Chapter 44 The golden thread lest it be drained dry.
The pottery jar in Luo Zhuangtou's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," shattering into several pieces, and water droplets soaked the soil.
Two ledgers were taken out of the package: one was Qingyupu's official ledger, and the other was the tenants' private ledger.
Luo Zhuangtou instinctively tried to step forward to snatch it, but was restrained by the servants of the princess's residence. The Luo family mother and son, one kneeling and one standing, were pale-faced.
The Luo family has been tyrannical in this area for too long, and the village head has lost much of his original caution.
Bai Yan opened one of the books. "According to the rules, the estate's annual income should be this much." He then opened another book. "What Chief Luo reported is correct, but why is there so much more in this book? Do you agree, Chief Luo?"
“Head of the Luo Manor,” Jiang Yuzhi sneered, “did you conjure up the extra money in the accounts out of thin air?”
Luo Zhuangtou's face turned ashen, and he knelt down with a thud: "Young Master, spare my life! This humble subject, this humble subject... I was confused for a moment, yes, I was confused for a moment!"
"A moment of folly?" Bai Yan pointed to a series of astonishingly large numbers on the ledger. "The annual increase over the past three years has been astonishing. You really are folly."
Just then, people from the village came, carrying two baskets full of melons. "Your Highness, a large number of cold melons and sweet melons have been discovered in a cave behind Qingyupu Mountain."
"What do you mean by that? Hmm? Head of Luo Village?" Bai Yan handed the ledger to A Zhao.
Ah Zhao showed the booklet to Luo Zhuangtou.
Luo Zhuangtou realized something was wrong; he hadn't had time to transfer the goods from last time to various places for sale.
The tenants finally realized that the Luo family had been deceiving both sides, and that the master was on their side. They all knelt down.
"Young Master! You must stand up for us!"
"Yes, yes, the rent from Luozhuang is getting higher and higher, and our family is about to go hungry."
“Young master, my daughter sold herself into slavery for the sake of her family. If it weren’t for the fact that the master is a good person, I’m afraid I would never have seen her again.”
"He not only overcharged on rent, but also withheld rations and demanded bribes. If anyone refused, he would threaten to take back the land!"
With witnesses and physical evidence at his disposal, Luo Zhuang collapsed to the ground, unable to deny anything any longer.
Luo Yundou suddenly exerted her strength, screaming as she broke through the servants' guards and lunged at Luo Zhuangtou. "Father!" She turned to Bai Yan, wanting to rush over and hug his leg, but fortunately A Zhao stopped her in time.
Jiang Yuzhi, of course, was unwilling to let Luo Yundou get closer. She quickly stood up and stood in front of Bai Yan, her red eyes fixed on him, as if she would resort to underworld methods if she took another step forward.
Unable to move forward, Luo Yundou crawled on her knees, her exquisite makeup now completely ruined. "Your Highness Prince Xiao! Please, for my sake, spare my father! I'm willing... willing to be your slave!"
Before Bai Yan could react, Jiang Yuzhi scoffed, "Your face?" She turned around, her red eyes fixed on Bai Yan's face, "Do you think her face is of any use?"
Bai Yan shook his head like a rattle drum.
Jiang Yuzhi then looked away with satisfaction.
It took Ah Zhao a lot of effort to pull Luo Yundou away, and her sleeves were almost torn.
Jiang Yuzhi, watching from the side, was both amused and annoyed. She deliberately asked, "Your Highness, Lady Luo is so deeply in love, don't you really want to take her in?"
Bai Yan glared at her: "Jiang Yuzhi!"
Jiang Yuzhi: "Tch." (Attracting attention and attention)
Finally, the Luo family was handed over to the government for handling. The embezzled silver was returned to the tenants according to the accounts, and the fruits were converted into silver based on market prices and distributed to the tenants.
Before the new manager of the princess's residence arrives, Azhao will temporarily take charge of the aftermath of Qingyupu.
The tenant farmers' wives gathered at Qingyupu and, using the ingredients provided by Baiyan, the families enjoyed the best meal they had had in two or three years at the estate.
In the evening, Jiang Yuzhi and Bai Yan sat by the irrigation ditch, sharing a winter melon that they had just picked from the field.
