Chapter 372: I Must Resign!

Yuan Jiaqi quit his post and returned home, and after hearing about it, he was quite pleased.

But when he heard his daughter‑in‑law was going back to Tianshui Town to begin a seclusion, he immediately became displeased and rushed to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, I wish to resign!"

"What? You're so young—why resign?"

"I want to accompany my wife back to Tianshui Town for seclusion."

"What about the Ministry of Personnel?"

"Leave it to Chuan'er. All my offices and the like go to my son; I cannot be away from my wife—where she goes, I'll go."

"What a wife‑slave you are—she's in seclusion, what are you doing back?"

"Your Majesty can say whatever you like; in any case I must stay with my wife. While she's in seclusion, I'll guard her from outside, and that puts my mind at ease."

"Come, eat and drink; whatever you want to eat, I have it."

"The items from Princess Fu are all excellent; every guard got a share, and the remainder was given to the servants in the carriage at the back."

"Yuan Jiaqi slipped his arm around her shoulder, and the two walked under one umbrella, strolling through the small town where few pedestrians were on the road."

"Haha"

"We women can drink this wine too; it's hot today, let's have some, the light‑headed feeling is pleasant."

"Ling'er pointed sharply, gesturing with her hand, 'Ah, isn't that Mother's pet? Why is it on the carriage roof?'"

"Anyway we have Princess Fu; she's a wealthy lady, and if we run out of silver, we'll use hers."

"The two arrived at the stall, where a little girl of about seven or eight stood, with a basket in front of her containing sparkling purple‑black fruit."

"The guards outside almost burst into laughter; Qiao Mai brushed against the Empress."

"The little girl shook her head, 'I don't know, I gathered these from a tree in the mountains; they're not poisonous. I've tasted them myself—very sweet with a hint of sourness.'"

"She also settled things at home; Chuan'er officially assumed Yuan Jiaqi's post, and he, along with the Crown Prince, Jia Mei and Ling'er, will see them off early in the morning."

"About twenty jin."

"We originally thought three wagons would be enough, but ended up using five; Qiao Mai on a whim took four little servant girls along."

"The grapes weren't in clusters but one by one."

"Wow, Mother's pet must be really formidable, right?"

"Qiao Mai took a sip, looked out the window, and shouted, 'When we find a place to rest tonight, I'll get a few barrels for you to try.'"

"Yo, indeed, I heard that the big heart‑ripping case was cracked by it."

"Traveling on the Guan Dao, the Empress and the Emperor were both exhilarated."

"Qiao Mai smiled and handed over a purse of silver; the little girl took it and quickly shoved it into her bosom."

"They had just left Jingcheng when the Emperor began to swagger, speaking grandly in the carriage."

"Hmph, I'll do the work, you just supply the silver."

"You're not even forty yet—what a shame!"

"Qiao Mai pointed at the fruit, 'What is this?'"

"Five wagons—two for servants, two for the masters, one for luggage, and twenty plain‑clothes guards. Qiao Mai stared at this massive convoy and was truly headache‑inducing."

"You want them all?" the little girl said happily, looking at the two, her mouth unable to stop smiling.

"Who said there aren't any? Look over there!"

"Do you want to buy fruit?"

"What's it called?"

"When boarding, the Emperor grabbed the Empress and insisted on squeezing into the same carriage as Qiao Mai and her husband, saying that more people make it fun and the road less dull."

"Can you even sell me the basket?"

"Heizi!"

"The little girl, a bit embarrassed, said, 'My hands have been washed, but because of work they're not clean; that's how it is, please don't disdain me.'"

"Some even followed the convoy to the city gate to see them off."

"Wife, this town is close to the capital and has no particular attractions,"

"Although they weren't offered wine, Qiao Mai handed out a basket of fruit through the window for them to share."

"Qiao Mai had Heizi guard them; she and her husband stepped out from the guest area to walk outside."

"As she spoke, the little girl picked up a berry and handed it over, wanting them to try, but Qiao Mai didn't take it with her small hand."

"Of course."

"The Empress pursed her lips, looking at Qiao Mai, 'The carriage is very steady; is something missing on this table?'"

