Chapter 319: Staying the Night
Ji Yu exchanged a few words with her before preparing to leave.
"If Mama wakes up and can’t find me, she’ll worry..." He waved goodbye to Gu Jinzhao and dashed off in a flash.
The opera performance lasted until dusk before concluding. Gu Jinzhao accompanied Ji Wu Shi to the western courtyard for dinner.
By the time they returned to the eastern courtyard, the lanterns in the yard had already been lit.
Mama Song stood waiting for them at the entrance: "The Second Master has been back for an hour."
Gu Jinzhao supported Ji Wu Shi as they entered, and sure enough, they saw Ji Yao standing outside the central hall with his hands behind his back, lost in thought as he gazed at the jujube tree.
Ji Wu Shi invited him into the western chamber, where a maid served tea.
"You mentioned there was an issue with the shipment—what exactly happened?" Ji Wu Shi asked, holding her teacup.
Ji Yao replied calmly, "It was just a discrepancy in the cargo manifest... The goods belonged to the Sun family from the North-South Rice Shop. I personally went to speak with the Second Master of the Sun family. They can procure supplies from the Ji family's Rice Shop first, and I’ll send someone to investigate whether there’s an issue with the granary in Jiangxi."
Ji Wu Shi nodded. "The Sun family has a long-standing relationship with us. We mustn’t damage mutual goodwill."
Ji Yao smiled. "You can trust me to handle it properly."
As they spoke, Zou Shi arrived carrying Changsuo. The child was oddly particular—while he was fine being held by anyone during the day, he became clingy at bedtime and would only settle if Gu Jinzhao held him.
Changsuo’s little face was flushed from crying, and the moment he saw Gu Jinzhao, he lunged into her arms.
"He’s ready for sleep..." Gu Jinzhao patted his back helplessly. "I’ll have to put him to sleep first, or he’ll keep crying."
She carried Changsuo to the greenhouse, soothing him until he fell asleep before returning.
Ji Yao paid his respects to Ji Wu Shi and prepared to leave. Outside, the sky had darkened completely, and a cold wind had picked up. He stood, draped his cloak over himself, and then handed another cloak to Gu Jinzhao. "Cousin, are you heading back to your quarters? Let me walk you there."
Ji Wu Shi yawned. "I’m quite tired myself... Since your cousin is leaving tomorrow, it’s best to rest early tonight."
Gu Jinzhao had her maids and attendants with her—there was no real need for Ji Yao to escort her. Yet, she couldn’t outright refuse. It was just a short distance, after all... She followed Ji Yao out of the western chamber as he led the way toward the western quarters.
When they reached the end of the path, he stopped but didn’t turn around. His back to her, he asked quietly, "You’re leaving tomorrow—so soon?"
Gu Jinzhao nodded. "I’m currently learning household management, so I shouldn’t delay too long..."
He remained silent for a long while before sighing. "Do you need me to arrange an escort for you?"
"I brought my own coachman and guards, so that won’t be necessary," she replied softly. "But I appreciate the thought."
Her politeness was almost excessive.
Ji Yao turned to look at her, his gaze calm. "Then I won’t insist."
Gu Jinzhao nodded and was about to enter the western quarters with her attendants when he spoke again from behind.
"...It seems I’m the one who broke the promise. I hope you won’t hold it against me. I should have said these words to you sooner, but I thought it unnecessary." He laughed self-deprecatingly. "After all, it’s all in the past now."
Yes, it was all in the past.
Gu Jinzhao said nothing, remaining silent for a long moment before finally speaking. "I saw Yu Ge’er this afternoon. He’s quite adorable."Ji Yao merely smiled faintly upon hearing this before taking his leave.
The lanterns by the eaves swayed gently in the wind, their candlelight spilling onto the stone steps. Gu Jinzhao watched the direction he had gone for a long while before finally carrying Changsuo and stepping through the doorway.
The next day, a light rain began to fall, pattering softly in the courtyard as the autumn chill deepened.
Ji Wu Shi gazed at the rain with concern. "Perhaps you should delay your departure until tomorrow. What if the rain grows heavier?"
But Gu Jinzhao wished to return to the Chen Family sooner. She squeezed Ji Wu Shi’s hand reassuringly. "Don’t worry. Autumn rains are never too heavy."
Ji Wu Shi sighed and instructed the maids to prepare gifts for Gu Jinzhao’s journey. She then had a carriage brought to the eastern courtyard to escort Gu Jinzhao out. Once Gu Jinzhao boarded, the maids and servants loaded the belongings, and with a crack of the driver’s whip, the carriage clattered out of the Ji family estate.
They followed the official road, but after passing through Tongzhou and Baodi, the surroundings grew increasingly desolate.
The fields along the road were lush with Indian corn, and peanut plants dotted the vegetable plots, though farmhouses were few and far between.
Changsuo enjoyed riding in the carriage and soon fell asleep to its gentle rocking. Gu Jinzhao held the child and lifted the curtain to look outside—the rain had indeed grown heavier. The sky was dark and sallow, more like dusk than afternoon, obscuring even the distant cornfields.
Suddenly, the carriage halted. Song Chi, outside, spoke through the curtain: "Madam, the rain is too heavy. Once night falls, visibility will worsen, and continuing may be unsafe."
Song Chi was the guard captain Third Master Chen had assigned to Gu Jinzhao.
Frowning, Gu Jinzhao hadn’t expected the rain to intensify so much. She asked, "We’re far from any villages now. Even turning back to Baodi would take too long. If we stop, where can we stay?"
Song Chi replied, "I recall a Baodi post station about five li ahead. We should take shelter there."
