Chapter 13 (Miscellaneous Persons)
Linxi Town is nestled in a mountain valley, surrounded by flat land and abundant water, making it an ideal place to live. A dozen kilometers or so further on, you'll find mountains—small hills, large hills, Panlong Mountain—in roughly this order.
Song Jin's tea garden is located on a small hill within the area, specifically in Shili Village, which belongs to Linxi Town. Compared to the town, Shili Village has less arable land and more mountainous terrain, so theoretically, life should be more difficult for them.
In fact, this has always been the case, but if mountainous terrain is used well, it can be just as good as fertile farmland.
Just seven or eight years ago, Niu Tielan started planting tea and mulberry trees here. At first, everyone thought she was just a woman who talked a good game. How could she just plant and sell these things like that?
That really is...
Since the tea garden was established, their family only lost money in the first year; afterwards, they consistently made money, even more than farming—in those days, farming wasn't profitable, even with hundreds of acres of fertile land.
The silkworm farm's business fluctuated, but overall it was profitable, and while generating income, it also boosted the textile workshops in Shili Village.
All things considered, Song Jin still holds a high position in Shili Village.
Therefore, even though she noticed a group of people outside the village from afar, she didn't care and swaggered towards them until she was stopped.
Song Jin was shocked: "What are you doing?"
The visitor remained unfazed: "When the county government is handling a case, unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach."
Song Jinle: "Do I look like I have a lot of free time?"
The man didn't speak, his gaze sweeping over Song Jin. Whether he was idle or not was hard to say, but he certainly seemed difficult to get along with.
Although Song Jin wore ordinary clothes, just plain fabric costing a few hundred coins a bolt, her striking beauty, tall figure, fair skin, and unrestrained demeanor made her look nothing like an ordinary passerby.
Who knows, it might be someone who got wind of it and managed to send it over.
Their prince grew up outside in a simple and innocent environment; if he were to be blinded by temptation, they, his close guards, would be in grave danger.
So the guards instinctively stopped the person to prevent them from entering and disturbing the peace.
Now that Song Jin had spoken, he felt even more certain that he had made the right decision to stop them; this person was definitely someone with ulterior motives.
Most country folk would turn tail and run at the mere mention of a case being handled by the county government; who would act like her?
The guard, expressionless, repeated: "When the county government is handling a case, unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach."
This is truly an eye-opener. In all these years, this is the first time Song Jin has been stopped on his own turf.
She laughed in exasperation, pointing at the person passing by: "Why can he pass, but I can't?"
Guard: "They are villagers."
Song Jin jumped off the mule and said irritably, "I'm a mountain person, get out of the way. My tea garden is over here, and I need to check on things. Don't block my way, or I'll report you to the county magistrate!"
Without that sentence, things would have been better. But it only strengthened the guard's conviction that she was human. He took a step back and drew his sword halfway: "Take another step forward, and swords will have no eyes."
"..." Song Jin gritted her teeth as she watched the overly dutiful guard, wishing she could beat him up, but she could only think about it. In this dynasty, as a commoner, she still had to be more obedient to officials.
Let's put the burlap sacks on tonight.
"Fine, fine, if you won't let me in, then don't. I'll just go back," Song Jin waved his hand in frustration, then angrily jumped onto the mule's back and drove away on Little Black.
The guard watched her until she disappeared down the road before turning to the villager who had been hesitant to speak: "What's wrong?"
The villagers, after hesitating for a long time, finally said, "That's Song Jin, the young lady from the family that owns the largest tea plantation in our village."
The guard gave a silent "oh," and continued as before: "In this critical moment, all unauthorized personnel are strictly prohibited from entering."
Villagers: ...
This made him a little nervous.
The villagers asked nervously, "Sir, can you tell me what happened? Those robbers who ran away were so vicious!"
The guard glanced at him and repeated, "When the county government is handling cases, it's best for bystanders to refrain from asking questions."
Villagers: ...
Well, he's got plenty of free time.
Meanwhile, out of the guards' sight, the 'malicious' and 'furious' Song Jin, pulling Xiao Hei around, turned around and arrived in another direction from the village.
