When the transfer order came, everyone in the county yamen was very reluctant to part with Jiang Xian. Madam Wen and Madam He invited her to a farewell banquet and each gave her twenty taels of silver as travel expenses. Moreover, the wives of Constables Qin, Yang, and the wife of Clerk Huang each hosted a banquet for her. Sister Jiang also sent over some prepared medicines.
Why were they so kind to her? It was because Daming Prefecture was a capital - level prefecture. Usually, the heads of secondary or ordinary prefectures were called prefects, while the head of Daming Prefecture was called the prefect - in - chief.
With Jiang Xian's youth and ability, she was likely to have a good future in Daming Prefecture. After all, people would always support those with a bright future.
At home, Steward Fan and his son, as well as Shopkeeper Yao and his son, came to kowtow to her. Each of them also prepared gifts. Steward Fan presented a jar of yellow rice wine, a sheep, a box of abalones, four roasted ducks, and four shad. Shopkeeper Yao gave two packages of honey - glazed crispy pastries, sixty chestnut zongzi, and two pots of citrus wine.
Jiang Xian then told them to send money and grain to her every year at the end of the year. The manor was not allowed to deduct from the tenants, and the inn should pay attention to the safety of the guests. Especially in two months when the county school held entrance examinations and a large number of scholars would stay there, they must be polite. She had good connections and would not tolerate any misbehavior.
Steward Fan and Shopkeeper Yao quickly said they didn't dare.
Jin Niang began to have people pack up the trunks and purchase items for the journey. She first bought ten straw mats. These straw mats produced in the Wu area were of a bright green color, with soft, smooth, and tightly - woven grass. Sleeping on them made people feel cool and comfortable. She also bought twenty bolts of fashionable silk. If they wanted to buy Su - style fabrics in Daming Prefecture later, the price would be several times higher. Needless to say, there were also yarn flowers, silk flowers, sweat towels, handkerchiefs, and purses.
In addition, she asked Young Master Chen to buy citrus, melons, and some dried fruits. She told Juxiang to pickle several jars of duck and goose eggs, and also needed several jars of pickled vegetables like mustard - flavored melons. Not to mention staple foods like rice, flour, and wheat, as well as seasonings such as salt, scallions, ginger, garlic, and plums.
The journey from Pingjiang to Tongzhou in Daming Prefecture was along the Grand Canal, all by water. This time, they didn't need to hire a boat. They would take the Gu family's boat. The Gu family specially prepared a large boat to send them there.
Usually, when Jiang Xian was the county constable, she had taken good care of them and solved many problems. Jin Niang, apart from being a lucky woman and giving some gifts, never accepted money at other times. The Gu family wanted to get closer to them but had no chance. Now, it was the right time.
Meanwhile, both Jin Niang and Jiang Xian wrote letters to their families in Bianjing, telling them that they were going far away to Daming Prefecture.
After all these preparations, after Jin Niang celebrated her twenty - eighth birthday, they set off from Wuxian County.
There was also a small boat following the big boat. These were the guards hired by Jiang Xian. She had been a county constable for three years and had investigated many cases. There were always risks of people on the boat being tempted by wealth or beauty, or being attacked by water bandits. So, she needed attendants by her side.
Jin Niang and the others boarded the boat in the early morning. By the time they finished arranging the trunks on the boat, it was almost noon. So, she took out some snacks to let everyone have a little something to eat.
Ruyan used to think that the mistress of a big family just waited to be served. But now, she realized that from the social interactions among ladies to the daily meals of the whole family, it was all managed by the mistress.
Especially for the wives of officials, they had even more things to do than ordinary mistresses.
Just after having some snacks, Madam Wei said, "You pick a bolt of bright red silk, a bolt of official - green silk, two pots of citrus wine, and three shad. When we reach Yangzhou, ask Young Master Chen to go to the Dou family and see if Auntie has any letters for Cousin Dou to be brought by us."
On the surface, it was about delivering letters, but actually, it was to maintain contact with Miss Dou and support her. At the same time, since Miss Dou was married into a local wealthy family, it could also win over the local powerful clan. It was really a win - win situation.
After Ying wrote it down, she went to the kitchen and told Juxiang not to kill the shad but keep them alive in the water.
