Chapter 14 Chapter 14 The Chief Secretary of Prince Qi's Mansion
The Han family's caravan moved fast. Gu Youan held his sister in his arms and sat on the Gu family's carriage. They arrived at the post station in half an hour.
I heard from the people in the Han family caravan that this place is more than 200 miles away from Songjiang City. It would be very tiring to walk there in the heavy snow, but riding a horse is very fast. If everything goes well, the people from Prince Qi's Mansion will definitely arrive by evening at the latest.
After entering the post station, Gu Youan stood in the corridor, looking at the official road that ran from south to north. They had traveled so far, through mountains and rivers, and now they were almost there.
"It's cold, Miss Gu, please don't stand here. I asked the postman to reserve a room for you two. It's convenient for you to rest and wash up."
The post station only allowed people from the imperial court to stay overnight. After leaving Shanhaiguan, it was not so particular. The people in the post station were willing to take risks to make more money. Caravans with some connections like the Han family could pay to stay overnight.
The Han family has a great reputation, and this time they have borrowed the name of Prince Qi's Mansion, so the post station is naturally very welcoming.
Gu Youan thought that she might have to meet someone from Prince Qi's Mansion in the evening, and it was not appropriate for her to be so dirty, so she thanked Manager Han for his kindness and asked for two buckets of hot water to wash.
"Manager Han, since you're in the cloth business, can you also sell ready-made clothes? I'd like to buy two clean sets of clothes to change into, so I don't offend you later."
Gu Youan said generously, "It's just that I don't have much silver on hand, so I can't afford expensive things. I need something cheaper. Please forgive me, Manager Han." Manager Han smiled and said, "Oh, our caravan only sells cloth, not ready-made clothes. However, we have women who cook in the caravan, and they brought clean clothes. I'll ask someone to get some for you. There's no need to talk about silver. I also want to thank you for helping me get in touch with Prince Qi's mansion."
Gu Youan nodded and didn't mention the money.
The hot water was ready, and the postman also brought two braziers into the house.
Gu Youan took Axuan into the house and closed the door. The two sisters washed themselves thoroughly from head to toe. After a while, two women knocked on the door.
Gu Youan first wiped Axuan's body dry, pulled a dry towel from the shelf to wrap Axuan's wet hair, tucked her into the quilt, and then went to open the door.
The two women were holding cotton-padded clothes in their arms and smiled as they said, "Manager Han asked us to bring clothes to the young lady. We have clothes for you, but not for your sister. We are quick and will make her a new one in no time."
Gu Youan stepped aside and invited them in: "Thank you for your help, both of you."
"You're welcome, young lady."
Gu Youan was given a half-worn plain green cotton jacket and trousers. The length was right for her, but she was too thin and the pants didn't fit her well.
"Young lady, just wear it as is. When we get to Songjiang City, there are ready-made clothing shops there. It's much cheaper there."
Gu Youan nodded and thanked him.
The two women were both capable people. After looking at Axuan's height, one of them took off her cotton trousers and the other took off her cotton coat, cut them to the right size, and then sewed them together with needle and thread.
The two women were busy and chatting, talking about what they saw and heard on the road. They talked about a scholar they met on the road who was coy and not generous at all, and was not as good as the men from outside the pass.
They also said that women in the inner city were thin and frail, especially those from wealthy families. They locked girls up at home for the sake of reputation, preventing them from seeing outsiders. Even good girls were suffocated. They also said that if they didn't work or travel, they would become weak and wouldn't have the strength to give birth.
Gu Youan listened silently, wiped Axuan's hair, brought a brazier to the bedside to warm it up, and asked Axuan if she was cold.
A Xuan shook her head and said she was not cold, looking at the two women curiously.
After Gu Youan settled Ah Xuan down, he wiped his hair and listened to the two of them chatting and laughing when the woman who was doing the tailoring suddenly asked Gu Youan, "I just heard that the young lady is from Luoyang?"
"Well, in the autumn, the Taihu Lake burst its banks, and the officials involved were beheaded. My father was a doctor in the Ministry of Works, and he was innocently implicated by his superiors. My whole family followed my father into exile in Jiangcheng."
Gu Youan made no secret of the fact that he was a fugitive.
The woman who was asking the question just smiled when she heard her say this: "The gentlemen sitting in the hall are all cruel. Your family was not beheaded, which shows that your father is not a bad official. Young lady, don't be afraid. Live a good life after you go to Songjiang City."
"That's right. A few years ago, before Prince Qi went to Songjiang City, half of the people in Songjiang City, apart from the garrison, were refugees. That wasn't a big deal."
"Prince Qi has established a rule that any exile who arrives in Songjiang City must first be sent there to cultivate wasteland for five years. After five years, they can live like ordinary people, buying land and houses, doing business, paying taxes, and living a peaceful life."
"My dear ladies, if you have made merit this time, you can ask for mercy from Prince Qi's Mansion. Perhaps you won't have to go to open up wasteland for five years and can live like ordinary people."
"Well, actually, reclaiming wasteland is pretty good. The convicts went to Songjiang City, and they all had nothing. If they go to reclaim wasteland, at least the government will provide food and accommodation, and they will also give them cotton clothes and trousers in winter, so they won't be cold or hungry. And they can save some wages. Even if the money is not much, it is a good thing."
"There weren't these rules before. They only came into being after His Royal Highness Prince Qi came."
"Prince Qi's mansion is kind and righteous, and has given many people a chance to survive."
