Chapter 287 Reunion
A morning in early winter.
The morning breeze by the river is like a loach, always sneaking into my chest and back through the gaps in my clothes.
The sight sent a chill down the spine of the sweating laborers unloading goods at the dock.
Fortunately, Xunyang City had been sunny for several days in a row. Just after dawn, the pale yellow sunlight fell warmly on the faces of the people at the ferry, dispelling some of the chill.
It's another beautiful day.
The largest wharf in Xunyang City was bustling with activity even before dawn.
Ships carrying grain and goods, traveling from all directions, and engaging in commerce—one after another, ships from Lingnan and Jiangnan docked and then sailed away on their long journeys.
In just one morning, it's impossible to know how many people and goods were handled.
The area was bustling with activity, with a constant stream of merchants and travelers.
Xunyang Ferry, the most prosperous ferry crossing in Jiangzhou, which is known as "the land of the world's eyes and ears," is full of vitality.
In the midst of this vibrant morning scene, a private boat bearing the flag of the Ouyang family of Nanlong arrived at the ferry and gradually approached the shore.
The ship did not attract much attention. At most, a few observant people noticed the flag and might have thought of the newly appointed but rarely seen Chief Secretary of the city, whose surname was also Ouyang, but they did not make any further connections.
The sun-drenched boat bumped against the ancient bricks of the dock, splashing up a small spray of water.
Before the ladder for easy disembarkation could be lowered, a young man in blue clothes and carrying a sword emerged from the crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers at the dock.
He took the lead and nimbly leaped onto the ship that was traveling a thousand miles.
"Madam Zhen, Miss Ye, I'll take the luggage, you two rest."
"Mmm." It was the woman's languid and beautiful voice.
"Brother Yan, you've worked hard." It was a somewhat ethereal girl's voice.
"Hey, Madam, Miss Ye is too kind."
With a "bang," the ladder board landed smoothly on the ground.
A plump woman in her early thirties, accompanied by a group of beautiful maids of various styles, gracefully disembarked from the boat.
The beautiful woman wore a rose-red, loosely tied silk skirt to prevent the floor-length hem from tangling at her calves.
Her lips were slightly full, and there was a light mole at the corner of her mouth, which was just the right touch, giving her a dignified yet aloof air.
Her bright, almond-shaped eyes, with upturned corners, gave her a stern look, making her appear to be an unapproachable woman.
Behind the elegant woman in her flowing robes, on either side, stood a silver-haired, blue-eyed foreign girl and a slender, graceful Silla maid.
The silver-haired, blue-eyed girl also wore a similar shade of fuchsia dress and stood closer to the elegant woman in her flowing robes, obediently following her step by step.
It was Zhen Shuyuan, Ye Weilai, Banxi and other family members who had traveled thousands of miles from Nanlong.
Yan Liulang followed behind several women, helping to carry their luggage and enthusiastically pointing out the way: "Go that way."
Zhen Shuyuan, who had come from Nanlong Township, looked around the bustling dock with a curious gaze, and said without turning her head:
"Officer Yan, you don't need to worry about luggage. There are also young men on the boat. I specially brought some strong men from the local villages in Nanlong to help take care of you, my lord."
"Alright. Madam, Miss Ye, please come with me. The caravan is waiting outside the dock. The Prefect has recently established some rules at Xunyang Ferry; carriages and the like are not allowed inside to avoid congestion..."
Yan Liulang walked at the front, leading the way for Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai, turning back from time to time to introduce them with smiles and laughter.
Unlike the maids who looked around with wide-eyed curiosity, Ye Weilai remained calm and composed throughout the journey after disembarking, seemingly uninterested in the lively scene around her.
At one point, Ye Weilai couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yan, where is Tanlang?"
Yan Liulang turned around:
"The magistrate is nearby, but he is busy with important matters at the shipping office at the dock today and cannot come. I happen to be on leave today, so I came to pick you up."
"Oh." Ye Weilai's expression showed no surprise.
