Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Asking for help alone...
Manager Xu was so anxious that he almost cried. He nodded hurriedly and said, "Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Madam!"
Sun didn't understand any of this, so she told Manager Xu not to worry and didn't ask what had happened.
Manager Xu was extremely anxious. When the servant from the Bo Mansion went out to look for Lin Qiuran, he was so anxious that he was running around in circles. Sun asked him to sit down and drink some water or tea, but he refused to do so. He just kept looking at the door waiting for news.
Finally, a few servants went to the shop that Lin Qiuran often went to, and finally found Lin Qiuran in Lin’s Wonton Shop.
The servant was also panicking, "Madam, the old lady asked you to return quickly. She said a guest has arrived, and it's the steward from the Xu Mansion."
Lin Qiuran couldn't get anything out of him, so he handed over the shop chores to Lin Xia and hurried back to his uncle's house.
The sky was high and the clouds were light, and the breeze was gentle. Lin Qiuran got out of the car at the side door and hurried to the front yard.
Lin Qiuran walked quickly, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. As soon as she entered the front hall, Steward Xu knelt before her. "Master Lin, I beg you to think of a way to save our young master. He was captured a few days ago. After much thought, I think only you can help. Please!"
Lin Qiuran said, "Don't be impatient. Let's talk slowly. Why was Master Xu arrested? Where was he arrested? Where is he now?"
Manager Xu spoke in a flurry, "It's in Lin County, near the capital, called Yulin City. There's a Thirteen Spices warehouse there. The young master originally returned to the capital to inspect the goods, but officials came and said there was something wrong with the Thirteen Spices spices and that they were making people sick. Then they took the young master away. I thought he'd be released soon, but it's been several days and there's still no news. I don't know what happened. I can only ask for your help."
Something happened in Lin County, Beijing, and Lin Qiuran was in Beijing, so Manager Xu seemed to have found a life-saving straw.
Manager Xu was already quite old, his head lowered, his back slightly hunched. He had been running around for Xu Yuanheng these past few days, and he seemed to have aged ten years. He wasn't sure if Lin Qiuran would help, because several years ago, when Sun and Xiao Dashi were taken away by the Jiang family, Lin Qiuran came to the Xu family pregnant.
The Second Young Master was clearly at home, but he ignored it. Now the situation has reversed, with Xu Yuanheng in trouble and Lin Qiuran in a high position. Xu Yuanheng didn't care before, but would Lin Qiuran care now?
They used to be my parents-in-law, and now they are partners.
Furthermore, the Thirteen Spices business was booming, and Lin Qiuran's husband was the Earl of Dingyuan, so she had someone to lean on. If something like this happened, she could completely get rid of them and take over the Thirteen Spices and other spices business.
It wasn't that Manager Xu was being mean-spirited; this was just how business was. Merchants valued profit, and there was some sincerity in their hearts. Previously, when the eldest son of the Xu family was in trouble, Xu Yuanheng had taken advantage of his illness to seize all of his assets.
The eldest son is at home, drinking tea and growing flowers, doing nothing serious.
The spice business was signed for five years and will soon expire. If Lin Qiuran doesn't help, Manager Xu will have no choice but to find someone else.
Who can help? If I follow my partners in doing business, they would rather we breach the contract and pay compensation.
Lin Qiuran frowned and asked, "Everyone around me has checked. What happened to the spices? Where is the problem with the spices being sold? Is it still available on the market?"
Manager Xu heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Lin Qiuran's words implied that he wouldn't ignore it. He said, "The people who make the spices are all from the mansion. As soon as the Second Young Master was arrested, I locked them all up. Madam also knows that spices are made up of two parts. I know this, the Young Master knows this, and there's someone who specializes in mixing and proportioning. No one else has ever said anything."
But it had been a few years, and the servants had changed several times. Those who had done it regularly would definitely be able to guess what was going on. They had different people grinding the powder, and after it was ground, one person from the Xu family would be in charge of mixing it, and then another person would be in charge of mixing it after Lin Qiuran's was done.
Manager Xu said, "Some of the people doing business here have been to the Yulin warehouse before. There's still a lot of inventory in Yulin. There's no problem with supply for now, but I'm afraid the warehouse will be sealed off if they convict you."
After hearing what Manager Xu said, Lin Qiuran was confused for a moment, but the spices were made by both sides and mixed together, so there was no problem on her side. Xu Yuanheng also knew that if there was a mistake, it would be useless. The most likely possibility was that someone else was greedy for money and wanted to get involved.
She asked, "Have you visited the prison these days? Where is he being held now?"
Manager Xu said, "Madam Lin, I've only met you once. You were in the dungeon of the Dali Temple in the capital. They kept you under strict supervision. I was released after less than half an hour. I didn't say a word, but I sent you something inside."
