Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 123 Employment

North Xiaoshun Hutong.

The carriage stopped, Wu Haiping jumped out of the car and said towards the car: "Miss Fu, we are here."

The curtains were opened, and Fu Qiufang was about to get out of the car. Not far ahead was her home.Looking up, I saw that the door was closed during the day, but there was still a seal on the door.

She frowned and slowly walked over, only to see a Ministry of Punishment seal on the door.Fu Qiufang immediately stood in front of the door and was at a loss. At this moment, a greeting came from beside him: "Qiu Fang?"

Fu Qiufang turned around and saw a woman holding a swill bucket looking at her.

Fu Qiufang hurriedly stepped forward and asked: "Second aunt, what is going on in my house...?"

The second aunt said: "What else can we do? Something happened about your brother. I saw with my own eyes that many government officials came and took Mr. Fu to the Criminal Department. Not long after, your sister-in-law was involved in gold and silver. Xinruan took a maid and ran away. Uncle Huang was old and had been there for a day. When he saw that no one was there, he had to lock the door and go on his own.

This morning, another government official came and put a seal. The neighbors looked at him and did not dare to come forward. They only heard that Mr. Fu owed the poor man money, and now they are chasing him. "

"That's it. Thank you, Second Aunt."

The second aunt looked at Fu Qiufang's pity and comforted her: "Now that the matter has come to this, Mr. Fu is afraid that it will be... difficult. Qiu Fang should quickly find a relative to join him."

Suddenly a woman came out from the door next door and yelled at the second aunt, who hurriedly carried the swill bucket away.Fu Qiufang knew that the Fu family was now in bad luck. In addition, her brother and sister-in-law had never been virtuous, so the neighbors now avoided her like a snake or a scorpion.

The second aunt was able to say so many things because of her own kindness.

Fu Qiufang glanced at her house again, sighed, bit her lower lip and walked back.

Wu Haiping saw this and said, "Miss Fu, where else are we going?"

"Excuse me, please find a pawn shop first, and then send me to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment."

Wu Haiping agreed and drove Fu Qiufang to a pawn shop.Fu Qiufang had no money to begin with, and she only had a few heads and faces, most of which were gilded and could not be pawned for a few coins.She visited three pawnshops in a row, then turned back to the first one and pawned a few gilt silver hairpins for five taels of silver.

After that, he went to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, left the money, and took care of things, but he couldn't see Fu Shi at all.A jailer couldn't bear to look at him, so he whispered: "Girl, if I were you, I would just wait to collect the body. So what if we meet now? Brother An's case is so shocking, it's hard to say whether he will survive until the end of the world."

Instead of squandering the money, it would be better to save it and buy a good coffin. "

Fu Qiufang's heart tightened and she asked: "This eldest brother, my brother...will die?"

"How can I survive?" Laozi also had little knowledge and only talked about it based on common sense.Dashun inherited the Ming Dynasty, and the law is the same. According to the law, it is forbidden to keep stolen goods, collect money for official duties, take bribes and bend the law. The former is worth eighty, the middle is sixty, and the latter is hanging in prison.

After committing multiple crimes and being punished at the same time, and being registered in front of a saint, how could Fu Shi still survive?

After hearing two "hanging prison sentences" in a row, Fu Qiufang felt as if he had been struck by lightning, staggering and almost falling down.His ears were ringing, and when the prisoner said anything after that, he just nodded blankly, completely unaware of what he said.

Fu Qiufang came out of the Penal Department prison in despair. When she got to the carriage, Wu Haiping asked her questions for a long time before she came to her senses.

Seeing that the prisoner was about to return to the prison of the Criminal Department, Fu Qiufang hurriedly chased after him.

"Big brother, this big brother!"

A look of impatience appeared on Laozi's face: "Tsk, girl, you're just trying to say such nice things. I've told you everything you should and shouldn't say. Why are you still bothering me?"

"No, I dare to ask... if the stolen money is returned, can my brother be given a lighter sentence?"

The prisoner was startled for a moment and thought: "Supposedly there is such a theory -" He looked Fu Qiufang up and down: "It's just that, girl, do you have any money?"

"Brother, how much money do my brothers owe in total?"

"5000 taels."

Fu Qiufang was a little confused. Where would she get 5000 taels of silver?

She pondered for a while, then the prisoner shook his head and turned around. Fu Qiufang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Can my house be worth some money?"

The prisoner paused, turned around, nodded, and said, "I'm not telling you that. The house is only in the outer city once you enter. If you can sell it for 800 taels, it's good."

Fu Qiufang smiled happily, thanked the prisoner, turned around and returned to the carriage.

Wu Haiping asked: "Girl——"

"Go back, I want to see Mr. Li."

