Since Zhang Shou was sent to a safe place like the county government, Ah Liu naturally had no worries when he went to deliver the letter. With Zhu Tingfang and Zhu Ying, brother and sister, and more than 30 guards from the Duke of Zhao's mansion, he didn't believe that there would be any random assassins breaking in. Moreover, Hua Qi might still be in the capital, but he might have sneaked into Cangzhou City.
Zhu Tingfang personally led the way and settled Zhang Shou in a quiet little courtyard in the official residence behind the county government office, next door to where he and Zhu Ying lived. Although the brother and sister had already lived in a separate courtyard when they were at home, he didn't care so much when he was away from home. And Brother Zhu didn't think that there was anyone else who could keep an eye on Zhu Ying. As for Zhang Shou...
This guy would probably hand Zhu Ying a knife when she was beating someone, or help kick them a few times!
Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying being dragged away by Zhu Tingfang for interrogation, so he invited Xiao Huasheng into the room. This was probably originally a guest room in the government residence. Everything from the bed to the quilt was brand new, and the tables and chairs were spotless. However, the calligraphy and paintings on the wall... were the ones that Jia Baoyu hated very much, "Knowledge of the world is knowledge, and understanding of human nature is writing."
But it is very suitable for the atmosphere of the county government.
Zhang Shou, however, did not think that being well-informed in worldly affairs and being experienced in human relationships had any stench. He was not a young man like Jia Baoyu who enjoyed wealth but was unable to shoulder the responsibility of the family business. So he took a look around and saw that the bookshelves were all filled with the Four Books and Five Classics. He knew that most of the guests who came here were scholars, which was in line with the social circle of Xu Cheng, the county magistrate who was a Jinshi, so he sat down at the round table.
When he thought of the little peanut who followed him into the house, he turned his head and saw someone sweeping the floor seriously, but he didn't see any dust being swept out. His head was almost hanging down to count the dust on the ground. Seeing this, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Little peanut, I borrowed you from your uncle because I wanted to use you, a little local snake, to learn about Cangzhou, not to make you a personal servant."
Peanut stood up straight immediately. He coughed awkwardly, then went to put the broom away slowly, then stepped forward and whispered, "I think Sixth Brother is so capable, Dr. Zhang, you think I'm useless, and you'll send me back later... I don't know what the outcome will be for Uncle Yunhe, I won't go back, I'll stay here no matter what!"
Zhang Shou was immediately amused by Peanut. Especially since this little guy had once disguised himself as a woman and tricked the eldest prince, he found it even more amusing. So, he pointed to the stool opposite and asked people to sit down. He said directly: "Tell me about the families in Cangzhou City who once colluded with the eldest prince and Changlu County Magistrate Xu Cheng to run workshops."
What Xiao Huasheng hoped most was that he could be of use to Zhang Shou, so that Zhang Shou might think of a way to exonerate Xian Yunhe. Therefore, he immediately perked up and began to explain the situation of each family in detail.
"Originally, there were many small workshops and textile machine owners who had their own spinning machines. But after the eldest prince came, he colluded with several of the richest families. In addition, Xu Cheng, a dog official, acted as a middleman to suppress the situation. As a result, those small workshops and textile machine owners had no place to sell their cotton yarn, and gradually they could only work for them."