good season

As the weather gets colder, Young Master Zhen's shipping business has also stopped. After the last ship docked, there are no plans to go out to sea for the time being.

In this way, the third prince has no chance to invest.

That's how people are. They don't feel anything when they don't have this income, but once they have it and then suddenly it's gone, they immediately feel short of money.

It's easy to imagine that the Third Prince was overjoyed to see Young Master Zhen, just like a hungry dog ​​smelling meat; he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

He was the most short of money among the princes; he was never short of money.

The prince's salary was not enough to match his ambition, and although the Feng family had power, they did not have an inexhaustible supply of money for him to use.

The Fan family is wealthy, but they are not stupid. Before Fan Qiuyun has a formal title or even gives birth to a grandson of the emperor, the Fan family's money still belongs to the Fan family and has nothing to do with him.

Young Master Zhen is the biggest money bag the Third Prince has found so far!
However, during this period, Young Master Zhen was elusive and could not be found. The Third Prince had sent people to look for him several times, but they could not find him.

Seeing the young master Zhen standing alive in front of him, the Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, this little pirate wasn't chopped up by his enemies and is still alive!

He sent someone to inquire, and found that Zhen Wuduo was an old fox, and his whereabouts had been uncertain in recent years. Even his sons did not know where he had gone, but whenever they tried to make a move, Zhen Wuduo's big stick could accurately hit them on the head.

Zhen Gui was Zhen Wuduo's most favored son, and even the government offices along the coast were informed of this and opened doors of convenience for Zhen Gui.

Moreover, it is said that Zhen Wuduo already intends to make Zhen Gui his successor. His other sons are furious about this, but Zhen Gui lives in the capital, so they can't reach out to him, nor do they dare to.

The Third Prince felt that Zhen Gui was sent to him by God. The one sent was the inexperienced Zhen Gui, not the cunning and ruthless Zhen Wuduo. He was truly God's own son!
"Young Master Zhen, it's been a long time! You still look as radiant as ever!"

Young Master Zhen bowed deeply: "I have come at an inopportune time. Since Third Master has gone out on business, I will come another day."

The Third Prince didn't have anything important to do when he went to the palace; he was there to meet with Fan Qiuyun in secret.

Fan Qiuyun is currently in Consort Qiao's palace, so she can meet with her whenever she wants; there's no rush.

However, it is rare to see Young Master Zhen.

The third prince immediately abandoned his idea of ​​going to the palace and returned to his residence.

This time, he received Young Master Zhen in his study.

When Feng Jiahe returned from her parents' home, the eldest son of the Zhen family had already left, but the joy in the third prince's eyes was clearly visible.

Feng Jiahe hurriedly asked, "Sir, has the Zhen family gotten business again?"

The Third Prince laughed and said, "This Zhen Gui really has a knack for making money. Guess what kind of business he's doing? Hahaha, he's assembled a caravan to trade horses from beyond the Great Wall. He's incredibly audacious. Back in the Taizu era, this would have been a capital offense, resulting in the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family."

Feng Jiahe paused for a moment, then asked, "And now?"

The Third Prince said, “In recent years, the army has had its own horse farms, which can meet the supply of military horses. However, those horses are only for the army. Horses needed outside the army have become hot commodities. There are also people who raise horses, but those horses are only suitable for pulling carts and transporting goods. If you want a fine steed, you still have to spend a lot of money to buy it from outside the pass.”

Feng Jiahe understood: "Young Master Zhen wants to get into the horse business and wants to get Third Master involved?"

The Third Prince laughed and said, "He only has money, but the roads to the border can't be opened up with just money."

Feng Jiahe's heart skipped a beat: "Master, isn't this risky? Should I go back to my parents' home and ask my father again?"

Upon hearing this, the smile on the Third Prince's face vanished.

It's always the same. I have to ask Feng Ke about everything. If Feng Ke doesn't agree, I can't do anything!
"So, does that mean you have to ask your father how many times the master needs water each night?" the Third Prince said sarcastically.

Feng Jiahe's pretty face flushed red instantly; she knew the Third Prince was unhappy.

"That's not what I meant. I did it all for you, Master."

The Third Prince swept all the cups and saucers off the table, making a series of loud clattering sounds. Feng Jiahe was startled and covered her mouth with a handkerchief to keep herself from screaming.

The Third Prince's voice was icy: "Alright, I was just saying that. I'm not doing this kind of business anymore. Someone, go and tell Young Master Zhen to find someone else."

After saying that, he walked away.

