"What are you talking about?"
A female voice was heard at the door. Everyone looked up and saw that it was Mrs. Xu. They all stood up to greet her. Mrs. Xu was very friendly and said, "We usually get along like sisters. Why are you being so polite today?"
Everyone laughed along, this was the majesty of Mrs. Shangguan.
The Zhang family cleaned out Jiuru Tower and decorated it very elegantly. On Mi Niang's table were placed four colors of preserved fruits, four colors of dried fruits, several plates of exquisite snacks, and fresh fruits.
There was also a maid serving tea at any time. The tea was also very fragrant and mellow. I don’t know what kind of tea it was. Mi Niang never knew much about tea. She only had two kinds of tea: delicious and unpalatable.
But this kind of tea is definitely a very expensive tea.
After Madam Xu sat down, everyone else sat down. She looked at Mi Niang first, "Madam Fang, how is it? Our Dengzhou is not as prosperous as the capital, are you used to it?"
Mi Niang leaned slightly to the side and said seriously, "Kyoto is under the emperor's feet, a first-class prosperous place, but Dengzhou also has Penglai and Qixia. Mei Yaochen wrote in his poem: The driver set out from the Yi Gate, and the east guarded the Moucheng. The city is on the Canghai Sea, and the sound of wind and waves is not tired. The mirage is sometimes visible, and the houses are empty. Cars and horses may appear and disappear, and people are also everywhere. Such scenery makes me feel that it is the fairyland of Penglai. Wang Wei's poem says that there are two phoenix palaces in the imperial city in the clouds, and spring trees in the rain. It is to follow the seasons with the sun, not for the emperor to enjoy the beauty of things. It is really good for the heavens and people, how can I dislike it?"
This is the book that Yi Lu Mi Niang is reading. This hymn to the gods written by Wang Wei is also very well written.
Mrs. Xu showed no expression, she just felt that she was showing off her knowledge. Mi Niang knew very well in her heart that a married woman would soon forget everything unless she read regularly like the female teacher who taught her before.
Only a very small number of people are like her, reading all the time and being strict with themselves.
Therefore, Mi Niang did not want to understand, but Miss Zhang San continued: "Thank you Madam Fang for your appreciation. Although our Dengzhou is not a place of great wealth, I dare not say other places, but if it is Penglai Island, it is definitely a fairyland."
Mi Niang showed her curiosity appropriately: "I wonder if mirages are real?"
Zhang Shunfang smiled and said, "Some people have seen it, and some have not. But the details may depend on fate."
"You are right. Everything is determined by fate. People say that my husband was exiled here, but I think that if I take a step back, the world will be bigger than the sea. It is my honor to get to know you all here."
Everyone was very pleased to hear what Mi Niang said.
Then she asked the maids to bring the gifts she had brought. She smiled faintly and said, "They are not expensive things. They are just homemade things. They are good for the sake of meaning."
Mrs. He opened it and took a look, and it turned out to be velvet.
Compared to jewelry, velvet flowers focus on elegance. Velvet flowers come in the shapes of peony, crabapple, dogwood, chrysanthemum, plum blossom, rose, jasmine, and orchid. Wearing these flowers in your hair in the morning will improve your mood.
Everyone likes this gift very much, especially the colorful flowers. Everyone loves beauty.
Zhang Shunfang said, "The Dongdu Ji says that the paper-cut flowers look like peaches, and the coiled flowers look like red apricots. The paper-cut flowers look like lotuses, and the golden flowers look like plums and chrysanthemums. The velvet flowers look like pomegranates, and the ribbon-cut flowers look like orchids. The emerald flowers look like golden phoenixes, and the pearl and stone flowers look like magnolias. You can see how lifelike these flowers are. Thank you very much, Madam Fang."
"No, no, Miss Zhang San is a heroine and someone I admire. Gold and silver are indeed long-lasting, but velvet flowers are more fresh. If people can be different every day like flowers, their mood will naturally be happy." Mi Niang nodded secretly after hearing this. She admired Miss Zhang San a little. Among the people present, she was the only one who knew what she was talking about. If it weren't for their different positions, they would be close friends.
