At just this first point alone, Yuan Yu felt his heart settle considerably.
Whether the princess had thought of it herself, or had been advised by someone at her side — the fact that this princess had raised this issue first, as her very first concern, was enormously reassuring.
Yuan Yu bowed and said: “This matter will require relying on Imperial Physician Bao.”
Xie Yuzhang had two imperial physicians accompanying the dowry procession, and had additionally recruited several doctors from among commoners, with Imperial Physician Bao Zhongjin serving as the head.
Bao Zhongjin was a widower in his thirties, not the easiest in temperament, who had not fared well within the Imperial Medical Office. Getting to examine and diagnose the palace nobility and nobles was not the sort of assignment that typically came his way; his usual work was tending to the ailments of palace servants and eunuchs. It was also because of his poor social relations that he had been kicked into the dowry retinue.
Seeing Xie Yuzhang look toward him, he clasped his hands and said: “The note Your Highness sent earlier to the Imperial Medical Office — the Head Physician has already instructed us to prepare a good supply of the medicines listed. The ailments Your Highness is concerned about — adjustment sickness, digestive troubles, nausea, and diarrhea — we have stocked especially generously. Your Highness may rest easy.”
Xie Yuzhang knew his medical skill was actually quite exceptional — he had even saved her life once. It was simply that they had lived on the grasslands for ten years, where medicine was scarce to begin with, and later, when conflict broke out and the trade routes were cut, medicine became nearly impossible to obtain at any price.
It was also for this reason that when Wang Shitou and the others fell ill, and she refused to abandon them, they had been so profoundly grateful.
This life, a full round of planning and effort, though unable to change the fate of the peace marriage, was already very different from her past life.
Seeing these differences, Xie Yuzhang felt a sense of strength growing within her.
“The second matter,” Xie Yuzhang said: “We need to purchase sheepskin in large quantities. I’ve already had the people around me working on this, but those around me are mostly women, and they live in the palace — it’s not always convenient for them to act. Now that we have everyone here, it will be much easier.”
Yuan Yu’s eyes brightened, and he clasped his hands and asked: “How much does Your Highness wish to buy?”
“You calculate that yourself. In short, of all the people going with me, I want every single one of them to have at least one sheepskin coat by the time we arrive out there.” Xie Yuzhang said.
Her household manager couldn’t help but interject: “His Majesty has already bestowed thick padded coats on all those in the dowry party. The sheepskin — though it is only sheep’s hide — will still be a considerable expense. Your Highness should think carefully.”
“I have money, do not worry,” Xie Yuzhang said. “I have asked around — even a thick padded coat is not enough for out there. In winter the storms come often, and the snow can pile up past your shins. People can freeze to death.”
“Exactly so!” Yuan Yu said approvingly. “Your Highness is most thoughtful. The frontier lands are bitter and cold — utterly unlike the passes. Those who haven’t experienced it can scarcely imagine. Were one unprepared, a single snowstorm could mean being buried far from home.”
Xie Yuzhang nodded: “Everyone has left home and followed me out there — I absolutely cannot let a snowstorm bury them in a foreign land. Sheepskin and wool are cheap to begin with — it’s not as though we’re buying sable or fox fur. The only question is whether we can purchase enough in Yunjing all at once. But it doesn’t matter — if we can’t find enough, we’ll buy as we travel. The further north we go, the cheaper the hides will be.”
She even knew that the closer you got to the source, the cheaper the goods would be. How was this the “naive and unworldly girl” the Duke of Merit had described?
Yuan Yu’s eyes grew brighter still.
For the third matter, Xie Yuzhang raised the question of learning the foreign language.
“Everyone must study. There’s no need to teach anything too deep or bookish — just teach the everyday language for food, clothing, shelter, and travel, and how to barter and trade. That is enough.” Xie Yuzhang’s goal was crystal clear. She had even prepared a general outline in advance and handed it to the chief interpreter. “This is what I’ve organized — have copies made, and teach from this.”
She added: “You’ll need to divide up the work and go to the palace, the garrison camp, and the craftsmen’s camp to teach everyone. If you’re short-handed, ask Master Yuan to come tell me, and we can arrange to borrow people from the Bureau of Foreign Affairs.”
She sat at the head of the room. Since this was her first formal meeting with her own household staff, she had come with a proper procession and dressed in full formal palace attire.
Deep mountain-purple Huanhua brocade with a phoenix pattern, a sweeping floor-length pleated cloud-and-mist skirt in crimson pressed with gold thread, and a jeweled golden flower crown on her head. As she spoke — clear, unhurried, thorough in every detail — everyone forgot her age.
