Daili nodded and asked Bai Jianping, "It is necessary to send a letter to the Lord. Captain Bai, do you have anything you wish to say to him?"
Bai Jianping said yes, "There are some recent developments that need to be reported to the Lord."
Daili replied, "Perfect, I also have many private words to share with him. How about this: after you finish writing your letter, give it to me. I will pack it together with my family letter, saving the messenger the trouble of carrying multiple parcels."
Bai Jianping's mind spun for a moment.
Give the letter to the Mistress first, and then send it to the Lord together? Could it be that the Mistress did not trust him and worried he might speak ill of her to the Lord in the letter?
How could that be!
The Lord had already agreed to let her go sightseeing; as a subordinate, how could he defy orders? His report would be absolutely objective, merely stating the facts without any emotional coloring of complaint or accusation.
However...
"Alright," Bai Jianping agreed. He thought to himself that since the Mistress wanted to inspect it, he would let her inspect it.
Daili smiled in satisfaction.
Bai Jianping wrote his letter very quickly. An hour after their conversation, he came to find Daili with the letter in hand.
The mulberry paper was simply folded, not even sealed with wax. He handed it over just like that. "Mistress, my letter is finished. I will have to trouble you to pack it in when the time comes."
Daili said it was no trouble at all.
As soon as the door closed, she unfolded Bai Jianping's letter without the slightest psychological burden.
Qin Shaozong was a man who disliked dragging things out, and this style was also reflected in how he managed his subordinates. The military reports and daily summaries from his men were always written quite briefly, and Bai Jianping's letter was no exception.
It was only three lines long, mentioning her intention to change their route to the waterways. It also specifically highlighted that very few soldiers would be accompanying her on the water route, and that they planned to hire a group of martial artists to travel with them.
After reading Bai Jianping's letter, Daili took out a stack of mulberry paper, ground some ink, and began writing her own letter. She didn't have that much to say, so she simply wrote the characters very large, taking up as much space as possible.
Once the paper was used up and folded, it looked quite thick.
Daili carefully sealed it with wax, completing a letter ready to be sent to Chang'an. Meanwhile, right beside her hand, Bai Jianping's report lay quietly.
It had not been put into the envelope at all.
With the letters dealt with, Daili did not immediately call for someone to deliver them. Since it was supposed to contain "many private words," it naturally had to be delayed a bit longer.
Right now, renting boats and hiring martial artists were the pressing matters.
As the golden sun set in the west that day, painting the earth in a brilliant, warm orange hue, a tall and slender young man returned, stepping through the sunset.
Daili was waiting on the first floor of the inn. Seeing her son return after a day of running around, she took a cup and poured him some tea. "Zhou Zhou, you've worked hard today. Have a sip of tea and rest. Did you manage to hire the martial artists?"
"There is only one escort agency in this county, with a total of seven guards. They are all willing to make the trip with us." Qin Yanzhou was terribly thirsty; after speaking, he drained the tea in his cup in one gulp.
Bai Jianping was also nearby. "Only seven? Seven people won't be of much use. It would be best to find thirty... No, too many wouldn't do either. It would be terrible if they turned against us and took control."
The Great Yan Dynasty had been severely ravaged by corrupt officials and parasites in recent years. Many people lost their land and could no longer survive, forcing them to become bandits. Since the money came quickly, killing people like flies gradually became their so-called "righteous path."
Many of these scattered petty thieves did not amount to much, but once they gathered into a group of a hundred or so, it could be called a bandit menace, enough to attract the attention of local authorities.
Bai Jianping rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment. "There are bandits in the mountains and pirates on the water. The locals are far more familiar with the routes than we outsiders are. Seven will have to do. Since there aren't enough martial artists here, we will just hire more elsewhere. Mistress, I personally think we can set off first, and when we reach the next town, we can hire another batch of martial artists. The total number can be kept under fifteen."
Daili said, "Excellent."
Bai Jianping then asked Qin Yanzhou, addressing him by the official title that had still not been revoked since his sneak attack on the Xuzhou military granary. "Commandant, have you negotiated everything with the boatmen?"
Qin Yanzhou replied, "I have booked three boats. We agreed to set sail at noon the day after tomorrow."
Bai Jianping didn't ask why it was the day after tomorrow. After all, it was common for cargo ships to load and unload goods at the port. He asked, "Mistress, is your letter finished?"
From here back to Chang'an, it would take four days of non-stop travel day and night. It would be best to send the letter out before leaving the small town.
Daili replied with sound reasoning, "Not yet. Zhou Zhou was out during the day and hasn't had time to write his letter yet. We will send them together once he finishes."
Bai Jianping nodded in understanding.
The sun rose and set, and a day passed in the blink of an eye. Today, Qin Yanzhou took a few soldiers out again and did not return until dusk.