It wasn't that she was disgusted, but how could a few insignificant outside guards think they could stop her at her doorstep?
Just kidding.
Song Jin looked at the hastily constructed fence in front of her, then glanced at the familiar old acquaintance yawning and leaning precariously over the guard post, and patted Xiao Hei's head with a smile.
"Little Blackie, wait for me here. If you encounter any danger, go home first."
Little Black grunted and munched calmly on the grass.
Song Jin never expected it to understand what she was saying. In any case, past experience had proven that when trouble came, this wretched mule would run faster than she did.
So she confidently left Xiao Hei behind, then lightly leaped over the simple railing, which seemed like a threshold to her, posing no challenge whatsoever.
Song Jin curled her lips into a smile, clapped her hands in satisfaction, and then swaggered over to the man guarding the village, placing the dagger against his neck.
"Save me! Save me! Great hero! Great hero, spare my life! You've endangered my life! What do you need to know? I... I know everything! I'll tell you everything!"
The man, who had been yawning and staggering, instantly sobered up, his legs trembling, his voice shaky, and his face full of fawning. Before Song Jin could even speak, the man blurted out everything.
"The village is surrounded, with two guards in each of the four cardinal directions, and one more in between. Many people have also gone into the mountains. If you want to escape quickly, just leave from the village outside; there are no guards there. Please, please spare me! I didn't even see your face; I don't recognize you. Otherwise, just knock me unconscious. I have an eighty-year-old mother, a three-year-old child, and a tigress in between... I, I..."
Song Jin let go of the person with a complicated expression.
He very consciously squatted down, covered his head and face, and said, "Great hero, please leave quickly, I don't know anything."
This coward
Song Jin kicked him in the butt, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Man: "Kick, well done!"
"Jiang Qian, you coward! Not going to the battlefield makes you a deserter! Did the village chief get his head stuck in a door and send you to guard this place?" Song Jin kicked him again, annoyed.
"Is this how you look after my tea garden? Other people come knocking on the door to dig up the trees, why don't you find a hole and bury yourself first?"
The voice was all too familiar. The man, who had been trembling on the ground, suddenly rolled over and scrambled to grab Song Jin's feet, crying a pitiful wail.
"Song Jin, you bastard, you scared me to death! I even wrote my last words in my heart: to my eighty-year-old mother, my three-year-old little Nini, and my twenty-three-year-old tigress!"
Song Jin's forehead twitched: "Shut up!"
Jiang Qian wailed, "No! I want my uncle to stand up for me! You scared me to death! I was recruited by higher-ups; I'm barely considered an unofficial yamen runner. You're attacking a government official! You..."
Song Jin: "One month's wages"
Jiang Qian immediately released her and stood up, patted his clothes and wiped his face, and bowed to Song Jin in a proper manner: "Greetings, Miss Song. Things haven't been peaceful in the mountains lately, what brings you here?"
Song Jin: "...I'm afraid if I don't come again, you'll sell my tea plantation."
If really in danger, this coward is absolutely capable of doing it.
Jiang Qian immediately changed his expression: "Miss Song, what are you saying? I've been looking after that tea garden for you. The first batch of new tea has already come out, and all the transactions, big and small, are clearly written down. You definitely won't find anyone in the surrounding villages who has done a better job than me."
If it weren't for this, Song Jin really wouldn't have hired such a scoundrel who could turn against him at any moment. However, despite his cowardice, he was indeed very skilled at accounting and business, adaptable, eloquent, and knowledgeable about tea. Plus, he was the nephew of the village chief of Shili Village.
Song Jin held back and asked about the important matter: "What's going on in the village?"
Jiang Qian, recalling what had just happened, looked at Song Jin with resentment. Only after repeatedly mentioning her month's wages did he honestly reply, "What else could it be? Those robbers sneak into the mountains all the time, and when something happens, our village on the mountainside is the first to suffer. This time was no exception. Miss Song, you don't know, do you? Da'an Village was robbed by robbers a couple of days ago, and many people died..."
Upon hearing the name Da'an Village, Song Jin paused for a moment, thinking of the old man selling beef she had encountered during her last trip to the city. The cow he had painstakingly raised for several years had finally become usable, only to fall and die. And now, something like this had happened in the village…
robbers?
