Because Su Yuerong was a merchant, even though Prefect Su was an upright and honest man, his family never lacked food or clothing. Of course, official families were not allowed to engage in commerce, so the shops were all registered under Su Yuerong's husband's name.
Yuanbao told Fang Xiyue all of this; Fang Xiyue had no idea that Su Yuerong was involved in business.
She looked very smart in the new clothes her father had made for her. Her father was very skilled; he didn't just use one color of fabric, but combined white and blue fabrics, making the finished product look very elegant.
If it were made with better fabric, this garment would be extremely valuable.
"Mother, Father, Brother, let's go. We can leave this to Zhou San Niang."
After telling Zhou Sanniang, who had come to build the house, Fang Xiyue led Fang Hui and the others to the town.
If Fang Hui is worried, she can just come back to check on things occasionally. The houses built by Zhou San Niang have a very good reputation, so Fang Xi Yue trusts Zhou San Niang quite a bit.
Fang Hui and Zhou Qing were still feeling lightheaded on the oxcart heading to town, as if they were dreaming. Only Fang Xiyue's younger brother, Fang Xixing, was happy.
When they arrived at the shop that Fang Xiyue had bought, Fang Hui and Zhou Qing felt their legs go weak. Could it be that such a big shop belonged to their family?
Fang Xiyue had been leading Fang Xixing on a long exploration of the shop, while Fang Hui and Zhou Qing were still standing at the door.
"Mother, Father, you take my brother and pack your things first. I have to go out and may not be back today."
Because the house was to be demolished and rebuilt, Fang Xiyue and the others took all their important belongings with them; otherwise, they wouldn't have taken an oxcart to town.
Their village is not far from the town, and not many people usually ride in oxcarts. No one in their village runs an oxcart business, and Fang Xiyue borrowed the oxcart from the village chief's house in advance.
As for the other things in the house, they can be kept in the temporary shed to avoid getting wet. The chances of losing anything are slim, since most of them are in dire condition and no one would steal the bricks from the house.
Except for those who had to go home, Zhou Sanniang and the others basically stayed in Dahe Village, which saved them the time of traveling back and forth.
They would be paid one hundred taels of silver no matter how many days they worked, so of course the sooner they finished, the better. Therefore, none of the workers would slack off; they all wanted to finish as soon as possible so they could go home.
After Fang Xiyue left, Fang Hui and Zhou Qing closed the shop door tightly, then took their son to a room in the backyard to start packing.
Fang Xiyue first went to the carriage shop to buy a carriage, and then drove the carriage to the prefectural city. It wasn't far from here to the prefectural city, only half a day's journey.
Fang Xiyue arrived in the prefectural city at noon. She thought she should go have lunch first, since the prefect's family might be having lunch at this time, and it wouldn't be appropriate for her to go now.
Fang Xiyue found a restaurant with a designated area for parking carriages, which was guarded by staff, so she wasn't worried about the carriages being stolen.
Fang Xiyue entered the restaurant, and the waiter immediately came to greet her, "What would you like to eat, sir?"
Fang Xiyue ordered three dishes and a soup and sat there to wait, but as she waited, she noticed a gaze fixed on her.
She turned her gaze and saw a ragged little beggar staring at her from the entrance of the inn.
'Are you hungry? Would you like some food?' Fang Xiyue knew very well what it felt like to be hungry, so she felt a little sorry for the little beggar. She thought she would ask the waiter to bring her two steamed buns later.
"Waiter, give two steamed buns to the little beggar at the door, put it on my tab," Fang Xiyue called out to the waiter.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Your Majesty is so kind." The waiter quickly went to the kitchen and took two steamed buns, handing them to the little beggar at the door. "Eat up, this is a gift from the Lady over there."
The little beggar took the bun in his hand and ate it. He was really starving. He was not a beggar at all. He was Song Yifan, the young master of the Prime Minister's Mansion in the capital.
His mother only had one son, him, while his mother's sister, who was also his aunt, had three daughters.
They wanted his mother to adopt a daughter, but his mother refused, saying that having him as her only son was enough, and that all the family property would be left to him as a dowry so that he could have a grand wedding.
His aunt felt that everything would be different without him, so she sent people to kill him. However, those people were unreliable and instead of killing him, they planned to sell him to a brothel to make more money.
He jumped off the carriage on his way to the brothel, disguised himself as a beggar, and made his way to this prefecture city, which was the closest to the capital.
He hadn't eaten for two days, and his feet were blistered. He dared not speak for fear that people would discover he was a man, and the consequences would be unimaginable if he were found out.
He had just seen that woman outside and thought she was really pretty, so he glanced at her a few more times. He didn't expect her to actually send him steamed buns. She's such a kind person. Should he trust her a little more?
Song Yifan headed towards the carriages. He remembered the carriage of the female ruler from earlier. Taking advantage of the fact that the person in charge of the carriages wasn't paying attention, he hid inside the carriage.
He didn't want to cling to the female ruler; he just wanted to ask her if she would be willing to help him return to the Prime Minister's residence.
He might be killed before he even reaches the Prime Minister's residence. His mother and father probably already think he's dead. How heartbroken they must be.
Song Yifan fell asleep while thinking about it; he was really tired and sleepy.
After finishing her meal, Fang Xiyue retrieved her carriage and headed to the government office. On the way, the carriage accidentally ran over a rock, and as the carriage jolted, Fang Xiyue heard a cry of pain from inside the carriage.
Fang Xiyue stopped the carriage, carefully lifted the curtain, and saw the little beggar from before lying in the carriage rubbing his bottom.
"What are you doing in my carriage?" Fang Xiyue asked, puzzled. 'Is she trying to cling to me because I gave her steamed buns?'
"My lady, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get into your carriage, I really had no choice."
I am the son of the Prime Minister's family. I was assassinated by my wicked aunt, and I barely escaped. I want to return to the Prime Minister's mansion. Please help me, Your Majesty.
"As long as I can return to the Prime Minister's residence, I will definitely have my mother reward you handsomely."
As Song Yifan spoke, his body trembled uncontrollably. For him, this was nothing short of a high-stakes gamble—gambling on whether the female ruler before him was a good person. If he won, he would have a chance to go home; if he lost, he would be doomed forever.
Fang Xiyue hadn't expected that this was a young man; it really was difficult to stay in a wealthy family.
Fang Xiyue felt that she should just consider it doing a good deed. This young man spoke so softly, she really didn't know how to refuse him.
"Since you've come to me, I'll lend you a hand. I'm going to the prefect's office now, and I can ask her to send a message to the prime minister's residence for you."
Before the Prime Minister comes to fetch you, you can come home with me. I won't give you the finest delicacies, but at least I'll make sure you don't go hungry.
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