Union

Chapter 139-138 Returning to the Capital to Report on Duties
Time seems to fly by, yet it also seems to drag on; in the blink of an eye, the year has passed.

With the arrival of the new year, Second Master has been busy since the beginning of the year.

This year was truly a year of great harvest.

Since the beginning of the year, roads have been built all the way to the fields. The road construction has brought many benefits to the people; every household has more grain, and the people's complexions have visibly improved.

In February, the ginger replanted in Yungui County sold very well, bringing extra income to the people and making their lives suddenly better.

In March, the dried goods shop shipped out another batch of dried goods. These included, but were not limited to, various seafood, mountain products, flowers, and processed medicinal herbs. These goods were transported to Jiangnan and exchanged for a considerable sum of money.

From April to July, various fruits and melons begin to ripen. The county government arranges for able-bodied men to form caravans, which transport the dried or frozen fruits and melons by fast horses overnight to the bustling prefectural city. The reward for this is substantial.

Also in July, the early rice harvest begins.

This year, the county government distributed more oxen and farming tools to the people, and the amount of land reclaimed in the first half of the year exceeded the entire previous year. In addition, the people followed suit and built hundreds more terraced fields. Thanks to the blessings of the heavens, this year saw ample sunshine and rainfall, resulting in a bumper harvest of early rice. The harvest in the first half of the year alone is almost surpassing the entire harvest of the year Second Master took office in Yungui County.

The roads throughout Yungui County were repaired in August.

By September, the county government finally had a surplus, allowing the Second Master to freely explore other projects that could increase the income of the people.

Also in September, the official school in Yungui County, which had been in preparation for a long time, began enrolling students. Regardless of gender, anyone over the age of seven could study at the school. The county government provided each student with a free meal, and in their spare time, students only needed to help copy books.

The establishment of official schools naturally attracted much attention from the public. Many parents, thinking it was a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity, sent their children there. Others, however, had a longer-term perspective, hoping their children would study hard, make progress, and achieve something in the future.

Regardless, the official school has finally been established, although the total number of students enrolled is not large. But once this first step has been taken, it is likely that more students will be recruited each year thereafter.

In October, the Second Master, referring to the experience in the "Book of Rivers and Canals," hired some exiled officials who had been demoted to Yungui County, and the Xingtong Canal, which he oversaw the construction of, was finally completed.

The Xingtong Canal runs through the entire territory of Yungui County. From Daxing Town in the westernmost part of Yungui County to Yuntong Town in the easternmost part, and from the northernmost part of Yungui County to the southernmost part, the Xingtong Canal traverses the entire territory of Yungui County and was built in three stages.

After the Xingtong Canal is completed, it will ensure irrigation for all farmland in Yungui County during the dry season. During the wet season, excess water will be discharged into the outer river through the Baopingkou, reducing waterlogging and flooding in Yungui County.

This ingenious automatic traffic diversion design was finally formed by the Second Master after absorbing the experience of his predecessors and adding his own careful consideration.

Yunying hadn't studied the Xingtong Canal in detail before. After learning about the construction concept behind it, all Yunying could think was, "Smart people are smart even with their toenails."

Through self-study alone, Second Master learned three skills from the great hydraulic engineer Li Bing. If Second Master had focused on water conservancy, Great Xia might very well have produced another great water conservancy project comparable to Dujiangyan.

In November, Mr. Lu and Wang He from Houtang Village sent letters to Second Master at the same time, asking him to make a trip to Houtang Village in the next few days, as there was progress in the artificial pearl cultivation project.

Although only a few pearl oysters produced pearls, and those pearls were extremely small, not much larger than a grain of rice, those tiny, round things were indeed pearls.

This at least proves that their artificial pearl cultivation is entirely feasible.

Second Master took Yunying to Houtang Village. At that time, Wang He held the opened pearl oyster, crying tears of joy and heartache at the same time.

Seeing this, Yunying found it both amusing and unbearable to sigh.

Second Master only invested a sum of money and then rarely inquired about pearl farming. On the contrary, Mr. Lu and Wang He devoted all their energy to this body of water.

Last year during the hurricane, to prevent the pearl oysters in the cage from being blown away, the two risked their lives to stay nearby. Whenever they saw a cage being thrown out, they would rush over and throw the cage back into the water.

For the past year and a half, they have faced incomprehension and ridicule from their family and villagers, unable to utter a single word of sullen silence.

