Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Gu Yushi is also in Yangzhou City?
==Chapter 17==
After returning to Zhou's house and seeing Feng Wenzhou, Feng Wenyu finally had someone to confide in about his resentment.
She has always been favored, and even in the capital, few people embarrass her.
Feng Wenyu sat on a stool in Wen Mo Hall and complained about what happened today. She and Feng Wenzhou were born of the same mother and there were almost no secrets between them.
Feng Wenzhou is a man of few words and he listens to Feng Wenyu the most in the family. Even their mother cannot hope to get Feng Wenyu's secrets from him.
Feng Wenyu finished complaining, looking puzzled:
"I really don't understand what they're thinking. Are they worried that I'll use this favor to pester the Pei family?"
Feng Wenyu really couldn't understand it, and there was nothing in the Pei Mansion worth her attention.
She didn't stay in Yangzhou City for long at all and was just a passer-by in Pei Mansion.
Prefect Pei will have to return to the capital sooner or later. What's the difference between offending her at this time and offending the Feng family?
You should know that her father worked in the Ministry of Personnel, and all appointments and transfers of officials were approved by the Ministry of Personnel.
Feng Wenzhou frowned. He knew more about court affairs than Feng Wenyu. When Feng Wenyu mentioned Prefect Pei, Pei Xuzhu's background emerged in his mind. Before they went to Yangzhou, he wrote down the information.
After all, his provincial examination was approaching, and he was in Yangzhou preparing for it, so it was impossible for him to avoid Pei Xuzhu, the local official.
However, after carefully considering the background of Pei Zhifu, he still couldn't figure out why the Pei Mansion did this. His tone was a little depressed:
"Prefect Pei has no faction in the court, so there's no reason for the Pei family to do this."
If it was a conflict between parties, it would be easy to explain. However, Prefect Pei had no faction, so he should not have offended anyone in the officialdom.
There was obviously something strange about the Pei Mansion's behavior.
Feng Wenyu sat up straighter. She thought more deeply and couldn't help but frowned:
"The ranking of the provincial examination must be approved by the local prefect."
Feng Wenzhou was not worried about this. He said, "The examiners for this provincial examination will be announced in a month. They will be the chief examiners, and the local prefects will only be assistants."
Moreover, if Prefect Pei really tampered with his test paper or deliberately adjusted his ranking, it would be tantamount to making a mortal enemy with the Feng family.
Prefect Pei may not have the courage to do so.
What he is wondering now is whether something unexpected has happened in Yangzhou City?
Thinking of this, Feng Wenzhou looked up at Feng Wenyu and told her his thoughts. Feng Wenyu sat up directly. She no longer thought about Mrs. Pei's attitude. She pursed her lips and said:
"During this period, I will go out often with my aunt, so you can focus on preparing for the exam."
If there were any changes in the officialdom of Yangzhou, it would naturally not be hidden from her partner, and those female relatives were her best source of information.
But Feng Wenyu didn't expect that she only had to go to the main courtyard, and Mrs. Lu told her the reason:
"misfortune?"
"Speaking of the changes in Yangzhou City, the only thing that mattered was the Imperial Envoy."
Feng Wenyu almost thought she had misheard. She couldn't help but ask, "Aunt, did you say the imperial envoy?"
Mrs. Lu was a little surprised to see her so shocked:
"Don't you know, Ayu?"
"The imperial envoy and his entourage came from the capital, arriving only half a month earlier than you did."
Feng Wenyu would rather not know.
Imperial envoy, Yangzhou, arrived only half a month earlier than her. Putting all this information together, who else could it be except Gu Yushi and his party?
Because she and Gu Yushi had broken off their engagement, she deliberately did not ask where Gu Yushi had gone in Jiangnan. Who would have thought that she and Gu Yushi had come to the same place.
If she had known this would happen, she would have stayed in the capital.
When Madam Lu mentioned the imperial envoy, there was a hint of fear in her eyes. She shook her head and said, "The imperial envoy said he was investigating the salt merchants, but the imperial envoy has been here for half a month and there has been no movement. If you hadn't asked me today, I would have almost forgotten about it."
Hearing this, Feng Wenyu's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
Madam Lu continued, "But it's true. I heard that this imperial envoy was only a fifth-rank official when he was in the capital. How could he interfere in the affairs of the salt merchants? I think for the sake of self-preservation, he would also want to spend these days in peace and return home early to report."
Feng Wenyu forced a smirk. Based on her understanding of Gu Yushi, he was definitely not the kind of person who would play it safe as Mrs. Lu said.
Just based on what Gu Yushi said when he broke off the engagement, he had already prepared for this dangerous journey.
Born in such a family, Feng Wenyu couldn't possibly be completely without any political sensitivity. She knew very well that Gu Yushi was an imperial envoy and he shouldn't be so low-key.
He was so low-key that people forgot his existence. Feng Wenyu could only think of one reason - Gu Yushi was lowering the vigilance of some people.
So what role does the Pei Mansion play in this?
Seeing that Feng Wenyu's face was not very good, Madam Lu patted her head and shook her head and laughed:
"Look at me, why are you saying this? It has nothing to do with us anyway."
Thinking of today's disappointing banquet, Mrs. Lu suggested, "You haven't been back to Yangzhou for a long time. How about asking your cousin to take you to the Twenty-Four Bridges tomorrow?"
Feng Wenyu's first thought was to refuse:
"My cousin is preparing for the exam. How can he delay his studies because of me?"
Madam Lu didn't like to hear this: "It's only one day, what can I waste? It's decided. Your mother handed you over to me, and I must return her a happy daughter."
Feng Wenyu's words were blocked, and she replied to Wen Shiyuan absentmindedly.