She might believe it when she's three years old.
Song Jin pursed her lips, her usually flamboyant expression softening slightly. Looking at Jiang Qian, whose expression was one of grief and desolation, she said coldly, "No matter how badly you complain, I won't give you a raise."
Jiang Qian: "..."
Song Jin curled the corners of her lips into a smile, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes before disappearing quickly. She said confidently, "Don't worry, the tea garden and the village will be fine."
Seeing her so certain, Jiang Qian breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Song Jin was just an ordinary small landowner in the countryside, Jiang Qian firmly believed that she was extraordinary. After all, apart from her, he had never seen anyone else who could fly.
And so it was; being overly timid and somewhat cowardly, he had stayed in her family's small tea garden all these years, even when many top tea producers offered him higher prices, he hadn't moved an inch. What if he ran away, and this little devil retaliated against him?
Money is valuable, but life is more important.
Jiang Qian patted his still-weak legs and whispered, "A few important people have come to the village. They speak Mandarin and are accompanied by guards. I think they're from the capital."
Song Jin had a guess in her mind; it must be the same group of people from last time.
She nodded, said nothing more, and walked towards the village. Behind her came Jiang Qian's voice: "The number of guards I mentioned earlier was wrong. Don't wander in recklessly. Also, keep a low profile; there's a scoundrel among those people. Be careful he doesn't see you and cause trouble."
This little devil may be difficult to deal with, but his looks are top-notch.
In response, Song Jin merely raised an eyebrow, smiled slightly, and then swaggered into the village.
Keep a low profile?
That's a question that should be reserved for those so-called libertines.
This is her territory!
**
"Ache"
Over here, Song Xingzhi, who was talking about something, yawned loudly. He rubbed his slightly sore nose and yawned again: "I must have caught a cold in the mountains these past two days. I need to take some medicine later, lest I pass it on to the Prince."
Qi Zheng's voice was icy: "I think she got into some kind of trouble somewhere."
Having just arrived and already flirting with a young girl again, Song Xingzhi guiltily touched his nose: "A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman, it's a matter of mutual consent. Your Highness is so young, could it be that you haven't experienced the joys of love yet?"
Qi Zheng's gaze flickered to the window for a moment, then quickly returned, his expression cold and stern: "Mind your own business."
Song Xingzhi waved his fan, his demeanor both charming and frivolous: "No, Your Highness, it's a rare treat to be out here, free from the rules of the capital. Why don't you relax? Love between men and women is only natural. This place is remote, but there are plenty of beauties. I'm even tempted to take some of them back with me."
Qi Zheng said coolly, "What, aren't you afraid of Lord Song anymore?"
Song Xingzhi waved his fan to conceal the slight change in his expression, forcing himself to remain calm and boasting, "What's there to be afraid of? My father would love for me to have a couple more children to continue the family line, hahaha!"
Qi Zheng tapped the table and said, "So you plan to take the widow with a child from town back to make Lord Song happy to be a master?"
"..." Song Xingzhi gave an awkward smile, "Truly worthy of being a prince, he knows everything."
Qi Zheng looked down at the undulating mountain range on the map, made several marks on it, and then looked up, his eyes cold and solemn.
"I don't care if it's consensual, but if you dare to force me, even Lord Song can't save you."
Song Xingzhi's flippant attitude vanished quickly. He knelt on one knee and solemnly said, "Your subject dares not."
Qi Zheng watched him quietly, until a chill ran down his spine, before finally speaking softly, "Go out."
Song Xingzhi breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly cursing himself for his loose tongue. He'd had to be so talkative; now he'd offended someone, and who knew what kind of trouble he'd face when he got back.
He didn't dare say another word, waved his hand and was about to leave when he heard Qi Zheng speak again: "Someone just came by, go see what's going on."
Song Xingzhi: ...
Can you tell me about something this important earlier next time?
Worried that something had happened, Song Xingzhi hurriedly left the room, intending to find the guards to ask what was going on. However, he had only gone halfway when everything went black before his head was suddenly covered by a sack. Before he could react, he was subjected to a barrage of punches and kicks.
"Yes, um, who..."
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