Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 124

Prefect Shao's fainting this time was truly without warning, startling Fifth Master Shao as well.

He hurriedly placed the candlestick aside and went out to call for help. The servants and constables from outside ran in, pinching pressure points and lifting eyelids, finally managing to revive the prefect.

But as soon as he woke up, Prefect Shao's first sight was the Imperial Plaque gleaming brilliantly in the candlelight, and his eyes rolled back as he was about to faint again.

This time Fifth Master Shao was more alert, first supporting Prefect Shao's shoulders, holding him steady while saying repeatedly: "Prefect, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with this calligraphy book?"

At these words, Prefect Shao came to his senses.

He immediately grabbed Fifth Master Shao's arm and struggled to stand, but after getting up, the first thing he did was kick Fifth Master Shao!

In terms of age, Fifth Master Shao was younger, and in terms of build, Fifth Master Shao was sturdier, but this kick came so unexpectedly that Fifth Master Shao, caught completely off guard, fell flat on the ground, his teeth hitting his mouth and filling it with the taste of blood.

Prefect Shao was breathing heavily in great gasps, his fingertips trembling.

He had been able to work his way up to this official position. Though he might not be exceptionally capable, he wasn't as stupid as a pig either. Now seeing the calligraphy book and the plaque, making the slightest connection, he could figure it out.

That Qi family was actually favored by the Emperor!

Prefect Shao had previously thought the Qi family was just an ordinary merchant family, having simply donated some silver for disaster relief and, coinciding with the new Emperor's ascension and his need to win popular support, received a golden plaque.

But at the time, Prefect Shao had felt that previous recipients of imperial gifts, besides the bestowed items, would also have special palace eunuchs to present them, along with gold, silver, and silk as imperial grace.

But this Qi family had nothing except a golden plaque, and even the presentation was delegated to the local office, appearing completely unimportant.

It was precisely because of this that Prefect Shao dared to withhold the plaque for two months without delivering it, using it to extract benefits from the Qi family.

But now, looking at this calligraphy book, looking at the personal seal on it, and looking at that ugly tassel on the bag...

This Third Young Master Qi could actually put imperial calligraphy in such an eyesore of a bag, showing that such items weren't rare to him at all!

If imperial calligraphy wasn't rare, what kind of honor would it take to achieve such indifference?

Moreover, Third Young Master Qi was just a scholar with no particular reputation for extraordinary talents. Prefect Shao was certain he had received these things because of his family. This Qi family was probably under the Emperor's constant attention.

Prefect Shao didn't dare think deeper. The more he thought, the more frightened he became, so frightened his voice shook: "Everyone out, leave Fifth Master Shao."

Though the constables couldn't understand the situation, they still obediently left.

Fifth Master Shao crawled up from the ground, using his sleeve to wipe the blood from his mouth, then said with cold sweat: "I don't know what this lowly one did to anger you, sir?"

Prefect Shao felt his blood vessels throbbing. He first carefully placed the calligraphy book aside, then turned and slapped Fifth Master Shao across the face.

First a kick, then a slap, leaving Fifth Master Shao completely bewildered.

Prefect Shao had just been frightened after all, and hitting him took considerable effort, making his speech somewhat breathless: "What kind of person is that Qi family? They received a golden plaque and have the Emperor's favor, yet you dared to move against them. Do you want to die!"

Fifth Master Shao looked at the golden plaque and immediately understood Prefect Shao's meaning.

But Fifth Master Shao's first thought was why Prefect Shao was showing two different faces.

Since this plaque had been stored in the prefectural office, he should have known about it long ago. Why wait until now to get angry with him? He should have been angry from the start.

And the second thing Fifth Master Shao thought made his heart ache with jealousy.

Originally, Prefect Shao had wanted him to donate silver for disaster relief, but his wife Madam Zhu had made a fuss about not giving money, which let the Qi family take advantage of the opportunity.

This golden plaque should have belonged to his own family.

But Fifth Master Shao quickly thought of another matter: "Sir, this... my robbing Third Young Master Qi, will they make a big fuss about it?"

Prefect Shao replied irritably: "You've done such a shameful thing, do you expect them not to make a fuss?"

Fifth Master Shao's shoulders trembled first, then he said in a low voice: "Then, sir, why don't we just seal their mouths now..."

"Shut up." Prefect Shao was so angry he gasped sharply, "Do you think others don't know what you did? If you dare move against them again, ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop off! Not to mention what you did, even I..."

His voice suddenly cut off as Prefect Shao realized that his withholding imperial gifts for two months was probably already known in the Capital.

Breaking out in cold sweat layer by layer, Prefect Shao could clearly hear the sound of his own teeth chattering.

And Fifth Master Shao, hearing that Prefect Shao wanted to abandon him, quickly crawled forward several steps on his knees and grabbed the hem of Prefect Shao's clothes: "Sir, we're in the same boat. You must think of a way for me. We can't let the boat sink together."

Hearing this, Prefect Shao coldly curved the corner of his mouth: "What boat are you talking about? What you did has nothing to do with me whatsoever."

Then Prefect Shao kicked him away and walked over to yank the door open.

"Someone! Arrest this villain for me!"

The constables who had been waiting nearby ran forward, looking at Fifth Master Shao lying on the ground, hesitating.

The relationship between the prefect and the Shao family had always been good, and the constables were uncertain whether they should actually arrest him. If they acted and the two sides made up later, they might face retaliation.

So the head clerk asked quietly: "That, sir, on what charges should we arrest him?"

Prefect Shao's answer was extremely decisive: "Assaulting people in the street, robbing people's property, such villains cannot be tolerated by law! Quick, arrest him! Also, come dress me... no, come dress me tomorrow morning, I have urgent business to attend to!"

