The Young Madam of the An family was carried all the way to the carriage by An Yongyuan.

His strength was astonishing, rivaled only by Feng Shuo in the military.

There was no way she could break free from his grasp.

All the resentment and bitterness she had been holding back for days came pouring out, and she sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder.

As soon as they were in the carriage, she spoke, her voice choked with emotion: “Since the general neither trusts me nor wants to see me, why come here at all today? Why not let me die in that lake and preserve the An family’s honor?”

An Yongyuan held her firmly, in a way that allowed no struggle, his jaw tense with what looked like suppressed anger.

He ordered the coachman in a low voice, “Take us home.”

The two were still at odds, and Madam An’s maid, fearing to intrude, sat outside the carriage with the coachman.

The carriage traveled down a muddy road as the young Madam continued to struggle, but Yongyuan easily restrained her.

His scarred face looked menacing, with bloodshot eyes that dared no one to look directly at him. “Stop fussing,” he ordered.

She looked at his familiar face, her tears streaming down: “Does the general think I’m just putting on a show? You don’t want to see me; you didn’t even come back for Grandmother’s birthday. In this life, I was born without a choice, became an entertainer without a choice, was bought without a choice. If the general had not saved me back then, I would have taken my life, and it would have been over.”

“I owe the general a great debt, and I will remember his kindness for the rest of my life. If he despises me, I know my lowly status and would not dare to complain. But I’ve truly done nothing to wrong him. Call me ungrateful or shameless if you like, but I just want a simple life with him. The only connection I have with the Lu family is a single letter. I want to cut ties with them for good…”

As she poured out her heart, she didn’t dare pause, afraid that Yongyuan would become impatient and leave before she finished. “I’m a living person who knows who treats me well. I am selfish enough to want to spend my life with you, to be a good wife, and raise children…”

Thinking of the child she lost, she instinctively touched her flat stomach, and her tears flowed even more.

“I know I’ve acted foolishly today, but today is the only chance I have to see you. After today, seeing you even once will be impossible. At first, I just wanted to find a way to see you and speak honestly. But when I was standing by the lake, I thought I might as well just jump in. I’ve had enough good fortune since I married you, and I should be content. When I’m gone, you can marry a fine woman and live a peaceful life…”

Before she could finish, Yongyuan covered her mouth forcefully.

His grip was strong, and it hurt her.

His eyes were bloodshot, like those of a raging beast.

Every word she said was like a knife cutting into him.

“If I had known you were associated with the Lu family,” he said, “I would never have stopped you from ending your life after you were taken from the bandits.”

Upon hearing this, she shuddered, her face pale with despair.

He still wouldn’t forgive her or believe her; he thought their initial encounter with the bandits was just a ploy to get close to him.

Her heart grew numb from the pain. Yongyuan carefully wiped her tears away, his calloused fingers rough against her cheeks, but she said nothing, her tears still streaming down like broken beads.

She remembered how, when he had rescued her from the bandits and stopped her from taking her life, he had said, “An looks ugly and it’s hard to find a wife. If you don’t mind, you could marry me.”

Now it seemed like all their misfortune had stemmed from that moment.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she forced a bitter smile. “It is I who have wronged you.”

Yongyuan held her tightly, his scar looking even more menacing as his muscles tensed. “But there’s no going back, Yunniang. You are now the wife of An Yongyuan.”

Though her tears had dried up, she choked up at those words, “the wife of An Yongyuan.”

Yongyuan brushed away the last of her tears. “I was wrong before, but there’s still a long way to go, Yunniang. Let’s live our lives well from now on.”

---

Jiang Yanyi and her party, fearing something had gone wrong, hurried their carriage to catch up with the An family’s.

At a crossroad, they spotted Madam An’s maid.

The maid was shivering by the side of the road, stamping her feet to keep warm.

Seeing their carriage, she broke into a smile. “Miss Chu, I was waiting for you!”

Jiang Yanyi lifted the curtain and asked, “Why are you alone here? Where is your mistress?”

The maid, though shivering from the cold, smiled warmly, “The general has taken the mistress home and asked me to thank you. He said he will visit you another day.”

Both Chu Shubao and Chu Jiabao had been worried, but hearing this, they popped their heads out of the curtain and asked the maid, “Are your mistress and the general reconciled?”

The maid nodded happily.

Chu Shubao clasped her hands together in relief. “Thank the heavens! A happy ending for all!”

Relieved by this, Jiang Yanyi invited the maid into their carriage to take her back to town.

The maid hesitated but finally accepted after expressing her thanks.

On the opening day of the Ruyi Pavilion, despite a few unexpected incidents, things turned out well, and business was booming.

Jiang Yanyi, who had only known what it meant to spend money, now understood what it meant to “earn money like flowing water.”

