Looking at the bolts of cloth before him, which were somewhat wrinkled and dark in color, Jin Wang reached out to touch them, then withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened.
With an inscrutable emotion hidden in his eyes, he said, “Take these bolts of cloth. Bring the people who were transporting them as well. Handle the rest cleanly, and don’t let anyone notice that this Prince has taken the cloth.”
“Yes.” Ying Yi then turned to handle the matter.
Standing to the side, Bai Fei Wan also looked at the bolts of cloth. She too could see that they were different, looking a bit older than ordinary fabric.
A short while later, the procession began to move again, arriving in Hang City by dusk.
This time, they did not stay at a kezhan. Instead, they went to a residence with four courtyards, an estate owned by Jin Wang.
The residence was located in the eastern part of Hang City, an excellent location.
When they arrived, Ling Yu had already been waiting at the residence for a long time.
Ling Yu was also one of Jin Wang’s subordinates, trained alongside Ying Yi and the others.
Ying Yi was a shadow guard, whose main duty was to follow Jin Wang at all times and be responsible for his safety.
Ling Yu, on the other hand, operated in the open. He was Jin Wang’s subordinate, managing the Prince’s public-facing businesses. He had previously been away, handling matters for Jin Wang.
This time, Ling Yu had been passing through Jiangnan on his way back from a task when the manager of their Jiangnan businesses noticed something unusual. He reported it to Ling Yu, who investigated and discovered the private salt, then sent a message to inform Jin Wang.
Seeing Jin Wang’s procession arrive, Ling Yu immediately went to wait at the gate.
Just as Ling Yu saw the Wangye alight from the carriage and was about to step forward to salute, he saw Jin Wang turn back and extend a hand toward the carriage door. Immediately, a pair of slender, snow-white hands reached out from within the carriage and rested on Jin Wang’s.
Ling Yu’s eyes widened like bronze bells at the sight, his gaze filled with disbelief.
Then, he saw a handsome young man dressed in a black brocade robe being helped out of the carriage by his own Wangye.
Ling Yu was so shocked his jaw dropped. His Wangye had fallen from grace! He actually liked men! A look of profound grief and indignation then appeared on his face.
Ying Yi and Jiang Shun, who had been watching Ling Yu’s changing expressions from the side, had already grown accustomed to the Wangye’s attentiveness toward Bai Shiqie during the journey. They both shot him a look of disdain, as if to say Ling Yu was acting like he’d never seen the world.
Jin Wang and Bai Fei Wan walked hand in hand to the main gate, where they saw Ling Yu staring at them with a contorted expression. Bai Fei Wan was baffled, while Jin Wang merely cast a casual glance his way and paid him no mind.
After entering the residence, Jin Wang first took Bai Fei Wan to the main courtyard to rest and freshen up. Jiang Shun and Zi Zhu followed them.
Ling Yu, however, grabbed hold of Ying Yi, who was also about to leave.
Ying Yi turned his head to look at Ling Yu, who was holding onto him, his eyes asking, What is it?
Ling Yu, already used to Ying Yi’s coldness, didn’t mind it at all. Instead, he asked with a pained and indignant heart, “The Wangye brought that pretty boy with him. Why didn’t you try to stop him?”
Hearing this, Ying Yi’s expression grew even colder. “Why should I stop him?”
Hearing Ying Yi’s heartless words, Ling Yu said in disbelief, “How could you just stand by and watch the Wangye go astray without trying to advise him?”
Ying Yi looked at Ling Yu as if he were a lunatic. How was the Wangye bringing Bai Shiqie along considered going astray? The Wangye hadn’t neglected his official duties, and Bai Shiqie hadn’t caused any trouble along the way.
Seeing that Ying Yi wasn’t answering and was instead giving him that look, Ling Yu grew even angrier. “Hey, Ying Yi, why aren’t you answering? Was I wrong?”
Ying Yi was baffled. Bai Shiqie was the Wangye’s woman to begin with. How was bringing her on a trip considered going astray?
Not wanting to get further entangled with this idiot, Ying Yi shook off Ling Yu’s hand, turned, and used his Qinggong to swiftly fly away.
