Beloved Concubine

Chen Xiao and Princess De were grilling dried meat in the kitchen of the courtyard.Su Xiaowan also came to help after serving dinner.

"My lord, my servant has left some food for you. If your majesty is hungry, my servant will cook it for you."

"I have no appetite, I don't want to eat."

Concubine De is listless. After tomorrow, her future is uncertain.Thinking of the time when King Jing was demoted to common people, the whole family of more than 40 people lived on the last little thing left by pawning, living like a poor man.Thinking of this, Concubine De became very anxious, for fear that King De would also become like Prince Jing.

"Xiao Xiao, when you came to Nanyue, you didn't have anything, right?" Princess De asked Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao was taken aback, not knowing what she meant by the question?
Princess De said: "If I have nothing in the future, I want to learn from you. How did you earn your family business?"

Seeing Princess De's anxious face, Su Xiaowan comforted her, "Your Majesty is worrying too much."

Princess De ignored Su Xiaowan and looked at Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao said with a smile: "What kind of family business is that we call? The house is rented, and the annual rent is 380 taels. Not a single tile belongs to us."

"380 taels of rent?" Concubine De was surprised. She was in charge of the palace of De Wang. They also rented houses and shops to others. The princess knew how much money could be rented for what kind of house.

"How big is the house and shop you rented?"

"There are two shops in the front, and four rooms and two ears in the back yard."

Ancient houses generally did not talk about the square area. They defined the area of ​​the house as "room", and the room between two beams on the roof was counted as a room.As for the area of ​​a room, some are [-] meters by [-] meters, some are [-] meters by [-] meters, which is roughly the size of ordinary people's houses.However, "one room" is not equal to "one room". For example, the main hall lobby is visually said to be "one room", but in terms of area, it may be "two rooms" or "three rooms". ".

"Is it so expensive to rent a house in An County?" Concubine De felt that the house they rented was not too big. If it was in Dezhou, it would only cost half the price at most.

"We are renting the best house in the middle of Anxian County. If the location is a little bit out of the way, it won't be so expensive."

Chen Xiao was chatting with Concubine De about renting a house, while Su Xiaowan was listening, and was also speechless at the rent of 380 taels.

380 taels!Her father's annual salary is only 240 taels.Of course, being an official does not depend entirely on salary, otherwise it would not be enough to support the whole family.

Thinking of the whole house, Su Xiaowan's heart became heavy.When the imperial envoy arrives, I don't know what will happen to my father.

Princess De asked Chen Xiao: "How is your business? How much money can you make a year?"

"The business is not bad, and I can earn about 1000 taels a year."

"1000 taels, did you not remove the rent? Or did you remove the rent of 1000 taels?"

"After deducting the rent and the staff's wages, there are 1000 taels left in the end."

"How many guys have you hired?"

"Two at first, and four later." Chunhong left, but Liu Qiao came, so there were still four.

Concubine De secretly calculated that one clerk would earn 140 taels a month, and the four clerks would earn a total of more than 500 taels a year. Adding the rent, the expenditure would be more than [-] taels.The owner's final net income was [-] yuan. I didn't expect to make so much money opening a small restaurant.

"If I have nothing in the future, I will learn from you to open a small restaurant, will you teach me?" Princess De was worried, imagining the worst outcome.She knows that she is honorable, and everyone respects her.If she becomes a commoner in the future, people will probably ignore her.Princess Jing is a living example.

"Definitely teach." Chen Xiao didn't comfort her by saying that it's impossible, that you can't have nothing.Because it is really possible, no one knows what the emperor thinks, it is always good to leave one more way out.

"However..." Chen Xiao dragged on the end, appearing a little hesitant.

"But what?"

"If you are safe and sound, you can also open a small restaurant." Chen Xiao smiled.

Princess De smiled lightly, knowing that Chen Xiao was comforting herself.Suddenly, she thought of something, took off the gold bracelet on her hand, and handed it to Chen Xiao.

