Chapter 39 "I told you long ago, the old man shouldn't have come along..."
Yu'an said she didn't want to eat, but she couldn't argue with him, so she had to sit up and force herself to eat the bowl of porridge that was as thick as rice, and then take the medicine.
Seeing that Ji Jinghe was lingering, Yu An couldn't help but say, "Master, you should leave quickly, or I'm afraid I'll pass on my illness to you."
Seeing that she sat upright by the bed for a long time, not wanting to do anything else, he understood her thoughts.
She turned around and brought over the candlestick from a distance, placing it gently beside the couch. "I'll stay with you."
He spoke quite casually.
Yuan:......
Why would he do that?
Knowing that a standoff was pointless, she said nothing more, took off her shoes, sat on the couch, and continued reading the account books.
Ji Jinghe kept his word. He picked up a book at random in the room and started reading it. He didn't get up until she put down the account book.
Considering that Yu'an might need care at night, Ji Jinghe consciously slept on the outer side.
Yu An lay limply on her side, too weak to even turn over. She closed her eyes in a daze and heard whispers in her ear.
“I understand your eagerness for revenge, but the Chu family's affairs are not so simple. Impatience will not work. If you want to do something in the future, just say so. There is no need to take risks.”
Today, the prefect is incompetent. If he had encountered a cautious one, he would never have let them in so easily, and they might even end up in jail.
If he hadn't suddenly become so interested today, something might have gone wrong.
He had always thought she was unaware, but he never expected that she would actually be interested in overturning the case.
Ji Jinghe glanced at her sideways, his tone tinged with melancholy, "It will be alright."
Yu An opened her eyes, but the person in front of her had already closed their eyes, looking as if they were asleep.
The words that were about to be spoken were left unsaid, and the room fell silent. When he opened his eyes again, it was the next day.
After taking the medicine, she slept soundly and didn't wake up all night. She felt much less tired, but still felt weak.
Yu An: "Master, you're busy with official duties, aren't you going back to the capital?"
Ji Jinghe ate his breakfast calmly and said leisurely, "I'm here on official business."
Yuan:......
Ji Jinghe: "After you get dressed, I'll take you to the prefectural government office."
This statement was not to be believed at first glance. Ji Jinghe was fair and impartial and did not show favoritism. Who knew that he would actually send her to the clinic so openly and honestly.
He didn't say anything, only told her to hurry up so they could get to Huairou before dark.
Yu An was overjoyed and continued her search based on her memory from the previous night.
Li Yan's appointment here and subsequent transfer to the capital are likely related to the Xia family. Otherwise, why would he be willing to risk his life for the Xia family? Similarly, the Xia family must have received benefits from Li Yan to do so.
Even if Changping is not the best place, it is still the capital region and the burial place of the emperors of past dynasties. How could Li Yan, a poor commoner, possibly offer any "tribute" that would be worthy of the current chief minister's attention, let alone allow him to spend his days in gambling dens?
The problem can only stem from the ill-gotten gains that officials have made.
However, the account books are from nearly ten years ago, so it's very difficult to check them.
Three hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it wasn't until Ji Jinghe came to find her that she began to get a better understanding of the situation.
Yu An: "I vaguely heard my father mention before that the Imperial Treasury spent countless sums of money on repairing the imperial mausoleum every year. It was reported and approved every year because the emperor valued filial piety. However, in those years, some officials took advantage of the loopholes."
In the past two years, the emperor has grown old and the imperial treasury is empty, so he has put this matter aside again and again, to the point that the special funds have been completely cut off and there is no more "profit". Sometimes Changping Prefecture has to pay for the repairs itself.
By comparing the accounts over the past ten years, one can deduce some of the truth.
Perhaps it was because her long-awaited expectations had finally yielded a considerable result, which even made her back break out in a light sweat and a faint smile appear on her lips.
Ji Jinghe took the ledger, compared it with the others, and asked, "Are you trying to investigate along the line of Li Yan?"
Yu An did not respond, but closed the relevant ledgers and asked, "I wonder if it is possible to save this, so that we can find it when we need it again."
