Chapter 086 The target is Xingyuan Prefecture
Sure enough, when the team was marching to noon, while everyone was resting in place, Zhao Bantou rushed over in a hurry.
Although he walked steadily and his brows were motionless, the eagerness in his eyes betrayed his mood.
"Xu Xiaomei!" Zhao Bantou walked over enthusiastically and stuffed two steamed buns into Xu Qingying's hands.
Recently, she had more money on hand and the food had improved. Xu Qingying also consciously or unconsciously tried to consume more protein and carbohydrates, so she actually gained weight during her exile.
However, due to the wind and sun, the skin is no longer as white and delicate as when it first set out, and has become slightly darker.
When Xu Degui and Xu Huiming, father and son, saw that Zhao Bantou had indeed come to see Xu Qingying as she had said, they admired Xu Qingying's foresight.
After receiving Xu Qingying's signal, the father and son tacitly led the idle people around to the side, leaving them space to talk.
Zhao Bantou had learned to speak in an official tone this time. He came up and asked with concern, "Xu Xiaomei, the soap recipe is lost. Are you really not worried at all?"
Xu Qingying laughed in her heart, thinking that this old fox could no longer sit still. It was probably because the two people she sent out last night returned empty-handed and found no trace of Huang Yazi, so he got away.
Who asked you to be a fence-sitter?
It’s not easy to be a fence-sitter for me, Xu Zhenying.
Xu Qingying sighed, "What's the point of getting anxious? The recipe is lost, so let it be. No matter how valuable it is, it's nothing compared to my sister's innocence."
Zhao Bantou was extremely anxious, but he couldn't show it on his face. "But the recipe is lost. Huang Yazi will definitely sell it to someone else. Then how can we make soap and sell it?"
"Just do it!"
"Ah!" Zhao Bantou slapped his thigh. "My dear sister, you seem so smart on weekdays, but how come you are so confused at the critical moment? Don't you think about it? That recipe, Huang Yazi must be sold for tens of thousands of taels at least. Who among the families who can afford tens of thousands of taels is not connected to the court? If they get the recipe and find that there is still soap on the market, won't they send people to wipe out our nest? Who knows, they might even put a few accusations on our heads and lock us all up to eliminate dissidents!"
Xu Qingying ate the steamed bun calmly, thinking to herself that Zhao Bantou was now aware of his anxiety. Why did he seem to want to protect Huang Yazi in words and deeds last night?
It’s okay to protect your own men, but Huang Yazi must be eliminated.
But getting rid of Huang Yazi is impossible without Zhao Bantou's approval.
Let Zhao Bantou be anxious for a while longer.
Xu Qingying said quietly, "If that's the case, then we can only blame our bad luck. We weren't destined to have such good fortune. But why are you so anxious, Brother Zhao? I wouldn't be worried even if I lost a few thousand taels of silver. I didn't lose much money either. At worst, I can just consider it a waste of time. Anyway, I've paid out all the money I'm supposed to."
Zhao Bantou felt that Xu Qingying was stubborn. She didn't lose money, but he still wanted to make money!
Seeing the huge sum of money slipping away from his hands, Zhao Bantou was so anxious that he couldn't sleep all night and his hair almost turned white.
If he hadn't considered that Xu Qingying would have to support this business in the future, he would have even wanted to turn against Xu Qingying last night and stop her from giving the recipe to Huang Yazi.
Zhao Bantou was regretting it so much at this moment. It was all his fault that he was hesitant and missed the opportunity!
If he had reacted quickly enough last night, he should have confronted Xu Qingying directly, and the two of them should have teamed up to kill Huang Yazi. This way, they could have saved the recipe and helped Xu Yinxi, killing two birds with one stone! But he missed the opportunity because of his hesitation!
As for the yellow tooth...
This time, Zhao Bantou really hated him.
Well, he didn't consider himself a strict leader. He rewarded and punished his brothers accordingly. He didn't keep much of the money he made from the soap business, but shared most of it with his brothers. Where could he find a leader like him?
Unexpectedly, this Huang Yazi is a good-for-nothing. He is so greedy that he dares to cut off their source of income.