Ruyan thought she would continue to deal with trivial matters, but unexpectedly, Jin Niang was going to rest. Ruyan also quickly went to her own room.
Previously, Ruyan and Jin Niang didn't live together, so she didn't really know what kind of person Madam Wei was. Her impression of her was very vague. She just thought she was a kind - hearted and knowledgeable official's wife.
Now, after getting in close contact with her, she had many feelings.
Jin Niang didn't think so much. She just slept soundly for two hours. It was already time for the cooking smoke to rise. Juxiang and two maids prepared a meal. There was a bowl of stewed pork knuckles with plums, a gourd soup made of mutton, mung bean and licorice cold drink, stir - fried Chinese cabbage, and stir - fried eggs with loofah.
The servants had two chestnut zongzi, a bowl of noodles, and two kinds of pickled vegetables.
After three days, they arrived in Yangzhou. Young Master Chen took the gifts and hired a cart to go to the Dou family's house. Madam Dou II said to Nanny Lan beside her, "Amitabha! I was worried about my daughter being alone in Daming Prefecture. Unexpectedly, my nephew is going to Daming Prefecture to be a judge."
So, she wrote a letter, prepared some tonics, and another gift for Young Master Chen to take back. She also rewarded him with a tael of silver.
Jin Niang first put away the letter from Madam Dou II for Dou Yuan, and then placed the tonics separately to avoid moisture. She then opened the gift from Madam Dou II. It was a lambskin hat and some Atractylodes macrocephala from Shuzhou.
Seeing this lambskin hat, Jin Niang said to Jiang Xian, "Daming Prefecture is further north than Henan. When we get there, we'll have a lot of things to do. We may not have time to make clothes. So, I'd better do some needlework on the boat."
"There's still plenty of time, my dear. You'd better rest for a few days first," Jiang Xian said.
Jin Niang then asked, "I know. But I noticed your unhappy face today. What's wrong?"
Jiang Xian replied, "My elder brother has returned to the capital and taken up a position in the Censorate."
"Is it because of the Grand Councilor?" Jin Niang asked.
Jiang Xian nodded. This was the advantage of having someone in the court. She was afraid that Jin Niang might misunderstand her words, so she was about to change the topic. But then she heard Jin Niang say with a smile, "Although we're moving from one place to another, there might be a bright future ahead. Just like my goal is to buy a three - courtyard mansion. If we can save enough money by then, it'll be a pleasant surprise. If not, we've still saved some money, and buying a big mansion will just be a matter of time."
If she didn't comfort Jiang Xian like this, she would surely be in a bad mood because sometimes Jiang Xian just waited for Jin Niang to coax her.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Jiang Xian smiled.
Jin Niang and she walked arm in arm into the room. Jin Niang told her some jokes, and the two of them chatted and laughed happily.
All these were seen by Ruyan. As a former person in the entertainment industry, she could tell that the man seemed to be more attached to the woman. From the outside, Madam Wei looked like a delicate woman, while Jiang Xian was good - looking, highly capable, and shrewd. One would think that the woman would rely on the man, but in fact, their relationship was quite different.
At its core, Ruyan hadn’t yet uncovered the fundamental reason, but she found it quite intriguing nonetheless.
On the journey from Yangzhou to Huai'an by boat, Jin Niang had bought some new books to pass the time and was thoroughly engrossed in them. During breaks, she would do needlework with her maids and Sister Jun.
Her first project was naturally a fur-lined jacket for herself. She already had enough spring and autumn clothing, especially since Gu Qingru had gifted her two sets of pearl-embroidered robes—more than enough for formal occasions. So, she took out a mink pelt she had saved for a long time and pondered over the fabric color and embroidery patterns to pair with it.
Of course, she also assigned tasks to everyone else. It wasn’t about exploiting them; rather, Jin Niang noticed that since they were all confined together on the boat with little room to move, petty quarrels easily arose.
Minzhi was tasked with making a cloak for Brother Ning and a short jacket for Sister Jun. Qingrong was to sew silk socks and stitch shoe soles for Jin Niang, while Ziteng and Chunxiang assisted Juxiang. Others had their own duties, and even Ruyan was asked to check the children’s pulses daily.
