Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 328: Husband sings and wife follows
Since Zhang Shou was sent to a safe place like the county government, Ah Liu naturally had no worries when he went to deliver the letter. With Zhu Tingfang and Zhu Ying, brother and sister, and more than 30 guards from the Duke of Zhao's mansion, he didn't believe that there would be any random assassins breaking in. Moreover, Hua Qi might still be in the capital, but he might have sneaked into Cangzhou City.
Zhu Tingfang personally led the way and settled Zhang Shou in a quiet little courtyard in the official residence behind the county government office, next door to where he and Zhu Ying lived. Although the brother and sister had already lived in a separate courtyard when they were at home, he didn't care so much when he was away from home. And Brother Zhu didn't think that there was anyone else who could keep an eye on Zhu Ying. As for Zhang Shou...
This guy would probably hand Zhu Ying a knife when she was beating someone, or help kick them a few times!
Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying being dragged away by Zhu Tingfang for interrogation, so he invited Xiao Huasheng into the room. This was probably originally a guest room in the government residence. Everything from the bed to the quilt was brand new, and the tables and chairs were spotlessly clean. However, the calligraphy and paintings on the wall were... the ones that Jia Baoyu hated very much, "Knowledge of the world is knowledge, and understanding of human nature is writing."
But it is very suitable for the atmosphere of the county government.
Zhang Shou, however, did not think that being well-informed in worldly affairs and human relationships had any stench. He was not a young man like Jia Baoyu who enjoyed wealth but was unable to shoulder the responsibility of the family business. So he took a look around and saw that the bookshelves were all filled with the Four Books and Five Classics. He knew that most of the guests who came here were scholars, which was in line with the social circle of Xu Cheng, the county magistrate who was a Jinshi, so he sat down at the round table.
When he thought of the little peanut who followed him into the house, he turned his head and saw someone sweeping the floor seriously, but he didn't see any dust being swept out. His head was almost lowered to the ground to count the dust. Seeing this, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Little peanut, I borrowed you from your uncle because I wanted to use you, a little local snake, to learn about Cangzhou, not to make you a personal servant."
Peanut stood up straight immediately. He coughed awkwardly, then went to put the broom away slowly, then stepped forward and whispered, "I think Sixth Brother is so capable, Dr. Zhang, you think I'm useless, and you'll send me back later... I don't know what will happen to Uncle Yunhe in the future, I won't go back, I'll stay here no matter what!"
Zhang Shou was immediately amused by Peanut. Especially since this little guy had once disguised himself as a woman and tricked the eldest prince, he found it even more amusing. So, he pointed to the stool opposite and asked people to sit down. He said directly: "Tell me about the families in Cangzhou City who once colluded with the eldest prince and Changlu County Magistrate Xu Cheng to run workshops."
What Xiao Huasheng hoped most was that he could be of use to Zhang Shou, so that Zhang Shou might think of a way to exonerate Xian Yunhe. Therefore, he immediately perked up and began to explain the situation of each family in detail.
"Originally, there were many small workshops and textile machine owners who had their own spinning machines. But after the eldest prince came, he colluded with several of the richest families. In addition, Xu Cheng, a dog official, acted as a middleman to suppress the situation. As a result, those small workshops and textile machine owners had no place to sell their cotton yarn, and gradually they could only work for them."
"There are five families running workshops now. Mr. Jiang, the richest man in West City, Mr. Qi from South City, and..."
Xiao Huasheng introduced each family carefully. He was indeed young and had a good memory. He remembered every family clearly, including who was the housekeeper, who was an official, who was a playboy... What Zhang Shou found most valuable was that the little guy did not attack those families desperately because of his preference for Xian Yunhe. He was quite objective in introducing the people of each family.
"By the way, these families are considered to be wealthy families in Cangzhou, so have they ever done any good deeds?"
Zhang Shou just asked casually. He never thought that doing good deeds could offset a person's sins - after all, many people do good deeds just to dispel their guilt, and their motives are not pure. Some people just want to create an image of a good person to paralyze the public. However, Xiaohuasheng's reaction was so intense that he was greatly surprised.
"Good deeds? Of course they have done good deeds. Many of them even claim to be good people... Fuck those good people. They are wolves in human skin!"
When Xiao Huasheng could no longer maintain his composure and started to curse, in the next yard, Zhu Tingfang looked at his fidgeting sister and couldn't help but sigh: "Zhang Shou is out on business, and I'm here with him, why do you have to come with him? Even if your grandmother and mother indulge you, you should think about what people outside will say about you two."
