Chapter 89 People from the Capital (4)
After exchanging a few polite words, Liu realized that socializing wasn't her forte, and Steward Zhao, being a servant, could only stand aside and couldn't easily interject. So, Liu racked her brains to find something to say to Pang Shi: "General Pang, how is your injury? And I heard that Lady Wan was also injured. I wonder if she's recovered yet?"
More than a month has passed, and Pang Shi's injuries have long since healed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to take on this mission and head south. He waved his hand dismissively, "I'm a military officer, tough as nails. Those little injuries have long since healed. As for Wan Dajia's injuries, you can ask this Eunuch Rong. He's his adopted son."
Pang Shi pointed to a consul eunuch sitting next to him.
Eunuch Rong immediately bowed to Madam Liu: "Thank you for your concern, Madam. My godfather's injuries have healed considerably. He said he should have come to thank you in person, but he was busy with his duties and couldn't leave. So he entrusted me to come and do this for you, so that I can properly thank you."
Liu repeatedly said she dared not, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, she fell silent, unsure of what to say next.
Unfortunately, Magistrate Meng had already been gone for half a day. Even if the warehouse clerk received the news and went to chase after him, it would probably take him half a day to catch up. He would also have to spend half a day entertaining others here. It was really too painful.
But sitting there without anything to talk about wasn't a solution, so she looked to Steward Zhao for help. Steward Zhao pointed to the guards standing outside, indicating that they should be settled in first.
Biyang County did not build any post stations. The only post station was jointly built with Donglin County, located at a three-way intersection dozens of kilometers outside the county. Pang Shi had brought more than a dozen guards with him, and the front yard was definitely not big enough for them to stay in...
As she racked her brains trying to figure out what to do, Butler Zhao cautiously chimed in, "The master is estimated to be back in half a day. You gentlemen must be tired from your long journey. Why don't I arrange for you to stay, take a bath, have a meal, and rest for a while?"
Pang Shi knew how poor Magistrate Meng was, and that the county office couldn't possibly accommodate so many people. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Steward Zhao, you can arrange for them to stay at the inn."
Steward Zhao agreed and immediately led his men to stay at an inn outside.
Pang Shi and Eunuch Rong naturally had to stay in the county office to wait for Magistrate Meng to return before announcing the imperial decree.
Seeing that Madam Liu was restless after Steward Zhao left, Pang Shi also felt uneasy. After thinking for a while, he finally thought of a topic he was concerned about: "By the way, Madam, where is Li Xiaoxiao? Has she recovered from her illness?"
When they left last time, Li Xiaoxiao was still unconscious, and Pang Shi always felt a little regretful because he hadn't said goodbye to her.
Finally finding a topic, Madam Liu hurriedly said, "She's already better. She woke up the day after His Highness left. Nobody expected her to be so ill..." She quickly instructed Xingge, who was waiting at the door, "Go and call Xiaoxiao out. Tell her that Lord Pang wants to see her."
Xingge glanced at Liu Shi with difficulty and stammered, "Sister Xiaoxiao isn't home; she went to farm."
Pang Shi and Eunuch Rong were both taken aback, thinking they had misheard. Pang Shi asked in surprise, "What? Farming?"
Madam Liu quickly replied, "Qi-ge'er went to study at Wanshan Academy after the New Year. She can't stay idle, so she asked the family for ten acres of land to farm..."
Pang Shi felt a surge of hot blood rising in his chest. Absurd, utterly absurd! Such a peerless master, who had twice saved His Highness the Crown Prince from danger, had actually been banished to farm!
His expression immediately darkened. He felt it was impolite to be angry with Liu, so he stood up and asked Xingge, "Do you know where she is? Can you take me there?"
Just then, Liu Shi didn't want to stay there and have an awkward chat with the two of them, so she quickly instructed Xingge, "The lords won't be back so soon, so you take the two lords to find Xiaoxiao."
Xingge nervously agreed and led Pang Shi and Eunuch Rong out towards Crescent Bay.
Liu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately returned to the inner courtyard to prepare for receiving the imperial edict with Granny Qi.