After three days of deliberation, Jin Niang finally settled on the embroidery design and color scheme: a bright red fabric with peony patterns, edged with peony and hibiscus embroidery at the collar, to be embellished with gold stamping and colored fill techniques.
By then, it was already dusk, and the boat would dock at Huai'an for the night before setting off again the next morning.
Jin Niang sent Liu Dou'er and a few others to replenish their food and water supplies. She handed them a list and had Ying provide the money, adding, "Don’t buy too much—you won’t be able to carry it all back. We’ll make another stop in Xuzhou later."
After they left, Jin Niang had Nanny Fang and Xi Qiu bathe the children and put them to bed. Unexpectedly, they ran into Sun Shichen and his wife, Madam Zhou, whom they had met three years ago by chance. Coincidentally, they too had been reassigned to Hebei Circuit—Sun Shichen had been transferred from assistant magistrate of Fuyang County to magistrate of Guantao County under Daming Prefecture.
Meeting again after three years, both Jin Niang and Madam Zhou noted how much the other had changed.
Having spent those years in officialdom, Madam Zhou observed that Jin Niang now carried an air of greater opulence—her wrists adorned with jadeite bracelets, her hair pinned with a lotus-shaped gilded hairpin set with emerald. Wuxian County was prosperous, teeming with merchants, and it seemed the saying "three years as a clean prefect nets ten thousand taels of silver" held true.
Indeed, even they themselves had accumulated nearly three hundred strings of cash over the years from customary gifts during Sun Shichen’s tenure overseeing the county’s taxes.
Jin Niang, in turn, noticed that Madam Zhou had shed her former timidity, now exuding a poised and capable demeanor—likely from frequent social engagements as an official’s wife.
Since they weren’t particularly close, their conversation was brief before they parted ways.
When Jiang Xian returned that evening, he told Jin Niang, "Lord Zhou is now idle at home, while his second son has gone to Jiangling. Though his father remains in office, he’s always been a local official, so it’s a modest position. If he doesn’t achieve anything notable in his second term, he’ll likely only be transferred laterally."
"Being an official is like doing business—connections help, but without ability, it’s useless. Timing, opportunity, and luck all matter. Don’t fear making mistakes, my lord. Solving problems is always better than avoiding them," Jin Niang advised.
Happiness, after all, is relative. Compared to his brother, who had been transferred to the capital, Jiang Xian had felt somewhat stuck. But seeing Sun Shichen assigned to a less prominent county as magistrate, he now felt rather fortunate.
A month later, their boat reached Jiyang County, where Jin Niang deliberately arranged a stop. She had consulted the Gu family beforehand and learned that places like Jiyang and other northern regions highly prized Suzhou silk.
So, she spent a hundred strings of cash to buy two hundred bolts of fine silk, which she later sold in Jiyang for a profit of a hundred and forty strings. She rewarded Liu Dou'er and Chen Xiaolang with one tael of silver each, and the porters with two mace apiece.
"My lady, I never imagined they’d sell out! We should’ve bought more," Jiang Xian remarked with a laugh.
Jin Niang shook her head. "This was our first attempt, and only because we had the Gu family’s advice. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared."
Jiang Xian couldn’t help but admire his wife. Though she claimed to lack business acumen, her ventures were always steady and profitable.
"Why don’t you teach our son to read? Before, you said you were too busy with official duties, but now you have time," Jin Niang asked him.
Even someone as composed as Jiang Xian scratched his head sheepishly. "Why is it that when you teach him, he listens obediently, but with me, he’s constantly asking for water, needing the bathroom, or wanting snacks?"
Jin Niang said sternly, "You’re always the indulgent one—no wonder he doesn’t take you seriously. Stop being so easygoing and teach him properly."
Men who haven’t borne children seldom truly love them; only through raising them do bonds form. As the saying goes, "a stepmother brings a stepfather"—this was precisely the case.
Despite his reluctance, Jiang Xian steeled himself and called their son to the front hall for lessons. Meanwhile, Jin Niang enjoyed two pieces of pastry and a leisurely nap.
