Chapter 198 New Year (Two chapters in one)
The weather is getting colder, and Master Zhen’s shipping business has also stopped. After the last ship docked, there are no plans to go out to sea for the time being.
As a result, the third prince has no chance to buy shares.
People are like this. They didn't think much of it when they didn't have this income before, but once they had it, it suddenly disappeared and they suddenly felt short of money.
It is conceivable that when the Third Prince saw Young Master Zhen, he was like a hungry dog smelling meat, and he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
He was the most short of money among the princes, and there was never a time when he was not short of money.
The prince's salary was not worthy of his ambition, and although the Feng family was powerful, they did not have an endless supply of money for him to use.
The Fan family is rich, but they are not stupid. Before Fan Qiujun had a formal status or even gave birth to a royal grandson, the Fan family's money still belonged to the Fan family and had nothing to do with him.
Young Master Zhen is the biggest money bag that the Third Prince has found so far!
However, during this period, Young Master Zhen was nowhere to be found. The Third Prince sent people to look for him several times but to no avail.
Now seeing Young Master Zhen standing in front of him alive, the Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this little pirate was not chopped to pieces by his enemies and was still alive!
He asked someone to investigate. Zhen Wuduo was an old fox, and his whereabouts had been erratic in recent years. Even his sons didn't know where he had gone. But whenever they wanted to make some small moves, Zhen Wuduo's big stick would hit them on the head accurately.
Zhen Gui was Zhen Wuduo's most trusted son, and even the government offices along the coastal areas got wind of the matter and gave Zhen Gui many favorable terms.
Moreover, it is said that Zhen Wuduo has the intention to make Zhen Gui his successor. The other sons are very angry about this, but Zhen Gui has been living in the capital for a long time, so they can't and dare not reach out to him.
The third prince felt that Zhen Gui was sent to him by God. It was the fledgling Zhen Gui who was sent to him, not the cunning and murderous Zhen Wuduo. He was truly God's own son!
"Master Zhen, long time no see, you're still as energetic as ever!"
Young Master Zhen bowed deeply and said, "I've come at an inopportune time. Since the Third Master is out on business, I'd better come back another day."
The third prince had no important business in entering the palace. He was going to have a secret meeting with Fan Qiuyun.
Now Fan Qiujun is in Concubine Qiao's palace, and they can meet whenever they want, there is no need to rush.
But Master Zhen is rarely seen.
The third prince immediately gave up the idea of entering the palace and returned home.
This time, the place where he received Young Master Zhen was changed to the study.
When Feng Jiahe returned from her mother's home, Young Master Zhen had already left, but the joy in the eyes of the Third Prince was visible to the naked eye.
Feng Jiahe hurriedly asked, "Master, does the man surnamed Zhen have business again?"
The Third Prince laughed and said, "This Zhen Gui is really good at making money. Guess what business he's in? Hahaha, he's formed a caravan and is selling horses from outside the Great Wall. He's incredibly bold. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, this would have been a serious crime, with the entire family exterminated."
Feng Jiahe was stunned: "What about now?"
The Third Prince said, "In recent years, the army has had its own stables, which can meet the supply of military horses. However, those horses are only for the military. Horses needed outside the army have become a hot commodity. There are ordinary people who raise horses, but those horses are only suitable for pulling carts and carrying goods. If you want a fine and majestic horse, you still have to spend a lot of money to buy it from outside the border."
Feng Jiahe understood: "Master Zhen wants to do the horse business and wants to bring the Third Master along?"
The Third Prince laughed and said, "He only has money, but the road to the border cannot be opened with money alone."
Feng Jiahe's heart moved: "Master, this won't be risky, right? How about I go back to my parents' home and ask my father?"
Upon hearing this, the smile on the Third Prince’s face disappeared.
It's like this again, it's like this every time. I have to ask Feng Ke about everything. If Feng Ke doesn't agree, I can't do anything!
"Does that mean you have to ask your father even how many times I need water every night?" the third prince said sarcastically.
Feng Jiahe's pretty face suddenly turned red, she knew that the third prince was unhappy.
"That's not what I meant. I did it all for you, Master."
The third prince reached out and swept all the cups on the table to the ground, making a series of crisp crackling sounds. Feng Jiahe was startled and covered her mouth with a handkerchief to prevent herself from screaming out.
The Third Prince's voice was icy: "Alright, I'm just talking. I'm done with this kind of business. Someone, go tell Master Zhen to find someone else."
After saying that, he turned away.
