Chapter 45

Chapter 45

When Liu Wushi learned that Xie Yiguan had been appointed as the inspector of the Jiangnan Waterways, his right eyelid twitched several times.

Guo Laidong informed him, "The Cui family has sent word that these two inspectors will be going to Jiangnan with us."

Liu Wushi rubbed his temples in understanding. However unwilling he was, the Liu family could not directly defy the imperial decree on the surface, and it was all but certain that Xie Yiguan would follow the fleet south.

His only hope was that Xie Yiguan was not as formidable as the legends claimed and would not recognize him as Liu Jiuniang.

He also recalled how the emperor had brazenly extorted him twice, knowing he would have to silently accept the loss, and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

This time, he was curious to see what other schemes the emperor had in mind.

On the other side, as Su Yu just left the palace, she received a system notification that Liu Wushi's favorability toward her had dropped by 5 points again.

Unlike the system's noisy alerts, Su Yu remained calm, unconcerned by the mounting debts. If given the chance, she wouldn't mind exploiting Liu Wushi again.

The route from the capital to the Jiangnan waterways began at the Wannian County dock on the Wei River waterway, south of the capital.

Strictly speaking, the capital and Jiangnan were not connected by waterways. The Wei River and Jiangnan's Yangtze River and Qiantang River were originally not connected until the last tyrant of the previous dynasty mobilized the entire nation's resources to link and widen the canals from previous dynasties, allowing large ships to pass. After the fall of the previous dynasty, this Grand Canal benefited the Great Qi. The rapid commercial growth in the early years of Great Qi was partly thanks to the improved transportation.

Now, the Liu family had upgraded their ships, and the water journey from the capital to Qiantang in Jiangnan took only half a month, far quicker than overland travel.

The Liu family's ship was departing at the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), a specially chosen auspicious time.

The distance from the palace to the Wannian County dock wasn't great. It took less than an hour by carriage. Su Yu first went to the Xie residence to meet Xie Yiguan and then headed to the dock together.

As it was considered a long business trip, Xie Yiguan had prepared a carriage with a full load of things. His younger sister, Xie Yixin, also wanted to join the fun, but her brother's carriage was packed to the brim.

Su Yu looked at the items in Xie Yiguan's carriage and felt somewhat speechless. Going on a long trip with so many boxes of books—didn't Xie Yiguan find it heavy?

"Naturally, I don't," Xie Yiguan said. "A determined person cherishes every year, a wise person cherishes every day, and a saint cherishes every moment. With so much free time on the ship, one should read books." Saying this, he handed a book to Su Yu, "This one is very suitable for my cousin. If you have time, you can take a look."

Su Yu glanced down and saw that it was an introduction to the Three Towns of Hebei, which included the Weibo town that was most likely to rebel in two years.

There were many large and small fiefdoms in the Great Qi. These fiefdoms were initially established as military towns to resist foreign invasions. However, due to the central court's decline, the highest officials of the fiefdoms, the Military Governors, had gained increasing power and became less obedient. The strongest and most disobedient of these were the Three Towns of Hebei.

It could be said that if the central court were to regain strength and make the fiefdoms obedient again, they would have to make an example of the Three Towns of Hebei.

Su Yu looked up at Xie Yiguan, who lowered his eyes and didn't say much. She chuckled softly, accepted the book, and didn't say much more.

"My cousin's carriage is empty. Why don't I..." Xie Yixin, having heard that the merchant ships of the Liu family were much larger than ordinary boats, was eager to see them for herself. So, she boldly suggested sharing Su Yu's carriage.

Before she could finish, Xie Yiguan cut her off, "You will ride in your own carriage. I will share the carriage with my cousin."

Although he believed Su Yu wouldn't make a move on his sister, Su Yu was charming and eloquent. If he were a woman, he might fall for Su Yu. Therefore, he had to be cautious and prevent his sister from developing feelings for Su Yu.

Su Yu clicked her tongue lightly, "Your carriage is full of boxes and can't seat anyone. It's better for your sister to ride with us."

She was interested in learning about Xie Yixin's management of the embroidery workshop and chatted casually for a bit. She gave Xie Yiguan a meaningful look, thinking it was more important to cancel his sister's arranged marriage than to keep her from getting involved.

Xie Yixin readily agreed. Although she had become more composed recently, she was still a young lady who had just passed her coming-of-age ceremony. She was eager to show the emperor the results of her management of the embroidery workshop.

Xie Yiguan sighed internally, feeling like the only one in the wrong.

