Fu Tingyun pointed at the cedar box on the tea table and asked Zhao Ling: “What should we do about this?”

“Keep it!” Zhao Ling said casually. “Century-old ginseng is sometimes impossible to buy even with money. It would be good for strengthening your aunt’s health.”

Fu Tingyun had other concerns: “But how will we reciprocate later? Does this mean we’ll continue our association with Madam Xiao?”

“We’ll worry about that later.” Zhao Ling didn’t think it was a significant issue. He pointed to a trunk he had brought in. “Here are some angelica, astragalus, and bupleurum. Keep them safe and see if your aunt might need them.”

“Where did you get so many medicinal herbs?” Fu Tingyun was quite surprised.

“Where could I get them from?” Zhao Ling smiled. “I bought them, of course.” He added, “Zhangye is a key fortress outside the pass. What kind of merchants can’t you find here?”

“That’s true!” Fu Tingyun appreciated Zhao Ling’s thoughtfulness and softly said, “Thank you!”

Zhao Ling said with some frustration: “When will you stop thanking me?”

Fu Tingyun was puzzled.

Zhao Ling said in a low voice: “Family members don’t stand on ceremony. Showing filial respect to my mother-in-law is only natural!”

Fu Tingyun had no defense against this man. She couldn’t even muster any anger. She turned around and called for Zheng San to carry the trunk of medicinal herbs to the carriage first.

Zhao Ling seized the opportunity to embrace her from behind.

“A Yun…” he called her name softly. “Will you miss me?”

Behind her was Zhao Ling’s broad chest. His warm breath brushed lightly against her neck, making her heart tremble and bringing back that tingling sensation.

Fu Tingyun felt flustered and tried to pry away the arms that held her tightly, mumbling chaotically: “No, I won’t miss you…”

Zhao Ling’s arms tightened even more around her, as if trying to knead her into his body, making it difficult for her to breathe. “But I will miss A Yun…” His voice was deep and somewhat hoarse, conveying an inexplicable emotion that made her heart race. “I will miss A Yun very, very much…”

Something seemed to surge from the depths of her heart, clogging her chest and leaving her speechless.

…

The carriage sped along, and Zhangye City gradually became a small black dot on the yellow earth slope. Fu Tingyun could still envision Zhao Ling’s gallant figure mounted on his steed.

Lin Chun lowered the carriage curtain and asked in her childish voice: “Miss, does the capital have crystal candy?”

Fu Tingyun had never been to the capital and didn’t know. She smiled and said: “I suppose so!”

A Sen looked at Lin Chun disdainfully: “Of course they do! It’s the capital, where the Emperor lives.” He said with a grinning face and asked Fu Tingyun, “Miss, we’re on the post road now. Can I ride a horse for a while?”

“No!” Fu Tingyun smiled. “We need to reach the post station at Taiping Fortress before dark. We’re moving quickly, and it’s too dangerous. When we’re not in a hurry to travel, you can try riding a horse!”

A Sen was immediately discouraged.

They would be hurrying the entire journey; when would he ever get to ride a horse?

When he was with Lord Zhao before, they would travel a hundred li in a night. He couldn’t even reach the saddle and could only lie flat on the horse’s back, bouncing around dizzy and nauseous while everyone laughed at him for being delicate. Now, he could already ride a horse and jump over narrow streams, but the young miss was afraid he might fall…

These thoughts, A Sen only dared to grumble about in his heart. In front of Fu Tingyun, he didn’t dare show any of it. He could only sullenly lift the carriage curtain and look with envy at Zheng San and the guards sent by the Marquis of Yingchuan to escort them to the capital, chatting and laughing as they rode on horseback outside.

Seeing this, Lin Chun also followed A Sen’s example and peered out of the carriage window.

Zheng San’s wife pulled him aside to sit down: “The yellow sand is blowing outside. If you do this, sand will get in and might choke the young miss.” Though she was scolding Lin Chun, her words were directed at A Sen.

A Sen felt somewhat awkward and was about to lower the curtain with a sheepish smile.

“Let them look if they want.” Sitting in the bouncing carriage traveling day and night would be boring even for adults, let alone children. Fu Tingyun smiled and said, “How can one travel without getting dusty?”

Lin Chun heard this and cheered, pouncing on A Sen’s back: “Watch the horseback riding, watch the horseback riding!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

The two adults didn’t mind the children; as long as they didn’t leave the carriage, they could play as they pleased. The adults leaned against the large pillows and chatted.

“Miss, are we staying at the Residence of the Duke of Fuguo?” Zheng San’s wife asked with both longing and concern.

For this trip to the capital, Zhao Ling, considering they had no escort, had hired the most famous escort agency in Zhangye and borrowed a name card from the Marquis of Yingchuan. If they encountered any issues on the road, they could present the Marquis’s name card to seek help from local officials. When the Marquis learned of this, he not only gave his name card but also one from his father, the Duke of Fuguo, to Zhao Ling, and additionally assigned over twenty guards to accompany them: “These are all guards from my household who regularly travel between Zhangye and the capital. They are familiar with the post stations and government offices along the way. Why hire an escort agency?” Then he said, “Tell Miss Fu that when she reaches the capital, there’s no need to find a residence. She can go directly to meet our household’s chief steward, who will arrange a place for them to stay.”

The escort agency and the Duke of Fuguo’s guards were worlds apart. Considering Fu Tingyun’s safety, Zhao Ling smiled in gratitude and directly took the guards home, but he had different instructions regarding the Marquis’s words: “Life in the capital is not easy, I understand that. But staying at someone else’s home inevitably brings constraints of dependence. It would be better to ask the steward of the Duke of Fuguo’s household to help buy a residence.”

