Chapter 171 Is that fox slacking off?
Dai Li nodded and asked Bai Jianping, "Sending a letter to the Marquis is necessary. Commander Bai, is there anything you want to say to him?"
Bai Jianping said yes, "There are some recent developments that need to be reported to you, Lord Jun."
Dai Li: "Perfect timing, I also have a lot to say to him. How about this, you write the letter and give it to me, I'll pack it together with the family letters, so the messenger won't have trouble carrying it."
Bai Jianping's mind raced.
The letter was given to the mistress first, and then to the lord together? Could it be that the mistress doesn't trust him and is worried that he will speak ill of her to the lord in the letter?
How could that be!
The lord has already promised her that she could go sightseeing, and as a subject, how could he disobey? His report is absolutely fair, merely stating the facts, without any emotional coloring of complaint or accusation.
but……
“Alright,” Bai Jianping agreed, thinking to himself that since the mistress wanted to inspect it, then so be it.
Dai Li smiled with satisfaction.
Bai Jianping wrote his letter very quickly. An hour after he finished speaking about the matter, he came to find Dai Li with the letter.
He simply folded the mulberry paper, without even using sealing wax, and took it over. "Madam, my letter is finished. Please pack it up when you arrive."
Dai Li said it was no trouble.
Once the door was closed, she unfolded Bai Jianping's letter without any hesitation.
Qin Shaozong was a man who disliked being verbose, and this style was also reflected in how he managed his subordinates. His subordinates' military reports and daily summaries were all quite brief, and Bai Jianping's letter was no exception.
The letter contained only three lines, describing her intention to switch to waterways. She also emphasized in the letter that there were very few soldiers accompanying her on the waterways, and that they planned to first hire a group of bodyguards to travel with her by water.
After reading Bai Jianping's letter, Dai Li took out a stack of mulberry paper and began grinding ink to write a letter. She didn't have much to say, so she wrote the characters large, taking up as much space as possible.
Once the letter paper is used up, fold it again, and it becomes quite thick.
Dai Li carefully sealed the letter with sealing wax, and it was ready to be sent to Chang'an. Beside her, Bai Jianping's report lay quietly.
It wasn't even put in an envelope.
After finishing processing the letters, Dai Li did not immediately send someone to deliver them. Since there were "many private things to say," she naturally had to postpone them for a while.
These days, renting boats and hiring martial arts masters are the priorities.
*
As the sun sets in the west, painting the earth with a brilliant warm orange hue, a tall, slender young man returns home in the twilight.
Dai Li waited on the first floor of the post station. When her son, who had been running around all day, returned, she poured him a cup of tea and said, "Zhouzhou, you must be tired today. Have some tea and rest. Have you hired a martial arts instructor yet?"
“There’s only one escort agency in this county, with seven escorts in total, and they’re all willing to come with us.” Qin Yanzhou was extremely thirsty, and after speaking, he drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.
Bai Jianping was also there. "Only seven? Seven people won't do much. It would be better to find thirty... no, too many won't do either. It would be terrible if we were turned on and taken over."
In recent years, the Great Yan kingdom has been severely ruined by corrupt officials and parasites. Many people have lost their land and could not survive, so they had no choice but to become outlaws. After making money quickly, they killed without hesitation, which gradually became their so-called "righteous path".
These petty thieves are mostly insignificant, but when they gather in groups of a hundred or so, they can be considered a thieving problem and warrant serious attention from the local authorities.
Bai Jianping pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his hand. “There are thieves in the mountains and bandits on the water. The locals are far more familiar with the roads than we outsiders. Seven it is fine. Since there aren’t enough martial artists here, let’s hire some from elsewhere. Mistress, I think we can set off first and then hire another batch of martial artists when we reach the next town. The total number can be kept within fifteen.”
Dai Li: "Good."
Bai Jianping then asked Qin Yanzhou, whose official position had not been revoked after the raid on the Xuzhou army's granary, "Captain, have you reached an agreement with the boatman?"
Qin Yanzhou: "I have booked three ships, and we agree to depart at noon the day after tomorrow."
Bai Jianping didn't ask why it was the day after tomorrow, since it was quite common for cargo ships to load and unload supplies at Jinkou. He asked, "Madam, have you finished writing your letter?"
From here back to Chang'an, it will take four days without stopping day and night. It is best to send the letter out before leaving the town.
Dai Li reasoned, "Not yet. Zhouzhou went out during the day and hasn't had time to write a letter yet. We'll send it to him once he finishes writing it."
Bai Jianping nodded in understanding.
As the sun rises and sets, another day passes in the blink of an eye. Today, Qin Yanzhou went out again with several soldiers and did not return until dusk.