She had nothing to offer, and after some calculations, it seemed that the only thing she could sell was herself.It's just that I heard Fu said after tasting wine earlier that the Yangzhou Slim Horse in her prime was only worth [-] silver. How much could she be worth at her age?
At this point, I can only give up my face and do my best to obey fate.

After returning from the car, Fu Qiufang entered the courtyard with her head sullenly. She looked around but could not find Li Weijian.She quickly looked for Wu Zhong, but Wu Zhong said: "Sister Fu is looking for the young master? But unfortunately, the young master rode back early in the morning."

"Going back?" Fu Qiufang felt disappointed, but she breathed a sigh of relief.She gritted her teeth and asked, "Then do you know when Mr. Li will come again?"

Wu Zhongdao: "It's hard to say. My son is going to take the Qiu Wei exam, and he has a lot of things to do. Maybe he will come here every three or five days, but even ten or eight days is normal."

Where can Fu Qiufang wait?Immediately he begged: "Can you send me to Rongguo Mansion? I have important matters to find Young Master Li."

"This--"

It was past Shenshi time, and the Ding brothers escorted Li Weijian away and have not returned yet.The house is filled with all kinds of materials, and it cannot be left unattended.

Fu Qiufang suddenly remembered that she still had a few taels of silver on her body, and said immediately: "I think it's time to leave. I won't bother you to send him off. I'll just find a carriage to find Mr. Li myself."

After saying that, he turned around and left. Wu Zhong chased him to the door and saw Fu Qiufang hiring a donkey cart at the entrance of the alley. Then he scratched his head and muttered: "I haven't finished speaking yet. The young master left 100 taels." The money is used as payment."

............................................................

But it was said that Li Weijian had a talk with Jia Yun in the new house that day, and instructed the craftsmen to bulldoze the two extended courtyards, and then build a greenhouse with a slope higher in the north and lower in the south, covered with glass.

The bricks and wood are not worth much money, but the glass is expensive.Jia Yun made some calculations and said that Li Weijian couldn't buy the greenhouse without 2 taels of silver.

Li Weijian cursed for a while, but he gritted his teeth and took out the money, urging Jia Yun to pay close attention. The greenhouse must be built by August at the latest.

Jia Yun agreed, and at noon, Li Weijian couldn't wait for Wu Haiping to return, so he simply asked the Ding brothers to escort him, and rode back to his home.

He hadn't visited the second girl for some time. After taking a short break, he looked for her.The beauty inside was not enough to be appreciated by outsiders. It was not until lunch time that Li Weijian returned to his small courtyard.He had finished dinner at this moment and was asking Hongyu about how Baoyu was doing in his studies.Hongyu did some listening today, and only said that Erbao Erye was in high spirits when he went to Qixie Zhai early in the morning, but when he came out at noon, he was droopy and had no interest.

After hearing this, Li Weijian couldn't help but feel secretly happy. The little science experiment looked fun, but how could it be fun to learn?

Just looking at Baoyu's condition, I'm afraid he will have to herd sheep in a few days.Li Weijian didn't care what others thought, he just thought that Daiyu had clearly seen Baoyu's humanity, which was worthy of Lin Ruhai's care that day.

While he was talking, Wu Haiping suddenly came.Hongyu went over to inquire, and when she came back she said suspiciously, "Fourth Master, there is a Miss Fu outside who wants to see me."

"Fu Qiufang? Why is she here?" After asking, Li Weijian suddenly felt something was wrong and turned to ask: "Did Miss Fu come to look for me after visiting the old lady, or did she come to look for me directly?"

Hongyu said: "I took the side door. From the looks of it, I came to see Fourth Master."

Li Weijian scratched his head and thought for a while, then stood up and said, "Forget it, I'll go out and meet her and see what she says."

He stood up and Shi Shiran walked out of the small courtyard. Several maids in the main room exchanged glances with each other. Qingwen pursed her lips and said, "We only met once and we are so busy. No wonder Shuang Shi is not married yet!"

Hongyu smiled and said: "How jealous are you? With her family background and a brother like Fu Shi, how can the fourth master like her?"

Qingwen said, "I'm not qualified to be a wife, so I can't force myself to come over and be worthy of our sisters."

Hong Yu's face froze and she said, "Can't? After all, she is a girl from an official family."

Qingwen snorted: "What kind of official girl is she? That Fu Shi didn't even have a serious background. He was just a prison student earlier, but he still begged the master to smooth things over, and then he became an official step by step."

Hongyu thought for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "If that's the case, then we don't need to pay any attention to it. But it's just an extra two or two months of money every month, can she still use us?"

Qingwen was speechless, but her face remained sullen.There were already four maids in the room. Although Fourth Master Jian doted on her, he never favored one over the other.Thinking about it, the four of them will have different identities and become aunts one day.Four is a lot. If one more comes, wouldn't it mean that we have to share an extra portion?

How could Qingwen be so willing!

