lady, please calm down

Chapter 267 The visitor is a guest

In mid-October, after several consecutive heavy autumn rains, a bone-chilling chill filled the world.

In the back house of the Chen Mansion, there was a faint joy that could not be concealed.

In half a month, it will be the day when the Marquis will get married, and every corner of the house has begun to dress up quietly.

The sixth back house of the Chen Mansion has a three-story main house with a spring hall in the middle and four small courtyards surrounding the four corners of the garden.

They are Yunong’s Wangxiang Garden, Cai Hua’s Qingpu Garden, Zhuoying Garden and Huanjia Garden.
The names of the four small courtyards were changed after Chen Chu moved in.

Wangxiang and Qingpu were okay, but Zhuo Ying and Huan Jia had the air of a military commander as soon as they heard it, which was incompatible with the feminine temperament of women. Therefore, Yu Nong and Cai Hua did not choose these two courtyards. Vacant to date.

Only Mao'er brought Grandma home and temporarily placed the elderly person in Zhuoying Garden.

The old lady came here to arrange the wedding, but at this time, the grandfather and grandson were discussing something around a spinning wheel.

"Grandma, this spinning wheel is bigger than the old loom."

The cat walked around the spinning wheel and looked left and right. Although he could see that the new spinning wheel that his great-grandmother and his uncle's gang of craftsmen had improved was different from the old spinning wheel, it couldn't tell what the difference was.

Cats are familiar with sewing and cooking, but spinning is a novice.

The great-grandmother who was sitting in front of the spinning wheel smiled fondly, operated it skillfully a few times, and demonstrated it to the cat.

Seeing that Mao'er still couldn't understand, he pointed to the rope wheel with three spindles of fine flax inserted in it and said: "In the past, the old foot-operated spinning wheel could only spin one spindle of fine flax at a time, but this kind can spin three spindles at a time. figure it out?"

Mao'er was slightly embarrassed, but then he was delighted, "Are you saying that with this new spinning wheel, one person can do as much work as three people?"

"It can be said like this"

"Then, can we add more hemp tablets?"

"You girl, you are greedy. One spindle turned into three spindles is already a big deal. Without the help of your uncle and cousin, Carpenter Wang from the craftsman's shop, and others, the old woman would never be able to make this new spinning wheel until she died. But you are still not satisfied”

Grandma smiled and said something scolding. Cat chuckled, sat next to Grandma, hugged the former's arm and whispered softly: "Grandma also knows, a few days ago."

Speaking of this, Mao'er's smile dimmed, "A few days ago, after the officials killed those serious thieves, twenty or thirty women committed suicide in just a few days. They lost their parents, After leaving home and suffering such a disaster, we need to find a suitable livelihood for them so that they can survive."

"My dear grandson is kind-hearted."

Grandma patted the back of Mao'er's hand with her backhand to express relief.

Mao'er continued: "There were 700 women who were rescued from the thieves at the beginning. My perfume workshop can't use so many people. Even if I open the Huizhilanxin branch in Caizhou, it won't be enough." It doesn’t take many people. We still need to open a workshop specifically for women to work. If this spinning wheel is completed, it will be perfect."

"It's hard for my dear grandson to work so hard for me." Grandma thought for a moment and said, "Now these three spinning wheels are enough to run the workshop. After my dear grandson has finished all the big things this month, I will call Carpenter Wang to study it."

"Uh-huh."

"By the way, last month outside our village, I met a group of merchants from Zhou who came to sell cotton cloth here. I accidentally heard them mention that farmers on Jinghu Road in the south are now planting kapok. This fine linen cloth No matter how good it is, it can't compare to cotton. If my dear grandson wants to set up a spinning farm, he still needs to advise the Marquis. Planting kapok in Huaibei is a long-term solution."

"Well, my grandson will go right now."

Cat got up and walked out. Grandma couldn't help but laugh when she saw her irritable look. Then she guessed Cat's thoughts and sighed, saying to herself: "We all blame our family for not having much ability. How can I give it to my dear grandson?" It can’t hold up the countertop.”

