Chapter 98: With deep affection, I let her go, and I'll go with you.
The three female officials discussed the matter until midnight, and Yue Yining finally rested close to dawn.
The next day, a decree drafted by Yue Yining was presented to Che Zilong. After reading it, Che Zilong was surprised but also pleased.
The decree stated that the government would intervene in the market price of rice, adjusting it from the original 130 wen per dou to a unified price of 190 wen per dou. All grain shops selling rice in Qinghuai City were not allowed to sell rice below this price.
Prefect Che immediately ordered that the decree be implemented from that day forward, and also instructed that the decree be noted in the proclamation as having been drafted by Yue Yining.
In a single day, the price of Qinghuai rice skyrocketed, causing an uproar in the city.
Ordinary people were filled with fear as if facing a great calamity, grain merchants were overjoyed, the lowly gentry were filled with resentment and wrote scathing articles, while the displaced people were numb and dull, as indifferent as stone.
The reason is that they cannot afford rice, whether it costs 130 or 190 coins per dou.
They only cared about when the soup kitchens would open each day; that was their only means of survival. As long as that support remained, they could face tomorrow with peace of mind.
Five days after the rice price increase was announced, it was another day of torrential rain. Fu Yao hurried back to the corridor with an oil-paper umbrella, shaking off the raindrops before entering the inner room. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Yue Yining sitting at the table reading a book. She went over and said, "Miss, the letter has been sent out."
Yue Yining looked up and closed the file in her hand. "Alright. Let's set off now to see Dong Qi."
In recent days, the number of refugees fleeing into Qinghuai has been increasing. Qiu Yuebai and Shen Liude are too busy to turn around. In the end, Yue Yining met with Supervisor Dong to discuss the deployment of the garrison troops in the south of the city.
Fu Yao went over to help her put on her outer robe, but saw Yue Yining cough twice while covering her lips.
It started as just one or two coughs, but then the coughs became longer and longer, lasting for several days without stopping. Fu Yao paused, quickly bent down to pour her some tea, and asked with concern, "Miss, are you alright? Why are you coughing so badly? Did you catch a cold last night?"
After drinking the tea, Yue Yining finally recovered. "...No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Let's go now."
“Miss, you…” How well did Fu Yao know Yue Yining? She could tell at a glance that Yue Yining was pretending to be nonchalant. Nothing in the city could be delayed. Her young lady was treating herself like an iron man again.
Fu Yao wanted to get angry, but the words went through her mind in a convoluted way, ultimately turning into a sigh. At this point, nothing she said would make a difference. She knew her young mistress best; she seemed gentle and easy to talk to, but once she made up her mind, nothing could change it. She was also resistant to force and gentle persuasion. The only thing she could do was try reasoning with her and appealing to her emotions.
“Miss, please don’t push yourself too hard,” Fu Yao said worriedly. “If you fall ill, we will lose another helper. There are so many things waiting for you to do, and we can’t afford to delay. Even for the sake of the bigger picture, you should take better care of your health.”
Yue Yining smiled and said, "I understand. After today's business is finished, I'll take a detour to the pharmacy to get some medicine to brew and drink."
News of Yue Yining's meeting with Dong Qi quickly reached Che Zilong's side.
Recently, rice prices have risen, and the people in the city are cursing. Che Zilong was still in his inner room discussing matters with the Qinghuai officials. So, the first to receive the news was Che Zilong's subordinate who was waiting outside.
This official happened to be the one who had secretly reported to Che Zilong about Yue Yining's selection of the Qinghuai City Lord. Upon hearing that Yue Yining had actually gone to see Dong Qi, he immediately perked up: "Could it be that that kid Dong Qi is up to some trick again?"
The guard who came to report said, "It's not clear yet, but didn't we previously plant two spies under the command of Dong Qi's Imperial Guard? If all else fails, we can just call them back later and ask them what's going on."
The official's furrowed brows slowly relaxed: "Indeed. Then I'll leave it to you to handle. Bring the person directly to my residence."
The official was smug, feeling that he was about to make another great contribution. Fortunately, he had the foresight to keep things in mind after reporting on Yue Yining and Dong Qi's affairs last time. He had specially arranged for someone to infiltrate the residence of Dong Qi's Imperial Guard Commander, thinking that there must be more to this matter.
After he meets with the two spies tonight and reports Dong Qi's underhanded actions to Prefect Che, Che Zilong will surely look at him differently. With his eloquence, resourcefulness, and keen insight, how could an official not have a bright future?