Once on the carriage, Su Yu didn't speak, and Xie Yixin held back, afraid that Su Yu would think she wasn't steady enough. When Su Yu finally asked her with a smile, Xie Yixin breathed a sigh of relief and began pouring out everything about the current operations of the Jinmeng Pavilion and her ten-year plan.

Xie Yiguan finally understood why Yu Chiyi often covered his eyes when dealing with Yu Chiyou. At this moment, he also wanted to cover his eyes, finding it unbearable to watch.

Fortunately, Su Yu listened to Xie Yixin with great patience and praised her, "My cousin is putting in a tremendous amount of effort and doing a great job."

After the compliment, Su Yu pointed out the areas where Xie Yixin still needed improvement and where her plans had flaws, advising her on how to adjust and improve before she returned.

Xie Yixin gazed at Su Yu, her almond-shaped eyes full of admiration.

Su Yu paused for a moment and slightly reflected that, as she was currently presenting herself as a man, it was inappropriate to behave this way with a young girl.

So she put on a serious expression and said sternly, "I will only teach this once."

Xie Yiguan, however, looked up to her even more and nodded heavily, "Rest assured, cousin! If even this method doesn't work, I might as well hang myself from the southeastern branches!"

Su Yu: "..." No need, really.

She turned her head away and met Xie Yiguan's complex look.

Su Yu: "?"

Xie Yiguan chuckled softly, "I've never seen you be so patient with me before."

He had thought that Su Yu only knew how to set traps and bury people, but it turned out she could also teach with such patience and care, which was quite an eye-opener for him.

Su Yu smiled and said, "That's because cousin and I are of one mind, and there's no need for me to say much for you to know what I want."

Xie Yiguan: "..."

"Brother, why is your face red?" Xie Yixin asked curiously upon seeing a hint of red on Xie Yiguan's fair face.

Xie Yiguan: "...It's nothing, just a little stuffy in the carriage. The carriage has stopped, so we should be here. I'll get off and check the situation first."

Xie Yiguan moved quicker than usual, lifted the carriage curtain, and jumped down. He first saw Wang Mo, who was also a Jiangnan Waterways Inspector.

Wang Mo had previously been a Hanlin scholar without rank and was appointed as the Jiangnan Waterways Inspector. At the same time, Su Yu informally gave him a fifth-rank official position. His rank was lower than Xie Yiguan's, so it was only natural that he arrived early. However, not far from him stood Cui Xuan.

Xie Yiguan hurriedly went forward to pay his respects, "I didn't know Premier Cui would come."

Cui Xuan was not dressed in official robes but in a dark blue wide-sleeved robe. The wind from the dock blew his headgear and sleeves, exuding an aloof and distant air.

He nodded in response to Xie Yiguan, "Inspector Xie, no need for such formalities. I'm here representing the Cui family."

Since the Cui family had also invested in the fleet and this was the inspector's first voyage, Cui Xuan came to see them off to show the importance the Cui family placed on this voyage.

He turned his head slightly and, as expected, saw Su Yu's carriage. He naturally walked towards it, intending to greet Su Yu, only to find a young girl behind her.

Su Yu, taller than Xie Yixin, easily jumped down from the carriage. Xie Yixin, of course, couldn't just jump down like Su Yu had without losing some of her dignity. Even with a horse stool, she still wobbled a bit. Su Yu extended her hand to help her steady herself as she dismounted.

Xie Yixin, her face slightly flushed, softly thanked Su Yu.

Su Yu wore a gentle smile.

Their beauty was beyond description.

Today, Su Yu was once again wearing a crimson robe. Coincidentally, Xie Yixin was also dressed in a crimson ru skirt. The handsome young man's long hair, casually tied into a ponytail, fluttered in the wind, along with the long hair ribbons on the girl's double braids.

From afar, it was as if two vivid red strokes had been added to a masterful ink painting, like the tender and lingering affection of youth.

Wang Mo had been appointed in the Hanlin Academy and had not seen the emperor since. Not knowing that Su Yu was the emperor, he couldn't help but admire, "What a beautiful pair, like figures in a painting."

Xie Yiguan and Cui Xuan almost spoke in unison: "Watch your words!"

Wang Mo looked bewildered, unsure what he had said wrong. He sought help from the relatively amiable Xie Yiguan.

Xie Yiguan said calmly, "That is my male cousin and my younger sister."

Wang Mo, knowing that the young lady of the Xie family was already betrothed to Pei Shisi, quickly added, "I misspoke just now, Zhi Wei, please don't take it to heart..."

