Chapter 87 It was market day, in the capital city…

Chapter 87 It was market day, in the capital city…

It was market day, and the east gate of the capital was bustling with carriages and horses. The number of people coming and going was three or four times that of usual, and long queues gradually formed at the city gate as people waited to be inspected before entering.

Gradually, the people in line could hear the distant sounds of footsteps, horses' hooves, and wheels rolling. Just from those sounds, they knew that a large group of people was about to arrive.

"Wow, so many hoofbeats, looks like something important."

The few hangers-on who were squatting by the city gate waiting for work all looked up at the direction of the sound, but none of them got up and remained squatting lazily.

What a joke! Families who can afford so many horses must be either rich or noble. Such families have plenty of servants of their own, so why would they need these hangers-on?

Even if you can't make money, you can still enjoy the excitement.

"I heard that the Earl of Xuanwu's family married the only daughter of a wealthy merchant. Judging from this noise, the bride might be arriving in the capital with her large dowry," a hanger-on whispered, a mixture of envy and lewdness in his eyes.

Even the most important people still have to make a living!

Upon hearing that it might be a wedding procession, these people became more interested. After all, if they blocked the way for the carriages and horses and said auspicious words such as "may you have a long and happy marriage and many children," how could the other party not give them some money as a wedding gift?

But a few remained unmoved: "You always say you're ignorant but you won't admit it. If it were a wedding procession, they would be playing music by now, almost at the city gate."

As they spoke, the procession, which had previously been only audible, could now be fully seen.

Upon seeing that the color wasn't the festive red they expected, everyone was slightly disappointed. But upon closer inspection, it seemed that within the overall black and gray tone, there were also quite a few yellow accents?

"This...this is a royal carriage?" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

As the procession appeared, a small commotion broke out at the city gate, drawing the attention of both the queuing crowd and the guards.

A group of people was seen walking calmly and unhurriedly. The group was quite large, but it moved with a measured pace and an air of solemnity.

Ahead were dozens of mounted guards, each dressed in black, close-fitting attire, with uniformly styled longswords at their waists. Though travel-worn, their imposing presence was undeniable. Anyone with knowledge would recognize them as members of the Imperial Guard.

Their eyes were sharp, and they silently controlled their horses, naturally forming a protective formation. Judging from their appearance, they were indeed elite soldiers.

Behind them followed a silent, continuous procession of guards, carriages, and neatly stacked boxes of all sizes. Every so often, a yellow flag would appear in the procession, each flag embroidered with a large character for "honesty," surrounded by a coiled dragon.

"This...is this the carriage of Prince Cheng's residence?" A middle-aged scholar squinted at the flags in a carriage lined up at the city gate and asked his friend.

"Isn't that obvious? The Imperial Guards can march out, and they're flying the Dragon Banner, plus that gleaming 'Cheng' character—who else could it be but Prince Cheng!" His friend stroked his flowing goatee and glanced at him, complaining.

"It's not that I didn't recognize him, I was just a little surprised."

"What's so surprising? His Majesty has been summoning Prince Cheng back to the capital and waiting for the news of bestowing a title upon him for almost half a year. It's perfectly normal for him to come to the capital now."

The scholar with the goatee continued stroking his beard and sighed, "Speaking of which, this man was quite capable. I heard that when the rebel army was about to reach Yunzhou Prefecture, he managed to quell the rebellion."

"Brother Donglin just returned from his post in Yunzhou. He said that after the war last year, the people of Yunzhou were devastated, and it was this Prince who spent a large sum of money to promote the tea and medicine trade in Yunzhou, which helped the city recover."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged scholar wore a subtle smile: "I've heard that this prince's maternal and paternal families are both extremely wealthy, with vast fortunes. He himself is also very skilled in business. His Majesty even gave him the exclusive rights to 'Snowflake Salt,' so with such a substantial fortune, he's naturally more willing to spend money than others."

These words may seem like kind words at first glance, but upon closer examination, they carry a sense of disdain.

Upon hearing this, the scholar with the goatee fell silent, his expression turning colder. The ability to quell rebellions and pacify local areas—that was skill, that was meritorious service to the court and the nation. Yet some people only saw his background and his own interests.

After a brief exchange, the carriage of Prince Cheng's mansion arrived at the city gate. Eunuch Anping, who had come to deliver the imperial decree, and the imperial guards who had escorted them along the way, had thus completed their mission.

The Imperial Guards were to return to their camp, Eunuch Anping was to go back to report, and the people from Prince Cheng's residence were to return home, after which Prince Cheng would submit his memorial and await the Emperor's summons. Almost an hour had passed since the various groups parted ways after much commotion.

"Tired? We'll be home soon." Seeing Xiao Yan rubbing her shoulders, Qin Ji reached out and massaged them for her, asking.

Xiao Yan waved her hand, indicating that she didn't need help massaging her: "I'm just a little stiff from sitting."

Then she pulled a thin booklet from her bosom: "When we said goodbye, Eunuch Anping actually gave me this. Do you know what's written in this booklet?"

She asked herself in surprise, "These are some of the concubines' likes and dislikes. I haven't seen you have much contact with that Eunuch Anping along the way. Why would he give me this?"

