Min Nan was very interested and asked to go down, so Min Shan asked three maids to accompany her.
Madam Min looked at the colorful chessboard and smiled. "I've never seen this kind of chess before. Is it a new style in the capital?"
Minshan then explained that the game of Flying Bird Chess was invented by a brother and sister from the countryside, and this was the first set.
Mrs. Min was shocked. "A country kid has this ability?"
Min Bin then talked about Xu Lanyin's method of improving the chess pieces. "Masters are among the common people. Although the brother and sister were dressed in rags, they were clean and tidy, and their speech was eloquent. You could tell they were intelligent at first glance."
Madam Min nodded, pondered for a moment, and then smiled, "The old lady of the Shangshu Mansion will be sixty this winter, on the second day of the lunar month, so a grand celebration is needed. Winter weather is cold, and the young lady and the children can't enjoy the flowers or go boating. It's very boring to be bored inside the house. We should make a few more sets of these chess sets and send them to the Min Mansion in the capital. The guests will like them, and the Min Mansion can also promote this as a new chess game, which will be a big deal. However, we must not let anyone know beforehand."
Min Can was a relative of Min Lou, the Minister of Justice in the capital, and was already a distant relative. Although he had passed the imperial examination twice and failed to achieve the title of Jinshi, he was a man of action and a skilled strategist. He ingratiated himself with the head of the main branch, the Minister of Justice, and his mother, and was subsequently transferred to Nanping County as magistrate. If he performed well, he would be expected to rise further.
After hearing what Mrs. Min said, Min Shan's eyes also lit up.
Min Shan smiled and said, "Mother is really thoughtful. Let the Min Mansion in the capital spread this news. The old lady and the Min Madam will be very happy. Since they are the ones who are promoting it, let's not do this business for the time being. The chess pieces we send must be made more exquisitely and beautifully. I will personally supervise the chess making and then personally deliver it to the capital." He added, "Luckily, I invited a few people from the Xu family to have lunch at the mansion. I will send someone to tell them not to make this kind of chess pieces and not to say anything. The five taels of silver you gave me before was a little insufficient, so I will add ten taels."
Min Nan also heard it and quickly raised his head and said, "I like this chess very much. I will also reward them with five taels of silver. Tell them that if they have fun next time, they can come directly to me."
In the guest room, Uncle Feng and the three members of the Xu family had finished their meal and were all at the door. Steward Tang hurried over with a maid of twelve or thirteen. The little girl had run so fast that beads of sweat formed on her nose and she was slightly out of breath.
She also knew Uncle Feng and said with a smile, "Luckily we caught up."
Uncle Feng smiled flatteringly, "Miss Hongluo, what's the hurry?"
Hong Luo smiled and said, "Master and Miss asked me to pass on a message."
Steward Tang also laughed and said, "That chess piece not only caught the eye of my eldest daughter, but also the mistress."
Hong Luo nodded and smiled at Xu Lanyin and Xu Lanzhou, "My eldest daughter played a few games of chess with my master and loved them. She said it was hard for you to think of her with such fun things, so she asked me to give you five taels of silver as a reward. She said that if you need fun things again, just come to my eldest daughter directly. Our wife was happy to see the young ladies, so she rewarded you with a piece of fine cloth. In addition, my master gave you another ten taels of silver, saying that you should not play that kind of chess again and you are not allowed to tell anyone else."
Butler Tang also repeatedly told them that this matter must be kept confidential and must not be disclosed, otherwise he would not agree.
After they understood that the money was hush money, they quickly agreed and expressed their gratitude.
Xu Lanzhou and Xu Dashi were delighted to have earned so much extra money. They thought that even if they made chess pieces and sold them in a shop, they would not be able to earn so much.
Xu Lanyin thought to herself, "Flying Bird Chess is easy to make, and it won't make much money. They're paying so much money to keep their mouths shut. They must be "buying" this 'invention' of mine." This is the powerful and the ants of feudal society. They're trying to steal what they have, and then tell me to keep my mouth shut."
However, being able to meet Miss Min directly in the future is also an unexpected gain.
But if they don't tell anyone about this, who would know that they have a relationship with the county magistrate?
Thinking of this, Xu Lanyin smiled awkwardly and said, "To be honest with you, Steward Tang, my father passed away. I'm an orphan and a widow, and we're always bullied..."
Steward Tang understood that the orphan and his widow were looking for support. He was wondering why they came to offer chess for no reason. It turned out that they wanted to use the chess to offer to their daughter to gain a good relationship with the county magistrate.
Then he thought, since they were country folk, and anyone who could bully them was also from the countryside, he could handle it himself. So he said, "That's easy. Just say you sold a rare orchid to my daughter. If anyone dares to bully you, I don't mind you using my name to scare them." Then, with a sullen face, he added, "But you are not allowed to bully others by relying on my name, and you certainly can't use my master's name without permission."
Xu Lanzhou quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Steward Tang. We are good citizens and would not dare to tarnish your reputation, let alone the reputation of the Honourable Judge."
Uncle Feng also quickly proved it, "They are my wife's country relatives, honest and decent, and this little thing can testify to that."
Butler Tang nodded with satisfaction.
Hong Luo handed the silver and fine cloth to Xu Lanyin. Xu Lanyin took them and put the silver in her arms.
Xu Lanzhou saw the little girl hand the thing to Xu Lanyin, and then saw that Xu Lanyin didn't give it to him but put it in her arms. He was anxious and helpless. He thought that he must keep an eye on her and not let her suddenly make a fool of herself and take the silver to the Gu family.
Uncle Feng sent them to the street corner and his attitude was much more enthusiastic.
Xu Lanyin finally went on a shopping spree, buying two pounds of meat, a block of tofu, five pounds of brown rice, five pounds of white flour, a handful of vermicelli noodles, a bag of malt sugar, a small can of tooth powder, a can of soybean oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and other seasonings, as well as a small jar of wine. She also bought a few small pieces of leftover silk from the embroidery workshop. Since Miss Min had said to come directly to her if she had any interesting things, she decided to make some dolls from her past life for the little girl.
The family had earned so much money that it couldn't be hidden from the eldest wife. Not only did they have to entertain guests today, but they had to do it with great fanfare. Of course, they couldn't just say they gave chess pieces as gifts, but they had to say they sold flowers. They also had to say that not only Miss Min liked it, but Madam Min and Young Master Min also liked it, and they had rewarded them with silver and fabric.
In this way, the word about his relationship with the county magistrate's daughter was spread without mentioning the matter of the flying bird chess.
Xu Lanyin told Xu Dashi these words and added, "The matter of sending chess pieces is limited to us and cannot be spread outside."
Xu Dashi nodded. He dared not disobey the order of the county magistrate's son. Among the family members, his mother was the least reliable. If she told anyone, it would cause trouble.
Xu Lanyin also said that she would give Xu Dashi one or two taels of silver when she returned to thank him for his help.
Xu Dashi hurriedly said, "My family's good life is all thanks to my second uncle. We should help you when you are in trouble. How can we have the nerve to ask you for money again? Don't spend that money carelessly. Buy land and treat Second Aunt and Tingdi's illness."
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