Yuan Yunzhong looked at Song Jiyun, his eyes sparkling like stars, and said, "If you return to the Capital City sooner, you can also wrap up this matter earlier! It would save us from Prince Ning’s hopping mad antics, which are just tiresome to behold."
As he spoke, he dragged out his sentence, his tone almost coquettish, striking directly at her heart and making it skip for a long while before she could compose herself.
Song Jiyun found the situation both amusing and exasperating.
She didn’t know she was still susceptible to this approach.
"Understood!" Her voice softened involuntarily as she whispered, "It will take me two to three months to tidy up the house here, but when you come back, you’ll be able to stay in the new house."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded and gave her many instructions, "Although Prince Ning’s people have left, just in case, wherever you go after I leave, take Wang Hua and Zheng Quan with you... Try to avoid sparsely populated areas... I have left a stack of name cards for you... Take care of your health, and don’t sleep too late... Don’t worry about the little one’s studies, I have assigned her two to three months’ worth of homework. If she gets impatient or can’t figure it out, she can ask Wang Hua. Wang Hua is also very good at math..."
Song Jiyun found the situation both amusing and exasperating.
He was treating her like a child.
But she also enjoyed this kind of care.
She nodded continuously "Mm-hmm" while casually helping him pack some small trinkets.
The two of them took turns speaking until the servant boy was about to light the lamps when Yuan Yunzhong finally left.
Madam Qian, accompanied by Song Jiyu and several others, saw him off, while Song Jixue even shed a few tears without mentioning them.
Song Jiyun escorted him to the dock.
The tall Auspicious Ship had already docked. Lord Wang and Xu Guangzeng among others would accompany him on the ship to Lake Entrance, then travel via Jiujiang to Nanchang, while Xu Guangzeng would return with him to the Capital City. Magistrate Jiang, Deng Chen, and others all came to see him off.
Yuan Yunzhong did not let Song Jiyun get off the carriage but instead helped adjust her cloak and could not help but hug her, whispering, "Wait for me to come back," before he lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage.
Song Jiyun leaned against the carriage window, watching him exchange pleasantries with the officials, board the ship, and watched as the ship moved away from the pier, gradually disappearing into the night, before she instructed the coachman to head back to the mansion.
She hadn’t expected Magistrate Jiang to come over and say, "Let’s go together."
Having his protection was undoubtedly safer.
Song Jiyun didn’t refuse, and their carriages proceeded to the county city one after another.
Magistrate Jiang escorted Song Jiyun to the gates of the Song Mansion before he departed. Afterwards, Deng Chen took good care of the Song family’s ships, properly taxing them and occasionally allowing them to proceed ahead of others.
Yinyu Hall suddenly felt empty, and Song Jiyun felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Fortunately, the Kiln Factory was busy.
She discussed with Chairman Ma and others, and they decided on several workshops and kiln factories that would produce new blue and white porcelain. The Imperial Kiln Factory, due to the case involving Prince Ning, had stopped producing porcelain for some time and resumed firing Imperial Porcelain in mid-April. This time, Eunuch Wan did not dare to set any rules of his own and completely followed the Manufacturing Office’s requirements, with part of it produced by the Imperial Kiln Factory itself and part outsourced to the major kiln factories in Jingde Town.
Song Jiyun and the Li Family Kiln Factory competed for the orders from the Imperial Kiln Factory.
With all this busyness, May arrived.
Yuan Yunzhong not only wrote to her but also sent someone to deliver two West Residence Begonias to her.
West Residence Begonia is also called Heartbreak Flower or Homesickness Grass, symbolizing missing, reminiscing, and reluctance to part.
The person carrying the message also said, "Please plant these two flowers next to the steps of the main hall of the new house, as per Boss Song’s request."
Song Jiyun thanked him with a smile, had Zheng Quan and others accompany him down, and then admired the begonia flowers for a while before she opened the letter.
This was already the sixteenth letter she had received.
Yuan Yunzhong would write to her whenever he thought of her, regardless of whether she had replied or not.
From when he set off, to his sighting of someone flying a kite at Lake Entrance recalling the first gift he had bought for her, to the dish of mashed garlic and eggs he had in Anqing, and the tea he bought for her as he passed through Chizhou, his daily letters and gifts were never-ending.
The two West Residence Begonias had been dug up at his maternal grandfather’s residence. He had reached the Capital City and had reported their marriage plans to his maternal grandfather, Master Jinghu. Master Jinghu was very curious about her and had sent them a pair of Jade Ruyi.
Yuan Yunzhong also wrote in the letter, "When I return, I will personally hang it on your lapel."
Song Jiyun suspected it was the kind of very small Jade Ruyi used as an ornament.
However, he did not mention his parents. She guessed that it was either because his parents disapproved or Yuan Yunzhong had used some strategy, planning to persuade Master Jinghu first before telling his parents, breaking through the obstacles one by one.
Regardless of the situation, so long as it achieved the desired result, it was acceptable.
Song Jiyun did not expect his parents to readily agree without even having met her.
She returned to her room to write a reply to him and then racked her brain to think of a gift to send him.
Compared to Yuan Yunzhong’s romantic gestures, she was much more boring.
Not only did she not know what gift would be suitable to send, but her replies were also dry and all about porcelain crafting or planning how to craft porcelain. Sometimes, Song Jiyun felt that if her letters to him were collected, they could make a book on porcelain crafting.
She just didn’t know if there were collections like "Family Letter" in this era. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Song Jiyun still went to the storage room to pick two porcelain ornaments and sent them to Yuan Yunzhong along with her letter. She took the two West Residence Begonias to the new house.
Wang Hua was there supervising the house’s repair.
The walls had been re-plastered, and the wooden elements requiring paint had already been repainted. The furnishings were all new, yet the house still lacked a lived-in feel.
Wang Hua, planting the two West Residence Begonias with her, said, "The bedding and curtains have been purchased and will be sent from Nanjing in a few days. The young master specifically asked the butler there to open up a warehouse, so antiques, tin pots, porcelain, and others will also be sent here. When you visit next, see what else is missing and I will acquire it immediately."
Song Jiyun, laughing, said, "Everything else is fine, but why even bring porcelain here? What is this place? This is Jingde Town."
Having porcelain sent from Nanjing was like shooting oneself in the foot.
Yet, Wang Hua laughed, "Indeed, that’s what I said. But the young master is concerned and confused. He says that it’s his private collection, and especially those pieces of porcelain, he insisted they must be handed to you. You would certainly like them."
Song Jiyun curiously asked, "What kind of porcelain is it?"
Wang Hua laughed, "Two Ru Kiln vases, several Ge Kiln incense burners, a few Jun Kiln teapots, and some Jian Cups, almost about ten pieces in total. The young master said, he sent them for you to enjoy, knowing you like these things."
Song Jiyun blushed.
Although her family crafted porcelain, they didn’t have a collection as extensive as Yuan Yunzhong’s.
She expressed her thanks to Wang Hua, "Thank you for the trouble."
Wang Hua smiled, "You are too polite. We are merely following the young master’s instructions."
As they were speaking, Zheng Quan ran over, panting, and said, "Miss, you must hurry back home. A sudden imperial decree has come from the Capital City, calling you to enter the palace."
Song Jiyun and Wang Hua were shocked, with Wang Hua stepping in front of Song Jiyun, "An imperial decree? Where did this decree come from? Who announced it? Did they mention what it’s about?"
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