Chapter 957: Traveling Together
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Youyao did not hide the matter of the Empress Dowager’s secret decree bestowing a marriage from the Xie Residence. Not to mention Yin Huaixi’s various schemes, the marriage was more logical.
Therefore, when Yin Huaixi asked Yu Youyao out on a trip, Madam w.a.n.g gladly took over all the trivial matters in the Yu Garden and came over early in the morning to help.
When everything was ready, Yu Youyao went to visit Madam w.a.n.g.
“Our Yao Yao is already a big girl.” Madam w.a.n.g observed her with a smile in her eyes and held her hand happily. “It’s rare for you to go out to play, so you have to have fun to your heart’s content. Don’t worry about your family. There are often snakes and insects in the mountains. You have to bring insect repellent powder with you. Be careful. Don’t be alone…”
After explaining the safety matters, she also explained some things that a woman needed to pay attention to when she was outside. Moreover, she was traveling with a man as a woman. There were details that needed to be avoided.
Yu Youyao listened carefully. She thought of Yin Huaixi with every word and sentence.
Only then did she realize that the person she was meeting, whom she had meticulously dressed up for, was not the former “Cousin Zhou” or the nominal “Nineteenth Brother”, but her fiancé who had been bestowed by the Empress Dowager.
Her heart felt like it was twisted like dough. Suddenly, she felt a little awkward and subconsciously lowered her head. She listened to whatever her Eldest Aunt said like an answering bug.
After rambling for ten minutes, Madam w.a.n.g changed the topic. “King Yue
Fei is waiting in front of the flower gate. Let’s go over!”
Yu Youyao was finally relieved of this awkwardness. She couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. She held Madam w.a.n.gs arm and the two of them chatted and laughed until they arrived at the flower gate.
There were four low-key carriages parked inside.
Yin Huaixi stood at the side and waited for her. He took off his heavy armor and changed into a sky- green cape.
It was like the moment when the east turned white and the sun rose above the horizon. The sky appeared and dispelled the gray and heavy smog, making one’s eyes light up.
There was an elegance and tallness to it.
Yu Youyao couldn’t help but pause for a moment before retracting her foot back under her dress.
When Yin Huaixi saw her coming over, he couldn’t help but be stunned. A
trace of amazement flashed across his eyes, but because his elders were present, he didn’t dare to be too impudent. He quickly lowered his eyes and went forward to greet Madam w.a.n.g.
Madam w.a.n.g did not accept this bow. She dodged to the side and only said, “Yao Yao is mourning. After her Grandmother pa.s.sed away, in order to mourn for her, she has been living in seclusion at home and rarely goes out. The Old Master and the others are always worried that she’s still young and will be cooped up at home like this, causing her body to be suffocated. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and it’s rare that Your Highness is free to ask Yao Yao out for a walk, so I hope you can take care of her more. Yao Yao is young and doesn’t go out much in the past. If there’s anything lacking in terms of her etiquette, please put in more effort and forgive her.”
It was just a polite sentence, but when one opened it and crushed it, one would realize that there was a deeper meaning.
First, it was mentioned that Yu Youyao was mourning. Then, Old Master Xie was mentioned as a warning to Yin Huaixi. He had to be more careful in everything. He couldn’t mess up the rules just because he was close to Yu Youyao.
The last sentence seemed to be because she was worried about Yu Youyao’s etiquette mistakes.
However, in fact, she was also warning Yin Huaixi not to lie to Yu Youyao and do anything rude and out of line just because she was young and ignorant.
Yin Huaixi was a smart person, so how could he not understand what she meant? He quickly agreed and even promised in person, “… Don’t worry. It’s also because I’ve been busy with work since Yao Yao came to Xiangping City that I didn’t have time to bring her around to see the terrain and relationships in Xiangping City. It’s rare that I’m free, so 1 naturally have to let her have fun.’
The meaning between the lines made it clear that he placed Yu Youyao first. In addition, his humble and respectful att.i.tude was filled with sincerity.
After their elders’ enlightenment, everything made sense.
The carriage slowly drove along the street. There were people coming and going on the street. People had acacia rope tied to their arms. There were also sword-shaped bags with herbs to ward off poison. It was noisy and lively.
Both sides of the street were filled with a dazzling array of goods. From time to time, a team of patrolmen in armor and holding sabers walked past in unison. The surrounding commoners retreated, their eyes filled with reverence.
There was a public stage in the city, and ‘Qu Yuan’s Lost River” was playing on it. There was a crowd around them, and from time to time, they would erupt with cheers and applause.
Many rich families had built sheds at the city gate. The commoners were in a long line, waiting to receive the festive dumplings.
This peaceful scene was under Yin Huaixi’s protection.
In the future, if the Great Zhou Dynasty was in chaos, the North would become the only pure land of the Great Zhou Dynasty. More and more commoners would escape to Liaodong because of the war.
Yin Huaixi had long expected this. Even before the chaos arrived, he had taken advantage of the fact that the Imperial Court was implementing a national policy in the North to gather resources wantonly.
First, by taking in refugees and settling them down, most of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s supplies would be biased towards the North.
With the help of the Xie and Bai Residences, they spared no effort to dig out the wealth of the local n.o.bles. The money and supplies that the soldiers and n.o.bles had acc.u.mulated for generations were in their hands.
He used the case of the Han family in Xian to suppress the local n.o.ble forces wantonly. The huge connections and resources in the hands of the soldiers and n.o.bles were in his control.
As a result of the wanton suppression of the n.o.bles, the merchants in the other areas coveted the trade routes in the North. They were like cats that had smelled blood and rushed to the North to seek opportunities.
In order to have better development opportunities, the merchants had brought most of their resources to the North. These resources formed complete production chains in the North, injecting endless fresh blood into the North. Agriculture, industry, and business were thriving and prosperous in the North.
Yin Huaixi was in charge of all of this.
After an unknown period of time, the carriage gradually stopped.
Yu Youyao alighted from the carriage, and immediately, everything opened up in front of her. The sun had just jumped out of the horizon, and the brilliant light dyed the clouds in the east red. The layers resembled fire and were extremely beautiful. In the distance, mountains were surrounded by fog and bathed in the color of the morning light.
She finally couldn’t help but praise, “It’s so beautiful!”
She was admiring the beautiful scenery, but someone was admiring the beautiful woman. Before the little girl left, she had deliberately dressed up and drawn between her eyebrows. The brow powder, which was rarely used, was of a brighter color. It was the light green of the fog in the mountains when heavy rain was about to arrive. It dyed the area between her eyebrows, making her eyebrows look even more green and beautiful.
The collar on her neck was not as tight as usual. It was deeper and formed a V- shape, revealing her thin and beautiful swan-like neck, as well as the deep collar bones under her neck. The bottom was sealed, as if she was trying to
cover it up..