She didn't mention that she was sulky, but she said that Li Weijian and Wu Haiping met in front of the courtyard door. They walked out of the side door and saw Fu Qiufang standing pretty beside the door.

After seeing the etiquette, before Fu Qiufang could say anything, Li Weijian smiled and said: "Miss Fu, you are so polite. Since you came to my house by chance, I have to take care of it. Put away the 100 taels of money, girl, and be more careful on the road." "

Fu Qiufang glanced at Li Weijian, first lowered her lower lip and said something in a low voice.

Li Weijian didn't hear clearly and asked quickly: "What did the girl say?"

"Not enough!" The voice was slightly louder. Fu Qiufang raised her head, looked at Li Weijian with a pair of eyes, and said: "Return, there is still four thousand and one hundred taels left."

The smile on Li Weijian's face did not change, and he said: "This is strange, how come there are still parts and pieces? Miss Fu, why don't you tell me the reason?"

"I still need 100 taels short. I can collect 5000 taels and hand over the hidden silver that my brother embezzled. Maybe my brother will be given a lighter sentence."

Fu Qiufang never knelt down to beg, nor cried till she was full of tears. She just looked at Li Weijian calmly, with a dull look in her eyes.

Li Weijian thought about it for a moment and then understood what Fu Qiufang meant. It was probably that Fu Shi's stolen silver was 200 taels?Because he said: "Miss Fu, let alone how you will return the money, let me say something ugly. I am afraid that even if the money is handed over, my brother will not be able to escape the crime."

Fu Qiufang said: "After all, you have pulled me to grow up. I don't ask for anything else. I just want my brother to be spared from death. In this way, I am worthy of the kindness I have received over the years. As for returning it-" She took out a red letter from her sleeve. The paper was handed over with both hands in a whisper.

Li Weijian was surprised at the result, and when he unfolded it, he saw Juan Xiu's handwriting inside: "There is a woman in Xiaoshun Hutong in the north of the capital city. Her name is Fu Qiufang. She has grown up. She has agreed to marry Li Weijian as his side wife. Today she received 5000 betrothal silver." two.

This girl will obey the auspicious choice and get married, the bear will have a dream, and the melons will be endless.

I am a woman from a good family, and I have never been affected by anyone's financial resources or unknown origins. If I show such sexual behavior or wander out, I will return the betrothal money. If the feng shui is not bad, this is destiny and has nothing to do with the owner of the money.

Now the engagement certificate is established, so the marriage certificate is taken as a photo.

"

The signature and stamp at the bottom was clearly the concubine engagement document written by Fu Qiufang himself.

Dashun lasted for hundreds of years, and this etiquette was somewhat collapsed.In the past, wives were hired to take concubines, but now, to make it sound better, taking concubines is also called betrothal.

Li Weijian scratched his head after reading the document and wondered, "It's clearly 5000 taels. Why did Miss Fu only say 100 taels?"

"My house is probably worth 800 taels."

It would be a lie to say that Fu Qiufang is not attracted by her color.And she is just a concubine, not a real wife.But Li Weijian had only met him a few times and had no understanding of him, let alone his character. How could he dare to get to know his family at will?If he is someone with a deep and ruthless mind, he will definitely make the family uneasy.

Because he thought deeply and said: "Miss Fu, this is difficult for me."

A look of disappointment slowly appeared in her eyes, and she asked, "No, can't it?"

Li Weijian thought about it and said, "That day, Miss Fu ran to the door of my house with only a small baggage, but she got into a quarrel with your brother?"

Seeing that Fu Qiufang was silent, Li Weijian said: "Can't you say it? Or don't you want to say it?"

Fu Qiufang breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Now that things have happened, his life is about to be lost, so there is no need to cover up these things."

Immediately, they told the story about Fu Shi and his wife's plan to give him to someone else as a maid, in order to seek loyalty and obedience to the mission of the palace chief Shi.

After hearing this, Li Weijian was puzzled and asked: "Fu Shi treats you like this, and Miss Fu still wants to sacrifice her life to save her?"

Fu Qiufang said: "My parents died when I was young, and it was my elder brother who brought me up. As a saying goes, elder brothers are like fathers, and the kindness of nurturing must be repaid."

Li Weijian asked: "If my brother is exempted from death this time, Miss Fu will come -"

Fu Qiufang shook her head resolutely and said: "The kindness of raising me has been repaid. From now on, he is him and I am me, and there is no relationship anymore."

There is love and righteousness, clear grudges, and she is not as soft-tempered as the second girl. This Fu Qiufang saw the needle hidden in the cotton, which appealed to Li Weijian.

He was moved, handed the document back, and said: "This document is not urgent, and if you want to exonerate your brother, money will not be enough. I will find someone to scan it. If it is done, let's go there Let’s talk about it later. What do you think, Miss Fu?”

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)