After Gu Shiba Niang said this, Lingbao couldn't help but sniffed and looked at Gu Ba Niang who picked up the book again and started reading with a peaceful expression.
She seemed to be back in a trance to that day in the snow and wind, feeling helpless in the freezing cold. Then a pair of hands stretched out before her eyes, and with a gentle pull, the brother and sister jumped out of the quagmire.
At first, I just wanted to sell myself into slavery to repay the grace of saving my life, but when I think about it, not only has my life-saving grace not been repaid, but I have been protected by these hands all the time.
She lowered her head and gently wiped the corners of her eyes. She watched Gu Shiba Niang concentrate on her book, then turned around and went out quietly.
At this time, the sunlight and spring breeze would never penetrate into the prison of the Criminal Department. There was only darkness and dampness, spider webs were everywhere, and rats were running rampant on the ground, strutting around. It was obvious that they were more powerful than humans here.
There were neither cries of injustice from the prisoners nor groans from the tortured people. It was as quiet as death. This kind of silence made people's hair stand on end.
A burst of footsteps broke the silence here.
"Who is it?" the jailer shouted vigilantly, looking toward the end of the long corridor. A figure soon appeared in his sight that had already adapted to the darkness.
"It's the second young master." A smile immediately appeared on the jailer's face, and he accepted it respectfully, "You are here? If you have anything to do, just give me an order."
Lingyuan, who was wrapped in a black cloak, hummed indifferently and walked slowly inward without stopping.
"Sir..." the jailer called out carefully, but when he saw Lingyuan raising the waistband in his hand that was personally given by the Minister of Punishment, he lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
Lingyuan walked all the way to the innermost part, looking at the narrow cell that would never see the light of day, and was lost for a moment.
At this time last year, he had stood here, looking at the young man who was sleeping under torture, filled with worry, sadness and anxiety. He thought it was just an accident, and he would never stand in such a state of mind in the prison again. He had no father or mother in his soul. He has no relatives or friends. Apart from Gu Hai's family, no one in this world can make him fall in love.
But what's going on now
"Little brother, it's you..." An old voice came from inside.
Lingyuan didn't know what to say for a moment. Accompanied by a rustling sound, a person slowly moved over from the corner.
After not seeing each other for several months, Yang Taisheng, who had been escorted back by him personally, had completely changed. He was so thin that only a handful of bones were left, his beard and hair were messy, and his eyes were sunken into their sockets. In the end, he still could not escape Zhu Chunming's hand and fell into the trap. When he arrived at the prison of the Ministry of Punishment where he was supposed to be, even though he was snatched and taken care of by the Wucheng Soldiers and Horses Division, the leg was still broken.
"I also said that the food was delivered very early today...it turned out to be the little brother..." He smiled.
He reached out to brush the long hair from his forehead and glanced at Ling Yuan standing outside the prison.
"What's the matter, little brother?" he asked with a smile.
His voice was calm, and the imprisonment and torture seemed to have left no mark on him.
"Sir..." Lingyuan said, with a hint of anxiety in his voice, "This is the book you want..."
His hand reached out from under his cloak and handed over a bundle.
Yang Taisheng was obviously surprised. Last time, this young man escorted him from the Wucheng Bingma Si Yamen. He casually said that he wanted to read some books, but after a month, no one came in. It must be because his students have no way to get in.
As if he was not used to the way Yang Taisheng looked at him, Lingyuan threw the baggage in and turned to leave.
"Little brother, thank you." Yang Taisheng said with a smile.
Lingyuan paused slightly, "I don't dare, and it's not for nothing."
"Thank you for showing mercy." Yang Tiansheng whispered from behind.
Lingyuan's body froze, and he understood that this was the shot that stabbed him crookedly in the ruined temple.
"Little brother, take these books, I don't need them anymore..." Yang Taisheng continued.
Lingyuan turned around and glanced at the old man's eyes, "Your eyes..."
"I'm getting old, these eyes are no longer useful..." He still said with a gentle smile, reaching out to brush those cloudy and lifeless eyes.
There are various punishments in the Penal Department Prison, one of which is smoking, which makes people feel as if they are on the verge of death during suffocation in order to extract a confession. This punishment is very harmful to the throat and eyes.
Lingyuan felt a lump in his throat unconsciously.
"I...I don't need it..." he whispered, "I can't read these books either..."
"Oh..." Yang Taisheng nodded and said after a slight hesitation, "Then, little brother, are you willing to listen to what I have to say to you?"