"This bracelet is worth a few hundred taels at least. You will keep it for me first. If there is a day, this will probably be my last property."

Chen Xiao didn't refuse, and took it over.

"Don't worry, I will keep it safe for you. But I hope you are safe and well, nothing happened."

"I hope!" Princess De took a deep breath.

Su Xiaowan saw that the princess actually handed over such a precious bracelet to Chen Shi, and found that their friendship was unusual.

In fact, the friendship between Chen Xiao and Concubine De is very ordinary, they just live in the same courtyard, and usually chat a little more.However, Princess De actually entrusted her "property" to Chen Xiao, which Chen Xiao did not expect.The reason why she didn't refuse and took it without saying a word is because: refusing the bracelet is tantamount to refusing to help the princess.She said just now that she would teach the concubine to open a snack bar, why, she won't teach when she is in trouble?Chen Xiao is not this kind of person.Besides, a gold bracelet is nothing to Chen Xiao, she also has a lot of valuable gold ornaments, just like the gold bracelet given to Fang Yu back then.

Thinking of Fang Yu, Chen Xiao was a little puzzled: Why did this guy go?Normally, Fang Yu was wronged, and he came over early and tried to please him in every possible way, but today after dinner, there was no sign of him.Did he really agree to break up?
Speaking of breaking up, Chen Xiao actually knew that Fang Yu would not break up with her.From the very beginning, Chen Xiao could see that Fang Yu had plans for her, what?Maybe one is her people, and the other is her black stone.In the final analysis, it may still be Blackstone.But she wasn't worried that Fang Yu would take the black stone, because he couldn't.Similarly, Chen Xiao also "has plans" for him.She has always been very concerned about the words of the white boa, "Here comes the strong".

Concubine De, Su Xiaowan, and Chen Xiao, the three of them were thinking about their own concerns, and bowed their heads in silence. At this time, a flying guard came, bowed and saluted:

"Princess Wangfei, His Highness King De invites you to go back."

Concubine De was not running away from King De, she was just bored and worried, so she talked to Chen Xiao.Hearing King De tell her to go back, she got up and said, "I'll go first."

"Okay." Chen Xiao handed her a few pieces of roasted jerky: "It's been roasted for a long time, and you haven't tasted it yet."

Princess De took the jerky.

At this moment, Su Xiaowan also got up and said, "Princess Wangfei, you should have some dinner!"

"En." Princess De nodded. It's the end of Xu hour (nine o'clock in the evening), and I'm really hungry.

Concubine De and Su Xiaowan went back to the independent small courtyard, while Chen Xiao continued to roast the dried meat by himself.

In the huge kitchen, four oil lamps were lit on the table. In this society, such lighting was considered very bright, but to Chen Xiao, it was still dim.

The jerky should be roasted slowly, and Chen Xiao felt a little drowsy while turning the jerky.She really wanted to bring these jerky into the space and bake them in the oven, how fast that would be!Two or three ovens will do it.But the surrounding conditions do not allow it, and there are people outside the kitchen.Did she disappear in the kitchen?Or take the unfinished jerky back to the room?That would be too strange.

Chen Xiao was roasting jerky in boredom when Fang Yu walked into the kitchen.

"Not finished yet?" Fang Yu went to sit beside him.

"Not yet." Chen Xiao said lightly.On the one hand, she is a little sleepy now, and on the other hand, the "grievance" between her and Fang Yu is not over yet.

"Go back and rest, and do it tomorrow."

"No, Princess De is leaving tomorrow, these are baked for her."

"She won't leave tomorrow. King De made an agreement with his grandson to let Concubine De go to Beijing with his grandson."

"Huh?" Chen Xiao looked sideways at Fang Yu.

After Fang Yu came down from the mountain, he went to the independent courtyard first. King De asked him to take good care of the princess, and then the princess went to Beijing with the grandson.

De Wang didn't know what he would face when he went this time. In case he was put in prison, he didn't want to bring his wife with him.