I Built a Territory in Ancient Times Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Faint voices could be heard outside the carriage. Ming Yu reached out and lifted the curtain to inquire. A servant replied that the eldest son of the Ma family had arrived.

Ma Jinyu was here to see him, likely with business to discuss. Ming Yu thought for a moment and instructed the servant to let him in.

Soon, Ma Jinyu entered the carriage. When he saw both Ming Yu and Xie Yixiu, he wasn’t surprised; he had long grown accustomed to seeing the two together. They were often in each other’s company, and their relationship seemed quite close.

Sometimes, Ma Jinyu found it strange—how had the Prince of the fief and the general of the borderlands become so close? From their interactions, it seemed more than just a professional connection.

Later, he heard rumors that General Xie had risked his life to save the prince when they were in the borderlands. That made sense. It was only natural that the prince would treat General Xie differently in gratitude for saving his life. It showed that the prince was someone of character, with gratitude and a sense of justice, which was rare and admirable.

Therefore, Ma Jinyu wasn’t surprised. He quickly bowed to both of them. “Greetings, Your Highness. General Xie.”

Fortunately, Ming Yu’s carriage was spacious enough to accommodate four or five people, so Ma Jinyu’s arrival didn’t make it crowded.

Ming Yu waved his hand, signaling him to sit down and speak.

Ma Jinyu sat properly, knowing that the prince was easy to talk to. In Ming Yu’s presence, he was polite but not fearful. However, when he glanced at the cold, indifferent Xie Yixiu, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

Perhaps it was because of his own sensitivity, but Xie Yixiu exuded a strong aura of battle-hardened experience. Ma Jinyu didn’t dare to look at him for too long.

He couldn’t understand it—Dean Wang was usually so gentle and approachable, while Xie Yixiu was silent and cold as ice. Yet, when the two of them were together, they seemed perfectly at ease, with no sense of awkwardness at all.

“What’s the matter? Why have you come to see me?” Ming Yu asked.

The Ma family father and son were clever and usually didn’t approach Ming Yu without good reason. Although their merchant convoy traveled behind Ming Yu’s, they kept their distance. But now, Ma Jinyu had come in person, so he must have something important to discuss.

Under Xie Yixiu’s watchful gaze, Ma Jinyu felt uneasy. He shifted uncomfortably, and only when Xie Yixiu looked away did he let out a long breath of relief.

Finally remembering why he had come, Ma Jinyu spoke respectfully, “Your Highness, it’s like this. As soon as we entered the territory of Liangzhou, the merchant convoy behind us… well, it’s hard to explain.”

Ming Yu and Xie Yixiu exchanged a glance. They hadn’t expected the matter they had just discussed to already be brought up by Ma Jinyu.

“It’s hard to explain?” Ming Yu, though aware of the situation below, had only a superficial understanding. The real developments were still unknown to him, so he was eager to learn what exactly made the situation so hard to explain.

After all, the merchants had traveled west with Duan Wang’s convoy, but they were still two separate groups. It wasn’t easy for them to pry into others’ private matters, especially since the merchants were intelligent and took precautions against them.

Moreover, the Ma family, being merchants themselves and aligned with them, was considered one of their own. Thus, they didn’t keep secrets from the Ma family and even approached them for help when issues arose.

Because of this, Ming Yu had received quite a bit of information from the Ma family.

Of course, what they couldn’t explain in detail couldn’t be fully conveyed to Ming Yu. Ma Jinyu could only nod stiffly and carefully explain, “Well, Wang Ye is aware. We’ve never been to Liangzhou before, and the scenery we’ve seen on the way here has disappointed everyone.”

He paused, glancing cautiously at Ming Yu. Seeing the smile on his lips and no sign of anger, he continued, “Wang Ye, some people have already started packing, saying they’re preparing to head back.”

It wasn’t surprising that these people changed their minds. After all, the region around Liangzhou didn’t seem reliable. The land was barren, the population sparse, and the area was devastated. If not for his father leading everything, he would have advised the Ma family’s merchant caravan to turn back.

In the past couple of days, he had been anxious. The Ma family’s dozen or so carts were meant to be sold in Liangzhou, but with the situation there, where people were struggling just to survive, would they even have money to buy goods? Could they really sell the goods they had brought?

If the Ma family had been misled by Duan Wang, and they ended up losing everything on this trip, who could they turn to for justice? However, upon reflection, it didn’t make sense for Duan Wang to trick the Ma family—what would he gain from that?

Ma Jinyu’s thoughts were troubled. He had also heard that the merchants were divided in their opinions and had started arguing among themselves. Some had even begun packing their bags.

Startled, Ma Jinyu hurried to inform his father about the matter. Ma Siyong, who was used to dealing with setbacks, wasn’t bothered by such small matters. After hearing, he remained calm and continued with his work.

Ma Jinyu, anxious, wondered why his father wasn’t concerned. In this unclear situation, they were different from the merchants just here to assess the situation; they still had dozens of carts of goods. They had only just arrived in Liangzhou, and if their goods could be sold in Jingzhou, they might minimize their losses. But if they took the goods to Liangcheng and couldn’t sell them, they’d have to transport them back, and the cost of labor and materials would be considerable. At that point, they would be left with nothing but a loss.