Lingyuan was stunned.
"Before I became an official, I worked as a private school teacher for ten years..." Yang Taisheng stroked his dirty beard, a hint of recalling the past appeared on his face, "I have left it behind for so many years, I don't know if I can still explain it..."
Lingyuan stood silently, neither agreeing nor rejecting.
Yang Taisheng smiled and said, "Look, am I talking crazy? Little brother, go ahead."
"I can't save you..." Lingyuan interrupted him and said lightly.
Yang Taisheng laughed even louder, but the jailer on the outermost side just glanced at him and turned around, seemingly turning a blind eye to everything.
"Since I dare to come in, I have no intention of getting out alive." He smiled and patted his stumped leg. "There are many people who want to save me, but it's not impossible to save him..."
Lingyuan was silent.
"Let's go, Second Young Master." The jailer heard the footsteps behind him and hurriedly lowered his head and said respectfully. The black cloak blended with the darkness rolled past his eyes, and the cell fell into dead silence again.
In the Xin family's newly purchased house in Beijing, four or five stewards hurried out, passing by Xin Chaoling and the other three who looked hungover, and simply nodded to say hello.
"Look at these people, do they still treat us as their masters?" one person said angrily.
"Come on, we know who we are, and others also know what we are." Xin Chaoling patted his brother's shoulder with a folding fan, yawned and said, "Let's go, let's go and tell the eldest young master what we have learned." , so to speak, we are not useless at all..."
There were only two pretty maids standing in the study with smiles on their faces, sorting out the four treasures of the study.
"What did you do?" Xin Chaoling thought he heard wrongly and asked again.
"Going for a spring outing." The pretty maid replied with a smile.
"Did I hear that right?" Xin Chaoling turned to ask the two brothers beside him.
The two brothers shook their heads.
"Brother is out on a spring trip?" Xin Chaoling shook his head and smiled, "Brother hates this excitement the most..."
At this time in the suburbs, Lingbao stretched out his hand to tear off the kite string, and watched the beautiful kite swaying in the sky with Gu Shiba Niang.
"Young Master, do you want to let go of the bad luck?" Gu Shiba Niang turned her head and smiled at Xin Chaoyang, who was sitting on the ground under the weeping willow tree.
"Am I having bad luck?" Xin Chaoyang said with a slight smile.
"That's different..." Lingbao said with a hint of sourness. Her eyes couldn't help but cast to the roadside. Her brother didn't come after all...
Gu Shiba Niang smiled, took the brocade handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead, and took the tea from Xin Chaoyang.
"The eldest young master actually still has the leisure to have a spring outing?" she said with a smile.
She has given Baohe Tang enough money to use as working capital. At this time, Baohe Tang is no longer as panicked as before. If they can survive this time, the medicine sheds who join forces to run against Baohe Tang will The loss will be huge.
Xin Chaoyang smiled, "Thank you, Mrs. Gu, for worrying about me..." As he spoke, he raised his chin slightly to the side, "But your bad luck has come..."
Gu Shiba Niang was stunned when she heard this. She turned around and saw a carriage parked on the side of the road. The third master of the Wang family jumped out of the carriage and saw a flash of anger when he saw the two people sitting opposite each other on the ground.
When Gu Shiba Niang walked into the Wang family's mansion with Lingbao, the people in the house had obviously been there for a long time. The buzzing chatter when she came in suddenly died down, and all eyes fell on her.
"How's Mr. Wang doing?" She looked at Wang Hongbin and asked in a low voice.
"Thank you, Mrs. Gu, for your concern. It's okay for now." Mr. Wang San took the words and snorted coldly.
Gu Shiba Niang pretended not to hear the unkindness in his tone and sat down aside.
Wang Hongbin looked a little embarrassed.
"I wonder why you called me today?" Gu Shiba Niang asked.
People in the hall looked at each other and all looked at Wang Hongbin.
"That's it..." Wang Hongbin coughed, a little uncomfortable, and did not look directly at Gu Shiba Niang.
"That's right, we don't have enough money. We want to borrow some more from Mrs. Gu." Mr. Wang San said directly.
Wang Hongbin glared at him with a bit of reproach, how could anyone borrow money like this? Looks like a debt collector
Gu Shiba Niang's expression remained calm, "No more."
"Ha" Mr. Wang San sneered, looked around at everyone, and said with a half-smile, "Did you hear that? You are right what you said to me."