Feng Jiahe was stunned for a moment, and the maid whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, why don't I send someone to deliver a message to the manor?"

The "mansion" mentioned by the maid was not the Third Prince's mansion, but the Feng mansion.

Feng Jiahe was about to say yes when she suddenly remembered what the Third Prince had just said. She shook her head and said, "Third Master was just saying it. I'm afraid this matter won't work out. Let's not alarm Father for now."

She thought for a moment and said to the maid, "Have someone keep an eye on Young Master Zhen and see if he goes to see anyone else."

The news came back quickly. At first, Young Master Zhen didn't go anywhere. However, after the Third Prince actually sent someone to see Young Master Zhen, the man from Fatty Si's subordinate sent a letter to the Fourth Prince's residence. However, the Fourth Prince was now focused on entertaining the envoys, so the letter disappeared without a trace.

And thereafter, until the New Year, the Third Prince and Young Master Zhen had no further contact.

Clearly, this deal fell through.

Feng Jiahe tried to test him twice, but each time she was met with the Third Prince's cold face. Feeling a little guilty, Feng Jiahe became even more gentle and considerate towards the Third Prince.

The Third Prince ignored her for several days, until he returned from the palace after the New Year's Eve dinner, and under the influence of alcohol, the two reconciled.

The Prince's residence has its own rules. There are many important matters to attend to on the first day of the Lunar New Year. According to the rules, sexual relations are not allowed on the eve of the Lunar New Year. Therefore, after the two had their intimate moments, the Third Prince left, leaving Feng Jiahe alone in her empty room.

Feng Jiahe felt bitter, believing that the Third Prince was still blaming her for what happened last time.

Therefore, when the day came for her to return to her parents' home, Feng Ke asked the Third Prince what guests he had seen and what he had done in the mansion recently. She subconsciously kept quiet about it and didn't mention a word about Young Master Zhen wanting to sell horses with the Third Prince.

Feng Jiahe would never have dreamed that the Third Prince had already sent his trusted confidants to accompany Jiang Ping to the border region before the New Year.

On New Year's Eve, Zhao Tingxuan went to the palace for a banquet. Upon returning to his residence, he had some of the palace-gifted snacks, along with several dishes prepared by the palace chefs, sent to Zhao Shiqing. Along with the food, a large red envelope was also sent—lucky money from the older brother to his younger sister. Zhao Shiqing had already received lucky money from Zhao Tinghan and Zhao Yunnuan, and this year she received an extra one—a separate gift from her sister-in-law, Meng Xiaotang.

Meng Hu brought these New Year's money along with other New Year's gifts, as well as his master's money.

The next morning, Zhao Shiqing changed into new clothes and respectfully kowtowed to Zhen Wuduo: "Happy New Year, Grandpa. May you have boundless happiness and longevity."

It's like they're celebrating a birthday.

The old man squinted with delight and handed a heavy red envelope to Zhao Shiqing. When Zhao Shiqing returned to the house and opened it, she realized why it felt so thick. There were sixty silver notes, each worth one hundred taels!

Six thousand taels!
She kowtowed once and received six thousand taels!
Zhao Shiqing was so moved she almost cried. In the next life, and the next life after that, and the next life after that, she would still want to be his granddaughter, his one and only precious granddaughter!

Xiao Zhen arrived early in the morning and kowtowed as well. Xiao Zhen's red envelope contained only a light ten-tael silver note.

Zhao Shiqing laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

For a group of teenagers, the New Year is all about eating and drinking. All the shops on the street are closed. Zhao Shiqing was prepared to eat and sleep, but she didn't expect that a group of new friends would come to her door.

Besides the Yan family members, there were also the brothers Zhao Tinggang and Zhao Tingyu from the Lu Prince's Mansion, known for their ability to break large stones on their chests, and Zhao Tingluo from the Fu Prince's Mansion, a know-it-all.

Zhao Shiqing asked, "All the shops outside are closed, where should we go to have fun?"

Zhao Tinggang patted his chest and said, "Come with me, I'll take you to a good place."

Zhao Shiqing assumed that Zhao Tinggang was taking them to one of the Prince Lu's own properties, but to her surprise, he led them to a dilapidated temple where a group of beggars stood up respectfully upon seeing the Broken Stone Brothers: "Greetings, Boss!"

Zhao Shiqing's eyes widened in surprise. The Broken Stone Brothers had not disappointed her; they had actually become the leader of the beggars.

The brothers who broke the big stones pointed to the children they had brought and said to the little beggars, "These are all your brothers. From now on, if they have any tasks for you, don't be lazy!"

