Chapter 131
Liu Yuan arrived quickly. Ye Jia sent a letter to Liu Yuan as soon as she and Ajiu separated. Liu Yuan had already brought people to guard this place. Ye Jia told his men what had happened, and Liu Yuan led his men to surround that damn Zheng family that afternoon.
The Zheng family was the largest merchant in Huizhou. Due to their marriage to the county magistrate, they enjoyed favorable terms with the government, which naturally boosted their business. For years, under the magistrate's protection, they had dominated the market, but this was the first time they had encountered such a situation. Caught off guard, the Zheng family panicked when someone rushed into the mansion. They instinctively tried to leverage their power, but before they could speak, they were kicked to the ground by the leading soldier.
"I wonder what you've done wrong? Ha!" The leading soldier was one of Liu Yuan's trusted confidants, known for his explosive temper. He ordered Zheng Yuan to be taken out and thrown into the crowd before being kicked twice. "Go to jail and think carefully about what evil things you've done recently! You're just a small merchant, but you're so bold! You dare to detain anyone? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble and risking your entire family's lives?"
With a sneer, he shouted loudly: "Come here, take them all away!"
As he spoke, a group of people rushed in and drove out all the Zheng family members.
Zheng Yuan, the old man who had abducted Ye Wumei, couldn't recall what he had done for a long time. If he had abducted people, he'd abducted quite a few women, but he'd always been tactful enough to avoid those from wealthy families... By now, the Zheng family understood what was going on. Zheng Yuan's lust had finally hit a wall. Thinking back to the woman Zheng Yuan had recently abducted, he seemed to have mentioned that there was a noble person in her family.
Zheng Yuan broke out in a cold sweat upon realizing this. But wasn't that a widow from exile?
Regardless of whether she was a widow or not, Zheng Yuan immediately became obedient when she saw the Huizhou County Magistrate's family also being brought down. Not to mention the rage the Huizhou County Magistrate felt upon learning that his family's misfortune was caused by his brother-in-law's lustful abduction and mistaken identity, the County Magistrate and his wife truly wished to have Zheng Yuan, the one who had caused this trouble, expelled and killed him. Liu Yuan didn't give these people a chance to argue, and dealt with the local tyrants in Huizhou with swift and decisive action.
Ye Jia didn't bother with what happened next. She had taken a detour to Huizhou specifically to pick up Ye Wumei. Now that she had been picked up, the necessary rectification and investigation would be handled by someone else. After resting in Huizhou for two days, she would set off with Ye Wumei.
Ye Jia was also very tired after the long journey.
After her heartbreaking cry, Ye Wumei's spirits had improved considerably. Her face had become noticeably rosy, and she was in the mood for revenge. "Sister... can you get the money I spent back?"
Ye Wumei had saved for years to amass just over three hundred taels of silver, only to have it all gone in a flash. If it had worked out, it would have been fine, but it hadn't, and she'd nearly lost herself, making her heart bleed. Ye Wumei was a strong-willed person, having cried once before, and she wasn't afraid. She considered this ordeal a lesson, hoping to get her money back and start over.
"Of course I can get it back if I want it." This time, Liu Yuan arrested the man and raided his house. "When you have time, ask Liu Yuan."
After hearing what Ye Jia said, Ye Wumei actually went to pester Liu Yuan for money.
Liu Yuan hadn't seen Ye Wumei for a long time, and the sudden sight of the grown-up Ye Wumei nearly made her drop her eyes. The three Ye sisters all looked somewhat similar, but their expressions were distinctly different. Ye Jia was bright and beautiful, Ye Simei was gentle and graceful, and the grown-up Ye Wumei was a vibrant beauty, radiating a spiciness.
After a brief encounter, they were pestered for several days. Liu Yuan couldn't help blushing and stuttering whenever he saw her.
Putting this matter aside, the Zheng family is indeed a wealthy family in the south, and their financial resources are much richer than those of the merchants in Beiting.
