The moment the door clicked shut, Qu Ya could no longer suppress his inner anger.
His face was livid as he turned to face Guan Nianshan, immediately demanding, "What exactly are you trying to do? Betraying The Marquis to serve County Princess Linghui is absolutely out of the question."
With no one else in the room, Guan Nianshan dropped his reservations.
He spoke in a calm tone, their eyes meeting. His gaze seemed to be looking far into the distance, yet also directly at Qu Ya.
"I never thought of betraying The Marquis, but The Marquis is already dead."
Qu Ya choked up, his lips parting and closing for a moment without a sound.
He swallowed hard to force down the lump in his throat, his eyes growing slightly damp.
"Even though The Marquis is dead, the young master is still here. Didn't we agree to stay on the estate to watch over our brothers and live a peaceful life?"
They had refused to leave with Huo Chong back then, partly because they felt they would be a burden, and partly because they couldn't abandon the other surviving soldiers of the Wu Army on the estate.
Compared to Qu Ya and Guan Nianshan, the others were missing arms or legs, and they couldn't just leave them be.
Guan Nianshan clenched his jaw, spitting out his words one by one, even his brows furrowing with the effort.
"Do you think that by refusing County Princess Linghui's invitation, our brothers will have a good life? The owner of the Daohua and Shiquan estates is the princess; this is her territory."
"Think about the lives we led when this was still an imperial estate, and look at the lives we lead now. She didn't expose our identities, and she even gave us such high wages. This proves she is a good person."
Guan Nianshan grew more agitated as he spoke, his spit nearly flying into Qu Ya's face.
"If we can work for the princess, we can protect the other brothers on the estate. They can live even better than they do now."
"The young master hasn't yet gathered all the military forces of the southwestern tribes. The day he attacks the imperial court to avenge The Marquis and our brothers is still far away. Since that's the case, he won't be clashing with the princess anytime soon."
"Besides, have you ever thought that if they really do fight one day, our staying by the princess's side to work for her might be an opportunity? We might even be able to help the young master."
Qu Ya took a step forward, staring intently into Guan Nianshan's eyes as he asked, "Is that really what you think?"
Guan Nianshan resisted the urge to swallow and said firmly, "Of course."
"The young master is the only bloodline of The Marquis. I will never do anything to harm him."
After saying this, he threw a question back at Qu Ya.
"Think about what County Princess Linghui has done over the past two years. Do you think she is the kind of ruthless person who cannot distinguish right from wrong?"
His rough lips pressed into a thin line, Qu Ya fell silent.
Although they stayed on the estate, they had heard a lot about matters on the outside.
Song Jinzhao had high prestige among the common people. When discussing her deeds, people could only sigh and say it was a pity she was born a woman.
The wind began to blow outside, rustling against the windows.
After an unknown amount of time, Qu Ya raised his head as if accepting his fate.
He said solemnly to Guan Nianshan, "Then let's go. It would be even better if we can help the young master."
Guan Nianshan's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his tone when speaking to Qu Ya became as familiar as before.
"We will definitely see him when we reach the southwest. I think this is a good thing."
After strolling around the estate, Song Jinzhao went to the perfume factory, where Fushun was doing the final handover with Lan Xi.
The business in the capital was too large, so someone trustworthy had to stay behind. This person also needed to be capable and familiar with all the shops. As the steward, Fushun was the most suitable candidate.
Seeing Song Jinzhao enter, the two immediately stopped and bowed to her.
"Greetings to the princess."
Song Jinzhao asked, "We depart the day after tomorrow. Is the handover complete?"
Fushun smiled and replied, "Please rest assured, Princess. This servant has stayed on the estate for a month and understands all matters, big and small, thoroughly. Nothing will go wrong."
Lan Xi nodded at Song Jinzhao.
"For the latter half of the month, Fushun has been managing the factory's affairs while I just watched. He is already very proficient."
As the three were talking, Chen Fu walked in from outside, his footsteps appearing somewhat hurried.
"Princess, Qu Ya and Guan Nianshan said they want to see you." They wouldn't say what it was about, and it felt a bit strange.
Even though he and Li Hou were more heavily relied upon, the princess had sought those two out privately.
Song Jinzhao blinked slightly.
They couldn't wait to call for her before even half an hour had passed. It seemed they had made their decision.
