Beijing/2
Ye Xuanling asked Sanqi, and Sanqi said that she would go to the capital with them, but she didn't know whether Ji Yan would continue to employ her.
But she did not participate in the final conversation between the two. But what reason did Ji Yan use to hire Sanqi?
It shouldn't be that one.
She had already made plans to enter the capital as a member of the Jinyiwei Medical Clinic. This identity would bring her convenience, but if she wanted to enter the imperial city, she would probably need something else.
But first, I have to meet my senior brother and tell him everything, to make sure he can protect himself in the imperial city.
Despite holding such thoughts, Ye Xuanling and others had a smooth journey to Beijing.
It was already evening five or six days later when the group arrived in Beijing.
The capital city is not as peaceful and quiet as other places at night. Merchants of all sizes are hawking their wares on the bustling streets. There are beautiful buildings and painted pavilions, and pedestrians are dressed in gorgeous clothes. The shimmering fabrics can be seen as they walk. It is truly a place of wealth and luxury that is dazzling.
Ye Xuanling in the carriage lifted the curtain and couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Sanqi also followed her gaze, then lowered his eyes silently.
According to their original agreement, Ji Yan and other officials needed to return to the Jinyiwei headquarters to report on their work, so they would not travel with them. After a long journey, they needed to find an inn to stay.
In order to prevent Ye Xuanling and the other person from doing something wrong, Ji Yan paid this month's salary to Ye Xuanling first.
Ye Xuanling was a little confused: "I thought the monthly salary was distributed uniformly with other officials, but I didn't expect it could be advanced."
Ji Yan's eyes drifted away, and he smiled and said to her, "Medical officers are naturally different from other people."
"Ji Yan, I'd like to trouble you for something," Ye Xuanling said seriously. "If you can still enter the Imperial City today, if you can go to the Imperial Hospital, please tell my senior brother to be careful these days."
But Ye Xuanling didn't know what position her senior brother held in the Imperial Hospital. In the past year, her senior brother Ye Zhao had only sent one letter to Anping. She didn't know how he was doing, nor did she know if he knew Anping...
Thinking of this, Ye Xuanling continued, "His name is Ye Zhao. If you ever see him again, please don't tell him about An Ping. Please."
"You don't need to beg me for anything. It's just a small matter. Just tell me directly."
Ye Xuanling nodded slightly and expressed her gratitude politely: "Thank you very much."
"Doctor Ye?" Ji Yan called her softly, "We are not superiors or subordinates. We are friends, aren't we?"
When I came to my senses, the carriage stopped outside an inn.
Ye Xuanling carried her bag, and Sanqi followed behind her. They paid and ordered food.
The inn is located in the east of the city, slightly closer to the inner city, making it more convenient. Although it's not a busy street, it's closer to the inner city, so the room rate is naturally higher.
The inn was fairly clean and not crowded.
Ye Xuanling and the other person just took a quick look and went upstairs.
During the meal, Ye Xuanling asked Sanqi why he looked a little depressed and whether he was feeling unwell.
Sanqi shook her head in denial, saying, "It's just that I feel a little sad looking at Shengjing City and its people. After all, I'm already over 20 years old, and I've never seen such prosperity."
Ye Xuanling picked up a piece of meat for Sanqi and smiled, "Sanqi, what are you talking about? He's not old, and he's not dying."
The stewed meat in the inn was soft and tender, mixed with the richness of beans, with a fragrant aroma and melt-in-the-mouth, but Sanqi seemed a little tired of it, so Ye Xuanling pushed the vegetables in front of her again.
"You're right, there might be some emotion."
Ye Xuanling had a constant smile on her face, a slight upturn that made her look bright and cheerful, but her eyes revealed a trace of weariness and fatigue. She asked, "Sanqi, have you been accepting bounty orders?"
Sanqi smiled and replied, "Yes."
Hearing this, Ye Xuanling could vaguely guess something, but in order to take Sanqi's feelings into consideration, she asked very cautiously, fearing to touch Sanqi's sore spot.
"Sanqi, who taught you martial arts? It's truly amazing." Ye Xuanling praised sincerely, "I'm honored that you could teach me martial arts."
Sanqi smiled at her, her tone gentle and calm, "It's okay. I don't have any parents. I was picked up by my master and learned martial arts from him for nearly ten years. Later, my master died. My only way to survive is my skills."
"Later, my master died, and I joined the wanted list. The higher you rank, the more difficult the missions you can take, but the greater the rewards. My last name is Li Sanqi, and my full name is Li Sanqi. The two characters "Shan Sanqi" are my name on the list."
