Fourth Master and his party traveled south by boat from Tongzhou. After about twenty days, they finally arrived in Yangzhou. Thirteen and Cui Da and Cui Er, who had arrived earlier, were waiting for Fourth Master's boat at the agreed location.
It turns out that as early as when the Fourth Prince was preparing to come to Yangzhou, he had already sent a message by carrier pigeon to the Thirteenth Prince, informing them of his expected arrival date.
The Thirteenth Prince, dressed in a dark green robe with a jade pendant of emerald green hanging from his waist, stood with his hands behind his back at the ferry crossing of the Grand Canal in Yangzhou. Among Kangxi's many sons, the Thirteenth Prince was the only one whose appearance was comparable to the Eighth Prince. Coupled with his approachable, down-to-earth demeanor, he was well-liked. The two robust men standing behind him, dressed in brown jackets and trousers, were indeed Cui Da and Cui Er. Both were broad-shouldered and burly, but their looks were also quite striking—thick black eyebrows, bright eyes, high noses, and full lips—giving them a rather dashing appearance. They were almost unrecognizable from their appearance just six months ago when they had emerged from the countryside.
"Thirteenth Master, when will Fourth Master's ship arrive?" Cui Da asked. They had already made some progress in their secret investigation in Yangzhou into the reasons for the poor harvest.
"The message from the carrier pigeon says this is the exact time. Fourth Brother is always accurate. Just wait a little longer, they'll be here soon," Thirteen said confidently. People kept boarding the ships anchored there, and the three distinguished men standing there were quite conspicuous.
Then, on the distant water, a large maroon ship slowly sailed over, with the character "漕" (cao) fluttering on it.
"They're here!" Thirteen said happily, his eyes fixed straight ahead, completely ignoring the sneaky glances that passed by him.
It turned out that the Fourth Prince and his entourage were traveling on an official ship that was specially used for transporting salt and grain between Beijing and Jiangsu.
On the boat, Madam Nian suffered from seasickness the whole way. Fortunately, there was a doctor on board, otherwise she would have suffered greatly. Fourth Master would visit Madam Nian every day, and then rest at Madam Geng's place a few times. The journey was peaceful and uneventful.
"Master, we've arrived, we've arrived." Cui Ling opened the window of Nian's room and looked out, seeing the two large characters "Yangzhou" fluttering at the ferry crossing.
"We've finally arrived. I never want to ride a boat again in my life. Come on, help me out to have a look around." Madam Nian's slightly languid voice rang out. She was wearing a light pink cheongsam, and her hair was simply styled in two buns, with a few delicate pearl flowers adorning her black hair. Due to prolonged seasickness, she had a poor appetite, and after a month, her once full and radiant face had become thin, and her complexion was not good.
"My lady, please put on your cloak. The wind on the river is still quite strong." Bai Zhi was worried that Nian Shi would catch a cold from the wind, as the wind on the river was indeed very strong.
Ms. Nian nodded, and with the help of Bai Zhi and Cui Ling, she put on a moon-white cloak, and then helped Cui Ling out of the room.
Fourth Master arranged for Nian Shi and Geng Shi to have their rooms on the second deck of the large ship. His own room was on the third deck. The first deck housed the rooms for the boatmen responsible for transporting grain and the cargo hold.
The second floor had a protruding deck, allowing people in the rooms to come out for a stroll and enjoy the view. At this moment, Madam Nian was standing on the river-facing deck, supported by her maids, looking at the lush willow-lined bank not far away.
At this moment, a pair of mistresses and servants emerged from the other side of the deck; it was indeed Madam Geng. She wore a primrose-colored cheongsam, and her hair was styled in two buns, adorned with noticeably more pearl flowers than before. Madam Geng was robust and did not experience seasickness at all. In the past, when she and Madam Wang traveled together by carriage, Madam Wang would be jolted and vomit the entire way, while Madam Geng remained perfectly unaffected.
"Greetings, Princess Nian!" Madam Geng greeted Madam Nian with a polite bow.
Lady Nian glanced at Lady Geng, but did not return the greeting. Lady Geng remained as usual, not taking it to heart.
"Where is Lady Geng from?" Lady Nian suddenly asked.
"I am a Manchu, and my ancestral home is Shenyang." Upon hearing this, Geng knew that Nian must think she was a member of the Han Banner Army.
Upon hearing this, Lady Nian's face showed surprise, but she quickly smiled faintly and said, "Oh, so Sister Geng is Manchu. It seems she entered the household in the 28th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. She must be about 27 or 28 this year. She really is a sister."
Madam Geng felt a pang in her heart. What she disliked most was people mentioning when she entered the manor, because she had been there for over ten years and was still just a concubine, without even having conceived a child. She felt like she was invisible, living her life quietly in the manor.
"Younger sister, please enjoy the view. I'll go take a look over there." Not wanting to argue with Nian, Madam Geng turned to leave.
Mr. Nian ignored it and just watched the boat speed toward the shore.
“Princess, once you’re ashore and have recovered, that Geng woman won’t even be able to see the Fourth Master. Will she still dare to speak to you?” Cui Ling said quickly when she saw that Nian Shi was displeased.
"Hmph, I never took her seriously. It was just that I was unwell, which allowed her to take advantage of the situation," Madam Nian sneered.
“Yes, Princess, this is a great opportunity for you to spend a lot of time with the Fourth Prince. If you can get pregnant, then there will be hope for your promotion,” Cui Ling said in a low voice.
Nian glanced at Cuiling, a smile playing on her lips, but a plan was already forming in her mind.
The ship finally docked. Fourth Master ordered his servants to fetch Lady Nian and Lady Geng to disembark and help with their luggage. He himself had already stepped onto the deck and was walking towards the shore. Thirteenth Master went to greet him and gave Fourth Master a big hug. Although the two were nearly ten years apart in age, their relationship was truly harmonious.
"Fourth Brother, we've been waiting for you!" Thirteen said excitedly.
"This boat has been on the water for almost a month now, it's really keeping me very busy," Fourth Master said happily, glancing at the two people behind Thirteen.
"This servant greets Fourth Prince!" Cui Da bowed deeply.
"Good, I'm very satisfied with the results you've found. Let's discuss everything when we get back." Fourth Master waved his hand at the two men, indicating that they shouldn't stand on ceremony.
With the help of their maids, Lady Nian and Lady Geng disembarked from the boat. Thirteen looked around and, noticing that Lanqin was nowhere to be seen, asked Fourth Master, "Why didn't Fourth Brother bring his sister-in-law?"
Fourth Master was taken aback, and said somewhat awkwardly, "She is pregnant again now, so it's not advisable for her to travel."
Thirteen suddenly realized and laughed, "So that's how it is. This lady is Nian Gengyao's sister?"
Fourth Master nodded and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense in front of her."
Thirteen glanced at Fourth Master mischievously and said, "I know my limits."
After Nian and Geng greeted Thirteen, the group walked toward the carriage Thirteen had prepared.
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