After hearing this, Xi Fuwei was like a drowning person who found a life-saving straw. He didn't even have time to recall why there was a familiar voice in this strange place.
She turned around hurriedly and saw a tall man in brocade clothing standing seven or eight steps away.
He was about the age of being crowned, with a clear-cut face, handsome eyebrows, and a pair of eyes as sharp as knives. Although he looked at him calmly, he felt unspeakable pressure.
"Who are you?" Xi Fuwei looked at him for a moment, then looked around, but there was no sign of Xi Jiao. The joy that had just risen suddenly disappeared, and the look she looked at him instantly turned into vigilance.
"Jinyiwei." The man's face was calm, and the three words he spoke softly not only shocked Xi Fuwei, but also the face of the woman behind her who had been so stubborn just now, also changed drastically!
The Jinyiwei of the imperial dynasty was formerly the Gongwei Division established by His Majesty Emperor Taizu himself. It was changed into the pro-military governor's office and administered the Yiluan Division. It was only in the fifteenth year of Hongwu that the name "Jinyiwei" was decided, and he was in charge of imperial edicts and prisons. It has the power of inspection and arrest, and has a town and fusi division under it, which has great authority.
The commanders at that time, Mao Xiang and Jiang Huan, did not live up to this power, so much so that all the civil and military officials in the dynasty were frightened by them.
Later, Emperor Taizu got older and abandoned it in the 20th year of Hongwu in order to pave the way for Prince Yiwen.
However, the current Yongle Emperor Xu appointed this yamen again after he ascended the throne because of his improper position.
In the past few years, although Jinyiwei has not made any news comparable to the "Blue Jade Case", relying on the reputation of its predecessors, it is still enough to frighten the government and the public.
Whether it was Xi Fuwei or the woman, their hearts skipped a beat when they heard him announcing his home status, and they instinctively became wary.
"Your nephew is currently at the Jinyi Guard Yanzhou Guardhouse." The man was indifferent to their reactions and said in a straightforward tone, "I would like to ask you two to come and talk to us and settle this matter."
... After a long while, Xi Fuwei looked around with some fear.
Although we know that under the dynasty's official system, official offices were rarely repaired, but the Jinyi Guardhouse we are in now is too dilapidated!
Xi Fuwei was very skeptical. Whenever a strong gust of wind blew by, the entire roof would fall down!
When she looked away at the steady man sitting far away, she blurted out, "May I ask where my nephew is?" She felt a sense of absurd and inappropriate admiration.
The man didn't speak, he just turned to the captain beside him and nodded slightly.
The captain left knowingly, and soon brought Xi Jiao over, who had changed into a robe that obviously didn't fit well.
There was a look of shock on Xi Jiao's face, but overall he was calm. Xi Fuwei hurriedly pulled him to her side to check, and asked in a low voice what happened. Only then did she know that she had been attracted by the woman, and suddenly someone came out from behind the high wall. Two men covered his mouth and carried him away. He tried to struggle, but was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, he was in the hands of Jin Yiwei.
Jin Yiwei gave him a general check, and found a robe for him to change because his original clothes were dirty. Finally, he gave him some tea and cakes... However, Xi Jiao was afraid of food and didn't dare to eat at all. The son secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his familiar aunt. After telling the story in one breath, he timidly asked: "Uncle, can I eat that sweet-scented osmanthus cake?"
"You go and eat!" Xi Fuwei touched his head lovingly, and was about to continue to comfort him when a light cough came from not far away: "Take Young Master Xi down to have sweet-scented osmanthus cake!"
The captain from before immediately came over to lead Xi Jiao.
Xi Jiao subconsciously hid behind Xi Fuwei.
Xi Fuwei hesitated for a moment, then finally pulled him out and handed him to the captain, and warned: "Auntie wants to talk to this gentleman for a while. Jiaoer, be good and go eat sweet-scented osmanthus cake with this guy first... Wait a minute Come see your aunt again!"
Xi Jiao was obviously very reluctant, but because he had been used to being weak since he was a child, he couldn't do anything messy now, so he could only walk away in three steps.
Watching her nephew leave, Xi Fuwei turned to the Jin Yiwei who brought her here. Just as she was about to solemnly thank her, the man spoke quickly: "Miss Xi, including this time, this is not the first time for me. Help you!"
