Chapter 19 : Bold and Audacious Xue Qingyin!

Jin Xiang was in his thirties, with a beard and a face that looked simple and honest. If not for the prominent beard, he would be hard to pick out in a crowd.

When he saw Xue Qingyin, he immediately bowed: “The young master has already given his instructions, young lady, just feel free to give me any orders.”

But he thought to himself, afraid that the young lady wouldn’t even know how to give orders.

Running a business wasn’t that simple.

Since she was young, she had never learned it, and now she was supposed to take on such a big task. He didn’t look down on her, but this situation… it was bound to fail!

Forget it, he thought, it’s just like playing house. Just serve her well.

Having reassured himself, Jin Xiang personally drove the carriage and took Xue Qingyin out to the outskirts of the city.

Once they left the city, Xue Qingyin rolled up the curtain and breathed in the fresh air outside.

Madam Xue glared at her several times, worried she might catch a cold.

“What’s that?” Xue Qingyin suddenly asked.

She saw a black cloth from afar. No, to be precise, it looked like clusters of black mushrooms, settled in one place.

It was too far to see clearly.

“That’s the encampment of the Xuanwu Army,” Jin Xiang replied.

“Xuanwu Army?”

“It’s the royal guard of King Xuan,” Jin Xiang explained with a smile. “Another thirty miles ahead is the encampment of the Xuanwu Army. The Xuanwu Army is the elite force of King Xuan.”

Xue Qingyin nodded.

She had seen a lot of things in the past and knew a little about the rules of the ancient world.

For example, when a general returns, the army is not allowed to enter the capital directly. After all, if such a huge army marches into the city, no one would know if they were victorious and returning or planning a rebellion.

So, they would camp outside the city, either near the mountains or near the fields.

Since the Han Dynasty, they would typically camp near the fields. During wartime, they would pick up weapons and fight, and in peacetime, they would put down their weapons and farm.

The further they traveled, the more Jin Xiang’s scalp tingled.

Xue Qingyin noticed his strange expression and asked, “Jin Shopkeeper, what’s wrong?”

Jin Xiang awkwardly replied, “It’s just that I haven’t been to the country estates in a while, and as we approach, it seems we’re getting closer to the encampment.”

Xue Qingyin pointed to the road and said, “Isn’t the encampment over there?”

“Yes, but once we enter this path, we’ll have to turn and head in that direction,” Jin Xiang paused and added, “Should we come back another day?”

Xue Qingyin was puzzled.

Is there something so scary about being neighbors with the encampment?

“It’s fine, let’s keep going,” Xue Qingyin said.

Madam Xue nodded silently behind her. Yes, it’s good for the young lady to see more of the world. How could she grow up with such a composed manner if she was kept hidden away all the time?

The carriage continued for another half hour before finally stopping in front of an estate.

Behind the estate were mountains and forests.

In front of it were fields.

The Xuanwu Army’s encampment was still about two miles away.

But despite that, Jin Xiang’s forehead was visibly sweating more.

“Master Jin ? Is that you?” A servant waiting at the estate’s gate quickly ran inside to report.

Jin Xiang felt a little awkward.

What kind of master was he in front of these two?

A moment later, a middle-aged man came out, followed by several servants and maids.

In total, there were about ten people.

“This is the madam, and this is the young lady of the house,” Jin Xiang wiped his forehead and said in a low voice.

A woman rubbed her hands awkwardly, saluted quickly, and said: “The last time I saw Madam bring the eldest daughter to the farm was three or four years ago. In the blink of an eye, she has grown into this appearance, I can’t recognize her. After all, she is your noble lady.” The woman was very attentive, but Madam Xue’s expression remained indifferent, even showing a hint of impatience.

Before she could speak, a servant trembled and shouted, “They’re here… They’re coming again…”

Jin Xiang was confused. “What’s coming?”

Just then, everyone turned to see a young general in armor, leading several soldiers toward them.

Jin Xiang’s expression changed, and he sternly asked, “Speak clearly! What’s going on? Did we offend the military leader?”

“Well… there was a bit of a dispute…” the middle-aged man stammered.

Jin Xiang sneered, “You dare to withhold the truth even in front of the host? How will you explain this later?”

The middle-aged man quickly said, “It’s because the land at the Liu Family Estate had been left fallow for some time. We saw it was a waste and thought to buy it.”

Jin Xiang pursed his lips. “I know about this. What happened afterward?”

“Later… the Liu Family Estate refused to sell and mocked us, saying they’d rather let the land remain barren than sell it to us.”