It was the first time Ye Jia had ever seen so many antiques, paintings, corals, and jade. Zheng Jiahao was so arrogant he was practically a local tyrant in Huizhou. The women in his backyard used pigeon-egg-sized Dongzhu pearls as shoe decorations. The door curtains were made of large, round pearls strung together to form a river, which then formed a curtain. He truly was fabulously wealthy. All this wealth naturally went into Ye Jia's pocket.
What a joke! Ye Jia was, after all, the future queen. If Zhou Jingchen refused to relinquish the confiscated property to the state treasury, then she would be hers if she met him. No one present dared to object. Liu Yuan even feared it wouldn't be enough, so she also transferred the property confiscated from the county magistrate's office to Ye Jia's private vault.
"After all, Your Highness still owes Her Majesty one hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver." Liu Yuan smiled, "This is the interest you should pay Her Majesty."
Ye Jia liked his understanding and nodded with a smile: "Well said."
Liu Yuan and Guo Huai were both very efficient in their work, but it took them several days just to count all the property.
Ye Jia wasn't in a hurry. Who would be afraid of wasting time counting money? Besides, the Anxi Army was nearby, and no one was so blind as to attack Ye Jia at this time. The only one who was blind was probably Cheng Feng, who couldn't control his eyes. However, he knew Liu Yuan was powerful, so he didn't dare to get too close to Ye Jia, but occasionally sent him some fresh local food.
Ye Jia: “…”
She had no other problems except her gluttony. After eating the food people sent her twice, she decided that wasting time like this was not enough. So she decided to find a date to meet Cheng Feng.
Cheng Feng was extremely happy and dressed up specially to meet Ye Jia.
Speaking of looks and bearing, Zhou Jingchen was undoubtedly one in a million. Ye Jia had been in this world for three years, and no one had ever matched Zhou Jingchen's stunning beauty. But even if he couldn't match Zhou Jingchen's ethereal, moon-like coolness, Cheng Feng wasn't far behind. He had a look that captivated women. His eyes shone like stars, he loved to smile and possessed a masculine air, his unconcealed uninhibited elegance and unruliness undeniable.
"Jia'er, are you finally willing to see me?" Cheng Feng jumped down from the tree, his black tights emphasizing his slender waist. He squatted on a stone bench, holding a bag of food and placing it in front of Ye Jia.
Ye Jia glanced at the small paper bag, which probably contained something like barbecue. The aroma filled the air, and she couldn't help but sigh: "Cheng Feng, you should know that I'm not Ye Sanniang, right?"
Although Ye Jia's memories of the original owner were hazy, she still remembered some of her habits. The original owner had a sweet tooth and loved all kinds of overly sweet pastries. But Ye Jia didn't like sweets. She preferred meat, especially grilled meats with Western spices. In fact, the locals in Beiting didn't even know how to grill meat with spices, and the original owner was simply not used to the taste.
The smile on Cheng Feng's face suddenly faded a lot. He lowered his eyes and said nothing.
He was silent, but Ye Jia would not let him remain silent.
"Ye Sanniang drowned three years ago." Ye Jia hadn't wanted to mention this to anyone. After all, a man shouldn't talk about strange things. Speaking of resurrection was always scary, and Ye Jia didn't want to be burned like a monster. But he had to point it out now: "The person standing before you is just someone else wearing the same skin."
Cheng Feng's eyelashes trembled for a moment, and the smile on his face was completely gone. After a long while, he finally asked in a hoarse voice: "What's your name?"
"Um?"
Cheng Feng raised his eyes, stared at Ye Jia and asked again: "What's your name?"
Ye Jia paused and chose to tell the truth: "My name is Ye Jia too."
"and you……"
"I'm a completely different person from her." Ye Jia interrupted him and said seriously, "I'm a student who has been studying for more than 20 years. I'm not young anymore. Well, at least I'm older than you."