Nightfall and heavy rain would make the journey treacherous.
After a moment’s thought, Gu Jinzhao nodded in agreement, and the carriage resumed its journey.
Upon arriving at the Baodi post station, Song Chi first presented Third Master Chen’s name card to the post station worker. Since post stations were typically reserved for official or military use, entry without credentials was unlikely. Recognizing the Chen Family’s carriage, the worker dared not slight them and respectfully ushered them inside.
Gu Jinzhao stepped down and surveyed the surroundings. The Baodi post station was modest in size, with a screen wall at the entrance and only two courtyards beyond. The main hall had two rooms, and a corridor connected to the stables, where over twenty horses were visible.
Song Chi smiled and asked the worker, "May I ask who manages the Baodi post station?"
The worker grinned. "It’s the Luo family, former Imperial Merchants! Please, rest in the side rooms for now. This rain doesn’t seem like it’ll let up anytime soon..."
Among the group were women and a child, heavily guarded yet likely weary from the journey. The woman at the center, cloaked and never addressing him directly, clearly belonged to a distinguished household.
The side room was the third on the left. Once they were settled, the worker said cheerfully, "Please wait while I fetch some hot water to warm you up. If anyone catches a chill, we’ve no medicine here—that would be troublesome!"Granny Sun stepped forward and handed the post station worker a five-tael silver ingot. With a smile, she thanked him: "Then we'll trouble you, young man. Please boil a couple more buckets of hot water so our mistress can freshen up."
Five taels of silver could cover half a year's wages, making the post station worker beam with joy: "No trouble at all! Just wait a moment, everyone!"
Gu Jinzhao had just removed her cloak and sat down when she noticed figures moving in the corridor opposite through the rain curtain—quite a number of them, it seemed... She stopped the post station worker and asked, "Are there others staying at this post station?"
The room was dim, with candles just lit. Even in the flickering, indistinct candlelight, the post station worker was momentarily stunned when he saw Gu Jinzhao's face.
Song Chi frowned slightly in the shadows: "Our mistress asked you a question. Do you know or not?"
The post station worker finally replied, "If the post station master didn't earn some extra, how could he cover the station's expenses... That group paid silver to stay here. But there's a courtyard between us, so they won't be any bother."
As a guard, Song Chi naturally had to be cautious, especially since he was protecting the mistress and young master.
"Do you know how many there are and where they're from?"
The post station worker shook his head: "Roughly ten or twenty. They speak with a strange accent—definitely not from our Northern Zhili. They came on horseback and are just sheltering from the rain here. At noon, they asked for eight catties of cooked beef... They're not much for talking!"
He was just a post station worker and probably knew nothing more. Song Chi dismissed him for now.
Since they were all just travelers seeking shelter, as long as they kept to themselves, it should be fine. They'd be leaving early tomorrow anyway. After some thought, Gu Jinzhao instructed Song Chi: "Go and check if there's anything unusual about those people. Don't alert them."
Song Chi accepted the order and left, while the other guards took up positions at the door.
The wet nurse had just uncovered the cloak over Changsuo, who was still sleeping soundly.
Gu Jinzhao first placed the child on the kang to let him sleep properly.
Soon, the post station worker brought hot water. With a smile, he said, "We'll be having hot pot outside later. If you're hungry, you're welcome to join us."
They had brought their own provisions, so they didn't need to eat the post station's food. Still, cold rations couldn't compare to a hot meal. Gu Jinzhao called Mama Song over and instructed, "If anyone wants to eat, they can go. Just let you know first."
Mama Song acknowledged and went to inform the guards outside. Just then, Song Chi returned, wiping rainwater from his face. "I circled around to take a look. All their doors were shut tight—couldn't see a thing... But this might be a good chance to investigate further!"
Gu Jinzhao reminded them to be careful. Still, she trusted that the Chen Family's guards were highly skilled—ordinary thieves or bandits wouldn't be a threat.
Glancing through the lattice window, she saw the rain still hadn't let up. It was hard to say when it would ease—they probably wouldn't reach Wanping tomorrow...
After a long day's journey, she felt quite tired. She ate some pastries with the hot water, then leaned against the wall, keeping watch over the sleeping Changsuo as she closed her eyes to rest.
Granny Sun came in and draped a dry cloak over Gu Jinzhao. She gestured for the maids tidying up to work quietly and dimmed the candles to make it easier for Gu Jinzhao to sleep.Song Chi sat down with his two guards in the central hall. The room was warmed by a brazier, making candles unnecessary.
The post station worker who had greeted them earlier stood up to welcome them. "Come, come! Don't stand on ceremony—join us for the hot pot! Please, sit here!"
Song Chi quickly glanced around. Several post station workers were gathered around a hot pot. Nearby, several other stoves were set up, surrounded by eighteen men dressed in short jackets with cloth belts tied around their waists. Their temples were prominent, and the veins on their arms faintly visible—clearly martial artists!
With a faint smile, Song Chi took his seat. The post station worker promptly brought bowls and poured wine for them, then cheerfully addressed the neighboring group, "These gentlemen are also officials staying the night. No need for formalities while sharing a drink!"
The only man among them wearing a robe cupped his hands and grinned. "We're just traveling performers from the jianghu—no need for empty courtesies!"
As he spoke, his eyes swept over Song Chi from head to toe before he turned back to his wine.
Song Chi immediately detected the man's thick Bashu accent and frowned slightly. Bashu was thousands of miles away, difficult to travel to and from. If these men were truly just performers, why would they come all the way to the Northern Metropolitan Area to perform?
Just what were their true origins?
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