The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 70: Going Out to Burn Incense (9)

"No, he sings and I learn," Yun Qianyue replied honestly.

From then on, Rong Jing said nothing, retrieving his hand and slowly pouring himself a cup of tea, as if he were genuinely listening to her hum.

Yun Qianyue finished humming a tune and suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over her. She hadn't expected such a simple melody to be an effective stress reliever. Thinking back to the day Ye Qingran had uttered just two sentences to send the Crown Prince's concubine packing from the Yun Prince's residence, she couldn't help but chuckle. "Ye Qingran really is something else!"

"He truly is," Rong Jing said, casting a glance at her smiling face. He slowly continued, "I've heard that during his travels, he spent two years in the southern border, where the daughter of a tribal chief liked him and would cling to him every day, asking him to sing. This seems to be the song she had him sing."

Pfft! Yun Qianyue's eyes widened, and after a moment of stunned silence, she suddenly slapped the carriage wall, realizing, "So this is Ye Qingran and that girl's love song? No wonder he's so fond of it!"

"Mm!" Rong Jing nodded, taking a delicate sip of tea. "So you should refrain from singing it in the future; otherwise, he might misunderstand that you're in love with him. If that girl from the southern border hears about it, she'll surely come to the capital to confront you. Killing you would be minor; if you ruin their feelings, that would be a serious issue."

Yun Qianyue nodded in agreement. "You're right; I absolutely cannot sing it anymore." Rong Jing glanced up at her, his long lashes casting shadows over his phoenix-like eyes, and fell silent once more.

At this moment, the carriage came to a stop, and a stiff, awkward voice from outside said, "Young Master, we've arrived at Ling Tai Temple!"

"Mm!" Rong Jing replied, sitting still without moving.

Finally, they had arrived! Yun Qianyue eagerly lifted the curtain to look outside.

Just as Yun Qianyue opened the curtain slightly and hadn't yet taken in the scene outside, she was suddenly stopped by Rong Jing's outstretched hand. Confused, she turned to look at him.

"Aren't you tired? Since you are, just sleep in the carriage!" Rong Jing suggested.

"I'm not tired anymore. Besides, sleeping in the carriage isn't as comfortable as sleeping in a room," Yun Qianyue said, brushing aside Rong Jing's hand as she attempted to get out.

Rong Jing looked at Yun Qianyue, who seemed hesitant, and did not withdraw his hand.

"Hey, why are you blocking me?" Yun Qianyue asked, unable to push his hand away, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Your hair is messy. Let me fix it for you!" Rong Jing said.

"Really? It shouldn't be that bad; I've been careful not to mess it up," Yun Qianyue replied, reaching up to touch her hair, frowning slightly.

Before she could respond further, Rong Jing had already moved his hand to her head. With a gentle flick of his fingers, her beautifully styled peacock bun was undone, and the hairpin, jade tassel, and floral decorations all fell away. Her soft, black hair cascaded down.

"Hey!" Yun Qianyue exclaimed, but it was too late; she glared at Rong Jing. "It was fine!"

"It's a mess!" Rong Jing replied without looking at her.

"You..." Yun Qianyue shot him a glare, annoyed. "This is what you call a mess!"

"I'll redo it for you!" Rong Jing produced a comb from somewhere and began to smooth Yun Qianyue's hair.

"I don't need you to!" Yun Qianyue protested, attempting to shout outside, "Cai—"

"Given how many people are outside, if you shout, everyone will turn to look. Do you really want everyone to see you like this?" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow, playing with the comb in his hand. "With your hair down and your clothes disheveled? If you want, I won't object!"

Yun Qianyue was momentarily taken aback, swallowing the word "Cai" back down. She glared at Rong Jing with an extremely unpleasant expression. Yes, her hair was down, but when had her clothes been disheveled? She cursed herself for not being quicker than him and grumbled, "Can you actually style hair?"

"Of course!" Rong Jing replied.

"Then... go ahead and style it!" Yun Qianyue resignedly closed her eyes. Since she didn't know how to style her hair in this ancient way, she might as well let him do it. Anyway, she didn't particularly like that hairstyle, so it was fine for it to be loose. Still, she reminded him cautiously, "Be gentle; don't pull too hard on my scalp."

"Alright!" Rong Jing took hold of her hair again, and indeed the comb glided lightly through her strands.

Yun Qianyue had never held much hope that a man could style hair well. She idly picked up the jade tassels and floral decorations that had fallen in the carriage, examining them. It seemed the craftsmanship of this era was still quite backward. Such fine jade was poorly polished and shaped, and the designs were overly simplistic, with the details inadequately carved and finished. In addition, these days she had noticed that her jewelry was mostly gold and silver, with no gemstones. If she could mine some gemstones and make jewelry to sell, she would surely become wealthy.

Thinking this, Yun Qianyue suddenly perked up and tilted her head to ask Rong Jing, "How much money does your family have?"

"Why? Do you really want to count my family's money?" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow, casting a sidelong glance at her, his hand still moving.

"Just asking," Yun Qianyue replied.

"About five hundred thousand taels of gold," Rong Jing answered.

Five hundred thousand taels of gold! One tael of gold was equivalent to about four thousand yuan in modern currency, so five hundred thousand taels of gold would be equivalent to about twenty billion yuan. In this world, one wen could buy a meat bun, and the prices were high—one yuan would be about two hundred billion yuan in modern currency. Twenty billion yuan could certainly make one a wealthy person! However, it wasn't exceedingly rich, considering his family was a prince. If he were to mine for gold, it would probably be a piece of cake. She asked again, "Does your family mine gold?"

"Do you think anyone can mine for gold? Is it that easy?" Rong Jing said lightly. "There are only two gold mines in the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, heavily guarded by the royal family. It's not something anyone can just mine."

"Oh, then where does all that money come from?" Yun Qianyue pressed.

"Most of it is from the family fortune passed down through generations, which I've expanded," Rong Jing explained.

Hearing this, Yun Qianyue exclaimed, "So that money is your ancestors' money, not yours! Yet you spend it so comfortably. Look at your extravagance, even riding in a carriage made of sandalwood."

"The ancestors of the Rong Prince's residence were military generals and only knew how to fight, not how to manage money. It's only since I took over the management of the Rong Prince's residence that I've been able to save up this wealth. Now, all the assets of the Rong Prince's residence are under my control. Aside from the princely title I have yet to inherit, all the money is managed by me. Don't you think that makes it my money?" Rong Jing countered.