Pei Zhan's people returned to the Lu family with the divorce letter and handed it to Mrs. Lu. They also told Chu Yao: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that everything here will be given to you."
When Mrs. Lu and the two young ladies heard this, their expressions were a little uneasy.
Chu Yao nodded and thanked the man: "Thank you."
She was not polite and gave Brother Ming to the wet nurse. Together with Zhiye, she moved out everything that Pei Zhan had added to the hall and could take away. The calligraphy and paintings on the wall were also removed. She took them off, rolled them up and threw them into the luggage pile, along with a pair of huanghuali armchairs. She and Zhiye also took them out together to see if the carriage could accommodate them later.
Seeing this, Lu Mingshu teased: "Mrs. Chu brought back so many things belonging to His Highness, aren't you afraid of seeing things and missing people?"
Chu Yao wiped the sweat from her forehead and said she was not afraid: "When we get out of the house, we will find a pawn shop and pawn all these things. We will do it absolutely and will not redeem it."
Lu Mingshu's face turned green.
The coachman helped move everything onto the carriage, especially the pair of huanghuali armchairs, which took up a lot of space, so they were tied to the back of the carriage, one on the left and the other on the right, and walked through the alley in a very ostentatious manner.
Turn left after exiting the alley, and there is a pawn shop not far away.
Chu Yao asked the coachman to stop and got out of the carriage with a few scrolls in his arms. Zhiye entered the pawn shop with her, carrying a plate with patterns of flowers and birds and an old glass cup with double chili ears.
In front of them was a young man who wanted to redeem a painting, which he said was stolen and pawned by a thief at home.
The man redeemed the paintings for thirty taels. He turned around and saw Chu Yao holding several paintings in her arms. She seemed to be very interested and did not leave immediately.
Chu Yao randomly pulled out a piece of tribute to the pawnshop. The man raised his eyebrows and looked up and down for a long time, and then said that it was a fake and not worth a few dollars. Fortunately, the imitation was very delicate, so he could pay him one or two and a half silver.
Although Chu Yao was eager to get rid of these things, she was not stupid. How could the things Pei Zhan collected be fakes? Fengte was a little more treacherous this time.
"In that case, please return the painting to me, and I will ask another house."
Chao Feng withdrew the painting and said with a rather unconcerned look: "If this lady wants to ask the other family, she can go and ask. I'm afraid the other family won't be able to pay back a tael of silver."
Chu Yao knew that he was irritating her, so she pretended not to hear him and came out holding something.
The young man immediately chased after him and called out politely: "Madam, please stay. Can I have a look at the painting in your hand?"
Chu Yao looked at the man's face and clothes. He had a clear face and clear eyes. His clothes were embroidered with elegant bamboo leaves, and he looked like a scholar in every gesture.
Considering how he had just given out thirty taels of silver to redeem the painting without any hesitation, he must be a person who knows how to paint and loves painting.
Chu Yao showed him the painting that was dismissed as a fake by the court. The man held up the painting with great care and looked at it carefully. He was surprised and said: "I'm trying to fool you. This is the "Five Horses" painted by Mr. Li from the previous dynasty. "It is undoubtedly authentic. If the times are good, it can be sold for a hundred taels on the market."
"So expensive?" Chu Yao didn't know much about calligraphy and painting. She just felt that the price given by the emperor was too low. She never expected that the painting could be sold at such a high price.
The man pointed to an inconspicuous corner of the painting where there were signs of being pinched: "He made a mark here. This is the slang of their pawn shops. Even if you ask all the pawn shops with this calligraphy and painting, None of them would offer more than one tael of silver.”
Chu Yao suddenly realized: "No wonder when I just asked for the painting back, he had no intention of increasing the price."
She then showed him the remaining calligraphy and paintings, and he said they were all authentic. He gave a high price for each of them, and sincerely suggested to her: "The world is still in chaos now, and it is difficult to find a buyer. I would like to suggest that you keep these calligraphy and paintings in good condition first, and then sell them off in the future when the world is stable."
