Chapter 173 So Enviable!
Meng Qing rode in a carriage to pick up and drop off Wang Zhou for five days, and the decorations inside and outside the carriage changed every evening.
Two chestnut horses pulled the carriage, their saddles inlaid with gold and silver pieces and brass blocks. A bell hung at the end of the carriage shaft. The scroll patterns carved on the carriage were painted in vermilion, and the canopy was painted with blue-gold cloud patterns. Vermilion curtains hung in the carriage, and brocade rugs and quilts were laid out inside. The long couch was long enough for a person to sleep on, making it comparable to a small bedroom.
Wang Zhou bowed and entered the carriage. He put down his book box, picked up his younger brother who was holding onto his leg to stand up, and said, "Mother, please don't come to pick me up by carriage anymore. These past few days, my classmates have been talking about my family's carriage all the time. Some are envious, and some are making sarcastic remarks. It's quite annoying."
"Annoyed? Aren't you happy?" Meng Qing asked. "Don't worry about other people's feelings. This is what your mother earned for you. Follow your heart and enjoy what you deserve."
"I was happy for the first day or two, but then I got a little annoyed, and now this annoyance has overshadowed the enjoyment," Wang Zhou answered truthfully. His classmates had begun to subtly flatter him; his mother, his clothes, his family's carriage—all became examples of their praise. Beneath the flattery lay undisguised sour grapes and jealousy. They envied the visible glamour, yet couldn't help but deliberately mock the grime and grime beneath. Merchants, paper effigies, and the free school—all became derogatory flattery in their mouths, leaving him feeling like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
"This is the last time we're coming to pick you up. Your uncle is back from Wen County, and we plan to leave for Luoyang tomorrow. Your maternal grandparents, your father, and your younger brother will all be going. Are you going?" Meng Qing asked. "I'm going to Luoyang to buy the land first. If things go smoothly, I can be back in five or six days, but if things go slowly, it might take more than half a month. Aunt Li and her daughter-in-law are here to take care of you at home. There will be people at home to look after you, so it won't affect your eating, drinking, or sleeping even if you don't go."
"Steward Chen and his two sons are going back to Wu County with my uncle. Aren't their wives and children going back with them?" Wang Zhou asked.
Meng Qing shook her head, "Your uncle will be traveling around Wu County, and Steward Chen and his two sons will be by his side. They won't stay in one place for long. If Aunt Li and her two daughters-in-law bring their children back to Wu County, they won't be able to reunite. It's better for them to come with us; their lives will be more stable."
Wang Zhou said "Oh," took out a handkerchief to wipe Wang Chuan's drool, and said, "I'll go to Luoyang with you. Anyway, we'll be going to Huaizhou soon. There will be new teachers in Huaizhou, and we can pick up the lessons we haven't finished."
Meng Qing nodded, "That's what I think too."
The bells hanging on the carriage shafts rang, signaling that the carriage was about to depart. Wang Zhou suddenly stood up and said, "Stop! I need to get off the carriage to ask the teacher for leave."
"No need." Meng Qing stood up and grabbed Wang Zhou's arm, saying, "Just have Sister Wang tell her tomorrow."
“Alright.” Wang Zhou sat down again. “Uncle Li, no need to stop, let’s go.”
The coachman responded, and the carriage started moving.
Seeing that no one was talking in the carriage, Wang Chuan finally spoke up and started chatting with Wang Zhou.
Wangzhou couldn't understand, so he just kept making "uh-huh" sounds and occasionally wiped his drool with a handkerchief.
When the carriage returned to Xingjiaofang, the family members heard the bells and came to open the door. The carriage drove directly into the courtyard.
Hearing Du Li's voice, Meng Qing lifted the carriage curtain to peek out.
"Come on, get out of the car." Du Li walked to the side of the car to greet the person.
Wang Zhou carried Wang Chuan out first, and Du Li then wrapped his long arms around both sons and carried them out of the car.
"The house has been listed?" Meng Qing asked as she walked out carrying her book box.
Du Li helped her out of the carriage and said, "It's been put up for sale, and the broker came to see it. He asked for 600 strings of cash, but he wouldn't let us ask about the selling price. He made it clear that any extra money would be his. What do you think?"
"The selling price is dozens of strings of cash more expensive than our purchase price?" Wang Zhou asked.
“Yes.” Du Li put his arm around Meng Qing’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Thanks to your mother, this former residence of the county lord has been transformed into a feng shui treasure land because its owner was granted a title. We have lived here for more than two years, raising geese and growing vegetables in the yard, and the prices have even gone up.”
“Sell it,” Meng Qing said. “We’re leaving tomorrow. Aunt Li and Sister Wang will start packing their bags. Once we return from Luoyang, we’ll immediately find a broker and go to the county government with the buyer to transfer the property.”
