Chapter 20: "Your guards seem to be no ordinary people..."
Ever since they hired an opera troupe to perform at their home, Qian Yingyi has been restless and always wants to go out and about.
He was returning home that day when he bumped into Xu Jun as he walked through the hall.
Xu Jun was the only daughter in her family. Her maternal family was in Jiangning County. Two years ago, both of her parents passed away one after the other. Knowing that Qingming Festival was approaching, she asked her servants to buy some candles and paper money. She wanted to ask the prefectural school for leave on behalf of Qian Qiyu, and then the mother and son would go to Jiangning to pay their respects.
Now that they'd run into each other, Qian Yingyi's eyes lit up, and she asked with a grin, "Second Aunt, can I go with you?"
Xu Jun was surprised, "You were unwilling to go before, why have you changed your mind this time?"
Qian Yingyi put her arm around hers and couldn't help but whine, "I want to go! You know, I've been so bored these past few days, I'm going crazy!"
Xu Jun couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had to compromise. Before long, the aunt and niece were inseparable and rode together in a carriage to pick up someone from the prefectural school.
Qian Qiyu had never liked studying, so this was exactly what he wanted. He climbed onto the carriage wearing the academy's robe, probably because he had just played in the open space of the academy, as his face was covered in sweat.
"Hey, sit further away from me." Qian Yingyi caught a whiff of his sweat, glanced at him, and plopped down in a corner.
But Qian Qiyu insisted on talking to her about Yu Minsen, and kept rushing towards her, "Sister, do you know that Yu Minsen has been beaten by his father for several days in a row? Oh, I told you about it when we got home last time. He only came to the academy today! All of us classmates look expressionless on the surface, but we're laughing at him to death behind his back!"
Qian Yingyi nodded repeatedly in a perfunctory manner, "I know, I know, please sit further away."
Xu Jun watched the two playfully bickering with a smile, and sighed, "If you were my daughter, I would be so happy right now."
It took about half an hour to reach Jiangning, and another incense stick's time to find a place at the foot of a mountain.
Standing before the graves of Xu's parents, Xu Jun couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. As she pulled Qian Qiyu to pay her respects, she couldn't help but shed tears.
Qian Yingyi also offered incense with the two elders. After a long while, she gave this rare opportunity to the mother and son, and said softly, "Second Aunt, I'll wander around for a bit and wait for you in the carriage later."
After speaking, he turned around, parted the weeds, and walked towards a lake not far away.
Accompanied by the sound of flowing water, footsteps stopped behind her. Qian Yingyi turned around and looked at them with surprise. "Why did you come here? Didn't I tell you to stay over there?"
"Protecting Miss is the most important thing." Qin Lizheng's eyes fell on the hem of her skirt, where some messy leaves were stuck to the delicate embroidery. "Miss, this is dirty."
With the sun high in the sky, Qian Yingyi remembered her previous lesson and dared not stand under the dense shade of the trees again. She immediately looked down and felt uneasy.
He instinctively reached into his sleeve, but then remembered that his handkerchief had been left on the carriage, so he waved to Xia Ling.
Xia Ling hurriedly pulled out her handkerchief, but before she could get close to Qian Yingyi, she saw the tall and imposing guard bend down and brush away the stray leaves from the hem of her skirt in a few quick movements.
"..." The cobblestone path stretched diagonally across the lake, casting the intertwined shadows of the two figures. Qian Yingyi suddenly stepped on a pebble, her hand involuntarily tightening its grip. "Who gave you permission to act on your own?"
Qin Lizheng clapped his hands, stood up straight, and was now more than half a head taller than her. "It was just a small thing."
His calm demeanor made Qian Yingyi appear overly nervous in comparison.
Qian Yingyi looked around and suddenly felt that the sun was even hotter here. She immediately wanted to "escape" to another place, but stopped after taking two steps. What was she running away from this time?
So he stood still, picked up two pebbles and threw them into the lake. He glanced at the person beside him, pursed his lower lip, and said, "Tell me the money you spent repairing that hairpin, and I'll give it to you as a monthly allowance."