Today, those pearls, the size of rice grains, prove that they weren't just daydreaming; their investment has paid off.

The fact that pearls were artificially cultivated caused a huge uproar in Qiantang Village and Houtang Village.

Fortunately, with the Second Master's intervention, the matter was kept under control and kept within the jurisdiction of Yun Gui County.

But it must be said that with this good news, the Second Master was in a very good mood. As soon as he returned to the manor, he took Yunying and they drank two cups of wine together.

Yunying's alcohol tolerance has improved slightly compared to last year; now she can drink a couple of cups with the Second Master. Any more than that, and she'll get drunk.

However, after drinking the wine, she also drank two glasses of fruit syrup, and Yunying still couldn't escape getting drunk. After finishing her drink, she simply lay down on the table and fell asleep, sleeping until the next morning.

When Yunying woke up, she was still feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

She simply drank a bowl of bird's nest porridge and then lay down on the chaise lounge under the window to rest.

Yunying knew when the Second Master lifted the curtain and entered the room, but she didn't open her eyes; she was still very sleepy.

It was only when the Second Master placed his hand on her forehead, which was icy cold, that Yun Ying shivered and quickly opened her eyes.

She glared at the Second Master, "You did this on purpose."

Second Master smiled smugly, offering no rebuttal, but instead looking at Yunying with a slight smile, he said, "Don't lie down, the longer you lie down, the more your head hurts. Get up and come with me for a walk outside, maybe it will clear your head and make you feel better."

"What does this have to do with relaxing?"

Despite saying that, Yunying did not refuse. She took the hand that the Second Master extended, sat up with his help, and went out the door with him.

As November arrived, the air became a bit cooler.

Yunying has to wear a jacket or padded coat every morning and evening, while Second Master, who is very energetic, is still wearing only a single layer of clothing.

The Second Master told Yunying that he would be setting off in a few days to return to the capital.

Yunying already knew about this, since officials sent to the capital were required to return every three years to report on their duties. Counting from now, it has been exactly three years since Second Master left the capital.

She was only going back to Beijing in a few days, and she definitely wouldn't be able to come back before the New Year. The thought of spending the New Year alone this year made Yunying feel depressed.

Yunying was a little sullen, and when the Second Master saw this, he laughed and said, "Why don't you come back with me? You've learned to ride a horse this year, and you're quite good at it... No, it's still warmer in the south, so riding a horse is fine, but it's winter in the north now, and it's snowed in many places. If you ride a horse into the capital, you'll probably freeze to death."

Yunying's heart, which had been pounding just moments before, now felt half-cooled.

She knows all too well how cold winters are in the north.

After all, she had lived in the capital since childhood. In the winter in the capital, she couldn't even endure the nights without burning charcoal. Let alone having to travel through wind and snow every day. With her delicate skin and frail body, she would probably fall ill on the way to the capital.

Second Master frowned. "You should stay at the county office... but I'm not comfortable leaving you here all by yourself."

Yunying sighed and said, "What's there to worry about? I've lived here for over two years, and I'm used to it. Besides, I have people to serve me. If anything happens, I can go to the front to find Magistrate Liu and Registrar Lou."

"I'm still a little worried."

"If you don't trust me, do you think you can avoid going to the capital? Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. While you're still here these few days, I'll prepare some more things for you so you can present gifts when you meet people in the capital."

The second master waved his hand and said, "I'm riding back to the capital on horseback, and the carriages carrying the goods definitely can't keep up. You can have someone deliver the goods later, don't go to too much trouble."

"How could it not be troublesome? You'll definitely have to meet a lot of people when you go back this time..."

Yunying and the Second Master talked for a long time. They both spoke in low voices, so much so that the maid standing far away from them had no idea what they were saying.

But as the two masters talked, their expressions became serious, and it was unclear whether they had a conflict.

It shouldn't be like this. The young lady and the second master are like inseparable people now. Except for not living together, they are just like any other loving young couple.

Sui'er and Liu'er soon found out the reason for their young lady's worried expression: Second Master was going back to the capital to report on his duties!
The two maids remembered that the Second Master still had a first wife in the capital! She was a daughter of a prominent family, a match for the Rongguo Duke's mansion!

If they return to the capital, and the Second Master is won over by that lady, what will become of their young lady?
The young lady has not yet consummated her marriage with the second master!

