Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Due to the conscription, the already declining Lin'an Town saw its market become even less lively than before.

The New Year had passed, and apart from weddings and funerals, almost no households were slaughtering pigs, leaving Fan Changyu with a sudden abundance of free time.

The meat market was also sluggish, with many butcher shops temporarily closing. Since Qingping County wasn’t far from Lu City, many people were anxious. Some well-informed wealthy merchants had even begun selling their properties and fleeing south.

For the past two days, Fan Changyu had been at home taking care of the two children. Though she hadn’t read much, she was familiar with texts like the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Classic and had planned to teach Changning and Yu Bao'er how to read.

Unexpectedly, despite his young age, Yu Bao'er already recognized quite a few characters. When he gripped a charcoal stick and wrote on the ground, his characters looked surprisingly well-formed.

Changning usually outperformed Yu Bao'er in everything else, and when they played together, Yu Bao'er always listened to her. But now, discovering that this seemingly slow-witted kid was better at reading and writing than her, Changning grew indignant. She stopped thinking about play and pestered Fan Changyu to teach her instead.

Yu Bao'er was eager to help: "If you want to learn, I can teach you."

Changning tugged at Fan Changyu’s sleeve and snorted. "I won’t learn from you! My sister will teach me. Once she’s taught me all the words she knows, my brother-in-law will teach me too, and then I’ll be even better than you!"

Fan Changyu was flipping through the Three Character Classic to teach Changning the day’s characters when she suddenly froze at the mention of Yan Zheng.

So many days had passed—had the conscripts reached Lu City yet? Tens of thousands had been drafted this time, and Zhao Mu Jiang had gone as a veterinarian and carpenter. If Yan Zheng was assigned to the infantry, Zhao Mu Jiang’s chances of running into him would be slim.

If he was selected for the cavalry, though, Zhao Mu Jiang might have a better chance of finding news of him.

Noticing Fan Changyu’s prolonged silence, Changning gently shook her sleeve. "Sister, what’s wrong?"

Fan Changyu collected herself. "It’s nothing. Come, let’s learn these five characters today..."

Writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were expensive, so Fan Changyu didn’t let the children waste them. Instead, she had them practice writing with charcoal on a clean stone slab.

While Changning focused on her writing, Fan Changyu slowly opened the Four Books with Yan Zheng’s detailed annotations. She started with the Analects . Since Yan Zheng had already taught her two sections and the text was thoroughly annotated, she didn’t find it too difficult.

At noon, someone knocked on the Fan family’s gate.

Fan Changyu went to answer and, seeing it was Yu Qianqian, warmly invited her inside.

Yu Qianqian wore a dark cloak. Though she smiled, she looked weary. "Changyu, I’m in a hurry today, so I won’t come in. I’m here to take Bao'er back."

Hearing his mother’s voice, Yu Bao'er had already run out from the courtyard, hugging Yu Qianqian’s leg and looking up joyfully. "Mama!"

Yu Qianqian patted the child’s head and said to Fan Changyu, "Thank you so much for looking after Bao'er all this time."

Fan Changyu quickly brushed it off.

Not seeing Xie Zheng, Yu Qianqian asked, "Was your husband conscripted to Lu City the other day?"

Fan Changyu confirmed it and again invited Yu Qianqian inside, but she politely declined once more.She looked at Fan Changyu and hesitated slightly before saying, "Sister Changyu, to be honest with you, all the wealthy merchants in Qingping County are already making arrangements to move their assets south. I've also sold off my two Overflowing Fragrance Pavilions at a discount and have secured passage through the city gates. At dusk, my family and I will leave for Jiangnan. It's still uncertain whether Lucheng can hold out. Sister Changyu, come with me to Jiangnan. If you're worried about your husband, you can return to Qingping County after the war is over."

Fan Changyu finally understood why Yu Qianqian seemed in such a hurry. After a moment's hesitation, she politely declined, "Thank you for your kindness, but there are still many matters at home I haven't settled. If I leave abruptly and the government issues any new tax or grain requisition orders, the nine households in this alley who are connected to me will suffer."

Neighboring households were not allowed to relocate freely. Even if they wanted to move, they had to go through the cumbersome process of obtaining relocation documents from the authorities.

