Having never been outside of Peach Blossom County in her entire life, Da Xue was suddenly told that her mother-in-law was going to the unfamiliar city of Jinling to discuss business, and immediately asked her husband to accompany her.
"No, Qingshan, you should stay at home. You two can stay home, Qingshan can manage the business, and you can stay home to rest during your pregnancy and take care of Yaoyao. That way, I can feel at ease."
Jiang Yue's smile deepened upon hearing this. Her daughter-in-law was quite filial; for her safety, she was willing to give up reuniting with her husband.
"Does Mother mean that my second brother should accompany you?"
When Daxue heard her mother-in-law say this, she belatedly realized her mistake and blushed deeply.
"Yes, Qingsong has no family, so it's a good opportunity for Mother to take him to see the world."
Jiang Yue nodded, completely open and honest.
Aunt Ge looked conflicted and somewhat uneasy.
He hesitated several times before finally kneeling down and kowtowing when the employer's gaze swept over him:
"Reporting to the master, I was born and raised in Nanjing. Due to my family's poverty, I was sold into the home of my former master as a slave by my brother and sister-in-law. Later, after my former master's property was confiscated, I ended up here."
This servant has a wish, and earnestly begs the master for mercy.
Seeing Aunt Ge in such a state, Jiang Yue felt a pang of sympathy, but remained calm and asked:
"Tell me, what is your wish?"
If I am willing but unable, I am sorry I cannot agree.
Da Xue was showing signs of pregnancy. Seeing this, she wanted to help Aunt Ge up, but her mother-in-law stopped her with a look.
Trusting that her mother-in-law was never wrong, she patiently sat down and made no further movement.
“I wish to return to Jinling Prefecture with you. My former master was kind to me, and I wish to pay my respects to him to fulfill our former master-servant relationship.”
After speaking, Aunt Ge burst into tears, her eyes filled with earnestness.
Upon hearing the word "commemoration," Jiang Yue frowned slightly and asked again:
"The crime of confiscating property should have resulted in exile to the border or to the city gate, so why was he sentenced to death?"
It's not that she's overly cautious, but rather that caution is always the best policy!
Jiang Yue only wanted to discuss business and protect her family.
No matter how well Aunt Ge served her, she would never risk implicating her own family in order to fulfill the other party's wishes!
"Reporting back to the master, the former master was not given a death sentence, but was strangled to death. The poor madam, the old madam, the young madam, the young master, and the young lady were all strangled to death by the officials!"
Aunt Ge kowtowed again, tears falling silently.
Heaven knows, she happened to be retrieving a ball for the young master under the bed that day, which is why she escaped being killed!
"I apologize, but I cannot grant your request."
Jiang Yue sighed, then bent down and personally helped Aunt Ge up, saying earnestly:
“Aunt Ge, since you were the manager of your former employer, there must be many people in Jinling Prefecture who know you, or perhaps the villains who silenced your former employer left behind spies.”
If I take you there, at the very least you'll be discovered and silenced.
In severe cases, we might all be silenced.
Your former employer must have offended someone with considerable power. Given our current circumstances, we simply cannot afford to confront them directly.
Jiang Yue was very calm, and her tone was even somewhat cold, gradually breaking down Aunt Ge's mental defenses.
She couldn't be a saint; she couldn't just casually agree.
After listening to her employer's advice, Aunt Ge suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She had almost dragged her employer down with her!
"This servant is guilty, this servant deserves to die!"
As she spoke, Aunt Ge knelt down again, kowtowing and apologizing repeatedly.
"Alright, get up first. I can't take you this time, but you can tell me the name of your former employer. If there's an opportunity, I can arrange for someone to hold a memorial service to settle the master-servant relationship between you and him."
"Thank you so much, boss!"
Aunt Ge, her face streaked with tears, said with deep gratitude:
"My former employer was surnamed Ye, named Shi'an. He was a former salt commissioner. Generally, after convicted officials were given death sentences, they would be taken to a mass grave..."
After hearing this, Jiang Yue began to ponder it.
The Salt Commissioner was a high-ranking official.
Judging from Aunt Ge's kind and righteous demeanor, she doesn't seem like a corrupt official. She's probably been framed; she likely offended a high-ranking official and threatened someone else's interests...
Fortunately, there were no outsiders at home, only the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and Aunt Ge. These words were best kept to themselves and not spread outside.
She was already tired of hearing about the heavy snow; the bloody court intrigues seemed too distant for her. Suddenly hearing such a secret left her completely bewildered.
If her mother-in-law tells her to keep it inside her belly, she definitely will!
After Aunt Ge revealed her secret, she completely relaxed.
Jiang Yue knew that by promising to pay tribute to Lord Ye whenever she had the chance, she had completely won back the other party's loyalty!
In fact, just as she had guessed, for the next few decades, Aunt Ge remained loyal to the Wu family and supported her until the day she died...
After dinner, Jiang Yue announced that she was going to Nanjing to discuss business, and Qingshan reacted the most.
As the eldest son, he should protect his mother's safety; how can he stay at home with peace of mind?
Qingsong retorted that although he was the second oldest, his physical strength was no less than his eldest brother's, not to mention his intelligence. He was smart enough to ensure he wouldn't be sold off.
The serious atmosphere was ruined by his last sentence.
"Pfft~"
Jiang Yue was the first to laugh out loud, and then laughter followed one after another.
Qingshan's expression softened somewhat, no longer as ashen as before.
Jiang Yue gently pinched her daughter's delicate nose, looked around, and said without a doubt:
"Alright, it's settled then. Qingshan, you stay here and take good care of the family business and your wife."
"I'm at ease knowing that Da Niu is keeping an eye on things at the pharmaceutical factory."
"I've also spoken to your grandparents and they'll help look after the house."
"I've also spoken to Daxue's family. In short, this pregnancy is very important for Daxue; we can't be careless!"
......
That night, everyone except Qingsong had trouble sleeping.
This is Jiang Yue's first long trip since she transmigrated. Jinling Prefecture sounds incredibly luxurious and extravagant. Hopefully, it won't disappoint her!
Thinking about the arduous journey of climbing mountains and wading through rivers, she made a travel plan.
First, we need to buy a horse-drawn carriage. Second, we'll be traveling through wind and rain, so we need to bring the necessary cooking equipment.
Then there's the matter of money. She has the system, so she doesn't need to worry about it. She can just put some loose copper coins in her purse to avoid attracting attention.
She redeemed various seasonings, diarrhea and cold medicines, etc., in the system, just in case.
Finally, I packed a change of clothes into a bundle; there was no need to bring anything else—it would be cumbersome. Anyway, I could buy things in any town I encountered along the way…
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