Taohuaxi

Chapter 7 Cheng Cangshi was arrested

"Is it you?" I said.

The person rescued that day turned out to be someone from Dongchang.

No wonder his voice is so special.

An indescribable softness and femininity.

He tucked away the fly whisk in his hand and said leisurely: "It's me. Without my sister's rescue, I wouldn't be able to return to the capital. I would have to be an unknown ghost in Yangzhou Mansion. How can I have Feng Gao who is currently serving your Majesty? ?”

He took a step back and took out a tiger sign from his arms, with several large characters written on it: Imperial Commissioner, Governor of Dongchang, and Eunuch in charge of affairs.

It seems that Feng Gao has become more powerful after returning to Beijing.

The wardrobe is different from before.

The faces of the old lady, the eldest mistress and the rest of the people in the house all showed expressions of surprise.They never expected that I would be able to establish a relationship with such an important person in Dongchang.

The old lady smiled apologetically and said, "Since Eunuch Feng knows my daughter-in-law, she is one of our own. Please come into the hall and have a cup of tea."

Here, he winked at the butler and signaled him to prepare some silver.

Feng Gao waved his hand: "There's no need to drink tea. Today Feng Gao came to the house, firstly to meet his sister, and secondly, because he has official business——"

He raised his voice and said: "The papers carried by the Cheng family's cargo ship have been presented to Tianyan. Your Majesty wants to re-trial the case of Xun Jing, the former governor of the grain road, and now orders us to come to Yangzhou to review the case. I'd like to trouble you, Mr. Cheng Cangshi, who is in the fifth rank of the Cao Army. Come with me!"

The eldest young master had just crossed the threshold and came home.

Today, when the yamen was closed, he took a few boys to the market to buy the old lady's favorite sauce duck.

Several young eunuchs bound him quickly with quick eyes and hands.

The sauced duck fell to the ground.

When the eldest mistress saw this, she started sobbing.

The old lady hurriedly said: "Eunuch Feng, is there any misunderstanding here? My son has always been diligent..."

Feng Gao said seriously: "Is the old lady questioning Your Majesty?"

The old lady leaned over and said, "I would never dare."

Feng Gao said: "Don't worry, for the sake of my sister, our family will make Mr. Cheng suffer less. When the case is found out, we will do whatever we have to do."

He walked towards me again, took out a small box from his sleeve and handed it to me. He smiled evilly and said, "Sister, I brought you the rouge cream from Beijing."

After speaking, he left.

The small box is still warm in the palm of my hand.

The sky in Cheng Mansion seemed to have collapsed.

The eldest mistress fell to the ground crying, calling to the figure walking away from the door: "Cangshi, Cangshi..."

Dongchang's torture became famous all over the world.

There are as many as eighteen kinds of torture instruments alone.What about clamping sticks, brain hoops, horse-stopping sticks, finger nails... they all sound chilling.

Almost no officials who fell into the hands of Dongchang came out intact.

The old lady was twisting the beads and kept saying: "The second child just died. Something happened to the boss again. Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, what happened to the Cheng family?"

I want to step forward to comfort him.

The old lady fell down and fainted.

Everyone carried her to the main room in the north courtyard with all their hands and feet. Those who carried water brought her water, and those who called for the doctor called for the doctor.

I lay beside the bed and waited.

The doctor came and said that he was suffering from anxiety and prescribed some medicine.The maid boiled the medicine, and I slowly put it into the old lady's mouth, spoonful by spoonful.

After a long time, the old lady opened her eyes weakly.

She looked at me beside the bed and called out: "Sang Yu——"

The eldest mistress wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said: "Mother, you know, Cang Shi was running errands in the Yamen and rarely paid attention to business matters. In the past few days, he has never been to the counter. Even the cargo ship of the Cheng family is... It really has nothing to do with Cang Shi. Mother should ask the Zhu family girls and Wu Bi how they got into trouble..."

The old lady interrupted her: "Yuzhen, now is not the time for internal strife. The family must think about how to overcome the difficulties together."

The eldest young lady pursed her lips, but her face was full of anger.

The old lady sighed: "Sang Yu, you and Eunuch Feng are acquainted. You must pay more attention to your eldest brother's affairs. Our family cannot live without a male..."

As she spoke, the old lady shed tears.

She solemnly took out a black wooden box from under the mattress and opened it. Two huge pearls inside glowed dazzlingly.

"This is an heirloom of the Cheng family. Take it and give it to Eunuch Feng. Say more soft words. If he wants money, no matter how much it is, just find a way to get it from the cabinet. At some point, people will be more important than money."

"Mother……"

"Go on." The old lady said with dignity.

I took it, thought about it, and said, "Mom, don't be anxious. I don't know whether this is a blessing or a curse. Think about it, Mr. Xun was beheaded, and His Majesty ordered a new trial. Doesn't it mean that the verdict is overturned? It shows that Your Majesty is suspicious. Mr.

