Chapter 743 - 745: Receiving the Decree to Leave the Capital to Suppress Bandits
Bai Ruozhu was starting to worry, which was why her conversation with Leng Wanhua became somewhat distracted.
"You’re waiting for your brother-in-law, aren’t you?" Noted Leng Wanhua, as she raised the question.
Apologizing with a smile, Bai Ruozhu said, "Half the day’s passed and there’s still no sign of him. I wonder what’s delayed him."
Leng Wanhua laughed then said, "You and your husband truly love each other."
"You’ll have a husband who cherishes you too, someday." Bai Ruozhu replied, causing Leng Wanhua’s face to flush, making her no longer dare to breach the topic.
Within the Danliang Country, men and women didn’t maintain a large distance, they could dine together, hence men would be present at the buffet. However, they tended to converse amongst themselves, while the women preferred to gather and chat together.
Yet, there were also men who made an effort to greet Bai Ruozhu, one of whom was a young gentleman dressed as a scholar.
"Miss Bai, I’m Xue Wenqian. I greatly admire the idea you came up with for this buffet. It makes dining much less restricted and more comfortable for everyone."
Bai Ruozhu courteously responded with a bow, saying, "You flatter me, Mr. Xue. I was just fortunate enough to overhear the concept from a Western merchant, which led to this method."
"Miss Bai, you’re too modest. I plan on hosting a similar buffet in our back garden someday and I hope that you will honor us with your presence," Xue Wenqian proposed.
Bai Ruozhu, reluctant to hastily make any promises, said, "Let’s see if I’m still in the capital city by then. I apologize, I will have to take my departure in a few days."
After a few more pleasantries, Xue Wenqian left, and Bai Ruozhu secretly asked Leng Wanhua about his identity. Her gaze was rather profound as she looked back at him.
"He’s the eldest son of Duke Xue, some people in the capital also call him ’Little Duke Xue’. His lineage doesn’t degrade, so his children are also eligible to inherit the duke’s title," said Leng Wanhua.
Bai Ruozhu had a feeling that there was more she wasn’t saying, but didn’t feel it was appropriate to pry further. After all, it was only her second meeting with Leng Wanhua. However, she suspected that there must be some involvement between Leng Wanhua and Xue Wenqian. Judging by their age, it could be a love relationship, or perhaps, marriage was being discussed.
By the end of the buffet, Jiang Yichun had still not arrived, although Bai Ruozhu had somehow managed to meet several capital city noblewomen and young ladies. Even if they weren’t familiar with the name Bai Ruozhu, they surely had knowledge about the toothpaste and Hua Xiangrong products. The moment they learned that Bai Ruozhu was the founder of the toothpaste and the owner of Hua Xiangrong, they immediately warmed up to her.
With this in mind, Bai Ruozhu gave the shopkeeper a heads up. If her husband were to look for her, he should be told that she had returned to her residence.
Considerate as always, Leng Wanhua accompanied Bai Ruozhu back home. Noticing that Bai Ruozhu seemed preoccupied, she excused herself and left without even sitting down in the yard.
Upon returning, Bai Ruozhu told Jianqi to check on what happened to Jiang Yichun today.
"Master, the young master was summoned to the palace this morning and hasn’t come out since," Jianqi reported back promptly.
Bai Ruozhu fell silent. What was happening within the palace was beyond the scope of investigation for Jianqi and the others. She felt an uncomfortable thorn lodged in her heart. There was still an attractive and delightful princess in the palace. It wasn’t hard to guess that Jiang Yichun must have been held back by the emperor for dinner, and it was very likely with Princess Diao Bin.
After her mind wandered for a bit, Jiang Yichun rushed back. With a look of guilt on his face, he held her hand and said, "I left the palace late. When I arrived at the banquet, I learnt that you had already returned home. Next time, I promise to accompany you properly."
"Did something happen in the palace?" Bai Ruozhu asked, looking intently at him.
