Chapter 48: Going into the city and robbing other gangs

When Axuan saw the longbow in her sister's hand, she liked it very much and pestered her mother that she wanted one too and wanted to go to the city to buy one.

"Mom, I want one like my sister, it's pretty."

"Even if you want it, I can't give it to you now. Don't make a fuss. I'll buy you a nice bow when your sister goes to Luoyang."

Everyone likes good things, but can they be easily bought?

Although Mrs. Du didn't know the quality of weapons, she had seen many longbows in recent years because Dalang practiced riding and archery. The bow in An An's hand was obviously not one that could be bought outside.

Gu Youan took the bow and shot an arrow. He couldn't help but be surprised. He pulled the empty string again and it went very smoothly.

This bow seemed to be made according to her strength and habit.

"An An, come in with me." Gu Wen turned and went into the house.

"I'll be right there."

Gu Youan handed the bow and arrow to Xiaoju, and forbade her brother and Tian Erlang to play with her bow. Then he turned around and followed her father into the house.

Tian Jilang curled his lips.

Seeing her sister leave, Ah Xuan grew bolder. She still wanted the bow, but Du took her away and said, "Be quiet for now, or your sister will come out and deal with you."

"snort!"

Axuan was afraid of her sister and could only hum.

In the house.

Gu Youan knew that her father had something to say to her. After entering the house, she saw her father standing there with his hands behind his back for a long time before he turned around and looked at her with a complicated look in his eyes.

"An'an, when did you and Prince Qi... meet?"

"I met him a while ago when my mother and I went to Tianyi Temple to burn incense."

"We just met, so why did he...?"

"I don't know either." Gu Youan spoke a little faster than usual, with a sense of deliberate casualness.

Gu Wen was preoccupied at the moment and didn't notice his daughter's attempt to hide something.

Gu Wen was only a minor official, but he was a meticulous man. After all, he had been under the jurisdiction of Prince Qi's mansion, and Gu Wen had secretly inquired about Prince Qi over the years. In his opinion, Prince Qi was not the kind of person who would be easygoing or fond of giving gifts.

At least, on weekdays, no official at any level in Songjiang City had ever received a gift from Prince Qi. Even during festivals, Prince Qi rarely gave gifts in public.

Gu Wen, as a father, was facing this kind of situation for the first time. He was worried and wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to start. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "You..."

Gu Youan continued, "Perhaps they just didn't want to take advantage of me, so they sent me the tiger skin I killed. As for longbows, Prince Qi's Mansion should have plenty of them. They just gave it to me as a reward. Don't overthink it, Dad."

"You have a point." No matter what he thought in his heart, Gu Wen could only accept this reason on the surface.

He has a daughter, and she is not in a high position like others. No matter how this matter started, it has come to this point. If it gets out, people will think too much, which will not be good for his daughter.

Gu Wen thought about it again and again and decided that this gift should be treated as an ordinary reward.

When the people in the village heard that Prince Qi's Mansion had given a gift to the daughter of the Gu family, in the evening when they had some free time, they all came to the Gu family to watch the fun. Gu Wen did not stop them and took out the tiger skin for everyone to see, which caused a burst of exclamations.

"Master Gu, your daughter is amazing!"

"She's better than that kid! She can fight tigers and do business. I don't think there's any other girl in Songjiang City who can compare to this girl of yours."

"I think so too!"

"This year is the biennial selection again. Lord Gu, I think your son will definitely be selected. Like sister, like brother."

Everyone laughed out loud. Gu Wen smiled and bowed to everyone, thanking them: "Then I'll take advantage of your good wishes."

Hiding things will arouse suspicion, but displaying them openly for people to see will avert suspicion.

The next morning, Gu Youan led the caravan out of the city.

Two days later, someone from the Su family came to invite Gu Wen to their home.

After a brief greeting, Su Guang asked about the gift from Prince Qi. Gu Wen smiled indifferently and said a few perfunctory words. Su Guang did not ask any further questions.

Talking about business, Su Guang said: "By the way, this year is the year of selecting officials, and the positions of officials in various departments in Songjiang City will also be adjusted. Some people will be demoted for not doing their job well, and some people will be promoted for doing their job well."

Su Guang's tone focused on the word "promotion", and Gu Wen quickly congratulated him, "Sir Su, you have served as an official for several years, and you have handled the affairs of the government both inside and outside the government properly. You will definitely be on the list of candidates for promotion."

Su Guang waved his hand and smiled: "You're wrong, it's not me, it's you."

Gu Wen was surprised: "It's me?"

Su Guang said with a mixture of regret and emotion: "In my position, if the superior officer doesn't move, I can't move either. But you are different."

