Nongmen Shenjue

Saying goodbye to the third lady, the two plan to stay overnight in Songping Mansion and leave tomorrow.

Songping Mansion is a prefectural city, full of people coming and going, noisy and lively.

Wen Jixue raised her hand and pointed forward: "Here, that restaurant belongs to the Yao family."

Mu Qingyan followed the trend and saw that the restaurant was located on the most bustling street, with three floors and three rooms facing each other. The doors were all open, and guests came in and out from time to time, and there were no cars and horses in front of the door.The plaque hanging in the restaurant is "Xianpinju". The name is big, and the business is so good. Not only does it mean that the dishes are popular, but the business methods must be not bad.

"Do you want to try it?" Wen Jixue asked.

"Forget it, it will be troublesome if we meet Rongdu." Mu Qingyan is not very interested in this, and he has been out for a long time this time, especially the affairs of Feixian Town are very exhausting. He wants to return to Fenglin as soon as possible, and he does not want to cause trouble.What's more, he still remembered that Mu Wan was about to give birth, so he had to go back as soon as possible.

Wen Jixue heard him mention home, and seeing his calm expression, she guessed it.

"Are you ready for the little nephew?"

"A set of silver jewelry is the same as cows and cows. They are treated equally." Mu Qingyan laughed.He knew that some people would give their children gold bracelets, necklaces, and gold locks, but he didn't know who said it was better for children to wear silver, so they always gave silver bracelets and other things for birth gifts.After all, he has no children in his life, and he is not short of money, so he will have more time to give gifts in the future.

Early the next morning, the two set off for Songling Mansion.

On the way, he stopped in Xiyun County and met Yuan Cheng.

Xiyun County is also a large county. Although it does not have river transportation like Fenglin, it has vast farmland and a large population.Farming is the foundation of the country, and at any time, the imperial court attaches the most importance to farmers' land. Xiyun County has a lot of fields and is a major grain-producing county. The county magistrate here is also rich and scarce. Yuan Cheng can be a county lieutenant here, naturally he is not bad.

Yuan Cheng has always been reticent, but he was really happy to see the two of them coming, and specially treated them at the best local restaurant.

During the meeting, Yuan Cheng asked Fei Feixian Town.

Mu Qingyan didn't hide it, and said all the three deaths that Lin Jia cared about at the beginning: "Brother Lin has sent a letter. The situation in Feixian Town is far more complicated than expected. I can't do it easily, I can only wait for it." It's time."

Yuan Cheng sighed: "The Fairy Temple is a good place, but the world is filthy, and An Neng can accommodate Taoyuan."

Yuan Cheng has also been in the officialdom for a long time. Although he looks cold and inflexible, everything is clear.Now it is also a pity for the Fairy Temple.

"If we really get to that point, we will do our best." Mu Qingyan had the heart to protect the Fairy Maiden Temple, but because of the involvement of the previous dynasty, he did not dare to boast, and could only say that he would try his best.

Yuan Cheng nodded, held his cup and said, "I respect Brother Mu, you have worked hard this time."

"Brother Yuan speaks seriously."

Wen Jixue asked suddenly: "Does Lieutenant Yuan know the owner of Xianpinju in Songping Mansion?"

"Yao Zhan?" Yuan Cheng nodded, "It's a close relationship. Although he is a businessman, he is elegant and personable, and he speaks and behaves like a son of a family. I also went to the banquet with the county magistrate and met him. Apart from his instinctive ability, the key to the stable operation of his family's restaurant is that he has the support of officials.

You should also know about his Yue's family. The Yu family is the main household of Songping Mansion. It has been scholarly for generations.Besides, the ancestors of the Yu family not only served as officials, but also taught in county schools and other places. Many contacts were connected to Yao Zhan by the Yu family. It can be said that the Yu family has made great efforts to make Yao Zhan what it is today.

The deceased old man of the Yu family especially admired Yao Zhan and treated him like a nephew.Later, he married his granddaughter to him, so that Yao Zhan could really gain a firm foothold in Songping Mansion. "

"Isn't the Yao family the main household in Songping Mansion?"

"No, they came from the south. There was a famine in the south more than ten years ago, and many people left their homes. We also have refugees here. It is said that Yao Zhan's father and Yu's grandfather are old acquaintances, so Yao Zhan came to find a way out. The Yao family should still be With some family background, Yao Zhan went to Songping Mansion and bought an old shop, which was the predecessor of the restaurant. The old shop was quite famous in the local area, but the old couple had only one son, and died of illness before marrying a wife. The two were getting older. , I don’t have the energy to open a store, so I have the heart to sell it. Yao Zhan is also benevolent. Not only did he sell the store, but also saw that the old couple really had no support, and he also provided them with pensions.

Wen Jixue raised her eyebrows: "Didn't Yao Zhan have a sister who married in Fengzhou? Why didn't he go to Fengzhou?"

It stands to reason that his sister is the closest person, and if he really wants to defect, he should also go to Fengzhou.

"I'm not sure about that. I only know that the Yao family is widowed now, with his only son, and relies on Yao Zhan to help him live."

Wen Jixue poured Yuan Cheng a glass of wine: "Yuan Xianwei, if it's not troublesome, can you help me find out the origin of the Yao family?"

Yuan Cheng looked thoughtful: "Why do you want to investigate the Yao family?"

"To be honest, we met Yao Zhan's nephew in Feixian Town. It was a bit of a coincidence." Unexpectedly, Wen Jixue told the truth.

Still, being honest has its benefits.

Feixian Town already involved a lot, and Yuan Cheng knew this, so he would be more cautious.

Moreover, pointing out these things on purpose is not without Wen Jixue's intention of probing.If Yuan Cheng didn't want to get involved, he would naturally refuse.

