Chapter 038 Traitorous Minister 38
After the severe cold of winter, the boundless vitality of spring came, and the court documents were issued, and embroidery work began to proceed.
Fabrics, silk threads, dyes, painters, labor, etc. all need to be coordinated in advance. Accordingly, many workshops were created and the people had a livelihood.
Merchants have a keen sense of smell and pay more attention to the court's direction than ordinary people. They follow the people from surrounding cities who come to seek a livelihood and run shops here, and the local prosperity has begun to take shape.
As participants, Aunt Zhao and Chen Zhilan, as well as the villagers of Shancai Village who had become skilled workers, naturally had an advantage over others. They were recruited by the court as small managers to teach the novice people how to embroider better.
Therefore, the villagers of Shancai Village are more grateful to the Xiao family, Aunt Zhao and Chen Zhilan. Anyone who dares to speak ill of the Xiao brothers will retaliate.
At the same time, under the influence of Xiao Yan, they also knew the importance of reading, and Xiao Yan had also hinted to them, so they had already learned calligraphy from Master Wang.
Not to mention, officials at the imperial court heard that the people of Shancai Village were not only skilled workers but also mostly literate. After preliminary inspections, they immediately appointed them as minor managers in various workshops. They also privately assured them that the court valued their work and that with hard work and improvement, promotions and salary increases were not impossible.
Therefore, when others were just starting to get started, the villagers of Shancai Village had already become the kings of the industry, and they were all working hard.
Although the other common people worked hard, they were still novices after all. Moreover, the work of the small steward was different from that of the ordinary embroiderers. One was managing people, the other was embroidering. The embroiderers were physically exhausted, while the small stewards were mentally exhausted. The two were different.
Physical fatigue requires rest, while mental fatigue usually requires a night's rest. Seeing the cash is more effective than any medicine.
Their monthly wages were paid on a piecework basis; the more they did, the more they earned. Therefore, the people in the court were happy to see them work faster, and the people were happy to receive the wages, and both sides were happy.
I don’t know if the person above has considered this, but the rewards for the county magistrate and related people have already been issued, but the rewards for Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen have not arrived yet.
It stands to reason that Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen, as the "researchers" of this matter, are the ones who have won the first place in the case time and time again. It is impossible for them to be missed out, but this is indeed the case.
The county magistrate waited anxiously, and repeatedly tried to inquire about the situation, intentionally or unintentionally, but to no avail. He was afraid that the Xiao brothers would misunderstand that he had taken the credit, so he went to their house several times to explain. Fortunately, the Xiao brothers did not misunderstand.
Xiao Yan also knew that this was the calmness before the person above planned to make a big move.
Although that person was interested in him, the more he was interested in him, the more he wanted to prevent others from noticing before the result was determined. This was to protect him and also a measure to prevent chaos.
The county magistrate was puzzled, but seeing that the parties involved did not mind, he did not have time to think about it, because he was so busy that he wished he could be two people, and he did not even have time to sleep. Many things needed to be coordinated by him as the county magistrate, and he did not have enough authority. He also had to negotiate with the people sent by the court, and he had no time to be distracted.
The imperial examination is held in February of the following year, also known as the Spring Examination.
They were nearly two months away from the capital, so before the end of the year, even before the New Year, they had already packed their bags and headed to Beijing for the exam again.
The journey involved both land and water routes, but this one was the longest. After bidding farewell to their friends and family, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen set off.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen already had a wealth of experience and knowledge when it came to traveling. To prevent others from having bad intentions, they traveled with the escort agency's escorts, blending in with the others. They didn't show their money, and wore gray, patched clothes, looking like another group of "big orders" escorted by the escorts, servants of wealthy families.
Of course, other people’s servants were dressed better than them, and they were not even as good as the servants.
There were also people they knew among the escorts, the same ones they had worked with last time.
Anyone who can become a bodyguard must, firstly, be in good health, secondly, know some tricks that ordinary people don’t know, and thirdly, know not to ask questions that they shouldn’t ask and keep their mouths shut.
After all, during the escort process of their escort agency, there are always some things that cannot be told to outsiders and must be kept secret, so confidentiality is the basic principle.
Although they knew that the Xiao brothers were scholars and had won the first and second place awards, they also knew that they were so low-key because they didn't want to expose themselves.
Whether it was because of their age, the care of the elders, or the admiration for the scholars with official titles, the escorts who knew them did not reveal their true identities, but actively cooperated with them and even gave them more preferential treatment beyond their duties, which made the group of wealthy families dissatisfied.
The surname of this wealthy family was Fang. It was said that their son had passed the imperial examination. Like the Xiao brothers, he went to the capital to take the exam in advance. There was a sense of superiority in his words.
On one occasion, when a kind-hearted escort offered to boil water for Xiao Yan, Master Fang snorted twice: "Why don't we have any? I wonder if you are deliberately neglecting us?"
