Chapter 38 Sources of Information
Fu Chen's room had a complete set of medicines for external injuries. He first cleaned the wound and sprinkled some medicine powder on it. After bandaging Tang Ying with fine white cloth, he looked at the blackened part of her hand and felt like laughing.
Tang Ying also noticed this: "It seems that I still need to go back to Aunt Yao to get something to dye the white cloth black, otherwise this hand will be too eye-catching."
It's okay that the hands are black, but the thin white cloth used to bandage them is too eye-catching.
Fu Chen knew what Yao Niang had done, and reminded Tang Ying again: "Aunt Yao acts strangely, all based on her mood. Although you have joined the Forbidden Cavalry Division, you are not a member of the Shadow Department. You don't have to agree to all her requests."
The Shadow Department is involved in the secrets of the Forbidden Cavalry Division, and although Tang Ying was brought into the Phoenix Department by the Ninth Princess Yuan Shu, her status is equivalent to those maids around the Ninth Princess, making it difficult for her to get into the core of the Shadow Department.
Yao Niang insisted on picking on Tang Ying, and she didn't know what it was about Tang Ying that caught her eye.
Privately, Fu Chen didn't want Tang Ying to go through layers of identity checks to enter the Film Department, and become a person who can't be seen in the light, walking around with secrets; secondly, the women in the Film Department can't help but use their beauty to please men, and once they enter the Film Department, they will have no choice. He couldn't bear to see Tang Ying fall into that situation.
She is the descendant of a loyal hero and comes from a prominent family. It is natural that she should live uprightly in broad daylight instead of hiding in the shadows.
Tang Ying heard good intentions in his words: "Thank you, sir. I understand."
That afternoon, when Liu Zhong and others were fighting each other with their bare chests, a new beggar appeared in front of Yan Yue Tower in the capital. Wearing a tattered felt hat, holding a broken bowl and carrying a dog-beating stick, he rubbed his way to the side and sat down next to the sleepy middle-aged beggar.
The middle-aged beggar was considered the leader of the beggars in this area. Not only did he guard the Feng Shui treasure land of Yanyue Tower, he also managed a dozen little beggars who offered him offerings.
He had just begged for half a pork elbow from Yan Yue Lou, which made him feel full. He was in a good mood and did not bother with the new beggar. He poked her leg with a stick and said, "Hey, kid, go beg somewhere else."
Tang Ying sat cross-legged, leaned against the wall and closed her eyes: "Uncle, did you buy this piece of land?"
The middle-aged beggar was furious: "How dare you talk like that, kid?" He was a beggar. If he could buy a piece of land, he would have become a rich man long ago. Why would he need be a beggar?
"Since it's not yours, what's wrong with me sitting here begging?"
The middle-aged beggar was about to hit her with his stick, but she caught him from the other side unexpectedly and pulled him hard, almost knocking him down. She also took the stick away from him.
"Uncle, your foodie is gone, do you still want to fight me?"
Middle-aged beggar: “…”
After the fight with the Forbidden Cavalry Division, Tang Ying had another fight with a group of beggars in the alley of Yanyue Tower, before Fu Chen’s newly bandaged wounds had fully healed.
Beggars in the capital city beg in designated areas, and they conquer their territories by showing off their bravery and brutality. Unexpectedly, they met Tang Ying, who made the beggars in this area change their ways in just one afternoon.
The middle-aged beggar lost two front teeth after being beaten by her . He limped and leaned on a stick to find another place to beg. One of his subordinates, about fourteen or fifteen years old, sent him off with a mouthful of thick spit, and surrounded Tang Ying to curry favor with her, saying, "Chang San often bullies us. He relies on the little kung fu he has learned to beat and scold us. From now on, we will follow our brother and live a good life. We don't have to endure Chang San's bullying anymore."
Tang Ying looked up at the sky: I haven’t escaped poverty yet, but I still eat and drink the best food… This is a bit too much to ask.
However, in order not to dampen her subordinates' good hopes for the future, she still...
"Brother, what's your last name?"
The last time Tang Ying and Fu Chen were riding horses past Yan Yue Tower, she was planning to spend ten taels of silver, but unexpectedly she was stopped by Lord Fu. When she went to buy sesame cakes at a stall, she saw Chang San beating two little beggars in the alley. The two little beggars knelt in front of him and begged for mercy, but they failed to make him stop.
"My last name is Zhang, call me Zhang Er."
"Brother Zhang." The little beggar who came over had a pair of bright eyes, revealing an indescribable cleverness. Perhaps he had been in the lower class for a long time and learned to be slick. It was as easy for him to change his head as to change the beggar's house. "My name is Baozi, and I just want to eat big meat buns every day."
Tang Ying understood. It turned out that his phrase of "eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks" was just a slogan. In practice, he just ate big meat buns every day. He was honest and cute.