"Alright, whatever the boss says goes, we'll listen to the boss!"

So everyone chipped in and gave fifty taels of silver to the beggars. A little while later, they came back carrying several large chicken coops. These chickens were all bought from the farmers.

Zhao Shiqing enjoyed a uniquely flavored beggar's chicken meal. Fortunately, he could play with the Broken Stone Brothers. Although they usually lived in luxury, none of them were spoiled. They sat on the ground, ate chicken together, and boasted together.

Zhao Tinggang counted the heads: "Hey, where did Xiao Niu Zi and Xiao Gou Zi go? Didn't I tell you not to run around during the New Year? I'll bring you food."

The beggars said one after another, "They went to work for Old Wang. It was agreed that Old Wang's apprentice went home for the New Year, so they would work for free for three days."

Zhao Tinggang, the boy who broke the big stone, frowned: "Working for free? Why should we work for him for free? It's the New Year, isn't this bullying a kid? What does this old Wang do? I'm going to find him and ask him to settle this!"

"Old Wang is the one who runs the herbal medicine shop on the street ahead. Little Niu and Little Gou found a man lying on the road and carried him to Old Wang's shop. Old Wang cured the man and brought him back to life. The two of them didn't have money to pay the consultation fee, so they agreed to work for Old Wang for free for three days. It wasn't tiring; they just picked herbs."

Zhao Tinggang became interested: "He collapsed on the road? He was saved? What happened to that person? Didn't he charge a consultation fee? Could it be that he saved someone poorer than a beggar?"

The little beggar said, "No, he's a scholar, but he has no money. We searched him thoroughly, and he didn't have a single copper coin. The most valuable thing he has is his robe, but in this freezing weather, we can't just take his clothes off to exchange for money."

"So you just let that person go? You didn't follow him to his house to ask for money?" Broken Stone's younger brother asked.

The little beggar said, "Don't mention it. Although that person was saved, he's only alive. He's still lying in bed. Old Wang said he won't die, but he's too badly injured and won't wake up for a while."

The Yan brothers came from a military family, making them more sensitive than others.

Yan Jiu immediately asked, "Too badly injured? You mean this guy who collapsed on the road wasn't from hunger or cold, but injured?"

The little beggar nodded repeatedly, pointing to his stomach: "Right here, a bloody hole. By the way, Little Niu and Little Gou found him by that puddle over there. His clothes were all frozen solid. We all thought he was injured and thrown into the ice hole, and then he climbed out on his own."

Everyone's lips twitched involuntarily.

He was stabbed and thrown into an ice hole, but he managed to climb out and was saved by two little beggars just before he died. This man is really lucky.

Zhao Tingluo, who had been silently munching on a chicken leg, suddenly interjected and asked, "Didn't you report it to the authorities?"

The little beggars looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

None of them expected that they would have to report this to the authorities!

Yan Jiu said, "It's the New Year, and no one will care if we report it to the authorities. It might even delay treatment, and the person might die before the court hearing."

Everyone thought about it and agreed. During the New Year, the government offices were sealed off. Although there were yamen runners on duty, they were just on duty. Especially since this was a murder case, just as Yan Jiu said, by the time the official came to hold court, the person would probably be dead.

Yan Shiyi said, "Why don't we tell our elder brother?"

Zhao Shiqing asked curiously, "Is Master Yan back?"

Yan Shiyi said, "He came back late last night and went to the palace early this morning. He should be back at his residence by now."

Zhao Shiqing thought of the case Yan Xia had investigated and was curious about the results he had found, but now was definitely not the time to ask. Besides, the younger members of the Yan family might not even know.

Yan Jiu said, "Then let's go to the herbal medicine shop later. In case that person was murdered to silence him, there might be other cases involved."

They are not ordinary children; their eldest brother is Yan Xia, so their reactions to the same thing are different from others.

Zhao Shiqing also wanted to see the lucky person, especially since he was a scholar. The scholars she had met were all weak and helpless, so she naturally wanted to see someone like him who was seriously injured but still had a strong will to survive.

Old Wang wasn't a professional doctor, but having run his pharmacy for so long, he had learned a bit about medicine.

Whenever the young beggars had a headache or fever, they would go to Old Wang. Old Wang was very generous and would give them some herbs to boil and drink. The young beggars were grateful and often helped Old Wang with his work.

Like this time, Old Wang saved someone, and even though that person had no connection to them, they were still willing to help Old Wang with his work. (End of Chapter)