Chapter 122 Leaving the Capital (Part 6) I think you're asking for trouble. ...
Upon hearing this, Jiuli also remembered the ring, and got up from Yuqi's arms. "I saw the ring you mentioned. Doesn't it have the character '仙' (Xian) engraved on it? It seems to be Guo Sao's nickname. Maybe it was something she brought as part of her dowry from her family."
Yu Qi's smiling eyes followed her as she turned away from the table. "You mean Guo's family is rich enough to afford this kind of thing? But she's having such a hard time right now, have you ever heard her mention asking her family for any help?"
“No, her family doesn’t seem to be in Nanjing.” Jiuli rested her hands on the table and pouted at him. “Besides, everyone says that once a girl is married, she belongs to her husband’s family. Maybe her family just won’t help her.”
Yu Qi nodded with a smile, "That makes sense, but there's one problem: Wang Shanfeng personally gave the order for her to get a job in the yamen. What is her relationship with Wang Shanfeng?"
"It's possible that the Cao family has a relative working for the Wang family, and that the relative helped them get the job."
Although there was some truth to this, Yu Qi still found it strange. Wang Shanfeng was greedy and didn't seem like the kind of person who would give away favors to his subordinates for nothing. It would be better to give this job to a relative of a minor official in the yamen.
He tapped the table idly with one hand for a moment, then said, "I'll ask Guan Youjun about this later."
Jiuli was immediately displeased, but said nothing. She turned her head and glanced at the window, where she saw a faint candlelight shining through the window diagonally opposite Du Zhong's. She pouted and said, "I think it's not too late to replace her after we find out if Aunt Guo has done anything wrong. What if you misunderstand her? She's been with us for months and hasn't caused any trouble. We shouldn't act superior and bully others just because we have some money. Didn't our Yu family used to be farmers?"
Yu Qi was afraid that Du Zhong would make a scene if he found out, so he could only smile and nod, "Alright, I'll let you be the good guy, but you have to promise that if I find out from Guan Youjun that Guo Sao is wrong, you can't speak up for Zhong'er."
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised one hand, and Jiu Li immediately spun around behind the table and slapped his hand, saying, "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond!"
He laughed, then casually pulled her down onto his lap, burying his face in her nose and nuzzling it against hers. "Didn't you say that women aren't gentlemen?"
Jiuli hooked her arms around his neck, lifting her upper body up and burying her face tightly in his neck, giggling. Her hot breath sprayed onto his neck, making him feel like the tickling of cat fur. Seeing his neck slowly turn red, she gently bit his bobbing Adam's apple, then glared at him provocatively.
He carried her to the table. In the winter night, she was still gradually sweating, which soaked the papers on the table. They were stuck to her back in a mess. He hugged her and peeled them off one by one, as if peeling off her skin. Her starry eyes were half open, her gaze was like smoke, so tender and charming that it was hard to catch. He felt that a hot and enchanting soul was flying towards him from under these papers.
He was secretly surprised. Had he really watched her grow up? How could she have this side to her? But even this side was something he had brought about, and he felt secretly proud.
When Yu Qi got up in the morning, he was on his way to the Guan family's house when he saw a servant from the Qi family delivering the obituary. Since he thought that Guan Youjun would definitely go to the Qi family's house to pay her respects, he did not go to the Guan family's house.
The next day, when I went to the Qi residence to pay my respects, I indeed encountered Youjun. After not seeing her for many days, she still had that beautiful appearance, only her nose was slightly red from the cold, showing a playful side rarely seen. She was dressed in very simple clothes, and as soon as she entered the mourning hall, a suitable expression of grief appeared on her face. She exchanged a few pleasantries with Xubai before leaving the mourning hall. When she saw Yu Qi and the other two in the courtyard, she went up to greet them.
When Xu Bai came out, Yu Qi took the opportunity to borrow a spare small flower hall from him and asked You Jun to move over to talk. Xu Bai casually called a servant to lead them there. Seeing that Jiu Li wanted to follow, he secretly pulled her back and asked her to go to the outer study to find a prescription for treating children's coughs.
Yu Qi turned around and didn't see Jiu Li following him. He guessed that Xu Bai had tripped him up. Although he was unhappy, he took the opportunity to send Du Zhong away to keep an eye on Jiu Li.
The two then moved into the hall, and as soon as they sat down, Youjun asked, "Sir, is there something important you need to ask me?"
Yu Qi smiled slightly, "Miss Guan is truly exceptionally intelligent."
Youjun smiled as she watched the servants from the Qi household bring in tea. After they left, she said, "It's not that I'm clever, it's that I know the master's temperament. He would never specially borrow a place to sit down and have tea with me if there's nothing wrong. Master, please just tell me what's on your mind. I will do my best to help if I can."
Yu Qi then cut to the chase, inquiring about Xiu Zhi's background. You Jun immediately smiled through her handkerchief, "Why are the servants in your household asking me? I've only been to your residence twice, and I've only met your Aunt Guo briefly. How would I know anything about her?"
“The eldest daughter has always been very resourceful. I thought you would know something about things in Nanjing, big or small.”
