The two stopped disturbing Bai Xiaojiu's date and quietly retreated. As far as the eye could see were vibrant wildflowers and the air was filled with their sweet fragrance.
Spring really was an intoxicating season!
Recently, Jiang Yuqing kept running into this Wei Something fellow at a rather high frequency. Although her senses were quite dull, she wasn't completely ignorant.
After "coincidentally" encountering him several times in a few days, she figured out his intentions. This guy was probably harboring less-than-honorable designs on her.
When Jiang Yuqing went to buy a sesame seed cake on the street and once again "coincidentally" met him,
she really couldn't stand it anymore. Grinding her teeth, she said, "Hey man, you seem to have a lot of free time recently?"
Wei Caile was taken aback. Seeing Jiang Yuqing's displeased expression, he said, "No...no!"
Jiang Yuqing crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him expressionlessly. "No? If you're not always randomly appearing in front of me, shouldn't you be spending your time more productively by studying?"
"If it wasn't for the fact that I'm used to being alone without any attendants, you would have already been put on the list of suspicious loafers by them!"
She took a step forward and shoved the cake she just bought into his hands, "Here, this is for you. Don't follow the Princess anymore. Your flirting skills really are very clumsy."
Having said that, she turned and left, leaving Wei Caile confused amidst the wind.
Wasn't it supposed to be "repaying the life-saving grace with marriage"? What was happening here!
Bai Xiaojiu cackled loudly. After finishing laughing, she sincerely advised her, "Qingbao, you already have the Crown Prince. You absolutely can't cheat on him.
Besides, this guy really doesn't look very good. If we must switch him out, it has to at least be for someone better looking than the Crown Prince!"
Jiang Yuqing was covered in black lines, "Keep your mouth shut! It seems like your moral values follow your looks. You're even more appearances-obsessed than I am!"
She suddenly remembered the bizarre robbery incident at the beginning of the year and felt something was off.
So she sent someone to the Jingzhao government office to investigate. After learning the results, she was quite speechless.
This Wei Something had gone to great lengths to get her attention and climb the social ladder.
The sea of flowers at the Tai An farm had lasted over 20 days before ending.
On the farm's closing day, they took stock of everything. All the admission tickets sold, barbecue skewers, and other odds and ends totaled over 7,000 silver taels. After costs, there was still around 5,000 silver taels of profit.
This was Tai An farm's first income since its founding. Of the 50 piglets bought last year, over 10 months of raising them, only around 10 were left now after slaughtering many. Over 100 sheep had also been slaughtered. So Jiang Yuqing replenished the stock with another batch.
With the upcoming opening of the barbecue restaurant in the capital city, future consumption was considered. The number of sheep directly increased to 1,000 heads, and pigs to 500 heads.
But this greatly increased the workload for the veterans.
After soliciting everyone's opinions and suggestions, Jiang Yuqing went to Old General Qin to request 50 more people.
With this, the number of people at the farm increased to 130.
The farm's unique barbecue had become well known in the capital city. As such, when the storefront opened under Tai An Barbecue, it drew in crowds of people coming for barbecue. The scene was exceptionally hot.
On top of the original barbecue offerings, Tai An Barbecue also introduced grilled fish and some very unique stir-fried vegetable dishes and cold appetizers. There was also a kind of uniquely textured malt liquor made from wheat.
This malt wine paired perfectly with the barbecue, truly a match made in heaven and a one-of-a-kind find.
With Tai An's business booming, there were naturally copycats emerging.
But they didn't have Jiang Yuqing's secret barbecue sauce recipe or Tai An's uniquely textured malt wine.
Coupled with preconceived notions, the commoners of the capital were convinced that the "Tai An" name represented authenticity. Therefore, even with the copycats, their business was far from comparable.
Due to the overwhelming popularity, Tai An Barbecue had no choice but to keep expanding. Within a short period of time, they already opened 4 locations in the capital city. Even so, there were still lines out the door for reservations.
Staffing also kept increasing. This made Old General Qin happy from ear to ear.
Ever since Tai An Barbecue opened for business, the old general would frequently get together groups of two or three old friends, like Old Duke, to meet up, drink malt wine, and eat barbecue skewers.
Seeing the busy yet smiling veterans, the old fellows were elated.
Munching on skewers and drinking wine, when they drank more, they would start singing military chanteys. These were chanteys that only the soldiers of the northwest knew. As they sang, they would cry.
After crying, they drank some more. By the end, they would be leaning on each other staggering out in a drunken stupor.
Not only were the old generals willing to come, even Emperor Xia Jing came to eat with Empress Qin twice.
Jiang Yuqing felt that this business model was promising. She simply had the words "Tai An" designed into a logo and stamped it with her personal seal to serve as a trademark.
Afterwards, she wrote down the logo, barbecue sauce recipe, barbecue cooking method and other details clearly in a letter sent by carrier pigeon to her third brother Jiang Yuhu back home.
She specifically instructed that when Tai An is hiring employees, priority must be given to disabled veterans.
She believed that with her third brother's capabilities, the Tai An trademark would surely prosper under his leadership.
In April, the 3,000 mu (494 acre) farm back in Jiang's hometown also finished transplanting rice seedlings. Unfortunately, situated in the north of Great Xia, the capital city only allowed one season of harvest. Whereas back home in Qingzhou, the farmlands already fully transitioned into harvesting two seasons of rice.
With the end of spring plowing, early May soon arrived. After two torrential rains, the water levels of the nearby Yunlan River rose for the Dumpling Festival dragon boat race. The annual event was about to kick off.