The ground floor of the pavilion was always packed for banquets, and the second floor was often fully booked as well.

As word spread, even the third floor was arranged with tables to accommodate the demand.

Madam An, with few friends in Xizhou, often came to see Jiang Yanyi at Ruyi Pavilion after the kindness shown to her last time.

Jiang Yanyi learned from others that An Yongyuan, while Lady An was recuperating, had taken the opportunity to reorganize the An family estate inside and out, promoting many of his trusted aides.

Now, the entire household staff was aware of the master’s stance, and no one dared to slight the young Madam An.

However, Lady An still occasionally found ways to make things difficult for her daughter-in-law, even going so far as to insist that the young Madam An wash her bedding in cold water during the bitter winter.

Although the Young Madam An was gentle by nature, she had her own clever tactics. After washing the bedding, she fell severely ill.

When An Yongyuan returned to find his wife bedridden, he was furious.

He ordered that Madam An, due to her previous health issues from a near-drowning incident, should no longer serve Lady An directly or even perform her daily morning and evening greetings.

This infuriated Lady An even more.

Chu Shubao and her sisters, upon hearing these family stories, occasionally remarked that while An Yongyuan seemed fierce, he was genuinely caring.

They hoped to one day find husbands as protective as him.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the Laba Festival.

The saying goes, “After Laba, the New Year is near,” and vendors began selling New Year goods everywhere.

The Xizhou government announced that from Laba until the Lantern Festival, three large pots of congee would be distributed daily in the south of the city.

Jiang Yanyi’s plan had worked: as more people praised Feng Shuo, others joined in.

Refugees from the south recounted tales of hardship and devastation, contrasting with Xizhou, where the poor could still receive government aid and enjoy a stable New Year.

Word of Feng Shuo’s goodwill spread among the people like wildfire.

However, this led to an influx of refugees. Despite strict entry controls, Xizhou’s population continued to grow.

Supplies in Xizhou were already tight, relying on supplies shipped via water routes from Yuzhou.

But with Fan Wei and Prince Xinyang at odds in the south, the court began directing its military focus on Yuzhou and its downstream grain routes.

Though there were no clear signs in Xizhou, Jiang Yanyi felt that war was closing in.

Feng Shuo, deep in strategic discussions with his advisors, hadn’t been home in days.

Meanwhile, Yanyi’s businesses in the Ruyi House and noodle shop flourished beyond her expectations.

Instant noodles were selling exceptionally well in the outlying regions, and Ding Shao suggested expanding the noodle shop. Yanyi, however, decided against it.

Chu Changping hinted that the government would soon impose stricter controls on food imports.

Any grain brought into the city could only be sold to residents and not traded externally.

The issue was that Xizhou’s economy relied on Feng Shuo’s other two territories, Yuzhou and Hengzhou, for food and funds.

As the war dragged on, expenses piled up.

Competing with the imperial treasury, Feng Shuo had to hold Xizhou instead of directly challenging the court.

Prince Xinyang and Fan Wei, being more ruthless, resorted to pillaging when resources ran low.

Feng Shuo could not take that approach.

Jiang Yanyi pondered for days but couldn’t devise a profitable plan.

Aunt Guo noticed her worry and tried to console her. “Leave the war strategies to the advisors around the prince. Don’t exhaust yourself.”

Jiang Yanyi sighed, “I can’t take big orders if I can’t sell outside the city. Auntie, what kind of business could make a fortune here in Xizhou?”

Amused, Aunt Guo replied, “With poor farmland and lack of winter feed for livestock, you’d need someone willing to buy the dirt to make a fortune here.”

The comment struck Yanyi like a wake-up call.

She lifted a beautifully glazed porcelain bowl on the table, her face lighting up. “That’s it! Xizhou has porcelain kilns. While we can’t trade grain, we can trade porcelain!”

Even if they couldn’t sell south, they could export to smaller northern kingdoms, creating an economic chain to supply both money and food.

Xizhou could then sustain itself without relying on Yuzhou and Hengzhou, rendering the court’s control over Yuzhou’s grain route ineffective.

That very day, Yanyi shared her idea with Feng Shuo.

Stacks of documents cluttered Feng Shuo’s desk.

He looked exhausted, clearly lacking rest.

“Good idea, but time is against us,” Feng Shuo remarked, leaning back in his chair.

He playfully pulled Jiang Yanyi onto his lap, appearing more relaxed than usual.

Jiang Yanyi kept glancing toward the partially open door. “Be serious! I came to talk about business.”

Feng Shuo nestled his head against her shoulder and gently nuzzled her neck. “Just holding you for a moment—is that not serious?”

His cold nose made her flinch, gripping his robe tightly. “Stop it.”

Seeing her reaction, Feng Shuo’s eyes darkened as he tightened his hold on her waist, murmuring in a husky tone, “You’re something else.”