The old lady said: "You don't know what happens in the officialdom. It's black and white, but it happens in an instant. Are there not many people who were wrongfully killed by Dongchang? Mr. Xun's case is not that simple. If we re-investigate the case, I'm afraid it will just be a formality. It’s a drama. There are too many people involved.”

A dark shadow flashed in my heart.

If the injustice is still not redressed this time.Cheng Huaishi is afraid that he will never be able to come back in an upright manner... and his life may not be saved...

Dark clouds had been hanging down for half the day.The winter rain has arrived.

The raindrops pattered against the rubble.

The old lady said: "Sickness comes like a mountain. Sang Yu, I don't know when I will get better now that I lie down. This family will be left to you and your sister-in-law for the time being. You two must work together."

She closed her eyes.

I leaned over and said goodbye: "Mother is well rested. My daughter-in-law has gone first."

When we came out under the eaves, He Hua silently held up his umbrella and waited for me.

The eldest mistress took a few servants and hurried out.

I don't know what she is going to do.

Not long after I returned to the West Courtyard, a servant came in and reported: "Second Young Mistress, the eldest young lady ordered people to tie up Shopkeeper Wu. She said that the eldest young master was taken away by people from the East Factory and it was all his fault. He must be sent to be punished." .”

With a "bang" sound, the water basin in He Hua's hand fell to the ground.

Water was splashed everywhere.

This is the first time I have seen the cold-faced Hehua lose his temper.

She hurriedly picked up the basin and wiped it on the floor without saying a word.

I stood up and said to the boy, "Go and have a look."

In the rain, the eldest mistress was walking to the Yamen with Wu Bi tied up.

I yelled, "Stop!"

The eldest mistress said with a half-smile, "What? I can't cure a servant?"

"My mother just told me not to fight among ourselves. Is my sister-in-law going to do something against her own family? Even if she wants to punish Shopkeeper Wu, she has to report it to her mother."

She ignored my words and walked forward.

I thought about it and said, "Sister-in-law, what's the point of sending Shopkeeper Wu to the Yamen so rashly? Can they agree with you to exchange a clerk for the elder brother? Why don't I take him to Eunuch Feng in private to plead for mercy? . Shopkeeper Wu knows everything about the shop. Maybe you can explain it to Eunuch Feng."

The eldest young lady stopped and said, "Seriously?"

I nodded heavily.

Wu Bi was then released.

He looked at me gratefully.

I glanced at He Hua beside me. Her face was calm and her clenched hands were clearly relaxed.

She never looked at Wu Bi from beginning to end.

Like a pool of still water, no strong wind has ever blown through it.

I took Wu Bi to the shop on East Street.

Several waiters told me: "Second Young Madam, there are several trucks of goods on the counter that were sent to Taixing today, but I didn't receive any banknotes. The other party heard the news from somewhere and knew that something happened to our eldest son and he was taken away by Dongchang. ...In the past, when the eldest young master was here, everyone gave the Cheng family some respect, and there was never anyone who delayed paying for a large amount of goods..."

Just as I was thinking about what to do, a group of people came noisily outside the shop.

"Bring me the money!"

the men shouted.

He Hua stood in front of me and looked at the group of people warily.

Wu Bi whispered to me: "This one is from the Hongyun Restaurant, that one is from the Fireworks Pavilion, and the one at the end is Hua Meng Zhao... They are all the young master's favorite places."

It is the place where Qin Lou and Chu Pavilion are located.

I understand.

The wall fell and everyone pushed.

On weekdays, big guests like the eldest young master can just leave the account and settle the accounts during the New Year.

Today they were looking at Cheng Mansion for completion.I’m afraid that if I’m too late, I won’t receive the money.So, they gathered in a hurry to collect debts.

I said to Wu Bi: "Check with them. If it is indeed the eldest young master's account, settle it with them."

Wu Bi looked embarrassed and whispered in my ear: "Second Young Madam, you don't know something. The Second Master received a large sum of money from me for activities a few days ago, and there is not much left to move on the account. I thought I could recover some money from Taixing today, but something like this happened... The old lady didn't know about the eldest young master's expenses. In the past, he would find his own way to make up for the shortfall. Now..."

I looked at the group.

Everyone knows that it is the most dishonorable thing to owe a debt to Fengyue.

No matter what, they can't be allowed to show off.

I lowered my head and was hesitating whether to take the pearls the old lady gave me today to a pawn shop to pledge money to help me in an emergency, when a thick stack of banknotes appeared in front of me.

Qin Mingxu came in at some point.

He handed me the banknote.

I refused to answer.

He put it into my hand and said, "It doesn't matter when you return it. As long as I'm here, as long as I have it."

(End of this chapter)