Chapter 9: Distant Village Intent

Luo Jinyan remembered the plum tree she had seen in the plum blossom, and then pointed to a pot of wax plum and a pot of hexagonal dahong, asking her two maids to send them to her father's house.

With a weary look in her eyes, Luo Jinyan's stepmother wanted to take her back, but Luo Jinyan shook her head and refused, walking back to her own boudoir.

As soon as she took off her shoes and got on the kang, the maids who had gone to deliver the flowers came back. Both of them were thirteen or fourteen years old, born into the family. Luo Jinyan didn't need to ask, she knew that the few people her father had picked for her were the most suitable for her in the family.

This was also the reason why she had doubts about Cui Qi at first sight. Her father would never send Cui Qi to meet her in the plum blossom.

Seeing them come back so quickly, Luo Jinyan asked, "Where are the flowers?"

The two maids looked at each other. They were usually very clever, but facing their speechless young lady, they were at a loss. It was the stepmother, who was standing aside, who smiled and said, "Miss, she's asking you a question. What are you standing there for?"

Thinking of the summer solstice they had seen today, the two maids couldn't help blushing. They quickly recounted what they had heard from the old master.

When they went to deliver the flowers, they happened to meet Luo Jianchang, Luo Jinyan's cousin, coming out of the old master Luo Shao's house. Then they saw Luo Shao's servant, Yanshan, hurrying to prepare the best Biluochun tea, and they learned that a distinguished guest had come to visit, and had already entered the manor.

Although her father was usually away, the Luo family was a wealthy household in Changping, and it was not uncommon for relatives and friends to come and visit. However, what surprised Luo Jinyan was the identity of the visitor.

The visitor who had come to inquire about Luo Shao's condition was the governor of Changping.

Luo Jinyan was astonished. Although the Luo family was a wealthy household in Changping, they had only produced one Jinshi so far, and compared to those scholarly families, they were at most considered local gentry. And although Luo Shao held an official position, he was only an unassigned county magistrate. If it had been the county magistrate of Changping who had come to visit, it would have been understandable, but for the governor to come in person was unexpected.

The matter of Huo Ying had already been settled, and her father's low official position, although affected, had not caused much of a stir. If it was a matter of court affairs, the governor of Changping would not need to visit in person. If it was for raising funds for bridge and road construction, it would have been sufficient to send the county magistrate. What other reason could there be?

Luo Jinyan had spoken a lot today. Her stepmother asked the maids to bring her loquat and pear syrup. She took a few sips, but her throat still felt dry and sore. She dared not speak again, so she used her fingers to write "paper and pen" on the table.

Her stepmother immediately understood and quickly brought ink and paper, and asked the young maid to grind the ink. She smiled and said to Luo Jinyan, "Miss, don't be upset. When Xia Zhi is done with her work, I will ask her to tell you about her daily habits."

Luo Jinyan nodded with a smile and wrote on the paper, "What is the governor's surname and given name, and where is he from?"

The governor was not the same as the county magistrate, and Luo Jinyan was worried that the ordinary servants might not know. But her stepmother explained in detail, "The governor of Changping is named Wang Yong, with the style name Chaoming. He was the second place scholar in Tongde five years ago, and he is from Ji'an Prefecture in Jiangxi. I heard that his poetry and prose are quite famous."

Her father had not only chosen people who were literate and knowledgeable, but also clever and intelligent. Luo Jinyan was very satisfied.

But the name Wang Chaoming still surprised her.

It turned out that Wang Chaoming had once been the governor of Changping.

Not only was Wang Chaoming's poetry and prose famous, but he was also known as the "Little Six of Luling" because he and the Song dynasty's Ouyang Xiu were both from Ji'an.

He had many outstanding works, but the most famous was the proclamation he wrote for the Prince Ning.

In the twenty-seventh year of Tongde, the Prince Ning, who was far away in Fujian, rebelled and led an army of fifty thousand to march towards the capital. At that time, Zhao Ji led two hundred thousand troops on a distant expedition to the Wala, and the Prime Minister Li Wenzhong assisted the fourth prince Zhao Xi in governing the country.

With the Prince Ning in turmoil, there was no capable general in the court, and the Fujian army advanced without encountering any resistance, achieving victory after victory. It took only three months for them to reach the capital, while the twenty thousand troops sent by Zhao Ji to reinforce were still on the way.

The capital was in urgent need of help.

