Chapter 303: My lady, I'm also afraid

Zi Su, don't be angry.

Jiang Yunchu tugged at Zi Su's sleeve; this girl usually seemed gentle and easy to talk to, but who knew that angering her would lead to such serious consequences.

It's been three days, and she still won't take care of herself.

Zi Su.

She tugged again gently.

Zi Su sighed, then looked at Jiang Yunchu and said, "My lady, you must know that your life does not belong entirely to yourself; it also belongs to us."

"If something happens to you, have you thought about Miss? Have you thought about Young Master? Have you thought about those children?"

This time, she was truly frightened.

If the Princess Consort were to come to harm, she wouldn't even know what she might do.

"My Princess Consort, my lady."

"You're not alone."

Zi Su spoke, and her eyes already reddened; she wasn't angry, she couldn't be angry with her lady, but she was afraid.

Jiang Yunchu pressed her lips and said softly, "Zi Su, I also want to be willful, to have my own life."

Zi Su turned abruptly and saw the seriousness in the Princess Consort's eyes.

She...

Zi Su sighed and then said, helplessly laughing, "Okay."

"Not angry anymore?" Jiang Yunchu looked at Zi Su and asked gently.

Zi Su shook her head, "I've never been angry; it's just..."

"My lady, I'm also afraid."

Jiang Yunchu fell silent for a moment; since coming to this world, it seemed many people were protecting her openly and in secret.

She, who always rushed forward, suddenly realized that she had never been alone—there was always someone by her side.

"It won't happen again."

Jiang Yunchu's voice was very soft, recalling the past, recalling earlier times.

The memories merged, letting her recall many things: that jade leaf had fallen into the river when she was six; a boy jumped in, rescued her, and then gave her that jade leaf.

"They told her, at any time, she must look forward; at any time, she must keep sunshine in her heart."

But at that time, she had lost one of her three souls.

The three souls are the heavenly soul, the earthly soul, and the vital soul; the soul that was pulled out was precisely the vital soul.

At that time, her mother had also made preparations; if she reached eighteen, her vital soul would return.

If the people of Zhongzhou did not spare her and dealt a heavy blow, her heavenly and earthly souls would automatically seek out the vital soul, and the three souls would merge.

Parents, for their children, plan far ahead.

Kang Ying used her own heart's blood to pave a path of certain survival for Jiang Yunchu.

And that jade leaf...

Jiang Yunchu imagined the boy's appearance, pinching her brow—who else could it be but Ning Chengyan?

So, did he recognize her from the start?

"My lady."

Just then, someone ran in from outside; Su Xin saw Jiang Yunchu sitting there properly and finally relaxed.

"You're back? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Jiang Yunchu looked at her, face full of fatigue; it was clear she had been traveling a long time and hadn't had a chance to rest.

"Word has spread outside; they say you were knocked unconscious at the Jiang family residence, and I couldn't stay calm."

She should have washed up first, then come to report to the Princess Consort, but hearing the news, she was so worried that she ran all the way here.

Jiang Yunchu's condition that day was truly special; covered in blood, she left the Jiang Manor, and at the time she didn't know who had spread the news throughout Ning Jing.

These days she has been recuperating, and when she came to Gui Shui, the pain in her lower abdomen finally disappeared; it turned out that for years, her lower abdominal pain had been related to that poison.

There's no blaming past or present life; when she came to Gui Shui, no medicine helped her lower abdominal pain, and even the same-flavored glutinous rice chicken didn't help.

"It's just nonsense being spread outside."

Jiang Yunchu laughed helplessly, then pointed to a nearby stool and said, "Since you're here, let's first discuss the situation."

Su Xin nodded and handed over the ledger in her hand.

"Over the past three months, the statistics for each shop: one ledger is the Princess Consort's dowry, one is the betrothal gift the Regent Prince's Manor gave at the time, and one is the Manor's properties."

There are three ledgers in total, clearly divided from the day she married into the Regent Prince's Manor.

"It's so hot, yet the hot pot shop's account hasn't decreased..."

Jiang Yunchu looked at the hot pot shop's ledger; it even increased rather than decreased, and as the weather grew hotter, how could those people keep eating it?

"The hot pot shop's ledger shows no loss of silver, but because of the weather, the number of people waiting in line has already been dwindling; at the latest, by next month, the shop's account will decrease."

Su Xin explained with a chuckle, "Now all the shops are under my responsibility; the earlier chaos of scrambling about is gone, and I can even make many decisions on my own."

The Princess Consort once said, "For a person to grow, they need to invest capital; they need money."

Since letting her take charge of all the shops, the Princess Consort had prepared to lose money; if the lost money could help her grow, then that money would be worth it.

"Reasonable."

Jiang Yunchu nodded, then looked at the other shops; all the grain stores of the Regent Prince's Manor have been closed, and with border warfare possibly erupting at any time, she needs to stockpile large amounts of grain; when Da Ning has need, she will unhesitatingly donate it.

Now she still has children; she can't leave, she can't depart.

Whenever there is a need on the battlefield, she will certainly spare no effort.

"Princess Consort, Lustrous Jade Soap is truly in short supply; the number of people registering keeps growing, and many mansions already can't get enough to use; continuing like this is not a solution."

Never mind whether it makes or loses money; fearing it would push people elsewhere, that would be a loss not worth the gain.

This has already been resolved; if we hold on for another half month, the workshops in Jiangnan will start supplying Jingdu, and the supply of Lustrous Jade Soap here can be increased by more than double.

Jiang Yunchu had already anticipated the situation here, which is why she was so anxious in Jiangnan and hurriedly mobilized the workshop; really, on the Jingdu side, she truly dare not find anyone.

Great.

A smile appeared on Su Xin's face; regarding the Lustrous Jade Soap matter, she had almost been scolded to death by the steward, and finally she could resolve some of it.

The other shops are doing fine; just keep maintaining them.

Rewards should be given as due, and the degree of reward for the person in charge must be grasped properly.

How is the manor?

After Jiang Yunchu looked over the accounts, she began asking about the manor's situation; now her attention is all on the sandy land and the sandy manor, and the yields of those two manors directly determine whether supplies can be sufficient.

I led people to inspect the land, settled accounts with the farm manager, and the manor where we raise livestock and poultry also correspond to the situation.

As of now, there are no problems.

Su Xin smiled; this was a major inspection, a three-month inspection, and the next one will be in summer, allowing us to estimate this year's harvest. Su Xin will go over the things she recorded, respond to any issues one by one, and also put forward her own ideas and issue some orders.

Jiang Yunchu looked at her confident appearance, already very different from before; perhaps she is too busy, she herself hasn't even noticed, what exactly has changed about her.

However, she exchanged a glance with Zi Su; as clever as Zi Su, she immediately realized the Princess Consort's thought.

She also just smiled; change—aren't the four of them all changing?

However, Su Xin is the one who has changed the most.