After Steward Zhao had settled the guards and hurriedly returned home, he found that there was no one in the front yard, and the things that Pang Shi and the others had brought were just openly displayed in the front yard.
Butler Zhao: ...
Once General Pang and his men leave, he will immediately tell the master to buy a few more servants.
Eunuch Rong and Pang Shi followed Xing Ge out of the city. Eunuch Rong whispered, "General Pang, my godfather said that this young lady Li is a bit eccentric. Is that true?"
Pang Shi thought for a moment and said, "She has a lot of skills, so it's normal for her to have a bit of a personality."
Eunuch Rong asked, "My godfather also said that she is as strong as an ox and can kill people as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. Is that true?"
Xingge, who was leading the way, trembled.
Pang Shi thought for a moment and said, "That's just a rumor. I've never seen her kill people like she's chopping melons and vegetables. But I have seen her carry a corpse in one hand and throw it away like she's carrying two chickens."
Xingge trembled even more violently, while Eunuch Rong exclaimed in amazement, "She's amazing! No wonder my godfather told me to be polite to her and not to upset her..."
Xingge was utterly bewildered. Were they talking about Sister Xiaoxiao? When did Sister Xiaoxiao ever kill anyone? And when did she ever dispose of a corpse like it was a chicken?
When Pang Shi found Li Xiaoxiao, she was digging river mud with great effort, and a small pile had already been accumulated in the ground below the riverbank.
She was dressed in a servant's clothes, with her trousers rolled up to her knees and her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She used a shovel to dig river mud into a basket placed to the side, her little face covered in mud.
Pang Shi could hardly believe his eyes.
She actually farms!
Pang Shi was heartbroken beyond words. This was a master who could fight against thousands of troops, and he was digging in the mud here!
Hearing Xingge call her name, Li Xiaoxiao raised her dirty little face: "Who's here?"
Upon seeing Pang Shi, she widened her eyes in surprise: "Oh, General Pang, it's you! What brings you here again?"
Pang Shi's hands trembled as he asked, "What...what are you doing?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "I'm digging in the river mud!" As she spoke, she dug down with her shovel again, and a black loach was suddenly dug out. Its body immediately twisted into a pretzel and desperately tried to burrow into the mud. Eunuch Rong exclaimed, "Snake!"
Li Xiaoxiao, however, reacted quickly, slapping the loach down and tossing it into a bamboo basket. She then proudly picked up the basket, exclaiming, "These are loaches, not snakes! They're delicious! Look, I've already caught over three pounds, and they're all big and fat. I'll give them to Aunt Mao to make stir-fried loach tonight!"
Seeing her beaming face, Pang Shi's anger inexplicably vanished. He could tell that Li Xiaoxiao was genuinely happy.
He said to Eunuch Rong and Xingge, "I would like to speak with Li Xiaoxiao in private."
Rong Gonggong and Xingge immediately and tactfully walked away.
Pang Shi squatted down, looking at Li Xiaoxiao who hadn't stopped digging because of his arrival: "I heard from Madam Meng that you farm at home..."
Li Xiaoxiao immediately perked up, pointing to the patch of land piled with river mud at his feet: "See? From here all the way to that side, a whole ten acres of land belong to me. I felt its fertility wasn't quite right, so I dug some river mud and put it in to see if there would be a difference in yield between land with and without river mud..."
Pang Shi frowned: "Are you really willing to farm here?"
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Why don't you want to? Farming is so much fun!"
Pang Shi said, "Aren't you curious why I'm here?"
Li Xiaoxiao then realized: "Are you on your way to Luzhou to catch rebels? You're just passing through Biyang County and stopped by to see me?"
Pang Shi sighed: "Of course not, I'm here to deliver an imperial decree."
"A decree?" Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "What decree? Our lord has been very diligent lately, he hasn't done anything wrong..."
Pang Shi was stunned: "Have you forgotten that you saved His Highness the Crown Prince? Especially you, you saved him twice. You don't think we just walked away and left without the court giving any thanks, do you?"
"Oh, I thought you'd forgotten... So His Majesty specially issued an imperial edict to praise our master?" Li Xiaoxiao suddenly realized.