Ji Jinghe: "Take it with you."
Yu An paused for a moment, realizing that he did indeed have the ability to do so, and then said no more.
Looking down at the messy ledgers on the table, Ji Jinghe remembered what he hadn't finished saying last night, wondering what she had to do with it.
Before he could ask, Yu An spoke first: "Then let's set off."
There was nothing left in those clear eyes except for a detached indifference.
With the matter at the prefectural government office concluded, the two traveled together to Huairou, arriving before nightfall.
Just as the herbal medicine shop was closing, Yu'an, relying on her memory, went up to the servant at the door and asked, "Is this Li Ji'an's house?"
The servant was taken aback. "Yes, if Madam wants to buy medicine, please come again tomorrow. Our shop is closed today."
Yu An smiled and said, "I am Li Ji'an's nephew. Could you please pass on a message that the Chu family has arrived?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than half a figure peeked out from inside the door.
Their eyes met, and they remained silent for a long time... A handsome middle-aged man stepped out, looking at them in disbelief. "You...you are Yu An?"
Yu'an nodded, "Uncle."
Upon seeing the familiar features, the man immediately became excited. "Oh, Yu'an, what brings you here? How have you been? You've suffered these past few days. It's all my fault for being so useless. I was planning to go to the capital to see you, but then I learned that you married into the Ji family..."
He swallowed his words when he realized there were other people beside him, and then looked awkwardly at Ji Jinghe standing to the side.
Ji Jinghe greeted him, saying, "Uncle, greetings from the front."
Li Ji'an looked him up and down, then glanced at Yu'an. Seeing that her smile remained unchanged, he accepted the greeting with relief.
With the Chu family in trouble, he, an ordinary citizen, truly lost his support. He had seen the wedding banquet from afar that day, but he didn't remember it clearly. He only remembered the arrogance that the Ji family exuded.
He didn't think the Ji family was anything special, that they would respect someone like him.
Li Ji'an, preoccupied with taking care of Yu'an, quickly called out to his wife, Ma Yuwei, "Old woman, come out and see who's here!"
Ma Yuwei was cooking in the backyard just now, her apron still on, her hands covered in flour. She stood at the door looking around, and it took her a while to recognize Yu'an.
The couple was caught off guard and quickly killed a chicken to cook, not eating until it was completely dark.
Li Ji'an ran a medicinal herb shop and had a son and a daughter. Their life was not particularly good, but it was quite ordinary, and they didn't have to worry about making a living.
In his early years, he was ambitious and unwilling to stay in Jiangling. He wanted to follow his brother-in-law, Chu Xingjian, to the capital. In the end, he somehow ended up settling in Changping.
When business gets busy, he can't go back to Jiangling for holidays and festivals, and they can only keep in touch through letters.
Yu'an didn't need to ask the reason; she already knew the bitterness behind it.
If it were truly feasible, she might very well want Li Ji'an to move his entire family back to Jiangling. Li's parents are already quite old, their daughter died young during childbirth, and their son is still working far away. Ultimately, it's not a long-term solution.
What if something happens to the old man in Jiangling?
Li Ji'an and his wife were quite open-minded and didn't want to bring up these things in front of Yu'an, so they just used everyday trivial matters as an excuse to avoid the topic.
Unlike the capital, Li Ji'an, mindful that they weren't used to sleeping on earthen beds, could only provide them with a room that had a bed. Baozhu had to sleep on the earthen bed with the two children from the Li family.
The four-poster bed was too old and cramped. Unlike in the Ji residence, where they could sleep far apart, the two of them could only squeeze together tightly.
Ji Jinghe: "If you want to come often, why don't you send someone to prepare a larger house for your uncle's family, so that they can stay more comfortably next time?"
Yu'an knew that he was just being spoiled, so she moved to a slightly more comfortable spot. "Sir, you're so rich and powerful, even if you were willing to give it, my uncle and the others wouldn't dare to accept it."
"I told you long ago, you shouldn't have come along, sir. This place is shabby, you won't be used to it..."
As she spoke, she turned and carried him on her back.
