Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Gu Yu could tell Jiang Heng had never been particularly interested in raising the foal.

Even though he brought her to feed the horse daily and repeatedly told her that once grown, the foal would be her most loyal companion—far more useful than any cat or dog—she remained consistently perfunctory. This was a stark contrast to her cat, which she would often cradle, kiss, and hug.

Did she only care for cats? What was so special about that cat?

After feeding the foal alone, Gu Yu returned to his study and summoned Cheng Ping.

"Capture a kitten?"

This was the task Gu Yu assigned to Cheng Ping.

Cheng Ping was astonished. In the past, the Old Madam and the Senior Madam had suggested keeping a cat or dog for the young ladies and gentlemen of the estate to play with and relieve boredom, but the Master had always refused. He feared the younger generation would become so obsessed with trifles that they would neglect their studies. Even the tabby cat the Third Madam brought from her parental home was confined to the Ninghe Courtyard and forbidden to roam freely. Later, after causing trouble, it was sent away.

Now, why was the Master asking him to capture a kitten?

But Gu Yu offered no explanation, and Cheng Ping dared not ask further. After a moment’s thought, he inquired, "What kind of kitten should I capture? White, black, or one like the tabby the madam once kept?"

Gu Yu fell silent, as if pondering. After a while, he said, "One that is more beautiful, gentler, and more endearing than the one she had before."

Cheng Ping was dumbfounded for a moment, finding the task rather tricky. The Master’s requirements seemed clear, yet they were hard to pin down.

Reluctantly, Cheng Ping had no choice but to brace himself and agree.

...

Three days later, the long-planned grain distribution for disaster relief finally began. In the past, relief grain from official granaries was distributed level by level through various government offices. This time, however, the relief effort was nominally initiated by the princes, dukes, and noble families, using their private granaries and stores. Thus, it was not handed over to the government for unified distribution but managed independently by each family. Based on the list of disaster-stricken counties and impoverished households reported by the government, each family took responsibility for a group of affected households and went to provide relief themselves. This was considered an act of charity, sharing the nation’s burdens and accumulating virtue. As a result, the emperor personally came to Luocheng, ascending the tower to watch the relief convoy depart the capital as a gesture of commendation.

After traveling a distance from the city, once the emperor had left the tower and returned, the noblewomen and matriarchs who had accompanied the convoy also turned back, sending only a few stewards and servants to the disaster areas to distribute relief.

Duke Wei’s estate was assigned to Anping County. Anping County was the hardest hit, with the most disaster-stricken households, and was quite far from the capital. The relief effort required more manpower and resources. Prince Qin took charge of the households in this area, coordinating with Duke Wei’s estate, the Jiang family, and a few minor noble families. They gathered grain, silk, and other supplies, planning to go together.

Leading this trip was the Jiang family’s seventh son, Jiang Jin, and most of the servants were also from the Jiang family. Prince Qin and Gu Yu had other matters to attend to, so they accompanied the convoy symbolically for a stretch before planning to turn back.

Jiang Heng, however, did not want to return. She pleaded with Gu Yu, "Duke Wei, since I have nothing to do in the capital anyway, I’d like to go with Fan Jirong to Anping County to help."

Other noblewomen and matriarchs were merely putting on a show, making an appearance at the city tower without actually going to the disaster area. But Fan Jirong, feeling unsettled at home and thinking the Yang family’s contribution of grain and silk was insufficient, wanted to personally go to the disaster area to help for a few days, seeking peace of mind. Hearing this, Jiang Heng also felt inclined to join.

However, Gu Yu hadn't planned for this and refused outright: "No."

The disaster area was quite far from the capital, and although there were guards accompanying them, those guards were the Jiang family’s private guards, whose combat capability was poor. In any case, Gu Yu did not trust them.

The more he refused, the more Jiang Heng wanted to go, especially since staying at home meant having to deal with him.

"Husband, I want to go," Jiang Heng said softly.

Gu Yu looked at her, his expression unreadable. The word "no" rolled in his throat but did not come out.

It had been a long time since she had called him "husband." A long time since she had treated him as her husband and spoken to him so gently.

"Your luggage isn’t packed. I’ll take you there tomorrow." This way, he would also have time to select a few trustworthy guards to accompany her.

"No need. Fan Jirong has brought extras. If I need anything urgently, I can wear Fan Jirong’s."

At that moment, Jiang Wan, riding alongside them on horseback, added, "There’s no need to worry about luggage. I brought several new sets that A Heng can wear."

Hearing this, Prince Qin looked at Jiang Wan: "You’re going too?"

Jiang Wan nodded slightly, still as distant and polite as before, as if she had never shared any intimacy with Prince Qin.

Prince Qin glanced at her again, his face already showing displeasure. Over the past three days, Prince Qin had visited the Jiang family daily. Why hadn’t he heard Jiang Wan mention going to the disaster area? She was likely avoiding him on purpose.

If she was playing hard to get, so be it.