"...Are you a distant visitor who came to express condolences to my brother that day?!" Xi Fuwei was stunned upon hearing this, blurted out, and subconsciously asked, "Is it true that my brother's death is true?!"
The nails dug into the flesh at the same time.
However, the man just laughed: "Miss Xi thought that she was a young woman with young Master Xi, how did she escape the Wen family's search and enter Yanzhou City without any danger?"
"It turns out that when our aunt and nephew escaped from Dongchang Mansion, the reason why we were able to obtain the road guide so smoothly was because of your secret help?" Xi Fuwei was surprised and said, "Your kindness is really great. There is no reward for teaching a little girl!”
The man was quite cheerful and said, "If Miss Xi really wants to repay her kindness, there is nothing she can do."
After a pause, he said again, "I heard that Miss Xi is like a brother-in-law. She is quite spiritual in calligraphy. Her regular script is even inferior to Master Xi when he was alive?"
Xi Fuwei's calligraphy is indeed good. This is because firstly, Xi Zongwang has always raised his daughter as a son, without any contempt; secondly, Xi Fucui is such a sister and has always doted on her. Over the years, she has not improved in calligraphy or homework. Less guidance; thirdly, she has good talent. Because there are few people in the family, she has many things to worry about, so she has always regarded practicing calligraphy as one of the means to calm her mind.
Over time, his achievements in calligraphy have indeed surpassed Xi Fucui's.
It's just that because they have a relative like the Wen family, the Xi family and his son have kept it secret in order to establish their own image of "reserved and dignified" family style.
So except for Xi Zongwang, Xi Fucui and Xi Fuwei's personal attendants, no one knew that Xi Fuwei had such a specialty.
Now that Jin Yiwei, who was meeting him for the first time, revealed the truth, Xi Fuwei was not very surprised. After all, after Hong Wu's lesson, the knowledge that Jin Yiwei could find out all the secrets had long been deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Xi Fuwei was surprised why this person mentioned this
After all, although her handwriting is very good, she is only good compared to ordinary people, and she still can't compare with real people.
The identity of the person in front of me is so special. It's impossible for him to ask for words from me, right
"It's just smearing randomly, I don't dare to speak like an adult." She answered cautiously while thinking about it.
The man smiled again, looking very amiable, but the sharpness in his eyes did not change at all. He was still so aggressive and piercing that his originally gentle tone seemed to have no room for change: "The Xi family Such a sudden change makes everyone cry and hear it sadly... Miss Xi now comes to Yanzhou alone with her young master, still using a pseudonym, and she obviously knows it well. But I don’t know what Miss Xi plans to do next? "
"I was just going to ask you for some advice!" Xi Fuwei smiled bitterly when she heard this, and said to herself: Not to mention that I'm a newbie here, but my nephew was almost kidnapped and trafficked. What else do I have planned at this moment? Now the aunt and nephew are drinking tea in Jinyiwei's guardhouse. Even if you made a plan before, can you still not follow your plan now
But the smile was a forced smile, and she was not in a bad mood at the moment. There was even a hint of secret expectation that was quietly growing.
"If Miss Xi has nowhere to go, how about I recommend you a job?" The man was very satisfied with her knowledge and did not beat around the bush. He said straightforwardly, "The Zou family, a wealthy family in Jining City, is working for them these days. Several young ladies in our family are looking for a female gentleman. Miss Xi has a very good temperament and is quite experienced in calligraphy. Why not go and give it a try?"
"You must know that the Zou family's status in Yanzhou Prefecture is the same as the Wen family's status in Dongchang Prefecture!"
"Furthermore, the Zou family has a reputation for being kind. This time they hire a female gentleman and the treatment is very generous... Of course, Miss Xi is not short of money for the time being, but the mistress of the Zou family is a generous person and loves to fight injustices. She must be playing into Miss Xi's hands?"
Xi Fuwei said cautiously: "Are you afraid that this little girl from the mountains won't be able to catch the eyes of Mistress Zou's wife?"
"Miss Xi is joking." The man smiled, but his eyes were calm and without any smile, and he said lightly, "Although Mistress Zou's emphasis on girls' education is a far-sighted move. However, in today's world, how much support can be provided? How many families have boys go to school? They even teach girls how to read and write, to the point where they can serve as role models. Is this a treatment that girls from ordinary families can have?"
"How can such a family be allowed to show up?"