"As long as we are happy, why should we be afraid of what others say?" Zhu Ying snorted, and then said reluctantly, "The news came from the palace. Kunning Palace was obviously closed, but the queen somehow heard about the eldest prince being held hostage, so she went crazy and wanted to find the emperor to argue. In the end, although the queen mother came in person and said that she would definitely get the eldest prince out, she still... "
After saying the last two words, Zhu Ying paused, her face showing an extremely irritable expression: "She still didn't believe it, and she almost bumped her head against the Kunning Gate! The Queen Mother went back to the palace in anger. She finally stopped making a fuss, but one thing came out. She said that Ah Shou had caused her son so much misery, and he didn't die a good death... You said she cursed like this, how can I be at ease?"
Zhu Tingfang suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice, "I should have come out one day earlier than you at most... When did this happen?"
"It happened right after you left!" Zhu Ying said this confidently, and then said angrily, "Of course, even if this didn't happen, I would definitely come to take a look. This is the first time that Shou has gone on such a long journey. What if you don't care about the relationship between you and your uncle and laugh at his joke instead of helping him? With me here, you will definitely be embarrassed!"
I knew that even if you made such a big deal out of it, it would still be an excuse! Am I really just a vicious brother-in-law who would trip up my future brother-in-law for no reason?
Zhu Tingfang was both angry and amused, but he really had no idea what to do when facing Zhu Ying. He could only force himself to keep a straight face and say, "Dad should have told you to listen to me when you came out, right? But today is only your first day here, and you rolled up your sleeves and beat up those bullies. Even if Zhang Shou doesn't care about your image as a rich lady, you should at least pay attention to your own safety..."
He spoke earnestly, but soon he noticed that Zhu Ying had begun to look around, with a perfunctory and disgusted look on her face. Brother Zhu couldn't help but hold his forehead with his hand, thinking that he, as a big brother, had such a brother and sister, and he didn't know what sin he had committed in his previous life. But even so, he still kept a straight face and continued to act as a monk chanting sutras until Zhu Ying had no choice but to raise her hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay, big brother, you've said so much, I'll listen to it all! I promise to listen to you in the future, isn't that enough?"
After promising so confidently, Zhu Ying still stood up and said confidently, "This is the first time that Ah Shou has ridden such a long distance. I have to go and see how he is doing! I taught him horse riding. Even I, as a teacher, feel sore all over from the shaking. How can he bear it...Brother, don't be so busy with work all day long. I'm still waiting for you to find me a sister-in-law!"
As she spoke, she smiled and said, "Second brother's marriage is already in sight, so you don't have much time left, eldest brother. If you don't work hard, don't blame me for discussing it with grandmother and parents and taking you out to be seen by others!"
Before Zhu Tingfang could get angry and curse, the eldest lady had already flashed out like a butterfly. When she arrived at the next door, she saw that the yard was empty, but there were voices coming from the house. After thinking for a while, she tiptoed forward, but when she arrived at the door, she coughed heavily to make it clear that she didn't eavesdrop. Sure enough, the door opened in an instant.
"Yingying, you're here just in time."
Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying's eyes widen when he heard this, so he let her in and briefly repeated some of the things that Xiao Huasheng had just told him. As expected, Zhu Ying was so angry that her eyebrows were raised and she cursed: "How can there be such rich and unkind people in the world? It's okay to do good deeds to gain fame, but they are not doing good deeds at all, but doing evil. They deserve to be killed!"
"I've invited them to a banquet at the county government office tonight. I'll have to question them about these things then. However, words are not enough, just like the best evidence is that you caught the people red-handed in the workshop. I can't do anything to them based on Xiao Huasheng's one-sided statement. Not to mention me, even if it's your eldest brother, I can't do that."
Zhang Shou gestured to Xiao Huasheng, who was about to speak, to calm down, and then continued, "So, I still have to trouble you and the second brother to go. Of course, you two are not familiar with the ground in Cangzhou, so let him lead the way to find Lao Xianyu. Don't bring too many people, so as not to alert the enemy... Compared with the Sharp Cavalry Battalion, compared with the third shift of runners who are probably rotten to the core, of course I trust you more."