Cheng Feng knew that Ye Jia was talented, but he didn't expect that after so many years of studying, he would say: "You are a man?!"
"...No." The focus was a little off, Ye Jia was helpless, "Woman."
"oh."
Cheng Feng had long known that the person before him wasn't Ye Sanniang, at least not his Jia'er. His Jia'er was a clueless, easily influenced girl, timid and incompetent. The Ye Jia sitting before him now was a capable businessman, a cook, a warrior, a fortress builder, a master of tactics, and the designer of all manner of formidable weapons... calm and composed, incredibly intelligent, and brimming with wisdom. This was a girl of his social class who should have been out of his reach. Yet, she had accidentally landed in Jia'er's body, allowing him to encounter her.
"Do I disgust you?"
Ye Jia: "...No, I just want to tell you that I'm not who you think I am."
"I know." Cheng Feng sighed, "I knew it a long time ago."
Ye Jia raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
"I guessed it long before you came to my house to discuss business. But I just couldn't accept it," Cheng Feng tilted his head and looked at the dazzling figure in front of him. In fact, the skin is the same, only the soul inside is different. The soul now in Ye Sanniang's skin is like a handful of fire, making this skin dazzling. "It's just a delusion. I think that with my courage, if I hold on to it, I might be able to pick the bright moon."
Ye Jia heard the praise in his words, was silent for a moment, and then smiled: "You will meet the right person for you."
Having said that, Ye Jia didn't stay any longer. As for the barbecue on the table, she glanced at it. Cheng Feng was depressed for a short while, then smiled with a crooked eye. He stretched out his hand and pushed the barbecue in front of Ye Jia: "You still know how to eat barbecue, right? I'm a good cook, right?"
Ye Jia: "..." She just took a second look, she wasn't that greedy.
…
After Ye Jia spoke with Cheng Feng, she felt the shackles that had been weighing on her shoulders loosen. Although she had always avoided contact with Cheng Feng, it was still a bond. With the matter settled and Liu Yuan's busy schedule coming to an end, it was time for them to return to Yanjing. Guo Huai was watching over them, and Huang Yunxuan had many capable men under his command. Liu Yuan handed the remaining chores to Guo Huai and prepared to follow him.
After taking a detour from Huizhou and heading from south to north, it was already early summer when Ye Jia and his group arrived in Yanjing.
The carriage hadn't even entered Yanjing City when people were already waiting on the city walls. Some people rushed down from the city gates, coming to greet them from afar. Ye Jia leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes to rest, when he felt the carriage slowly stop.
A moment later, the carriage door was knocked. Three beeps, a very reserved tone. Even before Ye Jia opened her eyes, the corners of her mouth curled up.
Xiaoli stepped forward and opened the carriage door. Sure enough, a figure in white glided into the carriage. The delicate fragrance of pear blossoms filled the air. Without even needing their master's instructions, Huanpei and Xiaoli exited the carriage one after the other. Ye Jia opened her eyes and was embraced. She laughed, and just as she was about to speak, she felt a sharp pain in her earlobe. Zhou Jingchen had actually bitten her!
"What are you doing, Zhou Yunan!" Ye Jia pushed his chin to get her earlobe back from his mouth, her face flushed with anger. "Are you a dog? You bite people as soon as you see them?"
"Hmph," he bit lightly, then pecked, "Look, after not seeing you for so long, someone still remembers me."
Ye Jia looked at him speechlessly: "Don't be sarcastic, this doesn't suit you."
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
Outside the carriage, Huanpei very politely dispersed the carriages in front and behind, expanding the escort area considerably. After ensuring that the people in front and behind couldn't hear what was happening inside the carriage, he mounted his horse and guarded both sides of the carriage.
But they were sensible. Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen in the carriage didn't do anything. The journey from west to east had taken too long, and they had barely left the carriage. Even without doing anything, Ye Jia felt exhausted. Zhou Jingchen simply lifted her into his arms, resting her legs on his knees, and rubbing her calves for a long time. They let the carriage sway and sway until it reached the palace gates.
