Chen Zhisheng saw that his adoptive father looked serious. Although he was a reckless person, if he was not careful, he would not be able to stand out among the twelve adopted sons.
He waved his hand and asked someone to guard the door, carefully confirming, "Godfather, is there something wrong with the Qiao family? If not, don't bother, I will just..."
He made a 'kill' gesture with his neck.
Chen Sixu pondered for a moment. "No need. Just find out the origins of this loom and spinning wheel, especially who made the spinning wheel. Once you've found out, don't alarm anyone. Come back and report to me first."
Back then, the Queen Mother was able to rely on the Saint to ascend to the throne, and successfully helped the Saint ascend to the throne with the power of the Duke of Chen's Mansion. It was not all smooth sailing.
The most crucial point is that the Queen Mother has no children.
The late emperor had three sons—the eldest son born to the favored Concubine Lin, the second prince born to the late Empress Yuan, and the son of the inconspicuous Concubine Yao, who is also the current sage.
If he wants to climb up the social ladder, he is not to be feared by the arrogant Concubine Lin. The second prince's mother's family is in decline. If there is a prince with the blood of the Duke of Chen, it is not difficult to make the empress dowager come from the Duke of Chen's Mansion.
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager was not able to conceive. The mother of the eldest prince had a high position, and the second prince was a legitimate son, so it was impossible for either to be registered under her name. She could only choose the son of Concubine Yao.
Lady Yao was from Yangzhou Prefecture in Jiangnan, and was the concubine's daughter of a weaving family.
She didn't go out often, and she was extremely low-key like the Saint, who was the Third Prince at the time, and did not participate in the fight for the throne.
Everyone knows that Lady Yao had a short life. When she learned that her house had caught fire, she died completely. The illness she had brought with her from the womb suddenly broke out, and she died early.
The young third prince was snatched away by Concubine Chen, who registered him in her name and made her the successor to the empress.
Afterwards, the eldest prince and the second prince had an internal conflict, the eldest prince's appearance was disfigured, and the second prince was disliked by the late emperor.
The death of the previous emperor was not very glorious. After the death of the previous emperor, the third prince ascended the throne naturally, and Queen Chen became the empress dowager. The Chen Guogong Mansion and the regent became the biggest winners.
But what the world does not know is that although Concubine Yao was born in a humble family, there was nothing wrong with her body and she did not suffer from any illness brought from her mother's womb.
Her mother was a concubine of the Yao family, her surname was Li, and she was also a concubine's daughter of the Li family, a famous weaving family in Yangzhou, Jiangnan.
What the world does not know is that the brocade sent by the Li family to the capital had been tampered with, and this was the key to Concubine Yao's death.
Some people in Yangzhou Prefecture must have heard about the Li family being wiped out because of their business, and no one doubted it.
After all, after the spinning wheel became famous, the appearance of single-strand, double-strand and even nine-strand threads made the reputation of Jiangnan Yunjin even higher, and there also appeared Chixia Brocade that could reflect the glass light.
It was also because of the appearance of this spinning wheel that the Duke of Chen's Mansion learned that there were still some members of the Li family who had escaped the net. Over the years, they have been searching for the descendants of the Li family in Jiangnan, fearing that Concubine Yao might have left behind some clues.
If the Saint were to learn that his biological mother was murdered by the Queen Mother, the future of the Chen Guo Mansion would be uncertain. In this regard, the Chen Guo Mansion has always preferred to punish the innocent rather than let them off the hook.
But even though he was his adopted son, Chen Sixu couldn't say much about this matter.
He felt that he might be overthinking it, probably because Mrs. Qiao Ruichen's maternal family was also from Jiangnan.
Letting the adopted son investigate is also for peace of mind. If the Qiao family is really destroyed, it will be easy to have evidence.
Chen Zhisheng knew when to shut up, and he readily agreed to his adoptive father's instructions and personally led people to Xining Town to investigate the spinning wheel incident.
Before he went to Xining Town, he first did what his adoptive father had asked him to do.
Qiao Ruichen was promoted to the seventh rank of Zhiguo Xiaowei, responsible for the two thousand-man guard camps on the border of Xiping County.
Once the order is given, someone will naturally speak up for Chen Zhisheng in front of Qiao Ruichen, letting Qiao Ruichen know who should be credited for the achievement.
Although Chen Sixu wanted to promote Qiao Ruichen to the seventh rank military officer, the seventh rank is divided into the regular seventh rank and the minor seventh rank.
Lieutenant Zhiguo was a seventh-rank official. He took turns on duty with the Yunqiwei and Wuqiwei in the same military camp. He was the head of the three lieutenants and was jointly responsible for guarding the entire military camp. He was under the command of Chen Sixu's third adopted son, the guerrilla general.
