Yuan Yunzhong always had a cold expression, but Song Jiyun hadn’t expected he had once done these things.
However, today she was fortunate that he had been so thoughtful.
Song Jiyun quickly said, "It should be done, it should be done."
She even refined Yuan Yunzhong’s idea based on her experiences from a later age, "Not only should the promised silver be delivered on time, but the disbursement should happen daily, and a special room should be arranged for the government officials to rest, with sour plum soup, tea, and snacks prepared for them to refresh themselves."
Zheng Quan grinned with a smile.
Suddenly, the sound of Shao Qing’s voice came from behind them, "These tasks had already been taken care of by the young masters. You can rest easy and keep being your kind-hearted self, the reincarnation of the Kiln God, if you will."
Song Jiyun and Zheng Quan turned around together and saw Shao Qing and Yuan Yunzhong entering the warm pavilion one after the other.
"Young Master Yuan, Young Master Shao!" Zheng Quan hurriedly greeted them.
Yet, Song Jiyun noticed that Yuan Yunzhong’s complexion seemed somewhat displeased.
She raised her eyebrows towards Shao Qing, silently asking what had happened.
Shao Qing chuckled softly, teasing Yuan Yunzhong in a hushed voice, "He made the rounds and saw the crowd is still so vast, it displeased him!"
It was all for her sake.
Song Jiyun immediately walked over with a beaming smile, clasping her hands in gratitude, and earnestly said to Yuan Yunzhong, "Young Master Yuan, thank you so much! You’ve worked hard today, please come over and have a rest!"
She personally went to pour him some tea.
Yuan Yunzhong’s expression cleared slightly.
Song Jiyun pursed her lips and smiled.
Was it that easy to appease Yuan Yunzhong?
It reminded her of a proud kitten, who just needed a gentle stroke to be calmed.
She wondered if she were to gently coax him, would Yuan Yunzhong act like a kitten, exposing his belly for a pet...
However, Yuan Yunzhong didn’t drink her tea and went straight to the window, carefully observing the crowd below. He commanded Shao Qing in a stern voice, "Go, tell Magistrate Jiang that those entering the great hall should not linger. Enter from the left, exit from the right. This Buddha statue will henceforth be enshrined at The Eight Immortals Nunnery, anyone can see it whenever they wish, no urgent need at this moment."
Shao Qing became solemn, properly cupped his hands in assent, and quickly left the warm pavilion. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
And in Yuan Yunzhong’s brows, there was an unusual hint of authority.
Song Jiyun and Zheng Quan were both a bit stunned to see this.
Yuan Yunzhong then picked up the cup of tea she had poured and began to drink it, one sip following another.
He must have been terribly thirsty!
Despite this, his every move was still composed and graceful, with a touch of nonchalance.
Song Jiyun snapped back to reality and quickly poured him another cup of tea, speaking warmly, "Have some tea to fill your stomach, looking at you, I guess lunch was a challenge!"
Yuan Yunzhong didn’t speak, a flash of annoyance appeared in his eyes but it was so fleeting like the wind, making Song Jiyun think she might have seen it wrong.
Was it because the crowd was unexpectedly large?
But it was good that he had thought that far ahead!
Song Jiyun found her voice growing softer, "Have another cup of tea! Although it’s already late autumn, the weather this year has been unusual, with early rainfall and high temperatures, and the leaves all look wilted and lifeless."
Yuan Yunzhong hummed in agreement and his demeanor relaxed as he had another cup of tea.
Song Jiyun noticed the crowd below the warm pavilion had neatly divided into two groups like a Taiji Eight Trigrams diagram, one group entering and the other exiting.
The efficiency was truly high!
Song Jiyun shot a glance at Yuan Yunzhong with approval.
Yuan Yunzhong clearly wasn’t very satisfied with the situation in front of him, and turning his head, he instructed Zheng Quan, "Go and tell the abbot to find some lay Buddhist believers to help, and ensure that the pilgrims don’t stay too long in The Eight Immortals Nunnery."