Pang Shi glared and said, "Of course, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and His Highness the Crown Prince have all bestowed gifts. However, your family doesn't even have a residence in the capital to receive these gifts. The palace is sending an eunuch to deliver the decree, and the Imperial Guard is sending people to protect you. I informed His Highness the Crown Prince and accepted this assignment." He glanced at her. Of course, he had other purposes for this trip; it would be even better if he could bring her back with him.
Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed, "Oh dear, what a coincidence! Our master's cousin just left yesterday. He gave our master a house! If the palace's reward had been a little later, you wouldn't have had to make this trip."
Pang Shi was taken aback: "The Meng family has sent people from the capital?"
Li smiled and said, "Yes, the master's cousin is very generous. He not only gave the master a house, but also gave each of us servants a red envelope containing ten taels of silver."
Pang Shi's expression was strange: "The Meng family sent your master a house in the capital? At this time?"
Li Xiaoxiao nodded, looking at his strange expression: "What's wrong? Do you think he's very generous?"
Pang Shi thought back to his own errand. Wasn't the very reason Magistrate Meng had been sent on this trip that he was asked to come because Magistrate Meng didn't have a residence in the capital? When Magistrate Meng got into trouble last year, the entire Meng family kept their distance. The only person who pleaded for him was Magistrate Meng's former superior. The Meng family hadn't said a single word in his defense. Yet, after he saved the Crown Prince and the palace issued an imperial decree praising him, the Meng family immediately sent them a house in the capital?
Pang Shi smiled sarcastically, deciding to tell His Highness the Crown Prince this new information when he returned. It turned out that the Meng family was nothing special after all.
Seeing Li Xiaoxiao fall silent for a moment before lowering her head to dig in the mud again, Pang Shi felt that Magistrate Meng was short-sighted. He couldn't stand it anymore. He had let such a talented person stay at home to farm.
He glanced at Xingge and Eunuch Rong standing not far away and whispered, "Lord Meng's cousin from the capital rewarded you with ten taels of silver. Do you think he's very generous?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "It wasn't just me; he rewarded everyone in the entire household—there were more than a dozen of us!"
Pang Shi bluntly said, "Even if you reward all the servants in your backyard, it will only amount to a hundred or so taels of silver. With the wealth of the Third Master Meng, it is just a drop in the ocean."
Li smiled and said, "Even if someone has mountains of gold and silver, what does it have to do with us? But he gave it away, and so much of it, which shows his kindness."
Pang Shi frowned: "Is ten taels of silver a lot? Your monthly salary? Is it enough to make you this happy?"
Li smiled and said, "My monthly salary is only eight hundred coins, so ten taels of silver is definitely too much~" which is her annual salary.
Pang Shi felt a heart attack upon hearing this: "How much? Eight hundred coins a month?"
Li smiled and said, "Yes, my salary increased quite quickly. When I first arrived, I only had five hundred coins, but after being transferred to your side, young master, it rose to eight hundred."
Pang Shi was greatly dissatisfied: "Madam Meng is too stingy! She only gives you eight hundred coins a month?"
Li Xiaoxiao disliked his comment about Liu being stingy: "That's not true! Our lady is just a skilled cook who can't cook without rice—"
Seeing Pang Shi's nonchalant attitude, she couldn't help but tease him: "I don't know who it was, but they brought a group of people to our house and ate and drank for free for seven or eight days, and then left without paying a single penny. As a result, we only had three dishes of meat on our table on New Year's Eve, and we started eating radishes and cabbage on New Year's Day. If it weren't for the adults selling two paintings, we probably would have been drinking thin porridge."
Pang Shi was completely shocked: "Eating radishes and cabbage on the first day of the Lunar New Year? How is that possible?"
Li Xiaoxiao said resentfully, "What's impossible? If you don't believe me, ask Xingge and see if I'm lying."
Pang Shi still couldn't believe it: "Lord Meng is from a prestigious family, and the family has only recently separated. As the saying goes, even a broken boat has three pounds of nails. How could he be so incompetent?"
