Chapter 517: The Women Settle in the Capital (Part 2)
"You are most familiar with the various prefectures, so you have two tasks. One is to gather relevant information from each prefecture and then report back to us. Second, each of the wealthy families has many farms outside the city, and they have countless grain reserves. I will use any method you can to buy all the grain you can from these families. Furthermore, we must also keep our actions secret from everyone. You can do it!"
"Don't worry, Sister Lin, I will definitely not let you two sisters down!" Xiangyun said excitedly.
Since she was a child, she had accompanied her two aunts to various mansions for banquets and visits. She was actually more familiar with each mansion than other people. She also had some familiar sisters in each mansion, so it was naturally convenient for her to communicate with them.
"There is one more thing, which is also of utmost importance!"
"That's our safety!"
"This time, we're facing the Cao Gang, a group that even the imperial court fears. If pushed to the limit, no one knows what they might do. Although we want to help Third Brother, we can't cause him any more trouble. If anyone here makes a mistake, Sister Bao and I won't be able to explain to Third Brother."
"Therefore, from now on until the end of this matter, except for Xiangyun who will be traveling outside, the rest of us will all live in the mansion!"
"Yuanyang, sister-in-law, my third brother left behind some personal guards before he left. Tell them to brace themselves and guard both mansions!"
"We will temporarily assign all our female guards to Xiangyun. We will discuss this after she finishes her work and ."
"But this isn't enough. If the Cao Gang really wants to take action, the power disparity is still too great!" Daiyu gritted her teeth and turned to Sister Feng. "Sister Feng, tell Uncle Wang to pass the message to the Military Commission. The Five Cities Military Commission is Third Brother's man, so they're trustworthy. Furthermore, they have the greatest power in the city. If they help, we won't have to worry about anything the Cao Gang wants to do."
Baochai looked at Daiyu with admiration. If other things were just overstepping one's bounds, this one was truly exercising the power of the Marquis of Guanjun. She could think of it, but she wouldn't necessarily do it. However, Daiyu's decisiveness and intelligence enabled her to do it, and she could do it.
This is the difference in status. Baochai is smart but comes from a royal merchant family, but Daiyu has Lin Ruhai backing her up after all!
Therefore, there are some things that Daiyu is too lazy to think about or do on a daily basis, but when she really takes it seriously, she is destined to do better than herself.
Even without mentioning Jia Cong's true identity, the fact that she was the wife of the Marquis of Guanjun was enough.
However, Baochai wasn't too worried about the safety of everyone! The noise they were making would certainly be significant, at least not hidden from the Jinyiwei or the imperial family. Given Jia Cong's status, the Emperor and Empress would likely send someone to secretly handle the situation.
Feng Jieer accepted the order without saying a word!
"Let's leave it like this for now. If Sister Bao and I have overlooked anything, you sisters can always bring it up. If you have any good ideas, please feel free to bring them up. On weekdays, if there's anything important or new news, we can discuss it here. If you need to pass on a message, please have a trusted maid do it."
With the convening of the first "formal meeting" of the girls , everyone acted according to the instructions given by Baochai and Daiyu.
The next day, Wang Xifeng went to the Wang family in person, and Zhen Muring also went directly out of the house to the clan house to see Zhen Muyu. Xiangyun brought a group of female guards to various houses to inquire about news and find excuses to buy food and rice.
When Wang Ziteng heard what Feng Jie had said, he could hardly hold back his shudder. This group of maids were actually going to make such a big noise. However, you know what, even though they were just a group of little maids and female relatives, the power they represented was enough to make anyone look sideways.
Not to mention the four families of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue, all of them were mobilized. Part of the power of the Lin family, the Zhen family, the remaining power of Prince Beijing, and even many people from various prefectures in Shenjing would be inexplicably pulled in. Maybe, they could really accomplish this major task that gave the court a headache.
Since the safety of the women was at stake, Wang Ziteng certainly didn't dare to be negligent. Although the Bingmasi was not under his direct jurisdiction, as the Minister of War he was very familiar with Qian Huai and the others.
Moreover, there is no need to do anything about this matter. Just pass the message on. I think Qian Huai and others also understand the importance of the matter.
In Shenjing City, within the jurisdiction of the Five Cities Military Command, if a woman belonging to one of their superiors was injured by a thief, the deputy commanders of the five military commands would simply kill themselves. Furthermore, the incident involving the two daughters of the Yu family had nearly brought Shenjing to its knees. This time Baochai, Daiyu, and the others were registered with the imperial family, and were also the women chosen by Jia Cong, holding a much higher status than the Yu sisters.
If something really happened to them, it would not be surprising for Jia Cong to lead an army of 100,000 to fight back. So, how could Qian Huai and others dare not pay attention?
As expected, after receiving Wang Ziteng's message, all five military divisions took action.
First, they increased the number of patrols, especially in the streets and alleys around the Jia Mansion. Day and night, at least two teams of soldiers patrolled, and no breaks were allowed. In addition, many more personnel were secretly deployed.
The first is to secretly check on strangers appearing around the Jia Mansion, and the second is to deploy personnel at the four city gates. Once the Cao Gang or a large number of strangers enter the city, they will be immediately watched by the Bingmasi.
For example, when Xiangyun left the mansion, it seemed that she was only protected by some female guards and personal guards, but in front and behind her, there were hundreds of soldiers and horses, either openly or covertly...
Even in the houses of Lin Ruhai and the Xue family, although not as important as the Jia family, there were still many people protecting them.
After the women discussed it, Daiyu also passed the news to Lin Ruhai. After all, Lin Ruhai was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the chief official in charge of this matter. Such an help should not be underestimated.
When Lin Ruhai learned this, he was equally stunned. Was this still his daughter who only knew spring flowers and autumn moons? When did she become so cruel? Moreover, these little girls even used the opponent's strength to create such a big scene?
After thinking about it, Lin Ruhai didn't try to stop it! Having such a disruptor might actually be a good thing.
On the third day, all the women gathered in Ningzheng Hall again!
"Sister Feng, all the cash is with you now. How much silver have you collected in total?" Daiyu asked.
When Wang Xifeng heard Daiyu's question, her face flushed. She had seen and experienced this before, but this was the first time she had ever held such a large sum of money in her hands.
