Lu Xian was so furious he nearly fell over backward, while You Fangying felt equally displeased.

Leaving the banquet, she immediately returned to Xiebai Residence.

At that moment, Jiang Xuening was directing people to bring Wei Liang back from Yangzhou.

With the Jiangning provincial examination drawing near, she had assumed that after Wei Liang went to the countryside to arrange matters concerning those potatoes, he would return to Jinling. Who would have thought that after waiting two days without seeing him, she sent people to inquire, only to learn that this man had actually said: farming is important, the provincial examination is trivial.

How outrageous was that?

No matter what, he had achieved the rank of third-place scholar in his previous life. Even if he enjoyed farming and had the skill for it, in his past life it was only after obtaining official status that he could truly display his abilities, with common people revering him as an agricultural deity. Though Jiang Xuening employed him with her own selfish motives and sought her own private gain, how could her conscience rest easy if she delayed his official career? She was absolutely livid.

Seeing You Fangying arrive, she smiled bitterly: “You’ve come at just the right time. I’m having people go fetch Wei Liang back to Jinling, to at least ensure he completes the provincial examination before anything else. How can such a scholar exist in this world?”

These scholars truly each had their own aspirations.

Lu Xian helping Xie Wei with commerce was one thing—after all, Xie Wei was a capable person. But Wei Liang helping her with farming—what kind of situation was that?

Ordinarily, You Fangying would surely have laughed at this, but hearing it now, she merely forced a smile.

Jiang Xuening noticed she had brought troubles with her.

Her eyes rolling slightly, vaguely guessing something, she asked directly: “Did you encounter Lu Xian again?”

Beside the artificial mountain of Xiebai Residence lay an entire lake of withered lotus leaves.

Jiang Xuening stood by the lake, fish food in hand.

You Fangying hesitated in her heart, not really wanting to trouble her, but her hidden apprehension ultimately exceeded her hesitation. She finally said: “I did encounter him.”

She carefully recounted everything about meeting Lu Xian today, only concealing the part where she had made things difficult for him.

After hearing this, Jiang Xuening immediately frowned, falling into a long silence.

You Fangying said: “During the banquet, I heard news related to the Princess from the Tatar side. Could Lu Xian seeking you out be connected to this matter?”

The medicine merchant from the border region said that Her Highness the Grand Princess might already be with child in the Tatar royal court.

Jiang Xuening felt dazed.

What she feared most had still come to pass. Because she had mentally prepared herself for so long in advance, at this moment she felt not so much shock as a heavy and sorrowful sense that fate could not be altered by human will.

Yet she was determined to oppose this ceaselessly recurring fate!

In her previous life, she had not learned of the Princess’s pregnancy in advance. Rather, it was only after the Tatars launched their massive invasion of the Central Plains that she heard Shen Zhiyi had suffered a cruel fate—after becoming pregnant, she was slaughtered before the Tatar battle lines as a sacrifice to their banners!

If the Tatars were raising armies to invade, how could they leave behind an enemy nation’s princess and a child carrying enemy bloodline?

A nauseating revulsion gradually welled up within her.

Jiang Xuening’s throat filled with a faint taste of blood.

It’s often said that good people receive good rewards, but how could Shen Zhiyi in her previous life have deserved such an end?

She forcefully clenched her palms to suppress the trembling that arose from fear, decisively saying: “No matter why Lu Xian came looking for me, now I must go find him. Find someone clever to investigate where Lu Xian is staying and send over a visiting card. I must see him.”

Though Jinling was vast with many residents, for a great merchant like Lu Xian who came on salt monopoly business with wide connections, finding his residence was not difficult.

Her subordinates took little effort to locate the guest house where he was staying.

However, when they went to deliver the visiting card, they learned Lu Xian was not at his residence.

Jiang Xuening had originally planned to have the card delivered and then follow shortly after to visit Lu Xian. How could she have expected him not to be there?

Immediately, suspicions arose.

She frowned and asked: “If he’s not at his residence, where has he gone?”

The young servant responsible for delivering the visiting card bowed and answered: “This servant asked the guest house gatekeeper, who said their Master Lu has urgent business in Yangzhou requiring immediate attention. He rode out on horseback this afternoon. He left in great haste, saying nothing about when he would return.”

Jiang Xuening’s heart sank upon hearing this.

You Fangying said from the side: “Then perhaps we must wait for his return to see him.”

Jiang Xuening remained silent for a while.

You Fangying grew uneasy: “Does Miss feel something is wrong?”

