Once magnificent, now brilliant

"How could this happen?!" Rong Cang stood up angrily.

His voice was too loud, which also attracted the attention of the soldiers.

Bai Junyu said to them calmly: "It's nothing, it's just a private matter, you go ahead."

Since it's a private matter, they naturally can't control it, and it's not good to gossip, and they are all men, so it's not easy to spread such things. It didn't take long before the bonfire became lively again.

Bai Junyu also stood up and said in a low voice, "Let's talk over there."

During the rest, only the necessary tents were set up, and there was no place for discussion, so we could only go farther to talk.And since it was a private matter, they avoided people, and the soldiers didn't think there was anything wrong.

When they got to the no-man's land, Bai Junyu asked, "What's going on?"

It's not that he isn't worried, it's just that in this situation, if he doesn't calm down, there will be chaos in the army and people's hearts will be unstable.

Bai Ru truthfully said: "The grain and grass accompanying the army don't seem to have any problems on the surface, and this has never happened before. During the inspection, I only looked at a few bags on the surface to see if there was mold. This time, it was the same as usual. No problem was found. The first car was almost full of food today, so the younger one took someone to drive the second car, but he cut open the bag and found a lot of stones in it. The younger one didn’t dare to neglect, Immediately afterwards, we overturned the next few cars, and found that the situation was the same, so based on this calculation, our food and grass may not be able to reach the border."

"It's unreasonable!" Rong Cang encountered this kind of problem the first time he set out on an expedition, no matter how stupid he was, he knew he was being tricked.It's just that he never thought that someone would tamper with food and grass, which would be tantamount to shaking the morale of the army from the root.

Bai Junyu asked, "How many people know about this?"

"The ones who brought the young ones to open food are all our own people. There are only two soldiers with us at the food camp, and they are also our own people, so we won't talk nonsense."

Bai Ru has always been rigorous in his work, so no matter what Bai Junyu does, he is willing to take him with him.

"Very good. Let people keep an eye on the person who inspected the rations before departure, and just pretend that nothing happened." He was not sure whether the person who inspected the rations was involved, but he still had to keep an eye on them. A wise man sees this and guesses something.

"Yes, I'll do it when I'm young."

After Bai Ru left, Rong Cang asked Bai Junyu eagerly, "Xi Ze, what should we do now?"

He was rarely in such a hurry, and he really couldn't help it. This was not something he was good at, and even Bai Junyu had never encountered it before, so he couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he could only listen to Bai Junyu.

Bai Junyu stood with his hands behind his back, and said with emotion and resentment: "If the situation in Beijing was just a dark tide, after this time, it is a formal declaration of war against Your Highness."

"You mean..." Rong Cang frowned and speculated, "What did the third prince do?"

"I can't think of anyone else. Those who can do this must have a conflict of interest with His Highness. His Highness has always been kind to others and has never offended anyone. If there is a conflict of interest, it can only be a few princes. The eldest prince is weak. Resting elsewhere, the second prince is not involved in government affairs, and has little contact with officials. Only the third prince can move around in the court and win over officials."

Rong Cang sighed, "That's right. I was very humble before, but I didn't want to confront him head-on. Now it seems that I avoid him, and he can't tolerate me."

"He Li is responsible for the food and grass this time. Without his help, this matter will not be possible. It seems that he has taken refuge in the Third Prince." Bai Junyu didn't want to guess like this, but the Ministry of Household can speak well on this matter. Forget it, only He Li.

Rong Cang frowned even deeper, "He is He Yuen's father, you and He Yuen..." He originally thought that with this relationship, He Li should be used by them.

"Only Heli, he is not so bold. Someone must have ordered him to promise to keep him, and even a richer gift in return. Looking around in Beijing, except for the third prince, I can't think of anyone who would make him willing to take such a big risk." Risk. He has no foundation, and it is not easy to climb to this position. It just happened to catch up with the lack of officials in the court. He must be worried day and night, afraid of being pulled down. At this time, if the third prince stretches out his hand to him, it will be regarded as a no-brainer Looking at the third prince, just looking at Prime Minister Zuo and the queen is enough to keep his

status.You can't even give him this kind of guarantee, His Highness, the only ones who can give him are the emperor and the third prince. "

"Maybe there are other reasons or misunderstandings?" Rong Cang didn't want to comfort himself, but just felt that he had to comfort Bai Junyu. After all, there was He Yuen in between. Even if he didn't like He Yuen, they were close friends for many years after all. , what should be said and persuaded, always say a few words.

