Chapter 30 Cooperation Achieved
After Gu Xiyue came back from the backyard, she called Wei Lin and whispered some instructions to him. Then she stayed in the room with Meixiang. The maid brought her tea and cakes, which looked delicious.
Seeing Meixiang's worried look, Gu Xiyue smiled and told her to relax and eat, and told her that she could definitely go back tomorrow.
What she said meant that Lord Yan would definitely cooperate with her, and Meixiang felt relieved.
It was almost time for dinner when there was some movement in the front hall, footsteps, and shouting. Wei Lin happened to rush back at this time. As soon as he entered the room, three maids came in with dinner, helped them set the table, and quickly left.
"Miss, the person has been captured. Lord Yan is currently interrogating Zhou Yunxiang in the front yard. Boss Sun has also been captured."
"So fast!" Gu Xiyue was secretly surprised.
I didn't expect Lord Yan to be so efficient and decisive. Only two hours have passed and he has already brought the person back.
"Master Yan's men trapped Sun Shui'er and Zhou Yunxiang on their beds, and also captured Boss Sun. The Tongfu Inn was quickly surrounded. I helped expose the salt storage room. When I left, Master Yan's men were counting the salt."
Gu Xiyue nodded. "They can't deny it now. Sun Shui'er and Zhou Yunxiang conspired to kill for money and committed robbery. I'm afraid they will be sentenced to death. But Boss Sun, he is a salt merchant appointed by the higher-ups. I think he will be sent to the capital to be executed."
"I heard that Boss Sun gave more than half of his salt profits to the higher-ups, and the remaining small amount was split between him and Zhou Yunxiang. If he were sent to the capital, would the higher-ups…"
Gu Xiyue also fell silent. After thinking for a long time, he smiled and shook his head, "Probably not. What if the court conducts a strict investigation and tracks down the whereabouts of the money he extorted by inflating the salt price? Wouldn't that person be exposing himself?"
"Boss Sun's final fate will be to be... silenced."
After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, she asked Wei Lin and Meixiang to eat quickly.
Everything happened just as Gu Xiyue had expected. After Sun Shui'er was brought back for interrogation, he was given eighty lashes with the cane. The bailiffs were very cruel when they beat him. He lost his voice after the twentieth beating. After the beating, his body below the waist was in a terrible state. He had already died. Lord Yan didn't even look at him and had him taken away and thrown into a mass grave outside the city.
After being tortured, Zhou Yunxiang was finally thrown into a cell. Three days later, he was publicly executed at the city gate as a warning to others.
As for Boss Sun, Lord Yan asked him to sign a petition and then wrote a complaint. The next day, he was taken to Beijing and handed over to the Dali Temple.
Five days later, the group walked to a remote valley, where Boss Sun was shot by an arrow and died in the prison van.
Moreover, because Lord Yan's actions cut off that person's source of income, he was completely enraged. That person, together with several ministers, advised the emperor that Ganzhou and its subordinate areas would become even more difficult.
If the salt shortage continues, Lord Yan’s life will be in danger.
Of course, this is all later.
The next day, just after Gu Xiyue had finished her breakfast, the housekeeper came to her with a smile and invited her to discuss something. From the housekeeper's expression, she knew it was a good thing.
This time Gu Xiyue went alone. Before leaving, she asked Meixiang to pack up her things so that they could set off back to the Southern Wilderness when she came back.
This time they went to the front hall meeting room, which was more formal. In addition to Lord Yan, there were his subordinates, including the Tongzhi, Tongpan, and Tuiguan, a total of eight people, plus a clerk.
Under the leadership of Lord Yan, these people governed Ganzhou and seven or eight surrounding areas.
There are pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the table, and the ink has been ground.
As soon as Gu Xiyue entered, Lord Yan looked very welcoming and invited her to take a seat.
There was no trace of yesterday's depression on his face.
"Madam Gu, after discussing this with my colleagues last night, I feel this is a good idea and we all agree to cooperate with you. I called you here today just to see how the terms of this cooperation are written."
After Lord Yan finished speaking, he and his subordinates looked at Gu Xiyue, wondering how she would explain the regulations.