Qin Lizheng followed her lead and picked up a pebble, but instead of throwing it, he rubbed it lightly between his fingertips. "No need. As long as Miss punches me less often in the future, we'll call it even."
He took the opportunity to tease her again!
Qian Yingyi stared at him with her bright eyes again. Today she was wearing makeup, her lips were plump and tender with lip rouge, and her cheeks were covered with a light layer of rouge, making her look especially radiant.
Qin Lizheng tossed the stone into the air, caught it again, and then hurled it hard into the lake, creating a splash.
Qian Yingyi was playful, and soon she got interested and picked up two stones to imitate him, but the effect was minimal.
She was not convinced and picked up the stone to throw it away. While repeatedly looking for a place to throw it, her forearm touched the cold scabbard.
The scabbard held her wrist, like ice against her skin on a summer's day. As it gently moved her hand to a certain position, a whisper came from behind her ear, "Throw it again."
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Qian Yingyi's face, which was probably why she felt a little hot. Listening to the sound of the lake water crashing, she hesitated to move, as if she had fallen into a hole between ice and fire.
"Hmm?" The person behind her saw that she didn't move, so he used the scabbard to support her arm again.
Qian Yingyi snapped back to reality and viciously elbowed him, "I know how to play! Do I need you to teach me?"
She then picked up several stones and threw them into the lake in a row. She then bent down to wash her hands, not wanting to say another word to him, and led her two maids to the carriage.
On the way, she was somewhat indignant. She grabbed Xia Ling and asked, "Xia Ling, tell me, have I spoiled him too much?"
Just as Xia Ling was about to speak, Qian Yingyi said to herself, "Forget it, I'll settle the score with him when we get back. I'll go see if my second aunt is alright. She said she wanted to travel around Jiangning when she came, so I might as well go along for a bit."
They turned back and saw Xu Jun leading Qian Qiyu towards them. Qian Yingyi lifted the curtain and got into the carriage.
Let's leave that aside for now and talk about the Jiangning County government office. Yan Ruheng was burying the first batch of official documents when a foreman suddenly walked in. It was the same foreman who had been with him before, surnamed Yuan.
Yuan, the head constable, looked serious and somewhat flustered. He quickly bowed to him and said, "Sir, there's a problem with the repairs on Chang Le Street."
Yan Ruheng paused, then suddenly looked up. "Take me there."
They hurried along the road, finally arriving at the end of Chang Le Street. From afar, they saw a man sitting on a chair by the roadside where the road was being repaired. As they approached, Yan Ruheng secretly sized up the man's clothes. When he caught sight of a jade thumb ring on the man's thumb, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly bowed to the man and said, "Eunuch Lu."
It was that garrison eunuch—Lu Jue.
About half an hour ago, Lu Juezhao went out of the capital to buy wine as usual. When he arrived at the river, he bumped into the owner of a music hall. The owner did not recognize him and kept apologizing.
Lu Jue, however, had a keen sense of smell and caught a whiff of excellent wine on the shopkeeper. He immediately asked where the wine had been bought.
The owner of the music hall smiled, showing his kind and helpful nature, and said to him, "Oh, you're an expert. I did drink some wine today. I bought this wine from a tavern on Chang Le Street in Jiangning. Do you usually enjoy a couple of sips of warm wine?"
Lu Jue was delighted and immediately took out a silver ingot and threw it to the owner, asking him to lead the way.
Little did he know that upon arriving at Chang Le Street in Jiangning, before he could even taste the fine wine, Lu Jue stepped off the carriage and slipped into a puddle of mud. Upon closer inspection, his expression immediately changed.
The owner of the music hall was puzzled. "Why did you stop?"
Lu Jue, with his own imposing air, cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Just tell me the name of the tavern. I have some things to take care of right now. Thank you for today."
The owner of the music hall could only nod and leave.
Lu Jue was a garrison eunuch, and he was usually accompanied by people. He set up a chair and sat here, and his men naturally stood guard to the side. The surrounding people were bewildered and fearful, and could only peek out from afar.
Lu Jue glanced at Yan Ruheng and smiled, "I had heard that a new county magistrate had been transferred to Jiangning. He is the son of Prefect Yan. Seeing him today, he is indeed a handsome man."
