60 Chapter 60
◎Use the opponent's force to counter the opponent◎
As soon as Gui'er left, Chang Qing and others took over her job.
"Madam Cheng, are you going out?" Chang Qing was a man with a round, straight face. Unlike the broad faces and frowning brows of most warriors, he loved to laugh.
Cheng Mu stared at him for a while, and Chang Qing was a little confused. "Madam Cheng?"
"Let's go to Renxin Hall first."
"Madam Cheng is not feeling well?"
Having sold ginseng many times at Renxintang, Cheng Xi didn't plan to bother looking for other medicine shops.
Exchanging ginseng for silver is the most convenient and also the most profitable way. Seeing this opportunity, Cheng Mu did not have any other ideas.
Renxintang’s store in Yunzhou is very luxurious and has four or five doctors working in the store.
"Just wait for me outside the store."
Chang Qing and his companions stopped when they heard this, and Cheng Mu entered Renxin Hall alone.
Chang Qing frowned as he looked at the gate of Renxin Hall, then glanced in the direction of Wuwei Escort Agency.
In less than a cup of tea, Cheng Mu came out.
She stared at Chang Qing for a while. Chang Qing touched his face and asked, "Madam Cheng, do you have anything to say to me?"
Cheng Mu said, "Let's go to the clothing store."
In the clothing store, Cheng Mu bought several sets of clothes, one for her and Gui'er, one for each of the bodyguards, and she especially asked the store owner to find a set of luxurious clothes for Chang Qing.
Chang Qing changed his clothes and didn't know where to put his hands and feet. "Madam Cheng, this, this..."
Cheng Mu was quite satisfied and asked the other escorts, who all said, "Looks like Master Fugui."
"If you're wearing the clothes of a wealthy gentleman, you have to learn their ways," Cheng Mu said with a smile. "Master Chang, would you like to go to the teahouse?"
"Mrs. Cheng, please don't make fun of me..."
Chang Qing didn't know what Mrs. Cheng was up to, so he scratched his head and planned to follow her. Cheng asked him to go first and walk in front.
He looked back awkwardly, and the other escorts told him with certainty, "Madam Cheng asked you to be the master, didn't you notice? We are all wearing servants' clothes, and Madam Cheng and the others bought their own maids' clothes. Let's go! Master Chang!"
The escorts' joking conversation hit the mark of Cheng Mu's goal. She asked Chang Qing to pretend to be a grain merchant from the south.
Sitting down in the teahouse, Chang Qing said with a bitter face, "Madam Cheng, I'm just a martial artist, and you don't think I look like a master. I can fight with others, but talking business with them is just..."
Cheng Mu poured him tea, Chang Qing took the teacup and busied himself pouring tea for Cheng Mu.
There was a storyteller in the teahouse, telling the story of the current emperor taking over Kyoto and changing the dynasty.
Cheng Mu listened to a few words and looked over to see that Chang Qing was sweating profusely.
Cheng Mu smiled and said, "It's not difficult to talk about business. Just drink tea, listen to opera, and exchange a few words from time to time. Whoever can keep calm will have a greater chance of success."
Chang Qing wiped his sweat, shook it off, and as if he had made up his mind, he lowered his voice and asked, "Who does Madam Cheng want to discuss business with?"
Cheng Mu asked Dr. Tea for paper and pen, wrote a visiting card, paid the errand boy some money, and asked Dr. Tea to have someone deliver it to the steward of the old palace.
Lu Quer is in charge of the palace fields, so he is definitely not the one in charge of the old palace.
Anyone who could report Lu Qu'er's affairs to the capital and benefit from Lu Qu'er's misfortune must be a manager.
It must be a good idea to find this person.
After sitting in the teahouse for a few cups of tea and confirming that the visiting card had been delivered, Cheng Mu and Chang Qing returned to the inn.
Gui'er had already returned. Seeing Cheng Mu coming back, she immediately came to greet her, "Where have you been?"
Cheng Mu: "Go out and look around, and get some information."
Gui'er said, "Sao Hu hasn't come back yet, and that Manager Lu is walking so slowly."
Cheng Mu ordered some food and asked Gui Er, "How are things going over there? Have you found the person?"