Li Xiaoxiao complained, "Biyang County is so poor. The magistrate insisted on distributing porridge to the refugees, putting most of his own money into it, but the court didn't give it back to us. In the end, not only did they not reward him, but they also fined him half a year's salary and even confiscated the income from his official land. Our lady doesn't know how to print money, so what if we live a little poorer?"
Pang Shi truly hadn't expected Magistrate Meng to be so poor. No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince said he was moderate and mild-mannered in his official conduct, lacking ambition and cunning, and therefore not within his circle of influence. Although Biyang County was poor, it still had a few wealthy families. Others could be promoted after three years as magistrate here, but he was so poor he couldn't even support his family.
However, although Magistrate Meng's talent was mediocre, he was lucky enough to have a clever son and a maid with superb martial arts skills, who brought him this wealth and status. It would be difficult for him to live a poor life in the future.
He coughed and said, "With your skills, it's too unfair to only earn 800 coins a month. Do you want to earn more money and get a bigger bonus?"
Li Xiaoxiao looked at him suspiciously.
Pang Shi glanced at Xing Ge not far away and lowered his voice, saying, "His Highness the Crown Prince thinks highly of you. If you can serve by his side, your monthly salary alone will be no less than ten taels of silver. Moreover, if you do a good job, you will receive rewards, which are often many, many times more than your monthly salary..."
Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise, "Many, many times more? That's an exaggeration!"
Pang Shi's eyes gleamed with an ambiguous light: "Yes, those who work for His Highness never live off their monthly salary. The rewards and the favors their subordinates bring them are enough for them to live comfortably in the capital. You can't compare to that now. So, are you interested in coming with me?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoxiao finally understood Pang Shi's purpose. It turned out that he had come to see her in person because he wanted to poach her from her boyfriend.
She rested the wooden handle of the shovel against her chin and sighed softly, "General Pang, what are your ideals?"
Pang Shi was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Li smiled and said, "So, what kind of life do you want to live in the future?"
Pang Shi said proudly, "I am a military general, and naturally I hope to be ennobled and appointed prime minister, second only to the emperor!"
Li smiled and said, "And then?"
Pang Shi frowned: "What, then?"
Li smiled and said, "After you are truly ennobled and appointed as a high-ranking official, what kind of life do you want to live?"
Pang Shi said with great pride, "Needless to say? Once I'm ennobled and appointed prime minister, I can live a life of tending flowers and birds, walking chickens and riding horses, eating whatever I want, and going wherever I want!"
Li Xiaoxiao looked at him sympathetically: "Then how old will you be before you can realize such a dream?"
Pang Shi pondered for a moment: "If things go quickly, around fifty years old; if they go slowly, it might be fifty or sixty."
Li Xiaoxiao looked at him with pity: "How pitiful, having to grow old before you can live the life you want. I'm already living that kind of life now~"
Pang Shi looked at her, puzzled, and didn't understand for a long time: "What do you mean?"
Li Xiaoxiao argued vehemently: "My biggest dream in life is to live a life of leisure, farming a few acres of land, raising a few chickens, harvesting grain and forging iron when busy, hunting in the mountains and fishing in the river when free, sleeping until I naturally wake up every day, not having to worry about food, and even taking the time to enjoy the scenery whenever I feel like it. That would be a worthwhile life. I'm almost there now, and you're still fifty or sixty before you can live that kind of life. Isn't that pathetic?"
Pang Shi was stunned, staring intently at the infuriating girl in front of him. Even if she wanted to refuse his offer, she didn't need to use such an excuse, did she? How old was she? Was she trying to fool him with the excuse of "just loafing around and waiting to die"?
He said in a strange tone, "Why do you think you've achieved this ideal? Aren't you still a slave? You don't even have personal freedom, so how can you talk about living a life of idleness and waiting to die? If you displease your master, he can give you away or sell you off at any time..."
Li Xiaoxiao retorted, "If I go into the palace with you, will I be free? Isn't that a place where you can lose your head if you say the wrong thing?"
Pang Shi opened her mouth, then closed it tightly again. She could still ask such a question; it seemed she was pretending to be stupid, not really stupid.