What they saw before them was a princess who was young, yes, but clear-headed and capable of managing affairs.
This first meeting left both sides quite satisfied.
Yuan Yu was especially impressed. Afterward he said to Yang Changyuan: “Duke, you are too modest. At her age, how many young women of the capital could match Princess Baohua in forethought and thoroughness?”
The calm composure and careful precision Xie Yuzhang had shown — Yang Changyuan was actually more astonished than he was. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know what. He held his tongue, feeling only an aching sadness.
With Yuan Yu now certain that those he was to follow were dependable, everyone felt their hearts settle. They each received their assignments and went off to start on their work.
On the other side of the city, at the Li estate on the south avenue of Zhuque Ward, Li Ming on this day summoned Li Gu and Li Weifeng to him and told them: “Pack your things. We set off in five days.”
“We’re going back?” Li Weifeng lit up. “Finally — I thought we’d never go back. If we stayed any longer, my body would have gone to rust — I don’t even know if I can still lift a sword.”
Li Ming burst into laughter.
Li Gu said nothing at all. When he returned to his own courtyard and instructed his personal soldiers to pack up, he himself sat on the corridor outside and stared for a long time at the large Chinese scholar tree in the center of the courtyard.
After a long while, he suddenly called a personal soldier over, took out the dagger he always carried on his person, and said: “Measure it out properly, then go find me a nice-looking box in the market.”
He untied his money pouch and tossed it to the soldier: “Don’t be stingy about it. Get something good.”
The soldier took the pouch and went off. He was efficient — in less than an hour he was back, carrying a sandalwood box with very fine craftsmanship.
Li Gu looked it over and was satisfied. He cleaned his meteorite-iron dagger carefully and laid it inside.
The personal soldier asked in surprise: “General, is this a gift for someone?”
Li Gu said: “Someone’s birthday is coming up, and I’m afraid I’ll miss it. Might as well prepare it early.”
The soldier smiled: “It must be someone the General holds in very high regard.”
This soldier had followed him for several years now, and knew that dagger as well as he knew his own face — it was one of the General’s most personal and constant possessions. To give away something so close and habitually carried, the sentiment behind it was in the object itself — naturally it would be for someone greatly cherished.
Li Gu paused, then only said: “Mm.”
Two days later, Yang Huaishen and a group of Yunjing’s noble sons hosted a farewell banquet for Li Gu and Li Weifeng, with even the Fifth Imperial Prince attending.
At the banquet, Li Gu quietly handed the box to Yang Huaishen, saying: “I hear you often mention that the princess’s birthday falls in the eighth month — I won’t make it in time, so this is prepared early. A birthday gift. I’m sorry to trouble Er Lang with passing it on to Her Highness.”
Having said this, he paused, and added: “I can’t accept the princess’s golden saddle without giving something in return.”
Trying too hard to hide it, Yang Huaishen thought. He accepted it. Li Gu hesitated a moment, then said: “Er Lang, please also tell the princess that I hope she will keep this close to her at all times.”
Yang Huaishen stared at him. This… wasn’t this a bit too openly obvious? He couldn’t help the sweat breaking out on his forehead.
Li Gu, seeing his odd expression, was first confused — then suddenly understood.
“It’s a dagger,” he explained.
Yang Huaishen was taken aback: “A dagger?”
Sending a woman a dagger as a birthday gift did seem a bit unconventional — no wonder Yang Huaishen was surprised. Li Gu nodded and told him: “The customs of the foreign peoples are different from ours. On the grasslands, the strong are wolves and the weak are sheep. Clashes between clans happen all the time. Women, cattle, and horses are the primary targets of raids — and because of this, even women wear small knives and daggers at their waists. I want the princess to develop this habit.”
Yang Huaishen finally understood — he had been thinking about it in entirely the wrong way. His mind had been filled with youthful romantic notions, while Li Gu was thinking about the life Baohua would have to face. He flushed with a sudden shame and said: “I see.”
Li Gu fixed his gaze on Yang Huaishen.
Yang Huaishen, as the second son of the Duke of Merit’s estate, had been drilled well in swordsmanship, archery, and horsemanship under his father’s watchful eye — considerably better than most of the other sons of noble families. Yet his character had not grown nearly as strong as his body.
Li Gu could smell weakness on him — the way a wolf smells a sheep.
If Xie Yuzhang were to marry such a man, and chaos came, this sort of man would be unable to protect her. Li Gu was completely certain of this.
But the situation now was far worse than that. She was to be married off to Mobei — to be given to that old wolf Ashina.
Who could protect her?
No one.
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