He even gave her a lot of money, but during the short visit she didn't say a word.
Xu Yuanheng was imprisoned for a few days. When Manager Xu went there, he was fine, but staying in a dungeon for such a long time was unbearable.
Lin Qiuran said, "Go outside the Dali Temple these few days and keep an eye on the people coming in and out."
There is no way there is a problem with the spices on her side, she checks every delivery. Xu Yuanheng wants to make money, so he certainly won't dig his own grave. Given the relationship between the two families, he probably won't stage a plot and set her up.
Then find the cause of the disease first, and then find a solution.
"I'll ask someone inside to find out what's going on and whether they can send some more things in." Lin Qiuran had to help. Not to mention that the spice business was related to her, just because Xu Yuanheng took Tangyuan to seek refuge, she couldn't just ignore it and be ungrateful.
This time when Xu Yuanheng got into trouble, Lin Qiuran couldn't help but think of how Xiao Dashi of the Sun family was captured and she had nowhere to turn to.
Fortunately, nothing happened at the time. One cannot only remember the bad things, but also the good things. Of course, one cannot only remember the good things and forget the bad things. Lin Qiuran remembered these things not because he wanted to retaliate, but just wanted to remind himself.
Manager Xu nodded gratefully, "Thank you, ma'am, thank you, ma'am!"
Lin Qiuran asked the maid to send Manager Xu back first, and she turned to meet Sun's anxious gaze.
Sun asked, "It's so serious, why are they arresting everyone?"
While the two were talking, Sun was listening beside them without interrupting.
Seeing that she was also anxious, Lin Qiuran comforted her, "There has to be a process. The current Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple is the former Xuzhou Governor, Mr. Zhao Jinshan. He is a good official and will definitely not be arbitrary."
She instructed the servants to buy and mark all the thirteen spices sold in the groceries in the capital. This time, there was no issue with the mushrooms, but she had someone buy them anyway. She would first check if there was anything wrong with the items. If someone was arrested in the capital, then the items that were problematic should be from the capital.
Not knowing whether they could catch up now, Lin Qiuran asked them to hurry up.
The rest of the matter could only be dealt with after Xiao Xun returned. Asking Xiao Xun for help was definitely more convenient than asking each family individually. However, Lin Qiuran was unsure whether Xiao Xun would take care of the matter. This matter had nothing to do with him. Shisanxiang had also made a lot of money, and the family was not short of money now. Besides, that was Xu Yuanheng.
Lin Qiuran and Xu Yuanheng are innocent and have never crossed the line, but in Xiao Xun's eyes, Tangyuan would give Xu Yuanheng a gift and even wanted to recognize Xu Yuanheng as his godfather.
Lin Qiuran and Xiao Xun were business partners, so their interactions were quite frequent. If Xiao Xun didn't care, she wouldn't be able to say anything. At most, she would be disappointed, because she also got a share of the spice business. Maybe Xu Yuanheng didn't mention her, but she got the money every month.
If Xiao Xun couldn't get through, she planned to ask the wives of the Marquis of Anyang, Yun, and the Marquis of Dingbei. If that didn't work, she could always ask Zhao Jinshan. If there was a case, they would investigate it. They had a clear conscience. If someone gets sick from eating, they don't go to the grocery store, they go to the boss who supplies the food. That happened so quickly, and there were suspicions everywhere.
She also has a share in the spice business. With Xu Yuanheng's hard work, the business has finally picked up in recent years. If he is convicted or something, Lin Qiuran will feel uneasy.
Sun nodded. "Don't worry too much. As the saying goes, a man of integrity fears no shadow. Nothing will happen to him."
Having said that, Sun had never seen such a scene before. She had only been to the county government office, but this was the Dali Temple.
Lin Qiuran could only think so. After more than an hour, the maid bought some Thirteen Spices Mushroom Drink. She checked each bottle one by one and found nothing wrong.
Xiao Xun didn't come back in the afternoon, so Manager Xu came again and gave Lin Qiuran all the account books of the business partnership.
These are all customers of the spice business, which means they have complete trust. If Xu Yuanheng cannot come out, Lin Qiuran can continue to do business according to these rules. There is no need for a partnership in the future, and he can just keep all the profits.
Lin Qiuran looked at the people on the list one by one: Boss Liu from Beijing, Boss Xu, Boss Zhao from Jiangnan, and others, as well as Hu Shang...
Xu Yuanheng has had more than a dozen business partners in the past few years. Let's exclude the ones in the south first. Lin Qiuran asked the maid to find out who Boss Liu and Boss Xu are and where they are now. There is also Hu Shang. In addition to Xu Yuanheng, he also does business with others.
