Marrying into a poor family

By the time Huang Xiu and Hu Zi finally finished their work and went back, they were already having dinner.

The two of them ate steamed buns at noon to pad their bellies, and fortunately they had a full meal after returning.

After he had fed himself, he went to talk to Qin Xiang.

Huang Xiu talked about what happened today, and Qin Xiang asked for some details. After Huang Xiu answered, Qin Xiang said: "You should go to the county government office more these days to hear more about the situation there."

Huang Xiu nodded in agreement.

Seeing that the two of them had finished talking about business, Huzi reported, "Madam, what do you think we saw today?"

Qin Xiang was always a little more patient with Hu Zi. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Look at your sneaky look. Did you see something extraordinary?"

Huang Xiu turned his head to look at the proud Huzi, feeling a little envious that he could be so comfortable in front of his master, but he couldn't be so casual.

"We were in the yard where Eunuch Zhao was, and saw the county magistrate's concubine entering Eunuch Zhao's room."

Qin Xiang raised her eyebrows, rolled her eyes with interest, and asked, "Did she go in alone or was she followed?"

"There are two maids following me, but I feel something is wrong. The back house of the county government is indispensable for servants to serve. Even Eunuch Zhao himself brought many people from the palace. How about the county magistrate's concubine? Why don't you personally serve the drunk Eunuch Zhao?"

After Huzi finished speaking, he still couldn't understand the meaning.

But Qin Xiang knew it, because her godmother, Mrs. Lu, once reminded her not to meet that Eunuch Zhao. His quirk was that he liked married women.

In her previous life, Qin Xiang had seen eunuchs come to visit the brothel privately in Zuihong Mansion, and those fake men without roots were extremely cruel and ruthless when torturing people.

In short, any girl who has served a eunuch like that has to rest for several days. Qin Xiang once saw a girl being tortured to death. It was really horrible. But they just gave him money, and the madam sent him away with a smile.

At that time, Qin Xiang watched dumbly as the girl was wrapped in a roll of mat and carried out. She and the girls around her were happy, but at the same time they were worried that they would have to face all this one day.

For a long time afterwards, Qin Xiang had nightmares every night, dreaming of the tragically dead girl wandering around the Zuihong Mansion. Later, Qin Xiang personally mixed the soothing incense and put a sharp hairpin under her pillow to force herself to sleep. .

Qin Xiang had not thought of the nightmare days for a long time. This sudden memory made her feel uncomfortable and nauseated.

Thinking about it now, there are some things that are already on Qin Xiang's mind. If they are not eradicated, she will never be able to truly gain a new life.

"Huang Xiu, you go back and rest first. I have something to talk to Hu Zi alone." Qin Xiu is not a person who likes to beat around the bush. Huang Xiu is used to it. After hearing this, he stood up and left.

Qin Xiang and Hu Zi discussed in whispers for a long time. Qing Can and Qing Gu were tidying up their clothes and beds in the inner room. They were about to leave Qijiang County.

Huzi has an unafraid temperament, and it's a bit difficult for him to behave in a disciplined manner, but the things Qin Xiang asked him to do were very to his liking.

Qin Xiang asked him to approach Zhang Shaohua.

After Huzi left, Qin Xiang changed her clothes, washed herself, and went to bed. She had been thinking a lot recently. When she combed her hair tonight, she lost a lot of hair, but she didn't care. She just glanced at it and looked away.

The things I sent to Eunuch Zhao today were all childish, and they looked lively, but they were just to stabilize Eunuch Zhao first, and at the same time, to make the incident known to everyone in advance. Regarding the four words "people's words are scary", Qin Xiang She had a deep understanding of it, and now it was her turn to make good use of it. What Eunuch Zhao wanted was the batch of incense ingots, which were popular wherever he got them. As for the fragrant dew, he naturally asked the four major families in Dancheng to donate it, but Qin Xiang never made fragrant dew.

I will definitely not give this batch of incense ingots, at least not the number that Eunuch Zhao wants.

Therefore, Qin Xiang wanted to use the power of the public to plan for himself.

The next day, Lu Jiu came to say goodbye. Qin Xiang happened to be having breakfast. Lu Jiu was not polite and sat down and asked Qinggu to serve him porridge.

The two of them finished their meal quietly, rinsed their mouths with tea, and then spoke.

First, they discussed the current situation. Qin Xiang said what he could, and Lu Jiu corrected and supplemented it based on his understanding of the family, Eunuch Zhao, and the county magistrate.

After the discussion, Lu Jiu said that he would go back to Dancheng to see his parents and tell them what happened here. Qin Xiang still needs help from the Lu family for his plan.

Qin Xiang looked at Lu Jiu, who was much calmer, and said very seriously: "Brother Jiu, it's time for you to have a legitimate son. Even if it's not a legitimate son, it's good to have a legitimate daughter."

Lu Jiu was stunned, his eyes flashed, and he smiled: "Why do you still care about these things of mine? But what did my mother say?"

"My godmother can let you get married, and she will feel that she has fulfilled her responsibility to you. It is up to you to live the rest of your life on your own."

"What did your sister-in-law say?" Lu Jiu is actually a very sensitive person, especially to women's emotional changes.

Qin Xi smiled: "When you marry her, you should try to get along well with her. If you can't fall in love with each other, you should at least respect each other as guests and respect her, which is better than anything else."

Lu Jiu lowered his head and was silent for a long time. When he raised his head again, his usual sly smile appeared on his face: "Okay, I understand. I will get along well with her when I go back this time. After all, she is the mother of my child." , I will give you the respect and decency you deserve."

After sending Lu Jiu away, Qin Xiang put these things behind her. If Lu Jiu hadn't helped her so much and her godfather and godmother treated her so well, she wouldn't have been willing to have the gossip between Lu Jiu and his wife. No matter.

Eunuch Zhao couldn't wait any longer and sent people to urge him every day, but Qin Xiang just avoided seeing him, saying that he kept his filial piety and never saw outsiders.

As for the incense tablets, he said that he had already given the order to other merchants, and now he has no inventory or raw materials.

Now for the amount that Eunuch Zhao wants, it is time to ask the Lu family and the Qin family for help in gathering raw materials. It's just that the raw materials for incense sticks are very numerous and very precious. It takes a lot of time to find them all. If they are to be produced and then dried, it will take at least three months.

Eunuch Zhao told Huang Xiu that as long as the semi-finished product was completed, the subsequent steps such as drying and gold tracing could be brought back to the palace and then specially made by the palace craftsmen.

In this case, it only takes one month to complete.

The raw materials were allocated from the four major families in Dancheng. Eunuch Zhao came forward and used the Queen Mother as a shield. Soon, several ships of raw materials were delivered from the dock to Qin's Fragrance House.

Looking at the mountain of spices, Qin Xi smiled happily, while the others looked at it with surprise.

You know, after Lu Jiu returned, the Lu family and the Qin family made a plan together.

This is another game between the four major families in Dancheng. The Lu family took the lead and the Qin family assisted. As for the Huang family, they were passive and did not know the details at all.