Madam Xue sneered, “Why all the hesitation? What’s the matter with this nonsense?”

The middle-aged man fell to his knees, saying, “It was my underlings who had the audacity to block the water channels when they saw the land was being farmed again. They didn’t realize that the land was being used by the Xuanwu Army…”

The “water channel” referred to irrigation routes. Blocking someone’s water channel was a very rude offense.

And the worst part was that the water channel was blocked right at the Xuanwu Army’s camp!

Jin Xiang almost collapsed in shock.

“You… you…” He gritted his teeth.

No wonder there had only been one servant outside. They were trying to avoid the Xuanwu Army.

Madam Xue also looked troubled.

At this moment, the young general and his soldiers had already arrived in front of them.

“Did you open the gates today?” the young general scoffed.

The estate’s people immediately knelt, shouting, “Greetings, military leader!”

Xue Qingyin: …

Madam Xue gently squeezed her wrist, trying to comfort her. Then, with a composed tone, she turned to the young general and politely asked, “May I ask who you are?”

“I’m Du Hongxue, Chief General of the Xuanwu Army under King Xuan,” the young general answered courteously. “May I ask who you are?”

Everyone was secretly impressed—such a young man as the chief general? He must be quite impressive.

The estate’s people became even more nervous.

“Madam Xue, the wife of the Minister of the Household,” Madam Xue answered.

Before she could speak further, the young general suddenly brightened and looked at Xue Qingyin, saying, “Is this… Miss Xue?! I didn’t recognize you with the veil on!”

Everyone was stunned.

…Do they know each other?

Even Madam Xue was taken aback.

Xue Qingyin was equally confused. Did they meet before?

The young general took a step forward and asked, “Miss Xue, is your health better? That day…”

Then he stopped himself, realizing it was not appropriate to mention that.

“The day…?” Madam Xue interjected.

Xue Qingyin quickly recalled where she had met him.

It was the day she had been flying a kite.

She had been dizzy and hadn’t seen him, but he had been following King Xuan. He must have seen her.

“Ah, yes!” The young general quickly agreed, afraid of saying something inappropriate and damaging the young lady’s reputation.

Madam Xue relaxed. It all made sense now.

The estate’s people also sighed in relief.

Since the young lady knew them, the issue might be settled more lightly, right?

But thinking more carefully, it didn’t seem like they truly knew each other—at best, it was just a brief acquaintance…

The estate’s people were nervous, not knowing what to think.

Meanwhile, Xue Qingyin naturally took over the conversation with the young general.

She asked, “Is King Xuan near here as well?”

“Yes, he is inspecting the army today,” the young general replied. Then, he pointed toward the estate’s mountain and asked, “Is this land yours?”

Xue Qingyin nodded.

“I heard there’s a horse farm on the mountain…”

“Yes.”

“There’s no place for the soldiers to ride around here. It would be great to have a nearby place where they can stretch their legs. If it’s convenient, Miss Xue,  please send someone to take us up to have a look…”

The middle-aged man standing aside wanted to agree immediately.

It is such an honor for the Xuanwu Army to borrow the horse farm!

If these gentlemen can be coaxed, the previous mistakes will naturally be written off, right?

“Do you have to come here every day?” Xue Qingyin’s voice sounded.

“If it is spacious enough, of course we will come here every day.”

“Then how much silver will you give?”

Jin Xiang:!

Zhuangzi people: ! !

They almost fainted.

How dare you ask His Royal Highness Xuan Wang for money?

The young general was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said: “I don’t have much experience in this, why don’t you ask Miss Xue to tell me a price?”

Xue Qingyin also had no experience.

She only vaguely remembered that in the Song Dynasty, one hundred coins could be exchanged for about one dou of rice, and one tael of silver was equivalent to about two thousand coins.

So she randomly called out a price: “Five hundred taels.”

More or less?

Xue Qingyin turned to look at the expressions of others.

Okay.

One by one, they were stunned, with ugly faces and sweating profusely.

Okay, she knows…

She called too much.

How could Xue Qingyin know that for others, she shouldn’t ask for a penny!

The young general smiled: “Five hundred taels is not much, but I have to go back and report it first.” His

Royal Highness Xuan Wang received a lot of rewards every year.

Other princes and nobles had at least seven or eight concubines. On weekdays, buying rouge, powder, red hairpins and silver rings for their concubines would cost seventy or eighty taels.

What about His Royal Highness King Xuan? Not to mention concubines, he doesn’t even have a maid. That money is really hard to spend!