"I dare not accept such praise," Yan Ruheng said, bowing his head slightly. "Why would Eunuch Lu come to Jiangning?"
Lu Jue kept his eyes closed, a half-smile playing on his lips. "If I hadn't come, how would I have known that your Jiangning county government would be so audacious as to use inferior mud to pass off as high-quality stuff?"
His voice wasn't loud, and the common people couldn't hear him. Seeing that Yan Ruheng didn't respond, he continued, "The Emperor sent me a memorial at the end of the year. I heard... that the Ministry of Revenue's accounts were incorrect, and all the officials involved were punished in front of the palace. I think, Lord Yan, you can't be that stupid, can you?"
Yan Ruheng was secretly alarmed, thinking that Lu Jue's words were practically a direct attack on him. He wanted to explain, but Lu Jue was quick-witted and always upright, and fearing that he might offend someone with his words, he hesitated for a long time before finally smiling and saying, "Eunuch Lu, what are you saying? I have already sent a document to Yingtian Prefecture to repair this road, and the mud used is all of the best quality. It's just that the county government was short-handed before, so we hired a new batch of craftsmen. Perhaps one of the craftsmen lost his composure while mixing the mud, which is why Eunuch Lu misunderstood."
Lu Jue then got up and looked around twice. He didn't intend to waste any more words with him. He simply said, "If that's the case, then I misunderstood Lord Xiao Yan. I haven't been to Jiangning much. I'll come back in a while. When I do, I'll also take a stroll around this newly built Chang Le Street. I hope it's true, as Lord Xiao Yan said, that everything used here is of the highest quality."
Having said that, he ordered someone to take away the chairs and left on his own.
Yan Ruheng's expression was not good, and the head constable Yuan was terrified. He hurriedly asked, "Sir, what should we do?"
"What should we do?" Yan Ruheng glanced at him suddenly, his gaze turning tangibly cold. "Do you know what his ancestors did? Bricklayers! He's run into us today, and we're completely helpless. If he finds out anything, I could die even with nine lives."
"Go back to the county office and have someone send a document to Yingtian Prefecture. Report the amount of silver that should be reported, and I will take care of the rest."
Yuan, the squad leader, immediately accepted the order and left.
Yan Ruheng frowned, feeling angry. After thinking it over and over, he still felt that something was wrong. Lu Jue always stayed in Yingtian Prefecture. Why would he come to Jiangning for no reason?
He walked in deep thought as he crossed a bridge, when suddenly someone called out to him, "Lord Yan?"
The voice was soft. Yan Ruheng stopped in his tracks, turned around abruptly, and saw that it was indeed her. He immediately put aside his thoughts and walked closer to her. "Miss Qian, what brings you to Jiangning?"
Sunlight swept across Qian Yingyi's face, making her cheeks rosy. She pointed to the shop behind him and said politely, "I came with my second aunt to pay respects to our ancestors in advance. My second aunt is wandering around inside, so I came out for some fresh air."
When she laughs, her shoulders shrug slightly. "Does Lord Yan seem rather unhappy?"
Yan Ruheng wanted to get closer to her, so he took two more steps forward, smiled with pursed lips, and said, "It's nothing important."
Perhaps slightly surprised, he spoke again, though not loudly, "I heard them all call you Yingyi, can I join them?"
Unexpectedly, a guard stepped forward and whispered, "Miss, Madam is looking for you on the second floor."
Qian Yingyi took two steps back and looked up. Sure enough, she saw Xu Jun standing behind the window, smiling and waving at her. She smiled and waved back. After a while, she looked away and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear clearly what Lord Yan said."
Yan Ruheng then realized something was wrong. For the first time, he didn't respond to her, but instead cast a completely indifferent glance at the guard beside her.
It seemed that every time, the guard inadvertently interrupted his conversation with her.
His suspicion suddenly turned serious. He narrowed his eyes and changed the subject, "I've heard them all say that the guards around you are very capable."
He looked at Qian Yingyi and said, "Your bodyguard seems to be no ordinary person."
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Author's Note: Updates every night at 11 PM
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