Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Luoan is at war? Wen Shuse hadn't heard about it. He knew that many refugees had flocked to Fengcheng due to the drought in Qingzhou this year. Food was indeed in high demand, but Fengcheng's food had always been monopolized by the Cui family. The Wen family's businesses were mainly in teahouses and aquatic products, while the Xie family's businesses were in spices and gouache. Neither of them had ever been involved in food.
There is still last year's old rice in the granary of the mansion, which can last for a few years even if there is a natural disaster. The silver in her hands has already attracted attention, and she is busy dealing with it, so she will not earn the money from the natural disaster.
After thanking Aunt Gu for telling him, and sending the person away, Wen Shuse instructed Aunt Qing to go back to the Wen family in person and rescue the old lady from the dire straits first.
Aunt Qing arrived at the Wen family when she was feeding.
When she returned, the eldest lady of the Wen family happened to be in the courtyard of the old lady. A few days ago, Mr. Wen left with his entire family, leaving only her and Aunt Xue to serve the old ancestor in the mansion. The eldest lady had an argument with Mr. Wen that day, "We agreed to sell the house and leave together, why didn't she listen?"
Master Wen said calmly, "The old lady is not well yet, and it is not suitable for her to travel. You stay and take care of her for half a year. When she recovers, I will write to you and discuss what to do."
Half a year?
The eldest lady took a deep breath and took a few steps back in anger. "What could be wrong with her that she needs to be recuperated for half a year? The day when Old Madam Xie came, she seemed to be in good spirits. How come she couldn't sit in the carriage? Can't you see what she is thinking? She just doesn't want to leave Fengcheng and this house. She is guarding against us like a thief, afraid that we will take advantage of her own son..."
Seeing her speak so bluntly, Master Wen frowned and said, "Moving is not an easy task. Since the old lady is unwilling to leave, you should stay in Fengcheng for the time being. I will find a way to deal with the rest."
Seeing that Master Wen was determined to have her stay, the first lady completely lost her mind, "Why should I stay and serve her? Isn't it that she only has her biological son in her heart, and she asked people to come back to be filial to her, why should we not get any benefit, and I have to do all the hard work."
"Why are you suffering and tired?" Master Wen said in a displeased manner, "She is my mother. If you can even forget filial piety, how can you be worthy of being a human being? If you don't want to, you can let Aunt Xue stay alone, but you have to vacate the seat first."
This means divorcing her.
The eldest lady was so angry that she cried and her eyes were swollen. On the day she left, she was still angry with Master Wen and locked herself in her room and refused to come out to see him off. The two little grandchildren were outside the door calling for their grandmother in a baby voice. The eldest lady was in so much pain that her heart was burning.
As soon as the person left, the courtyard that was bustling in the past became empty in an instant. There was no sound wherever she walked. The eldest lady's soul had been sucked away. What could she possibly do?
Since you can't leave, just stay and help your family.
Anyway, there was nothing to do, so he went to the old lady every day to persuade her to sell the house as soon as possible, buy a property in Dongdu, and move there with the whole family to enjoy family happiness.
But the ancestor just wouldn't give in.
She didn't sell the house and didn't give any money. If the lady was willing to stay and serve, she could do so. If not, she could leave.
Seeing that she was unmoved, the eldest lady played the emotional card today, complaining about the two little grandsons, "When the two little guys left, they were still thinking about their great-grandmother. Now that they are gone, we don't know when we can be reunited. In Dongdu, everything costs money. I heard from the old man that even a piece of vegetable leaf needs to be bought at the market. With the little salary of the old man, it is not enough for the family to spend. Today I will not beat around the bush with the old lady. It's okay for the adults, but I really feel sorry for the two children to suffer. The second master has spent a lot of money on our family over the years. I know it all in my heart. Last time, the ancestor changed the eldest lady's marriage to Shuse. Afterwards, I also figured it out. As an aunt, I can rest assured that Shuse can have a good home. Just think of it as a loan from the old man and Shuse. Let us have a place to live in Dongdu first, and I promise to pay her back in the future."