Bai Junyu shook his head very firmly, "What else could be the reason? He didn't want to let He Yuen marry me, so he made such a move? There is no such possibility. First of all, it is too risky. He dare not and can't afford it if no one protects him. ; Second, even if he doesn't want He Yuen to marry me, at worst, he can arrange a marriage for He Yuen when I don't come to propose, and I can't obstruct it, let alone snatch the marriage."

Everything was thoroughly analyzed by Bai Junyu, and Rong Cang really had nothing to persuade him, so he could only ask, "Then what should we do now?"

Bai Junyu looked at the moonlit and starry night sky, feeling extremely calm, "We have been away from Beijing for many days, and now we find that there are stones in the food, and it is not that we did not check when we left Beijing. It is really hard to explain, and there is also a possibility of blame Therefore, we can’t go directly to the book. In addition to causing an uproar, the courtiers will become more suspicious when they discuss it, which is not good for us. The best and fastest way now is to send a secret letter to the emperor, which can reduce the influence. At the lowest level, you can avoid scaring the enemy. Let the emperor find another name to send food and grass again, so that he can survive the war period safely. But in this way, you will be punished when you go back. Even if you win this time, the military rewards will probably be gone.”

This is a good calculation, the fourth prince's effort is in vain this time, and he will not get anything good, and so is Bai Junyu.

"It's okay." Rong Cang said in relief, "Since we accidentally stepped into someone else's trap, we don't want those glory. The most important thing right now is to go back alive, and we can face the battle with our lives."

Bai Junyu smiled, "It's best for Your Highness to think this way. Then, please write a secret letter to the emperor as soon as possible. Before the new food arrives, we will rely more on hunting for more food." Fortunately, this way to the north , There are more forests, and if there are forests, there will be game, so you won’t starve to death.

Qi Xiang drank the medicine, ate another piece of pine nut candy, and fell asleep after reading for a while.The capital is still strictly guarded, but normal life is not affected, and there is no bad news, and people's hearts are still stable.

But Shi Zhou took the medicine bowl and said rather disapprovingly: "You've been sleeping late recently, you can read those books during the day, but you still need to sleep more at night to maintain your health."

The books that Bai Junyu sent him were very interesting. Most of them were anecdotes from the folk and the countryside, and then there were some story collections. There were only two notebooks related to people's livelihood, which did not affect the entertainment at all.Qi Xiang usually reads a lot of books and articles on national policy and national theory, and most of the things borrowed from the Taifu's residence are these things.When I was studying in the past, my money was tight, and I used to save some money to buy pens, inks and history books, and there was really no need to buy small talk.Now that there are so many books all of a sudden, they are all quite interesting, of course Qi Xiang is willing to read them at night by candlelight.So these days I went to bed late and woke up late.

"Understood, I won't watch it today." Qi Xiang smiled.He also knew that it would be impossible to always look at these things, and rushing to the Tai Tuo to take the exam tomorrow, it would be bad if he couldn't answer.

"Bai Junyu has been on the expedition for so many days, and I don't think you are worried." But Shi Zhou didn't want to prove anything, but just said a few words.

"I can't keep up with his combat experience. If he can't handle things, then I'm useless. Worrying is useless." Qi Xiang was in a good mood and told the truth, "Right, arrange to approach Cao What happened to the bright ones?"

But Shizhou said with a smile, "Don't worry. Cao Guangming likes to gamble for nothing. The people under his command helped him win a few times, and he has regarded him as a confidant. I'm afraid he is drinking with his companions at the moment."

"That's good, tell them, be sure to maintain a good 'confidant' relationship with Cao Guangming, it may be useful later."

"Don't worry, they can't do anything else, they are good at this."

In a blink of an eye, it was Taifu Xiumu's day again, and Qi Xiang came to ask for advice.The government has been busy recently, the Taifu canceled the rest of the last time, and today is a day of leisure, wishing that Qi Xiang could stay at the mansion all day.

