Chapter 62 "If you're sick, go see a doctor. I'm not a doctor..."
As the weather grew colder, the days drew to a close.
Baozhu happily packed her luggage, humming a tune, "The people from the manor will come to pick us up tomorrow, Miss."
Yu'an hummed in agreement, finished writing the letter to her family, and then tidied up with Baozhu.
Knowing Yu'an's temperament, Qingque didn't ask any further questions and simply escorted the two of them to the entrance of the Chu residence.
The emperor had already ordered the Chu residence to be completely repaired. Originally, Yu'an was to inspect it, and now it seems there's nothing for her to find fault with.
“So many changes have been made. I remember there used to be a bookshelf here…” Baozhu said regretfully.
When they raid a house, everyone is quick to kick someone when they're down. They don't care about protecting it; they smash it and steal it. It's already quite good that it's been repaired to this extent. Why would they care about details?
Yu'an patted Baozhu on the shoulder, then went to wander off elsewhere.
Fortunately, they managed to find as many servants who had worked for the Chu family as possible. Yu'an chatted with a few of them, and it turned out that none of them had had an easy time in the past year or so.
Fortunately, things have taken a turn for the better.
After the Ji family's belongings were moved in, they began to tidy up the place.
They had been instructed by Ji Jinghe to prepare a lot of things, and they packed them up very quickly.
In the evening, Yu'an took a car to visit the grave.
Only then did she learn that Chu Xingjian's grave had been moved; it was Baozhu who told her.
When did this happen?
Baozhu blinked. "I've always known. Actually, Qingque told me. It was Master who, after learning that you and Madam had a conflict over this matter, took it upon himself to move out. He just didn't want us to tell you, so you didn't know."
Her suggestion to move the grave wasn't genuine; it was just a performance.
I didn't think too much about it. I just thought that if it worked out, great, and if not, I'd just keep acting. Going to Changping was the most important thing.
"He did it for me, which saved me a lot of trouble."
Baozhu hesitated for a while, then said, "Actually, the Shu brocade that you wore last time was also given to you by the master."
After settling down for a moment and thinking it over, Yu finally understood.
Baozhu smiled and said, "If you knew that it was sent by the master, you would definitely not have accepted it, so the master did not let me tell you."
"So you lied to me along with him?"
Baozhu: "I'm doing this for your own good, Miss. It's just a piece of Shu brocade. I owe you so much already. What's a piece of Shu brocade? Besides, you and I are already divorced. It won't matter if you find out."
Yu An raised her hand and flicked her nose: "Silly girl, it's just a piece of Shu brocade? Is that all there is to it? How many ingots of gold are there?"
"I just didn't want to lie to the girl, so why don't you just continue to pretend you don't know?"
Baozhu stuck out her tongue. "Besides, Miss, you're so busy managing the household in the Ji family. What's wrong with using a piece of Shu brocade? Ordinary couples don't need to be so calculating."
Baozhu is right, they have already divorced.
She doesn't need to pay it back.
Although she felt uneasy, she had one thing to do after another and forgot about it as soon as she turned her head.
The next morning, upon hearing that Chu Zhuo'an had arrived at her doorstep, Yu'an rushed to greet him without even having time to put on her clothes.
"Who picked you up? I even had someone send you a letter home, telling you to stay in Jiangling..."
Chu Zhuoan smiled and said, "It's my brother-in-law."
It's been half a year since I last saw him, and he's grown half a head taller, now even taller than Yu'an.
She patted his shoulder, which was stiff and hard. "It seems your maternal grandfather has been taking good care of you; you've gotten quite strong."
"No matter how well my maternal grandfather raised me, I still miss my sister's cooking. This time when I come back, I want to eat your cooking every meal."
Baozhu quipped at the opportune moment, "Young master is going to exhaust the young lady."
Yuan laughed.
It was cold outside, so after asking a few simple questions, the group went back.
In the afternoon, after the servants had packed up the things, Yu'an realized that Chu Zhuo'an had bought her something.