After the murders in her home, she had planned to take Changning elsewhere to lay low, but dealing with property and paperwork had delayed her for days. By the time the authorities closed the case, the documents still hadn't been processed. When she decided not to live in hiding anymore, the matter was temporarily shelved.

Yu Qianqian knew how difficult it was for ordinary families to obtain such documents, especially with the city still under lockdown. Merchants like her had to bribe officials heavily to get the necessary paperwork under the pretext of trade missions.

She squeezed Fan Changyu's hand tightly and said, "I'm just a merchant. I can't take others with me, but if you're willing to come, meet me at the city gate at dusk today."

Fan Changyu nodded, "I understand your kindness."

But she truly couldn't leave now. Aside from the complicated relocation process, Zhao Mu Jiang had already been conscripted, leaving only Aunt Zhao behind. She couldn't abandon Aunt Zhao, who was like a grandmother to her and Changning.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Fan Changyu, Yu Qianqian didn't press further. She turned to Yu Bao'er and said, "Bao'er, say goodbye to Aunt Changyu and Sister Changning."

Yu Bao'er knew Yu Qianqian had come to pick him up but didn't expect they would be leaving Qingping County altogether. He looked at Fan Changyu and said, "Goodbye, Aunt Changyu."

Then he glanced at Changning, who was clutching Fan Changyu's skirt, and added, "I'll teach you to read later."

Changning retorted defiantly, "I'll definitely know more characters than you!"

The children's bickering made Fan Changyu and Yu Qianqian laugh, easing the sadness of parting.

Fan Changyu held Changning's hand as she escorted Yu Qianqian and her son to the carriage outside the alley.

Just as Yu Bao'er was about to board, he suddenly ran back, took off a jade pendant hanging around his neck, and handed it to Changning. "This is for you."

Fan Changyu quickly protested, "This is too valuable," turning to Yu Qianqian.

Yu Qianqian smiled gently and said, "Let Ning Niang keep it. This child is too lonely. Whenever he has to part with a playmate, he can't bear it and gives them his favorite things. It's his way of expressing his feelings."

Only after Fan Changyu nodded did Changning accept the pendant.

She tugged at her clothes and said to Yu Bao'er, "But I don't have anything to give you."Yu Bao'er pointed to a grasshopper woven from straw hanging on her small pouch and said, "I want this one."

Changning had been raised by Fan Changyu for the most part and was often quite simple-hearted. She had never seen jade before and didn’t know how valuable it was, though it did look pretty with its white, translucent glow.

But she also really liked the straw grasshopper. After a brief moment of hesitation, Changning decided that Yu Bao'er seemed to genuinely adore the little grasshopper, so she untied it and handed it to him.

She said, "This was woven for me by Uncle Zhao before he was taken away. Uncle Zhao has gone to the army now, and no one will make grasshoppers for me anymore. You must take good care of it. If you ever don’t want it anymore, bring it back to me, and we can trade it for your little pendant."

Yu Bao'er replied, "I’ll keep it safe."

Still too small to climb into the carriage by himself, Yu Qianqian lifted him up. As she did, her wide sleeves slipped down slightly, revealing the pair of broad jade bracelets on her wrists, which also slid a little lower.

Fan Changyu noticed what looked like rope marks on Yu Qianqian’s wrists.

Guessing they were left from her time in prison, Fan Changyu frowned, her heart aching for Yu Qianqian.

When Yu Qianqian turned back to bid farewell, she noticed Fan Changyu staring at her wrists. Her smile faltered for a moment before she instinctively covered the marks with her sleeve and continued, "Then we’ll be off."

Unaware of the moment, Fan Changyu simply smiled and said, "Have a safe journey."

Only after Yu Qianqian had boarded the carriage did the driver urge the horses forward.

As Fan Changyu walked home with Changning, she noticed the girl kept her head down, occasionally kicking small pebbles with the tips of her shoes, clearly in low spirits.

When Fan Changyu crouched down, she saw Changning’s eyes were red.

"Missing Bao'er?" Fan Changyu asked.

Changning nodded, then shook her head, her voice thick with sadness. "Sunsun is gone, Brother-in-law is gone, Uncle Zhao is gone too... Ning Niang misses them..."

Fan Changyu pulled her sister into a hug, gently patting her back, feeling a pang of melancholy herself.

She said, "Once the war is over, they’ll come back."