Even though her nephew lived so close, he didn't come to pick her up, but Zhen Shuyuan wasn't at all annoyed. She turned around and said to the villagers who were following her cautiously:
“It’s good that he’s busy. Tanlang has just taken office, and his superiors and subordinates are all watching him. He needs to set an example. Being an official is not about being arrogant and domineering. One must not be proud or impatient… My Tanlang is really amazing.”
His tone couldn't hide his pride.
The villagers who had come to join them all agreed and praised the woman, while the elegant woman in her flowing dress raised her chin.
Yan Liulang, who was walking at the front, couldn't help but chuckle.
The lady's personality and tone... they still have that familiar feel to them.
Soon, everyone squeezed out of the dock and boarded a row of carriages under the shade of trees. The maids and servants loaded the luggage into the carriages, and Yan Liulang also lent a hand.
As everyone knows, women usually have a lot of luggage. Unlike Ouyang Rong, who arrived alone with just his bags, Zhen brought more than a dozen large boxes from Nanlong.
Yan Liulang helped with the moving, running around without complaint.
Zhen Shuyuan was used to this and got into the carriage at the front early; Ye Weilai stayed outside the carriage, handing out water and towels, behaving politely.
After packing up, Yan Liulang called to the driver, and the caravan slowly drove away from the bustling Xunyang Ferry.
"Where is Lord Yan going..." the lead coachman asked respectfully.
Yan Liulang wiped his forehead with his sleeve and gave an address: "Huaiye Lane..."
"Lord Yan?" Zhen Shuyuan asked casually, slightly curious, "What is Sixth Master doing in Jiangzhou?"
Yan Liulang scratched his head: "Judicial officer."
"Judicial enlistment in the military?" Zhen Shuyuan turned her head and asked, "Hmm, what does that mean?" Her tone was puzzled.
"You're not going to be the head constable anymore? I remember you were doing quite well in Longcheng. If you had stuck with it for a few more years, you could have been promoted to a higher rank and taken over your father's position as county lieutenant. You don't even have the rank of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), so it's not bad that you can become a ninth-rank county lieutenant at such a young age."
Zhen Shuyuan offered some advice based on her experience.
“I’d rather not do it.” Yan Liulang shook his head. “I’ve talked to my father, and he doesn’t stop me. He approves of me following Lord Ming. Now, wherever Lord Ming goes, I’ll go.”
Zhen Shuyuan said regretfully, "It's a pity that the family's connections have been cut off..."
"Madam..."
A silver-haired girl, who had been quietly perusing many of her owner's books during a ancestral worship ceremony in Nanlong, whispered:
"The judicial officer of Jiangzhou is a low-ranking official of the eighth grade. He is responsible for law enforcement, prison administration, arresting thieves, and investigating bribery and corruption."
Ye Weilai recited it fluently and effortlessly.
Zhen Shuyuan: "..."
Facing the woman in the silk skirt's wide-eyed, sidelong gaze, Yan Liulang felt a little embarrassed and grinned, saying:
"Previously, thanks to Xianxiang's influence, the magistrate arranged for me to be promoted to the position of County Lieutenant of Longcheng. Originally, I wanted to pull some strings to transfer me to a prefecture-level city..."
"Unexpectedly, the Prefect personally recommended me to be the Judicial Military Advisor... Well, Madam, now all the constables in Xunyang City are under my command, so I'm practically the head of the constables."
Below the governor and chief administrator of Jiangzhou, there are six departments: the Department of Merit, the Department of Granary, the Department of Household Registration, the Department of Military Affairs, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Civil Service.
The commanders consisted of six military advisors, corresponding to the six ministries of the Imperial Secretariat.
Everyone couldn't help but turn their attention to the young man in blue clothes with a sword.
An eighth-rank official had just been busy carrying their luggage for them...
Zhen Shuyuan cleared her throat, looked Yan Liulang up and down, and nodded solemnly:
"Sixth Brother is quite promising. I knew I hadn't misjudged him... I must help him well in the future, so as not to waste my efforts in nurturing him."
“Yes, Madam.” Yan Liulang nodded vigorously.