But the Taifu is old after all, and Qi Xiang can't keep disturbing him, so he left after lunch

, so that the Taifu can rest for half a day, it is hard to say whether Xiumu can continue as usual after that.

As the weather got hot recently, Qi Xiang missed the plum soup he drank before, so he stopped by the candied fruit shop to buy the prepared soup and some rock sugar.Originally, it would taste better if you pair it yourself, but Qi Xiang is lazy, and he is not very good at this, so it is good to have ready-made ones.

He was walking back with his things, and when passing by an alley, two people suddenly jumped out and blocked his way.

Seeing the dress and demeanor of these two people, they looked like local hooligans, Qi Xiang frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" The tall man swung the dagger in his hand, "I don't know who I offended?"

Qi Xiang wondered who he had offended since he entered Beijing, and he knew the answer without thinking too much.

"In broad daylight, do you dare to do it?" Qi Xiang didn't flinch, but was just thinking about how to deal with it.

It's not that there are no people passing by, but it may be that these two local ruffians are a bit famous in this area, and the people don't want to meddle in their own business, so they walked away quickly.

"So what in broad daylight? Look, is there anyone around here who dares to save you?" The short man smiled wretchedly, and he also had a wretched face, "There are noble people in this capital, and you can't offend any of them." !"

The tall one laughed and said, "What are you talking about with him? Come on!"

Two people rushed towards Qi Xiang, when Qi Xiang was thinking about how to make a move, suddenly a gray man jumped down and stood in front of Qi Xiang.

Qi Xiang saw that it was Guo Baomei and Daoist Guo.Since he entered Beijing, he has never met Daoist Guo, so he didn't expect such a coincidence today.

Seeing someone blocking the way, the tall one said: "The old man with the nose dares to block my way? Don't want to live anymore?!"

The short man also said: "Do you know who we are working for? You, a Taoist priest, do your Dharma work well and don't meddle in other business, otherwise I will make you look good!"

"Hehe." Daoist Guo twisted his beard, "How do you make the poor look good?"

"Let you look for teeth all over the place and call him grandpa!" As he said, the tall man stabbed Daoist Guo with a dagger.

The short one kicked Daoist Guo down, trying to help the tall one bring down Daoist Guo.

Daoist Guo flashed and disappeared from their eyes. Both of them were stunned. Before they could react, they were kicked to the ground by Daoist Guo one by one.

The two of them also became angry, not to be outdone, they got up and rushed towards Daoist Guo again.

Guo Daochang grabbed the tall man's clothes and slapped him twice, making the tall man dizzy.Pushing away the tall man, Daoist Guo grabbed the short man's hair again, swung him from the shoulder, and threw him to the ground.The tall man staggered and couldn't stop. When he fell, he accidentally cut himself with the dagger, and screamed like a pig being killed.

These two little gangsters are just ordinary thugs, it is okay to bully ordinary people in small troubles.

The two people howled so miserably that the people passing by did not report to the officials, and some even glared at the two people with hatred, probably because they had been bullied before. Two sentences, it can be regarded as a relief for myself.

"Thank you, Daoist." Qi Xiang saluted him.

Daoist Guo said with a smile: "It's a little effort, thank you very much. How do you want to deal with these two people?"

Qi Xiang didn't show that he was very familiar with Daoist Guo, "There are too many people here, it's not easy to make trouble, let them go."

Daoist Guo nodded, "That's fine, let's go, Pindao will send you back, so as not to encounter trouble again."

Daoist Guo is only a name in Xiangyun Temple, and most people don't know him.But after all, he helped Xianxuan and Mrs. Bai, so it's hard to guarantee that he won't be recognized, so Qi Xiang and him pretended that they just met, otherwise they were afraid that someone would guess something.

"Respect is worse than obedience."

The two walked a long distance, and they were almost at the entrance of the courtyard. Daoist Guo made sure that no one was following or watching, so he smiled and said, "Oh, your acting skills are getting better and better."

Only then did Qi Xiang show a genuine smile, "There's no way, Beijing and China are complicated, so I have to play [-] points."

