Chapter 48 Princess Nanzhao of Wannan
Both the Heavenly Fortune and the Earthly Map are creations that spontaneously converge in the world. The former has no physical form but has a carrier, while the latter takes human form in accordance with the fortune of heaven and earth but disappears with the trend.
As the former vessel of Heavenly Fortune, it is not impossible for it to refine a portion of the power of the Sheji Tu.
The refined portion could never return to its original form; Zhao Qingyun's soul was scattered, and the remaining refined power would also cease to exist.
In other words, the "Landscape of Mountains and Rivers" will never be complete.
Impossible, Jiang Yuzhi subconsciously denied this perception.
She had it repaired; the thread He Ji gave her might be the same gold thread on her wrist, the two are remarkably similar.
As for why He Ji did not improve after the repairs were completed, Jiang Yuzhi had already guessed.
She is a mortal, how could she possibly cultivate divine objects?
Huang Daopo became a goddess through the faith of mortals and also possessed excellent skills, so it seems that her journey to Wannan is imminent.
If things are repaired soon and peace returns soon, perhaps her parents, brother, and other relatives will be willing to come out and see her.
This is Jiang Yuzhi's wishful thinking in atonement.
Bai Yan raised his hand and gently pressed the corner of her eye, "My wife, don't be sad." There were no tears there, but Bai Yan always felt that they were filled with invisible tears.
“I’m not sad. We really should go back.” Jiang Yuzhi held his wrist and naturally took his hand in hers.
"Okay." Bai Yan nodded obediently.
"Brother Xie, I'll take him back first. Zhao Qingyun must keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't lose his spirit."
"He won't be completely destroyed until his sentence is served."
Jiang Yuzhi gave Xie Bi'an a deep look, "We're leaving, Brother Xie."
"Go on, I have to go back to hell too."
The three ghosts parted ways here.
The rest of the journey will be much easier. After greeting the Eastern Ghost King at the Gates of Hell, you can return to the mortal realm smoothly.
Jiang Yuzhi appeared out of thin air in the bedroom, where Bai Yan, whom she was holding, was fast asleep on the small table. She approached to observe him; his face was rosy and his breathing was long and even, clearly indicating that he had come back to life.
The Eastern Ghost King said he had never seen Bai Yan pass through the Gates of Hell.
That makes sense, anyone who saw him should have realized that he was a living soul, with no trace of death on him.
Jiang Yuzhi half-squatted beside Bai Yan, lost in thought, completely unaware that the person in front of her was about to wake up as his eyelashes trembled.
Bai Yan was reading a book while waiting for Jiang Yuzhi. Unexpectedly, the fatigue from the past few days accumulated and he fell asleep without realizing it. He seemed to have a pleasant dream, but he couldn't remember what he dreamed about.
When Bai Yan opened his eyes, he saw his wife's face, which was only a breath away from him. He thought he was still dreaming and subconsciously held his breath, afraid of disturbing the ghost in front of him, and then he would wake up.
Jiang Yuzhi snapped out of her daze, sat up, and asked with concern, "You're awake? Are you still feeling unwell?"
"Feeling unwell? What is Tamao talking about?"
Don't remember? Oh well, it's better if you don't remember. Sigh.
"It's nothing. Let's go to Wannan as soon as possible. What did Judge Lu say?"
Bai Yan calmly tucked the storybook spread out on the table into his lap. "Sit down and let's talk. Uncle will naturally agree. We just need to find out the employment status of the officials along the way."
"Alright, shall we set off in three days?" Jiang Yuzhi readily agreed; she was almost certain of the method to extend the golden thread. Every act of kindness done for the people would accumulate merit, coalescing into threads. Part of it would repair Bai Yan's heart and dispel the gray mist; another part would wrap around her wrist, gathering to form the thread needed to repair the map of the land.
Bai Yan nodded. He didn't know why his wife's gaze towards him had changed after her trip to the underworld. She seemed hesitant to speak, and the plan to go to Wannan was brought forward. He didn't think too much about it and rushed to the Ministry of Personnel to select people.
Jiang Yuzhi saw the hurried figure and could only sigh. It seemed that she had sighed out half of her life's worth of anger in just one trip.
...
The water towns of Wannan were a sight Jiang Yuzhi had never seen before.
She grew up in Lingzhou, the prefecture closest to the capital.
Wannan is located near water, with streams and rivers crisscrossing the area, and floods are frequent. It is unknown what the current situation is like.
