Chapter 51
Chapter 51
How much grain can there be in Fengcheng? Even if she buys all the grain, can she squander the two gold mountains of Wen and Xie?
As for the inflated prices, how could he not know about his own daughter? Although he was a bit of a spendthrift, he was not stupid. How could he hoard food as if it were gold?
Fengcheng was not affected by the natural disaster in Qingzhou. Although Luoan was at war, there were still granaries in Dongzhou and the imperial court, so the food shortage would not last more than two months.
In a few months, when Fengcheng has its autumn harvest and the imperial court opens its granaries again, the grain in her hands will be replaced by old rice and flour. Who will buy it?
In the end, it will just rot in the stinking ditch and be worthless.
After listening to her that day, Master Wen felt as if he had been struck on the head with a stick. His mind was disoriented and he was unable to react for a while. But when he thought about it again, the more he thought, the more he felt something was wrong.
She has never been a person who leaves no way out since she was a child.
At that time, the Wen family was poor and they only had half a bowl of rice for a meal, which was not enough to fill them up. However, she could still leave a bite, which she secretly made into a rice ball and hid for use in times of emergency.
Now that life is better and the family no longer has to go hungry, would she be willing to gamble away all her family fortune?
Absolutely not.
After realizing it, he guessed that her operation was probably a deliberate short sale, taking the opportunity to move the money of the Wen and Xie families.
He probably had some guesses in his mind as to why this was so.
The old lady was always calm and steady in her work, but she suddenly changed the bride on the night of the eldest lady's wedding. He asked the people in the mansion about the reason, and it was because the eldest lady was not satisfied with the dowry.
When he came back before the New Year last year, he knew that his eldest lady's wedding was approaching, so he left some money for his mother to buy a dowry of sixty-four pieces in total.
Most families marry off their daughters with half a dowry, but the Wen family is different. They are a well-known family in Fengcheng, and their daughter is the first to get married, so naturally they want to do it in a grand manner.
Two sets of dowry are not too much.
As the uncle, he would provide one pair, and the other pair would be prepared by the eldest lady's parents. The money he usually gave to the first wife, plus the salary of the eldest master, was more than enough to buy one pair. Besides, when his daughter got married, it would sound good if his parents provided one pair of dowry.
Afterwards, the eldest lady came to him again and said that she was short of money and could not afford it, so she asked him to prepare another one.
He had just purchased a boat not long ago, and after buying a dowry, he had almost no money left. But since the eldest lady had already asked, it was difficult for him to refuse.
In recent years, he and his son have been away from home all year round, and have been relying on the eldest wife to take care of the old lady, so it is only right that she should give some money.
When he arrived in Fuzhou, he went down to the deep sea himself and fished for more than a month. He barely managed to put together a pair, which he then asked someone to send to Gaoxian.
He had already calculated the amount of household furnishings, just the right amount, and he would give some of it in cash, letting Gaoxian decide how much.
After the Wen family lived a prosperous life, Gaoxian indeed developed a habit of spending lavishly and never treated herself badly.
But she was always clear-headed about important matters. If she hadn't been pushed into a corner, how could she have taken the eldest lady's dowry as a joke? In the final analysis, it was all caused by the greed of the eldest wife.
Especially after learning that his brother's family had left the old lady alone in the mansion and moved all to Dongdu, he understood everything.
I had no plan to go to Fuzhou again this time. In this case, since my parents don't want to travel far away, I'll stay in Fengcheng. It won't be a waste of the girl's efforts.
Therefore, he went to the palace the next day and took up the position of Yuanwailang.
But the money in her hands and in his hands are two completely different things.
Don't be fooled by her harmless smile, as if she is a little sun hanging above your head, warm and sunny, but once she becomes ruthless, she can harm anyone.
He had seen how Wen Huai and Xie's son-in-law had been living recently, and he spent every penny wisely. Wen Huai received his salary the other day, and when he passed by a roast chicken stall, his legs were so weak that he could not walk. He squeezed the purse in his hand again and again, but finally gritted his teeth and gave up.
It is not an exaggeration to say that a penny can kill a hero. It is really horrible.
I absolutely cannot follow their old path and reach out to snatch it again.
Wen Shuse didn't give him a chance to struggle, "Father may not know yet, your daughter has no chance to survive."
Master Wen was stunned.
Wen Shuse said briefly, "Deputy Envoy Xie received an imperial decree tonight to reduce the number of vassal states, and planned to drive Prince Jing out of the fiefdom while he was away. Your daughter cut the neck of the deputy envoy's wife with a knife just now, and joined Prince Jing together with your son-in-law. Now she is a thief. If she doesn't run away, father will wait for me to collect her body and pray for her soul to rest in peace."
Master Wen was horrified by what he heard and gasped repeatedly.
After checking her out, he saw that she was intact, but he was still frightened and exclaimed, "Oh my God, you, where did you get the courage to do that?"
You dare to cut someone's neck.
"Like father, like daughter. When your father went to sea, did he ever think about what would happen if he never came back?" Wen Shuse didn't look at him and was busy putting money into his bag.
"How can this be compared?" Second Master Wen no longer cared about the money. He just realized what was happening and asked her nervously, "Is the court going to reduce the power of the feudal lords?"
Prince Jing has neither military power nor money, so what's the point of reducing the power of the princes?
"We still don't know now, but this matter is quite strange."