Mental coping.Why is the Taoist priest here? "

Daoist Guo said as he walked, "I'm doing a Dafa event today. I have nothing to do, so I just want to go to the city to meet your master for a drink."

"It's just right, the master is staying with me recently, and the Taoist priest will come back with me."

"It saves me the trouble of finding the door, let's go!" Guo Daochang looked at the surrounding shops, and took some if he saw that there was something good to drink. It's hard to let the children prepare everything, "What's the matter with those two people?"

Qi Xiang didn't take it too seriously and said: "I had a quarrel with someone before, and it should be that family who found me."

"It's unreasonable. It's just a few quarrels. Is there any law? You don't have to be polite next time you meet this kind of person. Even if you make trouble with the government, you won't suffer."

Qi Xiang said helplessly: "I'm afraid that the other party wants to make trouble in the government. I have no power or influence. If I really get locked in, I will suffer."

Daoist Guo clicked his tongue twice, "There is no peace in Beijing. After finishing the work, you should go to live in seclusion with your master and live a happy life, how good is it?"

Qi Xiang nodded, "When everything is done, I will."

Daoist Guo saw a lo-mei shop with sharp eyes, so he took Qi Xiang to buy it, and he was not empty-handed.

A new altar of Lihuachun is one of Que Shizhou's cellars. It had been buried in a courtyard in the suburbs of Beijing before, and it was only after moving into the city that two altars were built and buried in the courtyard. They were originally intended to entertain Daoist Guo.A few dishes of side dishes to accompany the wine, in addition to braised meat, there are peanuts and peas fried in oil by Butler Pan.

Qi Xiang couldn't drink a few cups, and Daoist Guo didn't let him drink. The three of them sat around and chatted.In the kitchen, Butler Pan had just soaked the ingredients for the plum soup, and it will be boiled in the stove after a while.Qi Xiang can't eat too sour now, this plum soup can add more sugar, drink a bowl every day to cool off the heat, it's no problem.

Taoist Guo told Que Shizhou what happened on the road, but Shizhou was very angry, but didn't say anything, and just waited for the opportunity to teach the He family a lesson.

"Are you wearing the talisman Bai Junyu asked for?" Daoist Guo asked.

Qi Xiang asked in a daze, "How do you know?"

Daoist Guo laughed and said: "Everyone in the temple knows that Bai Junyu prayed for amulets devoutly. He didn't eat and worship early in the morning, so he got the handwriting of the temple master. It's just that they all thought it was for their parents. I asked the temple master quietly, and the temple master said it was for a The young master begged, and I guessed it was you."

Qi Xiang knew that it took a lot of effort to obtain this talisman, but she didn't expect it to be done in such a pious way.At that time, Bai Junyu came to give him a gift, but he didn't see Bai Junyu's tired face, so he didn't think too much about it.

But Shi Zhou was very satisfied, "He also has a heart."

"It's not bad, and it's not in vain for Qi Xiang to help him think of such an idea." Daoist Guo threw a peanut into his mouth, biting it loudly.

Qi Xiang regained consciousness and said, "Thank you for your help."

Daoist Guo waved his hand, "I'm just talking about it, it doesn't take much effort, no thanks."

Qi Xiang didn't want to be company anymore, she said she was sleepy, and went back to the room.Qi Xiang was not in good health, and they didn't want him to stay with him all the time, so they quickly persuaded him to go to rest.

Lying on the couch, Qi Xiang took out the safety talisman that he was wearing next to him, touched and touched, pinched and pinched again, even if this intention was different from what he wanted, he really appreciated it, no one had ever begged for him like this. His love has nowhere to go, but the warmth in his heart has been filled by Bai Junyu.

When the emperor received the secret letter, he was furious, threw down the teacup, and drove everyone outside to serve him.

The palace people only thought that the war was not going well, and the emperor would often get angry because of this, so they didn't think much about it, and the women in the palaces didn't dare to touch the emperor's brow at this time, and they were all as quiet as chickens.

It's not that the emperor didn't suspect that the fourth prince caused the trouble on purpose, but after thinking about it, there was no need for it. After this happened, the fourth prince must have no reward, and the war is urgent, so why should the fourth prince have such a thing?

