Chapter 308 Female Official
"Sir, isn't that woman next to the carriage wearing an official's robe?"
Yuan Hongqu prepared mostly official robes and casual clothes for this trip.
As a female official, her official attire was similar to that of other officials, except that it was the style of a third-rank civil official.
The other everyday clothes and accessories all highlight feminine characteristics; these were all specially designed for Yuan Hongqu by the Imperial Wardrobe at the Empress's behest.
Other officials wear two sets of official uniforms and two sets of casual uniforms.
When it came to Yuan Hongqu, there were two styles of official uniforms, four sets, and casual uniforms... Two styles of official uniforms, four sets per quarter. Over the course of a year, Yuan Hongqu had so many official uniforms that they filled an entire room.
Yuan Hongqu knew that the Empress was using her status as a female official to make clothes and matching jewelry for her.
She also told the Empress that she already had too many clothes and there was no need to make any new ones.
The Empress, however, did not care, saying that she was a third-rank official and could not lose the decorum of an official.
Yuan Hongqu had no choice but to accept it, though she felt helpless.
Because this trip was so large and involved the Imperial Guards, without official attire to maintain appearances, dealing with the trivial matters along the way would have been overwhelming.
The Lin family guards immediately knew who he was referring to and nodded in agreement.
"You do have some eyesight; that's the official robe of a third-rank official."
"A woman wearing the robes of a third-rank official, and you don't care?" a man on horseback nearby asked in surprise.
The Lin family guards' expressions changed upon hearing this.
"Take the money and get out of here! What are you asking around for!"
"Why are you getting so worked up? I always said, what kind of official is a woman? There's a saying, 'A hen crows'!"
"What do you mean by a hen crowing? That's called a hen crowing at dawn." The leading man glanced at the carriage again.
Lin's guard raised an eyebrow when he heard the man's unfriendly tone, as if he was deliberately looking for trouble.
"Who are you! The sign that this road is temporarily closed to pedestrians has been hanging three kilometers away for ten days. You should have seen it when you passed by. You barged in, and you should have been killed without hesitation! Our magistrates, considering that we were blocking the road, even gave you some silver as compensation! Instead of being grateful, you mock our magistrates here! I think you don't want to leave here alive!"
Not only the Lin family guards, but even the Imperial Guards who had been silently watching came closer and surrounded the group.
The group then appeared somewhat nervous, and the leader quickly said,
"We were careless and offended you, sir. We are from out of town and did not know that there were women holding official positions in the capital. Please forgive us and let us leave..."
"Hmph, you're so short-sighted! Our Mr. Yuan is a high-ranking official who gets things done, not like those women in your household who just wander around the kitchen and the house."
This time, the Lin family guards didn't speak; instead, it was the leader of the Imperial Guards who spoke.
Although what he said was true, his tone was exaggerated. The Lin family guards beside him remained silent, and a look of seriousness appeared on their faces.
After this incident, the Lin family guards returned to the Lin family's camp and reported the events that had just occurred to Yuan Hongqu in detail.
Yuan Hongqu didn't care. As a female official, she was bound to be criticized behind her back, and this kind of talk wasn't just for a day or two, nor was it just from one or two people.
She had been prepared for this for a long time.
Despite this minor incident, it did not disrupt Yuan Hongqu's plans and arrangements at all.
At noon, various aromas wafted from the tents of each household.
These chefs seemed to be in a competition, determined to determine who was better.
The Lin family will not participate in this "competition".
On the two large stoves in the Lin family's house, one was steaming food. There were eight or nine large steamers stacked up to be more than a person's height. The cook had to stand on a stool to take down the top steamer.
In the other pot were various side dishes that needed to be stir-fried.
For example, the girl had just received a handful of dandelions, which she used with eggs and batter to make small round pancakes the size of her palm.
There was also a girl from some unknown family who gave Daiyu a bundle of wild chives.
This stuff has a strong flavor, and the best way to eat it is in chive pancakes. It looks less rustic and more refined...
In addition to these, Yuan Hongqu also prepared others.
She noticed that recently Daiyu had been somewhat absent-minded during meals, perhaps because she had too many things to do, and she didn't taste the food.
Yuan Hongqu hadn't cooked for herself outside for quite some time, so today she specially cooked a pot of claypot rice for Daiyu.
The cooked claypot rice is fragrant with every grain of rice, exudes the aroma of oil, and has a golden and crispy crust at the bottom, making it a delicious and flavorful dish.
The tiny earthenware pot, no bigger than the palm of your hand, was filled to the brim with vegetables, meat, eggs, and rice, all mixed together in one pot.
Daiyu ate until her forehead was slightly sweaty, feeling extremely satisfied.
"Granny, this way of eating is very convenient, doesn't take up much time, and the food is quite plentiful."
After Daiyu ate it, she praised it highly.
Yuan Hongqu handed over a cup of fruit tea to aid digestion.
"I'll make it for you in a few days. You should get some rest later. You didn't sleep well last night, and you can see it on your face today."
Daiyu knew that Granny Yuan wouldn't lie to her; she hadn't slept well last night, which was why she felt a bit listless today.
She put down the cup, yawned, and as soon as she turned over inside the tent, she was in the bedroom of the space.
If you want to sleep and rest, you definitely need a comfortable, spacious bed. These makeshift beds made of wooden planks outside can't compare at all!
Perhaps because the sun came out around noon, the students were no longer willing to visit each other's rooms and instead ate and rested in their respective tents.
Yuan Hongqu was reading by Daiyu's bedside when she heard the faint noises inside. She knew that Daiyu must have gone to her spatial dimension, and she couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle.
Just then, a deep sound came from outside the tent.
"Mr. Yuan, just as you predicted, those people rode their horses along a side road and went directly to Yujiapu, which is twenty miles away. Our route doesn't pass through Yujiapu, so we didn't pay any attention to this place."
Lan Su's voice was cold and clear.
Yuan Hongqu gently lifted the tent door. "Lan Su, go eat next door first. I specially saved some food for you. We'll talk in detail after you eat."
“Mr. Yuan, the matter is urgent. Let’s finish talking before we go eat. Yujiapu is a bandit’s den. You only asked me to gather information, not to do anything else, so I didn’t dare to do anything rash.”
Lan Su hurriedly said,
“Those guys who followed us earlier were from a bandit den. They usually robbed people on the road and did business without any capital.”
"I heard them say that this group of people was led by a woman, and that the men were probably too weak to fight, so they sent a woman instead. They also said that the group looked strong from the outside, but they didn't have any fighting ability inside. They were planning to rob us tonight."
"What are they thinking? The Imperial Guards and the guards from various families are more than enough for them to handle. They still want to rob us? Heh, keep them away from the camp and don't let the students know."
Yuan Hongqu's voice was calm, showing no sign of being on alert just because the bandits were there to scout the area; she remained completely unperturbed.
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