Chapter 151 – Great Admiration for Her
In the west wing, Ms. Zhong and the others were anxiously waiting, and finally, Yan Xiaosi returned.
Seeing Yan Xiaosi looking somewhat tired, Ms. Zhong asked nervously, “Xiaosi, did General Zhan give you a hard time?”
Yan Xiaosi was just too sleepy. Her small arms and legs had just spent nearly half an hour giving Long Yu a massage. It was no wonder she was tired.
Yawning and sluggishly replying to Ms. Zhong, she said, “Mom, I’m fine. General Zhan asked me to treat his illness, not to go to the execution ground. There’s no need for you all to worry so much.”
Yan Shuyun said, “Going to treat a noble from Xijing is almost like going to the execution ground. One wrong move, and you could lose your life.”
“Third sister, your description is quite apt.”
Yan Xiaosi smiled and said in a low voice, “Every time I see General Zhan, he’s always pursing his lips. Without guessing, I’m sure there’s an ice-cold coffin face under that mask.”
Yan Shuqin quickly covered her mouth.
“Xiaosi, you’re too bold, daring to speak ill of a noble from Xijing in the county court.”
Yan Xiaosi, with a calm and unruffled expression, said, “In this west wing, there’s only our family of five. Even if I speak a bit louder, no one else can hear.”
She guessed that Yao Jin, because he had spent twenty taels of silver on a useless stone, wasn’t very fond of their family. He only instructed the maids to deliver food and water to the west wing and didn’t leave any maids to serve them there. This quietness was exactly to Yan Xiaosi’s liking.
Yan Shuqin then let go of her.
“Xiaosi, after you left, a maid from the county court brought some fabric, saying it was ordered by the county magistrate. Why would the county magistrate send us fabric? What is his purpose?”
Yan Xiaosi’s brows tightened upon hearing this.
“Where is the fabric? Big sister, take me to see it.”
“It’s in the room.”
Yan Xiaosi followed Yan Shuqin into the room and saw the neatly stacked fabric on the table.
The peach-red silk fabric was very suitable for teenage girls.
Previously, Yan Xiaosi had suspected that Yao Jin’s gaze towards Yan Shuqin was somewhat inappropriate. Now that Yao Jin had instructed the maid to bring this peach-red fabric, she was even more certain of Yao Jin’s ill intentions.
“Big sister, second sister, third sister, none of you are allowed to take this fabric.”
The three sisters of the Yan family nodded in unison.
Yan Shuqin said, “Xiaosi, don’t worry, we won’t accept things from others for no reason.”
Yan Xiaosi’s tense expression relaxed, looking at her three sisters with a satisfied gaze. Fortunately, her three sisters were not the kind of people who coveted vanity.
Ms. Zhong glanced at the fabric, feeling very uneasy.
“This color of fabric is most suitable for teenage girls. Xiaosi, did the county magistrate send this fabric because he has taken a liking to Qin’er, Xue’er, or Yun’er?”
Her three daughters were of marriageable age, and as their mother, she couldn’t help but think in this direction.
She hadn’t dared to say this in front of her three daughters before, fearing it would scare them. Now that her most resourceful youngest daughter was back, she dared to speak her mind.
Hearing this, the three sisters turned pale with fright.
Yan Xiaosi was silent for a moment, her gaze falling on Yan Shuqin.
“I’m afraid he has taken a liking to big sister.”
“Mom, Xiaosi, what should we do?”
“Big sister is only eighteen this year, and that county magistrate is at least in his forties. Big sister can’t marry the county magistrate.”
Yan Shuxue and Yan Shuyun immediately became anxious, like ants on a hot pan.
Yao Jin had already visited the cave on Big Sister Peak, so staying there was no longer an option.
Ms. Zhong was momentarily distraught but then composed herself and said, “Qin’er, Xue’er, Yun’er, Xiaosi, I will take you away from Xize County. Qin’er, I will never let you marry the county magistrate.”
As she spoke, Ms. Zhong anxiously grabbed the wrists of Yan Shuqin and Yan Shuxue, intending to flee the county court overnight.
Yan Xiaosi stopped her with a hand.
“Mother, in these times of chaos and war, escaping from Xize County won’t make our lives any easier. Bandits are everywhere, and we might fall into their hands as soon as we leave Xize County.”
Moreover, fleeing was never Yan Xiaosi’s way of handling things.
“With General Zhan currently stationed in Xize County, Yao Jin, even if he covets big sister, wouldn’t dare to forcibly take a civilian girl under General Zhan’s watch. Big sister should be safe for now.”
In recent years, with the ongoing wars, bandits were indeed rampant across the land.
Ms. Zhong, frightened, stopped in her tracks.
Thinking of her eldest daughter’s bleak future, she couldn’t help but cry.
“Xiaosi, General Zhan will leave Xize County one day. What will your big sister do then? I would rather have her marry a poor man than become a concubine in an official’s household.”
“Better to be a poor man’s wife than a rich man’s concubine,” was also Yan Xiaosi’s belief.
“Mother, why don’t we marry big sister off before General Zhan leaves Xize County? Yao Jin, as the magistrate of Xize County, surely can’t forcibly take someone’s wife.”
As a government official, abducting someone’s wife would be a scandal that could end his career, and Yao Jin would not likely risk his future.
Ms. Zhong hesitated, “Xiaosi, can this really work?”
Yan Xiaosi looked at her mother and three sisters, saying, “It can work. Xize County is under the jurisdiction of Datong Prefecture, which governs several counties. Yao Jin, having been the magistrate of Xize County for so many years, certainly wants to be promoted to prefect of Datong. The other county magistrates probably think the same, but there’s only one prefect position in Datong. They must be watching each other and competing fiercely. Under such scrutiny, Yao Jin wouldn’t dare make a mistake. So, once big sister is married, she’ll be completely safe.”
After Yan Xiaosi finished speaking, Ms. Zhong and the three sisters of the Yan family all looked surprised.
Ms. Zhong was the most astonished. These were the ways of officialdom, and her youngest daughter understood them all. Who had taught her these things?
“Xiaosi, never speak of these matters to outsiders. Being too clever as a woman can attract trouble.”
Although Yan Xiaosi didn’t entirely agree with Ms. Zhong’s view, she nodded in acknowledgment, not wanting to worry her mother.
That night, Yan Xiaosi slept comfortably in a soft, high bed, while Ms. Zhong and her three sisters struggled to sleep.
Since Yan Shuyun was to report to the Xu Family Fur Store today, Yan Xiaosi went early in the morning to the east wing to ask for permission.
As long as General Zhan allowed it, Yao Jin wouldn’t dare to stop them.
Seeing Long Si and Long Wu guarding the outside of the east wing, Yan Xiaosi walked over, smiled politely, and asked, “May I inquire, Dragon Guards, if my family and I may now leave the county court?”
Long Si and Long Wu both looked at Yan Xiaosi, their eyes showing a hint of admiration.
This kid dared to say their master had kidney deficiency. So brave.
Long Si, hiding his admiration, said coldly, “Whether you can leave or not is up to our master to decide.”
