young Master too."
As soon as he finished speaking, the candlelight went out quietly.
Shang Yuji returned to her room, took off her clothes, got into bed, and closed her eyes, inexplicably thinking of Jiang Xi's gentle and obedient face.
I feel a bit upset.
She exhaled a breath of stale air, closed her eyes, and barely managed to suppress her chaotic thoughts.
The most important thing right now is to get some rest and prepare well for tomorrow's crucial exam before leaving Beijing.
.
The next day, the sky began to lighten.
Shang Yuji got up early, put on her purse and went out lightly. The purse contained ten taels of silver, which she used to buy supplies for her journey.
Although it was early, the shops were already open and the vendors had set up their stalls.
The things she needed to buy were trivial, but fortunately, on the day she went to the Princess's residence to accept the recruitment order, she found a carpenter to make a chest.
Similar to the book box carried by ancient scholars traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, it could also be used as a suitcase for travel.
However, at present, the imperial court selects people based on the recommendation system of filial piety and integrity, with local officials recommending people with a reputation for filial piety and virtue to the central government.
Ordinary people would not travel far unless absolutely necessary, so they used few chests.
In order to get the carpenter to take the order, and because she needed the carpentry work urgently, Shang Yuji made the decision to buy it without even looking at the price.
She took the basket from the carpenter and hurried through the dazzling morning market, clearly buying provisions for her journey, several sets of clothes to change into, toiletries, two oil-paper umbrellas, and two rather thin quilts...
When her chest was almost full, she made a special detour to a rouge shop and bought several boxes of rouge, as well as a veil with a gauze draped down to provide better coverage.
After buying all the items on her shopping list, she returned to the Princess's residence.
After returning to the room, I saw breakfast laid out on the table and Jiang Xi sitting upright.
Hearing the noise outside the door, Jiang Xi got up and ran over, taking the box full of things: "Aji, sit down and eat with us."
Shang Yuji trusted Jiang Xiqu's growing strength, so she let go of his hand and cleared half of the table for him to place on it.
After the two finished breakfast, Shang Yuji checked their luggage again to make sure nothing was missing, and then she and Jiang Xi moved the luggage to the carriage at the side gate of the Princess's residence.
The carriage and driver were arranged by the Princess's residence. The carriage was not as luxurious as the one used to pick them up at the Jiang residence; it was simple in appearance but had plenty of interior features.
Two coachmen stood beside the carriage. Both were veterans who had retired from the battlefield. A few years ago, there were wars on the borders of various countries. After the war finally came to a stop, everyone took the opportunity to rest and recuperate.
The older of the two drivers was called Old Chen. He had a limp, but his driving skills were among the best in the army. The younger one was called Wang Si. He and Li Da had earned their reputations on the battlefield and were trusted by the Princess. He looked lean but was very strong.
When necessary, they would transform from drivers into bodyguards, protecting Shang Yuji and Jiang Xi's safety along the way.
The eldest princess dispatched two of the army's best warriors, also because of the agreement she made with Shang Yuji.
Once Shang Yuji is settled, she will write down the fabricated secret manual orally transmitted by the mysterious old man and then have Wang Si deliver it to the Princess through a hidden channel.
"Miss Shang, this is the travel permit." Old Chen handed over the travel permit that had been approved by the government.
Shang Yuji reached out and took it, carefully storing it in a hidden compartment of her personal pouch, which also contained her indenture and small-denomination banknotes.
The eldest princess bestowed a large reward upon them for their salt production and ice making, enough for them to reach Jiangnan, purchase a house, and cover their expenses for several years.
If they continue to provide the princess with novel methods, they can earn even more money.
When Shang Yuji received the huge reward, she thought to herself: No wonder technology can change fate; a single reward allowed her to defeat 99% of the maids in the capital.
Wang Si took Shang Yuji's bundle, followed her instructions, opened the cabinet under the soft couch, and neatly placed the bundle inside.
With one last trip to go, Shang Yuji entered through the side gate, while Jiang Xiqu peered eagerly from behind it. To prevent the Jiang family from sending people to probe around the Princess's residence, the two of them carried their luggage to the back of the side gate together. Shang Yuji went out to put the luggage away, while Jiang Xiqu hid behind the side gate and didn't come out.
Seeing Shang Yuji return, Jiang Xi followed her back to her residence.
On the way, they encountered the eldest princess who was on her way to the study. Shang Yuji led Jiang Xi to stop at the corner of the corridor.
Shang Yuji wasn't afraid of offending a noble person, but rather noticed the man behind the princess, dressed in a light blue robe, with a carved Hetian jade pendant around his waist, and holding a folding fan painted with landscapes, fanning himself with each step.
The reason I pay attention to him is because he only cares about power and has no feelings for love, making him a rare breath of fresh air in restricted literature.
Most importantly, he betrayed both the eldest princess and the second prince, risking his life to tear a chunk out of the second prince's camp, which had become the crown prince, causing turmoil in the crown prince's camp and almost allowing the eldest princess, who was at a disadvantage, to take the opportunity to suppress him.
He is a brilliant strategist, but also a man of unwavering loyalty and strong will. He took the initiative to become the Second Prince's advisor in order to avenge himself against the Second Prince Zhou Ao. He endured for many years, and if it weren't for the pressure of the plot, he might have really been able to overthrow the Second Prince's power.
Before the Spring Festival banquet held in the palace, Cui Shu was still a competent and competent staff member of the Princess's residence.
At the Spring Festival banquet, the second prince falsely accused the eldest princess of using witchcraft to curse the emperor. To protect the eldest princess, his younger sister took the blame upon herself and became a victim of this power struggle.
If she remembered correctly, the witchcraft doll was now hidden in the Princess's residence.
Since we're leaving anyway, it wouldn't hurt to trip up the Second Prince a little.
Let's just consider it as collecting some interest from his exploitation of Jiangxi.
Instead of heading to her lodgings, she turned and walked towards the west wing.
As for why it was the west wing, it was because Cui Shu's younger sister took advantage of passing by the west wing before the Spring Festival banquet to take on the matter of witchcraft.
Shang Yuji asked a few people and borrowed two shovels before walking to the west wing. As soon as she entered, she saw a persimmon tree with new buds sprouting.
The west wing was empty at the time, which made it convenient for her to move around.
With a clear goal in mind, she went with Jiang Xi to dig up the soil under the persimmon tree.
When Cui Shuxin passed by while delivering pastries to her brother, she saw two unfamiliar faces digging holes everywhere under the persimmon tree, leaving it pitted and uneven.
A gust of wind blew, causing the new buds on the tree to sway, and it seemed as if the persimmon tree was angrily cursing.
Cui Shuxin's mind went blank, and she slowly thought: What an improper pair of people.
A note from the author:
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