Yu had already brought her people into the palace and settled down. Yu and Ye Simei had arrived a month and a half before Ye Jia. Ye Simei took Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba to the Wuwei General's Mansion, while Yu brought Xiao Shubai and Rui Jie'er into the palace. Because she hadn't been canonized yet, Yu hadn't yet moved into Shouxi Palace.
Knowing that Ye Jia was coming back, Yu had already asked people to wait at the palace gate.
As soon as the carriage arrived, she immediately sent someone to pick it up.
However, once the carriage reached the palace gate, Yu's men were sent back. Yu wasn't upset when she heard about this, knowing her son hadn't seen his wife in so long that he must be missing her terribly. Thinking of how Ye Simei and her husband had also gone back to their rooms and locked themselves up for a whole day and night before coming out, she couldn't help but smile.
"Little Shubai is almost one year old. It's time to give him a little brother."
Little Shubai, still being raised at Yu's residence, didn't understand what was said. He stared at his grandmother with wide eyes and tilted his head.
Yu rubbed her little grandson's head happily and asked the palace servants to serve the meal.
Zhou Jingchen hadn't yet ascended the throne, and being busy with government affairs, he hadn't specifically chosen a palace. He had been living alone in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Logically, as the mistress of the palace, Zhou Jingchen should have prepared a palace for Ye Jia long ago. However, he secretly wanted Ye Jia to live with him, so even after the Weiyang Palace was cleared, Zhou Jingchen still moved Ye Jia's belongings into the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
In order to make living more convenient, he even ordered the craftsmen to change the inner hall into a style similar to the master bedroom in the north courtyard.
Ye Jia noticed it as soon as she came in, and opened her eyes in surprise: "Did you arrange it?"
"Yes." Zhou Jingchen took her hand and walked in, and the palace servants knelt on the ground instantly.
He waved his hand casually, and everyone filed out. The curtains fluttered slowly. Ye Jia glanced around. Even the dressing table was positioned where Ye Jia was used to in Beiting. "It's not awkward living here."
The palace was huge, and before Ye Jia's things were placed there, it was empty. Now with Ye Jia's luggage in it, it suddenly filled up. Ye Jia glanced at the more than ten bottles of pear blossom cream on the dressing table and smelled the scent on Zhou Jingchen. Ye Jia looked at him with a smile on her face. She tilted her head and looked at him for a long time. Seeing the puzzlement on his face, she asked him, "Zhou Yunan, did you steal my pear blossom cream?"
Zhou Jingchen's smile froze. He paused and looked at her: "...How can using your wife's things be considered stealing?"
"It seems you've been taking good care of yourself lately?"
Zhou Jingchen glanced at her when he heard this and said sadly, "To serve someone with your beauty, you have to work hard."
Ye Jia hadn't wanted to laugh, but she hadn't seen him for over a year, and he looked much more impressive. His surly demeanor was truly hilarious. After the palace attendants had left, Ye Jia couldn't help but grab Zhou Jingchen's neck. Zhou Jingchen's eyes flashed with surprise, and he reached out to hook his arm around Ye Jia's waist. Ye Jia stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
The warm touch touched my lips, and a familiar scent filled my nose.
Zhou Jingchen let her kiss him, opened his mouth and let her in. Ye Jia had planned to kiss him lightly and then call it quits, but as the kiss went on, it turned into Zhou Jingchen holding her on the dressing table, and with a rustling sound, the hem of her skirt was torn to shreds...
Things on the dresser clanked, some falling to the floor, unable to bear the weight. Zhou Jingchen lowered his gaze to the person before him, the corners of his eyes a rich rouge tint of emotion, his eyes, veiled by his lashes, a veil of intoxication. This guy looked cold and aloof, but once he took off his clothes, he was a completely different person. Fierce and fierce, he could shatter a person's soul...
