Chapter 119: Village Chief Zhao Enters the City (Two Chapters Combined into One)
Life in Baihe Mountain was simple and happy. This was Zhao Shiqing's own territory, and together with her newly acquired Fanghe Mountain, it all belonged to her.
In the blink of an eye, the first month of the year was over.
An official document was delivered to Zhao Tinghan.
Through reports from prefects and governors, as well as impeachments from censors, the case of Cui Rong was investigated at the fastest speed.
Cui Rong accepted bribes, embezzled and perverted the law, caused a bloody incident, failed to manage his family properly, had poor personal ethics, favored his concubine over his wife, disregarded human ethics, and provoked public outrage. He was punished for all his crimes: he was dismissed from his official position, all his family property was confiscated, and all males over thirteen years old were exiled three thousand miles away...
In the end, Cui Rong and the Cui family took all the responsibility, and Deng Qian disappeared completely.
The people sent from above, led by the prefect, came to the small courtyard in Erliying. When they saw Cui Rong lying on the bed, they almost thought that the real Cui Rong had escaped, and the man in front of them was a beggar who had been found from nowhere.
Cui Rong was as thin as a skeleton. In just over a month, all his teeth fell out and his hair turned completely white, with only sparse and dirty hair showing.
When the smelly and foul-smelling quilt was lifted, the scene before them made everyone present vomit uncontrollably.
Cui Rong's body was covered with bedsores, a mixture of crusted feces and pus flowing from the ulcers, crawling with white maggots.
Aunt Wang, who once enjoyed great glory in Fuyun County, was now disheveled, with unhealed whip marks on her face and body. The fourth young master Cui curled up in a corner, shivering, and his two sisters cried and begged for mercy from the visitor, saying that they were women and asked if they could not be exiled.
The women of the Cui family did not have to be exiled, but if they left Cui Rong, they would have no choice but to return to the Cui family. The decline of the Cui family was caused by Cui Rong, so it is conceivable that their lives would not be much better if they returned to the Cui family.
The only normal person in this family is Wang Honghong.
After experiencing life and death, this young woman showed vigorous vitality. Her eyes were bright and sparkling with excitement.
The yamen runners found Cui Rong disgusting and forced Aunt Wang and the fourth young master Cui to carry him out. Cui Rong howled like a wild beast, and Wang Honghong laughed heartily: "Serves you right! This is karma! You two bastards, this is your karma!"
She said to the chief who came to do the errand, "I am not Cui Gouze's concubine. He didn't marry me. I am still a daughter of the Wang family. Besides, I am also a victim."
The officer nodded. One of Cui Rong's crimes was violating human ethics, and this incident was the reason. He had an affair with his concubine's niece and had a son with her.
However, Wang Honghong and Cui Rong had neither a marriage certificate nor a concubine certificate, let alone a contract to sell her body. Not only was she an unmarried girl, she was also from a good family.
She can leave on her own and take her belongings with her.
The dowries of female relatives should not be included in the scope of the house search, but when the house search really came, the yamen runners and soldiers who came to do their job would not abide by the rules at all. They took whatever they saw, confiscating what was on the account books and pocketing what was not on the account books.
Wang Honghong left, but she did not take the baby with her.
Cui Rong and the fourth young master Cui were both taken away. They would be exiled together with the Cui family in Luzhou City.
Aunt Wang was heartbroken. These days, she had been tortured like a mad woman. What destroyed her were Wang Honghong's whip, the beatings and scoldings from the fourth Master Cui, and Cui Rong's feces and urine.
All the people who had ransacked the house had left, leaving only her and her four children in the stinking house.
Aunt Wang was stunned for a moment, her eyes falling on the face of her eldest daughter who was almost as tall as her.
It turned out that my daughter had grown up. Although she was dirty, she was obviously a beauty.
She suddenly became energetic, like a wild dog that had been hungry for several days seeing a delicious bone.
She grabbed her eldest daughter's arm and said anxiously, "Come, let me wash your face and comb your hair. I'll look around to see if there are any decent clothes."
The eldest daughter was stunned at first, but soon understood what was going on.
She grew up with Aunt Wang and knew very well what kind of person her biological mother was.
"What are you going to do? What are you going to do?" She struggled to break free from Aunt Wang's hands and turned to run.
Aunt Wang fell to her knees with a thud, but hugged her legs tightly: "My good daughter, my good daughter, now only you can help me, I beg you, for your brothers and sisters, for me, just..."