When Mao'er went to the front house to look for Chen Chu, her steps were particularly brisk, with a slight smile on her face.

If Bai Lu and others weren't following him, he would probably be jumping for joy.

Grandma's guess was correct. Mao'er was happy precisely because her parents' family had made some small achievements by 'improving the spinning wheel'.

Although Mao'er is getting closer to Cai Hua now, Mao'er often does this kind of thing in private, secretly comparing herself with Cai Hua.

The figure and appearance are all good, but when it comes to family background, Mao'er has a major shortcoming.

Cai Hua's father is Chen Chu's right-hand man, and his brother and cousin also have their own responsibilities under him. However, Mao'er's family members have not yet seen how they can help Chen Chu's big things, but they came out first. That thing about Kaiyuan.
Mao'er also knew that after his uncle's gang of craftsmen came to Caizhou, except for the cobblers and blacksmiths who could help the sergeants repair armor and make weapons, the rest of them were almost in vain.
In such a comparison, the Zhao family members were compared to the Cai family members and turned into trash.

Today, the tribe finally accomplished something, and Mao'er couldn't wait to share it with Chen Chu. She subconsciously wanted to prove to the officials that my family is not a burden.
However, when Mao'er walked into Sanjin Courtyard, there were still more than a hundred steps away from Chen Chu's study, he was stopped by Baoxi.

This situation is very rare. Cat asked in disbelief, "Even I can't go there?"

"Madam," Baoxi said in a low voice with a look of embarrassment: "My boss's instructions are that no one is allowed to approach the study. My boss didn't say that madam is not allowed to come near, but what I told him was 'no one'."

Baoxi quickly explained for her boss, glanced at Mao'er's face, and said cautiously: "Otherwise, can I help the lady to report it?"

"Forget it"

Mao'er was a little disappointed, but she was not domineering. Besides, it was easy for officials to not be so careful. She thought she was meeting some important person in the study, so she said: "When he is done with his work, tell him that I came to see him." That’s good.”

"Yes!"

A hundred steps away, Xi Qiuxuan's study room.

Yao's eldest son stood outside the door leaning on a stick, playing the extremely rare role of doorman.

In the study, Guo Liang accompanied him, while Chen Chu and Xu Ruxian, the former general of the Shandong Road Guiyi Army who had rebelled against Qi, sat separately as the guest of honour.

The conversation had been going on for some time and the atmosphere was cordial.

"Chen Tieji"

Xu Ruxian is no longer a minister of Qi, and he no longer wants to call Lu Anhou, who was granted the title of Chen Chu by Qi State, and only uses the nickname "Jianghu" to commemorate it.

While talking, Xu Ruxian took off a broad-mouthed scimitar from his back.

The big sword standing behind Chen Chu raised his eyelids slightly. In order to avoid misunderstanding caused by approaching Chen Chu with the blade, Xu Ruxian couldn't help but look at Guo Liang.

Guo Liang understood, stepped forward to take the sword, and held it to Chen Chu with both hands.

Only then did Dabao Jian regain his sharp gaze.

Chen Chu accepted it with a smile, unfolded the linen wrapped around the blade, and suddenly felt a cold feeling coming to his face.

The knife is narrow at the bottom and wide at the top. It is three feet long and has a handle one foot long. It can be held with one hand or both hands.

The blade is covered with complex patterns unique to steelmaking, and the word "锟铻" is engraved on the mouth.

Chen Chu tried to swing it, and the blade cut through the air, making a soft buzzing sound. He couldn't help but praise: "What a knife!"

At this time, Xu Ruxian smiled and explained: "I learned that Chen Tieji is getting married this month, and the poor people in the mountains have nothing to give. It happened that my brother accidentally got this Kunlun knife a few years ago, so he took it as a gift. Chen Tieji didn't dislike."