The woman's light laughter had long been replaced by broken gasps and suppressed moans, and the room was filled with spring scenery.
The palace servants outside the hall looked at each other in bewilderment, their heads bowed, unable to believe that such a commotion inside was caused by Zhou Jingchen, who was not interested in women. God knows how many beauties had been presented to the palace in recent times, and the master had given away all of them because he didn't like any of them.
They all lowered their heads, not daring to look around...
That night, the garden was filled with vibrant beauty. If Ye Jia hadn't been crying out that she was starving, Zhou Jingchen wouldn't have let go of the meat. The moon rose above the willows, and the darkness was so great that a single lamp lit up in the hall.
After a long moment, when the hall's lights were finally lit, the palace maids saw the sage-like host emerge barefoot, draped in thin clothes. His dark hair cascaded down his shoulders, and the coldness in his eyes was replaced by a look of sated contentment. His fair neck was covered in purple scratches, like a demon saturated with vital energy. He licked his crimson lips and, in a hoarse voice, asked the palace maids to bring in food and honeydew.
Ye Jia was so hungry that her chest was sticking to her back. Her physical and mental strength were severely exhausted. In the end, she was carried into the pool.
It was not until noon the next day that Ye Jia finally showed up.
Yu's men had already arrived several times, but they had all waited outside obediently. It wasn't until Ye Jia cleaned up and emerged that the harem finally got a clear look at the future mistress. Unaware of the palace maids' wait-and-see attitude, Ye Jia simply ate a small meal and followed the maid to Yu's quarters. Upon hearing Ye Jia's voice, little Shubai dropped his toy and ran out, hugging Ye Jia's legs.
"Jia Niang, you're finally here." Yu Shi couldn't sit still and came out to greet him. "You didn't suffer outside, did you?"
What hardship can she endure?
"No, I'm fine."
Ye Jia smiled, bent down, picked up the little fat boy, and followed Yu into the inner hall.
Rui Jie'er called out "Auntie" sweetly. Ye Jia placed little Shubai on the ground and patted her head before turning to talk business with Yu. She had received countless letters from Zhou Jingchen and Yu on her way here, and she knew everything she needed to know. With the situation in Yanjing stabilized and the court cleaned up, the top priority now was naturally Zhou Jingchen's ascension to the throne and the rewarding of meritorious officials.
"The list of meritorious officials has already been compiled, and the Ministry of Rites will take care of the enthronement." Yu Shi didn't worry about these things, but she was worried that life in the harem wouldn't be as comfortable and harmonious as in the Northern Court. She had arrived a month and a half earlier, and she had already seen several people from the imperial court submitting applications for selection and sending people to the palace.
"Jia Niang, what did Yun An say to you yesterday?"
Ye Jia's body stiffened, and some charming pictures flashed through her mind. She paused, then said calmly, "...What did you say?"
Yu wanted to say something but stopped.
Ye Jia glanced at her and guessed something from her expression. She wasn't too worried about Zhou Jingchen expanding his harem after ascending the throne; Zhou Jingchen didn't seem to have any such plans. As for the court officials' admonitions, to be honest, Zhou Jingchen wasn't weak enough to be threatened by them. "Mom, don't worry about these things. Think about how we'll conduct our business after entering the palace."
"Ah?" Yu was stunned, a little dumbfounded, "Still doing business?"
"We have so many assets at home, and they've taken so much effort. If I don't keep them for myself, should I give them away?" She went to Huizhou and confiscated a lot of property. Now that she had so many things on hand, it would be a waste not to take care of them.
That's true, but there are also many things to manage in the harem. It's not as busy as the front court, but it's also busy.
"Don't overthink it. As long as there aren't too many people in the harem, there won't be too much trouble." The reason harems used to be so difficult to manage was simply because there were three thousand beauties in the harem, and each palace had to support tens of thousands of slaves. More people means more trouble. If Zhou Jingchen didn't bring more people to the harem, she would have fewer things to worry about.