The meeting in the inner room was finally coming to an end. After the official finished greeting Che Zilong and returned to the mansion, he swaggered across the threshold of the inner courtyard and saw a line of armored guards on both sides. He almost collapsed to his knees in the mud. Upon closer inspection, he saw that all the servants in his courtyard were tied up, gagged, and leaning against the beams. Several of them looked like they had already fainted.
I had no idea what was going on, and for a moment I was so frightened that I lost my composure. I said with a fierce but weak voice, "You! Who are you! A bunch of madmen, how dare you trespass on the residence of a court official! If I take this to the authorities, according to the laws of Dongxi, you will all be given eighty strokes of the cane! You.......!"
The soldier closest to him drew his sword; the snow-white blade gleamed coldly in the rain. The officer's words were cut short.
As I trembled, a cold laugh rang out from not far away: "Ha!"
"I thought they were someone important, but it turns out they have so little guts, yet they dare to plant spies in my residence?"
The rain fell like a curtain, and in the main hall directly opposite the entrance sat a man with handsome features, clad in black armor, his face cold and stern. He was Dong Shan, the commander of Dong Qi's personal guard. He rose from his chair, the clanging of his armor creating a sound like the clash of metal on a sword.
When he arrived in front of me, he whistled, and the guards who had been waiting for a long time dragged two people who were tied up like cicada cocoons and threw them over, which rolled right at the feet of Dong Shan and me.
Dong Shan drew his longsword, tapped the two men on the ground with the back of the blade, and looked at him mockingly: "You can recognize the two people you planted in my residence, can't you?"
The reason for asking this question is that these two people have been beaten so badly that even their own parents might not recognize them.
The official trembled, realizing he had really gotten himself into trouble. Ignoring the stains on his robes and sleeves, he hurriedly knelt and begged for forgiveness: "Lord Dong, this is all a misunderstanding! I was forced into it; Che Zilong forced me to do this!"
"I was merely acting on behalf of Prefect Che; I have absolutely no intention of offending you, Lord Dong!"
Dong Shan smiled faintly, pressed his thumb against the sword, and extended the blade an inch: "Alright."
"Since you put it that way, then explain to me what I, a mere commander of the Imperial Guard, have done to offend Prefect Che. I am truly curious."
How could I dare disobey? I quickly and carefully explained the whole story, “It was Prefect Che! He learned that you, Lord Dong, were showing goodwill to the Lord of Yue. Hearing that Supervisor Dong was plotting to seize the position of Lord of Qinghuai City, he was furious and arranged for many lowly officials like us to monitor you, Lord Dong. We were really just following orders…”
Dong Shan looked at him, bewildered: "What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever show goodwill to the Yue Lord? And what's this about plotting to seize the position of Lord of Qinghuai City?"
I quickly replied, "It was in August! Didn't you go to see Yue Yining once in mid-August?"
Dong Shan frowned, his expression suddenly becoming inscrutable: "That time? That time I was delivering a gift to Yue Yining on behalf of my master. We exchanged a few pleasantries and left. We didn't say anything at all."
Seeing his subordinate standing there dumbfounded, Dong Shan became suspicious, and a subtle sense of unease rose from the bottom of his heart.
He took a step further, pressing the back of his knife against the official's throat, and said casually, "It seems something has happened that I don't know about."
"Tell me everything. If you tell me everything, I might consider letting you go."
The rain continued to fall, pouring down relentlessly. Dark clouds churned like ink, and the sea seemed to split open like a dragon.
After leaving Dong Qi's residence, Yue Yining turned her carriage around and headed to a pharmacy in the west of the city. She coughed three more times in the carriage along the way, which worried Fu Yao. She kept pouring Yue Yining tea, saying, "Miss, please have some more water..."
Turning her head, she couldn't help but urge the driver, her heart burning with anxiety: "How much longer until we reach the pharmacy?"
The reason Fu Yao called out without adding her name wasn't because she was being too hasty or rude, but because the driver looked unfamiliar; he wasn't the one who usually took them out, and Fu Yao didn't know his name.
Right now, the driver said hesitantly, "We're almost there, just ahead."
Yue Yining felt extremely tired from the afternoon onwards, and her head was also dizzy. With each bump in the carriage, she felt as if her limbs were about to fall apart, and it took her a long time to recover.
She knew she had been careless. She had been showing symptoms of illness for several days, but she hadn't taken them seriously and had let it drag on until now.
Seeing Fu Yao's anxiety, Yue Yining knew he was feeling guilty and gently comforted her, "It's alright, Yao Yao. I'll go back to bed early today and rest. After taking my medicine for a few more days, I'll get better soon. It's nothing serious."