The eldest lady was always willing to say anything good to anyone she liked, and Zhang Shou was so flattering that she was naturally delighted. Seeing that Xiao Huasheng was looking at her eagerly, she felt very happy. She walked up to him and flicked her finger on his forehead, then turned around and said, "Little guy, just wait and see, I will make sure to collect all the evidence for you!"
"Our Zhaoguo Mansion claims to reduce rent every year, but there are still people who dare to pretend to obey and secretly disobey. There was also an accountant in a bank who dared to collude with others and unscrupulously seek other people's money. I kicked all these bastards out before, and those who should be sent to the government were sent to the government for severe punishment. These more evil-hearted bastards can't escape my control! Ah Shou, go ahead and hold your Hongmen Feast, I'll call my second brother to go!"
Seeing Zhu Ying coming and leaving in a hurry, Xiao Huasheng didn't care about the slight pain on his forehead, and was excited and terrified. Thinking of seeing her happily reporting her achievements before, and seeing Zhu Tingfang severely punishing those well-known ruffians in Cangzhou City, he couldn't help but look at Zhang Shou, and it took a long time before he could say a word.
"Dr. Zhang, this young lady... is she really the daughter of Duke Zhao? Is she really General Mingwei's sister?"
Zhang Shou smiled immediately: "It's absolutely genuine."
"I've never seen such a decisive young lady." Peanut muttered to himself, and then realized that he was commenting on Zhang Shou's fiancée, so he hurriedly explained, "I wanted to say that the young lady is really amazing! I heard that most of the ladies in the upper class enjoy flowers and write poems when they have nothing to do, and they never go out of the house. They just drink tea and get together all day long."
"You may have some misunderstandings about ladies from wealthy families."
Although Zhang Shou had always known that Zhu Ying was unique, both in appearance and character, he couldn't help but laugh at what Peanut said: "There are many ladies who only know how to appreciate beauty but don't care about their livelihood, but they are definitely not many. There are many kinds of ladies, there are talented ladies, there are chivalrous ladies, but there are more vulgar people."
"Because ladies from wealthy families have to get married, take care of their husbands and children, and manage household chores. If they can't read the accounts, they may be controlled by the stewards and servants, and their income will not be enough to cover their expenses. If they can't urge their husbands to study hard, then no matter how powerful their family is, their brilliance will become increasingly dim. If they can't teach their children well, then after two generations, the family may decline . And birth, aging, illness, and death are problems that they have to face over the years."
Although Peanut didn't quite understand what he heard, he still nodded.
Zhang Shou was just speaking on his own impulse and did not intend to continue the question of the ladies from noble families - after all, there were only two ladies from noble families that he was familiar with, Zhu Ying and Princess Yongping, both of whom were women of extraordinary status, with unusual personalities and ways of doing things.
"By the way, where do you think the evening banquet will be held?"
"Ask...Ask me?" Peanut suddenly stuttered. What advice could he give on such an important matter?
"It's okay, just say whatever you want." Zhang Shou smiled indifferently, "Since you are not inviting good guests, but bad guests, there will be no fine wine and delicious food, no stringed instruments, and no beautiful women singing and dancing at this banquet tonight. The more the location of the banquet can give people a warning, the better."
"In that case..."
Xiao Huasheng felt a thought rolling in his mind, and finally he couldn't help but took a step forward and whispered a few words into Zhang Shou's ear. Seeing Zhang Shou's strange look on his face, he thought people would scold him for being a bad idea. When he was about to explain, he saw Zhang Shou suddenly burst into laughter, and he was a little dazed.
"General Zhu has no sympathy for those greedy guys, and neither do I. Although your idea is a little bit mean, it is indeed a good idea. Let's go to the next door. If General Zhu agrees, then let's do it!"
Zhang Shou indeed thought that Xiaohuasheng’s idea was a good one. After all, his thighs were rubbed raw from traveling so fast. Since he couldn’t blame Brother Zhu, and Zhang Chen, the troublemaker, was also “unintentional”, of course he had to vent his anger on those rich people in Cangzhou City!
Furthermore, before entering the city today, someone stopped his horse, which was almost a good show of suicide. When he was hurrying to drag Zhu Er to see Lao Xianyu, he found that someone smashed the workshop with the intention of putting the blame on others. Finally, he heard Xiao Huasheng talk about the so-called virtuous faces of several wealthy families in Cangzhou... He didn't think that he would wrongly accuse good people.
If you can pick out a not-so-rotten apple from a bunch of rotten apples, you're already lucky!
