Chapter 149
Baise also had some understanding of Tie Lian's thick skin.
Once the person was delivered, Baise didn't wish to linger and took her leave.
Tie Xiong brought Baise to the Tie family.
He Xiugu, having received the news, waited at the entrance with others.
Upon seeing Baise, her heart sank.
This woman seemed even more headstrong than Liu Runiang; she wondered if the two of them could last long together.
Suppressing her thoughts, she welcomed her warmly.
After a few days of interaction, Tie Sheng and He Xiugu changed their opinion of Baise, believing she truly intended to live a proper life with Tie Yi.
The more satisfied they were with Baise, the more they inwardly cursed Tie Yi for running away on the very day of the wedding. It was simply a refusal to settle down.
"Where did Uncle Tie Yi go?" Ye Yunniang asked curiously.
"He was called away by your man," Baise said, her voice tinged with resentment.
On her wedding night, the groom had vanished.
Baise went to Beijiang City, familiarizing herself with the environment while searching for Tie Yi.
After half a month of searching, there was no trace of Tie Yi.
It was only when Tie Yi sent a letter that he stated he had important business and needed to be away from home for a year.
Tie Yi hoped Baise would return to Jiangcheng.
Baise was unwilling and decided to wait in Beijiang City.
Not wanting to sit idle and eat through her resources, Baise, after some investigation, started a fur trade business.
With her husband's family backing her and a large sum of silver in hand, Baise quickly opened a shop named "Baise's Fur Shop."
Its main business was transporting and selling furs to inland areas far from the border.
"'Baise's Fur Shop.' You really named the shop so that anyone who hears or sees it knows it's yours."
"My name sounds pleasant," Baise said proudly.
Baise had vowed since childhood that all her future shops would bear her name.
"What about 'Baise's Embroidery Shop'? You just abandoned it?" Gone for two years without even a letter.
"Too busy, no time. Besides, I have you." Baise believed in Ye Yunniang's ability to manage her embroidery shop perfectly well.
Ye Yunniang shot Baise a look. "And how did you end up in Yan Country?"
"Yan Country has the best furs. With war looming, furs wouldn't be able to get through. I thought I'd make one last profit before the fighting started, so I brought people to Yan Country to transport a batch back. Had a bit of bad luck," Baise trailed off.
"I was captured, thought I was going to die, and then ran into Jiang Mingzhe. He didn't remember me at all. It was only after I shouted your name that he stepped in to save me."
Jiang Mingzhe took Baise back to his base in Yan Country.
There, Baise was reunited with her husband, who had been missing for over half a year.
Baise gave Tie Yi a thorough beating, both as punishment for his long disappearance and to celebrate her own narrow escape from death.
What followed was the war, forcing Baise to remain at the base in Yan Country.
It was then that Baise learned Jiang Mingzhe had been secretly mining iron ore in Yan Country for many years since leaving Jiangcheng.
Years ago, spies from the Qing Dynasty in Yan Country sent back word of discovering an extremely high-quality iron ore deposit in a remote part of Yan Country, capable of forging razor-sharp, hundred-fold refined steel blades.
Mining it was perilous for Yan Country, and transporting the mined ore back to the Qing Dynasty was an even greater challenge.
The Emperor ordered a search throughout the entire Qing Dynasty for someone capable of accomplishing this task.
Jiang Mingzhe, with his exceptional business acumen and decisive nature, caught the Emperor's eye.
After the Jiang family's incident, the Emperor sent someone to find Jiang Mingzhe, offering him two choices.
Execution of the entire clan?
Or travel to Yan Country to mine ore for the Qing Dynasty? Success would earn Jiang Mingzhe a title of nobility.
Jiang Mingzhe, not wanting to die, chose to gamble.
He led a team to Yan Country, found the iron ore deposit using the spies' maps, and confirmed a reserve of nearly a million tons.
Using his merchant identity, Jiang Mingzhe befriended Yan Country nobles. He leased a tract of land from them under the pretext of raising sheep.
