Yun Zhu’s brow furrowed slightly.
*Didn’t Tu Er say he wouldn’t let Lady Zhao out?*
“Uncle Dahu, did she come back on her own?” Lu Zimo asked.
“No, Uncle Lu Ping went to pick her up in person,” Lu Dahu said. “I heard Lady Zhao nearly died in jail, and it was Jinglan who saved her.”
*Lu Jinglan?!*
Yun Zhu and the others were even more bewildered.
Lu Jinglan could barely protect herself, so how could she save Lady Zhao?
Lu Dahu didn’t keep them in suspense for long, continuing: “Oh, right. I heard Jinglan became the concubine of the jail master at the county magistrate’s office. That jail master happens to be the brother-in-law of the county assistant, so it was the county assistant who secured Lady Zhao’s release.”
Enlightenment dawned upon everyone!
Yun Zhu sneered internally.
*Lu Jinglan is quite capable indeed!*
Within just a few days of entering Yingchun Brothel, she had adapted and even latched onto the county office’s jail master!
Lady Yang said in a huff, “Lady Zhao truly has nine lives!”
Having said that, Lady Yang turned to Yun Zhu: “Second Brother’s Wife, don’t let Yiyi go out alone from now on.”
Still feeling uneasy after saying this, she instructed her husband and sons: “From now on, all of us should be careful. Don’t let Lady Zhao get anywhere near Yiyi.”
She still suffered lingering fears over the incident where Lady Zhao brought men to the county town to kidnap Yiyi.
Yun Zhu’s eyes were icy cold.
*Lady Zhao escaped death this time, but next time, she won’t be so lucky!*
Two days later, Lu Zifeng’s injuries had mostly healed. Just as he was planning to head back up the mountain to chop more timber, Yun Zhu called him to a stop.
“Second Aunt, what are your instructions?” Lu Zifeng hovered over with a thoroughly flattering face.
Seeing him like this, Yun Zhu was somewhat speechless: “We have things under control at home. Help me handle a matter first.”
Out of the three sons in the eldest branch, only this fellow Lu Zifeng was the closest to her.
Perhaps it was because of that meal at Zuixiao Restaurant, or perhaps because of her culinary skills over the past few days.
“What matter? Second Aunt, feel free to command me!” Lu Zifeng said with a grinning face.
Yun Zhu asked with a serious expression: “Zifeng, how much do you know about the eastern prefectures and counties of the Kingdom of Tianqi? Have you ever been to places outside Daliang County?”
Since it concerned the whole family’s safety, plans had to be made early.
“I’ve never left Daliang County. I’ve only heard the head escort of the Yongchang Escort Agency in the county town mention a few things about the eastern prefectures, but I can hardly say I know them well.”
“You even know the head escort of an escort agency?!” Yun Zhu was overjoyed, instantly making up her mind: “Zifeng, if the Yongchang Escort Agency is running an escort route to the east, would you be willing to accompany the escort?”
Pausing briefly, Yun Zhu added, “Just consider it a study trip.”
The escort agencies in the county town only took on ordinary escort jobs with low risk factors, otherwise she wouldn’t have brought this up.
“Second Aunt, even if I’m acquainted with the head escort of the Yongchang Escort Agency, accompanying an escort requires silver!” Thinking Yun Zhu was unaware, Lu Zifeng couldn’t help but remind her, “Traveling east, plus lodging and food, will cost at least a hundred taels of silver! Besides, why should I run with an escort route for no reason?”
“You don’t need to worry about silver!” To Yun Zhu, anything that could be solved with silver was no problem at all: “I want you to record the various conditions of the prefectures and towns along the way during your journey—such as the climate, local customs, public security, and so on—one by one, and tell me when you return.”
In her dream, the snow disaster in Daliang County was followed by famine, with floods in the south and war in the north.
If they were forced to flee as refugees, only the east remained as a viable path.
Making preparations early and mapping out the route would add an extra layer of protection.
Hearing this, Lu Zifeng’s expression turned grave: “Second Aunt, you don’t suspect Second Uncle is still alive and want to inquire about news of him, do you?”