“What he can write down isn’t anything that can’t be said. Almost every household in the capital that’s qualified to pay their respects to the emperor has a copy of this booklet. He’s just doing you a favor.” Qin Ji showed no surprise, and even seemed somewhat indifferent.

"Is this booklet the point? The point is why Eunuch Anping did me this favor. Isn't doing someone a favor?" Xiao Yan patted Qin Ji's arm lightly with the booklet and continued, "So you bribed him? He's not one of your father's men?"

"It wasn't exactly a case of bribery, but he was the one who went to deliver the imperial edicts to Jiangzuo both times. To outsiders, it would seem natural for him to lean on me after we had traveled together for so long on this trip back to the capital."

Those who knew the inside story believed that since he helped cover up our departure midway through the trip, no one would believe him even if he told them he had no connection with me. So he simply made it clear that they were indeed friends.

"I see." After nodding to indicate that she understood, Xiao Yan brought up another matter: "The clerk from the Wu residence came to report earlier that the Chengjun Prince's Mansion in the capital was originally an old official's residence, and the renovations were quite rough. This mansion was only bestowed upon us before the New Year, and due to time constraints, it hasn't been fully renovated yet. It will probably take some more time to complete the entire renovation. But the main courtyard is finished. How are we going to live here? Are we going to move in directly, or do we choose another courtyard to stay in temporarily?"

Then she added, "Before coming to the capital, my father gave me a house deed. It's supposedly a very nice house. How about it, Your Highness, would you like to stay here temporarily?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's smug and playful smile, Qin Ji couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair before saying, "It's quite a coincidence. Before coming to the capital, my father also gave me a few house deeds. They are said to be very nice houses. Your Highness, I'll have to trouble you to choose one. Any place is fine. Of course, if you like the one your father-in-law gave you, then it wouldn't be a problem for me to live off your money."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh: "It's still pretty great to be able to live off your parents."

“However,” Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly, “Qin Ji, do you want to change how you address him? If you still call your uncle ‘father,’ what if that person finds out and he has a problem with your uncle?”

"......"

After a long silence, Qin Ji sighed and said, "You're right. Since I have to maintain a father-son relationship with him on the surface, I should throw away this pretense in private, so as not to look bad."

The two were talking and waiting for their men to arrange their entry into the city when, unexpectedly, Xiao Heyou arrived first.

"Big brother!" Upon hearing that her elder brother was requesting an audience, Xiao Yan immediately jumped off the carriage. When she saw a figure in blue standing a few steps away from the carriage, a big smile immediately appeared on her face.

Xiao Heyou quickly stepped forward and first bowed respectfully to Qin Ji: "Your subject greets the Sixth Prince."

Qin Ji quickly helped him up before he could bend over, saying, "Brother, we're family, there's no need for such formalities."

Xiao Heyou smiled and looked at his sister, his eyes filled with undisguised concern, "Your Highness, Yan Hui, you've finally returned to the capital. Was your journey smooth?"

"Everything went smoothly. My elder brother said he was assigned to a post outside the region, and I thought we were going to miss each other. I didn't expect to see you today." Xiao Yan was pleasantly surprised to see Xiao Heyou.

Xiao Heyou sighed, saying with a hint of helplessness, "I have come to bid farewell to Your Highness and my sister. The Ministry of Personnel has issued a document ordering me to take up my post in Luochuan County. Originally, the document was supposed to be issued half a month ago, but the Ministry of Personnel delayed it, and the departure time was postponed to two days ago. I thought you would probably arrive soon, so I simply delayed it a little longer, thinking that I should at least see you one last time."

"Luochuan County?" Xiao Yan glanced at Qin Ji and saw him nod, so she knew that he was probably behind this.

Since he arranged the location, I think my brother's trip will go smoothly.

In fact, not only Xiao Heyou, but also Qin Ji's younger brother, or rather, his cousin Qin Hao, was sent away a month ago.

Under normal circumstances, it would be more prestigious and promising to be an official in the capital. Given Qin Jicheng's status as a prince, it would not have been difficult for him to arrange good positions for his two relatives in the capital.

But things are not normal now. They themselves are very careful when they come to the capital. How could they rashly leave two weaknesses when they first arrive in the capital and have not yet figured out many things?

It's important to understand that these two are newcomers to officialdom, and even with special arrangements, they couldn't be given very high positions. The capital is a treacherous place; unless they're appointed as officials under a prince, they could easily be framed and die without even knowing how. It's better to send them out to other regions. With a prince in the capital and the regions chosen by Qin Ji, they should be safe and able to achieve results if they perform their duties diligently.

Qin Ji had actually hesitated about whether or not to keep them in the capital, but Xiao Yan Hui, having gained some insight into the situation, knew that the situation in the capital was getting worse. So, she ultimately advised them to arrange for both of them to leave.

"Brother, once you arrive... I have a letter here..."

As the three were chatting, they heard a very peculiar ringing sound faintly.

"It's Miss Xie!"

"It's Miss Xie! What brings her here?"

There were murmurs and whispers among the crowd at the city gate.