She was also Madam Xu's youngest daughter.
Back then, Madam Xu followed Xu Wenyan to the capital to settle down, and then came to Jiangnan County to take up her post, while Xu Wenshan stayed in his hometown on the border, which was a great distance away.
We only get to see each other once every few years.
"Mother, I'm not leaving this time. I suffered so much there, Mother. I spent all my money."
"If you don't want to leave, then don't. Your eldest brother's mansion is so big, you can live there for the rest of your life without any problems. Your eldest brother will take care of you from now on. I'll have a maid take you to choose a courtyard to settle down. Jiangnan is much better than the border, with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Look, your hands are all chapped. You must have suffered a lot on the way. Oh, my heart. And Jiao Jiao is so big now. Last time when Grandma saw you, you only reached Grandma's waist. Were you tired on the way? You've all had a hard time. Xiao Jin—quickly take Miss to choose a courtyard to stay in."
"Shan'er, take a bath, change your clothes, and wait for your elder brother and nephew to come home tonight so we can have a family reunion dinner."
After giving instructions to her personal maid, Madam Xu...
She held her daughter's hand in one hand and her granddaughter's hand in the other.
He was laughing so happily.
She completely ignored her son-in-law.
Soon, it was time for dinner.
Yan Xia opened her eyes, got out of bed, and after catching up on an afternoon nap, she felt much better.
I'm still a little sleepy.
When Baodong came downstairs, he saw that she had woken up. In just fifteen minutes, he brought all the food to the pavilion. It must have been prepared in advance and kept warm in the pot, just waiting for her to wake up so she could eat whenever she wanted.
"Is it guaranteed to win?" Yan Xia asked Bao Dong, sitting in the pavilion.
"After waking up, Young Master Deng learned that his master was still asleep, so he said he was going out for a walk and would be back in a while."
"Okay, leave him some food." Yan Xia said, picking up her rice bowl and starting to eat.
"Master, it has already been reserved."
Bao Dong replied.
After dinner, it was already dark. Yan Xia waited and waited, but Deng Bizhong did not return. Instead, Shi Qi unexpectedly showed up.
After Qian Shan led him inside, Yan Xia sat with him in the pavilion for a private conversation.
“Aunt Yan, my brother met with the Wang family this afternoon, and I learned something else. Wang Guangyao of the Wang family used to gamble with my brother at the Lian family gambling den, which is how they got to know each other. Later, they found out that his wife and my brother were from the same village, making them even closer relatives. Last night, they went gambling together again and lost everything. My brother asked Wang Guangyao for fifty taels of silver before he would continue to help him. Today, Wang Guangyao mortgaged his house to the gambling den and got the money. He gave my brother fifty taels this afternoon. I'm afraid that the guy in jail will be tortured if he doesn't give in. You should persuade him quickly. Money is not as important as life.”
Shi Qisan rushed over to find Yan Xia without even having time to change his clothes.
"Xiao Qi, we're on the same side now. Aunt Yan has a question for you."
Yan Xia stopped calling him "official."
Calling someone by their nickname brings people closer together.
"What's the problem?" Shi Qi asked, taking a sip of tea with a puzzled expression.
"What's the relationship between your elder brother and the county magistrate?" Yan Xia asked, tapping her fingers on the table as she spoke.
This is one of her little habits; when she's engrossed in thinking or planning something, she unconsciously taps like this.
“There are three teams of officials in the county government. One team consists of the trusted men that Magistrate Xu brought from the capital. Another team consists of the ‘capable men’ who are highly valued by the magistrate. The third team is the ones who guard the county government, which is us. The leader is my older brother. He was an official when the previous magistrate took office. After Magistrate Xu was transferred here, he flattered him to get promoted. He does nothing but slack off and cheat. Several people in the team are dissatisfied with him. Because I was brought in by him, some people will secretly mock me when he is not around.”
"Judging from your tone, you seem to have some resentment towards your elder brother. That's understandable. The first time I met you two, your brother embarrassed you in public and ordered you around doing everything. Even blood brothers will have disagreements over time, let alone cousins. To be honest, I attended Old Madam Xu's birthday banquet today and she seemed to like me quite a bit. Old Madam Xu even asked me to visit her at the Xu residence whenever I have free time. Tell me, if I bring this up in front of Old Madam Xu, what will your brother do...?"
Yan Xia stopped mid-sentence.
She looked at Shi Qi with a half-smile.
“Aunt Yan, this matter has nothing to do with me. It was all promised to the Wang family by my elder brother. He is in charge of everything in the prison, and I have no say in it. If something really happens to my elder brother, please help me, Aunt Yan.”
Shi Qi was so frightened that he stopped drinking his tea.
He actually knelt down.
When Shi Qi first became an official, he was incredibly arrogant, but Xie Yan'an quickly trampled on his dignity and reputation.
Many people in the county government office disobeyed Xie Yan'an's orders, so Shi Qi became his underling, doing all the hard and tiring work.
They did it anyway. Shi Qi's family was poor, and Xie Yan'an had helped him in return.
However, when salaries were paid at the beginning of the month, Xie Yan'an withheld half of Shi Qi's wages, saying that he would withhold half every month thereafter.
After all, Shi Qi was able to become an official because of his help.
Consider this money a kickback.
Shi Qi's family was poor and short of money, so he became increasingly dissatisfied with Xie Yan'an. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been persuaded by Yan Xia with just a few words and accepted her money to become an informant.
At this moment, he heard that Yan Xia had gotten close to Old Madam Xu.
I was so scared I almost lost my mind.
He disregarded all pride and knelt down in front of Yan Xia.
"Get up quickly! We're in this together, how could I let anything happen to you, right?"
Yan Xia smiled faintly. "I have a question. Since you said the county government has three teams of officers, why is your elder brother so arrogant, arresting whomever he wants and putting them in jail? Won't people complain to the county magistrate?"
Shi Qi stood up, sat back down on the stone bench, and said, "The magistrate's confidants are all out on official business, and the other team is out patrolling the streets. Only we are responsible for guarding the county government office, so naturally no one knows that there is an extra person in the prison. As for reporting it, no one will want to get into trouble. Besides, my elder brother occasionally gives them some treats."
"No wonder. Do you know what your elder brother did behind the magistrate's back?"
Yan Xia tried to get information out of him.
"this......."
Shi Qi stopped talking; he wasn't stupid.
Yan Xia had no choice but to add fuel to the fire.
"It doesn't feel good to be ridden on, does it? Even if your brother doesn't fall from grace now, he'll eventually be brought down when he runs into a tough opponent. It's only a matter of time before he gets exposed. I'm afraid that when the county magistrate settles the score, you'll be dragged down with him. I advise you to take the opportunity to help him out. In the end, you'll even get a reputation for putting your own family in the line of duty. Why not?"
I'll go to the Xu residence tomorrow. I'll definitely save Brother Deng, and I won't spare your elder brother either. You should know in your heart who's more important, a dispensable person or me, the owner of the Yan family's pastry shop who makes a fortune every day. Even if I'm a merchant, there are plenty of people in this world who are short of money. Do you think the county magistrate doesn't like silver? Money or an unimportant nobody, which would you choose?"
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