"Lord Wang?" Jiyun recalled the stern face she had seen in the Temple of the Wind God, and she asked Yuan Yunzhong, "The Right Administrative Commissioner?"
She had heard that the Left Administrative Commissioner had been implicated in the case against Prince Ning.
Yuan Yunzhong nodded and said, "The Chief Secretary of State is divided into Left and Right Administrative Commissioners, and the Right Administrative Commissioner ranks higher than the Left. He was new, had always cared about his reputation, and this time in the Jiangxi officialdom, only he and a few others had been spared; the rest were all implicated. He came to find me, mostly concerning the Prince Ning case — the Jiangxi Grain Transport Commissioner is his contemporary. That man also got dragged into this, and he likely came for him."
As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Forget about him. I’m resting today and not seeing anyone."
Shao Qing responded, "Young master, he might not have come on account of the Jiangxi Grain Transport Commissioner. I heard that a few days ago, the commissioner’s family approached Lord Wang to ask for a favor, but he sternly refused them. He’s unlikely to contradict himself and dirty his hands in these troubled waters."
Yuan Yunzhong dismissively said, "He’s famously sanctimonious, saying one thing and doing another. I’m resting, don’t want to work, and don’t want to see anyone. That’s not against the rules, right?"
Shao Qing, somewhat helpless, said, "Lord Wang mentioned that after the Prince Ning case, there’s a high likelihood, eight or nine out of ten, that he will be transferred to Capital City and might even become colleagues with the three young masters from your hall..."
Yuan Yunzhong, irritated, interrupted Shao Qing, "Then let him be transferred to Capital City and become colleagues with my three cousins, then we’ll talk."
Shao Qing, finding it inappropriate to persuade further, turned to give the reply.
Jiyun, having experienced too many betrayals and unemotional breakups in her previous life, was quite indifferent about personal relationships and did not see anything wrong with it; she started a casual conversation with Yuan Yunzhong, "How has the Nameless Temple been recently? They were competing with Gratitude Temple over incense donations before, but I fear they are now slightly inferior."
The incident involving Yuan Yunzhong had led to the Nameless Temple being thoroughly searched and even closed for a period, which was a blow to its reputation.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "It should have an impact. Gratitude Temple has invited several revered Heavenly Masters from Dragon Tiger Mountain to offer free medical services at the temple."
Gratitude Temple would provide free medical services to nearby villagers or believers, but these services were always scheduled for the beginning of October.
It was only just the start of spring.
After finishing, he said in a low voice, "Aren’t you going to ask me why I don’t want to see Lord Wang?"
Jiyun smiled and said, "You have your reasons for not seeing him. Besides, you’re someone who makes up his own mind and can decide for himself whom to associate with or not."
She half-jokingly added, "I trust you!"
Yuan Yunzhong simply "hmmed" nonchalantly, but the corners of his mouth kept curling up.
Jiyun saw this and chuckled secretly.
Only after they started dating did she realize that Yuan Yunzhong was somewhat clingy and had a particularly strong sense of pride, disliking others dictating to him.
Fortunately, Jiyun felt that since they were both adults, comfort in their interaction was most important; there was no need to trade comfort for compromise.
She smilingly changed the subject, saying, "Are you planning to barbecue on the mountain today? I saw some attendants carrying a basket with a stove in it."
Yuan Yunzhong smiled and said, "Xu Guangzeng sent me a couple of pieces of venison a few days ago, and I thought it would be great to roast them, so I invited you to the mountain."
It would be just right for digesting after our meal.
Jiyun thought it was quite nice.
However, once they arrived in the valley, seeing the tender yellow winter jasmine all over the mountains and the gurgling stream with the gigantic rock beside it, Yuan Yunzhong decided to roast the venison himself.
Getting hands-on was part of the charm between lovers.
Jiyun responded with pleasure.
The attendants started the fire, set up the grill, took out various seasonings, and then stepped aside.
Yuan Yunzhong took over the grilling.
Jiyun stood beside him, handing him the seasonings, and noticed he even had cumin powder and black pepper.
In this era, black pepper was as expensive as gold, and it was her first time seeing cumin.
She could not help but look at the cumin in the glazed porcelain bottle several times, saying, "Where did you get this wonderful spice? It’s perfect for grilling."
Yuan Yunzhong was somewhat surprised and said, "You recognize it. This is a kind of fennel that comes from Parthia. My maternal grandfather brought it back when he traveled to Gansu in his youth and planted several plants at home. I don’t know its effects, but it’s very aromatic for grilling. It can be considered a secret spice from my grandfather’s home."
Jiyun took a deep sniff and felt comforted by the familiar fragrance.
Yuan Yunzhong smiled and said, "Do you like it? I’ll have Wang Hua transplant a few plants for you. It’s just that Jiangxi might not be warm enough for them to flourish as well."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