Outside the curtain, the rain pattered softly, and the area in front of the pharmacy was bustling with activity, almost completely packed with people. Before alighting from the carriage, Fu Yao glanced around a few times, then turned back and called to the maid inside, giving her some instructions before finally getting out and leaving.
The maidservant entered the carriage and said respectfully, "Lord Yue, Miss Fu said that the pharmacy is crowded today, and it will take a long time to arrange the herbs. She told us to go back to the official residence first, and you can lie down and rest for a while. It's very close to the official residence from here, and she will walk back by herself later."
Yue Yining pressed her temples, half-closing her eyes, and said without objection, "Okay, let's listen to her."
The Xie family's carriage happened to be returning from the west gate of the city today. Yin Yi was driving the horse in front. When they passed the pharmacy, his eyes turned and he saw a familiar carriage. It was covered with phoenix and dragon patterns and inlaid with pearls. It was really eye-catching.
Yin Yi understood the situation and pulled on the reins, stopping by the roadside. He could see the princess's carriage just a short distance away.
Sensing the carriage stop, Xie Qingyu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. His weary features remained captivating. Before he could speak, Huang Qiu, another guard in the carriage, called out, "What happened?"
Through the beaded curtain, Yin Yi whispered, "Young Master, it's the carriage of the Yue people, currently parked in front of the pharmacy."
Xie Qingyu paused upon hearing this, almost immediately straightening up, her expression changing slightly: "Could you have seen a figure?"
"Miss Fu just got off the carriage in a hurry and has already gone inside." Yin Yi truthfully recounted what he had seen. "She's probably going to get medicine, but I don't know if it's Lord Yue or someone else who is sick."
Xie Qingyu frowned: "Fu Yao is Yue Yining's personal maid. She only does things for her. If anyone else is sick, she wouldn't be asked to fetch medicine herself." It can only be because Yue Yining is unwell that Fu Yao is so anxious.
It's all his fault. He's been so busy with flood control these past few days that he's forgotten to take care of her health.
Xie Qingyu's chest heaved slightly, feeling extremely annoyed. He called out to Yin Yi, "Go down and follow Fu Yao. Then pretend that you met her by chance in the pharmacy and ask her what exactly happened."
Yin Yi: "......Yes."
They've been infiltrating, assassinating, and stalking, and now they have to act.
Earning this little bit of money in this life is really not easy.
After Yin Yi left, only Xie Qingyu, Huang Qiu, and Xiao Chuan remained in the carriage. Outside, the wind and rain raged. The Xie family's carriages were parked under a lush willow tree, its green and red willow branches hanging limply and stuck to the roof by the rain.
Xie Qingyu leaned against the carriage wall, his forehead pressed against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, he heard Huang Qiu beside him exclaim, "Huh? Why is the Yue people's carriage moving?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyu opened her eyes again. Through the beaded curtain, she could see the phoenix-patterned carriage slowly driving away as its wheels turned.
Ogawa also spoke up: "Perhaps they went back to the manor first? Wasn't it said that Lord Yue was unwell?"
Xie Qingyu stared intently at the carriage's tracks. When it reached the end of the street, the carriage turned left. His brows furrowed deeply, becoming as hard as mountains: "Something's not right."
"Huang Qiu, you go ahead and drive the car, we'll follow."
Huang Qiu was stunned for a moment, and was about to say, "Then we won't wait for Brother Yin?" But when he turned around and saw Xie Qingyu's face, he was so frightened that he almost jumped out of his skin. He quickly scrambled to the front of the car and said, "Yes!"
Inside the carriage, Yue Yining had already closed her eyes.
She felt dizzy and lightheaded. As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt her eyelids burning hot, and almost immediately fell into darkness, no longer caring about anything else.
The coachman drove the carriage straight out of the west gate. The scenery outside the carriage window gradually changed from the outskirts of the city to a muddy official road. The vast and boundless mountains and forests were hidden in the rain and mist. The white rain was like pearls shooting out from a thousand crossbows, and the green mountains were like a rope hanging from the broken fog.
The rain poured down, the mountains and rivers churned, and the carriage wheels turned ceaselessly. Gradually, the surrounding pedestrians and carriages disappeared, leaving only the green shadows of the mountains, and their carriage traveling through the rain. The rain intensified, the wet leaves soaked into the dark blue, the bitter scent of decaying wood wafted in the mist, and the daylight was almost gone, threatening to descend into pitch-black night.
Yue Yining was awakened by the deliberately hushed sounds of arguing.
She slowly woke up and heard the little maid beside her saying, "...Why are there fewer and fewer people as we walk? Are you sure this is the way back to the city?"
