34 Chapter 034
Not a good match
A light drizzle began to fall in Anlu County.
The merchant brought back the third issue of "Beijing Weekly", and the newspaper was sold out immediately.
Xie Mingzhuo brought new newspapers to visit Liyu Lane. Yao Sanniang was in high spirits and served a variety of tea and snacks to entertain him.
"I don't know who owns this newspaper," Yao Sanniang said, wiping her fingers with a handkerchief. "They dare to write anything in the paper."
The main page of the new issue of the newspaper reported a corruption case. The protagonist of the corruption case was the Zuo Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. He had previously supported Duke Jingguo in the case of Duke Jingguo, and was recorded by Xie Mingzhuo in his small notebook.
Xie Mingzhuo remained calm and said, "Perhaps it was supervised by the imperial court."
"That makes sense." Yao Sanniang flipped over and took a quick look. "What is glass?" she asked in surprise.
Before Xie Mingzhuo left the capital, he entrusted the construction of the glass factory to Princess Jiashan. According to calculations, the glass factory could indeed be put into production.
The first batch will be supplied to the royal family first, and then the royal family will be used for advertising.
As the saying goes, "What goes up means what goes down." The emperor praised the glass after using it, and naturally it entered government offices at all levels and eventually spread to the people.
Market demand will in turn promote technological innovation. With technological innovation, production efficiency will increase and prices will fall, thereby accelerating the popularization of glass.
Xie Mingzhuo smiled and said, "Perhaps after a while, the merchants will be able to bring back the glass."
"There are so many rare things in the capital. I also want to go to the capital to see them." Yao Sanniang put down the newspaper and sighed.
"You didn't go to the capital to escort?"
Yao Sanniang shook her head, folded the newspaper, and changed the subject: "Second Mother, the streets are very chaotic these days. If you go out shopping, please be careful."
"I know."
Xie Mingzhuo not only knew that the streets were in chaos, but also knew why.
Ever since the rumor that the Crown Prince is impotent spread to the streets, the struggle between the Crown Prince and Xie Yu began.
The Princess of Liang and the concubines both had their own dowry shops in the city, which earned them a large sum of money every year.
You smashed my shop today, and I will fight back tomorrow by using the power of the government to conduct a surprise overhaul of your shop.
After ten days of going back and forth, several shops were destroyed, but no one was hurt.
It seems that as long as King Liang is keeping them in check, the Crown Prince and Xie Yu will not be able to cause any real trouble.
But after several confrontations, a lot of resentment had accumulated.
Xie Mingzhuo was waiting for the right opportunity to give another push.
"Second Mother," Yao Sanniang suddenly spoke, "Have you heard of the story of the Spring and Autumn Period when Gongsun Chu competed with his cousin Gongsun Hei for beauty?"
The story is recorded in Zuo Zhuan, which Xie Mingzhuo read in Wenhua Hall. However, it is very unlikely that Meng Erniang, a merchant girl, had read Zuo Zhuan.
She asked, "What's the story?"
"Both men were attracted to a beautiful woman. Gongsun Chu had already offered her a betrothal gift, but Gongsun Hei tried to take her away by force. Chu then seized his spear and chased him away." Yao Sanniang unconsciously clenched her hands into fists. "Later, 'fighting within the same household' was used to describe brothers fighting each other or internal strife."
Xie Mingzhuo praised: "Sanniang is well-read."
"Do you think it was right for Gongsun Chu to attack his cousin with a spear for the sake of a beautiful woman?"
Xie Mingzhuo thought for a moment and said, "Gongsun Hei was unjust first, so what Gongsun Chu did is understandable."
"Yes, it was unjust first." Yao Sanniang murmured.
Xie Mingzhuo knew that she still hadn't made up her mind.
What made her hesitate was probably not the so-called brotherly and sisterly love, but the fear of the unknown consequences after breaking the status quo.
Yao Sanniang's bargaining chips are far less than those of the prince, and her retreat is not as good as Xie Yu's. Xie Mingzhuo understands her feelings, but does not agree with her.
Being indecisive would only make her sink deeper and even suffer a more tragic defeat.
The two chatted for a while, and then Xie Mingzhuo said goodbye and went home.