This dream was easy to realize. She took out a piece of silver and said, "Go, buy a few baskets of meat buns. Second brother will treat you!"
Baozi was so happy that he stuttered: "Er Er... Er Ge, are you really going to treat us to big meat buns?"
Tang Ying smiled with her white teeth: "Go buy it quickly!" She had earned a lot of money from begging today, just the right amount to reward her new little brother.
※※※
Three days later, Yao Niang received the news.
"Aunt Yao, Zhang Ying has subdued the beggars on four streets."
Yao Niang was dumbfounded: "She really became a beggar?"
"Not only was he a beggar, he also conquered the beggars in four streets and became the beggar leader."
Yao Niang: "...At this rate, if we give her a few more months, won't she become the leader of the beggars in the capital?"
"...Auntie is joking."
Yao Niang couldn't help laughing: "The little girl is becoming more and more interesting."
The same message that Yao Niang received could also be received by Fu Chen.
On the first day that Tang Ying became a beggar, when he returned home, lanterns had already been lit at the door.
He had just dismounted, and the gatekeeper took over the reins. Suddenly, a man rushed out from the side and stretched out his hand to him: "Master, please be kind and give me something to eat!"
The gatekeeper shouted hurriedly: "Where did this beggar come from? He has come three times in this afternoon. I told you to stay away..." The second half of the sentence was choked in his throat. He watched helplessly as the commander took out a piece of silver from his arms and threw it into the little beggar's broken bowl, making a crisp sound.
Servants: “…”
The little beggar nodded and bowed: "Thank you kind uncle, I wish you can marry a beautiful wife and have a big fat boy next year!"
Servant: “…” You are really good at trying to please others!
Big fat boy?
Master Fu chuckled: "Is it fun to be a beggar?"
The little beggar followed the adult into the Fu Mansion, holding a stick and a broken bowl. The servant heard her slightly hoarse voice: "Snakes have their own paths, and rats have their own paths. It's quite interesting." He was so shocked that he stood there stupidly. He was blown by the cold wind for half a minute before he came to his senses.
In one afternoon, Tang Ying picked up the beggar leaders of two streets, gathered a group of younger brothers, and filled their ears with gossip. He collected more information than Zhang Qing collected by going out to drink tea with people, and perhaps it was more reliable.
For example, these beggars know more about every big house than the idle people drinking tea on the street. After all, they have seen with their own eyes which family buys more meat and vegetables, or which family has asked the owner of a jewelry store to come to the house today, or which family has asked the owner of a silk shop to come to the house, etc.
Or , the gift delivered at the side door of someone's house today looked like the style of the boots came from the north. Although the things inside were in the box, they were not light in weight, and there was even rice left.
If one is invited to dinner by the host, it either means that they have a close relationship, or the gift given is to the host's liking, or the host intends to show goodwill and wants to make friends with the person giving the gift.
There were all kinds of things, and she listened carefully. She also arranged for Baozi to take the two little beggars to pay more attention to the residences of the Minister of War Qin Huan and the Minister of Revenue Fang Jian'an. However, there was no need to report such things in detail to Commander Fu.
It was Tang Ying's fifth day as a beggar. It was almost curfew. After Fu Chen returned home, he stopped at the door for a while.
In the past, whenever he stopped at the door, Tang Ying would appear from somewhere and follow him back home.
But today was very strange. After waiting for a long time, no one showed up. Lord Fu felt it was quite strange. He refused the servant and went to tie up the horse himself, and also went to see Tengyun and Fu Yingjun.
Just as he picked up the horse, a little head popped up from the top of the wall, showing a bright smile with a mouthful of white teeth.
"My Lord, what a coincidence."
Fu Chen: “…” Lying on someone else’s wall in the middle of the night, how could this be a coincidence?
"Why don't you go through the front door?"
Tang Ying climbed up the wall, still panting heavily: "I can't go out the front door. I seem to have gotten into trouble today!"
She jumped down from the wall holding the broken bowl. Her landing posture was a little clumsy, not as agile as usual. When she stood up and walked, Fu Chen realized that she was injured.
"You are a beggar leader, so where are you going now?"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard continuous footsteps outside the wall, chasing all the way over, and someone shouted loudly: "Did you catch him? Where did the kid run to?"
Tang Ying put a finger to her lips, pretending to be quiet, and stood against the wall, listening to the noise outside.
Fu Chen looked at her and asked: What trouble have you gotten yourself into?
Tang Ying pointed outside the wall and covered her mouth.
The people outside the wall searched the alley for a while, and some speculated: "Will that kid run to the Fu family?"
"Fu Chen is ruthless and cruel, and has a bad reputation. That kid would only dare to break into Fu's house if he didn't want to die, right?"
"Forget it, let's go back home first."
The gang chased for a long time but lost him, so they could only return home and make other plans.