Bai Jianping was still concerned about sending the letter, so he asked again. The reply he received was that Qin Yanzhou wanted to include today's events in the letter, so it would be sent out tomorrow.
The seasoned garrison commander Bai opened his mouth, the previous doubts resurfacing, bringing with them a sense of unease and surprise. However, this unusual feeling was too subtle, like spring rain that brushed against his cheek without leaving much of a trace.
Bai Jianping hesitated for a long time before slowly nodding.
On the third day, the day they were to set off at noon, Bai Jianping came to find Dai Li early in the morning to ask her for a letter, saying he wanted to send it back to Chang'an by fast horse.
This time, Dai Li did not refuse him. She took out a rather thick envelope that had been sealed with sealing wax and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Commander Bai."
Bai Jianping picked it up and weighed it in her hand, inwardly amused. Good heavens, this is quite heavy. Although the Marquis and his wife were not a young couple, their affection was truly exceptional, surpassing that of many others.
Upon receiving the news, Bai Jianping immediately summoned two soldiers and ordered them to travel together at full speed back to Chang'an. Only after watching the messenger depart did he finally feel a sense of relief.
Today we are boarding the ship. Our luggage was mostly packed yesterday. Now, several cars will transport it to the port of Jinkou first, and then we will transfer the luggage to the ship.
One of the ships had a more spacious deck than the others, so Bai Jianping suggested to Dai Li, "Mistress, I think the deck of this ship is spacious enough. Why don't we unload your carriage and horses and push them onto the ship? That way, it will be easier for you to retrieve your belongings later."
The docking bridge for cargo ships is much wider, allowing two to three people to walk side by side, making it easy to push a car up.
Dai Li's gaze fell on the carriage, one of the wedding carriages she and Qin Changgeng used when they got married. It was made of the finest Dalbergia odorifera, and there is a saying that "an inch of rosewood is worth an inch of gold," which refers to this kind of rosewood.
Not only are the materials high-quality, but the interior design is also very thoughtful, with spacious chairs, unique low cabinets, and many hidden compartments, all of which are exquisite.
Dai Li sighed inwardly. Oh well, it's better not to ruin this nice car. "No, the car takes up a lot of space on the deck, which is inconvenient for sightseeing on the boat. We can just move the boxes onto the boat."
Bai Jianping followed orders.
Today, the sky is clear and the early autumn afternoon sun shines on the two-story boat moored beside the river mouth. The gauze-like light falls on everyone and spreads across the river, reflecting a bright shimmer on the rippling water.
Looking at the shimmering river, Dai Li whispered to Bai Jianping, "Commander Bai, I've heard that some river bandits disguise themselves as peddlers and take advantage of passengers' carelessness to extort money or kill them. Their methods are not limited to placing sleeping potions in rooms or drugging food."
Bai Jianping felt a sudden jolt in his heart.
Dai Li turned to look at him, her dark eyes reflecting the sunlight like a mirror. "When you're out in the world, you have to be careful. Our group is a bit too conspicuous; perhaps it would be better to have one of our own cooks on the ship."
They carried their luggage box after box, and anyone could tell that they were quite well-off.
Bai Jianping nodded. "You're right. Speaking of which, I was chatting with two bodyguards this morning, and one of them mentioned this as well. He suggested that we take control of the ship's kitchen. However, when I went to negotiate with the ship owner, he didn't agree..."
He sighed helplessly, "Perhaps we are on guard against them, and they are on guard against us in the same way."
The ship was carrying a large quantity of valuable cargo. I'm happy to give you a ride for a fee, but don't even think about giving up the galley entirely.
Dai Li thought for a moment and said, "Then let's each cook our own food, and don't mix the ingredients together. If they're worried, they can have someone keep an eye on us at the kitchen door while we're cooking."
Bai Jianping nodded and said that he thought so too, then tentatively asked, "Mistress, how do you know all these intricacies so well?"
Dai Li smiled and said, "I read about it in books and also heard about it in teahouses."
Soon after, all the luggage was loaded onto the ship.
As the boatman yanked open the rope beside the mast, the huge canvas that had been rolled up poured down from above with a whoosh, then billowed slowly in the wind.
The ship sailed away from the shore with the wind.
Dai Li stood on the deck, gazing at the soldiers left by the ferry, and couldn't help but be a little dazed.
*
Inside Chang'an City.
Two fast horses entered the city through the north gate, slowing down as they passed through the bustling city, and then speeding up again to head straight for their destination once they had finally passed through.
The guards at the Qin residence recognized their comrades and knew that they had returned to Yuyang with Dai Li a few days ago. Seeing the two of them returning travel-worn, they asked with a smile, "Back to deliver a message?"
