Chapter 272: The Town's Wealthy Family
The day Shen Yu left the Imperial Capital, the snow stopped and a warm sun shone through the clouds, casting bright light.
On the city wall of the imperial capital, King Anding looked into the distance. Having spent his entire life in military service, he was dressed in a blue-gray uniform, his back straight.
Shen Yu rode on horseback, turned the horse's head, raised his hand and waved to King Anding on the city wall.
The father and son looked at each other from a distance, without any extra words, but worry and concern could be seen in their eyes.
After so many years, I don’t know when we will meet again.
*
Inside the general's residence, the old lady sat on the corridor holding a hand warmer. She raised her hand and pointed at the osmanthus trees in the yard.
"After Yu'er left, these osmanthus trees all wilted. I don't know if they can survive this winter."
Zhao was sitting next to the old lady. When she heard this, she paused doing needlework.
"Trees are lifeless in winter. They will be fine when spring comes and new buds sprout."
The old lady didn't comment, yawned and began to doze off. She murmured in a daze:
"I don't know how long Yu'er will be gone this time. Can my old bones wait until the day he comes back?"
The old lady spoke in a low voice, but Zhao, who was very close, heard it clearly.
But Zhao didn't dare to answer this.
When Zhao saw that the old lady had fallen asleep, she sent someone to bring a blanket over and carefully covered her with it.
The yard was very quiet. Occasionally, a gust of wind blew, and the thin snow on the branches fell down.
Ling'er, Zhao's personal maid, walked quickly to Zhao's side on the falling snow.
Ling'er handed a letter to Zhao.
There were no words on the envelope, but there was a light-colored orchid in the lower right corner, which was a mark of the agreement between Zhao's father and her.
Zhao looked back at the sleeping old lady, took the letter to the corner and opened it.
After a while, Zhao threw the letter into the stove in the main room. When the letter came into contact with the open flame, it turned into ashes in an instant.
Seeing Zhao's heavy face, Ling'er lowered her voice and asked curiously, "Madam, is there something wrong?"
Zhao frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said softly:
"The Emperor has granted General He a marriage."
"General He?"
Ling'er couldn't remember who General He was for a moment.
It took her a while to remember.
General He is the Queen's brother, the general who has been stationed in Fengcheng for many years and formed a pincer attack with General Shen to defend Mobei.
Ling'er asked, "Which noble lady did the emperor bestow upon General He?"
Zhao said, "Princess Jiarou."
Hearing this, Ling'er was shocked, "But aren't Princess Jiarou and Lord Meng a couple..."
Zhao shook her head and sighed, "How can a woman decide her own marriage? Liking or not is never something that the superior needs to consider when making a decision."
Ling'er didn't understand, but she couldn't help but ask, "What about Master Meng?"
Zhao smiled sarcastically, "Lord Meng has regained the emperor's favor. When the Minister of Revenue retires and returns home, Minister Meng...will become Minister Meng."
Such a young Shangshu is unique in the Duan Dynasty.
Ling'er took a deep breath and felt more and more that the feelings between people were nothing compared to actual interests.
Zhao frowned and warned, "Father said in the letter that something unexpected might happen in the capital, and asked me to stay indoors as much as possible, under the pretext of accompanying the old lady to burn incense and worship Buddha. You should also be vigilant and never get involved with anyone outside."
Ling'er agreed in a daze.
*
Two years later.
A big event happened in Xiangyun Town these two days. It was said that a family finally moved into the big house that had been empty for more than ten years.
It is said that this family has a great background. When they moved in, even the town guard came to pay them a visit with gifts.
However, the owner of the house seemed to have a bad temper, and the guard was driven out with his gifts and a messy face.
In an independent courtyard at the edge of the town, Wen Wan had just sat down at the dinner table when Banyue told her all the news.
In the past two years, Banyue has become more and more capable. She has successfully infiltrated the intelligence station at the entrance of the village. Any disturbance in the town cannot escape her eyes.
Wen Wan and Ban Yue sat opposite each other at a low table. Next to them, a two-year-old chubby boy was holding a big chicken leg, his mouth full of oil.
Wen Wan took the handkerchief and wiped the little fat boy's mouth, then asked:
"Oh? He drove out all the garrison guards? He must be either rich or powerful. But have you found out where he came from?"
It's not about curiosity, it's just about being cautious.
Xiangyun Town is geographically very remote. Not to mention people from outside, even news from outside rarely comes here.
When a big shot suddenly arrives in a quiet town, we naturally have to be cautious.
Ban Yue smiled proudly, "Of course I found out. There is no news in this town that I can't find out."
Hearing this, Wen Wan burst out laughing.
The fat boy beside her saw her smile and grinned too, "Auntie Yue has sharp eyes and long ears. When Auntie Yue talks about gossip, it's like banging her head against the wall!"
When Banyue heard this, she raised her hand and pinched the little fat boy's cheek.
"Yan Sui, even you dare to laugh at me?"
Yan Sui pushed Banyue's arm with his greasy little hands, curled his lips, and turned to complain to Wen Wan.
"Mother, Aunt Yue bullies us, an orphan and a widow..."
Before the little fat boy could finish his words, Wen Wan covered his mouth.
"Wen Yansui! Don't talk nonsense. This is not how orphans and widows are used."
Wen Wan was so angry that she wanted to laugh.
The fat boy Wen Yansui pushed her hand away, looking quite unconvinced.
"But I clearly heard the aunt next door tell my uncle that we are orphans and widows, and we are so pitiful."
Wen Wan: “…”
In this feudal society, without a man in the family, no matter how happy and comfortable she thought her life was, in the eyes of the people around her, she was the most pitiful one.
Wen Wan cleared her throat, patted Yan Sui's head, and said seriously:
"Aunt is wrong. We are not pitiful at all. Mother opened the largest pastry shop in town. The money she earned is enough for you to eat meat every day. Those who can't eat meat are the ones who are pitiful."
"Eat meat?"
Yan Suiyuan's eyes lit up, as if he just remembered that he had only eaten half of the chicken leg. He happily held the chicken leg and started to gnaw on it again.
Wen Wan almost forgot about her important business after being interrupted by the fat boy.
"Tell me, what's the background of that family?"
Banyue replied slowly, "I heard from the garrison commander's daughter that the family is a wealthy merchant from the south, and some of their members are officials in the imperial court. This time, the young master was out for fun and got stung by a wasp, so he wanted to find a quiet place to recuperate."
"I heard that the young master couldn't accept the fact that he was blind, and his temper became extremely violent. He whipped the maids and servants around him, and each one of them was beaten back. Now, there are only three or five servants left in the house."
Halfway through his words, Banyue seemed to remember something.
"By the way, there's a notice posted on the door these past two days. They're looking for a cook who's good at cooking. The monthly salary they're offering is this amount."
Banyue stretched out a palm exaggeratedly.
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