"I'll listen to you," Du Li nodded.
"Where's my uncle? Wasn't he supposed to be back?" Wang Zhou looked around but couldn't find him, so he went back to the front yard.
“He’s back in Heqing County. He’s not staying at home, but in an abandoned granary north of Heyang Bridge. He brought thirty or forty oxcarts to transport money, along with more than fifty servants and two escort teams. It’s inconvenient for him to go into the city, so he’s staying in the abandoned granary next to the school,” Du Li replied. “Want to see him? Go early tomorrow morning and have the driver take you. It won’t interfere with your class.”
“Wangzhou will come with us to Luoyang tomorrow,” Meng Qing said.
Du Li was surprised and joked, "It seems that the temptation of buying land is still too great, and even good students are willing to take long vacations."
Wang Zhou ignored him, and he picked up Wang Chuan and left.
*
The next day.
Two carriages from the Meng family departed one after the other, leaving Xingjiaofang, carrying three generations of the family to Luoyang.
There was no rush. After Meng Qing's carriage met up with Meng Chun's money transport team, the two teams traveled together. They would stay at post stations whenever they encountered one, and spend the night in the wilderness if there were no post stations.
They traveled for four days and arrived in Luoyang in more than forty cars.
Meng Qing and his parents checked into the inn, and just as the family settled in, He Bian came looking for them.
"Your subordinate pays respects to the Lady of the County." He Bian knelt down and bowed.
"Please rise." Meng Qing helped him up. "No need for such a grand gesture. Have you taken care of the matter I entrusted to you?"
"It's all taken care of. The boat has been hired and is waiting at the ferry," He Bian replied. "The silk business has also been settled. The quantity and price of various brocades have been agreed upon."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper and handed it over, "Take a look. If you have no objections, you can go to the silk shop to look at the satin sometime."
Meng Qing took a look at the paper and handed it to Du Li, asking him to notify Meng Chun to check the goods.
"Have the courier send over a table of good food and wine; I want to entertain Manager He," Meng Qing said.
Du Li responded and took the money and went out.
"My lord, I heard that the imperial court is going to arrange for the successful candidates in the imperial examinations to set up free schools in various prefectures and counties? The free schools in Luozhou and Henan Prefecture..." He Bian inquired about his worries, "Whose orders should I take in the future?"
"Listen to me. From now on, I will be in charge of the existing free schools. The twenty-three I selected... no, twenty-two. Ren Wenqiu passed the provincial examination this year and has become a new Jinshi. The remaining twenty-two managers will all follow my orders, and everything will remain unchanged." Meng Qing replied, "Luozhou and Henan Prefecture will definitely have new free schools and managers. You will not be under their control. Just manage the current four free schools well. The annual salary and bonuses promised before will not be changed."
He Bian smiled upon hearing this, "That's great, I thought we were going to lose our jobs."
Last winter, he met with the officials from various places and the servants they sent back to report accounts in Luoyang. As expected, he won first place and received a prize of 300 guan. In addition to the annual salary of 200 guan, his annual income was equivalent to his father's income for ten years, which made him very proud.
“As long as the school doesn’t suffer losses, you won’t lose your jobs,” Meng Qing said. “I’ve already sent letters to the heads of other prefectures and counties. Just focus on running the school and contact me if you encounter any problems you can’t solve.”
"Yes," He Bian replied. "What brings you to Luoyang? Is there anything I can do for you?"
“I might really need your help. I remember your father was a clerk in the Luoyang County government?” Meng Qing asked. “I’m planning to buy a piece of land near Shangyang Palace to build my mansion. Could you ask your father if he could help me find out which land hasn’t been sold yet?”
"I'll tell my father when I get home tonight," He Bian replied.
"Your Highness, do you need any food here?" The courier came in carrying a food box.
Meng Qing nodded, "Manager He, please have something to eat with us."
He Bian agreed.
A courier brought over a table of dishes and wine, and Meng Qing, along with his family and He Bian, dined together.
After the meal, Meng Qing handed fifty strings of cash to He Bian, asking his father to help with the arrangements.
When Mencius' mother saw this, she sighed and said, "Being an official is also an expensive job. Everything costs money, and it's not a small amount. It's fortunate that you have a way to make money, otherwise, with your annual salary of two hundred strings of cash, you really wouldn't be able to support servants and carriages."
Meng Qing nodded.
"Mother, Father is back," Wangzhou called out.
Meng Qing saw it and asked, "Have you eaten?"
"I ate, I ate with Chun-di," Du Li replied. "Chun-di said he's going to the silk shop to check out the goods tomorrow, do you want to go with him?"
