Chapter 126 Madam Sang
Wu Hou looked up and down at the woman in front of him.
It was obvious that he came from a farming family. A few strands of hair fell from under his blue cloth headscarf, and his neck, which had been tanned to a honey brown, was covered with fine beads of sweat.
The ramie shirt had three or four diamond-shaped patches folded onto its elbows, faded to moon-white, but the collar was embroidered with a pattern of honeysuckle vines in indigo thread.
Although it was a bit worn, it was clean and probably her most decent outfit.
He didn't dare look directly at me when he spoke, but stood sideways with his body slightly bent, as if protecting the basket he was carrying in his arm.
After checking her household registration and purpose of visit, the woman said she was coming to visit relatives and registered her name and place of residence.
The Marquis Wu frowned, "Are you talking about the wife of the Sang family, the fifth family west of the south gate in the southeast corner?"
He had an impression of this family because the Sang family rented a house there and found a real estate agent through their neighborhood.
I've only been here for ten days and already I have relatives coming to seek refuge?
“Let your Excellency know that we are sisters from the same family.
The situation outside is not good now. I heard that there is work and money to be made in Bailu County, so I came here to explore the situation first.
A few days ago, she sent me a message saying she had found a way and asked me to come over and help her."
"So that's how it is! I can't say for other places, but I'll just be at ease in Bailu County."
Wu Hou's face was full of pride, "As long as you have skills, you can make money if you work hard.
I've seen the umbrellas made by Ms. Sang. They're strong and durable. Our Fangzheng was the one who found the way for them."
The woman quickly bowed to express her gratitude. Wu Hou waved his hands repeatedly. Seeing that she was sweating a lot, he took a ceramic bowl from the doorman's desk, poured a bowl of water into it and handed it to her.
"This... this is so embarrassing."
"It's okay, it's just a bowl of water. We'll be neighbors from now on."
The woman thanked him repeatedly before taking it. She must have been very thirsty, so she gulped it all down.
"Hey, drink slowly, there's no rush, no rush."
After drinking the water, the woman hurriedly wiped the rim of the bowl with her sleeve before handing it back.
"Mrs. Xiao Sang, according to the rules of our village, you have to check the contents of the basket when you first come..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the other party leaning to the side with a nervous look. Wu Hou smiled and quickly comforted him.
"Don't worry, it's just a check. There will be no problem."
The woman hesitated for a moment, but still handed the basket over.
There were two old clothes, a few pieces of cloth, a dozen eggs, and one and a half pancakes underneath.
As expected, Wu Hou just checked it, and after looking at it, he put it back and handed it back.
"It's nothing, I'll take you there."
"How could I trouble you, sir..."
Wu Hou waved his hand and said, "It's okay. You don't know the way well. Besides, please don't call me sir. I'm just a Wu Hou in the neighborhood, a low-ranking official. Just call me Ji Liulang."
She had no choice but to lead the way.
We chatted along the way and soon arrived at the house.
In front was a small shop, about 15 feet long and 10 feet wide. Apart from the cashier counter, there were only a few umbrellas hanging on the wall.
The door was open but no one was there. Ji Liulang knocked on the door and heard a response from behind.
"Here I come."
"Madam Sang," Ji Liulang bowed and saluted, "this is..."
"younger sister!"
There were some bamboo chips on Mrs. Sang's clothes. She must have been making an umbrella in the backyard. When she saw the woman at the door, she hurried to greet her.
Seeing this, Ji Liulang's smile became three times more sincere. "In that case, I'll take my leave first."
"Thank you Mukuro!"
"It's okay, it's okay..."
After he left, the two sisters hurried to the backyard hand in hand.
After the rain stopped, the scorching sun baked the stone slabs white.
Freshly cut pale bamboos are piled at the base of the east wall, and the green strips gradually change color under the scorching sun.
A bedroom was wide open, with a trellis inside and half-dried cotton paper umbrellas hanging down.
Apart from this, there is only half a kitchen in the yard.
"I didn't expect you to arrive today. Have you had lunch after noon?"
"I ate it, I ate it. These are the pancakes I made before I left home."
…
They greeted each other politely, but they were actually communicating with each other through their Qi.
The lady from Da Sang who arrived early was none other than the captain of Xuanji Guard, Que Yu, and the one who had just come to seek refuge with her relatives was Canglan.
Both of them had their appearance changed, but they looked about four or five percent similar in appearance.
Que Yu insisted on giving him a bowl of noodles and pulled him into the kitchen.
They secretly asked each other, "How do you feel after entering the city?"
Canglan lowered his eyes, "Strange, is there anything special about this place?"
"No, it's no different from any other district in the city."
Bailuxu Prefecture is a relatively remote area, but the people in this county town actually have the pride of Fengjing people.
Canglan has also been to several states on business, but he has never seen it in other places.
In addition, the routine inquiries and registrations by the Fangsi are a bit too much.
What's the point of sending someone to the door? The moment they saw the sisters recognize each other, the relief on Ji Liulang's face fell into the eyes of the two.
Why would an ordinary farmer's daughter be like this?
There was nothing special about Fenglefang, which showed that Wu Hou's behavior was common throughout the entire county.
Que Yu nodded. "It's really strange that you noticed it after only an hour in the city."
She had been here for nearly ten days. After entering the city, she had planned to reveal her identity and go to the Fifth Prince to protect him, but she soon found that it was not necessary.
The fifth prince lived a good life in Bailu County and did not suffer from the hardships of traveling. Except for occasionally going to the provincial government office, he almost always stayed at the farm thirty miles away.
The village was heavily guarded and was the territory of King Rui. Que Yu was alone and worried that he would be discovered when he sneaked in, which would ruin his plan. So he pretended to be a lady from the Sang family and temporarily lived in the city.
"The provincial government's control over the entire county is beyond imagination, and it has vigorously recruited officials.
Through these clerks in the markets and villages, every moving person can be strictly monitored.
My shop has been open for less than ten days and has been investigated three times, both openly and secretly.
Confirm household registration and accent, who else is in the family, umbrella making skills...
I sneaked into the Wu Hou's home and looked through the files, and all of this is recorded."
Canglan narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong. This was extremely wrong.
The vast majority of people would never leave their own prefecture or county. Even so, some would go out to do business, stay with relatives, or study for the imperial examinations...
There are definitely a lot of migrant workers in a county, so why is it necessary to do such a laborious task?
If we divide it into the 49 districts and all the surrounding villages, how many extra-staff clerks would there be?
The salaries of these clerks are not paid by the imperial court, so where does the provincial government get the income to maintain itself?
Judging from the attitude of the person in charge of Wu Hou, the salary will definitely not be a small amount.
Soon, a bowl of vegetarian noodles came out of the pot with some sesame oil and chopped green onions.
While handing the bowl over, Que Yu put three copper coins at the bottom of the bowl.
The two of them sat side by side in the cramped space in the kitchen, and Canglan took the opportunity to touch the copper coin while eating noodles.
Soon, his expression changed drastically. These three copper coins...
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