Feng Jiahe was stunned for a moment, and the maidservant whispered to her, "Princess, how about I send someone to tell the palace?"
The "mansion" the maid was referring to was not the Third Prince's mansion, but the Feng Mansion.
Feng Jiahe was about to say yes when the words the Third Prince had just said suddenly resonated in her mind. She shook her head and said, "Third Master is just talking. I'm afraid this won't work. Let's not alarm Father for now."
She thought for a moment and said to the maid, "Have someone keep an eye on Master Zhen to see if he goes looking for anyone else."
The news came back quickly. Young Master Zhen did not go anywhere at first, but after the Third Prince really sent someone to meet Young Master Zhen, the subordinates of Fatty Si sent an invitation to the Fourth Prince's mansion. However, the Fourth Prince was now preoccupied with entertaining those envoys, and the invitation fell on deaf ears.
After that, until the Chinese New Year, the Third Prince and Young Master Zhen had no further contact.
Obviously, this deal failed.
Feng Jiahe tried twice, and each time she was met with the Third Prince's cold face. Feng Jiahe felt a little guilty, and treated the Third Prince even more gently and attentively.
The Third Prince ignored her for a few days until he came back from the palace after having the New Year's Eve dinner. Taking advantage of the alcohol, the two of them reconciled as before.
The Prince's Mansion has its own rules. There are many important matters to attend to on the first day of the Lunar New Year. According to the rules, sexual intercourse is not allowed on the night of New Year's Eve. Therefore, after the two of them were intimate, the Third Prince left, leaving Feng Jiahe alone in the empty room.
Feng Jiahe felt sad. She thought the Third Prince was still blaming her for what happened last time.
Therefore, when the day came for her to return to her parents' home, Feng Ke asked her what kind of guests the Third Prince had met and what he had done in the mansion recently, and she subconsciously concealed the truth and did not mention a word about Young Master Zhen wanting to sell horses with the Third Prince.
Feng Jiahe would never have known that the Third Prince had already sent his confidants to follow Jiang Ping to the border before the New Year.
On New Year's Eve, Zhao Tingxuan went to the palace to attend a palace banquet. When he returned to the palace, he asked someone to send the snacks given by the palace and several dishes made by the chef in the palace to Zhao Shiqing. A big red envelope was also sent together, which was the New Year's money from the brother to his younger sister.
Zhao Shiqing had already received the New Year's money from Zhao Tinghan and Zhao Yunnuan in advance, and this year there was one more gift than in previous years, as her sister-in-law Meng Xiaotang gave her a separate gift.
These New Year's money were brought by Meng Hu together with the New Year gifts, and he also brought some from his master.
The next morning, Zhao Shiqing changed into new clothes and kowtowed to Zhen Wuduo politely: "Happy New Year, Grandpa. I wish you good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains."
It's like he's wishing someone a happy birthday.
The old man squinted his eyes with joy and handed a heavy red envelope to Zhao Shiqing. Zhao Shiqing returned to the house and opened it. No wonder it felt so thick. There were sixty silver notes worth one hundred taels each!
Six thousand taels!
She kowtowed and got six thousand taels!
Zhao Shiqing was so moved that she almost cried. In the next life, the next life, and the next life, she would still want to be his granddaughter, his one and only precious granddaughter!
Xiao Zhen also came early in the morning and kowtowed as well. In Xiao Zhen's red envelope was only a light ten-liang silver note.
Zhao Shiqing laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.
For a group of half-grown children, the New Year is all about eating and drinking. All the shops on the street are closed. Zhao Shiqing has already prepared to eat and sleep, but she didn't expect that a group of her new friends would come to her door.
In addition to the Yan family, there are also the brothers Zhao Tinggang and Zhao Tingyu from Prince Lu's Mansion, and Zhao Tingluo, the know-it-all from Prince Fu's Mansion.
Zhao Shiqing asked, "All the shops outside are closed. Where should we go to play?"
Zhao Tinggang patted his chest and said, "Follow me, I will take you to a good place."
Zhao Shiqing thought Zhao Tinggang must be taking them to the Lu Wang Mansion's own property, but he actually brought them to a dilapidated temple. There was a group of beggars there. When they saw the Broken Stone brothers, they all stood up politely and said, "Hello, Boss!"
Zhao Shiqing widened her eyes in surprise. The Broken Stone brothers did not disappoint her. They actually became the leaders of Huazi.
The Stone-Breaking Brothers pointed at the children they had brought with them and said to the little beggars, "These are all brothers. When they have something to ask you to do in the future, don't be lazy!"