Along the way, there were indeed several county magistrates and prefects who embezzled grain taxes, misappropriated land, and refused to distribute grain for disaster relief. Under Bai Yan's swift and decisive suppression, they were all escorted back to the capital and temporarily managed by local officials with official titles.
Most officials were still diligently working to control the floods, and the closer one got to Wannan, the more different the houses became.
The people simply built new homes on the water, with the lower part supported by wooden pillars, and traveled by small boats.
The prefectural government office in Wannan had long been flooded, and the newly built prefectural government office was the largest building after the Huang Daopo Temple.
The current prefect, Xu Ling, was a weathered man in his thirties who greeted them with great enthusiasm.
Xu Ling was not afraid of Bai Yan investigating him at all. On the contrary, he had been looking forward to it for a long time. The corrupt officials under the prefecture had been bothering him for a long time, and the reconstruction plan of Wannan had been stalled as a result. Most of the people who had not yet been assigned a place to live were temporarily staying in the prefecture and Huang Daopo Temple.
For several months now, the floods have subsided, freeing him up to deal with the disgusting parasites. Just then, His Highness Prince Xiao brought personnel from the Ministry of Personnel, and Xu Ling secretly resolved to drive those fat, big-eared men out of Wannan.
Di Ting did not come along. It mysteriously told Jiang Yuzhi that it was to guard Zhao Pingfeng and two other immortals. Before they left, it instructed them that if any danger occurred, they should ring the Soul-Soothing Bell in time, and it would come down from underground and arrive in an instant.
After careful consideration, Jiang Yuzhi completely extracted the remaining power of the Divine Map from the Soul-Soothing Bell and integrated it into the golden thread. The remaining power will come to her on its own, and the Soul-Soothing Bell will no longer be needed as a guide.
The bell was left with only two functions: maintaining the stability of the soul in the mortal realm and connecting with Di Ting.
Unfortunately, she couldn't contact Long Jin through the bell, since she was only associated with the Soul-Soothing Bell because of her weakened state.
Without thinking further, Jiang Yuzhi nodded and reluctantly stroked Diting's soft, long fur.
Since returning to the mortal realm and arriving at Di Ting, Jiang Yuzhi has rarely been separated from it for such a long time.
Bai Yan was standing with her at the bow of the awning boat. He noticed her absent-mindedness and was about to speak when the prefect behind him poured out his grievances and begged for his help.
Xu Ling: "Does Your Highness know about the Prince of Huai'an?"
Bai Yan stared intently at Jiang Yuzhi's profile and casually uttered a soft "Mm".
Xu Ling: "Although the Prince of Huai'an is old, he has quite an appetite. When the government allocated disaster relief grain, the Prince said he couldn't stand being hungry and took some. He has even gained weight from eating so much. I am really worried about the Prince's health."
It's almost as if they're openly admitting that the Prince of Huai'an embezzled disaster relief grain.
The previous dynasty had many princesses but none princes, which is why the sons of princesses could also participate in the struggle for the throne.
Princess Nanzhao, the mother of Prince Huai'an, was a wise woman. She was favored in her early years and was assigned to Wannan, a land of plenty. Her family had no interest in the throne and even provided Xiao Yao with excellent land for his farming business.
Emperor Huizong was too lazy to care. Princess Nanzhao was considered to have done a good job, and unusually, she retained the status of her family. As a result, Xu Ling could not easily deal with her.
Princess Nanzhao passed away two years ago, and Prince Huai'an was left unchecked, becoming increasingly reckless in certain matters.
Bai Yan whispered an explanation in Jiang Yuzhi's ear. She was a little curious about the husband of Princess Nanzhao.
Bai Yan's light breath tickled Jiang Yuzhi's ear. "The princess has divorced the prince consort."
"What?" Jiang Yuzhi was taken aback.
“The princess couldn’t bear it when her husband kept a mistress, so she sent him away with a letter of divorce,” Bai Yan sneered. “The husband was really unlucky. He and the master he was relying on were sentenced to death by his uncle. It can be said that he and his mistress became a pair of doomed lovers.”
Xu Ling remained silent. Judging from Xiao Wang's words, he clearly had a good impression of the Prince of Huai'an. Could it be that he wanted to protect him? What he said just now shouldn't have been anything bad, he was just worried about the prince's health.
"In that case, shall we put down our luggage and head to the Prince's residence to find out what's going on?"
