CMWKSD -Chapter 194 Peach Blossom Village

Jiu Yue didn’t want to be so hopeless, but the truth was that Ji Yiqing paraded around in front of her every single day like a peacock with its feathers spread.

Su Ruo had made him several new sets of clothes.

He wore his official robes to court, and as soon as he returned, he changed into casual attire.

From time to time, he would exercise to maintain his physique.

He guarded that body full of muscles with extreme care, not daring to let it go even slightly out of shape, for fear that it might no longer suit Jiu Yue’s tastes.

On the surface, this trip was said to be an official assignment, but in truth, quite a few of the minor officials traveling along treated it as an outing.

The main reason was this enormous sum of silver.

And it was by no means a small amount.

Originally, Emperor Fengyuan had intended to send Jiu Yue along.

But thinking about how she had been far too conspicuous recently, he worried that too much attention would be drawn to her, causing unnecessary trouble.

In the end, he decided to have Ji Yiqing bring Jiu Yue along by other means.

When they returned and reported their merits, he would then bestow some rewards upon Jiu Yue.

Coincidentally, the construction of Jiu Yue’s Princess Manor was expected to be completed by the end of the year.

It could all be wrapped up as a pleasant surprise for her.

Ji Yiqing had never wanted to be separated from Jiu Yue for too long.

After receiving this order, he truly used every trick at his disposal.

In the end, he even resorted to the “beauty trap,” barely managing to “lure” Jiu Yue into joining the trip to Peach Blossom Village.

They traveled with frequent stops along the way.

This departure was on a grand scale; even if Emperor Fengyuan had wanted to conceal it, it was useless.

With so much silver involved, it was only natural to worry about encountering bandits.

But since matters had already reached this point, they might as well be open about it.

Thus, the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War—

Even the Hanlin Academy, where Ji Yiqing belonged, was involved.

Jiu Yue wore fitted martial attire, looking valiant and dashing.

Unlike the other officials, she did not make a grand show at the city gates.

Instead, she waited outside the city, in the outskirts.

When she appeared alone, everyone was stunned.

Several guards from the Ministry of War who had never seen Jiu Yue before even drew their blades.

There was no helping it.

She was dressed entirely in black, astride a glossy, magnificent steed.

With every sway of her posture, her gaze swept over others with disdain and contempt.

The procession suddenly halted.

Sensing something amiss, Ji Yiqing hurriedly rode forward from beside the carriage.

After all, this was an official mission. Aside from a few older officials, almost everyone else was on horseback.

“Jiu Yue!”

Upon hearing this name, everyone reacted at once.

One by one, people stepped out of their carriages or dismounted from their horses.

Even those of higher rank who remained mounted all paid their respects to Jiu Yue.

Jiu Yue sat upright on her horse, her back straight.

She took a deep breath—this was the feeling.

Exhilarating!

No wonder so many people wanted to become emperor. The sensation of standing above all others, looking down upon the masses, was simply too satisfying.

If it weren’t for Jiu Yue’s inherent laziness, why not become emperor?

Never getting enough sleep, endless memorials to deal with, chattering officials, and waves after waves of assassination attempts…

Thinking of this, she dismissed the thought.

Better to remain a princess—more than enough.

Being emperor really wasn’t worth it, trading away one’s entire life just for a moment of respect from others.

Not worth it at all.

Jiu Yue gave a slight nod.

Then she naturally joined the procession.

Those who were unaware of the situation, seeing Ji Yiqing bringing his wife along on an official mission, couldn’t hide their scorn.

They thought the two of them—one relying on being a favorite before Emperor Fengyuan, the other relying on being a newly enfeoffed princess—had turned official duty into a pleasure trip, becoming utterly full of themselves.

Some quick-minded individuals were already planning how to lodge a subtle complaint.

But there were also a few perceptive ones.

They remembered Jiu Yue’s performance at the hunting grounds.

They had once wondered why such a well-known sum of silver was entrusted to the Ministry of War for escort.

Now that they saw Jiu Yue, several people—especially the officials responsible for the escort—secretly let out a long breath.

This time, it was solid!

Jiu Yue leisurely traveled the whole way as if on an autumn outing, arriving at Peach Blossom Village.

The closer they got, the more everyone’s nerves tightened.

The location where the silver was hidden hadn’t been widely publicized.

But there were always clever people like Jiu Yue, who could piece together clues bit by bit.

Especially since one of the charges listed when Vice Minister Jiang was beheaded was embezzlement.

So where had all that silver gone?

Before they even had time to deal with the silver buried at the ancestral graves here, several waves of people had already arrived.

With no other choice, the stationed troops surrounded Peach Blossom Village.

Posts every three steps, sentries every five.

Truly not even a fly could escape.

But such an enormous amount of silver was like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey.

There would always be people willing to risk their lives for money.

Before the capital’s officials arrived to take over, the garrison troops had already dealt with dozens of riots, inside and out.

The moment they saw the officials from the capital, the garrison commander nearly beamed with relief, his eyebrows lifting high.

His mouth rattled on like a machine gun, explaining the entire situation in one breath.

He couldn’t wait to finish the handover and leave immediately.

After all, no one knew exactly how much silver there was.

Nor did anyone know whether Vice Minister Jiang’s claim of having no account books was just a smokescreen released by Emperor Fengyuan.

What if this was a case of fishing enforcement?

Emperor Fengyuan was extremely adept at that sort of thing.

Jiu Yue stood on the hillside with a blade of wild grass between her lips.

Peach Blossom Village itself was only from recent years.

Some houses farther away from the Jiang family’s ancestral graves were already in ruins.

Yet Peach Blossom Village truly lived up to its name.

Even though many peach trees had been cut down to build the Jiang ancestral graves, there were still plenty visible in the distance.

This place had once been a paradise on earth.

Now, it had become hell.

The various offices each carried out their duties, and work quickly began in an orderly fashion.

After Ji Yiqing finished his tasks, he saw Jiu Yue standing on the slope.

He walked over. “Do you want to go in and take a look?”

The scene was indeed spectacular—millions of taels of silver, room after room filled with it.

The gleaming white piles were enough to blind the eyes; few who entered didn’t end up swallowing hard.

Jiu Yue glanced at the entrance that had been opened in the distance.

What kind of hobby was this?

If she were an archaeologist or a tomb raider of some sort, then graves and mausoleums might hold great appeal for her.

But she wasn’t!

These things, steeped in an eerie atmosphere throughout history—who would actually want to go in and take a look?

And the silver didn’t belong to her anyway; seeing it was useless.

“No.”

Ji Yiqing didn’t press her. “I’ve already had our tent set up. Are you tired? Do you want to go rest first?”

Jiu Yue hummed in response and followed Ji Yiqing back to the tent.

…

In the middle of the night, deafening thunder mixed with blinding lightning.

In an instant, Peach Blossom Village in the dark night was lit up like daylight.

Before anyone could react, torrential rain poured down in sheets.

Jiu Yue’s ears twitched slightly, and she frowned.

She was already awake, but thinking it was just rain, she didn’t move.

She nuzzled against Ji Yiqing’s neck, tilted her head, and tried to fall back asleep.

Ji Yiqing’s eyelids twitched violently. “Jiu Yue, I need to go take a look.”

Jiu Yue gave a soft “oh” and withdrew from his embrace.

She wrapped herself up again, pulling the blanket tightly around her body.