"Thank you for reminding me, sir." Although Chu Yao has no interest in these calligraphy, painting and antiques, since they are good things, they cannot be sold at low prices. At that time, if I said that I would pawn everything at the Lu family, I would just be angry with Lu Mingshu.
She asked Zhiye to put these treasures away and then said goodbye to the man.
The man seemed to have something else to say. When she turned around and was about to get into the carriage, she spoke anxiously: "Please forgive me for being presumptuous. I actually like the painting "Five Horses", but I can't take it out for the time being. So much silver. I still have two taels of silver on me, and I want to give it to my wife as a deposit. When I go back and collect enough silver, can I sell this painting to you at a cheaper price?"
"Okay." Chu Yao agreed without hesitation, "You just said that this painting of the world is worth a hundred taels. How about I sell it to you at half of the price, fifty taels?"
The man happily responded: "That's it, thank you madam."
Chu Yao casually pointed to a teahouse nearby, and agreed to meet him at the teahouse in three days, and then give him the painting.
The man handed him off, and Chu Yao got into the carriage and sat down. After walking some distance, Zhiye said to her: "Sister, that young man is not a liar, right?"
After leaving Lu Mansion, she asked Zhiye to change her name to "Ajie".
"If he is a liar, we will find out if he asks someone."
"Who are you looking for?"
Chu Yao smiled: "You will know later."
On the way back to their parents' home, they found another pawn shop to inquire about the price. As the young master said, the price given by the pawnshop was indeed less than one tael of silver, and he pointed at the painting and said it was a fake.
Chu Yao deliberately asked: "If it is a real painting, how much is it worth?"
Na Chaofeng said: "If it is true, with the current market price, I can give you thirty-five taels. If it is absolutely right, I can give you another five taels. It's a pity that your painting is not authentic..."
Chu Yao asked for the painting back and looked at Zhiye: Although this offer was not sincere, it just proved that the young master did not lie to them. It is very good that this painting can sell for fifty taels now.
This is really a windfall.
Returning to the carriage, Chu Yao quickly replaced it with a molar stick made of pepper wood as she watched her son chewing on a bronze and gold bull.
This wrong gold bull is half the size of a palm, so it should be very valuable.
The carriage slowly drove out of Suizhou City. The guards at the city gate were much stricter than before. Their carriage was carefully inspected before they were allowed to pass.
It was almost noon, and the sun was getting hotter. Brother Ming was so hot that he cried in the carriage for a while. The three adults comforted him for a while before putting him to sleep.
After walking for more than half an hour, we finally arrived at Lianhu Village.
Under the shade of the trees at the entrance of the village, there are old people fanning themselves and playing chess and children watching. Under the thatched eaves, women gather in twos and threes to sew clothes with the soles of their shoes, muttering about the shortcomings of their parents.
Seeing a carriage approaching, I couldn't help but look over curiously. As the carriage stopped at the door of Chu's house, there were more whispers.
Chu Yao's mother, Zhou Shiyuan, was also chatting with people under the eaves in front of the house. She was a bit bloated. She was weak and fat after taking medicine for many years. She suffered even more in such a hot weather. The fan in her hand was shaking uncontrollably. He stopped, but he was still sweating non-stop.
Even if this was the case, she didn't want to go back to the house and lie down. The girls in her family were the best in the whole village in marrying well. They married into the family of a city official and became a young lady. They were fed, clothed and cared for. She also benefited from being someone's mother-in-law. . She also loves to chat with others, and she shows off her girl from time to time, making others envious of her.
Seeing a carriage entering the village from a distance, Ms. Zhou took a quick look: even an ox-cart was rare in this village, let alone a carriage. Her girl in the city must have returned to her parents' home with gifts to visit her relatives.
Zhou's back became more and more stiff, and she had something to show off to her neighbors again.
The carriage came to a halt, and Mrs. Zhou stood up holding on to the door frame, staring directly at the carriage. When the curtain was opened, it turned out to be her daughter's dignified and delicate face.