It was drizzling, and Xie Mingzhuo was walking alone in the long and deep alley, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
The ground was slippery and water splashed onto her skirt from time to time. She lifted her skirt with one hand and walked carefully across the flooded swamp.
As he turned the corner, he paused imperceptibly.
Not far behind me, there were light footsteps following like a shadow.
She continued to walk at a regular pace all the way to her residence in Zhuangyuan Lane. Only after she entered the yard and closed the door did the footsteps behind her gradually fade away.
Jiang Qing took the oil-paper umbrella, Feng Caiyu took hot water to wipe her, and Li Jiuyue brought out a clean dress for her.
"Closing so early today?" Xie Mingzhuo asked.
Li Jiuyue's eyes were filled with a hint of anger as she said, "Many stores in the city have been smashed recently. Who knew it would be our store's turn today?"
"Smashed?" Xie Mingzhuo was stunned.
Li Jiuyue didn't know the inside story and thought that those shops were smashed by thugs from the business, so he didn't think there was anything wrong.
But she knew very well that although those who smashed the shops looked like scoundrels, they were essentially thugs hired by the prince and gangs conquered by Xie Yu. They only targeted the other party's industry and would not involve other things.
Jiang Qing walked into the bedroom and echoed, "They smashed it pretty hard. Brother Luo and I couldn't stop them. Shopkeeper Li didn't want us to reveal our skills, so he let them smash it all."
"Who are they?"
"I don't recognize him." Li Jiuyue shook her head.
Xie Mingzhuo changed his clothes, sat down at the table, and asked, "Can we report it to the police?"
"I reported it, but the gang smashed it and ran away, and the police didn't catch them."
Xie Mingzhuo lowered his eyes and thought.
Logically speaking, people in Prince Liang's Mansion would not care about a grocery store. Excluding Prince Liang's Mansion, the only one left was Fan Zhao, with whom they had a conflict.
Is it because the yamen runners couldn't find fault, so they turned to hiring thugs to cause trouble?
"If we don't catch them, they'll probably get even more violent." Li Jiuyue also thought of Fan Zhao, concluding that he was the one behind this. "This Fan Zhao is really haunting us."
Xie Mingzhuo didn't care about Fan Zhao at first, but the fly kept buzzing in his ear, which was really disturbing.
It is unrealistic to ask someone to beat him up secretly. He is different from the bald man. The bald man could only swallow his anger after being beaten, but the magistrate's son was beaten up, and the magistrate had to turn Anlu County upside down just to save his face.
Such a large-scale mobilization is eye-catching.
Li Jiuyue also understood this logic. They had to keep a low profile as much as possible in Anlu.
"We can't trouble Sanniang again, right?"
"No," Xie Mingzhuo declared. "He County Magistrate's plan won't work this time. The people who smashed the shop were members of the gang. What does that have to do with Fan Zhao? This is all just speculation."
Li Jiuyue: "But it's not right that the shop has been closed."
"It's okay to close for three days."
There was a knock on the courtyard door, and Aunt Jin's voice came: "Nineth Mother, Second Mother, are you home?"
Luo Qi opened the door and forced a warm smile: "Auntie Jin, please come in."
"Okay, if you can't laugh, then don't laugh." Aunt Jin walked into the main room as if she knew the place well.
Feng Caiyu served tea and snacks to the guests.
Xie Mingzhuo and others came out of the bedroom and sat down one by one.
"I heard your shop was smashed," Aunt Jin asked with concern, "Is it okay for you guys?"
Li Jiuyue sighed, "I didn't suffer any hardship, but the shop suffered a considerable loss."
"You have yamen runners in front of you and beatings behind you. Your life is not easy." Aunt Jin was genuinely concerned for them. "In this world, two girls are easy to be bullied. What do you think of what I said the other day?"
She was talking about a blind date.
Xie Mingzhuo appreciated her kindness, but still wanted to decline.
"I can see you don't want to rely on others," Aunt Jin said earnestly, "but the problem is right in front of us, and we can't just leave it alone. Besides, relying on Sanniang is one thing, and relying on your husband's family is the same."
Yao Sanniang helped them meet County Magistrate He, and everyone in the neighborhood knew about it.
Xie Mingzhuo and Li Jiuyue were speechless.
