Chapter 177: Chapter 177: First to the Capital City, then to Dongjiang!
After making all the arrangents, half a month had passed.
Qi Yue calculated the ti and realized she probably couldn’t wait for Zhao Xiyan to accompany her, so she decided to go by herself.
Tall, short, fat, thin all expressed their desire to accompany her, but Qi Yue refused.
The pharmacy and the residence couldn’t be left unattended, so tall, short, fat, thin had to stay behind.
Knowing that Granny Zhang could ride a horse, she planned to bring Granny Zhang with her.
Firstly, as a woman, Granny Zhang would find it more convenient to take care of her, and secondly, Granny Zhang was no ordinary servant; she was the wet nurse of the wealthiest man in Donggao, proficient in the ways of business, which ant she could help Qi Yue manage many matters.
On the day she set the departure date, Qu Wei made an unexpected visit.
He was still dressed in dazzling white clothes, shaking a folding fan in his hand, exuding an image of scholarly elegance.
In stark contrast to his appearance was his noisy and boisterous character.
Upon entering, he bombarded her with questions, “Where’s Zhao Xiyan? When do you plan to get married?”
Qi Yue did not answer his questions but asked in return, “Why are you here?”
Qu Wei rattled his fan loudly, looking quite annoyed.
“You’re asking ? I figured things between you two must be settling down, so I hurried over for a drink.”
With that, he started looking around, shaking his head.
“Where’s Zhao Xiyan? I, the big brother, have co all the way here, and he’s not even out to welco .”
“He’s gone.”
Seeing Qu Wei’s eyes bulge as if he were about to curse, Qi Yue quickly explained the situation with Zhao Xiyan’s grandfather being unwell.
Qu Wei nodded repeatedly.
“Old Master Shen really is in bad shape, he’s aged.”
Upon hearing that Qi Yue would be heading to Dongjiang the following day, Qu Wei proposed that she take a detour through the Capital City.
“Little sister, why don’t you accompany to the Capital City first? I have a bit of business to take care of, and then I’ll go with you to Dongjiang. How does that sound? Besides, won’t you be able to see Zhao Xiyan as well? If he happens to finish up, he could accompany you to Dongjiang, right?”
Qi Yue was tempted upon hearing his proposition but remained indecisive.
“I need to think this over.”
Zhao Yuannian didn’t give her any chance to think, piling on with rapid-fire speech.
“Oh, what is there to think about? If you’re heading to Dongjiang, just take a little detour, and you’ll reach the Capital City. It’s been a while since you’ve been back, right? It’s a fine opportunity to visit.”
“You wouldn’t be trying to avoid Zhao Xiyan, would you? If you’ve fallen out of love with him, then I might just have to pursue you again!”
Qi Yue glared at him speechlessly.
“Just give up on that idea! As grown as you are, how can you still not mind your words?”
Qu Wei chuckled with a heh heh.
“How big am I? I missed out on my childhood; can’t I act like a child now?”
“Fine, fine, go on and act like a child! I really can’t with you!” Qi Yue continued speechlessly.
“So it’s settled then, to the Capital City first, then to Dongjiang!”
The next day, Qi Yue set off with Granny Zhang, and Qu Wei with a personal attendant, making a party of four from the Longnan County Governnt, heading northwest towards the Capital City.
They were traveling light this ti, each riding a horse, carrying only a small amount of luggage.
Qi Yue had originally estimated that it would take ten days to reach the Capital City, but the journey was t with continuous obstacles.
After only three days, they had already encountered four groups of highway robbers.
After dealing with a few groups, Qi Yue learned their stories.
These were landless farrs driven to desperation because they could not make ends et. With spring plowing and sowing approaching, they had no money to rent land, pay taxes, or buy seeds.
With no other options, they ford gangs to rob travelers.
At first, they targeted individual passersby, but after two days, many people, seeking safety in numbers, started to travel in groups.
Many people travel in groups of a dozen or twenty, making it impossible for them to be targeted.
But seeing that Zhao Jingjing and her party only had four, they were tempted.
These people were ordinary commoners, forced into banditry by life’s pressures, so Qi Yue naturally wouldn’t deal them a deadly blow.
She simply used her Innate Divine Strength to show a few moves and, sure enough, scared them into fleeing in disarray.
During rest, Qi Yue still thought about those distressed commoners and began discussing with Qu Wei the things they’d seen and heard along the way.
“Qu Wei, didn’t you go back to the Capital City a couple of months ago? Was it like this then?”
Qu Wei glared with his long, narrow eyes as his fan rustled loudly in his hand.
“If you don’t call ‘big brother’, I won’t talk to you anymore, unless you agree to let continue pursuing you.”
Qi Yue couldn’t handle it and wondered where he got such thick skin.
“Alright, alright, ‘big brother’, are you happy now? But don’t get too excited, if you’re the ‘big brother’, you have to cover all expenses like trouble, accommodation, and everything else on this trip!”
Qu Wei looked at her disdainfully.
“I’ll pay, I’ll pay. I’ve never seen a sister like you who becos a tycoon the mont she cooperates with the Shen Family and yet still pinches every penny from her own big brother. You really have so nerve!”
Qi Yue struggled to hold back her laughter.
How much money could a dicine factory earn?
Giving Chu Yuntian two million to repair The Great Wall would an sinking the factory’s profits for two years!
Her wealth was all in her spatial storage!
Those countless gold and jewels were her greatest reliance!
Even working with the Shen Family, making a few million silver a year was the most she could make.
Could it compare to what she had in her spatial storage?
After griping for a while, Qu Wei began to talk about his previous visit to the Capital City.
“Back then, the weather was cold, and commoners were still waiting for the Governnt Office’s relief, tax exemption, and seed distribution, so naturally, they wouldn’t co out. Just wait and see, the further north we go, the more serious it will get!”
Qi Yue didn’t quite understand, “Why would it get worse the further north we go?”
Qu Wei snorted.
“What else could it be? The entire north is under the jurisdiction of Grand Tutor Lin, he’s been extorting them severely for years, and as the commoners grow poorer, naturally there are more people turning to banditry.”
The so-called jurisdiction was the Emperor’s grant of land to the court officials as a salary, giving them the right to tax and rule over the commoners of that land.
Hearing that the Emperor had granted eighteen counties of the northern region to Grand Tutor Lin, Qi Yue was inwardly astonished.
Beiyuan Kingdom is located in the north of this continent and has been a land of abundant food production for hundreds of years because of its suitable climate.
The eighteen counties of the Northern Border are even more famous for their wealth and prosperity.
The terrain there is flat, and it is intersected by two major rivers, the rich water resources making it the great granary of the Beiyuan Kingdom.
The Emperor would hand over such a place to a Grand Tutor?
His brain must be malfunctioning!
If they don’t lose the country, that would be a miracle!
Then hearing Qu Wei sigh, “If this continues, it won’t be long before there’s chaos throughout the land.”
As he spoke, the man who always presented himself as a dandy seed to wear a look of deep concern.
He appeared quite worried for the country and its people.
A thought crossed Qi Yue’s mind.
Huang Zai’an had said that after the world fell into chaos, the National Treasure would appear, and that wealth would be used to stabilize the world.
When that ti ca, there would be no telling how many would covet it.
Perhaps Qu Wei was one of them.
Thinking this, she joked, “Isn’t Grand Tutor Lin your own father? Why does it seem like you’re not planning to join him in his corruption?”
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