Chapter 49: Take Refuge
As expected, there were still crowds of people here. The villagers were talking at once and providing clues related to the previous bridge construction. People were assigned to several desks to take notes.
She walked in and saw the document that stated the time, place, the name of Jiang's person in charge, any doubts, any stolen goods, any witnesses, and where they were.
After a while, someone came out. It was Zhao Yan, followed by Yan Quan.
Yu Huatang leaned towards the desk at the back, hiding himself from view.
She just wanted to come and see as a commoner, so it would be better not to be seen by him.
The two of them walked towards this side while talking. When they were close, she heard Yan Quan say, "Now that Jiang has confessed to the crime and handed over the governor of Jiangzhou, you can go to the interrogation as soon as you receive the imperial edict. Before that, do you need to record the relevant officials involved in Fuzhou?"
"Let's take note of his name first. We won't interrogate him for now. We'll talk about it after Jiang Huaxiang is executed."
Yan Quan also nodded. "Sir, a commoner just suggested that we find some good civilians to help find evidence. Ordinary people are more familiar with some terrains and places where stolen money is hidden. This way, we can handle the case faster."
Zhao Yan agreed after hearing this. "I'm busy with my duties as governor of Jiangzhou. I didn't expect this method to work. Go ahead and do it."
"OK."
After the two men walked away, Yu Huatang returned to his previous position. It seemed that Yan Quan had surrendered. He also knew what Zhao Yan was thinking. Officials mostly had some shameful things to do. As long as it was not serious and he was willing to help, he could be used.
Since he does not intend to pursue the faults of Yan Quan and He Dianshi, all the officials in Quanzhou will naturally follow his lead, and official affairs will progress smoothly.
She turned and returned to the courtyard. Not long after she got home, Granny Xu from next door came in and said, "Early this morning, I thought I saw the man named Baili. But I was a little dazed, so I'm not sure. He stood there for a while and then left."
Yu Huatang replied with a smile, "Why does mother-in-law still care about Baili?"
Granny Xu asked her to sit down and said gently, "I've lived for decades and I'm pretty good at judging people. If you want to get married in the future, choose him. Although his looks are too attractive to women, he's a man who can win hearts. You can control him. This man, after all, must listen to you."
Yu Huatang was helpless, "Mother-in-law, please stop joking. I consider Baili a friend."
"Ah, how can they be friends? I don't understand. Since he is interested and so infatuated, why can't it be possible?"
Yu Huatang smiled, "Why would that be okay?"
Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded, Grandma Xu stopped trying to persuade her and took some snacks given by her nephew and asked her to eat.
After Grandma Xu left, Yu Huatang fell into deep thought.
At this time, the sound of horses came from the main road of the courtyard. Before the people inside got off, a voice hurriedly called out, "Huatang."
Baili got off the carriage and said, "I came here early this morning, but I didn't see you."
Yu Huatang came over and asked with a smile, "Why are you in such a hurry? What do you want to talk to me about?"
Baili walked forward a few steps, picked up the teacup on the stone table, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Weren't you looking for a carver before? Last time I was discussing business at Jubaolou in Fuzhou, and by chance, I happened to meet a few carving masters."
"I spent some money to let them stay for another half a month, and I also made a deal with them to teach you. How about it, did I do a great job?" After saying that, she leaned over and threw a coquettish glance.
Yu Huatang helped him sit up straight, "How much is it? I'll give it to you."
Baili Yunzhou pretended to be frightened with his beautiful phoenix eyes and said, "You want others to poke me in the back. You want to chase a lover and let the woman spend money."
"What are you talking about? If you continue like this, go back to your own home." Yu Huatang drove him away.
Seeing that she was a little angry, Baili Yunzhou immediately said seriously, "Okay, okay, okay, a total of one hundred and fifty taels, you pay me one cent every month, slowly, no need to rush..."
It would be best if I could pay it back for a few decades.
"Okay, let's get down to business. Those people won't stay long, so I thought you could come with me now. After you finish your studies, you can take a few days off. There are a few Feng Shui treasures places, and I'd like to invite you to take a look." He said.
Yu Huatang knew that he must have given a lot of silver, definitely not this amount, but she was a little worried about leaving now, "But I haven't told my senior brother yet."
Baili said, "I told your senior brother when I came here. He was relieved and said that Master Deng's Hall didn't have any urgent orders recently. It would be nice for you to go there."
After saying that, she turned to the maidservant beside her and said, "Quickly pack Miss Yu's belongings."
Yu Huatang took a while to come to his senses, and quickly said, "No need, I can do it myself."
"Just sit there and let her go. I paid for her, and now she has no work to do, so she's destined to be kicked out. Huatang, please be kind and have pity on her."
Yu Huatang couldn't convince him, so he told him to just take some clothes. Then he went back to his room and got a large bag of silver, which he handed to Baili. "These are all I have for now. I'll pay you back the rest later."
Baili took it, tossed it up, and put it in his pocket right in front of her, urging her to get on the bus quickly. After Yu Huatang got on, he turned around and put the bag of silver in the servant's hand, motioning him to return it.
The servant was also startled, and hurriedly threw the ball back into the room through the crack in the window.
When everything was done, the servant blew a whistle outside and pulled hard, and the carriage started running happily.
Yu Huatang sat inside for a while before she remembered that she had forgotten to tell Grandma Xu that she didn't need to prepare dinner.
Baili saw that she was always thinking about other people's kindness and worried about making others tired, so he couldn't help but comfort her, "I have arranged it. Tomorrow my servant will go to see Granny Xu. This time you can rest assured."
The reason why he was in such a hurry was, on the one hand, that those old masters really couldn't wait for anyone, and on the other hand, he felt that something was wrong with Zhao Yan.
The look Zhao Yan gave that day was not the look he gave to a stranger.
He had to take this opportunity to cultivate a good relationship with Huatang. His wish was well, and it naturally showed on his face.
Seeing him smiling from time to time, Yu Huatang asked, "Has your family merged some more merchant ships?"
Baili didn't dare to tell her this, and handed over the snacks he bought vaguely, "Yes, yes."
When he arrived at Jubaolou in Fuzhou, Yu Huatang indeed saw the three master craftsmen.
She told the three masters her purpose of learning, and they no longer had any resistance, but instead looked at her with some admiration.
After a few days, when Yu Huatang was able to carve a wooden door by himself, the three masters looked even more pleased. From then on, they no longer hid their knowledge and taught him carefully.
When the people at the back had some free time and talked about their past, the three masters realized that the person in front of them was Lady Qiao Deng.
One of them said, "If I had known it was you, why would I have paid tuition? I would have just come here."
"I heard that your koi carp lanterns are made with exquisite craftsmanship. Orders are coming in from all over the country, and many people in Quanzhou have made a living. You are a person with a heart that can be cultivated."
Yu Huatang thanked the three masters for their praise, but did not dare to take credit for it. He honestly said that it was Zhaozhou Mu's help that made this good thing happen.
Seeing her respectful attitude and her lack of arrogance despite her talent, the masters were even more satisfied and demonstrated their unique skills one by one over the next few days.
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