Chapter 398 (2/2)

Ji Man's face had turned pale from the jolting carriage ride. ”It's exactly because he's competent that I want him to stay inside the capital to help me with important things. If I send him here to do this type of drudgery, he'll say I'm abusing the employees.”

Ning Yuxuan lightly snorted and pulled her onto his lap so that she wouldn't keep b.u.mping around inside the carriage.

With his arm around her waist, it felt as if she was being constrained by a seat belt. Ji Man turned her head and looked at him with a serious expression as she asked, ”Marquis, do you what's the popular trend in the capital recently?”

Ning Yuxuan murmured, ”En.”

”Pretty boy toys.” Then, Ji Man pointed at herself. ”The streets are full of fresh looking young men that look better than me. It's almost a waste for me to wear this face mask. There's also newly opened brothels. I heard their business is doing very well. Marquis, do you know how this trend started?”

Ning Yuxuan sneered, ”It's your fault for crossdressing.”

Of course, he was aware of how this trend started. The Minister of Revenue had already stuffed several nubile pageboys into household.

He was blaming her? Ji Man rolled her eyes. She felt uncomfortable being restrained by him. ”This one just wants to say that one should pay attention to one's actions when he's in a public place. Marquis, there's no need for you to be so close with this one.”

It seemed that Ning Yuxuan thought these words reasonable. He nodded in response and let go of her.

One of the carriage's wheels fell into a small pothole, but the wheel was pulled back up as the horse continued forward. When this happened, Ji Man didn't time to brace herself with anything, and her head hit the wall of the carriage. Ouch, the temple of her head really hurt.

Ning Yuxuan snickered. ”You brought that upon yourself.”

Utterly discomfited, Ji Man grabbed the edge of the seat. She really didn't understand why this person had come along and was in the mood to make flippant remarks.

When they arrived at their destination, Ji Man took her list and went from house to house to collect the grain and pay the cost. There was a group of shop a.s.sistants following behind her to carry the purchased grain back onto the carts. Surprisingly, Ning Yuxuan trailed behind her the entire time. He didn't seem worried at all that his white robe would get dirty.

There were several peasant women that couldn't bear to look away from this white-robed man. They were so distracted that they even told Ji Man the wrong prices for the grain. In an unhappy mood, Ji Man stayed silent when the quoted price was lower than the correct amount and reminded them when the price was too high. At the end of this busy afternoon, she almost didn't have the energy to lift up her feet.

”Boss, we're going to bring the grain back to the capital first,” called out one of shop a.s.sistants that was sitting on an oxcart.

Exhausted, Ji Man gestured that it was okay for them to leave ahead of her. When she turned around to look at her carriage, her b.u.t.t felt sore.

”Why are you in such a hurry to go back?” Ning Yuxuan was smiling as he asked her, ”Is there something else that you have to do?”

”No.” Exasperated, Ji Man rolled her eyes. ”But if we don't head back now, are you planning on spending the night in the countryside?”