"Is it sweet?" Jiang Yuzhi asked.
Bai Yan took a big bite, juice dripping down her chin. "Sweet."
"Don't you want to eat it with silver skewers?"
"..."
Bai Yan washed the juice from his mouth with the clear water from the ditch, then casually wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Suddenly, he said seriously, "Yu Zhi, actually I..."
"Your Highness! Miss Jiang!" Ah Zhao ran up breathlessly. "The Emperor has sent someone to urge you, saying that the Prince's residence is just waiting for your inspection."
Bai Yan's face immediately fell. "Don't call me Your Highness."
Azhao was bewildered. "But, it was the Emperor who ordered that we be addressed that way."
Bai Yan wanted to say something more.
Jiang Yuzhi: "Let's go, rest for another night, and go back tomorrow."
As the sun set, two long shadows stretched across the melon field, gradually merging together. A thin golden thread slipped into Jiang Yuzhi's sleeve along with the setting sun, wrapping around her wrist and blending into her skin.
...
The village was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning. Jiang Yuzhi stood at the entrance of Qingyupu, watching the tenants busily loading luggage onto the carts. Huang Shan, dressed in a brand-new brown short-sleeved shirt, was directing several young men to carefully carry the loads.
"Miss Jiang, these are the earliest ripe melons of the year, along with some freshly picked vegetables, all packed for you." Huang Shan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a simple smile, "You and the young master can eat them on the way."
Just as Jiang Yuzhi was about to express her gratitude, Bai Yan's voice came from behind her: "So much? How can we possibly finish it all?" Today he was wearing his usual indigo long robe, which made him look even more upright.
"Good morning, young master." Huang Shan hurriedly gave an awkward bow. "This is all thanks to everyone. If it weren't for you and Miss Jiang, we would still be suffering under the thumb of Manager Luo."
Bai Yan stopped behind his wife and said, "Someone will come to take over the estate in a couple of days. If there are still any problems, just send a message to the princess's residence in the capital."
"Yes!" Huang Shan straightened his back, his eyes sparkling.
After making all the necessary arrangements for their journey, Jiang Yuzhi and Bai Yan sat side by side in the same carriage.
This was not the first time they had shared a carriage.
The carriage was spacious, with soft brocade cushions and a small table in the middle, on which fruit and refreshments were laid out. But for some reason, Jiang Yuzhi felt that the space was much smaller than before, especially when the carriage started to move and Bai Yan's arm occasionally brushed against her arm through her sleeve.
Bai Yan took a sip of tea. "The Prince's residence is right across from the Princess's residence. We need someone to help me decorate it. Yu Zhi... would you like to go take a look?"
Jiang Yuzhi tilted her head, meeting his earnest eyes. "Me? Why?"
The carriage suddenly jolted, and Jiang Yuzhi lost her balance, falling towards Bai Yan.
Bai Yan swiftly caught her shoulder, bringing them instantly close together. Jiang Yuzhi could clearly see her reflection in his increasingly clear eyes, along with the fainter scent of medicine.
Jiang Yuzhi hurriedly sat up straight, her heart, which had been still for a long time, seemed to start beating again.
Bai Yan didn't immediately let go. His gaze fell on her slightly flushed cheeks, and his voice suddenly deepened: "Yu Zhi, actually I..."
The carriage stopped. "Miss Jiang? May I get on?"
It was Sui Gu who asked from under the car.
Jiang Yuzhi quickly replied, "Okay."
Bai Yan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and withdrew his hand from his wife's body.
Sui Gu: "Lord Di Ting ordered me to look after you. It just so happens that I didn't want to be in the same carriage with Mu Tou. I hope I didn't disturb you."
Jiang Yuzhi smiled faintly, "You're overthinking it, Fairy."
Sui Gu had sharp eyes and immediately noticed that something was wrong between the two, but she was also under duress from Di Ting's tyrannical power.
The carriage started moving again.
A flash of golden light streaked across the half of her fair wrist that wasn't covered by her sleeve.
Does Jiang Xiaoniangzi wear bracelets or other jewelry?
Sui Gu: "Young lady, do you have a habit of wearing bracelets?"