"Sir, you're making me sound like a divination master. I don't have that kind of ability."
Yu Qi sipped his tea slowly and deliberately. “Young lady, you are being modest. You even know a bit about the background of Qinglian Temple, and you probably have a clear understanding of my family’s affairs. Naturally, you wouldn’t look down on my family’s servants.”
"Me, trying to find out about your family's background? What kind of talk is that?" Youjun put down her teacup and smiled at him from a distance.
"If the young lady hadn't guessed something about the fish's background, why would she have gone to such lengths to help our family?"
She lowered her smiling eyes and after a while spoke, "Why don't you think that maybe I've helped you time and time again because I'm in love with you?"
Yu Qi chuckled softly, "I am not an arrogant person."
Youjun fell silent with a slight smile, her face seemingly filled with sorrow, but her mind was racing. She knew some of Guo Xiuzhi's background, but since Chen Jia had a grudge against the Yu family, and he had deliberately inquired about this distant relative when he was in Nanjing, it was hard to say whether he intended to use this person to take revenge on the Yu family.
At present, the Chen family's power in the court is still at its zenith. It is said that Chen Jia was not punished after returning to the capital. The emperor issued an edict saying that although Chen Jia colluded with several old nuns of Qinglian Temple to force women into prostitution, he was allowed to stay at home to recuperate from his serious injuries, and he would be punished after he recovered.
That's what they say, but when this injury will heal depends entirely on the Chen family's response, which shows the Emperor's favoritism towards the Chen family. If the distant kinship between Guo Xiuzhi and the Chen family is exposed now, the Chen family may hold a grudge in the future.
Although Youjun valued King Zhao Zhou Yu more, business people always need to have a way out. After weighing the pros and cons, Youjun nodded slightly, "I really don't know anything about Guo Xiuzhi, but since you asked me, I'll inquire about it for you."
"Then thank you very much, Miss Guan."
Yu Qi stood up and bowed, and You Jun also stood up to return the bow. The two of them walked out of the small flower hall and went back to the mourning hall to find their respective families.
Seeing the dilapidated state of the Qi residence along the way, Youjun couldn't help but sigh, "I heard that the court is going to dismiss Lord Qi from his post, is that true?"
Yu Qi smiled faintly, "I don't know. I haven't been to the yamen recently, nor have I heard any orders from the court."
Youjun smiled at him but didn't say much. The two walked back to the mourning hall and saw Zhao Liang and Yanshu coming to pay their respects. Zhao Liang pulled Yu Qi aside and secretly thought that the Ministry of Personnel had issued an order to dismiss Xu Bai from his post as county magistrate. Today's visit was a good opportunity to convey the cabinet's intentions. However, Xu Bai was not seen in the mourning hall. Only two old stewards were there to greet the guests and return their greetings.
Yu Qi had no idea where Xu Bai had taken Jiu Li. He searched the courtyard thoroughly but couldn't find her. Just as he was about to ask the servants of the Qi family to look for her, Xu Bai, Jiu Li, and Man Bao happened to enter the courtyard together. Yu Qi put his hands behind his back and coldly scanned Jiu Li from head to toe. Seeing that her hair was neatly styled and her face was normal, his expression softened a little.
Just then, Xu Bai tried to lead Zhao Liangyanshu to the hall to talk, but Yu Qi also bowed to Zhao Liangyanshu in farewell and walked out of the courtyard. Then he asked Jiu Li, "Where did Qi Xu Bai take you just now? What did you talk about?"
Jiuli muttered quietly, "Anyway, they won't kidnap me."
"What are you muttering about? Speak louder."
She grinned. "It's nothing. My eldest daughter has a cough, so they asked me to come to their study to write a prescription. They also asked me to prepare a few extra doses of medicine every few days and send them to the ship so she can have something to eat on the way."
Hearing this from behind, Youjun stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong? Is Madam leaving Nanjing?"
"Xu Bai said that now only the two of them, the uncle and aunt, are left in the family. They are both young and afraid that people will gossip in the future. He told the eldest sister-in-law to take her daughter and money back to her parents' home in Guangzhou."
Yu Qi seemed to be deep in thought. At this moment, Xu Bai wanted to send his sister-in-law and niece away, probably because he wanted to cut off his escape route and had other plans.
As they left the Qi residence, they still hadn't seen Du Zhong. When asked why, Jiu Li said that Du Zhong had left on business. Yu Qi guessed that he must have sneaked off to the Cao family and complained, "The Cao family's affairs are still unclear at this time. Why didn't you stop him? You just watched him get mired in trouble?"
Jiuli muttered under her breath, "His legs are his, can I stop him? Besides, Aunt Guo may not be what you think. If she really had any bad intentions when she came to our house, serving us tea and water every day, she should have poisoned us all to death long ago."
Yu Qi had no rebuttal, and glared at her fiercely, "It's all my fault for spoiling you both so much, neither of you gives me any peace of mind!"
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "How exactly have you spoiled us? You still hit us and scold us whenever you deserve it—"
This prompted Youjun to chuckle from behind, "This girl really knows how to talk back. I think the master's worries are not without reason. Even if your Aunt Guo has a clean background, she is not a good match for Du Zhong. She is not suitable at all. Why don't you ride back with me?"