Jiang Yichun couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, "I didn’t see Diao Bin today, so don’t worry needlessly. The emperor said my contributions as a visible figure of the Political Affairs Hall were sufficient. However, due to my background, others might link me with Elder Jiang Ge. Plus, the Political Affairs Hall’s merits aren’t something that can be casually discussed. So, the emperor ordered me to head to Qizuo Mountain in the north to suppress the bandits. Once the task is accomplished, there will be a rewarding merit for me."
Truthfully, Bai Ruozhu had no interest whatsoever in whether or not her man held an official position. She couldn’t help but say, "You could quit your position too. At least, it would spare you from such troubles."
Shaking his head, Jiang Yichun retorted, "If that was the case, I wouldn’t be able to freely leave the Political Affairs Hall, and would end up under the control of Sun Chengchao." Just mentioning Sun Chengchao’s name resulted in him clenching his teeth.
"Then Dengdeng and I will accompany you to Qizuo Mountain to fight the bandits. We’ll settle down in a nearby village. We should be safer under the protection of the dark guards compared to suffering the oppression from officials here in the capital city," said Bai Ruozhu after giving it some thought.
If bandits dared to intrude, they could simply be fought off. But if some high-ranking official were to instigate trouble in the capital city, she’d have no choice, due to her status, but to endure it. For instance, people like Elder Jiang Ge, or people on the level of princesses.
"That makes sense. Even with Mr. Lin being around, I’d feel apprehensive leaving you and our child here in the capital alone," Jiang Yihong conceded.
Slapping herself in the head, Bai Ruozhu suddenly remembered, "I almost forgot what my master told me about attending the Commerce Association’s proposal meeting. When do you set off?"
"The morning after next at the latest. Qizuo Mountain isn’t far from the capital so the number of horsemen accompanying me isn’t large. Plus, we have government soldiers locally available to support us, so the emperor commanded me to set off as soon as possible," said Jiang Yichun.
Bai Ruozhu became vexed. She had already promised her master. Her master likely had already told certain people in the association about her attendance. If she now failed to show up, her master would surely be embarrassed.
"How about me setting off early on the day after tomorrow, without rushing? Then, after you’ve attended the meeting, you can catch up with me in Qizuo Mountain?" Jiang Yichun, seeing her visibly distressed, then kindly suggested, to reconcile the conflicting commitments.
"I guess that’s the only way," said a reluctant looking Bai Ruozhu. This meant Jiang Yichun had to leave her two days earlier. Despite it being merely two days, she was rather unwilling to part from him.
At this point, Bai Ruozhu suddenly realized: when did she transform into a woman who now enjoyed spending so much time with him? It surprised her and she felt somewhat uneasy.
Morning arrived within the blink of an eye on the third day, as Jiang Yichun was all dressed up and ready to go. Bai Ruozhu, holding her waist due to fatigue, saw him off to the door. He smiled naughtily and said, "Better get back into bed. You seem rather weak."
Bai Ruozhu gritted her teeth. No matter how tough her physique was, it wouldn’t hold up against his vigorous demands. It was as if he was going to lose countless rounds in just two days of being apart. He seemed determined to exhaust her to her death.
Shortly after Jiang Yichun’s departure, Xue Wenqian’s servant arrived with a card invitation, inviting Bai Ruozhu to a flower appreciation banquet at the Xue Residence in seven days. They hoped that Bai Ruozhu would attend.
Bai Ruozhu considered the timing. To the servant, she said, "Please inform Mr. Xue that I’ll be leaving the city for a few days, and I don’t know how long it’ll be before I return. I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend your banquet."
"My master has instructed me that if Miss Bai’s schedule conflicts and you can give me a date, he will adjust the timing accordingly," the servant replied.
What did that mean? Was this Xue Mr. Xue really that concerned about whether she attended or not? She had just arrived in the capital city and doubted she was that famous yet. Also, who was this ’Miss Bai’? She had already married and should now be called Mrs. Jiang.
However, ’Mrs. Jiang’... sounded a bit strange.