That makes sense. How could someone who could stay by the side of that young prince, who was already advising the crown prince and testing the emperor's attitude at such a young age, be a fool?
Fortune and honor are sought amidst danger. In the palace, one cannot speak carelessly. Not only can one not speak carelessly, but one must also think three times before uttering each word.
Li smiled and said, "I'm a straightforward person with a bad temper, so I'm not suited to live in that kind of place."
Pang Shi recalled how she dared to expose Wan Quan's deliberate attempt to make things difficult for her in front of the Crown Prince back in the dilapidated temple, and she did so with great confidence and self-righteousness. The Crown Prince didn't hold it against her because she was his savior, but with so many masters in the palace, if she still maintained that kind of personality, she wouldn't survive more than three days.
Moreover, Pang Shi could tell that although she was a servant and did what a servant should do, she said whatever she wanted without any attempt to hide it, showing that her inherent arrogance was no less than that of him, a military general.
During their escape, he saw her walking ahead of Meng Guanqi more than once, without ever noticing anything amiss.
But Meng Guanqi seemed to have gotten used to it and even discussed things with her.
Her skills gave her confidence and fostered her pride. If she really wanted to, why would she be confined to the backyard of a small county magistrate's house?
Well, everyone has their own ambitions, so he wouldn't force her.
Moreover, she has no greed and is content with this kind of life, so why should he force her to go in a direction she doesn't want to go?
Pang Shi had figured it out and stopped worrying about it: "Alright, I understand. Just pretend I didn't say anything. Let's go back to the county office to receive the imperial decree."
Li smiled and said, "Isn't it enough that our master is handling the imperial decree? Do I need to go back?"
Pang Shi stared at her speechlessly, making Li Xiaoxiao feel uneasy: "Why are you staring at me?"
Pang Shi said, "Have you forgotten? Strictly speaking, you are the one who saved His Highness the Crown Prince twice. How can you think it has nothing to do with you?"
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "The Crown Prince rewarded me?"
Pang Shi rolled his eyes: "Hurry up, don't forget, you're a servant now. If your master Meng is brought back but still has to wait for you to return before the imperial decree can be delivered, won't your wife sell you off in a fit of anger?"
Li Xiaoxiao hurriedly jumped into the pit and started washing her hands and feet: "No way, everyone in my family likes me very much."
Of course, if his family had a servant like her who could make such a great contribution to the family, everyone in his family would definitely like her very much.
Li Xiaoxiao, being young, couldn't help but boast on her way home after hearing that she would receive another reward: "Actually, my young master and madam have already given me rewards. I thought that was the end of it, but I didn't expect there to be more! Hey, do you think I'm going to be rich? I have so much money lately that I can't even spend it all!"
Pang Shi still couldn't get used to her unconventional personality. Wasn't it said that her family was so poor that they had to eat cabbage and radishes for the New Year? What else could Meng Guanqi and Madam Meng possibly give her as a reward?
Seeing her smug look, he couldn't help but want to pour cold water on her enthusiasm: "Didn't you say your family was so poor you couldn't even afford to eat? What did they give you? A pair of shoes? Or a pair of socks?"
Li Xiaoxiao put her hands on her hips: "No way! The young master gave me two hundred taels of silver, and the madam gave me twenty taels! The meat skewers on East Street are only eight copper coins a skewer, do you think I can eat like this for a long time?!"
Seeing how naturally Li Xiaoxiao bantered with Pang Shi, Xingge couldn't help but grow bolder: "Sister Xiaoxiao, the young master and madam rewarded you with so much money, you have to treat us!"
Li Xiaoxiao immediately said, "Please, please, let's go back and see if the adults have returned. If they haven't, I'll treat you to barbecue, it's absolutely delicious!"
Seeing her carefree and adorable personality, Eunuch Rong couldn't help but make a joke: "Can we eat our fill?"
Li Xiaoxiao was even happier: "Eat as much as you want, and if you'd like some wine, our plum wine is quite good, as much as you want..."
Pang Shi couldn't help but shake his head. It seemed like it was a leaky funnel, unable to hold onto wealth.
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