Chapter 790:  Good Thoughts

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

His father looked like he was afraid that Yin Huaixi wouldn’t be able to find a wife in the future. He instructed Yin Huaixi earnestly, “Do you know what an att.i.tude is? Be upright and serious. Don’t escape, don’t be vague, don’t dodge, and express your concern for her. Do you understand?!”

Yin Huaixi munched on his melon seeds and ignored him.

His father looked up. “Young brat, how dare you mock your father? The tables have turned. It might be your turn one day. Just wait and see. At most, your mother will come over and pull me up in half an hour.”

In less than half an hour, his mother had personally come over and pulled his father up.

So, was Yu Youyao angry or not?

Was it too late for him to buy a washboard to kneel on?

Yin Huaixi took a step forward and hugged Yu Youyao, who was in front of his chest. “We used to call each other cousins, but I know that we’re not cousins. I can never treat you as my cousin, nor are we satisfied with our relationship as cousins. Since I’m overstepping etiquette, I don’t plan to let go.”

His every word and sentence was honest. Through the thick cotton armor, Yu Youyao could hear his heart beating. “Okay! When my mourning period is over, you’ll discuss marriage with my Grandfather.”

… .

Due to etiquette, Yin Huaixi suppressed the excitement in his heart and went to visit his elders with Yu Youyao.

Ever since the Xie Residence had retreated from Quanzhou, Yin Huaixi’s feelings for Yu Youyao were no longer a secret. The last time he was in Quanzhou, he had used Zhou Linghuai’s ident.i.ty to visit. Furthermore, it was on the Xie Residence’s territory, so the Xie Residence could still hold it in.

Things were different now.

When the Xie Residence found out that Yin Huaixi had boarded the ship, how could they dare to be negligent?

Seeing Yin Huaixi come over, Old Master Xie brought his family over to greet him.

“Old Master, you flatter me.” Yin Huaixi did not dare to accept such a great greeting. He hurriedly went forward to support Old Master Xie and prevent him from kneeling. “The situation in Liancheng was better after the disaster, so a large number of refugees surged in. The Yue Fei’s Residence has set up a camp, but many refugees are still gathering to cause trouble. Many bandits have gathered in the Anshan area and are robbing the merchants. These people have gone up the mountain to be bandits and down the mountain to become citizens. Until now, they’ve been running wild in the Anshan area.”

The government was busy settling the refugees down to prevent them from causing trouble, so they were also too busy to be suppressing the bandits.

The bandits used their status as refugees to cover up, and even the government was helpless.

King Yue Fei was a va.s.sal lord who was mainly in charge of external defense. Without the decree of the Imperial Court, he could not send troops to the interior. Otherwise, he would be guilty of a conspiracy.

These bandits had most likely also planted spies at the dock to coordinate their actions from the inside and out. The Xie family had brought a lot of supplies on this trip. It seemed that they had already caught the eye of the bandits as soon as they entered the pier.

Yin Huaixi changed the topic. “Previously, when the Xie family evacuated Quanzhou, I received news from the North and used the excuse of patrolling the borders and inspecting the disaster to patrol all over the North. I also deduced that you would arrive in Liancheng soon, so I moved to Liancheng to pick you up and escort you to Xiangping City.”

When Old Master Xie heard this, he understood that these words were meant to seek favor.

King Yue Fei was guarding the Liaodong area and couldn’t leave the base easily. It was appropriate to use the name of patrolling and inspecting. However, this way, it was inevitable that he would travel a long way.

He had put in a lot of effort.

Old Master Xie could not bear to blame Yin Huaixi and bowed. “The Xie Residence was able to successfully evacuate Quanzhou because of Your Highness’s care. I thank Your Highness for your kindness. The Xie Residence owes you a favor. In the future, if there’s anything we need, the Xie Residence is willing to work for you.”

The others from the Xie Residence also bowed with Old Master Xie.

Even Yu Youyao was no exception.

Yin Huaixi looked helpless. “Old Master, you’re too polite. I…”

Old Master Xie knew what he was about to say and interrupted him. “The Xie family distinguishes between grat.i.tude and grudges. Your Highness has done the Xie family a favor. No matter what the reason is, the Xie family will naturally repay your kindness.”

The Xie Residence also separated the relationship between Yao Yao and him from this matter.

He only talked about kindness and not friendship with him, and he did not implicate Yao Yao. No matter what benefits there were between the Xie family and him, it was between the Xie family and him and had nothing to do with Yao Yao.

It could be said that he had put in a lot of effort.

At the thought of this, Yin Huaixi could only say, “We’ll discuss this later. I’ve arranged a courtyard at the Liancheng courier station. Why don’t we move over first to rest?”

He had made arrangements in advance for the checkpoint from Quanzhou to Liancheng. After leaving Fujian, it was fine to occasionally go ash.o.r.e to rest for a day or two.

However, the Xie Residence was too cautious. Along the way, other than resupplying at the dock and asking for information, they had never come ash.o.r.e. They arrived two to three days earlier than he had calculated.

Fortunately, he had set off in advance and arrived at Liancheng to receive the Xie family’s merchant ship. He rushed over in two days.

The courier station was a place for the Imperial Court to pa.s.s on military intelligence, settle court matters, and for officials to eat, sleep, and change horses on the way.

Emperor Gaozu placed great importance on courier stations. He had set up courier stations in all the major prefectures and counties in the country. They were divided into three stations, namely land, water, and land stations. They were directly under the authority of the Ministry of War.

News from all over the world could be sent to the capital in four to five days at the earliest through the courier stations, even in the far southeast. Such a speed was unprecedented in all the dynasties.

The courier station was heavily guarded and was much safer than the inn. Old Master Xie naturally couldn’t ask for more. “Thank you, King Yue Fei.”

Yin Huaixi was using the excuse of an inspection to stay in Liancheng for a few days. The Xie family had bought many businesses in Liancheng and had just come to the North, so they wanted to gather more information.

It could be said that they had hit it off.

After sitting on the boat for too long, Yu Youyao rested for three to four days before coming back to her senses. She asked Yin Shi and Chun Xiao to accompany her to Liancheng for a while.

The shops were mostly selling fruits, seafood, medicinal herbs, silk, and some other local goods. The goods in the shops were not the most popular. From this, it could be seen that the trade in Liancheng was not prosperous.

Chun Xiao was a little curious. “Young Miss, the climate in Liancheng and Quanzhou is similar, so it must be rich in resources. Why are there so few merchants coming and going?”

Yu Youyao said, “Liancheng is located in the extreme north and is the gateway to the three lands of the capital. It’s adjacent to Goguryeo, Fusang, and other countries. It’s close to the outer sea and it’s very dangerous to travel by water. Very few merchants can take the risk. The three northeastern provinces are filled with mountains, and it’s very dangerous to travel by land.”

Liancheng’s resources were not irreplaceable, so no one would take the risk.

“Moreover, Liao Province is an important military area. The coastal docks are strictly investigated. The Imperial Court buys the military supplies from the local area first. The local supplies have to satisfy the needs of the military first before they can be used for trade. Therefore, the Imperial Court controls the local trade very strictly.”

It also caused most of the resources to be in the hands of the local large clans and n.o.bles. The economy had solidified to a certain extent, even forming a situation where the people bullied the officials.

It was the Imperial Court who bought the military supplies, not the You army. The ones who benefited the local n.o.bles were also the people in charge of the Imperial Court, not the You army.

Therefore, the local n.o.bles only needed to satisfy the appet.i.te of some people in the court and look at their expressions.