In August, sweet osmanthus flowers bloomed all over the city of Shanyang, and even in front of the strict military yamen, flowers fell everywhere.

It was the season to enjoy the flowers, but the movement of the ladies of the various provinces in Junzhou City had already stopped.

The provinces will not visit each other if there is an emergency.

At most, one or two mothers-in-law are missing.

This is convenient for Ji Qingchen.

"Big lady. Mr. Lou hasn't come over for dinner for three or four days. ”

In Lao Siniang's heart, she felt that it was a good thing for Lou Yun to come over every day, although she was worried that the eldest lady and Lou Yun would gossip when they met before they got married.

However, now in the Qinglong Temple, the osmanthus tree is opened from the front hall to the back hall, and the yellow clouds are all over the sky on the glazed tiles of the Buddha hall.

Except for the monks, there is not a single figure to be seen enjoying the flowers.

Families in the city are closed, and gossip is nowhere to gossip.

She also wanted to feel that Lou Yun didn't come often, whether the war outside was not good, and whether she should roll up and escape.

"If you don't come, it means that the war is urgent."

Although Ji Qingchen was calm, he had also pondered these things in his heart,

"If he wants to escape, he should still let me know and call me to run away."

She smiled and comforted Lao Siniang, "You see that when he came here for the last time, he summoned Ji Mo and talked for a while, and left Lou Chun and them, didn't he just teach him how to keep me from escaping?" I'm still up to date with that. ”

“……”

Lao Siniang listened to such comfort, and she didn't feel happy in her heart.

The edict of reprimand in the capital has been issued, and the official family finally scolded Uncle Wanyan.

After scolding, you have to start fighting.

The Huai River sailors have crossed the river and attacked Suzhou.

The official family didn't send a message asking her to go back to the capital. Ji Qingchen lived in Shanyang City with peace of mind.

Seeing that it is difficult to meet Lou Yun, it is impossible to bring up the arrangement of getting married.

She simply closed the door. Only a few days later, I asked Ji Mo to go to Ji Mansion to ask Xu Shuqing about her situation.

"Big lady, Mother Wan from Ji Mansion is here."

Ji Mo crossed his hands in front of the courtyard gate and prayed.

Under the osmanthus tree. He stepped on the ground and fell flowers, and the expression on his face was solemn.

He wore a scarf on his head, leather armor on his cover, and a knife on his waist.

It's completely guarded.

She also brought two mothers-in-law, saying that there was a steward from the Han family, a big tea merchant in Jiangxi, who came to visit San Lang. But Saburo was not in the house. The Han family asked the two mothers-in-law to meet Mrs. Xu, who felt that she was not the master and invited them to come over to meet the eldest lady. ”

"Jiangxi tea merchants?"

Ji Qingchen looked surprised, and exchanged glances with Lao Siniang.

From Jiangxi to Chuzhou, it is necessary to pass through the Yangtze River. But the Yangtze River is in full swing.

The fact that this Han government steward was able to come over was naturally sent by the Yangtze River military boat with the approval of the capital control.

A steward has such ability, and the Han family is by no means an ordinary tea merchant in Jiangxi.

"Let them in."

The sky has been a little cloudy, and the footsteps are sounding, but Wan Shi is still the same capable appearance in white clothes and black dresses.

Ji Qingchen saw that she was wearing leather bracers under her sleeves, and the embroidered shoes under her skirt were replaced by horse walking boots with mille-feuille soles. If you want to go to the city, just put a bow on your back, tie your quiver, and pick up your skirt to enter the camp for healthy women.

Ji Qingchen saw her. I was not in a hurry to ask the mother-in-law of the Han Mansion outside the gate of the hospital, but I earnestly entrusted it and said:

"Although there are Xu Siye and the brothers in the gang in the house, Ji's mother and Zhu's mother in the inner house are old. Shuqing also asked Mother Wan to bother. ”

Of course, Wan's current dress is not to go to the city, but to protect the inner house of the Ji Mansion.

In case the sailors are defeated, the Jin Kingdom will besiege the city. It's one thing to run away.