Then I took another look inside the carriage: it was piled high with things, including large wooden boxes and small bundles, as if they were being moved.
The smile on Zhou's face faltered, and with some speculation in her heart, she asked Chu Yao: "Why did you bring so many things back today? It's like you moved your whole family here?"
Chu Yao got off the carriage, hugged Brother Ming, and while arranging Zhiye and nanny to move things home, she said to Mrs. Zhou, "Mom, I'll come back and stay for a while."
As soon as these words came out, the eyes of the neighbors all came over, curious, confused, and gloating...
Zhou hurriedly asked: "What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Erlang?"
In front of so many people, Chu Yao couldn't tell the truth, so she responded vaguely: "Yeah."
Mrs. Zhou became anxious and shook her cattail leaf fan rapidly: "You guys are so good, why did you suddenly have a quarrel? Did Erlang bully you?"
"Brother Ming is still sleeping. Mom, let's go into the house and talk."
Chu Yao did not tell the Zhou family about the fact that Pei Zhan and Lu Shaohuai had exchanged identities. She only said that she was at odds with Lu Erlang and had divorced. The other party gave her three hundred taels of silver and would come to arrest Brother Ming in a few days. The son was also taken away.
When Zhou heard what happened to her and Li, she almost jumped up in anxiety. She also heard that the other party had given her three hundred taels of silver, and she was inevitably shocked: "You gave so much?"
This is because Chu Yao deliberately understated the value of two hundred taels and those antique calligraphy and paintings.
"They want to take Brother Ming away?" Ms. Zhou thought for a while, "Just take him away, otherwise it will be difficult for you to remarry with the child. The Lu family is rich, and they will not treat their children badly..."
Although she said this, Ms. Zhou still felt regretful and still had some hope. She felt that it was okay for the young couple to quarrel. She asked Chu Yao to go back and subdue her for the sake of her children. Maybe there would be a reconciliation. Room to maneuver.
Chu Yao firmly said it was impossible. She did not want to have anything to do with the Lu family in the future.
Mrs. Zhou was so angry when she saw her lack of food and salt that she didn't even eat dinner, and then she didn't go out for three days in a row, fearing that people in the neighborhood would ask her about Chu Yao.
Three days later, Chu Yao freshened up and changed into a light ocher-colored narrow-sleeved jacket. Zhiye held the "Five Horses Picture" and waited to go out with her.
Zhou thought she was going out to see Lu Shaohuai, so she told her to change into brighter clothes. Chu Yao smiled helplessly and walked out with Zhiye.
He hired a carriage and went to the teahouse agreed in advance, and the young man he met that day was indeed waiting there. Seeing her coming, he stood up and asked her to take a seat. At the same time, he asked the waiter in the shop to bring two more bowls of mung bean sugar cooked water and a dessert of preserved fruit.
Chu Yao told him there was no need to be polite, and after sitting down, she asked Zhiye to hand the painting to him.
After he laid it out and looked at it, he conveniently took out the banknote and handed it to her to count.
"That day I saw other calligraphy and paintings in Madam's hand. If I still want to buy them in the future, I don't know where to find Madam?"
Chu Yao put the banknotes away. After hearing his question, she thought for a moment and said, "To be honest with you, I have lived in the inner courtyard for a long time and have not seen much. I didn't know the value of these things before, but now that I know, I feel sad." . The common man is not guilty, but he is guilty of having a jade. I will only sell this painting, and I plan to find a safe place to store the rest. As the young master said before, I will sell them out when the world is stable in the future."
She only met him by chance and did not dare to tell him where she lived for fear of incurring danger.