"I gave you money so you and your grandfather could eat and live well, why are you wasting money on me?" Yu'an complained, looking at the fabric on the table.
Chu Zhuoan: "This is money I earned myself, not money you gave me. I gave all the money you gave me to my maternal grandfather."
"You earned that?" Yu'an asked in surprise. "How old are you? How did you get out there to earn money? Did you earn it by doing manual labor?"
"It doesn't count."
Chu Zhuoan sat at the table. “I’m currently in mourning and can’t take the exam. I’m just staying at home all day with nothing to do. I was thinking about how the villagers’ fish products are not being sold, so I thought about going to Fulin Port to sell some goods. There are many people there, and business is good.”
"You know what, I didn't make much money, but I did discover something strange."
Chu Zhuoan: "To do business in Fulin, it all depends on the government's word. When I talked to foreign merchants, they all said that they had to pay tribute to Lord Qian Zhang. Only if Lord Qian was satisfied could the goods be docked at the port."
"The strange thing is that when I was setting up my stall on the street that day, a private commercial vehicle passed by me, leaving a lot of salt stains."
"Salt?" Yu An asked, puzzled.
“Yes, it’s salt.” Chu Zhuo’an nodded. “This matter could be big or small. If a private merchant has so much salt, it’s hard to say that it wasn’t obtained through illegitimate means… Isn’t my brother-in-law the Censor-in-Chief? We should still tell him about this.”
Yu An fell into deep thought, and couldn't help but recall the letter Ji Jinghe had sent her that day.
If what he said is true, it might be related to the Yan family.
“Alright, leave this to me. I’ll tell him that after traveling for more than ten days, your task for the next few days is to rest well.” Yu’an patted his shoulder. “No wonder people say your arms are so strong, it turns out you’ve been working hard.”
Seeing that Yu'an was about to leave, Chu Zhuo'an couldn't help but call out to her.
"Sister, you and the Ji family..."
Yu An smiled and said, "I'm fine, get some rest."
When she received Ji Jinghe's letter a dozen days ago, she was still half skeptical, but now it seems she really needs to think about it carefully.
Full of doubts, Ji Jinghe arrived the very next day.
"I've brought some things that you'll need for your household; please use them as you see fit," Ji Jinghe said.
She watched the servants moving things around the courtyard, feeling annoyed, but she couldn't ask them to stop. So she asked directly, "How did you determine that the Yan family was also the murderer who killed my father?"
He knew that she must have allowed him to come in because of something he cared about.
Ji Jinghe: "Do you remember when your father got into trouble, one of the charges against him was colluding with foreign generals?"
"The investigation into the Xia family's case has been going on for too long, and the officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate have gradually become exhausted. When the Xia father and son were interrogated, they laid out all the charges against them, regardless of whether they were reasonable. In addition, Luo Qian was soft-skinned and could not withstand torture. After a few rounds, he confessed to all the charges."
"The charge of colluding with foreign generals is not something the Xia family did."
Yu An didn't believe it: "How do you know?"
“At that time, I took the steward of Li Yan’s family and the account book to recant the confession. I never expected that in just one night, the Yan family would find the letter of collusion with the foreign general and the messenger. Unfortunately, when they found it, the messenger’s body was already stiff. And the place where they found it was where your father went on an inspection tour.”
“You still have your father’s identification badge on you,” Ji Jinghe added.
"The officials on the inspection said that the messenger was accidentally killed by bandits on the road, but I sent people to investigate and found that he was not a bandit. The wounds on his body looked like those of military equipment, and it seemed more like someone deliberately killed him to cover it up."
Yu-An: "Then why didn't you say so back then?"
Ji Jinghe: ...
At the time, he was accused of having a private deal with Chu Xingjian, putting his own safety at risk. He spoke out, but the late emperor did not believe him.
Ji Jinghe: "When your father was in prison, we met. He gave me a list. So far, the only one who hasn't been involved in any trouble is the Yan family."
"The headless letter your father left you before he died can also be considered one of the pieces of evidence."
