Chapter 073: Stock Trading

Before leaving, Jiang Xuening thought for a moment and said, “Father, there’s one more thing. For the next six months, I’ll mostly be in the palace, returning home only about once every ten days. I don’t spend much time at home, yet I have many maids and servants in my room. While daily cleaning is necessary, I don’t need so many people. I was thinking of letting some go. Tang’er and Lian’er have been loyal to me. Could the housekeeper teach them to read the accounts or manage some rural estates, so they can gain some experience?”

Jiang Boyou, still immersed in the complex emotions of his daughter finally becoming sensible, was puzzled by her words. “It’s fine to let go of some maids and servants, but why do you want your two main maids to learn accounting and estate management?”

Jiang Xuening felt it was the perfect time to explain.

She carefully said, “Father, you know the dangers I faced in the palace and how fortunate I was to escape. Growing up in the countryside with Wanniang, I found the capital’s splendor overwhelming at first. But after these experiences, I feel that while the capital is prosperous, it doesn’t offer the freedom of the countryside. My thoughts may be naive, but I hope you won’t laugh at me. After my duties as a companion reader are over, I want to leave the capital and live in the countryside for a while.”

Jiang Boyou was stunned.

He found her words shocking and unexpected, but upon reflection, he realized that someone who had gone through such experiences might indeed have such thoughts.

His guilt deepened.

He opened his mouth, and after a while, said, “You’re still a young girl, not even married yet. Why talk about leaving? Although you and Yan Lin are not meant to be, you might still meet someone as good or even better than him. If you want to leave the capital, it’s best to find a good family to rely on. I know you’re suffering. But your mother, she… sigh…”

He wanted to defend Meng Shi but couldn’t find the words when looking into Jiang Xuening’s clear eyes. In the end, he could only sigh.

Jiang Boyou patted her shoulder and said, “You must be tired. You probably haven’t slept well in the palace. Go back to your room and rest. As for Tang’er and Lian’er, I’ll instruct the housekeeper to follow your wishes.”

Before leaving, Jiang Xuening chose this moment to lay the groundwork, so that when she proposed leaving the capital in six months, her family wouldn’t find it unacceptable. Jiang Boyou’s lack of immediate agreement was expected.

She neither argued nor objected.

Instead, she nodded obediently, bowed, and left the study.

After spending a good amount of time talking with Jiang Boyou, Tang’er and Lian’er had returned with news. Waiting under the eaves, they followed her and whispered, “It’s unbelievable! The maid from the Qingyuan Earl’s residence said that after Miss Fangyin offended Miss You Yue last time, she was locked up for six or seven days before being released. But now, Miss You Yue has returned from the palace and who knows what she’ll do to her!”

*

You Yue had no time to torment Fangyin now. Sitting in her room, her eyes lit up after hearing the servant and maid’s report. “Is what you said true?”

The maid was puzzled by her interest.

But since the young lady cared, it must be important, so she confirmed, “It’s true. Ren Weizhi is staying at the Shuxiang Inn in the capital, claiming he has invented something new to dig deeper wells. But people see him as a down-and-out person asking for too much money, so no one dares to invest. When we went to inquire, the innkeeper was urging him to pay for his room, threatening to kick him out if he didn’t. How can there be such swindlers these days?”

It seemed Ren Weizhi was having a hard time.

But if the Zhuotong Well was real…

You Yue stood up and paced, looking outside. Seeing it was still early, she said, “I can only stay at home for a few days after leaving the palace. Where else can I find such an opportunity? Stop talking and prepare a carriage for me. I’m going out.”

The maid was startled. “Where are you going?”

You Yue gave her a disdainful look, clearly thinking she was not smart enough and too talkative. “Of course, to the Shuxiang Inn!”

Then she thought of Fangyin and asked, “Is that little brat behaving?”

The maid replied, “She gets only one meal a day, so she’s behaving.”

You Yue’s eyes twinkled with a plan. “I am of noble birth. How can I show my face like those lowly people? That little brat must have sneaked around the market to know these things. Go, bring her here, dress her in clean clothes, and have her accompany me.”

The maid was extremely surprised.

She couldn’t understand what her young lady was planning, but fearing punishment, she went to the woodshed to fetch Fangyin.

With the onset of winter, the woodshed was cold and drafty, with only a cotton quilt for warmth.

Fangyin hugged her knees, curled up in a corner.

With her hair disheveled and clothes dirty, You Fangyin looked much more haggard than ten days ago due to constant hunger and cold, which made it hard for her to sleep at night. Her eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles formed under them.

When the maid entered, You Fangyin’s vision was blurry.

It wasn’t until she heard the voice that she reacted.

Her throat was dry, and her voice hoarse, “Second Sister is letting me out?”

The maid, who wouldn’t dare to be disrespectful to You Yue, looked down on You Fangyin, snorted, and didn’t answer her. Instead, she instructed the rough maid beside her to place a bucket of cold water on the ground and threw down a servant’s dress. “Clean yourself up quickly. You’ll be going out with the Second Miss soon.”

With that, she left with a huff.

You Fangyin sat in the corner, stunned for a while before standing up, feeling dizzy and almost falling. She steadied herself by holding onto the firewood pile.

Second Sister had always disliked her, but now she wanted her to change into clean clothes and go out with her…

Was it about the Ziliujing salt field?