This was a bit unreasonable. After all, the escort was only responsible for getting the person to their destination safely and on time, and that didn't include food, clothing, housing, and transportation during the trip. If you wanted those benefits, there was a separate price.
These people were indeed rich. The escorts had seen with their own eyes that they were drinking a very expensive kind of tea that was said to be worth a thousand gold coins, but they were extremely stingy.
Of course, they don't seek favors, but they're always looking for trouble, ordering you to do things that are not within your job scope, and even if you help, you will be criticized. This kind of thankless work will not be happy in your heart, right? It's not like you're being taken advantage of!
Besides, they have servants and maids, so why do they need escorts like us? It's obvious that they can't stand seeing others doing well and want to take advantage of them!
Not to mention the various things they had to deal with along the way, they had to hurry to get on the road to avoid being delayed, and they were also criticized for their mistakes. Who would be willing to give them a good face?
Seeing that the escort ignored him, Master Fang thought that they were guilty and avoided answering, and thus became even more arrogant.
"My son is a successful candidate! A future government official!" He glanced at Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen with disdain and contempt. "You'd rather embrace these poor fellows than our mountain of gold. How shameless!"
Escort: “…”
If it weren't for the inconvenience of being exposed, they would have thought, what are the local Juren? These two are the Jieyuan and Yayuan masters! Much more noble than the local Juren! None of them are so arrogant. A mere Juren actually puts on airs in front of Jieyuan. What ignorance is really fearless!
The escorts felt that they were getting carried away. In the past, they would always show great respect to the scholars they met. However, after witnessing the talents of these two brothers, they suddenly felt that the scholars seemed nothing special, and the Juren seemed to be just so-so.
Since he couldn't say it, the escort didn't intend to swallow his anger.
"There are many different people in the world, and there are many who have not yet clung to the powerful. Why do we brothers have to act like such mean people?"
"Sir, the money you gave us is for the escort and does not cover all the necessary expenses. If that is what you wish, it would be nice to add some more money."
When Mr. Fang heard that he wanted money, his expression suddenly changed, and he put on a different face, "You are indeed a mercenary businessman! You are obsessed with money!"
"It's so vulgar, it's not worthy of being in a refined setting!"
Escort: “…”
Xiao Yan & Xiao Chen: "..."
I'm used to it, I'm already used to it.
They want to take advantage but don't want to pay. Once they are in the wrong, they try to find all kinds of excuses to impose on others. They are really shameless.
Master Fang returned to his carriage, cursing and scolding his servants on the way. He said they were all about eating and not working, lazy and cheap, like stupid donkeys, and would only move when whipped.
The words were extremely harsh, completely ignoring the fact that these servants already had multiple roles. For example, the coachman also doubled as the cook, doing odd jobs and waiting on the master's orders. The maids not only waited on their masters but also had to do laundry, fetch water, collect firewood, make tea, and set up campsites.
It's almost like treating people like donkeys, and even donkeys aren't that tired!
The servants seemed accustomed to this, silently speeding up their movements to avoid further beatings and scolding. After all, they were servants who had signed death contracts. This was fate!
The son Mr. Fang was talking about was a man of about 30. He was pale, plump, and dressed in luxurious clothes. Although he was already over 30, he looked like a child who knew nothing.
He would have his wife help him eat, and he would not go to the grass for urination or defecation. Instead, he would wait for his wife to bring the toilet, and then he would relieve himself in the carriage, and then ask the coachman to wash it...
Just... eating, drinking, defecating and urinating all happened in the carriage. I don't know how he could bear it.
What made everyone frown the most was that this Young Master Fang had a violent tendency and often beat and scolded his wife. His wife often had bruises on her face and nose, and there was almost no good spot on her beautiful face. Moreover, this man didn't care whether there were other people around or not, and often tortured his wife during sex... The screams were creepy.
They are all men, and there are differences between men and women. It is not easy to say anything to her about this. After all, whenever his wife talks to other men, he will beat and scold her even more.
However, in private, they asked her indirectly whether she needed help, but they learned that her family was not well off, her biological father had remarried with her mother a long time ago, and her stepfather was a hypocrite, a gambler, and a hypocrite.
If I leave the Fang family, I will probably have to go back to that devil's den. Not only will I bring trouble to my mother, but I will also be "married" to an even worse person because of the bride price.
In the eyes of the world today, women always have to get married, so since she has to get married anyway, it is better to stay in the Fang family than to marry someone worse. At least the Fang family has money, and food, clothing, housing and transportation are not bad. Her children will not suffer too much because they are the "roots" of the Fang family.
When she said this, her expression was calm and her attitude was firm, indicating that she did not need help from others.
In this case, everyone could only give up. After all, the person involved did not need help. Even if they helped, it would not only cause trouble for others, but the result would not be what she wanted. Xiao Yan had some guesses, but he was not quite sure.
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