When he first received the news of Second Uncle’s death in battle, he couldn’t accept it either. Aside from the escort agency, he had frequently inquired about conditions everywhere from traveling peddlers and passing merchants, but the news he received was always the same: that battle was the biggest defeat the Kingdom of Tianqi had ever suffered in history, resulting in near-total annihilation.
“What are you thinking?” Yun Zhu cast a glance at him, her expression indifferent. “The dead cannot be brought back to life; I won’t indulge in unrealistic fantasies.”
In truth, after transmigrating and learning that the original host was a widow, she had secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, if she had to live as husband and wife with a strange man, she wouldn’t be able to handle it!
“Then why are you having me accompany the escort, Second Aunt?” Lu Zifeng looked at her suspiciously.
He didn’t believe Second Aunt had truly come to terms with it!
He hadn’t forgotten how, back when Second Aunt received news of Second Uncle’s death, she took to her bed, critically ill, wishing for nothing more than to follow Second Uncle into the grave.
Yun Zhu certainly needed to make this clear to him: “I worry there will be natural disasters next year. Sending you to the east to scout the situation is to find a way out for the whole family.”
Lu Zifeng’s face grew several degrees more solemn: “Second Aunt, do you mean… we have to prepare to flee as refugees? This is no laughing matter!”
Yun Zhu didn’t want to frighten him: “Whether we need to flee as refugees depends on the situation. Of course, if we don’t have to flee, that would be for the best! But if Houtu Village truly becomes uninhabitable, we’ll be prepared, won’t we?”
Seeing Lu Zifeng wearing a conflicted look, Yun Zhu said, “I’ll give you two hundred taels of silver—that should be enough, right?”
Lu Zifeng’s eyes suddenly widened: “Second Aunt, where did you get two hundred taels?”
“Did you forget about me selling recipes earlier?” Yun Zhu curled her lips slightly. “My recipes are worth a fortune, so you don’t need to worry about silver.”
Lu Zifeng clutched his heart: “Wait, Second Aunt, let me catch my breath!”
*Goodness gracious~~*
*So it’s more than just two hundred taels?*
*He wondered if he could earn this much money in his entire lifetime!*
“Second Aunt, were those recipes of yours inlaid with gold?” A moment later, Lu Zifeng couldn’t help asking.
Yun Zhu merely smiled without a word.
After dinner that evening, having seen off the fellow villagers who came to help with the work, the whole family sat in the courtyard to discuss Lu Zifeng accompanying the escort.
What left Yun Zhu both amused and exasperated was that after Lu Jinghai and Lady Yang heard her plan, instead of worrying about Lu Zifeng’s safety, they felt a pang of heartache over the silver instead.
Only after much persuasion did Yun Zhu manage to get Lu Jinghai and Lady Yang to accept spending two hundred taels of silver to scout a route that might never be used.
Leaving Daliang County required obtaining a travel permit from the county magistrate’s office, so Yun Zhu decided to bring her daughter and Lu Zifeng along to Daliang County town.
Lu Zifeng went to the Yongchang Escort Agency first. By the time he returned to the entrance of the county office, Yun Zhu and Yiyi were already waiting there.
“Second Aunt, Yiyi!” Lu Zifeng ran over to them. “Second Aunt, the Yongchang Escort Agency has a route heading east tomorrow. I’ll travel with them tomorrow—it takes about three months back and forth. They won’t charge me silver, and they’ll cover all my food and lodging!”
Yun Zhu was surprised: “Are you sure?”
Lu Zifeng gave a mischievous grin: “I promised to help them look after and feed the horses along the way.”
What Lu Zifeng didn’t tell Yun Zhu was that he had loved animals since childhood, and once accidentally cured the head escort’s horse, forging a good bond with the Yongchang Escort Agency.
Yun Zhu felt she had still underestimated Lu Zifeng!
The more she learned, the more she felt this kid was simply a treasure trove!
She handed him three bundles—one large and two small—that she was holding: “The large bundle contains two sets of padded cotton clothes and trousers and a few pairs of padded shoes that Yiyi and I just bought for you. Of the two smaller bundles, one contains medicine with the main functions and dosages written on them, while the other contains meat jerky and travel expenses. When traveling far from home, spend what needs to be spent and grease the palms that need greasing—there’s no need to be stingy.”