The root cause is that they don't have mutton from northern Xinjiang, nor do they have enough sheep to graze on the grasslands.
If all the previous methods were just about making small money, then the unique mutton is about making big money. Opening a shop is about maximizing overall profits and even creating a new Fengjing brand.
This is the final step Zheng Ruqian mentioned.
The journey from one to one hundred coins was fraught with difficulties, from one hundred coins to one hundred taels of silver, and finally, the mastery of one thousand taels and ten thousand taels of silver.
As temperatures in Fengjing reached their peak, the siblings' wallets were bulging like never before.
"Little Tiger, it's so hot at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Does that mean autumn is coming?" Jiang Sheng looked up from the stack of account books, her dark eyes unfocused.
Zheng Ruqian reached out and patted the back of her head, and her vision gradually became clear.
"Second Brother!" Jiang Sheng called out angrily.
"I'm trying to help you." Zheng Ruqian shrank back and hid behind Xu Mo.
The weather was too hot, so the Hanlin Academy thoughtfully extended the rest days and even provided ice subsidies.
That's why working for the country is so great. While others rest and don't earn money, he earns money and can still rest.
"Alright, stop fooling around." Xu Mo put down the pen and paper. "I wrote a reply to the third brother. Do you want to hear it?"
The brother and sister, who had just been glaring at each other, nodded in unison.
"Third brother, I am delighted to receive your letter. I am pleased to hear of your repeated victories and to learn that you have been promoted from captain to general. In fact, I should pay my respects to you. It is truly an honor."
"General Jiang's words are true. It is difficult to get promoted in the military. I hope you can put aside your worries, accept the help of your relatives and friends, and use your own abilities to help the people and contribute to the peace of the world."
"Fang Yuan was sentenced to beheading for cheating in the imperial examination. By the time you receive the news, the matter may have already been settled, but this is not the end of the story, nor can it be determined by the naked eye."
"Time is running out, for you, for me, and for Fifth Brother as well."
Time is running out; this is a signal.
The journey between Fengjing and northern Xinjiang is long, and I hope that this letter will bring unexpected benefits.
Xu Mo bent down to fold the paper, carefully put it into the envelope, and then sealed it with wax.
Zheng Ruqian took it without hesitation, and didn't even need to ask the traveling merchants to carry it. He simply had the people transporting sheep to Shangjun take it and hand it over to the long-term workers from Anshuijun who were delivering the meat.
"What are we going to do next, big brother?" Jiang Sheng asked crisply.
Xu Mo turned around, "Wait for the beheading."
As the autumn heatwave intensified, the imperial examination cheating case, which had been shelved for half a year, passed its review and was carried out on August 8th at Caishikou.
The news sent shockwaves through the entire city of Fengjing.
There are death row inmates every year, but this year's are especially distinguished.
The eldest son of a prestigious family, and one of the most outstanding figures in Fengjing, was now standing in the prison cart with his hands shackled and his hair disheveled.
Still seething with anger, the scholars and students somehow found rotten vegetable leaves and eggs, and were smashing them with all their might.
The advantage is that it looks very lively.
The downside is that it can easily harm innocent people.
After dodging the swirling rotten vegetable leaves for the fourth time, Jiang Sheng decided to stand behind Zheng Ruqian. "Big brother, is the person in the prison cart really Fang Yuan?"
Xu Mo stared intently into the distance, "Yes, and no."
Based on the previous analysis, Fang Yuan would not surrender easily and would surely rack his brains to escape.
However, prisoners need to be examined before execution, and with so many eyes watching, it is extremely easy to find flaws.
Xu Mo was not omnipotent, nor did he know how to slip away before the execution. He only knew that no matter if the prisoner in front of him was Fang Yuan, the one who was going to die was not him.
The brother and sister moved lightly, following the people of Fengjing to the entrance of the market.
The Prefect of Fengtian had already set up the execution platform and guillotine. After verifying the prisoner's identity, the executioner pushed him to the main entrance of the market, where he would be beheaded at lunchtime.
No one from the Fang family came; only Madam Zhu arrived, sobbing, and was supported by Wang Yuyao, whose eyes were red.
Some people condemned the Fang family for being cold-blooded and ruthless, while others understood the large family's intention to protect itself.
But in any case, when it comes to family affection, the father seems to be much less important than the mother.
"It's noon," someone muttered.
The Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture pulled out his execution warrant and slammed it to the ground. "Kill!"
At noon, the soul returns to its fate.
Zhu cried until she collapsed, and even the maids and servants couldn't help her up.
The executioner raised his long sword high, its sharp blade reflecting the blinding sunlight, momentarily squinting everyone's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, with a flash of white light, the tattered head rolled off, its eyes wide open and its expression bewildered.
Zhu cried out, "My son..." before falling silent.
The people who couldn't bear it turned their heads away, and even Jiang Sheng's eyes were covered by a pair of large hands.
“No, no.” She pried her hands open. “I’m not afraid.”
Fang Yuan has harmed so many innocent students, and the Fang family has oppressed countless accomplices. Even if they die, they deserve it.
Not only was she unafraid, she also opened her eyes wide and watched as the head rolled three times on the ground before a jet of blood gushed from the empty neck.
High surge, dripping.
It's like a comfort to tireless students from poor families, and also a warning to all opportunists.
Xu Mo let out a long sigh, unsure whether it was for the spirited Young Master Fang of yesteryear or for the upcoming changes in the court.
In the past six months, the He family has had frequent friction with the Jiang and Dou families, and they almost came to blows in the imperial court.
The He family alone could not compete with the Jiang and Dou families, but with the help of the Ju family in the early stages, and the Jiang and Dou families developing their own rifts later on, they have gradually formed a three-way balance of power.
If we include the Fang family, it should be four-legged.
The He family was the weakest among them, yet they were the most arrogant, showing no respect to anyone and charging ahead recklessly.
Everyone assumed the old father had gone mad from anger at his son's homosexual tendencies, unaware that danger was quietly approaching.
Three days.
Those who are beheaded can only be retrieved three days later.
Xu Mo didn't know how Fang Yuan escaped, nor could he find him. He could only resort to the most rudimentary but direct method—examining the body.
Zheng Ruqian hired the most skilled coroner in Fengjing at a high price. He pretended to be a blind man who had fallen while passing by. While groping around, he touched a skull and found the key to the problem.
This person's bone structure and age were similar to Fang Yuan's, but he was not Fang Yuan. Instead, he was wearing a man-made mask to make his facial features and face shape resemble Fang Yuan's. Coupled with his disheveled appearance, he was truly difficult to distinguish.
Or perhaps the executioner responsible for discerning the truth was bribed to deliberately confuse the real with the fake.
Regardless of the cause, the person who died wasn't Fang Yuan, and that's enough.
Xu Mo's eyes gleamed. After the Fang family had collected and buried the body, he wrote a petition, which Jiang Jizong presented on the spot in the Golden Palace.
"Your Majesty, I have discovered by chance that the young master of the Fang family impersonated a death row inmate and escaped punishment. This act is tantamount to defying imperial authority and provoking scholars throughout the land. I implore Your Majesty to uphold the authority and dignity of the emperor and restore justice to the scholars..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