Master Wen took another breath of cold air, "Who dares to be so bold as to forge the imperial edict? It is a crime punishable by death and the extermination of all nine clans. Thank you, Deputy Envoy..." He stared at Wen Shuse with wide eyes, his face pale, "You really have no way out." He immediately thought of retreating, "At this juncture, I don't know if it's too late to ask my son-in-law for a divorce letter."
Wen Shuse: “…”
"I'm afraid it's too late. If you delay any longer, your son-in-law will probably run away on his own."
"He, where did he escape to?"
"Dongdu." All the silver and money on the pillow were put into the bag. He would definitely not be able to catch up with his clothes, so he turned around and took out a few sets of clothes from Master Wen's cupboard and stuffed them all in. The bag was full and tied tightly. After he finished packing, he looked up at Master Wen, who looked completely confused, and said, "I'll go after him now. Take care, father. Eat well at home and take care of grandma."
She hung the bag over her shoulder, lifted her skirt, hurried out, and continued to try to get through the dog hole.
"Wait a minute..." Master Wen hurriedly chased after him, "There's, there's more..."
Wen Shuse had already squatted down, and turned back helplessly, "What else is there? Father, hurry up and finish your words. If you delay for a moment, your daughter's life will be in danger."
Master Wen immediately said, "There is a restaurant in Dongdu." He sold all his boats in Fuzhou and would never go there again. "It's called Mixianlou."
This was the good news he had just returned and was planning to tell her.
My uncle is an official in Dongdu and cannot take care of both sides. Sooner or later, the family will have to go to Dongdu. Before coming back this time, they went to Dongdu and bought a restaurant, planning to make a living in Dongdu in the future.
Who knows, something unexpected might happen.
Wen Shuse heard about the Mixian Tower in Dongdu from the eldest son of the Wen family last time...
It was indeed not simple. Wen Shuse nodded: "I understand. Don't worry, father. I will definitely try my best to survive."
Mrs. Zhou has already packed the people and luggage needed for the journey. Time waits for no one, so they have to leave the city at night.
After saying a few words to Xie Shao, he personally escorted him to the tunnel entrance and said, "Young Master Xie, be careful on your journey. The prince..." He paused, "Tell him to take care of himself. He has lived for most of his life and has fought in more than a hundred battlefields. If he didn't die on the battlefield but died in the gutter, wouldn't it be a disgrace to his reputation?"
"Don't worry, ma'am."
Zhou Kuang went into the tunnel with him. He was quite frustrated and regretful because he could not accompany him. "Brother Xie must be careful this time. It is easy to be with a gentleman but difficult to guard against a villain. Although my father is very capable, he is honest and simple-minded. He has the problem of not being able to judge people. Brother Xie is by his side. He must remind him more often not to trust others easily and be careful of the hidden arrows in his back." He wished he could catch up with him, "I just regret that I can't punish the villain myself."
"It's not that easy to defend the city. Once the prince meets the emperor, the enemy will definitely be desperate. Prepare more kerosene and beware of siege."
Zhou Kuang looked solemn and nodded, "Don't worry, Brother Xie, I know."
They chatted all the way to the exit of the tunnel. Zhou Kuang suddenly looked at Xie Shao and said, "If His Majesty really wants to reduce the power of the feudal lords, Brother Xie, just go. I promise that even if I die, I will protect my sister-in-law."
In the past, he, Brother Xie, Cui Nian and Pei Qing, the four of them roamed Fengcheng in style. How cool and unrestrained they were.
In just two months, first Brother Xie went bankrupt, and now it was his turn in the palace. The carefree days when they used to drink, compose poems, and gallop on horseback together were suddenly gone forever.
I couldn't help feeling melancholy.
It was rare to see a bit of calmness on his face. Xie Shao reached out and patted his arm heavily, "Please, take care of yourself."
Time was running out, so he opened the door of the teahouse and walked towards the carriage in front of it.
Zhou Kuang then remembered what his sister-in-law had told him, and glanced towards the intersection, but saw no one there.
Just as I was about to look away, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure rushing out of the corner.
Looking back, I saw a young lady running towards me at the speed of wind, holding a bag on her shoulder with one hand and holding up her skirt with the other.
The dress was tightly wrapped by the wind and the hair was blown behind the head.
It was the first time that Zhou Kuang saw a young lady running like this. Her speed was no less than that of an ordinary man. Before he could react, the person was already beside him.
The young lady didn't seem to see him, her eyes were only on the carriage in front of her. When she reached the carriage, she threw her bag onto the carriage and climbed up using her hands and feet.
The movement was so fast and skillful that even Zhou Kuang was stunned.
Coming back to his senses slowly.
sister in law?
Didn’t she say Wen Huai was coming?
The man inside was also stunned. He looked at the young lady who suddenly pushed the door open and forgot to react.
The young lady glanced at him, panting, and sat down next to him. Before he could say anything, she reached out her hand to stop him, "I, I also want to advise you, my dear, don't waste your breath. No matter what you say, I want to follow you and go with you."
I went back just to pack my things and came here to wait for him.
Xie Shao's forehead twitched.
The young lady took a deep breath, turned her head and looked at him, saying in one breath: "My dear, don't feel embarrassed. It's me who can't leave you. I have to go with you. My dear, just think that this young lady is not afraid of death anyway. In times of crisis, she can still be accompanied by such a delicate and pretty lady. This is a blessing that many people envy. Even if she ascends to heaven one day, this life in the world will not be in vain. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
My darlings, my shoulder pain relapsed today, so I went to take care of it. Wow, that’s all for now. I’ll try to write more.
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