The reason was ready-made: Qing Dynasty nobles loved mutton, but lacked abundant grazing land.
Yan Country had lush pastures, producing the finest sheep.
After establishing the sheep farm, Jiang Mingzhe set up production for dried mutton, air-dried mutton, smoked mutton, and a series of other mutton products.
Sheepskins and wool were not wasted either.
Sheepskins were made into fleece bedding.
Wool was cleaned and spun into yarn to knit sweaters. This recipe Jiang Mingzhe had purchased at a high price from a young man in the northwest.
With every part of the sheep being valuable, Jiang Mingzhe's livestock business expanded more and more.
The mined iron ore was secretly transported back to Yan Country hidden in concealed compartments.
But it was too slow, requiring extreme caution each time.
Jiang Mingzhe proposed directly establishing a forge in Yan Country. The finished hundred-fold refined blades could then be transported back.
This was how Tie Yi, two years ago, was transferred by official order to Yan Country. He worked day and night in the secret underground forge until Baise's arrival.
The couple was finally reunited.
After two years of war, Yan Country was defeated, and its commanding prince was captured. The Qing Emperor demanded two cities and their affiliated territories as ransom.
After some negotiation, the price was reduced to one city and one expanse of wasteland.
The wasteland was precisely the iron ore mining area.
The court arranged for troops to be stationed there, and Jiang Mingzhe could finally return home.
"Halfway there, Jiang Mingzhe suddenly said he wanted to make a detour," Baise said, looking at Ye Yunniang.
At the time, no one in the party understood Jiang Mingzhe's purpose for the detour.
Now Baise knew Jiang Mingzhe had done it to save Ye Yunniang.
After speaking with Baise, Ye Yunniang returned to the tent.
Standing at the entrance, she hesitated whether to lift the flap.
After a while, she lifted it and went in. Jiang Mingzhe was not inside the tent.
Ye Yunniang breathed a sigh of relief and walked in.
She lay down, thinking over what Baise had said.
"You should be prepared. Jiang Mingzhe has achieved great merit. Upon his return, his prospects will be considerable. His wife ran off with someone, so his position as the official wife will surely be coveted by many."
"Don't lose heart either. You bore him his only son. He won't treat you poorly."
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm not," Ye Yunniang said, wiping tears from the corner of her eye.
"Did Baise bully you?" Jiang Mingzhe reached out and pulled Ye Yunniang into his embrace.
"No," Ye Yunniang shook her head, not wanting Jiang Mingzhe to ask further, and found an excuse. "I was just missing Mother and Pan'er and the others. I wonder how they are now?"
"Under Bao Min's care, they're fine." Jiang Mingzhe still understood Bao Min well.
Ye Yunniang hummed in acknowledgment, leaning against Jiang Mingzhe without speaking.
Ye Yunniang soon fell asleep.
Jiang Mingzhe tucked Ye Yunniang in, then went to find Baise.
"What nonsense did you say to her?"
"I didn't say anything," Baise smiled.
"I'm asking one more time, what did you say to Yunniang?"
Tie Yi inside the room stepped forward to support Baise. "Commander Jiang, my wife is pregnant. Whatever she said wasn't intentional."
"Tie Yi, you're taking his side over mine?" Baise was displeased.
"Baise, I'm asking for the last time, what did you say that you shouldn't have?"
"Wife—"
"Alright, alright, I'll tell." Baise recounted her conversation with Ye Yunniang.
"You should be grateful for the child in your belly." If not for Baise's pregnancy, Jiang Mingzhe would certainly have taught her a lesson.
"Tie Yi, keep an eye on your woman."
Jiang Mingzhe lifted the tent flap and left.
Tie Yi looked helplessly at Baise. "Wife, why must you always oppose Commander Jiang?"
"He ruined my wedding night. I'll remember it for a lifetime." Baise planted her hands on her hips, determined to get her revenge when the opportunity arose.