This time, Madam Wen was no longer indifferent. After a moment of silence, she turned to Aunt Cao and said, "Go and get the box from my room."
As soon as Aunt Cao turned around, Aunt Qing arrived. She brushed the curtain and stepped into the room. She called out to the old lady with concern, "Are you feeling better now?"
Madam Wen looked surprised and suddenly became nervous, "What happened to Gaoxian?"
"Don't worry, old ancestor. The second lady is fine." Seeing that the first lady was also there, he smiled and greeted her, "It's just right that you are all here today."
He turned around and reported to the old lady, "Second Lady asked me to come back and tell the old lady that last time she heard from the eldest lady that real estate in Dongdu has high profits. After thinking about it these few days, she decided to go to Dongdu to buy a few properties. Now that my master and his family have arrived in Dongdu, Wangjiu will not have to worry about having no place to live. Second Lady said that she would rent the properties to them. Others would charge 90 strings of cash a month, but considering that we are all family, she would only charge 80 strings of cash. In this way, the rental money would not fall into the hands of others, and others would not take advantage of us..."
The eldest lady's reaction was the same as that of Mrs. Wu, the eldest lady of the Xie family. She stared for a long time without saying a word.
Madam Wen's eyes moved slightly, and she roughly guessed in her heart that this prodigal son always failed at the right point.
After returning, Aunt Qing told Wen Shuse, "Fortunately, I went there in time. The old lady almost took out her treasure. The second lady didn't see the first lady's face, which turned pale and blue..."
Wen Shuse had long anticipated that if the eldest lady didn't get the money from him that day, An would definitely target the ancestor. After all, they were all family and had the surname Wen. It was impossible for grandmother to just ignore it. Her father's property and shops were given to her, so grandmother could only take out her own coffin money.
Therefore, her strategy is not a long-term solution.
Wen Shuse instructed Aunt Qing, "Find someone reliable to keep an eye on An and report to me immediately if there is any movement."
Aunt Qing said, "Don't worry, madam. I have informed Aunt Cao and everything has been arranged."
It was getting late, and Nanny Fang had prepared dinner. It was already dark outside when they finished. Wen Shuse had taken a nap at noon today, so he was not in a hurry to rest. He said to Xiangyun, "Come with me to help digest the food."
It was only the beginning of April, and without the sun, the night wind was still a little chilly. There were lakes everywhere in the park, and it was even colder at night. Wen Shuse did not walk around the yard, but walked out of the park and strolled slowly along the corridor outside.
In the first ten days after she got married, Nanny Fang saw that she was bored, so she took her on a tour of the mansion. Wen Shuse vaguely remembered which master lived in which courtyard.
The Xie family's house has ten entrances and ten exits from the front, but the two sides are extended to a wider row. Although the horse farm and the back garden occupy a large part of the house, there are also many courtyards and rooms in the house. Even if the Xie family has more people, they can all accommodate them. There are ways to live in more houses. The masters don't want to be disturbed, so they tacitly separate an empty courtyard between the courtyards. The empty courtyard is usually uninhabited and is used as a place for strolling.
The sky had been clear for half a month, and tonight there was a bright moon in the sky.
Xiangyun followed Wen Shuse while looking at the large jade plate hanging above the mansion that appeared and disappeared from time to time. When he retracted his head, he realized that the lights in the place he was in were dim.
Seeing that Wen Shuse didn't stop and was still walking forward, Xiangyun noticed it and asked hurriedly, "Where are you going, madam?"
Wen Shuse didn't answer and asked her to extinguish the lantern in her hand.
Xiangyun followed her in confusion, groping in the dark, and when he reached a courtyard wall, he saw the girl rolling up her sleeves and lifting her skirt. He couldn't help but whisper, "What are you doing, ma'am?"
Wen Shuse stretched his neck and looked towards the lights on the opposite side. "Who knows what conspiracy these people are planning. Let's listen to them from behind the wall for a while."