Prince Qin withdrew his gaze and did not look at Jiang Wan again.

Gu Yu, on his part, still had not agreed.

Jiang Heng negotiated with him gently: "Husband, it’s only four or five days. I don’t need much luggage. Fan Jirong and Jiang Wan have brought plenty, enough for me."

"That’s right, Duke Wei. Our Jiang family has so many people. Are you afraid we can’t protect one lady?" Jiang Jin also chimed in.

Gu Yu was silent for a moment before finally relenting. He said to Jiang Heng, "I’ll send five more guards for you when I return. The disaster area is not like the capital. Be careful in everything."

Jiang Heng’s eyes curved into a smile. She thanked him and then let down the carriage window curtain.

Gu Yu and Prince Qin reined in their horses to return, while the convoy carrying grain and silk continued on its way. After traveling a short distance, they suddenly heard the sound of galloping hooves approaching from behind. A young lady was shouting "sister-in-law" as she chased after them on horseback.

"Sister-in-law, are you going to see my brother?"

The newcomer was Xiao Shunhua, heading straight for Jiang Wan. Before she could get close, she was stopped by the Jiang family guards, who prevented her from approaching further.

"Why is it her again?" Jiang Jin said impatiently, ordering people to drive her away.

"Sister-in-law, don’t you miss my brother? I miss him. I even dreamed of him last night. He asked me how you were, and I said you were doing very well!"

Xiao Shunhua, riding on horseback and unable to get close to Jiang Wan, followed behind, speaking and laughing in a way that made it hard to tell whether she was happy or distressed.

Jiang Heng leaned out of the carriage to look. Xiao Shunhua spotted her and began chasing her carriage, shouting, "Why are there two sister-in-laws?"

"Stop her! Let’s go quickly!" Jiang Jin ordered a few guards to block Xiao Shunhua and commanded the convoy to speed up, leaving her behind.

"Is she a bit…" Jiang Heng hesitated, glancing at Fan Jirong.

"Unhinged," Fan Jirong confirmed her guess.

"I heard that since the palace banquet, after being reprimanded by the Noble Consort, she’s become somewhat unhinged. She often swings between extreme joy and sudden rage, and in her fits of madness, she even attacked her husband with a knife. Her husband couldn’t take it and divorced her, moving out of the princess manor. I heard the Xiao clan members are also afraid of being implicated and petitioned the emperor to strip her of her princess title, expel her from the Xiao family, and reduce her to commoner status. But the emperor, in his benevolence, refused."

"It’s also said that she often gallops through the streets on horseback. When stopped by the street patrol, she says, 'I am the princess of the dynasty! How dare you stop me? Do you value your lives so little?' The emperor is so tolerant that he hasn’t punished her yet. Each time, he just orders the street patrol to escort her back safely."

After listening, Jiang Heng fell silent and leaned out to look at Xiao Shunhua.

She was still on horseback, blocked by several guards from advancing, shouting loudly after them, "Sister-in-law, bring my brother back! I miss him!"

Jiang Heng had met that brother-in-law a few times. He was a gentle, elegant, and handsome man, exceedingly humble and polite, and reputedly talented—a good match for Jiang Wan.

Princess Heyi missed her brother so much; surely, their sibling bond was very deep. No wonder she resented Jiang Wan for not following her brother to the grave.

"I don’t like those Xianos. Why burn the granaries? Of all things to burn!" Fan Jirong sneered. "If they have the guts, why not fight openly? Burning granaries and making ordinary people suffer—what kind of skill is that? If Prince Zhennan really invaded, would he slaughter the entire city?"

Jiang Heng remained silent, afraid Fan Jirong would next condemn Yan Hui.

"That Yan Hui really…"

Sure enough, Fan Jirong muttered, but after glancing at Jiang Heng, she did not continue. Instead, she sighed and said, "How could he follow such a master!"

Jiang Heng whispered under her breath, "Elder Brother Yan Hui had no choice back then."

Fearing Fan Jirong would continue her tirade against Yan Hui, she quickly changed the subject and asked, "How has Mr. Yang been treating you lately? Has he mellowed out?"

Fan Jirong waved her hand dismissively, not wanting to discuss Yang Zhihong, and said, "That old bastard—I dosed him to death."

Jiang Heng knew she was speaking out of anger and advised, "You shouldn’t go around saying 'dosed to death' like that. If someone with ill intentions hears it, it might get you in trouble."

"Alright, alright, let’s not talk about those things anymore," Fan Jirong said.

...

When they reached Anping County, Jiang Jin went to coordinate relief efforts with the local officials, while Jiang Wan led several servants in verifying the list of affected households and their populations. For the time being, Jiang Heng and Fan Jirong were not assigned any tasks.

"Sister, what are you checking?" Jiang Heng volunteered, offering to help.

Jiang Wan explained what she was doing.

"But wasn’t this list already verified when it was submitted to the capital?" Jiang Heng didn’t understand why it needed to be checked again.