Busy with Tai An farm matters last year, she didn't attend. This year, Jing Yan invited her early on to watch the dragon boats together. They agreed to meet at the viewing terrace by the river bank.
Per tradition, the Crown Prince needed to preside over a series of sacrificial rites before the start of the dragon boat race.
To help Jiang Yuqing last year, Jing Yan was absent from the ceremonies. In the end, it was Emperor Xia Jing who stood in instead.
No matter what this year, the Emperor certainly wouldn't let his son slip away again.
Jiang Yuqing's father and brothers had gotten up early to participate in the sacrificial rituals by the altar.
Mother and daughter woke up a bit later. After breakfast, they slowly made their way by carriage to the Yunlan River bank.
By the time they arrived, the area was already filled with crowds.
The two got out of the carriage and walked over to the viewing terrace, about to look for their seats. Suddenly, they collided into a mother and son smiling as they walked over.
"Greetings Lady Jiang! Good day Lady Jiang!"
Lu returned half a curtsy. Cooly, she said, "Lady Wei."
The newcomers were none other than Lady Wei, mother of the Marquis of An Xi, and her second son, the second young master of the Marquis manor, Wei Caile.
Seeing Jiang Yuqing, Wei Caile's eyes immediately lit up. He hadn't seen her for over a month. She seemed to have become even more beautiful. "Princess, we meet again!"
Jiang Yuqing slightly tugged the corners of her lips. "Indeed!" Ever since blatantly rejecting him on the street that day, her surroundings finally quieted down for a period.
Encountering him now by the river bank really dampened her mood.
Due to what happened previously, Jiang Yuqing didn't take it to heart and therefore never mentioned it to her family.
As such, Lu was unaware. Hearing Wei Caile's tone, she immediately knitted her brows and asked her daughter, "Qingbao, you've met before?"
Jiang Yuqing helplessly nodded, "I guess you could say that!"
Lady Wei immediately picked up the conversation, smiling radiantly. "I suppose Lady Jiang still doesn't know! Earlier this year, my son even saved the Princess!"
Hearing this, Lu promptly asked Jiang Yuqing, "What's going on? Why haven't I heard you mention this!"
Twirling the embroidered floral fan in her hand, Jiang Yuqing casually let out a skeptical hum. "Well, it did happen! It was right before the Lantern Festival. I was walking home from the hospital and a few carriages had actually blocked off the entire street.
Little Ten and I couldn't get past, so we took a small side alley instead. That's when we ran into a few robbers. And then this gentleman here brought two others to rush out and knock down the thieves."
Lu immediately recalled Lady Quan's words from the beginning of the year and seeing her daughter's attitude, understood exactly what had transpired. So it was this mother and son duo setting up a scheme!
She smiled stiffly, "Right around New Year's, with freshly fallen snow on the ground, of course the wide streets suddenly got blocked right when you were heading home.
And it just so happened that Young Master Wei appeared at precisely the right time and place!"
Jiang Yuqing nodded in agreement, "That's what I thought too. Which is why when Young Master Wei suggested letting those five robbers go, I went ahead and tied them up to personally deliver them to the Jingzhao government office."
The Wei mother and son's expressions changed upon hearing this.
Lu said: "What do you two mean by this? My son saved the princess, and not only did you not thank us, you even slandered that it was a plot we orchestrated. Isn't that going too far?"
Upon hearing this, Han no longer bothered to give her face and coldly said: "Whether or not it was a plot orchestrated by you, everyone knows well.
In my large noble estate, how could I have let her come and go freely as a young lady, didn't Lady Wei think about what the reason could be?"
As she said this, Han heavily harrumphed and continued: "Let this lady tell you bluntly, when she was killing enemies at the border back then, your son was probably still cooing in your arms!"
Having the veil torn away by Han, Lady Wei's complexion was also quite ugly. "I admit the princess is outstanding, but isn't Lady's remark going too far?"
Han scoffed and mocked: "Going too far? Lady Wei might as well go back and ask your Marquis. Has he heard of the title 'Little Battle God' before?
That is what my daughter was called by the soldiers in the Northwest Army after she took the heads of the Fifth Prince of the Xiongnu and Xiongnu's General.
So don't even mention five local thugs, even if ten more came, tied together they would still not be her match!
Otherwise, how do you think she got the title of 'Defender of the Country' in her name?"
Lady Wei's face was white, her lips moved but no words came out for a long time.
Jiang Yuqing calmly said to Wei Caile: "I specially went to check in the government office later and found that the five thugs were taken away by people from the Wei Estate.
There is an old saying, if you don't want others to know, don't do it yourself.
To be honest, this act of hero saving the beauty orchestrated by yourselves, if it was tried on other young ladies, it might really have succeeded."
As she said this, she grinned wryly: "It's just a pity you found the wrong target!"
She paused and continued: "And I also roughly know why you did this.
Let me give you two a piece of advice. If you want to obtain something, it would be better to study more and rely on your own efforts instead of crooked means. Even if you obtain it through ill-gotten ways, it won't last long. I've said my piece, do what you will!"
Having said that, she held Lady Lu's arm. "Mother, let's go!"
What happened here was naturally seen by many interested people. A few noble youths who had been to Tai An farm all wore indescribable expressions on seeing this scene.
They exchanged looks with each other, and one of them dressed in white finery said: "That Wei fellow is really bold! He even dared to plot against the Defender of the Country princess!"
Another one dressed in green mocked: "Not only bold, simply foolish. Daring to compete with the Crown Prince for a woman, I'm afraid he won't even know how he died!"
The third said: "In the future, we'd better keep our distance from him. Such foolishness, in case we get implicated."
"You're right..."
