Yu Yang gave an awkward laugh and said, “No, my senior brother only has his mind on books of sages and philosophers, paying no attention to worldly affairs. I wanted to mention you but never had the chance. That’s why I brought him out to meet you as soon as I could – this shows how highly I regard you as a friend, Brother Yingqian.”
Su Yingqian was taken aback.
“I see, then I wronged A Yan.”
Yu Yang nodded.
“Exactly.”
She walked over to stand beside Xie Chi and told him, “I’ve known Young Master Su for three years now. Three years ago, when bandits were rampant in Fuyang County, Young Master Su was alone at the foot of the mountain when he was robbed by bandits. He’s so stubborn – it could have been resolved by just giving them money, but he kept shouting about broad daylight and clear skies, saying he’d perish together with the bandits, and nearly got himself killed. I happened to pass by and, seeing how foolish he was being, saved him and took him to the county magistrate.”
Xie Chi immediately understood how the two became acquainted.
Su Yingqian looked shocked.
“A Yan, when you met my father back then, you clearly said you were moved by my righteous spirit and that’s why you helped me.”
Yu Yang smiled.
“Did I?”
Su Yingqian pouted.
Yu Yang casually asked, “By the way, will your fiancée Jiao Guniang be joining us tonight?”
Su Yingqian smiled and said, “Of course. I mentioned you in my letters to A Yin before, telling her how you saved my life. A Yin has always said she wanted to thank you in person for saving me. Now that A Yin is here, I naturally want her to meet my good friend A Yan.”
“Last time A Yin told me the sunrise at Fuguang Pavilion is exceptionally beautiful, so I thought I’d paint it and hang it in her room… She likes my paintings.”
Su Yingqian looked toward the horizon, his expression somewhat shy.
Yu Yang’s gaze flickered.
“Then why not bring Jiao Guniang to watch the sunrise together?”
Su Yingqian smiled bitterly. “A Yin has been weak since childhood. A month ago, she suddenly developed a cough that worsened after a few days. Several physicians told me to prepare for her funeral arrangements. I rushed overnight to Shangxia County to fetch Divine Doctor Chu. With his exceptional medical skills, A Yin recovered completely within days, but she… won’t speak to me anymore.”
Yu Yang’s eyes dimmed slightly.
She was Lin Yan now.
If Su Yingqian had known Yu Yang, perhaps she could have told him earlier…
Su Yingqian picked up his brush, speaking with both unease and hope: “Today is my birthday. I’m going to bring A Yin this painting and invite her to the pavilion. She… will forgive me.”
Yu Yang remained silent.
Su Yingqian said, “Alright, I won’t keep talking with you two, or the Golden Crow won’t wait for me.”
He then smiled at Xie Chi and said, “Brother Qi, let’s have a drink tonight.”
Xie Chi nodded with a smile. “Alright.”
Seeing Su Yingqian focused on his painting, the two walked toward another area.
The red sun peeked over the mountain peaks, draping the green hills in crimson veils.
Everything seemed to burst with vitality at this moment.
Yu Yang rested her hands on the railing, calmly watching the distant inn.
Xie Chi asked, “Do you want to tell him the truth?”
To tell Su Yingqian that the person before him was no longer his beloved.
Yu Yang said, “I both want to and don’t want to.”
The beloved returns to the netherspring, forever separated by layers of earth.
Knowing brings sorrow.
Not knowing also brings sorrow.
Xie Chi said, “The ways of heaven are unpredictable.”
Yu Yang said, “The human world is absurd.”
Xie Chi laughed hoarsely, “Truly absurd.”
Yu Yang found herself inexplicably laughing along.
She sighed softly and asked, “How did you handle the people you encountered before? Did their families know the truth? Would they grieve?”
Xie Chi shook his head.
“Previously, I encountered two beggars, one girl sold into a brothel, and an elderly man in his sixties buried alive by his own descendants… They were all people with no one in this world who cared about them. Taking them away directly meant no one would come looking.”
This was the first time he had encountered someone who was genuinely missed by others.
The two fell silent for a moment.
Xie Chi said, “You mentioned Young Master Su helped you build the Gathering Fortune Inn?”
Yu Yang nodded.