While the prefectural office was staging one drama after another, up on the mountain, Qi Yun was also discussing with Ye Jiao about going down the mountain.

It wasn't for any other reason, but because Ye Jiao was now in her later months, and having lived in the mountains for quite a while, though it was still the height of summer, the mountain was inconvenient in many ways. Liu Shi had also come to urge them, so the couple decided to go down the mountain and return home before the sun fully rose the next day.

Since it was still early, Ye Jiao was still somewhat sleepy. Sitting in the carriage, she leaned against Qi Yun, her head nodding drowsily.

Xu Bao was quite energetic, holding Ye Jiao's arm with one hand and grasping a milk cake with the other, eating happily.

Even when half asleep, Ye Jiao remembered to hold her chubby son tighter, her face leaning against Qi Yun, her voice mumbled: "Did we bring the ice chamber?"

Qi Yun gently kissed Ye Jiao's cheek, saying softly: "We brought it, and we picked plenty of the fruits you like. When we get back, we'll squeeze the juice and mix it with ice cream."

Ye Jiao nodded, yawned, adjusted her position in Qi Yun's arms, and fell back into deep sleep.

But Little Ginseng didn't sleep for very long in this second sleep. When she woke up, they still hadn't reached home, but the sun had already risen.

Summer sunlight always seemed more dazzling. Even sitting inside the carriage, sunlight could penetrate through the cloth curtains, making everything bright around them.

But it wasn't hot inside the carriage. When Ye Jiao turned her head, she saw Qi Yun holding a book in one hand and gently fanning a copper basin with a fan in the other.

This copper basin looked ordinary, just somewhat larger, and inside was a piece of ice that had already melted considerably. The sharp edges from when it was chipped had disappeared due to melting, becoming rounded instead.

The ice was cold, and the air around it was cool and refreshing. When Qi Yun fanned it, the breeze carried this coolness, which was why Ye Jiao hadn't felt the slightest bit sweaty all along the way.

But if others saw this, they would probably feel heartache.

Ice was most precious in summer. For ordinary families, getting even a small piece wasn't easy, yet here with Qi Yun, he could chip off such a large piece just to fan cool breezes for Ye Jiao...

The happiness of rich people was indeed hard to imagine.

And Xu Bao had long since fallen asleep comfortably, his little belly covered with just a handkerchief. His chubby little hands would move occasionally, and he would giggle softly, not knowing what pleasant dreams he was having.

Ye Jiao reached out and tugged at Qi Yun's arm: "Husband, are you tired?"

Seeing she was awake, Qi Yun set down his book and fan, pushed the basin with ice a bit further away, then moved slightly to sit beside Ye Jiao, taking the fan to fan her: "What about you, are you tired?"

Ye Jiao blinked: "What would I be tired from?"

"Sleeping in a carriage can be tiring too."

"No, husband, sleeping in the ground is what's really tiring."

Ye Jiao said this quite seriously. In the past, she had slept standing up, half her body buried in the ground, constantly having to wake up and look around, afraid of being caught and eaten by other spirits. That was much harder than now.

Qi Yun's eyes showed some heartache, and he kissed Ye Jiao, mentally adding another mark against Second Brother Ye's family.

Little Ginseng took the fan from Qi Yun's hand and fanned Second Young Master Qi as well, then reached out to lift the curtain and look outside. Feeling the wave of heat that hit her face, she quickly dropped the curtain and asked: "Why aren't we home yet?"

Qi Yun's voice was gentle: "I had the carriage go slowly, otherwise if it went fast it would be bumpy and you wouldn't sleep well."

Ye Jiao smiled and continued fanning him: "Husband treats me so well."

Qi Yun naturally kissed her cheek again, saying softly: "In this world, I only want to treat you well."

Who knew that Ye Jiao first raised her head to bite at his chin, then muttered: "What about Xu Bao? What about Mother? What about Eldest Brother, Sister-in-law, and Third Brother?"

Qi Yun was stunned for a moment, then immediately said: "All good, all good."

After joking for a while, Ye Jiao's eyes turned toward Xu Bao, her voice soft: "I can see Xu Bao likes reading. Since he likes it, spend more time reading with him in the future."

Qi Yun's eyes also looked at his chubby son, just as Xu Bao smiled in his dream, chuckling softly and turning over, smacking his lips and sleeping peacefully.

After watching for a while, Qi Yun said softly: "How about when we get back, I start teaching him to recognize characters? When Third Brother was his age, he could already recognize quite a few characters."

Ye Jiao blinked: "So early?"

Qi Yun nodded seriously, thinking in his heart that starting to read early would save the little chubby boy from constantly asking him to read stories.

Xu Bao turned over again, mumbling in his sleep, then smiled.

Ye Jiao also smiled, thinking that though her son was a bit lazy, his temperament was truly first-rate.

Not only was he cheerful when awake, he could even entertain himself when asleep.

Just then, the carriage stopped, and Tie Zi lifted the curtain from outside, first taking down the copper basin, then saying: "Second Young Master, Second Young Mistress, we're home."

Qi Yun first carried Xu Bao down from the carriage, then handed the still-sleeping Xu Bao to Little Su, before reaching out to help Ye Jiao down.

Now that Ye Jiao was in her later months, her belly had grown considerably. She was especially careful getting out of the carriage, and Qi Yun supported her as she walked, being extremely attentive.

But before they could enter the door, they heard the sound of gongs and drums in the distance.

Ye Jiao couldn't help but look in that direction, and then saw someone running toward them.

Since the surrounding area was all Qi family property, especially with many restaurants and taverns, any disturbance would quickly be reported.

The person coming now was a server from a restaurant. Seeing Qi Yun, he stopped running, bowed respectfully, then said: "Second Young Master, those are people from the prefectural office over there, beating gongs and drums all the way, heading in this direction."