Yu An frowned as she watched the servants moving things around. "Why are you only telling me now? Why didn't you explain this to His Majesty when the Xia family was being investigated?"
"Without solid evidence, speaking out would only alert the enemy, and besides, back then you..."
Ji Jinghe paused, lowered his voice slightly, and said awkwardly, "Back then, you were still in prison, and all I wanted was to make sure you got out safely."
"Now that the Xia family has fallen and the officials in the court have been purged, the emperor has lost a number of his capable lieutenants. Even if I explain now, the emperor may not punish me."
The Yan family holds considerable influence in the court, and the emperor is unlikely to delve into such a trivial matter.
The court needs a breather, as does the emperor and the officials below.
Yu-An: "Why should I believe you?"
"How can I believe what my father told you? What if you're lying to me..."
"Yu'an," Ji Jinghe called out, meeting her eyes directly. "Anyone in this world could lie to you, but I'm the only one who wouldn't... You didn't believe me before, at least not now, and you will in the future."
"I didn't tell you before because it wasn't necessary, but you are stronger and smarter than I imagined. You want to clear the Chu family's name on your own, and I respect your idea. Facts have proven that you can do it, so why should I keep it from you?"
He couldn't stand falsehoods, and Yu An had no intention of hiding anything, relaying exactly what Chu Zhuo'an had said the day before.
"You said that you accidentally discovered a letter between an official and a businessman, and that the official had received favors from the Yan family. Is this official Qian Zhang?"
There are only a few ports along the coast. No matter how big Jiangnan is, it can't compare to other places. A position like the oil-collecting official that Qian Zhang held requires a lot of ability; otherwise, it's not something an ordinary person can get.
The irony is that I learned about this from Chu Zhuo'an.
It is far more credible than what Ji Jinghe said.
"If that's really the case, they're far away in Lizhou. How can we investigate?" She couldn't help but worry, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.
Ji Jinghe, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly blurted out, "You only ask Qian Zhang, why don't you ask me why I haven't come to see you for more than ten days?"
Yuan:?
His expression was serious, and his tone was solemn; he didn't seem to be joking at all.
"I am sick."
"If you're sick, you should see a doctor. I'm not a doctor..."
Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and placed it on his forehead.
After a while, Yu'an could feel the burning heat on her forehead, confirming that she wasn't lying.
The cool, soft touch against his forehead was incredibly comforting, relieving his long-suppressed desires. Even for just a few moments, he felt completely satisfied.
"ill."
Yu An withdrew her hand and cursed without holding back.
She turned around and was about to leave when Ji Jinghe quickly grabbed her.
"I was wrong."
"If you don't want me to touch you from now on, I will never touch you."
Yu An looked down at her hand, and the hand on her wrist immediately withdrew awkwardly.
"Although we have signed a divorce agreement, I have not announced to outsiders that you are still the young mistress of the Ji family. If you need anything, just send someone to find you. The Ji family is always waiting for you to return."
"As for Qian Zhang, I can tell you, yes."
She glanced sideways, only catching a glimpse of his silhouette out of the corner of her eye. As he turned to leave, Yu'an called out to him.
"The Yan family's affairs have nothing to do with you. Now you're helping me, under what pretext?" she asked, frowning.
He stopped and didn't turn around for a long time.
"I am a Censor-in-Chief, and this is my duty."
Yu An was skeptical and remained silent.
Ji Jinghe also sent a lot of flowers. Since it's cold today, the flowers can't be placed outside, so they can only be kept indoors and carefully tended.
When Baozhu had nothing to do, she would spend all her time on these flowers.
"Flowers are more delicate than people," Yu An joked.
Baozhu exclaimed, "That's right, Miss. These flowers were bought with real money. It doesn't matter if I suffer a little. It would be a waste if these flowers just died."
Upon hearing this, the opposite thought flashed through Yu'an's mind.
Just as I was thinking this, there was a knock on the door—
It was news that the Empress Dowager had invited her to the palace.
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