Yuan Cheng drank a glass of wine, but he was unexpectedly straightforward: "It's easy to say. If it's something else, I can't help it. If I want to find out the details of Yao's family, I can try it."

It's not difficult, but it's a bit cumbersome, and Yamen officials have that convenience.

That is to touch back along the Fujiko.

Yao Zhan came here as a refugee. Although he resettled in Songping Mansion, he still has an old household, which can be checked.Not all refugees took root in new places. The ancients paid attention to returning fallen leaves to their roots. People left their hometowns and were humble, without land, and lived in hardship. Once the famine was over, they would definitely return to their hometowns.

The local yamen has to distribute disaster rations and seeds to those who return home, and the number of people has to be checked, and the household registration has to be recorded again.

With the convenience of being in the yamen, Yuan Cheng was able to look up the old files, check the information of the Yao family one by one, and then ask the old neighbors.The matter is simple to say, but the reason why it is cumbersome and troublesome is that it is troublesome to replace the old file, and the distance is far away, and all aspects have to be taken care of, and it takes a lot of work before and after.

It's not impossible for Wen Jixue to investigate this matter, but he is short of manpower, and he can't help but want to deal with the Yao family's affairs.Furthermore, if Yuan Cheng went to investigate, it would be more concealed, and the danger would be low if people really noticed it.

This is the convenience of being a member of the yamen, Yuan Cheng can refer to any case at will, and Yao's family is not the only one who has moved in the old file, so it can be covered up.

After that, the two stayed in Songling Mansion for several days.

This time it is mainly to sort out Cai Junchi's information.

The real Cai Junchi went to Tongshan Academy at the age of 16 and stayed in the academy for two years.Calculated by age, Cai Junchi was one year older than Zhao Shucheng, so when Cai Junchi arrived at the academy, Zhao Shucheng was fifteen, and it was not sure whether Zhao Shucheng was still in Tongzhou at that time.

Mu Qingyan and Wen Jixue analyzed it, and felt that Zhao Shucheng had to find a new identity because of some major changes later on. At that time, the identity of "Cai Junchi" entered his field of vision, and he did not plan to replace it from the beginning. .

Therefore, the most urgent task is to find out Zhao Shucheng's situation in Tongzhou.

In other words, it takes a lot of effort to find the Chang family back then.

It is estimated that no one knows this matter better than the Chang family.

"My lord, news from the Chang family." Fortunately, the wait was not in vain, just when the two were about to leave, Jiao Li brought in a sealed bamboo tube.

Wen Jixue glanced at the sealing wax, opened the bamboo tube, and pulled out the thinly rolled paper.This time there were two pieces of news, written densely, Wen Jixue read them quickly, and then handed them to Mu Qingyan who was at the side.

This is the situation of the Chang family.

Back then, the Chang family had three sons and one daughter.The daughter married in Tongzhou, but died long ago.The three natal brothers stared at the oil factory at home, waiting for Chang's father to die. All three of them tried their best to make more money, but they didn't know how to manage it. In addition to the competition from other oil factories, the oil factory could not be opened in the end, and the three had to sell the oil factory. , Divided the money and went their separate ways.

At that time, it was ten years after "Liu Sheng" arrived in Tongzhou.

Therefore, the Chang family brothers must know about "Liu Sheng".

The third child of the Chang family left Tongzhou after getting the money, and there was no news after he left.

The eldest of the Chang family guarded the old house. Later, his son failed to live up to his anger, and his old illness relapsed and died.After that, his son sold the house and went to the business with someone.It is also said that they did not pay back the debts and escaped from the debts.

Only the second child of the Chang family is said to be the most honest and honest among the Chang family brothers.He has many children, but he doesn't think much about it. His wife is a shrewd one. She divides the family and makes her own oil, and carries the burden to sell it.It stands to reason that such a person would never leave his hometown for the rest of his life, but the world is impermanent.The second and second sons of the Chang family are not very promising, but the youngest daughter is smart and clever, especially the one who is a little bit outstanding. Somehow, she met a rich man and became a concubine for him.

In the beginning, she was only raised as a foreign house, but later, she got angry and gave birth to a son.The rich businessman was so happy that he took the mother and son home.This daughter may want to have a natal family to rely on, or she may be purely filial, so she takes her parents and brothers with her.

It's a pity that the Chang family probably thought it was not a good thing at the beginning, so they didn't elaborate on the situation of the "son-in-law" to the outside world.The wealthy businessman did not do business in Tongzhou, but passed through here, admiring the name of Tongshan Academy, and stopped for a few days.

Outsiders only know that the wealthy businessman has a southern accent, and claims to be from Nanchuan Prefecture, and his surname is Wu.He was in his thirties and was a wealthy gentleman. He said he was in the silk business.

Nanchuan prefecture has less land and more mountains, and the local climate is very suitable for growing silkworms, and most of them make a living from it.

Silk is only the raw material for making silk fabrics, so there are many local weavers, large and small, and even silk sellers flock here.Similar to the wealthy businessmen surnamed Wu, they probably have their own silkworm industry, or they are a trafficker with a solid family background.In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient and the flow of goods was not easy, so buying and selling could make huge profits.

As a result, it is not easy to find out the person surnamed Wu.

There are so many Wu surnames in Nanchuan Mansion, who knows if this wealthy businessman Wu is from the prefecture, or from a certain county under his jurisdiction?

What's more, after decades, he may not still be in this business, and it is even more difficult to investigate.

"It's already very good." Mu Qingyan's eyebrows stretched. After all, this rich businessman still has a clue to check, that is, a concubine surnamed Chang brought back from other places, got a son, and her mother's family also followed.Such cases are bound to be extremely rare.

"It will take a little more effort." Wen Jixue also knew that as long as she waited a little longer, she would always be able to find out.