my wife is queen

Chapter 17
"The young lady of the Chen family was at home. The city tax has been delayed for ten days, and it cannot be delayed any longer."

Li Mian was about to tell another way of ordering tofu that was different from ordering tofu with brine, when there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard, and the voice of an officer shouting.

From what the guard said, it seemed like he was calling for the payment of the city tax, which had been in arrears for more than ten days.

Chen Yuanyuan's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and she walked to the front door of the exquisite building, and opened the wooden door: "Please give me a few more days, my servant sells the tofu in the yard, and then I can pay this year's city tax."

There are two guards standing in front of the exquisite small building. The middle-aged guards are of a higher status. They are wearing long gowns with cross-necked narrow sleeves on the upper body, dense pleats on the bottom, and a red webbing belt around their waists.

The young guard had a lower status, but he only wore a red cloth vest over his green clothes and a green ribbon around his waist.

The middle-aged guard did not make things difficult as expected, cupped his hands, and said helplessly: "Young lady has lived nearby for a long time, and you should know that Yan is quite considerate of the neighbors, and it's okay to be in arrears with the city tax for three to five days. Yan is also living in the Yamen of Shuntian Mansion, and if he defaults on the debt, he may cause trouble."

When the middle-aged guard was talking, he didn't look like a hungry ghost, taking the opportunity to stare at Chen Yuanyuan's Yan Dai Tao Dian non-stop, showing greedy eyes.

An old official like him, who is still a subordinate official in the Yamen of Shuntian Prefecture in the capital city, knows how to measure, and knows in his heart that Chen Yuanyuan's celestial beauty is not something that a small official like him can touch, and he can't even look directly at Chen Yuanyuan.

Otherwise, the dissatisfaction of any official, gentry and son will be attracted, and the job will be lost.

Chen Yuanyuan made a blessing and said embarrassingly: "Second Uncle Yan knows the situation of my slave's family. The tofu he finally made is not good because the taste is not good, so he can't sell it. The donkey, stone mill, beans and other materials are almost exhausted. With the little silver left in my slave's hands, I will sell all the tofu at half price tomorrow and pay back the city tax in arrears."

Second Uncle Yan heard the phrase selling tofu at half price, hesitated to speak, opened his mouth and finally said nothing, just sighed.

His reaction would only be regarded as regret for losing money. Chen Yuanyuan at the door and Li Mianzhi slave in the yard all took this sigh as regret.

The young guard next to him has been staring at Chen Yuanyuan since he came to the exquisite small building. He doesn't have the hotness of young people when they are full of energy, but they are just curiously looking at Chen Yuanyuan who used to be the most popular by the Jinshui River.

When he heard Second Uncle Yan's sigh, a look of envy and hatred suddenly appeared on his face, and he couldn't help but speak out: "The little lady of the Chen family will pay half the price."

Before he could finish speaking, he was dragged away by the second uncle Yan who was next to him with his Tsing Yi. He kept away, and reprimanded him in a low voice: "Ah Yuan, if you dare to talk nonsense again, the second uncle will drive you back to your hometown in Tongzhou."

The young guard was full of indignation: "The tofu made by the young lady of the Chen family can't be sold. It's not because the taste is bad. It's clear that Yifa, the eldest son of the doctor of the Ministry of Rites, deliberately made things difficult. The people nearby buy the tofu from the little lady of the Chen family, but a dignified scholar makes trouble for a weak woman, what kind of seven-foot man is he?"

Qingshou is also called Da Xing, and they pass on a secret method of beating people. They beat people, or chest, or ribs, or lower abdomen, or back, so that the beaten can die within a few days.

Three months, five months, or ten months, or one year, often there will be no mistakes.

After a long time, the sufferer took a paper of murder to the government yamen, and the time limit of the law had already been exceeded, so he didn't have to take his life.

The common people in the market can only avoid the Qingshou shopkeeper who jumped on the beam in the store, and it is too late to hide. How dare they go against the instructions of the Qingshou shopkeeper, let alone sell tofu at half price, and no one wants to give it away for free.

"Shut up!"

Second Uncle Yan scolded sharply, and regretted being too harsh after finishing speaking, and slowed down his tone: "Second Uncle has no children under his knees, and you are the only nephew, the official position, and all the family property will be handed over to you. A Yuan I have to change my temper, otherwise how can I inherit my second uncle's official title."

A Yuan poked his neck and wanted to argue a few words. Seeing that his second uncle had grown a few white hairs from his temples, he closed his mouth, but he still looked unconvinced.

Chen Yuanyuan in the exquisite small building watched his uncle and nephew leave, sighed sadly, went to the yard, and lowered his eyelids to apologize: "Please forgive me, I can't leave you at home today to eat a simple meal. , I have to grind more tofu and sell it to pay back the city tax in arrears."

Li Mian nodded, turned around and walked out, without any intention of staying.

Ok?
Chen Yuanyuan's cherry lips parted slightly, revealing her beautiful white teeth. Thinking of the rules for women not to show their teeth when they smile, she quickly covered her cherry lips with her white palm, her face full of surprise.

Not right.

The officials and gentry that I met in the past were eager for a chance to help. If they knew that Chen Yuanyuan was in a little bit of trouble, they would have already scrambled to lend a helping hand, needless to say.

Not to mention owed the city tax in the yamen, and committed a serious crime of death penalty, he would help Chen Yuanyuan settle it with his family fortune.

I've never seen such a reaction as Li Mian's. Without even saying a word of kindness, he turned around and left.

Chen Yuanyuan didn't want Li Mian to help at first, but she still couldn't bear the surprise in her heart, and made a cheeky behavior that made her blush: "Don't you think you are a hero to save the beauty?"

The pheasant slave nodded frequently, even though she didn't want to see my uncle having something to do with such a beautiful woman, but his behavior really made her unable to understand.

According to the rhetoric in the play, my son-in-law should yell out of righteous indignation and denounce the corrupt officials. Although the characters of the two servants are not bad, they should stand up and save the beauty.

In the end, he left without hesitation.

Li Mian stopped walking outside, turned around, and smiled: "I have no money."

Chen Yuanyuan: "."

Pheasant slave: "."

The two thought of many excuses and reasons, whether they were playing hard to get, or deliberately holding their appetites, they thought of all kinds of excuses, but they didn't expect it to be such a reason.

Chen Yuanyuan also laughed, and the branches of the smile trembled: "Young master is really a wonderful person."

The pheasant slave smiled and rolled his eyes, feeling that being by my uncle's side is so fun, it's more fun than eating candied fruit, but my uncle is a little puzzled, how can I get along with the princess in the future.

The pheasant slave's face became sad again, and at such a young age, he was worried about the relationship between Li Mian and Princess Changping.

My uncle is really worrying, I will buy less candied fruit in the future, save more monthly money, and help my uncle buy some rouge and gouache for the princess.

Women, always like to be coaxed.

(End of this chapter)