Yu Qi bowed and declined, "Let's not delay the young lady's business, let's go back." He then twisted Jiu Li's shoulder and turned her around, "Home!"
Youjun did not force him and boarded the carriage to leave. Yu Qi and Jiuli strolled slowly home. Yu Qi then said, "Besides writing the prescription, did Qi Xubai say anything else?"
When asked, Jiuli felt guilty. Before going to the study, Manbao told her that he wanted to go to the capital to serve as a staff member for Prince Zhao and then return to officialdom when he had another chance. He also advised her, "Why don't you come with me? We can find out the mystery of your background."
Jiuli hesitated and said, "My uncle will definitely not allow me to go."
"Just because he forbids you from going doesn't mean you won't go." Xu Bai smiled. "He's controlled you for over a decade. If you don't get married, won't he control you for the rest of your life? With your intelligence, you're no less capable than him. Why be bound by him? Besides, you two aren't really uncle and nephew. Why not find your biological father? Wouldn't that make many things more legitimate?"
He spoke cryptically, but Jiuli understood immediately. Her face flushed, and she lowered her head. “Even if I secretly go with you, my uncle will catch up quickly. Just like last time, I didn’t manage to go, and you ended up getting beaten by him for no reason.”
Xu Bai put a hand on her shoulder. "Last time he blamed us for delaying us overnight at the inn. This time, we'll head straight to the dock to board the ship as soon as we leave home. I've hired a boat to wait for you. If he wants to chase us, he'll only be able to catch up to the capital."
Jiuli thought to herself, "This is perfect. If her biological father were the current emperor, she could ask him to grant her a marriage while Yu Qi is in the capital. Let's see who in the world would dare to object then." She made up her mind and nodded to him.
But he dared not tell Yu Qi about this, so he pretended to be stupid and replied, "What else does Xu Bai want to say? You are overthinking it. His family is in decline and his career is bleak. How can he care about personal feelings? Don't worry, he didn't say anything. He really just asked me to write a prescription!"
Yu Qi was still skeptical, but kept looking at her, "Really?"
"It couldn't be more true! You don't like him because you always think he has impure intentions, right? Even at a time like this, he still cares about me? He's too busy planning his future to think about anything else!"
“That’s right. Qi Xubai’s only concern is his future and the glory of the Qi family. It’s not in his nature to be thinking about personal feelings at a time like this.”
Jiuli chuckled, "Is that so? That's not how he acts, is it? He'd rather be furious for a woman than do anything like that."
After thinking for a moment, Yu Qi nodded in agreement.
Upon returning home, Yu Qi found Du Zhong missing. Even after dinner, he still hadn't returned. Enraged, Yu Qi went to the Bao family that very night, agreeing to bring Du Zhong to Bao Xianwei's birthday celebration the following day so they could meet his niece. It wasn't until the next morning that Yu Qi mentioned this to Du Zhong and Jiu Li. He then instructed Yu Qing to help Du Zhong choose decent clothes, hire a carriage, and take gifts to the Bao family.
Upon hearing the girl's name, Bao Guilan, Du Zhong quietly complained to Jiu Li, "Judging from that rustic name, she can't be that pretty."
Yu Qi overheard this and glanced at him sideways, saying, "When choosing a wife, one should choose a virtuous one. If one man is lustful and the other is a gambler, they will both suffer greatly in the future."
Du Zhongkong opened his mouth but dared not retort. He ran his tongue across his lips, turned his face to the side, and looked unconvinced. Jiuli, fearing he would be scolded by Yu Qi, deliberately tried to mediate, saying, "To be honest, in terms of names, Xiuzhi isn't necessarily better than Guilan. Anyway, let's meet her first. Maybe the young lady won't even look at you. What's so good about you? You're stupid and lazy—"
As she spoke, she embellished the story and found fault with Du Zhong, making Du Zhong laugh in anger, "If you say less, you won't become mute."
Jiuli tugged at him, tilting her head closer, "I'm speaking up for you."
Du Zhong glanced at her, then lightly glanced at Yu Qi, and chuckled coldly, "Anyway, I'm not a good person, and I'm an orphan without parents. To be honest, I'm just a pharmacy apprentice. I'm not good enough for a lady from a good family. Xiu Zhi is older and a widow, so we're a perfect match. Neither of us is trying to climb the social ladder."
Yu Qi gave him a cold look. "Although you don't have the surname Yu, who doesn't consider you the young master of the Yu family? I haven't mistreated you in any way. I'm not agreeing to this for your own good. Who are you trying to impress with your sullen attitude? I think you're itching for a beating after a few years. Let me make this clear: when you meet the Bao family later, behave yourself. Don't think that deliberately behaving rudely and making them dislike you will make this marriage fall through. Hmph, if this family falls through, I can find you another one. In short, the Cao family won't do."
Seeing his stern expression, Du Zhong remained silent.
Seeing that things weren't going well, Jiuli tried to mediate between the two sides, saying, "How about we get to the Bao family first? What's the point of arguing like this now?"
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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