Pastoral Splendor

"Sir, Miss Xiao from Baixiang Garden has arrived. She says she has important business with you." A yamen runner entered, bowed to Prefect Lin, and stood there, asking, "Sir, shall I see her or not?"

Prefect Lin hadn't finished the duck meat he was holding; a few strands of meat tendon hung from it, swaying like leaves in the autumn wind. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, put the duck meat back on the plate, and shouted angrily at the constable, "See her! Of course I'll see her! Did you invite her in? Don't keep her waiting outside!"

That day, Prefect Lin made the decision to buy the small one.

Although the Prince Yu's mansion is the main one, Steward Yi is just a steward in the mansion, and he is far from being the real master. Besides, the Prince Yu's heir and Miss Xiao have a special relationship. If Steward Yi really wants to cause trouble, I'm afraid the Prince Xu will not let him off if he finds out.

Although Lord Jian is only a fourth-rank official at present, his future is immeasurable. At only seventeen or eighteen years old, he has already achieved so much, which makes him only look on with envy. Of course, when it comes to buying a concubine, he will definitely stand on Miss Xiao's side without hesitation, so that he can ask Lord Jian for credit in the future.

He waited for several days without any movement from Baixiang Garden. He wondered if Manager Yi had come to his senses and realized that he was overestimating himself by doing this, so he had given up. But unexpectedly, there was movement today.

Yan Ying walked in gracefully and bowed to Prefect Lin: "Lord Lin, how have you been lately?"

Prefect Lin smiled and said, "Very good, very good, all good, all good." He picked up the plate and showed it to Yan Ying, thinking himself witty, "It's just that Miss Xiao's duck is even better!"

Yan Ying smiled slightly: "Lord Lin likes roast duck? I'll send a few to your residence later."

"No need, no need!" Prefect Lin quickly put down the plate and shook his fingers. "How could my humble abode be worth Miss Xiao's concern? If you want to eat roast duck, just send the steward to Baixiangyuan to buy two."

Previously, when Lin Zhizhou looked at Yan Ying, he only thought she was a pretty country girl. Now, when Lin Zhizhou looked at Yan Ying, he felt that she was shining with golden light all over, just like the God of Fortune in the New Year's painting, holding a plaque in his hands: "Promotion and Wealth".

"Lord Lin, I have something important to discuss with you, which concerns the reputation of my Baixiang Garden. Please let me explain." Yan Ying sat down and accepted the hot tea served by the yamen runner with both hands: "Thank you, brother."

"Go stand at the door and see what's going on outside." Prefect Lin waved the constable away to the doorway, then looked at Yan Ying with a fawning smile: "Miss Xiao, are you referring to that Steward Yi?"

Yan Ying nodded, "Exactly." It seemed her guess was correct; Jian Yifei had already spoken with Prefect Lin. Since Prefect Lin already knew the details, she didn't need to waste any more words. She took out the silver ingot and the paper packet: "Prefect Lin, this is what Manager Yi bribed my employee to put laxatives in my seasonings to ruin the reputation of my Bai Xiang Yuan. Fortunately, my employee is honest and entrusted everything to me. I'm bringing it here to Prefect Lin to file a record."

"Very well, very well." Prefect Lin opened the paper package, looked at the packet of powder, and frowned slightly. "This doesn't seem like a laxative. Laxatives are usually made from crushed croton seeds and rhubarb, and shouldn't be white in color." He called out to the constable at the door, "Quickly send it over for testing. What exactly is this?"

Yan Ying was shocked. This wasn't a laxative? Then what could it be? She remembered Manager Yi's words as he left: "I'll put you in the Yuzhou jail." Thinking about it carefully, something seemed increasingly off. If it was a laxative, it would only ruin her Bai Xiang Yuan business; she could just pay some compensation, but wouldn't go to jail. Could this powder actually be a drug? Yan Ying broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, Wen Da Gouzi still had a conscience and confessed everything clearly.