I should have been ruthless last night and killed the person to silence him!
Anyway, there are accidents happening to escorts on the way to exile every year. When the time comes, they just fill out some paperwork and who will hold them accountable?
Since Huang Yazi can do it on the first day, why can't he do it on the fifteenth?
Zhao Bantou thought about it for a long time, and he wanted to come up with a reason immediately to make Xu Qingying anxious. If Xu Qingying didn't take action, how could he think of a solution?
How can we get Xu Qingying on board?
It would be best if the two of them worked together to deal with Huang Yazi.
Zhao Bantou racked his brains and suddenly caught a glimpse of Xu Qingying out of the corner of his eye.
The girl was munching on a steamed bun calmly, holding a branch in her other hand and practicing calligraphy leisurely on the sand.
Her movements were neither hurried nor slow, revealing a sense of elegance. It seemed that when she was around, the wind became lighter, the clouds became thinner, and time seemed to slow down.
Zhao Qiaonian became more and more anxious and angry. It was really true that if the emperor was not anxious, the eunuch would die!
He snatched the branch from her hand and said angrily, "Xu Xiaomei, you must come up with a solution for me today. Let's work together to get the recipe back!"
Xu Qingying said slowly, "Huang Yazi has already run away. What can we do about this? I advise Brother Zhao to be more calm. What is destined to happen will happen eventually. Don't force it if it is not destined to happen."
"I'm going to force it!" Zhao Qiaonian didn't dare lose his temper with Xu Qingying, so he had to humble himself and make some conditions. "Miss Xu, you're smart, help me think of a solution. As long as I get this soap recipe back, from now on... from now on, you can command the people in our escort team as you like, and we only want a penny of profit! And... and..."
Zhao Qiaonian looked at the smiling Xu Qingying and finally made a decision. "If Huang Yazi is caught, you can do whatever you want with him. If I, Zhao Qiaonian, say anything, I won't be a man!"
"Okay." Xu Qingying finally looked more serious this time. She stood up and patted the dirt off her hands. "The money isn't important. The main thing is that Huang Yazi dared to bully my Xu family like this. I have to help my fourth sister get justice. But since Zhao Bantou asked for only a share of the profits, I can't refuse. For the sake of our brother and sister relationship, I have to help."
After hearing this, Zhao Bantou was delighted, but after a moment, he felt that Xu Qingying's words were very strange, and something didn't seem right no matter how he listened to them.
Xu Huiming, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but be convinced. "My sister's strategy of retreating to advance is truly eye-opening. Now even Zhao Bantou wants to deal with Huang Yazi. I'm afraid Huang Yazi won't be able to escape."
Xu Degui also sighed, "Your sister said this tactic is also called driving the tiger to devour the wolf. Now Zhao Bantou has no choice but to join us in dealing with Huang Yazi. This shows that people only become anxious when their own interests are harmed."
Xu Huiming saw Xu Qingying waving at him, so he hurried over and bowed to Zhao Bantou. Then he heard Xu Qingying say, "In that case, please write a letter and ask Miss Qi from Xingyuan Prefecture to help us find Huang Yazi first. Once we enter the city and sell the soap, we can go look for her at the largest inn in Xingyuan Prefecture."
Xu Huiming was suspicious. Wasn’t this letter written last night?
But seeing Xu Qingying's serious look, he could only quickly agree and got into the carriage sent by Miss Qi Er.
At the bottom of the box, the letter written last night was intact. Xu Huiming took it out, read it again, and then put it back into the envelope. He hesitated for a while before walking out of the carriage.
He heard the voice of Zhao Bantou: "Xu Xiaomei, are you really sure you can find Huang Yazi?"
"Let's give it a try. Huang Yazi wants to get rid of the recipe as soon as possible, and the first choice is Miss Qi from Xingyuan Mansion. Let's try it out, just in case we catch the person."
Zhao Bantou could only nod, thinking that her method was better than searching the entire mountain for someone, so he said, "That's the only way. Besides, there's no other way right now."
Xu Huiming interrupted them at the right moment and handed the letter to Zhao Bantou. Xu Qingying instructed, "Zhao Bantou, don't waste time. Send someone to Xingyuan Prefecture to deliver the letter immediately. Otherwise, Huang Yazi will escape if it's too late."