“I paid for the renovation of Fuguang Pavilion, and I funded the dissemination of the Fuguang Pavilion Rhapsody. Magistrate Su, wanting to thank me, gave me the front property after learning I intended to open an inn here.”
Xie Chi was surprised to hear this.
“It seems that Fuyang County’s current state owes much to A Yan’s contributions.”
Yu Yang smiled faintly.
“Magistrate Su often says I’m Fuyang County’s benefactor. He even specially erected a Benevolence Donation Stele at Fuguang Pavilion, carving my name at the very top. Magistrate Su said Fuguang Pavilion will surely endure, and he hopes my name will be remembered alongside it for eternity.”
Fuyang County could be considered an unexpected achievement during her twelve years in this world.
She was naturally proud of it.
“However, the most crucial reason for Fuyang County’s transformation is Magistrate Su’s capability. My uncle said that befriending the Su family was like stumbling upon a treasure.”
She continued, “Magistrate Su is a pearl buried in dust. He once passed the imperial examinations as a jinshi, but because he offended someone, he was assigned to a remote position as a minor county magistrate in Nanzhou. He served as a county magistrate in two impoverished areas, but his achievements were stolen by others. Though he was promoted to county magistrate, he was sent to Fuyang County, where banditry was rampant. Yet even so…”
Yu Yang gazed at the bustling scene below the pavilion, where vendors were setting up their stalls, “He still cares deeply for the common people.”
Xie Chi asked, “Which two counties did he serve in before?”
Yu Yang replied, “Lixian County in Nanzhou Prefecture, and Binxian County in Yichang Prefecture.”
Xie Chi pondered this.
“Five years ago, Lixian County developed its fruit industry. The county magistrate presented a basket of assorted fruits to the emperor and received great rewards. Binxian County suffered from floods, but fortunately, the county magistrate had reinforced the embankments in advance, significantly reducing the number of victims. For this, he was promoted by the emperor…”
Yu Yang said, “Actually, I was initially worried that within a couple of years, Magistrate Su would be transferred again. Fuyang County’s present state is entirely due to him. Magistrate Su went alone to the bandit stronghold to negotiate and nearly lost his life. He went door-to-door persuading the county elders to jointly build the new town. He even bowed to me, a junior, to borrow money… I once asked Magistrate Su, ‘Aren’t you afraid all your efforts will only benefit others?’ But Magistrate Su said he only knows to do his duty for as long as he holds office, with a clear conscience, without worrying about the future.”
Xie Chi asked, “Who did he offend?”
Yu Yang said, “Chang Gongzhu. She once said, ‘Since Magistrate Su is willing to be a beast of burden for the common people and scorns the high positions and generous salaries I offer, then let him remain at the bottom for the rest of his life, plowing the fields as an ox for the people.'”
Xie Chi said, “He offended Chang Gongzhu, yet you still help him?”
Yu Yang said, “It’s just lending some money. He gave me an IOU. Besides, with Fuyang County’s current prosperity, doing business here with the magistrate’s support will allow me to earn it all back.”
Xie Chi nodded slightly.
“You’re right.”
Yu Yang looked toward the direction of the setting sun and asked, “Will the Shizi blame me for taking all the credit and not mentioning the Prince’s estate to Magistrate Su?”
Xie Chi chuckled.
“Why would we mention it?”
He asked, “So you want to ask if I can make Chang Gongzhu stop troubling Magistrate Su?”
Yu Yang said, “Though I’m not in the capital, I know Chief Pei and Chang Gongzhu are from the same family. I also know Wangye and the Pei faction are as incompatible as fire and water. With the Pei Family expanding their influence in the southwest, for Shizi to be sent here without even bringing the manor’s private troops is like sending a lamb into a tiger’s den… I imagine Wangye’s situation in the capital isn’t favorable either.”
Xie Chi said helplessly, “Hearing you put it that way, I suddenly feel exceptionally pitiful.”
Yu Yang: “A Yan admits her fault, I shouldn’t have spoken like that. Shizi’s journey is for the sake of the realm.”
Xie Chi: “…Thank you, that makes me feel much better.”
Yu Yang smiled faintly.
Daylight burst forth, and human voices gradually grew noisy.