A short while later, Wen Dagouzi arrived, and the person who examined the powder also brought the results: "Sir, several highly toxic drugs were detected in this powder. Taking a small amount is fine, but taking too much could be fatal."

Prefect Lin stood up abruptly and slammed his hands heavily on the table: "This is outrageous! Does our Great Zhou have no laws? How dare a mere steward be so arrogant!" Prefect Lin spoke with righteous indignation, as if he had never given Steward Yi any favors: "Go, get the warrant for his arrest. Take him into custody first!"

"My lord, I don't think this is appropriate." Yan Ying stood up, somewhat anxious. Why was Prefect Lin so anxious all of a sudden? Nothing had happened at Baixiang Garden. If he had just arrested Manager Yi with a skewer, he could have easily claimed innocence and said that he had framed him. After all, he hadn't shown his face at all from beginning to end; he had only sent a henchman to find Wen Dagouzi.

"What's wrong with that?" Prefect Lin glanced at Yan Ying and saw her disapproving expression. He suddenly realized that he had been too eager to take credit. There was no victim yet, so how could he arrest someone?

Seeing that Prefect Lin had come to his senses, Yan Ying nodded and said, "Lord Lin, how about we lure the snake out of its hole?"

"Very good, very good." Prefect Lin pointed a finger at Yan Ying approvingly: "Miss Xiao is indeed quick-witted."

“Big Dog, go home today and tell that burrowing rat that you will mix the seasonings and medicine powder together tomorrow morning.” Yan Ying looked at Wen Big Dog standing by the door. Poor kid, it was his first time entering the yamen. He couldn’t even straighten his legs. He stood there with his back hunched over, and he seemed to have shrunk a bit.

"What?" Wen Dagouzi looked up, somewhat terrified: "Miss Xiao, those are poison!" Luckily, he realized his mistake. If he had really given the poison to someone else, he would have felt guilty for the rest of his life.

"I told you to go and talk to him, not that you actually have to release it." Yan Ying smiled. "If you tell him, then his master will be loitering around my Bai Xiang Garden tomorrow, just waiting for trouble to happen. Lord Lin will send a few constables to pretend to buy barbecue, eat it, smear some chicken or duck blood on their lips, and then cry out in pain while clutching their stomachs. Then someone will definitely come out and send me, the owner of Bai Xiang Garden, to see the prefect."

Prefect Lin's eyes lit up: "Brilliant plan! Let's do it the way Miss Xiao suggested!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Dagouzi's face also showed admiration. The boss was really amazing. Not only could he make such delicious food, but he could also come up with a solution in no time. He would definitely do well if he worked diligently under the boss!

Having settled things here, Yan Ying returned home in a good mood. As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. If Manager Yi hadn't made a move from behind the scenes, she would have remained on edge, waiting for him to act quickly so she could finally put her mind at ease.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw Liu Hua running out: "Third sister, how are you? Nothing much happened today?"

These past few days, everyone in the Xiao family has been on high alert, constantly worried that something might happen to Yan Ying and Bai Xiang Yuan. Yan Ying is now the pillar of the family, and Bai Xiang Yuan is their livelihood; neither can be lost. Every time Yan Ying returns home, someone stands guard at the door, only feeling relieved when she returns safely.

"It's alright, it's alright, but something will happen tomorrow." Yan Ying pulled Liu Hua's hand and walked inside: "Don't worry too much, it's just a grasshopper that likes to jump around."

When it was time for dinner, Yan Ying recounted what had happened that day. Everyone in Old Master Xiao's family was stunned. They never imagined that there could be such a ruthless person in the world who would disregard the lives of others for his own selfish reasons! If it weren't for that Wen Da Gouzi speaking out, who knows who would have suffered.

"Sanhua, we're all going to Baixiangyuan tomorrow!" Erhua slammed her rice bowl down on the table in anger. "I'm bringing a stick and beating that Manager Yi until his head is bleeding!"