Even though Chen Zhisheng acted like he and Qiao Ruichen were incompatible in front of his adoptive father, it was obvious that his adoptive father wanted to use Qiao Ruichen. Chen Zhisheng certainly understood the subtle human feelings of this kind.
This means that Qiao Ruichen no longer has to take a ten-day break to return to Xining Town. As long as he is not on duty for ten days, he is relatively free and only needs to ask his captain to report for him.
Qiao Ruichen knew that Chen Sixu's trust in him was not enough for him to do anything in the army. There were always people watching him, so there was no need for him to show ambition.
Therefore, after receiving the military certificate of promotion, Qiao Ruichen listened to the reminder of others and asked someone to send a letter to Chen Zhisheng, inviting him to visit Xining Town when he was free and to have a drink at the Jufu Restaurant in Xining Town.
The weather was so cold and there was not much charcoal in the military camp, so he immediately assigned the matter to the captain Chen Wu, and rode back to Xining Town to live with his wife and children.
Now, it was not at all strange for Chen Zhisheng to go to Xining Town. He could just bring his people with him and go there openly.
Chen Sixu had always been very confident in his adopted son's smoothness and stability. He smiled when he learned that Qiao Ruichen had returned home. "He's still young, so he doesn't have much ambition."
But it’s good that he’s not that ambitious, otherwise he wouldn’t be confident in using Qiao Ruichen.
When Qiao Ruichen arrived home, his family was not at home again, and this time even the door was locked.
He turned around and went to the Ruan family to ask, but Qiao Shengwen was not waiting for him at home. The whole family, including Mrs. Zhang, Lin Dazhi and others, went to the house that was rewarded to them.
Originally, Qiao Shengwen lived in a three-story house in Beijing.
In fact, a third-rank official is generally considered the threshold for high-ranking officials, and most of them live in houses with four or five courtyards.
Even if it is a three-courtyard house, there are only two or three buildings, with a door in the middle to form the east and west courtyards, or the house is in the shape of a Chinese character "品".
But the Qiao family came from a humble background and had few members. Including Miao Wan, the number of their family members never exceeded the size of a hand.
Living in such a large courtyard was really lonely, so even though the saint showed him great favor and rewarded him with a house with four courtyards, Qiao Shengwen did not bother to move.
Don’t even think about it now. I haven’t lived there for a single day and everything has been copied back.
Miao Wan didn't know as well as her parents-in-law about how to live comfortably in a house with several entrances, so she took them to see it together.
The Zhang family had never seen what a three-courtyard house looked like. Anyway, it belonged to the Qiao family. The two families were close, so those who had time at home would go and see the world.
Miao Wan simply invited everyone to come and join in the fun. It was not yet the 15th, so everywhere was not too busy. Those who were free might as well come and join in the fun.
Not to mention, when the mule cart reached the southwest, even the road on the ground became smoother and less bumpy.
During the New Year, many families went out to visit relatives and friends. When the mule carts of the Qiao and Zhang families turned over, they attracted a lot of attention.
It's not for any other reason, but because mule carts are rare here, most of them are horse-drawn carriages, the only difference is the degree of luxury of the carriages.
Yang secretly whispered to Miao Wan, "Awan, don't you think we should get two carriages? From now on, you'll be going in and out like this, and we'll come to find you. If we all use mule carriages, we'll probably be laughed at."
In the past, Yang didn't have the confidence to say this, but after raising pigs for almost a year, she even bought a lot of sheep.
Although she and Zhang Erzhuang did not receive any salary or bonus, they made a lot of money by selling the piglets and sheep they raised to their family members.
Now, when it comes to buying a horse with a starting price of more than ten taels of silver, Yang doesn't feel bad at all. She is much more generous than last year. Money is always a woman's confidence.
But Miao Wan felt that there was no need for it. The mule cart was enough here. How much was face worth?
"I heard that horses need special people to take care of them, and horses don't have as much endurance as mules. We often use mule carts to pull so many things that horses may not be able to pull them."
Madam Zhang nodded as she listened. "Let's not talk about anything else, just take Ye Xianglang. The town originally provided him with a horse. But the horse didn't go to Lao Miao Mountain, and it overturned. For a long time, the foot of Lao Miao Mountain was filled with the smell of manure, and no one could even go to the nearby Taoist temple."
Yang was a little puzzled, "Then why are there so many carriages here?"
"Maybe... it looks good?" Miao Wan touched her face. "It's delicious, and it's still raw? I've never heard of mule meat being delicious."
Yang: “…” Very vivid, I understand.
But why are you touching your face when you say this?