Ma Siyong, seeing his son’s impatience, shook his head. His son wasn’t seasoned enough in business matters. He was quick-tempered, and in trade, one had to be calm and composed.

Ma Siyong glared at his son, admonishing him, “What good comes from being hasty in business?”

Ma Jinyu, feeling wronged, responded, “But what about our goods? Are we really going to send them to Liangcheng?”

“We brought them here with great effort to make money, didn’t we? If we don’t take them to Liangcheng, how else will we make money?”

“But… but… with the situation in Liangzhou, can we really sell the goods once we reach Liangcheng?”

“Of course, once the goods are sold, we can pick up the watermelon Duan Wang mentioned and bring it back to sell. You have to remember, as merchants, our goal is to sell goods. We sell eastern goods to the west and western goods to the east, and that’s where the profit lies.”

This was something everyone understood. Ma Jinyu had been raised in such an environment and knew this well. But the situation in Liangzhou—was it really as good as Duan Wang said?

Ma Siyong, seeing his son’s thoughts, decided to test him and didn’t explain further. He waved his hand, saying, “Go see Duan Wang and mention the situation with the caravan.”

Ma Jinyu, resigned, understood his father didn’t want to discuss the matter any further. He bowed and left to do as his father instructed. Although he didn’t know why his father wanted him to meet with Duan Wang, he followed his orders.

Ming Yu listened to his words without surprise, as it was clear he already knew something.

Ming Yu smiled lightly, unperturbed. “Yes, I’ve already heard about it.”

Ma Jinyu, seeing Ming Yu’s calm demeanor, asked in confusion, “Wang Ye, aren’t you going to send someone to stop them?”

This question puzzled Ming Yu. “Stop them? Why should I stop them? Their legs are their own; whether they stay or go, no one can stop them.”

“This…” Ma Jinyu was momentarily speechless. He knew that when Duan Wang was in the capital, he had spent considerable effort to convince people to go to the borderlands, using promotions and rewards. Now, after managing to bring them all this way, how could he let them leave so easily?

Ming Yu chuckled and tapped on the small table, jokingly saying, “What? Do you have a way to help me keep them here?”

Ma Jinyu had no answer. He had hoped Ming Yu would have a solution to stop these people. But now, Ming Yu seemed unconcerned, and Ma Jinyu was left wondering what the point of all his efforts had been.

Ming Yu waved his hand, smiling, “Alright, I know. Just go and pass a message to them for me. Let them decide whether they want to stay or leave.”

Ma Jinyu, dumbfounded, couldn’t understand how this situation was so different from what he had imagined. But… Duan Wang, why aren’t you following the usual approach?

Though he was frustrated, Ma Jinyu dared not show it. He respectfully said, “As you wish, Wang Ye.”

Ming Yu, pleased with his attitude, replied, “Yes, just tell them what I said. Stay or leave, it’s up to them. But, having come all this way, aren’t they willing to wait a few more days until they reach Liangcheng to decide? If they miss this opportunity, they’ll have no one else to blame.”

Ma Jinyu took note of this, and with no other business, he took his leave.

After walking a few steps away from the carriage, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t asked about the goods. Turning back, through the swaying curtains of the carriage, he saw Ming Yu lying back, resting his head on Xie Yixiu’s lap. Xie Yixiu’s face, usually cold, was now soft with a gentle smile as he lightly massaged Ming Yu’s temples.

This tender scene, so intimate and serene, left a deep impression on Ma Jinyu. He felt as though he had seen something unbelievable. How could the usually detached and indifferent General Xie be so gentle? Yes, gentle—these words, which were so far removed from Xie Yixiu’s usual demeanor, made this sight all the more astonishing.

Ma Jinyu calmed himself down and decided he must have been mistaken. He was about to double-check when he unexpectedly met Xie Yixiu’s cold gaze. Startled, he quickly turned around and ran off, as if he feared that the sharp look would cut into him.

After running a long distance, Ma Jinyu patted his chest and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He had told himself it must have just been a case of his eyes deceiving him, causing him to imagine things.

“What’s wrong?” Ming Yu asked, noticing that Xie Yixiu had paused.

Ming Yu had initially wanted to stand up and stretch his legs but was struck by dizziness from low blood sugar. Seeing Ming Yu’s pale face, he quickly supported him, understanding that Ming Yu was dizzy. He gently placed Ming Yu’s head on his lap and began to press acupoints to relieve the discomfort.

When Ma Jinyu looked back, this was the scene he saw.

Hearing Ming Yu’s question, Xie Yixiu shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he replied, his movements still gentle.

Xie Yixiu’s acupressure brought considerable relief, and enjoying the rare attention, Ming Yu relaxed and closed his eyes, content in the moment.

Xie Yixiu’s lips curved into a smile. After spending so much time with Ming Yu, he knew that Ming Yu had this small habit. He had learned this technique on his own, never really expecting to use it, but today he found it was necessary.

In this moment, his heart was calm. The young man in front of him had a face like a painting, gentle and beautiful, with an aura of brilliance. He was the person who had occupied Xie Yixiu’s thoughts for as long as he could remember.

All he wanted was for time to stand still, for the world to consist of just the two of them, and to stay together forever.

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