The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 1673 - 1667: Glazed Ji

Song Chongjin had his suspicions. Wang Yongzhu had been pondering the relationships between the Qi Family, Qi Le, Qi Huan, and the former Emperor throughout the journey.

More mysteries remained unsolved in his heart.

Qi Le had personnel who could bypass the eyes and ears of the Song Family, and even the Royal Family, to escort Qi Huan to Jing County. This either proved she still had feelings for Qi Huan, or Qi Huan was extremely important to her.

Why wasn’t such an important person properly protected after being escorted to Jing County, leading to Qi Huan’s death?

Furthermore, if the Small Golden Seal was related to Qi Le, or if the former Emperor and the current one had been searching for this Small Golden Seal all along, why would it be in Qi Huan’s possession? This defies logic!

What kind of secret is hidden within all this?

Perhaps only Qi Le knows the reason now.

Thinking this, Wang Yongzhu looked at Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin regained his composure, speaking in a deep voice: "It seems that meeting this Great Consort of the Grasslands is inevitable in the future. If for no other reason, then to learn the cause of Qi Huan’s death and the truth of those years."

Considering Qi Le’s character and the Small Golden Seal left by Qi Huan, if Qi Le finds out Song Chongjin is the child left by Qi Huan, perhaps they won’t need to seek Qi Le; Qi Le will come to them.

"Opening trade routes is not just important for our Great Chu; the Grasslands need communication too. Over the years, since the Emperor ordered the border to be sealed after a battle, all kinds of inland goods were prohibited from being sold to the Grasslands. From the merchants of the Western Region, we’ve heard that the Grasslands want to purchase goods from Great Chu. They have to pass through many merchants to get them."

"Ordinary goods, when resold to the Grasslands, see at least a tenfold increase in price. While in recent years, the border has slightly relaxed, and many border merchants secretly sell goods to the Grasslands. The Grasslands have also expressed their hope to negotiate and reopen the border for trade. However, all proposals were rejected by His Majesty!"

"I have been planning for years, and the Grasslands have caught wind of it. At the end of last year, the King of the Grasslands sent his trusted aide with lavish gifts, pleading with me to persuade His Majesty to expedite the opening of trade routes—"

As he spoke, Song Chongjin glanced at Wang Yongzhu, "Could it be that the Grassland Great Consort under Qi Le is already aware?"

If the initial push for opening trade routes attracted the attention of the Grasslands.

Then they likely sent someone to Great Chu to investigate Song Chongjin’s background.

Last year, they probably confirmed Song Chongjin’s identity as the son of Qi Huan, which prompted them to contact Song Chongjin; likely Qi Le was orchestrating this from behind the scenes.

With this realization, they needn’t hurry; perhaps Qi Le is even more anxious.

Wang Yongzhu also mentioned the Emperor’s request for them to find a woman named Bi Zhu in the Grasslands and presented a Gold Medal to them.

Then she took out the Gold Medal and handed it to Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin saw the character ’晋’ engraved on it, his expression tightening, and further inquired about Bi Zhu. He realized the clues given by the Emperor were too vague: around forty years old, with blue-green eyes. Such women are rare in the Capital City and easy to find. However, in the Grasslands, half of the women have different colored eyes and distinct features.

He frowned instantly.

Wang Yongzhu remained confident: "I think it shouldn’t be hard to find this woman named Bi Zhu. She’s likely about forty, similar in age to the current Emperor, with remarkable looks and exotic charm. I’ve had people inquire, years ago, the Western Region and the Grasslands sent a batch of Hu girls with stunning beauty and varied eye colors, like glass, called Glazed Ji."

"Initially sent to the Capital City, two were taken into the former Emperor’s palace, while the rest were bestowed upon various Princes and Clansmen."

"Word around the Capital City was that, during those days, these Glazed Ji were favored, whether in the palace or residences, so much that one was even titled as a consort. However, their good times didn’t last. They didn’t understand the customs of Great Chu and grew arrogant after receiving favor, reportedly not only defying the main wives but also their masters, losing favor shortly after."

"These Glazed Ji reportedly took a secret Western Region medicine for beauty and slim figures, making it extremely difficult for them to conceive. Yet, some did conceive, and among their children inherited their father’s looks but their mother’s differently colored eyes."

"These children, due to their eye color, faced rejection, and with their mother losing favor, their circumstances worsened. These men considered such children inauspicious, allowing them to be suppressed by the women in their households, leading to their gradual extinction in the household over the years." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Later, there were no more Glazed Ji in the Capital City, women in the household referred to them as coquettes, and men called the Vassal States’ women uncultured and of lowly bloodlines. Subsequently, no more girls were sent from the Western Region and the Grasslands."

"Based on her age, Bi Zhu is likely one of the children born to these Hu girls. It’s most probable that she suffered during her youth and was probably saved by the Emperor and thus came to work for him, using some means to send her to the Grasslands."

"If so, once we arrive at the Grasslands Royal Capital, should Bi Zhu still be nostalgic for her old master, she might come to seek us—"

Song Chongjin understood the unsaid parts of Wang Yongzhu’s words, if Bi Zhu has long forgotten her old master, seeking her might instead bring them trouble.

Of course, Bi Zhu might have already died in the Grasslands by now.

But this is a matter for later discussions. While he has prepared for the opening of trade routes for years, truly accomplishing it entails countless challenges, not something that can be sorted overnight.

They can worry about that when the time comes.

Currently, the most urgent matter is about the trade routes.

Today, Song Chongjin accompanied these representatives sent by the Emperor straight to the trading market.

Among them, one remained with Song Chongjin in the market’s management office, reviewing the financial expenditures and documentation since the market’s establishment.

The others pretended to be merchants, casually mingling within the market.

Some posed as merchants wanting to buy, discussing business with other merchants.

Others pretended to be curious, obtaining insights as outsiders.

Some followed behind newly arrived merchants, observing the market’s processes to see if there were any secret dealings involving Silver Coin transactions.