After waking, Ruyan came by for a chat. Impressed by her literary knowledge and poetic skill, Jin Niang asked her to spend an hour each day teaching her to compose poetry. Ruyan eagerly agreed, and Jin Niang had Ying gift her a cooling mat, a packet of incense, a set of lake-silk clothing, and two pouches of tea as tokens of respect.
In her past life, she had excelled in writing and later became a screenwriter to express her thoughts. Here, poetry was the medium for conveying her heart, so she studied earnestly.
When Jiang Xian heard of it, he exclaimed in surprise, "If you wanted to learn poetry, you could’ve asked me! Why seek an outsider?"
"She can teach me daily, whereas you have other responsibilities," Jin Niang replied.
She firmly believed that relatives shouldn’t share finances, and spouses shouldn’t monopolize each other’s space—everyone should have their own pursuits.
Too much closeness often leads to an end.
Noting Jin Niang’s foundational knowledge, Ruyan began by teaching her five-character regulated verse and quatrains.
"Regulated verse consists of eight lines, each with five characters, totaling forty. It follows a strict structure—opening, development, transition, and conclusion—adhering to rules of progression. Quatrains are four lines of five characters each, totaling twenty, with looser rhyme schemes. Generally, regulated verse is more formal," Ruyan explained.
These were things Jin Niang had studied in her past life, but she had forgotten much of it now. After Ruyan finished explaining, Jin Niang took careful notes.
Ruyan then said, "Take Du Fu's 'Spring View' as an example of a five-character regulated verse. You can savor its depth:
The nation shattered, mountains and rivers remain,
Spring in the city, grasses and trees grow deep.
Moved by the times, flowers draw tears,
Hating separation, birds startle the heart.
Beacon fires stretch three months unbroken,
A letter from home is worth ten thousand gold.
White hair scratched grows ever thinner,
Almost too frail to hold a hairpin.
Next, she found an example of a five-character quatrain—Liu Zongyuan's "River Snow."
After studying for an hour and taking notes, Jin Niang fetched a book of Tang poetry to read. Jiang Xian, already lying in bed, remarked, "My dear, while memorizing the rules of poetry is important, and reading and reciting help, the real mastery comes from putting brush to paper."
"You're right," Jin Niang mused, recalling how in her past life, writing had progressed from simple sentences to picture descriptions, copying excerpts, journaling, and eventually composing full essays.
Seeing Jin Niang’s diligence—copying ten regulated verses and quatrains, reciting them until memorized, and even insisting on reciting them aloud—Jiang Xian was skeptical.
"You’ve already memorized them all?" he asked, unconvinced.
Jin Niang slapped the table. "I have studied before, you know! I even teach children now."
Jiang Xian surrendered, listening as she flawlessly recited the poems. He applauded, amused by her pride, then patted the bed. "Come rest, Jin Niang. You mentioned earlier that the wind gave you a headache, and I saw you rubbing your temples. Let me massage them for you."
"Alright." She put away her notes, blew out the lamp, and quickly joined him.
For over half a month, they continued this routine. However, their journey was delayed when their boat ran aground in Liaocheng due to strong winds and turbulent currents. Jin Niang took the opportunity to buy ice—summer heat had brought swarms of insects aboard, so she also purchased paper-wrapped incense (a Song Dynasty mosquito repellent) to distribute among the crew.
The next day, Ruyan visited and was relieved to find the room cooled with ice. She suffered in the summer heat and cherished any respite, but Jin Niang only studied for an hour before resting, forcing Ruyan to leave.
Ying remarked to Nanny Fang, "Why doesn’t Madam let Ruyan stay longer? She told me she’s terribly hot."
Ruyan had earned Ying’s goodwill by advising her on menstrual irregularities.
Nanny Fang chuckled. "Think about it—Ruyan is neither master nor servant on this boat, and she’s quite lovely. Madam seeks her guidance to elevate her status, ensuring others don’t look down on her. But if they spend too much time together, people might start speculating."
"Speculating? About what?" Ying, heeding Jin Niang’s advice to learn from Nanny Fang, pressed further.
"About certain matters between men and women. Once rumors spread, they might become reality."
Ying shook her head vehemently. "Impossible! The master adores our madam—that’s undeniable."