"Right, we're passing merchants, so we have more people,"

"Qiao Mai nodded, took it, put it in her mouth, and nodded again."

"Who would dare rob him? Only someone looking for death. Not to mention a few bandit assassins— even the old emperor's countless armies wouldn't blink an eye."

"My son serving the court is enough; besides, I've been away from my hometown for many years and miss it, so let the children stay here. Without us old folk, the children will be more at ease."

"It was already noon, and Qiao Mai let the guards and servants eat; the four of them drank until their stomachs were full, not hungry at all."

"The Emperor impatiently lifted his cup and took a sip; the Yubao outside, hearing the sound, swallowed saliva and also wanted to drink, woof woof!"

"Yuan Jiaqi and the Emperor clinked cups, 'Drink less, savor more, or we won't find a latrine on the road.'"

"How is it sold?"

"Thank you, Princess."

"Qiao Mai couldn't help but laugh, 'What do you want to eat?'"

"Never mind, the Emperor proposed it, so we'll go with his."

"Then he couldn't help but brush the silver note at his chest—one hundred thousand taels? It's enough, yet not enough; if we come across something valuable, even a million taels might not suffice."

Sure, haha.

Then I won't take the Basket money; it's a total of one hundred wen.

A beer for the two of them? And each of us gets an ice cream?

Qiao Mai had said to let them travel light, but when they left, the Old Emperor and Empress actually performed many formalities, and together with Qiao Mai and Yuan Jiaqi, they ended up loading an entire cart.

Yuan Jiaqi lifted his eyes to look, then frowned.

He almost burst out, glared at him and said, "Which pot won't open, we men stand there, unlike women, we can solve it."

That way they could take time on the road to guide them; she planned to return to Tianshui Town and leave them there.

The Empress drank until she was dizzy, and as soon as she hit the bed she fell asleep; the Old Emperor had to lie down beside her to rest.

If it were before, the Old Emperor would conceal his whereabouts when traveling; now he is boastful, traveling with his mother‑in‑law, and wishes the whole world knew.

Yubao rode his horse outside the carriage, feeling very awkward; he is the Old Emperor's Finance Minister, and all the silver passes through his hands.

He took out four crystal cups, poured four glasses of beer, then tossed in four ice lollies, and produced four boxes of ice cream and a large bowl of sliced ham sausage.

"Hmm, this fruit, how many jin are in this Basket?"

Seeing customers browsing the small stall, the little girl gave them a sweet smile.

"Alright, alright, then in these three days you should quickly hand over to Chuan'er."

Inside the carriage, four people sat comfortably; there was a movable table, and they sat opposite each other in pairs.

"On rainy days, letting the kids set up a stall, can this thing be sold?"

"This is the first time selling; when it was harvested early it hadn't rained yet, but I'm afraid it'll go stale if left too long, so I'm selling it in the rain."

At the mention, the Old Emperor perked up, eyes eager, and Qiao Mai reached under the chair and pulled out a bucket of beer.

On this trip, he had no less than one hundred thousand taels of silver on him, thinking that even ten thousand would be enough to spend.

Before they had traveled a hundred‑plus li, light rain began to fall; having no choice, they found a nearby Small Town and settled at an inn.

"Who says we can't? Let's go, shall we buy it over there?"

She wishes she could travel with her husband, just the two of them, each on a horse; that would be so nice for wandering the world, instead of a whole crowd.

"I always listen to my mother‑in‑law."

"Five wen per jin?"

"How much do you usually sell it for?"

"Mother‑in‑law, you being able to travel with me is my blessing; this whole journey depends on you, right?"

The convoy left Jingcheng through the South Gate, took the Guan Dao heading south, and this was not hidden; ministers and the populace all knew.

This journey is estimated to last about a year; Ling'er leans in the Crown Prince's arms, Chuan'er embraces Jia Mei's shoulder, and the four stand at the gate of Jixiang Yuan.

"Who else is in your family? Why did you come out to set up a stall by yourself?"

"There's also an elderly grandmother at home; she's old and inconvenient."

"No one else?"

"None."

(End of chapter)