Jiang Yuzhi: "No."
Bai Yan listened and nodded in agreement.
Sui Gu: "Can I take a look at my wrist?"
Jiang Yuzhi was puzzled, but still handed over her hand as instructed.
There was an extremely thin and faint gold thread on her wrist.
Jiang Yuzhi frowned; she had no recollection of when the gold thread had appeared.
Sui Gu held her wrist and examined it closely.
"It should be fine. The aura is very similar to that of Merit, but we should ask Lord Diting to take a closer look."
Bai Yan breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly asked, "Should we stop the car now and let A-Ting take a look?"
Jiang Yuzhi herself did not feel any discomfort; on the contrary, she felt more refreshed than usual. "Don't worry, let's talk about it when we get back."
The wrist that was held in Sui Gu's hand was subtly transferred to Bai Yan's hand, and his thumb gently caressed the golden thread.
"Don't you feel unwell?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes full of worry.
"No."
"If anything seems unusual, be sure to let me know."
"good."
Sui Gu's lips twitched; she'd rather ride in the same car as Mu Tou.
It was already evening of the second day when the walls of Kyoto finally came into view. Jiang Yuzhi looked out of the car window; the setting sun gilded the city walls, and the familiar sounds of bustling streets could be faintly heard.
The convoy went straight back to the Jiang residence.
Di Ting jumped off the carriage first and waited by the carriage for Jiang Yuzhi to get off.
It leaned closer and gently sniffed Jiang Yuzhi's wrist.
"Let's go inside and talk," Jiang Yuzhi said softly, gently scratching Di Ting's chin with her fingers.
Bai Yan followed closely behind, his brows furrowed: "A-Ting, what did you see?"
Di Ting flicked its tail and walked silently into the courtyard. Sui Gu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Young Master Bai, don't be in such a hurry. Isn't Lord Di Ting about to conduct his inspection?"
Zhi'er came out to greet them. When she saw her young mistress returning to the manor with Young Master Bai, she showed no surprise at all. She simply bowed respectfully and said, "Miss is back. Everything is fine at home and in the shop."
"Thank you for your help." Jiang Yuzhi nodded. "Please prepare some tea and snacks and bring them to the study."
After several days of absence, the flower beds in the house were filled with flowers and plants that only exist in the underworld, giving off a ghostly atmosphere. It was clear that Xie Bi'an and his group had been there.
study.
Di Ting jumped onto the wooden chair, placed its front paws on the table, and spoke in human language: "Stretch out your hand so I can see it."
Jiang Yuzhi readily offered her wrist.
The tip of my nose gently touched the golden thread, and it emitted a faint glow.
In an instant, the golden thread began to wriggle as if it were alive, emitting a faint hum.
“I can’t see any harm in it, nor can I hear any omens from heaven and earth.” Di Ting’s Mao Mao looked troubled. “We should ask Huang Daopo and Zhi Nu. They might know something.”
The Weaver Girl is a person from the Heavenly Court, so it is naturally difficult to get close to her. As for Huang Daopo, Di Ting has no connection with her, but it seems that the Heavenly Way is guiding them, and Huang Daopo and the Weaver Girl can help them resolve their doubts.
Jiang Yuzhi was greatly encouraged. Her family's ancestral hall had a shrine to Huang Daopo, and she had grown up listening to Huang Daopo's stories. Could it be that she might be able to meet the real Huang Daopo this time?
Zhi'er brought in tea and snacks.
Jiang Yuzhi suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, when I came in just now, I saw that there were a lot more flowers and plants in the yard. Did Master Xie and Master Fan come by?"
Zhi'er nodded and put down the tray. "Yes, the Wuchang people waited for a while, but when they saw that Miss hadn't returned, they left in a hurry. Before leaving, they even went to check on Young Master Zhou at the back."
Is it about Zhao Pingfeng?
"Oh, by the way, Miss, Master Xie also left a message."
"What?"
“Tell Miss to stay away from certain people who are physically weak,” Zhi Er glanced at Bai Yan, then hesitated.
"Um?"
"So as not to get sucked dry," she whispered.
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Author's Note: [Let me see][Let me see]
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