Chapter 550 - 548
In the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Jiang Yifan received a letter from the capital. After reading the letter, Jiang Yifan was filled with melancholy; sending sturdy threaded components and hand-pulled hoists to the capital was meant to elicit this response from the court, so having artisans bring the drawings to the capital was an expected development. What caused Jiang Yifan’s melancholy was the implicit message in Jinrong’s letter, which basically confirmed that his term in Qingyuan County had ended, and he would be transferred back to the capital. However, Ah Yan’s affairs in Clear Water Village couldn’t be wrapped up so soon, and he had to leave her in Qingyuan County while he returned to the capital alone.
Initially, he had risked offending Duke An’s Mansion and resolutely divorced Ye Xinyan, resulting in the anticipated outcome: being sent away from the capital.
On his way to his new post, he encountered Ah Yan, and not long after, Ah Yan appeared in the area he governed. No matter how his mood fluctuated afterward, Ah Yan was beneath his watchful eye, blossoming with an extraordinary radiance day by day.
This time, as his term ended and he left, leaving her behind in Yuyuan Prefecture, thousands of miles away from the capital, he felt anything but secure. Although he later stopped inquiring about Ah Yan’s past, he now believed that this woman was not simply someone who had experienced a dream; if she disregarded her kinship with Duke An’s Mansion, delaying and refraining from returning to the capital...
Jiang Yifan pondered for a moment, then arranged the affairs of the county government office and, accompanied by Shi Yu and a few young servants, set out for Clear Water Village.
By this time, it was the late Shen hour (5 PM), and Qi Younian was in the main house talking with Cheung Wusi when they heard Song Ping’s familiar greeting to Magistrate Sir. Quickly, Qi Younian and Cheung Wusi came out to welcome him.
Upon seeing the two men emerge, Jiang Yifan hastily clasped his hands and smiled, "The two old masters are too kind. I’ve become such a frequent visitor at the Qi family that I might wear down the threshold. There’s no need for both of you elders to come out and welcome me like this."