Chapter 152
Rong Xiangmian, like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, pushed Zhou Xianyang away and ran away, hiding her face.
Just after leaving Xingfang Pavilion, she bumped into someone, Rong Xiangmian didn’t react, she bowed her head and said, “I’m sorry.”
That person did not say anything, stretched his neck to look into the Apricot Pavilion, and bumped into last week’s Xian Yang looked at him with an unfavorable face, and hurriedly crossed the doorway, and left through another path.
When Rong Xiangxian saw Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei coming from the same path, he hurriedly pretended to be fine and laughed, “You guys should also go into the Apricot Pavilion to have a look, the landscape is nice.”
“Good.” Xiao Nan came closer and lowered his voice, “We followed that person up.”
Rong Xiangshi reacted, looking at the person’s back, “Following us?”
“Yes, just now you bumped into, look at his heart …… look and you do not know him! If I were, I would have walked in and listened to you talk.”
Xiao Nan gloated, Rong Xiangmian bet she hadn’t done this before.
On the other side, Zhou Xian Yang was about to come out, but the nun stopped him: “Is your name Zhou, and you are the fourth in your family?” He heard this and his feet stalled.
The nun stopped him: “Are you the fourth in your family?” He stumbled and said, “How do you know that?”
The nun immediately folded her hands, recited “Amitabha Buddha”, and said: “When you returned to the capital from the South China Gate, the anemic nun had the chance to see from afar.”
“Well, what can I do for you?” Zhou Xian Yang had a hunch that this nun would not just want to say hello.
Sure enough, she smiled and said, “There is a woman who wants to see you.”
A roaring sound rang in his ears, and Zhou Xian Yang asked softly, “Who is it?”
“The donor will know if you go to that barbecue store.”
Nun Ming Jing?
Zhou Xian Yang fixed his mind and coldly said, “Who is so honorable to see this king, tell her to go to the Yü Wang Mansion and inform the concierge.”
The nun knew that he was suspicious, and said frankly, “From a nunnery with only three people, Caged Moon Nunnery has grown to what it is today, without the support of a person from Spirit State back then. Don’t worry.”
Lingzhou? This is my grandfather’s old home. This nunnery was supported by the Yu family?
But there are eyes all over the place, and Xiang Yi can’t be seen just because he wants to.
Zhou Xianyang didn’t move and left the house. Xiang Xiang and Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei were outside and heard these words. At first, they didn’t dare to believe it, but when they saw the nun’s frank behavior, and remembered that she had stopped them from getting close, she probably saw that person approaching to monitor, and then reminded them, so it did seem to be helping them.
Zhou Xian Yang held Xiang Xiang’s hand and walked down: “Luckily you knocked that man away just now. Otherwise, if he had overheard these words, there would have been a lot of trouble.”
Rong Xiangmian laughed, “Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei are following him, they definitely won’t let him get away with it.”
“That’s right!” Xiao Bei made a movement with his hands.
Zhou Xian Yang crossed his eyes, “If you end up with him, won’t you expose yourself? This person is useful to keep, if the Emperor’s suspicions don’t subside, we’ll just use this group of people to prove our innocence.”
“Alas, the Nine Gates Patrol Battalion is not keeping an eye on it, and now it’s been replaced with people from the Imperial City.” Rong Xiangshi spat out.
Zhou Xian Yang somewhat guiltily wrapped his arms around her waist her, “It’s all my fault.”
Rong Xiangmian slapped his hand down, “Pay attention, you have just been taught a lesson and not enough ah?”
Zhou Xian Yang snapped and retracted his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, his tone aggravated: “Why are you getting meaner and meaner to me? When we first got married, you were very gentle.”
Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei look at each other in surprise, they have never seen King Yu being so petulant.
Xiang Xiang could not look at him like that and laughed, “I have never been mean to you for no reason. Outside, your behavior should be more restrained, otherwise people will see it as disrespectful. If you think I’m not gentle, go find a gentle one. ”
“Ugh, why are you saying this again!” Zhou Xian Yang disliked her the most, and was instantly not very happy. Rong Xiangyang smiled and took the initiative to pull his hand, begging for peace, “Alright, let’s not talk about it later, let’s go eat barbecued meat.”
That Ming Jing nun recognized them at a glance.
It was only then that Zhou Xian Yang remembered that when he accompanied Xiang Xiang to worship his mother for the first time and came to buy barbecued meat, Ming Jing seemed to have recognized him, only that at that time, she had intentionally covered it up, so he didn’t pay attention to it.
