423: Chatting with Ye Nianrui

Madam Ye seems very accustomed to this place.

Jiang Yan said slowly. Her tone held less of the aloof indifference she displayed upon their first meeting, and more genuine sincerity coming from the heart.

Her fingers gently stroked the cool surface of the celadon teacup, and her gaze rested on the opposite woman's gentle, smiling face, carrying a hint of imperceptible scrutiny.

In the courtyard of the Northern Frontier City Lords Mansion, a thin layer of frost and snow lay upon the ground. The buds of the winter plum blossoms adorned the branches, exuding a sharp fragrance that only highlighted the warmth in the eyes of the woman before her.

Hearing this, Ye Nianrui's smile softened slightly. She waved her hand, her tone as friendly as that of an old friend:

"Just call me Nianrui. That's what the sisters in the Estate call me. Calling me 'Madam' creates distance, like we're separated by a layer of formality."

She set down her teacup, her gaze passing over the sparse shadows of the plum trees in the courtyard and looking toward the distance.

That was the City Lords Estate's training ground. Faintly, she could hear the soldiers' shouts during their drills—deep and rough, carrying the fierce wind characteristic of the Northern Frontier, causing one's eardrums to tremble slightly, yet radiating a sense of vigorous vitality.

"Life in the Northern Frontier, though simple, is very grounded."

Ye Nianrui's voice carried a sigh of relief and acceptance:

"It's not like the Royal Capital. It looks splendid and bustling, but in reality, it's full of traps, where every step is perilous. Misstep a word, or take a wrong turn, and you could face eternal damnation."

The two of them sat in the warm pavilion, chatting for quite a while.

They chatted about everything from the pickled vegetables that every household in the Northern Frontier prepares in winter, to the sugar-roasted chestnuts sold on the street; from the newly planted cold-resistant flowers and grasses in the Estate, to the mutton hotpot best enjoyed around a stove in winter.

Jiang Yan was usually quiet, but facing someone as gentle and insightful as Ye Nianrui, she uncharacteristically loosened up, occasionally interjecting a few sentences. The cold severity in her tone unconsciously softened by a few degrees.

When Ye Nianrui brought up Situ Jun, a flicker of genuine admiration flashed in her eyes, and her tone became even more sincere, carrying complete conviction:

"The Estate Lord... he appears stern and cold, rarely smiling, but he is actually extremely good to those around him, never harsh, and quite responsible. The sisters in the Estate all stand on their own merits; no one relies on favor to become arrogant due to high status, nor do they resort to shady tactics."

"Take me, for example,"

Ye Nianrui gently lowered her gaze, her fingertips brushing the orchid pattern embroidered on her sleeve. Her tone was calm but carried a trace of melancholy:

"I am merely a widow who lost her husband. If I were in the Royal Capital, I probably wouldn't even be able to enter the palace gates, let alone meet the Empress. But here in the Northern Frontier, the Estate Lord values my understanding of arithmetic and accounts, so he entrusted all the Estate's finances to me. All the expenditures within the Estate pass through my hands. This trust is more precious than any gold or jewels."

She paused, raised her eyes to look at Jiang Yan, her gaze honest and bright, and continued:

"Yun Niang is gentle and warm-hearted, and she's excellent at managing household affairs, so the internal administration of the Estate is her responsibility. Embroiderer Sister's needlework is unmatched in the Northern Frontier, so she handles all the clothing and furnishings for everyone in the Estate—even the Estate Lord's personal undergarments are embroidered by her hands, with fine stitching that carries a unique thoughtfulness. Su Wan Sister understands medicine; her Qihuang Medical Skills have saved countless lives, so she manages the Estate's Medicine Lodge. If anyone in the Estate has a headache or fever, she personally treats them, never showing any slackness. We each perform our duties, coexist harmoniously, and have no conflicts. Because we all know that our positions were earned by our own hands, not by suppressing others or relying on scheming and seizing."

Ye Nianrui's voice was soft, yet it carried a convincing power, like the first drizzle of spring, nourishing everything silently.