Before she finished speaking, the eldest daughter forcefully shook off her restraints: "You sold my cousin, and now you want to sell me. If you want to sell me, do it yourself. Don't think of me. I am a daughter of the Cui family. Even if the Cui family was confiscated, it is still a clean and scholarly family!"
"Incorruptible? From a scholarly family? Hahaha!" Aunt Wang laughed so hard that tears came out of her eyes.
When she had laughed enough, she found that both of her daughters were gone.
Not only did the eldest daughter run away by herself, she also took the second daughter with her.
The two daughters ran out of the yard and ran towards the village entrance. Now no one was watching them and they were free.
"Sister, where are we going?" asked the younger sister.
"Go back to Luzhou, to your own people, even if it's to go back to the countryside and farm, it's better than being sold to a brothel," said my sister.
The two ran to the village entrance and saw Chen Wangxing standing there.
They had never seen Shen Wangxing, let alone knew that he was their brother.
But they knew Mrs. Li who was standing next to Shen Wangxing.
The two were shocked. Mrs. Li was a staff member of the yamen. Their family was imprisoned there, and Mrs. Li had come to deliver food to them.
"Mother Li, are you here to arrest us?" The elder sister subconsciously shielded her younger sister behind her and mustered up the courage to face Mother Li.
Mrs. Li grinned, forced herself not to speak, and stole a glance at Chen Wangxing who was standing beside her.
This person is one of her financial backers, and she dare not say anything in front of him.
Chen Wangxing asked, "Are they Cui Rong's daughters?"
Mrs. Li: "Yes, these are two girls."
Shen Wangxing said, "Take them to the carriage."
The two girls wanted to escape, but they were no match for Li Po, who was used to doing rough work. In just a few moves, Li Po pulled them one by one into the carriage.
They were taken to Banshan Village not far away, where they washed their faces, combed their hair, changed into clean coarse clothes, and had a full meal.
Mrs. Li asked, "The official asked me to ask you, do you want to follow your father and brother into exile, or return to the Cui family? However, I guess the Cui family has also been confiscated by now."
Although female family members do not need to be exiled, if you want to go with your family, that is fine. It is your own choice, and no one can stop you if you want to die.
When they escaped from that yard, the two sisters wanted to escape back to Cui's house, but now that they have calmed down, they don't want to go back.
What would they go back for? The Cui family's current situation was caused by Cui Rong. They were Cui Rong's daughters, and if they went back, they would bear all the resentment and complaints for Cui Rong.
The only person Cui Rong cares about the most is the fourth young master Cui. Even though they grew up with their parents, they were ignored.
And Aunt Wang, just now, wanted to use her own daughter to exchange for benefits.
They have never been loved by their parents, so why should they bear the blame for their parents?
Why?
My sister asked, "Mother Li, do we have a third option?"
Mrs. Li was stunned. She was just a messenger, what did she know?
"What do you want to do?" A voice came from behind. It was Chen Wangxing.
"Sir!" The two sisters stood up and knelt in greeting.
Mrs. Li worked in the yamen and took orders from Chen Wangxing, so the two sisters thought that Shen Wangxing was sent from above. Although he was a little younger, they did not think about it too much.
Chen Wangxing stood far away from them, his voice cold: "I'm asking you, what do you want to do?"
The elder sister looked at her younger sister, who nodded. The elder sister said boldly, "We can embroider and do some laboring. We can support ourselves."
Chen Wangxing was a little surprised. He thought that Fourth Master Cui's sister was just like Fourth Master Cui, someone who wanted to get something for nothing.
"Don't you want to go back to Luzhou?" he asked.
The two sisters nodded and said, "We are not going back to Luzhou, nor are we staying in Fuyun. We only ask the official to give us a pass so that we can find a place in Liangdi to fend for ourselves."
Although Cui Rong had been exiled for many years, his family was still registered in Luzhou. The two sisters did not need to show up in public and did not need a travel permit before, but now they have to support themselves. There are many occupations for women in Liangdi, such as embroiderers, female waiters in jewelry shops and rouge shops who specialize in receiving female customers, and even teahouses, restaurants and inns, there will be one or two female waiters and maids, which makes it more convenient when female customers come.
But if you don’t have a travel permit and your registered residence is not local, you will not be able to stay anywhere.
Shen Wangxing had never thought that there would be people in the Cui family who wanted to support themselves with their own hands, and they were two little girls.
He suddenly felt a little more pity for these two sisters who had no feelings for him.
"Okay, I'll ask my superiors and give you an answer."
The two sisters were surprised and happy, and thanked him repeatedly.
Two hours later, the reply from "Shangguan" came, along with two travel permits.
With these two passes, they can leave Fuyun.