This time, Ming Jing did not hide it at all and laughed, “Yo, girl and Langjun are here again?”
Rong Xiangxian laughed, “Yes, how could I not meet this spectacle of a thousand year old tree being reborn?”
“How many cuts of meat this time?”
Xiangmian said, “Two cuts of meat and four plates of fruit.”
“Alright, you wait.”
Ming Jing prepared the food while casually asking, “We have a branch outside Huan Yu Gate, do you want to go over and try it?”
Zhou Xian Yang took the plate, his fingers couldn’t help but tremble, he patiently stared at Ming Jing’s eyes, and said word by word: “It’s inconvenient today, we’ll talk about it later.”
Ming Jing immediately understood what was going on and didn’t say much, carefully packing up the meat. Her fellow went to help them pack up a table as usual.
Autumn was high and clear, the four of them sat together in front of Ming Jing’s barbecue store, eating barbecue meat and drinking fresh osmanthus tea, lazily basking in the sun, their appearance looked no more cozy.
If he hadn’t known that there were a few people sitting not far away as well, Zhou Xian Yang could have met Yu Xiang Yi today.
Rong Xiangyan was angry at the thought of it.
In the Chongzheng Hall, the Honorable Envoy of the Department of Penal Precepts, Xiao Gong, came to resume his orders.
“Your Majesty, today, King Yu and his wife are still enjoying the fall on the outskirts of the capital, this time going to the Caged Moon Nunnery in the west.”
“I’ve never heard of this nunnery, what’s so special about it?”
“That cage moon nunnery incense is not prosperous, the scale is also small, the capital of the noble families rarely go. Just have a thousand years old apricot tree, this year died and came back to life, now is the most beautiful time, a lot of princes and magnates are attracted to the strange, go to watch, want to dip a thousand years of blessing. I think that Mr. and Mrs. Yuhang also went to join in the fun.”
“They didn’t see anyone special?”
“No. The people ahead reported that they had been following with good eyes, and that the Yu Wang couple had never left their sight. Just by chance ……”
“By chance what?”
“The Yuh Wang couple is newly married, their demeanor is a little too intimate, about being admonished by the nuns, there is some verbal friction.”
“They have not seen anyone else?”
“No, only talked to the nuns in the nunnery, and that meat-selling nun Ming Jing.”
“The nun who sells meat?”
Xiao Gong told the story of Ming Jing again.
The emperor remembered, “When they were married, they went to the West Mountain to pay homage privately, and once mentioned this nun as proof of their innocence.”
“The following people later went to strike up a conversation with this nun, and the nun had an impression of the crown princess. She said that since she was a child, when she came to West Mountain to pay her respects, she would go to the Caged Moon Nunnery to pray for blessings and to buy her family’s roasted meat. As for His Highness, he has only seen him once before, and that was when he came with the crown princess, around the time of the wedding.”
The emperor nodded: “Got it, continue to follow, don’t spook the snakes.”
Xiao Gong led the order and went.
The emperor rubbed his brow and asked Shen Duzhi, “Am I being nosy? Xian Yang left the palace when he was young, suffered so much, recovered Western Qin for me, built up his career, and after returning to the capital, he didn’t take credit for his accomplishments, and kept his peace. A few days ago, Yu Wang Fu sent people to West Mountain to pay tribute to Yu Xiangyi, obviously has recognized Yu Xiangyi’s death, but I even want to live a peaceful life, I have to insert a foot.”
Shen Duzhi replied carefully, “If Yul Wang has a clear conscience, what is the harm in Your Majesty’s move? If His Highness really does act against His Majesty, this is exactly where His Majesty’s brilliance lies.”
The emperor suddenly said angrily, “That untalented thing, Xianhan! The Zhang family held Yu Xiangyi in their hands for so many years without moving, and suddenly sent her to the capital wasn’t it just to use her against Xian Yang? I’m letting them go, just to see what they’re up to. I also wanted to see what the Yu family had in store for their daughter. He’s done well, he’s turned the capital upside down, and Yu Xiangyi is still gone!”
“Your Majesty, don’t be angry. If Yu Xiangyi has already drowned, it doesn’t matter what plans the Yu family has. If Yu Xiangyi is still alive, Your Majesty only needs to keep a close eye on Yu Wang, and there will naturally be an answer.”