The coachman's voice came through the curtain, as muffled as the sound of rain: "Don't worry, young lady, I've been a coachman in Qinghuai for seven years, and I know every mountain road like the back of my hand! We're taking another route to the north of the city, which is faster than going directly through the city!"
Yue Yining suddenly woke up. She opened her eyes with difficulty, not knowing how long she had slept. The light outside was dim, the sky was deep, and the shadows of the trees were dark. Night was about to fall.
The maid was still full of suspicion, wanting to say something but too timid to speak. But when she saw Yue Yining wake up, her expression instantly lit up with joy: "Lord Yue, you're awake!"
Yue Yining gripped the carriage wall with one hand and supported herself with the cushion with the other, struggling to sit up. The maidservant hurriedly went to help her, but Yue Yining shook her head slightly and refused: "No need to help me, just pour me a cup of tea."
Taking the hot tea offered by the maid, Yue Yining tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. The warm water slid down her throat and into her lungs, as if her mind had become much clearer.
The carriage continued its relentless journey into the deep forest. Feeling a bit of strength return to her arm, Yue Yining took a deep breath and pulled a silver needle from her sleeve.
The coachman's heart had been pounding ever since he heard Yue Yining wake up. Almost there, almost there, we're almost there... His throat tightened with anxiety, and he jolted along with the carriage's swaying, battling the tension and panic.
A flash of silver light appeared on her neck.
"Stop the car." A faint, gloomy female voice rang in his ears like a thunderclap.
The driver's breath caught in his throat, and the next moment, his neck was grabbed.
Yue Yining had lifted the carriage curtain at some point and stood behind him, one hand holding his neck and the other holding a silver needle, pressing it against his skin.
Her voice was slightly hoarse, weak from illness, yet her imposing presence was astonishing: "If you don't stop the car soon, I'll stick the needle in."
"I don't know who sent you, or what benefits they promised you, but it's not something you'd risk your life for, is it?"
The driver's fingers stiffened, his heart pounding. "No, don't stab me! I'll stop, I'll stop right away..."
The carriage, adorned with an octagonal lantern, swayed and rode a few more meters before slowly coming to a stop in the middle of the mountain road.
The rain was torrential; in just a short while, half of Yue Yining's shoulder was soaked by the gale-force winds mixed with the downpour. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and her mind began to fog up. She could only manage to stay focused, trying not to let the driver notice the unease in her voice: "Drive back to the city now. Whatever benefits they gave you, I'll give you double, and I won't pursue the matter of what happened today."
"But if you insist on doing so, I guarantee you will regret it."
All that remained was the noisy sound of rain pattering on the leaves.
Yue Yining held her breath, waiting for the driver's reply, but suddenly heard him let out a strange laugh.
The driver's tone was strange: "Benefits? I didn't do this for benefits."
Yue Yining's pupils contracted.
A sudden change occurred.
Countless figures in black suddenly leaped out of the once tranquil forest, the swaying leaves stirring up water droplets, and the wet halo of rain reflected off their dark clothes.
They did not cover their faces; their features were either ordinary or beautiful, but their expressions were cold and sharp. In the blink of an eye, they surrounded the carriage.
Yue Yining's expression hardened, and she grabbed the driver's shoulder, her grip tightening even more: "Who goes there!"
"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him!"
Before the driver could say anything, a soft laugh rang out from the crowd. The dark figures parted, and a slender young woman in a dark red short outfit emerged, her face bearing a menacing scar near her eye.
She chuckled a few times, staring intently at Yue Yining: "You're Yue Yining?"
"Not bad, you're quite pretty." The woman drew a silver knife and twirled it twice, the blade flashing rapidly in her hand before finally being held squarely in her palm. Her narrow eyes peeked out from the blade as she faced Yue Yining. "I am Jiang Feiyan. I am here on my general's orders to capture you. Come with me obediently, and you'll suffer less."
"As for that guy in your hand, don't hold on to him anymore. If he dies, I'll have to set off firecrackers."
Jiang Feiyan spoke harshly with a smile, while the coachman in Yue Yining's hands became unhappy and glared at her: "Jiang Feiyan, can you stop acting crazy? What if she really stabs me to death? I'll haunt you as a ghost and never let you get away with this foul-mouthed girl!"
Yue Yining didn't know any of these people, had never heard of the name Jiang Feiyan, and had no idea who the general she was talking about was.
Damn it, Fu Yao isn't here... No, that's not right, even if Fu Yao were here, it wouldn't matter. These people are clearly well-trained soldiers; a quick glance reveals at least ten of them, and Fu Yao alone couldn't possibly defeat them.
Fortunately, she wasn't there.