Officials naturally have dignity. Gu Xiyue smiled slightly, stood up, glanced at everyone present, and then spoke slowly.
"Master Yan, everyone, since you are willing to cooperate with me, I am deeply grateful."
Gu Xiyue bowed and saluted, then said, "This is what I think."
She turned around, confident and resolute. "My Lords, I left home when I was young. If I were to open a shop here, it would take a long time, but our fellow villagers can't wait, so I am willing to supply you with salt. You can distribute it to salt merchants in various places, and I will be the trader. What do you think?"
Lord Yan was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face. The other lords whispered to each other for a few moments and nodded to Lord Yan.
Lord Yan pondered for a moment and asked, "In that case, how should the price be determined?"
Before, he remembered that Madam Gu said that she could get seven or eight cents for a pound of salt, but now that she is a traveling merchant, she has to get at least six cents.
After all, the initiative is now in her hands.
Gu Xiyue smiled slightly and said confidently, "I am willing to give you a profit of two to three cents and supply you with salt at five cents per catty. You can distribute it to salt merchants in various places. You can sign an agreement with the salt merchants in various places on the price per catty. The price per catty cannot exceed eight cents."
Lord Yan was filled with emotion when he saw that Madam Gu did not seem to be joking at all and spoke in a serious manner, looking like a businesswoman.
Hearing that she only needed five cents for a pound of salt, he breathed a sigh of relief. He even thought about how to control the salt merchants. He smiled and nodded, "Madam Gu, you have thought it through. I think this price is acceptable!"
Seeing that it was almost done, Gu Xiyue continued, "If Lord Yan has no objection to the price, let's discuss the delivery location and payment method."
It was basically Gu Xiyue who was talking, Lord Yan supplemented, the other eight officials nodded in agreement, and the clerk was busy taking notes.
It’s not that the officials didn’t speak, but that Gu Xiyue spoke in an organized manner, taking into account everything they could and hadn’t thought of, and implementing it into the terms of the agreement.
Finally, it was agreed that the goods would be delivered at least once a month, the delivery location would be set at the seaside south of Xifeng Town, and the first delivery date would be set after the 20th day.
The payment method is cash on delivery.
From today onwards, the prefect will need to send someone to build a salt warehouse on the coast of Xifeng Town to store salt.
Gu Xiyue even drew the outline for him, including how to build a simple dock by the sea, how to lay it out, and how to transport goods in and out.
After the clerk wrote down the terms of the agreement one by one, Gu Xiyue and a few others read them and found no problems, then wrote their names and put their fingerprints on them.
After everything was done, Lord Yan asked the Tongzhi who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue of Ganzhou to issue a salt permit to Gu Xiyue.
With the salt permit, Gu Xiyue became a salt merchant confirmed by the government and could sell salt openly.
Gu Xiyue rolled up the salt permit and the agreement like a treasure and carefully put them into his sleeve.
The reason why the delivery date was set at 20 days later was because of Gu Xiyue's suggestion. On the one hand, Lord Yan said that the salt found in Xifeng Town and the salt stored elsewhere could be distributed separately to salt merchants in various places, which would basically be enough for 20 days.
On the other hand, Gu Xiyue took into consideration the progress of Xiao Heng's affairs in the capital. If salt was supplied in advance and it was discovered, all the previous efforts would be wasted.
Therefore, salt will be supplied after twenty days.
Of course, Gu Xiyue did not tell Lord Yan about this matter. She only said that she had to go back and that it would take time to coordinate all aspects, as well as load and transport the goods.
Lord Yan and several other adults nodded in agreement.
After the discussion, Lord Yan gave the order.
Starting today, the price of salt in the areas under the jurisdiction of Ganzhou will be uniformly restored to eight cents per catty, so that everyone can buy affordable salt as soon as possible and life can return to normal as much as possible.
After giving the order, Lord Yan talked to Gu Xiyue and the others about the food problem with a worried look on his face. After listening, Gu Xiyue thought for a moment and said, "I have a suggestion, but I don't know if it's convenient for me to tell you."
"Of course it's convenient! Madam Gu, just tell me."
Not only Lord Yan, but others also wanted to hear her.
