Heavenly prison.
An Ying knelt down and said, "Luo Qiaoniang, now that Zheng Ping has been taken into custody, you can go in peace."
Luo Qiaoniang sighed and kowtowed heavily to An Ying.
"Miss An, I didn't expect that I would be able to understand so well. May I ask a few more questions?"
An Ying knew what she was going to ask and said softly before she could speak: "I heard that Duo'er was killed by Zheng Ying when the officers and soldiers arrested Zheng Ying at Ding's house."
Luo Qiaoniang's eyes were red and she vomited blood. She couldn't hold herself up and fell down. An Ying took the opportunity to get close to her ear and said, "The wet nurse you found for her is a loyal one. At the foot of Guzhu Mountain, the Luo family has a five-year-old daughter." girl."
Luo Qiaoniang was breathing rapidly and suddenly grabbed An Ying's hand, sobbing. Zhong Tianfu, who was behind, was ordered to monitor. When he saw that the two of them had almost finished talking, he shouted: "Miss An, it's almost time, do you think?"
An Ying walked out of the prison. It was autumn now and the sky was blue. She looked up at the sky outside the prison of the Criminal Department, thinking about the fear and helplessness she felt when she first came here a few months ago, and smiled and walked outside.
Still in the deserted shade, she opened her wet palm, and inside was a small seal. Luo Qiaoniang's soft sighing voice sounded in her ears: "Send it to you."
Anying didn't know the outcome of the tribute tea case until the beginning of the next year. Mrs. Shen brought over the densely copied newspapers from the residence. An Ying read them and said: "Luo Qiaoniang was sentenced to beheading for the most heinous crime. All the men over the age of fifteen who were convicted of smuggling tea in Shuanglin Village were hanged. The women were exiled to Qiongzhou and were not allowed to return home for life." .He Qing was sentenced to Lingchi for smuggling tea. Men over the age of fifteen from the three tribes were hanged, and women were exiled to Beihai for life without being allowed to return home."
An Ying read this and thought of He Qing's wife Yao Qingze, and couldn't help feeling sad. Mrs. Shen pulled out a piece of paper from under the residence newspaper and said: "Yao family promised to make peace with He Qing even before execution, and the children she gave birth to also requested to leave the clan with sincere words. After reading this, Queen Zhou was extremely sympathetic and granted a pardon. He Qing's wife and his original wife and children are gone, but the son of the He family will not be allowed to enter the officialdom for life."
An Ying couldn't help but sigh and said, "Actually, Luo Pinniang never wanted He Qing's favor."
Mrs. Shen rolled her eyes at her, "You girl, even Luo Piniang sympathizes with you. How can you still care about the miserable people in this world? You have become Guanyin Bodhisattva. Do you know how many things have been found out from Luo Pinniang? ?”
An Ying shook his head. Mrs. Shen took a sip of the sweet soup and made a five with her hands. Seeing An Ying's dull expression, she said angrily: "Fifty thousand taels. All the major banks can redeem bills, only our Shen family bank." There are only 150,000 taels in it. Fortunately, I have enough cash in the bank in the capital. Luo Pingniang still has several boxes of treasures there, which are difficult to value. But I heard that He Qing still has 500,000 taels of silver. In the end, he was probably transported to the Xia Kingdom. Because of this, the Holy One sentenced Ling Chi. We haven't heard of Ling Chi's punishment in Daqi for many years."
An Ying paused and said nothing.
Mrs. Shen turned around again and said mysteriously: "Yao's appearance is a wonderful work. She survived in the face of death. I guess someone gave her guidance."
An Ying's mind changed and he already thought it was Su Huangzhe, but he still didn't understand, so he asked: "Why do you say this is a desperate attempt to survive? How did Yao know that the Queen would grant a pardon?"
Mrs. Shen said: "Don't the Holy One favor Concubine Su now? You still can't understand this? Why are you so clever and clever?"
Only then did An Ying realize that it was the main wife's sympathy for the main wife and her hatred for the concubine. She couldn't help but give Master Su a thumbs up in her heart. It was a good way to save the country through curves.
An Ying continued reading and saw that Bao Yong, the general of the Central Strategy Army, was dismissed from his post, and the hereditary title of Zhongyong Marquis of the Bao family was inherited by Bao Yong's cousin. Mrs. Shen also explained on the side: "Zhou Wenju, the former Minister of Household Affairs, has already become an official. The emperor did not want to pursue it, so he asked the Zhou family to spit out the money they received. However, it turns out that the youngest son of the Zhou family will not have an official career in the future. He was originally a very popular figure. It is probably not easy to hold the Xia State accountable, and they did not take any special measures. They just reprimanded the Minister of Honglu Temple."