He left Ling Yu standing there alone. Watching Ying Yi’s departing figure, Ling Yu clenched his fists. No, he couldn’t let the Wangye go astray. With that thought, he turned and headed for the main courtyard.
Over at the main courtyard, when Ling Yu arrived, Jin Wang and Bai Fei Wan were still washing up, so he sat in the main hall to wait for Jin Wang.
After about a quarter of an hour, Jin Wang emerged, having freshened up.
Seeing the Wangye, Ling Yu immediately rose and saluted. “Wangye.”
Jin Wang gave an almost imperceptible nod and walked to the head seat, waiting for Ling Yu to speak. However, after waiting for a long time, he saw that Ling Yu had yet to open his mouth.
Jin Wang took the initiative to ask, “The matter of the private salt, how much have you found?”
Ling Yu was still trying to figure out how to broach the subject of persuading the Wangye, but upon hearing his question, he had no choice but to set the matter aside and answer.
“It was the manager of our Grain Shops in Jiangnan who discovered a subtle upward trend in the volume of salt being traded in Jiangnan, exceeding the quota set for the region by the imperial court.
“So he went to investigate and found that there was indeed an extra batch of salt in Jiangnan. The quantity wasn’t huge, but he couldn’t trace its origin.
“I have also been investigating for the past few days, but I still haven’t found the source of the salt or its transport route.”
Jin Wang tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Mm. The cloth merchants we brought back today—go and interrogate them about the source of their fabrics. Also, soak all those bolts of cloth in water, then boil the filtered water until it’s dry.”
Ling Yu didn’t understand what Jin Wang was planning, but he knew to just follow orders. The Wangye had his reasons. He replied, “Yes.”
After he spoke, another silence fell. Ling Yu mentally rehearsed his words, trying to figure out the best way to persuade the Wangye.
Jin Wang leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed. Seeing that Ling Yu was neither leaving nor speaking, he asked, “Is there something else?”
Hearing the Wangye’s question, Ling Yu mustered his courage and said, “Wangye, that… person you brought today…”
Before Ling Yu could finish his sentence, he heard footsteps at the door. He subconsciously turned to look, and his entire body froze.
The newcomer was dressed in a light purple skirt, embroidered with small, pale pink gardenias. Her hair was casually gathered into a loose bun, with a light purple fish-shaped hairpin slanted in it, giving her an air of casual elegance. She wore no makeup, yet her lips were a natural red.
But that wasn’t the main point. The main point was that she was a woman!
Ling Yu was completely rigid, staring fixedly at Bai Fei Wan.
Jin Wang had opened his eyes the moment Bai Fei Wan entered. Looking at the person before him, a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. Bai Fei Wan had been in men’s attire for the entire journey. Seeing her in women’s clothing again, she was very beautiful.
Seeing Ling Yu staring at his woman from the side, a trace of displeasure flashed in Jin Wang’s eyes.
He barked sharply, “Is there anything else? Speak quickly.”
Hearing the anger in the Wangye’s voice, Ling Yu realized he had been staring at the Wangye’s woman.
He immediately cupped his hands. “Nothing, nothing at all. This subordinate will leave at once.” After speaking, he stumbled and scrambled out the door.
Seeing Ling Yu like this, Bai Fei Wan covered her mouth and chuckled. “What’s with him?”
Seeing Bai Fei Wan smile because of another man, Jin Wang was a little unhappy. He walked over, pulled Bai Fei Wan into his arms, and stroked her head. “You’ve freshened up. Come, let’s eat.”
He then took Bai Fei Wan’s hand and led her toward the dining hall.
Meanwhile, Ling Yu, having run out of the main courtyard, breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing he was fast, or the Wangye would have dealt with him. It was all Jiang Shun and Ying Yi’s fault. Neither of them told him the person their master brought was a woman, which almost led him to try and persuade the Wangye.
If the Wangye knew he thought he was fond of men, he would definitely be punished severely.
What Ling Yu didn’t know was that because of his recent gaffe, Jin Wang would later assign him extra tasks, leaving him with no time to rest at all.