Aunt Jin has been thinking about them time and again. If she refuses again, it will probably arouse suspicion.
"Don't worry, I won't harm you." Aunt Jin noticed that the two men were getting more relaxed and continued to persuade them, "The men I introduce to you are guaranteed not to be ugly, but to be the best men in the county."
"All?"
"Yes." Aunt Jin said with a smile, "It's the same when shopping around for a husband."
Xie Mingzhuo sighed inwardly and said politely, "Please tell me in detail, Auntie."
"Okay, okay."
Aunt Jin found five candidates in total.
The first four are the young owner of a restaurant in East City, the son of a wealthy official in West City, the scholar in South City, and the manager of an embroidery shop in North City.
"These four families often deal with the government office and have a say there. If Second Mother can marry into one of them, your aunt's shop will surely thrive."
Xie Mingzhuo understood that when discussing marriage, only the advantages are mentioned.
If these four were really that good, they would have gotten married long ago.
Yang Yunkai happened to be back from work. He pretended to be inconsiderate after hearing this and said, "Boss, I heard that the one in the East City loves to eat and is as big as three other people. The one in the West City has a strict family and I'm afraid Second Mother will feel uncomfortable going there. The scholar in the South City was married once, but his cousin passed away a few years ago. The one in the North City is a bit lame."
He had heard that Aunt Jin was going to arrange a marriage for the princess, so he privately investigated the man that Aunt Jin was going to introduce.
When Xie Mingzhuo heard this, he knew that Aunt Jin really had good intentions.
Being able to become a fat man these days proves that the family has no worries about food and drink, and is indeed a good family; strict family rules do not seem to be a bad thing on the surface.
Although the scholar was married for the second time, he was still a scholar after all, and he did not have to kneel when he met the county magistrate; as for the lame steward, in the face of economic strength, lameness, which did not interfere with daily life, was not a fatal flaw.
Yang Yunkai said this not to offend Aunt Jin, but just to discourage her.
"How can there be a man who is outstanding in everything?" Aunt Jin felt a little unhappy and replied in a muffled voice.
Xie Mingzhuo immediately smiled and said, "Auntie, I know you're doing this for my own good. The gentlemen you've introduced to me all come from wealthy families, and others wouldn't have the same access. If Uncle You hadn't been a teacher at the county school, how could he have known so many outstanding gentlemen?"
Uncle You is Aunt Jin's son, and he is a first-class teacher in the county school.
Jin Da Niang's dissatisfaction disappeared in an instant, and she smiled again and said, "Second Niang is so considerate and sympathetic, she deserves to find a good family. If these four don't like you, I still have a fifth one, but..."
"What's wrong?"
Aunt Jin was helpless: "The fifth man is both handsome and virtuous. Although he has no father or mother, he is capable and has found a job in the government. He is about the same age as Second Mother, but he doesn't want to get married."
"Since you don't want to, then I won't force you." Li Jiuyue said immediately, "I still want to keep Er Niang for a while and teach her how to run the shop. Besides, there's no rush to get married."
Aunt Jin glared at her. "You're already nineteen and still not in a hurry? I really think the fifth one is great, and he's a good match for Second Lady."
"Didn't he say he didn't want to?"
"I haven't asked him yet. Maybe he'll change his mind as he gets older," Aunt Jin said, not allowing any objection. "I'll take care of it."
Several people: "..."
After seeing off Aunt Jin and closing the courtyard gate, Xie Mingzhuo gathered the five people around the table for a meeting.
"I'm being followed."
The five people stood there in a daze.
Yang Yunkai was the first to come back to his senses: "I will immediately go and investigate the surrounding area."
"No need," Xie Mingzhuo analyzed. "The person following us had unsteady steps. He didn't look like a martial artist, but more like a street thug. Since the grocery store was smashed, I suspect Fan Zhao hired someone to follow us."
Li Jiuyue was worried: "Why did he follow you?"
"Maybe he's looking for a chance to teach me a lesson," Xie Mingzhuo guessed. "Or maybe he's scouting the area, waiting for a chance to intimidate us."
There are only a few tricks in the underworld.
Harassment, threats, intimidation, etc., just one harassment is enough to mentally torture the victim.