Jiang Wan replied, "Naturally, it’s been checked many times already. But details like how many people are in a household, whether they're male or female, and their ages—these can only be confirmed on the ground. In past relief distributions, there have always been cases of people lying or exaggerating. While it’s hard to avoid entirely, double-checking beforehand and asking a few questions during the distribution can help keep people from being too brazen about it."

Jiang Heng nodded, beginning to understand, and asked, "Sister, should we pre-package the grain and cloth so distribution goes faster later?"

Jiang Wan nodded. "We do need to measure portions, but not now. We’ll do it in front of the affected households, measuring and packing right then and there."

"Won’t that slow things down?" Jiang Heng expressed her concern.

Jiang Wan nodded slightly again and explained patiently, "It does take more time and is slower, but it’s the only way. Grain and cloth are distributed according to the number of people in each household—some families have three members, others have seven, so the amounts vary. People are naturally looking out for themselves; they care less about having too little than about others having more. Those who receive less may suspect they’ve been shortchanged or that others got more than their share. Reasonable ones might still calculate and measure, but some hotheads, without bothering to check, will outright claim their share is smaller and accuse others of corruption. Word spreads quickly, and what started as a relief effort could easily turn into accusations of stealing."

"But if we portion and pack right in front of them, even though it’s slower, at least they see the rules and fairness in action, which helps avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"I see," Jiang Heng said, looking at Jiang Wan with admiration and a serious look of having learned something new.

Jiang Wan smiled and said to her, "We’ve been traveling all day—you should go rest."

Jiang Heng shook her head. "Sister, why don’t I help you with the verification? You go rest—I can see your eyes are bloodshot."

Jiang Wan said, "I’m not tired." She lowered her head to continue reviewing the list, though her expression seemed sorrowful.

Jiang Heng knew it must be Xiao Shunhua’s words from earlier that had upset her sister.

"Sister, don’t overthink it. Go rest—I’ll take care of this," Jiang Heng said, hugging Jiang Wan’s shoulders comfortingly.

Jiang Wan’s emotions were complicated. She had once thought she had made peace with it—since she had chosen to survive, she would live well, as elegantly as before. But today, being chased by Xiao Shunhua calling her "sister-in-law" and repeatedly saying "I miss my brother," she couldn’t stop herself from crying.

She actually missed Xiao Ze too.

She knew the Xiao clan blamed her for not dying together with Xiao Ze. The more they blamed her, the more justified she felt, but she never dared to wonder: would Xiao Ze blame her?

Xiao Ze would surely be different from the other Xiaos—he definitely wouldn’t blame her.

And precisely because he wouldn’t, whenever she thought of it, she felt inexplicably guilty.

"A-Heng, if you were me, what choice would you make?" Jiang Wan wanted to know whether someone as pure and innocent as her sister would without hesitation choose to die together.

Jiang Heng was silent for a long time, thinking back to Yan Hui’s situation back then.

"Sister, I wouldn’t seek death either," Jiang Heng said, not wanting to add to her sister’s guilt, and left it at that.

She wouldn’t seek death, but she would do everything in her power to ensure the people she cared about lived well and stayed alive with her.

Jiang Wan was quiet for a moment. Thinking about how A-Heng and Gu Yu seemed harmonious as a couple today and that A-Heng no longer seemed set on going south, she asked, "Have you decided to give up on Mr. Yan?"

The two sisters were talking together and didn’t notice someone had been standing at the doorway for a while. It was Gu Yu, who, unable to stop worrying, had put aside matters in the capital and rushed over on horseback. The night was dark, and he was dressed in dark robes. Standing there motionless, he listened to the sisters’ conversation.

He saw Jiang Heng shake her head firmly and decisively: "I won’t give up on Elder Brother Xiao Ze. I’ll keep waiting for him."

Gu Yu balled his fists, said nothing, and stood there a while longer. The women inside still hadn’t noticed him.

"Sister, I miss Elder Brother Xiao Ze too, actually. But I’m too clueless and helpless to go find him. Looking back now, I realize I’ve wasted so much time and so much money in the past."

"In the three years since marriage, Duke Wei's often been off with the troops. I haven’t had much to do in the Gu household. Why didn’t I think earlier about properly managing the Incense Shop, saving money, and once I’d saved enough, searching for Elder Brother wherever he might be?"

"If I had come to my senses sooner, I’d probably have gotten good at all kinds of things by now. I’d have the confidence and ability to do what I want, instead of being always at someone else's mercy."

Gu Yu didn’t listen further. He turned and left.

"Master, are you heading back already?"

The guard looked at Gu Yu in surprise. He had just dismounted, covered in dust, without even taking a sip of water, and now he was getting back on his horse to return?

Gu Yu gave a cold "Hmph" and said in a deep voice, "Don’t tell anyone I was here."

Since Jiang Heng didn’t give him a single thought in her heart, he wouldn’t give her a bit of concern either.

He was merely just out stretching his legs after dinner—it wasn’t as if he had come specifically to find her.