She has no mood to go out for fun.
Yangzhou City was unexpectedly involved in the salt merchant case. It is unclear how long the apparent calm can last.
Feng Wenyu couldn't help but feel worried, not knowing whether it would affect this year's provincial examination.
******
There is no curfew in Yangzhou City. Sunset is also the busiest time in Yangzhou City. There are lines of pleasure boats on the lakeside and river lanterns fill the lake, making the whole Yangzhou seem like a city that never sleeps. What a luxurious scene.
Yunyan Tower.
As the largest brothel in Yangzhou City, it was already extremely noisy before late at night.
Actors shuttled among the light gauze curtains, and from time to time the sound of silk strings could be heard. As soon as people stepped into the building, they seemed to sense the charming scent in the air, which made them unable to extricate themselves.
After Mother Qiu had packed up, she walked from the backyard to the door and saw a group of rich young men coming towards her. Her eyes lit up instantly.
She likes this group of young men the most. They are ignorant, thin-skinned, and care about face.
Whenever you come here, you have to leave behind a hundred or eighty taels of silver.
Especially when she saw Mr. Li in the crowd, Mother Qiu couldn't hide the smile on her face. She hurried forward and raised her voice:
"Hey, Mr. Li, you haven't been here for a while. Liu Yan has been talking about you several times."
The Master Li she mentioned was wearing a Su brocade robe, a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and a jade crown tying his hair. Judging from his appearance, he was quite a handsome man. When he heard what Mother Qiu said, he raised his eyebrows and smiled:
"In that case, let's ask her to accompany us today."
Young Master Li was a frequent visitor to Yunyan Tower. He went straight to the second floor and said to Mother Qiu, "Oh, this is my first time here. Call Wu Yu over. If she can serve our Young Master Zhou well, she will definitely give her a reward."
Only then did Mother Qiu notice that there was a young man standing next to Master Li who was unfamiliar to her. He looked to be no more than twenty years old and had the appearance of a handsome young man. Although there were few good people hanging out with Master Li, she could tell at a glance that this young man was still a novice. Although his eyes were looking at the actor, his ears were red.
Mother Qiu felt relieved, and her smile grew wider. "So it's Master Zhou. Master Zhou, don't worry. Wu Yu is the top performer in our Yunyan Tower, and she will definitely not let you down."
Zhou Chiyu entered the private room and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Li Fengqing and the people around him exchanged a subtle glance, and someone immediately said jokingly:
"Why does Mr. Zhou look like he's never seen this before?"
Zhou Chiyu felt a little uneasy, feeling that he had looked down upon him. He glanced at the man coldly and said, "Nothing like your family's lax management."
This was a veiled curse on the other person's poor upbringing, and the man's face turned pale for a moment.
Li Fengqing tapped the person who was speaking with his fan:
"Look at you, you can't even speak."
Li Fengqing smiled and looked at Zhou Chiyu: "Ignore him, you'll have to see it for yourself later, it will be worth the trip."
As they were talking, there was a knock on the door. Actresses in thin skirts sat down around everyone with sweet smiles on their faces. Zhou Chiyu also saw the one called Wu Yu. In terms of appearance alone, none of the actors in the room could compare to her.
She is worthy of being the top star of Yunyan Tower.
The person sat down beside him, with a faint fragrance coming from her body. Wu Yu lowered her eyes slightly, and her voice seemed to be hooked: "Sir, I offer you a drink."
After two glasses of wine and with a beautiful woman in his arms, Zhou Chiyu couldn't help but forget himself for a moment.
It was not until he caught a glimpse of the silver note that Li Fengqing stuffed into Liu Yan's hands, and Wu Yu looked at him with faint expectation in her eyes, that Zhou Chiyu suddenly woke up, and there was a hint of cold sweat on his back.
He was raised by his stepmother, but his monthly allowance was fixed.
Seeing that Li Fengqing had given a hundred taels of silver as a reward, Zhou Chiyu couldn't help but curse in his heart, "Is Li Fengqing crazy?!"
He only had a little over one hundred taels of silver on him, which was the monthly salary he had saved for half a year, plus the allowance his grandmother gave him on a daily basis.
He drank more and more, and when he saw the wine bottles on the ground, Zhou Chiyu didn't dare to think about how much the meal would cost.
As soon as he stopped moving, Wu Yu bit her lip, her dark eyebrows slightly furrowed, and asked pitifully, "But I didn't serve you well?"
Everyone looked over, but Zhou Chiyu was too embarrassed to stop because he was too proud to do so.
Li Fengqing seemed to have sensed something. He chuckled and said, "I'm inviting Brother Zhou to drink today. I'll cover all expenses. Brother Zhou, please don't be polite."
Zhou Chiyu couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed when Li Fengqing exposed the fact that he had no money, but he had to admit that he felt relieved.
After three rounds of drinking, Zhou Chiyu was a little drunk. Li Fengqing came up to him and deliberately lowered his voice:
"Brother Zhou, do you know why I have so much money?"
Before Zhou Chiyu could say anything, Li Fengqing took out something from his arms. When Zhou Chiyu saw clearly what was in Li Fengqing's hand, his eyes widened involuntarily.
Salt permit?
Now a pound of official salt costs three hundred coins, and the value of this salt permit is almost equal to his father's annual salary.
Li Fengqing continued, "What can I do with the little money the government gives me? If it weren't for someone's filial piety, how could I be so happy?"
As he spoke, he slapped the salt permit into Zhou Chiyu's hand and said, "Brother Zhou, take this. Consider it a gift from me."
Zhou Chiyu held the salt permit in his hand, and his heart couldn't help but pound.
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