"Haha~"

Chen Chu smiled and waved his hand, and said: "Brother Xu, please don't be polite. Please thank Brother Yang An for me when you return to the mountain. Winter is about to begin, are there any difficulties in the mountain?"

"Chen Tieji, since you asked me, there is something difficult on the mountain."

"Just say it."

"Okay. In August, in order to cooperate with Chen Tieji, my brothers in the mountains attacked the home base of the Taining Army. After the Taining Army returned, they pursued our rebel army. After seven or eight battles, the cold in the mountains in winter and the lack of food caused me to be injured. My brother is suffering the most. If the iron halberd is convenient, can you allow my injured brother to come to Caizhou City to recuperate?"

After the Shandong Road Guiyi Army rebelled against Qi, they have been stationed in Baili Yishan.

Guo Liang had already contacted his leader Yang An as early as last year. Last winter, the Guiyi army was short of food, and Chen Chu had secretly provided a batch of food and grass through waterways.

With this friendship in times of need, in order to force the Taining Army led by Li Qiong to withdraw this year, Chen Chu contacted the Guiyi Army to harass the Taining Army's home base.

The Guiyi Army also knew how to repay kindness and was very cooperative.

The injured Xu Ruxian mentioned were the brothers who were injured in several battles with the Taining Army.

Chen Chu didn't think too much and said: "It's easy to say, just send the person here."

"Thank you Chen Tieji! I have long heard that Tieji is eager for justice and justice, but now seeing is believing, it is indeed well-deserved!"

Xu Ruxian bowed his head to the end.
In the afternoon, Xu Ruxian had lunch at Chen Mansion and was sent to Zhuangzi outside the city to rest by the military commander.

However, Chen Chu couldn't rest. He had just sent off the people returning to the rebel army on Shandong Road. Guo Liang whispered again: "Sir, Jiao Wentong, Wang Yan's subordinate from Hebei Road, also arrived with congratulatory gifts and was temporarily placed in the guest house. Will you see him today, sir?" ?”

Chen Chu thought for a moment and said: "The visitor is a guest. How can we leave people here to hang out? Let's go and see them." After a while, Chen Chu dressed lightly and walked out of the house with only a few people, wearing raincoats. And go.

Baoxi, who had always wanted to tell him about the lady's visit, never found the chance.

The long street outside the mansion is blurred by the autumn rain.

In the bleak weather, Caizhou City does not appear depressed.

As the wedding date of Huaibei Hulu Anhou approaches, there are more and more strangers in the city speaking with foreign accents.

These people come from three religions and nine streams, and come in all shapes and sizes.

There are strong men who are accustomed to lowering their heads when walking, merchants from all over the world, scholars who act and speak with confidence, and people who come from the south without knowing their identity.
The military commander discovered the mixed situation in the city early. When he reported it to Chen Chu, the latter only said: "As long as they don't cause trouble, don't worry about them. They are just guests."

October fifteenth.

In the lobby of the government office, Sun Changhao was sitting behind the public case, with the four characters "Gongming Lianwei" written on the plaque above his head.

Below, a group of officials were noisy and noisy like a vegetable market.

But the topic they discussed made Sun Changhao extremely annoyed.
"Let me tell you, Marquis Lu An has no elder brothers in his family, so our colleagues need to help him more. The auspicious day is set on the 28th, so we might as well stop being on duty from the [-]th and go to the Marquis' Mansion to help!"

Xu Bang, who had just been transferred to Caizhou, was eager to perform, but Cai Yuan and Chen Jingyan shook their heads after hearing his outrageous suggestion.

In the end, Cai Yuan, who was mature and prudent, said: "How can you abolish the official position for personal reasons! The government office still needs people to be on duty. However, on the day of Marquis Lu An's wedding, it is expected that many people will be attracted to watch the excitement. In addition, there are many guests, so more people will be needed. Attention, keep an eye out, extra manpower will be needed to maintain order in Sajin Alley, and no accidents such as overcrowding or trampling may occur due to happiness."