Zhao Bantou nodded immediately and immediately found his men to escape.
Zhao Bantou was a cautious person. Before the messenger left, he opened the envelope and saw that the content inside was exactly as Xu Qingying said, which was to ask Miss Qi Er to calm Huang Yazi down when she saw him and wait for them to come and take him back.
But afterwards, Zhao Bantou always felt that something was wrong.
It wasn't until some time in the afternoon that he suddenly realized what was happening.
That letter paper... doesn't have any smell of ink!
It was obviously a letter that had been air-dried for a long time.
Thinking about the cause and effect of the matter and Xu Qingying's always calm look, Zhao Bantou finally realized it belatedly.
It’s over, Xu Qingying’s trick again.
That girl didn't intend to use him to get rid of Huang Yazi from the beginning, right?
Zhao Bantou carefully recalled every detail of last night's conversation. If he observed more carefully, he would find that after he spoke for Huang Yazi and criticized Xu Qingying, Xu Qingying seemed to be a little lukewarm towards him.
Later on, they paid money, offered prescriptions, and bargained. It seemed that the whole situation was being controlled by Xu Qingying.
Zhao Qiaonian just didn't believe it. Could it be that Xu Qingying was really an immortal who didn't care about hundreds of thousands of taels of silver?
Zhao Qiaonian was so angry that he immediately stood up and wanted to find Xu Qingying to argue.
But after taking a few steps, my sanity returned.
He had already said it this morning, that he only wanted one percent of the profit. To be honest, he also thought that he could only get one percent of the profit. What would it look like to say it now?
Xu Qingying probably thought he was going to go back on his word.
After thinking it over, Zhao Bantou retracted his steps.
Forget it, forget it. Zhao Bantou has finally realized that although Xu Qingying seems easy to talk to on the surface, she is actually difficult to get along with.
Well, he just felt that the matter of Huang Yazi was a personal moral issue, so he had someone beat Huang Yazi up, which was considered as an explanation to Xu Qingying.
If Xu Qingying had been more sensible, he would not have held on to this matter. Unexpectedly, the other party actually framed him step by step. Now all his brothers knew that Huang Yazi had run away with Fangzi, and he had no choice but to deal with Huang Yazi.
When Zhao Qiaonian thought about it carefully, he felt a chill on his back.
He had to think deeper. What if Xu Qingying's intention from the beginning was to use him to get rid of Huang Yazi?
But wasn't she worried about the recipe being leaked? Or did she already have other plans?
Could a thirteen-year-old girl really come up with such a way of controlling people's hearts?
No, that's not an ordinary girl.
That's simply a monster.
The person is more virtuous than you, but instead of bowing his head, he wants to compete with this monster Xu Qingying?
At this point, Zhao Bantou completely gave up and gave up the desire to fight with Xu Qingying.
Compared to those people in the Xu family who were concerned about Huang Yazi's whereabouts, Xu Qingying seemed very busy.
She had to travel during the day and supervise at night. The cooled alkaline water needed to be stirred, and she was the only one who knew the suitable ratio of each ingredient, so she was destined to be the only one to complete the final process.
But this time, she brought one more person, Feng'er.
When Feng'er heard that she was the only one chosen to go through the final step of making soap, she jumped for joy. She had become more steady following Xu Qingying in the past few days, but she still looked innocent in front of Xu Qingying.
Feng'er also knows that the most important thing about soap is the mixing ratio.
Because someone in the camp had secretly studied it before, and when they made the same thing, it either didn't take shape or didn't coagulate at all.
Of course, this kind of thing could not escape Feng'er's eyes.
Feng'er had reported this matter to Xu Qingying a long time ago, but Xu Qingying didn't take it seriously. Her face was calm and she said bluntly that they couldn't do it.
Although Feng'er didn't understand, she chose to believe Xu Qingying and let those people do whatever they wanted, as long as they didn't go too far.
Ever since Feng'er was entrusted with an important task by Xu Qingying, this girl has been determined to prove herself. As long as Xu Qingying opens her mouth, Feng'er can do things beautifully.