"Li Dian!"

When Eunuch Li heard the emperor calling him, he trotted in, "Your majesty."

"Call Prime Minister You. Tomorrow, after the morning court, bring the Minister of the Household Department, He Li, to me."

"Yes."

If Prime Minister Zuo was promoted to this position by relying on his queen's daughter and grandson, then Prime Minister You was promoted to this position entirely by his own ability.Prime Minister You is a neutral faction in the court. He is impartial and loyal to the emperor. He has no daughters in the harem. The eldest son marries a daughter of a commoner, and has no serious relationship with anyone in the court.On weekdays, he is low-key and does not compete with Prime Minister Zuo. In the eyes of others, Prime Minister Right is even a display.But Eunuch Li could see clearly that if there was a dilemma, the upright Prime Minister You would be the first thing the emperor would look for.

In the early morning of the next day, the emperor asked the Ministry of Households to transport food and grass to Beiguan to meet Bai Junyu on the grounds that the soldiers had worked hard in the battle and should add some food to comfort the army.

Food and grass is the most important thing in a war. In the past, it was because of the shortage of food and grass that Wangjing dispatched food.Last year's harvest was good and the national treasury was relatively full. The emperor took the initiative to add more grain and grass to the border. This is a good thing, and naturally no ministers jumped out to object.

This matter was still handed over to He Li, who asked to leave in three days.

Several families in the court were happy and some were sad, but they had been officials for several years and had already learned to hide, so they couldn't see anything on their faces.

Xian Xuan was bored at home, so he came to find Qi Xiang to go out for dinner.

The war has been raging recently, and it is not good for Xianzheng to go to the land of flowers and willows again. Even if he does nothing, others will spread gossip about him, saying that as the grandson of the Taifu, he doesn't care about state affairs at all, and only cares about being romantic. Literati Festival.If it reaches the emperor's ears again, it will not be good for the Taifu.So Xianxiu has been staying at home recently, and the fourth prince is away, so he has nowhere to run.

The weather was fine today, so he asked Qi Xiang to come out.Usually he eats with Qi Xiang in the courtyard, because Qi Xiang is not in good health, and he is afraid that he will be tired.

"Changxin Building has a new cook, who can make delicious desserts. I have specially reserved a table. You can eat more later."

This Changxin Restaurant is not very famous among the major restaurants in central Beijing, but it is better than the sugar water. In summer, all kinds of iced sugar water are on the menu, and people can't help but want to drink a bowl .

Xiao Er led the two of them upstairs, and just in time to see someone going downstairs, the two of them turned slightly to let the other person go down first.

"Er Mian? Wen Jing?"

The two raised their heads upon hearing the sound, and even Qi Xiang had a bit of surprise on his face.

"Chengzhi? Why are you here?" Xian Zhen also had a look of surprise on his face. It's been a few years since I saw this guy, but this guy hasn't changed much.

Hu Jishan, courtesy name Chengzhi, his father previously worked in Dali Temple, but later resigned because of his health.Hu Jishan also took classes with the fourth prince, but his grades are hard to describe. If he takes the imperial examination, he will definitely have no hope in his life.So after only one year of study, he resigned from school and went back to his hometown. It was not as long as they had been with the fourth prince.

Hu Jishan has no strengths in academics, but he is a good businessman and has a smart brain. He took over his grandfather's business when he returned home. Did not enter Beijing again.

"Why don't you say anything when you come, anyway, we are classmates, we must have a good time together." Xian Xuan said.

Hu Jishan is upright, not crooked, he is down-to-earth.So even though we haven't seen each other for many years, Xianzhen still has a good impression of him, but it's a pity that this guy is too bad at studying, otherwise he could really become a better friend.But the gods are not mean to him. It is also a talent for such a person not to be deceived by his wife when he is in business.

"You can't blame me, I just arrived in Beijing this morning, and I just settled here for a meal. I was thinking about visiting the Taifu tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."

Seeing that he didn't bring any entourage with him, Xian Xuan said, "Let's stop crowding here, go up and talk."

Hu Jishan didn't see him either, and said, "Okay, then I'll rub you again."

The private room was quiet, and the three of them continued to chat after the dishes were served.