Meng Qing nodded, "Take care of his business first, I'll wait for news about mine."
*
The next day, the entire Meng family went to the silk shop to look at the goods. Unexpectedly, they ran into Wang and Li, cloth merchants from Wu County. Meng's father was the first to recognize them.
"Brother Meng?" Wang Bushang was very surprised. He looked around at Meng's father, then at Meng Qing's family, with a bewildered expression.
"What? Don't you recognize me?" Meng's father asked. "I've only been away from Wu County for three years!"
“I do recognize him, and I remember his name, but…” Wang the cloth merchant looked at his clothes and cupped his hands, saying, “Brother Meng, what good fortune have you encountered? Only three years have passed, how come you are wearing fine clothes now?”
"I have no good fortune, but my daughter has. At the beginning of this year, she was conferred the title of Lady of Wu County by the female saint." Father Meng said this with a face full of glory. He finally understood the joy Du Min felt when he returned home in brocade robes. Only in front of old acquaintances could he feel the pleasure and joy of turning his life around.
Wang Bushang looked at Meng Qing with disbelief on his face.
"Uncle Wang," Meng Qing called out as she stepped forward.
"I dare not accept such praise." Wang Bushang hurriedly waved his hands. "This, this... it seems that Mount Beiman is not auspicious. Your ancestral graves have not been moved here. How did you have this opportunity? Lady, we will treat you to lunch. Please do us the honor of having a chat."
“Okay,” Meng Qing agreed.
"You've come here for..." Li Bushang asked, having remained silent until now.
“My younger brother is going back to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. He plans to buy two boatloads of Shu brocade, silk brocade, and Liangzhou brocade to take back with him. We’ll come along and take a look. If we see anything we like, we’ll take a cartload back to make clothes,” Meng Qing replied. Now that she had an official title, she could no longer get involved in business. Any business-related matters had to be covered up.
"When do you plan to go back to your hometown?" Li Bushang asked. "If we're lucky, we can travel together; it'll be safer on the road."
"When are you leaving?" Meng Qing asked.
“We just arrived the day before yesterday. We need to sell the remaining two boatloads of goods and then replenish a few more boatloads. It will probably take seven or eight days,” Wang the cloth merchant replied.
Meng Qing looked at Meng Chun, who said, "I can wait and travel with Uncle Li and Uncle Wang's boat."
“Then it’s settled,” Wang Bushang said. “You go and check the goods first, and we’ll go and book the banquet. We’ll come and pick you up once the banquet is booked.”
"Go and book the banquet. I'll stay here and keep an eye on things for my nephew. He's probably new to the fabric business and doesn't know much about it." Li, the fabric merchant, rarely spoke, but when he did, he hit the nail on the head with the Meng family, displaying the demeanor of a true good person.
"Then thank you, Uncle." Meng Chun seized the opportunity and addressed the other party as Uncle, while explaining, "I'm just a small-time trader. I thought it would be better to transport brocade back home than money. Even if I can't sell it, it can still be used as money. I don't plan to be involved in the fabric business for long."
"From what you're saying, you're planning to take your wealth back to your hometown to buy land?" Li Bushang inquired.
"No, we also do business making paper funerary objects," Meng Chun said vaguely.
Without much thought, Li Bushang nodded. "Suzhou indeed doesn't have any colored paper effigies yet. You'll definitely make a fortune when you go back. Is the Lady and her family also returning to their hometown?"
"I'm not going back. I plan to settle down in Luoyang," Meng Qing replied. "My brother is going to give me some money. I came to Luoyang this time to buy land and build a mansion."
"Good news." Li Bushang nodded. "Are the two children in the back yours?"
Meng Qing nodded. "The older one was born in Wu County. You've met him before."
"He's grown up so fast, so handsome, like a young master from a noble family. He's sure to amount to something when he grows up," Li Bushang complimented. "I remember he has an uncle. I heard about him when I came to Luoyang last year. He's some kind of iron-headed magistrate. Is that him?"
"Yes." Meng Qing nodded. "Du Min has now been promoted to Prefect of Huaizhou and is no longer a county magistrate."
Li Bushang tripped and almost fell.
"Slow down," Du Li said, reaching out to help him.
"Chief Secretary? Is this the Chief Secretary I know? The Chief Secretary of the Governor's Office? The Governor's right-hand man?" Li Bushang was almost out of breath.
“Yes, he has been promoted from the seventh rank to the fifth rank in less than three years.” Meng Qing nodded with a smile. She did it on purpose, bringing up Du Min, a powerful patron, so that Meng Chun could avoid a lot of trouble after returning to his hometown.
Li Bushang remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "How enviable!"
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Author's Note: There will be another update at 12 o'clock.
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