"Okay, whatever the boss says is what we will listen to him!"
So everyone pooled their money together and collected fifty taels of silver and gave it to the little beggars. After a while, they came back carrying several large chicken cages. These chickens were all bought from farmers.
Zhao Shiqing had a meal of beggar's chicken with a unique flavor. Fortunately, he could play with the brothers Sui Dashi. Although they usually had fine clothes and delicious food, none of them were spoiled. They sat on the ground, ate chicken together, and boasted together.
Zhao Tinggang counted the heads and said, "Hey, where are Xiao Niuzi and Xiao Gouzi? Didn't I tell you guys not to run around during the New Year? I'll bring you some food."
The little beggars said one after another, "They went to work for Old Wang. As agreed, Old Wang's apprentice went home for the New Year, so they were asked to work for three days for free."
Zhao Tinggang, the stone-crushing brother, frowned. "Work for free? Why should I work for him for free? It's New Year's Day, isn't this bullying a child? What does this old man Wang do? I'll ask him to seek justice!"
"Old Wang is the one who runs the herbal medicine shop on the street ahead. Little Cow and Little Dog found a fallen man on the street and carried him to Old Wang's shop. Old Wang cured him and he saved his life. They had no money to pay for the consultation, so they agreed to work for him for three days for free. It wasn't tiring, just picking herbs."
Zhao Tinggang became interested: "Falling on the road? Being saved? What about that person? Didn't he pay for the consultation? Didn't he save someone who was even poorer than a beggar?"
The little beggar said, "That's not the case. He's a scholar, but he has no money. We searched all over his body and didn't find a single copper. The most valuable thing on his body is his robe, but it's so cold, we can't just take his clothes off and exchange them for money."
"So you let that man go? Didn't you follow him home to ask for money?" asked the younger brother of Sui Dashi.
The little beggar said, "Don't mention it. Although the man was saved, he is only alive. He is still lying in bed. Old Wang said that he can't die, but he is too seriously injured and won't wake up for a while."
The Yan brothers were born into a military family, and they were more sensitive than others.
Yan Jiu immediately asked, "Serious injuries? The person you're talking about isn't hungry or cold, but injured?"
The little beggar nodded repeatedly, pointing to his stomach. "Right here, a bloody hole. Oh, right, Little Cowboy and Little Dog found him by the puddle up ahead. His clothes were all frozen into lumps of ice. We all think he was injured and thrown into the ice hole, and he climbed out on his own."
The corners of everyone's mouth twitched at the same time.
He was stabbed and thrown into an ice hole, but he climbed out by himself. Before he died, he was rescued by two little beggars. This man is really lucky.
Zhao Tingluo, who had been silently chewing on a chicken leg, suddenly interrupted and asked, "Didn't you report it to the police?"
The little beggars looked at each other and shook their heads.
None of them thought that they would have to report this matter to the police!
Yan Jiu said, "It's Chinese New Year, and no one will respond even if you report it to the police. It might even delay treatment, and the person might die before the court is even heard."
Everyone thought about it and agreed. The yamen was sealed during the New Year. Although there were yamen runners on duty, they were just on duty. Especially since this was a homicide case, just as Yan Jiu said, by the time the official came to the court, the man would most likely be dead.
Yan Shiyi said, "Why don't we tell Big Brother?"
Zhao Shiqing was curious: "Hero Yan is back?"
Yan Shiyi said, "He came back at midnight yesterday and went to the palace early this morning. He should have returned home by now."
Zhao Shiqing thought of the case that Yan Xia was investigating and was curious about the results he had found, but now was definitely not the time to ask. Besides, the little ones in the Yan family might not know.
Yan Jiu said, "Then let's go to the herbal medicine shop and take a look. If that person was murdered to silence him, there might be other cases involved."
They are not ordinary children. Their eldest brother is Yan Xia, so their reactions to the same thing are different from others.
Zhao Shiqing also wanted to go and see that lucky person, and that person was actually a scholar. All the scholars she had seen were weak and powerless, but she certainly wanted to meet someone like this who was seriously injured but still had a strong desire to survive.
Old Wang is not a professional doctor, but he has run his pharmacy for a long time and he knows some medical skills.
Usually, when the little beggars had a headache or a fever, they would go to Old Wang. Old Wang was very generous and would pick some herbs for them to boil and drink. The little beggars were grateful and often went to help Old Wang with his work.
Just like this time, Old Wang saved someone. Although that person had nothing to do with them, they were willing to help Old Wang.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com