Ji Jinghe knew she had misunderstood again, so he turned off the lights and explained, "That's not what I meant."
Yuan:......
Seeing that she was unwilling to talk anymore, Ji Jinghe sighed inwardly and had no choice but to cover himself with the blanket and lie down.
Yu An wasn't stupid; she could sense that Ji Jinghe was constantly accommodating her.
Whether it's guilt or something else, she doesn't care. Since she chose to stay, it was because she wanted to use the title of the young mistress of the Ji family. She doesn't care about anything else.
Undeniably, there are still too many differences and too many barriers between them.
Recalling what he said yesterday, it would be a lie to say that I was completely unmoved.
But that's the reality; things can never go back to the way they were. What good does saying "it's beyond saving" do? Didn't he choose to stand by and watch when he should have spoken up the most?
Yu'an is sensitive to unfamiliar beds and has difficulty falling asleep in unfamiliar places; Ji Jinghe seems to be the same way.
The two of them turned over one after another, and it took a long time before they finally fell into a light sleep.
Although I'm reluctant to admit it, to be honest, with Ji Jinghe squeezed in with her, Yu An slept very comfortably that night.
In Li Ji'an's backyard, chickens were kept, and Yu'an and Ji Jinghe were awakened by their crowing without anyone calling them.
It's unclear who crossed the line first during the night, but when she opened her eyes in the morning, she saw that one of Ji Jinghe's arms was pinned under her neck, and one of her legs was sandwiched between Ji Jinghe's legs.
Yu An felt that it could only have been Ji Jinghe who did it.
Ji Jinghe was completely open and honest, as if it were a matter of course. He was so satisfied that he ignored her silent protest, wrapped his arms around her, stroked her forehead, and called out "Yu Niang".
This was her nickname. The people who used to call her by her nickname were no longer around. When Ji Jinghe called her that, she couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
Time seems to have passed for a long time, and the name "Yu Niang" has been sealed away along with the memories buried deep in my mind.
Yu An pushed him away, propped herself up, and said, "Get up, your uncles and the others are probably awake too."
The front yard was a shop, where Li Ji'an was practicing medicine early in the morning, and Ji Jinghe was also waiting in the front. Yu'an was having fun with the two children in the back yard.
When Ma Yuwei returned from grocery shopping, she sat in the yard picking vegetables and naturally started chatting with Yu'an.
"Your uncle and I both thought the Ji family would be difficult to get along with, but he is kinder and easier to talk to than we imagined."
Yu'an looked up when she heard the voice. Seeing that she looked incredulous, Ma Yuwei smiled and said, "We went to your wedding banquet. At that time, your uncle was worried that you were not doing well in the Ji family. Now that time has passed... won't things be a little better?"
She deliberately avoided talking about the troubles involving the Chu family, but Yu An knew it.
As for Ji Jinghe, whom they mentioned, Yu An did not want to answer.
You can know a person's face but not their heart; who can know the truth? And even if it is true, so what?
They come in a hurry; how many days can they stay? And what can be guaranteed?
Ma Yuwei: "That's how it is between husband and wife. As time goes by, you end up living together. We can't bear to see you suffer in your husband's family. If you really can't make it, you can come to us. We'll protect you."
Her hand, which had been spinning the windmill, froze in mid-air. A pang of bitterness washed over her, completely erasing any lingering joy she had felt.
Knowing that they were used to the luxurious life in the capital and were picky about food, Li Ji'an did his best to prepare good meals, with meat at every meal. Li Ji'an didn't know if his nephew was happy or not, but his two children were certainly enjoying the good life.
Hearing that a temple fair was being held in town, Li Ji'an asked the two of them to go out for a stroll.
Yu An didn't take it to heart. After finishing her meal, she returned to her room, still reluctant to put down the account books.
The weight of her father's wrongful death weighed on her, and she desperately wanted to see something, and then something more.
Ji Jinghe, who was standing nearby, casually suggested, "Why don't we go out for a walk?"
“The temple fairs here can’t compare to the bustling city of Beijing. Besides, doesn’t Grandpa hate going to those kinds of places?” Yu’an bluntly pointed out.
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