Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1232: Chapter 1234 A Bit of Goodwill for a Reminder_1

”Your Majesty, this...” Yang Tianhua deliberately assumed a troubled look, then sighed and said, ”Since Your Majesty has spoken, this old official naturally must comply with Your Majesty’s arrangement. Let’s choose the northern side.”

His Majesty’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart was filled with particular contempt. Would Yang Tianhua have given in so easily if he didn’t need a way to step down? Moreover, he was overly suspicious—because His Majesty initially gave the north to Jiang Yichun, he ended up choosing the north, as if fearing that there was something wrong with the southern lands.

”Good, Yang Aiqing’s magnanimity is truly commendable,” the Emperor said with a hearty laugh.

Jiang Yichun bowed to the Emperor, ”I have no objections, Your Majesty. Thank you for your concern.”

Yang Tianhua glanced sideways at Jiang Yichun and muttered under his breath, ”Putting on an act.”

The Imperial Study Room wasn’t very large, and the Emperor usually practiced martial arts there, so both the Emperor and Jiang Yichun heard Yang Tianhua’s words clearly. Jiang Yichun remained calm, pretending he hadn’t heard, while the Emperor also seemed as if he hadn’t heard, but his already dark eyes deepened a bit.

In the evening, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help laughing after hearing from Jiang Yichun about what had transpired in the Imperial Study Room, ”That’s good, at least we got half of the land. Let the Yang Family be envious.”

”The land deed will be delivered tomorrow. You just go ahead and arrange for people to tend to those medicine fields. I don’t believe the Yang Family can manage them better than you,” Jiang Yichun said.

Bai Ruozhu found his manner amusing, ”Are you supporting me, or are you just being young and competitive with others?”

He reached out and playfully flicked her nose, ”Would I care if it wasn’t your affair?”

She smiled sweetly, ”Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”

”Just don’t overexert yourself,” he said and pulled her into bed, whispering in her ear, ”I’ve just instructed Nanny Zhang to put Dengdeng to sleep. He’s getting older, it’s not appropriate for him to always sleep with us.”

Bai Ruozhu gave him a look, ”We’ll be separated in just a few days, and you’re really willing to let go of your son.”

Jiang Yichun chuckled sheepishly, ”That’s a different matter.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he leaned in and pressed down on her, sealing her cherry lips with a long and fervent kiss...

Early the next morning, Su Yongnian did indeed personally deliver the land deed, which was also the first time Bai Ruozhu met Su Yongnian face-to-face.

Though Su Yongnian was just over forty years old, he looked particularly aged at that moment, his vitality completely faded. Although his face carried a smile, it was tinged with bitterness.

Having lost so much money gambling, he naturally had his own suffering to endure.

Bai Ruozhu had no desire to sympathize with a gambler, but seeing that Su Yongnian was polite and provided a detailed explanation, not being perfunctory despite selling the fields for a low price, she eventually gave him a red envelope.

”Mr. Su, this is just a small token. Although it can’t help you much, it’s also a gesture of my goodwill,” Bai Ruozhu said.

Su Yongnian accepted the red envelope, smiled gratefully at Bai Ruozhu, sighed, and said, ”Madam Jiang, you are a good person. You didn’t look down on me because of this. To tell you the truth, I went to the Yang Family first. Even their stewards gave me disapproving looks, chased me away as if I were a fly.”

At this point, Su Yongnian looked very dejected, ”I can’t blame others for looking down on me. Who told me to gamble? If I ever gamble again, I’ll chop off these hands.”

People say that when a prodigal returns, he is worth more than gold, and Bai Ruozhu nodded and said, ”It’s good that you have this determination, just make sure not to let down the expectations of your family and friends.”

Su Yongnian hurriedly waved his hand, ”No, no, of course not.”

He performed a courtesy as he prepared to leave, but then suddenly stopped in his tracks and said, ”By the way, in the North Mountain area, the Chiqing Gang is prevalent, and they collect red envelopes in the first and second half of the year. Madam Jiang must not confront them head-on. The leader of the Chiqing Gang, Ye Yuanqing, is a capable man. If Madam feels that the protection fee is unreasonable, someone can be sent to meet him. He’s an amenable person.”

Prior to this, Bai Ruozhu had been to North Mountain in a hurry and hadn’t paid attention to the Chiqing Gang. Without Su Yongnian’s reminder, she might have indeed had a conflict with the Chiqing Gang. It was not that she was afraid, but it’s true that even a powerful dragon cannot suppress the local snakes. Naturally, it’s best to avoid trouble if possible.

”Thank you for the reminder, Manager Su,” Bai Ruozhu gave thanks with a bow, and then asked about the amount of the protection fee paid in the past. Su Yongnian told her honestly, and she had a rough idea in her mind.

After Su Yongnian left, Jianqi said by her side, ”Master, that protection fee is not small. Su Yongnian doesn’t know you have the backing of the Commerce Association, so why would you be afraid of the Chiqing Gang?”

Bai Ruozhu shook her head, ”Don’t rush. Have someone from the Commerce Association gather some information about the Chiqing Gang. We’ll look at it first before making a decision.”

Jianqi received the order and left to make arrangements.

Bai Ruozhu then took out writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and began to write some regulations for the management of the medicine fields. She wrote one copy for the manager. If it were not for her imminent departure, there was no need to prepare so thoroughly.

Besides that, she also wrote a document on how to better utilize the medicine fields, which needed to be distributed to the medicine farmers by the people she arranged.

As she pondered, she continued writing and revising, and before she knew it, it was time for lunch. At this time, Jianqi also had news to report back.

Bai Ruozhu opened the confidential letter and gained a good understanding of the Chiqing Gang.

North Mountain was situated in the northern regions of the Capital City, and further north was the nomadic area of the Northern Turkic people. Even though the Great Wall divided the areas, Turkic people still occasionally crossed the border to cause disturbances. Additionally, the area around North Mountain had been unstable in the past, with many bandits in the mountains, making it a headache for the Government Office to manage.

The Chiqing Gang emerged as a faction over a decade ago, and to the common people, they were considered a righteous gang. They protected the people from the harassment of bandits and the Turkic barbarians, they even protected the fields and shops that paid them protection money. Although they weren’t a formal Government Office, they received substantial reverence from the North Mountain populace, which is why they were known as a righteous gang.

The Imperial Court has always been aware of the Chiqing Gang, but although the Chiqing Gang was well-known in North Mountain, they did not unwisely expand nor had any other ambitions, which is why the Imperial Court temporarily turned a blind eye.

The current leader of the Chiqing Gang, Ye Yuanqing, was praised by many as a talented individual. Some said he was highly skilled in martial arts, others claimed he was extremely intelligent. If he had not become the leader of the Chiqing Gang, it was believed that if he had taken the Imperial Examination, he could have easily placed in the top three ranks.

After reading through this information, Bai Ruozhu noticed that the Commerce Association spoke of the Chiqing Gang in a very friendly tone, so she thought for a moment and said to Jianqi, ”Continue paying the protection fee as usual. We’ll address any issues if they arise.”

Jianqi nodded, ”Master, do you want to send someone to visit Ye Yuanqing?”

Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment and said, ”Not for now. I’ve only bought half of the medicine field, which isn’t considered a large enterprise. It wouldn’t be appropriate to pay a special visit. Moreover, we are short on time. Unless we send someone beneath us to meet him, but that would seem disrespectful. We’ll make plans later.”

At this moment, a voice from the Jiang Residence’s steward came from outside, ”Madam Young Master, you have a letter delivered, sent from Beiyu City.”