"Yes! Don't worry, Mr. Cai. The brothers below know what's going on! We will definitely not cause any trouble on Mr. Hou's happy day."

Gou Sheng smiled so hard that he couldn't help but make promises again and again.

The rest of the officials, please interrupt and I will make suggestions, lest they seem not to care enough about Marquis Lu An's marriage.

"Everyone, everybody"

Sun Changhao finally lost his temper. He shouted twice, but no one in the chaotic hall noticed that he, the nominal boss of the government office, had spoken. Sun Changhao became more and more angry, grabbed the gavel and went to the police brutally. Up and down.

In the middle of the process, he unconsciously withdrew most of his strength, but a crisp sound of 'pop' still made everyone turn their heads and look over.

"Master Sun, are you okay?" Xu Bang blinked in confusion and asked knowingly.

Sun Changhao took two deep breaths, tried hard to suppress his irritability, and said: "Everyone, this is the government office lobby, not the flower hall of Lu Anhou's house. Is it appropriate for you to bring a person's private matter to the court to discuss it?"

Before Xu Bang could reply, Ximen Gong jumped out first, "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong! The rebellion in Huaibei lasted for several months, and was finally put down with the concerted efforts of Marquis Lu An and everyone. Now there are no refugees, famines, or chaos. The army has invaded the country and you are still not allowed to chat about this happy event in a casual manner? Is it possible that your Excellency is dissatisfied with this marriage?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The good old man couldn't pretend anymore. Sun Changhao just said that it was inappropriate to discuss private matters in court. When did he say he was dissatisfied with the marriage?
At present, all the important officials in the court are sending their nephews and nephews to send congratulatory gifts. I heard that even the emperor will express his wishes.

What kind of monster is Sun Changhao? He dares to be dissatisfied with this marriage. He will not take the blame.

Hearing Sun Changhao's scolding, Ximen Gong was not afraid and just said: "That's strange. Since there is no dissatisfaction, why don't you allow us to talk about this matter? You know, for this wedding of Marquis Lu An, the palace will also send people. Congratulations, how we receive and arrange the arrangements are all important matters! If there are any rudeness or mistakes, we will lose the face of the whole Caizhou government! In this way, this can be considered a business matter, right? Since it is a business matter, why can't we discuss it? "

Ximen Gong made strong arguments, and Xu Bang quickly cooperated, "Ximen Bureau, what he said is absolutely true!"

Sun Changhao watched the two people below singing in harmony, his hands hidden in his robe sleeves clenched into fists.

Among the Tongshan people, Ximen Gong and Xu Bang were the most aggressive. Every time he said something serious, they would definitely oppose it.

Especially Ximen Gong, who dared not show up to greet him on the day he took office.

Now he is in charge of the most important salt and iron bureau in the whole government.

Sun Changhao knew very well that in the Caizhou City South Industrial Zone, there were coke mills and iron smelting plants, all large workshops with hundreds of employees, and the taxes involved were absolutely astronomical.

But this Ximen Gong didn't even show him the accounts.
Moreover, this guy carries his account book and runs to the left-behind office next door all day long. For those who don’t know, he thinks that Marquis Lu An is the prefect of Caizhou!

Sun Changhao calmed down and looked up at Chen Jingyan. The latter noticed that he was looking over, then brought the tea, opened the lid of the cup, and carefully blew up the tea powder floating on the tea soup.

Blowing and blowing, over and over again, but did not make any eye contact with Sun Changhao.

Since the [-]th day of the Lunar New Year, after a silent confrontation over sitting at a table, the tacit understanding between the two of them that they "each perform their duties and live in peace" is no longer there.

Seeing that Chen Jingyan had no intention of speaking for him, Sun Changhao couldn't stay any longer, so he stood up and walked away.
just
Returned to the Four Seasons Garden, the official residence behind the government office.

The family is also worried.

In the back house, there were crisp sounds of 'click~click' one after another.

When he walked outside the main house, Sun Changhao discovered that Mrs. Wu was in a rage, and the flower bag, scroll vat, and tea cup had been thrown to the floor.