An Ying read a few more Di's newspapers, all of which were about the transfer of officials in this tribute tea case. Among them, it was mentioned that the original governor of Huzhou was transferred to Jingzhou, and Dai Chang became the governor of the capital. Mrs. Shen also smiled and said: "My brother-in-law has managed to survive. By the way, your shop will open in a few days? What else are you missing?"
An Ying said with a smile: "Everything is arranged properly, just wait for the auspicious day to open. You can go too then, I have got some new things in the shop."
Mrs. Shen responded with a smile: "Okay, I heard from Yanhua that you have tinkered with a lot of good things, and Yayu and the others are also clamoring to go to your shop to try something new. But I heard that Mr. Su from the Criminal Department and Mr. Guo are very enthusiastic. I have taken a fancy to you, so I think working in the Ministry of Justice is also a way out."
Seeing that An Ying remained silent, Mrs. Shen clapped her hand and said, "I'll be more straightforward. Although Daqi didn't treat merchants like the previous dynasty, it has looked down upon us for so many years. There are too many merchants, and even if they look good on the surface, they look down on them in their hearts. Your mother left early. If you can find a position in the Ministry of Justice, it will be easier for your younger siblings to get ahead in the future, or for you to get married yourself. "
"Most of the people who seek positions in the court are noble ladies who want to get a good name. But there are also many commoner women who have done well in the officialdom and have a good career. It all depends on their ability. It's rare for Mr. Su and others to take a fancy to your ability. You should consider it carefully. Think about it. If it's any other chores like this for your siblings at home, you can rest assured. Your brother will go to Jinling Mansion Academy with my son when the time comes, and your sister will go up to Liuting Garden. I'll just say hello to my natal family."
While the two were talking, Fireworks came in and said: "Madam, the master is here."
After entering the house, Shen Lizhi saw An Ying and said, "I heard that your tea shop is about to open. Then all the tea shops in Huzhou City will come to support you." Shen Lizhi knew An Ying's importance in the previous tea tribute case. I also knew that Mrs. Shen liked this girl very much, so she became familiar with her.
An Ying saluted and said with a smile: "Master Shen really praises us. We country people go to the city to do business, and we need the support of the bosses."
Fireworks brought hot drinks, and Shen Lizhi said while drinking: "Your An family tea is of high quality, and your father's craftsmanship is good. I heard that the tea shops in the capital are very nervous." An Ying smiled and said nothing, and Shen Lizhi turned around and said to Mrs. Shen He stood up and said, "Spring will begin in a few days, and the governor will select a new tea shop manager. Look at this time..." Shen Lizhi said nothing while he was talking.
An Ying knew that Shen Lizhi wanted Mrs. Shen to visit her brother-in-law and ask him to take over the title of manager of the Huzhou Tea Shop, so he said with a smile: "Mrs. Shen, if you want to talk in advance. I have some things to do at home, so I will go back first." Sorry, I’ll bother you again next time.”
After An Ying left, Shen Lizhi saw that Mrs. Shen didn't answer for a long time, and saw her leisurely letting the fireworks pick up the fruit to eat. Shen Lizhi coughed and added to himself: "You see, we and Quan Xiang Ji are the only ones who can take charge of this matter now. Quan Xiang Ji's Lao Chu's brother-in-law is Chief Wang, and it was Du who left. Sir, if Lao Chu takes over the job, wouldn’t it be a slap in the face for my brother-in-law?”
Mrs. Shen spit out the date core, and Yanhua brought fragrant soup for Mrs. Shen to drink. Mrs. Shen said: "We will discuss the matters later. I heard that you wanted to withdraw one hundred taels of silver from the shop yesterday. , and a few coins. Do you want to give out red envelopes? Isn’t this too much money?”
Shen Liyi looked embarrassed, "The silver is for buying a house. The copper is for giving to the neighbors to warm up the house."
"What kind of house should I buy? A hundred taels of house is not big. What are you doing? Is the golden house hiding your beauty?" Mrs. Shen looked back with a smile.