Xiangyun was stunned and looked around. Then he finally came to his senses and realized that the courtyard opposite was the eldest lady of the Xie family.
When he looked back at his wife, he was stunned. The Third Young Lady, who was so bright and beautiful in the daytime, was climbing up an apricot tree beside the wall using her hands and feet.
"My lady..."
"Shh!"
Unable to stop them, Xiangyun had to join in. The master and servant lay on the apricot tree against the wall and listened for half an hour. Finally, they left the yard with heavy faces.
In addition to confirming Aunt Gu's news that Luo An was fighting, the most important thing was that Mrs. Xie said, "I will go to meet Mrs. Wen in a few days."
If two vampires get together, it will be terrible.
Her delaying tactic might not last long. Coming here today, it was enough to see how important eavesdropping was. Wen Shuse adjusted her messed-up hair, stepped into the yard and said to Xiangyun, "Let's go again tomorrow."
Lucky Cloud:......
When we returned to the garden, the west wing was pitch black. Xie Shao had not returned yet. If he didn't come back at this hour, he would probably be away all night again.
Xiangyun took a look and was filled with worry. He couldn't help but ask, "Madam, what is the son-in-law busy with all day? He doesn't even come home."
Wen Shuse had three rules with him and just treated him as a partner, so he didn't care much about him.
Xiangyun knew how to poke at her master's soft spot, "You think the son-in-law took out so much money today, maybe he was cheated by others..." She glanced at Wen Shu's frozen face and continued with her neck shrunk, "Didn't the lady remind the second wife that day? If the son-in-law was also cheated by the girl, wouldn't it be a waste of effort for this lady to manage everything for him."
Wen Shuse:......
This damn girl is really causing trouble for others.
She didn't know what happened that night, but she dreamed of a group of beautiful girls surrounding her. They called her "sister" loudly and tried to pick her purse.
Silver and money were scattered all over the floor and were being snatched away. Wen Shuse was instantly awakened and sat up from the bed. It was already bright outside.
Aunt Qing heard the noise and came forward to pull open the curtain, and asked with concern, "Madam, are you having a nightmare?"
Wen Shuse shook her head, not understanding why she had such an incredible dream. It must be that the damn girl Xiangyun said that to her before going to bed, and she thought about it day and night and fell into the dream.
I got up, washed, and dressed, and was just about to ask if Xie San had come back, but when I went out I unexpectedly saw Min Zhang.
Min Zhang had been waiting for quite a while. When he heard the noise, he turned around and saw someone coming out. He bowed to her and said, "Good morning, Third Madam. The Master said he wants you to take another 500 taels."
The dream came true.
Wen Shuse opened his mouth and was stunned. He felt that he should not judge others by his own standards, so he asked politely, "Did the Third Young Master gamble outside yesterday?"
Min Zhang was stunned and quickly explained, "Third Madam, please don't misunderstand me. The young master never gambles."
Sure enough, the dream was true. Wen Shuse suddenly realized, "Oh, that is..."
Min Zhang seemed to know what she was going to say, and blushed as he interrupted her, "No, I didn't find a girl. I just like to drink and listen to some music at most..."
Wen Shuse was even more confused, "What kind of aged wine and koji would cost five hundred taels of silver?" He had just taken away five hundred taels of silver yesterday afternoon.
Min Zhang hesitated for a while, but finally told everything.
Yesterday, Xie Shao, Zhou Kuang, Pei Qing, and Cui Nian booked a private room in Zui Xiang Lou. They were talking about something when the second son of the Xie family, who had heard the news from somewhere, suddenly rushed in, hugged Xie Shao's thighs and yelled at him for help. He looked drunk, and after asking, they found out that he had bought two pots of wine in Zui Xiang Lou and had no money to pay the bill.
A total of five hundred taels of silver.
Five hundred taels and two pots of wine were worse than robbery. But after the mother of Zui Xiang Lou brought the courtesan out, she knew what the second young master Xie had done.