Sun Changhao did not dare to enter the house directly. He first asked the woman in the courtyard and found out that yesterday, Wu went to play outside the city and passed by Renren Niangniang Temple in the east of the city. He saw that the incense was very popular here.

After some inquiries, they found out that the small temple here was actually dedicated to Mrs. Lu Anhou in the city.

Building a temple for a living person is such a treatment.
Jealousy is a woman's nature, let alone Wu who thinks highly of herself.

So when I returned to the city, I couldn't help but muttered a few words, "Not even the current queen is like this" and "Every little person, even if they overstep their bounds, can worship like this without fear of being punished by God!" '

It was just a few words of complaint at first, but unexpectedly, the sedan bearer in the government office who specialized in serving her family stopped listening.

Someone boldly asked Mrs. Sun to be careful, and said that there was no epidemic in Caizhou after the flood, all because Zhao Ren took the responsibility for the people of the prefecture. For this reason, Zhao Ren became seriously ill and almost lost his life.
This bearer has been quite restrained, that is, he is afraid of her status as the prefect's wife. If anyone dares to curse someone with "God's damnation", they will beat them on the spot.

But when Wu heard it, she was furious!

I am the daughter of the Wu family of Yingchuan and the wife of the magistrate, how dare you, a bunch of cheap servants, to refute me?
In a rage, Mrs. Wu ordered the accompanying servants brought by her parents' family to beat the bearers on the spot.

Naturally, the bearers did not dare to resist.

Unexpectedly, when Wu was preparing to go out today, all the bearers took leave citing physical discomfort.
Mrs. Wu couldn't help but became furious. A bunch of cheap servants dared to slander me!

So, there is the current situation.

By chance, Mrs. Wu saw Sun Changhao standing in the courtyard. She rushed forward, pointed her finger as a halberd at Sun Changhao's nose and cursed: "You are so bad as a magistrate! Even the bearers dare to insult me!" Send someone quickly to catch those people! There are absolutely no rules in the Caizhou government office. Sun, if you don’t know how to discipline them, I will do it for you!"

"."

How could Sun Changhao command those police officers?

The appointment as prefect will last at least two more years. Sun Changhao is a tolerant person, but he is not a person who is willing to give up power. Otherwise, he would not have become Wu's successor in order to cling to the powerful.

In Caizhou today, it is almost a foregone conclusion that he will be marginalized, and he is unwilling to accept it.

But if you want to take power in Caizhou, you need to have your own team first. But in the current situation, the whole government is looking at Lu Anhou as the leader. If they want to break the situation, they must borrow external help.
Looking at the man next to him who was furious, Sun Changhao suddenly had a plan in mind.

"Madam, I also want to vent my anger on you, but I have no one in my hands, so I can do nothing!"

"You are a prefect, but you still can't order the government officials?"

"Madam, what do you think? Otherwise, Chen Delian wouldn't be able to avenge Fan'er when he was beaten last month, because the person who beat Fan'er was the lackey of Marquis Lu An!"

"Marquis Luan!"

It's okay not to mention Wu Yifan's beating. As soon as he talked about it, Mrs. Wu gritted her teeth even more. In addition, today's incident was all caused by Zhao Ren, and Mrs. Wu suddenly felt hatred for the couple who had never met before.

I just feel that all the troubles after coming to Cai are all due to this couple.

"Bullshit Lu Anhou, bullshit Zhao Renren! They're just a couple of village men and women!"

Wu cursed, but lowered her voice involuntarily. Although they had nothing to do with each other, the reverence of the people in Caizhou for the couple still made her feel slightly timid.

Seeing this, Sun Changhao hurriedly said in panic: "Madam, be careful what you say! Be careful if they listen to you."

This sentence was like a fuse, burning away the last trace of Wu's sanity.

She suddenly raised her voice, "You eggless coward! You are afraid of them, but our Wu family is not afraid!"

(End of this chapter)