Chapter 964: The Days When Sun Erlang Was Away (Part 2)
Qiu Yunfei said goodbye to everyone at Yihong Courtyard and strode straight to the front yard. However, just as he walked around the covered bridge in front of the door, he suddenly tripped. If he had not been quick enough to grab the pillar, he would have nearly fallen flat on his face.
"Master Qiu, you..."
The servant next to him hurried forward to help.
Qiu Yunfei raised his hand to push him away, and said, "This wine has some aftereffects today, but it's okay, just let me rest here for a while."
As he spoke, he leaned against the railing and closed his eyes to rest .
Seeing this, the servant wanted to ask for a bowl of sobering soup for him, but he was afraid that he might accidentally fall into the water and he would not be able to rescue him in time.
Just when he was in a dilemma, he suddenly saw Banhe and Saohong carrying an empty bucket, talking and laughing as they walked towards him.
The servant was overjoyed and rushed over to greet him: "Brother He San, you came at a great time, come..."
"Look, look."
But before he could finish his words, Ban Hexian smiled and pointed, "I told you this guy has a dog's nose. If there's anything valuable, he can never hide it from me!"
Saohong beside him also laughed: "Look at how anxious you are. Today, there are only three of us on duty. Can Banhe and I miss out on your benefits?"
As he spoke, he took out a small paper bag from his bosom and threw it into the arms of the boy.
"this……"
The boy hugged her subconsciously and looked at her doubtfully for a few times, but he didn't have time to think about it, and hurriedly said, "No, I..."
“That’s a lot.”
Ban He's face immediately turned cold: "The best tribute tea costs several taels of silver for one penny. If we embezzle too much and get caught, we will suffer the consequences!"
Saohong also chimed in, "Let's pick up the scraps and share them, and then say that we were greedy and wanted to try something new. Even if Master Bao knew about it, he wouldn't say anything."
He paused, as if afraid that the servant might be dissatisfied, and then lowered his voice and reminded: "When you sell them outside, just tell people that it was our Master Bao who gave them to you, and I guarantee you won't lose anything!"
"Of course!"
Ban He proudly shook off his sleeves and boasted with his thumb raised: "These days, as long as you have the three words of our Rongguo Mansion, even a few pieces of rotten wood can be used as copper coins, not to mention the tribute tea 'awarded' by Master Bao."
"Isn't it?"
The servant opposite also forgot about his business for a moment, carefully put away the tea bag, and said with saliva flying: "The other day, Zhang Chundeng leaked out of our house, and somehow it was linked to our second master. It was immediately hyped up to a sky-high price, and was bought by a local rich man for 85 taels..."
As he was speaking, he suddenly saw Banhe and Saohong in front of him bowing together and greeting him respectfully:
"Master Qiu."
The servant was startled, and then he remembered his original intention. He turned around and asked with a smile: "Master Qiu, are you feeling better?"
"That's fine."
Qiu Yunfei raised his chin and said, "I still have some official business to deal with. Let's go."
Having said that, he hurried along the willow bank to the front yard.
The servant looked at Ban He and Sao Hong with a bitter face, and seeing that they were both glaring at each other, he wanted to explain something, but he did n't dare to ignore Qiu Yunfei. He could only bow and say "I'll tell you when I come back", and chased after them like the wind.
But Qiu Yunfei walked forward with his hands behind his back. Not long after he walked away, he suddenly saw something black covering the flower beds beside the road. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a dense layer of tea leaves.
Thinking of the conversation between the three servants just now, he couldn't help but stop.
By chance, the servant came up from behind, and Qiu Yunfei pointed at the flower bed and asked, "How come all these high-quality tea leaves were scattered in the flower bed?"
"Hmm."
When the servant first heard the word "tea", his heart trembled. Later, when he heard Qiu Yunfei was asking about the flower garden, he became a little more relaxed and said with a smile: "Didn't we just make a dish called 'Honey-roasted Deer Lips'? It tastes fishy and sweet right after it's made. It must be rolled in the best tea soup to remove the fishy smell and greasiness, and then soaked in some tea fragrance..."