Just then, the caravan suddenly stopped. Yan Liulang instinctively gripped the hilt of his knife, lifted the curtain, and before he could question the driver, his gaze was drawn to the scene ahead.
It turned out that their convoy was too long, and just then another magnificent and large convoy was approaching from the front. The two convoys met at a corner, immediately blocking the road.
Zhen Shuyuan glanced at the impressive and wealthy appearance of the convoy opposite her, hesitated for a moment, then turned and instructed, "Let's make way for them."
Yan Liulang nodded and directed the convoy.
But to their surprise, someone in the caravan ahead seemed to glance at them. Immediately, a dark-skinned Kunlun slave trotted up to Zhen Shuyuan's carriage and whispered something. Zhen Shuyuan didn't hear it clearly, but immediately heard Yan Liulang's curt reply from outside: "The Chief Secretary's female relatives..."
Kunlun slave immediately ran back, and before long, the magnificent and wealthy caravan ahead was the first to move.
Make way for others.
Yan Liulang didn't stand on ceremony and waved for the convoy to move forward, passing by the luxurious caravan.
As he passed by, his expression remained calm, and he clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.
Inside the carriage, Zhen Shuyuan, with her sharp eyes, noticed that in the carriage at the very front of the opposing convoy, there seemed to be a noblewoman dressed in a sash sitting gracefully. The noblewoman's face was not fully visible, but a little finger wearing a ring had lifted half of the rolled-up curtain, revealing half of her face. Her bright red lips were curved, as if she were smiling slightly in Zhen Shuyuan's direction.
She quickly returned a friendly smile.
A moment later, the Kunlun slave who had delivered the message came again, bowing low and respectfully presenting a gold-embossed name card with both hands:
"My wife has long admired Lord Chief Secretary... I humbly request that your family accept this..."
Today, dressed in plain clothes and carrying a simple knife, the judicial officer glanced at the surname "Pei" on the name card, reached out and took it, and handed it to Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai in the carriage.
The two women glanced at the name card.
Zhen Shuyuan hesitated, and Ye Weilai shook her head at her.
Yan Liulang seemed to sense the two women's concerns and said softly:
"Madam can accept it. It's not a gift, just a formality. I'd like to make a good connection and get to know you, Lord Ming. It won't affect you or anything."
"Ha, the way things have been going on for the past two weeks... There are plenty of people in Xunyang City who want to get to know you and make your name known to you. They send invitations and invite you to banquets every day with all sorts of new ideas."
Yan Liulang chuckled. He had been in Jiangzhou with the Prefect for nearly half a month to take up his post.
Aside from attending a welcoming banquet at Xunyang Tower on the day he took office and making an appearance before people from all walks of life in Jiangzhou, the only other things the Prefect did were...
At other times, the Prefect rarely engaged in any social engagements, throwing himself into state affairs as soon as he took office.
After passing the luxurious motorcade, inside the carriage, Zhen Shuyuan touched the high-class name card and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
She lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the shimmering surface of the river in the distance. The early sun shone brightly, and thousands of sails passed by in an endless stream.
What a prosperous city Xunyang is!
"Sixth Brother, has Tanlang been promoted to a very high rank this time?" Zhen Shuyuan asked somewhat reservedly.
"Not bad, Chief Secretary of Jiangzhou... Excluding the nobles who have been granted honors here, like the Prince of Xunyang, he's the second most important official in the prefecture."
"Although he does not have the military power of a prefect and cannot mobilize the soldiers of the military command, the chief clerk is also known as a 'semi-prefect.' The prefect directly leads the six ministries and is in charge of civil affairs such as commerce and litigation..."
Yan Liulang only touched on the point and didn't elaborate further.
But from inside the carriage behind them, they could still hear Zhen Shuyuan gasping for breath, followed by her joyful tone:
"Tanlang is truly accomplished!"
The women were all overjoyed to learn that the only pillar of their family was not only safe and healthy, but also rising in rank and status.