Gu Wen was only a fifth-rank official, but he had done a good job over the past two years. Under his leadership, Ping'an Town's agricultural output improved year by year. Three officials in charge of Ping'an Town had been promoted in the past two years, and this year, Gu Wen, a man of action, should definitely get his turn.

Su Guang said: "You are capable of doing things and being a good person. In fact, there is no need for me to mention it. You will be promoted by next year at the latest."

Gu Wen quickly bowed and thanked him: "You can't say that. I, Gu Wen, will always remember your kindness in promoting me."

Su Guang was waiting for these words. He smiled and helped Gu Wen up: "Go home and wait. Just like usual, do what you need to do."

When talking to smart people, just keep to the point.

Gu Wen originally wanted to ask a question on behalf of Tian Qingde, but Su Guang acted as if he was serving tea to see the guest off, so Gu Wen left.

After getting Su Guang's approval, Gu Wen went back to the village to see Tian Qingde. When Tian Qingde heard that his promotion was certain, he only congratulated him and showed no jealousy at all.

"Hahaha, you've been promoted, and I, Tian Qingde, now have someone above me. I'll work for another two years, and the next time there's an official selection, it should be my turn."

Gu Wen smiled and said, "Prince Qi's Mansion is eager to expand its arable land. I don't think we need to wait two years. Maybe they will promote another batch of low-level officials by the end of this year."

"That's even better."

After Gu Wen and Tian Qingde talked, neither of them revealed anything to anyone, not even their partner. On the fifth day of June, Gu Wen received a transfer order from the Songjiang City government office. He was promoted from a fifth-level agricultural official to a third-level agricultural official, jumping two levels.

Tian Qingde was delighted: "The third-level agricultural official is going to move to the Songjiang City government office. Hey, he's promoted from a local official to an official of the 'imperial court' in one fell swoop. This is a good step."

Gu Wen had expected this, but he couldn't help but feel happy when he received the transfer order: "Great! Great!"

Gu Wen had been promoted, and several of the lower officials in Ping'an Town came to congratulate him and clamored for a dinner to celebrate. Gu Wen naturally agreed and said with a smile, "I'll take a day off the day after tomorrow. I'll invite you all to my house for a drink."

"Hahaha, since Lord Gu has invited us, we will definitely be there."

"Master Gu, please don't forget us when you get promoted!"

"Congratulations, Mr. Gu!"

After a burst of noisy commotion, Gu Wen used the excuse that he had business to attend to and went into the house to talk to Tian Qingde.

"Brother Gu, let's talk behind closed doors. Lord Su has called you home to discuss matters. I think you can be promoted to the second-class officer this time."

Gu Wen shook his head slightly: "There are only five first-level officer positions. Su Guang can't move up unless the five people above him make a move. By the same token, there are more second-level officer positions, but they are also limited."

Gu Wen said calmly, "Although I have done well in my position as an agricultural officer, the superior officer above me doesn't know me well. I originally expected to be a third-level official."

Tian Qingde thought about it carefully and said, "I thought Songjiang City was a small place. If it weren't for the lack of an army, it would only be the size of two counties. I underestimated it."

Gu Wen was not short of patience. He said, "Take your time. I'll go to Songjiang City in a few days, and Ping'an Town and Linshan Village will be handed over to you."

"Don't worry, I know what's going on here."

Gu Wen is moving to Songjiang City to work, so Du will naturally follow him.

After Gu Wen held a banquet at home to celebrate, Mrs. Du handed the work in the fields to the village head Zhang Gui, and Gu Wen and his wife took A Xuan to Songjiang City.

Mrs. Du said to Mrs. Zhang beside her, "Luckily, An An bought a house in Minren Lane, so we have a ready-made house to live in."

All the guards in the mansion were taken away by Gu Youan, leaving only a maid to guard the door and clean the house. After entering the house, Mrs. Du took a look around the main courtyard. Both inside and outside the house were clean, and Mrs. Du was very satisfied.

Yang Pozi, the cook of the Gu family, went to the kitchen first. She saw a well in the kitchen. She drew some water and tasted it. It was sweet water, which was quite good.

Mrs. Wei had people carry in several loads of food and daily necessities, and asked them to send the dried meat, dried fish, dried mushrooms and other dry goods that could be stored into the warehouse, and to carry the jars of sauerkraut, rice and other grains into the kitchen.

Mrs. Wei brought Mrs. Yang in to take a look. "See if you're missing anything? I'll tell my wife and ask my husband to go get some."

Mother Yang said, "We're only missing small things, so there's no need to worry. I think we should store more food, since there are dozens of people in our family who need to eat."

The delivery boy hadn't left yet. Sister Wei glanced around, then pulled Mother Yang to a corner and whispered, "Young lady told us to buy if we can, but if we can't, it's okay. She'll bring some food when she comes back."