Luo Qi hurriedly said, "I'll keep watch tonight."
At the end of the Shen period, the county government office was dismissed.
As Lin Fan left the government office, he heard Zhang Zhide shouting behind him, "Team Leader Lin, wait for me."
He stopped and turned around, asking, "Brother Zhang?"
"You're walking too fast, are you in a hurry to pick up your bride?"
“…”
"Come on, come on, I'll treat you to a meal." Zhang Zhide pushed his shoulder. "The method you told me last time was very effective. Your sister-in-law has been smiling and welcoming me recently. My mother also sympathizes with her hard work in housework and doesn't ask her to wash my feet anymore."
Lin Fan smiled and said, "As long as it's useful, there's no need to go to a restaurant."
"Besides this, I have something else to tell you."
"We can talk on the way."
Zhang Zhide insisted: "Either go to my house or go to a restaurant."
"Thank you for the expense, Brother Zhang."
"Don't be polite to me."
The two went to a noodle shop and ordered two bowls of wontons and two bowls of shredded pork noodles.
"Brother Fan, my old house has been rented out, do you remember?"
"Of course I remember." Lin Fan smiled, "I was the one who took people to the government office to sign the contract that day."
Zhang Zhide nodded: "Since you brought her here, it means that her character is trustworthy, right?"
"Hmm." Lin Fan was puzzled. "Brother Zhang, you've been beating around the bush today."
"Okay, then I'll get straight to the point," Zhang Zhide said sternly, "You know Aunt Jin from the house next door. She's always kind-hearted. She's looking for a match for Shopkeeper Li's niece, so she came to me to ask what you think."
Lin Fan paused his chopsticks, lowered his head to fiddle with the shredded meat in the bowl, and said, "Meng Erniang?"
"Yes, you saw it. That day when Huang Ding caused trouble, she went to find County Magistrate He, and you were there too."
Lin Fan said nothing.
"Hiss, looking at you like this, are you really that interested?" Zhang Zhide said in surprise, "Before, you would have refused without even a second thought."
Lin Fan raised his eyes and said, "No need to propose marriage to me."
"Why?" Zhang Zhide couldn't understand. "Although I've never met Meng Erniang, I've heard from Aunt Jin that she's bright and gentle. Although she's a little shy, it's normal for girls to be shy. What's there to be dissatisfied with?"
"Brother Zhang misunderstood. I'm not dissatisfied." Lin Fan apologized, "It's just that I have no plans to get married for the time being."
Zhang Zhide sneered at him, "Are you really unwilling? Do you know who else Aunt Jin mentioned besides you?"
"Auntie Jin is a sincere person. The boys she's talking about must be from good families." Lin Fan said as he buried his head in his noodles, seemingly unconcerned.
Zhang Zhide had known him for several years after all, so he noticed something was wrong. He lowered his voice and said, "One is the fat young master of the restaurant in the east city; the other is the illegitimate son of a wealthy man in the west city. You know, once you enter their house, it's like being imprisoned."
Lin Fan couldn't help but clench his chopsticks.
"There's also the poor scholar in the south of the city and the lame steward in the north." Zhang Zhide observed his expression. "Although they all have enough food and clothing, their lives are still far from satisfactory."
"Brother Zhang, I have no father or mother, and I am not a good match."
"Also?" Zhang Zhide grasped the key point. "So, you think those four aren't a good match?"
“…”
"Meng Erniang's parents are not around, and you are capable enough, so you won't have to worry about food and clothing."
Lin Fan straightened his back, placed his chopsticks side by side, and placed them neatly on the edge of the bowl. He said solemnly, "But I'm a yamen runner. I deal with villains all the time and have made many enemies. If... it will implicate others."
"Even without you, there would be trouble at the grocery store every few days. Just this morning, Li Jiuniang reported that some hooligans had smashed the store. You know that too."
"Well, I wasn't in the yamen at the time. I only heard about it when I came back. It's a pity that those bastards got away."
Zhang Zhide slapped his thigh and said, "So, if we have Lin the boss protecting us, who would dare to cause trouble in the grocery store?"
He stretched his head out so far that it almost touched Lin Fan's bowl of noodles. "You really don't want to consider it?"