The people in the hall looked at Gu Shiba Niang with strange eyes.
"What's wrong?" Gu Shiba Niang raised her eyes and asked him calmly.
"Mrs. Gu, if you have any difficulties, please tell me clearly. If you can help, I will. If you can't help us, Baohe Hall will not blame you. It's just one thing in front of your face and another behind your back. That's not good..." Mr. Wang San said coldly. said.
Before he finished speaking, Gu Shiba Niang slammed the teacup in her hand onto the table, making a crisp sound.
When she looked over, Mr. Wang San couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. What kind of look was this? It was cold and cold. How could any daughter's family in the world have such a look
Wang Hongbin on the side had seen it. In Jiankang that year, when their Baohe Hall pointed at Gu Shiba Niang and asked her to explain herself, the girl had this look in her eyes, and he couldn't help but stand up.
He had personal experience with this girl's ruthlessness.
Just when he wanted to resolve the awkward atmosphere, Gu Shiba Niang lowered her eyes.
"I'm going to see Mr. Wang, the shopkeeper." She stood up and said.
The voice was flat and contained no emotion.
Wang Hongbin breathed a sigh of relief, stopped Mr. Wang San who was still talking, and quickly sent someone to lead Gu Shiba Niang to the back hall.
"...Is what I said wrong? Who doesn't know that Da Yousheng wants to trap her, that Lang Youqing is interested in concubine, and believes that she will help us with all her heart? Are you dreaming? Who makes us not have a good son?"
The door of the room was closed, blocking Mr. Wang San's angry voice.
"What's wrong with this guy?" Lingbao gritted his teeth angrily and turned around to go back.
Gu Shiba Niang stretched out her hand to hold her, "There are some people in this world who never understand the truth. They only believe what they think. They won't listen to anything you say. There is no need to waste your breath with them."
"Obviously they are the ones who caused the trouble. They are useless. The lady lent them so much money. It's good for them. Not only do they not remember the kindness, but they also become angry. It's so hateful." Lingbao said angrily.
"So what if I have a grudge? Am I afraid of him?" Gu Shiba Niang smiled, pulled her, and followed the servant who led the way into Wang Yiyi's house.
The maids and maids of the family all saluted.
"How is the old gentleman?" Gu Shiba Niang asked in a low voice.
Wang Yiyi's wife gently wiped away her tears, "It's only been the past few days..."
"Old madam, the old lady asked if Madam Gu is here? Madam Gu, please speak." A maid came out and whispered.
Gu Shiba Niang nodded and turned into the inner room. She was surprised to see Wang Jinyi also there. They had not seen each other since the tea was spilled on her face at the medicine meeting.
Seeing Gu Shiba Niang come in, Wang Jin stood up, stepped back, and lowered his head.
"Ms. Gu..." Wang Zhangzhang called in a weak voice.
Gu Shiba Niang looked at the old man with mixed feelings in her heart.
"Ms. Gu, we are settled..." Wang Zhangyi smiled weakly and said something without beginning or end.
Wang Jinyi couldn't help but look up.
Gu Shiba Niang nodded, stretched out her hand to hold Wang Zhang's skinny hand, "Mr. Wang, I will keep the name Baohe Hall..." After a brief pause, with a wry smile, "Mr. Wang, please be considerate. I am also a person who puts my life in danger, and I can only do so much..."
"That's enough..." Wang Zhangyi said weakly, shaking Gu Shiba Niang's hand, "Thank you..."
"Thank you too..." Gu Shiba Niang's nose felt slightly sore.
Three days later, Wang Yiyi, the third generation head of Baohe Hall, passed away. At the same time, Baohe Hall did not accept Gu Shiba Niang's suggestion and pursued the principle of slow and easy, but once again purchased a large number of goods on the market. Two months later, under the huge pressure from all the medicine sheds in the capital to vow not to prune Guizhi this year, in June, Baohetang sold Guizhi, losing one million taels of silver, and became insolvent, so it had to sell Guizhi. Hetang.
After a devastating defeat, Baohe Tang withdrew from the pharmaceutical industry overnight. Just as Wang Zhang had instructed in advance, anyone who came to buy Baohe Tang would ask for the Baohe Tang brand to be purchased together. Fortunately, in Da Before the massive sale to pay off debts, someone had already bought the Baohetang brand at a high price.
