Chapter 51: Jiaojiao Did Very Well

They traveled by day and lodged at post stations by night. Six days later, they reached the borders of Yanzhou, with Liangzhou being at most two days' journey away.

Because Gu Xuezhi traveled in an imperial-bestowed carriage, the two parties rarely crossed paths during the day, meeting only in the evenings at the post stations.

In her past life, Yin Jiaojiao had no idea whether the two of them had hurried to Liangzhou in this manner, but in this lifetime, perhaps because of the addition of her presence, the two individuals had not crossed too many boundaries.

The Prefect of Yanzhou, quick-witted and eager to please, had prepared a banquet complete with song and dance at the post station well in advance. The musical pieces were all those for which Gu Xuezhi had once been famous, and in conversation, he took care to shower both of them with lavish flattery. As Yin Jiaojiao spun her teacup, a scheme formed in her idle mind.

"Your Highness, such songs and dances are common enough in Eastern Capital; they are hardly rare at all, and I am quite tired of watching them," she said, her body softening as she leaned against Xiao Yuanchi's embrace. "I wish to see something else."

For a proper Princess Consort to act so coquettishly in front of numerous officials was truly lacking in decorum—no wonder His Highness disliked her. The Prefect of Yanzhou raised an eyebrow, knowing this was a person of consequence, though he remained unperturbed.

"Your Highness, while songs and dances can be found everywhere, if you look closely, you will find that the songs and dances of Yanzhou possess their own unique local flavor and are quite distinctive."

Gu Xuezhi offered a faint, smiling agreement. "Indeed, Your Highness. These are all tokens of the Prefect's careful preparation. You might as well exercise some patience and watch a little longer, or perhaps I could explain a thing or two to make it clearer for you. You are bound to appreciate the charm in them." She paused, raising her eyes to look at Xiao Yuanchi. "Wouldn't you say so, My Lord?"

The Prince frowned slightly, as if about to speak. Yin Jiaojiao quickly hooked her arm around his neck and pouted, saying, "My Lord, it is not that I understand nothing. I know very well that besides song and dance, Yanzhou's specialties include comedic storytelling and folk tales. That is the authentic flavor of Yanzhou, something Eastern Capital does not possess. Why can we not watch that instead?"

Folktale storytelling and comedic banter were vulgar, unrefined entertainments in the streets of Yanzhou. Teahouses would hire a couple of storytellers to exchange lowbrow jokes in a double-act format—one playing the straight man and the other the comic. Lacking literary grace or profound meaning, they existed solely to amuse the impoverished common folk. Yet, because many commoners enjoyed this sort of fare, it was immensely popular among the populace.

This Princess Consort of Prince Qin was truly as boorish as the rumors claimed, actually wishing to watch such unrefined trash. Suppressing the urge to smile, the Prefect of Yanzhou continued his explanation: "Your Highness, folktale storytelling is amusement loved by the common herd, filled with too much dross. It certainly cannot be brought out to offend the eyes of honored nobles."

Gu Xuezhi looked at the prefect with a sympathetic gaze and helped explain, "Quite right, rustic amusements cannot登大雅之堂 [bear being presented in elegant places]. Your Highness, why must you make things difficult for the Prefect?"

She put on airs greater than those of her rightful superior, the Princess Consort, driving a wedge between Yin Jiaojiao and the prefect in just two or three sentences. Suppressing her displeasure, Yin Jiaojiao continued to gaze at Xiao Yuanchi.

"My Lord, I have no intention of making things difficult for the Prefect. I merely wish to see a bit of local folk color. Why must Madam Sun put it in such a tone?" She made a face, acting exceedingly affected. "If we are not to watch it, then so be it."

True to form, Gu Xuezhi refused to yield and instantly assumed a look of alarm.

"Your Highness, that is not what I meant, it is simply..." She looked toward Xiao Yuanchi, aggrieved, "Simply... hoping to offer a word of persuasion."

Things having reached this pass, in the past Xiao Yuanchi would certainly have dismissed the matter as foolishness and told Yin Jiaojiao to quiet down. To her surprise, his slightly furrowed brows relaxed as he slowly said, "Whether something is refined or vulgar can only be known after seeing it. Prefect, if it is no trouble, I must trouble you."

With that, he even tapped the tip of Yin Jiaojiao's nose.

"Your wish is granted, be willful no more."

***

This scene shattered the expectations of nearly everyone present.

The Prefect of Yanzhou answered while casting a glance at Gu Xuezhi. Lady Ningyuan's expression was calm, but beneath that calm lay an unmistakable disappointment. Could it be that the Prince Consort and the Prince were not as discordant as rumors claimed?

The officials exchanged glances, and their previous dismissive expressions vanished.

"Quite right, listening and having a bit of fun does no harm."

"Indeed, Prefect, this humble official often requests it as well; it is not nearly as unseemly as made out."