Gu Youan lowered his eyes and listened. The two women mentioned Prince Qi and Prince Qi's Mansion several times. It seemed that under Prince Qi's rule, the people of Songjiang City were not living badly.
Five years of reclamation? Gu Youan thought that it would be best if her parents and Su Guangan were rescued safely. In consideration of her reporting the news, King Qi might exempt them from the five-year reclamation period.
Their family has enough food, clothing and money for the time being, so they just want to be free.
The two women were really efficient. They took more than an hour to alter a cotton coat and trousers suitable for Axuan. Gu Youan thanked them.
"Don't worry, young lady. Our shopkeeper has given the order, so we will definitely do it."
Gu Youan sent the two women out and closed the door. Gu Youan looked back at Axuan, and the little girl had already fallen asleep in the quilt.
Gu Youan was also tired. She couldn't sleep and didn't dare to sleep.
It was dark, and no one had come from the direction of Songjiang City.
The postman brought dinner, and Gu Youan called Axuan to eat. Axuan sat up, looked around blankly, and then started crying again, calling for her parents.
"Don't cry, it won't take more than three to five days for parents to come back."
A Xuan hugged her sister tightly: "I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, sister is always here."
After putting on the modified cotton-padded jacket and trousers for the little girl, the two sisters had dinner. Gu Youan asked Axuan to stay in the house while she went outside for a walk and came back.
It was completely dark outside and Axuan was sleepy again. Gu Youan sat beside the bed and watched her sleep. After waiting for a while, the Han family guards came and knocked on the door.
Gu Youan took a deep breath, stood up and went out.
The chief secretary of Prince Qi's mansion led his troops to the post station.
The chief official of Prince Qi's palace was named Zhou Chen. He was in his early thirties, with a round head and face. He looked kind, and his eyes were particularly sharp when he looked at people.
When Gu Youan arrived at the lobby of the post station, he was surrounded by guards from Prince Qi's mansion outside the lobby. The torches they held were burning fiercely, lighting up the outside of the lobby as if it were daytime.
In the inner room of the lobby, there were more than a dozen candles on the table, and the smell of burning wax made the air in the room seem a little stuffy.
When Gu Youan entered the room, he saw Manager Han bowing slightly and explaining the whole story to Zhou Changshi in a humble manner.
What Manager Han said had already been said once by the Han family guards who went to Prince Qi's mansion to report the news, and Zhou Changshi already knew it.
Seeing Gu Youan come in, Manager Han said with a smile: "Zhou Changshi, this is Miss Gu. Her father is Gu Wen, the former doctor of the Ministry of Works, who was exiled with Lord Su."
Gu Youan stepped forward to greet Zhou Changshi. Zhou Changshi remained seated. He accepted the greeting calmly and asked, "You heard what Manager Han said just now. Do you have anything to add?"
Gu Youan lowered his eyes and said, "When we were at Shanhaiguan, Lord Su must have asked someone to deliver a letter to Prince Qi's mansion. I wonder if Lord Su received the news?"
“No.”
They were all smart people. Zhou Changshi knew why the news could not be passed to Shanhaiguan after thinking about it, but he was not interested in this.
"What else do you know about the affairs of the leader of Qingshan Village, Wang Da?"
Gu Youan said, "I'm afraid I don't know as much about those robbers as you do. If there is anything worth mentioning, it may be that the Li family is involved with the bandits in Qingshan Village."
"oh?"
Gu Youan didn't dare to hide anything. He repeated word for word what the headmaster Wang had said to the Li family when they encountered the bandits yesterday. Finally, he said, "I don't know about other families, but our Gu and Tian families both come from humble backgrounds. My father and Uncle Tian are not corrupt officials. Our family has been running the business for 10 to 20 years, and all our wealth is in the second courtyard in Luoyang City. There's no way we could have hidden any other gold, silver, or jewelry."
When Gu Youan said that her father was not a corrupt official, Zhou Changshi snorted with an ambiguous tone.
Gu Youan argued for her father, "My father has been an official for over a decade. You can ask Lord Su about his reputation. My father's exile this time was an unprovoked disaster. If it weren't for the joint recommendation four years ago... and the anger of the current emperor, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation."
Shopkeeper Han quickly interrupted Gu Youan and said, "Zhou Changshi came to ask about the Qingshan Village. You are such a talkative young lady."
Zhou Changshi didn't bother with Gu Youan, a little girl, and just said, "It's normal to be a little angry after being implicated and suffering so much. When Master Su is rescued, if what you said is true, your family will benefit."
This is what Gu Youan wanted: "Thank you, sir."
The location of Qingshan Village was no secret. After Zhou Changshi inquired about the reasons, he did not stay overnight at the post station. Instead, he led his troops and set off, heading south.
Shopkeeper Han stood in the corridor and watched the people from Prince Qi's Mansion leave on horseback with torches. After they were far away, Shopkeeper Han turned around and said to Gu Youan, "I underestimated you."
Gu Youan smiled and didn't respond.
The reason she dared to say those words just now was not because she was brave, but because she had guessed the behavior of Prince Qi and Prince Qi's Mansion from the people in the Han family caravan, so she decided to give it a try.
If she failed, even if the huge Prince Qi's Mansion was angry, they would not do anything to her, an exiled little girl.
If the attempt is successful, even if their family cannot establish a relationship with Prince Qi's Mansion after going to Songjiang City, they can still gain some benefits based on this favor.
Fortunately, she was right.
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