Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

At the same time, Jiang Sese's gaze was fixed on the small and exquisite monocular telescope in Xie Jue's hand.

This thing was just delivered by Xie Ping so that Xie Jue could observe the sluice gate ahead when there was congestion.

Now that Xie Jue held it in his hand, it was clearly much clearer and more convenient than ordinary methods of observation.

Jiang Sese couldn't help but ask, "Where did this thing come from?" Although the craftsmanship of the telescope seemed crude to her, its principle was clear, and it was definitely an imported product that surpassed the ordinary craftsmanship of this era.

Seeing her curiosity, Xie Jue handed her the monocular telescope made of brass and ebony to play with, explaining, "This is called a telescope. It was a wedding gift from a merchant who had dealings with the Ministry of Works when we got married. He said it was a novelty from the West."

Xie Jue spoke in a flat tone, showing little interest in the ingenious object itself.

Jiang Sese took the heavy binoculars; they were icy cold to the touch, yet a wave of emotion surged within her.

A telescope! It really is that!

Jiang Sese carefully examined the exquisite artifact. The brass cylinder was polished smooth, and although the inlaid glass mirror had some impurities and bubbles, its curvature was precise.

A thought flashed through Jiang Sese's mind—could this be something made by that fellow countryman who traveled through time again? Just like… that mirror!

It was that mirror that made Jiang Sese certain that there were definitely other people in this world who came from her time!

I just wonder if the person who made the mirror was "Chen Duxiu"?

Jiang Sese quickly looked down and carefully examined the binoculars in her hand.

She examined every seam of the tube, the copper hoops at both ends, and even carefully looked at the glass mirror when held up to the light... turning it over and over, her fingertips gently touching every corner that might conceal information.

Unfortunately, the surface of this telescope is smooth and shiny, without any engravings or writing, not even a single suspicious scratch.

It looks like an ordinary, novel tool from a faraway overseas country.

Jiang Sese let out a soft sigh, feeling both relieved and inexplicably disappointed.

Jiang Sese handed the binoculars back to Xie Jue.

I'm not really interested in telescopes.

Honestly, this thing is not as useful as that glass mirror.

Mirrors are a necessity for everyone in modern society, but telescopes are not. Only people who are interested in them will buy them.

Jiang Sese was clearly not among those interested.

Xie Jue took the binoculars and glanced down at Jiang Sese.

Although Xie Jue wasn't interested in such whimsical things, he was quite intrigued when he first got his hands on them. That's why he specifically instructed someone to bring the telescope when he went out, intending to give Jiang Sese a surprise.

He had assumed she would be as intrigued as she had been when she first received the glass mirror.

But she only fiddled with it casually for a moment before returning it to him, as if she were holding not a wondrous artifact from overseas that could see through rivers and mountains, but an ordinary copper tube.

Jiang Sese looked up and met Xie Jue's thoughtful gaze. Her heart skipped a beat—oh no, she'd forgotten to act again.

Jiang Sese quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "This thing is indeed quite novel. I was just thinking about what color clothes I should wear to Yangzhou tomorrow, and I got distracted for a moment."

Xie Jue smiled slightly, his expression unreadable, but he didn't expose her. Instead, he put the binoculars aside and asked, following her words, "So, have you decided what color to wear?"

Jiang Sese thought for a moment, then started counting on her fingers: "The light blue one is too plain, and the pomegranate red one is too bright—the lotus root color one is quite nice, it's comfortable and pretty, I'll take this one."

As Jiang Sese was talking, she suddenly leaned forward, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "By the way, tell me about Yangzhou! Where are the best places to eat? What are some worthwhile places to visit?"

Xie Jue said leisurely, "Yangzhou has the Slender West Lake, the Five Pavilion Bridge, and the teahouses and dim sum on Dongguan Street. The crab roe soup dumplings at Fuchun Teahouse have thin skins and delicious soup, and the three-ingredient buns are also worth trying. If you want to visit gardens, Ge Garden and He Garden are good places to go."

Jiang Sese listened intently, her eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. "How do you know everything? Didn't you only work in Suzhou? You've been to Yangzhou too?"

