Chapter 297 A Good Show
There is a row of farmhouses on the north side of the capital. Now it is dinner time and smoke is rising from every household, filling the air with the aroma of rice.
Zhu Qingyan got off his horse and looked at the rows of farmers in front of him, at least 20 or 30 of them. Zhu Lan only said that the person he was looking for lived here, but he couldn't say which household it was.
So now I can only ask door to door.
…
Chen Da, dressed in a work jacket, came to the yard carrying a plate of fried radish. There were chickens and ducks in the yard, and under the shade of a tree there was a shabby low table and two low stools.
Chen San was squatting there with his legs curled up. Seeing the plate of fried radish, he looked up and asked his elder brother, "Is this what you want to eat?"
"That's it, eat it if you want."
Chen Da put the fried radish on the table, wiped his hands stained with vegetable soup on his clothes twice, and said unhappily: "Do you think everyone is as lucky as you and stumbled upon the way to get rich? We poor people eat this, don't eat it if you are not used to it."
Chen San pursed his lips and didn't respond. He knew that his elder brother was resentful because he didn't help him at all despite the money he made over the years.
Now that I am allowed in, it is because we are born in the same mother's womb.
Chen San smiled and said, "Brother, don't worry. After I hide for a few days, I will find a way for you when I return!"
Chen said forget it while chewing a radish, and then asked him whether he had done anything wrong.
"How could that be possible!" Chen San said that there were people collecting protection fees on that street and he didn't want to pay, so he came here to hide for a few days.
Chen Da didn't understand those things, so he believed them after hearing them.
Chen San picked up a piece of radish and put it into his mouth, savouring the taste, but his eyes were a little vague, as if he was thinking about something else.
Last time, he promised the female official named Qiao that he would go to the Minister's Mansion to testify today. But after he went back, he thought about it and decided that it would be better for him to stay away from official affairs.
Although the woman was from the Ministry of Revenue, she didn't look like a high-ranking official.
But if I go to the Minister's Mansion today and say something wrong in front of those important people, I will be doomed.
Thinking of this, Chen San felt even more fortunate that he had hidden himself.
Chen San drank a little too much soup, so he told Chen Da that he was going to get some water, then he stood up, opened the door and went out.
He came to the shade of a tree and just as he unbuttoned his pants, he suddenly saw two dark shadows appear silently behind him.
"Chen San?"
Chen San turned around and saw that the two people in front of him were well-dressed and it was obvious that they were not ordinary people.
Before he could open his mouth to ask, the next moment Chen San felt something was put on his head, his eyes went black and he lost consciousness.
…
“Knock knock knock—”
Chen Da, who was washing dishes, heard a knock on the door. He thought it was Chen San who came back, so he shook the water off his hands and went to open the door.
When he opened the door, he was stunned to see a pretty young girl standing outside.
"Excuse me, is this Chen San's family?" Zhu Qingyan asked.
Chen Da nodded in a daze.
"Where are the others?"
"He went to relieve himself. He's been there for quite a while. I don't know if he fell into a pit..."
Zhu Qingyan thought to himself that something was wrong and ran towards the village entrance.
When I arrived at the entrance of the village, I saw two figures riding horses in the afterglow of the setting sun. The horses seemed to be carrying a person who was unknown whether dead or alive, and they were galloping away.
…
At the residence of the Minister of Revenue, the birthday banquet was still in full swing.
Minister Lu also invited a singing and dancing troupe to entertain the banquet.
When the dance was over, everyone drank some wine and was enjoying the dance, but suddenly the music stopped.
Minister Lu was toasting to his boss Zhang Lun. When he heard the music stop, he frowned and asked the butler what was going on. The butler also looked confused.
"Your Excellency the Minister, Your Excellency the Vice Minister." The head of the Cangbu Division stood up and walked to the center of the courtyard, saluted loudly, and immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"I heard that Director Min of the Ministry of Finance specially prepared a unique program for the Minister's birthday banquet. I couldn't bear to see Lord Min's kindness go to waste, so I stopped the music and dance without authorization. I hope you two gentlemen will not blame me."
When Min Yuan heard him mention his name, his face suddenly changed. He stood up abruptly and hurried to the courtyard.
Minister Lu first glanced at Zhang Lun, and when he saw him nod in agreement, he said with a smile, "Lord Min is thoughtful."
Min Yuan glared at the head of the warehouse department, who was smiling smugly. Min Yuan had no choice but to bow and say, "Sir, I was originally prepared... but this colleague is not good at singing and dancing, and is not worthy of being in a high-class place. I am really afraid of spoiling your and Lord Zhang's fun..."
"Hey..." Minister Lu said in a disapproving voice, "It's okay. You are scholars, so it's normal that you are not good at these things. It's hard for you to spend time preparing for my birthday banquet. We are all colleagues in the government, so let's just treat each other as family members and have fun for the sake of atmosphere."
Then he asked Min Yuan who was going to perform and whether he was ready.
Min Yuan wiped his sweat off his forehead, feeling relieved, and quickly replied, "It was Qiao Youyou, the deputy director of the Ministry of Finance. But she is a woman, and perhaps she was stage-frightened. She disappeared after her shift today, and she did not attend your birthday party either."
Minister Lu nodded. Since she was a girl, it was understandable that she didn't want to go on stage in front of everyone. He was about to ask Min Yuan and the others to leave when he suddenly heard a female voice from the audience. The voice was clear and cheerful, like an oriole.
"Master Min, I'm here!!!"
Qiao Youyou had already changed into her costume and was standing on tiptoe in the crowd waving at Min Yuan.
Min Yuan was frightened and turned around to see Qiao Youyou making a face at him. Min Yuan's expression instantly looked as if he had really seen a ghost.
The head of the Cangbu Division smiled harmlessly.
"Sir Min, this official from your company didn't know the way to the Minister's residence and happened to run into me.
Originally, she was late, and I didn't want to bring her in. But I thought that if she didn't come, it would be a waste of Lord Min's kindness to the Minister, so I took the risk of being blamed and brought her in.
——Lord Min, you won't blame me for taking the initiative, right? "
Min Yuan wanted to kill someone, and quickly said to Minister Lu: "Sir, this... Ms. Qiao's singing is really unbearable to listen to, but please don't let her ruin your birthday party!"
"Young people should have the energy of young people." Minister Lu smiled kindly, "You all work hard in the government office on weekdays, so just take this opportunity to relax and have some fun. If there are other adults who have skills and are willing to help everyone, please come up!"
Min Yuan wanted to say something else, but Minister Lu had already waved his hand and asked him to leave.
Qiao Youyou walked up to the stage, wearing a green costume and heavy makeup, and saluted Zhang Lun and Minister Lu with confidence.
There was nothing strange about her costume, but what was weird was that she wore an imitation official hat on her head, which looked a bit out of place.
Minister Lu asked with a smile, "Mr. Qiao, what kind of performance are you going to perform today? Your costume looks a bit strange, neither like Peking opera nor Kunqu opera, but it is quite novel."
Qiao Youyou bowed leisurely, "Your Excellency, what I want to present today is indeed neither Beijing opera nor Kunqu opera. I haven't thought of a name yet, but it's -
A good show. "
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