Wang Hongbin stood in the yard. Most of the servants in the house had been sold, and a few others had left the capital and returned to their hometown. This house was originally going to be sold, but he gritted his teeth and stayed at the price of selling it. The land they belong to has no shops and no land. It is hard to imagine how difficult it will be in the future, especially for people of this generation who have been born and raised in fine clothing and food. The cries of women, children and children can be heard in the house. Making the atmosphere even more sad.
"Master, master..." An old man ran in panting.
"What? Someone is coming to collect debts again?" Wang Hongbin asked without turning his head, "Let them come in and choose for yourself. Just take whatever they need..."
"No, sir, Mrs. Gu sent this..." the old man said anxiously.
Wang Hongbin turned around fiercely and looked at the shiny black plaque with the words Baohe Hall in his hands in his hometown. The three-foot-tall man did not shed tears even in the face of such a big change. Wang Hongbin's eyes couldn't help but turn red.
He took a few steps, as if he wanted to rush out to see Gu Shiba Niang, but in the end he held back. There are some things that you don't need to say with your mouth, it's enough in your heart.
He stretched out his hand to take the plaque, and only then did he understand the significance of Wang Yiyi taking the risk to introduce Prince Wen to Gu Shiba Niang despite the opposition of his whole family. The old man was so clear-sighted that he had already guessed about Baohe. The general is in great trouble...
It's all because the younger generations are useless. They are used to enjoying the blessings left by their ancestors, but they have not developed the ability to continue the glory.
"Second uncle, I must revive Baohe Hall." Wang Hongbin knelt down and kowtowed heavily in the direction of his ancestral home.
Sitting in the carriage, Lingbao thought of the decline of the Wang family just now, and couldn't help stroking his chest, "It's really dangerous to do business. You are so rich, but you lose at the drop of a hat..."
"It's not just business," Gu Shiba Niang said with a smile, "even those princes and generals can be defeated in just the blink of an eye..."
Princes, generals and ministers... Lingbao naturally thought of Zhu Chunming and his brother, and couldn't help but look sad.
"Life is not easy. If you lose, you will lose. As long as you are still here, you can start over. It's not a big deal..." Gu Shiba Niang comforted her with a smile.
"Ms. Gu" someone called from behind, accompanied by the sound of horse hooves, "Please wait."
Gu Shiba Niang opened the car curtain and looked around, and saw that it was Wang Jinyi.
Most of the Wang family have already left the capital, especially those who are prominent and important in the family. With this result, they have no shame in hanging around in the capital. The only ones left behind are insignificant people who don't care about their face and others making fun of them. Staying in the capital can support yourself.
Wang Jinyi is the master of the Wang family, and he didn't leave either
"What does he want to cause trouble?" Lingbao looked wary. These people were simply feeding unfamiliar white-eyed wolves.
Wang Jinyi did not approach her, but dismounted not far away. He suddenly bent over and bowed to her three times, then without saying a word, he mounted his horse and left again.
"What do you mean? Deliberately making it look ugly?" Lingbao glared. This person had never shown a good face to them before, let alone offered a gift. He suddenly came out like this, especially when he was splashed in public. After being embarrassed and not helping Baohe Tang at all, Lingbao felt that this gift was not a big gift.
Gu Shiba Niang smiled and asked Ah Si to move on.
"Everyone can figure it out and start all over again..." She leaned on the frame, sighed softly, and said sadly, "I am really so stupid...I lived all those years in vain but I am a confused person...die I don’t understand until I die... No, I won’t understand even after I die... If I don’t start over..."
"Miss is stupid?" Lingbao shouted exaggeratedly, "Then there are not many smart people in the world... How could Miss be stupid? Miss can guess everything and everything she says and does is right..."
It was hard-won. Gu Shiba Niang smiled and said nothing more. It was all over and she didn't want to think about it anymore.
After the contract with Dayousheng expired, Gu Shiba Niang did not renew it. Although countless medicine shops came to visit her every day, she never signed an exclusive contract with anyone.
"Now she no longer needs to use this to embolden herself..." Xin Chaoyang gently shook the folding fan and said, "She has really become stronger inside now..."
"If you couldn't caress her when she was a young eagle, then you don't have to think about it when the eagle spreads its wings." The older man said with a bit of regret.
"Then let her fly." Xin Chaoyang smiled and looked at the blue sky in August.
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I wanted to finish this paragraph in one breath, but I wrote too much and it was a little late. Everyone has been waiting for a long time. Hehe.