Zhang Shunfang also had this feeling. She usually thought she was a female boss at home, making plans thousands of miles away. Most of the family businesses that were embezzled were maintained by her. Even Jiuru Tower was revived because of her. As a result, she was quite self-righteous and felt that men were not as good as her and women were mostly vulgar and few understood her.
The reason why she interacted with people like Mrs. Xu was that she often occupied a major position.
But I didn't expect that this Mrs. Fang was unusual. Even though she was demoted, she had no resentment and looked very natural.
Most people accepted the gifts and the atmosphere was harmonious for the time being.
But some people could not be bribed by such small gifts. They had to ask around. Mrs. Chen, who had a round face, looked very friendly. She said to Jian Ningchu, "I wonder what kind of business you want to do in Dengzhou? It's not easy to do business nowadays."
Jian Ningchu thought of Mi Niang's instructions. She was now a merchant's wife, so of course she should be more enthusiastic. So she said, "Actually, I don't know much about business. It's all done by my husband. But I heard that local fruits are better than those in other places. In the past, my family specialized in selling southern and northern goods. If my husband hadn't been sick, he wouldn't have been absconded with donations."
Of course, this was also said in advance by Gu Wangshu. As the commander of the Jinyiwei, he was very careful in his work.
For those who deal in goods from the north and south, it is the right place to come. Dengzhou has another advantage. It is the main road leading to Goryeo and Japan. No one would say such an obvious thing. If you are not careful, people might accuse you of colluding with Japan, which would be bad.
After Mrs. Chen finished speaking, she took a look at Miss Zhang San while drinking tea. Seeing Miss Zhang San nodded slightly, she smiled and said, "You are the sister of the prefect's wife, and we are all family. If you have any difficulties and need our help, please don't be shy!"
Jian Ningchu's eyes lit up, and Mi Niang also raised her hand: "Sister, with such a good opportunity, you might as well learn from the heroines of the Zhang family. If you can stand up, I, as your elder sister, won't have to worry about you in the future."
This was said as if it were a family matter. Everyone looked at Mi Niang and Jian Ningchu curiously. Mrs. Fang was seldom seen smiling, and even when she did it was a light smile. She looked very dignified, and was very good at speaking, and never let anything slip. Her sister, on the other hand, was very expressive, and her eyes lit up when she heard there was business to be done.
Zhang Shunfang said, "If we talk about other things, maybe we sisters can't get involved, but we know a little about business. If the prefect's wife doesn't mind, we will also make a good relationship with the concubine and be willing to teach her."
Jian Ningchu looked at Mi Niang, and seeing her nod slightly, she also agreed, and even went forward to talk to her enthusiastically. Maybe Jian Ningchu was not as good as Mi Niang in other aspects, but she was very calm and tolerant. She pretended not to understand the sharp words of others.
Regardless, we are all in the same boat now.
After drinking too much tea, Mi Niang went to the guest room. When she came out, she saw a lady waving at her. Mi Niang recognized her. She was the wife of Wang Tongpan, who rarely spoke. It was said that Wang Tongpan was a child of a famous family. He was exiled here because he opposed Cui Ti. He had a good reputation among officials.
But unfortunately, there is no way to be an official without someone in the court.
I heard from Fang Weiyan that this Wang Tongpan has a good reputation among local officials.
"What do you want me for?" asked Mi Niang.
I only heard Madam Wang say, "They are all waiting to set a trap. You must be careful."
Mi Niang showed gratitude: "Thank you for your reminder, but I think everyone is fine."
"Then you are wrong. I don't need to say more about this matter. You will know it later. Now that everyone is resting, why don't I cover for you and you can go first."
"What?"
Seeing that she would not listen, Madam Wang said angrily, "If you do this, what will we do if something happens?"
Mi Niang thought to herself, one cannot get a tiger cub without risking the tiger's den. Moreover, although this person looks kind and seems to be telling me the news for my own good, I don't know if there is any deception in this.
There are those beggars. At first, a group of people rob a child or a woman. When you can't fight back, you scream for help to attract attention. At this time, a good person appears to help you. You will definitely trust her very much, but you don't know that she is also one of the beggars and is just a trick to deceive you.