"I believe it too, but human hearts are fickle," Nanny Fang said. She didn’t distrust Ruyan or doubt Jiang Xian’s integrity, but emotions were unpredictable. Ruyan, isolated from other men, might develop feelings for someone like Jiang Xian, and even the most devoted could falter in close quarters.
Ying frowned. "Do you think Madam suspects this?"
Nanny Fang laughed. "Just an old woman’s musings."
In truth, Jin Niang’s distance had nothing to do with suspicion. She simply valued solitude—time to read, sew, or simply be. In her past life, moments of peace were rare; now, she cherished them.
She once confided in Jiang Xian, "As heads of the household, our minds are always occupied. Sometimes, it’s bliss to close our eyes and think of nothing."
Jiang Xian agreed, marveling at how his wife’s insights resonated so deeply—unaware of their true origin.
By the time they reached Cangzhou, Jin Niang could compose regulated verses, quatrains, and even lyrics—clumsily, but passably.
Jiang Xian encouraged her: "Write about what you see. When you taught Sister Jun 'Moon over the River on a Spring Night,' you could take the moon as your theme—describe the scene or the emotions it evokes."
Jin Niang nodded eagerly. "No wonder you passed the imperial exams—you do have skill."
Jiang Xian laughed.
The journey passed more pleasantly with such diversions.
After Cangzhou, Daming Prefecture loomed closer. Jin Niang asked, "Do you think the prefectural office will be larger than the county one?"
"Of course," Jiang Xian said, equally eager.
Yet upon arrival, they found Daming—a secondary capital—mirrored Bianjing’s customs: officials rented or bought private residences instead of living in government quarters.
Jiang Xian settled his family in an inn while he reported to the prefectural office.
Ying grumbled, "We were better off in Wu County—at least there was housing! Why must we live outside now?"
Jiang Xian returned by noon, hiring a carriage and a broker to find a home—fortunately, Daming’s prices were far gentler than Bianjing’s or Luoyang’s.
They first looked at a spacious five-courtyard mansion with seven bays and an octagonal pavilion, which cost just over twelve hundred taels. However, Jin Niang didn’t need such a large residence. She privately discussed with Jiang Xian, "The houses here aren’t terribly expensive. Renting a three-courtyard house would cost five or six strings of cash a month, adding up to over two hundred strings in total. Besides, if we rent someone else’s property and they decide not to lease it anymore, we’d have to move out. Why don’t we just buy one now and sell it when we leave? Even if we lose money, it wouldn’t be as much as two hundred strings."
Jiang Xian agreed. The two spent the next two days house-hunting before settling on a standard three-courtyard residence. It had five front-facing rooms, three main halls in the middle, one side room each on the east and west, three wing rooms on each side, and a row of back rooms. The total price was five hundred strings of silver.
Just as they were about to pay, Dou Yuan unexpectedly arrived with news that the house opposite her family’s residence was for sale. It was originally a three-courtyard property bought for five hundred and twenty strings, but the owners had spent an additional two hundred strings to add a pavilion and cultivate a garden. Now, because their youngest son was embroiled in a legal dispute in the Western Capital, they were desperate to sell. With Dou Yuan’s mediation, they could have it for five hundred and sixty strings.
Jin Niang and Jiang Xian went to inspect it. True enough, the third courtyard featured a newly built pavilion, corridors, and a terrace, all conveniently close to the government offices. After verifying the deed, they finalized the purchase on the spot. Jin Niang paid three hundred strings in banknotes, two hundred strings in copper coins, and threw in two sets of her handmade Luoyang brocade robes to cover the remaining sixty strings.
A residence they could hardly afford in the capital was now theirs in Daming Prefecture.
When no one was paying attention, Jin Niang secretly scratched Jiang Xian’s palm under her sleeve. Lost in thought, Jiang Xian stiffened in surprise and stared at his wife. Jin Niang, however, withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened and said, "Why are you looking at me? The owner is calling you to check the deed."
Jiang Xian noticed the suggestive glances from the onlookers, their eyes teasing, "Aren’t you a bit too impatient? It’s broad daylight!" He nearly wanted to roar in frustration—he felt more wronged than the filial widow Zhou Qing.