Even her whole person seemed to be more energetic and courageous than when she was a maid. She dared to argue with people in person and knew that some things needed to be solved in a roundabout way.
Xu Qingying was very pleased.
She deeply realized one thing: history cannot give women any chance, otherwise women will definitely seize this little chance and create another magnificent world.
Ever since Feng'er knew that Xu Qingying was going to give her the secret recipe of soap, she was certain in her heart: she had become Miss Xu's number one confidant.
Although people can be cruel sometimes, the me who followed Qian Zhenniang around and lived under other people's roofs a dozen days ago seems like a thing of my first half of life.
Feng'er seems to be busier than Xu Qingying these days.
During the day, she had to study with Xu Qingying. While Xu Qingying was studying the Four Books and Five Classics, she also assigned her and Qian Zhenniang a set of exercises called "Four Arithmetic Operations." In the evening, she had to learn accounting with Qian Zhenniang.
Feng'er was very grateful to Qian Zhenniang, who taught her almost everything she knew.
But she knew in her heart that the person she should be more grateful to and loyal to was Xu Qingying.
If Xu Qingying had not given her the opportunity, she would have been just a servant. How could she have had the opportunity to be exposed to such profound knowledge?
Even the master of the Fang family's main branch would come over from time to time to peek at them doing their homework, and then look meaningful. This made Feng'er even more certain that what Xu Qingying was teaching must be some profound knowledge!
Because Miss Xu had told her that she had never been blind, and that it was normal to feel that things didn't flow through her mind or she couldn't remember them when she first started learning something. There are no smart people in this world, only those who study hard and practice diligently. As long as you put in the effort, you can achieve success.
Feng'er doesn't understand the big principles, she just regards Xu Qingying's words as the imperial decree and truth.
Since Miss Xu said so, she would just do as Miss Xu said.
What Miss Xu said is definitely correct.
So Feng'er worked very hard these days, and recited what Xu Qingying taught her several times before going to bed every day until she fell into a deep sleep.
Feng'er was pleasantly surprised to find that the more she used her brain, the smarter it became.
In the past, she even struggled with addition and subtraction within ten, sometimes even needing to use her fingers to barely figure it out. But now, after just a few days, she can now fluently perform the four arithmetic operations within 100.
Feng Er was so grateful to Xu Qingying that she wished she could give her her life. So when she got on the carriage and saw the soap-making equipment, she immediately swore, "Miss Xu, I know this recipe is important. Don't worry, even if you beat me to death, I will never say a word."
Xu Qingying didn't completely trust Feng'er.
This person is the most fickle thing in the world. In her previous life, she had seen too many lovers who were willing to sacrifice their lives for each other when they were in love, and wanted to kill each other when they broke up. This also made Xu Qingying deeply understand the way to employ people.
Instead of demanding loyalty from your subordinates, it's better to give them the most commensurate benefits. Using benefits to attract sincerity, and sincerity in exchange for sincerity, is the long-term solution.
However, as Boss Xu was just starting out, she still had to learn how to win people over and make big promises. So she patted Feng'er on the shoulder and said, "Study hard. In the future, maybe I'll have to hand over the soap business to you."
Feng Er's face flushed with excitement. Her eyes no longer had the cautiousness they once had. Now they were filled with light and a yearning for the future. "Girl, I will study hard and I will never embarrass you!"
No, Xu Qingying was just fed up with working alone, but seeing Feng'er's enthusiasm, Xu Qingying had to give an encouraging smile. Then Feng'er really worked even harder as if she had been injected with chicken blood.
Oh, I really have the talent to be a capitalist.
I can relax for the rest of my life.
Xu Qingying sat in the carriage, telling Feng'er the amount of each ingredient to add while reading a book in her hand.
That is a travelogue.
Xu Qingying, who had enjoyed the modern fast-food book culture, naturally had no interest in these so-called travel notes and picture books from ancient times. However, Xu Qingying found that these books could be used to strengthen her memory of Zhou Dynasty characters.
Now she had almost no difficulty reading, but she still had some difficulty writing. There was no cheating when it came to writing; she had to practice diligently. Exile was a difficult time, so once she settled down, the first thing she had to do was practice her handwriting.