Bai Jianping was still thinking about sending the letter, so he asked again. The reply he received was that Qin Yanzhou wanted to include today's events in his letter, so the letters would be sent out tomorrow.
The battle-hardened Captain Bai opened his mouth to speak. The previous clouds of suspicion floated back, and alongside his surprise and doubt, an inexplicable trace of unease arose. However, this hint of strangeness was too subtle, like the drizzle in spring, brushing past his cheek without leaving much of a trace.
Bai Jianping hesitated for a long while before slowly nodding.
On the third day, the very day they were to set sail at noon, Bai Jianping came to look for Daili early in the morning. He asked her for the letters, saying he would have them sent back to Chang'an by fast horse.
This time, Daili did not refuse him. She took out a rather thick envelope, already sealed with wax. "I leave it in your capable hands, Captain Bai."
Bai Jianping weighed it in his hand and felt amused. Good heavens, this was quite heavy. Even though the Lord and the Mistress were not a young couple, their relationship was truly excellent; many people could not compare to them.
Having received the letter, Bai Jianping immediately summoned two soldiers, ordered them to travel together, and ride post-haste back to Chang'an. Only after personally watching the messengers ride off did the tense string in his heart finally loosen a bit.
They were boarding the ships today. Their luggage had mostly been packed yesterday. Now, several carriages transported it to the port first, and then the luggage would be transferred onto the tower ships.
The deck of one of the tower ships was much more spacious than the others. Bai Jianping suggested to Daili, "Mistress, I see that the deck of this ship is quite open. Why don't we unhitch the horses and push your carriage onto the ship? That way, it will be easier for you to retrieve things later."
The gangway connecting to the cargo ship was much wider, allowing two to three people to walk side by side, so pushing the carriage up would not be difficult.
Daili's gaze fell upon the carriage. This carriage was one of the wedding carriages used when she and Qin Changgeng got married. It was made of top-quality scented rosewood. There was a saying, "An inch of rosewood is worth an inch of gold," which referred exactly to this type of yellow rosewood.
Not only were the materials excellent, but the interior furnishings were also meticulously designed. The seats were spacious, the low cabinets were elegant, and there were many hidden compartments; every single detail was exquisite.
Daili sighed in her heart. Forget it, it was better not to ruin this fine carriage. "No, parking the carriage on the deck will take up too much space and make it inconvenient to enjoy the scenery from the ship. Just carry the chests and boxes aboard."
Bai Jianping followed her orders.
The weather today was clear and bright. The early autumn afternoon sunlight enveloped the two-story tower ships docked by the port. A gauze-like brightness fell upon everyone and spread across the river, reflecting a sparkling brilliance on the rippling surface of the water.
Dai Li looked at the sparkling river and whispered to Bai Jianping, "Garrison Chief Bai, I have heard that some river bandits disguise themselves as peddlers. When passengers let their guard down, they rob and kill them. Their methods of committing crimes are not limited to placing knockout incense in the rooms or drugging the food."
Bai Jianping's heart skipped a beat.
Dai Li turned to look at him. Her dark eyes, black as lacquer, reflected the sunlight like a mirror. "When traveling, we must act with caution. Our group is a bit conspicuous. It might be better if the cooks on the ship were replaced by our own people."
Moving box after box of luggage, anyone could see that their group was quite wealthy.
Bai Jianping nodded. "You are right. Speaking of which, when I was chatting with two escort guards this morning, one of them also mentioned this. He suggested we take control of the ship's kitchen. However, when I negotiated with the ship owner earlier, he did not agree..."
He sighed helplessly. "Perhaps just as we are guarding against them, they are also guarding against us."
The tower ship was transporting a large batch of goods, every single one valuable. Taking your money to give you a ride was fine, but completely giving up the kitchen was out of the question.
Dai Li thought for a moment and said, "Then we will just cook our own meals, and do not mix the ingredients. If they are uneasy, they can send someone to watch the kitchen door while we cook."
Bai Jianping nodded, saying he thought the same. Then, he probed cautiously, "Madam, how is it that you are so clear about all these twists and turns?"
Dai Li smiled. "I read it in books, and heard about it in teahouses."
Before long, all the luggage was loaded onto the ship.
As the boatman fiercely pulled the hemp rope by the mast, the huge rolled-up canvas came crashing down like flowing water, and then slowly billowed out in the wind.
Riding the wind, the tower ship gradually moved away from the shore.
Standing on the deck, Dai Li gazed at the soldiers left behind at the ferry crossing, unable to help but space out a little.
Inside Chang'an City.
Two fast horses entered the city through the north gate. They slowed down while passing through the bustling market, and once they finally made it through, they sped up again, heading straight for their destination.
The guards at the entrance of the Qin Manor recognized their comrades. Knowing that they had accompanied Dai Li back to Yuyang a few days ago, and now seeing the two return travel-worn, they asked with a smile, "Back to deliver a letter?"