Shen Lizhi quickly said: "How could I do such a thing?" He slapped his thigh again and said: "To tell you the truth, I went to Zhili Town to visit my mother and second brother the day before yesterday, and I took a look at Wang Qian. These few Yue is in good health, so she wants to go back to live in the city, but is afraid of the inconvenience of living at home, so she wants to rent a small house in the city. I thought it would be better to buy one myself if I rent a house, and it will be counted as her dowry in the future." After that, Secretly looking at Mrs. Shen's face, I thought about last night when Wang Qian said that if Mrs. Shen makes a fuss, just say that the money belongs to the Shen family and you are the master of the family. Madam's fault.
There was no special expression on Mrs. Shen's face. After saying "oh," she said: "Dowry, that makes sense. Wang Qian is not young either, almost twenty, right?"
Shen Lizhi didn't expect her to say that, and immediately received the message: "Yes, it was not due to the breakup of the engagement a few years ago. If you have a suitable candidate, please help find him." Shen Lizhi followed the words and then thought of the tea shop manager. He was embarrassed to talk about the matter, so he said to Yanhua: "Bring me a freshly brewed drink. It's hot. Why is it still so cold outside? It's hard to deal with the tea this year."
Mrs. Shen smiled and said nothing. Outside, Mrs. Wang brought Brother Rong in. When Shen Lizhi saw her son, she asked happily: "Brother Rong, how are you doing in school recently? I heard that you got first place in the exam years ago. Come and study hard and become a Jinshi. In the future, our Shen family will also be a family of officials."
Brother Rong climbed onto the low couch beside him, which was covered with soft cushions and pillows. He sat there, sipping sweet tea, and said, "Dad, I did well in the arithmetic exam. There was also riding and archery in the classics and history class. The classes are all average. I don’t think I can pass the Jinshi subject, but I want to try Si Tianjian. My teacher in the arithmetic subject is the former young eunuch of Si Tianjian.”
After hearing this, Shen Lizhi said angrily: "What's so good about Si Tianjian?"
Mrs. Shen ignored Shen Lizhi's words and said thoughtfully: "Si Tianjian's young eunuch actually teaches in your academy? But Zhang Luzheng."
Brother Rong returned: "Yes, do you know Mom? Professor Zhang is knowledgeable and talented, and his math skills are very strong."
Mrs. Shen shook her head: "I have heard that he is a mathematical genius who once deduced the golden ring solar eclipse. Si Tianjian is different from other places. Talent is extremely important. It has been controlled by the Zhang family for generations. Zhang Luzheng is the most important person in the Zhang family. The gifted eldest son."
When Brother Rong heard this, he got excited and asked, "Then he shouldn't be in Si Tianjian, so how can he come to our academy?"
Mrs. Shen said: "I don't know very well. I only know that during the reign of Emperor Zhaode, Zhang Luzhengbu calculated a big mistake, so the direct branch of the Zhang family was driven out of the capital. However, the ancestors of the Zhang family were all good at mathematics and astronomy. , engraving and other subjects, if you really like it, we will visit you another day."
Seeing the lively conversation between mother and son, Shen Lizhi couldn't get in the conversation at all and walked away. However, thinking about the matter of buying a house for Wang Qian, he felt relieved and quickly called the shopkeeper to get the land deed from the middle-aged man. .
The next day, Shen Lizhi went to the newly purchased house and arranged for people to clean it and put away the furniture. Wang Qian said timidly: "Cousin, my cousin won't be angry with you, right? It's all my fault. ." As he spoke, his eyes turned red again.
Shen Lizhi was about to comfort him when he looked at Wang Qian's dark face, swallowed the words in his mouth, and responded casually: "No, your sister-in-law is very generous, she said it right away. I'll ask your sister-in-law to help you find someone." Home, this is your dowry."
Wang Qian wiped her eyes with the handkerchief again and said: "My life is miserable. I was mistakenly engaged just before I got engaged. Now I am afraid that I can't find a suitable partner at my age. If I am an old man's house filler, I might as well find a place." It's a clean death. Cousin, I will live in this house from now on, so don't worry and argue about me."
Before Shen Lizhi's distressed words came out, Wang Qian heard Grandma Liu's stereotypical voice: "Cousin, our master and his wife didn't have any dispute. You said the wife on the left was angry and the wife on the right was arguing. What are you worried about?" Na."
Shen Lizhi thought so and said, "Didn't I tell you, Madam agreed right away. By the way, Granny Liu, were you sent by Madam to look at the furniture and other things in the house?"
Granny Liu saluted and said, "Many uncles have come to the clan. Madam, please go back and entertain them."