Jiang Xuening said: “If it were merely business negotiations, Jinling to Yangzhou follows the Yangtze River downstream, where boats travel extremely fast. Why would one need to ride horseback to go downstream?”

You Fangying was immediately alarmed: “You mean…”

Jiang Xuening closed her eyes: “I fear he did not go to Yangzhou.”

At this juncture, what matter could make Lu Xian leave Jinling?

She had some vague speculations in her heart but dared not draw conclusions.

She immediately instructed people to check Lu Xian’s guest house daily to ask if he had returned to Jinling, while on the other hand, she immediately wrote a letter to be delivered by fast horse to Huangzhou in Hubei for Yan Lin. First, to ask whether he had any definite news related to Shen Zhiyi; second, to ask whether Lu Xian was there with him, and what plans they might have.

Lu Xian’s absence lasted a full ten days.

It was not until the eleventh day, when officials of the Two Huai Salt Distribution Commission hosted a banquet at Qingyuan Garden, inviting all salt merchants to discuss next year’s salt monopoly rights and the Emperor’s southern tour, that news came back saying Lu Xian had ridden swiftly back to Jinling, changed his clothes at the guest house, and hurriedly attended the banquet.

Jiang Xuening immediately decided to wait for him outside Qingyuan Garden.

Qingyuan Garden was built along the Qinhuai River, occupying an extremely large area with half facing the river. Originally constructed during the previous dynasty when the Jinling Xie clan was at its height of prosperity, it featured artificial mountains and pavilions with scenery changing at every step. Unfortunately, by the current dynasty the Xie clan had already fallen into decline. The garden changed hands and fell to a corrupt official before being confiscated by the court as government property. Now it was only used to entertain imperial commissioners dispatched to the south, princes and nobility, or for official banquets.

Everyone in Jinling knew of this place.

Naturally, Jiang Xuening also knew it—after all, Xie Wei came from the Jinling Xie clan. When he succeeded in the imperial examinations years ago, everyone said he would revitalize the Xie clan. Unfortunately, the Xie bloodline had already thinned, and Xie Wei seemed not particularly inclined to favor his own family, so the Xie clan showed no signs of revival. In her previous life, when people evaluated Xie Wei, they all called him the last brilliant twilight glow of that once-mighty Xie clan from the old saying about “swallows that once graced the halls of the Wang and Xie families,” now in the new dynasty.

However, since this banquet was the government inviting salt merchants, and Jiang Xuening remained hidden behind the scenes without official salt merchant status, and since Qingyuan Garden with its many eyes and ears was clearly not a good place for conversation, she simply had someone reserve an entire floor of Guanlan Teahouse directly across from Qingyuan Garden, waiting for the event inside to finish before meeting Lu Xian directly.

These past days, Wei Liang had already been dragged back to Jinling by her.

Seeing Jiang Xuening about to go out, he had secretly rejoiced for a moment, thinking perhaps he could seize the opportunity to slip away.

How could staying in Jinling city compare to the comfort of the countryside?

Who would have thought that Jiang Xuening, having already stepped out, turned back and looked him up and down for a moment before actually saying: “You come with me.”

Wei Liang: ???

His heart held ten thousand refusals. He wished he could sit in his chair and refuse to rise. His face turned green as he said miserably: “Miss Employer, you’re going to discuss important matters, to talk business—what would I go for?”

Jiang Xuening looked at him with a half-smile: “Taking you along is quite important too.”

First, to prevent this future third-place scholar from slipping away at the first opportunity, leaving them unable to find him when the provincial examination began. Second, if the news from the Tatar side regarding Shen Zhiyi proved true, she had her own calculations. Wei Liang didn’t understand the way of money, while she didn’t understand the way of grain—bringing him to meet Lu Xian was perfectly suitable.

Having said this, she didn’t even bother looking at his expression again, directly hauling him onto the carriage.

However, Jiang Xuening had no idea whatsoever that the moment her carriage departed, a group of people riding fast horses arrived immediately after.

The leader reined in his horse before Xiebai Residence.

Beside him, a young man with a weary expression dismounted and inquired of the gatekeeper: “May I ask if your master is present? My teacher has come from afar and wishes to pay a visit.”

The gatekeeper examined the group of over ten people, his gaze turning over the leader. For some reason, he actually felt somewhat nervous, sensing a trace of trepidation and fear, and answered tremblingly: “Our master just went out.”

The young man paused, turning back to look at the leader.

The leader held the reins in his hand, his clothing covered with the dust of travel, only asking: “Where did she go?”