Hundreds of miles away, in Lu City.

He Jingyuan had just arrived at the city gates with the newly recruited soldiers when he encountered a contingent from Yanzhou. The leader, spotting him from afar, grinned and clasped his hands in greeting, his fox-like eyes brimming with cunning. "Lord He."

Seeing the man dressed in white robes, as handsome as an actor on stage, He Jingyuan couldn’t help but frown.

The Lu City general who had come to greet He Jingyuan explained, "This is Gongsun, a strategist under the Wu'an Marquis. He arrived in Lu City not long ago, claiming Yanzhou’s defenses are weak and requesting reinforcements from us."

He Jingyuan’s expression darkened instantly. "The rebels have 50,000 troops surrounding Lu City. How can we spare any forces for Yanzhou?"

The Lu City general broke into a cold sweat. "They say this Gongsun is a genius, but I have no idea what he’s scheming. I already used the siege as an excuse, but Gongsun insisted he only wants a thousand men from your newly recruited soldiers."

At this, He Jingyuan’s face also twisted in confusion.

In that brief moment, Gongsun Yin, clad in his ethereal white robes, sauntered over to He Jingyuan with effortless grace. "I’ve come to ask for your assistance, Lord He."

Though Gongsun Yin served Xie Zheng and held no official military rank, his reputation as a master schemer ensured no one dared underestimate him.Although He Jingyuan served as the Governor of Jizhou, while administrative affairs were directly reported to the imperial court, military matters had to follow Xie Zheng's orders.

Thus, when Gongsun Yin arrived before him, he dismounted and carefully said, "Yanzhou is in trouble, and Jizhou should naturally lend aid. But as you can see, Gongsun, the current situation in Jizhou..."

Gongsun Yin smiled. "I have come under the Marquis's orders to relieve the siege of Lucheng."

He Jingyuan grew even more puzzled when he heard no mention of borrowing troops. "What do you mean by that?"

Gongsun Yin replied, "The incident where Wei Xuan beat people to death while requisitioning grain in Taizhou has caused quite an uproar, and there’s no doubt that the rebels have been fanning the flames. However, Jizhou has salt lakes, which is why the rebels chose to besiege it. If Jizhou proves difficult to conquer, the rebels might very well turn their attention to Taizhou. The Marquis's plan is for Yanzhou to feign weakness, sending me to Jizhou to request reinforcements. If the rebels see that Jizhou can still spare troops for Yanzhou, they will inevitably suspect Jizhou's true military strength and hesitate to act rashly in the short term."

He Jingyuan asked, "Would Changxin Wang be so easily fooled by this ruse? What if he turns to attack Taizhou instead?"

Gongsun Yin's smile remained unchanged. "The Marquis has already sent another envoy to Taizhou to borrow troops."

He Jingyuan fell silent for a moment, pondering the scheme in his mind.

Both Taizhou and Jizhou had been embroiled in scandals over grain requisition, leading to widespread discontent among the people. Yet the rebels had chosen to attack Jizhou, undoubtedly drawn by its salt lakes.

By sending envoys from Yanzhou to request aid from both Taizhou and Jizhou, the Wu'an Marquis was essentially signaling to the rebels that Yanzhou was currently the most vulnerable target, while Jizhou and Taizhou still had troops to spare—implying that these two provinces were far stronger militarily than Yanzhou.

Under normal circumstances, Changxin Wang might have suspected a trick. But with Jinzhou, north of Yanzhou, currently engaged in battle against the Northern Turks, it was entirely possible that Yanzhou's defenses were indeed weak.

In the end, He Jingyuan summoned his deputy. "Allocate whatever troops Gongsun requests."

Gongsun Yin bowed deeply. "I am deeply grateful, Lord He."

He Jingyuan said, "If this relieves the siege of Lucheng and preserves Jizhou, it is I who should thank you and the Marquis."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Gongsun Yin took his leave.

Half an hour later, Gongsun Yin, clad in pristine white robes, returned to the camp where his Yanzhou troops were stationed, leading the thousand newly borrowed soldiers.

The moment he entered the tent, his barely contained glee spilled over. Eyeing the man reclining on the couch, whose face and the corners of his eyes were still bruised, he smirked and teased, "Well, well—who in this world could have beaten you up like this?"