Chapter 251: Yunzhou

Chapter 251: Yunzhou
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The group traveled for more than two months. At the end of the 28th day of the first month, when they were more than ten kilometers away from Yunzhou, Ruyi saw Ji Xiang and Zhao Cai waving their hands and shouting as they rode towards the convoy. He turned around and shouted, “Master, Madam, Zhao Cai and Ji Xiang are here to pick us up.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Zhao Cai and Ji Xiang spurred their horses to the front of the carriage and dismounted. They knelt down and kowtowed.
“Master, Madam, we’re here to welcome you.”
When Zhou Jia and Li Yu saw the two of them, they smiled happily.
Zhou Jia jumped out of the carriage and went forward to help the two of them up. He smiled and punched their chests. He asked in surprise, “How did you two know that we were coming to Yunzhou?”
Zhao Cai reported to Zhou Jia, “Shen Zhong told me. It just so happened that Ji Xiang was delivering the goods to the capital. After the two of us handed over the goods to Shopkeeper Chu in the capital, we rushed over. We have arrived in Yunzhou for half a month.”
Ruyi also dismounted and ran to the two of them. He hugged them with a smile, and the two of them hugged Ruyi with a smile. Ji Xiang narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, “Master, we have nothing to do these days. The two of us have been wandering in the city and looking after a few shops. We’ll make a decision after Master and Madam take a look. Also, when we left the city, we saw officials waiting outside the city. They might be here to welcome you.”
Yangyang and Seven Pounds squeezed together, sticking out their butts and sticking their heads out of the car window. They looked curiously at Ruyi and the others, who were smiling and hugging one another. Seeing that they were only talking and laughing, the two of them waved their hands.
Zhao Cai and Ji Xiang ran to the car window and looked at the two children in red. They smiled and said, “Which is Young Master Yangyang? Which one is
Seven Pounds?”
The two of them stretched out their short fat fingers and pointed at themselves.
“I’m Yangyang.”
“I’m Seven Pounds. ”
Li Yu and Xiaoyu smiled at the two of them and said, “Yangyang, Seven
Pounds, quickly say hi to Uncle Ji Xiang and Uncle Zhao Cai.”
The two of them took out the longevity golden locks that they had prepared long ago and hung them around Yang Yang’s neck. They cupped their hands and smiled. “Young Master Yang Yang, we’re here to greet you.”
Yangyang imitated the two of them and raised his two fat hands. “Yang Yang greets you.” Zhou Jia and Li Yu laughed out loud.
After Ji Xiang and Zhao Cai greeted Mr. Wen and Mr. Qian, everyone got into the cart and walked towards the city gate.
Outside the city gate of Yunzhou, the few officials who were welcoming Zhou Jia stood outside the city gate and waited for Zhou Jia’s arrival against the cold wind. Even though the waiting officials were a little impatient, no one left early. They all wanted to see who this small county magistrate who came out of an aberrant county was.
The bailiffs ahead looked up at the courier route and saw a group of carriages driving towards the city gate. They shouted excitedly, “They’re here, they’re here.”
Zhou Jia asked Zhao Cai to stop the cart. A slender middle-aged man stepped forward and cupped his hands. “I’m Wang Qinghai, an official of the Yunzhou government. May I ask if this is the new magistrate’s cart?”
Zhou Jia got out of the cart and smiled as he cupped his hands. “Yes.”
Wang Qinghai bowed and said, “Greetings, Lord.” The dozen or so officials behind Wang Qinghai also came forward to greet him. Everyone greeted him at the city gate and got into their carts. They discussed softly. They didn’t expect Lord Zhou to be promoted to magistrate level at such a young age. They had never heard anyone mention that he was a descendant of a noble family, which would have granted him concessions!
