Chapter 242 Meeting
After a long and arduous journey, we finally arrived in the capital.
After stretching his legs, Yun Zheng turned and walked toward Shen Yuanzhu's carriage.
"Madam, we have arrived."
With Luo's help, Shen Yuanzhu got out of the car. Whether it was due to the hardship of the journey or something else, she had become much thinner.
She was originally plump and radiant, but now she appeared somewhat thin.
Luo felt heartbroken seeing this, but Shen Yuanzhu seemed to be in good spirits.
She looked up at the vermilion city gate, then glanced around the city.
The streets of the capital city are very wide. Although they are not as elegant as those of Suzhou, they have a rugged and grand charm.
She looked around with some curiosity and chuckled, "A street this wide is wide enough for four or five carriages to walk side by side."
Yun Zheng nodded quickly: "Yes, it's no wonder it's in the capital."
It was his first time in the capital, and he couldn't help but gaze at the rows of shops on both sides with Shen Yuanzhu, lost in thought.
The taverns, silk shops, restaurants, and general stores here all have large signs or cloth banners hanging in front of them.
The storefronts were all painted in neat rows of the same shade of vermilion, making them very orderly.
As Shen Yuanzhu watched curiously, Luo Qing returned from the city's garrison commander.
A short while later, a man wearing a blue robe and a square scarf on his head came out.
"Are they the three employers from Suzhou Prefecture?"
Yun Zheng stepped forward and said, "That's right."
"My name is Zhou Rui. Eunuch Yuan wrote to me earlier, saying that you gentlemen will be arriving in the next few days..."
Before Zhou Rui could finish speaking, Yun Zheng hurriedly asked, "Has Father-in-law arrived? Where is he staying now? Is he with us? Have the people who accompanied Father-in-law arrived?"
Zhou Rui said, "Logically, Father-in-law should have arrived before you all, but he is indeed several days late..."
"Not there yet?"
Yun Zheng was somewhat surprised, and after speaking, he glanced awkwardly at Shen Yuanzhu.
"Yes, but it should be within the next day or two."
Yun Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave Shen Yuanzhu an awkward smile.
Zhou Rui said, "You gentlemen must be tired from your journey. Why don't you come with me to the guild hall to rest first, and we can discuss other matters when you arrive, sir?"
Yun Zheng looked at Shen Yanhuai and Shen Yuanzhu and nodded mournfully.
The guild hall is a large courtyard with blue bricks, a vermilion plaque hanging in front of the gate, and large red lanterns hanging on both sides.
It looks quite ordinary on the outside, but once you step inside, it's a completely different world.
The building complex consists of numerous small buildings, as well as a large courtyard with rows of rooms, resembling a post station.
Shen Yuanzhu and the other two were not well-known and were only taken to the compound by Zhou Rui.
The three of them lived on the second floor, with an arm-length wooden sign hanging in front of their door.
She glanced at it and saw names such as Fengrong Cloth Shop in Songjiang Prefecture and Hengchang Dyehouse in Jinan Prefecture.
After turning the corner, you'll find the three Suzhou prefectural houses right next to each other.
Yun Zheng diligently helped Shen Yuanzhu carry her luggage into the house and poured her tea and water.
Seeing this, Zhou Rui said, "The person living downstairs from Mr. Shen is our second female boss in this election. She comes from Guangzhou and is the boss of Tonghechang. If you are not interested, you can go and chat with her."
"Thank you, Lord Zhou."
"Then you gentlemen should rest for a while. If you hear the sound of a gong, it means it's time to eat, and you can go downstairs to have your meal."
"You may rest for the next few days. I will inform you when the eunuch arrives."
Shen Yuanzhu said she understood and then busied herself packing her luggage.
Yun Zheng didn't want to stay in her room any longer, so he had to leave.
He had just put his things down when someone called his name from outside.
Yun Zheng was puzzled. He went downstairs and looked at the entrance of the guild hall. He clicked his tongue and slapped his forehead.
"Shopkeeper."
The man who came was a shop assistant from Jixia Manor. Upon seeing Yun Zheng, he said, "Manager Yun, I rushed all the way to the capital seven days ago, but I haven't been able to catch up with you, sir."