"To put it bluntly, only those who have experienced something like Miss Xi's will become a husband for their family... Miss Xi thinks there will be many such families? Even if there are many, after they no longer have the protection of their father and brother, they have How many people can go to Jining Mansion as smoothly as Miss Xi?"
Xi Fuwei speculated that he had no collusion with the Zou family, but he just had great confidence in his selection. In other words, it was precisely because he felt that he had a high chance of being selected that he secretly protected himself and Xi Jiao. Did you come to Yanzhou without any danger
After pondering for a while, he asked straight to the point: "After entering Zou Mansion... what should I do?"
The man glanced at her approvingly: "Miss Xi, do you know that His Majesty intends to reopen the canal to meet the needs of water transportation and prepare for moving the capital to Peking?"
"...I've heard about it, and I'd like to hear the details!" Xi Fuwei's heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely felt as if she was about to step into a big whirlpool!
She instinctively wanted to escape, but when she thought of her father and brother, and of the Xi Mansion where God knows if she can go back... she suppressed the impulse and said in a deep voice, "Please give me some advice!"
The man smiled and said: "Actually, there is nothing to say. It is just one sentence: Peiping is your majesty's place of prosperity. Your majesty has long wanted to move the capital. However, some people in the court, out of various selfish motives, always I am objecting. Although I dare not refute His Majesty in public, I am not without action in private... Your Majesty is kind and does not want to disturb the people. The Imperial Guards are the emperor's personal soldiers, so they naturally have to share His Majesty's worries!"
Xi Fuwei was very disappointed after hearing this. She originally thought that if the Jin Yiwei had the opposite stance to the Wen family, they would kill someone with a borrowed knife!
However, moving the capital was both Emperor Yongle's wish and Jin Yiwei's wish, and she speculated that the Wen family was also in favor of this move, and even got involved with the nobles from Yingtian Mansion because of it.
Just as he was feeling depressed, he heard the man continue: "But your Majesty is the lord of the world. The so-called coast of the land is not the king's ministers... There are not all ministers who share your majesty's worries. There are also some, including middle officials... Well, I don’t know what these people think? Isn’t it good to serve His Majesty well in the palace? I have to stretch my hands so much about things outside... "
He didn't finish speaking, but Xi Fuwei subconsciously held her breath and didn't dare to say anything.
Knocking his long white knuckles on the old wooden table gently, the man smiled again and said, "The canal is in the territory of the Chief Envoy of Shandong Province. There are only two important places: Yanzhou Mansion and Dongchang Mansion.”
"After Miss Xi enters the Zou family, she should just pay attention to relevant matters."
Just asking for information, nothing else
Xi Fuwei was thoughtful and was about to speak when the man said, "Oh, by the way, in order to allow Miss Xi to concentrate on teaching her disciples, I will find someone to take care of Young Master Xi during these days!"
This means holding Xi Jiao hostage.
Although it was expected, Xi Fuwei couldn't help but said: "Jiao'er is already six years old, it's time for enlightenment!"
"Some of the subordinates under my command are of the same age." The man was unmoved and said calmly, "When the time comes, we will go to school together and we can keep each other company."
Xi Fuwei knew that there was nothing she could do to change this, so she pursed her lips, and after a while she calmed down and said, "About the Wen family..."
"Miss Xi!" The man smiled, seemingly gentle, but interrupted her very forcefully, "Miss Xi, I think that keeping my aunt and nephew well in Yanzhou City is enough to show my sincerity? "
The implication: secretly ensuring that your aunt and nephew escape to Yanzhou without any danger is the benefit of letting you work in advance this time!
If you want Jin Yiwei to help you deal with the Wen family, you must make other contributions next!
Otherwise, Jin Yiwei is not taken advantage of!
When Xi Fuwei heard this, she had nothing to say but also felt aggrieved: Ever since she took charge of the family, even if the Xi family fell into a state of ruin and no one to watch over her father, she has never been so passive!
From beginning to end, the rhythm was in the hands of the man in front of me.
She had no other choice but to nod!
"Dare you ask your lord what your name is?" Xi Fuwei resisted the urge to vomit blood and said, "My lord's kindness will be unforgettable!"
The man seemed to see her true intentions, smiled, and said slowly: "Jinyiwei Yanzhou Guards House Baihu, Shen Taolan, whose courtesy name is Youqing."