Fei Pin Ying Qiang Volume 1 Chapter 12 Part1

(I'm pretty sure the author made a typo in the t.i.tle. 千 means thousand, and last time I checked there isn't a Thousand Autumn Festival in China)

Qi Yunruo waited for a long while for Su Ge to return, waited until the rumble of his stomach grew all those more audible. Coupled with the fact he had skipped his afternoon nap, to say he was exhausted wouldn't be a lie.

Li Chen was currently speaking business with his advisers. That Qi Yunruo was still waiting had slipped Su Ge's mind. Upon arriving at the main chamber, they stood there still, surprised by the youth's appearance. Su Ge was quick to react. "Young Master Little Qi has yet to eat?" 

Qi Yunruo nodded. With a smile, Su Ge went to prepare for the evening meal.

Once Li Chen sat down, a maidservant brought over a basin of warm water. He washed his face and said, "In addition to what Su Ge ordered, add a few extra dishes for these gentlemen." 

"Understood."

Hands cleansed and dried, Qi Yunruo made his way to sit at a desolate side of the table. He sneaked a peek at Li Chen. Fatigue hung on his face as he leaned against the backrest of his chair.

“I'll help you change clothes,” said Qi Yunruo.

"Alright." Li Chen rose to his feet for the inner chamber, the youth following suit. The maidservants prepared loose cotton robes. For a moment, Qi Yunruo gazed at the man before him while standing at the side. Then he knelt to the floor to help him remove his boots, exchanging them for cloth sandals.

"You came to find me?"

At the sound of his voice, Qi Yunruo looked up. "Yes, to get your key to the treasury."

Li Chen thought for a while about what Qi Niqun had said prior. About the matter regarding Qi Yunruo managing the estate. A smile suddenly bloomed on his lips. "How is everything so far?"

He told him the same thing he had told Su Ge. "Although it's a lot of work, it's interesting."

Li Chen's smile grew as he took in the image of Qi Yunruo. The eyes of the youth shone with joy. His fondness apparent.

By the time they returned to the table outside, Li Chen already felt as if the stress and pressure weighing down on him prior had lessened. Then he noticed the dishes set out on the table.

"Why aren't there any radish strips?"

Su Ge bitterly smiled. "Nowadays Her Majesty, the princess consort and Secondary Consort Wei are both fond of this dish, eating it for all three meals. For this reason, the chefs focus on bringing this dish to the two's residences. This slave has already instructed those responsible that from tomorrow forward, they must purchase more radishes to pickle."

Quick as lightning, Qi Yunruo said, "I also like this dish."

Li Chen nodded. That the two women were pregnant gave him joy. The more children, the greater the fortune. He hoped that his sons would grow into outstanding men. That he would see beautiful daughters marry into outstanding families.

He glanced at his companion. Saw that the other's appet.i.te was hearty. Larger than what Li Chen had seen of Qi Yunruo in the past.　

Su Ge stood to the side, expression subtle. Back then, Li Chen did not spend the night at Qi Yunruo's room. After he had moved out, Li Chen also did not visit. Yet their interactions seemed to point to a closer relations.h.i.+p.

Once the two had sated their hunger, owing to Li Chen's desire to exercise, Li Chen personally went to unlock the door to the treasury. Then he called for people to help carry a few chests of silver for Qi Yunruo. After he had sent off the youth, Li Chen took a stroll to Beautiful Forest. 

"Should this slave go ahead to announce Your Highness' arrival?" asked Su Ge.　　

Li Chen shook his head. "No need. I just want to have a chat with Ji Huan. Previously, you said that Consort Ji had invited Ji Huan to speak?"　　

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"That is correct. Young Master Ji Huan only stayed for a short while before leaving."

Li Chen grunted in acknowledgement.

Noticing his master's displeased expression, Su Ge said with a slight smile tugging on his lips, "Today, Doctor Xu checked young master's pulse and said that young master has been healthy as of late. It's no longer like before, when he was always sick."

Li Chen lightly sighed. "Hopefully my son will continue to be robust and grow into a strong man."

His gaze s.h.i.+fted to the moon above. In a few days, the Mid-Autumn Festival would arrive. The empress was Li Chen's birth mother and the emperor's most respected legitimate wife. For his mother's sake, Li Chen added and consecrated a few eternal flames¹ in the Imperial Temple. He had mulled over what to give as an offering, and had even consulted with Qi Niqun several times.　　

The moment he arrived at Beautiful Forest, Ji Huan had just started his stroll around the premises, surprising the latter.