"...That's true." After Ye Jia said this, Yu Shi also came to her senses.
Yu Shi didn't believe that having multiple wives and concubines would bring her many children. It was a joke. When she married Prince Jing, he didn't respect the ancestral rituals and laws and spread his children. In the vast Prince Jing's mansion, except for one illegitimate son and one illegitimate daughter born due to the interference of Concubine Shu, all the other children were hers. When it came to Zhou Jingchen, she naturally didn't want outsiders to disrupt the relationship between her son and daughter-in-law.
"There's no rush for this. The situation might change drastically."
Ye Jia wasn't panicking at all. In the original novel, Zhou Jingchen had gone to great lengths to conquer Great Yan, but in the end, he only served as regent. Ye Jia actually suspected that Zhou Jingchen had no intention of becoming emperor, otherwise he wouldn't have waited almost a year to ascend the throne.
"By the way, where's Fifth Sister?" Ye Jia was dragged directly to Zhou Jingchen's bedroom yesterday. Fifth Sister Ye was in the carriage at the back, and someone had arranged for her to be accommodated.
Yu was wondering if there would be any other "big changes" when she looked up and saw Ye Wumei leading a group of people coming from the corridor.
"Look, there it is." He raised his head.
Ye Jia turned around and saw her. The little girl was wearing a green palace dress and was as beautiful as a camellia.
The palace where Yu Shi now lived had a small kitchen. Fifth Sister Ye couldn't live with Ye Jia, but she didn't dare live alone either. So, she was arranged to live with Yu Shi. She was also very open-minded. The incident in Huizhou had quickly passed, and now she was busy preparing her meals again. Seeing Ye Jia coming over, her eyes lit up: "Sister, I've developed several new kinds of food. Want to try some?"
It just so happened that Ye Jia wasn't full either, so he followed her into the dining room.
It's no wonder that the initial discomfort of arriving in a strange place faded instantly as they sat together to discuss food. Ye Jia tasted a few chopsticks of the barbecue that Ye Wumei had prepared and raised his eyebrows. "Not bad, a change of taste."
"Can you open a restaurant?" Ye Wumei said without any gloom. "I originally planned to open a restaurant, but it didn't work out."
Yu tasted it and nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, your cooking skills have improved again."
…
After being praised by Ye Jia and Yu Shi for several times in a row, Ye Wumei's ambition, which had been extinguished by the difficult times, resurfaced.
During her time in the palace, Ye Jia hadn't been idle. Aside from taking time to dine with Yu Shi's daughter Shubai, she spent most of her time at the Ministry of Works. She took all the blueprints and weapon samples she'd brought back to the Ministry. While launching land mines was a bit premature, in order to stabilize the situation and eliminate Zhou Ye and his ilk as soon as possible, she'd have to use whatever she could.
Ye Jia took some time to call Zhou Jingchen's confidant to conduct an experiment on the land mine in the training ground.
"If this thing were used in a war, would it really be that powerful?" Zhou Jingchen knew that Ye Jia had defended the northwest and driven out the Wuhuan. He had heard of land mines, but he didn't quite believe them.
Ye Jia felt that although the power was average, it was not ineffective: "But try to light it."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone in front lit a fire.
In an instant, a massive explosion echoed across the parade grounds. The explosion ripped up twenty sheets of dust, shattering even the distant mounds of earth. If it were a flesh and blood body, it would have been shattered into pieces. The next moment, all eyes in the parade grounds turned to Ye Jia. Among them were many generals who had heard of Ye Jia's reputation but had never met this female master, as well as former senior officials of Yanjing who had always despised this rural queen.
"This is just the first version," Ye Jia smiled faintly, inexplicably creepy: "If I modify the formula again, I think the effect will be better."
The training ground was completely silent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
