Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 116 Repentance
In the east courtyard of Xue's house, the young tree that had just been transplanted grew small flower buds.

Du Wulang watered the tree, heard Liu Xiangjun calling him to eat, and turned back to the lobby, only to see hot lamb chops, mustard cakes and several seasonal vegetables on the table.

"Go wash your hands first."

Liu Xiangjun left after talking, Xue Sanniang had scooped up water, and gave Du Wulang a shower under the eaves.

"Liulang said to wash hands before meals, and said that children should eat more meat when they grow up." Liu Xiangjun handed Du Wulang lamb chops, "Wulang is in the business of cooking, so don't dislike the cooking skills at home."

Du Wulang thought for a while before realizing that "Liu Lang" refers to Xue Bai.

"Too much stir-fry is not to my taste. Auntie's steamed lamb chops are delicious. Why doesn't Xue Bai come to eat? There are only rules left by him everywhere in this house, but it's someone who hasn't seen him for a day or two."

Xue Xin was holding a piece of mutton and gnawed fiercely, his mouth was full of oil, and said: "Sixth brother, put it in the folder."

Du Wulang couldn't understand, he sighed, and said, "Just close the gate of the west backyard and let him live separately. From now on, he and Qinglan will have a family over there."

This complaint really touched Liu Xiangjun's heart.

She had long thought that Xue Bai was good in everything, except that he was not close to her, lived in a small courtyard, and sometimes felt like a neighbor.

On the contrary, this young gentleman of the Du family is enthusiastic and careful, he is really a good boy.

Xue Xin put down the bones he had gnawed clean, and said, "Sixth Brother is not at home, he took Sister Qinglan to the mountains, doesn't Fifth Brother know?"

"Oh, he told me." Du Wulang said, "I forgot."

Xue Sanniang couldn't help lowering her head and snickering.

Du Wulang glanced quickly, knowing that she could understand his humor, so he was very proud.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Xue Gengbo, the manager, rushed to greet the guests, and the faint sound of conversation came to the front yard.

"Your Alang hasn't returned yet? But the marriage has to be done."

"..."

Not long after, Uncle Xue Geng came back and said in a low voice, "Mistress, it's the Xiao family who have come."

Liu Xiangjun asked his daughters to stay away, opened the screen, boiled water and fried tea, and entertained guests in the hall.

Du Wulang has already guessed which one is coming.

Sure enough, a father and son in brocade clothes led the servants into the hall. The sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy was the Xiao Fan mentioned in the marriage letter, and he looked... really not bad.

Du Wulang froze for a moment, he was usually joking, but suddenly he panicked.

"Ms. Xue's family is very polite. At the beginning of Tianbao's fifth year, you and I agreed on a marriage letter. The Xiao family has already given the dowry, so it must be time to fulfill the marriage contract?"

The Xiao family was being polite, because it was indeed Liu Xiangjun who was wronged.

At that time, Xiao Fangzhi had just moved to be an official in the capital, and was deceived by Xue Ling in the name of the Duke of Pingyang. After speaking, I checked carefully and found that the Xue family still owed huge debts.

What Xue Bai meant was that if the dowry was paid back, the marriage would be forgotten, and Sanniang was still young, so she didn't have to climb up the Xiao family.

Liu Xiangjun was a little hesitant, Wan Fu said: "This marriage, originally Xiao Gong, you just let it go..."

Xiao Fangzhi waved his hand and sighed: "That's because Xue Ling is too much... Sigh, but it doesn't need to involve children, the marriage is as usual."

"Can……"

"The Xue family wants to regret the marriage?"

Liu Xiangjun had nothing to say, she actually thought it was a good marriage, her only concern was Xue Bai's disapproval.

Seeing that she should not respond, Xiao Fangzhi said: "There is no reason to regret the marriage, the two families ask for a date and welcome the relatives..."

"No!" Du Wulang stood up suddenly.

The father and son of the Xiao family looked at each other, feeling puzzled, thinking that Xue's playing cards are extraordinary, how could he have such a face?
"Dare to ask, but Xue Liulang is in person?"

"No, but Xue Bai and I are brothers and sisters, and his opinion is mine." Du Wulang waved his hands in a reckless attitude: "This marriage cannot be done!"

"Why?"

Du Wulang said excitedly: "You family regretted the marriage first, but then backtracked on it, and refused to divorce. It's nothing more than dislike the poor and love the rich. It's definitely not a good match!"