"You certainly have a lot of time on your hands," said Li Chen. 

Ji Huan smiled. "I had a lot for dinner."

Li Chen returned the smile, shaking his head, joining Ji Huan in his stroll.

"I heard that you let Little Qi manage the estate."

"It was the princess consort's recommendation."

After a moment of thought, Ji Huan said, "I'm surprised. Little Qi doesn't look like a person that can work as a steward."

Li Chen said, "He looks like he enjoys it very much."

"Little Qi likes to be kept occupied. It doesn't matter the task. Once when he visited me, I asked him to help me organize my bookcase. He was more diligent than the servant I usually use." 

Li Chen arched a brow. His expression did not change.

Early the next morning, Qi Yunruo sent out every inhabitant of Lakeside View House to deliver the monthly allowances.

He recalled the words of Eunuch Qian yesterday, the eunuch that was in charge of patrol. Eunuch Qian had held a fly whisk. "Yesterday this slave discovered a few shady things occurring behind your honored self's back. These wicked slaves thought that your honored self was young and ignorant, daring to slack off and indulge in alcohol and gambling all through the night.” A displeased chuckle. 　

"If it were up to you, how would Eunuch Qian punish them?"

Eunuch Qian smiled. "Different masters have different levels of severity for punishments of the same crime. When Consort Ji managed the estate, her punishments were severe. Few dared to cause trouble. When the princess consort was in power, those who were lazy and vile shaped up for a while, afraid that the new master would make examples of them. Now these servants' punishment will be up to your honored self."  

Qi Yunruo said, "Who should I keep an eye out for?"

Eunuch Qian's response was to present a booklet. The longer Qi Yunruo looked at it, the darker his expression became. The day before, he had not known why so many people had grouped up together during the night. Now he was aware. A steward eunuch from Winter Plum Courtyard and a few eunuchs from Frost Autumn Courtyard had been indulging in alcohol and gambling. The amount of crimes they had committed was many.

"In this estate, there are precedents for reward and punishment…" Qi Yunruo set down the booklet, schooling his expression back to neutral. 

The smile on Eunuch Qian's lips never faltered as he watched the other party. "Then let's go with what Young Master Qi decides."

And Qi Yunruo had put Eunuch Qian's teachings to heart.

Those who committed crimes from Frost Autumn Courtyard were merely small fries. Yet this was not the case with Winter Plum Courtyard, the perpetrator being Eunuch Yunbao. In the past, he had looked down on Qi Yunruo. This matter many people in Winter Plum Courtyard knew. Some people felt that Qi Yunruo was using this as an excuse to take revenge. Yunbao was relieved of his management duties and given twenty strikes of the rod, losing all his face.

The moment Granny Song learned of this, she ran over like the wind, face a shade of metallic green. Qi Niqun had sent her to Lakeside View House to monitor Qi Yunruo. Early in the morning, she had followed along with the other servants to deliver the monthly allowances, and used the opportunity to relay Qi Yunruo's actions to Qi Niqun. Who knew that a moment later, such a huge thing would occur?　　

Now Granny Song stood in front of the youth, her glare sharp enough to pierce through clothes. "You really show your true colors now. You're capable of doing anything."

Qi Yunruo remained silent, sitting at the desk as he went over the estate's previous ledgers.　　

The fire in Granny Song's heart grew all the more wild, the heat pulsing in her veins. She shouted, "Do you think you're the master of this estate? That even the princess consort is nothing to you? Before His Highness has even favored you, you already don't know how high the sky is, how wide the earth stretches²! Let me tell you! Once Her Highness regains the management power, let's see how you can survive!"

I was reluctant to split up the chapter, but time was getting tight and this baby was ten pages of raws. Half seemed like a good split. (Maybe now I'll actually have a stockpile for once.)

Phew, Granny Song, you basically raised a death flag or whatever. Does anyone else think yunruo's really growing up? He actually punished those lazy servants hard ahahah

Lately, I've been trying to use less end notes since I know it's super distracting to see superscripts all over the place.

TJOAIC 9 will be out in like an hour? I forgot to edit like half of it oof.

Chapter Supplement:

Eternal Flames ( 长明灯 )

The next regular chapter will be out Sat.u.r.day, September 7, 2019 at 12 pm EST.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a like or a comment below, or on NU ?

eternal flames: (长明灯) From Wikipedia– An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns continuously for an indefinite period. In China, they keep these flames running because they represent their deceased loved ones. If the flames go out, it's considered inauspicious how high the sky is, how wide the earth stretches: Basically means he's being too arrogant.