Yan Liulang thought for a moment and decided not to mention the matter of the prefect refusing the position of Imperial Censor from the capital. Of course, he also didn't mention the current relationship between the prefect and that "kind and amiable" Prefect Wang...
During these two weeks, Prefect Ming went out early and returned late, systematically familiarizing himself with the affairs of the Chief Clerk. He traveled between his residence in Huaiye Lane and the Jiangzhou Prefecture government office, almost always going back and forth between the two points, maintaining a very regular schedule, just like when he was in Longcheng County.
Furthermore, the Mingfu family did not even visit the newly established Xunyang Prince's Mansion once.
They have no overt interaction.
Yan Liulang recalled the instructions given by the prefect a few days ago.
When parachuted into office, one should not rush to make a big splash, but rather "do less and observe more".
Half an hour later, the convoy arrived at a quiet street by the water and slowly stopped in front of a mansion with an unassuming nameplate.
Yan Liulang introduced: "Madam, this is Huaiye Lane, one of the oldest residential streets in Xunyang City."
Zhen Shuyuan, Ye Weilai, and several other women looked on curiously.
"This house originally belonged to the Xie family of Chenjun. When your mentor, Mr. Xie, was staying in Jiangzhou, he learned that you were coming to Jiangzhou and invited you to stay here."
"The magistrate originally intended to rent a house temporarily as a transitional measure, and then purchase a residence for you, Madam. However, it would be impolite to disappoint Mr. Xie and Miss Xie's kindness by having them stay here temporarily."
"By the way, Miss Xie has some business at the Prince of Xunyang's residence today and won't be coming. She'll be back to visit Madam tonight."
"It's alright, it's alright. I think this house is quite nice. Why be so polite? When my husband comes back, I'll give him some advice. He's such a blockhead."
Zhen Shuyuan asked cheerfully, "By the way, how are Tanlang and Wanwan doing lately?"
Yan Liulang coughed, said nothing more, got out of the car to help everyone unload their luggage, and carried it into the house.
He then reminded them of some matters, and seeing that there was nothing else to discuss, he took his leave.
Ouyang Rong had not yet returned, so Zhen Shuyuan and Banxi Huanxi led the maids to tidy up the mansion.
Ye Weilai broke away from the group and walked towards the back of the house.
She discovered that there was a large bamboo grove inside the back courtyard.
This Huaiye Lane residence, decorated in the high-class style of the Xie family of Chenjun, looks simple and unassuming on the outside, but inside it is a completely different world.
The bamboo leaves are sparse, yet the bamboo stands tall and proud.
Ye Weilai could vaguely see a small bamboo house in the bamboo forest, with a green waterwheel and an empty swing in the courtyard.
Ye Wei flicked a strand of silver hair behind her ear with her little finger and walked toward the bamboo grove courtyard, seemingly quite certain that someone had chosen this house to live in.
A moment later, inside the house in the bamboo courtyard, in front of a bamboo basket containing a man's undershirt, a girl who had "returned home," wearing white socks and bare feet, knelt on the ground.
Her waist-length, silvery-white hair fell onto the carpet.
She stared at Ouyang Rong's familiar undergarments for a while, lost in thought. Suddenly, the silver-haired girl lowered her head, her fair nose touching the clothes in the basket. Her blue eyes narrowed like a cat's, and she quietly took a sniff.
The familiar smell of male sweat.
After a while, Ye Wei smiled and picked up the bamboo basket, humming a little tune, and went into the courtyard.
The girl squatted by the well, head down washing clothes, her small face focused...
Upon arriving in Longcheng, Zhen Shuyuan, Ye Weilai, and other women spent the entire day tidying up the mansion.
As evening fell, a young official who had been slacking off all day leisurely returned to his residence. As soon as he stepped through the door, a group of beautiful women greeted him.
They reunited after half a year.
After some thought, I've decided against writing a summary chapter or taking a break. I'll keep updating and write a couple of daily chapters to transition things out. I'll gradually build up the story, so please take your time reading. The pace might be a little slow, but you'll definitely get all the exciting parts you're looking for...or2
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
