Chapter 1223 - 954: Parents’ Past_3
"After she met with you, what did she say to you?"
Upon hearing Madam Ji’s question, Yuan Yifan showed a wry smile on his face.
"To be honest, the reason Li Qi was able to inquire about Miss Xi’Er’s address and escort her back that day was because Li Qi promised her that even if they were separated by thousands of miles, they could still correspond through letters.
Thereafter, Li Qi could communicate with her through correspondence as agreed."
Madam Ji fell silent upon hearing this.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and couldn’t help but shake her head with a bitter smile.
"I see. No wonder she used to be so overjoyed each time she received a letter that year, her mood was simply beyond good."
Ji Youyuan then raised his hand to rub his brow.
"And if I’m not mistaken, it was probably because Xi’Er was already so familiar with the way and timing of letters exchanged between me and my brothers that you didn’t notice anything unusual about the letters she received back then, which is why Li Qi wrote to her in our style and timing."
Madam Ji nodded, "Indeed, this child was too clever, and all her cleverness was used against her own mother."
The smile on her face was one of pride mixed with bitterness.
"Mother! Please don’t be too sad. Xi’Er, in the afterlife, wouldn’t want to see you like this. If she knew that her mischief caused you to be sad for so many years, she would certainly be very upset too!"
Ji Youyuan’s comforting words didn’t do much to alleviate Madam Ji’s sorrow.
"Mother’s fine, mother is happy, all this child’s intelligence has been passed on to Suisui."
She nodded with certainty, "Yes! All passed on to Suisui!"
"And then what happened!"
Ji Youzhi couldn’t bear to see his mother heartbroken and promptly asked the question.
Yuan Yifan also felt deeply uneasy. Years of friendship and over a year spent with his sister-in-law, and in the end, such a fate was met; it really made him sigh heavily.
"Later, as the matron could probably guess, Miss Xi’Er and Li Qi exchanged letters, sharing their heartfelt feelings, and eventually pledged their lives to each other!
Time passed quickly. We went on several small escort trips, not too far, but Li Qi always managed to find some interesting trinkets to bring back to Miss Xi’Er.
Then, we were to escort a cargo to the Muta River, to a neighboring country. At that time, there was constant unrest along the Muta River, and we all knew that trip was very perilous."
"Every journey you take as escorts is extremely dangerous, isn’t it?
Why is it that you describe previous trips so lightly, yet this one you say is extremely perilous?"
Ji Youzhi sensed there might be some hidden circumstances regarding this escort trip.
So he interrupted the conversation and hurriedly questioned further.
Upon hearing Ji Youzhi’s inquiry, Yuan Yifan suddenly found himself in a difficult position.
Beads of sweat discreetly began to form on his forehead.
"Speak!"
Ji Youzhi forcefully slapped the table, causing the teacups on it to clatter incessantly.
Yuan Yifan hurriedly reached out to wipe away the sweat!
"Speak, this matter leaves your mouth and enters our ears. Whatever you were escorting back then, this will not reach the ears of the Government Office."
Madam Ji’s words made Yuan Yifan involuntarily look toward Ji Youzhi with a frightened heart, considering that he was rumored to be a formidable presence nowadays.
Even the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Zhongshu Province’s officials couldn’t withstand him and had to move out at night.
Even the Chancellors were wary that their official hats might not be safe at any time!
"Brave one, rest assured, he is born from my body, and if I insist he suppresses this matter, he ought to give this birth mother of his a bit of face!"
Upon hearing Madam Ji’s words, Yuan Yifan felt somewhat at ease.
"Yes! Then I shall speak."
Yuan Yifan took a deep breath, picked up a teacup to take a sip in order to calm his nerves, and then continued.
"What we were escorting were nominally salt and ceramic wares, but in reality, these accounted for only a tenth of the cargo."
"And what was the remaining nine-tenths?"
Madam Ji questioned hastily.
"It was wrought iron and some semi-finished armors and weapons!"
Everyone in the room gasped fiercely.
Madam Ji’s expression shifted dramatically upon hearing this.
She quickly asked, "Why would the Weiyuan Escort Agency take on such a cargo? That’s a task that endangers one’s life!"
Yuan Yifan wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
He spoke only because he had no other choice.
However, this time, unlike his first conversation with that Eighth Young Master, he did not speak with his heart in his throat!
"Yes! The goods we were escorting, if discovered by the Government Office, would indeed be a beheading matter, so Head Escort Huo instructed us all to write letters to our families and leave them at the Escort Agency. As long as the escorting matter wasn’t mentioned, it could serve as a last letter to send to the family.
Li Qi wrote his last letter, leaving it for Miss Xi’Er.
We set off the very next day, but unexpectedly, ten days after our departure, Miss Xi’Er caught up with us.
Li Qi urged her to return..."