"Madam, spare me! I know nothing! I was just a messenger!"
The little beggar covered his head, speaking very quickly, afraid of being beaten if he spoke too slowly.
He Jiuniang didn't want to make things difficult for him, so she held out her hand and said, "Where's the letter?"
The little beggar then realized what was happening and hurriedly took out the letter from his arms.
The little beggar was filthy and smelly, but he took good care of the letter. There were a few black fingerprints on the envelope, but no snot or anything.
He Jiuniang took the letter but didn't look at it immediately. Instead, she asked, "Who sent you this letter?"
The little beggar shook his head: "I don't know, they were wearing masks!"
"Them" means that there are several of them.
Why not just give it to her directly, instead of having a beggar in the city help resell it?
There's only one possibility: the city has been cracking down hard lately, and they're afraid to show themselves for fear of being discovered.
Therefore, it can only be someone from the Eastern Court, or someone seeking the King.
Now that the Eastern Court values the Third Prince highly, it wouldn't dare to act recklessly like this. So it seems that only the Prince Xun remains.
He Jiuniang was somewhat disgusted and had no desire to have anything to do with those people.
He casually stuffed the envelope into his sleeve and offered the beggar a small piece of silver as a running fee, but the beggar refused, saying very seriously, "The master who asked me to deliver the letter has already given me a running fee, I cannot accept another from you, madam."
As he spoke, he mysteriously reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of silver that was similar to the one He Jiuniang had given him, to prove that he wasn't lying.
He Jiuniang almost laughed at his boastful manner, but she managed to hold back.
Forget it, it's rare to find such a simple-minded beggar, why should I laugh at him?
After seeing the little beggar off, He Jiuniang left the alley and went to catch up with Madam Sun and Madam Yao. Both of them noticed that He Jiuniang hadn't followed and assumed that she had gone to buy something. They didn't dare to go far and were still waiting for her in the same spot.
"Where did you go? You didn't even tell me!"
When Sun saw her coming, he slapped her arm. It didn't hurt, but it still drew stares from passersby.
Who is this wicked mother-in-law, bullying her daughter-in-law like this on the street?
Then look at the exceptionally beautiful young wife. Not only is she not afraid, but she also grins and hugs the wicked mother-in-law's arm, looking all ingratiating.
Wait, why does this young wife look so familiar?
Oh, I remember now, isn't that the unforgettable beauty who made a brief appearance at the teahouse on the day the scholars paraded through the streets?
The reason why everyone remembers her so clearly is twofold: firstly, because the beauty's appearance is very striking, leaving a lasting impression after just one glance; secondly, because someone painted her portrait and sold it at a high price, and even if it couldn't be sold due to its high price, it was still displayed as a mascot. With so many people seeing it, it's hard to forget!
I heard that this beauty is General Lu's wife, and holds the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady, a status that is unattainable for her.
Even such a perfect beauty has to be careful to deal with a wicked mother-in-law?
Everyone felt sorry for the beauty; it was too tragic!
He Jiuniang was unaware that in the eyes of everyone in the capital, she had gone from being an unparalleled beauty to a pitiful little thing. Who knew what would happen in the teahouses later about how she was being tormented by her unreasonable country mother-in-law? Anyway, at this moment, she was holding Sun's arm and talking about going to a restaurant later to have a meal so that Sun could try the local cuisine.
She only had a few days off, so she took the opportunity to spend more time with Madam Sun and the others. Soon the envoy from the Eastern Court would arrive, and she would have plenty of things to do.
When she got back to her room that evening, He Jiuniang took out the letter to read it.
As she expected, it was a letter sent by Xun Wang. The letter said that Xun Wang wanted to see her and arranged to meet her at the Zhao family teahouse in the east of the city at 3:45 am the next day.
He Jiuniang's first reaction was not to go. She didn't want to have anything to do with that old man, let alone go to see him.
Furthermore, the fact that this old man dared to meet her in the capital city shows that he is quite powerful. He wasn't even afraid that she would lead a team to capture him, which means that he had made thorough preparations. If he went to meet her, he might find himself in some kind of crisis.
Of course, that's impossible. She won't be in danger for anyone. If it really comes to that, it will be that old woman who dies.
However, it seems unlikely that such a situation will occur at present, since that old man is clearly trying to please her.
So, should she take this opportunity to see what that old man is up to?
She wasn't one to overthink things, and with that thought, she made up her mind. Whatever the old man wanted to do, she'd just go and see for herself.
Lu Baichuan wasn't around, and she didn't plan to tell him. Telling him would only make him worry, which wasn't worth it.
When the children came home in the evening, they excitedly recounted their day's experiences. The most exciting stories came from Lei Zi and the other students. The sudden influx of so many children from the Lu family into the Imperial Academy made the students very unhappy and jealous. After all, the Imperial Academy had a limited number of places, and each official's family could only have one admission qualification. Why could the Lu family have so many?
Although their elders had objected and it was to no avail, they still wanted to humiliate the Lu family with their own abilities.
Since they are all students, let's compare their knowledge. Anyway, the Lu family are peasants from the countryside, so their knowledge is definitely not as good as theirs. The Lu family will definitely lose face.
However, what they didn't expect was that the Lu family members were all formidable. Not only were they more knowledgeable than them, but when the Lu family challenged them to a martial arts training ground, they were completely thrashed.
After a whole day, I was completely convinced.
As He Jiuniang listened to Lei Zi and the others talking, the smile on her lips never stopped. It's so good to be young; even such a small thing can become so interesting.
Wait, is she admitting that she's getting old?
No, no, no, she won't admit it!
Next, the kids who were in business shared what they had found out during their research that day, such as what kinds of businesses were easy to do and what kinds were difficult to do. For convenience, they also wrote a simple summary.
He Jiuniang gave feedback and praise to the group of children, and also gave some general tips on how to proceed, without explicitly stating the reasons, so that the children could figure it out for themselves and gain a deeper understanding.
Observing their way of getting along, the Yao family members sighed inwardly, realizing that there was indeed a reason why the Lu family prospered.
The next day, He Jiuniang browsed around the shop and then went to the teahouse in the east of the city for her appointment. She didn't bring anyone with her and even ran away secretly because she didn't want her family to worry.
She arrived quite early, but she didn't expect that Xun Wang had been waiting for her for a long time. As soon as she entered, someone led her inside.
The teahouse was doing very well. A storyteller was telling a story, and he was getting to the exciting part. The tea drinkers were listening attentively and didn't notice He Jiu Niang.
He Jiuniang followed the man to the door of the private room. The man did not go in, but said, "Miss, please go in. The master is inside."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com