Xun He nodded in agreement, then asked Qin Shaozong, "Is the Marquis in the manor today?"
"Coincidentally, he and Nangong Qingzhou left not long ago. You'll have to wait here," the guard said.
Xun He looked up at the sky. It was just past noon, neither too early nor too late. "Looks like I can take a short nap."
Exhausted from traveling day and night, Xun He unloaded his horse, handed over the letter, and went to the house where he had stayed during his previous shift, where he fell asleep immediately.
...
Qin Shaozong returned at Shenshi (3-5 PM), and as soon as he got back to the mansion, he heard from Hu Bao that there was a letter from Dai Li.
"She hasn't forgotten that she still has a husband in Chang'an," he said cheerfully. When he received the rather thick letter, the faint lines left by time at the corners of the man's eyes deepened, and his smile became more intense. He said "not bad" several times.
Seeing his superior in a good mood, Hu Bao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Recently, the prominent families of Chang'an had been acting strangely, which had greatly angered the Marquis, casting a shadow over his residence. Now, the clouds had finally parted and the sun was shining.
Qin Shaozong took the letter and went back to his room.
The main house had its doors wide open, letting in bright sunlight. The empty treasure shelves held only a censer, but because the mistress had taken all the maids with her, this bronze gilded censer with flowing clouds had been neglected for a long time and was now just an ornament.
Amidst the chirping of birds outside the window, Qin Shaozong removed the sealing wax seal.
Chang Gung respectfully wishes Taiwan peace:
How have you been lately? Is everything going smoothly in Chang'an? Important matters require careful planning; one should not be impatient, nor should one overly upset one's liver or anger. Early autumn has arrived, and the temperature difference between day and night in Chang'an is significant. I hope you will follow the principle of "dressing warmly in spring and lightly in autumn," regulate your Qi, and take good care of yourself.
When Qin Shaozong got to this point, he was surprised to find that a page was missing.
He turned the page.
Next, she mentioned a few younger relatives, describing their daily lives and adding one or two small anecdotes.
Before I knew it, another page had been turned.
This time, she shared some of her observations along the way, telling him about the local customs and culture of the small county, the tempting local snacks, and how some great chefs are hidden in plain sight, and how true masters come from the common people, which is truly amazing.
In the very end, she wrote:
...A sage will bring peace to the world, and the world will soon be at peace. You are a tiger when the wind blows, a dragon when the clouds soar; you are a great man of our time. However, the sage sits in the highest heavens, so you must guard against arrogance and impetuosity. I hope you will return only after you have finished your work.
Your concubine, Dai Li, bows her head.
Before he knew it, Qin Shaozong had read through the thick stack of mulberry paper. The man frowned, annoyed that he had finished reading it in the blink of an eye, and then flipped back to the beginning.
Let's start from the beginning.
This time, Qin Shaozong's reading speed was much slower than before, but even so, he still felt that he had to turn the page after reading for a short while.
Flip through...
Before we knew it, we had reached the bottom again.
"Look at this thick stack, how come there's so little? Is this fox being lazy?" Qin Shaozong said mockingly, then froze.
He had read Dai Li's notes before; she had written two notebooks on fertilizer and had also written letters to Yan San, who was in Yuyang.
In his memory, her letter back then seemed to be much more frequent than his current one.
After frowning and pondering for a moment, Qin Shaozong finally got up. He rummaged through a small box in the room and found a notebook belonging to Dai Li.
This booklet is the same size as an open sheet of mulberry bark letter paper; when placed side by side for comparison, the difference in quality is immediately apparent.
The characters on the left are several sizes larger, while those on the right are smaller, vividly illustrating the difference between an adult and a twelve or thirteen-year-old.
Qin Shaozong took out new paper, quickly ground the ink, picked up his brush, and then copied the family letter he had just received, using Dai Li's previous handwriting.
The entire thick stack of letters was copied using only two and a half sheets of paper, less than three sheets of paper.
Qin Shaozong stared at the three sheets of paper in front of him, his eyes dark and unfathomable. After a moment, he raised his voice and said, "Where is the lady's messenger? Send him here."
The guards outside received the order and left.
After a while, two sets of footsteps approached.
Xun He was woken up in the middle of the night. Still half asleep and yawning, he slapped his face hard before going inside to wake himself up.
Qin Shaozong knew their names, so he randomly asked one of them, "Xun He, how is Madam doing lately? Did she encounter any strange things on her way home?"
Xun He truthfully replied, "No. After parting ways with the Second Young Master and the others, the Mistress is doing well and is even happily preparing to go sightseeing."
The man not far away suddenly got up from beside the table.
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