Yuan Yunzhong slowly put down the small dish he was holding, feeling the heat in his ears.
Was Song Jiyun asking for his opinion on them being "betrothed"?
Shouldn’t that question have been initiated by him, and shouldn’t he have been the first to ask it?
But this was just like Song Jiyun’s nature.
She liked to have control over everything herself.
It was just that this was his first time dealing with such a matter, and for a moment he didn’t know how to respond appropriately.
But he certainly hoped there would be no changes.
He leaned back on the beauty-pillow, his eyelids involuntarily drooping.
Outside the pavilion, the bluestone tiles on the ground had been thoroughly drenched by the rain, with blades of grass poking through the seams, a lush green, swaying in the wind.
"There’s absolutely no need for that!" he said, his voice gentle, exuding an unusual warmth, "Having promised to be your betrothed, I will certainly keep my word and honor my commitments."
In other words, he would continue to pose as her fiancé.
Song Jiyun breathed a sigh of relief.
But oddly, she felt as if a bitter gall hidden under her tongue had been punctured, filling her mouth with bitterness.
She and he had made their positions clear; in the future, he would go his separate way and she would follow her own path. She thought... What did she think Yuan Yunzhong would do?
Ask her to stay?
He had indeed shown a liking for her before, but that was only her perception. Yuan Yunzhong hadn’t expressed his feelings for her, nor had he overstepped any boundaries. Besides, since she had decided to give up on him because he had great prospects ahead, how could she expect him to insist on maintaining a close relationship after she had drawn a clear line?
In the end, she was merely harboring a sliver of fanciful hope.
Song Jiyun chuckled bitterly to herself.
She had to swallow the bitter wine she had brewed, yet put on a façade as if undisturbed, and work hard to keep their relationship at a safe distance.
"Thank you," she said, once again expressing her sincere gratitude, and added, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
No matter how sharp-tongued Yuan Yunzhong was, in her heart, he was a righteous gentleman.
Moreover, he was someone who had helped her many times. If his identity was kept secret, she wouldn’t even know how much he had truly helped her. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Given these circumstances, how could she repay his kindness with ingratitude and let him suffer a loss?
If it were in the past, she could bribe him with silver, but now... If she really dared to mention silver, Yuan Yunzhong would probably turn his face dark and storm off.
As for what else he cared about, she was currently just the small proprietor of a little family that made porcelain, and she might not be able to help him much.
But she was not the type to lie flat and give up because she couldn’t be of help.
She pondered and said, "I heard you talking about the Prince Ning case earlier, and people had been spreading rumors that Prince Ning was involved in smuggling porcelain. Since you’ve come to Jingde Town, could it be that you’re here to investigate Prince Ning’s smuggling case? We’ve been residents of Jingde Town for a long time, if there’s anything we can help with, just let us know."
As she spoke, she recalled something and continued, "You warned me before not to get too close to the Hong Family. Is there some issue with the Hong Family?"
After asking, she felt it might be inappropriate and quickly added, "If it’s inconvenient to say, you don’t have to tell me. I was just asking."
"There’s nothing that can’t be talked about." As she brought it up, Yuan Yunzhong thought of his trip to Lake Entrance, and the people they encountered at Hong Family Mountain, which was also Zhao Family Village, and said, reflecting on the past, "The next day, I sent people to investigate, but the entire Zhao Family Village had disappeared, and to this day we’ve not found out where those people have gone. There’s definitely something strange about it, so you best keep your distance from them."
Song Jiyun felt a chill down her spine.
The Song Family and the Hong Family were at opposite ends of the street, effectively making them neighbors.
With just a widow mother and an orphan like her at home, if the Hong Family really weren’t good people, they would completely swallow them whole.
Yuan Yunzhong saw her reaction immediately and felt a bit regretful for telling her all this, but considering her strength, he thought it was right to inform her.
In case of trouble, she definitely had the capacity to adapt.
"Don’t worry!" he couldn’t help but comfort her, "Do you remember after I came to your house, I bought several servant boys to serve. They are people from the Imperial Guard, with good skills and capabilities. I won’t be leaving Jingde Town for a while, so you can use them for the time being."
If he were to leave, he would certainly destroy the calamity that was the Hong Family before doing so.
Song Jiyun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it’s better to rely on oneself than others. Moreover, when Yuan Yunzhong would leave, these people would certainly leave as well, and even if he wished to help, it would be out of his reach by then.
She asked Yuan Yunzhong, "How good are the skills of He Dazhi and his men?"
Once Yuan Yunzhong left, she might have He Dazhi find her a few more helpers.
Being all women in her family, if the people they hire were to have ill intentions, it would be too easy for them to be deemed an easy target.
Yuan Yunzhong laughed and said, "You have good judgement. His skills are very good. If not for some fortuitous encounters, I might not have been able to recruit him. Fortunately, you acted like a rich landlord and caught him to sign a ten-year deed. Even if he wanted to leave, he couldn’t do it just like that."
Song Jiyun felt somewhat weary and asked, "Xiang Ye and Xiang Cao, did you also help find them?"
It couldn’t be such a coincidence.
And she found them even more handy than Xiang Zhan.
She had previously regarded them as just naturally capable, but now it seemed she had been too careless with people.
Yuan Yunzhong, hearing the displeasure in her tone and thinking how he wouldn’t be pleased himself if he were manipulated like that, quickly said, "There were some fortunate aspects involved in that, too. You don’t think that I get whatever I want, do you? At the end of the day, it is your good fortune that just when you needed people, they were available."
No matter what, everyone had signed a ten-year deed, and if there were any issues, she would confront Yuan Yunzhong about it.
Yuan Yunzhong didn’t want to linger on topics that could upset Song Jiyun and swiftly changed the subject to talk about the Prince Ning smuggling case, "If His Majesty truly intended to deal with him, he wouldn’t have sent me here, but would have sent the Imperial Censors from the Metropolitan Censorate. All things considered, he is only worried about Prince Ning harboring ulterior motives. As for the smuggling, the Emperor doesn’t really take it to heart. After all, the world is his; it’s just a matter of Prince Ning scraping together a little more in his embrace.
"As long as no one uses this affair to achieve personal gain or success, the kiln workers in Jingde Town won’t encounter any trouble.
"If you are still worried, when the time comes to select a partner for the sweet white porcelain, give me the list, and I’ll help you review it."
Indeed, one can guard against outsiders day and night, but it’s hard to guard against a traitor within the household.
Just after she had sent Old Master Yan and the others out the door, Yuan Yunzhong became aware of it.
Frustrated, Song Jiyun questioned Yuan Yunzhong, "Who is the spy?"
"With such strict management of your subordinates, how could there be a spy?" Yuan Yunzhong spoke with certainty, yet his eyes flickered for a moment.
"Nice try, Yuan Yunzhong, spill it now." Song Jiyun thought that since Yuan Yunzhong was serving the Official Family, he was certainly not someone she could match. But knowing the difference between them, she still wanted to find out how much he knew about her. "Otherwise, you’re not getting off easy today."
She feigned anger and joked with him.
Yuan Yunzhong laughed heartily.
His handsome face was like a brilliantly illuminated pearl on a darkening rainy day.
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