The most troublesome thing is that the officials, soldiers, and officials have all gone up to the city wall to defend the city, and there is no one to maintain stability in the city.

Except for the spies of the Jin State. There are still many ruffians in the city who take the opportunity to make trouble and want to take advantage of the fire to rob. To suppress them, it is still necessary to rely on the self-protection of the big households.

"Don't worry, big lady."

After all, the Wan clan has experienced a siege of the city, and it is easy to deal with these.

"Fourth Master Xu has already discussed with the big families in the Juyi Fang, the Liu family and the Wei family, the three of us are the leaders and the neighbors are joint households to protect themselves, and Zhuangding will form a team to go out to inspect the house and beat the gong for the police. As long as the city is not broken, there will be no chaos in the square. ”

Ji Qingchen was relieved and said with a smile:

"I'm close to the military office, and outsiders don't dare to come here. Just reassure them. ”

Wan came back this time, in addition to introducing the Han Mansion, it was also the Xu family brothers and sisters who wanted to see how the garrison of Qinglong Temple was.

If there are not enough people, the eldest lady will be taken to the Ji Mansion immediately.

Qinglong Temple is only one street away from the military yamen, and when she came over, she saw that the soldiers were connected along the way, and the iron armor was cold.

Entering the Qinglong Temple, there are 100 soldiers stationed outside the military yamen.

When she arrived outside the house, she saw Lou Chun, the head of the house, and Ji Mo discussing something under the tree, and there were no less than forty people in the temple.

She knew that she didn't need to worry about it here, so she whispered that the Han Mansion had sent a heavy gift, and it seemed that there was something to discuss.

Ji Qingchen heard from Lou Yun last time about the rebellion of the Jiangxi illicit tea sellers.

She knew that the local officials and troops who attacked the Jin-Song border did not return to suppress them in the end.

This rebellion was jointly suppressed by several large local tea merchants in Jiangxi.

They used their families, domestic slaves, and local tea plantations to form a militia group to practice, and fought two vicious battles with outlaw illicit tea dealers.

I heard that three hundred were beheaded in the end.

Several large tea merchants in stable places already had official bodies that were donated, and this time they were crowned with the title of six products by the imperial court.

She knows very well that this is not necessarily a rebellion, but an uneven distribution of profits in business.

If you want to talk about smuggling, aren't the three sisters and brothers of her Ji family also smugglers?

I just don't know what the Han family came to visit at this juncture.

"The women have seen the big lady."

Both mothers-in-law are middle-aged women in their thirties.

The Han family is far away in Jiangxi, too far away from Liangzhejiang Road, and only heard about the Xingsheng Boat Gang on the Chuyang River, and does not know that there is Tangfang behind.

"Bo Li is sluggish, and I ask the eldest lady to forgive her sins."

There should not be Ji Qingchen's share in the gift list, but the gold and jade objects presented now are worth a lot of money.

There is also such a thing in the temporary preparation, and Steward Han must have a large amount of goods with him.

Ji Qingchen met them in the main room of the fine house, smiled and asked people to lift chairs and let them sit down.

The woman at the head, also surnamed Han, sat sideways.

"My family's San Lang was summoned by the military yamen, and he already had an official status, so he went back to the water division to be loyal to the court. It is inevitable that the family will not be well entertained by distinguished guests. ”

She looked at this Han lady and saw that she looked dignified, humble and not too flattering, and the dresses on her body were all solemnly colored silk, and the gold-filled hairpin and two rings were simple and exquisite.

She speculated that this person should be an old family member who volunteered to be attached to the Han Mansion as a servant.

She has a shallow foundation in Jifu, and there is no such house slave.

But if the family is prosperous and Xu Shuqing has the skills, it is not impossible for the Wan family to stay in the Ji Mansion for generations to be housekeepers in the future.

"The eldest lady is polite, it is really a sin for the women to come and disturb the eldest lady to cultivate in Buddhism."

During the mutual greetings and temptations, Han Niangzi also quietly saw Ji Qingchen clearly. (To be continued......)