The supply from the Hu merchants accounts for 20% of the total supply, which is already a considerable amount, and the goods are always shipped from the capital.
The account books were correct and the taxes were paid on time. Lin Qiuran spent the whole afternoon looking at these things. In the evening, Tangyuan came back from the academy and went to the study in his yard to finish the homework assigned by the teacher. At his age, there was not much homework left, just practicing calligraphy, memorizing and doing arithmetic, nothing else.
The glutinous rice balls, which were such a small amount, were quickly made. After finishing his homework, he went to play in the front yard. When Xiao Xun came back, his clothes were covered with dirt.
"Dad, you're back!"
Xiao Xun picked up the glutinous rice balls and said, "Well, I'm back. How did you get so dirty? Go wash them first before you go see your mother."
Tang Yuan nodded, then whispered to Xiao Xun, "Dad, Mom is busy today, maybe she won't find out."
Of course, if Lin Qiuran found out, he would definitely scold him.
He's so old, and he's already dirty. He's about to have dinner, so he might swallow dirt.
Xiao Xun glanced at the tip of his nose and said, "That won't do. It's all dirt. What if I eat it? Go wash it off first."
Tangyuan went back to her own yard to change clothes, and Xiao Xun returned to the main courtyard.
Lin Qiuran was not in the room. Upon asking, I found out that he had gone to the study.
Xiao Xun didn't bother them and went back to his room to change his clothes. The dinner in the main courtyard was simple, spring pancakes made by the cook. Sun hadn't come over, and she didn't want to eat today. She was also worried and anxious this morning, and now she was too tired to move.
Lin Qiuran listened to the noise outside, put down the account book and list, and came out to eat first.
In Beijing, spring rolls are made by rolling the dough thinly and baking them. After baking, they're placed in a steamer, not boiling water, but using a high temperature. The heat softens the crust, leaving some browned areas, giving it a soft yet crispy texture. The flavor is especially enhanced when the soup with the side dish softens the harder, burnt crust.
The dishes were Chun's usual fare. The cook had even gathered some wild vegetables from the mansion, blanched them, and stir-fried them, making them taste very fresh. The three of them had six side dishes. Lin Qiuran and Tangyuan had pigeon soup, while Xiao Xun had a bowl of medicinal soup.
Sitting across from him, Lin Qiuran could smell a faint scent of medicine.
Tangyuan was young, so Lin Qiuran didn't say anything at the dinner table. While eating, she was thinking about the right words to say to Xiao Xun.
She had a poor appetite, so after eating a spring roll, she slowly drank the soup, spoonful after spoonful. Xiao Xun couldn't help but look at her twice more.
Tangyuan didn't look up, just kept eating his pancakes. He'd been studying in the afternoon and taking horseback riding lessons, so he was hungry and ate four pancakes. They weren't big, actually, just two palm-sized pancakes, thin, and even with the vegetables wrapped in them, they weren't that big.
This made it even more obvious that Lin Qiuran ate less.
Xiao Xun felt that Lin Qiuran was worried about something.
After dinner, Xiao Xun asked the servant to take Tangyuan to play in the mansion. The maid lowered her head to clean up the dishes. The afterglow of the sky sprinkled on the bed. Xiao Xun asked: "What's wrong with you? Is there something wrong?"
Lin Qiuran looked at Xiao Xun in a daze, his heart seemed to skip a beat, and he couldn't remember a single word he had thought of during the meal.
Xiao Xun sat down next to Lin Qiuran and said, "Tell me if you have any questions. I'll help you find a solution."
Lin Qiuran: "Something happened to Master Xu. Something happened in the spice business. They say he ate something that made him sick. He's in the Dali Temple dungeon now. I found out about it around noon. I've been looking through the account books this afternoon, but I still have no clue."
Xiao Xun said, "I'll ask someone what's going on first, and then see if he has anything to tell you."
Xiao Xun: "Don't worry, in my opinion, Master Xu is not a person who cuts corners, and his business is getting better and better. He can't joke about business."
Lin Qiuran was still looking at Xiao Xun. Xiao Xun patted her hand, with worry in his eyes.
She originally thought that she should tell Xiao Xun that she was also involved in this business, that she had contributed part of the spices, and that she had the recipe. If anything happened to Xu Yuanheng, she would not be able to escape. She had to say so much before Xiao Xun would help.
But no, there was no need for her to say so much.
Lin Qiuran's eyes did not leave Xiao Xun. Seeing that she did not speak but kept looking at him, Xiao Xun could not help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Lin Qiuran shook his head. "It's okay. I'll go with you and wait for you outside."
She didn't want Xiao Xun to run alone.
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