Hu Jishan sighed and said: "I heard about Qi Xiang's matter before, but I can't help you, I'm ashamed."

He didn't expect Qi Xiang's face to be like this, but the atmosphere is right now, and he doesn't want to spoil the fun and expose people's wounds.

Qi Xiang smiled lightly and said, "It's all over."

"Yes. Seeing that all of you are doing well, I am relieved."

Xian Xing took Qi Xiang some cakes, asked him to lay the groundwork first, and asked Hu Jishan, "Are you going to Beijing this time for business?"

Hu Jishan didn't hide anything, "That's right. I've been doing well in business these past few years. I'm well-known in my hometown and I have some spare money. I just want to open a store in Beijing to expand my business."

This is quite normal for a businessman, Xianzheng asked: "What kind of store do you plan to open?"

"In terms of making money, restaurants are naturally better. But there are too many famous chefs in Beijing, and it may not suit the appetite of people in Beijing if I bring cooks from my hometown. So the next best thing is to start a jewelry shop. There are many nobles in Beijing, and there are many occasions that need to be arranged and dressed up. Doing this will definitely not pay off."

"Since you have an idea, I'll wait for your store to open to congratulate you." Xian Xuan is not good at business, so it's okay to watch the excitement.

"I still have to wait and see. When the shop is signed, the rest will come soon. I may travel to Beijing and China more in the future. If there is anything, if there is any need, please let me know at any time. Let's not see each other."

"Okay, then it's up to you to give gifts during the New Year's Eve."

"no problem."

After drinking a few cups, Hu Jishan wanted to go to see the shop, and he had already made an appointment, so it was inconvenient to stay longer, so he left first.

Xianxuan sighed with emotion: "He still has the same temperament, which is very good. There will be many people in the future."

Qi Xiang ate the food with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" Hyunjin asked with a smile.

Qi Xiang said: "Seeing that Jishan is living a good life now, I wonder if I should also do some business and earn some money."

"Are you short of money? Tell me."

"No." Qi Xiang said helplessly: "I can't just sit and eat. It's not good to let you and the Tai Tuo help each other all the time, and you don't make a living. The Tai Tuo is a clean and honest official, so it's not a long-term solution."

The money he is using now belongs to his master. When he first came back, Xian Xing sent him a lot of money because he was afraid that his money would be tight.But he didn't move much of the money, and wanted to find a chance to return it.

Xianxuan's family is rich, so I really didn't think about it that much, but it's good if Qi Xiang has a job, not for making money, the main reason is to go out more, meet some people, and live a more fulfilling life.In addition, his grandfather had no intention of letting Qi Xiang take the imperial examination. In Dachuan, doing business would not be looked down upon. It would be fine if Qi Xiang was willing to take the trouble.

"Then what do you want to do?" Hyunjin asked.

"Just now when Hu Jishan mentioned jewelry, it suddenly occurred to me that I could open a clothing store."

"Clothing store?" He didn't know how Qi Xiang thought of this.

Qi Xiang said: "Aside from the clothes of the common people and the dignitaries, the armor of the soldiers is mended, repaired and maintained every year. Although these are the responsibility of the Ministry of War, they are all distributed to time-honored clothing stores. If we can get a share of it, the store will definitely be able to operate for a long time."

Xian Xuan's eyes lit up, "Yes!"

Opening a clothing store is trivial. Even rich people may not want to do it. Most of them are craftsmen.If you can really get a share of the pie, the profits in the middle are indeed considerable.And even if they don't know how to cut or embroider, they can still invite people who know how to come, and it's not troublesome.

Qi Xiang went on to say: "Even if the Ministry of War can't make the distinction, a senior official like General Fengbei has the right to find someone to repair the armor of his soldiers. With so many soldiers, the Ministry of War has been too busy for many years, and they also I am happy to only pay money and not worry about it, and it is also very good to win such a business. And as long as you don’t cut corners and make things well, there will be no problems, and it is very safe.”

Indeed, the repaired armor will be inspected and accepted on the spot, and only the repaired ones will be taken away, and those with defects must be repaired again. .

Thinking of this, Xianzhen hurriedly said: "Wen Jing, don't talk about anything else, let me do this business!"