Hearing this, Ye Xuanling's heart surged, then receded. She couldn't help but feel a pang of pain. Ten years of skill, and then a teenage killing for money. To say it wasn't hardship would be a lie. Her chest heaved, and breathing hurt. She wondered if it was because of the cold weather.
"Xuanling, don't look like that. I'm living a good life now, and it will be even better in the future." Sanqi smiled, looking at her and encouraging her, "You too, will definitely be better."
Ye Xuanling straightened her face and cheered up: "Yes, Sanqi is right, it will be better in the future."
While they were talking, the food on the table was almost eaten. The cold wind was howling outside the window. Ye Xuanling closed the window. The pain on her face from the wind was no longer so severe. She still had important things to do.
The waiter went into the room to clear the dishes. Ye Xuanling walked over and asked gently, "Young man, I'd like to ask you if you know where the most famous flower shop in the capital is. I wonder if they still sell flowers this winter?"
The waiter was bending over to pick up the dishes and chopsticks. When he heard her say that, he turned around and looked over. Then he quickly put them away and stood up straight and said, "Miss, there are flower vendors everywhere in the capital. You can just buy from any one."
"I heard there's a flower shop in the capital where even the ladies in the palace are vying for the roots, stems, and seeds. I think the owner must have some special talents."
"That's right, young lady." The waiter waved his hand. "The Jiang family is probably a bit far away. If you really like it, you'll have to go to West City to buy it."
"The Jiang family?" Ye Xuanling repeated softly.
The waiter was also enthusiastic. Thinking she was asking a question, he took the handkerchief from his shoulder and wiped his hands: "Miss, where are you from? You are not from Beijing, are you?"
Ye Xuanling continued calmly, without blinking, "Yes, we came to the capital to visit my cousin's wife. My cousin's son was just born, so we wanted to bring something with him."
"Bring flowers? This is the first time I've heard of such a gift." The waiter picked up the wooden tray and finished, "Miss, if you really want to buy some, you'd better go early tomorrow morning. The flowers in the evening are all left over by others."
After he finished speaking, he left in a hurry.
It’s not that Ye Xuanling didn’t have any plans, but she felt that she had heard the name Jiang family somewhere before during the conversation just now.
Liu Dakou's wedding was about two years ago, and she had no memory of it. Perhaps it was too long ago and she had forgotten it.
Afterwards, I only heard some gossip from neighbors, but it was just casual talk after dinner and I didn't hear much about it.
Liu Dakou's daughter was about the same age as her. Her husband was the owner of a farm, mainly a flower garden business. He had paid a generous betrothal gift to marry her back home. The whole day was filled with fireworks and celebrations, and it was a very festive occasion.
The flowers were of high quality and had a wide appeal, so the business spread like wildfire, until the palace moon banquet came and the flower shop was approached.
As the news spread, it even spread to the surrounding areas of the capital.
"Xuanling, when are you planning to go?"
Ye Xuanling calmed herself down and said, "Let's go now."
At night, the capital city is brightly lit and colorful, and the street vendors are hawking their wares in loud and clear voices.
West City is not much worse than East City. It is said that there are quite a few rich children living in West City, but their strength is definitely lower than that of the officials in the inner city.
The two stopped in front of the Rose Dan Flower Shop. The lights were just coming on and they could see everything around them clearly.
There were two young girls standing at the counter, one of them was silent and the other was carefully introducing flowers to the customers.
"Girls?" the worker noticed them and called out to them, "What are you looking at?"
The waiter walked forward. The two girls' faces were covered tightly with veils, revealing only a pair of bright eyes with a hint of cunning.
He said, "Girl, whatever you need to do, whatever varieties you want, we have them all in our store."
The lights in the shop were shining brightly, reflecting on the flowers, making them look even more vivid and tender.
"I heard that the lady in the flower shop loves flowers and knows a lot about all kinds of flowers. My daughter is the same. This time, she needs a lot of flowers for her coming-of-age ceremony."
Ye Xuanling smiled kindly, her eyes curved. "If possible, after discussion, my wife will definitely keep the entire flower garden for you, young lady."
"The lady is currently in the attic." The clerk immediately understood and smiled. "In that case, I'll invite the lady over right away. I wonder which family the young lady belongs to? This coming-of-age ceremony is a very important one, and we at Rose and Dan Flower Shop will fully cooperate."
Ye Xuanling lied without blinking, and just smiled and thanked the waiter.
The waiter at the inn was a big talker. Whenever a guest asked anything, he would enthusiastically pour out information.