As Yue Yining gradually calmed down, a series of thoughts flashed through her mind, and suddenly she heard the sound of horses' hooves passing through the forest.
Jiang Feiyan paused, raising an eyebrow: "How could anyone pass by in this godforsaken place?"
Yue Yining was also taken aback, and it was precisely in this moment of distraction that she revealed a flaw, which was exploited by the coachman beside her.
He spun around and grabbed her hand, twisting it hard. Yue Yining winced in pain, her fingers loosening, and she watched helplessly as the silver needles fell into the pouring rainwater under the car and disappeared without a trace.
The situation instantly reversed. The driver grabbed her hands, pulled out a rope from somewhere, and tied them up. Yue Yining's hands were now bound, making her completely unable to move.
In the rain and mist, the carriage gradually approached.
After seeing the patterns on the carriage wall, Yue Yining's eyes widened in astonishment, and she was speechless.
Isn't this... the Xie family's carriage?
As if to confirm her thoughts, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a man of unparalleled handsomeness, with delicately furrowed brows, dressed in black, with the bearing of a pine tree and the demeanor of a frosty wind.
Yue Yining stared blankly as Xie Qingyu got off the carriage. He was so anxious that he didn't even have time to open his umbrella before the torrential rain soaked him to the bone. He tried to move closer, but was stopped by two women in black who were holding swords.
Xiao Chuan and Huang Qiu also drew their swords, their eyes fierce, and stood guard in front of Xie Qingyu.
Jiang Feiyan smiled enigmatically: "Oh, it seems you two know each other? Did you follow me all this way?"
Completely shocked, Yue Yining, whose mind had been foggy, was now crystal clear. Looking at Xie Qingyu, who was a few meters away watching her, she struggled to speak: "...Xie Qingyu, what are you doing here?"
“I saw your carriage heading out of the city and knew something was wrong, so I followed immediately.” Xie Qingyu stood in the rain, his face wet with raindrops, but he stared at her without moving. “Luckily, I followed.”
His expression was anxious and worried; he was so concerned about her safety. "How are you? Are you hurt?"
Yue Yining opened her mouth, but the dizziness returned, "I..."
"What's so fortunate about that?" Jiang Feiyan couldn't stand it anymore. She was practically sickeningly sweet by the two of them's sentimental dialogue. She turned the knife in her hand and pointed it at Xie Qingyu. "You talk as if you can take her away. You only brought two people with you. Do you think you can beat us all up and then play the hero to save the damsel in distress?"
Xie Qingyu then looked at her with a condescending expression, her gaze suddenly changing: "Who are you? Why are you arresting her?"
Jiang Feiyan said lazily, "Do I need to tell you?"
"Release her, and I'll go with you." Xie Qingyu stood rooted to the spot, his tall figure like a rock in the wind and rain. "I am Xie Qingyu, the eldest son of the Xie family of Yanjing, the current head of the Xie family, and also one of the important officials of the court. If you arrest me, I will cooperate with you. Whether you use me to extort money from the Xie family, to obtain intelligence from the court, or to order me to do things for you, as long as you ask, I will do whatever you ask."
“Whatever you want to do, I can do it. I am more valuable than her.” Xie Qingyu’s voice was hidden in the rain, but it made Yue Yining’s heart tremble.
Do you know what you're saying? Are you crazy? Yue Yining wanted to question him loudly, but found that her voice was hoarse and she couldn't speak at all. She could only breathe heavily and look at him while lying on the car.
Jiang Feiyan stared at him, her gaze dark, and after a long while, she suddenly burst into laughter: "My God!"
"How touching, how noble!"
"You want to trade your life for mine?" Jiang Feiyan said with a smirk. "Sure, come on, put on the gloves, and I'll let her go."
Huang Qiu said urgently, "Young Master, you can't go over there," but Xie Qingyu didn't listen to him. He pushed the knife away and walked towards Jiang Feiyan, letting them twist his hands behind his back and bind them tightly.
Having secured the hostage, Jiang Feiyan gave a wink to several women in black standing not far away.
They suddenly sprang into action, taking advantage of Huang Qiu and Xiao Chuan's inattention, and subdued them both.
"Alright, take them all with us." Jiang Feiyan smiled with satisfaction. "Who cares about keeping your word? We're mountain bandits, you know?"
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A note from the author:
Let me explain first. Xie Qingyu was one of two people, and he himself couldn't fight, so he couldn't win in a direct confrontation. That's why they negotiated a truce. He willingly walked into the trap for two reasons: first, he could protect Ningning by her side and seize the opportunity to send a message to get people to rescue them; second, at worst, he and Ningning would die together, and he certainly wouldn't watch her be captured alone.
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