Though she had mentally prepared herself, Yin Jiaojiao still felt that if Xiao Yuanchi's acting skills were not put to use as a prince, he ought to join a Kunqu opera troupe to play the lead role. Though he did not truly dote on her, he acted with such heartfelt indulgence that it made one momentarily lose one's sense of reality.

Performers of folktale storytelling could be found everywhere on the streets, and the prefect quickly summoned a pair to take the stage and perform.

Compared to song and dance, the moment these two stepped forward, most of the guests relaxed. The atmosphere grew twice as lively as before, and amidst the bustling noise, Yin Jiaojiao received a fierce glare from Gu Xuezhi.

Her scheme had succeeded just like that, leaving Yin Jiaojiao feeling refreshed and clear-headed. This just went to show that in her past life, pretending to be virtuous and magnanimous had been utterly useless. Good people did not live long while scourges survived for millennia; being a scourge wasn't half bad.

With her spirits high, Yin Jiaojiao was about to straighten her posture and properly listen to the storytelling when she realized Xiao Yuanchi was hooked on holding her.

"The entertainment you asked for has begun. If you won't listen properly, what are you wriggling about for?"

"As the Princess Consort, sitting like this looks rather improper," Yin Jiaojiao poked her head out from his embrace and pleaded, "My Lord, let me sit up straight and watch properly!"

With the greater part of her body draped over Xiao Yuanchi's lap, leaning and resting against him, she was acting excessively coy. Putting on an act for a moment was fine, but doing it for too long made even her feel tired.

Turning a deaf ear, Xiao Yuanchi pulled her even tighter.

"How is it improper? Scheming and cunning banquet sing-songs girls all look like this; Jiaojiao is doing a fine job."

"You!"

Yin Jiaojiao gritted her teeth and huffed through her nose, "If you dislike it so much, you could simply push me away. There is no need to disparage people."

"Disparage?" Xiao Yuanchi leaned down and murmured near her ear, "I am praising you for increasingly understanding what ordinary men like."

The tips of Yin Jiaojiao's ears instantly turned red. Pressing her hands against his chest, she lowered her eyelids and said, "Is Your Highness an improper ordinary man? Speak no nonsense."

From Xiao Yuanchi's perspective, her eyelashes trembled like tiny brushes, fluttering and concealing her cleverness. She looked as though her tail was about to cock up in pride, yet she still thought she was hiding it well.

His gaze turned dark and inscrutable in a place she could not see.

Yin Jiaojiao had undoubtedly changed.

She harbored other thoughts now. When these thoughts had begun remained unknown, but they were irritating. Xiao Yuanchi had considered several reasons, but none of them adequately explained this transformation. He was curious whether the cause was mostly due to a person or mostly due to an event, and he was even more curious...

"Urgent report—"

Outside the main hall of the post station, a shout interrupted the peaceful atmosphere within, followed by a succession of urgent reports echoing inward.

"Lords, the military grain transport troop encountered a raid by a small band of Di Rong cavalry near Stony Valley by Mount Longxia. Though they fought their way out with all their might, the grain meant for the six border towns—"

"—over half has been lost."

"What?" The Prefect of Yanzhou sprang to his feet, looking anxiously toward Xiao Yuanchi. "Your Highness..."

Spring was the season of renewal; flowers bloomed, grass sprouted, and farmers plowed for spring sowing. Likewise, it was the season when Di Rong, the formidable enemy on Da Yong's northwestern frontier, began to stir. Therefore, Da Yong would heighten its vigilance, stockpiling grain and drilling troops early to counter the impending conflict.

The six border towns on the northwestern frontier relied year-round on officials of various ranks in Yanzhou for the transport and arrangement of military provisions. With this disastrous news delivered, the banquet was instantly terminated. The Prefect of Yanzhou, alongside several subordinate officials and Xiao Yuanchi, withdrew to the inner hall to discuss countermeasures. Yin Jiaojiao did not return to her room to rest; instead, she stood before the doorway, gazing into the distance at the city of Yanzhou.

Arriving at Yanzhou meant stepping entirely outside the borders of Zhongzhou. Beyond the pass, sand and stones flew in the wind, and green willows and lush trees became a rare sight.

In her past life, it was in this very city that things went awry and she was abducted by bandits. Reborn and returning to this familiar place, there was still no good news. If she remembered correctly, when she finally escaped and reached Liangzhou City to see Xiao Yuanchi, he was suffering a defeat due to a shortage of provisions and was nearly killed.

So it was this very incident.

The only difference was that in her previous life, the grain robbery and Xiao Yuanchi's battle had occurred almost back-to-back, leaving him no time to react, whereas now, it had happened ahead of schedule.

Calculated this way, could it be that because of her earlier efforts, that particular catastrophe had been averted, thereby advancing the overall timeline?

If so, would her own date of death also be advanced?