Li Yu had been to so many places, but this was the first time she had seen the city wall of a prefecture city which was almost 30 feet tall. The cart entered the city from the west gate and moved along the limestone road. Li Yu felt that this stone road was even bumpier than the courier road outside the city. Zhou Jia hugged the sleepy Yangyang and patted him gently. Li Yu leaned against the window and looked out through the sand window.
Yunzhou City was much more prosperous than she had imagined. The buildings on both sides of the street were of various heights and there were rows of shops. The doors of the shops were wide open, and the shops were filled with all kinds of things. The people on the streets and in the shops were dressed much better than those in Qingchuan.
The builders of Yunzhou City had planned the city very neatly. The cart entered from the west gate and headed east into a wider and more imposing street. Most of the pedestrians on the street were wearing silk and satin, and it was a bustling scene.
Li Yu saw that the shops on the magistrate’s street looked even more imposing. There were pawn shops, medicine shops, inns, teahouses, and a luxurious three-story restaurant called the Intoxicated Immortal Restaurant.
Li Yu sighed at Zhou Jia. “As expected of the birthplace of the founding emperor! Looking at this bustling city, it can even match up to the capital in good time.”
Zhou Jia whispered to Li Yu, “It’s quite prosperous. Most of the shops nearby are opened by families related to the government office. Sigh! Although it’s a
promotion, the waters are deep. Our days might not be as carefree as ours in Qingchuan.”
Li Yu raised her eyebrows and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? As the saying goes, there’s no fish if the water is too clear. As long as they don’t go overboard, you’ll do your best to do your job and benefit everyone. We just want to have a clear conscience.”
Zhou Jia nodded and hugged Li Yu. He looked down at her and smiled. “Madam, you are perceptive.”
Wang Qinghai and the others got out of the cart and led the convoy past the entrance of the government office. There were already bailiffs guarding the door of the upper house in the backyard. When they saw the cart coming, they quickly removed the threshold and the cart stopped after passing the spirit screen. Li Yu saw through the gap in the curtain that the courtyard of the second gate was spacious and neat. It looked twice as big as the one in the Qingchuan County office. Even the big cart carrying luggage in the back could enter the second gate.
Zhou Jia carefully placed the sleeping Yangyang in Li Yu’s arms and got out of the cart. Wang Qinghai went forward and bowed. “Lord, there’s a courtyard with three entrances in the backyard. There’s a garden behind the courtyard. Although the garden isn’t big, the trees and flowers are good. There’s also an outer study, living room, and meeting room in the front yard.”
Zhou Jia smiled and discussed with Wang Qinghai and the others gently. “Lord Wang, it’s getting late. I’ve troubled you to wait for a day. Go back and rest.
We’ll talk tomorrow after I settle down.”
How could Wang Qinghai and the others not agree to Zhou Jia’s words?
Looking at this young and handsome magistrate, they bowed and smiled. “Alright, when you’re settled, we’ll do a proper welcome.” Zhou Jia cupped his hands and thanked them. Seeing that Zhou Jia had brought servants and old women, Wang Qinghai and the others felt that it was not appropriate to interfere and help, so they did not say anything else and left the courtyard.
Li Yu carried Yang Yang out of the car. Zhou Jia went forward and brought Yang Yang through the second door. There was also a large courtyard inside. It was clean and tidy. There were two rooms on the left and right. There were five main rooms. The rooms were connected by a corridor. There was a hanging flower door on the inside. After passing through the hanging flower door, they entered a courtyard of the same size. After that, they entered the main courtyard. The main courtyard was much larger. Each of the five main rooms was connected to two side rooms.
There were flowers and plants in the courtyard. It was obvious that they had been carefully taken care of. The two of them passed through the corner door beside the main room and entered a slightly lower-side courtyard. After entering, they saw the garden that Wang Qinghai had mentioned. There was an exquisite water pavilion bridge, a small rockery, and flowing water. The garden was filled with flowers and trees. Li Yu felt that it was like a scaled-down Suzhou garden that she had gone to in her previous life..