It would be nice if I didn't use a brush.
At least give me a pencil.
Xu Qingying was thinking about how to make a pencil. Isn't that thing very simple? With a craftsman and graphite, can't a simple pencil be made?
"Hey, hey, hey, only take the supernatant liquid from the alkaline water, otherwise it will affect flocculation. Pour out the turbid liquid at the bottom."
Xu Qingying gave a few pointers, and it turned out that one shouldn't take a break. Just after she sat down for a while, she saw Zhao Bantou coming towards her stealthily.
Xu Qingying guessed that it was the reply from Miss Qi Er.
Sure enough, Zhao Bantou came back with Ming Xiaoshuang.
Ming Xiaoshuang traveled for a whole day and night. First, he went all over the mountain to catch yellow teeth, and then he was assigned to ride at full speed to Xingyuan Mansion to find Qi Erniang. He was exhausted.
Ming Xiaoshuang came up and reported the general situation: "Miss Xu, I went directly to the largest inn in Xingyuan Prefecture and found Miss Qi Er. I handed the letter to her. She seemed to be trying to trick me, wanting to know why we stayed in the south when we said we were going north. But I pretended not to know. Miss Qi Er said that if she gave her two days, she would help you find this person."
Xu Qingying said, "Second Miss Qi is such a smart person, it's only a matter of time before we get caught."
But Zhao Bantou was worried about another problem: "What if Miss Qi captured Huang Yazi and Huang Yazi revealed the recipe to save his life?"
Xu Qingying disagreed and said with a smile, "Then I... can only trust the character of Miss Qi Er."
Zhao Bantou was stunned, and after a long while he said, "My dear sister, stop joking with me. It's hundreds of thousands of taels. It would be fine if we just sold it ourselves."
"Brother Zhao, why are you so anxious? Huang Yazi hasn't been found yet." Xu Qingying restrained her expression. Although she was smiling, her eyes were cold and frightening. "But this time, let's make it clear. Once Huang Yazi is found, I have the final say on what to do with him."
Zhao Bantou snorted coldly, "Of course. Huang Yazi doesn't treat me as a brother, so why should I treat him as a brother? Don't worry, Miss Xu, once we catch him, you can kill him or chop him up as you wish. I promise not to say a word."
With these words, Xu Qingying felt much more at ease.
Very good, now we can take action against Huang Yazi.
Since he dared to plot against her, she would naturally make Huang Yazi pay the price.
Taking into account all possible situations, Xu Qingying carefully selected the people who would enter the city this time.
Those who are skilled and can be intimidating include Zhao Bantou, Xu Huijia, Xu Degui, and Ming Xiaoshuang.
The one with a quick mind is Xu Huiming.
Fourth Aunt came over and mentioned to her that she should take Xu Anping to see the world more often in the future, and Xu Dekai agreed.
Xu Qingying naturally accepted the labor for free.
Feng'er must be taken care of. As for Qian Zhenniang, she needs to practice her temper more. Let's finish the chores in the house first.
Anping and Feng'er can work together to pretend to be her maids.
However, someone volunteered to come forward, which was beyond Xu Qingying's expectation.
This person is Fang Ningmo, the second daughter of the Fang family.
No one knew where this girl got the news from, but when she learned that Xu Qingying was going to Xingyuan Mansion to sell soap, she unexpectedly showed up uninvited, even smiling and putting her arm around Xu Qingying's shoulder: "Xu Qingying, I heard that your last soap selling experience was quite a rollercoaster. Don't think of abandoning me this time!"
Xu Qingying was very welcoming. Although Fang Ningmo was young, she had the support of a big family like the Fang family. She had received elite education since childhood and her behavior was naturally impeccable.
Not to mention anything else, just by standing there, the noble lady's demeanor cannot be underestimated.
"You're going with me?" Xu Qingying was a little skeptical. "Do your elders know about this? I remember... Old Master Fang said that no one in your family is allowed to engage in business. If Old Master Fang is reinstated, you will definitely have to return to Bianjing. If your friends knew that a young lady like you was selling soap in public, they would definitely laugh at you."
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