Qi Xiang laughed, "I told you that I just want you to participate, and I don't have that much energy myself."

Xianxie was very happy. He had a job to make money, which was completely different from spending money from his family. "Then I asked people to inquire about the store and the tailor."

"Row,

Let me inquire about the purchase channels of fabrics. We keep a low profile and avoid being conspicuous when doing business. Don't cause unnecessary trouble before the business is completed. "

"Don't worry, I understand."

After a meal, Xianzhen happily went to work.

Qi Xiang went back to the courtyard and talked about it with his master, but Shi Zhou agreed very much. With such a store as a cover, it would be more convenient for them to inquire in the open.And with his back against the Xian Mansion, not everyone would dare to provoke him.

"At that time, the shopkeeper and the waiter in the shop will tell Xianxuan that I am looking for him. I will say that he is the son of Uncle Pan's old friend. Before that, his family was in the fabric shop business. Later, he went to Beijing to make a living and met Pan. Uncle. I remember one of my subordinates was in the fabric business.”

But Shizhou nodded, "Yes, Ai Wu's family does this."

"Okay, then arrange for him, you go and talk to him, and then bring a clever one to be the mistress."

But Shi Zhou has no objection, and it is not easy to show timidity if you have knowledge and action.

"Master, I have to ask you to inquire about the purchase of fabrics. I'm really not good at this." Qi Xiang will not do everything, and it is easier to do things well within his ability.

"What's so difficult about it? Many of my friends are businessmen, and they also travel between Beijing and China. They don't know you. You can just negotiate with them in the name of the store." But Shizhou thinks this is the best way If it's done, his friends must pass through Jingzhong when they run a business, and they must be happy to have Qi Xiang as a regular business.As for his relationship with Qi Xiang, he didn't mention it to many people. Before Qi Xiang's identity was sensitive, it was inconvenient to say more, but now Qi Xiang has a lot of things to do, and too many people know about their relationship, which is not good for Qi Xiang's planning. .It won't be too late to introduce after things are settled.

"Okay. When I make money, I'll change to a bigger yard, and it will be more comfortable for Master to live with me."

But Shizhou chuckled, "I have so many houses, how can you be short of this? You just need to be healthy and healthy."

"What Master has is Master's, and what I prepare for Master is my heart, which is different."

But Shi Zhou was both helpless and relieved, and said: "Okay, I will wait for the teacher."

Early in the morning, Cao Guangming woke up in the guest room of the restaurant, he was in a daze.Drunken hangover, his mind was not very clear. After a long while, he suddenly jumped up, opened the room and shouted: "Xiaoer! Xiaoer!"

"Hey, here we come." Xiao Er hung up the cloth towel and ran upstairs, "What's the guest's order?"

"What time is it?" Cao Guangming asked with a frosty face.

Xiao Er replied, "Si time has just passed."

Cao Guangming suddenly breathed a sigh of relief—fortunately, there was still time.

"Where are the people who drank with me last night?" Cao Guangming asked again.

"Yesterday, the masters drank too much and stayed overnight in the store. This morning, they got up one after another and went back. They have paid the rent for you and said that we will get together when you are free."

Cao Guangming was in a better mood, "Okay, serve me a bowl of noodles quickly, I have something to do."

As he spoke, he threw a few copper coins to Xiao Er.

Xiao Er answered and went to work.

After breakfast, Cao Guangming felt a lot better, and he didn't have time to go back to change clothes, so he hurried to Jinziying.Today is the day to send more food and grass to Beiguan. This time he leads the team, which is not a hard job.

Time was running out, Cao Guangming looked at the carts of grain, and didn't do any inspections. Anyway, the Minister of the Household Department had made arrangements, and this team was all his own, so there was nothing to worry about.

"set off!"

The team set off sequentially. Cao Guangming's hangover headache hadn't been completely relieved, and he was sitting on his horse and walking forward absent-mindedly.The Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs found it strange to send more grain and grass this time, so he was more cautious. This cart was all good grain and grass.As soon as we reach Guixian County, someone will help to change a few cars.At that time, we only need to arrive in the middle of the night and ask for another grain inspection the next morning.Anyway, when the food and grass arrive in the army, they will be guarded by the people in the army, and they can bite back if they find a problem.And Jinziying was the one who delivered food according to the order, and the general didn't dare to kill them.It's hard to say whether the soldiers will survive or not when heavy transportation is arranged.