These words were quite blunt, Xiao Fang was taken aback for a moment, his anger welled up, he suppressed himself forcefully, and said: "Which family doesn't pay attention to the marriage right? Is it your family?!"

Du Wulang was choked immediately. Of course the Du family also talked about family status.

But he subconsciously glanced in the direction of the backyard, thinking of Xue Sanniang, he felt confident.

He is different.

It's not because Xue's family is rich now that he's thinking about it, he just... likes it.

"my home!"

"what?"

"My family doesn't pay attention to being well-matched!" Du Wulang suddenly said harsh words, and shouted: "If I can marry Xue Sanniang, even if her family is completely destitute and heavily in debt, I will never regret the marriage!"

"What the hell are you talking about..."

"You won't be nice to San Niang, I will be nice to her!"

"..."

Xiao Fanzhi was spittle sprayed all over his face for no reason, but he still didn't react; Xiao Fan was shocked, and wondered that this little fat man with such an ordinary appearance would snatch a kiss from his beautiful boy.

Xue Xin stood up and looked at Du Wulang with admiration; Liu Xiangjun was completely stunned, not knowing what to do.

The sun was just right outside the door, and the magpies flew over and landed in the nest under the eaves.

Hasty footsteps sounded, and Xue Sanniang, who was eavesdropping outside the window, was taken aback and hurried back to the boudoir.

The flowers and trees under the boudoir sway gently with the wind...

~~
Now the sisters of the Du family are busy with the branch business, and the Fengwei Building in Daozhengfang is basically handed over to Daxi Yingying to take care of it.

On that day, Daxi Yingying was sorting out the market news she had inquired about in the dark room, but she saw Shi Zhong rushing over.

"My lady, something happened. Du Wulang got involved in the case in Jingzhao Mansion!"

"Are you handing over the East Palace again?"

"No." Shi Zhong said hastily: "This time it's just a small case, but some entanglements about the marriage contract..."

Hearing this, Daxi Yingying couldn't help laughing, and asked back: "But which one is engaged to him, and wants to divorce after seeing me? Actually, he's not bad after seeing him for a long time."

"He was the one who robbed other people's relatives, and the defendant has gone to Jingzhao Mansion."

"Huh?" Daxi Yingying couldn't help being surprised, "Goro still has this ability?"

She put down the writing brush in her hand, listened quietly to what happened, and asked: "What does the Du family say about this matter?"

"I haven't told Du Zhai yet, Du Erniang sent someone to withdraw some money, and she wants to go to Jingzhao Mansion to settle it."

"I'll take care of this."

It's rare to be able to help the Du family's siblings with their private affairs, Daxi Yingying refused to let go of this opportunity, and ordered people to prepare carriages and horses to go to Jingzhao Mansion in Guangdefang.

……

Entering Jingzhao Mansion, the case has not yet opened, only a group of people are arguing in the front yard, and the officials are sitting on the steps watching the excitement.

Standing in front of a little girl with his head held high, Du Wulang showed a masculinity he had never had before, and his voice was as loud as thunder.

"Zhuzi, there is no need to say any more, it's just acting according to the laws of Tang Dynasty."

"I have already arrived at Jingzhao Mansion, am I still afraid of following Tang's laws?!"

"Well, Xue's family has been hired, and the repentant stick is sixty, and the marriage is still as promised."

"Who is 'married as promised' with you?!" Du Wulang raised his hand and said, "I said, this engagement is broken!"

"According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, even if the marriage is still as promised, even if the woman promises someone else, the marriage will still be as promised."

"Ha." Some officials booed: "The woman promised others, and it's done. It's only a year and a half."

"Okay, follow me!"

Du Wulang turned around, grabbed the little girl's hand, and shouted: "The Xue family has promised Sanniang to me. If you have the ability, you will follow me. Anyway, you will not marry your family!"

In a word, everyone around was stunned.

Daxi Yingying looked at the little girl who was held by Du Wulang in a panic, but she didn't escape, her face was flushed, but her eyes were full of joy and excitement.

In her opinion, she was not beautiful, she was thin, her hair was a little yellow, her skin was neither fair nor fair, and her figure was even thinner.

Daxi Yingying then smiled slightly, stepped forward, and stood in front of Du Wulang, Wanfu said: "Dare to ask, but Xiao Gong? Everything can be discussed, why bother to go to court?"

"Xiao Fangzhi, who will be the chief supervisor, Lanling Xiao." Seeing her beauty, Xiao Fangzhi immediately became more polite, and said: "I have a clear conscience, and I will never be bullied by this Zhuzi for nothing."