Hold on! Xie Yiguan's cousin!

He jerked his head up, and Cui Xuan was already standing next to Su Yu. He wasn't imagining it. The distant Cui Xuan had actually reached out to fix Su Yu's messy hair! So the rumor was true after all!

Xie Yixin recognized Cui Xuan and, seeing him reach for Su Yu, instinctively stepped in to protect her.

Cui Xuan glanced at her lightly.

Su Yu, however, placed Xie Yixin behind her and greeted Cui Xuan with a smile, "Xing Jian."

Cui Xuan lowered his eyes and saw as their sleeves bumped together. The proximity was uncomfortably close, and it made him feel uneasy...

He raised his hand to fix Su Yu's ponytail and said expressionlessly, "Is there no one to properly tie your hair?"

Su Yu laughed it off, "I don't like being served by others. I usually just tie it up haphazardly. Oh, right, Zhi Wei helped me tie it once. His skill was quite good."

Cui Xuan: "..." That makes it sound even weirder.

He stepped back two paces, tugging at Su Yu's sleeve, saying, "Your sleeve is wrinkled."

Su Yu: "..."

As he tugged her sleeve, Su Yu was forced to take two steps forward.

Cui Xuan stepped back again, no longer seeing their sleeves overlapping, which made him feel considerably better.

Xie Yixin: "..." What a strange guy! The noble ladies actually described Cui Xuan as a cold, unapproachable man!

Wang Mo quietly looked over at Xie Yiguan.

Xie Yiguan furrowed his brow slightly. When did the emperor and Cui Xuan become so close?

He returned to Su Yu's side, subtly separating her from Cui Xuan, and introduced Su Yu and Xie Yixin to Cui Xuan with a smile.

Cui Xuan said indifferently, "I've met Su Da several times. Has Xie the inspector forgotten?"

Xie Yiguan wasn't annoyed, "Perhaps with age, my memory has grown a bit foggy."

Cui Xuan, being the same age, "..."

Xie Yiguan smiled and looked back at Su Yu, narrowing his gaze. Su Yu and Xie Yixin stood too close, so he silently shifted positions again to separate them. However, this left no barrier between Su Yu and Cui Xuan... Well, Cui Xuan probably didn't have a preference for men. He'd better ensure his younger sister kept her distance from Su Yu.

It was rare for Xie Yixin to see such a "conflicted" expression on her brother's face. She looked at Cui Xuan, then at Su Yu, and then reproachfully at Xie Yiguan. How could he let the emperor face Cui Xuan, such a strange man?

So, she shifted again, blocking Su Yu.

Xie Yiguan: "..." Well, that was pointless!

Cui Xuan: "..." Could it be that the Xie siblings also believed the rumors outside? How ridiculous.

He softly hummed and stepped back a few paces, keeping a distance of two arms' length from Xie Yixin.

Wang Mo stood in place, hesitating whether to step forward. Forget it, he decided to find Liu Wushi first; the atmosphere here felt strangely off.

He called out to Premier Cui and Xie Yiguan from a distance before hastily boarding the lead ship as if fleeing.

Liu Wushi had arrived early. He had already met Premier Cui and Wang Mo at the dock. Though he knew he would eventually have to face Xie Yiguan, he instinctively avoided him, citing that he still had matters to instruct the ship stewards about, and boarded the ship first.

Seeing Wang Mo, he stepped forward with a smile, "Inspector Wang, there's still an hour before the auspicious time for departure. You can inspect the conditions of the other ships. By the way, has Inspector Xie not arrived yet?"

"He did arrive," Wang Mo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Premier Cui and Inspector Xie are both at the dock. Ahem... Inspector Xie's sister and his cousin are there to see him off. They're talking on the shore right now."

Liu Wushi caught the word "cousin" and subconsciously clenched his fist, frowning with a hint of jealousy, "Inspector Xie's cousin seems quite attached to him, coming all the way to see him off."

What’s so special about seeing a man off on a boat?

"Cough—" Wang Mo coughed heavily, "That... it might not be because he's attached to Inspector Xie. There could be someone else."

Liu Wushi immediately asked, "Who is it?"

Wang Mo whispered, "Hasn't Lord Liu been keeping up with the recent gossip in the city?"

Liu Wushi noticed the ambiguous look on Wang Mo's face and felt his right eyelid twitch twice. He just smiled and shook his head, then said to Wang Mo, "There's something I need to arrange in the cabin. I'll be right back."

