Going to the Capital

Seven days later, An Changde returned to Anyuan County, travel-worn and covered in dust.

There was some distance between Yong Prefecture and Anyuan County. By horse, a round trip took two days.

But An Changde's family was not well-off. Especially after An Changfu passed away, they could no longer shamelessly ask An Changfu for money as they had before. Since they had fallen out, they had not gone to demand silver for two months. Now, they could barely afford even a single horse, so in the end, they had no choice but to seek out merchant caravans traveling to or passing through Yong Prefecture.

Merchant caravans traveled relatively slowly, and the time spent on the road was even longer than An Changde and his wife had expected.

Returning with An Changde was also Prefect Jiang's trusted aide, Qian Youhao. He looked ordinary, but his eyes gleamed with the shrewdness of calculation. Jiang Zhongting had entrusted the entire matter of dealing with the An Family to him.

That afternoon, An Changde took Qian Youhao to the county office to see Magistrate Zhang.

The moment Magistrate Zhang heard that An Changde had invited the Yong Prefecture Prefect's confidant, he immediately came out to meet them. Once he heard their purpose, having already guessed as much, he promptly told them something.

"Brother Changde, Lord Qian, you are one step too late."

An Changde thought he was trying to shirk responsibility. He had acted this way last time too, but this time An Changde had backing and immediately snapped, "Magistrate Zhang, I know you are afraid of inviting trouble upon yourself, but now the Prefect is supporting us. What else do you have to fear? Or are you saying you do not even hold the Prefect in your eyes?"

The moment Magistrate Zhang heard this, he knew An Changde was threatening him. Afraid Qian Youhao might misunderstand, he hurriedly explained, "Brother Changde, you have misunderstood this magistrate. What I mean is that the An Family's young master left Anyuan County yesterday. You truly have arrived too late."

"What did you say? He really left Anyuan County?"

Before An Changde could voice his shock, Qian Youhao's expression turned cold.

Magistrate Zhang forced a smile. "It is true. He only left yesterday afternoon. By the time my men received word, he had already taken people out of Anyuan County. I learned that he took away everyone from An Changfu's main branch, along with several maidservants and servants. The An Family's steward remained behind, but he is merely an insignificant figure."

Qian Youhao's face darkened. Their plan had mainly targeted An Ziran. Once he left, the plan could no longer be carried out. An Changfu's three concubines held no real authority and could not make decisions. Capturing them would be useless, and they likely carried little weight in An Ziran's heart. As for that steward, he was merely a servant who could be discarded at any time.

"Could your plan have leaked?"

Qian Youhao's sharp gaze settled on An Changde. Things could not possibly be this coincidental.

An Changde's heart lurched under his gaze, and he stammered, "That should be impossible. Only my wife and I knew the entire plan. Absolutely no third person knew. Besides, this lowly one believes he merely left for a time. The An Family's foundation is all in Anyuan County. He cannot possibly abandon it."

Qian Youhao fell into thought. If An Ziran was not avoiding them, could something important have suddenly happened to the An Family, forcing them to leave at once? With that thought, he immediately looked at Magistrate Zhang.

"Did you find out anything?"

Magistrate Zhang froze. He had not expected this man to be so perceptive. After learning yesterday that An Ziran had left, he had indeed sent people to investigate. By this morning, he had already learned the reason. That matter should have spread throughout the An Family by now.

"I heard that the An Family's Old Master once swore brotherhood with an out-of-town merchant. The other party gave Old Master An half a jade pendant, and they agreed that if either had children in the future, they would become in-laws. The person promised in marriage was the An Family's third miss, An Yuzhi."

"Is this true?" Qian Youhao looked at An Changde.

An Changde frowned and thought for a moment. "When my father celebrated his sixtieth birthday, there was indeed an out-of-town merchant staying in our home. Their relationship was truly close, as intimate as brothers. But I never heard my father mention any marriage agreement."

Qian Youhao said thoughtfully, "He is merely an out-of-town merchant. Do they think becoming relatives by marriage will allow them to contend against my lord?"

Magistrate Zhang laughed. "Lord Qian, that is what you do not understand. That out-of-town merchant is very likely no ordinary merchant. I heard he lives in Gentlemen City. The An Family believes he may be a figure of standing in Gentlemen City, so the An Family's young master decided to go there and find him, demanding that they fulfill the marriage agreement."

The moment those words fell, both An Changde and Qian Youhao's expressions changed.