Zheng Quan replied with an "Understood," and immediately ran down from the warm pavilion.
He didn’t wait for Song Jiyun’s cue as usual.
It showed he agreed with Yuan Yunzhong’s words very much.
But as soon as Zheng Quan had left, Magistrate Jiang arrived, drenched in sweat, with a Jiang Xiaosi in tow, scrambling up to them.
"Yunzhong!" he panted, "aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill? I have already erected signboards along the road and had people banging gongs and spreading the word. There’s no need to station someone here every day, is there?"
While he was speaking, he caught sight of Song Jiyun and greeted her with a smile, "Miss Song is here too!"
Song Jiyun stepped forward to exchange greetings with him, her gaze switching back and forth between Magistrate Jiang and Yuan Yunzhong.
From the tone of his voice, Yuan Yunzhong and Magistrate Jiang seemed very familiar with each other!
Song Jiyun mused thoughtfully.
Yet Magistrate Jiang continued to complain to Yuan Yunzhong, "It’s not as if we’re staging a grand opera, fearing the stage might collapse. You’ve even asked me to bring over the Inspection Division’s men. They’re under the management of the Chief Secretary of State, not under my jurisdiction. I can’t control them!"
Weren’t the men of the Inspection Division taken care of in one stroke?
How quickly they were replenished!
Song Jiyun looked at Magistrate Jiang.
Magistrate Jiang said, "Men have been reassigned from the Nanchang Guard. Your side has Imperial Porcelain that must be sent to the Capital at all times; you cannot afford to be shorthanded."
Song Jiyun smiled and nodded in agreement.
Yuan Yunzhong’s expression, however, was as cold as frost as he coldly asked, "Have the men arrived?"
"They have, they have," Magistrate Jiang said, "I went to borrow them in person."
Before he could finish speaking, a Government Official came running up, saying, "Lord Jiang, Lord Deng from the Inspection Division is here, and he wishes to see you."
Magistrate Jiang glanced at Yuan Yunzhong before saying, "Please invite him up."
Lord Deng was a young man about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a handsome face and a tall figure, dressed in the military uniform of the Inspection Division, highlighting his broad shoulders and slim waist, exuding an energetic aura.
Upon catching sight of Song Jiyun, his eyes showed admiration, but he remained polite and did not linger, exchanging greetings with Magistrate Jiang. However, he couldn’t help casting curious glances at Yuan Yunzhong, evidently very intrigued by him.
"Lord Jiang, I can understand your feelings as a local authority," he said with a clear voice and a humble tone, but his words carried an air of superiority, "But isn’t it a bit too cautious to have the Inspection Division’s men maintain order as well? If those civilians don’t heed warnings and something happens, it doesn’t really concern the governmental authorities much, right? If you’re worried about explaining to your superiors, I can vouch for you—that you’ve done what you should, and you’ve arranged precautions for things not within your duty."
Song Jiyun listened and frowned slightly.
Yuan Yunzhong’s expression grew even colder, and without waiting for Magistrate Jiang to speak, he said bluntly, "Isn’t educating the populace a responsibility of an official?"
Lord Deng was clearly not expecting Yuan Yunzhong to speak before Magistrate Jiang.
He glanced at Magistrate Jiang.
Seeing that Magistrate Jiang did not show any signs of blame or displeasure, he took on a solemn demeanor and said, "Educating the masses is not something that yields immediate results. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many people dying each year because they disregarded warnings!"
Having said this, he looked at Yuan Yunzhong and asked Magistrate Jiang, "May I know who this gentleman is?"
Yuan Yunzhong gazed at Lord Deng with a cool and dismissive look.
"This is Young Master Yuan!" Magistrate Jiang said carelessly with a smile, showing no intention to introduce them properly and said to Lord Deng with a smile, "Ah, isn’t this just finding some work for your Inspection Division’s men? The Song Family is willing to pay a tael of silver a day. Why don’t you ask your men first, to see if they would like to earn this silver?"
Seeing this, Lord Deng left with a displeased expression on his face.
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