Xie Jue calmly replied, "I've been there a few times. When I was serving in Suzhou, I stayed in Yangzhou for about half a month, and I would travel around in my spare time."

Jiang Sese took his hand and said meaningfully, "I really envy you, being able to travel everywhere." She thought to herself that if Xie Jue didn't understand the implication of her words, she would be furious.

Xie Jue glanced at Jiang Sese and said, "I would like to take you with me, but the journey will be arduous..."

"I'm not afraid of being tired," Jiang Sese immediately replied, her tone carrying a hint of matter-of-fact coquetry.

"Next time you go out of Beijing, can you take me with you? Look at this trip south, I'm perfectly fine, and I haven't caused you any trouble."

Xie Jue looked at Jiang Sese seriously and replied, "Okay. I'll take you wherever it is."

Jiang Sese smiled, her eyes crinkling, and rested her face on his shoulder, saying contentedly, "That's more like it."

During the daytime voyage, hot water was already prepared on board. A separate heated bath room was set up on the side of the second-floor sleeping quarters, separated from the bedroom by a carved sandalwood partition.

A gilded charcoal stove had already been placed in the bathhouse. Hongdou, along with two maids, carefully added silver charcoal to warm the damp room. She then neatly arranged the clean inner garments, brocade outer garments, and fragrant soap and lotion on the pear wood rack. After taking care of everything, she retreated to the porch outside the bathhouse and waited quietly with her hands at her sides.

Jiang Sese lowered the plain gauze curtains that hung around her, a thin layer of gauze separating the inside from the outside, and sat alone in the warm cypress wood bathtub.

After Xie Jue returned to the book cabin alone, he called Xie Ping over.

Xie Ping entered in response and stood respectfully before the desk.

Xie Jue: "How are things going in Yangzhou?"

Xie Ping bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, everything has been arranged. The Yangzhou Prefect has been informed in advance at the dock that the fleet will dock tomorrow afternoon and stay for only two days, without staying at the official post station. The Prefect originally wanted to prepare a welcoming banquet, but I have politely declined as you instructed, saying that Your Excellency is accompanying your wife on a trip back to her hometown to visit relatives, and there is no need to disturb the local area."

Xie Ping continued, "The accompanying guards changed into civilian clothes and were scattered around the dock and the old residence, so they wouldn't disturb the people. The Jiang family also sent a letter in advance, informing only the old master Jiang Qian, saying that the princess was returning as a junior to visit the old residence and her adoptive parents' graves, and there was no need for a big fuss. The old master Jiang replied that everything would be done according to the princess's wishes, and the entire Jiang family would not make a fuss about it to outsiders."

Xie Jue then asked if there was any movement from the Sun family.

Xie Ping said, "After being reprimanded last time, the Sun family has become much more subdued. This time, upon learning that the princess was returning to Yangzhou, Liu, from the sixth branch of the Sun family, sent someone to ask to see the princess. However, as instructed by the master, she has politely declined, saying that the princess's trip is only for tomb sweeping and she will not receive any outside guests."

Xie Jue then asked if the old Jiang family residence and the graves of the Jiang couple had been properly arranged.

Xie Ping said, "The old house has been cleaned in advance, and the graves of the Jiang couple have been re-filled with soil. Members of the Jiang family are on duty at the Shouqin Pavilion every day."

Xie Ping added, "There's another matter. Some gentry and merchants in Yangzhou have heard that Princess Chenjia is coming, and in the past few days they've been sending invitations to request an audience. Some want to curry favor, some want to offer land, and some want the princess to speak on their behalf to Lord Xie. All of these have been refused as you instructed. However, there is one merchant surnamed Qian who insists on staying. He has been waiting at the dock for three days, saying that he did business with the Jiang family in the past and has a past relationship with the princess's adoptive father."

Xie Jue slowly said, "Investigate this person surnamed Qian."

Xie Ping nodded, and seeing that Xie Jue had nothing more to ask, he was about to leave when Xie Jue suddenly said, "While you're at it, investigate the man who argued with Fu Yunqi today."