Yan Ying smiled and patted Er Hua's shoulder: "You all stay at home! If other people see that our whole family suddenly went there, they'll definitely think something's wrong, don't you think?"

Erhua poked at her rice bowl with her chopsticks, fuming: "If only Prince Xu were here, I would go to the other courtyard to deliver a message and see if I could break his legs."

“Of course they only act when Prince Xu isn’t around. Prince Xu only stayed at the villa for a year to avoid the passing years. We’ve benefited from his help to build such a nice house and have enough to eat and wear. Why would we need his help for everything? He doesn’t even know when he’ll be back at the villa. Second Sister, don’t count on him anymore. We’ll have to figure out how to make a living on our own.” Seeing that Erhua was still sulking, Yanying smiled and put a piece of food on Erhua’s plate. “Don’t be anxious. Be more patient, or Xiao Jingwei will be bullied by you every day after you get married.”

Aunt Xiao chimed in from the side, "That's right, Erhua, don't be too fierce, Jingwei is a good boy!"

Erhua blushed: "How did we end up talking about me?"

"Second Sister is blushing, she's blushing!" Liu Hua giggled as she watched Er Hua from the side. "Second Sister, how come you're shy too? Everyone in the village says that you and Third Sister are both very bold and never feel embarrassed!"

"You little brat, how dare you laugh at me!" Erhua raised her chopsticks and pretended to hit Liuhua. Liuhua quickly put down her rice bowl and hid behind Yanying: "Third sister, second sister is going to hit me!"

Yan Ying held Liu Hua tightly in her arms, saying, "Who told you to drag Third Sister into this? Of course I'm going to help Second Sister! Second Sister, come and teach this little girl a lesson for talking nonsense!"

Liu Hua squirmed in Yan Ying's arms like a piece of malt candy: "Good second sister, good third sister, I won't say it, okay? You are the best, best, best of the best sisters in the world!"

Liu Hua rattled off a long list of the best things, and Aunt Xiao, listening from the side, felt a pang of sadness. She lifted her clothes and wiped her eyes, thinking how life was getting better and better.

Chapter 189 Luring the Enemy

As dawn broke, Yuzhou City came alive with activity. Everywhere you looked, people were carrying loads of food and calling out their wares. Steam rose from the breakfast stalls, carrying an indescribable aroma that was incredibly comforting. People stepped inside and exclaimed, "Give me four steamed buns and a bowl of porridge!"

Yan Ying leaned against the doorway, watching the crowd on East Street. It was still early, and there weren't many people on East Street yet. But by Chen Shi (7-9 AM), it would be bustling with people coming and going. At that time, the dark hands lurking in the shadows would slowly emerge.

"Miss Xiao," Wen Dagouzi walked up to Yan Ying, "when are you setting up your barbecue stall today?"

"Just like usual, not too early and not too late." Yan Ying smiled and glanced at Wen Da Gouzi: "Did you sleep soundly last night?"

Wen Dagouzi nodded repeatedly: "That's right, it's been a long time since I've slept so soundly."

“A person with something on their mind will never be at ease. Why don’t you tell him what’s on your mind?” Yan Ying smiled and took out a piece of silver from her purse and gave it to him: “You two are sick and need money urgently. I’ll give you this month’s wages in advance.”

Wen Dagouzi clutched the silver coin, staring blankly at Yan Ying, completely at a loss for words. Gong Liang walked over from the side, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Just work hard for the boss!"

"Okay, okay." Wen Dagouzi wiped his eyes and quickly walked to the backyard: "I'll go burn some charcoal. We need to get ready to open for business."

Gong Liang stood beside Yan Ying, still somewhat shaken: "Miss Xiao, thankfully this Wen Da Gouzi still has a conscience."

"Isn't that right?" Yan Ying's eyes swept across the street. A few people were approaching in the distance, their clothes not particularly elegant, and a lewd look in their eyes. She thought to herself, "Perhaps these are the people that Manager Yi sent to cause trouble." She smiled and glanced at Gong Liang: "Are you all ready?"