Everyone knew that if Lord Yan was taken down, they would not end up well either. Now they were almost forced into a desperate situation. They were so happy that there was someone willing to help them with advice that they had no time to care about the difference between men and women.
Although this girl has some dark spots and a few moles on her face, she is indeed very thoughtful.
"Regarding the food problem, Lord Yan, why not have some grain transferred from other less severely affected areas to help the more severely affected areas? You are their father and mother. At this critical moment, calling on everyone to stick together and overcome difficulties together is more reliable than relying on others."
Lord Yan and several other adults were stunned after hearing this. They didn't know why, but when they heard Gu Xiyue say that sticking together for warmth and overcoming difficulties together was more reliable than relying on others, they felt warm in their hearts, as if a warm current was flowing from the top of their heads to the soles of their feet, and their whole bodies became warm.
Even my mind cleared up instantly.
Yes!
Since they are left isolated and helpless by their superiors, they should stick together and rely on themselves!
Madam Gu’s idea is simply great!
Seeing that they were all stunned, Gu Xiyue thought she had said something wrong. Just as she was about to apologize, Master Yan slapped the table with his hand and said excitedly, "Madam Gu, you are absolutely right!"
"Yes, yes, Madam Gu's words really enlightened me!"
Several other adults echoed him.
After receiving such compliments, Gu Xiyue felt embarrassed.
She smiled and said, "These are just some of my humble thoughts. I hope you gentlemen will not laugh at me."
"No, no! Madam Gu, I, Yan, have accepted you. If you don't mind, can we become relatives? You can come to the mansion often in the future. If you have any questions, I can still discuss them with you."
Gu Xiyue's heart moved. She had originally thought that if she needed help in the future, she would come to Lord Yan. Now that he actually said that he wanted to become her godparents, she was delighted. There was no reason to refuse such a good thing.
She quickly bowed and said, "If Master Yan doesn't mind, how about I acknowledge Master Yan as my adopted father, and Master Yan acknowledge me as his adopted daughter."
After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, a deputy magistrate beside him said with regret: "Master Yan, you might as well ask Madam Gu if she is married. Your son is not married yet. Although he is two years younger than Madam Gu, if Madam Gu becomes your daughter-in-law, wouldn't we be a family?"
Gu Xiyue's expression froze. Lord Yan looked at the co-magistrate who had spoken. "That bastard is so ignorant and incompetent all day long. It would be a waste to let Madam Gu follow him. Stop talking nonsense! An adopted daughter is better!"
As he spoke, his face had already changed into a kind expression, and he looked like a loving father.
Gu Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief.
Lord Yan immediately asked someone to prepare gifts, ready for Gu Xiyue to offer tea as a ceremony of recognition, and also asked someone to invite his wife over.
When Mrs. Yan heard that the salt issue had been resolved and her husband wanted to adopt Madam Gu as his adopted daughter, she hesitated for a moment and then thought it through.
Witnessed by Madam Yan and all the gentlemen, Gu Xiyue acknowledged Lord Yan as his adoptive father. After performing the ceremony and offering tea, he changed his words and called Lord Yan his adoptive father.
After changing his words, Lord Yan gave Gu Xiyue a badge. With this badge, he could move freely within the jurisdiction of Ganzhou.
Gu Xiyue carefully put it away and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, godfather!"
Madam Yan watched from the side, walked over with a smile, touched her face, and said with regret: "If Xiyue were a little whiter...ah, this?"
Gu Xiyue only felt a slight tug on her cheek, and then she saw Madam Yan's look of surprise. She then put her hand forward and asked in confusion, "What is this? How did the moles on your two bodies fall off when you touched them?"
Gu Xiyue quickly covered her face, but it was too late. The fair skin underneath the piece that Mrs. Yan had cut off was exposed.
Even if she blocked it, others would have seen it.
Madam Yan also understood instantly, "Madam Gu, is your face disguised?"
Everyone was shocked and looked at Gu Xiyue.
A deputy governor said, "Sir, this is inappropriate, isn't it? Madam Gu has returned from a neighboring country. If she can't even show her true face to others, what if she..."