Xun He nodded in confirmation and asked about Qin Shaozong, "Is the Marquis in the manor today?"
"What a coincidence. He and Governor Nangong just left not long ago. You will have to wait," the guard said.
Xun He looked up at the sky. It was exactly the end of the noon hour, neither early nor late. "It seems I can take a short nap."
Having traveled day and night, Xun He was utterly exhausted. He unsaddled the horses, handed over the letters, and then found the room where he used to stay on duty, falling asleep the moment his head hit the bed.
...
Qin Shaozong returned during the Shen hour. As soon as he returned to the manor, he heard from Hu Bao that there was a letter from Dai Li.
"She finally remembered that she still has a husband in Chang'an," he said cheerfully. And when he received that rather thick letter, the shallow traces left by time at the corners of the man's eyes deepened. His smile was rich, and he repeatedly praised, "Not bad, not bad."
Seeing his superior in such a good mood, Hu Bao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Recently, the prominent families in Chang'an had not been very well-behaved, which had made the Marquis extremely furious. Dark clouds had loomed over the manor, but now the skies had finally cleared.
Qin Shaozong took the letter back to his room.
The doors of the master bedroom were wide open, and the sunlight was bright. On the display shelf, which had been emptied significantly, sat only a single incense cage. However, because the mistress had taken all the maidservants with her, this flowing-cloud cast-bronze gilded incense cage had not been tended to for a long time, and now it was merely a decoration.
Accompanied by a few bird chirps outside the window, Qin Shaozong broke the wax seal.
To Qin Changgeng, respectfully wishing you peace:
How have you been recently? Is everything going smoothly in Chang'an? Great endeavors must be pursued gradually; you must not be impatient, nor should you let anger damage your health over such matters. Early autumn has arrived, and the temperature difference between day and night in Chang'an is vast. I hope you will follow the principle of keeping warm in spring and staying cool in autumn to regulate your energy and preserve your health, and take good care of yourself.
Reading up to this point, Qin Shaozong surprisingly found that the page had already ended.
He turned the page.
Next, she mentioned a few of the younger generation, describing their daily lives and adding one or two minor anecdotes.
Before he knew it, he turned another page.
This time, she spoke of some of the things she had seen and heard along the way, telling him about the local customs of a small county. She also mentioned that the local snacks were tempting, and that some master chefs were hidden in the markets, proving that experts truly come from among the common people, which was truly amazing.
At the very, very end, she wrote:
...When a sage is born in times of peace, the universe is destined to settle soon. You are like a tiger catching the wind, a dragon soaring through the clouds, a true great man of the current era. However, the sage sits high up in the nine heavens; you must guard against arrogance and impatience. I hope you will return only after your matters are concluded.
Your wife Dai Li, bowing her head.
Unwittingly, Qin Shaozong had flipped through that thick stack of mulberry paper. The man furrowed his long brows, dissatisfied that he had finished reading it in the blink of an eye, and flipped back to the very beginning.
He started reading from the beginning again.
This time, Qin Shaozong's reading speed was much slower than before, but even so, he still felt like he had to turn the page after only reading for a short while.
Flip, flip, flip, flip...
Without realizing it, he had reached the end again.
"It looks like a thick stack, so how can there be so little? Is this fox slacking off?" After Qin Shaozong finished this mocking sentence, he froze.
It was not that he had never seen Dai Li's handwriting before. She had written two booklets on fertilizer, and had also written letters to Yan San, who was in Yuyang.
In his memory, her letter back then seemed much denser than his current one.
Furrowing his brows in thought for a moment, Qin Shaozong finally stood up. He rummaged through a small box in the room and found one of Dai Li's record books.
This booklet was the same size as the spread-out mulberry letter paper. Placing the two side by side to compare, the difference was immediately apparent.
The characters on the left were several sizes larger, while the ones on the right were smaller, exactly like the difference between an adult and a twelve or thirteen-year-old youth.
Qin Shaozong fetched some new paper, quickly ground some ink, picked up his brush, and then copied the family letter he had just received, using Dai Li's previous font size.
After copying the entire thick stack of letters, it only took two and a half sheets of paper, not even making up three full letter pages.
Qin Shaozong stared at the three sheets of paper in front of him, his gaze dark and unreadable. After a moment, he raised his voice and said, "Where is Madam's messenger? Tell him to come here."
The guards outside received the order and went down.
A long while later, two sets of footsteps approached.
Xun He was woken up halfway through his sleep. With sleepy eyes and yawning incessantly, he slapped his face hard before entering the room to wake himself up.
Qin Shaozong knew their names, and now he casually picked one to ask, "Xun He, how has Madam been recently? Did you encounter anything strange on the return journey?"
Xun He answered truthfully, "No. After parting ways with the Second Young Master and the others, Madam has been doing very well. She was even happily preparing to go sightseeing and enjoy the scenery."
The man standing not far away abruptly stood up from the desk.