Chapter 21 A man disguised as a woman
It gets dark early in winter. Before the beginning of the evening, the lights are already on in the house.
When Jiang Yuzhu returned home, Xie Zhao had not returned yet because he was busy with government affairs.
Steward Xie set up the table as instructed and asked, "Madam, I have sent someone to deliver a message to Liang An. Do you want to wait a little longer?"
Jiang Yuzhu glanced at the sky and refused: "Fifth brother must be tired after traveling all the way. Let's start the meal early, eat well and have a good sleep."
Of course she couldn't wait, mainly because Jiang Yuzhu was hungry after a whole afternoon of hard work.
Jiang Yuzhu glanced at Manager Xie, and thinking about the recent expenditure, she felt guilty and said, "Tell the kitchen to leave some dishes that the master likes. If the master doesn't return home by the end of the evening hour, send someone to deliver them to the government office."
Be smart, Xie Zhao is a third-rank official after all, the pillar of the mansion. She usually sends some side dishes and snacks, but does she need to be responsible for such trivial matters?
Jiang Yuzhu said a few words and went straight to the reception room, leaving Manager Xie in shock.
Manager Xie had heard a little about the recent rumors. If he hadn't been in the mansion, he would have almost believed it!
In the living room, Xie Xuan was sitting opposite Shen Zhilan who had rushed over.
Chen Zhilan thought that since her cousin Xie Zhao was coming home, they would have a chance to have dinner together, but she only saw Xie Xuan, and she was somewhat disappointed.
Even though I live in the Xie family, I have very few opportunities to see my cousin.
"Third sister-in-law."
When Jiang Yuzhu entered the room, Xie Xuan immediately stood up and saluted.
In the book, Xie Xuan is a scholar who turns a deaf ear to what is happening outside and never pays attention to rumors.
Xie Zhao and Jiang Yuzhu were estranged from each other, and Xie Xuan knew very little about them and had great respect for Jiang Yuzhu.
This time when he went to Beijing to take the exam, Xie Xuan did not come empty-handed. He brought the most popular fabrics and porcelain from Jiangnan, as well as jewelry made by craftsmen from his clan.
Jiang Yuzhu likes obedient and sensible children the most. She smiled and said in return, "Fifth brother, your third brother is very busy with official duties. I guess he was delayed by trivial matters again."
The Jingzhao Yin was only a third-rank official, but his position was extremely important.
On weekdays, he governs the people, adjudicates cases, evaluates his subordinates, and collects taxes, which are heavy tasks. In addition, he is also responsible for the defense of the capital together with the Five Cities Army.
It is no exaggeration to say that Xie Zhao is busy with many things.
Xie Xuan showed an expression of admiration, his eyes shining: "Third brother is a rare genius in the clan. I want to emulate him. If I pass the exam and become an official, I will definitely be a good official who benefits the people!"
Jiang Yuzhu pondered over and over again, and felt that it was not an exaggeration to say that the male protagonist was a rare genius that only appears once in a century.
But it's not easy to be a good official just by passing the exam.
Looking back to the past, when my father Jiang Fulu was just starting out, his slogans were louder than Xie Xuan's, but what happened? When he reached middle age, he was already involved in corruption.
The way of being an official is that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. There are too many twists and turns inside.
The dishes were all served, and Jiang Yuzhu warmly welcomed them: "Fifth brother, you came from Jiangnan, and you must have been exhausted from the journey. Eat well and rest up early."
Half of the dishes are from Beijing, and the other half are from Jiangnan.
Jiang Yuzhu suddenly had an idea to change the taste. When Xie Xuan saw the dishes, he thought that his third sister-in-law prepared them specially for him and was silently moved.
The servants around her always gossip about what a good person my third sister-in-law is. She is pretty, considerate and caring.
During the meal, Jiang Yuzhu would occasionally instruct the maid to serve food to Xie Xuan, and would chat with Shen Zhilan whenever she had time.
Shen Zhilan was worried and had no appetite for food.