Gui'er pouted. "I found him. He's a teacher. But the private school he attends isn't owned by a wealthy family. I guess he moved. He also found a woman to take care of him."
Cheng Mu asked, "Are you leaving just like that?"
"I left naturally. You don't need his help." Gui'er tugged at the silk thread on her purse boredly. "Just give my mother an explanation when you get back. Let her recognize the person."
Cheng Xi didn't talk to her about this matter again.
After dinner, Chang Qing came to report that someone from the old palace had sent a message, saying that Steward Qin wanted to meet him.
The movements are quite fast.
Cheng Mu told Gui'er the general story, and the two of them dressed up and pretended to be Master Chang's maids. Master Chang also brought two servants and a porter, and the six of them went to the restaurant booked by Manager Qin.
Manager Qin's name was Qin Hu. He was as fat as a ball of oily noodles with moisturized hair. His eyes were thin and narrow. Even when he opened them hard, they didn't look very big. They looked like he was smiling. Chang Qing and Qin Hu exchanged names, and Chang Qing explained the purpose of his visit.
It sounds like he has some business to do in the land and is looking for the old palace, so he first visits the steward.
Although Manager Qin wasn't in charge of farm affairs, the fact that someone else was the first to visit him was simply a sign of respect. Furthermore, perhaps he would soon be able to take over farm affairs as well.
Both of them had festive looks, and they complimented each other, talking and laughing, looking very harmonious.
Chang Qing brought foreign goods such as peppers, tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Although they were rare and expensive, they were not unfamiliar to the people in the emperor's old residence.
Qin Hu said, "This is a gift from the Emperor. There are some wonderful things in the palace that you have never seen. I will bring some to you tomorrow."
Chang Qing said, "Thank you, Steward. I have something to ask you. There's a village not far from here. There's a remarkable woman named Madam Cheng. Rumor has it she's the reincarnation of the Earth Goddess. There's nothing she can't grow. I heard she has both grandson-raising grain and grandson-raising wheat. I'd like to exchange some for grain and wheat seeds and head south. It's a real possibility."
Qin Hu asked carefully what Baosun Valley and Baosun wheat meant.
Gui'er couldn't help but look at Cheng Mu from the side.
The peppers, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes Chang Qing had brought out were gifts from Cheng Mu, who had taught him how to address Madam Cheng. Qin Hu coveted Lu Quer's job; it was impossible for him not to be interested in the wheat and grain seeds.
After listening to Mr. Chang's explanation, he connected it with the high-yield wheat planted in the fields of the royal palace before, and called his men to verify where the wheat seeds were purchased from.
It turned out to be a person named Madam Cheng.
Coincidentally, his men came to report that Lu Quer had brought back a lady, who seemed to be the legendary Madam Cheng.
When Qin Hu heard that Lu Cricket had returned, he didn't talk to Chang Qing any more. "Don't worry, Boss Chang. I have some information about the grain you were looking for. I'll pass the news to the inn sooner or later."
After Qin Hu left, Cheng Mu also received the news from Sao Hu that Lu Quer finally brought Xu Xiuying back to the city.
Before Lu Quer returned to her residence, she specifically asked her men to check whether Qin Hu was at home.
Hearing that he had gone out, she rushed to take advantage of the good opportunity and quickly settled "Mrs. Cheng". Unexpectedly, just when she finished and asked to take a break, Qin Hu came to her house.
Lu Cricket said, "Like a dog smelling of shit!"
The servant who was half-kneeling on the ground removing his socks flattered him: "Steward Qin is a dog, but you, Chief Steward, are not shit."
"You are the shit." Lu Cricket kicked him in the heart.
Qin Hu had already reached the door and saw the man who had been kicked to the ground. "Where did you come back from, Manager Lu? I heard that you brought back a woman, why are you so angry?"
"Oh, Manager Qin, you have sharp ears and eyes. I just arrived and you already know everything." Lu Qu'er didn't invite him in to sit down. "I'm tired from the journey, so I won't entertain you."
Qin Hu deliberately wanted to annoy him and found a place to sit down. "Who is the lady you brought back?"
Lu Quer glanced at him, "My lover. Are you interested?"
