Chapter 38 Jiang Family
It seems that Miss Yu was deeply heartbroken by the young master, and she even returned the cloth she had sent him unopened.
Anfu thought carefully and realized that the young master had never cared about his wife before they divorced.
Servants like them would also act according to the situation, so most of the time, Anfu didn't say anything to Yu Huatang.
All I know is that the young master was indeed not nice to the lady in the past.
Alas, he sighed. His young master had been wanting to erect a monument and write a biography for the past half month, and he would never come back from the government office until late at night.
Inside the government office, Zhao Yan reviewed the drawings and reported silver from the previous year's construction. He then asked Yan Quan, "After the bridge was completed, did you send anyone to inspect the materials? The timber alone cost three thousand taels. Do you think that's reasonable, Lord Yan?"
Yan Quan hadn't slept well in the past two weeks, and the first thing he did was work. His mind was a mess, and he thought for a long time, "This payment is the responsibility of Xiang Zhubu."
Zhao Yan spread out the document and said, "Send Secretary Xiang over here."
Yan Quan breathed a sigh of relief, finally taking off his hat.
Xiang Zhubu came over in a hurry, but he hesitated for a long time and did not answer any questions directly.
Zhao Yan's face was cold. "I asked you about the materials and expenses of the bridge, why didn't you tell me? Are you corrupt or accepting bribes?"
After saying that, he threw the document in front of the man.
"Please spare my life, sir. How dare I do that? The timber for this bridge project was supplied by the local merchant, Jiang."
Zhao Yan's face was cold. "I just asked you, why didn't you answer? You are such a coward!"
Seeing Zhao Yan's displeased expression, Yan Quan immediately stepped forward to explain, "Sir, Jiang Cheng, the owner of Jiang's Timbers, is the nephew of the governor of Fuzhou."
Zhao Yan remained silent, and Yan Quan continued to explain, "Jiang's timber is quite famous in Quanzhou. Before I even arrived in Quanzhou, the Fuzhou governor had already discussed with the previous governor that all government construction projects should use Jiang's timber."
Having said that, Yan Quan glanced at Zhao Yan from the side. He had already given this reminder, so he thought this gentleman would not rush to investigate further.
"Sir Zhao, the government office has been very busy lately. I just hired a chef from the capital. Would you like to come to my house to taste his cooking and see if I can keep him?"
He wanted to use the evening to have a good talk with this gentleman about the relationship between the governor of Fuzhou and the merchants here, and it would be best to tell this gentleman not to act rashly.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yan said, "No, you will report to me the relatives of all merchants in the government office, as well as the merchants specially approved by the governor of Fuzhou."
Yan Quan was stunned and speechless. He finally understood what his cousin in the capital had said in his last letter, that this gentleman was actually exiled.
Shouldn't the dignified Left Prime Minister, upon hearing this, have discussed it with his father first? Why did he personally arrest the corrupt officials?
Alas, rich people don’t have enough brains. Yan Quan lamented that he didn’t have such a good father.
If there was, why would I still be here?
But some people don't cherish it.
In the evening, Yan Quan returned home, holding the medicinal food he had prepared for traditional Chinese medicine, but he did not move for a long time.
Seeing that he looked depressed, Hua asked, "Is your master going to give you another difficult task?"
"Not really." Yan Quan said, "This time, I'm afraid it will be a big deal."
"Since arriving in Quanzhou, Lord Zhao has truly been concerned about the people. He personally investigates all cases, big or small, and recently he helped us open up trade with Tuque. He's a good official and a good superior."
"But he's just not smart enough. Even after I reminded him today, he still wanted to investigate the collusion between the Fuzhou governor and the Quanzhou merchants. My old master, this gentleman has been demoted here and still hasn't figured out how to be an official."
Hua knew about the interests of these merchants and the Fuzhou government's efforts to make money here, so she asked worriedly, "What should we do then?"
"They are both provincial governors. If they want to investigate, they need a higher-ranking official, at least a Jiedushi. That Lord Zhao has connections, but you don't."
"You'll definitely be the one doing the real work. If you succeed, that's fine. But if you fail, you'll be targeted by officials from the Fuzhou governor's faction, and they might find some excuse to expel us."
"Lord Zhao is the son of the Left Prime Minister, so he's naturally not afraid. Even if he fails, he can still return to the capital. You're just a county magistrate, a nobody. Even if your life was secretly taken, no one would come to seek justice for you."
Yan Quan felt even more strongly that Lord Zhao was looking for trouble after hearing this. "However, I can tip Jiang Cheng off. Even if Lord Zhao investigates, the Fuzhou governor will thank me. Whether Lord Zhao succeeds or fails, I can protect him."
Hua immediately thought this was a good idea. "Okay, let's do it. But the problem is, if you suddenly go to Jiang, it will arouse suspicion."
Yan Quan remembered that Jiang had mentioned that they needed a koi carp lantern, and said, "Invite Lady Qiaodeng over tomorrow. Once she has a lantern made, have her deliver it. We'll just put something inside the lantern as a reminder."
Hua, "Oh, that's a good idea, pick them all off."
Yan Quan sighed, "What good is that? I've studied for so many years, but in the end, I just followed the crowd and became corrupt. All the words of the saints in the past have been thrown to the dogs."
Hua said coldly, "Alright, stop hesitating. The governor of a state is making money, and he wouldn't even blink an eye at ten thousand taels of Dongzhu. You have to spend ages calculating when buying me a piece of jewelry. I'll be very grateful if you can save your life."
Yan Quan's pride was hurt and he remained silent with a cold face. Hua Shi saw that he was also very upset, so the two of them went to bed without saying a word.
Yu Huatang has been very busy at Deng Shitang these days, as many orders from the Turkic nobles have been asked to be done by her personally.
When I returned to the courtyard, the sky was filled with the chirping of cicadas.
Granny Xu next to her came over with a bowl of hot soup, "You're back so late again today, come and have some."
Yu Huatang did not refuse. She didn't have time to cook during her rest time, so she gave some money to Granny Xu next to her and asked her to help cook at an irregular time.
Yu Huatang finished half of the drink before she realized there was a lot of chicken in it. "Mother-in-law, I'm afraid you gave me half of the chicken. How can you do that?"
"The local chickens we raise at home are not worth much. I'm a long-lived old woman, so there's no point in keeping them. Just eat them if I give them to you!" Grandma Xu gestured for her to finish the chicken.
"But this is too much. I'll add more money later."
Granny Xu waved her hand. "No, if you care about this little money, I wouldn't agree to cook for you. I just came over to talk to you."
Yu Huatang had no choice but to eat the whole bowl of chicken. She also didn't want to waste her mother-in-law's kindness. "Wait a moment, mother-in-law. I'll go wash the dishes."
After washing, Granny Xu took over and said, "A few days ago, I saw the family across the street busying around, buying a lot of medicinal herbs. I wonder if someone is sick?"
"Ah?" Yu Huatang was puzzled. "I don't know about that."
"But if anyone is sick, they'll make medicine. We'll know in a few days."
Grandma Xu didn't say anything, it was just that the small town was boring and she was paying attention to some things to pass the time.
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