He immediately turned and entered the cabin, grabbing Guo Laidong, who was busy working, "What's been going around in the capital recently?"

Seeing Guo Laidong's puzzled expression, he added, "About Inspector Xie's cousin!"

Guo Laidong thought for a moment and suddenly realized, "You mean that rumor! I mentioned it to you before, but you seemed distracted, and I thought you weren't interested."

He glanced around and then whispered in Liu Wushi's ear, "Recently, it's been rumored in the capital that Premier Cui has a fondness for young men."

Liu Wushi furrowed his brow tightly. "This rumor has been circulating for a while, hasn't it? I need to know about the one related to Cousin Xie Zhiwei."

Guo Laidong recalled how Liu Wushi had once chased someone for ten streets and hesitated. "The rumor is about Premier Cui and a cousin from the Xie family being intimate. Someone caught the two of them behaving intimately... I remember you said back then that it wasn't a male cousin, but a female one." He continued, "Does that mean the Cui and Xie families are planning to arrange a marriage? But that doesn't add up either, as the head of the Cui family wouldn't marry outside the five prestigious families. Could it be that the Xie family plans to send their cousin as a concubine to the Cui family? That would be disgraceful."

It was hard to imagine that the Xie family, a scholarly family, would send their cousin as a concubine just to curry favor with a prestigious family.

Guo Laidong sighed. However, matters between prestigious families and civil servants were not something merchants like them could meddle in. "Young Master, from now on, you should avoid this Xie family cousin. Our Liu family's business doesn't need this kind of attention..."

Halfway through, he looked up to see that Liu Wushi had already headed outside, leaving only his back for Guo Laidong to see.

Guo Laidong: "..." Who was it that had firmly insisted on gathering information back then?

Wang Mo saw Liu Wushi rushing over and hurriedly smiled. "There's no need to rush, Liu Young Master..."

Liu Wushi, however, grabbed him. "Since Premier Cui and Inspector Xie are still on shore, let's head back as well."

Wang Mo: "..." He had only gotten on the boat to avoid those two!

Wang Mo thought Liu Wushi was just curious about what was happening and, resigned, let himself be pulled back to shore.

From afar, Liu Wushi saw Su Yu, Cui Xuan, and the Xie siblings standing there, seemingly caught in some silent standoff. Especially Su Yu with Cui Xuan, Xie Yiguan, and Xie Yixin, who were exchanging glances. His heart raced, and not caring if he'd be recognized, he stepped forward and greeted them with a smile. "Premier Cui, Inspector Xie, and these two are...?"

His gaze fell on Su Yu, then quickly lowered, pretending not to know her.

Su Yu looked over. Liu Wushi, dressed in a Kazakh-patterned robe, had an even more uninhibited allure than when in women's clothing. His fox-like eyes, free from embellishments, appeared even more unconventional.

She smiled at Liu Wushi. "You must be Young Master Liu. I am Inspector Xie's cousin, surnamed Su. You can call me Su Dà... By the way, why do you seem familiar to me? You and Miss Jiu share the same surname, Liu..."

Xie Yiguan: "..." The emperor is really up to no good!

Liu Wushi felt a sudden tension and smiled to cover it up. "Perhaps I have a face that looks familiar, Lord Su."

Wang Mo: "Well, if he has a face that looks familiar, what kind of face do I have?"

Su Yu kept staring at Liu Wushi, so intensely that he broke out in sweat. She then offered an innocent smile. "Perhaps you're right. You're a man, and I'm a woman; I must have seen it wrong... Do you really not have a younger sister, ranked ninth?"

Liu Wushi insisted, "There is no ninth sister in my family."

Su Yu responded with an "Oh," as if she'd truly been fooled, her innocent expression seemingly guileless. Liu Wushi's eyes involuntarily carried a hint of amusement.

Cui Xuan glanced sideways. He couldn't shake the feeling that Liu Wushi's gaze at Su Yu seemed off. Looking back at Su Yu's innocent appearance now, it was eerily similar to how she acted in the Ministry of Punishments.

He slowly lowered his eyes. Liu Wushi and Su Yu definitely couldn't be meeting for the first time; otherwise, they wouldn't be acting like this. He just couldn't figure out why Su Yu would pretend to be pure and innocent in front of Liu Wushi...

Cui Xuan's gaze swept over everyone again. He suddenly noticed that everyone present was dressed in red like Su Yu, while he alone wore a striking green outfit, standing out awkwardly.