This warmth slowly flowed through Jiang Yan's heart, little by little melting the long-ice sealed hardness within her.

Jiang Yan remained silent, her fingertips unconsciously tightening, her palm pressed against the cool cup wall. Her thoughts were entirely focused on Ye Nianrui's evaluation of Situ Jun.

Responsible?

When she recalled the reason she came to the Northern Frontier, a sharp pang of pain pierced her heart.

Li Xuan sent a woman who was once an Empress—her—to the Northern Frontier as a "gift" to secure the stability of the Tianqi Dynasty, yet City Lord Situ did not refuse. Could such a City Lord truly be called responsible?

This thought flashed through her mind, but she did not voice it.

She feared that her resentful question would shatter the rare peace before her, and even more, she feared seeing disappointment in Ye Nianrui's eyes.

She looked at the genuine admiration in Ye Nianrui's eyes, at the orderly and well-arranged scenery in the garden, and at the water birds leisurely chasing and playing on the lake, and a sense of confusion suddenly arose in her heart.

The rumored Situ Jun was a decisive, ruthless hero of the Northern Frontier, a cold and merciless Iron-Blooded City Lord.

Yet, the Situ Jun revealed by the City Lords Estate before her was a City Lord who knew how to utilize talent and possessed great tolerance, managing the Estate affairs flawlessly, allowing all the women to showcase their strengths and live comfortable, contented lives.

Which one was the real him?

And how should she find her own place within this Estate?

Should she continue to be the heartbroken Empress of Tianqi, or... should she try to live again?

Ye Nianrui saw Jiang Yan remain silent, merely gazing down at the tea leaves floating in her cup, and knew she had something on her mind. She did not urge her, but simply smiled slightly, turned, and took a thick ledger from a wooden box nearby.

She opened it and said:

"Look, this is the commercial tax collected by the Northern Frontier last month; it's a full thirty percent more than the same period last year. In a few days, once the Trade Route from the Northern Frontier to the Great Zhou border is opened, I plan to follow the merchant caravan to Great Zhou to conduct an on-site inspection of their goods and market prices, so that we can earn more money for the Estate in the future."

Jiang Yan looked up, her gaze falling upon the neat and clear handwriting in the ledger. Watching Ye Nianrui's focused and serious manner, she suddenly recalled her own days in the Royal Capital.

Back then, she had also been so high-spirited and vigorous.

She had helped Li Xuan manage the inner palace, understanding the minds of the three thousand beauties completely, and handling all inner palace affairs flawlessly.

She had also secretly advised him, rectified officialdom, punished corrupt officials, and stabilized his vast territory.

At that time, her heart and eyes were filled only with that man; she believed she could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, guarding that beautiful land together.

But in the end, she was merely a chess piece that could be discarded at will.

Between the nation and her, he chose the former without hesitation, personally sending her into the strange land of the Northern Frontier as a bargaining chip for the national fortune.

The dull ache in her chest still existed, but it was no longer the heart-wrenching pain that left her breathless, as it had been initially.

Time was a good medicine, having boiled the bone-deep agony down to a shallow scar. It still hurt when touched, but it was no longer fatal.

Life in the Northern Frontier was as calm as a lake, without raging waves or deceit, yet inadvertently, layers of ripples arose, silently spreading across the desolate plains of her heart.

Here, there were no complicated rituals of three kneelings and nine kowtows, no scheming among the inner palace consorts, and none of the strict constraints of "if the ruler wishes the subject to die, the subject must die."

In contrast, the palace walls of the Royal Capital were like an exquisite and magnificent cage, trapping her for twenty years.

She had served as the Empress of Tianqi for twenty years, managing the inner palace and assisting the Emperor. She appeared infinitely glorious, the motherly model for the world, but in reality, she was nothing more than a chess piece in Li Xuan's hands.

When needed, she was his Sharp Weapon for stabilizing the nation, the revered Empress of the people; when unnecessary, she was simply a "gift" to be given away at will, used to exchange for the stability of his territory and peace across the land.