When he learned that the young masters at the Western Mountain Camp were no match for the enemy, the eleven-year-old Zhao Xi burst into tears in the great hall, and several courtiers sighed deeply.

It was at that time that Qin Jue emerged, although he had not yet come of age.

Although Luo Jinyan had not experienced these events personally, she was familiar with them. Zhao Ji had personally told her about them.

After the Prince Ning was defeated, Wang Chaoming saw that the situation was lost and committed suicide. Zhao Ji was deeply resentful of the proclamation he had written and had Wang Chaoming's grave dug up to flog his corpse.

Now, there were still six years before the rebellion of Prince Ning.

And now, Wang Chaoming might have colluded with Prince Ning.

Thinking of this, Luo Jinyan shuddered.

She quickly wrote on the paper, "Go and ask Mr. Wang why he has come."

Inquiring about this matter was not difficult, but her stepmother was still worried about the maids and went to Luo Shao's courtyard herself.

After her stepmother left, Luo Jinyan picked up the book "Scenery of the Great Zhou" and glanced at it, but she couldn't concentrate. She kept thinking about the cruel methods the court had used to deal with the remnants of Prince Ning's rebellion in her previous life.

She decided to get off the kang. The maids were all at a loss, watching the seven-year-old Luo Jinyan pacing back and forth in the room with a serious expression.

Fortunately, the summer solstice has returned at this time.

She smiled and said to the two maids, "Sisters, please excuse us. I have something private to discuss with the young lady."

The two maids were surprised that Xia Zhi was dismissing them so openly. They looked at Luo Jinyan, who smiled and nodded at them, so they had no choice but to leave.

"Miss, the master has met with Lord Luo Jun, but has not summoned the seven brothers. Ming Lan personally went to the guest room to apologize to the seven brothers, saying that there was a distinguished guest visiting, and the master would personally thank the righteous gentlemen later. The maid gave a red envelope to the servant serving there. The servant told me that the seven brothers seemed to have a disagreement. The youngest, Seventh Brother, insisted on leaving, while the others tried to persuade him to stay."

"The maid took some snacks over, and when the seven brothers saw the maid coming in, some of them greeted her happily, but Seventh Brother had a cold expression and said, 'Who let you in? Get out!'"

"That attitude was just like that of a young master from a wealthy family. The maid felt it was not appropriate to stay longer, so she came to inform the young lady first."

Zhang Hantang is leaving?

Luo Jinyan said, "Let him go."

After speaking, she walked towards the door, and Xia Zhi quickly handed her a scarlet cloak.

As they left her courtyard and were about to reach Luo Shao's courtyard, they ran into Yuan Shan.

Luo Shao had two personal servants, Yuan Shan and Ming Lan.

Chang Guixi was walking not far behind Yuan Shan, apparently wanting to follow him without being noticed.

Luo Jinyan gestured, and Xia Zhi smiled and stopped Yuan Shan, "A distinguished guest has arrived at the manor. If you are not serving by the master's side, where are you trying to slack off?"

Yuan Shan and Ming Lan were both thirteen or fourteen years old, and had been with Luo Shao since childhood, growing up with Xia Zhi. They often joked with each other.

He was about to retort, but seeing Luo Jinyan nearby, he quickly saluted, guessing that Xia Zhi was sent by Luo Jinyan to inquire. In Xing Tang, if the young lady wanted to know something, the master never kept it from her.

He said, "Governor Wang's distant relative wants to stay at the manor for a few days. The master asked me to clean up the courtyard in the willow grove for that person to stay."

Xia Zhi was not familiar with the place when she first arrived at the manor, but when she heard the words "willow grove," she had a feeling that it was a remote place. She asked, "Where is the willow grove? It sounds like a very distant place. In the cold winter months, it seems like it would be all bare branches and fallen leaves. Since it's Governor Wang's relative, why not stay in a place with better scenery?"

To others, a maid questioning the master's arrangements was clearly improper, but Yuan Shan and Xia Zhi had grown up playing together, so when she asked, it didn't seem out of place.

Yuan Shan smiled and said, "Governor Wang's relative is reclusive and dislikes being disturbed. The master chose the quietest place and doesn't need anyone to serve, just daily meals delivered. The master said the quietest place in the manor is the willow grove. It's just that no one has lived there for many years, so it needs a good cleaning. Fortunately, that person won't move in for two days, so there's still time."