When Shen Lizhi heard this, he wondered: "You are so out of character, what is the purpose of this clan member? Is it because I am in jail? It is too late to come to visit now."
One time, four or five of Shen Lizhi's cousins and uncles were sitting in the Shen family hall. Shen Lizhi saluted and sat down and asked, "I wonder what important matters uncle comes here today?"
Shen Lizhi's cousin Shen Xinmin said: "I heard that your mother said that you bought a dowry for your cousin from your mother's side?"
Shen Lizhi was confused when he heard this, so he had to respond: "It's true. The girl is old and it's hard to find a family. It's a good deed to accompany her with some valuable dowry."
"Then several girls in our clan have grown up, can you help me?" Shen Lizhi's cousin Shen Xinzhong said: "The daughter of your cousin's second noble family will be sixteen soon, and the family can't even get a complete set of jewelry." Come out, you have to help me with this, right?”
On a cold day in early spring, Shen Lizhi broke into a sweat and said, "This, I have to discuss this with my wife. As you know, I have been in prison for more than half a year, and she has the final say in everything in the shop. "
Before she finished speaking, Mrs. Shen came out from behind and said, "I listen to the master. This is the property of the Shen family. I have no right to speak. Is this master promoting me or putting me on the fire?" ?" As he said this, he saluted his uncle in the clan.
Shen Xinmin had always seen this niece-in-law who was pleasing to the eye, well-educated, well-behaved, and when he heard what she said, he felt that the nephew-in-law was considerate, kind, and knew how to advance and retreat. He said: "After all, she is a girl from the Qian family. We, the Shen family, can marry her." You are a blessing to our Shen family. Li Zhi, look at your wife saying this, why are you trying to shirk it?"
Shen Xinzhong said again: "The Wang family girl has already expressed her innocence, and you still take care of her. But you turn a blind eye to the poor girl in the clan. This is inappropriate."
Shen Lizhi had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree. After finally seeing his uncle off, it was already nightfall. Shen Lizhi returned to the room and paced back and forth, while saying to Mrs. Shen: "Why did you just agree? There are so many girls in this clan, so it's okay to buy a dowry. I bought it this year, what should I do in the future? Are we all paying for it?"
Mrs. Shen was served by Yanhua and Mrs. Wang and took off her hairpin. She closed her eyes and said, "I didn't agree. Didn't you agree? If you don't want to, don't agree. Besides, the clan is not unreasonable. After all, such distant relatives have helped so much, but the close clan members have not helped me. How will I face my fellow villagers when I return to the clan in the future?"
Shen Lizhi said worriedly: "If we were still in the past, this would be a trivial matter. But now it's different from the past. We just stick to the tea shop. Even if it gets bigger, the income will be no more than before. Hey, what can we do?"
Mrs. Shen's hair was combed down and tied into a loose bun. She smeared a thick layer of ointment on her face and said leisurely, "It's not impossible."
After hearing this, Shen Lizhi stood up and heard Mrs. Shen say: "Don't buy Wang Qian's house. Just buy some clothes, fabrics and wooden utensils for all seasons. All the money from the house will be used to buy these. I guess the girls in the clan That's enough. These things don't cost much money, and they will look good as part of your dowry in the future."
Shen Lizhi felt good at the moment and immediately put on his shoes and ran out.
Mrs. Wang put balm on Mrs. Shen's hands and said softly, "Madam, thank you for your hard work."
Mrs. Shen squinted her eyes, leaned on the couch, and said with a smile: "If everything goes smoothly, this is not considered hard work."
Mrs. Wang responded in a low voice: "If it wasn't for the eldest son, you wouldn't have..."
"You think that my sister will have nothing to worry about now that she is Mrs. Fu Yin. Her food and clothing expenses are not as good as mine, and her life is not comfortable. Hey, she just looks glamorous."
After Mrs. Wang massaged her hands, she squatted down to massage Mrs. Shen's feet and said, "But if the master knows about the property in your hands, it will be difficult. After all, it was originally the property of the Shen family. "
"When Brother Rong grows up, the property will also be handed over to him. Besides, the Shen family's original properties have changed hands so many times in the past ten years, and they have nothing to do with the Shen family. Unless the father-in-law is here, others will be handed over to him. I can’t even close it up.”
After Mrs. Wang massaged her feet, she brought a pair of satin soft shoes and put them on Mrs. Shen. Mrs. Shen walked towards the bed and said with a smile: "You have to live your life on your own."
