The refugee situation was beyond what the couple could handle. Having set aside this heavy topic, Qi Heng took her to a fabric shop.
The shop was filled entirely with women, making it inappropriate for Qi Heng to enter. He waited at the entrance while Jiang Nian went inside alone. She spent three taels of silver to purchase a bolt of Ouhua Fen fabric, one of Mo Qingse, and another of Jiang Zise. The shopkeeper gave her some fabric scraps as a gift.
When she stepped out of the shop, Jiang Nian didn’t see Qi Heng. Just as she grew puzzled, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Wife.”
Jiang Nian turned to find Qi Heng holding a packet of oiled paper containing several pieces of osmanthus cakes.
“There’s a pastry shop to the east. I bought you some osmanthus cakes.”
Jiang Nian smiled sweetly. “I’m not a child anymore. Why buy osmanthus cakes?”
“Who says grown-ups can’t eat osmanthus cakes?” Qi Heng took out one piece, still warm. “Try a bite.”
In such a public setting, Jiang Nian felt too shy to take a bite. “I’ll eat it when we get home.”
“It won’t taste the same once it cools. Just one bite.” He held it to her lips. Jiang Nian glanced around—no one seemed to notice—then quickly bent her head to take a small bite. It was sweet and soft.
“It’s delicious. You have some too,” Jiang Nian urged him, but Qi Heng put the cake back.
“I don’t care much for sweets.”
Jiang Nian hugged the fabric bolts. “Husband, I bought fabric for you too. When we get home, I’ll have the seamstress make you some clothes.”
“Alright.” Qi Heng’s brows relaxed, a gentle light shimmering in his eyes.
They strolled leisurely, and Qi Heng had his guards take their purchases back to the residence. At noon, he took her to Bai Wei Xuan, the largest restaurant on the street.
“Why eat out?”
Qi Heng leaned closer and spoke softly. “This place makes excellent Mizhi Kaoya, and their Babao Geng is wonderful too. I want you to try them.”
Jiang Nian’s lips curved upward as she gazed tenderly at him. Qi Heng paused.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Jiang Nian said, “You’re very different from before.”
Qi Heng tilted his head curiously. “How would you know what I was like before?”
“I just do.” Jiang Nian laughed and walked into the restaurant. Turning back to see him still standing there, she waved. “Why are you just standing there? Weren’t you taking me to eat?”
“Coming!” Qi Heng caught up with her. They dined in a private room where he ordered four or five dishes, all Jiang Nian’s favorites. When he tried to order more, she stopped him.
“Don’t order any more. It’ll go to waste if we can’t finish.”
“Alright.”
The restaurant overlooked the lake. Pushing the window open, they saw the calm water surface and a small boat drifting slowly by. Qi Heng asked her, “Would you like to go boating after the meal?”
“Aren’t you busy?” Jiang Nian remembered how, in her previous life, he had always been occupied—assisting his father with official duties. After his father raised an army, Qi Heng was often away from home, and the couple seldom had time together.
“I want to be with you.” Qi Heng embraced her from behind, holding her tightly. He rested his head against her, his voice muffled. Jiang Nian turned to look at him, and he leaned in to kiss her.
She turned back toward the lake outside the window. They stood in silence, holding each other, until the waiter entered with their dishes.
“Let’s eat.” Qi Heng led her to the table by the hand and served her a piece of duck first. Jiang Nian took a bite, her eyes lighting up.
“It really is delicious.”
Seeing how much she enjoyed it, Qi Heng kept serving her dishes, hardly eating himself. Jiang Nian stopped him.
“You eat too. Don’t worry about me.”
After the meal, the two hurried home as chaos erupted on the streets. Groups of government soldiers were shouting everywhere about capturing bandits. Qi Heng shielded Jiang Nian as they rushed back. Jiang Nian saw the child she had fed steamed buns earlier crying and chasing after a person seized by the soldiers.
"Father! Father!"
Jiang Nian's face paled. "These soldiers aren't arresting bandits—they're rounding up refugees."
"Wife." Qi Heng's expression turned stern as he pulled her close. "This is beyond your control. Be good and return home."
Held securely in his embrace, Jiang Nian was taken back to the residence on horseback. Along the way, soldiers were arresting people everywhere while panicked citizens fled in all directions. Vendor stalls lay overturned, their goods scattered across the ground, ignored by everyone scrambling for safety.
With a grave expression, Qi Heng escorted her to her room and instructed, "Stay inside and don't go out. I need to speak with Father."
"Alright."
Once outside, Qi Heng ordered the maids, "Take good care of the Second Young Mistress."
"Yes."
Shanzhu and Qingmei bowed their heads. The moment Qi Heng left, they hurried into the room.
"Young Mistress."
Jiang Nian was drenched in cold sweat. "Prepare water for my bath."
"Yes."
In Prefect Qi's study, several advisors and subordinates were discussing official matters. When Qi Heng entered, they all rose and cupped their hands in greeting.
"We pay our respects to the Second Young Master."
Qi Heng nodded and took a seat below his father. "Father, when I was on the streets today, I saw soldiers arresting refugees under the pretext of capturing bandits. Were you aware of this?"
Prefect Qi stroked his beard. "Yes. Magistrate Wang reported the need to detain refugees, and I approved it."
Qi Heng questioned, "These are refugees fleeing famine. Instead of properly settling them, you're having them arrested. Aren't you afraid of pushing the people to rebellion?"
Prefect Qi's face darkened instantly. "These refugees are robbing and vandalizing in the streets—no different from bandits. Detaining them restores peace to the citizens, and reporting it to the court counts as an administrative achievement. It serves dual purposes."
Advisor Su Zong spoke up, "Second Young Master, recently many citizens have filed complaints about groups of refugees breaking into homes late at night, murdering entire families, and stealing food and valuables. These aren't mere refugees—they're vicious robbers."
Qi Heng argued, "Among the refugees are many pitiable people escaping disaster. We can't arrest them all. Father, entrust this matter to me. Let me find a way to settle these refugees properly. May I?"
"How would you settle them?" subordinate Chen Feng interjected. "The refugee issue has always been a headache throughout history. No one has ever fully resolved it."
Qi Heng proposed, "Enlist the men into the army. Those unwilling can be assigned to farmland. Arrange work for the women. Essentially, ensure everyone earns their keep through labor—work determines food rations."
Chen Feng disagreed, "That's a massive undertaking, time-consuming and labor-intensive. Why bother? Arresting the refugees is much simpler."
"Arresting them is indeed simpler," Qi Heng retorted sarcastically. "But there are tens of thousands of refugees outside the city. Can we possibly arrest them all? Continuing like this will plant seeds of disaster."
"Enough!" Prefect Qi said sternly. "Ah Heng, I'll assign the refugee settlement task to you. Remember: you must thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of any refugees enlisted into the army."
"Yes." Qi Heng nodded.
Prefect Qi then shifted to another matter. "The bandits on Caomao Shan have grown increasingly bold in recent years. Our bandit suppression campaigns seem to multiply their numbers instead. The higher authorities have long been dissatisfied with my performance. Does anyone have suggestions?"
"Caomao Shan's terrain is perilously steep, surrounded by peaks that form a natural barrier around the mountain. We are unfamiliar with the landscape, making it difficult to launch an attack. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have failed repeatedly in our attempts to suppress the bandits."
Su Zong weighed his words carefully before speaking. "Sir, why not use fire as our strategy? The treacherous peaks that serve as their protective shield could also become the barrier that seals their fate."