You Fangyin recalled Jiang Xuening’s expression when she told her this story and her downcast eyes when she mentioned being bullied in the palace. Suddenly, the ten days of suffering seemed worthwhile, and the oppressive darkness lifted a bit.

She gritted her teeth, enduring the cold that made her shiver, and in the woodshed, she took off her dirty clothes and washed her body, covered in new and old wounds, with the icy water from the bucket.

Then she put on the simple dress.

After retying her hair, she walked out of the woodshed with a plain face.

You Yue, already impatiently waiting in the carriage outside the side door, saw You Fangyin looking like a ghost and mocked her, “Look at this pitiful sight, just like your wretched mother. What, no strength to talk back now?”

You Fangyin bowed, “Greetings, Second Sister.”

You Yue rolled her eyes and dropped the curtain, “Sit on the carriage shaft outside. Don’t dirty my carriage.”

You Fangyin was still confused, “Where is Second Sister going, and why are you taking me?”

You Yue replied, “Giving you a chance to redeem yourself. I’m going to the Shuxiang Inn to meet Ren Weizhi. If you help me with this task, I won’t punish you in the woodshed next time I enter the palace, and I’ll let you go to offer incense to your dead mother!”

You Fangyin’s heart trembled.

You Yue coldly warned, “But don’t try any tricks, or there are plenty of ways to deal with you!”

You Fangyin realized this was a great opportunity. Having grown up under scorn and beatings, she was used to such harsh words and had remarkable endurance.

She quietly replied, “Yes.”

Then she obediently climbed onto the carriage shaft, holding on tightly in fear. The coachman gave her a sympathetic look, cracked the whip, and the carriage left the Qingyuan Earl’s residence, heading towards the Shuxiang Inn.

*

Jiang Xuening felt overwhelmed after hearing Tang’er and Lian’er’s report.

Although You Fangyin was obedient, pitiful, and willing to work hard, it was extremely difficult to make any progress in the inner courtyard. She didn’t even have the freedom to leave the residence and was constantly restrained by You Yue, with no ability to resist, which was truly worrisome.

She sighed while having lunch.

Tang’er kept comforting her, “Miss You is already fortunate to have your help. Most women have to listen to their parents at home. She can’t change her situation overnight. Please don’t sigh while eating, or you’ll make us all worried.”

Lian’er also looked distressed, “Yes, we can’t think of a solution either.”

Jiang Xuening put down her chopsticks and stopped eating, saying, “Who says there’s no way? It depends on whether one dares to act.”

In her previous life, You Fangyin, after earning her “first bucket of gold,” found an unnoticed opportunity to escape from the You residence. She bought a travel permit from someone she knew in various circles and used her connections to leave the capital, heading to Jiangnan to build her own empire.

As for the Qingyuan Earl’s residence?

They simply reported a missing, insignificant concubine-born daughter, assuming she had been kidnapped, and didn’t bother further. It wasn’t until years later, when You Fangyin returned to the capital wealthy and unrecognizable, that they recognized her. By then, the Earl’s residence had declined, and You Fangyin, with her wealth, didn’t fear a small earl’s residence, so there was no trouble.

However, this life’s You Fangyin was timid. Even Jiang Xuening herself might not have had the courage to leave the residence and venture out alone in her previous life. How could she expect this life’s You Fangyin to do the same?

So Jiang Xuening was genuinely worried.

She couldn’t think of a good way to help You Fangyin escape her predicament, so she decided to set it aside for now and said, “Keep listening for news about Fangyin. Prepare the carriage; we’re going to the Shuxiang Inn.”

She had never met the legendary Ren Weizhi.

Although she wasn’t planning to take action now, meeting him first would give her some idea of what to expect.

She didn’t expect that just after leaving the residence, and still two streets away from the Shuxiang Inn, Lian’er, who was peeking outside, suddenly widened her eyes in surprise and tugged at her, pointing outside, “Miss, Miss! Look, am I seeing things, or is that Miss Fangyin?”

Jiang Xuening was skeptical, “What?”

She quickly leaned forward and looked in the direction Lian’er was pointing: not far ahead, a carriage was turning around. Besides the coachman, there was a delicate-looking girl sitting on the carriage shaft. Although she looked much thinner and more haggard, wasn’t that You Fangyin, whom she had just been thinking about?

Jiang Xuening was stunned, “Is that the You residence’s carriage?”

Lian’er nodded repeatedly, “Yes, it’s the You residence’s carriage. This is so strange!”

It was unclear whether she found it strange that You Fangyin was out or that she was sitting on the carriage shaft.

Or perhaps both.

Jiang Xuening stared in that direction for a long time before suddenly laughing and saying, “Tell the coachman to follow them from a distance, not too close. It seems they’re heading in the same direction as us. Let’s see what they’re up to.”

Tang’er hesitated, “But weren’t you going to find Ren Weizhi to invest in some shares?”

What if someone else got there first…

Jiang Xuening observed You Fangyin for a while, confirming that although she looked haggard, she seemed physically fine. She then slowly lowered the curtain and said, “It’s not urgent.”

Tang’er was extremely surprised, “How can it not be urgent?”

Jiang Xuening couldn’t explain the intricacies but suddenly remembered a term that had left a deep impression on her in her previous life. She smiled and said, “Have you heard of ‘stock trading’?”

It’s not always the first to enter who wins.