Chapter 169

Xu Mo's voice was not loud, nor was there any fierceness.

But Zheng Ruqian was so scared that he shrank his neck and pulled Jiang Sheng in front of him to hide.

Jiang Sheng's face was full of disgust.

Turning back, she looked at Xu Mo with a face full of admiration, "Eldest brother, you must have suffered these past three days. Are you hungry? Auntie has cooked up a pot of pork elbow stew just waiting for you to start eating."

She reached out to pull her eldest brother, but Xu Mo retreated with a wave of his hand, turned around to go to the academy greenhouse to empty the washbasin, before slowly returning.

The siblings got on the carriage and returned to Zanhua Courtyard to rest lightly for one night, and then prepare to fight for the second three days.

But before that, there was something that needed to be resolved.

Late at night, Xu Mo visited the prefectural governor's office alone.

The tall, jade-like teenager stood steadily in front of He Prefect, who was wearing a single robe, bowed, and said solemnly, "Student pays respect to Prefect He. Thank you for helping to resolve the situation at the academy entrance three days ago."

He Chengzhang looked him up and down, with a hint of smile in his eyes, "No need to be polite. I wasn't targeting you. For any student who encounters something, the exam comes first."

The imperial examination is held once every three years. Missing it this year means waiting another three years.

And time is the most precious thing for scholars. The difference between a fourteen-year-old top scholar and a seventeen-year-old top scholar is more than just a little.

Xu Mo bowed with his hands again, "Student has come late at night just to ask Prefect He who exactly instigated Sun Quanzhu, and what was the purpose?"

Although he had some guesses in his mind, he couldn't be sure of the mastermind behind it.

After careful consideration, Xu Mo decided to visit Prefect He to inquire in person.

It was a very bold decision, but it made He Chengzhang appreciate him even more.

He pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers repeatedly on the wooden chair, and finally stood up with his hands behind his back and said softly, "It was the Fang family."

Sure enough.

Although Wang Yuyao was jealous of them because of Fang Heng, she didn't have such deep scheming to arrange everything before leaving. The behavior at the academy entrance could only have been directed by the Fang family instructing the Sun family. It was just that the person from the Fang family in Fengying who came forward to lend a helping hand was unexpected to everyone.

Various guesses flashed through Xu Mo's mind, but there was no way of knowing for sure.

After a long time, he bowed and thanked him, "Thank you Prefect He, student understands now."

He Chengzhang stared at the teenager without moving his eyes. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's late, go back and rest early. You still have to go to the academy tomorrow."

Xu Mo nodded heavily, turned around and took his leave.

Outside the prefect's office, four children were lined up in a row, drowsily guarding a carriage.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, they still woke up and surrounded him, chirping, "Eldest brother, who exactly was it?"

"What did the prefect say? Was it the Fang family?"

Xu Mo smiled helplessly. He had intended to visit the prefect alone, but his younger siblings were worried and insisted on coming along.

Not only did they come along, they didn't want to see Prefect He either. They just squatted at the door to wait for news as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the news was not very good.

Xu Mo pursed his lips a few times before telling the truth, "It was the Fang family."

"I knew it," Zheng Ruqian yelled angrily. "Even with third brother gone, those bunch of shit-eating dogs still won't let us be, afraid we might live well."

"He even deliberately pretended to be nice and asked if we needed help," Jiang Sheng said indignantly, hands akimbo. "A thief crying thief, a dog eating shit and cursing it stinks."

These were all kinds of weird analogies.

Zheng Ruqian and Wen Zhiyun both laughed and fiddled with Jiang Sheng's little braid.

Only Chang Yan still remembered to comfort his big brother, "With Prefect He here, Anshui county will always be peaceful."

There was a time when they were hostile towards He Chengzhang too, but later realized it was just a difference of positions, the hearts for caring for the common people were the same.

Like at the academy entrance, Prefect He could have just ignored Xu Mo, but still stepped forward.

With him here, Anshui county still had clear skies, and Anshui county's commoners could continue to live in peace and contentment.

Xu Mo's eyes welled up with emotion as he thought back to Anshui county's previous prefect, thought back to Magistrate Pang, thought back to his father, thought back to the righteous officials who spared no effort for the common people.

It was because there were millions of them that the Great Yu dynasty could be prosperous and powerful, could be fair and just.

It was also they who, with their frail bodies, held up the bright sky and brought peace and tranquility back to the commoners. Xu Mo clasped his hands in front of him, standing at the prefect's office door, bowed reverently.

Only then did he get on the carriage to go home.

The next day, at the academy entrance.

To prevent the Sun family from continuing to make trouble, the children of Zanhua Courtyard not only changed to a different carriage today, but also changed the coachman to Zhang Qiquan who didn't show his face much in public.

After hearing about the previous incident, Uncle Zhang rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, gnashed his teeth over and over, "If he dares come make trouble again today, I won't stop until I've knocked out all his teeth."

Fortunately, nothing happened until Xu Mo entered the academy.

Even that Fang family steward did not appear in anyone's sight.

The Zanhua Courtyard children all breathed a sigh of relief and went back to their workshops to work on their own things.

In fact, it was mainly Zheng Ruqian who was busy.

After gathering his siblings' thoughts that day and thinking through all the key points, he immediately started hiring people aggressively, buying yards, and digging cellars.

Anshui county was already in the fourth month, and ice could no longer be frozen, but ice could be purchased cheaply now and stored to avoid high summer ice prices.

Also take this opportunity to, as Zheng Ruqian urged Jiang Sheng, take stock of the family's current savings.

Jiang Sheng's face was full of vigilance. In her inherent impression, whenever the family took stock of savings in the past, it was always a bottom up affair, without even a bottom left.

"Little Jiang Sheng, take stock, we can't just muddle through life blindly, we have to know how much money is in the family." While coaxing his sister, Zheng Ruqian calculated in his heart the money needed to hire people, buy yards, and buy ice in his heart.

Oh right, and the money to dig a cellar.

Jiang Sheng's face was full of resistance as she emptied out the purse.

The workshop's annual profit was around 100 taels of silver. Third brother's annual allowance was 1,000 taels. Second brother earned over 100 taels from running the roast duck business. Pang Dashan and Wang Xiaosong earned around 100 taels a year transporting vegetables. Eldest brother saved up 100 taels as a teacher. Fourth brother paid over 50 taels after opening a clinic.

And there were still the 500 taels that third brother gave at his departure, all in Jiang Sheng's hands.

Added up there was a full 2,000 taels.

This was a number they didn't even dare dream of before, calculated finely it could even last a lifetime.

Holding all the silver bills and ingots in her hand, Jiang Sheng even had a feeling of surreal dreaminess.

Unexpectedly Zheng Ruqian reached out and grabbed it, baring his teeth as he checked it over, "Too good, too good, this money should be almost enough."

Jiang Sheng's hands were suddenly empty.

The wind blew by, empty as it could be.

She frowned, pursed her lips, endured a few times, but still couldn't hold it in, and cried out loud.