Qin Hu's words were full of hidden meaning. "If she is really your lover, I won't ask. Who knows if you are forcibly taking a woman from me?"
Lu Cricket pulled off the sock on her other foot and shook it in front of Qin Hu. "I just raped a woman, what does it have to do with you? Are you the master of this old mansion, or the prefect of the state?"
Qin Hu deliberately put on the attitude of an elder, "As fellow stewards of the mansion, we have a mutual understanding. Besides, I promised Chief Steward Lei that I would keep an eye on you."
Lu Cricket nearly vomited, "Don't bother, Manager Qin."
"Then you take a rest. I'll go see how the wife you brought back is settled." Qin Hu came directly. He stopped the servant who was carrying water and turned around to escape when he saw him, and asked Manager Lu where the wife was settled.
Lu Quer chased out barefoot, "Qin Hu, don't go too far! I've already taken care of the people I brought back, why are you worrying about me?"
"Manager Lu, what you said is not true. Before he left, Manager Lei told me to take care of everything in this old mansion. This is my responsibility." Qin Hu asked deliberately, "Or did you really rape this woman?"
"Stop! Stop!" Lu Cricket's chest rose and fell sharply. "I'm telling you the truth. This man I brought back is the culprit responsible for the reduction in the government's farmland production. He might even be collaborating with the enemy and plotting treason. I've just caught him, so I'm going to say this beforehand. If anything goes wrong, Manager Qin, don't blame me for being the first to suspect you!"
Qin Hu went back with a dark face and told someone to speak. Not long after, the person he had placed next to Lu Qun'er came back with a veiled report. After finding out what Lu Qun'er had done in the past two days, he told another person to report the matter to the capital.
Neither he nor Lu Cricket could suppress the other, so they had no choice but to report it to their superiors.
"Manager Lu went to the capital and received a punishment, but he still didn't remember the punishment and collaborated with the enemy to commit treason..." Qin Hu sneered, "What an idiot!"
A servant came to report, "Manager Qin, someone wants to see you at the palace."
After hearing that Lu Qu'er had brought people back, Cheng Mu immediately brought people to the old palace.
When Manager Qin saw them, he was puzzled. "Why did Boss Chang come here in person?"
Chang Qing pushed Saohu forward with an anxious look on his face. "I met a fellow villager of this Madam Cheng. I heard that a steward named Lu from the mansion had Madam Cheng captured. A remarkable person like Madam Cheng cannot suffer such an unprovoked disaster. Steward Qin, you know that the wheat and grain seeds that Madam Cheng has cultivated can yield four or five dan per acre. In the south, even the best land cannot produce such a yield. The south has suffered from famine for years and urgently needs good seeds that are drought-resistant and flood-resistant. If Madam Cheng gets into trouble, it will be a loss for many farmers!"
Qin Hu asked Sao Hu, "Are you from Zhaojia Village?"
Sao Hu bent down and said, "Madam Cheng is my master. I was harvesting corn in the back mountain. I heard that a steward named Lu took Madam Cheng away, so I followed her all the way here."
Chang Qing bowed and said, "I hope that Manager Qin can help me to intercede. As long as it can save Madam Cheng, I will definitely help in any way I can."
Sao Hu said, "When the Yanbei Army marched into the capital, my mistress donated a thousand dan of grain. But the steward Lu in the mansion actually accused her of colluding with the rebels and wanted to arrest her and bring her before the authorities..."
"Bastard!" Qin Hu interrupted Saohu. He couldn't let Saohu continue. Traitor, who are you calling a traitor?
Cheng Mu glanced at Chang Qing, who quickly bowed to Qin Hu. "Steward Qin is a man of great righteousness. On behalf of the farmers, I would like to thank you in advance. If Steward Qin can rescue Madam Cheng, I, Chang, will pay out of my own pocket to manage a thousand acres of farmland for you and ask Madam Cheng for high-yield grain seeds."
Qin Hu was very pleased with Chang Qing's words. Lu Qu'er had given him another handle. Even if Manager Lei had protected him once or twice, this time was different. With a little effort, he would be in big trouble. He didn't believe that he would not be able to overthrow him this time.
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