Not long after, they arrived at the mansion awarded to Qiao Ruichen.
The house awarded by General Dingbei could not be particularly shabby, but its location seemed a bit remote to others. The main road was just around the corner.
But for those who need to go in and out frequently, the location of this house is just right.
The three-courtyard houses in Xining Town are much larger than those in Beijing. Not to mention other things, there is also spacious parking space in front of the door.
Unlike the capital, if you want to park on the road in a three-story house, you have to occupy the main road, and soon you will be sent to jail by the Jingzhao Prefecture.
In the capital city where every inch of land is valuable, you want a road surface even though you have a third-floor house. What a good thing you are dreaming of.
The road here is almost half the size of the house.
After entering, there are winding corridors with back houses on both sides, which are arranged in a circle along the base of the wall and extend to the front of the second gate.
The central courtyard is very spacious, with a screen wall that is ten feet wide and half a foot high.
"I know this. The wind is strong in the northwest, so this is windproof." Zhang Dazhuang said first.
When he was delivering pork to Wa City, he heard people mention it. He saw everyone circling the stone wall with a carving of a longevity flower, and he wanted to show off, so he went to see Qiao Shengwen.
Qiao Shengwen smiled and nodded, "Yes, and this courtyard is much more spacious than the one in the capital, at least half as big."
As soon as you enter the house, you will see the outer house. On the left is the stable, and the right side is empty with only a few half-rotten wooden stakes.
There is no rack for weapons, but there are marks on the wall. I guess the previous owner used it as a small martial arts arena.
Miao Wan thought for a moment, "In the future, the children at home can practice boxing and kicking, and they can also learn boxing and kicking skills at Jufu Restaurant and Qianjinlou. They can all be here."
Zhang Dazhuang was still happy after showing off, but was shocked when he heard the words, "What? Qianjinlou also wants to practice boxing?"
His wife is already strong enough now. If Yu learns some martial arts as well, will there be room for him in the back room?
Miao Wan thought her brother was worried that a man from outside the family might offend his wife, so she quickly explained, "I wrote a letter to Su Rina. She has a female slave who knows martial arts, and asked her to send her over from the tribe to help the sisters-in-law train so that they won't be at a disadvantage in case of an emergency."
Zhang Dazhuang smiled bitterly. This was not what he cared about.
Mrs. Zhang knew why her son had a sad face, and she smiled secretly in her heart. Who could she blame if she couldn't stand up on her own?
She was just curious, "I remember that Awan and that tall and strong lady didn't have a good relationship. How come they are still exchanging letters now?"
Miao Wan chuckled, "I asked her to find something for me. If she could find it, she would exchange it for the recipe from Qianjinlou. She would calculate the cost and think she had made a fortune, so now she treats me very warmly."
She was always thinking about potatoes, corn, peanuts, and most importantly - peppers!
Dogwood oil is still not as delicious as chili peppers. She has missed that spicy taste for too long.
At this time, peppers may have been used as landscape plants in the yards of some nobles.
Su Rina is the princess of Beimeng, and her mother's family is aristocratic family from the Western Regions, so she is the best person to find these things.
For Su Rina, getting the recipe for shower gel or soap would be like money falling from the sky... no, gold falling from the sky.
In addition, Wuliangha had already obtained tens of thousands of taels of profit from Qianjinlou. Su Rina now realized that this was the God of Wealth, and he was the God of Wealth who would distribute gold at any time.
There may also be a sense of "the farther you go, the worse you get". The two of them exchanged letters, and Miao Wan wanted to please a woman like Lu Chenxi, so she knew how to tickle the other person's sore spot.
Looking at the goldfish that the other party hired a craftsman to carve for her for free, it was clear that the relationship between the two had warmed up a lot, which made Bayin stunned and he kept suspecting that his sister-in-law was possessed by an evil spirit.
Only Qiao Shengwen heard it and thought that the word "feel" was interesting. He smiled lightly and said nothing.
Let’s get back to the present.
Miao Wan and her mother-in-law were not strong enough, and no matter how weak Qiao Shengwen was, he was still a man, so Taotao was in his grandfather's arms, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked hand in hand, along with Madam Zhang, around the screen wall and to the back.
This house may have not been lived in for a long time, and the second door is dilapidated. Zhang Dazhuang pushed it from the front, and it fell to the ground with a "bang".
Taotao was so frightened that he shuddered violently. Qiao Shengwen quickly comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay. If the old one doesn't go away, the new one won't come. I'll buy Taotao a new door later."
Mrs. Zhang patted Zhang Dazhuang, and he touched his nose and opened the other door more carefully.