The other party obviously noticed her concerns and hesitated for a moment before confessing to her: "Madam, don't be afraid, I am not a bad person. My father is Jiang Yunzhou, the general judge of Suizhou. I am the fourth in the family, and my name is Jiang Qingci. A few days ago My father wanted to give a gift to a distinguished person. When the housekeeper took inventory of the warehouse, he found that several calligraphy and paintings were missing. After tracing, he found one at the pawn shop. That day I went home with the redeemed paintings and talked about "Five Horses" with my father. My father thought this painting was very good, so he happily gave me money to buy it back. I was thinking that my father’s official career would inevitably lead to such things in the future, so I took the liberty to ask my wife, where should I go in the future? Looking for you everywhere..."
Chu Yao was surprised for a moment. Although she still had doubts in her heart, her face was more respectful and she nodded slightly: "It turns out it's the Yameni. I'm rude."
Jiang Qingci knew that she would definitely not trust him, so he thought for a while and then said: "There is no basis for your words. After the lady has finished her tea and rested for a while, I will take you to the Yamen of the state government, just in time to give this painting to my father. You It’s so reassuring.”
"Okay." It's always better to be cautious. Chu Yao promised to go to the government office with him later. If he was really the son of Suizhou Tongpan, she would naturally have nothing to worry about.
After eating tea and cakes to dissipate the heat, Chu Yao did not sit for a long time and left the teahouse with Jiang Qingci. While the other party was riding a horse, she and Zhiye still took the carriage and rushed to the Yamen of the state capital together.
Through the gap in the roller blind, the young man's back was straight, and he was leading the way with the reins in hand. Chu Yao suddenly felt that she was a little bold. Only three days after leaving the inner courtyard, she went to a strange place with a stranger. If it had been before, she would have I absolutely don’t dare.
But what can we do now? In the future, she will not have her husband's family to rely on, and her mother will be sick. She will be exposed in many places in the future, so she must be bolder.
After driving for about half an hour, the carriage stopped leisurely, and Jiang Qingci's voice came from the window: "We're here, please wait a moment, ladies."
Chu Yao lifted a corner of the curtain and saw him get off his horse and exchange greetings with the gatekeeper. The man asked, "Why is Yanei here on such a hot day?"
Jiang Qing said, "I'm here to deliver something to father. I'll be out in a quarter of an hour."
The man let him in without hesitation.
Chu Yao looked at the figure gradually disappearing into the yamen, and then she believed that he had not lied to her.
The sky was getting high, the fire umbrellas were raised high, and the carriage gradually began to get sultry because it was stationary and there was no wind coming in. Chu Yao had no choice but to open the car curtain to get some air and chat with Zhiye to relieve her boredom.
She asked Zhiye what her plans were next. If she wanted to return to her hometown to join her relatives, she could prepare enough expenses for her.
Zhiye shook her head and said no. She was born in a family with many brothers and sisters. Her parents did not love her. If she went back, she would be married off by her parents to earn a betrothal gift. It would be better to stay here and be with her sister. Serve the Zhou family together.
Chu Yao smiled and said: "I brought you out of the Lu family because I don't want you to be a slave anymore. Now we have some money on hand. In a few days, let's open a shop and start our own business, okay?"
Zhiye happily clapped his hands and said yes, and the two of them were happily planning their future, but did not notice a group of people walking out of the government office.
The leading man was dressed in a red and black riding attire, and his facial features were as calm as water with an aura of dignity and indifference. His slender and broad eyebrows casually glanced at the carriage parked not far from the gate, and his footsteps immediately stopped.
Through the car window, he saw a familiar gentle profile, with a fair and delicate neck leaning forward slightly, pink lips, and bright eyebrows, as if he was talking to someone about something happy.
Why did she come here?
Is she here to find him?
Probably yes. Besides herself, does she know anyone else here?
But at the moment, he was busy with military affairs and had no time to pay attention to her.
It's time to show her off and let her know her mistakes.
Thinking of this, Pei Zhan raised his feet and continued walking out, just in the direction away from the carriage.
Chu Yao heard the sound of footsteps and looked curiously at the door of the government office. She happened to see a group of dignified people leaving. Jiang Qingci stepped over the high threshold with his robes in hand and strode towards the carriage. Come.