For some reason, she felt like everything was in vain.
Is there really hope in this life for those who you didn’t get in your previous life?
The meal lasted until very late, but Xie Zhao still did not return home.
Xie Xuan was very considerate of his third brother. After washing up, he stayed in the guest house and read.
Jiang Yuzhu had nothing to do, so she chatted with her maid. She wanted to prepare hair growth liquid and hair growth pills, and she needed a batch of medicinal materials.
"In the early stage, we only need a dozen kinds of medicinal materials. What if we only find one medicinal material supplier to supply them and someone discovers the prescription?"
Although the other party doesn't know the ratio, they can always figure it out as long as they spend time.
In order to make money, Jiang Yuzhu had to be more careful and keep the recipe secret.
Hongli thought that his wife had encountered a big problem, but it turned out to be just a trivial matter: "Madam, there is no need for you to worry about this. Just let the second young master know and everything will be taken care of for you."
After being reminded, Jiang Yuzhu nodded in agreement.
In my previous life, I relied on myself for everything, and it became a habit for me to find solutions to problems on my own.
After entering the book, Jiang Yuzhu had everyone backing her up and was treated like a treasure, which made her a little uncomfortable.
Outside the door, Hong Xiu entered through the curtain and said nervously, "The doorman of the Jiang residence came to deliver the news, saying that the Madam went out with the Second Young Master."
"It's getting late and the capital is under curfew. Why is mother still out?"
Jiang Yuzhu had a terrible headache and quickly changed her clothes.
Mother Chen wanted to stalk the cicada while the mantis was stalking it, but in order to protect her second brother, Jiang Yuzhu had to wait for the oriole to come from behind.
Hong Xiu struggled with her expression, and after thinking for a while, she finally told the truth: "Before or after dinner, the second young master returned home, sneaked into the main courtyard, and stole the lady's rouge and powder."
"What?"
This time, Jiang Yuzhu couldn't help but be shocked.
Her second brother has plenty of money. If he wants to give it to the girl he likes, he won't steal it from their mother, right?
Jiang Yuzhu convinced herself and said with a slightly relieved look: "This is a good thing. Mother will be more relieved knowing that my second brother has a sweetheart."
Hong Xiu looked strange, and tried to speak in a tactful tone: "This is where the problem lies. The second young master stole Madam's rouge and powder and used them on himself, and Madam even found out."
Chen's eyes are like rulers, and he has a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Normally, the tables, chairs and benches in the room must be in fixed positions, and any deviation would be noticed by Chen.
It's not surprising that Jiang Huaiqing was discovered stealing his mother Chen's things.
"Why does my second brother put on women's powder?"
Jiang Yuzhu finally reacted and hurriedly got on the carriage and went out.
…
It was late at night, and Changpingfang in the capital was at its most prosperous.
Changpingfang is a street that never sleeps and is the most mixed place in the capital.
Businessmen traveling from north to south often stay here. If you are lucky, someone may approach you and you may seek business cooperation.
Around Changpingfang are the most famous red-light districts in the capital.
The Flower Street is a brothel. At night, prostitutes wearing only a few pieces of clothing stand on the second-floor stand to solicit business, which is extremely hot.
The willow lane on the other side is a brothel, which is much quieter in comparison.
Jiang Huaiqing was sitting in the carriage in her dress, observing the movements outside from time to time.
"Jiang Da, do you see clearly enough? If I change into this outfit and fail to catch Princess Yu Tan, won't I lose a lot?"
For the first time in his life, Jiang Huaiqing humiliated himself by wearing women's clothes just to chase and intercept Princess Yutan.
Normally the princess is in the palace, and it is almost impossible for Jiang Huaiqing to see her.
Jiang Da's eyes flickered. In fact, he was not sure now: "Second Young Master, you should wash up and change your clothes before rushing over. It will take more than an hour."
Not long ago, Jiang Da saw Princess Yutan enter the brothel, but he didn't know whether she was there now.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