Fortunately, the space inside the second courtyard is still not small. Its length is half of the current size of Qiao's house, and its width is much wider than Qiao's house. It is a layout of the main house and side houses on the left and right. There is a rockery in the courtyard and there are hanging flower gates on both sides.
"This should be where we live, right?" Miao Wan leaned over and glanced back, but couldn't see where the door to the back was.
"My parents live in the main courtyard, my husband and I live in the east courtyard, and the west courtyard..."
Because she hadn't seen the backyard, Miao Wan wasn't sure whether the west courtyard was for the servants to live in, or whether it could be vacated for Qiao Rui and Taotao to live in. After all, it was impossible for these two children to live on their own now.
"There are also side rooms in the main courtyard. Let Xiaorui and Taotao live with us in the main courtyard. If the back courtyard is too small, the others can live in the west courtyard. If there is enough space, the west courtyard can be used as a warehouse and your workplace." Geng said in a gentle voice, pointing to the alley between the main courtyard and the side courtyard.
"The gate is at the back of the main courtyard. Usually the three-story buildings are relatively small, mostly used as laundry rooms and servants' quarters."
Everyone walked around the main house and took a look, and sure enough, it was there.
Compared with the front, the third courtyard is only the size of a palm. It is quite wide, but the aisles are very narrow. The main house and the side rooms on the left and right are a bit similar to the back houses, which are relatively dense and a bit low.
Seeing some disdain on Miao Wan's face, Geng explained in a low voice, "This is because we're afraid we won't be able to hear what's happening in the main household up ahead, and it'll also make it easier for us to go back and forth on duty. We'll just build it better when we rebuild the house."
In fact, the living quarters and laundry facilities provided for servants are generally not well-maintained. It is unreasonable for servants to live as comfortably as their masters.
Miao Shiren didn't expect this kind of difference. He just thought that if someone lived in here, it would probably be affected psychologically, which would definitely affect their work.
That's absolutely not possible!
She thought for a moment and called out to Lin Dazhi, "It's uninhabitable like this anyway. Uncle, please take a good look at it. I'll have someone give you the keys later. You'll have to come and measure the space and do the work. This house probably needs a major renovation. Do you think we can just leave it without disturbing the foundation?"
Lin Dazhi nodded. "The bricks and tiles used here are all good quality. The foundation is probably well laid. It's just that no one has lived in the house for so long that it's deteriorating. When the time comes, we can just pick out the usable bricks and tiles and buy some new ones. It should take about the same amount of work as when we built your original house."
There is no need to worry about the soil freezing, you can start working as soon as you speak.
After the Chinese New Year, there were no short-term jobs for other people, so I could find a lot of people and invite them to move in within a month.
Miao Wan clapped her hands, "That's great. I'll go back and draw it... Ask Dad to draw the blueprints. We'll finish tidying up the house as soon as possible. If possible, we can get my uncle and his family to move in before the Tile Market opens. Then we can focus on business."
Qiao Shengwen and Geng looked at each other and shook their heads in a helpless manner. Their daughter-in-law had arranged everything for their two uncles too clearly. Fortunately, the Ruan family was good-tempered, otherwise they would have cried in front of her.
After looking at the new house, the group of people gained a lot of knowledge and walked out satisfied.
Miao Wan felt a little regretful. "In our house, it's probably difficult to build a tent as big as the one we have in the courtyard now. It won't be easy for everyone to get together like we do on New Year's Eve in the future."
Qiao Shengwen had an idea. "Actually, the East and West courtyards look quite large. Judging from the width of the hanging flower gate, there should be a small garden inside. We can fill in the West courtyard and use it to set up tents."
Miao Wan thought for a moment and said, "Dad is right. I just wanted to make some toys for Taotao and the others, but I'm worried they might get damaged by strong winds and rain. I can put them in the tent and throw the kids in there. They won't need too many people watching over them. Just give them some water and food from time to time."
Everyone: "..." Why does it feel like you're raising a child like raising a dog?
When they reached the door, Qiao Ruichen just got off his horse. Seeing Miao Wan, his eyes lit up, "Awan."
Yang couldn't help but laugh, "These two are getting closer and closer. They can't be apart for a moment. Whenever they see each other, there's no one else in their eyes."
Geng looked at her son and daughter-in-law with a smile. When she saw her son greet the elders with red ears after hearing Yang's joke, she felt a little touched and nostalgic.
"My mother seemed to have said the same thing many years ago."
Madam Zhang: “…”
Yang: “…”
I always feel like every word you say is filled with a huge jar of vinegar... and you feed it to us.
The author has something to say:
Miao Shiren: My mother-in-law is pretending perfectly this time!
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This chapter randomly drops red envelopes~
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