Xie Er has no money, and Zui Xiang Lou will not let him go. If he does not come back overnight, someone will go to the mansion the next day to ask Second Madam to come and pick him up. Given Second Madam's temper, I'm afraid she will cry, make a fuss, or even threaten to commit suicide. If she gets in front of Master Xie, she will definitely be skinned alive.
Xie Er cried for his parents and clung to Xie Shao's legs tightly. What else could Xie Shao do but ask Min Zhang to give all the 500 taels that he had withdrawn yesterday to Mr. Xie Er to settle the account.
Today, Min Zhang was allowed to come back and withdraw money again.
Min Zhang really wanted to say that, in fact, although the young master liked to go out every day, he alone could not spend that much in a month.
Wen Shuse understood that the group of girls in his dream last night were not recruited by Xie San, but by the second young master of the Xie family.
It turns out that if one of the following is involved in pornography, gambling, or prostitution, he is no longer a human being.
Wen Shuse asked Nanny Fang to give the money to Min Zhang again. Another whole bill was gone. She didn't feel bad if she really spent the money on her own enjoyment. But it was just down the drain without even a bubble coming out of it. She couldn't be happy.
After the first time, there was a second time. It was obvious that Mr. Xie had become addicted.
She planned to wait for Xie San to come back so that she could persuade him well, but Xie San didn't come back and Nan Zhi came to her house again in the afternoon.
Although the accounting office of the second house was withdrawn, Wen Shuse had always been the one who allocated money for the expenses of the old lady's room. The expenses for the past month would not be spent in two months according to normal spending.
Today, Nanzhi was planning to go out to buy things for the old lady, but was blocked by the eldest and second wives, who snatched her job and insisted on running for the old ancestor. As a granddaughter wanting to show her filial piety, Nanzhi had no reason to stop them.
While the eldest and second wives were out, they bought the old lady's things and also bought their own things as well. The money they spent exceeded the budget by two or three times.
Nanzhi knew that he had done something wrong, so he hurried to Third Grandma to explain the accounts clearly, and then went back to the old lady to receive punishment.
Wen Shuse finally understood that these blood-sucking insects had blocked his way, so they turned around and slipped into any gaps they could find. Compared to before, they were just sucking blood in a different way.
This is exactly the same as the house in the Wen family.
As long as you have money, there is no way they can't think of to squeeze you out of it. Removing the accounting office is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.
Wen Shuse asked Nanny Fang again, "When the Third Young Master goes out, how many days does it take for him to come back?"
Nanny Fang was choked by her and quickly explained, "The Third Young Master rarely stays out all night. I'm afraid he has been entangled with something recently."
Xie Shao was indeed entangled by Zhou Kuang and he wouldn't let go.
From yesterday to today, Prince Zhou has been restless. The armory was previously raided and the physical and witness evidence has been sent to Dongdu. Although Madam Zhou asked someone to find Concubine Yang, she still doesn't know what the result will be.
Before the incident was resolved, news finally came from Gyeongju.
The prince is trapped.
On one side are the rioting refugees, and on the other side is the battlefield in Luoan. Prince Jing is trapped in the middle, unable to advance or retreat. Madam Zhou has sent people to support him, but distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. No one knows what the prince's current situation is. With his character of loving the people like his own children, it is impossible for him to come back for a while.
Luoan does not belong to Zhongzhou, but to Dongzhou under the jurisdiction of the crown prince. In recent years, there have been frequent conflicts on the border between Dongzhou and Xijing, and a war is inevitable.
But the war broke out at this critical juncture. Was it a coincidence or was there some ulterior motive?
Although Zhou Kuang is not very reasonable, he is in the royal family and cannot be naive. "They didn't fight earlier or later. They took advantage of the natural disaster in Qingzhou. They knew that my father would not ignore it and would definitely go to inspect it. They wanted to kill my father in a riot or on the battlefield without anyone noticing. But have they ever thought about the people in Qingzhou? They have already encountered a natural disaster. If there is another war ahead, will they still have a way to survive? A bunch of suspicious bastards who only know how to play tricks. They are really nothing."