The next day, the two sisters were sent to Qian Ping Mansion on a passing mule cart.
When they arrived at Qian Ping Mansion, the mule cart stopped in front of an embroidery workshop with a sign recruiting apprentices hanging in front of the door.
My elder sister was overjoyed and went in to try out the job. After she embroidered a peony on the spot, she was kept as an apprentice. An apprentice like her with a solid foundation in embroidery could become a master in three months. Of course, she could only embroider small pieces at the beginning, but she would still be paid for that.
Although the younger sister was younger and her embroidery skills were not as good as her elder sister's, she was kept as a maid to serve tea and water to the female guests. Maids in the embroidery workshop also had the opportunity to become apprentices if they worked hard.
The embroidery workshop provided food and accommodation. Although they lived in a large dormitory with more than a dozen people squeezed together and ate simple meals, everyone here took good care of them. No one knew that they were the daughters of criminals, and no one knew that they had such despicable parents.
They live a very satisfying life here. Their goal now is to become the best embroiderers, like the masters in the embroidery workshop. Not only will they have high salaries, but they can also take in apprentices, be respected, and not have to worry about other people's feelings.
......
At Baihe Mountain, Zhao Shiqing saw Chen Wangxing, who had returned from Fuyun, and asked, "Do you want to go back to Luzhou to take a look? Or bring your mother over?"
The women of the Cui family were not punished together. They did not have to be exiled, sold into slavery or prostitution, and their movements were not restricted. Shen Wangxing could take Madam Cui away.
Chen Wangxing shook his head: "I know her, she won't go with me. Even if that beast is full of evil, she will think he is innocent."
Zhao Shiqing didn't say anything. She had seen people like this before.
But what’s interesting is that just when Zhao Shiqing was about to leave Baihe Mountain, her guards finally came back after going through untold hardships!
The moment they saw Miss Zhao Er, the twenty guards cried like idiots.
It wasn’t easy, it was so difficult, they finally got to see the second young lady in their lifetime.
In order to fulfill their duties as guards, they chased from Liang to Wu, and then from Wu to Liang. Just one step, just one step, and they would have missed the second young lady again.
Zhao Shiqing: "Yes, if you were one day later, you wouldn't be able to see me again."
Without having time to talk about what they had seen and heard along the way, the twenty guards immediately packed their luggage (actually there was no need to pack). This time, they must stay by the Second Young Lady's side. Twenty people have forty eyes, and they must not lose the Second Young Lady this time. No, they must not let the Second Young Lady lose them.
Although Chen Guanyue strongly requested to go to the capital together, Zhao Shiqing gritted his teeth and refused to take him with him no matter what.
What a joke, she was entrusted by Xiao Zhen to take Shen Guanyue out of the capital, but now she wants to take Shen Guanyue back, isn't this breaking her promise?
Is Miss Zhao Er that kind of person?
Although Chen Guanyue was helpless, he was still left in Baihe Mountain.
February 14th is a good day for long journeys.
Zhao Shiqing and Zhen Wuduo set foot on the official road to the capital.
After walking a long way, I looked back and saw Chen Guanyue standing at the entrance of the village, waving a small handkerchief. The place was cold, deserted, and miserable.
......
However, a small incident occurred on the way.
Not long after leaving Liangdi, Shen Wangxing decided to go back to Luzhou. Blood is thicker than water. Although he said harsh words, he still couldn't let go of his mother.
Zhao Shiqing agreed and sent two guards to go with him. If Madam Cui agreed, he could return to her parents' home or settle down in Baihe Village with Shen Wangxing.
Zhao Shiqing and Shen Wangxing agreed that after he finished his own business, he would come to Su Ji Teahouse in the capital to find her.
I just don’t know if the Su Ji Teahouse is still open. It’s a haunted house and should be difficult to sell.
......
The weather gradually warmed up. There was no conversation along the way. In the season of lush grass and singing birds, Zhao Shiqing once again set foot in the capital of Dayong.
The identity of the second lady of Prince Liang's Mansion cannot be known to outsiders. Therefore, before leaving Liangdi, they all changed their travel passes. Now they are still Liangdi people, but their household registration is not in Baihe Village, but in Fanghe Village.
Well, Fanghe Village at the foot of Fanghe Mountain now also belongs to Miss Zhao Er, but not many people know about it.
There is no headman in either Baihe Village or Fanghe Village. Miss Zhao Er is the village chief, the village chief of both villages.
Now, Village Chief Zhao has brought her villagers to the capital.
Haha, Xiao Zhen, you didn’t expect that I’m back!
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