Fortune Under Heaven" (Dropped)(GL/Yuri) MTL

Chapter 31-40

Chapter 31: Meeting the Generals and Winning Recognition with Ingenuity

The farmers reacted similarly to the villagers of Hejia Village. They eagerly tried out the novel device and were pleasantly surprised by the ingenious design of Qu Yeli. An elderly representative of the farmers approached Ding Qiyu and said, "Sir, your contraption is indeed very ingenious, but the farming tools we use are provided by the generals, and it's not something we can simply request and obtain. What if we gather several representatives to accompany you to the generals' mansion and ask the steward for his opinion?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Qiyu realized that this mechanism would be even better. Instead of going door to door to promote, it would be more efficient to approach the managers of the generals' mansion directly. If they agreed to purchase Qu Yeli, it would certainly be a big business opportunity! Therefore, she readily agreed and, accompanied by three farmer representatives and carrying Qu Yeli, she returned to the generals' mansion.

Upon entering the mansion, they located the steward's office and proceeded confidently towards their destination. Ding Qiyu had previously wandered around the generals' mansion once and had incidentally come across Miss Lu's Abode of Lingering Melodies. After that, her activities within the mansion were confined to the Abode and the small courtyard, and she had never been to the central courtyard of the mansion. The grandeur and the solemnity of this place, with its wide and imposing layout, and the predominant use of dark sandalwood in the architecture, presented a completely different beauty from the serene and elegant charm of the Abode of Lingering Melodies.

The central courtyard is the main office area of the General's Mansion, consisting of five separate courtyards. Situated in the middle facing south is the "Dingbei Garden," where General Lu conducts meetings and consultations. Flanking the Dingbei Garden on both sides are the "Jifeng," "Xulin," "Luehuo," and "Chenshan" courtyards, which serve as the office spaces for the four stewards of the General's Mansion.

Today, they were going to the Chenshan courtyard to meet with Lushan Yishan, who is specifically responsible for managing the properties owned by the General's Mansion. Ding Qiyu learned during a chat with Luweiming that the names of the people in the mansion were not randomly chosen but followed a naming convention. For instance, the five brothers, including Lu Renjiu whom Ding Qiyu knew, have names derived from the saying in military strategy: "A general must be intelligent, trustworthy, benevolent, courageous, and strict." "Ren" in Lu Renjiu's name comes from "benevolent." As the ninth in the "Ren" generation, he's named Lu Renjiu. Ding Qiyu presumed that someone like the steward of the mountains would most likely be the eldest in the "Shan" generation, hence the name Lushan Yishan.

As they walked through the central courtyard towards the Chenshan courtyard, they coincidentally encountered a group of people coming out from the Dingbei Garden. The leading middle-aged man was tall, burly, and wore a dark robe, with sharp features, a powerful presence, and piercing eagle-like eyes. Beside him was a middle-aged woman dressed extravagantly, with a kind face and outstanding temperament, suggesting that she must have been a renowned beauty in her youth. Following them were Luweiming, Luweixi, and a group of servants.

In a moment, Ding Qiyu figured out who the leading person was, and the group also noticed them. Luweiming's eyes lit up with surprise and joy at encountering Ding Qiyu here, as he blurted out, "Younger Brother Yu!"

Lu Weixi also immediately noticed Ding Qiyu. Today, Ding Qiyu was dressed in a short-sleeved coarse cloth garment rather than the embroidered "formal attire" prepared for the patriarchal residence. He had a light brown headband tied around his head and had a folded sickle plow slung over his shoulder. Although he didn't look as refined as when wearing the embroidered robe, he appeared very spirited, exuding the unique vigor of a young man, reminiscent of the youthful hero who once fought bandits. Although they hadn't seen each other for several days, the two of them maintained an unspoken understanding, and the depth of their familiarity with each other's souls and minds was self-evident. Lu Weixi gave a slight smile and nodded to Ding Qiyu, a smile that made Ding Qiyu, who hadn't seen her for a long time, feel a slight acceleration in her heartbeat.