At this point, he raised his hand and pointed at the flowerbed: "But the tea leaves that have been brushed with oil and honey can no longer be used. They can only be used as fertilizer for the flowers."
The tea leaves in that flower garden probably weigh more than a pound!
If the servants hadn't boasted so much just now, wouldn't this dish have cost hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver? !
Even a playboy like Qiu Yunfei couldn't help but be amazed.
Perhaps his face showed some color, and the servant secretly saw it, and hurriedly smiled and explained: "It's just to entertain you today. Otherwise, our Second Master Bao is still very frugal. Unlike the eldest master, who keeps a few prostitutes and spends a lot of money..."
Halfway through his speech, he suddenly came to his senses, quickly closed his mouth, and forced a silly smile.
After all, he had been hanging around in the mansion for many years, so he naturally understood that trouble comes from the mouth. It was just that he was caught by Qiu Yunfei when he withheld the master's tea, so he felt uneasy and couldn't help but talk too much.
However, Qiu Yunfei had no intention of asking further questions.
Besides, he was the Tongpan of Shuntian Prefecture and the son of the deputy commander of the Five Cities Army. How could he not know what the eldest master of Rongguo Mansion had done?
In fact, the Second Prince was born just over half a year ago. Although the call for a new crown prince has been growing louder and even the Dowager Concubine has taken the initiative to endorse the Second Prince, the Rongguo Mansion has become too arrogant!
Let’s not talk about the cheating, deception and tyranny committed by the master Jia She and his servants.
Even the most stable Second Master Jia Zheng has been making frequent moves recently, submitting letters to impeach officials in the court for various illegal activities. For a time, his popularity even surpassed that of many imperial censors.
Although this is not a crooked thing to do, the people offended and the troubles left behind are more than those caused by Jia She!
If there is really any good or bad thing...
Shaking his head secretly, Qiu Yunfei took another step and hurried to the front yard - his father was dead and his mother was remarried, everyone should take care of themselves, so he should deal with the official business in the yamen first.
…
In the summer of the 15th year of Guangde, there was a major epidemic in the capital area.
The number of old, weak and dead people is countless.
By the Mid-Autumn Festival, the epidemic situation gradually eased.
…
August 23rd.
In the south of Beijing, the autumn wind rustles, blowing up a field of wild wormwood.
Under the fluttering flags, Sun Shaozong sat on the back of a horse called Wuyuntashuexue, looking over the heads of the crowd at the majestic city in the distance.
Finally back!
If it weren't for the official from the Ministry of Rites leading the way, he would have wanted to gallop on his horse...
It was really what he wished for. Just when he was wishing he could whip his horse faster, he saw a horse galloping up and the people in front of the team stood up.
Before the horse's hooves touched the ground, the knight shouted, "The Concubine Dowager has passed away. Heaven and earth mourn together. All officials at all levels must change into mourning clothes at the post station before they are allowed to enter the capital!"
Toffee disease...
The emperor's biological mother died?
Sun Shaozong was still wondering what impact this incident would have on the fight for the throne, but the white-bearded official from the Ministry of Rites next to him could no longer wait and stepped forward to inquire.
"May I ask why the Empress Dowager passed away so suddenly? When I left Beijing five days ago, I didn't hear that the Empress Dowager had contracted the plague?"
The official who delivered the message did not hide anything, and when he saw Sun Shaozong staring at him, he even raised his tone on his own initiative.
Then he said, "The Dowager Concubine didn't get the plague, it was the Second Prince who got it - and after the Second Prince died, the Dowager Concubine was so sad that she passed away as well."
The second prince is dead too?
Sun Shaozong suddenly felt a surge of energy rushing straight to his head, and his mind was filled with four words:
Oh~
I won!