Lin Fan pondered for a moment, and finally nodded: "I'll think about it."
"Hey, I knew you were interesting." Zhang Zhide was genuinely happy for him. "Three days! Give me a clear answer in three days!"
Lin Fan agreed and couldn't help laughing.
After dinner, they both went home.
When the skinny guy arrived, Lin Fan was practicing his boxing and kicking skills.
He was wearing a sleeveless shorts, his arms were well-defined and his lines were smooth and sharp.
The thin man was envious for a moment, and then hurriedly said, "Brother Lin, there is a woman in the west of the city who gave birth to five sons. She went back to her parents' home five days ago and hasn't returned yet. Her husband went to look for her in person, but was told that the girl hadn't returned to her parents' home at all."
Lin Fan wiped his sweat with a cloth and asked, "Didn't you report it to the police?"
"No," the thin man said, "the woman left home in anger. Her family thought she was avoiding her husband and deliberately not coming home. She even asked relatives and friends to look for her."
Lin Fan came to the well, took off his shirt, drew a bucket of well water, and poured it over himself with a gourd ladle.
"Have you any trace of that woman?"
"It's cut off at the Western Suburbs Inspection Office." The thin man watched him take a shower and couldn't help asking, "Brother Lin, don't you have to go on patrol later? Why are you showering so early?"
Lin Fan: "Hot."
"Is it hot?" The thin man looked up at the sky. He felt that it was quite cool at night.
"Don't follow me on this matter." Lin Fan changed into a clean yamen runner's uniform and asked, "Did Baldy order anyone to cause trouble at the Liuliu Grocery Store today?"
The thin man shook his head: "No, there's been a lot of fighting between the two sides lately, and Baldy's life is not easy either."
Some methods could not be used on the young master of the palace, so they were all used on this group of people in the fighting industry, and even he suffered a few losses.
Lin Fan nodded: "Be careful, I'm going to go on night patrol."
"Okay." The thin man slipped out of the yard and quickly disappeared.
Lin Fan locked the door, walked through the streets, and after meeting up with Ren Dali at Yushui Street, they headed to Wutong Lane together.
They patrolled an alley for a quarter of an hour, and after two quarters of an hour, they arrived at the entrance of Zhuangyuan Alley.
Most of the people living here are scholars and their families. Ordinary scoundrels dare not cause trouble here, so patrolling is relatively easy.
Ren Dali slumped his shoulders and shone the lantern on the wall. He saw a centipede and was about to pick it up and step on it to death when he was suddenly stopped by an arm.
He looked up blankly and saw his boss put his index finger to his lips.
I see, there is something going on.
The boss had sharp ears and eyes and could hear the noise coming from far away. His skills were also top-notch in the yamen. He was not worried at all, but was eager to try.
In order to prevent the bright light of the lantern from alarming the other party, Ren Dali lifted the lantern cover and blew it out in one breath.
The surroundings instantly fell into darkness.
Lin Fan signaled Ren Dali to stay where he was, while he himself shuttled through the alleys in the pitch-black night, constantly approaching the unusual movement in the distance.
It was late at night and there shouldn't be anyone in the alley.
He walked halfway down the alley and arrived in front of a house. He was very familiar with this house as he had passed by it several times every night in recent days.
He even came to help when Zhang Zhide was cleaning the house before renting it out.
And now, there are two dark shadows wandering in front of the house, doing something sneaky.
Lin Fan approached silently, kicked one man down first, then quickly grabbed another, pulled off his belt, tied his arms behind his back, and threw him forward, knocking down his accomplice who was trying to turn over and escape.
"Sir, please spare our lives!" The two men rolled on the ground in a panic, shouting in unison.
It was too late for Lin Fan to cover his mouth.
The lights in the neighborhood all lit up, and the courtyard gates creaked and screamed one after another.
"What's going on?"
"Is there a thief?"
Lin Fan turned around and saw that the gate of Zhang Zhide's house was surrounded by dozens of dead rats. The scene was extremely terrifying.
【Author’s words】
Note: Tangke is the name for wife in Huguang area.
During the Ming Dynasty, the geographical scope of the Huguang Provincial Administration Commission (abbreviated as Huguang Province) was roughly equivalent to the current Hubei Province and Hunan Province.
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