The flower shop only had a few flowers on display. The Jiang family's flower garden was located in the western suburbs. Every morning, the shop assistants would push wooden carts from the western suburbs to bring in fresh flowers every day. This practice also earned the Jiang family a good reputation.
After the clerk walked away, Ye Xuanling looked around the flower shop calmly.
Land is very expensive in the capital, and the Jiang family can be considered a wealthy family by being able to do business here.
The aroma of the flower shop lingered in her nose, rich and fragrant, with a unique flavor. Ye Xuanling couldn't distinguish the fragrance of the flowers, but she always felt that there was an indescribable herbal fragrance in it.
She walked closer to the golden wintersweet and found that the nutrients in the flowerpot were actually medicinal residue.
She had heard of this nourishment before.
It’s in Anping.
Just as she was thinking about it, a treacherous and mean voice came into her ears.
"What the hell is this?! Your family is so famous, yet the fish you raise are so poor, like they're dying!"
The woman, who was about forty years old, smacked her lips and looked at the flowers with disdain.
Ye Xuanling was attracted by her, and turned to look at the flowers. It was clear that there was no big problem, not as bad as she said.
Within seconds, someone next to the richly dressed woman spoke up: "Mom, you're right, these flowers are really terrible, how can they be worthy of you? Let's go see something else, we won't come to this shop anymore."
The young man smiled flatteringly and supported the woman as they were about to walk out of the shop.
The girl at the counter jumped out and said in a less friendly tone, "If you feel that flowers are not worthy of you, just leave. How can you say such nonsense?"
"You ruined the business. Our wife took care of the flower on your head. How can you say that even the empress in the palace loves this flower?"
The woman pointed at the young girl and started cursing, "If it's really that good, would you still care about what I say? You're clearly guilty."
"You!" The girl was so angry. The woman was very good at talking, so the waiter next to her quickly pulled her away.
Tell her that if she can't defeat this woman, there's no need to make a big deal out of it.
The woman had the upper hand, snorted and laughed, and was complacent and arrogant.
Just as she was about to step out of the door, the woman staggered and fell unexpectedly on the threshold.
"mother!"
The young man didn't have time to catch himself and the man fell down.
Unexpectedly, the people in the shop were panicked, their eyes wide open in shock at the scene before them.
The crowd of onlookers slowly gathered in front of the flower shop and watched.
"Hurry! Go and call the lady!" The girl was obviously frightened, and her hands patted the waiter's shoulders uncontrollably. If this matter were to get out, it would definitely ruin Meidan's reputation!
Ye Xuanling smiled knowingly without getting disturbed, and her frown relaxed.
"mother!"
The young man continued to kneel beside his wife, his brows furrowed, and he was uneasy. "It must be you, it must be you, my mother is like this, is she under a spell, that's why my mother is like this!"
"You must explain it to me clearly!"
The noise grew louder and louder, and the chattering crowd rushed forward as if they were watching a good show.
Ye Xuanling took a few steps closer, but didn't reach the young man and the woman. "Shouldn't you take your mother to the clinic now?"
"There must be something wrong with the flowers!" the young man accused. "I want the florist to fix it! My mother just said something bad about the florist, and now the shopkeeper is blaming my mother!"
"Isn't it obvious?" The young man was only eighteen or nineteen years old, and his clothes were not as good as the woman's, but they were definitely not bad. In contrast, the veiled girl who had just talked to him was wearing coarse linen clothes, and it was obvious that she was not a master.
He might not even be from the capital!
The young man continued, "Why does the flower shop smell like herbs? Who knows if you, Meidan, have done something magical with it? Or maybe you've poisoned it?"
Ye Xuanling said calmly, "Why is this young master making random accusations instead of taking the time to take mother to the clinic for treatment?"
The young man tied his long hair into a crown, his body slightly dazed, his pupils slightly constricted. He turned his head and just happened to meet her eyes.
Those were simply a pair of devilish eyes! The young man was terrified, but he saw the veiled woman slowly squatting down and glancing at his mother.
Suddenly, a man came forward as if to smooth things over. He smiled and waved his hand for everyone to be quiet. He said that he knew medical skills and could determine whether someone had been poisoned within an incense stick of time.
If it is really discovered that the flower shop was the cause, then the flower shop will naturally have to pay compensation.
It seemed as if it was arranged that at such a juncture, someone would always stand up to serve as a witness.
"I'm a healer too, how about we have a competition?"
Ye Xuanling's face was expressionless. She stood up and glanced at the three people, as if she were looking at three dirty rats huddled together for warmth. Her tone was firm but not loud:
"If you lose, I want you to kneel down and apologize."
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