Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 310 Towards the Golden Palace (14)

The two caravans traveled for more than ten days before arriving in the capital.

Jiang Ming had a place to stay in Beijing and warmly invited Yan Zhen and his group to stay with him, but Yan Zhen declined with a smile.

After spending more than ten days with Jiang Ming, she vaguely sensed that this nearly thirty-year-old single man was developing feelings for her that went beyond brotherhood.

She didn't intend for the relationship to develop beyond friendship, so she made her stance clear from the beginning.

After parting ways with Jiang Ming in the city, the butler contacted a local broker, and Yan Zhen spent lavishly to purchase a large courtyard house in a prime location where land was extremely valuable.

After everything was packed up, they moved in with their people.

Everything went smoothly upon entering the capital, but Yan Zhen underestimated the physical condition of this body.

The temperature in Beijing was much lower than in Yinzhou, and the north wind blew relentlessly. Coupled with the dry weather, she began to experience acclimatization problems on the second day after arriving in Beijing.

Feeling listless, dizzy, having a headache, poor appetite, and nauseous.

After lying in the new house for a day, by the third day, Yan Zhen didn't even want to get out of bed.

He had no appetite for breakfast and couldn't eat lunch. In the late afternoon, Xue Lin came in carrying a tray.

"Sister, you haven't eaten for almost two days. Your health will collapse if this continues. Please eat something."

Yan Zhen glanced at the tray in his hand. The rice was almost cooked through, and it was served with four light side dishes, all prepared according to her taste.

"Okay." Yan Zhen got up, put on a coat, and sat down at the table.

Under Xue Lin's watchful gaze, Yan Zhen tasted each of the side dishes, one of which tasted very familiar.

She looked at Xue Lin: "Did you make all of these?"

Xue Lin had made that familiar pickled radish dish when he was in Yinzhou, saying it was a recipe taught to him by his mother.

Xue Lin hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Yan Zhen knew he meant well, but cooking porridge and preparing several side dishes would take at least several hours.

He already expends a lot of energy studying every day, so it's really not right to let something that a servant could do take up his rest time.

Yan Zhen said, "I'm fine. I'll recover in a few days. Don't waste your time on such a trivial matter."

Xue Lin, who always obeyed her every command, remained silent for a few moments, her expression showing a hint of stubbornness: "Making food for my elder sister is not a waste of time."

Yan Zhen knew he had misunderstood, thinking she was blaming him for not focusing on his studies. Just as she was about to explain, the housekeeper came in.

"Shopkeeper, the broker has come to deliver the land deed, and we need you to affix your seal."

The land deed for the purchased house needs to be transferred to the government office. The broker delivered the registered land deed today. Only when Yan Zhen stamps it will the transaction be truly completed.

Yan Zhen responded, went into the inner room to change his clothes, and then went with Xue Lin to the flower hall to meet the guests.

The broker was a man in his thirties with a shrewd, smiling face. He presented the land deed and a contract stamped with the official seal. Yan Zhen took it and handed it to Xue Lin, who was standing nearby.

For the past three years, all of her contracts related to buying and selling, which involved her being illiterate, were reviewed by Xue Lin.

To make it easier for Xue Lin to handle these matters for her, he even studied the laws of Daji.

Xue Lin read it word by word, then nodded to Yan Zhen: "All done."

Yan Zhen took out a seal from his sleeve and stamped it on the contract.

The broker put away the contract, and the steward immediately handed him a red envelope.

The broker, who received the red envelope, smiled even more broadly, cupped his hands in greeting to Yan Zhen and Xue Lin, and began to shower them with compliments.

"Thank you, sir and madam. To be honest, I haven't met such generous guests in a long time. In other families, either the lady of the house is picky or the master of the house is reluctant to spend money. Buying a courtyard house would take at least half a month. It's really rare to see someone as generous as you, sir and madam."

Yan Zhen: "..."

Just as the butler was about to explain that his manager and young master were not married, Xue Lin stood up and led the broker out, looking quite pleased with himself: "I have a few classmates from Yinzhou who want to rent a quiet house in the capital to prepare for the exams..."

"Yes, yes, yes! I have several such houses. I wonder what kind of house your classmate would like?"

As Xue Lin and the broker's voices faded into the distance, Yan Zhen looked at the butler after a while and asked, "Was Xue Lin... laughing just now?"

The butler nodded: "Young Master seems to be in a very good mood today."

The two exchanged a glance. The butler looked puzzled, while Yan Zhen's expression slowly became subtle.

-

Yan Zhen rested at home for six or seven days, and the discomfort caused by the change in environment gradually subsided. Just then, the weather in the capital cleared up and the temperature rose. She put on a veiled hat, followed by her maids and guards, and went out to the street.

Yan Zhen's main purpose for this trip was to scout locations, as he planned to open a gold shop in the city to sell various gold, silver, and jade ornaments.

After browsing through the most famous jewelry store in the city, Yan Zhen had a general idea of ​​what to expect.

Just as she was about to head home, a spoiled girl's voice came from the jewelry store's display case: "Grandma, I want this! Buy me this!"

Upon hearing the voice, Yan Zhen paused, then turned around, her gaze falling on the group of people in front of the display counter. She immediately narrowed her eyes.

Those who could afford to patronize this brothel were all wealthy and powerful, and that group of people was no exception. Their clothes were clearly made of the finest materials, and they looked like the female relatives of officials in the capital.

The girl who was acting coquettishly looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old from behind. Because her back was to Yan Zhen, he couldn't see her face, but Yan Zhen recognized her voice; it was Xie Wanfang, the original owner's daughter.

The woman next to Xie Wanfang, adorned with jewels and looking middle-aged, was none other than Cheng Qingshuang, the original owner's mother-in-law.

The reason Yan Zhen didn't have someone inquire about Xie Zhao as soon as he entered the capital was that he didn't want to make any rash moves before Xue Lin passed the imperial examination, so as not to put himself in a passive position.

I never expected the capital to be so small; I actually ran into Cheng Qingshuang and Xie Wanfang here.

Yan Zhen decided not to leave anytime soon. Under the cover of her veil, she walked to the display counter opposite Cheng Qingshuang, seemingly looking at gold jewelry, but actually observing them.

Three years ago, Xie Wanfang was a village girl who followed the original owner of the body and toiled in the fields in the countryside for a living. Her face was always dirty, and there was mud under her fingernails.

After arriving in Beijing, she changed a lot. Her skin became fairer, and she exuded a charming and spoiled air.

Needless to say, Cheng Qingshuang was already beautiful and loved to dress up. When she was in the countryside, she always considered herself different from ordinary peasant women. Now, with gold and silver jewelry and silks piled up, she really looked like an old lady from a noble family.

When Xie Wanfang tugged at her sleeve and begged her to buy a gold hairpin, Cheng Qingshuang smiled and said, "Your mother is in charge of our household. If you want to buy these items, you have to ask your mother. You can only buy them if she agrees."

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at the woman beside her.

The woman was around thirty years old, wearing a light purple silk skirt, with her hair styled in a traditional Chinese updo. Her makeup was simple and her appearance was average.

Facing Xie Wanfang, who looked at her expectantly after hearing Cheng Qingshuang's words, the woman frowned slightly and said with difficulty, "Fang'er, you already bought a set of gold jewelry at the beginning of the month..."