It was no wonder they were shocked. Their thoughts were the same as Steward Su's: even if he was a merchant, since he could live in Gentlemen City, he surely knew quite a few nobles and dignitaries.

Although Jiang Zhongting was the prefect of an entire province, at the end of the day, he was still an official posted away from the capital. Yong Prefecture was not some famous place either, and there was not much profit to be skimmed there. Given his circumstances, the number of times he had entered the capital could be counted on one hand. If that merchant truly had a formidable background, a mere prefect would certainly have to consider the black gauze hat atop his head.

"This matter is of great importance. I will send people to investigate it thoroughly. If it proves true, I will inform my lord." Qian Youhao swiftly made his decision, then hurried away.

An Changde was also full of worries. He needed to go home and discuss this with his wife. Old Master An had never told him about this, yet he had handed such a fine opportunity to Changfu's daughter. He clearly had a daughter too, so why give it to Changfu? A trace of resentment toward his father rose in his heart.

Meanwhile, the An Family's convoy had already traveled a long distance. In another day, they would reach Gentlemen City.

Gentlemen City was only a day and a night's journey from Anyuan County, but they traveled slowly. After all, there were women and children in the carriages, so they could not rush too hard.

When they passed through Mei Town, An Ziran saw the exhaustion on everyone's faces and ordered the convoy to stop at an inn to rest.

While the others rested, An Ziran called An Yuzhi into his room.

An Yuzhi looked blankly at her calm-faced brother. Even now, she did not know why they had suddenly set out for the capital. She only knew that Brother Ziran had made the decision abruptly, and had not even brought the concubines with them.

"Brother, what did you want to see me about?" An Yuzhi looked at him timidly.

An Ziran picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of hot tea before saying, "I know you are confused about this journey. Sit down. I will tell you everything slowly, and then you can tell me your decision."

When she noticed Brother Ziran's tone had turned serious, An Yuzhi grew nervous as well.

An Ziran pushed the hot tea before her. "Have a sip of tea first."

An Yuzhi immediately cradled the cup in both hands. The warmth seeped into her palms, and strangely enough, she truly calmed down in an instant. She lowered her head and took a small sip. The hot tea warmed her throat too. "Brother, tell me."

An Ziran said, "You have always stayed in the inner courtyard and do not know the An Family's current situation. I will tell you now. The An Family is facing a great calamity. Our enemy is very powerful compared to us. If we do not handle this properly, the An Family will fall into outsiders' hands. By then, our whole family may end up destitute on the streets. Your brother may even be framed and thrown into prison..."

An Yuzhi's eyes widened in disbelief. She had never known. Since childhood, her mother had taught her that women only needed to manage themselves well, that men handled matters outside while women managed the home, and that women could not interfere in men's affairs. Therefore, she had never deliberately sought to find out anything.

"Why are you telling me this?" An Yuzhi lowered her head, her hands tightly twisting the handkerchief on her lap until her fingertips reddened slightly from the force.

An Ziran poured himself a cup of tea. Only after drinking it did he say, "Because our trip to the capital is related to you. Two days ago, Steward Su told me that Grandfather had once arranged a marriage for you. The other party may be from the capital. This time, we are entering the capital to find them and make them fulfill the marriage agreement from back then and marry you. This is the token they left behind." As he spoke, he took out the half jade pendant he carried with him and handed it to her.

An Yuzhi did not take the jade pendant. She merely stared at him blankly.

An Ziran understood how she felt. She had suddenly been told she already had a marriage agreement, yet did not even know what the other person looked like. If this were the twenty-first century, a girl would already have rebelled; she might even have run away from home.

A blush spread across An Yuzhi's face as she asked in a quiet, timid voice, "Brother, what kind of person is he?"

An Ziran looked at the flush on her face in surprise. She accepted it just like that? Perhaps he had been barking up the wrong tree. Women of the feudal era had been deeply poisoned by the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. They would only submit to the crowd, never resist.

"Your brother does not know either. Once we reach the capital, we will go find him."

An Yuzhi nodded. "I will leave everything to Brother."

Half an hour later, the An Family convoy set out again. The journey remained peaceful, and little An did not fuss or cry. Whenever An Ziran went to see him, he would beam with delight, his black grape-like eyes growing brighter and brighter. At last, a day later, the convoy arrived at Gentlemen City.

A bustling, clamorous atmosphere rushed over them at once. As Da Ya's capital, Gentlemen City's liveliness was far beyond what a small county town like Anyuan County could compare with. Aside from An Ziran, everyone else widened their eyes, their expressions full of both astonishment and excitement.