Zhou Kuang had a look of anger on his face, while the other three remained silent, their expressions solemn.
If something really happens, Fengcheng will probably be the next Jianzhou Prefecture. The governor of Jianzhou Prefecture, Prince Ning, is now imprisoned in the dungeon of Dongdu.
Normally, when a few people play together, no one can match them, but at critical moments, they all know the importance of it.
Pei Qing spoke first, "If he dares to attack Fengcheng, even if I die, I will go to Dongdu and cut his neck with my own hands to avenge my mother."
Pei Qing was talking about Pei Yuanqiu.
Ever since Pei Yuanqiu went to Dongdu to marry Wang, causing his original wife Shen to be angered to death, Pei Qing had long since cut off all ties with him and there was no longer any father-son relationship between them.
Although Zhou Kuang built the armory, several people were involved and no one could escape responsibility. The stingy Cui Nian was magnanimous for once and said, "If you need money, just let me know."
Only Xie Shao had a calm face. He listened to Zhou Kuang's nagging all night. During this time, Xie Shao fell asleep several times. When he woke up, he still heard Zhou Kuang nagging. He resisted the sleepiness and comforted him, "The prince was able to help Your Majesty pacify the world in the past. He has seen all kinds of conspiracies and tricks. It may not be so easy to plot against him. There is no need for you to worry here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Kuang turned around and looked at him with resentment in his eyes, "Brother Xie, you can't betray your brothers..."
Xie Shao: ...
Here we go again.
"The prince is difficult to deal with, but you, a fool, are much easier to deal with. As long as you leave the city gate, I guarantee that you will be delivered to the cannon fodder in a few days and let the prince fight for you."
Zhou Kuang's mouth twitched and he retorted, "Am I that stupid?"
"If you know, stop walking around. Go back to your house and have a good rest. I will feel dizzy even if you don't. Just send someone to guard the city gates and carefully check all the people coming from Kyoto."
Their goal is Zhongzhou, so their target is not the prince at all, but Fengcheng, Zhongzhou Prefecture.
But he couldn't guess what the conspiracy was, so guarding the city gate was the only way to be safe.
The four of them were originally at Zui Xiang Lou yesterday, but were disturbed by Xie Eryi, so they moved to Pei Qing's house. Although the residence was indeed comfortable, they could not stay away from home for two days.
Cui Nian agreed, "Brother Zhou, you should go back first, so as not to make Madam Zhou worry. Once you have a good rest, your mind will be clear."
Zhou Kuang was indeed tired, and finally dispersed. He listened to Xie Shao's words and sent people to guard the city gate and take strict precautions.
Everyone went back to their own homes. As soon as Cui Nian got on the carriage, the servant reported to him through the window, "Sir, the food from the shops you asked me to buy is all going up in price. The price has reached 120 coins."
In the past, rice was sold to common people in shops for only one hundred coins per bushel.
This group of profiteers, seeing him start to collect grain, all became suspicious and wanted to make more money. Cui Nien teased a flower and bird that Xie Shao had given him a few days ago and said, "Don't take it for now."
"It will take two days for the news of Luoan's war to reach Fengcheng. Let's leave them alone first. Tell them that if they want to sell it, they can sell it. If not, they will have to wait for it to become old rice next year. By then, when the drought in Qingzhou is over, the price will not be this high."
"I understand."
As soon as it got dark, Wen Shuse took Xiangyun out for a walk again.
The two of them lay on the wall, their long hair blending into the night, and they pricked up their ears to listen to the movements inside.
First, it was Master Xie who spoke, "Today, news came back that the prince is trapped in Qingzhou, and Luoan is at war again. I'm afraid it's going to be dangerous."
"What about Madam Zhou? What is her plan?" The eldest lady asked anxiously, "She will not send you to Qingzhou..."