"No matter how much Duke Xiao suffers, the servants will pay for it, okay?"

"My lady is a sensible person." Xiao Fang said, "However, it is no longer a matter of dowry."

Daxi Yingying's thoughts turned.

She knows that the supervisor is in the hands of Ge Nu, and Li Shilang will be the supervisor, the right school. Whether this is a coincidence or the Right Prime Minister's Office is behind the scenes, she has to think deeply.

Originally, she had a way, but now she didn't dare to make her own decisions.

"Goro came with my servant."

She smiled, turned around and pulled Du Wulang to the corner of the courtyard, and asked, "Did Wulang ask Xue Langjun about what he did this time?"

"No."

Du Wulang was forced to take a step back by her plump figure, and said, "Send someone to tell Xue Bai quickly, and also ask him if...can he marry Sanniang...to me."

Daxi Yingying took another step forward, and said in a low voice: "We are at fault for this matter, and we should not make it public. We should settle it privately, otherwise it will not only damage Sanniang's reputation, but also make the other party unable to get off the stage. Let's be soft today, let the Rongnu family handle it ?”

Du Wulang was forced to the wall, did not dare to look at her, but shook his head stubbornly, and said: "They took advantage of Xue Bai's absence to force Auntie to ask for an appointment, and I cannot let them succeed."

"Jing Zhaoyin is also surnamed Xiao, and it will be brought to court soon, but it is really possible that Wulang will be imprisoned."

"If I go to prison, I can marry Sanniang, I'm not afraid."

"Then you know, Xiao Fangzhi may be right..."

Daxi Yingying spoke again, but Shi Zhong had already rushed over and said in a low voice: "Lady, Du Erniang has sent a message."

"say what?"

"Let them make trouble..."

~~
Taipingfang, Wang's residence.

In a few days, the wheat will be harvested in summer in some places, and Wang Chi has been busy with the business of purchasing.

That is to force people to buy food.

When Pei Mian arrived at the study, he saw that Wang Chi had just finished writing an official document.

"It's just in time, let's take a look."

"Your Majesty, is this price too low?" Pei Mian looked at it and said hesitantly: "Tianbao has been in existence for five years, and the price of highland barley is estimated at one yuan for a bucket of three liters, but now it is only estimated at one yuan for a bucket of five liters. The farmers are probably..."

Wang Yu said: "The year is good, the harvest is abundant, the price of grain is cheap, and the valuation of Heju is naturally slightly lower."

In fact, both of them knew very well that when this official document was sent to the prefecture and county to force grain collection according to household registration, the local officials would have to pay with variegated satin, and what the farmers received was far less than this price.

In addition, farmers have to be forced to transport the grain purchased by He to the county warehouse, and the loss on the road is still counted on the farmers.

Even if it arrives, it will still have to be paid for if it is shipped up from the county warehouse.

"I'm afraid that if this happens, there will be many escaped households." Pei Mian sighed.

"Then recruit troops." Wang Ji said, "Helong is short of troops."

Pei Mian was speechless.

This battle is fought hard, brutally, and at any cost.The national treasury was short of money, so it forced and violently expropriated.Juntian and government soldiers collapsed, more households fled, more soldiers were recruited, and the shortage of national use... The cycle goes on and on. Although it is a magnificent and prosperous age, how can it withstand such a toss?

It's useless to persuade, just wait for the new king to be established in the future, rule the world, and sweep away the evils!
For a long time, after talking about the matter of peace, Wang Ji waved his hand and suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Yang Dang."

Pei Mian was about to turn around, stopped and asked, "Yang Dang made another move?"

Wang Ji said: "You also know that I always only care about the sage's orders, unlike the Right Prime Minister who always plans to eliminate traitors in Yanyue Hall. But the tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop. The Yang Party has been too arrogant recently..."

He really seldom intrigues, he wants to get rid of anyone and let Yu Shitai do it directly.Because he did a good job in dispatching, the sage trusted him and had the confidence.

But recently it is different, Yang Li and Xue Bai are also very sacred.

"Xue Bai dispatched a group of craftsmen from the general supervision, and went to Fenggu to supervise the construction of giants. It was Unbo Anbo who built Yuting for me."

"Yang Dang wants to check the prince?"

"Originally I was also wary of this matter." Wang Hao said: "However, I secretly sent people to investigate. There are small officials from the Ministry of War, Ministry of Industry, and Wang Zhongsi's daughter in the Fenggu Supervisor. The things they made are suspected to be military weapons..."