“Buy a residence?” Fu Tingyun was very surprised at the time.

“Yes!” Zhao Ling nodded. “I’ve thought it through carefully. Even a small courtyard house in the capital costs over a thousand taels of silver. If the location is good and the condition is new, it might cost five or six thousand taels. We still have five thousand taels in silver notes. Last year in Xi’an Prefecture, we acquired three shops on Baoqing Street and over seventeen hundred mu of good farmland in Chang’an County. The three shops on Baoqing Street generate over six hundred taels of income annually. The thousand-plus mu of land in East Jiang Village of Chang’an County are all connected. As long as we find an honest and reliable bailiff to manage it, we can economize and cover our annual expenses for food and clothing. As for the three hundred mu in Lu Family Village and the four hundred mu in West Huai Village, not only is the land scarce, but it’s also scattered—a few mu here, a dozen or so mu there. If we hire a bailiff to manage it, the income would likely end up in the bailiff’s pocket, which isn’t cost-effective. When I bought these seven hundred-plus mu of land, it was at one tael and one fen of silver per mu. This year, with favorable weather conditions, it could sell for at least five to six taels of silver per mu. On your way through Xi’an Prefecture, why not rest for two days and find Manager Lü to sell these seven hundred mu? Even if sold hastily, we’d still have over three thousand taels of silver in hand. Combined with the five thousand taels in silver notes from Baoqing Silver Shop in our box, it would be enough to buy a small courtyard house in the capital. Plus, I have some calligraphy, paintings, and antiques left with Old Master Lü. You can bring them all to the capital to decorate the residence, which would save a considerable sum…”

“Lord Zhao,” Fu Tingyun frowned as she listened, “we won’t be staying permanently in the capital, so why go to such lengths…” Her gaze was filled with confusion. “Are you hiding something from me?”

“This is where you don’t understand!” Zhao Ling leaned close to her ear and whispered, “If we acquire a nice residence in the capital, your uncle will feel more at ease entrusting you to me…”

“Nonsense.” Fu Tingyun glanced at him reproachfully, her face burning hot. “Our family has a tradition: ‘When seeking a daughter-in-law, look for virtue, not dowry; when marrying off a daughter, choose a good husband, not wealth and rank…'”

“I know, I know!” Zhao Ling interrupted her with a grin. “My modest assets wouldn’t impress your uncle at all. If I had studied and passed the provincial or imperial examinations, what kind of glory and wealth wouldn’t be available?” After saying this, he put on a melancholic expression and sighed, “If I had met you earlier, I would have certainly studied for the imperial examinations to secure a promising future. Alas, I’m now older, willing but unable. I can only bolster my courage with these worldly possessions!”

Again, he was being playful and teasing.

Fu Tingyun felt both embarrassed and annoyed, yet she was quite tempted by the idea.

Whenever a maid in their household was to be matched with someone, her wet nurse would always say, “Marry a man, marry a man, for clothes to wear and food to eat.” If they could acquire a residence in the capital, it would be one more reason to persuade her father!

She couldn’t help but scold him coquettishly: “I still have over three thousand taels of silver on hand, and in my box, there are two thousand taels in silver notes given by my mother… We’re not short of money, so why sell the land?”

Land could be left for future generations. Having land meant harvests, harvests meant food, and food meant survival. Who would sell land unless necessary?

“In the capital, there will be many expenses. The two thousand taels in silver notes your mother gave you is your dowry, which can’t be touched. As for the cash you have on hand, keep it with you. When you come across a branch of Baoqing Silver Shop, exchange it for silver notes to carry, and use them gradually.” Zhao Ling said, “Besides, sooner or later, we will return to Jiangnan. If Xi’an Prefecture weren’t only about twenty-some days’ journey from the capital, I wouldn’t even keep the land in East Jiang Village.”

That made sense. If they returned to Jiangnan, Xi’an Prefecture would be too far, and the income from the land wouldn’t cover the cost of traveling back and forth.

Fu Tingyun said, “I think you should keep the cash! You’ll need money for social engagements.”

“You’ll be gone for most of the year. Where would I put all that silver?” Zhao Ling smiled. “Just leave me two hundred taels for spending money.” He added, “Don’t worry, I know how to get silver!”

Fu Tingyun thought of the seven hundred taels of silver he had brought back and couldn’t help but carefully caution him: “We still have some old savings. Don’t ruin your reputation for the sake of mere money.”

“Rest assured!” Zhao Ling smiled. “I won’t take a single coin less than what I deserve, nor will I take a single coin more than what is proper.”

Thinking of this, Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.

Who knew what was considered proper to take? And what wasn’t?

She only hoped he would complete his two years of service smoothly, be promoted to Commander, and then be transferred out of the Shaanxi Military Command.

Then she answered Zheng San’s wife’s question: “We won’t be staying at the Marquis of Yingchuan’s residence. Lord Zhao says we should buy a residence to settle down.”

“Residences in the capital are very expensive!” Zheng San’s wife said with some concern. “Why don’t we rent a place first?”

“It’s alright.” Fu Tingyun said modestly. “We may not be able to afford a good location, but we can certainly afford an ordinary one.”

Zheng San’s wife clicked her tongue, knowing that Fu Tingyun and Zhao Ling had some savings, and didn’t ask further. Instead, she inquired about matters in the capital, “Who in your family is ill? Why do you need to travel thousands of li to the capital to visit?”

Who was ill in her family?

She wasn’t sure how to answer.

Leaning against the cushion, watching A Sen and Lin Chun playing nearby, she remained silent for a long while.