"But, it's better to be prepared. The master and mistress have already told my husband to buy food secretly. They don't want to bring it to the city and attract attention. They are waiting to send it to the village at night."

"In the village? The government house we rented is so small, how can we hide here?"

"It will be alright in a few days."

The family is not short of money. The young lady has already discussed with the master and the mistress to build a house after the spring plowing is over. They will use their own family members to build the house, and then dig a few underground storage rooms at home, and no outsiders will know.

Mrs. Yang: "Master, Madam, and Miss are very considerate. I am just worrying for nothing."

Mrs. Wei smiled and said, "It's not in vain. Madam said you are a good cook. The whole family depends on you for food and drink. Your words carry a lot of weight with the master."

The Gu family settled down in Minren Lane. Gu Wenqing and Tian Erlang, who had been living in Ping'an Escort Agency, came to stay at their home for one night. Early the next morning, they turned around and went back to Ping'an Escort Agency to learn martial arts with Master Guo.

On June 20th, the biennial military officer selection began in Songjiang City, and the merchant caravan led by Gu Youan had arrived in Luoyang.

After the caravan arrived safely in Luoyang, Manager Han, Manager He, and Boss Cao all said goodbye.

"Manager Gu, we'll go ahead. If you need anything, just send someone to find us on Xinglin Street."

Gu Youan smiled and said, "Goodbye everyone."

After watching the caravans leave, Gu Youan said to Gao Jin, "Take your men to guard the herbs at the inn outside the city. I'll go into the city. If anything happens later, I'll have someone bring me some gifts."

"yes."

Gu Youan did not bring anyone else with her when she went into the city this time. She went to Imperial Physician Zhang's house first, and then to Wanjing Pharmacy.

The shopkeeper of Wanjing Pharmacy saw Gu Youan and hurriedly came over with a smile: "Oh, Shopkeeper Gu is here, please come in."

Gu Youan smiled and nodded: "I haven't seen you for a whole winter, and you look even better!"

"Hahaha, Manager Gu looks even better now." The manager let the man in and said with a smile, "What a coincidence you've come! Our master happens to be in the pharmacy."

Gu Youan raised his eyebrows: "Boss Wan is here? Can you meet him when you have time?"

Whether it was a real coincidence or not, the owner of Wanjing Pharmacy, the nephew of the Minister of Personnel, wanted to meet Gu Youan, and Gu Youan also wanted to meet him in person, and the two sides hit it off immediately.

Although Wan Fuchun has an uncle who is the Minister of Personnel, he is not a dandy. He always smiles when meeting people and looks like a serious businessman.

Wan Fuchun met Gu Youan in order to become Gu Youan's only medicinal material partner. Gu Youan also knew what he meant. She wanted to see how sincere he was about the cooperation.

The two of them felt each other out, talking around in circles for a long time before finally coming to a conclusion. Gu Youan agreed to sell 80% of the ginseng he brought this time to Wanjing Pharmacy.

Wan Fuchun felt Gu Youan's sincerity and suddenly asked her, "I heard that Shopkeeper Gu and Shopkeeper Han have a good relationship?"

"It's not a very good relationship, but we're all in the medicinal herbs business, so we help each other out."

Wan Fuchun smiled and said, "Manager Gu is a kind man. Let me tell you something. The Herbal Medicine Store has chosen another medicinal herb merchant from the northwest to cooperate with. I'm afraid Manager Han will not get any good results this time."

"Business is all about mutual consent. If you don't like each other, just stop doing business. Why has it come to this?" Gu Youan probed.

Wan Fuchun leaned back in his armchair and said calmly, "You should know the relationship between the imperial court and Songjiang City. Things have changed, and it's normal for Bencao to take a last ditch effort before kicking out the Han family."

Gu Youan was puzzled: "Since Bencaohua is like this, why do you still want to do business with me for a long time?"

After all, she was also from Songjiang City. If the court fell out with Prince Qi's Mansion, it would be impossible for the court to suppress other medicinal herb merchants from Songjiang City and only let her go.

Wan Fuchun smiled and said, "Because I know that what Bencaohang speculated will not come true."

Gu Youan wanted to ask more, but Wan Fuchun refused to say more and only said that as long as she had medicinal herbs to sell, she could go to Wanjing Pharmacy.

"As long as the business is introduced by Manager Gu, I will do it."

Gu Youan had doubts in his heart, so he walked out of Wanjing Pharmacy and turned around to find Manager Han.

After waiting for a long time in an inn on Xinglin Street, from afternoon to evening, Gu Youan finally saw the shopkeeper Han.

Shopkeeper Han returned to the inn worriedly. He was delighted to see Gu Youan, but then he thought of the threat from the herbal medicine store, and his heart sank again.

Gu Youan knew that the matter was serious just by looking at Manager Han's changing expression.