She didn't trust anyone except Fang Weiyan.
"What will happen to me? Who dares to do anything to me? In broad daylight, I am not afraid of anything. Don't hide your true intentions. You should tell me the truth about how they are going to deal with me."
"This..." Mrs. Wang pondered for a moment, but cursed in her heart. This trick had been very effective in the past, so why didn't she fall for it?
Seeing her expression, Mi Niang snorted coldly and walked away, but she saw Madam Wang stepped forward and said, "People are talking about the murder of Zuo Shi. They suspect you. You killed someone by mistake last time. This time you..."
Mi Niang said impatiently: "What does the murder of Yu Shi have to do with me? No way, are you still killing officials here? If so, I might as well let my husband go home and take care of himself as soon as possible."
Her reaction really caught Mrs. Wang off guard. Most people would have inquired about this upon hearing about it, but she complained. She looked like a pampered noblewoman who could not bear the hardship. She even complained to the people around her as she went upstairs: "If I had known this place was so messy, I should not have let him come. I thought I came here to see the fairyland of Penglai."
Zhang Shunfang and Mrs. Xu, who were in the compartment, looked at each other after hearing this. Zhang Shunfang asked, "What do you think?"
Mrs. Xu pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say whether he is true or false, but he is a difficult person to deal with."
Zhang Shunfang laughed: "This is interesting."
Because Yu Shi and Jinyiwei were killed, everyone in Dengzhou was in danger and at the same time, they all stuck together and did not trust the newcomers. What if they were spies from the court? Therefore, they tried every means to test them, even bribing Mrs. Wang, but they were still helpless.
Lunch was the highlight. Zhang Shunfang ordered the dishes to be served. There were birds and beasts on the table. I'm afraid all the wealth of Yong was on this table. Mi Niang couldn't help but say, "This is too extravagant."
Madam Xu smiled and said, "Madam Magistrate, there is no need to do this. The Zhang sisters are generous people, and this is also their intention for Madam Shangguan."
Mi Niang sighed, "The rich are living in luxury while the poor are dying on the streets. Just now the magistrate's wife said she would provide free porridge, but now we are having to eat such an expensive banquet."
After these words were spoken, Jian Ningchu also felt that the atmosphere was very good, and it was a bit awkward to say this now.
Zhang Shunfang also acted very terrified at this time. After the meal, everyone saw that she was not interested in the meal and did not even want to listen to the opera, so she ran away.
Everyone tried to persuade her to stay but failed, and they could only watch her walk away. After a while, someone came over and whispered something in Zhang Shunfang's ear. Zhang Shunfang heard it and said sarcastically, "As soon as this Madam Fang got on the carriage, she discussed with her sister about returning to the capital. The servants and her sister tried to persuade her, but she didn't listen and got really angry."
Hearing this, Madam Xu felt a little relieved: "From this point of view, she really wasn't killed for Yu Shi."
Zhang Erjie Liufang said without hesitation: "If you really want to send someone, you should send an official related to criminal law. I heard that Fang Weiyan is just a poet, and I have never heard of his ability to do anything. I am afraid that he was really banished by the court and is not an official who investigates the case."
This makes sense. If they really want to investigate the corruption, they should send the emperor's confidants or an official from outside the capital. But Fang Weiyan has no experience at all?
Furthermore, when Mrs. Fang heard about the murder of Yu Shi, her first reaction was to feel annoyed, rather than asking for details, or trying to find connections, or even threatening to leave afterwards. This shows that she only thought this matter was a trouble.
Zhang Shunfang also agreed, "It seems that Fang Zhizhou really doesn't know. In this case, we will just do what we have to do in the future. Although Lu Rufa has returned home on the first day of the first lunar month, I heard from the post stations along the way that the emperor specially sent officials to ask Lu Rufa about his career. It is unknown whether he will be employed in the future. Our Fang Zhizhou is Lu Sanfu's favorite student. It is better not to offend him."
Mrs. Xu also felt relieved.
When Mi Niang returned home, she saw Fang Weiyan and Gu Wangshu there. She couldn't help but smile and said, "Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission."
Gu Wangshu and Fang Weiyan both looked relieved.
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