The emperor nodded and pushed the zhang on the case away, “Tell Chen Rixin to read the zhang to me.”
Just how was he going to meet Xiang Yi?
Although Zhou Xian Yang continued to live an idle life with Xiang Yi, his mind never stopped.
There must be a reason why Xiang Yi took the risk and refused to stay away from the capital.
Xiangyi also thought about it, but finally decided to give up and hand it over to Xian Yang.
The Emperor has reduced the taxes in Qinzhou, so naturally the Yuhang Mansion has to set an example by not accepting a single penny of offerings from the tombs.
This means that this year, the Yuhang Mansion’s income can only come from the royal family’s own properties. There are the rewards from the inauguration of the Yuhang Mansion, the dowry of the Duke of State’s House, the manor house, the fields, and some stores.
Now, it is the time for these places to start handing over their harvests one after another.
Rong Xiangmei in the study to see a manor of the gift list. Compared to another, the more you look at the more funny: “These people, when I am a fool? The Rong family is considered to be the best to talk to, but they still have to dishonor so much.”
Zhou Xian Yang retrieved his thoughts, put down the book in his hands and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Rong Xiangxian handed him two gift lists, “This is the gift list that Daqiuzhuang sent to my father last year. This is the one sent to us today. They measured the manor to accompany me, no one cares how much maneuvering they did!”
Zhou Xian Yang swept a glance, “This Zhuang Tou is also too black-hearted, wanting money but not life. About the same time he didn’t expect that the Duke of State actually left all of last year’s gift list in your hands.”
Rong Xiangmian laughed: “Not to mention last year, since this manor to my family, all the account details are kept, I have put in the small house by the treasury stockpile it.”
Zhou Xian Yang sighed: “It seems that in the future, it will be very difficult for anyone who wants to cheat you with some silver!”
Rong Xiangmian didn’t listen to his ridicule: “I’m not that honest. I have a calculation in my mind, what is the market in the year of abundance, what is the market in the year of disaster, and how is the ordinary. We only take the big place, those small money do not have to go after. For one thing, lest people think that Yu Wang Fu stingy, even a few hundred silver also want to gouge out. Your Highness, you even thought of reducing the taxes in Qinzhou, so generous, why should you get a reputation for being mean on these small amounts of money?”
Zhou Xian Yang couldn’t help but laugh at this tone, “Are you complimenting me or scolding me?”
Rong Xiangmian gave him a fake smile, letting him experience it on his own, then continued, “Secondly, if you are too strict, the people below will inevitably have grievances, and things may not be done properly. Do you want a person who can’t get any oil and water, who is full of resentment and copes with the work, or do you want a person who can do the work and take advantage of it by himself?”
“Can’t there be someone who’s decent and competent?”
Aimi sighed, “How rare is such a person? Furthermore even if there is such a person, if you give him such a large industry and silver to go, he will be brought down by the silver. We don’t lack silver, we don’t understand the temptation of silver. Take so many capable ministers in the history books, how many of them are clean and honest?”
Zhou Xian Yang thought about the other day, the personnel changes in the court, and it did seem to be the case: “Able ministers, not all of them are clean and loyal, it just depends on what the purpose of using them is.”
“That’s it.” Rong Xiangshi knew that he was not the one who recognized death, and smiled, “So, I’ve been slowly combing through a plan these past few months.”
“What plan?”
Rong Xiangshi sat beside him and discussed with him, “Every year, each office will collect a certain amount according to the yearly market, and let them distribute the rest themselves, and even the monthly regulations will be drawn from it. If the revenue is high, they themselves earn more. If they don’t do well, they earn less. Turning our industry into their own, they naturally won’t be lazy and muddle through. From time to time every year, we will secretly send reliable and capable people to make unannounced visits to check whether those bankers at the top have deducted money from the people below.”
Zhou Xian Yang looked at Rong Xiangshi with a very strange look, wondering, “How do you know so much?”
Rong Xiangmian put the gift list away and casually found an excuse: “I learned a little bit myself by watching Empress Hui and Sister in the palace.”
In fact, this was all the experience she had accumulated from her last life as a householder in her own courtyard.
Having experienced so much together, of course Zhou Xian Yang would not easily believe this.
He knew very well that housekeeping was something that could not be learned by just looking at it, and with Xiangmian being so well-organized, she was obviously quite experienced, and then remembering all the things that he had wondered about before, he looked at her seriously, “Xiangmian, where exactly did you come from?”