Chapter 164: The Troublesome Little Person
Santai replied, "The sister-in-law of Bi Changgui, a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue."
Zhao Lan frowned. It turned out to be someone from the Ministry of Revenue, which was under the jurisdiction of the Second Prince.
Su Ruojin seemed to have heard of this somewhere before? Oh, she remembered, "Isn't this man the patrol officer of the Wucheng Bingmasi?" He had wanted to take over Su's stall, but he didn't expect that he would show up again three years later. Didn't he know that the Su family now has a big shot?
Hua Ping glanced at the young master. Two years ago, Bi Changgui was dismissed from his job in the Military Department. As for who did it, there was no need to say. It happened right in front of him. At that time, Zhao Lan had been Su Yanli's student for not long, and he took revenge for his teacher.
"When did it get submitted to the Ministry of Revenue?"
Santai replied, "Three months ago, Bi Changgui joined the Ministry of Personnel (in charge of receiving and sending documents, checking for deficiencies, and supervising seals, etc., with a rank of eighth grade) Hong Mancang, and became a minor clerk collecting taxes. He also worked on the streets, looking unassuming, but he was a vicious person who dared to collect any money. People from the East and West chapters called him Bi Duzi."
Bi Changgui is Hong Mancang's minion, and Hong Mancang is the minion of the Ministry of Revenue. It is said that he is very much in favor of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Fang Wenzhong.
Fang Wenzhong is the second prince's confidant.
I didn't expect to meet such a tricky little person during the New Year.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhao Lan showed Su Ruojin a map of the power distribution of Prince Dayin. The Ministry of Revenue was the power center of the most capable Second Prince. No wonder the Shi brothers dared to blatantly enter Su's business to steal things.
Zhao Lan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Put the Bi guy aside for now. Brother Shi will take care of it for me."
"Yes, young master." Santai went to make arrangements again.
Shi Liu threw away his walking stick and knelt down with a thump. "My dear...my dear, my sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces are also very difficult to deal with."
Everyone looked at him.
Shi Liu was so scared that his face turned pale, but he still stood up and said, "If you lock up my three brothers, they will lose their livelihood and will definitely come to Su Ji to cause trouble."
It's really troublesome.
Zhao Lan moved his fingers twice and stood up. "Ajin, I'll take you back."
Su Ruojin was still thinking about the possibility that Shi Liu mentioned, and suddenly jumped back home, "Don't bother, Uncle Shutong's mule cart is waiting at the door."
"My car is warm."
This... Indeed, Prince Zhao's carriage has always had charcoal fire. How could the Su family's mule cart be so luxurious as to place a charcoal brazier on it for a temporary trip? But it was only a short distance, and Su Ruojin really didn't want him to send her off. She always felt that Zhao Lan was weird now, and it was awkward to get along with him.
Miss Zhao Lan refused, put on her cloak, and waited for her to go out.
All right! Su Ruojin had no choice but to take his carriage home. When he opened the door, he tiptoed back to the room like a thief. After a while, the moonless and starless night was like a black ocean except for the whistling northwest wind.
At the entrance of the alley, Shuangrui was holding a lantern. Zhao Lan looked towards the Su family in the alley under the dim light. It was so dark at night that he couldn't even see the outline of the Su family. He sighed softly and turned around, "Looking for Prince Wei."
"Yes, young master."
Shuangrui knew that the young master wanted Prince Wei to help deal with the troublesome Shi family. He shook his head secretly. Whenever it came to matters concerning the Su family, the young master always did it himself, even the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Su Ruojin did not know the specific sentence for the three brothers of the Shi family until February of the following year. Since ancient times, robbery has been more serious than theft, and the Dayin Dynasty was no exception. The three brothers of the Shi family were sentenced to ten years in prison, and their wives and children were sent back to their hometowns. They were also issued a document that they were not allowed to enter the capital without an official document in their lifetime, and anyone who entered the capital would be treated as a criminal.
The sentence was not light, but Su Ruojin did not sympathize with them. She heard from Shi Liu that the three brothers of the Shi family had been bullying the weak and cheating people in the poor alleys in the north of the city and had never been doing their jobs properly. In order to survive under the control of the three brothers, Shi Er would wear an axe on his waist when he slept at home, and would chop his brothers with all his might when they fought with them. This frightened the three brothers and they did not dare to sell their children, so they used the food they earned to feed their children.
Is Second Uncle Shi so vicious? He is such a kind and gentle man in front of her. Su Ruojin couldn't imagine it. She felt that the bad living environment had forced people into this state.
Thinking back to the hard times in the past, compared to the Shi family, those were so much better. Su Ruojin patted her chest and said, "Fortunately, my father is a civil servant. At least he can support us with the money he earns."
There was a bench in Su's accounting office with a soft cushion on it. Hua Ping was half lying on it. They had been busy from the end of last year to the end of the first lunar month this year. After the New Year, these spies finally had time to take a break.
Hearing Su Ruojin's sigh, he smiled weakly, put his arms behind his head, and squinted his eyes to rest.
Qiuyue is good at taking care of the chores. The beads on the abacus make a clacking sound. Su Ruojin glanced at her, then turned to look at Uncle Hua who was not behaving properly. She shook her head and clicked her tongue, "If I didn't know, I would have thought you were a thief last night."
Hua Ping ignored the young lady's teasing. He was really tired and wanted to sleep wherever he went. As he thought about it, he really wanted to sleep. He cheered himself up and said, "Don't wake me up at noon." He wanted to have a good sleep.
He really is a thief.
Su Ruojin found it funny and shouted behind him, "I'm going to Wenshan Street to check the accounts tomorrow. Do you want to go?"
"What am I going to do?" Hua Ping didn't stop.
"Be my coachman!"
"Looking for your uncle's book."
"Uncle Shutong is busy." Su Ruojin hurried a few steps to catch up with him, and said with a flattering smile: "Go ahead, I'll make you some ginseng soup to nourish your spirit."
Finally, Hua Ping stopped and asked, "Can I eat it after awakening?"
Su Ruojin nodded.
"Okay then." He said reluctantly for the sake of the delicious food.
Su Ruojin smiled and didn't want to disturb him from sleeping. She waved her hand, telling him to go to bed quickly, and then she turned and went to the workshop.
The Feng Dashi brothers and others were preparing ingredients for the stall, and Shi Liu was sitting at his workstation, conscientiously stringing vegetarian dishes.
Except for Shi Er and Shi Liu, all the other Shi family members left the capital. The two brothers seemed to have escaped from a cage and were finally free. They no longer had to live in fear.
Su Ruojin glanced at Shi Liu, who was in good spirits, and turned to go to the kitchen to find Mother Dong.
Mother Dong was preparing lunch. When she saw the young lady coming, she turned around happily and asked, "Mrs. Jin, have you checked the accounts?"
Su Ruojin nodded, "How is Ershi's wife?"
"He's a bit honest, but he's willing to work hard."
This year, Ershi got married when he went home for the Spring Festival, and brought his new wife with him. When Father Feng sent the children over, he said to Su Ruojin, "Many people wanted to be my Ershi's wife, but he finally chose someone who was good at cooking and honest. I hope the couple can work in the Dong family for a long time."
Su Ruojin asked, "Haven't Dashi and Ershi ever thought about starting their own business?"
Father Feng smiled and said, "To be honest, Second Madam, I have certainly thought about it, but the longer I stay in the capital, the more I know that if you run a small business without someone to protect you, you will be exploited by others, and there is no money to be made."
This is true. If the Su family didn't have a strong supporter, they would have probably been eaten up.
There will be another update in the evening, folks.
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