"It seems that the master and the father-in-law did not take the official route, or perhaps they took a detour somewhere along the way."
"Alright, if we can't catch up, then so be it."
Yun Zheng patted him on the shoulder, had his luggage packed, and moved with him to the same guild hall to wait for Xie Qi.
Although Yuan Xu and his party set off first, they did indeed delay their journey.
Initially, it was because Eunuch Li suddenly turned to Songjiang Prefecture halfway through the journey, and the latter part was delayed by a few days because Xie Qi's condition was really not good.
Even if Yuan Xu couldn't get rid of it, they could only delay for two days to get him medicine and see a doctor.
Now, after several days of delay, they finally arrived in the capital, but Xie Qi was no longer recognizable as a human.
Yuan Xu looked at Xie Qi, who was so thin that his cheeks were sunken, his eyes were gloomy, and not a single patch of skin on his ten fingers was intact, and he felt a surge of anger.
That coward is utterly useless.
For the first few days of the journey, Xie Qi became increasingly irritable, constantly asking like a headless fly how much longer it would take to reach the capital.
After Eunuch Li turned and went to Songjiang Prefecture, he became even more restless.
If it weren't for the fear that he would cause trouble in front of Eunuch Li and lead to some serious problems, Yuan Xu really wouldn't want to care about this thing.
But in the following ten days or so, this person's condition became quite abnormal.
First, wounds would appear on his body for no apparent reason, and then he would be absent-minded for a long time, unable to sleep or eat.
Yuan Xu originally wanted to take him to the capital so that he could witness firsthand his discovery that Shen Yuanzhu was the manager of Xiecui Fang and enjoy the spectacle.
Seeing him like this now, I dare not say anything more, for fear that this man might suddenly die right in front of me, causing him trouble and bringing bad luck upon myself.
When Xie Qi tried to turn back midway, Yuan Xu stopped him.
If he can hold out until he goes to the capital, there's still hope. But once he returns to Suzhou, things will really get worse.
Seeing Xie Qi's bloodshot eyes, his agitated state, and his frequent covering of his ears, Yuan Xu kicked him in the knee for the umpteenth time in hatred.
"You will be able to see the Shen Yuan Pearl when you arrive in the capital tomorrow."
Upon hearing Shen Yuanzhu's name, Xie Qi's eyelids twitched slightly.
Feeling agitated, he could only bite his own fingers.
Only in this way could he barely suppress the restlessness that made him want to go crazy.
But he knew that Yuan Xu was lying to him.
He didn't sleep all night again, and only when he saw the gates of the capital city did Yuan Xu slowly let out a sigh.
At the city gate, after parting ways with everyone, Eunuch Li returned to the Imperial Wardrobe.
Yuan Xu resigned himself to his fate and led the others and Xie Qi to the same guild hall.
When they entered the city, Yun Zheng had already received the news and was waiting at the entrance of the guild hall.
Upon seeing Yuanxu's carriage, he was so excited he almost fainted.
"Father-in-law..."
As soon as Yuan Xu got out of the car, Yun Zheng approached him. Before he could even speak, Yuan Xu asked, "Has the Shen Yuan Pearl arrived?"
Yun Zheng nodded repeatedly.
"Perfect timing, let's quickly take that useless thing with us."
Yun Zheng asked in confusion, "He knows?"
"have no idea."
Yuan Xu glared at him: "Go and see for yourself and you'll understand."
As the two were talking, Xie Qi got off the carriage, and Yun Zheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat when he saw him.
He had never seen Xie Qi in such a terrible state.
Although Xie Qi had his moments of stubbornness, he had never been this gloomy and disheveled.
His expression was gloomy, with dark circles under his eyes, and his gaze was filled with irritability and ferocity.
When you look into his eyes, it's as if he's about to pull out a long knife from his pocket and stab you through with a "thud".
Wei Hu supported him from behind, and Yun Zheng stepped forward, about to say that Shen Yuanzhu was in the courtyard, but Yuan Xu didn't give him the chance...
He stood behind Xie Qi, raised his foot, and kicked Xie Qi violently into the courtyard...
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