It is not difficult to investigate this matter. The craftsmen were originally mobilized by Wang Ji's documents, and the lumber yard is even more crowded.

After hearing this, Pei Mian murmured: "Speaking of this matter in a small way, it is Xue Bai who privately built weapons and made friends with the side generals. In a big way, it is the collusion between the Yang Party and the East Palace."

Wang Ji shook his head, and said: "The Right Prime Minister has repeatedly accused Xue Bai of building the East Palace, I am afraid that the saint will not believe it anymore."

Pei Mian became more and more puzzled, and thought: "If you can make a useful weapon, you don't need to do it privately. You can tell the saints. Why are you so sneaky?"

"This is exactly what I can't figure out." Wang Hao said, "Your Prime Minister asked you to investigate his life experience. Is there any progress?"

"Yes, I searched through the files ten years ago, and found that an official who was close to the abolished prince took the initiative to protect the official slave who was involved in the case of the three concubines. For example, the granddaughter of Huangfu Deyi's natal family is Xue Bai's maidservant now. And the Tan family who bought Xue Pingzhao is Zhang Jiuling's wife, I have sent people to Jingzhou to investigate..."

"Let's talk about it after the results."

"Here."

Pei Mian bowed his head in response, with regret in his eyes, he withdrew.

After thinking about it for a while, Wang Ji went to report the matter to the right minister himself.

~~
On the outskirts of Chang'an, Fenggu Supervisor.

A few sparrows are resting on the branches and chirping, enjoying the sunshine in early summer.

suddenly.

"Oh!"

A huge thunder suddenly sounded like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, which made the sparrows flee in a hurry and disappeared into the sky.

In the lumber yard, a boulder cannon was still shaking.

The artisans cheered.

Uncle Anbo raised his head and watched a boulder disappear from sight. He didn't turn his head until his neck felt a little sore, and asked, "How does Mr. Xue feel?"

In fact, it was the first time for Xue Bai to see this huge boulder cannon projectile, and he didn't know if it was considered powerful, but he said indifferently: "Not enough, we can continue to improve."

Anbobo kept stroking his thick and curly beard with his hands, staring at the tip of the cannon and muttering.

"It needs to be improved...to make it bigger..."

"Xue Lang."

Xue Bai turned around, only to see that Yuan Zai and Wang Yunxiu had invited him to whisper.

The three of them walked for a while to the edge of the forest.

"I want to tell Grandpa about this." Wang Yunxiu said.

Xue Bai then asked, "Why the rush?"

"Grandpa came to Beijing this time because Dong Yanguang, the general of the Right Jinwu Guard, asked the saint to attack Shibao City. Grandpa cherished the lives of the soldiers and wanted to persuade the saint to take back his order. Dong Yanguang took the opportunity to seize the vanguard power and used a general of the forbidden army as the leader. What is the difference between being a pioneer and directly letting the soldiers die? Grandpa is becoming more and more passive." Wang Yunxiu said: "Instead of this, it is better to let Grandpa know about the boulder cannon early, and see if we can try to restore the trust of the saint."

After hearing this, Xue Bai first glanced at Yuan Zai.

Yuan Zai smiled wryly, as if saying, "I know it's not good, so I hope you can forgive me."

Xue Bai was really forgiving, nodded, and said: "Since that's the case, brother and sister-in-law will go back to Chang'an first and inform General Wang of this matter."

"Thank you!" Wang Yunxiu directly clasped her fists, and responded sassyly.

Yuan Zai was a little surprised, and saluted with a smile.

After a while, the sound of horseshoes sounded, and the couple had left early.

……

Xue Bai looked around, and walked deep into the woods, when suddenly a big man jumped out from the bushes, it was Lao Liang.

"Lang Jun."

"Is the fish hooked?"

"No, I'm afraid I won't be able to catch any fish this time." Lao Liang said with a strong Longxi accent, "Only a little shrimp jumped out today. In order to marry San Niang, he sued Wu Lang to Jingzhao Mansion. Was it slaughtered?"

"Don't worry, they will regret the marriage." Xue Bai asked, "Pingkangfang and Taipingfang didn't respond?"

"The villain is sure not."

Xue Bai couldn't help pondering, and muttered to himself: "It's really nothing more than three things, so you don't want to take the bait?"

That's okay, everyone is safe and sound, so let's dedicate the military weapons to the country smoothly...

　Chapter 2 is still being written, I don’t know how long it will take, so don’t wait~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)