Without waiting for the magistrate to finish, Gu Xiyue bowed and said, "To be honest, my Lords, as a woman, I need to disguise myself so as not to attract attention on the road. I hope you will forgive me. It's just that I've been dressed like this since I left home, and I've become so used to it that I forgot about it."
"Please wait a moment, my lords, while I go wash my face."
Madam Yan waited for her to finish speaking, then immediately called for someone to fetch water and a handkerchief. "Madam Gu, there's no need to go in person. I'll prepare the water."
Gu Xiyue nodded.
Soon, the maid brought warm water. In front of everyone, Gu Xiyue turned her back to wash her face. After wiping it clean with a towel, she slowly turned around.
After Gu Xiyue washed her face, her unadorned face and facial features caught everyone's attention.
Her face is as light and graceful as a lotus flower emerging from clear water, her facial features are lively and beautiful, her skin is fair and tender without a single blemish, and her appearance is impeccable.
There is no one else as good-looking as her in the whole Ganzhou.
If she walked out with such a face, I really couldn't imagine what the consequences would be.
Mrs. Yan was completely stunned. Lord Yan and several officials took one look and quickly looked away, thinking that looking any longer would be an offense.
Gu Xiyue said calmly, "Appearance is just a shell, please don't take it to heart."
Her every move and gesture showed no sign of girlish shyness, but was graceful and elegant, which made people admire her.
Madam Yan covered her mouth and walked quickly to her side, with an expression of great liking for her. "No, such a beautiful girl, my lord, if you adopt her as your adopted daughter, I will adopt her too."
Lord Yan burst into laughter, and Gu Xiyue also smiled embarrassedly.
So, another round of recognition was carried out, and Mrs. Yan was recognized as her adoptive mother.
Madam Yan was different from Lord Yan. She gave silver directly. She stuffed the one hundred taels of silver she had taken out before into Gu Xiyue's hands.
Wei Lin, who was hiding in the dark, saw everything Gu Xiyue did in the hall.
On the other side, after Meixiang packed up her things, she waited and waited, but the young lady didn't show up, and she couldn't help but get anxious.
I couldn't help but have wild thoughts in my mind, always worried that something might happen to the young lady.
It wasn't until an hour and a half later that the young lady came back.
Coming with the young lady were Lord Yan and Madam Yan. The three of them walked from afar. Lord Yan and Madam Yan walked on both sides of the young lady with friendly and gentle attitudes. If you didn't know, you would think they were a family of three.
When she arrived and heard the young lady call Lord Yan and Madam Yan her adoptive father and mother, Meixiang was so surprised that her jaw almost dropped to the ground.
The young lady went to discuss a cooperation, and it has only been a short time and they have already recognized each other.
Meixiang's heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat's paw, and she was extremely curious.
They endured it until they left the house. After Lord Yan and Madam Yan said goodbye with many instructions, the three of them got on the carriage and waved goodbye.
Before the carriage started, a lot of food was stuffed into it.
When they were out of sight, Meixiang immediately rushed to Gu Xiyue and said, "Miss, please tell me what's going on."
Her curious look made Gu Xiyue laugh.
Gu Xiyue let out a long sigh, changed into a comfortable half-lying position, and then briefly recounted what had just happened.
After saying that, Meixiang became even more curious and asked again carefully, feeling like she could never hear enough.
Gu Xiyue was really annoyed by the questions and pushed the person away. "Okay, I'll try my best to take you with me next time so you don't have to ask again."
Meixiang nodded repeatedly, her eyebrows curved with a smile, "That's right!"
After saying that, he leaned closer and asked, "Miss, why did your mole move?"
After Gu Xiyue cleansed her face and let everyone see her true appearance, she used Madam Yan's rouge and powder to disguise herself again.
Meixiang had just finished asking when Wei Lin, who was driving the carriage, said, "The young lady was almost going to marry Master Yan's son."
When Meixiang heard this, she was shocked and immediately forgot about the mole moving. She then asked about becoming the magistrate's daughter-in-law.
This was totally beyond her expectations. She hadn't been with the young lady for a while, and so many strange things happened.