Sui'er and Liu'er were worried all night. They wanted to persuade Yunying to return to the capital with the Second Master!
Can……

Thinking of that lady in the capital, I wonder what kind of temper she has. And the girl, who has risen to prominence in Yun Gui County, is ultimately just a maidservant. If she were to go to that lady's place, she would probably be forced to follow the rules and be subservient.

Thinking of all this, the two maids hesitated again.

Sui'er: "Everyone knows that our young lady is favored. The four young ladies sent earlier served the Second Master, but now only our young lady is left. Although we all know the reason, to those who don't know the truth, they might think that our young lady is cunning and resourceful, which is why she managed to drive Qiu Ning and the others away."

Liu'er: "It's not that our young lady is ostracizing them. Oh dear, that's what outsiders must think. What should we do?"

Sui'er: "If you ask me, if you ask me, I... I have no choice. Oh dear, I was thinking that it would be best to let the young lady go to the capital with the second master, but we don't know what the second madam's temperament is like. If the young lady falls into her hands, I don't know what kind of suffering she will suffer."

Liu'er: "But if you don't go with me, the Second Madam might win over the Second Master again, or send him another beautiful girl..."

The two maids looked at each other, even more worried.

This matter is like an unsolvable knot; no matter what methods they come up with, things never go as planned.

While the two maids were whispering timidly, they didn't notice when Yunying woke up.

She had overheard the entire conversation between the two maids, and suddenly remembered that there was another second mistress in the capital.

Yunying squeezed the brocade quilt in her hands and gently turned over.

The maids didn't know Lin Shuqing's temperament, but she knew it perfectly well. That third young lady of the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion was no easy person.

If she really goes to the capital, she will inevitably have to serve under her and suffer hardship. Whether she can come back with the Second Master at that time is uncertain.

Thinking of Lin Shuqing, Yunying suddenly felt restless and irritable. She kept a tense expression and felt somewhat sullen all day.

The Second Master came to find her for lunch. Yunying knew that this was not the Second Master's fault; if he hadn't married Lin Shuqing, the two of them wouldn't have this fate. But thinking that Lin Shuqing was the one he was legally married to, the one he had formally married, her heart ached with a numb pain, and her eyes reddened.

When the second master saw her, he asked her what was wrong and if she was feeling unwell. Yunying simply said that the wind had gotten into her eyes.

Whether the Second Master believed her or not, he didn't pursue the matter further. But that evening, he took her to Qingyue Lake.

Arriving at Qingyue Lake in the dead of winter, the world was utterly silent, and the desolate surroundings possessed a unique beauty. However, she soon found herself so cold that her nose was running, and she couldn't help but kick the Second Master, yelling at him, "Are you crazy?"

Second Master laughed heartily, then hugged her and they swam around the lake and rode half a lap on horseback.

Anyway, after all the fuss, they managed to get rid of Yunying's gloom.

On the way back to the manor, the Second Master held Yunying in his arms, constantly comforting her, "I'll be back after the New Year, I won't keep you waiting too long. If you get impatient staying in the manor, you can go find Qiu Ning to play, or even better, let Sui'er take you to the West Queen Mother's Village..."

Second Master naively believed that Yunying was reluctant to part with him.

How could he have wanted to be separated from her for so long? Last year, when he went to the prefectural city, the ten days he was apart from her felt like decades had passed. If there were a way, he would naturally want to take her back to the capital with him, but it was too cold, and the further north they went, the colder it got.

Second Master finally persuaded Yunying, but Yunying didn't want him to worry, so she didn't reveal her true sadness. She silently agreed, saying she would take care of herself, and told Second Master to leave in peace.

The second master rested his chin on the top of her head and hugged her tightly.

……

Time quickly came for the Second Master to depart.

The weather was gloomy and the wind was cool that day.

Yunying escorted Second Master to the entrance of the county government office and watched him leave.

The sky was overcast in the early morning, just like when the sun was setting, heavy as if dark clouds were pressing down, making it hard to breathe.

Only after the Second Master and his party had completely disappeared into the distance did Sui'er tug at Yunying's sleeve, "Miss, it's too cold, let's go back."

"……it is good."

Yunying turned around and walked back.

But at that very moment, a series of hoofbeats came galloping toward them from the street corner.

Under the fierce wind, the Second Master's handsome face was filled with a carefree and radiant smile. He bent down and pulled Yun Ying to his side.

"I regret it. You should come to the capital with me!"