Xu Lanyin thought to herself, Su Qing failed to offer medicine to the old Princess Ping as she wished, failed to marry Prince Ping, and even set herself on fire to get rid of her marriage with Wen Zhuofeng. She must have been so angry that she vomited blood, right?
Min Nan was still young, and the old Princess Ping took her into the Prince's Mansion, certainly not to arrange a marriage, but to bring honor to the Min County Magistrate's family and thank them for the gift of the Ruyu Regenerating Cream. I wonder what kind of woman the handsome and elegant hero, Prince Ping, will find in the future, and I wonder if the heroine Su in the book will actually marry the backup Gu Wangchen.
As the two were talking, Mrs. Min arrived.
Madam Min smiled and pulled Xu Lanyin over to praise her beauty and intelligence. She asked her to come visit often in the future and said that she had already told Butler Tang that all her snacks would be bought at the Xu family's pastry shop...
The more Mrs. Min looked at Xu Lanyin, the more she liked her, and she felt that she brought good luck to her family.
The flying bird chess game stole the show at Old Lady Min's birthday banquet, and the jade-like skin-regenerating ointment helped his family gain access to the Prince of Ping's mansion. Both the old Princess Ping and Old Lady Min promised to help arrange Min Nan's marriage and find her a good family. Prince Ping also hinted to Min Can that if he worked hard, he would give him a higher position in the future...
Min Can and his wife both knew that Min Can was only a scholar, and his relationship with the main branch was already far from a hat. The best he could do was become a county magistrate. Even if he moved, it would be to a remote place where no one would want to go. If Prince Ping was willing to help, his future position and place would not be bad.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xu Lanyin hesitantly said, "I have two things I'd like to ask Butler Tang. I wonder if it's okay..."
Madam Min asked, "What is it? I'll let him do what he can."
Xu Lanyin then told him about Zhao Wu's situation. "...his relatives back home weren't kind, so he didn't want to go back. He wanted to find a job here while he was searching for his uncle. He's good at fighting, so he wanted to be a constable. I didn't want to get involved in this matter, but my mother said he helped my brother and rented our house, so she asked me to help ask around."
Madam Min thought it was something difficult, so she smiled and said, "Both of these things are easy to handle. I'll have Butler Tang send someone to do it."
She now really wants to help Xu Lanyin with something. Once that is done, both of them will be even.
Xu Lanyin immediately expressed her gratitude. The couple had climbed into the Prince of Ping's mansion thanks to the Jade-like Rejuvenating Cream, so they were sure to remember her kindness. The gifts they gave her were not only because of the Flying Bird Chess, but also because of the Jade-like Rejuvenating Cream.
Soon, Butler Tang came, listened to Mrs. Min's instructions, nodded, and left.
He returned a little over a quarter of an hour later and smiled at Xu Lanyin, "Tell Brother Zhao to come see me this afternoon. After completing the household registration, we still need to go to the police station to see Captain Zhang. We have to go through the formalities."
Zhao Wu is tall and skilled, so he is not afraid of the real test, let alone the superficial formalities.
Xu Lan thanked Madam Min and Butler Tang, and hurried back to inform Zhao Wu.
Because her family had sent some things, Madam Min was so considerate that she sent a carriage to take Xu Lanyin back to the shop. Xu Lanyin thanked her again.
Xu Lanyin saw that Madam Min was somewhat selfish and petty, but she wasn't the type to take advantage of ordinary people and then trample them to death. Furthermore, his family was related to the Minister of Justice, and he had connections to the Prince of Ping's mansion, so Min Can should have room for advancement. So, he should find a way to build good relationships with them, making them see that he was useful, but also to strike a balance...
Sitting in the carriage, Xu Lanyin pondered Zhao Wu's past. The book described the Wen family as a declining mansion, the elder master's only skill at alchemy, the capable eldest master's early death, and the second master's lack of skill. Su Qing, resentful of Wen Zhuofeng and his uncle and aunt, sought, after becoming the Princess of a County, to obtain evidence that the second master had plundered the people and caused death. With the instigation of Prince Ping, the second master was beheaded, the Wen family's property ransacked, and Wen Zhuofeng hanged himself.
If Su Qing had not become the Princess of Ping County, all the things that happened afterwards would not have happened.
Moreover, since the Wen family was a declining mansion, they wouldn't have as many spies and minions, and wouldn't be as well-informed. Zhao Wu would be safer hiding in the countryside. As for how to save Wen Zhuofeng and how to bring down the Second Master Wen, that would have to wait until Zhao Wu grew up...
After returning to the shop, Zhao Wu went to the street to buy something before coming back.
Zhao Wu was overjoyed when he heard that both things had been accomplished.
Xu Lanyin saw Zhao Wu smiling brightly, and wondered what he would think when he heard the rumor. She would find a chance to tell him in the evening.
The group ate in the shop. Xu Dashi and his wife went off to work, leaving only Xu Lanyin and Zhao Wu in the living room.
Zhao Wu then took out the gifts he had bought: fine jasmine cream, rouge, scented cakes, eyebrow stone for Xu Lanyin, a piece of jacquard brocade the color of a clear sky after rain, and four pearl flowers. He also bought a small piece of ginseng for Qin Shi, four pens and four ink sticks for Xu Lanzhou and Xu Lanting, a jar of fine wine for the old man Xu and his wife, and bamboo whistles and wave drums for the Xu Yuan siblings.
So many things would cost at least twenty or thirty taels of silver. Xu Lanyin felt sorry for him, what a prodigal child.
Moreover, Zhao Wu's gifts to others were all well-presented, except for the one for Xu Lanyin, which didn't look like a gift from a stranger to a girl. One reason was that he truly treated Xu Lanyin like a sister, and another was that he had been raised without much instruction and didn't know many etiquettes. No matter how civilized this dynasty was, those gifts were only given to one's own sisters, not even cousins.
I know what he is thinking, and if others see it, they will definitely misunderstand.
Xu Lanyin first expressed her gratitude, then scolded him, "You don't have much money, why waste it on this? You'll need money a lot in the future. You'll have to socialize with colleagues frequently, and you'll also have to pay tribute to your superiors from time to time..." She then gave him a two-liang silver ingot and said, "Send it to Butler Tang this afternoon."
Zhao Wu refused to take the money and smiled, "I have money on me." He added, "Don't worry, sister. I will get along well with them. They say that the rouge and powder in Qinshu Pavilion in the capital are the best. I will try to get into the Six Gates in the future and buy rouge and powder there for you."
Xu Lanyin smiled helplessly. She couldn't immediately reject his kindness, so she could only teach him slowly later.
At 5 p.m., Xu Dashi led Zhao Wu to the county yamen to meet with Steward Tang. Before leaving, Xu Lanyin whispered to him not to show off all his skills. A small constable in the yamen didn't need such high martial arts skills; displaying them too much would only attract envy. He could show off his skills later when he had the chance.
Zhao Wu said, "I don't need my sister to remind me of these things. I know. Not to mention the three-legged skills, even the skills before that will be reserved."
After they left, Xu Lanyin went out and bought two pounds of meat and a jar of wine to celebrate in the evening.
Xu Lanzhou returned soon after. He had a day off the next day and would stay at home for two days. He was very disapproving when he heard that Zhao Wu was going to be a constable, thinking it would be a shame for Zhao Wu not to join the army given his excellent skills.
He said, "Brother Zhao looks smart, but his vision is limited. How can a constable compare to a soldier's future? Why don't you try to persuade him? It's a pity that he has such good martial arts skills."
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