"I'll do whatever you say," Bai Yan replied with a smile.
He was in a good mood throughout the journey. There were no dogs or gods, no annoying brothers-in-law, just him and his wife on the same trip. Even the official cases he had to deal with didn't seem so unpleasant anymore.
Xu Ling secretly observed the interaction between the two, feeling quite puzzled.
There had long been rumors that a common woman accompanied Prince Xiao, who held considerable influence in the prince's court, and now it seemed to be true.
"I have already prepared accommodations for you two in the prefectural capital," Xu Ling said, cupping his hands in greeting. "Although they are somewhat simple, they are still quite comfortable."
Previously in Zuohuai, they stayed in a house next to the prefectural government, but this time their purpose was different; they were looking for Huang Daopo.
Jiang Yuzhi had inquired along the way and found that Huangpo Temple was also a place where people could live, but it was inconvenient.
"Can we stay at the Huang Po Temple?"
Xu Ling choked. There was a place to stay, but the prefectural government and Huang Po Temple were not much different. They could only barely manage to set up a small courtyard. However, Huang Po Temple had not been set up yet.
Bai Yan saw through Jiang Yuzhi's idea, "Then let's go to Huangpo Temple. The two of us will go, and the officials from the Ministry of Personnel will stay in the prefectural government. Xu, the prefect of Huangpo Temple, can send a few servants to help us tidy up. It doesn't need to be a big place, just enough for two people to live in."
"Alright, I'll give the order right away." Xu Ling bowed repeatedly, revealing a simple and honest smile. Prince Xiao and Miss Jiang are truly considerate and kind people.
The fleet split into two groups, with only two small boats heading towards Huangpo Temple.
After a long journey by boat, we finally reached the shore.
Jiang Yuzhi gently stomped her feet. Compared to floating on the water, she preferred the feeling of being grounded.
The Huangpo Temple is situated on higher ground, with its base constructed of stone blocks, and is some distance from the water's edge.
A few idle people sat scattered inside and outside the temple.
The prefectural yamen runners escorted them here. The temple was very large, and in the main hall there was a tall clay statue of the Yellow Granny, who looked down at all living beings from above. She had a kind face and a gentle expression, and did not have the slightest feeling of being high and mighty. Instead, she seemed more approachable.
The small halls on both sides enshrine spinning wheels and looms.
Jiang Yuzhi had noticed long ago that most of the women sitting by the hall were holding simple spindles, chatting and spinning thread.
Everyone in Wannan knows how to spin yarn and weave cloth. The cotton cloth they weave can be fine and light, or thick and warm.
Jiang Yuzhi had long admired it.
"Your Highness, Miss, two rooms in the back have been cleaned. Would you like to rest first?"
Several yamen runners came out from behind the main hall.
"Take us to get familiar with the place first."
"yes."
After passing through a bamboo grove behind the main hall, you reach the two rooms the yamen runner had mentioned.
It is actually a small bamboo courtyard with two bedrooms and all other necessities for daily life.
Jiang Yuzhi was very puzzled; she had thought she would live with the common people.
"The bamboo house was rebuilt using local materials. We originally planned to bring the prince and young lady here to visit in a while, but Miss Jiang wanted to stay at the Huangpo Temple, so the prefect asked us to clean this place in advance."
"Thank you for your help."
"No trouble at all, it's nothing, it's my pleasure."
The yamen runners bid them farewell with trepidation, leaving only Jiang Yuzhi and Bai Yan in the bamboo house.
The room was well-furnished, with all the usual household items.
The difference was that a basket of cotton was placed on a low bamboo table, and a hand-cranked spinning wheel was placed at the foot of the table.
Perhaps it was prepared by Prefect Xu? Perhaps he wanted them to experience the customs of Wannan?
Jiang Yuzhi guessed.
Bai Yan looked around his room briefly before going to find Jiang Yuzhi.
She was studying the old-fashioned spinning wheel. The Bai family also dealt in cloth, so they naturally recognized the spinning wheel.
Bai Yan: "This spinning wheel is quite rare."
Jiang Yuzhi looked up: "You don't have it in your room?"
Bai Yan: "None."
No? Wasn't it arranged by the prefect? These hand-cranked spinning wheels are rarely used now. The three-spindle foot-operated spinning machine improved by Huang Daopo is more commonly used. The Bai family, which has a large demand, uses a larger spinning machine.
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Author's Note: [Hugs]
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