"I haven't said that yet." Uncle Xie paused for a while before saying, "I guess it will be soon."
If something happened to the Jiedushi, it was impossible for the deputy envoy to escape. The eldest lady suddenly complained, "You said that we have followed him for so many years, through life and death, and we can be considered to have done our utmost to be kind and righteous..."
"Be careful with your words!" Uncle Xie interrupted her, "You know the affairs of the court, you just need to take care of the family, especially the eldest brother. First find someone to go to Dongdu to take care of everything, rent a property, and take care of all the worries. When the transfer order comes, send him to Dongdu immediately."
The eldest lady said, "You don't have to worry about the property. Since Third Grandma has said that she wants to buy a property in Dongdu, let's let her buy it. When we get to Dongdu, we can move in first and then think about the rest."
Sure enough, the two vampires were completely different after meeting each other.
The previous dilemma was suddenly resolved.
This was all expected, yet inexplicably disheartening. The master and servant climbed down from the tree, not even bothering to tidy up their clothes, and they slowed down their steps, looking dejected.
Xiangyun suddenly thought of the Wen family's childhood days and murmured, "I miss the days when we had no money. Although our family is a little bit hard, we are happy and no one should worry about anyone else."
Wen Shuse's eyes moved slightly, "Yes, if you don't have money, no one will miss you..." His pace suddenly quickened, and while walking towards the yard, he instructed Xiangyun, "Go and find out when Xie San will come home."
Xiangyun was about to respond when he looked up and saw a light coming from the opposite side. There were two people under the light. The one holding the lantern in front was Min Zhang, and the handsome man behind him was none other than his son-in-law.
Wen Shuse also saw it and walked towards him, lifting her skirt.
Xie Shao was exhausted. Just as he turned around the corridor, he saw a young lady running towards him quickly, as if she couldn't wait to see him.
This scene is not unfamiliar.
It was performed just the day before yesterday, but when I watched it again today, perhaps because she had a gauze lantern in her hand, the warm light gave it a different feeling from last time.
This feeling made him think more, was she waiting for him?
Suddenly I remembered what Cui Nian said, "We haven't been home for two days, don't your family members miss us?" He seemed like someone was missing him.
The young lady soon came up to him, and only then did he notice that her dress was a little disheveled, with some dirt on the white gauze at her elbows and on the hem of her skirt, and even leaves hanging on her hair.
His mouth was quicker than his heart, and he asked immediately, "Have you ever rolled on the ground?"
Wen Shuse:......
"I just fell down, it's nothing." The young lady said it without blushing or beating her heart. She didn't avoid it at all. She patted the hem of her skirt in front of him, raised her hand to tidy up her hair, and before he could speak again, she said to him, "My dear, I have something to discuss with you."
Xie Shao stared at the leaves on her high temples, "What's the matter?"
The young lady walked beside him, holding up a lantern to light the way for him, "I plan to stock up on some food."
Luoan is at war, and Qingzhou is in the midst of a drought, so it is indeed a good idea to stock up on some food. Xie Shao nodded, "The money is in your hands, so just decide what you want to do."
"Really?" The young lady's lips curved up, revealing a few pearly teeth. That smile was very weird, and suddenly made people feel happy. He said casually, "It's absolutely true."
The young lady breathed a sigh of relief, "My dear, I will make my own decision from now on."
"Um."
She continued to ask, "But what if my business fails one day and we lose all our property?"
Xie Shao knew exactly how much money she had. Add to that the Wen family's assets, two mountains of gold. Did she have the ability to lose them all?
Seeing that she was hesitant, he reassured her, "If you lose it all, you lose it all. What else can you do? You can just make money again." Finally, he couldn't help it, turned around, grabbed the girl's arm and said, "Don't move." He raised his hand and plucked the leaf off her head.
Cui Nian: Why do I feel like I’m in danger?
Xie Shao: You should be talking about me.
How many days are left in Xie Shao's struggle countdown? Wen Er: Third Grandma, I have the final say
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