Gu Xiyue did not answer Meixiang's question, but lifted the door curtain and said to Wei Lin: "Let's go to the bank first, have a meal, and then go directly to Jingquan Village."
Wei Lin agreed, and Meixiang asked again, "Miss, what are you going to do at the bank?"
"To change money, Madam Yan gave me a hundred taels of silver. I'll change it into small change so it will be easier to pay the workers later."
Seeing that the young lady was indeed a little tired, Meixiang stopped asking and let her close her eyes and rest for a while.
When they arrived at the money shop, Wei Lin took the silver and went in. After a while, he came out with two bulging purses filled with small change. He walked to the front of the carriage and threw them inside, asking Meixiang to keep them.
The three of them had to reach the entrance to the Southern Wilderness at the hour of Yin in the evening. Since it was still time, they walked at their leisure and found a restaurant on the street of Ganzhou City. After having a full meal, they continued on their journey.
By the time of Shenshi, they had just reached Jingquan Village. The carriage stopped at a secluded corner next to Xiaohui's house. Gu Xiyue asked Meixiang to take two bags of snacks and one or two taels of silver, get off the carriage, and go to Xiaohui's house to check on her.
When Meixiang walked into the yard, Gu Xiyue lifted the curtains and looked, and soon saw Xiaohui walking out of the house, running towards Meixiang with a smile.
Then a man and a woman appeared at the door. Both of them were very thin, but they had smiles on their faces.
"Sister, you're here! I'm so happy to see you!"
Xiaohui's parents invited Meixiang into the house. Meixiang handed the things in her hand to the woman and squatted down to talk to Xiaohui.
"Sister, my father just said that someone from the government said that starting tomorrow, we can buy salt here too. A pound of salt only costs seven cents. We are so happy."
Meixiang pinched her little face and said with a smile, "Yes, life will be easier soon."
Gu Xiyue watched the smile on Xiaohui's face from afar and couldn't help but smile herself. She also saw Xiaohui's parents refusing the things Meixiang gave them. Finally, Meixiang pushed them away, turned around and ran away, saying to Xiaohui as she ran: "Sister will come to see you next time!"
Gu Xiyue lowered the curtain.
Not only could I hear Meixiang's running footsteps, but I could also hear the laughter of a woman inside the nearby courtyard wall.
With salt to eat, life doesn't seem so difficult.
Food is the first necessity of people; it is the nature of life.
After Meixiang got on the carriage, the three of them went to Xifeng Town.
Tongfu Inn was open for business as usual, and Manager Zhou was not implicated. He only knew that his cousin had brought someone back to sleep. When the salt was discovered in the house in the backyard, he was more surprised than anyone else. When interrogated by Lord Yan's men, he knew nothing about anything.
Finally, after the government officials moved all the salt away, they allowed Tongfu Inn to resume business.
Gu Xiyue entered the inn, gave Manager Zhou one or two taels of silver, and left the carriage there.
Seeing that it was still early, the three of them had dinner at the Tongfu Inn. The waiter who had served them before was so happy to see that they were about to eat that he couldn't stop smiling. He quickly introduced them, "My three guests, you don't need to pay extra for salt today. The government just sent someone to inform you that starting tomorrow, the price of salt will return to its previous level, so..."
"So you don't need to pay an extra 500 coins for salt." Gu Xiyue joked.
The waiter scratched his head, nodded embarrassedly, and hurried to urge the kitchen to serve them the dishes.
While eating, Gu Xiyue was still worried about whether she could return home safely tonight, so she told Wei Lin about her thoughts.
Wei Lin said, "Don't worry, miss. I will go for a patrol tonight. We will go back if there is no problem."
Gu Xiyue knew that Wei Lin was a skilled martial artist, but she was still a little worried. She had been out for several days and didn't know what the situation was like in the Southern Wilderness, whether the shipbuilding was going smoothly, whether everyone had encountered any problems in mining and drying salt, and whether Xiao Heng could handle it alone without her.
After thinking about it over and over again, in the end, he just wanted to go back quickly so that he could tell Xiao Heng and the people of Nanhuang the good news as soon as possible so that everyone could feel reassured.
She was still worried here, but what she didn't know was that something happened in Nanhuang the day after she left.
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