After walking for half an hour, the team was suddenly blocked by a team

people stopped.

Cao Guangming saw that it was Prime Minister You.

Cao Guangming is not afraid, Prime Minister You is just a decoration, what is there to be afraid of if he has no real power in his hands?

After getting off the horse, Cao Guangming pretended to greet him, "Your Prime Minister is well."

Prime Minister You had no expression on his face, "I heard that there is a problem with the grain and grass this time, so I came here to check."

Cao Guangming didn't panic at all, and said over and over again in his heart that fortunately, Mr. He had the foresight. He must let Prime Minister You suffer a big loss this time, and he can't stand side by side with Prime Minister Zuo at all.

"What did your lord say? How could there be a problem with the grain and grass we deliver in Ziying?" Cao Guangming looked upright, "Didn't you slap us in the face of Ziying by doing this? Besides, if something happened in the middle Whatever the problem, we can't explain it to the emperor."

"I don't need to talk nonsense with you, just let me check, if there is nothing wrong, I will apologize to the emperor."

Cao Guangming still blocked the way of Prime Minister You, "Even if you plead guilty, can you bear the charge? You are suspicious of the imperial court's order."

"I have my reasons, get out of the way!" Prime Minister You refused to budge.

Cao Guangming smiled, "Well, I'll let you investigate. But if you don't find anything, don't blame me for writing a letter and ask the emperor to make the decision. You can do it yourself."

Prime Minister You waved his hand, and behind him several men dressed as servants pushed Cao Guangming away and walked to the grain truck.

Cao Guangming watched gloatingly, already thinking about how to claim credit for Mr. He.Except for the right prime minister, the left prime minister will have more prestige in front of the imperial court.

The servant took out his dagger and cut open the bag of grain and grass. The stones mixed with the moldy grain flowed out, forming a small pile on the ground.

Cao Guangming was dumbfounded, "This...it's impossible..."

It's not as good as it was said to be!

The servant scratched several more bags in a row, but the result was the same. These grains were not edible at all!

Cao Guangming's mind was spinning fast. He didn't know whether Mr. He was tricked or Mr. He was plotting against him.He does know a lot of things, and it is not impossible for Mr. He to use someone else's hand to silence him.He can't sit still, he must see Mr. He first!

So Cao Guangming didn't care about that much anymore, and said loudly: "Prime Minister You brought his private soldiers to destroy the food and grass, and planted us into the Ziying camp. This crime is unforgivable. Take him down and leave it to the emperor to decide!"

This time the team is full of people from the Minister of the Household Department, so naturally they obey Cao Guangming.They drew out their weapons one after another to take down Prime Minister You.

But before they could make a move, the imperial army ambushing around rushed out.

Cao Guangming was completely dumbfounded. At this moment, he realized that Prime Minister You's coming here was the emperor's intention.Cao Guangming couldn't figure out who put the moldy grain mixed with stones in the car.But he is already more inclined to be what Mr. He did.Otherwise, why did Master He say that the food that was no problem was suddenly replaced like this?The only one who has this ability to change is Mr. He, right?Maybe Mr. He got the news long ago and invited him to be the scapegoat.He couldn't prove that there was a problem with the food before departure, because he didn't check it at all!If I hadn't been in such a hurry at that time, I would have found the problem after checking it, and I wouldn't have come to this point!

"My lord, you have worked hard." The commander of the imperial army cupped his hands.

Prime Minister You waved his hand, "It's finally rewarding. I'll leave the rest to you."

The imperial army did not startle the enemy, but hid the group of people and food and grass first, and took the imperial decree to bring these people into the city and the palace after the city gate was closed at night, and then sent them off after hearing it.

The He Mansion was ransacked that night, and all family servants were sent to prison for trial.

The people monitoring He Fu came back to report.

Qi Xiang was not surprised, "Everyone has done a good job. Call back all the people who were sent out to monitor everywhere, and don't go out recently. I'm afraid the guards will be stricter if this happens.